Autobots

Cartoon Bio (US):

One Autobot named A-3 (who would eventually become Alpha Trion) helped to start a rebellion. With the help of a small group of Autobots accidentally sent from the future, A-3 managed to build a device that was able to defeat the Quintesson Guardians. The Quintessons were exiled from the planet for good.

Years later, the Decepticons wanted to take the planet for themselves, and built Megatron to lead them to victory. (The Constructicons were depicted as being Megatron's creators by the Matrix, but this evidence is questionable for several reasons.) Megatron made his opening salvo when he attacked young Orion Pax, and his friends Dion and Aerial, during a raid. The time-displaced Aerialbots, who saw the attack, brought Orion and his girlfriend to Alpha Trion, who rebuilt them into Optimus Prime and (presumably) Elita-One. Some time after this, Optimus Prime became the leader of the Autobots.

Years passed and the Autobot forces found they were losing badly. The energy supply on Cybertron had diminished to dangerous levels. Optimus Prime gathered his best troops to go out on a mission to find more energy.

In space they encountered an asteroid field, and there, they were attacked and boarded by the Decepticons, led by Megatron. The Autobot ship eventually crashed on Earth and the Autobots and Decepticons inside remained dormant until a volcanic eruption revived them four million years later (in 1984). The war continued on both Earth and Cybertron. However, while the Autobots on Earth were quite successful, the Decepticons on Cybertron had virtual control over their home planet.

In the year 2005, the Autobots had established Autobot City on Earth, but they had lost Cybertron. However, they were able to set up outposts on its moons instead. The Autobots were hoping to use these moonbases as staging grounds for an eventual retaking of Cybertron.

In a preemptive strike, the Decepticons launched a full scale assault on Autobot City. In the ensuing battle, Optimus Prime was mortally injured by Megatron, but managed to punch his archnemesis over a ledge, crippling him from the fall. On his death bed, Optimus Prime passed the Autobot Matrix of Leadership to Ultra Magnus.

When Megatron was recreated by Unicron into Galvatron, he was forced to hunt down Ultra Magnus. This he did easily, and had the Sweeps destroy the Autobot leader. The Matrix was kept by Galvatron. The Junkions, natives of the planet Ultra Magnus died on, rebuilt him as a sign of friendship with the Autobots. The Autobots then went after Galvatron, who unsuccessfully tried to enslave Unicron with the Matrix. There found Unicron attacking Cybertron. Hot Rod and several other Autobots managed to get inside the monster planet, where Hot Rod met and fought Galvatron. When Galvatron moved to strangle the young Autobot, he got hold of the Matrix, and it turned him into Rodimus Prime. With his new body, he easily defeated Galvatron and opened the Matrix, which destroyed Unicron from the inside.

Rodimus Prime led the Autobots from that moment on, and under his leadership, the Autobots somehow managed to win back Cybertron. Despite his success, Rodimus often wished he was never leader.

When the Hate Plague threatened the universe, Optimus Prime was resurrected in the hopes that the former leader would have a solution. Optimus defeated the infected Rodimus and took the Matrix from his body. He then opened it, curing the plague and emptying the Matrix of its accumulated wisdom.

Earth and Cybertron were at peace for a while, but the Decepticons eventually returned and launched a full scale assult on Autobot City. This allowed them to steal the key to the Plasma Energy Chamber on Cybertron. When Scourge opened the chamber, several Autobots went after him and took the key. The shuttle they where in was hit by a jolt of plasma energy and they where shot into space and ended up on the planet Nebulos. Like the Decepticons who eventually followed them, the Autobots became Headmasters and Targetmasters.

At this point, Optimus Prime learned from Vector Sigma that a golden age was coming and where to find the missing Autobots. As a result, Optimus travelled to Nebulos, but the Decepticons got the key and returned to Cybertron in Scorponok. The Autobots followed but there, found that Cybertron had moved to Earth's solar system due to rocket thrusters Galvatron had his troops build into the planet.

There, Galvatron opened the plasma energy chamber, hoping to make the Earth's sun go nova and wipe out the solar system.

Instead, the stray plasma energy hit Scorponok, who was leaving the planet with all the Decepticons inside, sending them spinnng out of control. While the Autobots malfunctioned due to the plasma energy, the Headmaster and Targetmaster Nebulans built a device out of the rocket thrusters to absorb the plasma energy. This energy replenished the planet, creating a new Golden Age for Cybertron.

Chain of Leadership

Article based on submission from Nick Peron.

Comic Bio (US):

When asteroids threatened Cybertron's safety, Optimus led some Autobots on a mission to clear the field. As soon as they accomplished their mission, they were boarded by the Decepticons and the Ark crashed on Earth.

Four million years later, both factions revived and continued their war. This time, the Autobots needed to protect "Sparkplug" Witwicky, who was believed by both sides to be able to convert Terran fuel for Cybertronian use. Failing to prevent the Decepticons from kidnapping him, the Autobots sent Gears to rescue the human. With the help of the costumed adventurer Spiderman, he succeeded, but not before Laserbeak had interrogated him. Although Sparkplug had secretly rigged the Decepticon conversion formula to make the fuel poisonous, he was unable to tell the Autobots, due to a massive heart attack. Although the Decepticons did succumb to his plan, the sudden arrival of Shockwave took the fatigued Autobots by surprise. A single blast knocked all remaining Autobots unconscious, at which point they were taken prisoner.

Ratchet, however, had not been there, having taken Buster and Sparkplug to the hospital. Upon returning to the Ark, he and Buster saw the Decepticon guards and realized what must have happened. Buster secretly took possession of the Creation Matrix from Optimus's severed head. This prevented Shockwave from being able to use Prime to his army of new Decepticons (though he was able to cobble together the Constructicons in time).

Meanwhile, Ratchet made a deal with Megatron, promising to eliminate Shockwave in return for his captured friends. Once Megatron admitted he had no intention of honoring the deal, Ratchet sent the newly-reactivated Dinobots to fight him. Although Megatron overpowered everyone, the ledge beneath his feet collapsed, and he was temporarily deactivated by the fall. Ratchet was able to retake the Ark and his friends, except for Optimus. His head was in a different location.

Ratchet revived all the Autobots, in their leader's absence, they became partners with GB Blackrock, a wealthy industrialist, who promised to give them fuel in return for their protection from the Decepticons. The Autobots eventually freed their leader and gained a new ally, Jetfire. Soon after, they even reactivated some more warriors, and the engineer Grapple built Omega Supreme to protect the Ark.

Later, some of Cybertron's Autobots, led by Perceptor, were accidentally transported to Earth via the Decepticon spacebridge. Led by Circuit Breaker, the human force known as RAAT captured them. They were eventually set free as part of a bargain made with Circuit Breaker.

In an attempt to stop the Decepticons from taking possession of a "hydrothermocline," Optimus challenged Megatron to a virtual reality game, with very high stakes: the loser would be destroyed. Although Megatron cheated, Optimus won regardless. However, Prime felt that he had inadvertantly cheated, and forfeited the game and his life. The programmer Ethan Zachary, however, kept a copy of Prime's personality and memories on a disk. This disk would eventually be given to Goldbug.

With Optimus dead and his body launched into space, Grimlock was proclaimed Autobot Leader. Grimlock's leadership was often brutal, cold, and zealous (particularly in his obsession over getting revenge on Blaster), but Grimlock did manage to get the Ark repaired and spaceborne. Unfortunately, the Autobots under him did practically nothing to even slow the Decepticons.

Not long, a group of Autobots arrived from Nebulos, and their leader Fortress Maximus challeged Grimlock for leadership. Already damaged from fighting Shockwave, Fortress Maximus was forced to let Blaster fight in his place. The fight had barely started on the Moon's surface when the Decepticons attacked from behind. Working together, Grimlock and Blaster turned the Decepticons away. Nonetheless, Fortress Maximus believed that the Autobots would continue to suffer unless Optimus returned to lead them. As a result, he sent Goldbug and three other Autobots to Nebulos to have Prime's body reconstructed, and his mind downloaded into it.

Prime was rebuilt and upgraded by the Nebulan scientist Hi-Q, who eventually binary-bonded with Prime to save him from the effects of the poisoned Nebulan fuel supply. Three other Nebulans did the same thing to save three other Autobots. Together, they became the Autobot Powermasters. Upon their return, Optimus resumed leadership.

Shortly thereafter, Starscream obtained the power of the Underbase, forcing the two factions to work together in combatting him. They eventually succeeded, but not before Starscream "terminated" a great number of Autobots and Decepticons. However, dialog indicated that the fallen could still be repaired, given the proper tools and supplies.

In a battle at Cybertron's core, a stray shot from Octopunch accidentally hit Primus, who woke with a scream, which immediately alerted Unicron to his enemy's location. The Autobots searched frantically for Optimus's old body, knowing that the Creation Matrix inside it was rumored able to defeat Unicron. Although they succeeded, Thunderwing took possession of the Matrix, which had been tainted with evil and tried to mentally control him. The Autobots were forced to destroy Thunderwing's body, but unknown to them, the Matrix had not been destroyed as well, and was still able to repair the damage. As soon as he was able, Thunderwing flew to Cybertron to confront Unicron. Sensing that the Matrix was tainted with evil, Unicron defeated Thunderwing easily, but in the process, sent the Matrix flying in Optimus's direction. Prime purged the Matrix of evil, and flew into Unicron's mouth, opening the Matrix as he did. Unicron was torn apart by the explosive combination of Primus's and his own energies. Optimus was ripped to shreds as well, but with his dying breath, he named Grimlock his successor.

Hi-Q, who had separated from Optimus before his suicide run, found that he was in possession of Optimus's mind. With help from the Neo-Knights, he found the Last Autobot, who gave the Hi-Q/Optimus combination a new body and merged their minds permanently.

Unaware that Prime was back, Grimlock led the Autobots against the Decepticons on the planet Klo, after being caught in a trap and slaughtered, the Autobots were saved by Optimus Prime's timely arrival, as well as the Last Autobot's ability to repair (or resurrect) the deceased Autobots. Grimlock, it seems, became his second-in-command.

Shortly thereafter, Megatron emerges from the Canadian Arctic after having crash-landed the Ark there. Upgraded by the terrorist organization Cobra, he made short work of most of the Autobot force sent to stop him. The only remaining Autobots, Fortress Maximus and Skydive, cause the Ark to self-destruct while Megatron is flying in it. Fortress Maximus does not make it out, but the sacrifice is in vain: Megatron escapes.

Working with former Decepticon leader Bludgeon's plan, Megatron tricked Optimus into showing up on Earth alone. With his new powers, he easily defeats Prime, and takes the Matrix from him. Before he could kill Prime, however, Grimlock's force intercedes. Eventually, the two groups combine forces against the Cybertronian Empire, an offshoot of the Autobots and Decepticons. Despite heavy casualties, the Cybertronians led by Jhiaxus were destroyed, and the Matrix (stolen by Starscream) was returned to Optimus. The Swarm, an offshoot of the Cybertronians, devoured Optimus, but in doing so, are exposed to the energies of the Matrix. Satisfied by this, the Swarm produced a new body for Optimus (perhaps the Matrix as well) and left. It was not stated what else the Swarm may have done to make up for its actions.

It is unknown if the Autobot-Decepticon alliance remained after the Swarm's departure. Considering the Cybertronian forces remaining in the galaxy, there is certainly reason to continue it.

Chain of Leadership: