Rampage (Transformers)

Rampage is the name of two different fictional characters in the Transformers universes

Transformers: Generation 1
Rampage was a member of the Predacons, the other members being Razorclaw, Divebomb, Headstrong, and Tantrum. He can combine with them to form Predaking, becoming the right arm. His alternative form is a mechanical tiger.

His tech spec indicates that Rampage is little more than a raging psychopath, in a constant state of rage that leaves even the other Predacons afraid of him. Rather oddly, there is one way of keeping Rampage under control - he is easily distracted by mindless television entertainment.

Plans for a repaint of Energon Battle Ravage as a homage to Rampage for Botcon 2006 were never realized, but a hand painted prototype figure was made.

Animated series
Rampage would make his debut with the other Predacons as part of the Decepticon/Quintesson alliance in the third season of the animated series. Rampage and the other Predacons quickly proved themselves a formidable threat, especially in their combined mode of Predaking. Rampage accomplished few notable actions on his own, but as part of the team battled Sky Lynx numerous times, was at the forefront of the Decepticon invasion of Paradron, teaming up with their Autobot rivals to fend off monsters from Daniel Witwicky's imagination and battling the energy monster Tornedron alongside the other "Transformers Primitives". He was infected by the hate plague, but was cured when Optimus Prime released the power of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership.

Transformers: Headmasters
Rampage continued to put in short appearances in 1987's Japanese-exclusive spin-off series, Transformers: The Headmasters, usually fighting alongside and against the other combiner teams as part of Predaking in various battles. In 1990's Transformers: Zone, Predaking was one of the nine Deception generals in the service of the mysterious insectoid Violenjiger, and met his end when Autobot leader Dai Atlas cleaved his body in two (somewhat bizarrely revealing what appeared to be an organic brain within him).

Marvel Comics
Rampage appeared as part of a team sent to Earth by Shockwave to get rid of his former leader Megatron. Their attempt failed, as Megatron defeated them all. Megatron would apparently perish in a Space Bridge explosion, and Rampage would join Shockwave's army on Earth.

During the events of the Underbase saga, he battled Apeface, ripping his arm off - only to be bludgeoned with it in return. He was deactivated by the Underbase powered Starscream.

Dreamwave Productions
Dreamwave Productions' 21st century re-imagining of the original universe had little time to focus on the Predacons before the company's closure. It was revealed that in their version Rampage and the other Predacons were once warlords on Cybertron who were cast into exile in space. Settling on Planet Beest, home of the Battle Beasts, the Predacons sank into a feral state, and lived as inhabitants of that world for untold years, until Megatron arrived. He defeated all the Predacons, and reengineered them to combine as Predaking.

They then headed to Earth, defeating Bruticus - but Dreamwave went into bankruptcy from there.

Devil's Due Publishing
Rampage returned in the third G.I. Joe vs the Transformers crossover from Devil's Due Publishing. As part of the Predacons, he battled the Seacons until interrupted by Serpentor. As part of his army he took down Omega Supreme as part of Predaking, and was assigned as a guard to watch the various Autobot and G.I. Joe prisoners. He was seen showing a desire to head to Earth and cause destruction - but he was taken out by Grimlock.

Transformers: Timelines
The 2006 BotCon tale would expand on the reference in the Gathering, indicating that not only did the Predacons have something to do with the founding of the faction, but they had been working behind the scenes in order to advance their own cause. Divebomb is revealed to have been responsible for reformatting Laserbeak, Buzzsaw and Ravage into Predacons. He also ensured the success of Megatron's history altering plan to steal the Golden Disk. Later, after Megatron's death at the end of Beast Machines, Razorclaw announced his intentions to actively lead the Predacons to victory once again. It is interesting to note that the Predacons' robot modes here resemble more organic versions of their original robot modes.

Toys

 * Generation 1 Rampage (1986)
 * Came with two guns and a sword.


 * Timelines Rampage (unreleased)
 * This proposed exclusive toy for BotCon 2006 was a redeco of Energon Battle Ravage in the colors of Generation 1 Rampage.


 * Huge Weight Transformer Rampage (2007)
 * An unofficial Chinese remake of the original Rampage toy redecoed into orange and white. This toy featured a gold chrome sword, transparent blue guns.

Beast Wars (1998)
Rampage was a Predacon from the Beast Wars Transformers universe.

The toy of Rampage was later repainted as Botcon exclusive Shockaract.

Animated series
The Transformer later known as Rampage was a former Maximal that was the test subject of the Maximal elders who sought to duplicate Starscream's immortal spark. They instead ended up with a powerful, psychotic creature who had a resilient, though not quite indestructible spark. He was given no name and was referred to as “Protoform X”.

Although highly intelligent and articulate in speech, X was nothing more than a murderous sadist who loved causing death and destruction. Escaping his captors, X went on the rampage and cut a swathe across Cybertronian space. He started his career by escaping and completely annihilated Colony Omicron, earning the eternal hatred of the only survivor - the security chief Depth Charge. After four years of destruction and mutilation, Depth Charge finally captured X. However, the Maximal Elders, aware of his seemingly immortal spark, had him reduced to protoform stasis and charged Optimus Primal with dumping X on some lifeless rock. However, Megatron's theft of the Golden Disk artifact forestalled this and X ended up jettisoned on prehistoric Earth.

Later, X, with a new transmetal body with the alternate mode of a crab, awoke on Earth after an energon storm and went immediately back to his old habits, attacking everyone - Maximal or Predacon - he could find. He was eventually stopped by Primal, Cheetor, Silverbolt and Blackarachnia, who knocked him over a cliff and heavily damaged him. However, Megatron (who had been keeping tabs on the situation through a bug planted on Blackarachnia) arrived extracting half his spark essence with an Energon blade. By keeping the removed portion in a box lined with energon needles, the Predacon leader could keep the formerly uncontrollable monster in line by crushing it whenever he disobeyed him, and thus tortured the rejected Maximal into becoming a Predacon. It was at this point that Megatron gave Protoform X the name Rampage - according to Megatron, an "honored name"; a possible allusion to the original Predacon of the same name.

Rampage openly displayed hatred and contempt for all the other Predacons. He was insubordinate to Megatron whenever he could get away with it, and often threatened his fellows with torture, mutilation and cannibalism simply to unnerve them. When in battle he often threatened the same to the Maximals. He also had a tendency to slip into fits of manic laughter or lunatic battle rages, often roaring or snarling indistinctly in combat.

Although Rampage's love for pain, suffering, and fear is well known, many consider Rampage not to be inherently evil (unlike the Predacons) but to be a simply dark, disturbed, and a lost Transformer who was shaped unintentionally by the Maximals themselves. When a misshapen protoform became Transmutate, Rampage, knowing what it was like to be feared and rejected, claimed to understand her pain, and helped her to channel her rage and pain into hurting his enemies. However, he was opposed by Silverbolt, who wanted to help her over come it, not give into it. The two battled over Transmutate's fate, and, unable to stop her two friends battling over her, sacrificed herself to stop the fighting. Surveying the wreckage, Rampage held her head in his hands, and let out an anguished cry. Later, when told by Blackarachnia he would "live to regret this" in another episode, Rampage responded ''"I regret everything, my sweet." '' This, in combination with his behavior with Transmutate, and the fact that Transmutate called him "Friend, Dark," instead of evil, seemed to indicate a feeling of purposelessness in Rampage, though likely it was just witty banter.

Rampage went on to become one of the Maximals' most feared foes, with immense firepower and strength. Eventually his past caught up with him when Depth Charge arrived looking for him. Angered by the Elders' refusal to execute Protoform X, Depth Charge set out on his own to kill the monster and fell through the same transwarp corridor that brought the Axalon to Earth. The two battled, with Rampage only escaping due to Quickstrike gunning down the enraged Maximal. Rampage would have the last laugh though, blasting Depth Charge's ship apart and stranding him on Earth. However Depth Charge was obsessed with finishing the job and did not seem to care or even notice. Later, Megatron used the extracted part of Rampage's spark essence to bring life to his Transmetal II clone of Dinobot. As a result, Dinobot was given the ability to hurt Rampage by squeezing their joined sparks, should he step out of line - as he often did.

Rampage met his end in the penultimate episode of Beast Wars, Nemesis Pt 1. Ordered to defend the Nemesis, Rampage again met Depth Charge, who had been ordered to destroy it. The two battled underwater for the last time, even dueling with shards of raw energon as swords. Pinned down by Depth Charge, Rampage unexpectedly released his grip on the shard of energon, laughing maniacally, knowing that if Depth Charge killed him, the Maximal would die with him. Also realizing this, Depth Charge stabbed him right in the spark with a raw piece of energon anyway. Rampage exploded, detonating the surrounding energon deposit, and killing Depth Charge in the process.

Beast Wars Manga
In the Beast Wars Metals Manga on Bonbon magazine, Rampage was portrayed as a cannibalistic monster who attacked Optimus Primal, Airazor, and Rattrap when they investigated the vicinity of where his stasis pod was located. It was by sheer luck that they managed to jettison him into space, oddly taking him out of the story for good.

Transformers: Armada
Rampage is the Japanese name for the Decepticon character Wheeljack.

Rampage