Swoop (G1)
From Transformers Wiki
| This subject of this article goes by multiple names that apply to other articles as well. See Swoop (disambiguation), Divebomb (disambiguation), Strafe (disambiguation), Ptero. |
- Swoop is an Autobot Dinobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Swoop (aka Divebomb,[2] Strafe,[3] or Ptero[4]) is the friendliest and most outgoing of the Dinobots. He's surprisingly good natured, kind, and upbeat. Few of his comrades realize this however, as his team's reputation and his alt-form, considered (for some reason) particularly "horrifying" to Transformer aesthetics, makes others wary of getting close enough to learn about the bot himself. Swoop is an excellent aerial combatant and bombardier, and has become skilled at using the fear his alt mode creates in battle. He considers it his greatest weapon. Like all the Dinobots, Swoop tends to be arrogant, disobedient, and generally disagreeing with Optimus Prime's leadership style. He's also a bit of a show-off.
Fiction
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
- Voice actor: Michael Bell (English), Yoku Shioya (Japanese), Yao Huang (Chinese), Roberto Alexander (Latin American), Thomas Rau (German, Call of the Primitives), Ulrich Frank (German, The Movie TV Dub), Gerd Wiedenhofen (German, Generation 2 Dub of Dinobot Island, Part 1), Claus Brockmeyer (German, Generation 2 Dub of Dinobot Island, Part 2 & War of the Dinobots), Dick Eriksson (Swedish, Generation 2), Georges Atlas (European French), Henry Djanik (European French, Desertion of the Dinobots episodes), Marcos Miranda (Portuguese), Hélio Ribeiro (Portuguese, "Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1 & 2"), Márcio Simões (Portuguese, "The Movie" VHS dub), Ricardo Sawaya (Portuguese, "The Movie" Fox Kids dub)
Pleased with the overall success of the original three Dinobots, Optimus Prime commissioned the construction of two additional members: Snarl and Swoop. The new duo made their combat debut against Ironhide, Bluestreak, Sideswipe, and Prowl in a field test which the robotic dinosaurs passed with flying colors. Snarl and Swoop did battle with the original Dinobots (who were fooled by Megatron to go rogue), but were only strong enough to force them into a stalemate. The original Dinobots chose to return to the Autobots after their leader, Grimlock, was saved from the exploding meteorite through a selfless act of heroism from Optimus Prime. War of the Dinobots
Swoop later assisted his fellow Dinobots in limiting the amount of damage done by an incoming tidal wave by transporting logs to Snarl, who planted them into the ground to serve as an additional barrier against the raging wave. The Ultimate Doom, Part 2
Swoop was rarely seen apart from the other Dinobots. Together, they fought the likes of Devastator, Heavy Metal War the Sub-Atlantican King Nergill, Atlantis, Arise! and moved to a bizarre island to hone their skills. Dinobot Island, Part 1 Dinobot Island, Part 2
Some time after that, the Dinobots chose to desert the Autobots during their time of need (the Autobots were dying from lack of Cybertonium) and go to Cybertron. Sparkplug, Spike, and Carly sought out the Dinobots to convince them to help, but Grimlock, angered that they had been followed, decided to crush them. Swoop, however, saved them, wanting to hear the "brilliant part" from the humans. Grimlock was convinced to go, but instead led the Dinobots to Cybertron itself. Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1
All the Dinobots were captured by Shockwave, reprogrammed and forced to work in the cybertonium mines at the planet's organic core. All, that is, except for Swoop. Swoop soon encountered Spike and Carly, the Autobots' human allies, deep within the bowels of the planet. The three teamed up and, after learning a brief history of the Transformer race, freed the Dinobots and returned to Earth with a shipment of Cybertonium. Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2
In 2005, Swoop and the other Dinobots fought Devastator during the battle of Autobot City. They didn't fare too well. They later evacuated the city (reluctantly) when Galvatron attacked. Swoop and the Dinobots became briefly stranded on Quintessa along with Hot Rod and Kup when their ship was shot down. With help from Wheelie, the Dinobots found their friends, with Swoop using Sharkticons as bombs. The Autobots escaped Quintessa and rescued the remaining Autobots on the Planet of Junk from a horde of confused Junkions. Later, Swoop did one of his greatest life accomplishments when he bombed the butt of a god. The Transformers: The Movie
In the year 2006, Swoop and other Autobots with "dinosaur transform static" were brought before a jury consisting of Slammer, Six-Gun, Scamper, and Metroplex, who tried to determine if any of them were involved in a recent rash of monument thefts. It turned out they were innocent. Thief in the Night Swoop and the Dinobots were also summoned by Primacron's Assistant to do battle with Tornedron, a creation of the villainous Primacron. Swoop failed to defeat the energy monster, but Grimlock managed to save the day just in the nick of time. Call of the Primitives
Japanese cartoon continuity
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers story pages
The Headmasters cartoon
Alongside Grimlock and Snarl, Swoop was sent out to defend Cybertron from a major Decepticon assault. Four Warriors Come out of the Sky
Legacy VS500 Collection Special Comic
Swoop was a spectator for the second week of the Speedia 500 on Velocitron. Velocitron Speedia 500 Part 3
Generations Selects Special Comic
In the year 2050, Swoop and the Dinobots resided on Dinobot Island with their new members Slash and Grimmaster. Carly called and warned the Dinobots another time portal was opening on the island, and the Dinobots found Quintessons on their land. The Dinobots ripped apart the Quintessons, but the evil merchants used the Recreator to bring back the Predacons, who attacked as Predaking. Grimmaster was injured opposing Predaking, but he passed on his Energon Matrix so the Dinobots could create their own combiner, forming Volcanicus. Predaking was defeated, but the Dinobots learned that the human-forged robots called Selectors were rebelling at Neo Scramble City, and Carly had been hurt in the riots. Volcanicus comic 1
The Dinobots found the Autobots and Decepticons of the Cybertron Alliance now supported the Selectors' bid for freedom. Swoop agreed with Grimlock that the Dinobots would continue to support Carly and the humans against all other Transformers. Swoop was merciless in the battle that followed—first he blew the Rainmakers' acid rain back in their faces, then grabbed their guns in midair and landed on Skyfire to blast him at point blank range. However, Swoop and the other Dinobots were all taken out by Sky Lynx while Grimlock was busy with Optimus Prime. They recovered and reformed Volcanicus as the Quintessons got involved, dropping gas bombs on the battlefield. Volcanicus comic 2
The madness of the Quintessons united everyone against them and their creations, as the planet's Angolmois Energy began to go mad. The Dinobots were summoned back in time by the Oracle, arriving on the Blue Planet of the Precursor World. God Neptune comic 2 There were many parties in play on the Precursor World, and it was all really complicated, so Grimlock focused the Dinobots on what he understood. Their old enemy Primacron was there, so Dinobots smash Primacron! Finale Prelude
Rodimus vs. Cyclonus
After blasting off of Quintessa aboard one of its ships, Swoop and the other Dinobots huddled around Kup near the vessel's control panel. Rodimus vs. Cyclonus
Wings Universe
Together with Hot Rod and Kup, the Dinobots were on board a shuttle fleeing from Cyclonus, Scourge and the Sweeps, though they were more concerned about hearing one of Kup's war stories than being under attack. When they found temporary safety inside a nebula, Kup relented and told them about the time he was in the Elite Guard and fought on Beta-Nine. Eventually the Decepticons found them, but Swoop and the other Dinobots were so angry about the interruption that they made short work of the attackers. Wings of Honor
Ask Vector Prime
In a universe where the Transformers and GoBots co-existed, Swoop and the Dinobots fled Guardian City aboard a Command Center after Galvatron and his Renegade/Decepticon alliance attacked. Kup entertained the Dinobots with a few tall tales as they headed to Cybertron, but Galvatron attacked their ship, stranding them on Antares III.
Grimlock dispatched Swoop to scout out the region, but the Dinobot was unable to find Kup and Hot Rod. Shortly afterwards, the Dinobots encountered the RoGuns, who had also been stranded on Antares III. After a misunderstanding, they formed an alliance and barged into the court of the Master Renegade, just in time to save Kup and Hot Rod from execution. After stealing the Master Renegade's ship and dubbing it "Grungy", the group headed to Quartex. Kup met up with Boulder and his heroic Rock Lords, and together the alliance rescued Major Mo's group of Autobots and Guardians from Magmar's evil Rock Lords.
The Autobots, Guardians, Rock Lords, and RoGuns returned to Cybertron aboard the Grungy and a Rock Lord vessel, where they battled Unicron. Before they were finished their fight, Vector Prime managed to disentangle the two universes, setting history back on its proper course. Echoes and Fragments
Deviations
In a timeline where Optimus Prime killed Megatron during their Autobot City duel, Swoop was on Optimus Prime's shuttle when the Autobots set off to reclaim Cybertron from the leaderless Decepticons. They were attacked en route by "Megascream": a reformatted Starscream now in the thrall of Unicron. They managed to escape after Megascream and his troops retreated, touching down on Quintessa to repair the damage.
On the watery surface of the planet, the Autobots encountered a group of Sharkticons. Kup's universal greeting ended poorly, so Optimus dispatched the Dinobots to take care of the threat. Optimus, Kup, and the Dinobots stormed into a Quintesson courtroom, where they rescued Kranix and learned more about the threat of Unicron. When repairs on the ship had completed, the team picked up Hot Rod from Junkion and returned to Cybertron, where Optimus announced his intent to confront Unicron head-on. Deviations
Marvel Comics continuity
On Cybertron, Divebomb was a member of the Elite Flying Corps who had a strained relationship at best with his commanding officer Optimus Prime and a deadly rivalry with a Decepticon who went on to take his name. Afterwards, he fell in with Grimlock's squad before becoming part of the Ark's crew and after crashing on Earth, the Ark's computer revived Grimlock's squad to battle Shockwave, giving them alt-modes based upon the Savage Land's dinosaurs. Though Swoop and the Dinobots defeated Shockwave they were also trapped, spending the next four million years in a tar pit until they were recovered by Ratchet in 1984.
Swoop then had a run of bad luck, first being deactivated by a bomb carried by Guardian and then being recovered by Professor Morris and used as a weapon to attack his fellow Autobots. He managed briefly to recover his mind before his primary cybo-dendrons burned out, rendering him little more than a violent beast and leaving him in a coma-like state. Upon recovering the Dinobots struck out on their own, battling Megatron and the Constructicons and befriending Morris's new mechanoid Centurion before Centurion was destroyed by Galvatron, an insane time travelling Decepticon, and they once again had to fight for their lives. The Dinobots returned to the Ark after Optimus Prime's death and after they defeated Trypticon the Autobots elected Grimlock as their new leader. Swoop's life got a bit better after that until he discovered his old rival Divebomb was also on Earth and he almost got killed by Divebomb's new buddies, the Predacons. Swoop was taken out of action shortly afterwards by the Underbase-powered Starscream and kept on life support until Grimlock travelled to Hydrus Four and revived the Dinobots with Nucleon.
Swoop and the others took control of the deserted Ark and used the super-fuel to revive the rest of the fallen Autobots before taking the fight to Unicron on Cybertron. After the battle, Optimus Prime died and Grimlock became leader again before Cybertron started shaking itself apart and the Autobots were forced to flee, pursuing Bludgeon's Decepticons to Klo where they were ambushed and Swoop was killed. He was later resurrected by the Last Autobot.
In one timeline Swoop went on to have April Fools' Day fun in Grimlock's Earthforce; in others he fought Jhiaxus's Cybertronian Empire and the Swarm, became a Mini-Con, or forged an alliance with Cybertron's Demons and fought the Dark Matrix's shadow-leeches before ultimately growing old and dying.
Kid Stuff Talking Story Books
Swoop and the other Dinobots live in an underground jungle environment, hidden beneath the Antarctic ice cap. Swoop was travelling to the Autobots’ headquarters when he and the Dinobots were attacked by Starscream and the Decepticon superjets. The Dinobots managed to fend off the Decepticons, and continued to Autobot headquarters.
Back at the Dinobots’ base, another Swoop, immersed in his tar cocoon, awaited activation to join the Autobot ranks. When the Crusher, a Decepticon juggernaut, forced its way into the Dinobots’ headquarters, the vibrations it produced inadvertently freed the cocooned Dinobots, who charged at Megatron and Soundwave to fend them off. Jaws of Terror
Optimus had requested Swoop and the rest of the Dinobots’ assistance when he and Prowl investigated Decepticon activity on the island of Buru. Upon their arrival, the Dinobots quickly began overpowering the Insecticons on the island. Slaves of the Insecticons
Sticker Adventures books
Marvel Storybooks continuity
When the Autobots were confronted with the Decepticons' newest super-warrior, The Devastator, Swoop and the rest of the Dinobots arrived on-scene to counteract the new menace. Though the Decepticons mocked the Dinobots' slow pace at first, their laughter was cut short by Swoop flying down and bombarding The Devastator at close range, killing both Hook and Scrapper while they were still combined. Swoop then transformed and used his sword to slice through both of The Devastator's legs, in turn killing Mixmaster and Scavenger. With most of the Constructicons slaughtered, The Dinobots pounced on their carcasses, ripping them into pieces of scrap metal for good measure. Battle for Earth
Swoop was present when Blaster conveyed a message from Megatron to Autobot headquarters, informing them that not only had they captured Sunstreaker with the mighty gestalt Devastator, but that a rescue party of Autobots that had attempted to rescue the prisoner was now also being held hostage. As the rescue party had included fellow Dinobots Slag and Sludge, Swoop was perticularly shaken by this development, and was ready to surrender to the Decepticons. Thankfully, Optimus returned morale to the Autobot ranks by devising a clever plan to trick the Decepticons. Swoop was amongst several Autobots that hid themselves within a statue of Devastator, which was wheeled before Decepticon headquarters, and left as a peace offering. When the Decepticons let down their guard, Swoop and the others burst forth from within the statue, and ambushed their enemies. Swoop played a prominent role in the battle that followed, blasting away at the earth-bound Decepticons as they impotently attempted to shoot him down. Eventually, the Autobots emerged victorious from the battle, with Swoop being one of the few robots emerging unscathed from the conflict. The Autobots' Secret Weapon
Marvel coloring books
When Optimus learned from Cosmos that the Decepticons were razing a human village to build a fuel plant in its place, he had the Dinobots hide within his trailer and inside his other troops' vehicle modes, in order to sneak up on the enemy. Once they were in close enough proximity to Shockwave and his minions, the Dinobots were released and the other Autobots transformed to battle the Decepticons. Swoop went after Laserbeak, frightening the cowardly bird away from the town. The Autobot Spy in the Sky
Swoop and the rest of the Dinobots gathered around Grimlock as Hot Rod explained to them that he was being chased by a squad of Decepticons. Hot Rod then took off towards Autobot City to warn Ultra Magnus while the Dinobots headed to confront the Decepticons. Swoop was taken by surprise by Dirge and took the first hit of the battle, but shrugged it off and retaliated in kind. He managed to take a few more hits, until finally being taken out of the fight when Galvatron injured his wing. The Autobots nevertheless managed to defeat the Decepticons, and they were cheered on by nearby humans as they headed back to Autobot City. Battle at Oil Valley
Swoop joined Bumblebee and Wreck-Gar on a mission to capture Bombshell, who had injected Springer with a cerebro-shell. They trapped Bombshell in a giant super-strong trash bag and Swoop held the other Decepticons at bay with his rockets. Swoop then blew a hole in the side of a cliff for the Autobots to escape through. The Invasion of the Decepticon Camp
Swoop took part in a battle over energon cubes at Mount St. Hilary which ended when Starscream scarfed all the energon. The Lost Treasure of Cybertron
Big Looker storybooks
During an incomprehensibly heavy-handed Decepticon plot to steal a single fuel tanker, the Autobots - also oddly determined to protect this single tanker - found themselves outnumbered and outgunned. Swoop, still recovering from a previous battle, arrived to assist, and was fired on by Megatron. This so enraged the mild-mannered Autobot that he dropped an air-to-air missile launcher (?) with the power of 5000 pounds of TNT. Swoop comes across as uncharacteristically modest, and grateful just to be able to help Prime and pals. Also, Swoop has hair. Decepticon Hijack
Swoop and the rest of the Dinobots accompanied Hot Rod, Kup and Arcee on a space-faring mission. Swoop helped load the ship's cargo. The ship wound up malfunctioning, and they crash-landed on the planet Quintesson. There, they encountered Wheelie, who warned them about the planet's evil inhabitants.They soon encountered a few Quintessons leading their Sharkticon soldiers to apprehend them. Swoop fired a couple of missiles to fend off the enemy robots. After the Quintessons had been defeated, the Autobots left the planet in the ship that had once been piloted by Wheelie's parents. The Story of Wheelie, the Wild Boy of Quintesson
Dinobot War
Swoop, along with the rest of the Dinobots, were present during Earth's distant past, when you, Ravage and Laserbeak travelled through time. The Dinobots quickly learned about the Decepticons' plan to attack the Autobots still slumbering in stasis aboard the crashed Ark, and set out to oppose them. Whether or not they succeeded was up to you!Dinobot War
Find Your Fate Junior
Dinobots Strike Back
As the Dinobots slacked off from lookout duty in Hidden Valley, only Swoop saw an incoming mortar in time to dodge, escaping with an injured wing while the other four were knocked out. He watched in horror as Bombshell planted cerebro-shells on his teammates, unsure if he should fight the Insecticon or return to the Ark for help.
If he confronted Bombshell, the beetle responded by hovering over the other Dinobots, forcing Swoop to move higher or lower for a clean shot. If he flew in lower and fired a missile, he hit Bombshell, then threatened him until he removed his shells in two different paths; the only difference was that if he fired from above Sludge, then Grimlock accidentally conked him on the head, leaving Swoop with no memory of Bombshell, and you being the only one who knows what happened. If he fired from above Slag, he remembered enough to tell his buddies that they felt odd because they had a bug in their circuits.
If Swoop tried to lure Bombshell higher, the Insecticon instead just ordered the Dinobots to go attack the Ark. Their stampede raised a dust cloud that gave Bombshell the cover he needed to sneak up and inject Swoop with a poison that shrank to the size of a hummingbird. After evading a lizard, Swoop tailed his teammates until the poison wore off and he grew back to normal size.
When Swoop told Optimus Prime what happened, there were several options for a plan of attack. If Optimus chose an immediate assault, the Autobots made no progress until Swoop missiled the ground near Slag, knocking him over hard enough to dislodge his cerebro-shell. This gave Prime the strategy he needed to free the other Dinobots.
An alternate path led to the four Dinobots pretending to still be under the shells' control to infiltrate the Decepticons' Mount Lomas base, a plan Swoop had to first relay to Sludge in Dolphin's Bay. Swoop later flew a loop over their mountaintop victory party, signalling the others to break cover and attack, then shot down the fleeing Thrust for good measure. Dinobots Strike Back
Battle Drive
When Bumblebee failed to report back from his scouting mission in a timely fashion, Optimus became worried about the little Autobot and sent out Swoop along with Prowl and Hound to check up on him. After Bumblebee informed the group that the Decepticons were planning to detroy farmland in order to starve humanity into submission, the group had to make a decision on their next course of action. If they decided to try and head back to Autobot headquarters immediately, they would get caught in a sudden storm. The flooded roads stopped the earthbound Autobots from progressing, while the violent winds prevented Swoop from heading back to base as well.
If they decided to take on the Decepticons by themselves, the group encountered Buster Witwicky on the road. Informing the Autobots that Sparkplug was on the run from the Decepticons after having discovered a fatal flaw in their circuitry, the group were faced with another decision to make.
If the Autobots decided to continue on with their mission of stopping the Decepticons from destroying farmland, Swoop and the rest of the group are ambushed by the Decepticons and promptly destroyed.
If however, the Autobots decide to go after Buster's father, Swoop elects to carry Buster in his beast mode, and the group head into the hills, where Sparkplug was headed to hide. From this vantage point, Buster is the first to spot the Decepticons surrounding a cave wherein Sparkplug is holed up. Swoop dives down and lets Buster off his back before being ordered by Prowl to fly ahead and distract the Decepticons while the slower Autobots move in to secure Sparkplug. Swoop flew towards Megatron, Laserbeak, Blitzwing, Starscream, Bombshell and at least half-a-dozen other Decepticons. Focused on the cave's opening, the Decepticons did not notice Swoop approaching. Using the element of surprise, Swoop took out Starscream first with his air-to-air missiles. The Decepticons retaliate, and Swoop is faced with a new decision.
If Swoop elected to stay and fight the Decepticons, he manages to take out Megatron with a lucky shot into the tyrant's fusion cannon, causing it to backfire and obliterate the Decepticon leader. Without their leader, the Decepticons fell into disarray and were easily picked off by the Autobot reinforcements that arrived soon afterwards.
If Swoop decided to fly off to the Autobots' headquarters, a substantial amount of Decepticons tail him, leading to Swoop needing a few days to return with reinforcements. Battle Drive
Autobot Alert!
Swoop was in Metroplex city when an Autobot Alert sounded.
In one possible scenario, Swoop was selected alongside Mirage, Jazz, Powerglide and Prowl, to join Ultra Magnus on an orbital mission to both rescue Cosmos and halt a Decepticon plot to take over Earth's broadcast satellites. After donning special space gear for solar protection, the team took off and headed towards Cosmos's last coordinates.Though they soon found Cosmos, so did they spot Galvatron's ship, Cyclonus, looming nearby. After they had retrieved Cosmos, Ultra Magnus called out to his troops to return to the shuttle's control deck. Ultra Magnus ordered his troops to train all of their weapons on Cyclonus for a full-frontal assault. Swoop was pulled aside by Powerglide who questioned to wisdom of Ultra Magnus's plan, and suggested that he and Swoop instead attempt a sneak attack on the Decepticons.
If the Autobots went along with Ultra Magnus's plan, Swoop and the rest of the Autobots were horrorstruck when Galvatron himself emerged from Cyclonus, followed by an army of multiwing jet fighters. Swoop and the others were left drifting helplessly into space as the Decepticons tore their shuttle apart.
If Swoop and Powerglide went ahead with their own plan, Swoop is put in charge of using his superior fire power to disable Cyclonus while Powerglide distracts him. Sneaking up on Cyclonus, Swoop successfully destroyed the Decepticons’ transmit ion apparatus, foiling the Decepticons’ plans. Autobot Alert!
3H comics
In a distant future of the Beast Era, the dark warlord known as Shokaract had conquered Cybertron and much of the galaxy. Only a handful of Maximals and Predacons survived to oppose him, under the command of the Predacon Sandstorm. Among them was an ancient warrior known simply as the Veteran. Reflecting on his long history and all his many departed comrades, the Veteran began to wonder if he had survived so long as to become a figurative dinosaur.
The Veteran's finely honed skills and instincts allowed him to survive an assassination attempt by the Cub, one of Shokaract's servants. Returning in defeat, the Cub was severely wounded as punishment for his failure and left to die in the wilds of Cybertron. Before he could perish, however, Sandstorm's band of rebels recovered him. In an attempt to learn more about Shokaract's plans, the Veteran merged his Spark with that of the Cub, and thus was born the dual-sparked Windrazor. Schism
Though Windrazor was essentially a new being, within him the Sparks of the Veteran and the Cub continued to grapple for control and dominance of their joined form. Paradox
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
Swoop was an Autobot once named Divebomb, though the circumstances surrounding his name change are unspecified. When Optimus Prime and Megatron disappeared into an unstable space bridge prototype, Swoop joined Grimlock's Lightning Strike Coalition. Together, they were able to thwart Starscream's Predacons from keeping a stolen cargo of Energon and made a quick retreat with the goods. Fragmentation When Grimlock took the Dynobots to execute Jetfire and Shockwave, Swoop argued that they should instead focus on the new battle base the Decepticons had built. Grimlock insisted on pursuing their initial mission, but eventually relented, and allowed Swoop and the others aid Prowl and his troops fight Trypticon while he pressed forward. The battle against Trypticon wound up ending prematurely as the base was called away to rescue Shockwave. Swoop told Trypticon to come back and fight, and called it a coward (once the base was already leaving). Revelation
Heading to the Neutral Territories, they found no sign of Grimlock, Shockwave, or Jetfire, though there was evidence that a battle had taken place in the area. Swoop contacted Prowl factions to inform them of these strange happenings, and the Autobots agreed to investigate the matter further. Confrontation Tracking Shockwave down, Swoop convinced the Decepticon to form a temporary alliance to deal with the bigger threat they now faced; The Fallen, attempting to loose a greater chaotic force onto their world. Together, the joint army managed to defeat the Chaos Trinity, three acolytes working for The Fallen. Ultimately though, it was Jetfire who managed to put an end to The Fallen's diabolical scheming. Afterwards, each of the six Cybertronian factions agreed to seal the chamber used by The Fallen to prevent anyone from abusing the power contained within it. Conflagration
Afterwards, Ultra Magnus managed to unite the Autobots once more, and under his leadership gained a significant hold over Cybertron's resources and territories. This eventually forced the Ultracons and Shockwave's Decepticons to sign a peace treaty with the Autobots. Swoop was posted as perimeter guard during the signing, in anticipation for any attacks that might come their way. Sure enough, Starscream and his Predacons struck by sending in a pair of shuttles filled with neutronium plasma to crash into Tyger Pax, where the treaty was being signed. Swoop and the other Dynobots were unable to halt the shuttles, ending any hope of an easy truce. The dramatic return of Megatron with his cloned Aerospace Extermination Squadron ended any ideas of truce at all. The Age of Wrath
As with the other Dynobots, they departed for Earth after the Insecticons, most likely because they were running out of things to smash back home. Extermination They somehow ended up under Megatron's control and were used to blackmail Grimlock into serving the Decepticons again. Prime Directive #3 Grimlock was able to eventually free them when both Megatron and Optimus Prime became Shockwave's prisoners. Brothers' Burden Thereafter, the Dinobots decided that all the fun was really back home. Using a stolen Decepticon shuttle, Swoop piloted the Dinobots back to Cybertron, and after a crash-landing, began sowing their own brand of chaos, bringing discord to Shockwave's totalitarian regime. Cold War Their rampage was so destructive that it required the intervention of the Omega Sentinels to halt. Passive Aggression Though all of the Dinobots wound up rather dinged up after this battle, but they were retrieved by Ultra Magnus. Magnus brought them all to Perceptor for repairs so that they could join the insurrection against Shockwave's regime anew. Countdown to Extinction Later, once Shockwave's government had been overthrown, Swoop was among the Autobots assembled by Ultra Magnus to help fortify Cybertron's planetary defenses. The Dinobots were to help Kup bolster the new Autobot bases on Cybertron's moons. The Route of All Evil
After an amusing conversation took place between Kup and Sludge, the two of them, along with Arcee, Snarl, and Slag, joined Springer, Grimlock, and Swoop on their shuttle's bridge. Together, they all saw an approaching Quintesson ship. Generation 1 #11
G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers
Swoop and his team members were sent into Earth's past and reformatted into dinosaurs by a malfunctioning Teletran 3. After some problems with Shockwave blocking their way back, a team consisting of Gung-Ho, Dusty, Shipwreck, and a Cobra Viper managed to retrieve the Dinobots, who immediately wrecked Shockwave's party. Swoop took care of flying Decepticons by simply cutting right through them with his wings. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #4
The Beast Within
Four million years ago, Swoop combined with his fellow Dinobots to form The Beast, a savage abomination of a gestalt that knew no mercy. The Beast Within Part 2, Consequences
In the current day, Swoop was called upon by Grimlock to combine once more into their gestalt form. The merge complete, the Dinobots then rampaged once more as The Beast. The Beast Within
2005 IDW continuity
- First appearance: Spotlight: Shockwave
During Nominus Prime's rule, Swoop and the other Dynobots made up the Primal Vanguard Covert Strike Force, a team of demolitions and heavy weapons experts with a perfect track record. This all changed one day when they ran into powerful subterranean monsters during a mission to the Toraxxis Plains, forcing Swoop and his mates to use a revolutionary method of instantaneous altmode adaption to take on traits of their foes to survive. Already grieving over the death of their medic, Skar, the Dynobots were outraged to find that their superiors' response was to put them in quarantine and study their new altmodes, causing them to break out and abandon the Vanguard. Underworld
The Dynobots dropped off the radar until the day Optimus Prime rallied an army to fight the tyranny of the Decepticons. Broadcast Swoop and his team responded to the rallying call and joined the Autobots at Iacon where they took out a lot of tanks. Endgame However, at this time they realized they were becoming increasingly aggressive, a side effect of their monstrous altmodes. Fearing that they might actually become monsters and endanger the people of Cybertron, the team turned to a life of crime in an attempt to gather enough money to leave the planet. Derelicts
Having caught a lead on a client wanting an energon refinery heist done, Swoop suggested that they rob the Toraxxis mega-refinery, a plan the others agreed with. His main role in the heist was to air-drop Sludge onto the facility, smashing into it by using his thick comrade as a wrecking ball. Wreckage When tensions grew between Grimlock and Slag during the theft, Swoop stepped in to calm them down but couldn't keep Slag from storming off. Thankfully he returned to help them out when Scorponok showed up with a bunch of Decepticons to steal the Dynobots' score. Faces of Darkness Grimlock fought Scorponok one-on-one but grew increasingly vicious until he started transforming into his altmode, forcing Swoop and Slag to try to calm him down before he lost control completely. Rage After the incident led to the destruction of the refinery, the Dynobots gave up on acting alone and accepted the Autobots' offer to help. Prey
Brought along by Kup to Starsreach Spaceport, Swoop and his comrades were caught in a Decepticon airstrike, causing Grimlock to lose control and go berserk. Massacre Their leader's rampage caused the Dynobots to lose their newfound hope in ever finding salvation, and they chose to leave Cybertron. Unleashed Fortunately they changed their minds on learning that Trypticon was unleashed upon Cybertron, and returned to fight off the monster's minions—the very same creatures they'd met underground long ago. Annihilation Once Trypticon was defeated, Swoop and the other Dynobots joined Optimus Prime for good in hopes that Autobot scientists could cure them of their cursed altmodes. Belly of the Beast Through cleansing of their energon and restoration of their original altmodes, the Dynobots were indeed cured of their rage in time to participate in the defense of Iacon against a major Decepticon attack. Primacy #3 Primacy #4
The Dinobots continued to serve under Optimus Prime over the next few million years, becoming widely-known and feared boogeymen for the Decepticons and conducting regular raids on outposts and energon stores. Maximum Dinobots #1 They took part in the battle of Varas Centralus, one of the bloodiest battles of the war The Killing Jar as well as another alien planet where the native population was rendered extinct by the conflict. Post Swoop fought in the skies during the Battle for Hell's Point. The Gloaming
Swoop and the other Dynobots followed Grimlock to revenge themselves against Shockwave, who blew up a cache of energon they had stolen. When Shockwave traveled to Earth, the Dynobots pursued him and reformatted themselves to transform into robotic dinosaurs with a synthetic skin as a defense against energon overload. Sadly, it did not protect the Dynobots from Shockwave's energy blasts, which melted the artificial skin and caused the Dynobots to go into stasis lock due to excessive energon radiation. Due to a deadman's switch, the Dynobots' ship blasted a volcano that buried everyone in molten lava. Spotlight: Shockwave
Thousands of years later, the Dynobots were eventually excavated by Skywatch. As Swoop's wings had been mostly disintegrated by Shockwave, leaving only the "fingers," Skywatch scientists constructed new ones for him. Though Grimlock was the first to be brought back online, he was freed from Skywatch's control through a virus implanted by a Machination spy (under orders from Scorponok). Scorponok wanted Grimlock to join him, but Grimlock refused, fought Scorponok and escaped, vowing to find and rescue Swoop and the other Dynobots. Scorponok, however, planned to take control of the Dynobots himself and use them to assassinate Grimlock. Spotlight: Grimlock
Skywatch activated Swoop, and in a test run, had him destroy a plane. When Grimlock showed up in Fallon, he and the other Dynobots were sent to intercept him. Maximum Dinobots #1 He got to slash at Grimlock with his talons before his reprogramming was removed, allowing him to discover Grimlock had set up a dead man's switch that buried them without informing the rest of the team. However, Grimlock's spirited defence of his actions seemed to convince Swoop... Maximum Dinobots #2
Or not. Despite Grimlock's best efforts to justify his actions, Swoop was quite disillusioned by the perceived betrayal of trust and decided to fly off on his own. The others also left Grimlock, who was thereafter almost immediately attacked by Scorponok's Headmaster army. Despite their shaken faith in Grimlock, the other Dynobots were quick to turn back and aid him in battle, unwilling to watch a comrade fight alone. Swoop also flew back, admitting he had nowhere else to go. The five Dynobots continued to fight even as the Sunstreaker clones threatened to overwhelm them. Swoop told Grimlock it was probably better to die like this alongside his warrior brothers than be on his own. Just as the Machination grunts began to dogpile the Dynobots, the Monsterbots arrived, having been summoned earlier by Grimlock. With their help, the Dynobots easily forced the remaining Headmasters into a retreat. Maximum Dinobots #3
Later, aboard the Monsterbots’ ship en route to Machination HQ, Swoop and the others discussed their current situation. Swoop in particular was quite disgusted at being allied, even temporarily, with the Monsterbots. When Grimlock came to them with the terms of the alliance, the rest of the Dynobots just gave him an annoyed look. Having arrived at Machination HQ, Grimlock told his team that he was going to see this through to the end, with or without them. Deciding things couldn't get worse, Swoop and the rest followed Grimlock as they leapt from the ship and attacked. They set upon the task (again) of trashing Sunstreaker clones, until Hunter O'Nion managed to disconnect the clones’ link to the original Sunstreaker's head. Assuming the threat was ended, Sludge began to celebrate...only to be struck down by the vengeful Scorponok. Maximum Dinobots #4
Before the Dynobots could do anything about the Decepticon Headmaster, Shockwave arrived on the scene. Claiming to want the Dynobots for himself, Shockwave entered into combat with Scorponok, leaving an opportunity for the Dynobots to escape. The price of his arrogance and unyielding attitude striking him, Grimlock decided to stay behind with Sludge's stasis-locked body, as Swoop, Snarl, and Slag retreated. They were going to pull out of the area with the Monsterbots, but ultimately decided against it. Returning to the scene of the battle, they found Grimlock fighting Shockwave, and Sludge having just come back online. Swoop and the others briefly aided Grimlock, but were ordered by the Dynobot commander to go find Scorponok before he escaped. They infiltrated Machination HQ, and found the chamber where Scorponok's original head was being stored. With some direction from the damaged Hot Rod, Swoop severed the connections keeping Scorponok's head functional with his wings, rendering the giant Decepticon inert. Snarl was about to execute Scorponok when Ultra Magnus arrived on the scene. He suggested that they quickly scrub the site of evidence of any Cybertronian, and take Scorponok and the now-defeated Shockwave into custody. Swoop and the others were totally cool with this. In the end, Grimlock surrendered himself to Ultra Magnus for his rogue actions and the rest of the Dynobots were let off the hook. Swoop was seen helping the others rebuild the Skyfire. Maximum Dinobots #5
After traveling space for a few years, Swoop and the newly dubbed "Dinobots" returned to a reborn Cybertron and joined Ironhide for a mission to find the Aerialbots who had gone missing in the wilderness. After a run-in with a ferocious turbofox, which the Dinobots dealt with in their usual fashion, they discovered signs of Transformer weaponry which made Ironhide suspicious that Megatron was still around after the Decepticon leader had disappeared during the Autobot's last battle which ended the war. The night they set up camp, a battle suddenly broke out and ended with Slag and Swoop impaling Ironhide. Dinobot Hunt However, this didn't kill Ironhide and the Dinobots continued to fight each other. Eventually, they somehow stopped clashing among themselves and began to pursue Ironhide, who was saved thanks to the timely arrival of the combined form of the Aerialbots, "The Superion". Night and the City
As it later turned out, the Dinobots' rage had been brought about by Megatron, who had unsuccessfully been using them as test subjects for a mysterious type of energy capable of forcing Transformers to combine. Superion's appearance caused them to recover from his tampering with their minds, and they returned to Iacon with Ironhide and Superion just as the city was being conquered by Decepticons. Before the Dawn During the battle, Swoop took to the skies and fought with Laserbeak and Buzzsaw Plan for Everything as well as Slugslinger. While the Autobots were victorious in the end, they found themselves exiled into the wilderness when Starscream took command and banished all non-neutrals. Heavy Is the Head Out in the wilderness, the Dinobots defended the Autobot convoy from the approaching Constructicons, at least until the Decepticon team expressed their desire to join forces with the Autobots because they appreciated what a lying, murdering prick Prowl was. Bumblebee was horrified by the revelation, which Swoop found hilarious. Second Exodus
When a mysterious light lit up Cybertron, the Dinobots ignored Bumblebee's urges for caution and instead prepared to roll out and smash things. Then out of the light stepped the decidedly difficult-to-smash Necrotitan. Dark Dawn As the Autobots scrambled to deal with the situation, Swoop performed aerial reconnaissance on the giant and found it silent and unmoving. Black Metal They were interrupted by an attack from the similarly exiled Decepticon forces, but the battle didn't last long before both factions were caught in a destructive energy wave emanated from the Titan. Winners & Losers Realizing they were both up against something greater, the Autobots and Decepticons teamed up to put a stop to Shockwave, responsible for summoning the Titan. Into the Abyss After the Necrotitan started marching towards Iacon, all the Dinobots could do was uselessly fire on it as it ignored them. No Exit
As the Necrotitan stomped through Iacon, the Dinobots and others continued to try and halt its rampage until Metroplex arrived to confront the undead Titan. Burning Bright Swoop could only get out of the way as the two giants clashed. Finis Temporis After the Necrotitan was defeated, the Dinobots stood around in the aftermath as the crew of the Lost Light was welcomed back to Cybertron. Swoop joined in the celebratory singing in Swerve's as everyone enjoyed a brief break in the action. The Becoming The reprieve didn't last long, as Shockwave's army of Ammonites soon appeared in the sky, and the Dinobots got back to fighting. Black Planet Swoop and the others killed Ammonites until their foes all began self-destructing. Swoop bore witness to Optimus Prime and Megatron returning after they had ended Shockwave's threat. ...And the Damage Done
With a murderer on the loose, Swoop and the other Dinobots arrived on the crime scene to provide security for an investigation. Fight or Flee When the Firecons were suspected as the killers, Swoop and the others aided in their apprehension, brutalizing the three Decepticons. Quest for Fire The Dinobots left to let off some steam after the fight, and Optimus tracked them down to accuse Slug of being the real murderer. The Killing Jar Swoop was doubtful that Optimus really meant what he said to Slug, but before the Dinobots could do anything about it, their stomping ground was bombed. Prime had only accused Slug to root out the real killer; Sandstorm, who chose the Dinobots as his next targets. The Dinobots were rescued by Starscream and Windblade while Optimus managed to stop and apprehend Sandstorm. Forever Is a Long Time Coming
Swoop and Sludge had to restrain a drunken Slug from attacking Camien proselytizers after he heard them singing the praises of Optimus Prime. Aphelion They dragged him to Maccadam's to get even drunker and start a brawl THERE, ending in Slug's arrest by Barricade. Barricade soon hired the Dinobots for a under-the-table job requested by Camiens Swift and Strafe transporting secret cargo into the wilderness and past the Sea of Rust. While initially planning to double-cross Barricade and take his money, Slug changed his mind once he found out the cargo consisted of Camien sparks that were to be planted in a new hot spot in Alyon. Swoop and the other Dinobots quickly followed Slug's lead and provided defense against the Badgeless, reanimated Sweeps, and mutated turbofoxes during the long journey. The group soon encountered Bludgeon, the source of their troubles, and a battle ensued that resulted in the death of Barricade, the loss of the Camien sparks, and Strafe being mutated by corrupted energon. In the aftermath, the Dinobots, now joined by the newly-bestial Strafe, decided to continue deeper into the wilderness to track down the missing Bludgeon. Redemption
Months later, the Dinobots were still following Bludgeon's trail through the wastes of Tyger Pax. They discovered one of his abandoned labs, where they were ambushed by Sandstorm, who had been released from prison by Starscream to kill the Dinobots. He managed to kill Slug with a sniper shot, forcing the other Dinobots to flee. After stealing the new sparks from the Alyon hot spot, Bludgeon reawakened and enslaved Trypticon with the Void Scepter, unleashing him on Iacon. Swoop split off from the others to investigate Alyon and ran afoul of Sandstorm, who blew him out of the sky. Deciding Bludgeon and Trypticon were a greater threat, Sandstorm spared Swoop's life and gave him a lift back to Iacon. They infiltrated Trypticon and met up with Snarl and Sludge, who attacked Sandstorm upon learning from Swoop that he was Slug's killer. Their battle spilled into Trypticon's brain-center, where Strafe was confronting Bludgeon. The fight turned out to be a distraction so they could separate Bludgeon from the Void Scepter, and with his mind freed, Trypticon forcibly space bridged Bludgeon outside and immolated him. Trypticon then departed Iacon and returned to the wilderness, determined to nurture the stolen sparks nested within him. The Dinobots and Sandstorm made an uneasy peace and agreed to defend the sparks until they matured into protoforms. Salvation
They were soon joined by Centurion in their vigil and drawn into conflict with Optimus Prime, Arcee, Garrison Blackrock, and the resurrected Slug, who was enraged to see his fellow Dinobots consorting with Sandstorm. Another fight broke out, with everyone's aggression amplified by Bludgeon and his reacquired Void Scepter. The Dead Come Home, Part 1 Trypticon put a stop to the fighting and Slug reconciled with the rest of the Dinobots; Swoop welcoming him back with a sentimental "trying to kill each other is no big deal" hug. The Dead Come Home, Part 2
After Trypticon had relocated to Earth, Swoop, Slug, and Strafe found themselves defending against an attack by the Colonist Soldiers, who were misguidedly attempting to rescue the imprisoned Jazz. The battle took a tragic turn after Gimlet killed Mainframe and was in turn killed by Slug. However, everyone soon stopped fighting when Unicron appeared in the skies above Earth. Time Will Rust Swoop and the Dinobots stood around wondering what to do as this new threat was assessed. A Sunrise Dark
The Dinobots attended a war council inside Trypticon and joined an attack force in Earth's orbit to oppose Unicron's Maximal army. Assembly After Bludgeon's Worldsweeper breached the planet's atmosphere, the Dinobots boarded Sky Lynx and followed it. With Victorion serving as a distraction, the Dinobots infiltrated the Worldsweeper and fought their way to the bridge to confront Bludgeon. Sludge, Snarl, and Slug all died in the ensuing fight but the Dinobots finally succeeded in killing Bludgeon after the Worldsweeper crash-landed into the White House. Swoop and Strafe managed to survive, being pulled from the rubble by Swift. Ceremony In the days following Unicron's defeat, Swoop attended Optimus Prime's funeral. Post
Transformers vs. G.I. Joe
Swoop was present when Brawn presented the offworlders Clutch, Breaker, Cover Girl, and Jinx as P.O.W.s to King Grimlock. Grimlock had no mercy for his captives, and promptly dropped them in a pool of Sharkticons. Funeral for a Friend
The Joes survived their trial, however, impressing Grimlock. The humans were escorted back to their allies on Cybertron, where Grimlock announced a truce between the Autobots and the Joes. Swoop joined in the festivities that ensued to celebrate the newly forged alliance. Form Follows Function Soon thereafter, the mobile city of Metroplex came under siege from both Trypticon and a mind-controlled Fortress Maximus. Swoop flew into battle to drive back the enemy forces of Decepticobra, allowing Snow Job and Rock 'n Roll to ride atop of him. Everybody Hates Metroplex
Swoop flew with a united Autobot/G.I. Joe force opposing the Decepticon/Cobra alliance before the final battle. Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #12 He carried Lady Jaye and Flash into battle and later saw the deceased Grimlock's spirit among the former bearers of the Matrix of Leadership. The War Never Ends
Transformers: All Spark
Ask Vector Prime
In Primax 096.0 Beta, Grimlock, Sludge, and Swoop appeared at the last minute to save the day for the Autobots at the Battle for Sherman Dam. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/06
2006 IDW Beast Wars continuity
Swoop was one of the many casualties of the Great War before the signing of the Pax Cybertronia. Dawn of the Predacus
Titans Return marketing material
The Titan Master Ptero was a skilled flier capable of bombing ground-based targets from high above. He could grant other bots the ability to fly at supersonic speed. Titans Return Ptero online bio
Prime Wars Trilogy cartoons
- Voice actor: Matthew Patrick (English)
When Megatron and his team arrived in the Primal Swamp, Swoop and the other Dinobots attacked the trespassers. Swoop assisted Grimlock in his attempts to drown Perceptor, but Victorion managed to force them off the scientist. Undeterred, Swoop merged with his fellow Dinobots to become Volcanicus. The Swamp The Dinobots later separated, but were taken aback when Grimlock agreed to join Megatron's group. Primal Unable to agree with the decision, Swoop and the other Dinobots departed. Unfortunately, they were found by Overlord and Rodimus Cron, who attacked and soundly defeated them. Unable to move, Swoop could only watch as Rodimus killed Sludge and departed with Overlord, leaving him and the others to mourn the loss of their own. Athenaeum Sanctorum He was later severely weakened by the spark-draining power of Megatronus's doomsday weapon. Collision Course Fortunately, he ultimately survived and he and the others reunited with Grimlock, collectively mourning Sludge. Saga's End
Power of the Primes marketing material
The Dinobot bombardier Swoop could wield powers of the Primes by linking with Prime Masters. Power of the Primes Dinobot Swoop packaging bio
Commercial appearances
- Swoop and the Dinobots were beating up Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp when the Predacons intervened. The new arrivals then combined into Predaking and attacked the Dinobots from the skies. Predacons commercial
Games
The Transformers (PS2)
Transformers Legends
When Grimlock went missing, Swoop and Sludge paid a visit to the planet Junk, but were unable to find him there. Wreckage They and the rest of the Lightning Strike Coalition tracked down Grimlock to the Sea of Rust, where they were captured by Shockwave who experimented on them and gave them dinosaur alternate modes. They repaid him by trashing his lab. Rescue the King
Grimlock and Swoop went missing, causing the other three Dinobots to act erratically, until the Autobots got the trio under control and locked them up. Day of the Dinobots - Part 1 The missing pair resurfaced, staging a raid and freeing their fellow Dinobots in the middle of the night. The five Dinobots marched on the Decepticon base, but were defeated by Shockwave, Ramjet, and Ratbat. Day of the Dinobots - Part 2
The Dinobots supported Grimlock when their leader decided to take control of the Autobot army, and took part in an attack on the Decepticons, capturing Megatron and Shockwave. Me, Grimlock, King
When Optimus fell in battle during a massive Decepticon attack on Autobot City and Grimlock took command, Swoop and the other Dinobots joined him in crushing the Decepticon forces. S.O.S. Dinobots Swoop aided Grimlock in rescuing Rodimus and Kup when the pair were put on trial by the Quintessons. Mockery of Justice
Transformers Rising
Transformers: Battle Tactics
Swoop participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was a Super Rare character who was available as a reward in the "Dinobots Destruction" event. Transformers: Battle Tactics
Transformers: Frontiers
Transformers: Earth Wars
Strafe was previously known as Swoop. Dark Deeds
- Class: Aerial
- Lowest Star Rating: 2 star
- Weapons: Strafe uses a heat ray to obliterate targets.
- Ability: Fire Mission: Sets out to damage targets in an area, striking them up to 18 times.
- Cost: 5 ability points +5 for reuses.
Strafe at Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki
Angry Birds Transformers
Swoop exists in the game as Volcanicus’ right arm. Angry Birds Transformers
Toys
Merchandise
Notes
- Swoop had the preliminary names of Divebomb[2] and Wing.[5]
- Swoop was originally a Diaclone Dinosaur Robo Pteranodon type piloted mech. Whoever made Swoop's animation model used this Diaclone toy as a reference, as the Dinobot sports the pre-Transformer's blue chest, and gold lower beak, missiles, and dino feet. Swoop's box art has the Transformer toy's red chest, but keeps the gold parts from the Diaclone toy.
- Swoop's character model was simplified a little between seasons one and two of the original cartoon, removing a couple of lines here and there from his legs, chest, and wings, and the "ears" on his helmet.
- Swoop is the only original Dinobot who is not technically a dinosaur.
- Thanks to the Robo-Capers strip in issue #87 of the UK Comic, Swoop became the first and possibly only Transformer to defecate in a licensed and approved presentation.
- Swoop was never released in the UK, resulting in several letters asking about his whereabouts being published in the UK comic letters page.
- A 1986 Panini stickerbook sold in Belgium and the Netherlands gave Swoop the alternate French language name "Swarp". Whether this name was used in any other media made for French-speaking regions is unknown.
- The overall design and transformation sequence of the original Swoop toy served as the basis for Ptera Geist, one of four recurring villainous henchmen on the Takara/Sunrise co-production Brave Exkaiser; Ptera Geist was the smartest of the group, and something of an inventor. In what might be called a vision of things to come, the four "Geisters" were once briefly fused into a single robot called "Mad Geister" (マッドガイスター Maddogaisutā). However, because each Geister controlled a portion of the combined body—and, aside from Ptera Geist, they had the accumulated brain power of a Froot Loop—this ended rather badly. In a more successful (if not also prescient) later development, the Geisters learned to merge in groups of two, with Ptera Geist forming the upper body of "Pteder" (プテダー Putedā).
- Though never named specifically in the 3H comics, it is strongly implied that the Veteran is Swoop. The Veteran also appears in Simon Furman's pseudo-canonical story "The Last Days of Optimus Prime" and is outright referred to as being Swoop; he's said to have changed his name and appearance many times to adapt to Cybertron.
- The Diaclone incarnation of Swoop was also used as the model for the "restored" version of the Autobot Ravenus in the Legends of the Microns "Linkage" mini-comics.
- An Autobot-aligned Mini-Con called Swoop was planned for release in one of the Cybertron Mini-Con Versus Packs, facing off against the Decepticon-aligned Overbite, as part of a wave composed of members of the Mini-Con Council of Sages. Swoop's bio described him as an experienced diplomat who tries to seek a peaceful resolution while Tracks and Sledge direct the Council's military.[6] Considering that the bio goes out of its way to establish Swoop as the oldest member of the Council of Sages, it seems likely that the bio's writer intended Swoop to be a nod to the original Dinobot, much like Swoop's eventual Classics release and characterisation ended up being.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Swoop (スワープ Suwāpu)[7]
- French: Assailo (Canada and Angry Birds Transformers game)
- Hungarian: Roham ("Charge")
- Italian: Reptilo
- Mandarin: Fēibiāo (China, 飞镖, "dart"), Fēibiāo Yìlóng (Taiwan, Generations Selects, 飛鏢翼龍, "Dart Pterodacyl")
- Portuguese: Pairador (Brazil comic)
References
- ↑ This is now his official motto, thanks to The Loyal Subjects. No, really.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Divebomb" was a preliminary name for the original Generation 1 Swoop toy. This was revealed by Jim Sorenson, who posted details from a version of the series bible for the original The Transformers cartoon, dated 1984, that contains a description of Swoop typed with the name "Divebomb", then crossed out by hand and rewritten "Swoop". When the name "Divebomb" was eventually used for a member of the Predacons two years later, Marvel UK writer Simon Furman worked that little tidbit into the characters' backstories by establishing that "Divebomb" had indeed been Swoop's original name in-universe before it was stolen by the Predacon, first alluded to in the 1986 story The Icarus Theory and later elaborated upon in the 1987 Annual story What's in a Name?. That connection was later homaged by the Transformers: Prime Divebomb toy, which uses Swoop's color scheme.
- ↑ "Strafe" was originally a substitute name for a similar character from the Transformers: Age of Extinction franchise because the name "Swoop" was not available as a trademark to Hasbro at the time. Thanks to a Toys"R"Us exclusive "Evolution" two-pack from 2014, it was also applied to the original Generation 1 character… although thanks to a hilarious error, the artwork representing the Generation 1 character depicted the Technobot Strafe instead. Hasbro later explicitly admitted that this was indeed an error, thereby dispelling any further confusion. Other "Strafe" toys included a 2014 Hasbro Toy Shop/San Diego Comic-Con exclusive 4-pack of Generation 1-themed redecos of the Age of Extinction Dinobots, a 2014 Legion Class figure, a 2014 Hero Mashers 2-pack with Bumblebee, and a 2015 Platinum Edition Dinobot 5-pack. The name "Strafe" was also used for the character in the 2014 mobile game Transformers Rising and the 2016 mobile game Transformers: Earth Wars.
- ↑ "Autobot Ptero" was Hasbro's substitute name for the 2016 Titans Return Titan Master toy of the character, because the name "Swoop" was still not available to them at the time.
- ↑ The dialogue script to "War of the Dinobots" refers to Swoop as "Wing" in places.[1] This early name was evidently coined by writer Donald F. Glut.[2]
- ↑ "TRANSFORMERS CYBERTRON MINI-CON Class: OVERBITE vs. SWOOP:
[...]
"The oldest member of the MINI-CON Council of Sages, and a firm believer in peace, SWOOP is far smarter than he looks. It is this fact that has helped him last as long on the Council as he has. He believes that any situation can be resolved without violence. He is a master diplomat who uses dialogue, flattery and deception the way a more militant robot uses a laser cannon – to break down an opponent's defenses, destroy his position, and emerge victorious. The current battle between the rebels and the Council upsets him, but even as his friends TRACKS and SLEDGE direct the military response, he works to reach a peaceful resolution. Awesome OVERBITE and SWOOP figures change from robots to vehicles and back again!"—Hidden bios for the unreleased Cybertron Mini-Con Versus Packs found on the Transformers website - ↑ While on the surface this Japanese rendition sounds more like "Swarp", it is the best that translators can make do with phonetic limitations. A more direct attempt to adapt Swoop yields Sūpu (スープ), which is the same pronunciation as "Soup".
External links
- Character stubs missing fiction
- Character stubs missing video games
- Combiners
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- Generation 1 cartoon Autobots
- Generation 1 Dinobots
- Generation 2 Autobots
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- IDW (2005) Autobots
- The Headmasters Autobots
- Primal Vanguard
- Second Cybertron Alliance
- Titan Masters
- Titans Return Autobots
- Wings Universe Autobots