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
Rampage was a Predacon from the Beast Wars Transformers universe. His beast mode is a crab and his vehicle mode is a tank. He is a Transmetal and is portrayed as being more powerful than Megatron was in his Transmetal form.

Animated series
The Beast Wars variant of Rampage first appeared during the Transmetal story arc of Season 2, in the episode "Bad Spark". He was depicted as a Hannibal Lecter like figure: intelligent and articulate but also a murderous and cold blooded killer who loved causing death and destruction. His back story was covered over the course of several episodes, mostly through narrative by Optimus Primal, Depth Charge, and Rhinox.

According to back story provided by Primal in "Bad Spark", Rampage was created as the subject of an experiment by the Maximals to duplicate Starscream's indestructible spark. However, while the experiment was successful in replicating some, if not all, of the properties of Starscream's spark, the creature that it created: dubbed "Protoform X", had proven to be psychotic and impossible to control. Still known as Protoform X, he went on to escape from the elders and to annihilate an entire colony before being recaptured. Finding themselves unable to destroy his spark, the Maximal elders were forced to reduce Protoform X to a protoform which was then loaded aboard Primal's ship for disposal on an uninhabited world. This mission was interrupted by Megatron's theft of the Golden Disk, and the events of Beast Wars Season 1, which saw Protoform X being jettisoned into orbit around a prehistoric Earth, along with the Axalon's cargo of Maximal protoforms.

Protoform X's statis pod was knocked out of orbit during the events of "Other Voices, Part 2" (Season 1) and "Aftermath" (Season 2) before finally landing in the episode "Bad Spark," in which he makes his debut. At this point Protoform X takes on a new transmetal form: a crab with an alternative tank mode. After attacking both Maximals and Predacons, he is stopped by the combined forces of Primal, Cheetor, Silverbolt, and Blackarachnia, who force him off of a cliff. Before he can regenerate, Protoform X is intercepted by Megatron, who cuts out his spark with an Energon blade and places its core in cage lined with Energon needles, which he subsequently uses to control him. It is at the end of "Bad Spark" that Rampage finally receives his name.

For the rest of season 2, Rampage served with the Predacons but displayed open hatred and contempt for then. 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. On at least one occasion, Rampage tried to steal back his spark core, but failed. According to the bio supplied with his toy, Megatron's possession of the spark core was the only thing preventing him from being torn apart by the Predacon crab.

During the events of "The Agenda" (Parts 1-3) Rampage was one of the Predacons whom sided with the Tripredacus Council agent Ravage, and managed to survive the destruction of the former-Deceptions ship thanks to the properties of his spark. In the season 3 premier "Optimal Situation" Rampage is instrumental in the destruction of the Maximal base, forcing them to relocate to the Ark.

Further details of Rampage's past are revealed during "Deep Metal", when his old foe Depth Charge arrives seeking revenge. Depth charge was the security chief of Colony Omicron, and was the only survivor of Rampage's massacre. Depth Charge tracked Rampage for 4 years after the colony's destruction and then handed him over to the elders. He was less than pleased that the elders were unable to execute Rampage, and he maintained a grudge against Primal for letting Rampage loose. At the end of "Deep Metal", Rampage destroys Depth Charge's ship: stranding him on Earth. Depth Charge is able to track Rampage's spark and the two duel for the rest of the season with neither being able to destroy the other.

Later on in the season episode "Feral Scream (Part 1)", Megatron uses Rampage's spark core to create a Transmetal 2 clone of Dinobot. Rampage is visibly disgusted with the hybrid whom is able to exact similar torture on his spark to Megatron.

Rampage finally meets his end in the episode "Nemesis (Part 1)". Ordered to defend the Nemesis, Rampage again encounters with Depth Charge. The two battled underwater for the last time, dueling with shards of raw energon as swords. Depth Charge appears to gain the advantage, pinning Rampage to the ground with a shard of Energon almost piercing his spark, but is unable to push it home. Laughing maniacally, Rampage releases his grip, allowing Depth Charge to stab his spark. The subsequent explosion detonating the surrounding Energon deposits. Both Rampage and Depth Charge are destroyed, however, unlike previous occasions in which he suffered injuries, Rampage does not regenerate. At the moment of Rampage's death, Transmetal Dinobot is seen to be visibly shaken. He comments that his spark feels "whole". No further details is given through script or narrative, though fans have reached various conclusions as to the reason for/significance of these events.

Although Rampage is shown to be cruel and to enjoy inflicting suffering and fear on other, he was sometimes portrayed as being a dark, disturbed, and a lost Transformer who was shaped unintentionally by the Maximals themselves, rather than inherently evil creature like the Predacons. One example of this was during the season 2 episode "Transmutate" in when an accident causes a protoform to become the powerful but misshapen Maximal Transmutate. Rampage, knowing what it was like to be feared and rejected, was shown to feel empathy towards Transmutate, and claimed to understand its pain. Transmute referred to Rampage as a friend and as being "dark" instead of evil, and when it was accidentally killed during a battle between himself and Silverbolt its head in his hands and let out an anguished cry. Later, when told by Blackarachnia he would "live to regret this", Rampage responded "I regret everything, my sweet" .

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.

Toys

 * Beast Wars Rampage (1998)
 * The toy of Rampage was later repainted as BotCon exclusive Shokaract.

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

Shattered Glass
A Botcon 2008 exclusive toy, Rampage is a member of the heroic Decepticon forces who oppose the evil Autobots.

Rampage's mind is always working furiously. During his time as one of Razorclaw's students, he would often begin on a new assignment before finishing the previous one. The war did not diminish his enthusiasm; it allowed him to simply reorient his focus on warfare. He would often destroy twice as many Autobots as Razorclaw or Divebomb by constantly trying out new and more efficient ways of dispatching with his enemies. Watching alien transmissions tend to calm him down. It was Rampage who presented Razorclaw with transmission showing predators that became the basis for the alternate mode designs of the Predacons when they joined the Decepticon army.

Fun Publications
Razorclaw appeared in the 2008 April Fool's comic by Fun Publications.

Toys

 * Botcon Razorclaw (2008)
 * Razorclaw is a redeco of Classics Snarl.

Rampage