Carnivac (G1)

Carnivac is a Decepticon Pretender Beast from the Generation 1 continuity family.

The only thing more awesome than a wolf is a wolf with a robotic transforming wolf inside it!

Carnivac is always smiling, even when he's ripping another robot to shreds for no apparent reason. Savagely brutal yet oddly jovial, he is an unpredictable Decepticon who's a danger to his teammates as much as he is to the Autobots. Some say he was once a proud and honorable warrior, with a code of military ethics second to none. Whether or not this is true, that Decepticon certainly doesn't exist anymore.

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

I've got just the thing to take care of that headache.

As part of the Decepticons' Mayhem Attack Squad, Carnivac was dispatched to Earth to deal with the threat posed by the deranged future Decepticon Galvatron. Carnivac was under orders to team up with Springer's Wreckers, but to kill any Autobots left standing after the battle was over. But the Mayhems were decimated by Galvatron, who had allied himself with a clone of Megatron, until only Carnivac and Catilla remained. During the course of the battle, Carnivac and Springer each saved the other's life, and a warrior's bond began to form between the two foes. Time Wars

Scorponok also spilled a bucket of gold paint on him.

After the chaos of the Time Wars, the pair joined up with Snarler and made contact with Earth's local Decepticon commander, Scorponok, who outfitted them with synthoplasmic Pretender shells in return for taking on a mission from him. Monitored from a distance by Catilla, Carnivac and Snarler were sent to track down and destroy Spike Witwicky, the human Headmaster component of Fortress Maximus. After locating the boy's Headmaster control helmet in a junkyard, they tracked him to a ski slope, where Spike was enjoying a vacation with his friend Clifford Dietz. The two Decepticons gave chase, but their prey was able to use the terrain to his advantage, and evaded his pursuers until he was able to summon the body of Fortress Maximus from the orbiting Ark by mental command. Without his head component however, Fortress Maximus was sluggish. Carnivac and Snarler enjoyed blasting him and the environs, until Spike retrieved his helmet and once rejoined with the massive Autobot. Once more in full possession of his mental capacities, Maximus sent the two Decepticons running. The Man in the Machine!

Left on Earth with no contact from the Decepticons on Cybertron, Carnivac and his companions realized that they had been abandoned by their own kind. At the same time, much the same problem was being faced by the remnants of the Wreckers. Remembering the bond they'd established, Carnivac sought them out with the possibility of another alliance. Snarler, however, was disgusted by the entire affair and vowed to see Carnivac hunted down and killed if he should fraternize any further with the Autobots.

When an array of monstrous creatures conjured up by Skids threatened to cause the destruction of the Hudden Nuclear Power Plant, Carnivac and Catilla both defied Snarler and united with Springer's crew to stop the monsters. Springer extended an offer for the two to join the Autobots, and while Catilla accepted, Carnivac said that he would only join Springer's group on his own terms, as a Decepticon. Together, the mismatched group formed the Survivors. Survivors!

Snarler re-established contact with Cybertron and put together a new Mayhem Attack Squad for the express purpose of hunting down the traitorous Carnivac and Catilla. Carnivac, meanwhile, was already finding it difficult to fit in with the other Autobots and chafed under Springer's leadership. Departing for some alone time, Carnivac stumbled across a Decepticon Hellhound mechanoid attacking Dallas, Texas and destroyed it, but this proved to have been a ploy to expose him to the Mayhem Attack Squad. Way of the Warrior

When the army intervened in the ensuing conflict, Carnivac used the distraction to flee into the desert, but was tracked by the Mayhems and wound up in another conflict in the small village of Los Gravos, Mexico. Survival Run

Carnivac held his own, and though he ultimately proved no match for all of the Squad at once, he was saved by the sudden appearance of the other Survivors. As Catilla pounced upon Spinister to prevent him from finishing Carnivac, Bludgeon impaled Catilla on his sword, killing him. Carnivac swore revenge. A Savage Place!

Earthforce

Nice doggie... cute little pooch... maybe I got a Milk Bone or something...

Some time later, after the formation of the Autobot Earthforce, Carnivac tracked down the Mayhem Attack Squad and took out their weakest link Needlenose first, using his target's tendency to "cry wolf" to his advantage. Cry Wolf!

Next, he targeted Bludgeon, but he underestimated his foe's abilities and allowed the fight to go on too long, allowing the rest of the Mayhems to arrive on the scene. Escaping into the compound, Carnivac separated from his Pretender shell and allowed it to be destroyed by a blast from Spinister, leaving the Decepticons to believe he had been killed. Wolf in the Fold!

As Snarler inspected his remains alone, Carnivac struck, crushing him with debris. The Autobot Earthforce soon arrived and were met in battle by Bludgeon, Stranglehold, and Octopunch. Spinister watched from afar, and when he attempted to depart, Carnivac killed him with a single blast. With Bludgeon's team defeated, Carnivac revealed his deception to the Earthforce and stayed them from killing the remaining Mayhems. Prowl was impressed by his merciful action and welcomed him into the Earthforce, but Carnivac merely laughed, saying that it was not mercy, but rather torture, by denying them the warrior's deaths they desired. He may have been an Earthforce member, but he was, after all, still an "Evil Decepticon". Where Wolf?

Carnivac remained with Earthforce, however, joining them to attack Starscream as he attempted to steal an oil tanker for fuel. Starscream commented that Carnivac's attack was pathetic and easily avoidable, but Carnivac was merely acting as a distraction for a follow-up attack by Skids, which nailed Starscream and drove him off. Divide and Conquer!

Transformers Comic-Magazin

Carnivac joined Darkwing's squad of Decepticons as they raided Nevada Alpha to acquire its supply of nuclear missiles. "Save Nevada Alpha"

Classics

Twenty years after the battle of Klo, Carnivac and Snarler had joined Gigatron's Decepticons on Earth, and were present when Gigatron's team attacked the Autobots' Ironworks headquarters for their hidden Rarified Energon reserves. Invasion Prologue

They were plotting a second assault when invaders from another dimension complicated the plans. The Decepticons found themselves allied with the forces of good, defending their hunting ground on Earth from evil Autobots who wanted to destroy the entire world. Invasion

Regeneration One

An American Werewolf in Traffic.

Carnivac, Snarler, and Roadblock assembled at Soundwave's command as the Mayhem Attack Squad on Cybertron. The Autobot communications officer Blaster had discovered Soundwave's subliminal agitator signal in Cybertron's undernet, and Soundwave needed him silenced. The Mayhems moved to eliminate Blaster while he recovered at the Garage. When they struck, however, the Mayhems were overwhelmed by Blaster and his fellow patients, allowing Blaster to spread word of Soundwave's deception. Destiny, Part Two

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

He's that pink and gold guy in the back.

Carnivac and his partner Snarler were members of Starscream's faction of Predacons, named after the great Decepticon warlords of times past. Carnivac participated in the assault on the Tyger Pax. He was disappointed that their first victims died so easily, but his disappointment was cut short when X-Warlock was killed and their opponents were able to quickly regroup. Carnivac himself was subdued by Ravage, while the combined might of the Autobot, Decepticon, and Ultracon factions proved too much for the Predacon forces. The Age of Wrath

After the disappearance of Megatron and the Nemesis, Carnivac was among the Decepticon soldiers serving under Shockwave. He, along with most other guzzlers on both sides, was tricked into an all-out brawl by Skystalker, who hoped to take over Cybertron once the less energy-efficient bots had eliminated one another. Victims of the Revolution

2005 IDW continuity

First appearance: Stormbringer #4

I wouldn't wanna be off-panel.

Born an outlier, Carnivac possessed the special ability to paralyze and even temporarily control other Cybertronians' bodies through a sonic "howl". However, sustained utilization of this ability was somewhat draining on Carnivac himself. Sins of the Wreckers #2 Carnivac and Stakeout once worked for Ultra Magnus, bringing cross-factional justice to the war. After a time, Carnivac defected to the Decepticons. Sins of the Wreckers #3

Carnivac was stationed on board the Thanatos. When Thunderwing returned to decimate Cybertron once more, Carnivac joined the battle under Headstrong's command, serving as ground forces backing up Optimus Prime and the Wreckers in their struggle. Stormbringer #4

After the war, Carnivac became a commander in a secret society known as Mayhem and they set out to take out the "ruling class" of both factions that had wronged them. They made contact with the mad scientist Tarantulas, who offered them spark signature-shielding Chimeracon bodies to disguise themselves on Earth, as long as they started their mission by abducting Prowl for him. Familiar with Prowl's shady wheelings and dealings, Carnivac happily put Mayhem at Tarantulas' beck-and-call and gained a new organic wolf beast mode. Sins of the Wreckers #2 Sins of the Wreckers #3

The Howling VIII: Project Metalbeast.

When the Wreckers came looking for Prowl, Carnivac used his sonic howl to shoot Springer down and introduced himself. He calmly explained to Springer (and a listening Impactor) what Mayhem were fighting for and that the Wreckers should be with him on this. Impactor was not impressed with how quickly Carnivac abandoned his fellow Mayhem member Polar Claw to be killed- the cause seemingly being more important than helping a comrade in peril. Sins of the Wreckers #2

"Diiid... I do... good?"

After a ferocious battle, Carnivac ordered the Mayhems to retreat back to Tidal Wave, who served as their mobile base. Tidal Wave got stuck in mid-mode during the fight after Stakeout was swallowed by him, and Carnivac was dismayed to learn his old friend had been badly crushed by Tidal Wave's massive transformation cog. Carnivac tried to comfort the dying Autobot and they reminisced about old times serving under Ultra Magnus together. At Stakeout's request, Carnivac took his old partner's hand and remained at his side until he passed. Sins of the Wreckers #3

When the Wreckers launched a strike on Tarantulas' base in the Noisemaze, Tarantulas ordered Carnivac and the Chimeracons to destroy the intruders. There, they clashed with Impactor, Guzzle, and Kup, and Carnivac found himself in battle with the former leader of the Wreckers. Things started going wrong when an irritated Tidal Wave pushed himself into the Noisemaze despite Carnivac's protests, his sheer mass threatening to collapse the entire dimension.Sins of the Wreckers #4

Carnivac has no time for a boss fight.

As the Noisemaze began to come down, the Wreckers deliberately force-fed Tidal Wave a heap of Obtenteum, knowing that the super-fuel would drive him into a berserker rage. Carnivac used his powers on his comrade to force Tidal Wave back into his whale mode, but the massive gravitational forces associated with his transformation ultimately destroyed the Noisemaze once and for all. Carnivac and the other Chimeracons managed to escape the maze before its collapse and with their benefactor Tarantulas apparently dead, Impactor joined Mayhem and vowed to help Carnivac topple the 'bots in power. Sins of the Wreckers #5

Despite their new partnership, Carnivac chafed when Impactor quickly took over the leading role in Mayhem. The two came up with a plan to further discredit Cybertronian/human relations on Earth by framing an Autobot for assassinating a prominent politician. To that end, Impactor went deep undercover in the President of the United States' motorcade, and Carnivac seized upon his absence to reassert control of Mayhem. Going ahead with the frame-up scheme without Impactor, Carnivac specifically picked Springer to use as their fall-guy. Carnivac had him kidnapped and targeted anti-Cybertronian provocateur Megan Guiglione as the human Impactor's friend would kill. Controlling Springer with his outlier ability from the shadows, Carnivac made the Triple Changer take a shot at Guiglione in front of her supporters at a rally, only to unintentionally reveal that she was actually Overlord in a new Chimeracon alt-mode. Unwilling to let Springer be killed by Overlord, the other undercover Mayhem members present engaged, and were swiftly massacred. When Impactor arrived on the scene, a weakened and shame-faced Carnivac came out of hiding, admitting how badly he had screwed up. Impactor vowed to kill him once they had returned to their base with the disabled Springer.

Good bad dog.

Once they had returned and Carnivac had recharged, Impactor slugged him and demanded answers. Carnivac tried to justify his actions and aired out the full extent of Impactor's involvement in planning the original scheme in front of a horrified Springer. Springer denounced both Impactor and Carnivac, specifically telling the wolf that he expected better from someone who had served with Ultra Magnus and Stakeout. Springer and Impactor departed shortly thereafter to rescue the captive Verity Carlo from Overlord, leaving Carnivac to reflect on his actions. Springer's words seemed to have an effect on him, as he later showed up to stymie Overlord with a sonic howl at a critical moment in the following battle, allowing Springer to defeat the Phase Sixer once and for all. A somber Carnivac was later among those who received Springer's final message before entering the Timemaze, being referred to by the Wrecker as someone who had proven able to make a great difference in the world. Requiem of the Wreckers

A Tale of the Pretenders

With other Decepticon Pretenders, Carnivac was active in ancient Japan. One day, they came across three human siblings and threatened them. The oldest managed to escape and Carnivac afterwards pursued the remaining two with Iguanus while the other Decepticons followed. They were about to do bad things to the humans when Metalhawk leapt to the rescue. Other Autobot Pretenders soon followed and the Decepticons were fought off. A Tale of the Pretenders

2019 IDW continuity

Thunderclash considered Carnivac to be a trusted ally and included him in a list of potential recruits for a new team of Wreckers. Tread & Circuits Part 4

Toys

The Transformers

He's hungry like the wolf!

• Carnivac (Pretender Beast, 1988)

• Accessories: Wolf Pretender shell, tail, left & right shell shoulder armor, "anti-thermal cannon"
• Known designers: Masakatsu Saito (concept artist)

Released in the fifth year of the original The Transformers toyline (fourth year in European markets), Carnivac transforms into a robotic wolf. Inthis mode he folds up to fit inside his bestial outer Pretender Shell, which is modeled after an organic gray timber wolf with mechanical armor. His "anti-thermal cannon" can be attached to the shell or robot in any mode.

Despite Carnivac having bronze-colored plastic, he does not suffer from Gold Plastic Syndrome, as it is not of the swirled metallic variety. The color of the flexible plastic used on the tail and shoulder pads, however, tends to fade over time, though the plastic itself does not seep plasticizer like the later Pretender Monsters.

No version of this mold or character was released in Japan.

• More information on Carnivac at TFU.info
• Instruction booklet for Carnivac at Botchthecrab.com

Merchandise

Transformers Character Card

• Carnivac & Starscream Set (November 1, 2022)
  • ID number: 35 & 36

Released as part of the fifth wave of the e-HOBBY exclusive Transformers Character Card series, this pair of holographic trading cards depict super-deformed art of Carnivac and Starscream in his Pretender body along with character profiles and tech specs.

• Translation of Carnivac's Transformers Character Card

Notes

That's the way we became the Pretender Bunch.

• Carnivac's character model, such as it was, varied a lot during the course of the Marvel comics, even when accounting for the widely variable styles of the UK book's many artists (see right). Sometimes he changed appearances under the same artist and even in the same issue. Although virtually no rendition of him bore any resemblance to his toy's head, often his head is derived from his instruction booklet art.
• His personality is likewise at odds with the crazed lunatic portrayed by his bio; though he originally plans to kill Springer and the Wreckers "smiling", in practice he is more of an honorable warrior, eventually taking up an Autobot-like role of protecting the innocent.
• If you've ever wondered why Carnivac's beast mode character model has an enormous cannon on top or why his rifle has a 5mm hole straight through it, it's because the rifle was originally mounted between the two backpack sections on top of the wolf, sliding on via a 5mm rod inside the shell. This was likely simplified just to make the rifle accessible to the robot in the same way as the other Pretender Beasts, without having to split the whole shell every time.
• Carnivac was erroneously slated to appear and die in Drift #1, necessitating a last-minute recolouring to create a generic character.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Carnivac (カーニバック Kānibakku)
• Italian: Ghigno ("Sneer")
• Hungarian: Boncoló ("Dissector")

External links

• Nick Roche's reference sketch for Sins of the Wreckers Carnivac