Iron Klaw
From Transformers Wiki
| This article is about the character. For the spotlight comic issue, see The Iron Klaw. For a list of other meanings, see Iron Klaw (disambiguation). |
- Iron Klaw is a S.K.A.R.-aligned human from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Count von Rani pretends to be a nice and cuddly politician, the benevolent head of state of Eastern Europe's Kalistan. In secret he's Iron Klaw, a nefarious paramilitary commander running the Soldiers of Khaos, Anarchy, and Ruin, and has connections to the Decepticons! Boo, hiss!
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Fiction
Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity
Story of Binaltech
In 2004, Count von Rani and General Kreiger together led the Concurrence, a cabal of humans who planned to drive all Transformers away from Earth, turning the Solar System into a robot-free "resort". To accomplish this, the Concurrence began creating Decepticon Binaltechs to challenge the Autobot Binaltechs. Expose All of Evil's Designs!
Legends comic
Von Rani was still part of the Concurrence in 2021, and sat in a meeting where they discussed using the Mutant Targetmasters trapped in the Legends World to destroy the Autobots and rule the galaxy. Mutant Targetmaster Birth Chapter He was later part of the forces of the Concurrence that attempted to invade Tera-Kura Co. and use the company's resources to take over the Legends World. But thanks to Megatron's actions, the Concurrence were forced to flee the universe. Bonus Edition Vol. 63
G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers
Hawk saw a Matrix-induced vision of Iron Klaw and Trypticon battling Sgt. Savage and Fortress Maximus. The Art of War #5
Later, Iron Klaw's name and helmeted face were shown on a screen in G.I. Joe Headquarters along with the faces of several Cobra agents. A few were labeled "IN CUSTODY", but Iron Klaw was among those still at large. Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2
TransTech
G.I. Joe dispatched Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles team to investigate Kalistan. They learned the truth about S.K.A.R. and that Iron Klaw's group had ties to the Decepticons, ones going back to World War II! Iron Klaw and his top agents binary bonded to the Decepticons and began a globe-shattering conflict. The villain was the partner of Double Dealer and the two spread confusion as Double Dealer always took an Autobot disguise when von Rani was out of costume. Savage and the other Joes would eventually stop him. Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter, 2016/05/01
2005 IDW continuity
Count van Rani, also known as the Iron Klaw, was the ruler of Kalistan, and the majority shareholder of I.R.O.N. When I.R.O.N.'s CEO Garrison Kreiger went missing under mysterious circumstances, van Rani appointed Tomax Paoli, former head of Cobra as interim CEO. Which was definitely not at all suspicious or anything. The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb
Shockingly, van Rani was a costumed villainous sort, in league with a consortium of other villainous folk, Kreiger included, and had a group of brainwashed Cybertronians in his castle. The Iron Klaw Shortly after an attempted Dire Wraith invasion of Earth, Kreiger introduced his associate, Joe Colton to the Count, who was providing their consortium with resources to enact their schemes. Ghost in the Machine
After Kreiger and Colton had a run in with a ragtag team of misfits, van Rani offered to send his Iron Grenadiers after them, only to be rebuffed. The Iron Klaw
A short time thereafter, Kreiger prepared to leave van Rani's castle, which had the man declaring he'd be happy for the peace and quiet. Strange Visitors
When Colton and his team were forced to flee Optimus Prime's presence, they used the M.A.S.S. Device to escape to van Rani's castle. The masked dictator helped Colton up before informing the general that this was the last time he and his forces would be allowed in his country, adding that the rest was up to them. Nonetheless he bore witness to Joe Colton's declaration that it was time to take the fight to Cybertron. Ghost in the Machine
Iron Klaw later took part in the final fight against Unicron, unleashing Predaking against the hordes of Maximals. Ceremony
Notes
- Count von Rani and his secret identity as Iron Klaw hail from the mid-'90s G.I. Joe Extreme series. In both his identities, Iron Klaw was voiced by Transformers alumnus Richard Newman.
- His co-leader in the Concurrence, General Kreiger, is the same as the civilian identity of another 1990s-era G.I. Joe villain, General Blitz. The two were tied together further by the TransTech Facebook posts, which said that Kreiger's I.R.O.N. Army were Kalistanian baddies in WWII, and again in IDW fiction, which portrayed them as collaborators in Baron Ironblood's supervillain cabal.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Von Rani-hakushaku (フォン・レイニ伯爵 Fon Reini-hakushaku, "Count von Rani")