Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity
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An outlier with extremely powerful hearing and limited telepathic capabilities, Soundwave's unusual powers made him a freak and an outcast in the stifling days of functionist Cybertron. But after finding a mentor in Ravage, Soundwave's aspirations saw him join up with Megatron's Decepticon movement, dreaming of a Cybertron where every Cybertronian could stand as true equals.
In this new role, Soundwave remained a loyal Decepticon for millennia—making one increasingly dubious compromise after the next—until after the end of the Great War, when Megatron, the 'bot who had led him down this path, saw the error of his own ways and defected to the Autobots. Shattered by this betrayal, Soundwave fell in with the ambitious warlord Galvatron in a new bid to return the Decepticon cause back to its roots: a pacifistic faction advocating for equality amongst Cybertronians. But Galvatron's own bloodlust precluded any hope of true peace, and when the uneasy alliance fell apart Soundwave did the unthinkable: joining forces with Optimus Prime. Refusing to formally join the Autobot cause, Soundwave continues to proudly wear his purple Decepticon insignia, a badge of honor that, to some, marks him as the last true Decepticon.
- First appearance: Stormbringer #1 (cameo)
| “ | It is an...expansive universe. Why does it always feel so crowded? | ” |
| —Soundwave, "South of Heaven" | ||
Contents |
Fiction
Joining the Decepticons
Soundwave was forged. Arm the Lonely He was found living on the streets by Ravage, Buzzsaw, and Laserbeak, a barely-coherent derelict driven to the brink of insanity by his uncontrolled mind-reading powers, which bombarded him with the thoughts and emotions of all around him. "Smelling" some decency within him, Ravage elected to share with Soundwave the secrets of control he had learned years of mastering his own enhancing olfactory senses, teaching him the art of focus. Soundwaves The quartet lived together; some time thereafter, Soundwave was sent to the Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology to further control his abilities and hone his Outlier skills. Now better able to control his natural telepathy, Soundwave was sent to Luna 2 to supervise an energon mine at the behest of Prowl and Sentinel Prime, and brought his animal friends along with him. Another Mine
When the mine closed, Soundwave and his friends were left destitute and returned to a life on the streets until Soundwave was approached by Senator Ratbat with an offer of employment. The senator saw a political use for Soundwave's mind-reading, and while Soundwave was disgusted by Ratbat's Functionist attitude toward his beast-form companions, he accepted the offer for the position it would afford him. While in Ratbat's employ, Soundwave and his three companions were refitted so that they could store within his chest as cassettes. Soundwaves
When the ex-miner and revolutionary rhetorician Megatron caught Ratbat's eye as a champion of the illegal underground gladiatorial matches, the senator sent Soundwave to offer Megatron funding and weapons technology, seeking to foster political instability for his own profit. When two Autobots were discovered listening in on their conversation, Soundwave dispatched his three cassette partners to capture them. After their capture, he read Bumper's mind to see if there was any immediate threat to Megatron's activities. Megatron Origin #2
Brought to the gladiator arenas, Soundwave was questioned by Megatron over his opinions on Ratbat's activities, but Soundwave—assaulted by the thoughts of the huge throng of gladiators around him—struggled to answer. Impressed by the way in which Soundwave viewed his cassette partners as equals in outright contradiction to the Functionist standards of his employer, Megatron permitted him to read his mind, and there, Soundwave saw Megatron's genuine desire for all Cybertronians to be equal. The strength of his desire became something for Soundwave to focus upon, and his dedication to the Decepticon ideal of equality allowed him to finally master his mind-reading powers, shutting out all other distractions and making Megatron the stillpoint his life revolved around. Soundwaves
Some time later, Soundwave was assigned to find a warrior with flight capabilities, and recruited the Seekers: Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker. Megatron Origin #3 Megatron's next new recruit was senator Shockwave, who Soundwave hated on sight: the Shadowplay Shockwave had been subjected had removed his emotions, leaving Soundwave completely unable to read his thoughts. Though awed by this terrible perfection, Soundwave believed that one day, he would have to kill Shockwave. Soundwaves
His mind now finally clear for the first time in his life, Soundwave turned against Ratbat and formulated for Megatron a plan that would allow the Decepticons to make a formal statement of their intent that could not be ignored. Soundwaves Per Soundwave's plan, the Decepticons allowed themselves to be arrested during a recruitment rally, when Megatron provoked an Autobot response by making an attempt on the life of Senator Decimus, resulting in an emergency convening of the Senate in Kaon. Megatron Origin #3 Soundwave and his cassettes—now joined by Rumble and Frenzy, refitted by Shockwave—were freed on an unwitting Ratbat's orders, and then helped Starscream murder the entire Senate. Attacking Ratbat himself, Soundwave took his former employer offline and placed his spark into a new cassette body. Megatron Origin #4 Shockwave entered just as Soundwave was removing his brain module, and the pair had a terse conversation about means and ends before Shockwave changed the subject to designing Ratbat's new body as a flyer. Soundwaves
After Zeta Prime was made leader of the Autobots, the new leader managed to restore a semblance of order to Cybertron, forcing the Decepticons back to the shadows for a period of time. In spite of - or perhaps because of—Zeta's clampdown on illegal activities, the Decepticons continued to amass resources and new recruits, but as increasingly unscrupulous 'bots joined their ranks the Decepticons slowly lost sight of their original goal and became increasingly militant. Following the death of a Decepticon sympathizer in Autobot custody, To Walk Among the Chosen Soundwave was approached by Orion Pax regarding accusations that Hefter had been smuggling guns from offworld. Soundwave insisted that the Decepticons were innocent of such acts; no sooner had the police left than Starscream arrived toting a new shipment of offworld weaponry. Behind My Bleeding Back
Hoping to sow further division between the Autobots and Decepticons Starscream then hatched a new plan that involved booby-trapping a cache of arms shipments—a plan that Soundwave found concerning, given that it would kill loyal Decepticons. Using his smooth vocalizer, Starscream managed to get Soundwave to look past these reservations. Future Glories Lost When the plan was complete, Soundwave met with Horri-Bull and Needlenose, who had been patsies in Starscream's scheme. Soundwave—who had been encouraged by Starscream that Megatron would agree that Starscream's means—lied that the explosion had been the work of the Autobot police officers. Feel Safe Without Regrets
Soundwave's brief flirtation with duplicity would come to an end shortly thereafter when he helped Shockwave and Ferak test an experimental device that would amplify Soundwave's natural telepathy, allowing him to broadcast visions that would frighten sleeping Cybertronians into committing acts of terror. They found a prime target in a civilian named Bumblebee, but after Bumblebee eventually went to the police and helped them raid their temporary base, the yellow Autobot jumped Soundwave, shouting that the Decepticons were supposed to fight for the people. Though Soundwave easily repelled Bumblebee, his words had left an impact on the Decepticon; as the Decepticons fled, Soundwave told his comrades that he would only recruit through reason, not trickery. Ghost Stories
Later in the war with Zeta, Soundwave was sent to spy on him and gather information on what he planned to do about the growing Decepticon movement. Smuggled into a Senate security meeting by Starscream, he overheard Zeta announce his plan to drain civilians of their energy in order to power the Omega Destructors' weaponry, but was forced to make a break for it when Starscream revealed his presence in order to ease suspicion against himself. Fearing what would happen if the populace found out about his plans, Zeta Prime sent Orion Pax to hunt Soundwave down. Parasites
As Soundwave fled towards the safety of Kaon, he was continuously set upon by Orion Pax's Autobots, but got away every time by ejecting one of his many cassettes to defeat or distract them. When he finally reached the border of Kaon, Orion himself caught up and put a stop to his minions by crushing his chest window before defeating him in hand-to-hand combat. The Hunt for Soundwave Luckily, a squad of Decepticons showed up before the Autobots could arrest Soundwave, and his findings were delivered to Megatron. Cause and Effect
Soundwave was present when Megatron and Orion Pax formed an alliance to overthrow Zeta Prime. Choices He then participated in their troops' combined assault on Zeta's Citadel. Overthrown After Megatron betrayed Orion and declared himself the new ruler of Cybertron, Soundwave stood by him as he attempted to recruit Hot Rod to the Decepticons. Rise Soundwave was also present when Megatron rechristened Drift as "Deadlock". Drift #2 Soundwave tracked down the location of the anti-Decepticon pirate news broadcaster, Blaster, and had Wildrider and Breakdown sent to assassinate him. He was then present when the Autobots made an assault on the Decepticon-held Citadel. Broadcast Megatron was defeated by Orion, now Optimus Prime, but Soundwave swept past on Astrotrain and rescued his leader before he could be captured. Endgame
A short time after Megatron's defeat, Soundwave watched in silence as Scorponok declared himself Decepticon leader, having exiled Megatron for his failure. Wreckage He participated in Scorponok's assault on the Toraxxis mega-refinery, a battle which ended with the destruction of the facility. Rage Having survived the destruction, he then returned to Kolkular where Scorponok urged him and the other Decepticons to cannibalize parts from those who had perished. Fallout On Scorponok's orders, Soundwave and Shockwave then led an attack on the Starsreach Spaceport to kill the neutrals evacuating Cybertron, a mission they both believed to be a waste of resources. Massacre After getting driven into a retreat by a raging Grimlock, they were relocated to the Toraxxis Plains to bear witness to Scorponok's new plan: the awakening of Trypticon. Unleashed At this point the Decepticons were thoroughly fed up with his leadership, and thus quick to return to Megatron's side when he returned from his exile. The Illusion of Control Soundwave was later present when Megatron was able to turn Trypticon to the Decepticon side, Belly of the Beast and was subsequently among the Decepticons who left Cybertron on Trypticon to gather their forces. Primacy #1
During their journey, Soundwave doubted the wisdom of Megatron's plans to visit Junkion, but was told not to question his leader's judgment. Primacy #2 The Decepticons then returned to Cybertron for an assault on Iacon, during which Soundwave remained by Megatron's side at the sidelines. Primacy #3 He spent the battle keeping Megatron updated on the tactical situation, and was shocked when his leader suddenly ran off, leaving him with the orders to burn Iacon to the ground if he did not return. Primacy #4
Four million years ago, Soundwave and Hook were leading a Decepticon offensive to cover for Tankor's convoy of energon. When Optimus Prime slipped away to intercept the convoy, Soundwave went after him and got the drop on Prime from behind. Prime's bodyguard Ironhide turned the tables on him, though, taking out both Soundwave and his Mini-Cassettes. The Iron Age As the war went on, Soundwave organized a number of anti-neutral pogroms. Life After the Big Bang At another point he had one of his arms sliced off by Springer using a sword that would later end up Ironfist's collection. Bullets
Three million years ago, Soundwave was captured and taken to the New Institute to be lobotomized, but was saved in the nick of time by Overlord. Remembrance Day When the war began to spread offworld, Soundwave was one of several Decepticons under the command of Shockwave who returned to Junkion in an attempt to recruit the natives into the Decepticon army. They were opposed by a contingent of Autobots led by Prowl; the battle continued until one side detonated the planet's core, destroying the hostile world entirely. A Lonely Pillar on the Plane
As the war ground on, Thunderwing contacted various scientists on both sides to discuss his startling findings that the conflict would create such devastation that would render the planet uninhabitable, and that the only way to survive was to adopt the organic carapace idea he had come up with. Soundwave was among those scientists who refused to accept Thunderwing's findings and his proposal. Stormbringer #1
After the end of the cataclysm brought by Thunderwing, as part of a plan to assassinate Blaster, now a motivational speaker for the Autobots, Soundwave had Beachcomber captured and used Bombshell to implement a cerebro-shell into him. While Beachcomber didn't outright kill Blaster, his motivational broadcast failed to air at precisely the moment the Decepticons began the big push. Spotlight: Blaster
At some point in time, Soundwave fought against the Dynobots alongside Runamuck and Ravage. They were thoroughly trounced for their efforts. Spotlight: Grimlock Some two hundred years ago, Soundwave stood along Megatron and his retinue as Starscream returned from a bungled mission on Xetaxxis. Shining Armor #5
On Earth
Shockwave would eventually take an unauthorized leave of absence from the Decepticons—unbeknownst to Megatron, to investigate the progress of his own Regenesis project—and so Megatron assigned Bludgeon to delve into Shockwave's research and relay all the information back to him. As the Decepticon leader did not fully trust Bludgeon, Megatron would also order Soundwave to keep a covert eye on Bludgeon. In 1984, Soundwave followed Bludgeon and his team after they set a course for Shockwave's last known location: the planet Earth. Spotlight: Soundwave
Soundwave adopted a tape player alternate mode to blend in on the primitive planet, but shortly after arrival he was sidetracked by reports of mysterious robotic humanoids. Curious, he found his way into the possession of Egyptologist Dr. Elliot Marsh to track the mindless machines a tomb in Dahshur. Elliot Marsh, it turned out, was in league with the villainous Garrison Kreiger, who promptly murdered his companion when he had no need for him and left his discarded "tape player" to be discovered by Joe Colton, whose Adventure Team had mistaken Soundwave's submillimeter radiation for a distress beacon, a few days later. Soundwave transformed and blasted more Iron Troopers, making a brief attempt to off Colton before continuing to the source of the signal: a gigantic "Talisman" of extraterrestrial manufacture. Believing that the "monster" had come to steal his prize, Kreiger ordered his mummies to swarm the Decepticon as the rest of the Adventure Team swung into action. Their onslaught didn't provide much of an obstacle for Soundwave, but—despite being intrigued by the relic's restoration of Atomic Man's limbs—he eventually decided the obelisk was more trouble than it was worth, and flew away to continue his primary mission on Earth. The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb
Colton would forever remember his encounter with the Decepticon; though he initially wrote off the adventure as a one-off anomaly, repeated Cybertronian incursions over the years would lead him to regret not taking greater actions against the Transformers. First Strike #1 Fellow Adventure Team member Richard "Bulletman" Ruby would offer a simpler opinion of Soundwave, remembering him as a "jerk." The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb
Returning to the United States, Soundwave tracked Bludgeon's group to a base within Mount St. Helens and discovered that they intended to resurrect Thunderwing. Though Soundwave tried to stop them, Iguanus used an experimental cannon from Shockwave's arsenal to lock him in his alt mode while they instigated a volcanic eruption. Spotlight: Soundwave Soundwave and his cassettes would remain buried in the rubble for several decades until Skywatch discovered the base in the early 2000s, renovating it into a top secret research laboratory to investigate the deactivated Ravage, Laserbeak, and Bugly. Unable to recognize the tape player for what it really was, Soundwave's mode-locked form was discarded and donated to goodwill. When Eagles Scream Soundwave's body changed hands several times until it found its way into a pawn shop. Spotlight: Soundwave
Soundwave spent 23 years trapped in his alternate mode; in the year 2007, he was purchased by a human teenager named Jimmy and taken to his home. When Ravage and Laserbeak were reprogrammed by Skywatch to find the other Transformers, Skywatch's control signal was blocked by a signal emanating from a functioning Soundwave, still in cassette-player mode. Devastation #4 Sometime later on, Ravage and Laserbeak located the signal and reclaimed their master from Jimmy. Relocating to Mount St. Helens, Soundwave told them that he could barely keep blocking Skywatch's hold on them, due to his weakening state in cassette mode. Shockwave suddenly appeared from a cave entrance and said that the four could make a deal together. Maximum Dinobots #3 Maximum Dinobots #4 Soundwave knew how Shockwave could unlock his robot mode, but Shockwave required a favor in return; Skywatch had placed a bomb in Shockwave's head, and that he needed Soundwave to intercept and copy its disarm code. Maximum Dinobots #5 Soundwave attempted to further bargain for information on the Regenesis program, but was rebuffed when Shockwave observed that said information would die with him if the bomb went off. Shockpoint After Soundwave relented, he allowed his cassettes to be recaptured, and once Shockwave's time-limit reached the 30 second mark, Soundwave intercepted Joshua Red's reset code. After transmitting the code to Shockwave, Soundwave was informed of how to disable the mode-lock, finally freeing him. Maximum Dinobots #5
Freed from his humiliating mode-lock, Soundwave quickly returned to his position as Megatron's right hand and helped to defeat the Autobot forces on Earth. All Hail Megatron #7 In 2008, Soundwave stood by Megatron as the Decepticon leader launched the infamous Surge, which began with a devastating attack on New York City. Soundwave detected incoming human military jets, and, on Megatron's orders, Soundwave calmly detonated their arsenal. He then launched Laserbeak to take out the human resistance. All Hail Megatron #1
Soundwave reported that the humans had sent a sizable ground force after the Decepticons. Following Megatron's orders, he released Frenzy and set him loose on the humans. The only being immune to Frenzy's infrasonic manipulation, he silently observed his minion's work. All Hail Megatron #2 With the conquest of New York complete, Soundwave listened to Megatron's victory speech. All Hail Megatron #4 When a group of humans led by Cmdr. Spike Witwicky deactivated Rumble with an experimental weapon which originated from Shockwave, Soundwave, sensing this, found Rumble's lifeless body, grieved, and took him away. All Hail Megatron #9
During Starscream's attempt to take control of the Decepticons, Megatron revealed that Soundwave had been watching him all along, reporting his planned rebellion to Megatron. All Hail Megatron #10 The infighting amongst the Decepticons stopped when jets from Europe arrived to take them all on, soon followed by the return of the Autobots. All Hail Megatron #11 Megatron was defeated, and Soundwave escaped alongside the rest of the Decepticons. All Hail Megatron #12 Whilst traveling away from Earth onboard Astrotrain, Soundwave and his cassettes took care of their heavily injured leader. Starscream attempted to dissuade him from wasting energon on Megatron, all the while buttering him up with compliments about his loyalty, but all Soundwave said in response was "Negative. Megatron functions." Uneasy Lies the Head
Three years later, Soundwave was still dutifully attending to Megatron's reconstruction. All His Engines He eventually came to the conclusion that his leader's body was beyond repair, and instead recruited Shockwave to build a new body for him. Once Megatron returned in a new and upgraded form, he hatched a plan to use parts of his old body to make Megatron gun replicas that would subconsciously influence humans. Alongside his cassettes and Shockwave, Soundwave helped produce these weapons. Altered Carbon
He was later present when Megatron got rid of Hot Rod and the Matrix, and was ordered to gather everyone in the base so that their leader could address them. Heart Like a Wheel He accompanied Megatron until his confrontation with Starscream, at which point Megatron had him leave... but knew he'd be listening in from afar as he always did. Megatron overall didn't think much of Soundwave's apparent loyalty, believing he'd only assisted in his revival because it suited his own needs. Spotlight: Megatron
As part of Megatron's master plan, the Decepticons subsequently returned to Earth, where Soundwave led Rumble and Frenzy in an attack on the Skywatch base where several Decepticons were being held captive. The Demolished Man He also trampled a BNN newscaster. Woken Furies Soundwave was then responsible for holding Ultra Magnus hostage while Megatron explained to Optimus Prime that he was the one turning the humans against the Autobots. In an attempt to throw off Megatron's concentration, and with it his influence over the gun-wielding humans, Prime fired on Soundwave, blowing off a large portion of his head. The plan worked: seeing his loyal soldier fall sent Megatron into a rage, and he picked up the barely living Soundwave and flew off. Burning Chrome With his body in stasis lock, Soundwave was brought to Shockwave, who was unsure if he could repair such an extensive injury with the limited resources at his disposal. Enemy Mine
Soundwave was mostly repaired by the time Megatron had surrendered himself to the Autobots, although half his face remained exposed and damaged from Optimus Prime's attack. The damage caused to his vocal processors rendered him completely mute. The World & Everything in It Once on Cybertron and having freed himself, Megatron used the space bridge technology built into his new body to summon Soundwave and the rest of the Decepticons on Earth to him. The Question At first, Soundwave and the others did battle with the Autobots, but were soon entranced by D-Void. The Decepticons along with Galvatron's army of Sweeps combined into an enormous monster, which was eventually defeated when Optimus Prime opened the Matrix of Leadership, "resetting" Cybertron into a primordial state and ending the Great War. Kings
Back on Cybertron
Following the defeat and fracturing of this "Deceptigod", Soundwave and the rest were left in a weakened state from the ordeal. This allowed the Autobots to round the Decepticons up, stick I/D chips in them, and place them in a holding pen. Prowl was eventually forced to sanction their release to quell a riot, leaving Soundwave and the others with a limited sort of freedom. The Death of Optimus Prime Needlenose, fed up with working as an enforcer for the Autobots, accused Soundwave, Shockwave, and Bombshell of just sitting around instead of doing something about the Decepticons' situation. The Autonomy Lesson Little did Needlenose know that Soundwave and Shockwave had actually been working together to take control of the I/D chips on the orders of Ratbat, who was trying to reassert his authority in Megatron's absence. The World & Everything in It When Horri-Bull and Needlenose began beating up Zetca, Bumblebee attempted to "detonate" the diabled I/D chip in his head; Soundwave having remotely detonated the chip to keep him quiet. The Autonomy Lesson The World & Everything in It
Even after Ratbat was killed, Soundwave continued working with Shockwave, who apparently had his own ideas about what to do about the Autobots. When Starscream found out about that they were plotting something, he and Prowl had Arcee capture the two and fake their deaths. The End of the Beginning of the World However, Prowl was in fact under Decepticon control, and instead had the captured Decepticons upgraded in anticipation of Megatron's return. His voice restored, Soundwave helped explain to the captured Bumblebee that the Decepticons had been planning this all along in a bid to conquer Cybertron. The Verge Before the Dawn During the ensuing battle with the Autobots, he reported to Megatron that Shockwave had gone off somewhere and that their new and improved Devastator had seemingly gained sentience. Plan for Everything In the end, Megatron was defeated yet again, after which Starscream used the influence of the neutral population to exile all Autobots and Decepticons who would not renounce their factions, including Soundwave. Heavy Is the Head
While out in the wilderness, Soundwave was alarmed to find Ravage was suffering from intense pain, and in a rare emotional moment ran to the other Decepticons pleading for help. Arm the Lonely Soundwave eavesdropped on Shockwave and Jhiaxus as the pair communicated. As the other Decepticons became disgruntled, he declared his leadership and immediately came under attack by Astrotrain and Blitzwing though in the end Needlenose told him if he wanted to destroy Shockwave, he'd have to do it alone. Soundwave journeyed into Crystal City to confront Shockwave, and discovered when he killed Dreadwing that the Ore-14 in the city promptly brought him back to life. Shockpoint Discovering that Shockwave had betrayed the Decepticon cause, Soundwave unleashed his cassettes, only to discover that the Ore-14 made anything but a stalemate impossible. He returned to the other Decepticons as Shockwave's plan commenced. Soundwaves
After the appearance of Shockwave's Metrotitan, Soundwave and his men attacked the Autobots who had approached it, Black Metal but were unable to prevent Starscream approaching the giant. The combined group was hit moments later by a shockwave of energy. Winners & Losers In the aftermath, as the survivors discussed what to do next, Soundwave heard something he had never heard before: Megatron screaming. Into the Abyss They reached Shockwave's lab to find the scientist using the space bridge in Megatron's chest to extract Nova Prime and Galvatron from the Dead Universe. Soundwave assaulted Shockwave, but ultimately Shockwave triumphed and called in the Metrotitan, which forced the Autobots and Decepticons to retreat. Finest Hour
Fleeing in the direction of Iacon in front of the giant, Soundwave and Frenzy carried Ironhide and Ravage between them. No Exit They eventually made it back to Iacon and found Starscream feeling sorry for himself. Prowl took control, with Soundwave supplying communications. As things went from bad to worse, he told Prowl he had little idea what Shockwave's plans were but believed they would be able to stop the Metrotitan. Moments later Bumblebee arrived with Megatron, the latter of whom had a plan to evacuate Cybertron. While Bumblebee was still objecting, Metroplex and the Lost Light quantum jumped in to lend a hand. Burning Bright Soundwave was among those to greet the Lost Lighters as they disembarked. Finis Temporis
Following the defeat of the Necrotitan, Soundwave busied himself seeing to Megatron's repairs. It wasn't long before the remainder of Shockwave's plan came into play and billions of Ammonites invaded the planet. The Becoming As Megatron joined in a plan to defeat Shockwave, Soundwave told him that he saw the wisdom in using the Autobots' help, however Megatron responded that Bumblebee had command and that a new approach was needed. While Bumblebee's team went to Shockwave's laboratory, Soundwave and his cassettes joined the rest of the population in fighting the Ammonites. Black Planet As the battle concluded in victory, Soundwave was shocked to discover that Megatron had taken on the sigil of the Autobots. Reeling from this betrayal, Soundwave and the other Decepticons were approached by Galvatron, who believed he had an alternative for them. ...And the Damage Done
Questioned by Galvatron on what he truly wanted, Soundwave told the ancient Transformer of the Decepticons' origins and his dream for a community where they could all be equals, ruled by nobody. With Cybertron now ruled by the Autobots, he instead turned his eyes back to Earth, recalling the existence of energon there. Galvatron followed, hoping to conquer the planet, but Soundwave rejected his proposal, telling him they were returning to the Decepticons' true path—peace. Full Fathom Five
Forging a new Decepticon future
Retaining some hope that Megatron's defection was merely a ruse, Soundwave left Ravage on Cybertron to keep an eye on their former leader. slaughterhouse In the meantime, Soundwave, Galvatron, and other Decepticon loyalists departed Cybertron aboard the Nemesis, hoping to start anew on Earth and rebuild their fraught relationship with humanity. They discovered that, in their absence, Skywatch had given way to the heavily militarized Earth Defense Command, who were rightfully skeptical of a human-Decepticon alliance. Meeting with the humans in Antarctica, Soundwave and Galvatron approached the humans with a peace offer, revealing the Decepticon's change in ideology. The humans remained unconvinced up until Soundwave told a half-truth by revealing that Megatron had left them for the Autobots; unaware of Megatron's change of heart, the EDC assumed that Megatron had brought his villainy to the Autobots. Detonation Boulevard
The EDC offered to cooperate with the Decepticons under a strict set of guidelines: they would build a new commune for the Decepticons in the form of a a space station orbiting Jupiter, in exchange for the Decepticons' aid in secretly capturing a team of Autobots bound for Earth. Full Fathom Five Soundwave elected not to share certain pieces of Cybertronian technology with the humans. While Soundwave saw their alliance with the humans as convenient, he still did not see them as truly sentient beings or equals to Cybertronians, no different from any other Earth creatures. South of Heaven To operate undetected amidst the EDC motor pool, Soundwave adopted a new alternate mode based off the EDC's armored personnel carriers. Detonation Boulevard
Some six months later, a small team of Autobots arrived on Earth in search of Alpha Trion, and under the terms of their alliance the Decepticons mobilized to stage an ambush with the EDC. Hello Cruel World While pursuing the Autobots to the town of Poverty Flat, Soundwave blocked their communications, keeping them from contacting their allies in space. Detonation Boulevard As the battle escalated and bystanders witnessed the combatants' robot modes, the EDC was forced to teleport the Decepticons away, though they had to activate their secret "mindbomb" weapon to knock Soundwave and his comm block out first. Galvatron immediately demanded revenge, but Soundwave insisted on sticking to the plan and calmed him with the information that they had found the location of Galvatron's own goal on Earth—Alpha Trion. The Mind Bomb
Warping to the coordinates, Soundwave arrived at the EDC's Marshall Islands base along with Galvatron, who he once again had to talk out of resorting to violence. Full Fathom Five Interrupted by an Autobot attack on the base, Soundwave detected an intruder and set out to take care of them, locating Jazz and an unconscious Prowl. He attempted to capture them, but was blasted out of the way by the EDC's stash of tanks and V.T.O.L.s, the machines having been hacked by Prowl. I Dream of Wires
Not long after, Soundwave chastised Galvatron for taunting the incapacitated Skywarp, before also telling him that he was going to check on the progress of their Jupiter commune. Signals, Calls, and Marches In truth, however, Soundwave had Skywarp teleport him to a remote forest, where he met with former Decepticon Thundercracker. Soundwave offered the flying Cybertronian the chance to return to the fold and come aboard their commune, brushing aside his concerns about Galvatron and the humans. Although Thundercracker promised to think about it, Soundwave was left a bit befuddled when his former comrade gave him one of his screenplays to read. Soundwave then made his leave, though not before warning Thundercracker that those who align with a Prime would not be welcome at the commune. Vs.
While strolling with elephants at Tanzania's Mikumi National Park, Soundwave was again contacted by Thundercracker, who asked for his help in stopping the EDC's Ramjet and Thrust clones from engaging in battle with the Autobots and Decepticons. Although Soundwave was angry at this betrayal by their human allies, and tempted to let Galvatron viciously retaliate, Thundercracker ultimately convinced him that Earth was their planet to protect too, causing him to finally relent and shut down the clones via their quantum signal. Soundwave then told the grateful Thundercracker to not contact him again. Upon returning to the Nemesis, Soundwave did not tell Galvatron about any of the events that had transpired and continued to lie that he had been at the commune. The Obliterati
As construction on Sanctuary Station neared completion, Onyx founder and EDC investor Garrison Blackrock offered his clients a tour of their new commune. Partway into the tour, Soundwave excused himself to secretly investigate a disturbance outside the station, which turned out to be Cosmos on an investigative mission. Soundwave tried to invite the wayward Autobot inside, but was instead fired upon. Soundwave reluctantly chased Cosmos through some asteroids before pinning him down; the Decepticon was surprised that Cosmos, stuck in a wartime mindset, expected to be tortured by the Decepticons. Seeing that the Autobot was unhappy with his current lot in life, Soundwave invited him to come live aboard the commune and asked him to speak with his Autobot teammates about using their captured space bridge for peaceful purposes, telling the conflicted Autobot that all he'd have to do was say Soundwave's name. South of Heaven
After returning to the Nemesis, Soundwave told Galvatron of how the first shuttle from Cybertron was already on its way to Sanctuary Station. Soundwave wished to inform the EDC when Rumble picked up some Autobots approaching Earth, but Galvatron thought it unnecessary. This proved to be true, as both Decepticons watched the Autobots' ship get turning into a smoking ruin. Soundwave wondered if Galvatron knew this would happen, but he denied it and then told Soundwave to take a shuttle back to Sanctuary Station, as the Autobots' space bridge would soon be theirs to bring their fellow Decepticons from Cybertron. The Nothing Man
When Soundwave arrived back at the station, he welcomed the crew of the aforementioned shuttle from Cybertron, the Peace Without Tyranny, which included Sky-Byte and Slugslinger. Soundwave then heard Cosmos calling out his name, but the Autobot had not made up his mind about joining them; rather, he had nowhere else to turn with the other Autobots not responding to any of his calls and feared that they had died. Aphelion Soundwave found himself unable to sense any trace of Cosmos's missing teammates, but invited the hapless Autobot into the commune so that they could plan their next step. Moving on with the Decepticons' own plans, Soundwave used his abilities to take control of the space bridge aboard the Ark-7 so that the Decepticons on Cybertron could infiltrate the ship and take it over. As Soundwave reported this to Galvatron, a furious Cosmos overheard the conversation and believed that the Decepticons really were responsible for what happened to the other Autobots, but Soundwave claimed otherwise; he and the other Decepticons were simply taking advantage of the situation the Autobots were in. Soundwave declared they would be paving the way for a new era of peace, but as Cosmos objected by pointing out the Decepticons who now had their weapons pointed at him, Soundwave ordered them to stand down. Lagrange
At the same time, D.0.C. showed Thundercracker a hologram of Soundwave. Helden Once the Decepticons on board the Ark-7, led by Needlenose and Brawl, had taken control of the craft, Soundwave ordered them to set course for Sanctuary Station. Brawl, however, revealed that he had other orders to take the ship to Earth, leading to much rage on Soundwave's part. Soundwave became further infuriated when he learned Galvatron had given the orders, and tried to convince Skywarp to not help the ancient conqueror in his plans, but the Seeker refused. Believing that his dreams of the Decepticons living in peace were at an end, Soundwave became despondent, and apologized to both Cosmos and Sky-Byte; they would now have to make preparations for war. Perihelion
Galvatron then contacted Soundwave again to ask for his help in fending off the Autobots, which led to the communications officer becoming further outraged and making plans to head to Earth to rescue those Decepticons Galvatron had misled into following his plans of conquest. Soundwave and his allies thus took the Peace Without Tyranny to Shanghai on Earth, where Autobots and Decepticons alike were under attack by the People's Liberation Army Mecha Force. While Soundwave did not want to bring any of Prime's followers onto the craft, he did invite all present Decepticons to come aboard and find refuge on Sanctuary Station, with many taking the offer to escape the battlefield. After the ship made its escape, Soundwave watched Prime's declaration of his annexing Earth, showing little surprise. Once Upon a Time on Earth After the Peace Without Tyranny docked back at Sanctuary Station, Soundwave interrupted Needlenose and Swift's conversation about Galvatron, vowing that the ancient warlord would be the last to manipulate him. New Worlds Order It was around this period that Soundwave telepathically felt Ravage's death as his old friend expired from injuries incurred by Tarn. Do Not Go Gentle
Allying with the Enemy
"I didn't know that prick taught you how to negotiate."
While recharging, Optimus had a nightmare in which Soundwave, Starscream, and the Mistress of Flame chastised him for his recent actions. Spurred by this and other events, Optimus contacted Soundwave and the other two in order to set up talks with all of them. Edge of the Earth Soundwave had little patience for Optimus and Thundercracker when they arrived at Sanctuary Station, wanting nothing to do with the Prime's attempts to make humans equal to Cybertronians, even despite Thundercracker's bringing up that he had compromised his beliefs for the greater good in the past. However, Prime then revealed that he knew that Soundwave had killed Horri-Bull, not Bumblebee. With Optimus threatening to tell Needlenose who had truly murdered the 'bot he loved and potentially jeopardize the future of Soundwave's commune, Soundwave asked what Optimus wanted of him and his Decepticons. The Medium and the Message
Soundwave and his loyalists travelled back to Monument Valley alongside Prime to help coordinate an undersea strike against the Nemesis. Soundwave stayed behind to supervise the battle, which took a turn for the worse when Galvatron revealed his newest ability - the power to create combiners at will, thanks to the power of the Onyx code. Soundwave was prepared to help out his comrades when the Earth Defense Command intervened, strafing their temporary command post. Although Soundwave wanted to engage the humans, he was prevented from doing so by Optimus, who was trying to present the best image to Circuit and Longtooth. It's Beginning To And Back Again Soundwave finally lost his temper and returned fire on the humans, goading Aileron into action too. Desperate to call off the violence, Optimus encouraged Soundwave to try and read a human's mind, insinuating that he couldn't do it. Soundwave took the challenge and experienced an epiphany, realizing that human brain impulses were electrical, just like those of Cybertronians - and that their emotions were just as real as any Transformer. Overwhelmed with guilt, Soundwave willingly surrendered, taking full responsibility for his crimes against humanity. As Above...So Below
Hoping to right his wrongs, Soundwave accompanied Arcee and Optimus Prime to Jupiter, where they intercepted Galvatron. Optimus and Soundwave teamed up against the Decepticon warlord. As they fought, Galvatron argued that they would need him when Onyx Prime and his forces returned. Optimus thought otherwise, and finally executed him before, tearing his head off for good measure. No Fair Fights Soundwave returned with the two Autobots to Monument Valley, where the recently revived Metrotitan lay waiting for them. Hoping to send a less threatening message to humanity, Optimus ordered the Titan to transform into its city mode, an embassy he dubbed "Autobot City". The transformation was accompanied by a powerful transmission that immortalized Optimus's myriad deeds. Soundwave was left unsettled by this portentous turn of events. The Last Autobot
Soundwave's fears regarding Metrotitan's data pulse proved founded when Metrotitan's transmission awoke Sentinel Prime from his slumber on Cybertron. Hijacking Iacon's space bridge, Sentinel Prime—disgusted by the state of postwar Cybertron, yet hoping to win the loyalty of Optimus Prime—rampaged through Autobot City, revealing himself as an ancient Titan Master. Soundwave and Optimus contended with Sentinel's headless body, which led them to a large cache of Ore-13 buried beneath the city. It was then that Sentinel returned with Garrison Blackrock, revealed to be another Titan Master known as Sovereign. The two Titan Masters, wielding Alpha Trion's decapitated body, hijacked Metrotitan's spacebridge and vanished with Soundwave and Optimus Prime. White Light
The two Cybertronians were transported to a ruined Cybertronian colony once inhabited by the Titan Prion. Sentinel pontificiated at length about his true identity of Infinitus—and revealed that he and Sovereign, relics from Cybertron's ancient past, were the heralds of Onyx Prime's return. When Soundwave raised the point that Sentinel was not truly a Prime, Sovereign, using Trion's body, stabbed him; Optimus managed to tackle Sentinel into Sovereign to free his ally. Using his sonic abilities, Soundwave was able to modulate the frequency of Sovereign's neocortex, reawakening "Blackrck" and freeing him of Sentinel's influence. This did not deter Sentinel from promptly grabbing Sovereign and rushing through the spacebridge. White Heat Unaware that they had set a course for Luna One, Ten to Midnight Soundwave proved unable to track them; at Optimus' urging, Soundwave opened the space bridge to Cybertron so they could get medical aid for Alpha Trion. The sage pulled through, and as the two returned to Earth Soundwave revealed to Prime that Ravage had died recently. Spurred on by his recent epiphany, Soundwave had reached a new realization: all lifeforms were equal before Primus, and though both Autobots and Decepticons had made compromises, the threat of Onyx's return meant that all Cybertronians would have to put aside their differences for good and face the future united. White Heat
Over the next few months, Optimus Prime's group of Transformers remained on Earth, performing good deeds, while Soundwave split his time between assisting the Autobots on Earth and helping the Decepticons aboard Sanctuary Station. Concorde Hymn When Metrotitan abruptly stopped communicating with his Autobot crew, Soundwave accompanied Pyra Magna to retrieve Windblade, in the hopes that her cityspeaking skills could pinpoint the problem. The trio spent several days searching for the issue but found nothing. Informed
Some time into their investigation, Metrotitan reported that a large cache of Ore-13 had detonated beneath Mount Olympus; using his Outlier powers, Soundwave was able to "hear" said explosion, but doubted that he would be able to hear it fast enough to evacuate if the cache of Ore-13 beneath their base detonated. The rapid destabilization of Ore-13 across Earth was enough for G.I. Joe, the new replacement for the defunct EDC, to declare open war on the Cybertronians. When a group of Joes ambushed Arcee and Jazz in Oregon, Soundwave accompanied Optimus, Windblade, and Victorion to provide backup; unimpressed by their weaponry, Soundwave created a debilitating electromagnetic pulse that deactivated all their equipment. The fracas was interrupted when Rom, on a mission on his own, arrived and murdered four Joes, including "Joe Colton."
Realizing that humans would mistake the alien for a Cybertronian, Optimus ordered his team to pursue the alien; Soundwave pausing only to restore the human's telecommunications network to tend to their wounded. Concorde Hymn They tracked Rom to the Umpqua National Forest, where he managed to suplex Optimus Prime before the other Cybertronians surrounded it. The alien managed to punch Soundwave in the face before he was soundly defeated and encouraged at gunpoint by Optimus to speak. The Divine Source of Liberty
With their captive in tow, the Transformers returned to Autobot City where the alien introduced himself as Rom and explained his mission to hunt down the Dire Wraiths who had taken an interest in the power of Ore-13. Soundwave agreed with Windblade that Micronus Prime's realm of Microspace was their priority, as Aileron and Kup confirmed that the Energon was disappearing into another universe. Before the debate could continue more, the nearby spacebridge activated, and Rom began sending many Ore-13 crystals to Microspace. In doing so, the Space Knight was jeopardizing that universe before Optimus made him see reason. Soundwave then told Rom that he sympathized with placing expediency over morality as he placed the Space Knight in stasis cuffs. O Ship of State
When Arcee began fighting a group of intruders, Soundwave broke it up with a sonic attack; further mediations were cut short when a swarm of Dire Wraiths, bolstered by the forces of M.A.S.K., besieged their base to steal the Ore-13 beneath. Soundwave was blasted by the humans but was functional enough to stay on his feet. The architect of the recent madness was finally revealed when Miles Mayhem activated the space bridge, in spite of Soundwave's attempts to shut it down, to summon the Microspace conqueror Baron Karza. The Baron promptly enerchanged with the Wraiths to become a gigantic hybrid monster. The New Colossus When G.I. Joe arrived, Soundwave caught the falling Dragonfly of Mainframe and Mayday and apologized to the former for his actions during Megatron's initial invasion of Earth. Realizing that he could communicate with the Micronauts through Ancient Cybertronian, Soundwave formulated a plan to combine the abilities of multipl heroes, devising a counter frequency against the detonation of the Ore-13 at the cost of damaging the Space Bridge. His gambit paid off; when the portal to Microspace self-destructed and dragged Karza back inside, Soundwave shielded Mainframe from the cataclysmic blast. Otherwise unharmed, Soundwave returned to the now-airborne Autobot City to see Optimus announce that he and his new allies would work with humanity. Valley Forge
Over the next few months, Optimus Prime's cadre of Transformers continued to patrol Earth aboard their new command center, performing good deeds and keeping the peace across the planet. Optimus' legendary status as the mythical Thirteenth Prime, "The Arisen," would inspire religiously inclined colonists, and Prime's alliance received reinforcements in the shape of the zealous "Colonist Soldiers." The rookies were sent to Mexico City to neutralize a cache of stolen Cybertronian technology, but were quickly overwhelmed by protesters wielding Cybertronian-derived guns, forcing Soundwave and several other veterans to intervene. The group arrived at the White House to warn the President that Earth could be held in violation of the Tyrest Accord. Negotiations were cut short when Soundwave received a transmission from Metrotitan, warning of an incoming spaceship, and Metrotitan and his crew accordingly set a course for the Matterhorn to intercept the aliens as they touched down. To Walk Among the Chosen
The gigantic spaceship disgorged a cargo of Junkion nomads led by Wreck-Gar and Rum-Maj, looking to rebuild their destroyed homeworld using supplies of Earth's Ore-13. Soundwave immediately recognized the aliens before a G.I. Joe taskforce arrived to cordon off the landing zone. Returning to Metrotitan, Soundwave ordered the overeager colonists to shut up while he explained the history behind the Battle of Junkion. A Lonely Pillar on the Plain Deducing that the Junkions had salvaged sensor technology from many different cultures, Soundwave called Cosmos, Rumble and Frenzy from Sanctuary Station to sneak aboard their ship with their own custom shielding to try and gleam more information while he put in an appearance at the G.I. Joe camp below to speak with Mainframe. Behind My Bleeding Back As Optimus began a risky diplomatic gamble to ratify a formal alliance between Earth, Cybertron, and the Junkions, Soundwave reluctantly agreed to help arrange a meeting between the various leaders of Earth. Talon noted that despite everything they'd been through, Soundwave was still fundamentally uncomfortable with the idea of working with Optimus. Dance Among the Shadows
Soundwave's subterfuge was soon revealed when the Junkions tossed Cosmos' battered body overboard, unleashing a swarm of rapacious Sharkticons to attack Earth. Soundwave broke his fall and brought him to the G.I. Joe base camp, where he and Hi-Tech helped stabilize the damaged Autobot. Cosmos revealed the poor living conditions of the Sharkticons; realizing that the Sharkticons were an oppressed underclass, Soundwave put his penchant for class warfare to good use as he flew into the air and recited some of Megatron's old pre-war treatises to the aliens, calling for them to rise up against their Junkion masters. The message worked, and Soundwave led them in tearing apart the Junkion ship. Future Glories Lost
When Optimus Prime brokered a new ceasefire between the warring factions, Soundwave watched as Optimus pontificated on the importance of their renewed alliance. Feel Safe Without Regrets The Junkions and their freed Sharkticons were relocated to the Bikini Atoll to begin the construction of Little Cybertron, a project that Soundwave helped supervise. The Next Day, and the Next
Around this time, a group of heroes went to interview Richard Ruby, ex-Bulletman, for information on the Talisman. He was unconvinced about Soundwave's change of heart in spite of Mayday's protests to the contrary. The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb
A virtual simulation of "Soundwave" was one of the many characters that appeared in Sideswipe's dying dream thanks to Wreck-Gar's mnemopathis projector. The Life of Sideswipe
The defeat and subsequent reconciliation with the Junkions forced Earth to accelerate its schedule to join the Council of Worlds, and eventually the President of the United States found an ambassador in Marissa Faireborn. As members of Optimus' inner retinue travelled by Space Bridge to join him, Soundwave remained behind on Earth with the colonists and a G.I. Joe support team... only for the Iron Ring to launch a genocidal attack on Iacon to disrupt the link and sever the two planets. Soundwave corroborated Chameleon's testimony and watched as Aileron took command. Primeless, Part 1
As Scarlett raced to figure out why her mentor had betrayed her, Soundwave was approached by her team, who requested passage to Cybertron; though the Space Bridge had been deactivated, Skyburst and Stormclash realized that Colton's group had used their M.A.S.S. Device to reach Cybertron. The group headed to Castle Destro to retrieve the M.A.S.S. Device so as to replicate the effect. First Strike #2 The alliance easily breached the castle and emerged on Cybertron where Soundwave casually incapacitated some Iron Grenadiers with a sonic attack before Scarlett tackled Baron Ironblood... only to find Doctor Mindbender beneath the mask. After Gloria Baker hacked one of the Trojan horse bots, she discovered the real Colton had taken the Talisman and a small team into the depths of the planet, though Soundwave was skeptical of what damage the humans could do to Cybertron's core. The group gave chase, but their path was barred by Strika, who fought Soundwave to a standstill before Ironhide and Sunstreaker broke up the fighting and brought them all to the Council. First Strike #3
In the ensuing hearing, Soundwave confirmed Scarlett's testimony regarding Colton's plan to reach the core, though Elita One was unconvinced. Starscream, knowing how difficult it was to lie to Soundwave, chose to send forces underground to confirm his story before detaining the humans in prison. First Strike #4 Optimus, however, realized that Scarlett's forces would prove invaluable against Colton, and went outside the law to break them out of jail; Soundwave was less enthusiastic and noted that the three should handle the problem alone. After freeing the humans, the group pursued the Iron Ring towards the core of the planet, contending with booby traps along the way; fording a holographic river of "acid," the group reached the core just in time to bar Colton's path. First Strike #5
The ensuing battle saw Soundwave contend with Storm Shadow, discovering that his sonic powers had no effect on her. The combatants were soon joined by Starscream, Strika, and Obsidian, and, in the chaos, Iron Ring member Garrison Kreiger made a break for the Talisman, taking advantage of the confusion to activate it preemptively. The human revealed himself as an ancient alien wizard named Merklynn, who had specifically manipulated events in such a way to allow Cybertron to be transformed into a copy of his lost homeworld Prysmos. Seizing control of the planet's energon, Merklynn used it to forge the city of "New Prysmos." Dismayed by the fact that he had sacrificed so much for naught, Colton willingly surrendered and allowed himself to be taken into by Cybertronian forces. First Strike #6
Freedom fighter
Returning to Earth, Soundwave was present at the opening of the Ore-13 mine in Kentucky where, always listening, he overheard Rum-Maj and Wreck-Gar's conversation. Surfeit of Primes
The arrival of the lost Prime, Onyx Prime, with Liege Maximo in tow as his prisoner caused a stir on Cybertron. Optimus Prime requested Soundwave's presence, and he arrived via Space Bridge. Onyx appeared somewhat deferential to Optimus as the Arisen, and Soundwave bristled at the idea of Primes consorting and reaching decisions for the population unilaterally, the social structure he and the Decepticons had fought so long to defeat. While Windblade, the Mistress of Flame and the Primes talked, Soundwave reconnected with the Decepticons on Cybertron. Dreadwing and Needlenose found his lack of action and faith in Optimus offensive, so Soundwave decided to make a move. He visited the Liege Maximo in his cell, but was unable to read anything from the Prime's mind. He confronted Onyx Prime in the meeting, just as an explosion erupted through the party. Another Mine
Alpha Trion and Dreadwing lay dead in the blast. Onyx Prime was quick to place blame on Soundwave and the Decepticons for being a disruptive influence among the Primes. Playing to the crowd, Onyx also revealed Soundwave's long-held secret for everyone to hear: the I/D Chips were deactivated when Bumblebee tried to detonate Horri-Bull's, and so Soundwave killed Horri-Bull himself to maintain their cover. Needlenose immediately turned on Soundwave and the overlapping allegations forced Soundwave to remove himself from the crowd under a cloud of suspicion. The Ground
As Onyx revealed himself as none other than Shockwave—having manipulated eons of history under the guise of "Onyx Prime," all in service of his ultimate goal—Soundwave hid himself from Needlenose and his mob of angry Decepticons intent on bringing him to justice; when it became clear that a recently freed Starscream stood poised to take control of what remained of the Decepticons, however, Soundwave decided to take action, Endless Forever and prepared to assassinate Starscream from afar... before Needlenose found him, and his fellow Decepticon's accusation that his actions made him no better than the other Decepticon leaders caused the telepath to falter, and ultimately spare Starscream's life. Though Shockwave was subdued and taken into custody, and Soundwave pardoned for the false accusations laid against him, Soundwave was not comforted by this outcome—for not only had Shockwave robbed the Decepticon movement of its leader and ideology, not only had Soundwave allowed the treacherous Starscream to live, but Shockwave had already unleashed the final stage of his eons-long plan on the galaxy: Unicron. Unforgivable
As Unicron began his rampage across the galaxy, devouring one planet after the other, Soundwave joined Optimus and his inner retinue as the group traveled aboard the Ark-Zero to the planet Elonia, and as Optimus and the others led the evacuation efforts Soundwave was able to detect a counter-frequency that blocked Wheeljack's portable teleport pylons: a signal that belonged to the comatose body of the Titan Emissary. After Arcee dealt with the dying giant, Soundwave reported that two-thirds of the planet's biosphere had been safely teleported to Cybertron. Our Darkest As Unicron continued his attacks, Soundwave was part of the group that met to discuss their next moves, Unstopped and Unstoppable and when Unicron arrived in the skies above Caminus Soundwave and the united Cybertronian armada arrived to stop him and his Maximal servants. Soundwave fought alongside Rom the Space Knight to get to safety, attempting to use his rhetoric to turn the Maximals against Unicron; this proved fruitless, however, and Soundwave was later forced to coordinate the teleportation of Optimus, Bumblebee, and Arcee out of Unicron after the three launched an exploratory mission into the monster's innards. Back on Cybertron, Soundwave joined the other Decepticons as they watched Starscream take command of the Decepticons, Last Stand pledging to take control of the situation by assembling the Decepticon Vengeance Division. Stranger Eons
Doublecrossed and mutated by Bludgeon, the D.V.D. swiftly fell, however, and as Unicron and his new flotilla of Decepticon traitors arrived in the skies over Cybertron Soundwave joined the emergency meeting in the Spire with the Enigma of Combination to propose that they use its energies to combine the entirety of Cybertron into a giant form to fight Unicron—but even all of the combined Transformers on Cybertron wouldn't be nearly large enough to do so. Starscream proposed cutting their losses and running, abandoning whoever couldn't escape Cybertron to their fate... but Soundwave refused to be complicit in such a plan, and used his powers to telepathically broadcast Starscream's words to every Decepticon in Iacon, who coalesced into an angry mob. Our Finest Salvation came in the shape of Windblade and the Prysmosian citizens of New Prysmos, who tapped into the magic of the Talisman to project a beam of teleportation energy, scooping up every Cybertronian it touched and hurling them to Earth. Soundwave was one of the many Cybertronians who materialized near Victoria Falls as Unicron ripped Cybertron apart and destroyed Sanctuary Station as the planet-eater made its way to Earth. Road's End
As the Cybertronians regrouped in preparation for the final showdown with Unicron, Soundwave was part of a smaller group that traveled to Mount Rushmore as envoys to de-escalate a conflict between the Colonist Soldiers and the Dinobot. When Soundwave discovered that Flint's anger at the situation was due to the death of his friend Mainframe—who had been stepped on by Gimlet during the scuffle—Soundwave's grief finally overwhelmed him, and the Decepticon released a psychic "scream" that overwhelmed the nation, disrupting electronics as far away as Los Angeles. The raw feelings and memories encoded within the scream, however, finally proved to a doubting humanity that Cybertronians were as "real" as any human, and with this in mind Soundwave was part of the group of heroes and villains that attended a meeting within Trypticon to discuss their battle plan. Time Will Rust A Sunrise Dark
As the Maximal swarms descended on Earth, Soundwave remained at Mount Rushmore with Jetfire and the Aerialbots to put his stage of the plan into motion. As Optimus Prime plunged into the black hole that made up the heart of Unicron, Jetfire remotely linked the Enigma of Combination that Soundwave had saved from Cybertron's destruction into the "Earth Enigma" that Superion embodied and Stardrive's Dire Wraith magic. As Superion and Victorion vanquished Monstructor, Prime began his final battle with Unicron's creator in infraspace and Soundwave unleashed the second and final phase of his plan: using the Enigma's power to combine the minds and souls of all living beings, amplifying its reach with his own telepathic powers, Soundwave was able to breach the barrier between the living and the dead, uniting the souls of all those who had died in the war against Unicron and more and beaming their faith—and his own—to Optimus. As the spirits of the dead united, Soundwave's body crumbled away with his last words: "Operation: Absolution." Ceremony
In the aftermath of Unicron's defeat, Buzzsaw honored Soundwave's memory by defending his deceased friend's favorite Earth creatures, elephants, from human poachers in Africa. Post
Spotlight: Mirage
In a dream set in an alternate universe wrapped in an enigma surrounded by a soft taco shell dreamt by Mirage, Soundwave was part of the Decepticon strike force who attacked the last stronghold of the Autobots. Soundwave was attacked by Hound, who snapped his head off, killing him. But it was just a dream, so it didn't matter. Right? Spotlight: Mirage
Notes
- IDW Publishing seems to be undecided on Soundwave's speech pattern. In Megatron Origin, he speaks in his classic cartoon-based monotone. However, in Spotlight: Soundwave, he speaks in a normal fashion. Which is once again reverted to the classic speech in All Hail Megatron. During the ongoing series he has lost the ability to speak completely due to damage done to his face. Finally, during Robots In Disguise he has regained the ability to speak, and does so in a normal fashion, though, late into the series, he would often preface his actions with "Operation:" in homage to his cartoon counterpart.
- Guido Guidi made a concept drawing of Soundwave with a modern microcassette recorder as an alt mode (which are still used by reporters and doctors today) for IDW Publishing's All Hail Megatron maxi-series. This was unused. Consequently, Soundwave may go down as the Transformers character with the most unused designs.
- According to Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook #3, Soundwave is 32 feet tall and weighs 14 tons.[1]
References
- ↑ For reference, this equals 9.8 metres and 12.7 metric tonnes.
