Ratchet (Transformers)

Ratchet is the name of several characters in the Transformers universes. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ratchet was named after the character of Nurse Ratched from the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The name Ratchet is almost always portrayed as an Autobot medic who turns into an ambulance. Ratchet is sometimes referred to by the trademarked names "Autobot Ratchet" or "Rescue Ratchet."

Transformers: Generation 1
Ratchet (Ratchet/Mécano in Canada, Racsni in Hungary, Храповик in Russia and Doc in Italy) is the chief medic of the Autobots in the Transformers television and comic series based on the popular toyline produced by Takara and Hasbro. His vehicle mode is an ambulance. Named after Nurse Ratched by writer Bob Budiansky, who originally intended the character to be female, an idea rejected by Hasbro. Ratchet is well-remembered by fans of the original comic series, in which he played a major role.

Ratchet would transform into an ambulance (cargo van type) and was colored white with red stripes and emergency lights. Ratchet had two robot modes, though only one was usually seen in the comic run and the television cartoon. The Ratchet toy transformed into the second form. Ratchet was one of the original and the longest-lived of all Transformers in the Marvel Transformers comic series. Often a fan favorite, he was a healer first, but a soldier nonetheless. His courage and loyalty are demonstrated time and again.

Reception
Ratchet was voted the top Transformer who was good soldier in the comics by Topless Robot.

Marvel Comics
Ratchet made his first appearance in issue #1 of the Marvel Comics Transformers comic book series. Originally this was intended to be a 4-issue series, but became a monthly series that ultimately lasted 80 issues. In issue number 4, he transported Sparkplug Witwicky to the hospital after Witwicky had a heart attack aboard the Autobot base, the Ark. Because of this, he was not at the final battle between the few remaining Autobots (having transferred their low fuel resources into a selected group of 5 Autobots) and the fully-powered Decepticons. At that battle, the Autobots were losing when their foes suddenly began falling from fuel that had been tainted by Witwicky. Before the Autobots could celebrate their victory, the Decepticon Shockwave appeared (his first appearance in the comic series) and destroyed the remaining Autobots.

As the sole surviving Autobot, Ratchet sought some way to resurrect his comrades to defeat the Decepticons. An initial foray revealed that Megatron had been humiliatingly defeated by Shockwave and relegated to second-in-command status. Megatron made a deal - Ratchet would destroy Shockwave, and Megatron would free his comrades. Knowing Megatron would betray him, Ratchet searched for some way to get out of it. To this end, he came across information from The Ark's initial search for "life" on the planet when the craft first crashed. While in the "present" (1984), the probes read moving metallic objects as life (as it would expect, being from a mechanical-life based world), accounting for the recreation of the Transformers as vehicles, aircraft, etc.), in a prehistoric attempt it had found none and instead determined the only moving, seemingly-sentient objects of similar size to the Transformers, dinosaurs, to be life. The Ark thus created the Dinobots based on these beings. Finding information on the Dinobots, Ratchet sought out their location, finding them and fixing them back up. (It was his first probe for the Dinobots that had awoken Shockwave, dooming his comrades.) When he had completed this task, he confronted Megatron and ambushed the enemy robot with the five Dinobots (Grimlock, Slag, Sludge, Snarl and Swoop). Megatron quickly dispatched them and laughed at the weak medic. As a final resort, Ratchet flung himself into Megatron, hoping to throw them both off the tall cliff, destroying them both, but instead bounced off. Megatron laughed at him again, though commending him for his courage. While laughing, the cliff edge Megatron was standing on collapsed and he fell to his deactivation. To this end Ratchet was a hero, though he didn't feel particularly victorious. He later returned to the Ark with the Dinobots and repaired his fellow Autobots, with the exception of Optimus Prime, whose head was mysteriously missing (kept by Shockwave to tap the powers of the Matrix).

His workload increased drastically as the Autobots suffered casualties brought on by Circuit Breaker (a woman with electromagnetic powers and a searing hatred of all robots), the Constructicons (as Devastator), a Shockwave-controlled Jetfire, and even a Decepticon doppelganger of Optimus Prime.

In issue #27, "King of the Hill!", Perceptor summoned his fellow Autobots Blaster, Hot Spot, Jetfire, Omega Supreme, Ratchet and Silverbolt in order to decide who should take leadership of the Autobots. After an attack by the giant Decepticon Trypticon the leader was chosen - Grimlock.

Ratchet later ran afoul of the presumed-dead Megatron once again. Megatron abducted him via the Space Bridge and set him to work on a top secret project - resurrecting Starscream as a Pretender and sending him to attack both Prime's forces and the Decepticons under Scorponok, who he considered a usurper. Ratchet double-crossed him, as he reprogrammed Starscream's mind so that his original personality re-emerged, and the traitor ended up begging for mercy from Scorponok. Ratchet also restored Grimlock, Jazz, and Bumblebee, as Megatron tasked him to create Decepticon Pretenders. Ratchet chose these three Autobots of the many deactivated ones based on his experience and loyalty to them; he only had three Pretender shells that he could use. Though Bumblebee had previously been upgraded in size and strength with a new name of Goldbug, Ratchet restored him to his original Bumblebee configuration because he "always liked [it] better". The three battled Megatron's troops, although he defeated them all. Ratchet then revealed the base had been set to self-destruct. Megatron tried to escape through the Space Bridge, but Ratchet sacrificed himself to keep him from escaping, something that affected Optimus Prime deeply.

Near the end of the original comic run, it was revealed the explosion had knocked both of them into the Space Bridge, fusing them into a nightmarish hybrid. Located by the Autobot detective Nightbeat, the hybrid rampaged around the Autobot ship before Prime stopped it. Against the wishes of Prime's crew, who knew that saving Ratchet meant saving Megatron, the two were surgically separated and put in stasis to keep him alive. Later he was infused with Nucleon along with other Autobots. His final action in the series was causing The Ark to crash-land on Earth to prevent its Decepticon stowaways - Megatron, Galvatron, Shockwave and Starscream - from landing and plundering Earth, presumably being killed in the process. Many times over, Ratchet was a hero, but he never gained nor sought such recognition.

Although there was no Ratchet toy for Generation Two, Ratchet did make several appearances in the memories of Optimus Prime in the Generation Two comic book series by Marvel Comics. Despite being dead, he would make two flashback appearances - one in his fused form with Megatron, and the other showing him protecting two humans, likely Buster Witwicky and his girlfriend Jesse.

Animated series
Ratchet was the Autobot medic, and therefore he seldom was ever seen in battle. He usually spent time at the Autobot base with Wheeljack creating and repairing other Autobots. The two of them were credited for creating the Dinobots in an attempt to bolster their ranks versus the Decepticons.

Ratchet was eventually killed in The Transformers: The Movie in an attack by the Decepticons on an Autobot shuttle. The Decepticons penetrated the hull of the shuttle that he, Ironhide, Prowl, and Brawn were flying in. Ironhide and Ratchet attacked the invaders together after Prowl and Brawn's death. The two suffered the same amount of fire from the Decepticons; due to Ironhide's strong armor, he survived the first strike but ultimately died. Ratchet, on the other hand, was killed easily. Luckily, his role as medic is taken by Junkion leader Wreck-Gar, who formed an alliance with the Autobots, and First Aid of the Protectobots.

Books
Ratchet was featured in the 1985 Transformers audio books Autobots' Lightning Strike, Autobots Fight Back, Laserbeak's Fury and Satellite of Doom.

Ratchet appeared in the 1985 story Autobots Fight Back by John Grant, published by Ladybird Books.

Dreamwave Productions
Ratchet appeared in much the same capacity as he did in the TV series, acting as the Autobots' chief medic. Joining the Autobot faction at the outbreak of the civil war, Ratchet accompanied Optimus Prime to search for survivors in part of Iacon city after Megatron had activated the planetary engines. He later remained with the Autobots under Prowl after Optimus Prime's disappearance in a Space Bridge accident.

Prime returned, and four million years ago, Ratchet was one of the Autobots aboard the Ark when it crashed on Earth, entombing all aboard in stasis until they were reawakened in 1984.

Subsequently, after nearly twenty years of war on Earth, the Autobots defeated the Decepticons and headed back to Cybertron aboard the new spaceship, the Ark II, only for it to explode as it left Earth's atmosphere in 2001.

Later, Ratchet and many of the other Transformers presumed lost in the explosion were recovered by the terrorist Lazarus, a former U.S. Army officer who had developed a means of controlling the Transformers. When Megatron and the Decepticons predictably broke free, they hooked Ratchet and many of the other Autobots up to a machine that drained their energy to power Megatron's technorganic virus. He was later rescued by Prime.

After battling the Decepticons in the Arctic over a mysterious pod (unbeknownst to all containing Scourge), Ratchet and all the other Transformers were taken prisoner when Shockwave arrived to brand them all as war criminals. Ratchet was one of the few Autobots under Jazz that managed to escape to the original Ark. They subsequently battled Soundwave and the Seekers, capturing most except Starscream. The giant Combiner Bruticus was another matter, however, and all the Autobots save Ratchet and Brawn, who were forced to self-destruct the Ark to stop the giant Decepticon. Later, after the arrival of Sunstorm, Ratchet was forced to save Starscream to help stop the rampaging clone. Later, after Sunstorm's defeat, Ratchet was one of the Autobots who helped Prowl to begin building Autobot City on Earth. Dreamwave's closure meant that any further tales of Ratchet would go untold.

Devil's Due Publishing
In this reimagining of the Generation One story, the Ark was discovered by the terrorist Cobra organization, and all the Transformers inside were reformatted into Cobra vehicles remotely controlled by the Televipers. In this storyline Ratchet turned into a Cobra HiSS tank.

In the second series, he appeared as "The Autobot", the sole Autobot guardian of a future Earth over-run by Decepticons. This Ratchet had been changed by his experiences, ruthlessly gunning down several Decepticons and even destroying one in hand-to-hand-combat. He is located by a team of G.I. Joes trying to repair the damage done by the time-displaced Transformers. They forcibly teleported him back to Cybertron - where he was promptly gunned down by Shockwave. This Ratchet had reverted to his traditional ambulance-themed body.

He evidently survived, as he appeared again in the third series as part of the combined Autobot/G.I. Joe force attempting to rescue Optimus Prime.

Fun Publications
Ratchet also appeared as a remold of Energon Towline for the Transformers: Timelines series. His function is Chief Medical Officer and his motto is "You break it, I'll remake it."

It would have been easy for a veteran such as Autobot Ratchet to become embittered after ages of war, death and destruction. However, even after several million years, this Autobot has retained his original cheerful disposition and tendency to look for a good time. This is not a reflection of irresponsibility. Rather, Autobot Ratchet knows that while he tends to the injuries of his patient's bodies, he must also help heal the wounds in their Sparks. Being the best tool-and-die man on Cybertron, no other Autobot is more qualified for the job. For half a century following the last Great War, Autobot Ratchet traveled the galaxy to train in various forms of combat to better save disabled comrades on the battlefield. As a result, he is now one of the most adept Autobots in hand-to-hand combat, although he prefers not to use it unless absolutely necessary. Ratchet's wrists contain a variety of welders, laser scalpels and liquid dispensers. His primary weapon is an Energon-blade that can also emit stun-blasts. Autobot Ratchet is also able to combine with his repair bay trailer for greater mobility on the battlefield. Ratchet is not very strong, but his skill often compensates for this deficiency.

The Transformers Classics comics published in the Official Transformers Collectors Club magazine is set in the Marvel Comics continuity, but in a timeline where the events of Generation 2 did not occur. Ratchet's seemingly lifeless appears behind Megatron's throne.

Ratchet oversaw the repair of Dion after he was injured battling the Combaticons.

IDW Publishing
Ratchet plays a significant role in IDW's new G1 continuity. His updated form is an ambulance that bears a close resemblance to a Ford Transit Van. In The Transformers: Infiltration, he picks up three humans who have evidence of their presence on Earth, protecting them from Thundercracker and the Battlechargers. He clashes with Prowl over the issue of the humans and calling in Optimus Prime. Disobeying orders alongside Bumblebee, he is wounded in battle with Skywarp and Blitzwing (at one point being run over by the Triple Changer's tank mode), but recovers before the end of the limited series.

He reappears in the subsequent series The Transformers: Escalation, discovering that the "corpse" of Sunstreaker was in fact a fake. He disobeyed orders once again to let Verity and Jimmy find the location of the decoy's manufacturer - but was interrupted by Ironhide. However, instead of stopping them, Ironhide accompanied them to find the garage that had made the fake Sunstreaker. However, when the two humans failed to reappear, Ironhide went in personally, while Ratchet warned him of approaching police. With Verity and Jimmy out cold, Ratchet assisted in cutting open the ceiling of hidden room they were in. While they saved the humans, Ironhide was too slow in getting out, and was destroyed by the blast.

Bumblebee, Jazz, Optimus Prime, Prowl and Ratchet are slated to appear in the upcoming New Avengers/Transformers crossover by Marvel Comics and IDW Publishing in 2007.

Optimus Prime leads Bumblebee, Drift, Kup, Prowl, Ratchet and Wheeljack in Las Vegas when a Cybertronian ship crashes containing Galvatron, Cyclonus, Scourge and an infestation of zombies from another universe. Galvatron attempts to take command of the Autobots, and after fighting them explains his mission to stop an undead infestation. Wheeljack sets up an energy shield around the city to keep the infestation contained, but it will only last for 24 hours. Kup recognizes a Decepticon named Bayonet in Galvatron's command as not being right, and she is revealed to be the extradimensional vampire Britt.

Evolutions: Hearts of Steel
An alternate version of Ratchet would appear in IDW's Hearts of Steel. Here he seems to be willing to follow Prowl's lead in not contacting the humans, However, when Starscream's plan is discovered Ratchet followed Bumblebee's lead in following the Decepticon train convoy, and was present at their defeat. Following this, he and the other Autobots went back into stasis.

Other Media
Ratchet appears in the Robot Chicken episode "Junk in the Trunk" voiced by Seth MacFarlane. In the segment he's in, he tells Optimus that he has prostate cancer and that he will die. It turns out that it was just a segment acted out by the Autobots.

Toys

 * Generation 1 Autobot Car Ratchet (1984)
 * The toy that was to become the Autobot Ratchet was originally released as part of the Japanese Diaclone series. The toy of Ironhide has the same mold as Ratchet.


 * Timelines Deluxe Ratchet (2005)
 * A remold of Energon Towline. Packaged together with Flareup.


 * Universe Generation 1 Series Deluxe Autobot Ratchet (2009)
 * A white redeco of Universe Deluxe Ironhide with a different head sculpt and the addition of an ambulance light bar. His yellow license plate reads "H3L PU2" (Help us), a reference to the cover of the U.S. Marvel Comics' Transformers #70.


 * Henkei! Henkei! C-14 Deluxe Ratchet (2009)
 * The Japanese version of the Universe Deluxe figure by Takara Tomy has the front grille, headlights, taillights and gun molded in chrome silver. In addition, the head antenna is painted black instead of red, the license plate is omitted and the ambulance mode's side panels have one red stripe instead of two.


 * Transformers Kre-O Autobot Ratchet (2011)
 * A Lego-like building block kit of Ratchet with 187 pieces to assemble in either ambulance or robot mode. The overall design is a hybrid of Ratchet's incarnations from the G1 series and the live-action movie trilogy. Comes with 2-inch Kreon figures of G1 Ratchet and a human paramedic.

Transformers: Armada
Ratchet was the Japanese name for the character of Red Alert. This character was an obvious homage to Ratchet, being an Autobot medic who turned into an ambulance and had a tool hand, just like Generation One Ratchet was sometimes depicted with.

Transformers: Universe
Ratchet (called Autobot Ratchet) is the name of a Transformers: Universe character. He appeared in the Universe comic book, where it was established he was Ratchet from a parallel Cybertron brought to this world when captured by Unicron, but he escaped.

3H Enterprises
This version of Ratchet appeared in the Transformers: Universe comic where it was established that he was Ratchet from a parallel Cybertron. In speaking with the Autobot Trailbreaker, it is established that in the main Cybertron continuity Ratchet was dead.

Toys

 * Universe Autobot Ratchet (2003)
 * Ratchet is a repaint of Robots in Disguise X-Brawn. According to sources at BotCon Universe Ratchet was originally intended to be an upgrade of the Autobot Inferno, but when the Red Alert toy was accidentally named Inferno in a packaging error, they changed this toy to Autobot Ratchet.

Transformers
In the 2007 live action film, Ratchet appears as a Search and Rescue Hummer H2. As always, Ratchet is the medical officer of the Autobots. According to the official movie site, Ratchet believes the conflict can be solved peacefully, without any violence. However he still carries out Optimus Prime's orders, even if it means use of force.

His weapons include a rotary saw that emerges from his left arm, and can transform his right and left arm into a machine gun. Ratchet also has an assortment of other tools at his disposal; in the movie, he uses a red laser to scan and try to calibrate Bumblebee's voicebox as they are introduced to Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes. He has an enhanced sense of smell. According to the book Transformers - Meet The Autobots by Jennifer Frantz, Ratchet has X-ray vision. According to the Transformers U.K. magazine Ratchet can produce a "chameleon" effect with his surface photo-electric cells allowing him to blend with his environment.

According to an early interview with Michael Bay, Ratchet stands about 24 feet tall (8m), but the scale of his Voyager class toy suggests he stands 19 feet tall. The official guide to the Transformers video game says he's 20 feet tall. The Transformers U.K. magazine states he is 20 feet 1 inch tall, weighs 6.7 tons and has a maximum speed of 230 mph. It also states he can "haul/push 20 times his own weight", which is 134 tons.

The vehicles used for Bumblebee, Ironhide, Jazz and Ratchet were put on display by GM at the 2007 Detroit River Walk Festival a little over a week before the U.S. release of the film.

One early concept sketch of Ratchet shown by Hasbro at BotCon 2007 had him as a red ambulance with white and black detail. This concept was later used for the character of Inferno.

In the sequel Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Ratchet's color scheme is revised, sporting green and white colors with "E4" printed on his side panels.

IDW Publishing
The back story of the Transformers on ancient Cybertron is told in Transformers: Defiance. In this story Starscream returns to Cybertron after encountering an enemy scout ship in the Eshems Nebula. After being repaired for minor damage by Ratchet, Starscream and Ironhide report to Optimus Prime and Megatron. Ratchet was among Optimus' crew at an excavation site near the temple at Simfur where an artifact was uncovered. In issue #2 Ratchet examines the recovered body of one of the aliens who invaded Cybertron. He later sides with Optimus Prime against Megatron's orders to counter-attack their invaders. In the third issue, he and other Autobots examine pieces similar to that of the intact artifact, and made a discovery: the symbols on the fragments were all in the same area, and the symbol was on Prime's head as well, proving the "Dynasty of Prime" was real, and his leader was linked to them. Ratchet was also the first to call his leader "Optimus Prime, commenting it had a ring to it.

Ratchet is among the Autobot forces who witness the launching of the Decepticon ship Nemesis.

Ratchet attends to Bumblebee after Bumblebee was nearly killed by Megatron in the Transformers: Movie Prequel, commenting how Bumblebee was a hero for his sacrifice.

In Transformers: Alliance the Autobots aid the human soldiers after the battle in Mission City, destroy the Allspark powered machines that were created. The Ironhide destroys the "Y-Box" and Ratchet kills the Dewbot. After Ratchet finishs repairing Bumblebee's legs a trailer is obtained for Optimus Prime to carry the remains of Jazz. The Autobots then leave Mission City before the Sector-7 personnel arrived to claim the remains of the Decepticons. About a month later Epps and Lennox contact Optimus Prime, Ratchet and Ironhide about aiding them in escorting the remains of the Decepticons to the naval yard, but they are spied on by Barricade, who transmits the information to Starscream. In issue 2, Ratchet does little besides stay with Optimus when Ironhide and Bumblebee go to get the Allspark shard. In the third issue, he tends to Bumblebee's shattered vocal processors. In the fourth and final issue, he continues battling alongside the other Autobots and NEST against the Decepticons, and is present when the group found the new Autobot recruits Arcee, Chromia, Flareup, Elita-1, Jolt, Sideswipe, Skids and Mudflap.

Ratchet appears in Transformers: Nefarious #1, set months after the events of the 2009 film. Alice steals an RV in Seattle and is chased by Skids and Mudflap, who keep her occupied until Sideswipe arrives and defeats her. She is taken to NEST headquarters on Diego Garcia to be examined by Ratchet. Sideswipe is disgusted by her decision to disguise herself as a human.

Ratchet tells Optimus Prime that the Autobots rescued from the Initiative will recover.

Titan Magazines
Note: Events occurring in the alternate universe where Megatron won the battle of Mission City are in italics.

A character bio on Ratchet also revealed more of his pre-war days. Apparently a politician with a flair for cutting through bureaucracy, Ratchet was appointed as go-between for Optimus Prime and the High Council of Ancients. When war broke out Ratchet tried to act as a peacemaker, but was nearly killed by Megatron for it. Rebuilt, Ratchet served as a medical officer for the Autobots.

The Titan Transformers U.K. Magazine would reveal Ratchet's role in the departure of the Allspark from Cybertron. When it was jettisoned into space, Ratchet, Ironhide and Jazz hit the pursuing Megatron with a tractor beam, dragging him back to Cybertron. They were no match for his firepower, but the Decepticon leader, realizing they were just stalling him, called in Devastator (Brawl). He proved impervious to their firepower, and seemingly eliminated them all with a foldspace warhead, with Megatron commenting they were "lost in space".

Ratchet was not destroyed, but landed on a war-torn planet. Almost immediately caught in the crossfire between the warring factions of the Thraal and the Rovan, Ratchet easily defeated his attackers. Scanning a local tank as his alternate mode, Ratchet set up a locator beacon for Jazz and Ironhide. However, when the leader of the Thraal - an exo-suited warrior larger than Ratchet himself - attacked the Rovan city, Ratchet intervened to save lives. Defeating the warrior, he became the de facto warlord of the Thraal and set about negotiating a ceasefire, while waiting for the other Autobots to respond.

''In "Twilight's Last Greaming" part 3 Ironhide and Ratchet sneak into the Decepticon Allspark Power Distribution Hub in Savannah, Georgia disguised as Payload style drones. Although they believe the stolen code they used got them inside safely, once there they are ambushed by Bonecrusher, who says that the code didn't work and he let them in so he could fight them. In part 4 Ratchet and Ironhide continued fighting Bonecrusher in Savannah, but didn't stand much of a chance until they were joined by Arcee, Armoride and Longarm, arriving from the moon.''

Books
Ratchet appeared in the prequel novel Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday, where his personality was similar to that of G1 Ratchet. He was part of Prime's Autobot team searching for the Allspark, and was left onboard the Ark to cover the Autobots' rear in the battle, stopping Bonecrusher from entering the hangar bay. He later saved Ironhide and Jazz by opening fire and distracting the Decepticons long enough for them to get aboard. He was unable to stop Scorponok from getting aboard and sabotaging the engines, although Ratchet furiously chased the insectoid Decepticon off. In the final battle, he and Bumblebee double-teamed Barricade, but were unable to stop Starscream from destroying the human ship Ghost-1.

Ratchet appears as a character in the book Transformers: Dark of the Moon The Junior Novel.

Movie plot
Arriving on Earth at the same time as Optimus Prime, Jazz and Ironhide, Ratchet's protoform crash-lands outside a local diner. Ratchet quickly scans a yellow emergency Hummer H2 and reconfigures his protoform to a new camouflaged form before meeting up with the other Autobots at Bumblebee's location. In the Autobots introductions, Ratchet unintentionally embarrasses Sam in front of Mikaela, as he does not fully understand human social rules yet, commenting "The boy's pheromone levels suggest he wants to mate with the female" by using his enhanced senses. The Autobots then return to Sam's house and retrieve his great-grandfather, Captain Archibald Witwicky's glasses (that have the location to the Cybertronian life-giving cube, "Allspark") whilst attempting to hide from Sam's parents, which results in his mother's and father's prized gardens being destroyed by Prime's massive feet. Ratchet also accidentally gets entangled in power lines, sending him spasming to the ground and causing a blackout in the neighborhood. Sam finds the glasses, but before he can hand them over to the Autobots, agents of a secret government organization called Sector 7, suddenly arrive at his home and arrest Sam and Mikaela, and later capture Bumblebee.

Ratchet also appears to be a very wise Autobot in the film. After Bumblebee's capture, when the Autobots are discussing about the location of the Allspark and their war with the Decepticons for acquiring it first, Optimus states that he intends to unite the Cube with his spark. Ratchet warns him that the Cube's raw power would destroy them both. Moreover, he also tells the Autobots - "I sense the Decepticons are getting ready to mobilize". Ratchet plays a large role in the final battle, where he, Jazz and Ironhide first battle Brawl. Later, he and Ironhide provide cover for Sam against Blackout and Brawl as the latter tries to escape with the Allspark and also engage in a battle with Starscream, who disables both of the Autobots, causing Sam to reach his destination building alone. Ratchet's injuries at the hands of Starscream keep him from getting to Jazz in time before the small Autobot is torn in half by Megatron. Ratchet survives the battle and is seen along with Ironhide, Bumblebee, and Optimus Prime watching the sunset in the end of the film. In Jazz's bio it states Ratchet revived Jazz with a fragment of the AllSpark.

Ratchet appears in the sequel however he was less seen in the film. Ratchet first appears for a brief moment when the Autobots got back to the NEST headquarters. He arrives with the other Autobot reinforcements after Optimus's death. He works with NEST and is seen with the other Autobots when they are placed under arrest. He is then seen in the battle at Egypt fighting with the soldiers against Decepticons and with the help of Jolt he repairs Optimus with Jetfire's body.

Ratchet has a larger role in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. He first is seen accompanying Optimus Prime when they arrive in Chernobyl. He is present in the meeting at the NEST base when Optimus decides to go to the moon. Optimus and Ratchet wind up on the moon and retrieve Sentinel Prime's body and his pillars from the Ark and bring it back to Earth. He is present when Optimus revives Sentinel with the Matrix of Leadership. He is also seen leaving with the rest of the Autobots on the Xantium and is present when Optimus and the rest of the Autobots return. He participates in the final battle and also partially destroys the main control pillar with Bumblebee. Ratchet also battles Sentinel Prime alongside Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Sideswipe, and is one of the surviving Autobots at the end of the movie, commenting on Bumblebee’s bravery in battle.

Ratchet has also gone through some changes; he has been painted green and white, and stands at a shorter height of 19 feet, only slightly taller than Bumblebee.

Cyber Missions
Ratchet is shown to be fighting his rival Lockdown.

Video games
Ratchet was not among the playable characters in the 2007 console Transformers game, but was playable in the Nintendo DS versions. He made a fully playable appearance in the Revenge of the Fallen video game by Activision. However, in the Nintendo DS version of the game Ratchet guides the player through training, and never appears in the game itself, other than talking to the other characters.

Ratchet is among the characters who appear in the TRANSFORMERS CVBERVERSE Battle Builder Game.

Transformers: The Veiled Threat
Ratchet appeared in the second film's prequel novel Transformers: The Veiled Threat. He was present when Somalian pirates attempted to take the freighter ship he and Ironhide were traveling on, the latter of the two scaring off the pirates by transforming. He later battled the Decepticon Dropkick in at the Zambezi river in Africa, and soon saved a dam from falling by raising his external body heat high enough to repair the cracks in the dam. Some time later, he ventured to Italy and fought Deadend and Swindle, and soon took on Starscream, who as always, fled the scene soon afterward.

Toys
All toys of this character are officially licensed from General Motors.


 * Transformers Legends Autobot Ratchet (2007)
 * Released as part of the first wave of movie legends toys, this 3 inch long Hummer H2 is 1/68 scale to the real vehicle. On this toy and all others in the movie line he is called Autobot Ratchet or given some other modifier on the package for trademark purposes.


 * Transformers Legends Rescue Ratchet (2007)
 * A redeco of Legends Autobot Ratchet. Sold in a 2-pack with Legends Class Decepticon Brawl.


 * Transformers Cyber Slammers Autobot Ratchet (2007)
 * A Scout Class toy designed for younger children, with a very simple transformation and a pull back motor. The upper portion of the vehicle pops up into robot mode when it hits an object.


 * Transformers Fast Action Battlers Axe Attack Autobot Ratchet (2007)
 * A five inch tall, lime green version of Movie Legends Autobot Ratchet. This toy is 14 centimeters long in vehicle mode, while a real Hummer H2 is 482 centimeters long. This makes the toy about 1/34 scale.


 * Transformers Voyager Autobot Ratchet (2007)
 * A highly detailed Voyager class toy featuring Automorph technology, Ratchet is equipped with a foldable battle axe on his right forearm which when folded resembles his gun and a detachable roof rack that doubles as a combat stretcher. This toy is 17.5 centimeters long in truck mode, while a real Hummer H2 is 517 centimeters long. This makes Voyager Class Ratchet about 1/30 scale. With the toy's robot mode standing 19 centimeters tall, the real robot would stand about 19 feet tall.


 * Transformers Voyager Rescue Ratchet (2007)
 * A redeco of the Voyager toy in white with red detail. The concept artwork for Ratchet during pre-production had him dressed in white and red in homage to his G1 origins; however, the neon green coloring was chosen instead for the film.


 * Transformers Voyager Metallic Autobot Ratchet (2007)
 * A Best Buy exclusive metallic repaint of the Voyager figure, released simultaneously with the DVD/HD-DVD versions of the film.


 * Transformers 3D Battle Card Game Autobot Ratchet (2007)
 * Autobot Ratchet among the characters which appeared in the 1st wave of the Transformers 3D Battle Card Game by Wizards of the Coast.


 * Revenge of the Fallen Legends Autobot Ratchet (2009)
 * A redeco of the toy from the last film.


 * Revenge of the Fallen Fast Action Battlers Autobot Ratchet (2009)
 * A redeco of the toy from the last film. Pictures of the card first leaked on the internet in February 2009.


 * Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe Autobot Ratchet (2009)
 * A Deluxe version of the Ratchet figure that transforms into the SUT version of his vehicle mode.


 * Revenge of the Fallen Voyager Desert Tracker Ratchet (2009)
 * A re-release of the 2007 Voyager Class figure, but with all black parts remolded in gray and some panels painted with sand weathering.


 * Revenge of the Fallen Titanium 3 inch Rescue Ratchet vs. Blackout (2009)
 * A Toys "R" Us store exclusive gift set featuring redecos of the Ratchet and Blackout figurines.


 * Transformers Voyager Night Ops Ratchet (2010)
 * A black/green redeco of the 2007 Voyager Class figure.


 * Transformers Deluxe Rescue Ratchet (2010)
 * A white/red redeco of the 2009 Deluxe Class figure made to resemble his G1 incarnation.


 * Dark of the Moon Burger King Flip Out Autobot Ratchet (2011)
 * A BK Kids meal toy available at Burger King restaurants in the U.S. The toy consists of a detailed head that opens to reveal a small robot body, giving the overall figure a Bobblehead look. It also has parts that glow in the dark.


 * Dark of the Moon Cyberverse Legion Autobot Ratchet (2011)
 * An all-new Legion (formerly Legends) mold of Ratchet.


 * Dark of the Moon Deluxe Autobot Ratchet (2011)
 * An all-new Deluxe mold of Ratchet. His Mech Tech weapon is a blaster with a retractable buzzsaw (which can also interact with the Voyager-scale Ratchet; the pegs fit snugly into the holes made for the roof rack/combat stretcher, giving the Voyager a decently scaled version of the buzzsaw on his arm).


 * Dark of the Moon Deluxe Specialist Ratchet (not yet released)
 * A red redeco of the 2011 Deluxe figure.


 * Dark of the Moon The Scan Series Deluxe Ratchet (not yet released)
 * A Toys "R" Us exclusive remold of the Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe figure with light blue highlights in the middle before fading into clear plastic, simulating the effect of vehicle scanning.


 * Dark of the Moon Voyager Autobot Ratchet (not yet released)
 * A Target exclusive green/white redeco of the 2007 Voyager Class figure.

Transformers Animated
Ratchet appears in the Transformers Animated series as an Autobot ambulance and a seasoned warrior.

Ratchet has retractable magnets in his arms which can attract or repel metal, as well as projecting a protective wall of magnetic force. The magnets can also function as rudimentary pincer claws. As of episode 7, Thrill of the Hunt, Ratchet has an EMP Generator that can overload a Transformer's systems to enable him to patch them up without causing them pain, which he doesn't bring into battle until "Transwarped". His personality appears more based on G1's Kup than the original Ratchet. He is the oldest of the main Autobot cast of the series and the only one who actually fought against Decepticons in the Great War.

It should be noted that in the Japanese translation of Transformers: Animated, the story has been changed to make it a prequel to the 2007 Transformers film. This makes this version of Ratchet an earlier version of the film character.

Animated series
As revealed in "Thrill of the Hunt", Ratchet was assigned by Ultra Magnus to rescue an intelligence officer, Arcee, and retrieve access codes vital to the war effort, when he ran into a Decepticon bounty hunter, Lockdown. Lockdown captured both of them, and took Ratchet's EMP Generator as a trophy. Arcee requested that Ratchet use the generator at full blast to wipe her memory, erasing the access codes in the process. Ratchet did so, but Lockdown's interference overloaded it, completely erasing Arcee's memory. Attempting to restore her memory, Ratchet accidentally uploaded the access codes Arcee was carrying. When Highbrow notices this, he has Ultra Magnus bring Ratchet before the inactive Omega Supreme, with Ratchet taking Arcee's place in teaching Omega prior to being introduced to battle. But in the aftermath of war, with Arcee still in stasis and Omega's near death in the final fight, Ratchet became the bitter war veteran that he is today.

Many years later, Ratchet became the crew member of the Autobot ship that Omega's body was converted into prior to it crashing onto Earth. There, Ratchet eventually ran into Lockdown again, having him painfully remember the incident which caused Arcee to lose her memory. During the events that transpired, Ratchet retrieved his EMP Generator from Lockdown while saving Optimus Prime from him, giving him some closure. However, when Blitzwing and Lugnut came to Earth, Ratchet admitted to Sari, who was against the Autobots leaving the planet in hopes of getting the Deceptions to pursue them, that he had no intention to see someone else suffer because of their war. After being ordered later by Prime to take away Sari's key, Ratchet heads to the ship and protect the Allspark, but before he could get there, he was ambushed by Blitzwing and Lugnut, the former freezing him before ripping off most of Ratchet's right arm to get the key. After freeing himself, Ratchet reports to Optimus who tells him to enter the ship and protect the Allspark anyway. After making the ship airborne again, Ratchet managed to save Sari from Blackarachnia and then the rest of his team and Issac Sumdac, teaming up with Bumblebee and Prowl to fight Blitzwing.

In "Garbage In, Garbage Out", Ratchet encountered the newly created Transformer, Wreck-Gar. Initially rebuffing the scatterbrained machine, when it became clear that the trash-eating nanobots he was carrying would destroy the entire city, Ratchet was forced to do that which, in his own words, "requires more courage then anything I've ever done in my entire Autobot career": apologizing. Ratchet convinced Wreck-Gar that he could be anything he wanted, even a hero, and the junk-bot removed the nanobots, only to sink into the river.

In the "A Bridge Too Close" two-parter, Ratchet, with Sari's help, managed to bring Omega Supreme back to life, only to be saddened to see his friend once again sacrifice himself to save everyone. During "Transwarped," Ratchet plays a large role in the story, and is infuriated when the other Autobots "choose" Sari's key over him when it comes to fixing things. But after saving Bumblebee after getting severely damaged by an out of control Sari, Ratchet attempts talk to Omega in regaining control over himself from Starscream.

In "Human Error", Ratchet, along with the Autobots, are trapped in a virtual world by Soundwave. There, the Autobots take human forms. Ratchet is portrayed as a medium-build Caucasian with gray hair in his 60s.

In "This is Why I Hate Machines", Ratchet and Captain Fanzone arrive on Cybertron through Bulkhead's Space Bridge, just as Omega Supreme (containing Megatron, Starscream, and Lugnut) transwarps to there as well. Ratchet then fruitlessly attempts to stop Sentinel Prime from firing on his old friend, and flees the scene with Fanzone. With help from Jazz, the duo find the lair of Shockwave, who was in hiding all this time. After a duel, in which Shockwave reveals his intentions to get Omega's access codes from Arcee herself, Ratchet retells his tale to Fanzone, and battles Shockwave once more, only for Sentinel to interfere again. Shockwave escapes with Arcee, and Ratchet and Fanzone return to Earth with Ultra Magnus's hammer and Jazz, who wished no further part in Sentinel's government. Despite Perceptor assuring Ratchet that Shockwave can't get Arcee's codes, as the damage is beyond repair, onboard Omega, who transwarped to the Moon, Arcee says Ratchet's name, implying she may indeed remember after all.

In the third season finale, he helped facilitate Optimus' jet-pack upgrade, and later ventured to the Moon with Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Sari. There, he and Sari returned Arcee's memories, with Arcee helping them regain control of Omega Supreme. After the battle, they all returned to Cybertron with the captured Megatron, Omega, and Prowl's body, greeted as heroes one and all.

IDW Publishing
Set shortly after the events of "Total Meltdown" was the Transformers: Animated comic issue #2 by IDW Publishing. In it Bumblebee and Prowl apprehended the Angry Archer as the villain attempted to steal money from a used car salesman. In doing so they revealed the holographic trickery of the Detroit super hero known as The Wraith. With the secret of his power revealed The Wraith lost much of the respect he used to command in Detroit. The Wraith attempted to stop Cyrus "The Colossus" Rhodes from escaping prison, but was unable to fool the villain now that the secret was public, forcing the Autobots to stop the Rhodes and making The Wraith look foolish. The Wraith then attempted to discredit Bumblebee at a college football game by trapping the Autobot with a car boot and using his holograms to make a fake Bumblebee attack the stadium. Bumblebee eventually escaped and the other Autobots helped him capture The Wraith and he was placed in a mental institution.

Toys

 * Animated McDonalds Autobot Ratchet (2008)
 * Given away as a premium with Happy Meals.


 * Animated Activators Ratchet (2008)
 * A simple Scout-class version of the character with near-instant transformation at the push of a button.
 * Also bundled as a Target store exclusive with Voyager Class Sunstorm.
 * Sold in Japan as part of the "Super Collection Vol. 1" gift set alongside Activators Optimus Prime, Megatron and Lockdown.


 * Animated Battle Bumpers Ratchet (2008)
 * A simple push and go toy for small children with lights and sounds. Transforms when it hits an object.


 * Animated Deluxe Autobot Ratchet (2008)
 * A simple deluxe-class version of Ratchet. The figure is based on Ratchet's in-show design, with beer-gut and broken crest, and also has a socket for the EMP Generator which comes with Lockdown. The figure also has a sort of spring-loaded sickle on its wrists, which when stored can be used to attach the four "medic tools" which come with the toy. When not in use, the tools can be stored in the toy's "backpack", but only in robot mode.
 * An exclusive fan-made accessory pack offered online includes Ratchet's show-accurate magnet claws.


 * Animated Deluxe Rescue Ratchet (2008)
 * A Target store exclusive contains a yellow redeco of Deluxe Ratchet packaged together with Legends Class Prowl and Starscream.


 * Animated Deluxe Cybertron Mode Autobot Ratchet (2010)
 * This Deluxe sized figure is based on Ratchet's Cybertronian mode, released as a Toys "R" Us store exclusive.
 * The mold for this figure is also used for Animated Ironhide and the BotCon 2011 exclusive Autotrooper and Fisitron (the latter being a giveaway to convention attendees).


 * Animated TA-04 Deluxe Ratchet (Takara Tomy) (2010)
 * The 2010 Japan release version by Takara Tomy sports a metallic red finish and a red Autobot emblem, as opposed to the matte finish and silver Autobot emblem on the Hasbro version.
 * Also bundled with TA-08 Deluxe Lockdown.


 * Animated TA-40 Deluxe Cybertron Mode Ratchet (Takara Tomy) (2010)
 * The Japanese version of this figure features a metallic repaint.

Transformers: Timelines
This Ratchet is an evil mirror universe version of his Generation 1 self. He likes to give his patients unnecessary weapon modification, whether they want it or not.

Fun Publications
An evil version of Ratchet first appeared in the Fun Publications fiction Dungeons & Dinobots. He is placed in charge of reformatting Wheeljack into an Earth-vehicle mode, then later repairs Rodimus' hand (by replacing it with a saw-weapon).

Although not depicted directly, Ratchet is one of the many Autobots aboard the Ark in Do Over. The Ark launches from Cybertron for Earth under the command of Rodimus and is followed by the Decepticon ship Nemesis, under the command of Starscream. While battling over Earth it is shot down by human defense systems.

Ratchet is among the Autobots on Earth in Blitzwing Bop.

Toys
Although no toy has been made for this Ratchet, his body style appears to be modeled after Energon Roadblock, but with a new head mold and sea foam green in color (similar hospital scrubs).

Transformers: Prime
Ratchet is one of the main group of Autobots in the 2010 computer animated series Transformers: Prime. His robotic appearance and attitude is similar to his Transformers Animated character. Tends to say "I needed that!" if some tool of his gets broken.

Books
Ratchet appears in the novel Transformers: Exodus.

Ratchet appears in the short story Bumblebee at Tyger Pax By Alex Irvine.

Video games
Ratchet appears as a playable Autobot character in the 2010 video game Transformers: War for Cybertron. In the Autobot campaign, Ratchet is among the first Autobots to team up with Optimus, following the fall of Zeta Prime. Later, he is assigned to repair the liberated Omega Supreme.

Ironhide and Ratchet appear in Transformers: War for Cybertron - Autobots for the Nintendo DS. They are unlocked as player characters upon completing the Retaking Iacon mission. Ratchet was in Terrorcon Defence game in Transformers Prime

Animated series
One of the few Autobots longing to return to Cybertron, Ratchet devised a version of the Space Bridge he dubbed the "Ground Bridge," allowing him and the other Autobots to go anywhere around the world where a Decepticon is sighted. Out of the other Autobots, Ratchet appears to be the less thrilled about the three young humans. A running gag is him yelling "I needed that" because most of his needed items get broken.

Toys

 * Prime Deluxe Class Ratchet (not yet released, 2012)


 * Prime Cyberverse Ratchet (not yet released, 2012)