Wheeljack (G1)
From Transformers Wiki
| The name or term "Wheeljack" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Wheeljack (disambiguation). |
- Wheeljack is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Wheeljack is his own worst enemy. Something of a crackpot inventor, a good half of his creations blow up in his face, and that's just if he's lucky. His constant need to invent increasingly complex devices stems from his desire to improve the Autobots' tech, but as a result he's simultaneously one of the Autobots' greatest assets and problems; for every successful gadget he builds, there's one which requires Ratchet or Hoist to put him (and his lab) back together. But once in a while he strikes gold, which has won him respect from even the Decepticons.
He is, however, not a complete nerd. As good as he is in the lab, Wheeljack is just as amazing on the road: there are few stunts he can't pull off, and he loves to show off his driving skills as much as he does his inventions. He is, however, a little less confident when it comes to flying, which he accomplishes using solid-fuel rocket jets in his forearms.
As an Action Master Wheeljack utilizes another of his inventions, the dual-mode Turbo Racer, to get around quickly. In some universes he can combine with his fellow Autobots to form Sky Reign.
| “ | It sure is nice when one of my inventions actually works! | ” |
| —Wheeljack on his track record, "Fire on the Mountain" | ||
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
One of the Autobot elite, Wheeljack was a crewmember aboard the Ark who wound up in stasis lock for four million years on Earth. Upon reactivation in 1984, the scientist largely kept to the spacecraft, serving as the engineering officer for whomever commanded the Autobots until he was counted as one of the many casualties of Starscream's Underbase fuelled rampage.
When Unicron arrived to Cybertron, Wheeljack was among those revived by nucleon, living to see Optimus Prime defeat the Chaos Bringer and end the war with the aid of the Last Autobot.
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
Part of the crew of the Ark, Wheeljack served as Optimus Prime's top scientist during the early years of the Autobot-Decepticon conflict on Earth. His creations tended to backfire on him, such as the unruly Dinobots. His inventions also tended to backfire on him, such as his Immobilizer. And everything else tended to explode on him (see image at left). Regardless, he remained Prime's top scientist until his death in 2005 during the Battle of Autobot City.
In a splinter timeline, Wheeljack would have better luck with his inventions and his survival, escaping his supposed death in 2005. That same year, he received a new Binaltech body, but lost it due to time travel. In 2011, he joined the Disaster Relief Team to assist Autobots caught in the destruction of Cybertron. Then, in 2015, he revived the deceased God Ginrai as Victory Leo. And during the G-2 Wars, he discovered the Reconfiguration Matrix, which kept Optimus Prime from dying again.
Marvel coloring books
Wheeljack built a ship for the Autobots to use. They got the chance to when Megatron decided to try to raid sunken ships full of treasure. Search for Treasure Under the Sea After the Decepticons captured Sparkplug and Buster Witwicky, Wheeljack, and Prowl were badly damaged in the battle to rescue the two humans. Sparkplug fixed them both up and they subsequently helped repel a Decepticon attack on Hoover Dam. The Deadly Fuel Shortage
Wheeljack joined the Autobot convoy on a patrol of the area around the Autobot base-camp. When they returned, Bumblebee was waiting to warn the Autobots that the Decepticons had seized their base. A Message From Outer Space
Big Looker storybooks continuity
When the Cybertronian civil war had yet to leave the planet, Optimus asked his Autobots to join him in leaving their home world behind and travel out into space. When Bumblebee volunteered to join Optimus, Wheeljack and the rest of the Autobots jumped in as well. After crash-landing on Earth and being offline for about 65 million years, Wheeljack and the rest of the Autobots met Sparkplug and his son Spike. With the Decepticons still not in the know of what forms the Autobots had taken, Wheeljack was one of the troops that Optimus led into the desert in order to ambush their enemies. Though they successfully took by surprise a squadron of Decepticons, the Autobots had not anticipated a second group flying in from the opposite direction. Thanks to a warning from Spike and Sparkplug, the Autobots managed to fend off the Decepticons, and came to accept Earth as their new home. Battle for Cybertron
Ladybird Books continuity
The Autobots were low on valuable Cybertronian materials such as cybernite. When Kup suggested a salvage expedition to an old battle field near a mountain valley, Ultra Magnus assembled Wheeljack, Hoist, and Grapple to go with him. Their expedition was cut short by a Decepticon air raid, however. Later, Kup commissioned Wheeljack and Huffer to help him crystallize an idea for blinding the Decepticon space stations who spotted them for the air raid. Galvatron's Air Attack
S.T.A.R.S. continuity
When Johnny spotted Thundercracker stealing energy, he called his Autobot allies through his S.T.A.R.S. control center. Wheeljack was amongst those who responded to Johnny's call. Have the Decepticons defeated us once and for all? Wheeljack and the other Autobots struggled against Thundercracker energy-syphoning powers. Can one boy, alone, hold back the evil Decepticons? What happened afterwards is not known.
Later, Ultra Magnus pleaded for you to "requisition" Wheeljack and other Autobots in order to combat the Decepticon threat. Using the human power known as "imagination," S.T.A.R.S. recruits could perceive what it was like to be Wheeljack. You Have Been Chosen.
Before the construction of Autobot City on Earth, Optimus led a convoy of Autobots to find the ideal location for their new base's construction. Wheeljack was amongst the troops accompanying Optimus. As they drove along, the Autobots were ambushed by the Decepticons. The battle that ensued later came to be known as "Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction." Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth. The Autobots Are Under Attack!
Find Your Fate Junior
Dinobots Strike Back
As Optimus Prime assigned Skids and Bumblebee to inspect signs of Decepticon activity around Dolphin's Bay, Wheeljack looked up when he heard the word "underwater". He claimed that the mission would be a good chance to test out the new mini-submarine he'd been building. Optimus agreed, and Wheeljack programmed it by remote control to meet the two Autobots at the bay. Dinobots Strike Back
Attack of the Insecticons
Wheeljack was present, yet mostly uninvolved, in a number of possible adventures revolving around the Sun-Pak, a device invented by Sparkplug that would end the Autobots' energy woes. Attack of the Insecticons
Desert Flight
Wheeljack was part of a group of the Autobots’ best scouts, led by Optimus on a fuel-finding mission. When the convoy heard a large explosion in the distance, Optimus sent Cosmos to investigate the noise.
If Cosmos radioed his findings to Optimus immediately, Optimus's convoy moved in to investigate a nearby Decepticon base. En route, the Autobots passed near a human town and noticed that they had begun floating in mid-air as they approached it. Evidently, the phenomenon was caused by a Decepticon anti-gravity weapon.
If Optimus ordered his troops to come to the humans’ aid, they found themselves taking part in a struggle in futility, as the entire town was near-weightless, meaning they couldn't put the humans anywhere where they wouldn't float away once more. Then, the Autobots heard Decepticons approaching. Helpless in their current position, the Autobots were quickly eradicated by the Decepticons.
If Optimus ordered his troops to attack the Decepticon base, they soon reached an area free of the anti-gravity beam's influence. They were then attacked by a small fleet of Decepticons. The Decepticons were quickly forced to break off their attack and retreated. But with the battle over, the Autobots noticed a small human boy at their feet. The Autobots then headed for the Decepticon base, with their stowaway. Megatron delivered an ultimatum; if the Autobots did not surrender Optimus Prime to the Decepticons immediately, he would use his gravity beam to have the nearby humans float off into space.
If the Autobots decided to continue with their initial plan to simply attack the Decepticon base, their advance was halted by a force field. Megatron then fired his beam in all directions, causing a ripple effect that sent everything not fastened down to the Earth's surface to float helplessly out into space.
Alternatively, the Autobots could concoct a plan where Optimus would pretend to allow himself to be taken prisoner, per Buddy's suggestion. In actuality, Wheeljack and the rest of the Autobots were hidden away inside Optimus's trailer. The Autobots then led a surprise attack on their unsuspecting foes.
In one possible turn of events, Wheeljack and the rest of the Autobots leading the attack were turned to scrap metal when Windcharger failed to disable the Decepticons’ forcefield.
In a completely different possible sequence of events, wherein Cosmos had taken off to explore the Decepticon base on his own, The Autobot convoy were surprised to see two Cosmoses flying back towards them some time later. Both Cosmoses declared themselves to be the real one, and urged Optimus to destroy the other.
If Optimus destroyed the wrong Cosmos, the duplicate obliterated Wheeljack and the rest of the Autobots with the proton bomb it housed within its body.
If Optimus destroyed the duplicate Cosmos, the real one would inform the Autobots of the Decepticons’ schemes, and the convoy would roll out to take on their adversaries. They were soon met by a squad of flying Decepticons, but were at a strict disadvantage against their adversaries as their vehicle modes possessed no weapons. The Autobots nonetheless managed to fight their way to the Decepticons’ base, one way or another, and defeated the Decepticons by using their own gravity weapon against them.Desert Flight
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
Wheeljack suffers from a mild form of mode attachment, feeling more comfortable in his vehicle mode than robot mode. As a consequence he does his best thinking in vehicle mode, often while attempting something insanely dangerous. Transformers: The Ultimate Guide
Wheeljack was part of Grimlock's unit, along with Kup and Ironhide, at the time when Sentinel Prime died and Optimus Prime rose to command the Autobots. The War Within #1 When the Decepticons placed Iacon under siege, Grimlock took Wheeljack and the rest of his team deep within the planet, where the new Prime was battling Megatron for his life. The War Within #4 The team stumbled upon the planetary turbines that Starscream was planning to activate to mechaform the planet. Learning the Decepticon's plan, Grimlock had his team split up; he would continue searching for Optimus Prime, while Wheeljack and the others were to shut down the turbines. But while they were listening in to Starscream's plan, the Autobots were spotted by the Constructicons. The War Within #5 The Autobots barely managed to hold their own until Grimlock returned with Optimus in tow. Optimus quickly took command of the situation, and instructed Wheeljack to shut down the engines in a... creative way. Wheeljack grumbled a bit that all his education and mechanical engineering skill had led up to just blowing things up. He nonetheless accomplished his task while the rest of his team provided him cover. With the Decepticons driven off, the group managed to return to Iacon, where Prime halted his order to abandon the planet. The War Within #6
When Prime and Megatron disappeared during a space bridge explosion, Grimlock broke off from the Autobot army and formed the Lightning Strike Coalition, taking his former squad members with him. While Kup and the Dynobots attacked the Predacons, Wheeljack and Ironhide hijacked some shuttles carrying raw energon, making Starscream very angry. That's always a plus. Fragmentation 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. With Cybertron on the verge of peace, Wheeljack was put in charge of the Tyger Pax's defenses. As predicted by the Autobots, Starscream and his Predacons struck to disrupt the peace signing, sending in transports filled with explosives to level the whole area. Grimlock ordered Wheeljack to enact emergency protocol Hydra-Nine in response to the attack, prompting Wheeljack to encase many of the attendees within a forcefield, sparing them from the ensuing explosion. Though the Autobots, Ultracons, and Decepticons stood united against these aggressors, any chance at long-term peace was shattered when Megatron made a dramatic return. The Age of Wrath #1 After Megatron took over, Wheeljack ended up in Internment Camp Pi with many of his fellow Autobots. The Age of Wrath #2
Optimus returned to Cybertron, and the Autobots were freed from slavery. The Age of Wrath Pt.6
Wheeljack was one of the engineers that designed and constructed the Ark, and part of the ship's original crew. In 1986, Ironhide and Ratchet discovered Wheeljack in pieces but functional after an explosion while bug-testing his neutron detonator shell. Wheeljack's More Than Meets The Eye profile He was also responsible for temporarily transferring the consciousness of Spike Witwicky into a Cybertronian body, though the full story remains untold. Hardwired
Wheeljack was among the Transformers involved in the Ark II disaster. He survived the explosion of their spacecraft, crashing back to Earth where he and several others lay deactivated and frozen within an iceberg until awakened by Optimus Prime in 2002. Prime Directive #2
After helping clean-up the damage caused by Transformers under the control of Lazarus, Wheeljack participated in the assault on the human terrorist's Canadian headquarters. There, they found that all Decepticons under Lazarus's control had already freed themselves, and the battle between the two factions began anew. This brawl was interrupted when General Hallo betrayed the Autobots, and attempted to bomb both them and the Decepticons out of existence. Prime Directive #3 The blast was mostly absorbed by Megatron's cyber-virus, previously unleashed by the Decepticon leader, allowing it to expand violently. Wheeljack and Mirage were the first Autobots to free themselves from its envelopement. Once Optimus had pried himself free as well, he set Wheeljack to task, instructing him to find some way to counter Megatron's doomsday weapon. Prime Directive #4 While Prime took some of the Autobots after Megatron, Wheeljack diagnosed the nature of the cyber-virus, and created a set of anti-viral blasters that used the Autobots' energy to return the converted matter to normal. Prime Directive #5 The intervention of Canada's military force scuttled that plan when they fired into the virus, expanding it beyond the point the Autobots could contain. In response, Wheeljack converted a nearby satellite dish into a giant anti-viral weapon, channeling all of his remaining energy into it. He succeeded in destroying the virus, but was left in deep stasis lock as a result. Prime Directive #6
Several months later, Ratchet had successfully restored Wheeljack to operating status. He was one of the first Autobots Optimus Prime met back up with after escaping the Keepers' world and Las Vegas. While on patrol of the area, Wheeljack passed Soundwave travelling up the road towards the Autobots' location. He buzzed the Decepticon's position, and was surprised when Soundwave asked for a parlay. He claimed Megatron wanted a favor from Prime. Bemused, Wheeljack reported back to Optimus about the bizarre encounter, only to have his amusement turn to astonishment when Optimus Prime actually responded to Megatron's "summons". The two old enemies forged an alliance against the Keepers, and united their forces for battle in Las Vegas. During the fight, Wheeljack used his solid-fuel rockets to fly with the Decepticons Thundercracker and Laserbeak in the skies, acting as air support for the others. He returned to Prime's side in the final battle, when the Autobot leader used the power of the Matrix to divert the Keepers and the power of a nuclear explosion into another dimension. Annihilation
The Autobots were entrenched in combat against the Decepticons in Alaska, fighting over a crashed ship, when Shockwave and his squad of Triple-Changers ambushed them. Shockwave denounced all Earthbound Transformers as war criminals and demanded they surrender in the interest of peace. Shockwave killing Scourge, the passenger of the downed ship, did little to convince the Autobots about the sincerity of his claim; that Cybertron had been peacefully united during their absence. The Autobots retreated from the battlefield while the Decepticons were taken captive. Wheeljack and the other more wounded Autobots returned to the Ark to mend their wounds while a scouting party remained about to learn more about the new arrivals. New World Order Ultra Magnus next made his presence known as one of Shockwave's enforcers, come to arrest the Autobots under the pretense that leaving them be might ignite old passions and start Cybertron's Civil War anew. Wheeljack was one of the Autobots secretly left behind by Optimus Prime under Jazz's command, while he surrendered himself to Magnus. Brothers' Burden Jazz, Windcharger, and Brawn headed back out to the Alaskan battlefield afterwards to retrieve Scourge's remains, only to find that they had mysteriously vanished. Jazz called Wheeljack to ask if it was possible that Scourge had somehow survived his injuries, but Wheeljack denied such a possibility; Shockwave's blast had been decidedly fatal. Cold War
After the end of Shockwave's despotic rule over Cybertron, the Autobots on Cybertron made contact with Wheeljack's crew for an update and promised to send supplies. Generation 1 #0 Unfortunately, Starscream arrived on Earth first, backed up by a small cadre of soldiers. Wheeljack and company managed to stave off an initial attack from the Decepticons, only for Starscream to unleash his trump card on the battlefield: Bruticus. Like most of team, Wheeljack was beaten to the point of stasis lock by the combiner, and dumped into a lake. Night of the Combaticons Black Sunshine He was eventually fished out by Warpath and Bumper (who had arrived from Cybertron with Bumblebee with supplies), but they were waylaid by Earth Defense Command. The Omega Effect The humans then took Warpath, Bumper, Wheeljack, and the rest of the unconscious Autobots to a secret underground facility. Atonement There, the EDC began fixing the Autobots, though Wheeljack was among the last ones back on their feet. He was still being worked on when most of the other Autobots had been brought back online and accompanied Marissa Faireborn in a mission to San Desto. Infestation
Wheeljack was back in working order after the completion of the San Desto mission, and made sure to congratulate the EDC's "grease monkeys" on the bang-up job they did in restoring him. The Autobots then said their goodbyes to their human allies, Lost and Found and traveled to Alaska. There, Wheeljack expressed his concerns over their lack of a proper facility necessary for long-term operations on Earth. Ratchet assured him that steps had already been taken to deal with this issue before leading him to Prowl and the Autobots under his command, currently working on the foundation of Autobot City. The Route of All Evil
G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers
When the Ark crashed on Earth millions of years ago, Wheeljack and Bumblebee were sealed off from the other passengers, saving them from Cobra when they found the craft in 2003 and reprogrammed the dormant robots for their own needs. Cobra's break-in activated Teletran-One, who in turn brought back Wheeljack and Bumblebee. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4
Disguising themselves as cars, the two Autobots worked for months to find and rescue the other Autobots from Cobra. After noting several attacks on energy plants, Wheeljack figured that the humans were gathering ingredients for energon, and had an idea on where their next attack would take place. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #2 During Cobra's subsequent assault on the SPS Research Facility, the Autobots intervened directly, with Wheeljack ramming the brainwashed duo of Sideswipe and Sunstreaker (and apologizing). He then confronted Soundwave, but the reprogrammed Decepticon fled as soon as Cobra had stolen what they came for. Having revealed themselves to G.I. Joe during the battle, Wheeljack and Bumblebee offered an alliance with the humans, who in return showed the Autobots a mysterious image of Soundwave they had found. Wheeljack recognized the text in the picture as Cybertronian, and that it contained directions to Cobra Island as well as instructions on how to free the Transformers. It took him only a few seconds to hack into Cobra's computers and undo their primitive human reprogramming. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #3
Wheeljack and Bumblebee then boarded a plane to participate in G.I. Joe's attack on Cobra Island, but the humans' higher-ups disagreed, planning to nuke the island and send the two Autobots to Area 51 to be disassembled and studied instead. Duke regretfully incapacitated the robots with a magnetic pulse, but Wheeljack stayed conscious enough to overhear their plans and warn Hawk that a nuclear impact on Cobra's energon stockpile would cause a chain reaction and send half the planet into a nuclear winter. With this revelation, Hawk broke orders and went with the original strategy, taking Wheeljack and Bumblebee with him to Cobra Island. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4
Upon arriving at the island, Wheeljack witnessed Megatron using the SPS Satellite to create more energon, and was enraged when Devastator killed Hound. After helping take down the giant, Wheeljack patched through a message to all Autobots that the United States had decided to nuke Cobra Island despite having their own troops located there. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #5 Wheeljack quickly improvised a plan to avoid a nuclear holocaust; using the SPS Satellite's solar-powered energy beams to shoot down the nuclear warheads before they arrived. After menacing Doctor Mindbender into overriding the satellite controls, Wheeljack helped G.I. Joe fight off a bunch of Cobra troops led by Storm Shadow. The plan was ultimately a success, and with the Decepticons defeated in the process, the Autobots returned to Cybertron aboard a new Ark. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #6
Two years later, Wheeljack was zapped by a malfunctioning Teletran 3 and transported into a random point in Earth's timeline. He was never seen again. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1
Transformers/G.I. Joe
Wheeljack was among the Autobots that lay buried on the Fera Islands, only to be awoken in 1939 when G.I. Joe came to battle Cobra and the Decepticons. Along with Hound and several Joes, he rescued several chained Cobra slaves that had fallen into the ocean. Optimus Prime later reported that both Wheeljack and Hound had been killed in battle, but he was apparently mistaken, as the scientist was still around when Bruticus was unleashed. Upon examining the giant, Wheeljack noticed that it was some kind of hybrid of human and Cybertronian technology, and most likely wasn't really "alive". When the Matrix of Leadership was destroyed in order to kill Bruticus, Wheeljack and all other Transformers present were deactivated as well. The Iron Fist
Transformers Legends anthology
When Ratchet began feeling lost and disillusioned while on Earth, he began going on more and more combat missions, increasingly leaving his medical duties in the hands of Wheeljack, Perceptor, and Sparkplug. This presumably stopped after he had a perception-changing experience in a chance meeting with a disabled war veteran. Healers, Fighters, and Transformers
The Beast Within
During an all-out Decepticon offensive against the Autobots, Wheeljack was one of the first victims to fall to The Beast, the Dinobots’ monstrous combined form. The Beast Within
Wheeljack's wounded body lay unconscious within Jetfire's passenger compartment, as the latter rescued the few remaining living Autobots from The Beast. The Beast Within Part 2, Consequences
2005 IDW continuity
Once one of Sentinel Prime's premier scientists, Wheeljack answered Optimus Prime's rallying call against Decepticon tyranny and went on to become one of the new Prime's closest allies. Later he was a member of Prowl's infiltration unit on Earth after the war had rendered Cybertron lifeless.
After the Decepticon Surge had left the Autobots stranded on Earth, Wheeljack remained by Bumblebee's side as Autobot High Command splintered, later staying with him when Cybertron was revived and Rodimus left the planet to find the Knights of Cybertron. Upon the discovery of a Decepticon plot to seize control of the planet, Wheeljack was shot in the head by a brainwashed Prowl.
Badly wounded, Wheeljack was spirited away by Starscream (now the legitimate ruler of Cybertron!) and found himself pressed into aiding in the foundation of the Council of Worlds, a political alliance formed by Cybertron and its lost colonies. After a disastrous attempt to integrate the human race into this alliance, Wheeljack was among the Cybertronians who dealt with a group of Prysmosian squatters. While Cybertronian science defeated Prysmosian magic, the victory proved hollow when it was found that the conflict had summoned Unicron. As the monster-planet devoured its way across the galaxy, Wheeljack developed a new form of space bridge to evacuate Elonia. Unable to work the relay remotely, Wheeljack remained behind as he warped Elonia's biosphere to safety, noting that there were worse ways to go than saving billions of lives.
Hearts of Steel
Wheeljack was one of the Autobots active in 1888 when an Elder God awoke on Earth. Transforming into a steam-powered plow car, he brought Tobias Muldoon and Nikola Tesla to the Mare Rurek Glacier where Optimus Prime lay dormant. Infestation 2: The Transformers #1 He was the first Autobot to give up his energy for the generator Tesla needed to revive Prime, then was brought back in turn thanks to Prime's own energon reserves. When Prime led the Autobots to Port Cenotaph to defeat the Elder God and its Decepticon minions, Wheeljack cut Bonecrusher in half using his plow blades as swords. Infestation 2: The Transformers #2
Mars Attacks: The Transformers
Wheeljack invented some stasis cuffs, which the Autobots used on the Decepticons after a particularly intense battle. Mars Attacks: The Transformers
Robot Heroes
Wheeljack could be seen driving along in Autobot City before the Autobots departed Cybertron aboard the Ark. I Am Optimus Prime
Henkei! Henkei! Transformers -Visualize-
Wheeljack stood behind Optimus Prime with his fellow Autobots, ready to fight. Visualize Shot 1
Kre-O cartoon
Wheeljack was in the audience of a tag battle pitting Optimus Prime and Bumblebee against Megatron and Starscream. Last Bot Standing
Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Wheeljack were acting as security at the Autobot City Bank when Spinister, Galvatron and Scorponok attempted to rob it. When the Decepticons called in Devastator, the Autobots similarly called for backup, but were victims of Devastator's wrecking ball before anyone else turned up. Quest for Energon, Part 1 He later infiltrated the Decepticon work site as a diversion with Cliffjumper. Though the pair were quickly surrounded, they used their umbrellas to shield themselves from the ensuing grilled cheese explosion. Quest for Energon, Part 2
United
Wheeljack was amongst the victims of a deadly nano-virus. Thankfully, a team of Autobots were successfully in retrieving a cure for the disease from the planet Nebulos. Fully recovered, Wheeljack attended the ceremony that commended the Autobots responsible for saving his life. The Fierce Fighting on Planet Nebulos
Transformers: All Spark
Another Episode, Part 2 The Fated Rival, Once Again... To Earth Reunion and Parting Plans of the Emperor of Destruction Revenge The False Power Ray of Hope Great Aspirations Conclusion
Kre-O online comic
After personally suggesting the idea, Wheeljack was one of the Autobots who left Cybertron in the Ark in search for energy blocks to alleviate their hunger. Thanks to the boarding of the Ark by Decepticons, the Ark crashed and the Transformers fell into a four million year-long sleep. They woke up to a world filled with blocks. Kreon Story When Megatron attempted to steal all of the blocks of Earth with his Mega-Megatron creation, Wheeljack was one of the three Autobots who stopped the menace by building a jail for Mega-Megatron. Defend the Blocks! Autobots, Dispatch!
Wheeljack invented Skeletron, a power-up for Optimus Prime that also turned his torso transparent. He was excited to see Prime wield this "See-Through Power", though Prime himself was mostly just embarrassed. Wheeljack's Bizarre Invention! Optimus Power Up!? He later helped with the rebuilding of Metroplex. Two Giant Bases! Everybody Getting Along, Come On, Fight!
Transformers × Evangelion
Wheeljack was among the Autobots who traveled to Earth and arrived in a Tokyo-3 being menaced by Angels. Mode "Eva" chapter 1 He witnessed the ghost of Starscream possess one of the creatures, becoming the monstrous giant "Angel"-scream. Mode "Eva" chapter 2 During the battle between "Angel"-scream and the Evangelion-powered Optimus Prime, Wheeljack was contacted through radio by Misato Katsuragi who warned him Nerv had no Evangelions left and was relying on Prime to defeat the Angel-Decepticon. After their victory, the Autobots joined forces with Nerv and Wheeljack had a chat with their scientists. Mode "Eva" chapter 4
Transformers vs. G.I. Joe
Together with Perceptor, Mirage, and Brawn, Wheeljack investigated Iacon after the abandoned city had been covered in growth caused by a G.I. Joe attack on Cybertron. Caught up in a Decepticon attack to capture the humans, the Autobots attempted to flee, but Wheeljack was instead attacked by some of the Joes and immobilized by their vines. Targetmasters As the Joes began dissecting him, assuming him to be just a machine, Wheeljack repeated snapped-up human radio transmissions in hopes of getting them to stop, finally succeeding through a quote from the President of the United States. Funeral for a Friend Once the misunderstandings were taken care of and an Autobot-Joe alliance had been agreed on, Wheeljack was up on his feet in time to participate in the impromptu dance party. Form Follows Function Though he wanted to be open-minded in regards to the alliance, he agreed with Perceptor he still had some doubts about it. Everybody Hates Metroplex
When the Joe/Autobot alliance launched their assault on Trypticon, Wheeljack held Blaster aloft so he could transmit the counter-frequency to the Titan's forcefield. Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #12 In the ensuring battle, Megatron used his black hole spark to draw all the Autobots, Wheeljack among them, into a combiner he called "Mega-Megatron" only for the behemoth to be broken apart by the commandeered Nemesis. The War Never Ends
Q-Transformers cartoon
- Voice actor: Jun Fukushima (Japanese)
Ask Vector Prime
In Primax 085.0 Eta, Wheeljack was selected to be a member of a team which was to travel to an alternate universe, designated the 22nd Strata, to find and stop the source of a series of natural disasters which were threatening Cybertron.
Optimus Prime, Hoist, Jazz, Prowl, and Silverstreak constituted the rest of the team; they dubbed themselves Spy Changers because they aimed to achieve their goal with stealth and diplomacy. The Spy Changers modified their bodies to match the native cyborgs using data acquired from the Sky Spy and traveled to the 22nd Strata but were soon attacked by the local Guardians, who mistakenly presumed them to be Renegades. The Spy Changers were then rescued by the real Renegades, who presumed them to be potential allies and took them back to their flagship, the Rogue Star. Renegade leader Cy-Kill attempted to court the Spy Changers as allies, but Optimus saw through Cy-Kill's deception. Eventually, the Autobots formed a secret alliance with the Guardians, and Wheeljack discovered the cause of Cybertron's troubles: Renegade bases on Moebius were draining the planet's energy. The planet's geometry had turned it into a crude Dimensional Interfacer, and Moebius was tapping into Cybertron to sustain itself. Hoist was able to end the crisis by triggering the bases' remote detonation sequence. Cy-Kill was furious, but in the ensuing battle, the Autobot-Guardian alliance triumphed over the Renegades. Optimus Prime and Leader-1 shook hands, and the Autobots returned to their home reality, secure in the knowledge that they had allies in places as distant as alternate realities.
The Cybertronians and GoBots had further encounters. In one instance, the Renegades tricked the Guardians into leaving Earth and then sealed the Guardians out with an Embargo Field. Stranded behind the field, Guardians Nick and Tri-Trak used the Reality Beacon to contact the 1st Strata for help. Wheeljack and Trailbreaker, who was also upgraded into a Spy Changer body, subsequently traveled to the other Earth to assist. With Trailbreaker's expertise in force fields, they discovered the source of the Embargo Field in the Eiffel Tower. Trailbreaker, Wheeljack, and Tri-Trak confronted Crain Brain and Dr. Go, defeating the villains and taking down the field. Renegades worldwide retreated as the Guardians returned en masse. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/30
Some time later, Wheeljack led Prowl, Jazz, Silverstreak, Trailbreaker, and Hoist as they pursued the Decepticons across dimensions after the villains kidnapped Optimus Prime. Renegade Rhetoric, 2016/05/02 Arriving on a strange, parallel Earth, Wheeljack's team repeatedly clashed with both the Decepticon and groups like Triple-I and the Society of Ultimate Villainy. Renegade Rhetoric, 2016/05/02 Despite their best efforts, the Autobots couldn't stop the Decepticons from upgrading themselves into new Go-Bot bodies and turning Optimus into the evil Nemesis Prime. Renegade Rhetoric (2), 2016/05/12 Defeated, demoralized, and on the brink of collapse, the group limped to a scrapyard to lick their wounds. Renegade Rhetoric (2), 2016/05/12
While trying to prevent Nemesis Prime and his followers from hijacking the D-5 supertrain as it launched from Jasper, Nevada, Wheeljack and Hoist saved a pair of cats from Crash Test. Despite their best efforts to suppress his heroism, Optimus was able to reassert himself when forced into nearly killing a human. With most of the Decepticons defeated, the Autobots regrouped and headed for Megatron's lair, only to learn that he'd already fled through the Reality Bridge into another universe. At that moment, a unfamiliar Cybertronian materialized and told the Autobots he needed their help to save six Cybertronian sparks from the manipulations of their Megatron. With no other option, Wheeljack and his team followed their unexpected guide into the breach, but promised Red Alert before he left that he'd return to his own timeline someday. Renegade Rhetoric (2), 2016/07/14
Of Masters and Mayhem
Wheeljack was part of the team tasked with constructing the Ark's engine array only for the factory to come under attack from Toxitron. As Jetfire held off the corrosive brute, the workforce evacuated the area. The Toxic Transformer
Combiner Wars cartoon
Wheeljack was among the Autobot troops who bore witness to a pivotal duel between Optimus Prime and Megatron, one meant to end the war before the never-ending arms race between the two factions spiralled further out of control. Prelude to Transformers: Combiner Wars - Optimus Prime
Bumblebee graphic novels
Wheeljack joined Optimus Prime and the other Autobots in a race to secure an unusual meteorite. As they battled Starscream and the Constructicons, Wheeljack warned Prime that its unstable cybertonium-alloy composition could go critical and cause mass destruction. When Starscream deliberately over-energized the meteorite and set it to blow, Wheeljack and the other Autobots were forced to retreat; after Bumblebee risked his life to prevent Starscream from making off with a chunk of cybertonium, Wheeljack stabilized their wounded compatriot for transport so that Ratchet could look at him. Go for the Gold
After Bumblebee returned to active duty, Wheeljack was on monitor duty aboard the Ark. Later, he and Sideswipe helped take the defeated Combaticons into Autobot custody. Win If You Dare
2019 IDW continuity
- First appearance: Transformers #2
Wheeljack and Termagax were old friends who had known one another since the days of the War of the Threefold Spark, although Wheeljack's adherence to safety and traditional schools of thought ran counter to the hot-blooded, rule-defying Termagax. In the immediate aftermath of the war, Wheeljack and Termagax helped coordinate the reconstruction efforts in Iacon, although Wheeljack did not get along with Termagax's new Constructicon recruits. Indeed, when the Constructicons discovered the long-lost Enigma of Combination, Termagax ignored Wheeljack's own concerns for their safety and instead pushed them to become a combiner. Constructicons Rising, Part 1 Wheeljack's concerns only mounted as the Constructicons struggled to control their combined form; after the giant lashed out and destroyed one of its own buildings, Wheeljack could stand by no longer and brought his concerns directly to the Senate. Though Termagax arrived to defend her recruits, the Prime ultimately agreed with Wheeljack and summarily exiled the Constructicons to Mayalx once Iacon was rebuilt. Constructicons Rising, Part 3
Wheeljack was a part of the team that helped construct the Winged Moon and the Tether some three hundred kilocycles before the Great War; as Termagax contemplated going into politics to run against the Autobots and their Nominus Edict, Wheeljack agreed to support her first rally. Wheeljack: Orbital Decay Although Wheeljack would go on to attend several such "Ascenticon" rallies, The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Three the anger that she stoked amonger her increasingly radicalized base became too much for him, and he eventually could not bring himself to support her cause. After Termagax stormed out of her last Senate meeting, she told Wheeljack that Megatron would keep the cause alive—privately, however, Wheeljack feared that Megatron's angry demagoguery would only burn down the system Termagax sought to change from within. Wheeljack: Orbital Decay
Wheeljack was present at Bumblebee's forging, Wannabee, Part 2 and was eventually selected to mentor a newborn Transformer himself. Though Wheeljack was quick to teach his mentee Gears about the glories of engineering, Gears' accident prone nature left him under Wheeljack's care for far longer than was considered normal. The Change In Your Nature Part Five
When Bumblebee was assigned to mentor Rubble, the yellow 'bot brought his ward to the Tether, where Wheeljack greeted the newborn and introduced him to everything that a career in engineering had to offer. After a trial shift on the Tether, Wheeljack invited him to watch the Winged Moon from a nearby rooftop. The World In Your Eyes Part Two The next night, Wheeljack attended Brainstorm's funeral. The World In Your Eyes Part Four Some time later, Wheeljack helped Rubble through another day shift. When Bumblebee called to cancel his trip up to the moon with Rubble, Wheeljack assured Rubble that Bumblebee would've only cancelled if he'd no other choice and saw him off once he'd been reassured that Rubble knew the way home. The World In Your Eyes Part Five
After the Rise was found to have excess stores of energon, Wheeljack investigated the Winged Moon and found an energon siphon attached. As he briefed Lancer on the situation, Gears, whom Wheeljack had sent to dismantle the siphon, experienced another bout of gravitational difficulties. Tossed up by Huffer, Wheeljack towed in his charge before Cosmos pointed out the approach of a Titan. To everyone's shock however, the Titan was not Lodestar but Vigilem. As the Titans engaged in a dog fight, Wheeljack ordered the alarm sounded and everyone inside. Before Wheeljack could enter the shelter, Vigilem touched down on the Moon and managed to destroy the Tether. The Change In Your Nature Part Five Without its anchor, the moon spun off into an unstable solar orbit. Though most of the staff was evacuated, Wheeljack remained behind with a small team to try and save the moon. All Fall Down
Wheeljack and his team promptly got to work brainstorming solutions to save their moon and the precious energon it contained before their unstable orbit sent the Winged Moon directly into Cybertron's sun. Their first plan, to vent the pressurized energon directly into space, was scrapped when it became clear that the excess pressure would shake the moon apart; their second plan of manually reactivating the moon's rotational jets was foiled when Huffer discovered that the engines were too badly damaged to jury-rig. The moon's trip through the Croaton Cloud cost them time, and the discovery of the Rise operative Enemy aboard their last shuttle only angered Wheeljack further, as he accused their movement as having betrayed everything his old friend had once stood for. Determined to prove them wrong, Wheeljack threw everything he had into their last maneuver—by sacrificing parts of the Winged Moon's own superstructure, they were able to push the moon onto a wider vector and prevent it from hitting the sun. While the other members of the team celebrated, Wheeljack took a moment by himself to relax on the lunar surface. Wheeljack: Orbital Decay
This brief respite didn't last, however; when Slipstream and her teammates attacked the Winged Moon, Wheeljack took the last shuttle back to Cybertron to get help. However, his shuttle was damaged while en route to Cybertron, and he crash-landed in Iacon some time after Megatron had launched his coup and seized control of the planetary government. Streetwise and Slapdash rescued him from Runamuck and Runabout, and brought him to the temporary Autobot headquarters at the South Tower Security Center to warn Ironhide and his group that the Decepticons had set their sights on the moon. While Novastar took a team to the moon, Wheeljack stayed behind for repairs. War World: Prime
While Hoist repaired him in Iacon's medical clinic, Wheeljack witnessed an altercation between Gutcruncher's group of Decepticons and the medical staff. While lamenting the state of Cybertron and how the Decepticons had taken all of the Titans offline, and the many innocent organics who'd be assuredly caught in the crossfire, Hoist and Wheeljack hit upon the idea of refurbishing some mothballed Ark-class vessels into makeshift evacuation vessels. Escape Part One Wheeljack joined Nautica and Hound in organizing an evacuation convoy bound for Darkmount. A group of Decepticons attacked their group before Dai Atlas, recently returned from immersion, arrived to see them off—although the ancient warrior was initially hestiant to use violence. Escape Part Two
After rescuing Leviathan, Wheeljack helped repair the giant Cybertronian before reuniting with Gears, who'd travelled to Darkmount to meet with his mentor. Escape Part Three Once they'd finally arrived at Darkmount, Wheeljack, Highbrow, and Nautica met with the city's leader Straxxus, who told them that they could have two of the four Ark ships. At the makeshift refugee camp outside the city borders Wheeljack insisted that they couldn't trust Straxxus to keep up his end of the bargain, moments before the Titan Emissary hit the nearby Cybertronian Mountains and released a vast swarm of ravenous Insecticon clones, forcing the Autobots into action. Escape Part Four Wheeljack and Gears took part in the final battle to repel the swarm—first defending the organics as they headed for the city walls of Darkmount, then using some jury-rigged alien technology to rescue Leviathan from the swarm at the cost of temporarily draining their own energon. The pair came to in time to see Straxxus's Ark leaving Cybertron after the remaining Insecticons had retreated, and in the aftermath pledged the final working starship to the organics so that they could safely leave. Escape Part Five
With no immediate way off Cybertron, Wheeljack, Nautica, and Hoist took control of Darkmount and turned it into a neutral sanctuary for organics and Cybertronians alike. Lord of Misrule: Test Flight I Wheeljack was called from Darkmount to assist the Autobots when they learned the location of Termagax, who held the Enigma of Combination. Wheeljack and Pyra Magna were determined to be the most likely delegates that Termagax would deign to speak with. Sea of Rust II Termagax's house came under attack by the Decepticons while Wheeljack was there, and the Enigma was lost to the Sea of Rust. Enigmatic
Termagax agreed to move her House to Darkmount, where the scientists and civilians had congregated during the war. Wheeljack traveled with her, though she was less than interested in conversation and company. He tried to appeal to her scientific curiosity regarding the exponential growth and positive feedback loop of the Insecticons. Termagax did come up with an idea to reprogram the Insecticlones to deal with the rust worms, and they immediately sought out the data programmer Glyph upon reaching Darkmount. The Landscape of Fear Wheeljack supported the radical nature of Termagax's plan, despite Perceptor's naysaying. A receiver was constructed to deliver the data packet once Glyph was finished. Radical Time It was still necessary to plant the receiver on a living Insecticlone, so Wheeljack monitored Hound's team as they attempted to separate one from the Swarm. The data bomb was delivered, and the Insecticons were repurposed against the rust worms. End of Time
Wheeljack, Termagax, and the other engineers got the last Ark space-worthy in time for the Autobots to abandon Cybertron to the Decepticons, reaching out into the stars to relocate the drifting Winged Moon. Fate of Cybertron
Mazinger Z versus Transformers
Wheeljack and the other Autobots were fighting for control of a space bridge when a sudden freak accident pulled them into an alternate-reality version of Japan where Doctor Hell and his minions battled Kōji Kabuto's Mazinger Z super robot. Baron Ashura initially misled the Autobots into supporting their crusade against their enemies; during their attack on the Photonic Power Laboratory, they soon realized they'd been misled and turned on the Iron Mask Army. The Autobots relaxed for a time, and Wheeljack and Ratchet befriended the local scientists.
During the final battle against a Mazinger-empowered Starscream, Wheeljack and all the other Cybertronians were teleported back to their own dimension. Mazinger Z versus Transformers
Transformers/Ghostbusters
Wheeljack fought in the final battle for Cybertron before Optimus Prime and the other Autobots fled the planet aboard the Ark moments before Gozer arrived and destroyed the planet. Ghosts of Cybertron Part 1 About a thousand years later, Ectronymous Diamatron travelled to Earth to investigate a Cybertronian signal and informed Optimus that he'd discovered Starscream's ghost. A skeptical Wheeljack offered to go in Prime's stead, but Optimus pointed out that it was his duty to support his subordinates and reminded Wheeljack of the times when he'd supported his ideas, even if Grimlock still thought that Wheeljack was crazy. Ghosts of Cybertron Part 3
Transformers vs. the Terminator
Wheeljack was among the crew of the Ark. Enemy of My Enemy Part Two Left reasonably intact by the Decepticons' ransacking of the ship, he was one of the few Autobots Optimus Prime and Bumblebee could bring online to help repair their many injured comrades. Even if Wheeljack himself was rather pessimistic of their prospects of success, he and Ratchet quickly got to work on healing their comrades only for the duplicitous T-800 to use pilfered Autobot explosives to remotely detonate the Ark. Enemy of My Enemy Part Three
War for Cybertron Trilogy continuity
War for Cybertron Trilogy marketing material
| “ | Never do what your enemy expects you to do. | ” |
After Cybertron fell, the Autobots left their homeworld aboard the Ark, traveling through space in pursuit of the AllSpark. Wheeljack was a Ground Command Engineering Sergeant, Earthrise toy packaging whose function was Mechanical Engineering. His primary objective was to invent and innovate anything he could to use against the Decepticons, and his primary weapon was the "Magnetic Inducer Launcher". Earthrise webpage[1]
Being the inventor that he was, Wheeljack also designed both Optimus Prime's "W-M3 RF Ion Blaster" and "W-50 Dual-Mech Energon Strikeshield"; weapons in which Prime used on Cybertron. Both of these weapons could combine and modlock into the "Sentrystrike Ultra-Blaster" using the C.O.M.B.A.T. System. Autobot weapons database on Hasbro Pulse[2]
Closer than ever to reaching the AllSpark, the Autobots awakened after crash-landing on pre-Ice Age Earth. While battling the Decepticons, both sides were joined by the Maximals and Predacons, their epic battle changing their combined destinies.
During this period, Wheeljack's function was a warrior, and he trans-scanned into a sports car. His Energon pistols and speed were his powers and weapons, and his core traits were his ferocity, fearlessness, and protectiveness. Wheeljack's message from the future was that his cooperation with mysterious new allies will lead to heroic ends. Kingdom webpage[3]
War for Cybertron Trilogy cartoon
- Voice actor: Bill Rogers (English), Volcano Ōta (Japanese), Marco Ribeiro (Portuguese), Stefan Godin (French), Sven Hasper (German), Davide Marzi (Italian), David Hernán (Castilian Spanish), Armando Coria (Latin-American Spanish), Manish Wadhwa (Hindi)
Wheeljack hired a neutral energon scrounger by the name of Bumblebee to look for fuel when they stumbled across an abandoned space bridge by accident. Before he could tell Optimus Prime about their discovery, however, Megatron found their position and ordered their execution before Elita-1 and Optimus Prime arrived to save them. Siege episode 1 After Optimus and Elita returned from a disastrous, Wheeljack suggested using the ship's sensors to locate the AllSpark, even if meant siphoning the energon required to keep their grounded ship concealed. Siege episode 2 While discussing contingency measures to keep the AllSpark out of Decepticon hands, Wheeljack mentioned the space bridge he'd found and suggested recruiting Ratchet to help repair the ancient device. After fighting their way through a Decepticon patrol, the group arrived at Ratchet's improvised clinic, and after reaching out to his former colleague Ratchet grudgingly agreed to help. Siege episode 3 When Prime returned to the Ark after a meeting with the Guardians, Wheeljack informed him that he'd soon have Teletraan-1 up and running. Siege episode 4
After Bumblebee absorbed the Alpha Trion Protocols, Wheeljack was able to map Bumblebee's newfound knowledge of the Allspark onto a modern topographic map of Cybertron to pinpoint the artifact's location and tracked it to the Sea of Rust. To get the Ark up and running, Wheeljack told Bumblebee that they'd need more energon, which convinced the neutral to strike a deal with Soundblaster for more fuel. Siege episode 5 By the time that they returned, the final battle for the planet had already begun, and after refuelling Elita ordered Wheeljack to launch the Ark for the space bridge. Optimus was forced to put the AllSpark beyond Megatron's reach by throwing it through the portal; as the remaining Autobots boarded the Ark and left to retrieve the life-giving artifact, the passage through the unstable spacebridge knocked everyone aboard unconscious. Siege episode 6
Wheeljack and the other Autobots aboard the Ark were captured by Doubledealer's crew of Mercenaries and brought to the insane Quintesson Deseeus for judgement, though they were later able to escape when the Mercenaries turned on their employer. Earthrise episode 2 Some time later, Ratchet and Wheeljack picked up the AllSpark's signal but told Optimus that they didn't have enough energon to make the trip without a space bridge to shorten the transit time. The Autobots set a course for the nearest space bridge, but discovered that the dilapidated portal in the Nebulon system had a space station keeping the portal open. To close the connection, Wheeljack joined several other Autobots as they boarded the station to lay emergency charges that would destroy the station from within and reset the spacebridge connection. However, they were attacked by Scorponok, who nearly crushed Wheeljack to death before Mirage distracted him with a hologram. Earthrise episode 3 When Megatron's Decepticons caught up with them, a massive explosion sealed Wheeljack and most of the other Autobots behind a blast door; after Soundwave freed them, the two factions were forced to call a temporary truce, and Optimus ordered Wheeljack to patch up Megatron so that they could take on Scorponok together. As their alliance fell apart, however, Wheeljack managed to disorient the Decepticons by deactivating the station's artificial gravity systems and buy the Autobots just enough time to get back to the Ark and take off, but a blast from the Nemesis stranded both ships in the Dead Universe. Earthrise episode 4
With the help of Sky Lynx, the Autobots were able to escape the Dead Universe moments before the Decepticons did the same, Earthrise episode 5 and both ships reappeared over prehistoric Earth. During the ensuing three-way battle between Deseeus, the Autobots, and Decepticons, Wheeljack managed to lead a team aboard the Nemesis and take control of its weapons to fire on the Fool's Fortune. As the Quintesson ship exploded, Wheeljack and his team retreated back to the Ark just in time to brace for impact as the destruction of the Fortune sent both the Ark and Nemesis plunging into the planet's atmosphere. Earthrise episode 6
After crash-landing near an active volcano, Wheeljack found that Teletraan was behaving oddly, but had no time to investigate these findings before the Autobots encountered the Maximals, who hailed from a dystopian future timeline where the AllSpark was never returned to Cybertron. Kingdom episode 1 While Prime and most of the other Autobots went off with the Maximal leader Optimus Primal to find the artifact, Wheeljack worked with Ratchet and Rhinox to find the AllSpark and get their ship repaired, and was impressed by the Maximal engineer's skill with machines. Kingdom episode 2 Kingdom episode 3
By the time that Optimus Prime and their new companions had recovered the AllSpark, Wheeljack attempted to launch the Ark against Ratchet's better judgement but was unable to power up the ship. With Teletraan still uncooperative, the Autobot and Maximals couldn't launch their ship before the Decepticons and Predacons launched an offensive. At that moment, however, the reason for Teletraan's "malfunction" became clear—using the AllSpark as a battery, the computer was able to reconfigure the ship's vessel into a towering robot mode, and explained to the stunned Wheeljack that it had learned how to transform during the ship's time in the Dead Universe. The Decepticons defeated, Wheeljack and the other Autobots took the villains prisoner and headed home to Cybertron aboard their starship. Kingdom episode 5 Upon crash-landing on Cybertron, the Autobots and Maximals discovered that Cybertron was now a dead, icy, world, unable to support life. Wheeljack joined in the battle against Nemesis Prime and Galvatron; after they were defeated and the planet restored to life, he took part in the ceremony commemorating the end of the Autobot-Decepticon war. Kingdom episode 6
Transformers Go! Go!
One day on Cybertron, Wheeljack unveiled his latest invention for Optimus Prime's approval: a unique, multi-functional jet pack that doubled as an umbrella and a massage chair. However, the jetpack quickly went out of control, and Bumblebee and Wheeljack had to chase after their leader as he went flying off. Big Invention, Big Trouble? Later, Wheeljack walked in to discover that a greedy Grimlock had eaten all of their energon cubes and suffered an explosive bout of indigestion. Mission: Snacks, All to Myself!
During a search for energon on a Planet of Games, Wheeljack constructed a machine that would instantly warp any nearby energon supplies to their current location. However, his new invention immediately blew up in his face. Great Adventure on the Planet of Games!
On Optimus Prime's birthday, Wheeljack got his leader a potted Morphobot. Later, he and all the other Autobots came together to enjoy the birthday cake that Bumblebee had baked Optimus. The Commander's Birthday On another occasion, Wheeljack gave Bumblebee a homework assignment to build a functioning time machine. Go! Go! issue 14 During an Autobot-Decepticon skirmish over the perfect barbecue spot, Wheeljack battled Soundwave. I Want to Protect This Place
One winter's day, Wheeljack invented a snowball throwing machine for his teammates to train against. However, the machine promptly malfunctioned and went out of control until the Autobots were able to reach the machine's emergency shutdown switch. All was not lost, as the Autobots used the excess snow created by the runaway robot to construct an igloo for the night. Go! Go! issue 18
When the Transformers learned that their adventures were being published in manga format, Wheeljack announced that copies of the Go! Go! manga were already available in e-book format. Go! Go! issue 26 A bespectacled Wheeljack detected a treasure in the jungle and sent Bumblebee and Arcee to investigate. Go! Go! issue 28 When the "treasure" turned out to be an payload of armed energon bombs, Optimus and Wheeljack mistook the explosion for fireworks. Go! Go! issue 29
After Wheeljack invented a new cleaning drone, Mirage broke into his laboratory and played with his new creation. Mirage used his invisibility powers to pin the blame on Bumblebee; when Wheeljack tried to fix his damaged robot, the machine went berserk and tried to "clean" its creator. Go! Go! issue 30
2021 Beast Wars comic
The Wheeljack Ministry of Science was presumably named after Wheeljack, which featured a pair of statues cast in his likeness. Savage Landing Part 1 Following the discovery of the Golden Disk, Wheeljack was part of the team that studied it. Maximals Strike Back, Part 1
My Little Pony/Transformers
To fight back against King Sombra's mind-control spell, Wheeljack worked with Shockwave and Ratchet to construct a set of emotion-powered exo-suits. Once their pony allies had rescued Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Twilight Sparkle from Sombra's control, Wheeljack and Ratchet helped the newly freed ponies into their suits. Finale
Calm Sleep Stories
Wheeljack was the inventor and mechanic of Optimus Prime's team, always looking to advance Cybertronian technology and never afraid to be his own test subject.
One night on Earth, Wheeljack and the other Autobots visited a drive-in theater in Idaho. History of the Transformers
Energon Universe
Wheeljack was one of the many Autobots who fled Cybertron aboard the Ark and among the Autobots who (unsuccessfully) engaged Megatron as their ship crashed to Earth. Transformers Energon Universe Special story Many years later, his body was taken by Ratchet and Optimus Prime as they escaped from the attack of the newly reconstructed Decepticon forces. Transformers #1 Once they were safely away from the Decepticons, Ratchet began reassembling Wheeljack using the technology in Prime's Combat Deck. Transformers #2 Ratchet continued to work on the dormant Wheeljack until he received a distress call from Optimus Prime, prompting Ratchet to apologize to Wheeljack as he went to temporarily revive Jazz instead. Transformers #4
Ratchet was eventually able to revive Wheeljack, but to conserve energon, he only rebuilt his upper half, which he placed on a mechanical pedestal. Wheeljack, with assistance from the Autobots' new human friend Sparky Witwicky, was able to build a turbine connected to a human-built dam, with the hope of reviving more dormant Autobots (and eventually getting enough energon to fully repair his and Optimus's bodies). Wheeljack was impressed with Sparky's ability, and expressed hope that they'd produce enough energon to revive and repair all the Autobots and still have enough left over to fuel Farmingham for a decade.
They were able to bring Arcee out of stasis, but at that moment, they were set upon by a Decepticon attack. Despite lacking a lower body, Wheeljack laid down defensive fire in the battle. Jazz was successfully and fully brought back to life, but before any more Autobots could be revived, Starscream was able to badly damage the turbine. Wheeljack lamented that the turbine would take a while to repair. Transformers #5
Wheeljack would then repair Ratchet's legs and started working on getting Teletraan I operational before accidentally locking himself out by reactivating the part of Skywarp that had been built into Teletraan. He then broke the news to the others before Optimus came back and notioned that Jetfire was next in line to be reactivated. Transformers #7 Wheeljack continued to try and break through Skywarp's stonewalling to no avail, wondering if he hadn't fallen into a trap laid by Soundwave. Carly then accidentally fired an RPG at Skywarp, but Arcee blocked the shot. This display wound up giving Skywarp the impetus to repair Wheeljack's legs.
Not long after, Wheeljack detected Decepticon activity on Teletraan One. While Prime led a party to take care of them, Wheeljack stayed behind with Carly and Arcee. Transformers #8 The three of them decided to take the opportunity to try and bring the turbine at Farmingham Dam back into working order so they could revive more troops. But on their way there, they came under fire from a human militia from Farmingham and were forced to stop. Carly tried to intervene on the Autobots' behalf, and Wheeljack promised the humans that they meant them no harm. Transformers #9 As they were siphoning more energy from the dam, Optimus returned with Elita One and a heavily damaged Ultra Magnus. Wheeljack noted Ratchet could get Ultra Magnus repaired in a jiffy, prompting Optimus to reveal Ratchet had been killed in the battle with the Decepticons. Wheeljack took this news hard, rebuffing Optimus' attempt to console him in favor of some time alone. Transformers #10
Commercial appearances
- Wheeljack was among the Autobots gathered around Optimus Prime when Prime decided it would be a good idea to not transform anymore. Action Master commercial
- Wheeljack and Sprocket were driving on Cybertron, aboard the Turbo Racer and the Attack Cruiser respectively, when they came under fire from Gutcruncher's Stratotronic Jet. Action Master vehicles commercial
- Wheeljack also planned on attending BotCon 2009 alongside his fellow Autobots. BotCon 2009!
Games
Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons
When Optimus embarked on his mission to rescue the Autobots' Minicar troops from the Decepticons, Wheeljack could come to Optimus Prime's aid by repairing his flat tires. Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons packaging blurb and game
The Transformers (PS2)
- Voice actor: Russ Veillard
Construct-Bots Builder
The components necessary for building "Construct-Bot" Wheeljack were accessible within the Cybertron construction zone. Despite it being against protocol, you could mix his parts with those of Decepticons! (gasp!) Construct-Bots Builder
Transformers Legends
The Dinobots began behaving erratically, so Wheeljack used his magnetic inducer on Slug while Optimus Prime kept them distracted. Wheeljack took as scan of Slug, but the data was corrupted, so he had to use Teletraan I to repair it. Day of the Dinobots - Part 1 When the Constructicons attempted to infiltrate the base to strike at Teletraan, Wheeljack was part of Ironhide's team which tried unsuccessfully to halt their progress. Heavy Metal War - Part 1 Wheeljack joined a team led by Bumblebee to help track down the Predacons. Call of the Primitives
Optimus and Wheeljack returned to Autobot HQ after an absence to find Grimlock had taken leadership. Though they failed to resist him, he soon bored with leading the Autobots and let Optimus take command again. Me, Grimlock, King In an attempt to save Spike when the boy was injured during a battle, Wheeljack transferred Spike's mind into Autobot X. Things went horribly wrong, but Wheeljack later successfully transferred Spike's mind back into his healed body. Autobot X
At some point Wheeljack teamed up with Cyclonus and Misfire to combat Overlord and his allies. Fan Favorite
Angry Birds Transformers
Wheeljack appears as a character unlockable in Challenge Events. He is portrayed by Bomb. Angry Birds Transformers
Transformers: Battle Tactics
Wheeljack participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was a Common character that could be recruited for 14 units of Cybermetal. Transformers: Battle Tactics
Transformers: Devastation
- Voice actor: Christopher Swindle
Wheeljack joined a team of other Autobots in opposing Megatron's scheme and stopping the cyberforming of Earth. He upgraded the Autobots' weapons and built T.E.C.H. for them on the Ark, and also provided technical expertise in the field. While his low stamina and slower speed meant he preferred to leave the fighting to Grimlock and Sideswipe, he was more than capable of adjusting a Decepticon's attitude with a well-placed smack from his wrenches or some pinpoint blaster fire. His trusty shield helped him out in several firefights, as did the many Immobilizers he built to destroy large swathes of Decepticons. Transformers: Devastation
Transformers: Frontiers
Transformers Operation Omega
Transformers: Earth Wars
When it comes to improvisation, Wheeljack is in a whole other league to most mechanical engineers, and that flair for thinking outside the box applies to his battlefield tactics too. "Never do what the enemy expects." is his approach to warfare, and it's served him very well.
He has a knack for whipping up wild new gadgets, often out of whatever scrap metal and power cells are to hand, though it has earned him something of a 'mad doctor' tag. Wheeljack Bio
Wheeljack arrived in time to help out in the battle for the Codex Key.
Wheeljack also helped Optimus perfect the Combining process, along with Perceptors help. Combiner Wars Campaign
Wheeljack even later helped Prime and some volunteers form OPTIMUS MAXIMUS! Countdown To Combination Event
Prowl told Kup that Wheeljack would outfit him with an Orbital Bounce relay for a mission to the Decepticon Moonbase. Moonbase
- Class: Medic
- Lowest Star Rating: 2 star
- Weapons:Wheeljack uses a combat nullifier to heal his targets. If not healing, Wheeljack uses a standard issue photon blaster to decimate targets.
- Ability: Combat Simulants: Speed up the movement and attack speed of friendly bots for 8 seconds!
- Cost: 3 ability points +2 for reuses.
Wheeljack at Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki
Transformers Online (2017 video game)
| “ | Don't let your enemies dictate what you do. | ” |
Four million years ago, Wheeljack travelled with Optimus on the Ark away from an energy depleted Cybertron. Bluestreak once described Wheeljack as "a fellow who can make nuclear bombs out of scrap metal and rust buckets." Wheeljack became renowned as a "mad scientist" for creating gadgets for the Autobots that will optimize their performance in combat. Furthermore, his driving skills are superb enough to make any Hollywood hero envious.
In battle, Wheeljack wielded the laser powered "Stillson Wrench" and the bubble blasting "Fusion Ray Gun". His active skill was "Backup Firepower":
- Backup Firepower — Wheeljack calls forth 2 levitating turret drones to fight by his side. If Wheeljack dies in battle, the turrets will initiate a kamikaze protocol to kill Wheeljack's opponent(s), resulting in extensive damage. Transformers Online [4]
Transformers: Forged to Fight
As a Tech Bot, Wheeljack constructs up to three Upgrades of three types: Offensive Upgrades that can Shock opponents, Defensive Upgrades that can Stun, or Power Upgrades that can Power Leak. He can also activate an emergency Force Shield allowing him to survive potentially deadly attacks (and catastrophic mishaps in the lab).
Transformers: Heavy Metal
Wheeljack supplied technology such as scanners for the Guardian Program, and occasionally requested the humans involved search for Mini-Cons. Transformers: Heavy Metal
Transformers Roleplaying Game
Wheeljack was a resourceful Autobot mechanic who could cobble together just about anything from scrap metal and spare parts. Renowned by his allies for his ability to improvise, Wheeljack attacked engineering challenges with the same kind of ferocity he unleashed on the open road. Wheeljack was instrumental in establishing the Autobot Road to allow Cybertronians to rapidly deploy anywhere on the planet. Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook
Toys and merchandise
Notes
- Wheeljack's original toy was one of the figures that already had package art created by Takara for its Diaclone release. The existing artwork was only slightly modified for the Transformers version, replacing the upside down number "539" on the chest with an Autobot insignia, and adding another Autobot insignia to the left foot. The package art was then used as a reference for the character model, which made it stand out by deviating from the rather stiff model sheet poses used for most other characters. Also, the character model includes various technical details (notably, two triangular shapes) on the insides of Wheeljack's lower legs feet that do not exist on the toy, but were specifically invented for the package art. The model pose was then referenced (or swiped, if you will) numerous times for both the comic series by Marvel (notably, two panels in issue #9) and the Transformers cartoon (notably, Wheeljack's first transformation sequence after gaining his Earth alternate mode in "More than Meets the Eye, Part 1").
- Wheeljack has the distinction of being the first Transformer to appear in the original The Transformers cartoon, and thus the first one to appear in any animated story.
- In Japanese continuity, Wheeljack is portrayed as being older than most Autobots; he talks like an old man and is even referred to as one by Ironhide, of all people, in the dub of "Heavy Metal War". According to the Japanese PlayStation 2 Transformers game, he is significantly older than Jazz, old enough to tell him to "respect your elders". Also, he is younger than Kup, but still enough of age to share old man stories with him.
- Storyboards for The Transformers: The Movie show Smokescreen lying dead next to Windcharger instead of Wheeljack. The establishing shot of the launcher near where Wheeljack's remains lie even show a Smokescreen-colored Wheeljack corpse. Older versions of the movie script in fact feature Wheeljack alive and well after the Battle of Autobot City, having merely been knocked unconscious. He and several other Autobots take part in a plotline that involved saving Earth from Unicron's siphoning hose that was draining the Earth's energy and would ultimately destroy it.
- In a continuity where most of the time, most Autobots can't fly under their own power, one of the few Autobot cars explicitly described as being capable of flight is Wheeljack—whose alternate mode and color scheme come from a racecar sponsored by a certain airline. Coincidence? (Maybe Wheeljack only gets to fly because his Diaclone toy had wings—but then, maybe the Diaclone toy had wings because of the "Alitalla" airline.)
- Wheeljack's bio on the War for Cybertron: Kingdom webpage is exactly the same as Arcee's, save for the character's name and artwork being changed.
- Wheeljack's design in the 2021 Beast Wars comic is inspired by his Animated counterpart.[5]
Foreign names
- Japanese: Wheeljack (ホイルジャック Hoirujakku)
- Czech: Ráfek
- French: Invento (Canada), Cric (Canada Action Master, "Jack"), Wheelie (European French cartoon dub)
- Hebrew: Jeck (ג'ק, "Jack")
- Hungarian: Kerék ("Wheel"), Kormányos Jack ("Steersman Jack" or "Steering-Wheeled Jack", used in the comic's profile pages)
- Italian: Saetta ("Bolt")
- Mandarin: Luén Chéi (Taiwan, 輪傑, "Wheel Jay"), Qiānjīndǐng (China, 千斤顶, "Wheeljack" or "Hoisting Jack")
- Portuguese: Auto-Roda (Portuguese comic, "Auto-Motor"), Motriz (Brazilian comic, "Wheel")
- Russian: Gónshchik (Го́нщик, "Racer")
- Ukrainian: Kermanych (Керманич, "Steerer")
See also
References
- ↑ Earthrise website
- ↑ "Siege Optimus Prime C.O.M.B.A.T. Weapons Guide" on Hasbro Pulse
- ↑ Kingdom webpage
- ↑ Wheeljack profile on the Transformers Online website
- ↑ "I even just straight up used his design for Wheeljack in issue 10. My love for the work Derrick did is pretty unabashed and I wouldn't have it any other way. I even like to think that some alternate version of TFA kinda sets up the backstory for our Beast Wars comic-"—Josh Burcham, Twitter, 2021/12/27
- Character stubs missing fiction
- Character stubs missing video games
- Action Masters
- Alternators Autobots
- Dimension hoppers
- Dreamwave Generation 1 Autobots
- Energon Universe Autobots
- Engineers
- Generation 1 Autobots
- Generation 2 Autobots
- Go! Go! Autobots
- Hall of Fame characters
- IDW (2019) Autobots
- Kreons
- Kre-O Autobots
- Scientists
- Transformers Roleplaying Game Autobots
- United Autobots
- War for Cybertron: Earthrise Autobots
- War for Cybertron: Kingdom Autobots
- War for Cybertron: Siege Autobots