Ravage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity

Ravage. The evil jaguar-bot who can talk.

Marvel The Transformers comics

Ravage, here in his first appearance, is the first Transformer to have dialogue in the first Transformers story.

Ravage was a loyal bodyguard for the Overlords, the Autobots that once ruled all of Cybertron, for generations. He witnessed as their planet-wide rule crumbled into a loose collection of feuding city-states. Like ancient Rome, the last Overlord barely managed to hold together the autocracy through the gladiatorial games, which allowed the city-states to vent their frustrations over low fuel supplies on each other in scripted, controlled conflicts. A war broke out between Vos and Tarn, however, and Ravage and his partner Nightstalker attempted to escort the Overlord to safety. Joined by the gladiators Megatron and Optimus Prime, their journey was perilous. The Overlord was now an enfeebled mechanoid who required constant re-energization to survive, and constantly slowed them down. After Prime raced ahead to get help, Nightstalker self-destructed himself in a final loyal act to defend the Overlord, leaving the ruler alone with Megatron and Ravage. Though the Overlord was near death, Ravage refused to give the Overlord any of his energy, instead allying himself with Megatron, whom he believed would be the future ruler of Cybertron. State Games

Holy crap, Ravage is HUGE!

As a member of Megatron's Decepticons, Ravage attempted to hijack the Ark four million years ago, only to fail and fall into deactivation sleep until 1984. Cold Comfort and Joy! The Transformers The detonation of the volcano, Mount St. Hilary, reactivated the Autobots and Decepticons, unleashing their war on Earth. The two factions soon found themselves battling on the site of a drive-in movie theatre, where Ravage was able to distract Hound from determining the location of the missing Bumblebee, but ended up fleeing from a holographic missile projected by Hound's turret gun. The Transformers

The Decepticons found themselves in need of energy, so Megatron ordered Ravage to investigate Harrison Nuclear Power Plant. Jumping into one of the plant worker's cassette recorders, he learned not only of the energy-harnessing technology of this new world, but that its primary inhabitants were not the vehicles they transformed into, but their weird organic operators! Ravage and the other Decepticons immediately attacked Harrison Nuclear and claimed it for themselves. Afterwards, Ravage concealed himself within the boom box of "O", the friend of Buster Witwicky, and learned that Buster had allied himself with the Autobots. He quickly returned to Megatron to report this information, and the Decepticons launched another attack, this time on Buster's neighborhood. Ravage jumped Mirage, and the reluctant Autobot wrestled with the Decepticon until Ravage was knocked away by Brawn. The Decepticons retreated after kidnapping Buster's father, Sparkplug Witwicky. Power Play! Ravage returned with his comrades to the Decepticons' new base, constructed out of materials salvaged from Harrison Nuclear, and coerced Sparkplug into converting Earth fuel into a substance they could use. Soon, their base was infiltrated by Gears and the amazing Spider-Man, and although the latter was as fast and agile as Ravage, the former put Ravage out of the fight with a punch. Prisoner of War!

He's so cute when he's angry.

Shortly into their stay on Earth, the ever-treacherous Starscream attempted to build up support against Megatron by demanding action when Megatron cautioned patience, knowing his fellow Decepticons were getting restless for battle. Fearing that an outright execution of Starscream would turn popular opinion against him, Megatron asked Ravage to spy on the Seeker and find him an excuse to get rid of Starscream. Ravage was discovered, though, and critically injured by Starscream during their fight. Ravage managed to crawl home across the desert, however, and reported the betrayal to Megatron. Having dishonored himself by attacking his fellow Decepticon, Starscream was forced to engage in a Trial by Combat with the Autobot Brawn, who had fallen into a similar situation by unrelated circumstances. After defeating Brawn in combat and flying back to Decepticon headquarters to declare his victory, Starscream was shot down by the vengeful Ravage on Megatron's orders. Ravage reported the Autobots were responsible for the attack, and thus Megatron was able to galvanize the Decepticons for battle himself, effectively stealing Starscream's thunder and punishing the mutineer in the process. The Enemy Within!

As the Decepticons assaulted the Ark, Ravage fought against the magnetic Autobot Windcharger, employing his own electromagnetic shield to protect himself from his opponent's powers. When Optimus Prime attempted to awaken the ship's computer Auntie during the battle, however, she awoke in a scrambled state and turned against all the Transformers, using magnetic force to hold all the combatants against her hull... except for Ravage and Windcharger. Forced to work together for the benefit of both their armies, the duo made their way to Auntie's main terminal. There, Ravage tore into Auntie's systems before she could react, deactivating her. But Megatron was bested by Windcharger's magnetic abilities, and as soon as he was propelled out of the Autobots' base, the rest of the Decepticons retreated. Raiders of the Last Ark

"Ravage, why must we fight, we are not enemies!"

Megatron ordered Ravage to sneak into the Ark and provide him with news of the Autobots' fuel situation. Fortunately for the Decepticons, the Autobots had failed to find a source of fuel, so the time came to strike. During the Decepticons' immediate attack on the Ark, Ravage singled out Mirage, intent on finishing the job he had begun earlier. Ravage ignored Mirage's pleas for a peaceful discussion and removed Mirage's arm with his teeth. Mirage's resolve against the Decepticons strengthened, he blasted Ravage, removing him fully from the rest of the battle. The Last Stand The chance arrival of Shockwave was all that allowed ultimate Decepticon victory, and Ravage, his deposed leader Megatron, and several others were nursed back to full operating status. The New Order Though Megatron rebelled against his usurper, he failed, and Shockwave paraded Megatron's beaten form in front of Ravage and the other Decepticons. The Worse of Two Evils!

Ravage accompanied several other Decepticons, under the command of Soundwave, in an assault on the Autobots after they had been duped by a bogus Optimus Prime under Shockwave's control. Ravage, the impostor Prime, and the other Decepticons made short work of the Autobots until the real Prime was restored. The Autobot commander turned the tide easily and Ravage and the other Decepticons were defeated. Prime Time! Meanwhile, separated from the other Decepticons and lacking his higher brain functions, Megatron told the human Joey Slick the story of how his troops, including Ravage, came to Earth. Shooting Star!

While eavesdropping on the Autobots' arguments over whether or not to use the Creation Matrix to build an army of powerful superwarriors, Ravage's presence aboard the Ark was detected. The Decepticon spy made a run for it, but was caught in a net by Mirage and Hound. Ravage, however, was nearly impossible to be kept locked up, and so was able to quickly escape. Bumblebee tracked him down, but Ravage's capture was part of a larger scheme, and he led the Autobot scout right into a trap. Crisis of Command! Left in a coma aboard the Ark following the Dinobot hunt, Grimlock dreamed of fighting the Decepticons, including Ravage. Victory!

Ravage loves to play peek-a-boo.

While sitting in their alternate modes inside a Portland, Oregon, electronics store, Soundwave, Ravage, and Laserbeak awaited news of Megatron's location during their former leader's disappearance. After his fuel-deprived body froze in nearby mining pit in the Powder River Basin, they left the store and brought fuel to Megatron. Here they successfully fought the American military and found a new ally, Donny Finkleberg, who claimed to control the Transformers as the supervillain Robot-Master. I, Robot-Master!

Ravage was given the task of being Finkleberg's "minder." He kept an eye on the fabricated supervillain even while "Robot-Master's" film crew captured a battle between Shockwave and Megatron for Decepticon leadership. Second Generation! Around this time, Soundwave's message reached Cybertron, where it was intercepted by Perceptor's resistance cell who reviewed footage of Ravage and the other Decepticons on Earth. The Smelting Pool! Retaking command, Megatron re-established his Decepticons in the basin at the protests of Shockwave, while Ravage continued to watch over Finkleberg, even going so far as fetching a vending machine full of candy bars to feed the human. The Bridge to Nowhere! However, during a sudden Autobot attack Ravage was distracted and Finkleberg was able to escape. As he looked for his charge, Ravage spotted Skids veering off from the Autobots' convoy in order to avoid hitting a pedestrian. Taking advantage of the situation, Ravage blasted the hapless Autobot off a nearby cliffside. Command Performances!

"Nothing can sway him except, of course, rubbing him just in the right spot on his tummy-tum."

Ravage relentlessly tracked the human's scent across the Pacific Northwest towards Wyoming, despite Finkleberg's discarding of most of his smell by exchanging clothes. At this point, Ravage had apparently given up on returning Finkleberg to the Decepticons alive, and had begun shooting to kill. This change in protocol resulted in a melted campsite where Finkleberg had abandoned his clothes, but little else. Days later, Ravage tracked the human down in Wyoming, where he was protected by the Autobot named Skids and the Autobot's human companion Charlene. Ravage chased the trio through a small downtown area where he subdued Skids. Skids (and Finkleberg, by extension) was rescued by an unlikely hero, Jake Dalrymple, when Jake rammed his sports car into Ravage, toppling the Decepticon momentarily. After a protracted battle with Skids, Ravage was sent tumbling down a mine shaft and rendered inoperative on impact. Showdown!

At the Decepticons' base in the Florida Keys, Ravage tried to cheer up a down-in-the-dumps Megatron with some words of encouragement, but Megatron was too preoccupied to listen. Power Struggle Later, he informed Shockwave of Cobra's arrival. Ashes, Ashes... Though the Decepticons and Cobra were allies for a time, the humans joined forces against the Autobots to stop a Decepticon ploy that would have destroyed the Earth. When a joint attack of Autobots, Cobra and G.I. Joe troops attacked the Decepticon base, Ravage stayed by Shockwave's side at his command post while the battle unfolded. ...All Fall Down!

Soon after, Ravage was awakened by a series of earth tremors, set off by the time storm raging throughout the universe. Finding much had changed since his deactivation, Ravage stumbled into the underground bunker of none other than "Megatron" and Galvatron. Initially siding with his old leader(s?), during a battle with the Wreckers, Ravage was surprised to learn that the presence of Galvatron and Scourge in the present was the source of the time storm. Though he was blasted by Carnivac (who had temporarily teamed up with the Wreckers), Ravage abandoned the battle and sought out the reclusive Shockwave. Shockwave was nearly catatonic over the irrationality of the time paradox that threatened to destroy them all, but Ravage managed to use logic to convince his former leader to come to his senses. At Ravage's suggestion, Shockwave gave up the body of Cyclonus, tossing it into the timestorm, which ended the threat to the present and future. Time Wars

A common lament.

In the aftermath, he hooked up with Megatron and they returned to Cybertron to seek new fortunes. In the Decepticon capital city of Helex, though, they found Autobots wandering around unmolested, and the area free of Decepticon supervision. Megatron grew furious over Cybertron's current situation, and brought Ravage along as he met with the Decepticons' current commanders. After deposing the inadequate Triumvirate, Megatron established a new beachhead for his conquests, with Ravage by his side. The Fall and Rise of the Decepticon Empire. Before long, though, Ravage found himself having doubts over Megatron's ability to rule; the Decepticon leader seemed too plagued by nightmare visions of Straxus to effectively take any action. When an intruder alarm sounded, Ravage welcomed the chance to partake in some violence to take his mind off things. He was confounded to find that the intruder turned out to be another Megatron! Unable to strike his leader, Ravage was forced to sit back as the two Megatrons battled. Mind Games The intruder Megatron revealed that Ravage's Megatron was a duplicate created by Straxus, but Ravage balked at such a notion and pounced on him. However, the words rang true to the clone, who opted to destroy himself rather than allow Lord Straxus's mind to retake control of his body. Ravage was confused by the whole ordeal, but the remaining Megatron assured him that they had managed a victory for all Decepticons in returning him to leadership. Two Megatrons!

Close your mouth, Ravage.

Ravage eventually resurfaced on Earth, working with Starscream and Shockwave in an auxiliary Decepticon army, planning to overthrow then-leader Scorponok. After recruiting more of Scorponok's disgruntled soldiers, including Triggerhappy and Mindwipe, Eye of the Storm Ravage returned with his fellow insurgents to an underwater headquarters to plan their attack. As Scorponok began to forge a very unpopular alliance with the Autobots due to the threat of Unicron's coming, Ravage and the other Decepticon insurgents attacked the Decepticon base in New Jersey. Surrender! Scorponok survived, and as he emerged from the wreckage, he swatted Ravage aside easily. ...All This and Civil War 2

Their coup was interrupted when Primus summoned all the Transformers of Earth to Cybertron to do battle with Unicron. Out of Time! Ravage and the other teleported Transformers witnessed Primus, speaking through the body of Emirate Xaaron, tell the history of their supernatural war with the Dark God. The Void! Ravage was last seen fleeing, along with several others, immediately after Unicron's approach. On the Edge of Extinction!

Transformers Annual 1985

Upon discovering that the Autobots were holding negotiations with the President of the United States, Megatron decided that it was time to defrost the Insecticons and sent them to Washington, D.C. under Ravage's command to disrupt proceedings. The ensuing carnage was successful in damaging relations between the Autobots and humans, but Ravage was surprised by Optimus Prime and involuntarily injected with a cerebro-shell by Bombshell. As Bombshell was under Ravage's mental control and Ravage was now under Bombshell's, it left him literally without a mind of his own. Plague of the Insecticons!

Shortly after arriving on Earth, the Decepticons established a mine in South America to excavate crystals which could bring new warriors to life. When a human expedition stumbled across their operation, the Decepticons imprisoned them. One of the humans, Doctor John Butler, was able to escape and Ravage was tasked with tracking him down. Somehow, Butler got away and was found wandering the jungle in shock by the Red Cross. Alerted to the Decepticons' activity by a TV news report, the Autobots traveled to South America and destroyed the mine, forcing the Decepticons to retreat. Hunted!

Marvel UK future timelines

In 2003, Ravage was on a routine mission to infiltrate the Ark when he came across Ultra Magnus's huge new plans for a transforming fortress known as Autobot City: Earth. Upon hearing that Kup would be transporting a simulation tape of the city's blueprints to all the human leaders of Earth, Ravage skittered off to inform his Stunticon comrades so that they could intercept the information in transit. Ark Duty

Five years later, Ravage was seen on the field of battle with Soundwave, when the Decepticon commander desperately radioed the Autobots for assistance against their Quintesson attackers. Space Pirates!

Earthforce

Imagine a plate of spaghetti in front of him here.

Ravage was seen when an alternate-reality Galvatron probed Wheeljack's mind. Wheeljack remembered running into Ravage at Blackrock Aerospace Assembly Plant Number One following the Dinobot hunt, where Wheeljack was looking for the technology used to make Jetfire so he could repair the injured Autobots. Ravage and Wheeljack made a deal: In return for the technology, Wheeljack would use Ravage's neuro-control helmet to brainwash Jetfire into returning to the Decepticons. Despite not trusting Jetfire, Wheeljack backed out at the last minute. Good job too, as he later found out Ravage had destroyed the factory, meaning he'd almost betrayed his comrade for no result. ...Perchance to Dream

Ravage remained on the side of Shockwave and Starscream during the Decepticon Civil War, fighting against his longtime commanders, Megatron and Soundwave. During a fight with the Dinobots, Ravage was faced off against Slag. Not... exactly... equal. Poor kitty ended up taking the horns to the hind quarters before the Decepticons retreated. Two Steps Back!

Ravage was seen at the Enclave, when the two Decepticon factions met to discuss peace and common goals. Someone brought him a saucer to drink from. Awwwwwww. He was presumably swept up in the fracas that ensued when the Autobots sabotaged the peace-talk, pitting Megatron's and Shockwave's soldiers against one another once more. The Bad Guy's Ball!

Sometime later, the Decepticon factions managed to combine under the joint leadership of Soundwave and Starscream. Ravage began operating out of Soundwave's chest compartment again, just like old times. The Decepticons launched a massive offensive against the Autobot Earthbase, their goal to kill some Autobots, while also distracting them as Starscream looted a human oil tanker in the Gulf of Mexico. Both goals proved fruitless, and the Decepticons were driven off. Divide and Conquer!

Classics

Quick, Laserbeak, let's remind them that we talk in this universe.

Fifteen years after the battle on Klo, Megatron resurfaced on Earth, and the loyal Ravage joined his former leader. Ravage participated in a battle in South America where a strange anomaly had been detected. Megatron had Soundwave send Ravage and Laserbeak after Cliffjumper, Landquake, and Skyfall. Crossing Over: Part 3 All of them disappeared in a sinkhole, where they awoke to find a strange underground chamber. Ravage and Laserbeak attacked, though while Laserbeak was hit and sank into a strange pool, Ravage was able to escape the overwhelming odds. Crossing Over: Part 4

Some time after this, while Ravage was patrolling their new base of operations, he realized he was being scouted by Elita One. Though he was able to counter both her repartee and her Circuit-Su, he was eventually blinded by the color-change properties of her skin and taken out of commission. Games of Deception

Recordicons

And the winner is--Ravage! But which one?

Ravage was among the Decepticons on Earth when the planet was dragged into a negative universe. Disgusted by the existence of his negative universe counterpart, Ravage hunted down his doppelganger with the intention of removing his opposite from existence. When the other Ravage asked for a timeout to update Yatter, Ravage turned him down and was met with a savage attack in response. Recordicons #10 Ravage became convinced that Megatron had arrived on the negative Earth, but in the past where the Decepticon leader had fought beasts and been rebuilt into a massive kaiju. Laserbeak and Buzzsaw assumed he'd gone nuts. Recordicons #24

Regeneration One

Ravage was present on Cybertron when the Dark Matrix creature attacked the population and converted most of the Transformers into shadow-leeches. Thanks to his powers of stealth Ravage was able to escape this treatment but ultimately found himself cornered by a shadow leech comprising the remains of his former allies Soundwave, Overkill, Howlback, Slugfest, Squawktalk, Beastbox, and Wingthing. Just in the nick of time he was rescued by Shockwave and Starscream aboard the Ark. King of Shadows Subsequently, the three of them renounced their Decepticon ways and left Cybertron to travel the galaxy as ambassadors of peace. The War to End All Wars, Part 5

Transformers '84

An elite spy for the Decepticons, Ravage infiltrated the meeting hall of the Council of Autobot Elders and learnt of Project: Ark, passing the information on to Megatron who used it corroborate with Counterpunch's own findings. As one of Soundwave's deployers, Ravage was part of the group that boarded the Ark and subsequently wound up buried in stasis lock on the planet Earth. '84 #0

Notes

• As given in early Universe-style profiles published in The Transformers Comics Magazine, Ravage's nickname is Cat.

References