Megatron

Megatron is the founder and several times leader of the Decepticon Transformers. He encountered the G.I. Joe Team on several occasions. He normally transforms into a handgun, though in one Continuity his body was upgraded and now transformed into a battle tank.

Fiction

Marvel comics Continuity

G.I. Joe and the Transformers

Megatron observed the announcement that humans had created Power Station Alpha, the world's first mobile solar/nuclear power station, and dispatched the Decepticons Dirge and Bombshell to it so that the latter could take control of Alpha for the Decepticons. Subsequently the Autobot leader Optimus Prime was killed and this caused Megatron to sink into depression, barely taking any interest in events around him. Shockwave realized he might have to seize control of the Decepticons and soon became leader.

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero

Some years previously the Autobots' spaceship the Ark had crashed on Earth (for a second time) with many Transformers on board including Megatron. Megatron undertook repairs of the ship and then sought out other Transformers. He detected a shape-shifting entity that he believed to be another Transformer and travelled to the Balkans, only to discover it was the shape-shifting Silent Castle. Megatron briefly battled Cobra but was soon impressed with the weapons technology, including a powerful rail gun developed by Dr. Biggles-Jones. Megatron made a deal with Cobra Commander to have a new body constructed containing the advanced weapons, in exchange for Cybertronian technology from the Ark. Megatron's new form transformed into a powerful tank and stood up to all initial tests. He took a fleet of Cobra helicopters to Canada where he revealed the Ark, hidden for years whilst it underwent repairs. The Ark was flown to Millville, USA where Megatron proceeded to unload technology. He was spotted by G.I. Joe spies who informed Hawk, who in turn ordered Mainframe to send a deep space transmission to the Autobots on Cybertron, where Optimus Prime prepared a team. Megatron decided he would also take Biggles-Jones herself and grabbed her. He was about to place her in the Protoplasm Stripper to cut her down to her brain and nervous system, all that he needed, when he was confronted by the Joe Scarlett, who had posed as a defector to Cobra. Megatron was unimpressed but was soon confronted by a team of Autobots including Hot Spot, Steeljaw, Override, Chase, Skydive and Brawn. Biggles-Jones escaped as Megatron fought the Autobots as he sought to reach the Ark and recapture Biggles-Jones, with all the Autobots bar Hot Spot and Skydive being killed in the process. Realising that Megatron would reach her and kill the Joes helping her, Biggles-Jones surrendered to Megatron who took off in the Ark, reneging on the full deal by not giving Cobra Commander all the promised technology. Even what he had turned over had been deliberately destroyed by a computer virus. He did not know that the Autobot Skydive and the human Spike Witwicky had both smuggled aboard the Ark. Once onboard Witwicky combined with the Autobot Fortress Maximus and fought Megatron whilst Skydive freed Biggles-Jones and escaped with her. Fortress Maximus was unable to defeat Megatron directly so instead threw himself into the Ark's anti-matter conversion chamber core, killing himself to generate an explosion that destroyed the Ark. Megatron had only seconds to escape the destruction.

Action Force (British) Continuity

A group of archaeologists were exploring the Roman sewers under London when they encountered a metal monster who attacked them, bringing the tunnel down. Only one of the group survived, Susan Hoffman, and she returned with an Action Force team to investigate. At the same time the Autobot Blades was searching for the fugitive Autobots Blaster and Goldbug when he detected Transformer life signs in London. Both Blades and Action Force discovered that the monster was Megatron and they fought him, joined by the new Autobot leader Grimlock and the human built mechanoid Centurion. With Megatron seemingly unstoppable, Flint ordered a Skystriker air strike. Centurion held Megatron in place whilst the others cleared the area. Megatron and Centurion were caught in a huge explosion and their blazing bodies plunged into the River Thames.

Trivia

• Megatron was voiced by Frank Welker in the Transformers cartoon. He also reprised the role in the first two Transformers live action movie video games, the Universal Studios ride and in the Transformers: Prime cartoon and video game. Welker was the voice of Wild Bill in the Sunbow G.I. Joe cartoon.
• The G.I. Joe and the Transformers limited series took place at a time when both the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and Transformers comics were seeing several changes to the leaderships of the warring factions, and these changes were reflected in the limited series. In issue #25 of the US Transformers comic Megatron seemingly committed suicide, though he would return in first the Marvel UK Transformers comic (in the Action Force crossover detailed above) and then later in the US title.
• Megatron's later appearance in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero was a crossover designed to promote the new Transformers: Generation 2 comic in which the story climaxed. The crossover followed on from events at the end of the first Transformers series:
  • The Autobot spaceship the Ark crashed on Earth with the Decepticons Megatron, Shockwave, Starscream and Galvatron and the Autobot Ratchet on board. The only apparent survivor to emerge from the wreckage was Galvatron, who was subdued by the Autobot Headmaster Fortress Maximus and his binary-bonded human companion Spike Witwicky.
• Although seemingly killed at the end of his Action Force appearance, Megatron would return in subsequent issues of the UK Transformers. Later on, however, it would be revealed that this Megatron was effectively a clone.

External links

• Megatron - article at Transformers wiki.