Maccadam

Old Maccadam had a bar, ee-eye ee-eye oh...

Maccadam is the manager of Maccadam's Old Oil House. He is largely unseen by the populace of Cybertron, leading to rumors among his more sozzled patrons that he might be one of the thirteen original Transformers. He has strict in-house rules against fighting within its confines.

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

Spit and polish, that's the way.

Maccadam was working the night Quickswitch was meant to meet his Decepticon contact to receive information vital to the Autobot resistance. Unfortunately the party was crashed by a pair of Mecannibals (on the trail of Dreadwind and Darkwing) who had eaten Rocky. Quickswitch fought off the Mecannibals, levelling the building in the process. Out to Lunch!

Regeneration One

Following the effects of Scorponok's Gene Key on the populace of Cybertron, Maccadam was sweeping up debris outside his bar. Destiny, Part One

The Ultimate Guide

Accorded Neutral Territory.

Maccadam's secrecy led to rumors that he was one of the original Thirteen Transformers.

At one point, Maccadam was behind the bar and cleaning glasses, while Zarak Maximus was working on the door and throwing out an unruly patron. Transformers: The Ultimate Guide

2005 IDW continuity

"Actually, there is no Tipsy McStagger. He’s just a composite of other successful logos."

A figure that may have been Maccadam appeared on the sign of Maccadam's New Oil House in Iacon. Post Hoc

Aligned novels

Supposedly one of the oldest known Cybertronians, Maccadam was alive during the planet's Golden Age, and had operated his bar for almost that long; for whatever reasons, he chose to keep his identity a secret from the bar's patrons. While it was assumed that he was one of the staff, the mysterious Maccadam was, in fact, the bar's piano player. Early into the Great War, Maccadam did business with Autobots, Decepticons, and neutrals alike, but when Optimus Prime and his Autobots departed Cybertron, Maccadam refused to keep doing open business with the Decepticons and closed his bar, finding work with Ultra Magnus as his new informant. Using his vast social network and steady supply of drinks to coerce information out of his Decepticon informants, Maccadam became one of the Autobots' chief spymasters, helping to undermine Shockwave's rule over Iacon.

Eventually, Magnus and the Wreckers met with Maccadam during their mission to rescue Alpha Trion from Shockwave's custody, explaining the circumstances behind his impromptu career change to Wheeljack over the next hour. Maccadam helped the team lie low in his bar for some time, before eventually learning from his contacts that Shockwave had taken Alpha Trion prisoner so as to harness Vector Sigma, near the core of Cybertron, providing them with a map. Maccadam had been tailed by the Decepticons, however, and moments later his bar was surrounded by Ratbat's security forces — and so Magnus ordered Omega Supreme to cause a distraction by shelling Iacon from afar. While the Wreckers got to safety Maccadam was able to slip away to another one of his hideouts.

Shortly afterwards, a Quintesson invasion force arrived on Cybertron, prompting Maccadam to regroup with the Wreckers and Alpha Trion in his bar. Already aware of the malevolent aliens and their plans for the future of Cybertron, the bartender joined the Wreckers in their mission to destroy the Hall of Records so as to prevent the Sharkticons from seizing the building and harnessing the knowledge within. The group was soon cornered by Tyrannicon, but before the vicious general could foil their plan, he himself was killed by his troops when his Sharkticon soldiers turned on their master as their invasion fell apart. Retribution

Kre-O online manga

First Aid and Hot Spot had a conversation at Maccadam's bar, where he was cleaning a mug. Bad at Fighting? Rescue Team Protectobots, Dispatch!

TransTech

One of the more absurd rumors in Axiom Nexus about Galva Convoy was that he was Maccadam. BotCon 2015 Galva Convoy bio

Ask Vector Prime

On the eve of the Unicron War, Maccadam learned of Sideways and Gong's plan to destabilize reality after the two rubbed shoulders at his bar. Using his powers, the bartender was able to seek out his brother Vector Prime and warn him of the threat that the mischievous duo posed to space and time. Echoes and Fragments

Cyberverse cartoon

Voice actor: Dick Terhune (English), Yōji Ueda (Japanese), Robert Dubois (French), Sven Brieger (German), Róbert Bolla (Hungarian), Pietro Ubaldi (Italian), Luis Vicente Ivars (Castilian Spanish), Sergio Castillo (Latin-American Spanish), Nagib Akim (Brazilian Portuguese)

In days long past, the Cybertronian who would become known as Maccadam was born under the name Alchemist Prime, one of the Thirteen original Primes. Dweller In The Depths Alchemist possessed the ability to see into the future, sharing his knowledge with others via cryptic statements. Maccadam's

It is not known when precisely Alchemist concealed his true identity but he was active during the Age of Expansion, a golden age that saw the great War Titans dispatched to conquer and colonize distant regions of the galaxy. As a crew member aboard one such Titan, the mighty Iaconus, Maccadam took part in several campaigns across multiple alien worlds before the Age of Expansion came to an end. However, Iaconus was unable to adjust to peacetime; deprived of war, the Titan lashed out at Cybertron itself, and Maccadam was one of the many soldiers forced to take down the Titan. The toll that this battle incurred would be great, and Maccadam would be left as the only survivor of the massacre. Over the coming millennia, Iaconus's slumbering form would be covered by the city of Iacon; to keep watch over the Titan, Maccadam turned the head of the Titan into a bar, which he dubbed "Maccadam's Old Oil House". The Citizen Though welcoming to customers from all walks of life, Maccadam held a very strict "no fighting" policy in his bar, and enforced that policy through his power to transform into something so terrifying that no Cybertronian would ever cross him. Maccadam went on to cultivate a status of mystery within Cybertronian society with even some rumours of his status as a Prime leaking out to the citizenry. Maccadam's

In between serving customers from his "private stash" of Energon, Maccadam continued to safeguard Iaconus until the day he would be needed again. These included laying a psychic trap inside Iaconus's systems to prevent any cityspeakers from prematurely activating the Titan, and allowing Skullcruncher free roam of the Titan's lower systems to guard them from intruders. The Citizen

"You know what I blame this on the breakdown of? Society."

In the years prior to the Great War, Maccadam became close friends with Bumblebee and served him and his new friend Windblade drinks on the night of the Iacon-Polyhex Cube match. When war broke out, Maccadam retained his neutrality and welcomed both Autobots and Decepticons in spite of wartime tensions. One day, Bumblebee brought the Decepticon turncoat Deadlock to the bar only for Megatron to follow, threatening to start a firefight by killing the traitor. Before a firefight could break out, Maccadam loudly barged into the main room before assuming his monstrous alternate mode and declaring that there would be no fighting in his bar. Cowed, Megatron retreated with Maccadam telling Deadlock he was welcome to seek refuge in his bar for as long as he needed. Maccadam's

Shortly thereafter, Optimus Prime and Megatron met at the bar to negotiate peace terms, but could not come to an agreement. After Megatron stormed out, Maccadam offered Optimus a drink, explaining that it took 4233 attempts to find the perfect energon blend and to not let this failure discourage his further attempts. Parley When Soundwave defeated Soundblaster in a beatboxing match, Maccadam was tending the bar. The Immobilizers When the Ark was due to launch, Bumblebee and Windblade visited Maccadam one last time. Offering the two a drink of energon from his own private supply, Maccadam revealed he would be staying behind on Cybertron while reassuring the two that, despite being apart, their friendship would endure.

When the two Autobots found themselves on Earth, they realized that Maccadam's habit of saying random nonsensical statements had in fact been prophecies relating to their current adventure, and the barkeep's way of helping them. Maccadam's

Maccadam remained in his bar even as the Quintessons invaded Cybertron, protected from the Prosecutors by Iaconus' still active cloaking module. The Citizen During said invasion, he welcomed several escaped captives and allowed them refuge. The Dead End Continuing to enforce his no-fighting rule, Maccadam stopped a fight from breaking out between Hot Rod and Dead End before he stepped out, tactfully dodging Perceptor's query of why the bar was a safe haven. The Sleeper Aware of what was to come, Maccadam awaited his guests by the cloaking module and deterred them from taking it or reactivating Iaconus. The Citizen After she had been freed from the loop, Windblade tried to awaken the War Titan, managing to have his arm rise to the surface and scare off the Quintesson forces, only for Maccadam to pull her out before the strain became too much for her. The Alliance

After Starscream revealed himself as the new Judge, Maccadam would later be forced to serve energon to Lord Gnaw's Sharkticons and made an exception to his no-fighting rule when Windblade arrived to reawaken Iaconus. He helped her reach the cityspeaker chamber and gave her some advice before he left for the surface. The End Of The Universe II Having long foreseen this to be the day of his death, Maccadam marched to where Starscream had locked up their species and made short work of what remained of the Quintesson army, as the nearby Autobots and Decepticons cringed or gawked in silent horror at the power of Maccadam's true form. Though Hot Rod tried to have Maccadam come with them, the Prime stood tranquilly, knowing that his time was up. Pushing Hot Rod to safety, Maccadam was atomized by a blast from Iaconus (which had been deflected by the brainwashed Croaton), to the shock and grief of both Hot Rod and Iaconus. The End Of The Universe III

As a Prime, however, Maccadam's spirit would persist within the accumulated wisdom of the Matrix of Leadership. After Megatron had brought a Matrix from another reality into theirs, the Primes summoned Optimus into the Matrix where Maccadam spoke to Optimus on the Primes' behalf. After revealing his true identity, Maccadam gave Optimus a simple yet appalling mission: destroy Megatron's Matrix of Leadership. Dweller In The Depths

Toys

Cyberverse

The virgin Rung versus the chad Maccadam.

• Bumblebee (Deluxe Class, 2019) - Lower Torso
• Optimus Prime (Deluxe Class, 2019) - Left Forearm
• Decepticon Shockwave (Deluxe Class, 2019) - Left Leg
• Megatron (Deluxe Class, 2019) - Upper Torso
• Autobot Hot Rod (Deluxe Class, 2020) - Right Leg
• Grimlock (Deluxe Class, 2020) - Right Forearm
• Arcee (Deluxe Class, 2020) - Upper Arms and Hammer
• Thunderhowl (Deluxe Class, 2020) - Head
  • Accessories: Hammer

This toy of Maccadam is a non-transforming "Build a Figure", the first to be released in the Transformers line since Beast Wars 10th Anniversary Transmutate in 2006. Maccadam can be built from the parts included with the eight figures released in the first four waves of Cyberverse Deluxe Class toys.

Maccadam is highly poseable with rotating wrists and 10 ball joints, including a very flexible center-torso joint. Unlike all 8 Deluxes he's packaged with (and all of the other Deluxes throughout the Transformers franchise since 2019), Maccadam has no ankle articulation, but he partly makes up for this with enough ball-jointed knee and hip range to still stay flat-footed in a variety of stances.

Notes

• A macadam is a type of pavement predating modern asphalt, made of crushed stone that's compacted into layers then bound with tar. Maccadam's name might have been derived from this, although it's spelled with an additional "c".
• 2004's Transformers: The Ultimate Guide put forth the idea that Maccadam is one of the Thirteen Original Transformers, and that his bar exists outside of the normal space/time continuum—but also notes that this is probably nothing more than the drunken ramblings of patrons. The idea was, however, legitimized somewhat by the Transformers Legends prose story "Prime Spark", which depicted the bar as a kind of multiversal meeting place, where the sparks of various Optimus Primes met after death.
  • The rumour was seemingly put to bed when Maccadam was not included in Hasbro's Aligned continuity family version of the Thirteen, but in 2015, the online Q&A Ask Vector Prime paid homage to the idea by suggesting the possibility he was really Thirteen member Alchemist Prime—a dual reference to both Alchemist being the only Prime other than Alpha Trion who is said to have remained on Cybertron for a time in Aligned continuity, and to the fact that Alchemist had been depicted as fond of engex in IDW Publishing's comic books. Still, Ask Vector Prime made a point of presenting this as just as much of a rumor as the original statement in the Ultimate Guide; when Maccadam appeared in the 2014 novel Retribution, there was no indication of a shared past or any familiarity between him and Alpha Trion (with Trion having stated earlier in the book that Alchemist left Cybertron ages ago).
  • However, the 2018 Cyberverse cartoon would lean heavily into the Maccadam/Alchemist connection, with Bumblebee repeating the rumor of Maccadam being one of the Thirteen in the episode "Maccadam's", the bartender's design bearing a strong resemblance to Alchemist, and a specific reference being made to "Lenses," Alchemist's personal artifact of power. Ultimately, Maccadam's true identity being Alchemist Prime was confirmed by Maccadam himself in "Dweller In The Depths".
• The Cyberverse episode marked the first clear and explicit appearance of Maccadam in a visual medium. The mustachioed bartender occasionally seen in earlier media was originally just a generic character who was only retroactively identified as Maccadam by implication, when the 2015 Transformers Collectors' Club magazine story "Out of the One, Many" featured a member of the Thirteen with his design, again nodding toward the idea that Maccadam was part of the group.
• Like all non-toy Transformers in the Kre-O manga, Maccadam uses actual Kre-O parts, specifically the ever-popular Hound helmet piece. His appearance and coloration, as well as his pose, is based on a piece of artwork from Transformers: The Ultimate Guide. The homage is further compounded by Sixshot, Phoenix, and Lander being in the background.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Maccadam (マカダム Makadamu)