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"Eliminate"[2]

"Destroy the launch pad! let none escape!" - Shockwave in Bumblebee

Shockwave is the best Decepticon scientist with deadly efficiency and one of the three tertiary antagonists of Transformers: Dark of the Moon. he is a cold devotion to logic. He was also one of the deadliest Decepticon assassins that Megatron has at his disposal. He was said by some to be the only Decepticon who could defeat Megatron in combat. Shockwave is a killing machine like few others, one of the very few who could rival Megatron, and quite popular amongst the Decepticons. In a way, some respect him enough to willingly work with him, while others idolize him to the point of avenging his death. Nevertheless, Shockwave is ready and willing to destroy whichever Autobots dare stand in his way with his arm-mounted AstroMag Cannon. He was known to transform into a Cybertronian Tank.

Biography[]

IDW comic[]

Eons after the Dynasty of Primes were vanquished, Cybertron fell into dark times. The AllSpark had been buried somewhere within Cybertron and been dismissed as a legend, and the planet itself lacked a star to orbit.

As energy became more and more scarce, Cybertronians segregated into tribes. Shockwave chose to rally behind Sentinel Prime, who claimed to be descended from Primus himself. However, he faced opposition from the non-believer Thetacons, and Shockwave joined Megatron, Optimus, and several others in repelling their attacks. Ultimately, Sentinel Prime won the day, as he and Wheeljack were successful in locating the lost AllSpark and harnessing a new sun to orbit. This, however, did not please Shockwave.

Now that the war was over, he was dissatisfied, and he no longer knew his purpose. This shocked his old friend, Megatron, and Shockwave explained that it was the journey he enjoyed, not the destination. Plus, well, that new sun was kind of bright.  The next day, Megatron detailed to Shockwave how he had eavesdropped on a conversation between Sentinel and Optimus, where Sentinel had tried to pass on leadership to Optimus, who refused, unable to accept he was also a Prime.

At the outskirts of Thetacon, they encountered a Driller, a subterranean lifeform that had been brought to the planet's surface by the new energy flowing through it, which was attacking a group of Hatchlings and their protector Starscream. Shockwave was amazed by the creature and called it "magnificent". After besting it, he joined the Cybertronian Defense Force that Sentinel placed under Megatron's command, rooting out dissident Transformers.

Some time later, after the Autobots sent the All Spark into space, Starscream left Shockwave in charge of the Decepticons still on Cybertron as he went in search of his prize. During a battle with a team of Autobots, Shockwave heard the scream of the AllSpark when it was found by Sector Seven. Leaving Dreadwing in charge of the Decepticons on Cybertron, Shockwave set out in an impossibly fast ship, swearing not to return without the AllSpark. He crashed in Tunguska, Siberia in 1908.[2] He remained buried there in stasis lock, healing until Soviet Russia found him ten years later. Using stolen research from the U.S., who had found Megatron the same way, the Russians reverse-engineered his technology to invent nuclear power plants. There were no digital records of Shockwave's existence, and the physical documents pertaining to him were lost, burned, shredded or stolen in the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse. The Siberian facility was abandoned and Shockwave was left forgotten.  

Soundwave discovered the satirical article and its photograph, and deduced it was based on stolen Soviet documents. Convergence chapter 4 In 2010, Megatron freed Shockwave and brought him to his "base" in Namibia, where he was eager to get back to killing Autobots as soon as possible. 

Shockwave and Astrotrain made their presence known on Earth near Dalian, China, where they quickly disposed of the Autobots Longarm and Salvageand stole material for a mysterious construction project.

Shockwave began following the exploits of Earth's stranded Transformers from afar, and derided its war's combatants as idiots after watching a skirmish in California. After contacting Astrotrain for an update on their project, he tracked Divebomb's radiation trail back to Starscream's current base of operations, in a junkyard on the outskirts of Mexico City. Blasting his way through the Decepticons unwise enough to try defending Starscream, Shockwave informed the treacherous air commander that Megatron had "requested his services." Before the conversation could go any further, Astrotrain radioed Shockwave with some bad news: the "brain unit" scrap drone that held the control software for the machine he was constructing had escaped. Shockwave charged Starscream and his followers with recovering the drone. 

Shockwave contacted an angry Starscream who thought he was promised the Autobots would be occupied. Shockwave countered that they were occupied, but, you know, with Starscream, leaving Shockwave free to leave a message for Optimus Prime at the NEST Headquarters in Diego Garcia. After killing Knock Out, Dune Runner, and other Autobots who stood in his way, Shockwave confronted the trembling humans left to fend for themselves. When Shockwave asked who was in command, Theodore Galloway told him that he was. Shockwave killed Galloway and the other humans save one, and he asked his question one more time. 

After killing Jolt, he and  Fearswoop left Diego Garcia, then he arrived in Philadelphia killing Elita-One in the process and shot down Wheeljack and Mirage, athought both survived the encounter. Enraged of the other Autobots hurt and killed by Shockwave, Optimus Prime battled Shockwave, quickly overpowering him and brutally pummeling the sadistic Decepticon. Prime was about to kill Shockwave, till Shockwave's "pet" came to save his master. The badly damaged Shockwave returned to Namibia along Starscream and Soundwave.

In 2012 age arriving in the uninhabitable city of Chernobyl, Optimus Prime, Ratchet and Lennox investigate a dig site where construction workers (who wear special suits) have uncovered a Cybertronian artefact resembling a fuel cell. Suddenly, they are attacked by the huge Decepticon Driller piloted by Shockwave. The Decepticons attempt to retrieve the fuel cell. Some of the construction workers are killed as Optimus orders Ratchet and the humans to retreat while he battles the Decepticons. Optimus is wounded by Shockwave, but he manages to retrieve the Pillar. The Decepticons escape, leaving behind the cell.

Later, Shockwave participated in the battle for Chicago when he tried together with his pet to destroy the Autobots, eventually Optimus destroyed Driller, and was able to take revenge on Shockwave for the death of the Elita-1 and Jolt including the rest of the killed Autobots in Diego Garcia, the last words that Shockwave heard were "It's over Shockwave". After that, Prime stabbed the sword into his chest.

Movie[]

Transformers: The Last Knight[]

Shockwave was active in a battle during the 1560s, where his exploits were recorded in a painting. He later participated in World War I around 1917, where his silhouette had been used on a war poster. Both of these events were covered up by the Order of the Witwiccans.

Shockwave apparently did not know about Megatron's arrival on Earth in 1883 and that Megatron had found out the location of the AllSpark, and the fact that in the process of finding the Allspark, Megatron fell into the ice and was frozen there. Therefore, after the end of the World War I, Shockwave decided stayed to live on Earth and not to search Megatron and Allspark, at least until he gets new orders.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen[]

At some point during 2009, Shockwave was caught on film and the event was written up for a newspaper article. A newspaper page with the headline "Mysterious Robot Spotted" was discarded in Egypt, where it sucked up by a rampaging Devastator.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon[]

When the Autobots were summoned to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant by Alexi Voskhod, Shockwave and his pet Driller attacked them (as an act of misdirection to ensure that the Autobots did not realize that the Decepticons actually wanted them to find the fuel cell from the Ark located within Chernobyl). After Optimus retrieved the fuel cell from the Driller, Shockwave emerged from it to reveal himself to Optimus, before he and his Driller retreated back underground.

Shockwave later participated in the Decepticon invasion of Chicago. When Optimus Prime and the Autobots infiltrated the Decepticon-occupied city, Shockwave and his Driller emerged from beneath the convoy of Autobots, and the Driller separated Optimus from his trailer.
ShockwaveinChicago

Shockwave in Chicago

Shockwave left the Driller and proceeded to track down the Autobots. The Wreckers were sent to distract him, peppering his armor with fire from their machine guns. He used a car as a shield and fired at them, and once they drove off he menacingly began to pursue them down the road, missing the two small Autobots, Wheelie and Brains, who quickly fled.

Later, when Shockwave noticed humans inside a building (from a falling desk that narrowly missed him), he sent his Driller to destroy the building and kill Sam, Epps and their group. However the Driller was killed by Optimus Prime using his flight gear, and Shockwave, enraged by the death of his pet, opened fire on Optimus, briefly disabling him and taking him out of the fight.

He soon joined Soundwave and Barricade to round up the other Autobots. Brains and Wheelie forestalled the Decepticon's from further executing their prisoners by taking control of a Decepticon gunship, and dropping fighters onto the battlefield. Shockwave retreated further away with Barricade and some other Decepticons.
ShockwaveVsOptimus

Shockwave and Optimus battle

However, the human soldiers had set a trap, and while firing at them, Shockwave was disoriented when one of their parachutes fell on him. His eye was then shot out, causing it to dangle by its wires. Optimus Prime then came charging back into the battle, and when Shockwave fired at him, the Autobot leader dodged the shot, and punched Shockwave with a spiked fist, shattering his abdomen.

Even this did not put Shockwave down, but Prime did not let up - he punched Shockwave again, pinned the Decepticon down and tore his dangling eye out through his throat, finally killing Shockwave. Optimus then used Shockwave's cannon to shoot out the control pillar set up in the city, Eventully leading to an Autobot victory.

Legacy[]

Five Years after the Battle of Chicago, Shockwave was labeled as "deceased" by Cemetery Wind. His body parts and design was used by KSI to make their Transformer, Two Heads and gains a new alt mode a Chevrolet Trax.

Toy bios[]

Shockwave stealthily tears through the Earth in order to avoid detection by the Autobots and their human allies. His ability to emerge from the ground and attack anywhere has put the Autobots on alert! Where will he strike next?[3]

Few have ever seen Shockwave and lived. This is the hand that ensures Decepticon plans remain secret from the Autobots. He eliminates evidence and witnesses with brutal, emotionless efficiency. The only hints he ever leaves of his presence are smoking craters and the collapsed tunnels through which he travels.[4]

Bumblebee and Optimus Prime rumble down the street, scanning for any hint of their Decepticon foes, when the ground begins to shake beneath their tires. It's Shockwave! The massive Decepticon splits open the earth and launches and all-out assault on the unsuspecting Autobots! The duo quickly converts to robot mode and opens fire with their plasma cannons forcing Shockwave underground and back into hiding![5]

Apparently in 2012, Shockwave was killed by Optimus Prime, in battle of Chicago just like in the original timeline.

Bumblebee[]

Shockwave also makes a brief appearance in the 2018 film Bumblebee. He is shown to be accompanying both Soundwave and Starscream in the assault against the Autobots back on Cybertron. Shockwave orders Starscream and his Seekers to destroy the launchpad that the Autobots intend to use as a means of escape. Despite this, all of the Autobots (save for Optimus Prime) manage to escape. He later reappears when the Decepticons have Optimus surrounded on all sides, though afterwards it's currently unknown what happened as was never seen again throughout the rest of the film.

Weapons[]

  • AstroMag Hand Cartridge Cannon (Dark of the Moon film)
    • Cluster shell Missiles
  • Arm blade
  • Sling-Shock (Bumblebee film)

Gallery[]

Voice Actors from other countries[]

Germany[]

  • Horst Lampe

Japan[]

  • Jirō Saitō (DOTM)

Trivia[]

  • When Skids and Mudflap are being sucked up by Devastator in Revenge of the Fallen, the photo on the newspaper article is of a Transformers that bears a strong resemblance to Shockwave's Generation 1 counterpart.
  • His deaths involve his eye, as losing or getting an eye hurt can be fatal, as it can cause injury, or even death.
  • Shockwave was heavily touted as the new main villain prior to the release of Dark of the Moon, presumably in an attempt to conceal Sentinel Prime's unexpected betrayal.
    • As a result of this, his screen time and presence was severely underwhelming, overall was given very little to do till his demise.
  • Hasbro's online bio for Shockwave claims he had spent decades trapped under Chernobyl, but this was not reflected in any actual media; both the video game and the Rising Storm comics depict that he was held at a Russian facility from which he was freed shortly before the film's events, and the film itself doesn't give any indication that his appearance at Chernobyl in its opening scenes is an "escape" of any kind.
  • Although Shockwave's toy transforms into a Cybertronian tank, this alt mode is never seen in the live-action movie nor the video game. He did however transform in a jet in the comics.
  • While Shockwave's weapon of choice is described as a particle or laser cannon in most related Dark of the Moon media, it appears to be some variety of cluster missile launcher used against Optimus Prime in the movie proper and a charged shell like cannon in the Game Adaptation.
  • In the Transformers: Dark of the Moon video game, Shockwave was cryogenically frozen in a secret Decepticon base.
  • Shockwave's original DOTM figure has him in his classic purple colour. This would translate to his new toys as well such as the Studio Series.
  • Shockwave's appearance in Bumblebee closely resembles his G1 counterpart as part of the new rebooted canon, whether or not he would appear in the new movie is yet to be determined.
  • He had to be voiced by Frank Welker due to Corey Burton not feeling like in being part of a cinematic movie.
This article uses material from the Transformers Wiki.
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