open/close all folders
Megatron
- Voiced by: Rory McCann, Shigeru Chiba (Japanese)
The former leader of the Decepticons, now working with G.H.O.S.T. and the Autobots to detain Decepticon threats. He transforms into a tiltrotor.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: The first Megatron to actually befriend a human.
- Most modern depictions treated Megatron as an Omnicidal Maniac, intent on ruling all in creation and destroying all who oppose him, with the Decepticon's being a means to an end for his tyrannical rule. This Megatron had no plans on any destruction on that scale and fought to keep others from being ruled in such a manner, and is incredibly distressed when he discovers his followers have become an army that seeks out destruction of all non-Transformer life.
- Adaptational Wimp: A justified example. Previous series have Megatron as the Big Bad of the show, meaning he's usually a One-Man Army or The Juggernaut. Due to his status in the show as one of the main characters, his power level is a bit downgraded. He's still a capable fighter, but he's nowhere near the unstoppable force he has been depicted as in previous series. "Decoy" implies that he intentionally holds back against his former Decepticon troops.
- A Father to His Men: Working with Optimus has given him empathy towards some of his former troops, making him openly vocal about how G.H.O.S.T. treats them and their capture methods.
- Actor Allusion: Calls Twitch 'little bird' at one point, an allusion to Rory's time on a certain other show.
- The Atoner: This version of Megatron has come to realize how destructive his war with the Autobots has become and how far he led his followers astray. He looks to the Terrans as a way forward for his species and to not repeat the mistakes of the past.
- Bad Boss: Formerly; In "Moo-ving In", he recalls how he used to use brute force to keep his troops in line. This becomes a plot point in "What Dwells Below", as Starscream still suffers from the scars that Megatron's past treatment of him left behind.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: In the season finale he's forcibly made into an obedient drone for first Croft, then Mandroid alongside the Autobots.
- Brave Scot: He retains Rory McCann's natural Scottish accent and certainly hasn't lost any of his pre-Heel–Face Turn prowess in combat.
- Category Traitor: It's implied that most Decepticons see him as a spineless "Autobot Sympathizer" who sold them out to both humanity and the Autobots.
- Establishing Character Moment: In the pilot episode, Megatron makes a dramatic appearance in vehicle mode, and after transforming into robot mode, he picks up Dot, glares at her... and after Dot's snarky comment, he chuckles a little, not only revealing that he's much nicer than most incarnations of the character, but also his close friendship with Dot. Said friendship is so close, that it's enough to convince Dot to work with G.H.O.S.T. where Optimus' attempt failed.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Megatron had a number of lines he wouldn't cross and as his faction crossed them, he ended up defecting. Notably, Shockwave's plan to raise an army of protoforms to conquer Earth and Cybertron was a bridge too far and lead to Megatron attacking and cryogenically freezing his former friend.
- Heel–Face Turn: Happened sometime before the events of the show. He still wears a Decepticon badge but works with the Autobots and G.H.O.S.T. in apprehending rogue Decepticons on Earth.
- Helicopter Blender: He cuts through Skywarp's wing with his rotors, nearly slicing it off.
- Interspecies Friendship: Shown, and seems, to be genuine friends with Dot Malto. Megatron so far as to threaten Mandroid if he harms Dot when they're his prisoners.
- In-Series Nickname: Dot calls him "Megs".
- The Lancer: While Elita-1 is Optimus' official second-in-command, Megatron is shown to be on equal footing with Optimus whenever the two are on a mission together.
- Leitmotif: Possesses a somewhat ominous musical theme to hint at his past.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Heavily implied to be part of his motivation for his Heel–Face Turn. Losing the Allspark along with his Decepticons losing the morality that he once stood for causes him to try and work towards a better future.
- Not So Stoic: Is not above a jolly good laugh, and despite his gripes with Optimus actually finds his Emoji abuse amusing (particularly the robot one).Megatron: The robot gets me every time!
- Omnicidal Maniac: Decidedly not this. Whereas previous versions of Megatron were happy to wipe out all organic life and even Transformers opposed to his rule, this version is appalled when his followers descend into tactics such as this. It's implied that it was prompted his Heel–Face Turn.
- Prefers Proper Names: He is the only one that refers to Dot Malto as Dorothy.
- Recoil Boost: He occasionally uses his fusion cannon for this, such as for a Meteor Move that piledrives Nova Storm into the ground from cloud level.
- Reformed, but Not Tamed: Not afraid to cut loose when in combat when the opportunity allows for it.Megatron: By all means, resist. It's my favorite part.
- Sour Supporter: Megatron allied himself with G.H.O.S.T. primarily to save his people, but is continually appalled by how G.H.O.S.T. treats the rest of the Decepticons and how willing the Autobots (especially Optimus) are to go along with it.
- Still Wearing the Old Colors: Megatron's G.H.O.S.T. insignia incorporates his Decepticon symbol whereas the Autobot G.H.O.S.T. insignia is standard for most Transformers aligned with the group.
- What the Hell, Hero?: In "Decoy", Megatron is disgusted by Optimus and Bumblebee using restraining bolts on the Cassetticons and calls Optimus out on how unfairly the Decepticons are treated in general.Megatron: Even in times of so-called peace... this is not freedom.
- You Are What You Hate: It's implied Megatron realizing he and his Decepticons became the very thing he formed the faction to fight against is what triggered his Heel Realization.
Brawl
- Alas, Poor Villain: He ends up one of Mandroid's victims, with his left arm ripped off, his body drained of Energon, and his corpse left to hang from the ceiling of the makeshift arena. Even Bumblebee is horrified at this.
- Adaptation Amalgamation: He mostly looks like his G1 counterpart but his claw hand that Mandroid takes for himself is a feature of the Brawl from the first live-action movie.
- Blade Below the Shoulder: His left arm has a dual blade assembly attached to it.
- Use Your Head: When fighting Bumblebee, the bot manages to restrain Brawl's arms. Brawl breaks the hold with a headbutt that sends Bee staggering.
- The Voiceless: Never makes so much as a peep while in his short time on screen.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Introduced and, seemingly, killed in the same episode.
Breakdown
- Voiced by: Roger Craig Smith
A friend of Bumblebee's from the pre-War days who ended up fighting for the Deceptions. Now on the run from G.H.O.S.T. in the post-war years, he still keeps up with old friends in races across the world.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: In spite of being a Decepticon, Earthspark's Breakdown is a lot more affable and noble than most depictions of the character.
- Composite Character: This version of Breakdown combines his G1 incarnation's physical stature and sports car alt mode with his Prime incarnation's sense of honor and personal history with an Autobot.
- Friendly Enemy: He and Bee were on opposite sides of the Great War, but seem to mostly still be on good terms.
- Heroic Sacrifice: He lets himself get attacked and taken in by G.H.O.S.T. while simultaneously aiding Bumblebee's escape.
- Uncertain Doom: Last we see of Breakdown, he was presumably taken into G.H.O.S.T. custody. However in "Home", we see what appears to be his arm among the offlined Decepticons in Bot Brawl, so either it's just a reused model or G.H.O.S.T. sent him off there. Subverted as "The Last Hope" confirms he was just locked up in G.H.O.S.T.'s Decepticon prison and, luckily, wasn't one of Mandroid's involuntary limb donors.
Frenzy
- Voiced by: Tiana Camacho, Sayuri Yahagi (Japanese)
A cassette mini-con working for Soundwave.
- Adaptational Dye-Job: Rather than the traditional blue (or red
), Frenzy is colored purple here. - Hazy-Feel Turn: Megatron lets her and the other cassettes go after Frenzy begs him to, but only under the condition that they don't screw up and do evil acts again. She and Laserbeak are the only ones who follow through with this, with Ravage still reporting to Soundwave in the end. The next time we see Frenzy in Home, she and Laserbeak are working as announcers for Bot Brawl, a fighting ring exploiting Decepticons by making them tear each other apart for Energon, and both of them seem to be enjoying every minute of it.
- Instrumental Weapon: Wields a guitar that also functions as a blaster.
- Gender Flip: Is a girl, with a punk rocker-inspired look, in this continuity.
- Super-Scream: She, Ravage, and Laserbeak can emit sonic screams powerful enough to hold off Optimus and Megatron.
- Robot Hair: Has what appears to be hair in the style of a goth/punk rocker.
- Two Decades Behind: Despite Soundwave having a stealth bomber alt-mode, she still turns into a cassette tape. Unlike the G1 cartoon, she doesn't mass-shift to become smaller.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Both she and Laserbeak disappear after the Maltos destroy the Bot Brawl arena in "Home" and aren't seen again for the rest of the season. Unlike with Ravage there's also no sign of this being the result of an Aborted Arc.
Hardtop
- Voiced by: Nolan North, Koji Yusa (Japanese)
Swindle's brother. He transforms into a dune buggy.
- An Arm and a Leg: Mandroid steals his right arm and grafts it onto himself to replace his own missing limb.
- Ascended Extra: Hardtop was a toy-only character for the Transformers: Cybertron series.
- Big Brother Instinct: He shoves Swindle out of the way of a thrown shipping crate, which subsequently flattens Hardtop and leads to his capture.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Implied. When Mandroid sics him on Elita-1 to cover his escape, Elita-1 notes that Hardtop doesn't seem to be all there while fighting him. Afterwards Hardtop claims he doesn't know what came over him and that he'd never fight Megatron willingly. It's also odd that Hardtop would be willing to help Mandroid, right after Mandroid stole his arm. As of "Home" it's basically confirmed, as the episode reveals that Mandroid (or maybe G.H.O.S.T.) makes use of control chips to force Cybertronians to fight for him.
- Disability Immunity: During the prison riot in "Hashtag Oops", a G.H.O.S.T. agent attempts to shoot cuffs at Hardtop. While he does manage to hit the Decepticon, the attempt is still in vain since Hardtop is still missing an arm and thus can't be cuffed that way.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Admitted to Megatron that although he was more than willing to tussle with humans and Autobots, he would never attack his former leader of his own accord, even if he is working with his enemies.
- Robo Family: Swindle's brother.
- Siblings in Crime: The first scene of the series is the brothers attempting to steal Energon from a railyard.
Laserbeak
- Voiced by: Jake Green
One of Soundwave's cassette mini-cons.
- Adaptational Relationship Overhaul: In most continuities, Laserbeak is Soundwave's go-to cassette and the most loyal of his minions. In EarthSpark, this role appears to have been taken by Ravage, who chooses to return to Soundwave after being freed while Laserbeak and Frenzy choose to remain independent.
- Feathered Fiend: As usual. He's a Cassetticon whose robot-mode is a bird of prey.
- Hazy-Feel Turn: After being released by Megatron and Optimus in Decoy under the condition that they don't cause trouble any more, him and Frenzy seemingly keep their word by not returning to Soundwave like Ravage. But by the time of "Home", Laserbeak and Frenzy are shown commentating a fighting pit that exploits Decepticons, with neither showing any indication that they're being forced to do it or don't enjoy doing it.
- Mechanical Animals: As always, he's a mechanical bird. Even makes stock hawk/falcon sound effects.
- Perpetual Expression: His beak makes it seem he's perpetually giving an evil grin.
- Suddenly Voiced: After either being silent or making only stock bird noises in his first appearance, he is suddenly speaking in complete sentences in Home and providing wrestling-style smarmy commentary alongside Frenzy overlooking the Bot Brawls (which is probably a reference to his portrayal in the first IDW continuity, where he and Buzzsaw would constantly crack jokes at others' expense, a la Statler and Waldorf from The Muppets).
- Super-Scream: Can emit sonic frequencies powerful enough to incapacitate Prime and Megatron.
- Two Decades Behind: Despite Soundwave having a stealth bomber alt-mode, he still turns into a cassette tape. Unlike the G1 cartoon though, he doesn't mass-shift to become smaller.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Both he and Frenzy disappear after the Maltos destroy the Bot Brawl arena in "Home" and aren't seen again for the rest of the season. Unlike with Ravage there's also no sign of this being the result of an Aborted Arc.
Nova Storm
- Voiced by: Nicole Dubuc, Alex Cazares (Expedition), Ami Koshimizu (Japanese)
A Decepticon seeker who, alongside her sister, was forced to work for Mandroid. She transforms into a jet.
- All for Nothing: Skywarp and her made themselves lackeys to the Cybertronian-hating Mandroid, in an effort to escape G.H.O.S.T. In "Age of Evolution, Part 2" they both end up captured and shipped off to G.H.O.S.T. anyway.
- Ascended Extra: Nova Storm was a one-scene Seeker in one episode of the original Transformers cartoon, and didn't get a name until over 30 years later. Here she's a prominent thug pairing with Skywarp.
- Composite Character: Her role as Skywarp's partner in crime is usually reserved for Thundercracker. "What Dwells Within" also reveals that she has the ability to generate sonic booms, a power Thundercracker normally has.
- Gender Flip: Prior incarnations of Nova Storm were male.
- Robo Family: She and Skywarp are sisters.
- Torpedo Tits: Can fire missiles from her chest, which resulted in a cave collapse that caused the Maltos to lose the Emberstone.
- Trapped in Villainy: She hates that her and Skywarp have to work for Mandroid, but as her sister points out to her, they either find him Autobots or they'll get found by the Autobots and thrown into the slammer by G.H.O.S.T.
- Uncertain Doom: The next time we see her in "Home", she apparently just lost a fight in Bot Brawl and is towed away. And since Frenzy states that the losers in Bot Brawl are scrapped for parts... Subverted, as "What Dwells Within" shows her still alive and unharmed, meaning either Frenzy was exaggerating for effect or the Maltos' and Bumblebee's dissolving of the Bot Brawl arena came just in time to save her from sharing Brawl's fate.
- Would Hurt a Child: She fires her Torpedo Tits at the cave that contains the Ember Stone out of spite, knowing that the Terrans and the Malto kids are among the people still down there.
Ravage
One of Soundwave's cassettes.
- Aborted Arc: Originally, Soundwave and Starscream would have used her to get the remote control for Shockwave's cryopod, which would have explained why Shockwave was seemingly randomly woken up from stasis in "Warzone". However, the scene in question ended up being scrapped for time.
- Gender Flip: In the original G1 cartoon, Ravage was male, whereas in EarthSpark she's female.
- Mechanical Animals: As always, she's a robot jaguar. Only making stock Big Cat/animal noises.
- Two Decades Behind: Despite Soundwave having a stealth bomber alt-mode, Ravage still turns into a cassette tape and unlike the G1 cartoon, she doesn't mass-shift to become smaller.
- Super-Scream: Can emit sonic frequencies that are powerful enough to take down Optimus and Megatron.
- Undying Loyalty: To Soundwave. When Optimus frees the Cassette Trio, Frenzy and Laserbeak embrace their second chance at life while Ravage goes back to Soundwave.
- The Unintelligible: Despite being sapient just like Frenzy, Ravage never speaks. She only makes stock cat-noises.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: See Aborted Arc above. Due to the scene where she steals the cryopod remote being scrapped, we never learn what exactly she got up to after Soundwave released her into G.H.O.S.T.'s facilities at the end of "Decoy".
Shockwave
- Voiced by: Troy Baker
- Arm Cannon: A Shockwave classic. This version also features a grappling hook function.
- Cyber Cyclops: Like every Shockwave before him, he only has one very big optic that takes up his entire faceplate.
- Enemy Mine: Despite his initial prejudice against the Terrans, Shockwave was willing to work alongside them against Mandroid, though it's unknown if he did it out of a legitimate change of spark or Pragmatic Villainy.
- Eviler than Thou: Than Megatron, who was already midway through his Heel–Face Turn at the end of the war.
- Fantastic Racism:
- Regards the Terrans as abominations.
- He holds little regard for humans as well, calling them "Sentient bags of goo."
- Faux Affably Evil: Downplayed. Shockwave is, for the most part, a humorless character but there is a cruel sardonic side to him.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: He brings with him The Immobilizer to freeze his foes, only for Megatron to use it on him to defeat him.
- Human Popsicle: Megatron forced Shockwave into cryostasis in-between the end of the Great War and the episode "Warzones".
- Murder-Suicide: When he learns he's been in stasis for 15 years, the war is lost, and that Megatron fully abandoned his followers (seemingly in favor of the terrans), Shockwave traps them both in a forcefield and tries to blow up the laboratory below them.
- Spider Tank: in a similar vein to his Cyberverse counterpart though the design is much different. Unlike many examples, Shockwave doesn't walk with his spider legs; they end in treads that allow him to drive around.
Skywarp
- Voiced by: Nicole Dubuc, Alex Cazares (Expedition), Mayumi Shintani (Japanese)
A Decepticon seeker forced to serve Mandroid alongside her sister. She transforms into a jet.
- Achilles' Heel: She can't warp through solid objects, which explains how G.H.O.S.T. was able to imprison her at all. This becomes a major problem in "What Dwells Within", as her, Nova Storm and Starscream have to spend a significant amount of time in underground tunnels she can't warp them out of.
- Adaptational Badass: G1 Skywarp was generally too dim to make full use of his Teleportation abilities. This version puts her power to good use in combat, jumping around her enemies for surprise attacks. She can also teleport any object she's holding to somewhere else, an ability the original never had.
- All for Nothing: She and Nova Storm put up with Mandroid so they wouldn't get taken in by G.H.O.S.T. In Age of Evolution, Part 2, they get captured and sent to G.H.O.S.T. after losing to Optimus and Bumblebee, making all their efforts to remain free null and void.
- Chainsaw Good: She swaps her hand out for a saw to try and cut Optimus' arm off.
- Gender Flip: Continuing on from Transformers: Cyberverse, Skywarp is female in this continuity.
- Robo Family: Nova Storm is her sister.
- Teleportation: Has Skywarp's oft-overlooked ability to teleport. Indicates she's about to use it when her eyes glow with red lightning.
- Trapped in Villainy: Her and Nova Storm don't exactly enjoy working for Mandroid, but since the alternative is getting eventually found and imprisoned by G.H.O.S.T. they'd rather throw their lot in with him.
Skullcruncher
- Voiced by: Barron Bass (Expedition)
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Invoked in-universe as Robby and Mo wonder how he got the name "Skullcruncher" and Alex, wisely, saying he'll tell them when they're older.
- Never Smile at a Crocodile: His beast mode is a giant crocodile.
- Unstoppable Rage; The mere sight of G.H.O.S.T.'s insignia sends him in to a beserker rage strong enough to smash through an entire side of a mountain. Even enough to, temporarily, overlook Bumblebee and the Terrans who were hiding in his cell.
- The Voiceless: He growls a lot but has no actual dialogue. In the game though, he has an actual voice.
Soundwave
- Voiced by: Sean Kenin Reyes, Itaru Yamamoto (Japanese)
The leader of the cassette mini-cons, who carries a hefty grudge against Megatron for his defection. He transforms into a stealth aircraft.
- Aborted Arc: Originally he would have used Ravage to acquire a remote control for Starscream that Starscream in turn would have used to deactivate Shockwave's cryopod. Since the scene in question was scrapped for time, him releasing Ravage into G.H.O.S.T.'s facilities remains unresolved.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Soundwave's relationship tends to be that of a Benevolent Boss towards his Cassetticons, with media often giving him a Pet the Dog moment with them to emphasize their work together as mutually beneficial. Here, he's implicitly a Bad Boss, not particularly caring about them as anything more than tools and two out of three of them leave him the second they have the chance.
- Angrish: When Arcee teases him about having gone soft after he loses against her and the other Autobots in "Decoy", Soundwave just angrily snarls at her like a mad dog.
- Bad Boss: Implied. He orders Frenzy, Ravage and Laserbeak to attack Megatron, despite knowing they don't stand much of a chance. After the Cassetticons are freed by Optimus, they abandon him without looking back and Frenzy even begs Ravage not to return to Soundwave, telling her that "[they]'re free now".
- Broken Pedestal: Soundwave was Megatron's most loyal lieutenant during the war, but now resents his leader for turning his back on the Decepticons.
- Captured on Purpose: The ending of "Decoy" implies this was the case with his arrest. Shortly after being left alone in his cell, Soundwave proclaims that his "decoy" was "successful" and then uses his sonic-powers to create an opening to send Ravage out for recon.
- Forgot About His Powers: During the prison break in "What Dwells Within", Soundwave for some reason doesn't get the idea to transform into his altmode and fly away like Starscream, Nova Storm and Skywarp do and instead stays in his way slower robot-mode, which ends up getting him recaptured alongside Swindle. Then in "Last Hope" he participates in Swindle's and Hardtop's Dynamic Entry, riding in on Hardtop's dune buggy altmode, even though as a flier he isn't in need of a ride.
- It's Personal: Takes Megatron's alliance with the Autobots very personally, calling him a traitor to his face.Megatron: Do not make this personal, Soundwave!Soundwave: It already is.
- Hartman Hips: To the point it became a meme.
- Leitmotif: Has an ominous electronic themed musical cue.
- Make Some Noise: Like his cassettes, he's able to emit and manipulate sonic frequencies. Unlike them he doesn't use it for a Sonic Scream but to literally shake up the terrain and push opponents away.
- Noodle Incident: Apparently he once exploded one of his Casseticons while trying to eject them, due to being Energon-deprived at the time.
- Revenge Before Reason: In "Decoy" he's so laser-focused on beating Megatron as payback for the latter's desertion from the Decepticons, he refuses to retreat even as back-up arrives and it's becoming clear he won't be winning this fight. He also keeps sending the Cassetticons after Megatron, despite them being much smaller than the former Decepticon leader and thus incapable of inflicting any lasting damage. Might be subverted, as the ending of the episode implies he let himself get captured to scope out G.H.O.S.T.'s Decepticon prison from the inside.
- Robo Speak: As usual, though the vocoder effect is less dominant here than in previous incarnations.
- Two Decades Behind: Zig-Zagged. He's still basically a walking talking cassette-player in an era where cassettes are all but extinct. "Decoy" lampshades this by having Robby show confusion over what cassettes even are and having Arcee call Soundwave "Analog Boy". That said, his alt-mode here is a stealth bomber rather than an cassette player.
- Villain Has a Point: Although its mainly motivated by bitterness over Megatron changing sides, Soundwave turns out to be completely correct when he replays Megatron's own words ("This is not freedom.") in response to being asked to turn himself in. Not only is being imprisoned indefinitely without so much as a fair trial not really something to look forward to, G.H.O.S.T.'s prison is supplying Decepticons for "Bot Brawl", basically a Cybertronian fighting pit. Additionally, G.H.O.S.T. is working with Mandroid and gives him free reign to use their prisoners as test subjects.
Starscream
Click here to see his first appearance
- Voiced by: Steve Blum, Setsuji Sato (Japanese)
The former Decepticon Air Commander. He transforms into a jet.
- Adaptational Sympathy: In most mainline continuities, Starscream's constant abuse at the hands of Megatron is either Played for Laughs or depicted as well-deserved. "What Dwells Within" actually plays it somewhat serious, with Starscream growing increasingly angry and frustrated at the Maltos claiming that Megatron is a better, kinder leader than him when he spent the majority of the war as the former Decepticon leader's punching bag. Hashtag actually believing and sympathizing with Starscream plays a major role in his eventual Hazy-Feel Turn.
- Beard of Evil: Starscream appears to have a goatee here.
- Chainsaw Good: Like Skywarp he can swap out his right hand for a buzzsaw.
- Creepy Blue Eyes: Later appearances would give Starscream these, even though he was first shown with red eyes.
- The Dog Bites Back:When Starscream and the other Decepticons choose to rally behind the Terrans and hold off the brainwashed Autobots and Megatron, he is clearly looking forward to having a good reason to pay his old leader back for the abuse he suffered.
- Early Installment Character-Design Difference: When Starscream first appeared in "Decoy", he was depicted with the usual red eyes. His appearance in "Hashtag, Oops" shows him with blue eyes instead. "Warzone" establishes through a flashback that his eyes were apparently always blue, making his red eyes in his first present-day appearance an outlier.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Is first shown in the Retraux flashback in the first episode before his first proper appearance in "Decoy".
- Even Evil Has Standards: He's shown to be furious about G.H.O.S.T. experimenting on his fellow Decepticon Skullcruncher in "Hashtag, Oops", even giving the security camera in his cell a Death Glare after Skullcruncher collapses.
- Evil Laugh: His very first bit of dialogue is him giving an evil snicker after watching Soundwave release Ravage into G.H.O.S.T.'s facilities.
- Hazy-Feel Turn: "What Dwells Within" has him and the other two seekers, Nova Storm and Skywarp, team up with the Maltos in order to fight off the Dweller that's menacing all of them. Starscream starts to form a bond wth Hashtag, after Hashtag empathizes with him over Megatron abusing him in the past and even puts his life on the line to protect Hashtag several times. However, the episode ends with Starscream making it clear to Megatron that he's not back to his former leader's side and that he doesn't plan on coming back, then fleeing to parts unknown with the other two seekers. When the three of them, along with most of the Decepticons, make a return in "The Last Hope" to save the Maltos and hold off the brainwashed Autobots and Megatron so the Terrans can deal with Mandroid, Starscream is clearly relishing the idea of getting payback on his abuser.
- It's All About Me: Deconstructed. At first, Starscream is shown to have his customary selfish streak. However, in this case his attitude at least partly comes from being abused by Megatron, and the reason it's become so bad is because Starscream doesn't think anyone else understands, cares about, or even believes the idea that he's suffered so much and seems convinced that no one would ever bother. So it naturally comes as a shock when Hashtag recognizes and empathizes with his pain, and this gradually opens Starscream up to looking beyond himself and expressing concern for others.
- Non-Standard Character Design:
- His blue eyes make him stand out amongst the other Decepticons who all have red, yellow, or purple optics.
- As all the other seekers seen on screen (save a potential Thundercracker seen during Alex's retelling in the first episode in his G1 model) are now female, Starscream looks different from them beyond his color scheme. His has larger vents on his chest, larger shoulderpads, a different head, and retains his null-rays on his forearms which the other seekers lack.
Swindle
- Voiced by: Nolan North, Kensō Katō (Japanese)
A criminal and the brother of Hardtop. He transforms into an SUV.
- Aliens of London: Has a Brooklyn accent.
- Brooklyn Rage: He's got an impressive Brooklyn accent and he REALLY doesn't like it when things don't go his way.
- Dirty Coward: Has no problem beating up the inexperienced Thrash and trying to crush Mo, but then drives off as soon as Dot and Bumblebee, two much tougher opponents, join the battle.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Seems to genuinely care about his brother, Hardtop. "H.O.U.S.E. Rules" spotlights his attempts at trying to find out where G.H.O.S.T. took him. "Disarmed" has him try to break into G.H.O.S.T. on his own to free Hardtop by force.
- Faux Affably Evil: He convinces Mo and Thrash that he's just a fun-loving bot who wants his brother back from the real villains. This is dropped the moment they suspect something.
- Jerkass at Your Discretion: As long as he's within earshot of Mo and Thrash, he pretends to be a well-meaning Lovable Rogue who only wants to save his brother. When Bumblebee attacks him, he repeatedly makes antagonistic comments and implied threats toward the Malto-family to rile the Autobot up more, but in a a way that makes sure no one but Bumblebee hears.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Swindle might be a good for nothing thief, but he's not exactly wrong when he tells Thrash and Mo that Optimus has no qualms handing any Decepticon he sees over to the questionable care of G.H.O.S.T. in "House Rules".
- Manipulative Bastard: He tricks Mo and Thrash into trying to help him steal some G.H.O.S.T. tech, claiming he's just trying to free his brother Hardtop.
- Meaningful Name: Fittingly, the Decepticon called Swindle spends the episode focusing on him lying to and manipulating Thrash and Mo.
- Robo Family: He's brothers with Hardtop.
- Smug Snake: He's much more confident in himself than his abilities would warrant. In "Secret Legacy" both him and Hardtop get their afts handed to them by Elita-One, in "House Rules" Bumblebee fights him off pretty easily and in "Disarmed" he actually thinks he can take on Optimus Prime himself. Three guesses how that ends.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: The second Mo and Thrash make it clear they won't help him steal from G.H.O.S.T., Swindle drops his friendly facade and tries to get rid of them.
- Would Hurt a Child:
- As soon as Mo refuses to help him, Swindle immediately tries to kill her and Thrash. He's only stopped by Dot and Bumblebee arriving on the scene.
- In "Disarmed" he shoots at Dot's ranger truck despite seeing Robby sit on the loading space.
Tarantulas
- Voiced by: Alfie Allen
- Accent Adaptation: Has a British accent on account of his V.A.
- Adaptational Heroism: In a stark contrast to his cackling-mad original depiction in Beast Wars, Tarantulas here is just a reclusive, if irritable, scientist who wants to be left alone and leave the Autobot/Decepticon war behind.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: His original incarnation could be Faux Affably Evil when he wanted to be but this version is actually pretty friendly once you get past his gruff demeanour. He only becomes at odds with Nightshade due to misunderstanding their situation and is quick to make amends afterwards.
- Adaptational Species Change: A minor one but here he's a Decepticon, even sporting the insignia, and makes no mention of being specifically labeled a Predacon.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Offers to lead away G.H.O.S.T.'s operatives from the Terrans because he wants to make good on the "second chance" Nightshade offered him.
- The Cynic: After 4 million years of war, he has no faith the war is actually over and is making preparations to go deeper into hiding once it starts up again.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Tarantulas' appearance is very offputting being a giant dark blue spider, but he just wants to be left alone. His only real "evil" act is a misguided attempt to protect Nightshade.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: Despite being a brilliant scientist, Tarantulas' inventions were never appreciated by the other Decepticons, according to him.
- Giant Spider: As is standard for the character, his alt mode is a giant robotic spider.
- Sssssnake Talk: Downplayed, but he tends to draw out the 's' in some words.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: The last we see of Tarantulas is him leading G.H.O.S.T.'s forces away from the Maltos to repay Nightshade's kindness to him. Later episodes seem to confirm that he managed to get away, as he isn't among the detained Decepticons in G.H.O.S.T.'s underground prison. Oddly enough, he's also not among the many Decepticons who come Back for the Finale in "The Last Hope" to save the Maltos from Mandroid, leaving his exact whereabouts a mystery at the end of the season.
