Magmatron

Magmatron is a Transformers character who first appeared in the Japanese Beast Wars Neo series, was later released in the American Beast Machines Dinobots toy line, and most recently in official Beast Wars comic continuity.

Beast Wars Neo

Magmatron

Magmatron in Beast Wars Neo
Maximal/Predacon
Sub-group	Dinobots
Function	Emperor of Destruction (Takara), Warrior (Hasbro)
Rank	10
Motto	"Power is everything. I am power. Therefore, I am everything." (Takara) "Till all is won." (Hasbro)
Alternate Modes	Giganotosaurus, Elasmosaurus and Quetzalcoatlus.
Series	Beast Wars Neo Beast Machines
Japanese voice actor	Show Ryuzanji

Magmatron is one of the only 6 known reverse-combiners (the others being Sky Lynx and the Duocons in the original series, Overlord from Transformers Super God Masterforce, and Tidal Wave in Transformers: Armada series) Three beasts, a Giganotosaurus, Elasmosaurus and a Quetzalcoatlus, can combine into a humanoid robot form, or that of a giant Fuzor with attributes of all three beasts. While in his beast modes he is able to maintain a singular consciousness/personality.

Magmatron's tech specs paint him as a study in contradictions. On the one hand, he is violently impulsive and tends to charge into battle without thinking. On the other, he is known to rationally and coolly appraise situations before committing himself fully. He is the successor to Galvatron (the Beast Wars II version, not the original) as Predacon Emperor of Destruction. Despite the inherently treacherous nature of his Predacon underlings, Magmatron's charisma is so powerful that many times they submit to his authority without question.

Magmatron is described as a fierce warrior determined to succeed at all costs, much like his original. However, his new tech spec gave him a new background mixed with his old: He was returning from a mission to acquire energy capsules (a reference to the Angolmois energy capsules of Beast Wars Neo) to discover Cybertron overrun with armies of mindless Vehicon drones. This bio identified his title of “Emperor of Destruction” (which is not an actually rank in most mainstream Transformer fiction) as moniker given to him as a testament to his destructive presence on the battlefield. Magmatron’s ability to separate into three distinct bodies (identified as: Landsaur, Seasaur, Skysaur respectively) is attributed to a “Mitotic” spark.

Animated series

Magmatron became the "Predacon Emperor of Destruction" after Galvatron's defeat, establishing a rivalry and mutual respect with Maximal commander Big Convoy. Tracking his rival's forces, he became aware of the Angolmois energy pods released by the Nemesis and managed to gather many of them. However they were then stolen from him by the Blendtrons. He then discovered the truth - that the Angolmois Energy was really the lifeforce of Unicron himself.

As Unicron took Galvatron's corpse as a new body, Magmatron realised the disaster he had unleashed and his forces challenged Unicron. They were defeated, and Magmatron was left trapped in a wormhole.

Magmatron appears in episode #35, called "Graduation!!" Luring Unicron into battle, the Maximals, are aided, surprisingly, by the escaped Lio Convoy, Magmatron and his Predacons. They manage to delay Unicron long enough for Convoy to use the power of the Matrix to charge his weapon into the Matrix Buster. The cannon blasts Unicron, seemingly destroying him for good. Big Convoy's Maximals fight the three Blendtrons. Heinlad stops time just as the three are about to fire on the Maximals, moves them, and then restarts time so they shoot each others. The Blendtrons then retreat. With the threat of Unicron eliminated Big Convoy is joined with Magmatron to usher in a new era of peace of Cybertron.

Manga

Magmatron and all his forces were changed into Transformers from actual animals by the power of the Angolmois capsules. Magmatron and Big Convoy battled across the cosmos, until Magmatron was finally felled by the might of Unicron. In his dying moments, he repented of his wrong-doings, and indeed, Big Convoy struck the blow that finished Unicron once and for all with Magmatron's own sword.

Dreamwave Productions

Magmatron was also set to appear in Dreamwave Productions' unpublished Beast Wars comic. Although the company's bankruptcy meant that no issues were released, released art and information have revealed that Magmatron would have been the overall villain of the series, even presiding over Megatron's trial on Cybertron.^[1] This indicates that the Dreamwave tales would have followed a different continuity from Beast Machines.

IDW Publishing

When the licence to produce Transformers comics passed to IDW Publishing they produced their own Beast Wars comic, featuring Magmatron. In this story, during the Beast Wars (as the Predacons are installing Sentinel, which would place the events described here around those of the third season episode: "Changing of the Guard"), Magmatron and his troops (Drillbit, Iguanus, Transquito, Spittor, Manterror and Razorbeast) arrived on Earth on a mission following up Ravage's failure. However, even the Tripredacus Council were unaware of Magmatron's true goal - to locate the mass of stasis pods jettisoned by the Axalon at the beginning of the Beast Wars, and turn their protoforms into a Predacon army loyal to him; one that he could use to overthrow the Maximals on Cybertron. His plan was sabotaged by the Maximal undercover agent Razorbeast, who managed to modify Magmatron's shell program, resulting in many of the protoforms emerging as Maximals. Hunting down and battling Razorbeast, even Magmatron's three modes were unable to prevent Razorbeast's escape. Realising that time was running short, Magmatron also recovered the remains of Ravage and used a blank protoform to bring him back in a stronger Transmetal II form, intending for him to stay behind and hunt down Razorbeast. Magmatron now realised the only way to divert the Council's suspicion was to acconplish his assigned goal - capturing Megatron. Revealing himself to Megatron, the two would-be tyrants battled, but after Megatron gained the upper hand he was captured when Magmatron's lackeys managed to put a restraining collar on Megatron. Magmatron aimed to send him back to Cybertron, but was interrupted by an unexpected foe - Grimlock. As the two battled, Razorbeast and Optimus Minor sabotaged Magmatron's transport machine. Magmatron eventually defeated the former Dinobot, but Razorbeast used Magmatron's own chrono-wristband to battle Magmatron and stay ahead of his blows, before Minor used his own time displacement band to send him back to Cybertron empty handed.

The follow-up series, The Ascending, revealed Magmatron's fate. The failed time-jump had consigned Magatron to a temporal limbo, able to see the whole of time and space, but affect nothing.^[2] When he saw the Cybertron of the future being destroyed by Unicron and Shokaract, Magmatron used what power he had to ensure a signal from prehistoric Earth summoned Lio Convoy and the Pack. Then, when Ravage tried to use the time displacement band for his own ends, Magmatron was able to communicate with him and instruct him to call a truce with the Maximals against the Chaos-Bringer. During the battle on Cybertron the Maximal Snarl was able to shunt Shokaract into limbo with Magmatron, where the truth of Unicron's plans were revealed. Shokaract destroyed himself and Magmatron was freed, returning to Cybertron.

Notably, IDW's Beast Wars: Sourcebook profile on Magmatron places the events seen in Beast Wars Neo before those of The Gathering, establishing that after he had tried to follow up Galvatron's intentions to gather Angolmois in Neo he and Big Convoy both ended up on the bi-partate committee for state affairs, setting up the events of the comic.

The sketch gallery in the Beast Wars: The Gathering trade paperback indicates that Magmatron had his "split" Tricon technology before he received his beast modes. His Cybertronian modes were a tentacled submarine, a hovercraft and a tank.

Magmatron had a biography printed in the Beast Wars Sourcebook by IDW Publishing.^[3]

3H Enterprises

In Departure the Wreckers, Mutants and Dinobots arrive on Cybertron and are sent on missions by the Oracle. Arcee, Dillo, Mol, Rav, Skywarp, Cyclonus, Rotorbolt and Devcon join the Wreckers. In Betrayal the Dinobots are attacked by the Dweller.

When shown later, the Dinobots were missing several members, including Magmatron. It is presumed that the missing members were victims of the Dweller, but since the Dweller doesn't kill its victims, only turns them into energon-zombies, Magmatron may not be dead.

Toys

The Skysaur Magmatron toy

• Beast Wars Neo Magmatron

Initially a Takara exclusive and original mold for Beast Wars Neo, Magmatron stands 19cm tall as a toy. With the show notes saying he stands 4.5m tall, that means this toy is 1/24 scale. This toy was designed by Takara's Takashi Kunihiro.^[4]

• Beast Machines Magmatron

Hasbro released Magmatron as part of the Beast Machines: Dinobots toyline with no repainting or retooling.^[5]

References

1. ^ Transformers: Beast Wars #2: "Transformers: Beast Wars"
2. ^ Exclusive Debut: Beast Wars - The Ascending #1 - Magmatron's desperation leads to an unlikely alliance
3. ^ http://www.monstersandcritics.com/books/comics/news/article_1343405.php/Creators_of_Transformers_Beast_Wars_The_Gathering_are_back
4. ^ http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/universe-classics-20-29/transformers-generations-2009-takara-tomy-transformers-henkei-staff-interview-translation-167074/
5. ^ http://www.bwtf.com/bm/toys/reviews/dinobots/magmatron/