Cyclonus (Generation 1)

For other uses, see Cyclonus.

Cyclonus
Transformers character
Generation 1 Cyclonus box
First appearance	The Transformers: The Movie
Voiced by	Jack Angel (animated series), Jon Bales (fan dubs)
Information
Species	Transformer
Abilities	Combining Flight Shapeshifting Superhuman durability Superhuman longevity Superhuman strength
Affiliation	Decepticon, Wreckers
Alternate mode	Cybertronian Jet
Function	Saboteur
Motto	"Compassion is the Autobots' downfall."
Partner	Nightstick
Series	Transformers: Generation 1 Transformers: Generations
Sub-group	Targetmasters
Tech specs	ST08 IN08 SP09 EN08 RN09 CO09 FP07 SK07

Cyclonus is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers series. The first Cyclonus was a Decepticon introduced in 1986.

Transformers: Generation 1

Cyclonus is sometimes depicted as a combiner, forming the torsos of Galvatronus or Grand Galvatron.

Cyclonus was the inspiration for the TFcon character Anarchy.

Reception

According to X-Entertainment Cyclonus was the 7th top Transformers figure of all time.

Animated series

In the year 2005, after an abortive attack on Autobot City, the evil Decepticons found it necessary to jettison excess mass from Astrotrain to make it back to their homeworld of Cybertron. The injured and dying Decepticons, including the Decepticon leader, Megatron, were chosen to be ejected into the void of space. When their bodies were recovered by the planet-eater, Unicron, they were reborn as deadly new warriors in the service of the recreated Megatron, now known as Galvatron.

In The Transformers: The Movie, having suffered heavy battle damage and abandoned in space, Megatron accepts a deal with Unicron who grants Megatron and the other badly damaged Decepticons new bodies. Due to an animation error, it's ambiguous which one of the damaged Decepticons (either Skywarp or Bombshell) becomes Cyclonus or his Armada.

Cyclonus is a being whose loyalty to Galvatron is so intense as to exclude most other emotions and interests from his mind and is most likely Galvatron's second-in-command. While being dedicated to destruction in his leader’s name, Cyclonus transforms into a nuclear-powered multi-turbine-engine jet fighter, capable of space flight and able to expand in size to convey Galvatron. In robot mode, he wields an oxidating laser that fuses the internal mechanisms of its targets, and in vehicle mode is additionally armed with an incendiary bomb rack. Immediately following his creation, Cyclonus served as little more than Galvatron’s personal ship, carrying his leader to Starscream’s coronation, into the battle in Autobot City, and pursuing Autobots on the Planet of Junk, as well as attacking and crippling the shuttle carrying Hot Rod and Kup in the midst of it all. After the destruction of Unicron, however, when Galvatron was lost, Cyclonus came into his own, his loyalty to the Decepticons' absent leader shaping his character in different ways.

Disgusted with how far the leaderless Decepticons had fallen as they eked out a miserable existence on the barren world of Chaar, Cyclonus resolved to locate Galvatron, daring even to enter Unicron's deactivated, disembodied head and replaying its memory banks, tracing Galvatron to the world of Thrull. Unfortunately, once extricated from a pool of the planet's plasma-lava, Galvatron proved to have been driven insane from exposure to it and brutalized Cyclonus and Sweeps before being talked down and returned to his position as leader.

As 2006 settled in, Cyclonus was captured by a Quintesson scientist for study, along with Ultra Magnus, Wreck-Gar and Marissa Faireborn, but when the entire group was sucked through a black hole into a negative universe, they were forced to work together to escape; Cyclonus and Magnus developed a grudging respect for each other as warriors, but vowed that when they met again on the battlefield, it would be as enemies.

Some time later, outnumbered and fleeing from the Aerialbots, Cyclonus and Scourge took refuge inside a vortex, which transported them to the pacifistic, energy-rich planet of Paradron, which had been settled by Cybertronian refugees. Naturally, the duo immediately overthrew the planet and summoned Galvatron and the other Decepticons there; the plan was ultimately foiled by the Autobots, but at the cost of Paradron itself, which was destroyed.

Cyclonus later had his body possessed by the ghost of the deceased Decepticon air commander, Starscream, and went on to clash with Ultra Magnus again aboard the Autobot records asteroid with the fate of Daniel Witwicky in the balance.

When a group of Decepticons, tired of being beaten and abused by the deranged Galvatron, confronted Cyclonus and demanded that he do something about the situation, Cyclonus was so short on options that he accepted the advice of a Quintesson, and tricked Galvatron into accompanying him to the therapeutic mental institution on planet Torkulon. It pained Cyclonus to see his leader so demented as each attempted therapy met with failure, but when the Torkuli attempted to cure Galvatron by removing the damaged part of his mind, thereby leaving him a vegetable, Cyclonus sprang into action, only to be restrained. Patched into the sentient network of the planet, rather than be cured, Galvatron infected the world itself with his madness and freed himself, destroying the planet and decided to turn his attention back to fighting the Autobots, rather than dwell on Cyclonus's deception.

Despite Galvatron’s mental instability, it is evident that he values Cyclonus above all other Decepticons. For example, to escape the clutches of the Trans-Organic Dweller, Galvatron hurls a couple of Sweeps to the beast, which gives both himself and Cyclonus a chance to escape. Although the Dweller eventually captures Cyclonus, Galvatron turns back for a moment and seems to consider going back to help him. Also interesting to point out is that earlier in this episode Galvatron is seen to be taking his frustrations out on Scourge and the Sweeps while leaving Cyclonus completely unscathed.

Later still, he, along with a group of Autobots and Quintessons, were transported into a region of space cordoned off by the Quintessons, landing on the planet Zamojin, where Cyclonus aided the Quintessons in acquiring Perceptor's Universal Emulator, in order to repair their systems and return to normal space.

When the Hate Plague swept the Universe, Cyclonus was infected and took leadership of the afflicted Decepticons, hunting down Galvatron and tracking him and a group of Autobots into the depths of Chaar and infected scientist Jessica Morgan.

Cyclonus and Sixshot in "The Rebirth, Part 1"

In 2007, Cyclonus participated in the massive Decepticon attack on Autobot City which culminated in the theft of the key to the Plasma Energy Chamber. When the chamber was then opened, the energy released blasted the key and a group of Autobots across the galaxy to the planet Nebulos, and Cyclonus and Scourge led a team of Decepticons in pursuit, attacking and capturing several of the Autobots. To battle them, the remaining Autobots joined with a group of Nebulan rebels to become "Headmasters" and bested them in combat. Having learned of this fusion of Transformer and Nebulan, the Hive, the evil ruling council of Nebulos, approached the Decepticons to repeat the process, but Cyclonus argued them down to taking the heads of only the animal-mode Decepticons, and merely the weapons of himself and the others. Consequently, Cyclonus became a Targetmaster as his oxidating laser was converted into an exo-suit for the Hive member Nightstick, giving them enhanced targeting abilities and firepower. Reclaiming the chamber key with their superior powers, the Decepticons headed back to Cybertron aboard the giant robot Scorponok, where Cyclonus attempted to convince the disgusted Galvatron of the benefits of being bonded to the Nebulans. The Autobots soon arrived back on Cybertron and invaded Scorponok, only to be captured by the Decepticons, and almost executed by Cyclonus before being saved by Spike Witwicky and Fortress Maximus. The Decepticons' plan was subsequently thwarted by Spike and the Nebulans, and they were sent spiralling off through space aboard Scorponok by a tendril of plasma energy.

In the movie and for the majority of the third season, Cyclonus was voiced by actor Roger C. Carmel, who frequently displayed an inability to maintain consistency with the character's voice, noticeably rising and dropping in pitch and tone from episode to episode. When Carmel died towards the end of the series, Jack Angel took over the role of Cyclonus for the final five episodes of the series.

In Japan, Cyclonus was voiced by Tomomichi Nishimura, and continued to make token appearances in the Japanese-exclusive series, Transformers: Headmasters, where he and Scourge were re-written as comedic, bumbling henchmen. In Japan, the events of The Rebirth were ignored and Cyclonus never became a Targetmaster.

Fictional biography

Profile: Cyclonus is a huge and emotionless air-warrior metamorphosized from parts of dead Decepticons and remnants by Unicron. Like Galvatron, he derives vast resources of power and energy through Unicron and so can draw on strength in direct proportion to its need - always being able to become stronger than his opponents because of his access to the infinite reservoir of power that Unicron represents. A dedicated destructor, Cyclonus transforms into a gigantic multi-engine (and perhaps multi-wing) jet fighter. His firepower remains intact and is augmented by an incendiary bomb rack. Cyclonus is capable of an additional transformation, trimming his wings and tail back to assume a space-worthy rocket mode for interstellar pursuit and warfare. He has no personality, no interests other than conquests for the sake of Unicron, and no weakness. Abilities: In jet fighter mode, Cyclonus is equipped with nuclear-powered turbine engines which enable him to reach speeds greater than Mach 2. In robot mode, he carries an oxidating laser that fuses an enemy robot's internal mechanisms.

Books

Ladybird Books

Cyclonus is featured in the 1986 Ladybird Books story Galvatron's Air Attack.

Cyclonus is featured in the 1988 story Decepticons at the Pole. Seeking a new energy source, the Decepticons decide, on the advice of their Nebulan partners, to build an energy converter at the pole and harness cosmic energy via Nebulos' magnetic field. The Autobots discover the plan and realise that interfering with the energy flow will doom the planet. When Cyclonus refuses to listen to reason, they launch an attack and destroy the energy pyramid. The Decepticons then make a second attempt, by moving Scorponok and the entire Decepticon force to the pole and then establishing a more complex energy converter. The Autobots launch an attack during which Kup, Blurr and Sureshot manage to melt the permafrost under the converter and collapse it.

Marvel Books

Cyclonus appears in the Marvel Books 1986 story and coloring book The Invasion of the Decepticon Camp by Pat Brigandi.

Comics

3H Enterpirses

Cyclonus betrayed the Wreckers and stole the Divine Light (an object of enormous power) to deliver it to Cryotek.

Devil's Due Publishing

In the second G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers crossover from Devil's Due Publishing Cyclonus and Scourge would appear as Shockwave's bodyguards. They were eventually destroyed after Cobra Commander activated a booby-trap within Starscream, destroying him and all others within reach. Unlike most Generation One incarnations of the character, these versions do not appear to be linked in any way to Unicron.

Fun Publications

Universe setting

Rodimus and Cyclonus appeared together in the story Wreckers: Finale Part II by the Fun Publications in 2007. During the invasion of Cybertron Cyclonus and Rodimus came to final blows deep within the planet, fighting each other to a stand-still. Both severely wounded, Cyclonus was about to kill Rodimus when the Predacon Rotorbolt arrived and killed Cyclonus for betraying him.

Wings of Honor setting

Cyclonus was one of the characters featured in the Transformers: Timelines story "Wings of Honor" by Fun Publications.

IDW Publishing

in Transformers: Revelations Cyclonus was one of the crew members aboard the first arc and was lost with the rest when it got trapped in the dead universe. Years later, while Nemesis Prime makes his plan to free the denizens of the dead universe from their prison, Cyclonus travels to Cybertron to see what the war between the Autobots and Decepticons had done to the planet that he had cherished so much. Upon seeing the wasteland the planet had turned into, he set out and attacked Ark-12 and its crew, while it was heading towards Garrus-9, to seek revenge for what they had done to Cybertron. Because of his exposure to the dead universe, the Autobots are unable to kill him but after Ultra Magnus arrives to assist the other Autobots, Cyclonus leaves to complete his mission. He heads to Corata-Vaz to activate the nega-core and its guardian, and while he activates the nega-core without trouble, he hesitates to activate the guardian because after seeing the destruction that had occurred to Cybertron he doesn't want the guardian to cause any destruction anywhere else. But as he leaves the cavern where the nega-core and guardian were, he is confronted by the Autobots he fought earlier. As they goad him into fighting them, he realizes that the ordered, structured intellectual he saw himself as was nothing but an illusion he created on himself and that he could not be part of Nemesis Prime's perfect universe as he is part of the erratic, unpredictable element he wants to erase. As the Autobots overpower him, he finds he has no choice but to activate the guardian - Thunderwing. As the Autobots turn their attention to Thunderwing, Cyclonus escapes before the ill effects of his exposure to the dead universe cause him to perish.

Marvel Comics

In his first appearance during the Headmasters mini-series, he and Scourge were presented as being under Scorponok's command, who then became Targetmasters along with the others on Nebulos. (Before becoming a Targetmaster, Cyclonus was once illustrated as looking like Fracas—whose animation model was switched with Nightstick's in The Rebirth. Despite this, his spacefighter mode was always the same.)

One of his most prominent actions during this period was to ambush the Autobot Headmasters in the Fortress of Despair alongside the other Decepticon Targetmasters. The Decepticons captured Highbrow, planning to use him to perfect their own Headmaster process. The plan failed when Highbrow forced Scorponok to flee. (Transformers U.K. 130-131)

Later, Cyclonus appeared again when readers were offered a glimpse into an alternate future world of 2009, where he was indeed a creation of Unicron, and where Cybertron had been destroyed, and Galvatron ruled Earth. In this future world, Cyclonus failed to stop an Autobot/human rebel invasion of the main Decepticon base, and, enraged by this failure, Galvatron destroyed his servant.

In the United Kingdom's Transformers comic, Cyclonus was already a well-established character prior to his appearance in the Headmasters mini-series, having appeared in additional original stories created to expand on the US continuity. (As a result, the UK printing of the mini-series renamed him "Krunix" in early issues until he was drawn with the correct character model.) In the first of such stories, Galvatron, Scourge and Cyclonus travelled back in time to 1986, from a point in the middle of the movie, as part of a plan to free themselves from Unicron's control by constructing a massive cannon that will destroy him in their home time of 2006 (the setting for the movie in the comics, based on early production material for the movie itself, before the date was amended to 2005). The three Unicronian Decepticons proved themselves almost invincible in the face of the Autobots attacks, but were finally defeated when Galvatron was duped into believing he was trapped in a temporal paradox, and returned to his own time to live out the remaining events of the movie. During this story, Furman's misinterpretation of the movie summary he had read (having not yet actually seen the feature), which referenced the fading "life spark" of a Decepticon, led to Cyclonus actually claiming he had been rebuilt from a Decepticon named "Life Spark". (Possibly as a result of this, Bombshell is shown to still be around in the future, ruling out the possibility of Cyclonus having been rebuilt from him; however, it's worth noting that Bombshell also appeared in Season 3 of the Transformers cartoon, which also took place after he was rebuilt.)

Events diverged from the cartoon's storyline, however, when, following the destruction of Unicron, Galvatron transported himself back in time to 1987, leaving Cyclonus and Scourge in the future, under Shockwave's command. The duo were attacked by Death's Head, who was seeking the bounty on Galvatron's head, and Cyclonus revealed Galvatron's whereabouts to him.

Later, Shockwave hired Death's Head to kill Rodimus Prime, but Cyclonus and Scourge interfered with the job as they sought to kill Rodimus first, in order to reclaim their lost standing amongst the Decepticons. This did not please Death's Head, and consequently, he willingly accepted a contract from Rodimus to hunt down Cyclonus and Scourge, eventually tracking them down to the Planet of Junk as 2008 dawned. Before he could finish the job, however, all three of them fell under the mind-controlling influence of Unicron, whose disembodied head had survived the destruction of his body and had landed on the planet, where he was having the native Junkions construct a new body for him. Under Unicron's control, Cyclonus and Scourge killed Shockwave and became Decepticon leaders, reigniting the stalemated Cybertronian war to a furious degree to cover Unicron's actions. Death's Head, however, was able to fight the mind control and work with the Autobots' long enough to stop the chaos-bringer's plan. As explosions destroyed Unicron, Death's Head tackled Cyclonus and Scourge, pushing them through a time portal Unicron had built, promising to kill them another time.

Cyclonus and Scourge were hurled into the past of Cybertron by the portal, where they came under the command of Scorponok, and went on to go to Nebulos and become Targetmasters, then travelling to present-day Earth. Once there, they sought out Galvatron, no longer willing to serve him, instead demanding that he hand over his time travel device so that they could return to the future and their position as Decepticon leaders. The confrontation was disrupted by the sudden appearance of the Autobot commando squad, the Wreckers, who drew the ensuing battle away from the human settlement it was taking place in by professing to have stolen Galvatron's time jump mechanism, when in reality, the Decepticon no longer even had it for them to take.

Having met with failure again, Cyclonus and Scourge decided to cut their losses and team up with Shockwave's present-day Earth-based Decepticon forces. At this point in time, the comic book personalities of Scourge and Cyclonus had been well-established, and distinctly different from the cartoon - here, Scourge was the intelligent, scheming brains of the duo, while Cyclonus was the dull-witted brawn (although the personalities had been reversed in earlier stories, notably when Cyclonus chided Scourge for shooting Death's Head as he was about to kill Rodimus Prime), and that personality trait remained as strong as ever when Cyclonus accidentally let slip that they would kill Shockwave in the future. Wanting to ensure his continued existence, Shockwave unleashed a brainwashed Megatron clone upon the two. Seized by the clone, Cyclonus's Targetmaster partner, Nightstick, was crushed, and as Cyclonus begged Scourge for help, his companion fled to save his own life, and afraid that if he killed Megatron he would change the future so he no longer existed, and Cyclonus's head was torn from his body, killing him outright.

Cyclonus and Scourge's displacement into the past had circumvented the normal mass-replacement method used by time-travel, and had hence unbalanced the space-time continuum, causing a rift to appear in the fabric of space and time. Cyclonus's death, twenty years before he was even created, proved to be the final straw, accelerating the rift, which soon threatened to consume Earth and Cybertron. Realising that the only way to stop it was to return himself, Galvatron and Cyclonus to their original time, Scourge attempted to recover Cyclonus's body from Shockwave, only to be attacked by the deranged Decepticon, who had lost his mind due to the illogical nature of the situation, and had strung Cyclonus's remains up like a twisted trophy. Ravage, however, was able to bring back Shockwave's sanity enough for him to deposit Cyclonus's remains after Galvatron and Scourge, and then seal it with an x-ray blast.

TFcon comics

Grab and Go prelude page 2

Cyclonus appears among the characters in Re-Unification, the 2010 TFcon voice actor play prelude comic.

Cyclonus appeared in the TFcon 2013 live script reading Grab and Go where he was voiced by Jack Angel.

Toys

• Generation 1 Decepticon Jet Cyclonus (1986)

A new mold. Turns from robot to Cybertronian jet.

• Generation 1 Targetmaster Cyclonus with Nightstick (1987)

A remold of the 1986 toy. Cyclonus turns from robot to Cybertronian jet, while Nightstick turns from robot to gun.

• Generations Combiner Wars Voyager Cyclonus (2015)

A remold of Combiner Wars Silverbolt. Forms the torso of Galvatronus.

• Unite Warriors UW-06 Grand Galvatron (unreleased)

A 5-pack of figures. Breakdownn is a recolor of Generations Combiner Wars Deluxe Offroad. Cyclonus is a recolor of Generations Combiner Wars Voyager Cyclonus. Roller is a remold and recolor of Generations Combiner Wars Deluxe Rook. Starscream is a recolor and remold of Generations Combiner Wars Deluxe Skydive. Thrust is a recolor and remold of Generations Combiner Wars Deluxe Air Raid.

See also: Eligos (X-Transbots)

See also: Tempest (Keith's Fantasy Club)

See also: Tyrant and Hurricane

Gallery

• 

  TFcon exclusive metallic Hard Hero bust of Cyclonus

• 

  Galvatronus with Generations Combiner Wars Voyager Cyclonus as the torso

External links

• Cyclonus at TFU.info