Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity

Never Megatron, not a servant of Unicron, but rather a timelost warrior from an earlier, more brutal era, Galvatron will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. He's convinced he has a higher calling to the point of recklessness, leading to unwitting servitude to the monstrous D-Void, which suppressed his less-civilized nature...for a time.

As Decepticon leader, his barbaric side returned in full force and with it an abiding disgust for what he sees as the weaknesses and compromises of the modern age. Galvatron has little patience or regard for those he considers inferiors, but respect for those few warriors who can give him a good fight.

First appearance: Spotlight: Nightbeat

Contents 1 Fiction 1.1 Savage beginnings 1.2 The Expansion 1.3 Building an army 1.4 Confronting the D-Void 1.5 The return 1.6 Command of the Decepticons 1.7 Legacy 2 Notes 3 References

Fiction

Savage beginnings

In the barbaric age that predated the rise of the Thirteen, some twelve million years ago, Galvatron of Protohex and his twin sibling Arcee were slaves of Septimus Prime and his Supplicants of Arrius, forced to fight as gladiators in the arenas of Protohex. As the city's energon dwindled, however, Septimus told the twins to battle each other. Before their duel could have a fatal outcome, the city was invaded by Megatronus of the Darklands, who overthrew Septimus and let the twins kill their former master. The two gladiators joined his army of Darklanders as they marched on the Crystal City and battled Onyx Prime's legion of beast mode warriors.

Ultimately, the various Primes were able to make peace, and with Megatronus and his tribe joining the coalition they laid the foundation for the reign of the Thirteen. Galvatron enjoyed the special treatment he received as a warrior in the service of Megatronus, prompting Arcee to reflect that, in spite of once being a slave, he had nothing against hierarchies... as long as he was on top. Origin Myths During this time, he would come to be known as Galvatron of the Darklands. The Crucible Alongside his brother, he served as a vanguard for his master when Cybertron made contact with the planet Antilla. Upon landing, the Cybertronians were met with resistance from the Antillans, resulting in a conflict that ended in their extinction, with the rest of the galaxy learning to fear Cybertron as a result. The First Who Was Named Our Finest

After two million years of peace, the First Cybertronian Civil War swept Cybertron, pitting the various Primes and their tribes against one another. Championing the ideal that vehicular "standard-formers" were the only "true" expression of the Cybertronian race, Galvatron declared that he served no Prime, deserting his post in Megatronus' army The Crucible and spearheading a one-man campaign against the Headmasters of Nexus and Onyx Prime: combiner fusions of humanoids and beasts, and an upgrade that Galvatron viewed as an affront to the "purity" of the Cybertronian species. The Mind Bomb Galvatron's crusade led him to Nexus Prime's castle, where he kept the Enigma of Combination responsible for creating the Headmasters. Disgusted by the Prime's arrogance, Galvatron unloaded his cannon directly into the Prime's spark, instantly killing him. The Crucible Galvatron thus became the first ordinary Transformer to kill a Prime, and this news caused most of the remaining Primes to flee Cybertron entirely. The Crucible The Mind Bomb Unable to destroy the Enigma, Galvatron hid the artifact so that no further combiners could be created. The Crucible

After his victory in the Battle of Aegiax, he was approached by Alpha Trion, who offered to give him everything he ever wanted. The Mind Bomb Alpha Trion revealed to Galvatron that he was a member of the Thirteen and requested Galvatron's help in ending the war and reuniting Cybertron. At Trion's urging, Galvatron traveled to Prima's Citadel of Light only to find it beset by the bestial forces of Onyx Prime. Joining forces with Nova Major, the two beat back the entire army, forging a friendship and inspiring a legend. After learning that Onyx had also left Cybertron, Alpha, Nova, and Galvatron began Cybertronian civilization anew. Nova Major became Nova Prime and began working on discovering the secrets of the Thirteen, such as the Enigma of Combination. Galvatron was opposed to this and nearly revealed that the Enigma was a physical object. Fearful of Trion's suspicions, he launched it off world. The Crucible For his part in the war, Galvatron was publicly immortalized as a war hero. Shockpoint

Galvatron was among those present when Nova Prime rediscovered Crystal City, along with Omega Supreme. All Good Things Later, Galvatron joined Nova's crew on the Ark, Shockwaves intending to help fulfill Nova's dream of expanding Cybertronian domination throughout the cosmos. Their voyage brought them to the Benzuli Expanse, where they discovered a mysterious anomaly leading to another universe: on Nova's orders, Galvatron had the ship enter the portal, sending them into the Dead Universe. Dark Dawn

The Expansion

The transition killed the crew and revived them as undead beings who could not survive for long in the "living" universe, a consequence Galvatron blamed himself for. Within the Dead Universe, he became a herald for Nova, who was now calling himself "Nemesis Prime" and making plans to merge the two universes.

Millions of years later, Galvatron was sent on two missions in the living Universe: to destroy an alien starship conducting research on the anomaly in the Expanse, and to return to Cybertron to secure the inactive Thunderwing. After killing Leadfoot by touch alone, Galvatron shrugged off attacks by the Autobot squad under Hound's command and then shocked them when he got up after having half of his head blown off by Sideswipe. In a small act of defiance to his master, he merely incapacitated the Autobots and returned with Thunderwing's body to Gorlam Prime. Spotlight: Galvatron

After Sixshot's deployment to Earth, Nemesis Prime sent Galvatron there as well to make sure nothing would forestall their second coming. Devastation #3 From a hidden vantage point, Galvatron observed the Decepticons' desperate fight against the powerful alien army known as the Reapers. As Nemesis Prime's plans required Earth to survive, at least for a while, Galvatron took steps to prevent the Reapers from taking over and laying waste to the planet. Galvatron approached the Reapers' leader, the Deathbringer, and unleashed the power of death that was his to command, turning the Reaper into living decay who spread death and disintegration to his fellow Reapers on contact, casually blasting a bird-like Reaper who saw this happen when it attacked. This turned the tide of battle rapidly, and the Decepticons won the day. Galvatron then returned to the Dead Universe to await new orders. However, Nemesis Prime remarked to Jhiaxus that he suspected that Galvatron had his own plans... Devastation #6

After Cyclonus secured the Nega-Core and activated its guardian, Galvatron initiated the Expansion with Nemesis Prime and the rest of the Dead Universe crew. Spotlight: Cyclonus Galvatron was paired with Cyclonus to patrol the Benzuli Expanse, charged with destroying anything that might interrupt the Expansion. He let his partner have dibs on destroying Cloudburst and his crew on the Mirror-Manifold. Spotlight: Doubledealer

Heading to Garrus-9, Galvatron watched the battle of the Primes, waiting for Nemesis to become completely focused on Optimus Prime, before taking his chance and shooting the corrupt Prime in the back. When Nemesis fell, the Darkness jumped to Optimus. As the Autobot leader tried to resist, Galvatron gave him a choice: kill himself in the nearby solar pool or allow the Darkness to pass on to its rightful owner. Prime reached out for Galvatron, but as the Darkness crossed between them, Optimus grabbed Galvatron's hand, and hurled him into the solar pool, destroying both the Darkness and its would-be host.

Building an army

Or not. Some time later, as the Autobots were recuperating from a series of upheavals, Galvatron's hand burst from the solar pool. Spotlight: Sideswipe The Darkness had consumed him whole! However, both it and he were changed, and with it redubbed the "Heart of Darkness", Galvatron decided that all that exploration had taught him that change was the one constant in the universe... and now, he and his men were going to force change!

He arrived on Gorlam Prime, where Cyclonus and Scourge were the last surviving members of the Dead Universe crew, and began babbling his intentions at them while throwing Scourge into a smelting pool... causing it to resurrect him, and create a clone army! He then used the Darkness to bring Cyclonus back to life, telling him his spirit had always refused to die anyway, and led his army off to fulfil his mission! (The army thinks he might be a bit loopy.) Rebirth

On Gorlam Prime, they discovered that the entire population of the planet had vanished and set out to solve this mystery. Returning to the site of the portal to the Dead Universe, they found numerous dead "Micromasters", presumably the ones killed by Arcee. The whole time Galvatron displayed mood swings, sudden irrational anger, and incredible strength, all of which disturbed Cyclonus, who worried what would happen if Galvatron turned against them. Discovering the ruined body of Jhiaxus, Galvatron restored him to his old self using the power of the Heart of Darkness, and the group discovered a clear silver sphere that acted as a portal into the Dead Universe. As Galvatron was about to use the portal to enter the Dead Universe, however, they were suddenly ambushed by Arcee and Hardhead. Heart of Darkness #1

Damaged beyond his ability to quickly self-repair by their attack, Galvatron was forced to watch as his "Seekers" were overwhelmed by the hostile pair of 'Bots, until he managed to drag himself to the portal. Reaching into it, he felt the power of the Dead Universe recharge and repair him, upon which he easily dispatched Hardhead and forced Arcee to flee, coldly noting that he was the only future that mattered.

While Cyclonus and Scourge were sent to capture or kill the fleeing Arcee, Jhiaxus prepared to torture Hardhead for information, but Galvatron stopped him, demonstrating how he could simply reach into the Autobot's mind and display his memories for his underling to see. Once he had learned how the entire population of Gorlam Prime had marched, seemingly hypnotized, into the Dead Universe, he used the Darkness to brainwash Hardhead into serving him, seeing him as a useful servant, before deciding to journey into the Dead Universe himself. Once there, he was confronted by a monstrous being called the D-Void who fed on the life-spark of robotic life. Narrowly escaping and returning to Gorlam Prime, he informed the others that they would need to gather an army to fight what was coming. Heart of Darkness #2

Ignoring Cyclonus's misgivings about the D-Void's existence, Galvatron traveled widely from his base on Gorlam Prime using the spacebridge network Jhiaxus reconstructed, resurrecting numerous fallen Autobots and Decepticons through the power of the Heart of Darkness and recruiting other robotic life forms who would be susceptible to attack from the D-Void. When his army was a million strong, he sensed an incursion by the D-Void and journeyed to the remote planet Dykayra‎. There they found numerous dead Autobots and Decepticons that Galvatron claimed he could not resurrect, something Cyclonus was sceptical of. They also discovered evidence that an ancient race that had once occupied Gorlam Prime had also occupied Dykayra‎, and Galvatron speculated that somehow they were connected to the D-Void and perhaps manipulating events unnoticed. Discovering a second portal into the Dead Universe, Galvatron was shocked as the ruined body of Nemesis Prime stepped from it, returned to life by the D-Void and anxious for revenge on Galvatron. Heart of Darkness #3

Initially, Galvatron had the upper hand as the two old allies battled. However, the D-Void appeared to take control of Nemesis Prime, nearly killing Galvatron before Galvatron's army launched a full attack. forcing the D-Void back into the sphere and seemingly killing him. Declaring that the threat was not over, Galvatron decided that to be ready for the D-Void, they would need to conquer Cybertron. Heart of Darkness #4

Galvatron and crew discovered a frozen mass of organic and metal in space and brought the strange blob aboard their ship to investigate. The blob thawed, revealing a swarm of zombies and robots from another universe. The zombie leader, Britt, used the power of suggestion to make the crew think she was actually one of their own named Bayonet, while she sabotaged the engines to bring the ship crashing to Earth. The Transformers: Infestation #2 There, Galvatron tried to enlist the help of Optimus Prime and his Autobots, but they rebuffed him until he was subdued by Skywatch devices. Galvatron finally convinced Prime they should be fighting this menace on the same side, while Kup broke Britt's cover. The Transformers: Infestation #1 Kup was compromised though, and to stop Britt and the zombie horde from ravaging Cybertron of the past, Galvatron gave the coordinates to Prowl, who used Kup, to send the whole shebang to the very beginning of the Dead Universe. The Earth and Cybertron saved for now, Galvatron again offered his leadership to the Autobots, who of course refused, and Galvatron and crew swore they would be enemies when they next met. The Transformers: Infestation #2

When Wheelie, believing Cybertron to still be, well, habitable, brought Rodimus and their new alien friend Garnak to Cybertron, they discovered not only Sunstreaker, Ironhide, and their new pet Insecticon Bob, but also Galvatron and an army of Sweeps, who had conquered the entire planet. Fleeing back to Earth, the group warned Optimus Prime of what had happened, fearing that Galvatron was a threat to them all. Out of the Silent Planet

Confronting the D-Void

This proved to be true as, shortly after conquering Cybertron he sent Cyclonus to attack the Kimia Facility with a group of Sweeps. Though the Autobots there tried to fight back, Cyclonus and the Sweeps slaughtered them all. Informing Galvatron that the weapons facility was now theirs, Galvatron congratulated Cyclonus on his good work and commanded him to return to Cybertron with it, where he was waiting along with his army of Sweeps.

When Optimus and his fellow Autobots arrived on Cybertron, Galvatron had his entire army fire into the air to send a message in binary telling the Autobots to meet with him; this doubled as a display of power, showing the sheer size of his army. Optimus took Ironhide, Drift, Sunstreaker, Bob, and Rodimus to the surface to meet with Galvatron. There, the ancient Cybertronian gave them a simple ultimatum: the Autobots could either join his forces or be destroyed. Optimus, not impressed by Galvatron's threats or his refusal to reveal his long-term plans for Cybertron, said that the Autobots would not be his slaves, but if his intentions were peaceful they wouldn't harm him. Galvatron replied by trying to kill them all, claiming that anyone who wasn't with him was against him and that if the Autobots wouldn't serve him they would die. They managed to fight back against his army of Sweeps, but Cyclonus arrived to pull Galvatron away from the fight.

Cyclonus then revealed to Galvatron that Kimia was now above Cybertron and Galvatron. Galvatron, pleased, ordered Scourge and his sweeps to begin its transformation. It turned out that Kimia was not just a weapons facility but could transform into a weapon. Galvatron ordered Scourge to fire the giant particle cannon at Cybertron. Lamentations

However, his target was not the Autobots, but Cybertron itself, and he gave the order for Kimia to focus its beam on the planet, doing horrific damage that threatened to destroy it. As a Sweep reported to Galvatron of an attack on Kimia conducted by flight-capable Autobots, they were interrupted when Wheelie shot the Sweep in the head with his sniper rifle. Enraged, Galvatron ordered his Sweeps to kill the Autobots. After the two surviving Technobots managed to destroy Kimia from within, Galvatron was even more furious, grabbing Jhiaxus and commanding him to follow to the spot which the beam had struck, hoping that the damage it had already done was enough. He was unaware that Optimus and Ironhide had spotted him leaving and followed him, Optimus sensing something within Galvatron that he believed the Matrix would be needed to stop. Numbers

Both Galvatron and Jhiaxus were chased by Optimus, Ironhide, Rodimus, and Drift deeper down into the interior of Cybertron through an opening blasted into the surface of the planet. Optimus Prime commanded Galvatron to stop, but then a mad force coming from Galvatron suddenly halted all of the Decepticons on Cybertron. The Decepticons then clustered together as one to form a towering avatar for the D-Void. The rampaging abomination lashed out at the Autobots on the surface, while Drift was unnaturally compelled to attack his comrades below, allowing Galvatron to flee with Jhiaxus again. Kings

Optimus Prime and Rodimus went after Galvatron, attempting to prevent him from unleashing the Heart of Darkness and releasing the D-Void. However, Galvatron believed the opposite, that the power from the Heart of Darkness would save the universe from the D-Void. Megatron, who had been holding off the D-Void's giant puppet, eventually blasted the creation into pieces. Galvatron, deep under the surface of the planet, felt pain from this without knowing why. However, it was too late by the time Optimus Prime and Rodimus caught up with Galvatron—he had already unleashed the Heart of Darkness into Vector Sigma.

Galvatron declared his supposed victory as Cybertron began to crumble apart and the D-Void itself began entering into the universe, but was smashed by Arcee and Hardhead's landing craft. Galvatron recovered, beat down Arcee and Hardhead, and shot Optimus Prime in the back while Optimus deliberated with Rodimus over how to use the Matrix in order to save the universe. Galvatron declared himself the savior of all Cybertronians, but was then assaulted by Cyclonus, furious that he was forced to harm Cybertron. Galvatron knocked Cyclonus aside, but then realized how wrong he had been as his own body began to crumble to pieces. Optimus Prime used the Matrix to purify Vector Sigma, denying the D-Void its dead world for a portal and so saving the universe from destruction. Genesis

The return

Galvatron was believed dead by the Autobots following his apparent disintegration, The Death of Optimus Prime when in fact he had merely returned to the Dead Universe and reunited with Nemesis Prime, now freed from the D-Void's influence and calling himself Nova Prime again. Being long-time comrades, the two had no problem putting aside their little conflicts while under the spell of Heart of Darkness, and rejoined forces to focus on leaving the Dead Universe. Black Metal

Their way back was to be provided by Shockwave, Jhiaxus's understudy, Dark Dawn but his Titan's space bridge was lost, causing Nova Prime to lash out at Galvatron in rage. Black Metal Shockwave was soon able to provide a backup bridge in the form of Megatron, whom Galvatron and Nova Prime used a portal to journey back to the living universe. Into the Abyss The Autobots and Decepticons on Cybertron joined forces to put a stop to Shockwave's plan, beating Nova Prime back through the portal, but Galvatron was able to emerge and rip Megatron in half at the waist. Finest Hour He advocated pursuing the escaping Autobots and Decepticons only for Shockwave to overrule him. The Autobot Bumblebee came to him later to rescue the bisected Megatron. Galvatron easily bested the smaller Autobot, while mocking him that his short four million year war had made him soft. As he gloated about his longer war and superior skills, Megatron shot him unconscious. When he stirred, the two were gone. The Dead Are Not Enough

When Optimus Prime killed Nova Prime, Galvatron felt his death through his own link to the Dead Universe, which Shockwave took great interest in. When the Necrotitan fell, Galvatron sulked that Cybertron would not get its new golden age. Shockwave then revealed that the master plan was never about Primes or Golden Ages, but to fuel Cybertron forever and that Galvatron himself would serve as conduit to absorb the energies of the Dead Universe. Finis Temporis Galvatron was restrained by Monstructor while Jhiaxus used Galvatron's link to the Dead Universe in concert with the Time Drive to remove all its energy from the moment of its birth (causing it to always have been dead). Galvatron demanded to know what Shockwave was planning and the scientist revealed that he was using the Ores from his Regenesis program to fulfill the Dark Cybertron prophecy and Galvatron was the link making it possible. When the Ores fused into Shockwave, he revealed to Galvatron he was creating an ultimate singularity that would bend all the resources of time and space to feed Cybertron for eternity. The Becoming

Galvatron barely managed to limp away from Shockwave, only to meet Bumblebee and a repaired Megatron. Knowing he had made Shockwave's plan possible, he submitted himself to the Decepticon leader's wrath and was only spared when Bumblebee convinced Megatron he was better than Galvatron. When Shockwave killed Bumblebee, Galvatron made his escape. Black Planet Skywarp later rescued Galvatron and Dreadwing from Crystal City as it collapsed into a singularity. When the Decepticons expressed shock that Megatron had changed sides, Galvatron agreed with them and suggested a new approach. ...And the Damage Done This new approach was making Galvatron the new Decepticon leader.

Watching Metroplex transform to city mode, as shelter for the Autobots and civilian Cybertronians, Galvatron asked Soundwave where the Decepticons came from. Soundwave replied that they were a movement of working class Cybertronians that had risen up against their oppressors. Reminded of his talk with Alpha Trion from the first war and seeking a new purpose in life, Galvatron suggested the Decepticons form their own community and he offered to aid them. Soundwave suggested abandoning Cybertron for Earth. Galvatron assumed this meant he wanted to conquer the planet, but Soundwave clarified that they would be following the true Decepticon path: Peace. Full Fathom Five

Command of the Decepticons

Reformatted into a mobile battle cannon, Galvatron led his new troops to Earth, where they met up with General Witwicky and Director Faireborn and established an alliance with the Earth Defense Command through the information that Megatron had joined the Autobots and the help of Soundwave. Detonation Boulevard Galvatron did not enjoy the alliance, but relented to Soundwave's reasoning, as he did not live through the eras of Nominus and Sentinel. The Mind Bomb In exchange for aid against the Autobots, the humans agreed to build the Decepticons a massive satellite orbiting Jupiter where they could reside. Full Fathom Five

When the Autobots eventually showed up, Galvatron led his troops to ambush Optimus Prime at Thundercracker's home before the EDC showed up and placed the Autobots under arrest. Hello Cruel World The battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons ended up in the town of Poverty Flat, where Galvatron refused to disguise himself from the populace. Detonation Boulevard Into the battle, a "Mind Bomb" knocked out all the Decepticons, who were summarily beamed up to their ship. Galvatron's fury at this turn of events was abated when Soundwave informed him that through their spy, they had found the location of Alpha Trion. The Mind Bomb

Tracing the Mind Bomb to an EDC facility, Galvatron and Soundwave beamed down to the building, confronting General Witwicky and Sanjay Bharwaney. After making a threat to kill the entire populations of New Mexico and Old Mexico if the Mind Bomb were used on him again, Galvatron watched as the Autobots began their rescue attempt for Alpha Trion. Full Fathom Five Galvatron was given a demonstration on how the Mind Bomb could be used to fight off Cybertronian intruders as the weapon was used on Prowl. The weapon turned out to be a double-edged sword, however, as Prowl was able to use it to hack into the EDC's systems and fire the same missiles that had been previously used to attack the Ark-7 on the Decepticon ship above the EDC base. In the aftermath of this attack, Galvatron confronted General Witwicky alone and admitted that, while he was impressed with the Mind Bomb, he could not forgive its use on himself and killed the general. Seizing the opportunity to slander the Autobots, Soundwave claimed to Faireborn that Prowl had killed Witwicky. I Dream of Wires

While Soundwave busied himself with the construction of their Jupiter commune, Galvatron took advantage of his absence and rallied the Decepticons hunt for Spike Witwicky. Galvatron suspected Spike, as former head of Skywatch and current fugitive, may have had information about the Enigma of Combination and could be seen as suitably disposable to their human allies. Signals, Calls, and Marches In Tokyo, Galvatron's Decepticons interfered with Prowl and the Constructicons' attempt to capture Spike for themselves. Arcee was also on-scene to corral Prowl, leading Prowl to orchestrate a stand-off with the Decepticons on one side, the Constructicons on the other, and Arcee caught in the middle as he absconded with Spike. Vs.

Galvatron and Arcee had a brief orbital battle that brought them crashing down to Australia. Galvatron commented on how delightful Arcee was as a warrior, and retroactively commended Jhiaxus for his work. Typically a poor decision in Arcee's presence, but Galvatron won her over by voicing his "concern" over Prowl's mental state, his alleged killing of General Witwicky, and tying it all back to the influence of Combination. He convinced Arcee that destroying the Enigma, especially before Prowl could get it, was more important than their current fight. ONoffON At G.B. Blackrock's Wanmu facility, Galvatron, Arcee, and the Decepticons ostensibly arrived to "protect" their human allies from the attack of Devastator. During the fight, however, one of Starscream's acolytes managed to make off with the Engima, leaving Galvatron's forces empty-handed. The Obliterati

Galvatron and Arcee continued to have private meetings on Earth, although both were upfront about the total lack of trust between them, despite occasionally mutual goals. He put his plan into action by giving her an Onyx tablet and 'encouraged' her to look at it on the Ark-7. Now and On Earth

When the Autobots entered the atmosphere to track the Onyx code to its source, Galvatron decided against moving against them as he knew the humans had something planned. When the Ark-7 was crippled, Galvatron refuted any part in the act but decided to move to take the Space Bridge aboard the craft. The Nothing Man

Before departing he made a broadcast to Cybertron, inviting all remaining Decepticons to join him in taking the galaxy. When analyzing the inverted deflector shield that the Ark-7 was trapped in, Galvatron compared it to a "black egg" he had seen in his youth (shocking Astrotrain that Galvatron had once been young). Aphelion He then contacted Soundwave on the Jupiter commune to make ready to seize the Ark-7.Lagrange With Skywarp, he teleported into the Earth Defense Command's base to seize G.B. Blackrock, whom Galvatron had long since deduced was a sleeper agent of Onyx Prime. Helden

With all the pieces in place, Galvatron made ready for his conquest of Earth, only for Soundwave to demand an explanation for why the Decepticons on Ark-7 were aiming to conquer the planet. Galvatron explained it was always his intent before Skywarp teleported the two to Shanghai, where the Ark-7 crashed. Before Galvatron could do anything however, Optimus Prime arrived via Space Bridge, claiming Earth as his own and under his protection. Perihelion Galvatron responded as expected. When the Mind Bomb was to be detonated, Galvatron forced Blackrock to give Mindwipe the Mind Bomb's code to shield the Decepticons. Mindwipe only managed to shield a handful of Decepticons as opposed to Wheeljack shielding all the Autobots. Galvatron opted for a retreat, having Skywarp teleport the operational Decepticons away. He was pleased when Optimus began acting like a true Prime by conquering Earth. Once Upon a Time on Earth

Using the Onyx code, Galvatron was able to spy on everything occurring on Earth and watched as the President of the United States removed Marissa Faireborn in favour of Spike Witwicky. He found it amusing that humanity thought itself capable of defending itself against Cybertronians. New Worlds Order Meeting up with Arcee at the Copahue volcano, he put forth the notion that Optimus' new attitude had come from being part of Optimus Maximus with Prowl, influencing the Prime to take more drastic actions. He and Arcee both agreed that one of them would one day kill the other. The Medium and the Message

Using the Onyx code to spy on Optimus and Soundwave, Galvatron tipped off the E.D.C. to their location. When the Nemesis came under attack, Galvatron unleashed the Seeker clone combiners. When Superion and Victorion entered the fray, Galvatron revealed that Blackrock had unintentionally turned the Earth itself into a giant Enigma. He used it to disassemble Victorion and create Sky Reign and Galvatronus. It's Beginning To And Back Again Before he could destroy Superion, the Aerialbot combiner managed to shatter the Earth Enigma, at the cost of him never being able to combine again, destroying the Nemesis in the process. With his warship now truly worthless, Galvatron saw fit to retreat aboard Astrotrain. As Above...So Below

He set sail towards the Sanctuary Station to seize control of it. When they reached Jupiter, the two Decepticons were attacked by Cosmos and Arcee. Galvatron used his cannon to disable the former before he managed to strike Astrotrain's engines, causing him to fall into Jupiter's gravity well. Badly damaged, Astrotrain requested Galvatron take him the rest of the way to Sanctuary Station for medical treatment. Galvatron instead used Astrotrain's body as a battering ram before Arcee sliced the latter in half, killing him. Galvatron quickly engaged her in battle before Optimus and Soundwave arrived to back her up. The ancient warrior engaged them all, while discussing philosophies, holding his own until Soundwave shot him in the back. Arcee used this distraction to destroy his fusion cannon, the resulting explosion destroying most of his right side. Defeated, Galvatron mocked the Decepticon ideals, before warning that far worse things in the galaxy existed and that Onyx Prime was coming to Earth. For that reason, Galvatron agreed to ally with them. Optimus however, was not interested in alliances, and told Galvatron what he honestly thought of him. Terrified, Galvatron surrendered, only for Optimus to blast him point blank, killing him. While Galvatron's body fell into Jupiter, the Prime removed the Decepticon's head and presented it to the President as proof that the threat had passed. No Fair Fights

Legacy

Galvatron's alliance with, and subsequent betrayal of, the EDC were remembered by Scarlett and Joe Colton as they discussed the threat the Cybertronians posed to the planet Earth. Secret Raiders His predictions regarding the Primes came true when Sentinel Prime showed up, turned Blackrock into Sovereign and revealed that both of them were Titan Masters in the service of Onyx Prime. Both Optimus and Soundwave paused to remember Galvatron's words and wondered if they'd been wrong to kill him. When Sentinel expressed a low opinion of Galvatron due to his killing of Nexus Prime, Optimus sardonically noted that Sentinel was someone Galvatron would have loved to kill. White Heat

A few months after Sentinel Prime, Pyra Magna brought up Galvatron's execution to highlight her growing displeasure at Optimus' decisive and unilateral actions. Future Glories Lost After Oiler perished, and the Autobots had an advantage over the Junkions, Slide told the colonist soldiers to end Rum-Maj like Optimus had Galvatron. Wreck-Gar asked Rumble and Frenzy who Galvatron was and what Optimus did to him, being informed that Galvatron had been shot through the Spark and had his head ripped off. Nothing serious for a Junkion. Feel Safe Without Regrets Despite everything they'd been through, Arcee still considered Galvatron her brother and when inside a simulation meant to humanely end Sideswipe's life, she mournfully confessed to having stood by as Optimus and Soundwave killed him, she though tactfully left out any names. The Life of Sideswipe When Alpha Trion recounted the origins of Thirteen, he revealed that Arcee and Galvatron were twins. Starscream had a hard time believing this. Origin Myths

At Sideswipe's funeral, Arcee revealed her relationship to Galvatron to Optimus, much to the Prime's shock. The Dead Come Home, Part 1 When Onyx Prime indeed made a grand return to Cybertron, Optimus remembered Galvatron's warning but, in an attempt to keep the peace, noted Galvatron was the worst of the worst so perhaps his words should not have been taken at face value. This attitude proved the final straw for Soundwave, who barged in with his Decepticons and declared their refusal to stand by and let the Primes return to power. Another Mine

Notes

• Simon Furman was very clear from the start that IDW Galvatron was not Megatron in any way, shape or form, time-traveller or otherwise.^[2] He did, however, spend some time teasing an Ultra Magnus/Galvatron fight in homage to the Marvel UK Transformers comic, but had abandoned it by the time he wrote Revelation.^[3]
• Galvatron's tank-based alternate mode depicted in Heart of Darkness conflicts with his depiction in his previous cannon-based alt-mode in the concurrently-set Infestation.
• On assuming leadership of the Decepticons, Galvatron was redesigned (at right) and given a mobile battle-tank alt-mode, first seen in Robots in Disguise #28.^[4] Artist Andrew Griffith would later clarify his intention that Galvatron scanned the XM1203 Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon alt-mode from a canceled U.S. military project that had been revived by the EDC.^[5]
• It was a coincidence that Galvatron died with a head left over just before the release of the Titans Return toy. John Barber clarified in a Reddit Q&A that he only saw the toy in-hand soon after sending "All Hail Optimus" finale off to the printers.^[6]

References