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The name or term Wheeljack refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Wheeljack (disambiguation).



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. 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, since there are few stunts he can't pull off. He enjoys showing off both on the design table and on the streets.


French name (Canada): Invento
French-Canadian name (Action Master): Cric ("Jack")
Hungarian name: Kerék ("Wheel"), sometimes Kormányos Jack ("Steering-wheel Jack", Yoho!)
Italian name: Saetta ("Thunderbolt")
Portuguese name (Portugal comic): Auto-Roda ("Auto-Motor")
Portuguese name (Brazil comic): Motriz ("Wheel")
Russian name (6th channel): Gonsheek (Гонщик, "Racer")


Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Generation One

Note: Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.

Wheeljack was one of Optimus Prime's crew who crashed to Earth 4,000,000 years ago and laid dormant until 1984. The Transformers

Following the almost total defeat of the Autobots by Shockwave, Ratchet returned to the Ark and began to reactivate the fallen warriors. Wheeljack was the second Autobot after Prowl to be brought back on-line, so that he could aid Ratchet with his technical skills. He saved the Autobots from total destruction by remote-controlling Optimus Prime's deactivated body and using it to intervene in Grimlock's attempted execution of Guardian, who had been booby-trapped with a nuclear bomb. The Wrath of Guardian!

After Jazz had offered G.B. Blackrock protection from the Decepticons in exchange for fuel, Wheeljack accompanied him to the racetrack where Blackrock was giving a demonstration. He helped fend off an attack by Starscream and Frenzy but then ended up being attacked by Circuit Breaker and needing Blackrock to intercede. DIS-Integrated Circuits

When Jetfire joined the Autobots, Wheeljack was suspicious of the former Decepticon and ended up doing a deal with Ravage to hand him over to the Decepticons in return for technology to repair damaged Autobots. He changed his mind at the last minute and then learned Ravage planned to betray him anyway. Perchance to Dream To help boost the Autobots' fallen forces, Wheeljack designed new bodies for Grapple, Skids, Hoist, Smokescreen, and Tracks, whose minds were stored on the Ark for such an occasion. Rock and Roll-Out!

Wheeljack was later an early casualty of a disastrous attack on Galvatron led by acting Autobot Commander Jetfire, though he was not seriously damaged. Target 2006

To give the Autobots some air (and combiner) power, Wheeljack designed the Aerialbots, though all but Silverbolt's minds were incomplete and they almost killed a human. Aerialbots over America! Wheeljack later had to erase their minds and unfortunately, by this time, Bombshell had implanted a cerebro-shell in Optimus that, while not controlling him, allowed the Decepticons to tap into the Creation Matrix to create the Stunticons. Heavy Traffic! It was not directly referenced, but it is assumed that he helped build the Protectobots as well (which allowed Megatron to create the Combaticons).

Later, he aided Optimus Prime in a plan to temporarily fake his own death, in order to teach the Earth-bound Autobots to learn to cope without him. Wheeljack was the only Autobot Prime told of his plan, probably since Prime needed him to build a Facsimile Construct in his likeness to be destroyed. When Megatron did destroy the facsimile, even Wheeljack mistakenly believed Prime had been killed. Prey!

After Optimus Prime died, the Autobots chose Grimlock as their new leader, but things didn't go so well, so Wheeljack called his friend Sky Lynx to help deal with the situation. Spacehikers!

Although it wasn't depicted, he was assumed destroyed by the Underbase-powered Starscream. Dark Star! Grimlock eventually revived him with Nucleon, along with the rest of the Autobots' deactivated roster. On the Edge of Extinction! After the defeat of Unicron, Wheeljack mourned the second death of Optimus Prime Still Life! and discovered the betrayal of the Decepticons who sabotaged the Autobot spacecraft before leaving the dying Cybertron. Exodus! Grimlock saved the day again though, providing some stolen Decepticon cruisers. However, when they followed the Decepticons to Klo, the Autobots were ambushed and nearly wiped out. Bludgeon was about to dismember Wheeljack when he was saved by the timely arrival of the reborn Optimus Prime and the Neo-Knights. End of the Road!

Marvel UK future timelines

Wheeljack survived the battle of Autobot City in this timeline, but was later strung up by Quintessons there in 2008, anyway. He wasn't seen after that, though Blaster survived the same treatment, so Wheeljack may have survived. Space Pirates!

Earthforce
Note: These stories do not fit into the normal Marvel continuity. See Earthforce for details.

When Galvatron infiltrated the Ark to brainwash some new troops, Wheeljack was one of the deactivated Autobots he attempted to control. Wheeljack and the others turned the tables on Galvatron, subjecting him to his own dream bug technology. Perchance to Dream Back in action, Wheeljack felt somewhat out of place among the various Headmasters and Targetmasters and Powermasters wandering around the Ark now. On a scouting mission, he and Prowl grumbled to one another about how they just wanted some good ol' fashioned Decepticons to beat up on. Obligingly, the Constructicons Mixmaster and Long Haul showed up right then to stop the Autobots from finding out about their evil plans. Thrilled about fighting bad guys who weren't "MicroHeadTargetmasters with a Pretender shell", Wheeljack and Prowl tracked down the Constructicons' leader, Megatron, nearby, and learned of his plans to destroy Earth's atmosphere. Starting Over! While Wheeljack distracted Soundwave and the Stunticons, Prowl leapt aboard the "atmo rocket" and knocked it off course, saving the planet. Desert Island Risks!

Fresh from their adventure with old, familiar enemies, Wheeljack and Prowl both joined the new Earthforce team Optimus Prime set up under Grimlock's command. Operating out of a shuttle in the Canadian wilderness, the Autobots began constructing a larger Earthbase on site. Although the location of their base was unknown, the construction-in-progress was open to attack, and so a 24-hour guard watch was arranged. One dark and stormy night, Wheeljack was trying to keep warm on guard duty using a thermo-heating unit from the ship, but it overheated and started smoking on him. He knocked over a table and lamp while trying to shut off the device and attracted the attention of a polar bear, which ended up chasing him back towards the shuttle. To top it all off, he was jumped from behind by Skydive, who had seen all the mess and mistaken Wheeljack for an attacking Decepticon. It was not Wheeljack's best night ever. Mystery!

When a new thought-activated set of nightlights called Sleepfast was released to human buyers, Wheeljack got suspicious and tested the little items. He found not only the presence of Cybertronian technology in the devices, but also evidence that the thought-sensitive nightlights would eventually turn on their owners, allowing them to manipulate the humans' minds as well as read them. Wheeljack took Snarl to investigate the Sleepfast warehouse, and they ran into the mastermind behind the scheme, Mindwipe. The Autobots used the thought-activation effect of the Sleepfasts to will all several hundred nightlights on at once, temporarily blinding Mindwipe. The Living Nightlights!

Finally, Autobot Earthbase was completed, and Wheeljack called the entire team outside to witness his defense grid in action. Prowl was dubious at the lack of obvious protection, and so Wheeljack handed him the activation remote. Once Prowl hit the button, Wheeljack tossed a rock towards the base, where it was instantly obliterated by the retractable laser cannons. When Prowl expressed concern that someone could knock the defense system offline, Wheeljack assured him that once the defense system was activated, it could only be deactivated from a console inside the base. Prowl paused for a minute, took a head count, then turned hesitantly to Wheeljack and asked, "So who's inside with the console NOW...?"

The response? "Oh..."

While Prowl and the other Autobots braved the defenses in order to reach the console and turn off the security system, Grimlock grabbed Wheels by the ankle and shook him out upside-down over the snow for good measure. The House that Wheeljack Built!

When Optimus Prime returned to Earth for an inspection of the new operation, he also brought back Tracks' body for Wheeljack to reactivate in his Bodyshop. Grimlock was hardly impressed with the idea of bringing the vain and complaining Tracks back to life, and he tried to derail the process. Despite his efforts, though, Wheeljack not only revived Tracks, but Optimus Prime decreed that Tracks would remain with Earthforce instead of going back on the Ark with him. Makin' Tracks! Later, Wheeljack diagnosed Snarl with Corrodia Gravis, prompting the Autobots to seek out the only compatible Transformer who could give him a systems boost: Starscream. Assassins

Wheeljack was last seen during the Autobot chase of Motormaster, who had kidnapped their ally, Irwin Spoon. He abandoned the chase to check on Prowl after Motormaster ran him off the highway. End of the Road!

War For Cybertron Trilogy

Chapter 1: Siege

Wheeljack and Bumblebee shoot a Decepticon Seeker out of the sky. However, before they can recover it, they are forced to take cover upon the arrival of another. Once the coast is clear, Bumblebee and Wheeljack discover a supply of energon along with a Spacebridge. Wheeljack intends to use the bridge to their advantage, however, Bumblebee was solely hired to recover energon and nothing more. Wheeljack tells Bumblebee that at some point, he’ll have to pick a side. Suddenly, they find themselves surrounded by Jetfire, Starscream, Thundercracker, and the Decepticons. Thundercracker scans Bumblebee, but he registers as unknown, while Wheeljack on the otherhand is a known collaborator with Optimus Prime.

Starscream insists that they be killed, pointing a blaster at them. Jetfire cuts off his arm and reminds him that he’s the commander, and he decides how they’re dealt with. Starscream tries to convince the other Decepticons to align with him and turn on Jetfire, allowing Bumblebee and Wheeljack to escape. However, the entrance is blocked by Megatron. He wishes to see an end to the war and asks Bumblebee and Wheeljack to join them. However, Wheeljack refuses. Megatron then looks to Bumblebee, referring to him as a coward afraid to choose a side. Megatron leaves, but not before instructing Jetfire and Starscream to execute them both. Optimus arrives just in time to save them from execution. After Optimus is beaten by Megatron, Elita One comes to their aid, allowing them to escape.

Elita takes Bumblebee and Wheeljack to get checked out by Red Alert, who is tending to Sideswipe. While they didn’t recover much, Wheeljack gives Red Alert the Thoraxal Nodes he found. Episode 1

Wheeljack informs Optimus and Elita that Med-transports five and six were destroyed. Optimus then gets a message from Ultra Magnus, who informs them that Megatron is looking for the Allspark in order to win the war by reformatting the Autobots. In doing this, Megatron would gain control of Cybertron.

Optimus, Elita, and Hound return back from the mission and inform Wheeljack that they walked into a trap and suffered casualties. They’re going to need time to recover from this. Optimus asks if Wheeljack has made any progress in recovering the actual Allspark. Unfortunately, the energon it takes will start affecting their ability to stay cloaked. Optimus orders him to continue, but Elita voices her disapproval. Episode 2

Elita questions Optimus on how they would get the Allspark off of Cybertron even if they did find it. Wheeljack reveals that when he was out with Bumblebee, they discovered the remains of a Spacebridge. He believes it can be repaired.

Mirage cloaks himself as a Decepticon and approaches Spinister and Skytread. His cloak malfunctions, and they draw their weapons. However, Chromia covers him, shooting from higher up. Optimus, Elita, and Wheeljack jump into action.

Optimus, Elita, Chromia, Wheeljack, and Mirage arrive at a theater. They are confronted by Ratchet. They’ve come in hopes that he’ll help fix the Spacebridge. However, Ratchet doesn’t do that work anymore. They follow him inside, where he has set up a clinic for injured bots. Ratchet refuses to go back to that life. He pulls out a blaster and demands that they leave. When Mirage prepares for a fight, Impactor tackles him to the ground. They can’t believe that he’s healed Impactor, a known Decepticon. Ratchet agrees to allow Optimus, Elita, Chromia, and Wheeljack to stay long enough for them to plead their case. He has no desire to help them fix the Spacebridge. However, upon learning that Megatron plans to weaponize the Allspark, he reconsiders. Episode 3

After discovering that Ultra Magnus had been killed, Elita and Wheeljack devised a plan to jump-start the Ark. However, they’ll need unrefined energon. Optimus returns and informs them that the Guardians won’t help. He’s now starting to wonder if this is a helpless crusade. He blames himself for starting the war when he opposed Megatron. Wheeljack assures them that Ratchet will get the Spacebridge running. And he’ll have Teletraan-1 online soon. Episode 4

With Bumblebee's help after he was chose by the Alpha Trion Protocols, Wheeljack finds the Allspark in the Sea of Rust. They learn from Jetfire that the Decepticons have mapped the area. Episode 5

Bumblebee, Cog, and Arcee return to Command. They present Wheeljack with the energon and tell him to get the ship in the air, but they find themselves under attack by the Decepticons. Wheeljack manages to get Teletraan-1 and they fly the Ark to the Spacebridge and escape with the Allspark. Episode 6

Chapter 2: Earthrise

The Autobots have been taken captive by a band of mercenaries and delivered to a Quintesson named Deseeus. One of the faces seem to want to kill them. Optimus explains that the Quintesson seems paralyzed by a need for consensus. They can use that to their advantage. Unbeknownst to the Autobots, Deseeus has removed his other four faces.

Deseeus wants to kill the Autobots. Before he can enact his plan, Doubledealer and his band of mercenaries intervene as Deseeus has refused to compensate them. This provides a distraction long enough for Wheeljack to free them from their restraints and for Mirage and Hound to destroy Deseeus’ lair with rockets. The mercenaries hold off Deseeus and his army long enough for the Autobots to escape. Episode 2 (Earthrise)

The Autobots board the Nebulon station and turn the power back on. Ratchet tells Optimus that Wheeljack’s plan is their best option; they need to cut the Spacebridge off, which will cut the station in half. However, Ratchet warns them that the tiniest miscalculation could destroy the Spacebridge. Wheeljack wants to set off a controlled explosion that will sever the Nebulon station into two pieces.

While Wheeljack and Arcee plant the bombs, he reveals that he doesn’t think the Ark got stuck in the Spacebridge on accident. They suddenly find themselves under attack by a large creature. Wheeljack and Arcee fire at Scorponok as he kills one of their own before charging towards them.

Wheeljack is being crushed by Scorponok when Mirage uses a mirage of Omega Supreme to distract Scorponok long enough for Wheeljack to escape his clutch. Optimus arrives and orders the Autobots to retreat to the Ark. Scorponok then transforms, forcing the Autobots to flee. Episode 3 (Earthrise)

Optimus decides to use the charges to destroy the Scorponok. Wheeljack explains to Bumblebee and Arcee that the explosion triggered the blast doors, thus dealing them inside and cutting off all outside commutation.

Before the Autobots and Decepticons can escape, Scorponok returns. Bumblebee notices that his head is his weak spot and orders the other bots to follow up with precise attacks. While the others fight off the beast, Wheeljack reluctantly repairs Megatron. After repairing Megatron, The Autobots then proceed to escape while the Decepticons fight off Scorponok. Episode 4 (Earthrise)

The Autobots find themselves in the Dead Universe, where Sky Lynx was banished by Ultra Magnus. Sky Lynx then begins talking to them. He reveals that he can hear all. With his help, they eventually manage to escape the Dead Universe. Episode 5 (Earthrise)

The Autobots are attacked by the Decepticons and mercenaries. Wheeljack has taken over the Nemesis with Ratchet and Sideswipe, which he uses to fire back at Deseeus. Wheeljack then returns to the Ark and begin repairs just in time before the mercenary ship explodes. Episode 6 (Earthrise).

Generation 2

While investigating an apparent planet-wide genocide on J'asik, Wheeljack joined Perceptor and First Aid on a science team in attempting to find out just what had destroyed all life on the planet so utterly. Their findings were so surprising, the team double-checked 50 times before confirming the results: A Cybertronian biological by-product had somehow achieved quasi-sentience and motivation, and was prowling the galaxy as the entity known as the Swarm. The full impact of their discovery was cut short, however, by the arriving armada of Jhiaxus and his second generation Cybertronians, the accidental harbingers of the Swarm. Swarm The battle with Jhiaxus kept the Transformers occupied long enough for the Swarm to find them on Earth. Presenting a united front, the Autobots and Decepticons desperately attempted to drive back the creature. Wheeljack cooked up a method of dramatically augmenting Frenzy's sonic powers, but while the Decepticon was consumed by the excess power pumping through his system, it seemed to do little good against the Swarm. Wheeljack's final fate is unknown. A Rage in Heaven!


Dreamwave comics continuity

Wheeljack dw6

Wheeljack calms a group of panicked humans by charging at them while brandishing a weapon.

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.[1]

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. When the Decepticons placed Iacon under siege, Grimlock took his group to Kaon to look for Optimus Prime, who had gone seeking Megatron. While there, they discovered planetary engine turbines that were providing power to a mechaforming process that was destroying Iacon. Arriving, Prime instructed Wheeljack to shut down the engines in a... creative way (it blowed up real good). Wheeljack grumbled a bit that all his education and mechanical engineering skill had led up to just blowing things up. The group managed to return to Iacon, where Prime halted his order to abandon the planet. The War Within

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. The War Within: The Dark Ages

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.[2]

Note: A version of the events of the Sunbow cartoon episode "Autobot Spike" appear to have taken place in the time between 1984 and 1998.

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 issue 2

Wheeljack participated in the assault on Lazarus's Canadian headquarters. When General Hallo's attempt to bomb the Autobots and the Decepticons out of existence instead caused a violent expansion of Megatron's cyber-virus, Wheeljack and Mirage were the first Autobots to free themselves. Prime Directive issue 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. 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. Prime Directive issue 5 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 near death. Prime Directive issue 6

Six months later, Wheeljack came back online just in time to participate in the short-lived truce with the Deceptions and the assault on Las Vegas to destroy the Keepers. Keepers Trilogy

Later, when Shockwave and Ultra Magnus came to arrest the Autobots as war criminals, Wheeljack was one of the Autobots secretly left behind by Optimus Prime under Jazz's command. Brothers' Burden Like most of the rest of that group of Autobots, Wheeljack was beaten to the point of stasis lock by Bruticus some time later and dumped into a nearby swamp. Night of the Combaticons He was dredged out by an EDC task force and repaired, in time to rejoin the other Autobots when they started construction of Autobot City. Lost and Found

Devil's Due G.I.Joe vs Transformers comics continuity

Bumblebee and Wheeljack were the only Transformers aboard the Ark to avoid capture and reprogramming by Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world. After disguising themselves as a Volkswagen Beetle and Lancia Stratos, respectively, the two tried to work out a way to free their comrades. They joined forces with G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe turned on them, Bumblebee and Wheeljack saved them anyway, Bumblebee beat up Storm Shadow's robotic armor, and they ultimately saved the Earth from nuclear holocaust. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers

IDW comics continuity

This section covers fiction that is ongoing. It will be added to as the story progresses. If it isn't current, you can help by updating it.

In the time preceding the war Wheeljack was a mechanoid as touched by the sacrifice of others as one could expect from this kindly future Autobot. It comes as no surprise then that he was front row at the state funeral of Kaon Security Service officers Fastback and Bumper. Megatron Origin issue 3

Escalation2 JazzWheeljack party

Hollywood's latest spin on the buddy cop drama.

Wheeljack was part of a detachment of Autobots that has operated covertly on Earth for at least four years, attempting to foil a Decepticon insurgency. In his role as technical scientist and gadgeteer for the Autobot detachment, he built a device that could interface the SM-40 palmtop computer with the systems aboard the Autobots' Ark-19 spacecraft. Infiltration issue 3 Wheeljack, like his fellow Autobots, would come to watch the showdown between Megatron and the Ore-13-powered Starscream. Infiltration issue 6

Later, after the incident outside Lebanon, Illinois, he and Jazz were sent to investigate a Springfield police impound lot which supposedly held Sunstreaker's remains. Unfortunately, members of the Machination had already arrived with the same purpose in mind, and attacked the bots wielding advanced weaponry eerily similar to their own. Wheeljack escaped mostly unharmed, probably because Jazz took a direct hit from a mortar meant for him. Escalation issue 2 Wheeljack would get his first taste of real damage in Brasnya facing down Skywarp and Astrotrain Escalation issue 4, and eventually the drained form of Megatron. Escalation issue 6

Wheeljack was assigned to work with Hot Rod in rescuing Ironhide, but yet again the Machination decided to interfere—this time in a confrontation with their army of experimental Headmaster clones. Devastation issue 2 Wheeljack's constant tinkering paid off when he was able to escape the Headmasters using a gyro-inhibitor shell. Devastation issue 3 The Headmasters eventually caught up with them, however, and incapacitated Wheeljack by knocking a pile of junk cars on him. Devastation issue 5 Hardhead arrived to retrieve Hot Rod and the others, blowing up a Headmaster that was attacking Hot Rod. Hot Rod refused to leave Earth though, wanting to see the Headmaster mystery to the end. Hardhead reluctantly let him go and took Wheeljack and Ironhide back with him. Devastation issue 6

Merchandise

  • Wheeljack Bust (2003)
Wheeljackbust

Optimus Prime! I built a machine that removes legs and replaces them with small pedestals! Come see!

Hard Hero released a polystone bust of Wheeljack, based upon his appearance in the Generation One television series.
  • Wheeljack (2004)
Wheeljackstatue

Small, expensive, and puffy.

Palisades released a 6-inch polystone statue of Wheeljack, based upon Pat Lee's rendition of him in the Dreamwave comics.

Notes

  • The remold of Alternators Grimlock was originally planned to be Windcharger (presumably in red), but ultimately ended up as Wheeljack instead, with a new head sculpt. Meanwhile, the head sculpt originally intended for Ford-Windcharger ended up being used for the remold of Windcharger (the Honda S2000 mold) instead, now named "Decepticharge".
  • Wheeljack was given an homage in the form of Energon Downshift. Downshift has Wheeljack's colors, face, and even feet modeled after the Lancia grill.
  • According to the Japanese Atlus Transformers game, Wheeljack is significantly older than Jazz, old enough to tell him to 'respect your elders.'

References

  1. Transformers: The Ultimate Guide
  2. Dreamwave's More than Meets the Eye profile for Wheeljack


External links

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