User blog:Sclera1/Doubledealer (Transformers)

Doubledealer is a fictional character from the Transformers series. He is a Decepticon Powermaster who can disguise himself as an Autobot. He should not be confused with Doubleclouder.

Transformers: Generation 1
Although nominally a Decepticon, and branded as such, Doubledealer believes in neither the philosophy of the Decepticons nor the Autobots, and has no allegiance to anyone except himself – and the highest bidder. As a Powermaster with three forms, he is bonded to both the humanoid Knok and the bat-like Skar, who transform into engines to allow him to transform from his vehicle mode - a missile trailer - into two other modes. When Knok becomes his engine, he transforms into an Autobot robot, but with Skar in place, he becomes a Decepticon falcon. Armed with an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of flattening a mountain and a solid-light blaster, Doubledealer uses both his modes to switch back and forth between factions, working for both and neither. Doubledealer is a backstabber extraordinaire – utterly ruthless and treacherous, he is valued by everyone, but trusted by no-one.

Reception
Doubledealer has been called one of the most fascinating toys of the 20th century.

Marvel Comics
Doubledealer's first comic appearance came in one five-page black-and-white strip in the United Kingdom's exclusive Transformers comic. Attacking the Autobot Chainclaw in his Decepticon form, Doubledealer captured him and the Autobot battle plans he was transporting, and, calling himself "Dealer", proceeded to ransom him off to the Autobots for energon. Then, taking on his Autobot form and calling himself "Double", he offered to perform the switch, then resumed Decepticon form and simply sold the plans to the Decepticons. Returning with Catilla as "Double", he feigned injury and informed the Autobots of the Decepticons' location, sending them off into battle while he calmly departed with double the profit.

Animated series
Although the US animated series was canceled before Doubledealer was released, he did appear in animated form in Transformers commercials. A variation of him did appear in the Japanese only series Transformers: Super-God Masterforce, under the name Clouder.

Dreamwave Productions
Although Doubledealer did not appear in any of the stories published during Dreamwave Productions' 21st Century re-imagining of the Transformers universe, he did receive a biography during their "More Than Meets the Eye" profile series which added an extra layer of depth to the character and his partners. Although normally, Powermaster partners are aliens from the planet Nebulos, Doubledealer's original toy tech specs did not state them to be such, and his Dreamwave profile exploited the opening to present them as native Cybertronian Transformers, neither of which is aware of the other's existence, keeping Doubledealer's shady side-switching activities all the more secret.

IDW Publishing
Doubledealer would make his first IDW Publishing appearance in a Spotlight issue focusing on Hot Rod. In this he was shown to be a double agent called Dealer working for the Decepticon secret service - specifically Banzai-Tron. Charged with locating the Magnificence - a device that could effectively tell the future - Dealer orchestrated the sabotage of his teams' mission, getting all but Hot Rod killed by the Guardians. However, Hot Rod was able to switch the real one for a decoy, forcing Dealer to pretend he had been captured by the Decepticons. A guilty Hot Rod soon rescued him, and Dealer now intended to gain the location of the Magnificence. In this continuity it was Banzai-Tron who named him Doubledealer in recognition of his duplicitous ways.

Doubledealer's storyline continued in issue 2 of The Transformers: Devastation, where he was seen communicating with Hot Rod to get him reassigned to Earth. He is also noted in the Spotlight issue on Arcee to be the one who gave Banzaitron the information on the existence of Monstructor and where to find his component parts.

Doubledealer would have his own spotlight in Spotlight: Doubledealer where he is working for the Decepticons during the Autobot's search of the expansion after leaving Earth. He died near the end where he fell and died of impact trauma.

Toys

 * Generation 1 Powermaster Doubledealer with Knok and Skar (1988)
 * Released in 1988, Doubledealer was the only Powermaster with two partners sold in the United States. The only other such figure is Overlord, exclusive to Japan and Europe, but while both of his engines could be in place at the same time, Doubledealer can only use one engine at a time. This toy was redecoed into Doubleclouder.