User blog:Sclera1/Bruticus

Bruticus is the name of several fictional characters from various Transformers universes.

Transformers: Generation 1
The team's combined form of Bruticus is a successful merging of the minds of the Combaticons. He can destroy his enemies with ultrasonic waves; he can smash through metal bridges with his arms alone. He uses Onslaught's powerful sonic stun-gun. He is noted for being graceful, fast and willing to follow orders. That is also his weakness, without orders he will often just stand around, doing nothing. Desptie this, the Decepticon leader wishes he had "A thousand more just like him."

Marvel Comics
The Combaticons had no explicitly stated origin in Marvel Comics' Transformers series, but it can be safely assumed that they were given life by the energies of the Creation Matrix, tapped by the Decepticons through one of Bombshell's cerebro-shells implanted within Optimus Prime when the Protectobots were being created by the Autobots. The team's first mission saw Vortex being dispatched to scout the scientific facility responsible for creating the energy-generating device known as the Hydrothermacline, which Megatron and the team then attacked under cover of night, only to be met with opposition in the form of Optimus Prime and the Protectobots. Although both teams assumed their combined modes, facility staff member Ethan Zachary talked them into a different method of combat to prevent collateral damage - a virtual duel in the video-game realm of "Multi-World." The Combaticons were summarily defeated by the Protectobots and the game's digital inhabitants, but the contest ended in failure when Megatron cheated, forcing Optimus Prime to take an action that he would not in the real world, sacrificing the life of some of the game sprites. Believing himself to have cheated his own principles, Prime declared himself the loser of the game, and was destroyed. Unsatisfied with the victory, Megatron became increasingly paranoid, and severely damaged Brawl by crushing his head before surrendering to insanity and apparently destroying himself.

Some time later, the Combaticons tracked down the Throttlebots, a group of Autobots who were newly arrived from Cyberton, and had taken up with Goldbug and Blaster, two Autobots who had rebelled against the tyranny of their current commander, Grimlock. This resulted in another clash with the Protectobots, who had been dispatched to track Goldbug and Blaster down, with both forces meeting in a used car lot. The lot's owner tried to talk the two groups into an auction over the Throttlebots, rather than a fight, but Onslaught (unsurprisingly) refused to keep his part of the deal and battle broke out, with the Protectobots claiming victory thanks to some help from Blaster.

The Combaticons soon returned, attacking the Protectobots in a train yard as they were escorting the captured Blaster back to the Autobots' base. Bruticus and Defensor battled and Bruticus was winning the fight, until Blaster tricked him into believing that he was on his side, and collapsed a set of power lines on him, forcing the Combaticons to disengage. To pay back a group of human children for their help in the battle, Blaster allowed them to affix a mode-lock of Blast Off, trapping him in space shuttle mode, who they then used to take a trip into space. They soon came under fire from the Autobots' spacecraft, the Ark, and were pulled aboard, but when the misunderstanding was resolved, Blast Off himself was imprisoned. Blaster and Grimlock then engaged in a duel on the moon, during which Onslaught led a massive Decepticon attack against the Autobots, while the Constructicons liberated the captive Decepticons, including Blast Off, from aboard the Ark.

Animated series
Bruticus first appeared in the episode "Starscream's Brigade" when Starscream ordered the Combaticons to merge and battle the Constructicons when Megatron had them merge to form Devastator. Although they are triumphant, they are knocked out when the Stunticons merge to form Menasor for a sneak attack.

In the episode "Revenge of Bruticus" the Combaticons attempt to get revenge on Megatron by using the spacebridge on Cybertron to collide the Earth to the Sun. Megatron, forced to work alongside the Autobots, had managed to defeat Bruticus. Seeing his great power, Megatron decided to forgive Starscream of his previous treachery by tricking the Autobots to think Bruticus was destroyed, when in reality the Decepticons reprogrammed the Combaticons to be loyal to their leader.

The Combaticons and their combined form made several other appearances, including a battle with the Protectobots and their combined form of Defensor and when Swindle sold the parts of his allies for money until Megatron threatened him to repair them.

Transformers: Zone
In the Japan-only anime OVA one-shot Transformers: Zone, Bruticus was one of the nine "Great Destron Generals" resurrected by the evil entity Violenjiger to acquire the mysterious "Zone Energy".

Manga
In the Transformers Manga #5 Galvatron and his Decepticons attacked the Prime Energy Tower. Galvatron ordered the Decepticons to form Menasor, Devastator and Bruticus and attack. Rodimus Prime counted this move by ordering in Superion, Omega Supreme and Defensor. Galvatron then ordered in Predaking, knowing that Sky Lynx was elsewhere and couldn't counter them. Rodimus ordered the Omnibots to attack Predaking's legs. Tripping up the giant he fell into the other Decepticon giants, winning the day for the Autobots.

Dreamwave Productions
Dreamwave Productions' 21st Century re-imagining of the Generation 1 universe took its inspiration for the Combaticons from the original animated series, casting them as Decepticon prisoners who were reduced to protoform stasis because they were too dangerous to be released.

Onslaught, Brawl, Blast Off and Vortex originally appeared as part of Shockwave's attack on Iacon in the first War Within series. At the same time Swindle was with Starscream, Motormaster, Runabout and Runamuck when Starscream examined Laserbeak's data to see Megatron's data on the state of Cybertron.

Later, when Optimus Prime led a rebellion against Shockwave's domination of Cybertron in 2003, Starscream took the opportunity to form a power base, taking the protoform Combaticons to Earth and outfitting them with new alternate modes taken from an abandoned military base, then leading them in an attack on the Ark in order to acquire parts to make the Decepticon space cruiser, the Nemesis, spaceworthy. Confronted in battle by Brawn, Bruticus was caught in an explosion as Ratchet self-destructed the Ark, but he survived the conflagration, only to be knocked out by artillery fire from an incoming Autobot shuttle. After a battle with the evil clone, Sunstorm, Brawn opted to work out some of his stress on Bruticus's unconscious body, punching the gestalt about the head until his comrades yelled at him to stop. Bruticus would return, battling Sky Lynx for Starscream's amusement - until the Predacons appeared in their combined form of Predaking. The two gestalts battled as Starscream fled and Bruticus lost. The ultimate fate of the Combaticons in the Dreamwave universe was not revealed, due to the company's closure.

Transformers/G.I. Joe
Bruticus would also appear in the Dreamwave G.I. Joe/Transformers crossover, but with a radically different origin. Here he was not formed from the five Combaticons or even a Transformer at all: he was a robot created by Destro and Starscream using a hybrid of Cobra and Decepticon technologies. Destro and Starscream planned to wait out the inevitable battle between the Autobots/G.I. Joe and Decepticons/Cobra, then use Bruticus to force whatever remained into submission to them. The assault proved successful, killing Cobra Commander. However, the plan was thwarted when Snake Eyes opened the Matrix, deactivating all Transformers - including Bruticus, who was partly created from their technology.

Toys

 * Generation 1 Bruticus
 * A Generation 1 gift set of the Combaticons and their merged form of Bruticus. Redecoed into Battle Gaia, as well as Ruination (Baldigus in the Japanese series) in the Car Robots/Robots in Disguise series.


 * Generation 1 Kabaya Gum Bruticus (1986)
 * Part of the original gum toy series by Kabaya. Three packs (Onslaught, Vortex & Brawl and Blast-Off & Swindle) are needed to complete Bruticus. Each package comes with a stick of chewing gum and an easy-to-assemble kit. The completed robot looks and transforms almost the same as the larger, original Takara version, but sports different paint applications.


 * Generation 2 Bruticus
 * This toy was never sold in one piece, and could only be assembled by obtaining the five individual Combaticons.


 * Universe Classics 2.0 Bruticus Maximus (2009)
 * A redecorated version of Energon Bruticus Maximus in the color of the Generation 1 Combaticons. In addition, the individual Combaticons retain their G1 names, now with Swindle and Blast off being a helicopter and tank, respectively.

Transformers: Robots in Disguise
In the Transformers: Robots in Disguise line, the Combaticons and their combined form of Bruticus were repainted as the Commandos and their combination of Ruination. A new character unrelated to the original Bruticus appeared in the toy line. He was a red, black, and yellow cerberus that is reportedly a holdover from the Beast Machines toy line.

Fun Publications
Bruticus was a supporting character appearing in Fun Publications fiction "Gone to Far", a text-based story set on Transtech Cybertron. He attended the off-worlder uprising meeting planned by Gutcruncher.

Toys

 * Robots in Disguise Bruticus (2001)
 * A new mold originally planned for release in the Beast Machines line.


 * Universe Predacon Bruticus (2009)
 * A redeco of of Cybertron Ultra Scourge.

Transformers: Energon
The character Bruticus Maximus in Transformers: Energon is a direct homage to the Generation 1 Bruticus. He retains his form of combining out of five individual vehicles: an anti-aircraft truck (Barricade/Onslaught), two helicopters (Blackout/Vortex and Stormcloud/Blast Off) and two tanks (Blight/Brawl and Kickback/Swindle).

Animated series
The animated series does not refer to any of the components by name - in it, only the central body is intelligent, and the limbs are drones. The five robots transform only from vehicle mode into combined mode, never into their individual robot forms (apart from one out-of-continuity episode).

Bruticus Maximus was one of four combining Transformers sealed away in stasis beneath the surface of Cybertron to guard a hidden reservoir of Super Energon. Megatron, guided by Unicron, set out to search for it, and destroyed one of the immobile robots in his rage (strangely enough, a second Superion Maximus), only for the reservoir to then reveal itself. As the guardians awakened, Megatron immersed himself in the Super Energon to upgrade himself into Galvatron, and Bruticus Maximus and Constructicon Maximus immediately swore fealty to Galvatron as the one who had awoken them. Their "brother," Superion Maximus, refused, recognising Galvatron's evil and siding with the Autobots.

Bruticus Maximus added plenty of firepower to the Decepticons' side, and he and Constructicon Maximus had several clashes with the traitorous Superion Maximus, until the time for their final battle came, set against the backdrop of the struggle to stop the Unicron-possessed Galvatron out in space. Constructicon Maximus was deactivated by Superion Maximus, who then had his limbs destroyed by Bruticus Maximus, but transferred Constructicon Maximus's limbs to himself and used them to defeat Bruticus, along with a little help from the ghost of the "brother" Megatron had destroyed.

Dreamwave Productions
Although Dreamwave Productions' Transformers: Energon series was canceled before it was able to introduce Bruticus Maximus, art of him and the team members was seen done for the unreleased issues of Transformers Energon: More Than Meets The Eye.

Toys

 * Energon Bruticus Maximus (2004)
 * A gift set of Bruticus Maximus, featuring all five vehicles that transform into robots and combine into one. In the same fashion as the original G1 combiners, Bruticus Maximus can exchange limbs to any desired configuration (i.e. the tanks as legs and the arms as arms or vice-versa, or one limb of each vehicle).

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Bruticus Maximus is the combined form of the Combaticons. He appearance is based off that of Generation 1 Bruticus/Bruticus Maximus.

Toys

 * Revenge of the Fallen Bruticus Maximus (2009)
 * In 2009, a set of five Combaticons was released as part of the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen toy line. This marks the return of the five original Combaticons to the toy line since their last appearance in Generation 2. This version of the Combaticons is a redeco of the Energon Combaticon toys done as a direct homage to the Generation 1 toy colors. There are some changed in the line-up: Brawl is now called "Decepticon Brawl" for trademark purposes, Swindle is now a helicopter, Blast Off is now a tank, and the combined form is called "Bruticus Maximus" for trademark reasons.

Transformers: Prime
Bruticus is the combined form of all five Combaticons. The combining technique limits Bruticus' processing power, making him a weapon Megatron just needs to point in the right direction.

Books
Bruticus appears in the novel Transformers: Exodus, having been Shockwave's experiments to create a combiner. Onslaught is one of them (the others are not named). He forms the torso of Bruticus Maximus. In one battle, Bruticus Maximus's head was ripped off, but as it was not Onslaught's head, it was capable of being repaired, and later returned in another battle.

Video games
Bruticus and the Combaticons will appear in the 2012 video game Transformers: Fall of Cybertron. The Combaticons are Onslaught, Brawl, Swindle, Blast Off and Vortex.

Toys

 * Generations Fall of Cybertron Deluxe Combaticons (not yet released)
 * These comprise of five deluxe class figures, based on the Fall of Cybertron characters, which are capable of combining in Bruticus. They will be available individually and in different boxsets including a special one for San Diego Comic Con.