Shockwave (Cyberverse)

Shockwave is a Decepticon from the Cyberverse continuity family.

"I'm going to punch your face... in the face."

Shockwave is the Decepticons' resident mad scientist, always performing twisted, terrifying experiments on Autobots and creating weapons for the Decepticons to use...^[1] As long as he can stand a few of their idiocies. The thoroughly logic-minded cyclops of a soldier is perfectly capable of handling himself on the battlefield as well as a laboratory. He might seem like a loyal soldier, but as long as Megatron keeps blundering in leadership, Shockwave sees fit to play it logically... and seize leadership from the tyrant should he fall too far.

Just don't put him together with Soundwave.

Fiction

Cyberverse cartoon

Voice actor: Ryan Andes (English), Tetsu Inada (Japanese), Horst Lampe (German), Róbert Bolla (Hungarian), Claudio Ridolfo (Italian), Alain Eloy (French), Antonio Llano (Castilian Spanish), Eugenio Barona (Castilian Spanish, "Megatron Is My Hero"), Santos Alberto (Latin-American Spanish), Pierre Bittencourt (Brazilian Portuguese)

"I don't believe that bot has ever been to medical school!"

Shockwave was present for one of Megatron's victories in the gladiatorial arena, after which he high-fived a young Bumblebee. Megatron Is My Hero Shockwave was a regular at Maccadam's, where on one occasion he showed off a drone alongside his fellow inventor, Wheeljack. Maccadam's Shockwave was present at Maccadam's when the Iacon City Cube team won. The Citizen Among Shockwave's other inventions was the cortical psychic patch. Sabotage

On the day that the Great War broke out, Shockwave was present when Optimus and Bumblebee visited the Decepticon HQ to speak to Megatron, where he was attempting to attach a second head to the body of a Seeker. Megatron Is My Hero When Shadow Striker was critically damaged in an energon explosion, Shockwave "repaired" her by using parts of her Seeker guards. These parts, however, were faulty, much to her discontent. Shadowstriker He also experimented on Clobber. The Dead End

Logic? Don't speak to me about logic.

As the war wound down, the Decepticons had captured Vector Sigma which Shockwave was tasked with using to reprogram the AllSpark so it would birth a new generation of Decepticons. Shockwave's drones then detected Bumblebee spying on them prompting the cyclopean scientist to dispatch Starscream to deal with the scout. Megatron Is My Hero Learning of Megatron's master plan, the Autobots sent the AllSpark off Cybertron via a space bridge. Allspark

Some 66 million years later, Shockwave remained on Cybertron even as the Decepticon fleet searched for the AllSpark. When the AllSpark had been tracked to Earth, Slipstream was dispatched to find it and the missing Ark. When it was learnt that the Autobots Bumblebee and Windblade were using a cortical psychic patch, Shockwave hacked in and forced Windblade out of the session, assuming her likeness and guiding Bumblebee to fabricated memory designed to convince him that both he and Optimus Prime were Decepticon double agents. Though the ruse had some initial success it ultimately failed owing to Bumblebee's unshakable faith in Optimus Prime. Shockwave then attempted to use Windblade's safety, who was busy fighting off Seekers in the real world, as leverage for the Ark's location, but Bumblebee merely disconnected. Sabotage

When Starscream and Shockwave later spoke to Slipstream, the former swore to demote her while the latter ordered her to repair Earth's space bridge so he could take command of Earth-bound operations. Siloed

Bringing Shadow Striker with him, Shockwave arrived in Earth's orbit with two magnetic disruptors, which he intended to use to cleanse Earth of organic life, thus making their search for the AllSpark a much simpler one. Taking his ship to the South Pole, Shockwave contacted Thundercracker for a status report only to see Grimlock had arrived and begun destroying the ship. With the Northern disruptor destroyed, Earth still lived but Shockwave was not worried for one of his drones had smuggled itself aboard the Autobots' plane. The Extinction Event

Via the drone, Shockwave watched Teletraan-X deduced the Ark's location at Mount St. Hilary, ordering his troops to mobilize to the site. Even as his subordinates fell once more, Shockwave kept his watch on the Autobots via the drone and bore witness to their finding the Ark. Awaken Sleeping Giants

"I think you would agree... one of me is more than enough."

Backed up by more drones, Shockwave led the charge in his tank mode only for the battle to turn in the Autobots' favour. Opting for the better part of valour, Shockwave scurried away back to his ship, intending to use its magnetic disruptor to cause Mount St. Hilary to erupt, destroying the Ark. Though he had triggered the eruption, Teletraan-X managed to raise the warship's shields, sparing the Autobots from a fiery death. On a hill overlooking the volcano's base, Shockwave saw the Autobot crew emerge as the Decepticon fleet arrived to reinforce him. Eruption

Shockwave built a Planet Smasher on Earth's moon per Megatron's orders, though the plan was foiled by the Autobots. He bore witness to Starscream's demotion. Sea of Tranquility Shockwave and the others headed to their fallback positions via lift, not noticing Starscream's silent seething. When Megatron wound him his leg started causing him pain, Shockwave caught him, and urged him to seek repairs. Ignoring this advice, Megatron asked about Shockwave's plan, which was to use rockets to push the Moon into the Earth, destroying it, allowing them to find the AllSpark in the debris. Soon after telling him this, Shockwave was shocked to see Starscream attack and seemingly kill Megatron. After observing the Autobots breaking into the base through one of his drones, Shockwave found himself advising the out of his depth Starscream that he could set the room to self destruct, and they were all ordered to the Nemesis. On the Nemesis Shockwave shared a look with Shadow Striker about Starscream's floundering. Shockwave detected Autobot interference with the rockets, sending them into reverse, but, before they could do anything, the damaged Megatron returned, and Shockwave watched his leader hunt and seemingly kill Starscream. Bad Moon Rising

Participating in Megatron's memorial for Starscream, Shockwave took part in a fierce competition to claim the Seeker's post as lieutenant, tasking Lockdown with sabotaging Soundwave's shuttle. Bring Me The Spark Of Optimus Prime Shockwave wired to groundbridge to the AllSpark's location, though only Megatron went through the portals. Trials He took up to the task of tracking Starscream before partaking in a battle on the Nemesis. Dark Birth In a peace talk, his stare aggravated Grimlock to the point the faction leaders requested to be alone during the peace talks. He joined Wheeljack in the meantime, entertaining him with his drones before a fight broke out. Parley

Along with the other Transformers, Shockwave became a victim of Starscream's scraplets. Starscream's Children He was later tasked by Megatron to track the traitor and repair the ship. He kidnapped Wheeljack to help with the first part, but the Autobot escaped. Fortunately, he left the one-eyed bot a key to success. Secret Science Shockwave demonstrated his new control modules before Jetfire attacked the Nemesis in search of Sky-Byte. Infinite Vendetta

Shockwave was a part of a retrieval group, but the Autobots managed to claim the AllSpark first. I Am The Allspark Partaking in a battle in space, Shockwave fooled the Autobots with a hard light hologram before the Nemesis made its way to Cybertron. Escape From Earth Along with the other Decepticons, Shockwave joined in a chant of "Destroy them! Destroy them!" when Megatron successfully lured the unsuspecting Autobots back to Cybertron and informed his master of the Ark's arrival. The Crossroads

Shockwave contacted Soundwave after he and Laserbeak captured the escaped Chromia of the Ark's incoming landing before firing a laser snare, destroying the Autobot ship. Battle For Cybertron I This feat earned him plenty of praise from Megatron. However, the Autobots abandoned ship before it was destroyed, and Shockwave took part in the subsequent fight until going into the Well of the AllSpark. Battle For Cybertron II

Shockwave battled Bumblebee and Cheetor as they prepared to return the AllSpark to Cybertron's core until he was incapacitated by Bumblebee. On Megatron's order, he used a spark extractor on himself and made a suicide run to have his evil spark destroy the AllSpark. Cheetor sacrificed himself to purify the artifact, undoing the actions of the mad scientist and destroying him forever. Battle For Cybertron IV

Long after the war ended in the Autobots' favor, while searching for a part of Windblade's consciousness on Luna 3, an obicular-class parasitic entity caused Bumblebee to experience a vision of Shockwave as a ghost. The hallucination frightened Bumblebee by manifesting through a plasma screen and scared him out into the open on the moon's surface. Alien Hunt! With Meteorfire And Cosmos

Precursor World

Warriors of the Seven Lights resembling multiple incarnations of Shockwave were members of the Purple Order.

One listened through a screen as their commander Purple Wicked Convoy received word of the fall of the Blue Order and the threat of the interdimensional warlord Ultra Megatron Omega from the Primus Vanguard's eponymous supreme leader. God Neptune comic 1

Another informed Wicked the coast was clear to parley with Megatron and his turncoat Straxus followers. God Neptune comic 1

My Nezha and Transformers cartoon

Games

Transformers: Battlegrounds

Voice actor: Ryan Andes (English), Frédéric Souterelle (French), Douglas Welbat (German), Stefano Mondini (Italian), Jose Carlos San Segundo (Spanish)

I want to tell you about the Transformers! This character article is a stub and is missing information on their fictional appearances. You can help Transformers Wiki by expanding it. Transformers: Battlegrounds

Toys

Cyberverse

Tiny Turbo Changers

• Decepticon Shockwave (Tiny Turbo Changer, 2019)
  • Series: 1, 2
  • Bag code: H

Part of the first Series of Cyberverse Tiny Turbo Changers, Shockwave is a soft-plastic robot who transforms into a tiny spider-tank.

This figure is a pretty good stand-in for Shockwave's drones if you want to do that.

Shockwave was released without changes in the second Series as well.

• Dark Energon Shockwave (Tiny Turbo Changer, 2020)
  • Series: 4, 5
  • Bag code: K (Series 4), ? (Series 5)

Part of the fourth Series of Cyberverse Tiny Turbo Changers, Dark Energon Shockwave is a mostly translucent dark purple redeco of the figure above, featuring new silver paint on its left arm cannon. (The image at right is mistransformed with his torso facing the wrong way.)

This Shockwave was re-released without changes in Series 5.

1-Step Changers

• Shockwave (1-Step Changers, 2019)
  • Japanese Name: Turbo Change Shockwave
  • Japanese Release Date: September 2019
  • Japanese ID Number: TCV-12
  • Action Attack: "Shock Blast"
  • Accessories: Missile

Cyberverse One-Step Changer Shockwave transforms from robot into a 'Spider-tank' by squeezing his rear tank legs. In robot mode he features a "Shock Blast Action" gimmick which extends at high speed - but does not launch - a sculpted laser blast from his gun arm.

Warrior Class

Shockwave gets into yoga.

• Decepticon Shockwave/Shockwave (Warrior Class, 2018-2021)
  • Action Attack: "Wave Cannon"

Cyberverse Warrior Class Decepticon Shockwave transforms from robot to The Grudge a spider-crab-tank thing in nine steps. His "Wave Cannon" Action Attack gimmick causes magenta "energy blast" effects to pop out of his back-mounted cannon when it's swung up over his shoulder. When used in vehicle mode, only one of the Magenta blasts actually pops out. Shockwave features surprisingly decent articulation for a Cyberverse wave 1 warrior class figure, featuring joints in the shoulders, hips, knees and elbows yet sadly not the head, which has one of the grumpiest expressions ever for the character.

His stock photo, pictured on the right, is slightly mistransformed: His feet are folded up in robot mode when they should be folded down.

Shockwave has seen a total of five releases: First in 2018 in the original Cyberverse packaging design, then in 2019 in the Power of the Spark subline imprint packaging refresh, then again in 2020 in the Bumblebee: Cyberverse Adventures subline imprint packaging refresh (dropping the "Decepticon" prefix for his name in the process), then again in 2021 in the line's final Dinobots Unite subline imprint packaging refresh, plus a release in Nezha: Transformers packaging exclusive to Chinese markets.

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Ultra Class

Fursuit not included.

• Decepticon Shockwave (Ultra Class, 2018)
  • Action Attack: "Shock Blast"

Cyberverse Ultra Class Shockwave again changes from a "spider tank" artillery platform to robot and back, but with a different conversion scheme than his Warrior Class counterpart. This time, his cannon arm becomes his vehicle mode cannon while a replacement arm folds out of his side.

Unlike most depictions of the Cyberverse version of the character, Shockwave has no eyelid, giving him a more "classic" look.

Shockwave has exceptionally good articulation for a Cyberverse Ultra Class figure, sporting ball joints in his shoulders, hips, and ankles, a swiveled neck and waist, and hinged elbows and knees.

His "Shock Blast" Action Attack is activated by pushing back the grey bar extending from his cannon. It can also be activated by rotating the turntable with his cannon in vehicle mode counterclockwise, but the small tab that fits into the track has a tendency to pop out due to its size and the flexibility of his purple plastic. The shoulder joint that holds the arm cannon also has a tendency to dislodge from the body due to tightness of the ball-and-socket joint.

Shockwave comes slightly mistransformed in package. His left front tank mode leg is turned around and the "foot" is sticking straight out. It should be rotated below the shoulder and folded around it to be fully hidden inside his torso in robot mode.

Ultra Class Shockwave was released twice: First in 2018 in the original Cyberverse packaging design, and then again in 2019 in the Power of the Spark subline imprint packaging refresh. Like the Warrior Class toy above, he was also available as a Nezha: Transformers product in China.

Battle Class

"It was only logical that I finally got my own Spark Armor."

• Shockwave (Battle Class, 2019)
  • Takara Name: Satellite Laser Shockwave
  • Takara Release Date: November 9, 2019
  • Takara ID Number: TCV-21
  • Accessories: "Solar Shot" satellite/armor, blaster-arm, hose

Cyberverse Battle Class Shockwave is a downsized figure, still transforming into a spider-tank. He comes with the "Solar Shot" satellite that splits apart to form wearable battle armor. He features a flexible hose that connects to the cannon on his left arm, which unlike past Cyberverse Shockwaves, has a 5mm fist instead of a cannon arm.

A couple of details were altered between the stock render and the final product, such as the rear satellite engine block being purple instead of grey and the pink details on the knees ending up omitted in the retail version. Because the Spark Armor's solar arrays are molded in soft plastic, some units have them slightly deformed in-package.

In November 2019, Shockwave and Ratchet were released as part of TakaraTomy Mall's Cyberverse "Christmas Set" offers.

• Quintesson Invasion (Multi-pack, 2019)
  • Accessories: Blaster-arm, hose, control helmet

Another release of Shockwave without the Spark Armor and a few less paint applications (such as his ears, invisible under the helmet in package) comes with a Spark Armor-less Prowl and a new Quintesson Judge figure. Shockwave and Prowl both come with a control helmet, designed to fit over the heads of most Spark Armor class toys, secured with the robots' shoulder sockets.

Amusingly, this set depicts a scenario impossible in the fiction, as Shockwave and Prowl both died before the Quintessons came to Cybertron.

This item was first sighted at Target in late December 2019, without a prior announcement from Hasbro.

Deluxe Class

• Decepticon Shockwave (Deluxe Class, 2019)
  • Build-a-Figure part: Maccadam's left leg
  • Japanese Name: Action Master Shockwave
  • Japanese Release Date: August 2020
  • Japanese ID Number: 03
  • Accessories: Arm cannon, gun, two effect parts
  • Action Attack: "Shock Blast"

Released as part of the Cyberverse Deluxe Class lineup, this Shockwave is a more show-accurate mold that is more posable than most of his previous releases. He comes with a "Shock Blast Attack" effect part compatible with his left arm cannon and his eye, and an additional gun for his right hand based on the one carried by his disembodied left hand in "Secret Science". Although the tubing for his left arm cannon comes attached to the side of the cannon via a slit opening, the tube can be removed from this configuration and plugged into the silver-colored port on top of the cannon for a more show-accurate look. His shoulder and shin fronts also feature Battle Master effect-compatible 3mm posts similar to Siege toys. Much like the Battle Class toy, Shockwave's iconic arm cannon is detachable.

In Japan, Shockwave was released as a TakaraTomy Mall exclusive. The catalog reveals that he was intended to be sold at regular retail (hence the "TCV-31" ID Number) with a March 2020 release date.

This figure was also used to make EarthSpark Shockwave.

Ultimate Class

• Decepticon Shockwave (2020-2021)
  • Accessories: Claw Blade

This Ultimate Class Shockwave is a roughly Leader-sized mold that turns into a crawly tank thing, with only some arm articulation. To compensate, he has several large gimmicks, the first of which is a set of spring-loaded transparent red Energon armor that, when his hip skirts are pulled down, pops out from his back and lands over his chest and head. His included Claw Blade weapon slides onto his left wrist when the normal gun hand is retracted, but the box and instructions don't mention that he can do the same on the right wrist. His transformation to robot mode is spring-loaded; when his legs are disengaged, his body springs up and his upper torso and arm assembly spins around several times. This can sometimes be triggered by removing the Claw Blade from its place in alt mode. There is a lever on Shockwave's back that prevents his torso from spinning loosely, but if it is not released before transforming him to robot mode, he will get stuck halfway into the conversion.

Like his wave-mate Optimus Prime, Shockwave was released twice: first in 2020 under the Battle for Cybertron subline imprint, and then again in 2021 in the line's final Dinobots Unite subline imprint packaging refresh.

Along with a few other Cyberverse figures, Shockwave was meant to be released for the Japanese markets by TakaraTomy, under the name "TCV-41 Weapon Trigger Shockwave" with a May 2020 release date. Unfortunately, unlike the Deluxe Class figures, the toy's release was canceled due to either poor sales, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, or both.

Buzzworthy Bumblebee

• Shockwave (1-Step Changer, 2022)
  • Series: Cyberverse

The 1-Step Changer Shockwave was re-released without any changes in a Buzzworthy Bumblebee packaging.

Merchandise

McDonald's

• Shockwave (Happy Meal Toy, 2019)

Released as part of the Happy Meal promotion for Cyberverse, Shockwave is a 4-inch-tall non-transforming robot figure with limited articulation. As an Action Masters-esque play feature, he includes a small satellite (reminiscent of his Spark Armor toy) that can be separated into two parts and reattached into various pins around his body as weapons or pieces of armor.

Notes

• Shockwave's design draws on the evergreen design (at right) also used for his Generation 1 counterpart.
• Shockwave's Cyberverse 1-Step Changer, Deluxe, and Ultra class toys all have their "action attack" named "Shock Blast", with a prominent call-out on the packaging. "Shockblast" was previously a name used in place of "Shockwave" when the trademark was unavailable to Hasbro.
  • His Spark Armor toy seemingly doubles down on this reference by including a satellite as the partnered vehicle, as one of Energon Shockblast's two altmodes was a satellite.
• In the Japanese dub of Cyberverse, Shockwave has a verbal tic of ending his sentences with "Shock!", similar to the Japanese version of Prime Shockwave.
• Shockwave being a mad scientist while having a series of spider-like drones seems awfully familiar.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Shockwave (ショックウェーブ Shokkuwēbu)
• Cantonese: Zan³ bo¹ (震波, "Shockwave")

See also

You look familiar...

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Versions of Shockwave have appeared in other continuity families, including:

• Shockwave, the logical Decepticon who's to blame for everything from Generation 1.
• Shockblast, the murderous Decepticon berserker from Energon.
• Shockwave, the loyal Decepticon spy from Animated.
• Shockwave, the Decepticon beastmaster and killing machine from Dark of the Moon.
• Shockwave, the logical Decepticon scientist from the Aligned continuity family.

For more information, see Shockwave (disambiguation).

References