Shockwave (Transformers)

Shockwave is a leader of the Decepticons. His alternate mode was a "space gun," an advanced energy weapon.

U.S. Animated, Japan

Leader of the Decepticons (Destrons) during Megatron's absence. Shockwave was able to change the state of the war on Cybertron (Seibertron) during his four million-year reign, reducing the Autobots (Cybertrons) to scattered resistance cells across the planet. He continued to run things on Cybertron until Unicron's attack, during which he may have been destroyed.

Marvel U.S., Marvel U.K.

Shockwave was Megatron's rival for Decepticon leadership four million years ago, who believed that cold logic was the key to victory. He remained on the Decepticon ship as Megatron's forces attacked the Ark, and watched their crashlanding on Earth. Shockwave landed on Earth in a mysterious valley where dinosaurs still existed. Analyzing the native life forms, Shockwave was eventually attacked by the Dinobots, who were able to bury the Decepticon along with themselves.

Four million years later, Shockwave was awakened by a probe sent by the Ark, and singlehandedly defeated a force of Autobots who had just defeated Megatron's army. He took advantage of Megatron's current incapacitated state (a result of "Sparkplug" Witwicky's tainted fuel) to take control of the Decepticons.

Shockwave's plans often involved the gathering of energon, the construction of new troops, and occasional shows of force, such as an attack on a Blackrock oil rig that led to the paralysis of Josie Beller (later Circuit Breaker). Shockwave took over the Ark, and tried to gain access to the Creation Matrix in Optimus Prime's mind- however, Prime was able to transfer most of it to Buster Witwicky.

With the help of Ratchet, the Autobots were able to remove the Decepticons. However, Shockwave took over a munitions factory and kept Prime's head, using its remaining Matrix energies to animate the Constructicons. Prime's Matrix energies were quickly depleted, and Shockwave learned about Buster from Frenzy's memory banks. He sent a mindless Jetfire to capture Buster, then sent the Autobots a fake Prime head that turned his body into a destroyer of Autobots. Buster used the Matrix to take control of Jetfire, freeing himself and having the robot return Prime's true head. Prime threw Shockwave into a bog, where he sank, but the Decepticon freed himself.

After Megatron, who had been wandering for a time, returned and took back Decepticon leadership, Shockwave took on an advisory role, biding his time. After Optimus Prime's death, Shockwave sent the Predacons to assassinate him, and when that failed, used psychological tactics to drive him to apparent suicide.

Shockwave made a brief alliance with Cobra, and led the Decepticons to their island base. Ratbat took over soon afterwards, a situation Shockwave tolerated surprisingly well. Shockwave fell in battle with Fortress Maximus, crashlanding in the Atlantic Ocean.

Years later, he resurfaced in England, and organized a group of renegade Decepticons (including Starscream, Mindwipe, Weirdwolf, Ravage, Runamuck and Runabout) in an attempt to take Decepticon leadership away from Scorponok. His coup failed, and he was severely damaged by Circuit Breaker when she realized he was the Transformer responsible for her state. Shockwave was transported to Cybertron along with all the other Earth Transformers by Primus. After Unicron's defeat, he made plans with Starscream to steal the Ark and leave the planet as it destablilized. While they did leave, he was attacked on the ship by Galvatron and Megatron, and Ratchet crashed the Ark into Earth once again. Apparently, Shockwave was finally destroyed in the crash.

Marvel U.K.

Shockwave had a more prominent leadership role on Earth during his eras of co-rule with Megatron and Ratbat, and drafted a time-displaced Cyclonus and Scourge into his service. He also reconstructed Lord Straxus' Megatron clone (thinking it the original Megatron) to serve him, hoping to use it against Galvatron. When Cyclonus let slip that he and Scourge were responsible for his future death, Shockwave sent the Megatron clone to destroy them. Cyclonus was killed, while Scourge escaped, and Shockwave sent the clone to attack Galvatron- but instead, they allied. Shockwave sunk into a state of catatonia, obsessed over the fact of his impending death. He was finally shaken out of it by Ravage, who needed him to use Cyclonus' corpse to seal an expanding temporal rift formed by the anomalous presence of Galvatron and his lieutenants.

In a possible future, Shockwave survived after Unicron's 1990s attack, and after Unicron's second attack in 2006, he became Decepticon leader. However, he was assassinated by a Unicron-controlled Death's Head, allied with an similarly enslaved Cyclonus and Scourge.

Dreamwave

A member of Megatron's inner circle, rivaling Starscream for the position of second-in-command. When Megatron disappeared through a Space Bridge accident, Shockwave led the Decepticons and helped defeat the Fallen. Megatron eventually returned and Shockwave resumed his original position. He was appointed Guardian of Cybertron after Megatron left in the Nemesis until the Great Shutdown occurred.

Upon reactivation by Scourge, Shockwave turned on the strange Decepticon and through him learned the secrets of Transformer evolution. Shockwave realized that the Autobot-Decepticon war was threatening the Transformers' existence as a whole. Publicly, he led the factions to abolish their signs and work together, but privately, he maintained a group of loyal Decepticons and bided his time. When the Earth Transformers were discovered, he planned to use the Autobot Matrix and Vector Sigma in a bid for ultimate power. However, although Shockwave was able to ensure the capture of the Earth Transformers, Optimus Prime was able to destroy Shockwave's plans and slay Shockwave himself.

Comments

In the Marvel U.S. and U.K. continuity, the valley of dinosaurs where Shockwave first arrived on Earth was the the Savage Land. However, this was likely retconned out along with the rest of Marvel's influence.