Duros

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Duros is an Autobot-allied Nebulan Headmaster from the Generation 1 continuity family.

He's old because he's hard.

Duros (aka Furos) was born to be a soldier on a world without war. He served for years as the head of security for the Nebulan Ruling Council and spent most of that time horribly bored and unsatisfied. The coming of the Transformers to Nebulos may have been a tragedy for most of his race, but it was quite possibly the best thing to ever happen to Duros... and also the worst.

In Hardhead he has found a kindred spirit, and the two have bonded over their shared interest in combat and warfare to become one of the closest pairings among all the Headmasters. The dependable, resourceful, and stoic Duros is a great addition to the Autobot army, but his eager desire for action and love of combat have made him an outsider among the naturally peaceful Nebulans and has led him to be shunned even by his family and, most painfully, his now estranged wife. Duros shuts the pain that his failed personal life causes him away and focuses instead on being the soldier he always felt destined to be.

Fiction

Marvel The Transformers comics

Duros was commander of the council guards on Nebulos, a position that saw little excitement on a world of enduring peace. His level of daily excitement changed drastically once Fortress Maximus and the Autobots landed on Nebulos. A misunderstanding during first encounter led to an undercurrent of xenophobia among the Nebulans before the Autobots even met with them. The overly suspicious Lord Zarak intended to fulfill his own prophecies by arranging for it to look like the Autobot envoy, Blurr, was attacking the Nebulan people.

At the request of the trusted Peer Galen, Duros had his men arm themselves with long forgotten weapons of war from Nebulos's lost armories. They drove the Autobots from their forest abode before returning to Koraja to fortify the entire city against further intruders. Galen still had reservations about ending the generations of peace on Nebulos, however, and so when Fortress Maximus personally approached Koraja and both disarmed and decapitated himself in the name of peace, Galen had Duros lower their weaponry and renewed the lines of communication between Autobot and Nebulan. Ring of Hate!

It's the least he can wear to defend his planet.

With Fortress Maximus's disembodied head and those of four of his fellow warriors detained within Koraja, armistice was declared and negotiations began between the two parties. "Negotiation" wasn't the tactic preferred by all Nebulans, though, and full-scale civil demonstrations against the robots soon began. Duros and Galen attempted to break up one display when it descended into violence (thanks to the paid henchmen of Grax, one of Zarak's supporters), and Galen only ended up getting punched out himself. Although Duros attempted to arrest the men, Galen insisted they be let free. Despite these displays, Nebulos appeared to be heading towards peace with the Autobots.

That is, until the Decepticons came. Brought to Nebulos by the misguided Lord Zarak, who merely wanted the Decepticons to destroy the Autobots and leave, Nebulos now faced conquest and annihilation by Scorponok and his troops. Duros immediately alerted Galen in his bedchambers to the threat, and they rushed to consult with the disembodied Fortress Maximus about their situation. Realizing that the Decepticons wouldn't leave even after the Autobots were destroyed, and unable to reactivate the Autobots directly without breaking a promise made to his people, Galen was at a loss for options. Luckily, a solution was soon hit upon: the Nebulans would use the Autobots' bodies to fight back. The bio-engineering scientist Arcana was summoned to consult with Fortress Maximus and Brainstorm about an entirely new and untested form of technology called binary bonding, then built the necessary equipment to apply these newly conceived ideas to reality. Nebulan volunteers would become bio-mechanically engineered cyborgs, transforming into new heads for the Autobots and operating them physically while in radio-telepathic link to the original Autobot consciousnesses.

Duros was an instant volunteer for the Headmaster process, always willing to give more for his world. After the engineering was completed, Duros became an Autobot Headmaster, binary-bonded to ground attack specialist, Hardhead. Now equipped with a bitchin' cannon stronger than a hundred council guards, Duros mowed down the Decepticons in his path. After Scorponok and his men had fled, the Headmasters revealed themselves to a cheering Nebulan populace and Duros was seen embracing an unknown woman. Broken Glass!

In Stylor's recollection of the Headmaster process, Duros was the one with the poor idea to operate the Autobot bodies by remote control before the final solution was conceived. He also objected to Stylor as a "prancing dandy". Rude! Still, Stylor admitted he and Hardhead made a perfect team on the battlefield. Stylor's Story

Duros and Hardhead accompanied Brainstorm/Arcana and the Technobots in fending off a Terrorcon attack on the resort city of Splendora. Despite their victory, Soriza and the Council of Peers questioned the violence being employed by Nebulans like Duros and Arcana, even if it was in the name of peace. Peer Soriza's inquiry led to a Nebulan council delegation accompanying the Headmasters on their next mission — the rescue of Lord Zarak from Scorponok and the Decepticons. The situation was worse than they thought. Zarak's hatred of Galen and the Autobots had reached such an extreme state that he was actually willing to binary-bond with Scorponok, becoming the very thing he claimed to want off his world. The Decepticon Headmasters imperiled the council observers, leaving the Autobots open for attack as they turned their attention to protecting the Nebulans. A wave of Mindwipe's hypnotic gaze, and the council were left believing Zarak and the Decepticons had rescued them from the "renegade" Galen and the Autobots. Duros and his fellow Autobot Headmasters were taken prisoner by Lord Zarak, who reassumed his position in the Nebulan hierarchy. Love and Steel!

Zarak's innate love for power was increased to the Nth degree after he bonded with Scorponok, but he ultimately used his last iota of sanity to free Duros and the others. At Zarak's strained suggestion, Galen ordered the Autobots to abandoned Nebulos and track a signal through space from other Autobots on the planet Earth. With this last act, Zarak ensured the Transformers would leave Nebulos before their war consumed his planet utterly. Before they absconded, Duros witnessed Galen have a tearful last exchange with his former fiancée, Llyra. She had been led to believe her lover had become a power-hungry madman after his alliance with the Autobots, and instead of telling her the truth, Galen left her thinking that he had truly become a monster. Duros asked why Galen had refused a chance at reconciliation, and Galen answered that it was best for their ties to be severed, so he could pursue his mission among the stars. Duros and the others bade farewell to their homeworld, and set off for Earth. Brothers in Armor!!

We've replaced Duros with his younger, evil twin. Let's see if Galen notices...

Before leaving Nebulos, Duros and Hardhead witnessed a duel between Fortress Maximus and Scorponok, with overall victory between the two factions at stake. However, the clash turned out to be a distraction set-up by the Decepticons to steal a fuel convertor. With it in hand, the Decepticons left for Earth, forcing the Autobots to follow. The Final Conflict

On their way to Earth, Duros and the Headmasters aboard Steelhaven retrofitted Fortress Maximus to make him far larger and stronger than before. Despite his own warrior mentality, Duros had difficulty seeing the once peaceful Galen taking to the acts of war so vigorously. His concerns only increased once they reached Earth, and discovered it to be a world much like Nebulos. Duros strongly questioned whether they had the right to bring their conflict to the Earthlings, after just having saved their own planet from the Transformers' war. Duros's question was destined to remain unanswered, for after the Autobots went down to Earth, a battle broke out with Scorponok's forces, and Galen was killed. An Earthly college student, Spike Witwicky, ended up replacing him as Fortress Maximus's partner and proxy leader of the Autobots. Trial by Fire!

Hardhead and Duros were among the Autobots displaced into Limbo by the arriving Rodimus Prime from 2009. Time Wars

Hardhead had his head on when fighting Unicron. Unfortunately for Duros, he was still attached when Unicron stepped on him and Bomb-Burst. On the Edge of Extinction!

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Charlie Adler (English), Katsuhisa Hōki (Japanese), Gerd Wiedenhofen (German)

But does he wear pants?

Duros was a Nebulan strategist. He was out scouting for Hive activity with Pinpointer when the pair spotted a group of Autobots making their way across the terrain of Nebulos. Though he was skeptical of Pinpointer's immediate assumption that they were Hive machines, the pair returned to base to warn their fellow freedom fighters, and soon the Autobots had been captured. While placing a magnetic bomb on Chromedome, he informed the Autobot that the planet they were on was named "Nebulon". Fortunately, before the Autobots were destroyed, a Decepticon attack made the Nebulans realize that the Autobots weren't Hive machines. The Rebirth, Part 1

As a combat veteran, Duros was given first choice of Autobots to binary bond with, and chose Hardhead, believing that they'd make a good pairing. He was raring to give the Hive machines a good sorting out, but on their first attack, Hardhead immediately got into trouble with a tentacled machine. Duros helpfully suggested pulling the tentacles off, and pointed out the machine's weak spot. With his advice, Hardhead was able to get the better of the machine. The Rebirth, Part 2 Returning with the Autobots to Cybertron, he and his fellow Nebulans helped Spike Witwicky avert the destruction of the Autobots and bring around a new Golden Age. Later they all returned to Nebulos, promising to destroy the Hive's machines. The Rebirth, Part 3

Legends comic

Duros, Stylor, and Arcana followed Zarak to the Legends Universe, where they targeted the local versions of Hardhead, Chromedome, and Brainstorm, who relied on unliving Transtectors to be Headmasters. Since their own form of Headmasters relied on the bodies being controlled separately, Stylor and the others locked the Autobots in their Transtectors and convinced them to pilot the bodies while the Nebulans formed the heads. The combination of two different types of Headmaster was powerful enough to defeat Scorponok, and the three Nebulans returned to their own universe. LGEX Headmaster Set Chapter

Ladybird Books continuity

During a period when the Autobots on Nebulos were low on lubricant, Hot Rod dispatched Hardhead and Chromedome to search for a legendary lost lake of oil. They searched a possible valley with their Headmaster partners, but Stylor reported back with no luck. When Duros returned with a clear signal on his geo-sensors, the Headmasters traced the spot. Hardhead used sonic shells as a non-inflammatory means of drilling down to the reservoir. Duros and Stylor entered the tunnel and found a vast source of oil for the Autobots to claim. Autobots Strike Oil

Titans Return marketing material

While attached to Hardhead, Furos granted his Autobot partner a regenerative healing power that could repair both systems and armor damage instantly. Titans Return Hardhead and Furos toy bio

When Scourge and Crashbash attacked Velocitron during the planet's biggest race, Hardhead and Furos fought alongside Sentinel Prime and Optimus Prime to repulse the invaders, defending Hyperfire from Decepticon abduction. Titans Return: The Power of the Titan Masters

Beast Wars: Uprising

When the Autobot-World Watcher alliance acquired Headmaster technology to counter the Decepticon-Hive alliance's innovation, Furos was one of many World Watchers who proceeded to form the head of an Autobot officer on Nebulos. A Brush With Infamy–Prologue

Commercial appearances

• After several Transformers blasted their way to the planet Nebulon, they were forced to surrender to the locals. Duros was one of several Nebulons who fused with a Cybertronian partner, so that the war between Autobots and Decepticons could resume on their world. Headmaster comic book commercial
• After Hot Rod broadcast a Decepticon alert, Duros boarded Hardhead. They sped off together to battle against the Decepticon Headmasters who were invading a Nebulan city. Headmasters commercial

Toys

The Transformers

• Hardhead (Headmaster, 1987)

• Takara ID number: C-102
• Known designers: Takashi Kunihiro (TakaraTomy)

Released in the fourth year of Hasbro's US The Transformers toyline (third year in Europe and in Takara's Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers line), Headmaster Duros transforms from an armored humanoid into a robot head. In head mode, he is compatible with any other Headmaster body: on the larger Headmasters, he shows three of Hardhead's Tech Spec stats in their display window, but the smaller ones still display their normal heads' stats due to their construction.

He was only available packed in with his larger partner Hardhead.

• More information on Duros at TFU.info

Titans Return

Fur-os? What do you think I am, some kind of monkey?

• Furos & Hardhead (Deluxe Class, 2016)

• Known designers: John Warden (Hasbro)

Released as part of the first wave of Titans Return Deluxe Class figures, Furos (presumably renamed because of trademark reasons) is only available with his larger partner Hardhead. He can sit in Hardhead's vehicle mode cockpit, or form his partner's robot mode head. Additionally, he can sit in Hardhead's tank turret, which sports a collapsible seat capable of accommodating one Titan Master figure. Like all Titans Return Titan Masters, Furos is designed to interact with any Deluxe, Voyager, or Leader class figure from the same line; he is compatible with any Titan Master accessory and can form the head of any Transformer.

Furos was retooled into Titans Return Chasm and Legends Ros, the Headmaster stage of Legends Hardhead.

Legends

No, none of my cartoon appearances has a faceplate. Why bother asking?

• Headmaster Set (February 19, 2017)

• ID Number: LG-EX

Debuting as a Wonder Festival 2017 [Winter] exclusive, this Legends Headmaster version of "Hardhead" is a redeco of Titans Return Furos, and is the only Japanese release of this particular tooling.

Called "Hardhead" by the packaging, this toy is depicted as Duros by its pack-in manga, and is decoed to color-match Hardhead's Legends release.

This set also included Grimlock, Chromedome, Gong, Flywheel, and Brainstorm, all similarly-extra-deco'd versions of Hasbro Titan Masters which were not otherwise released in Japan.

Retro Headmasters

Face!

• Hardhead (Deluxe Class, 2020)

• Known designers: AJ Piejko-Brown (packaging)

Released as part of the Retro Headmasters line, Duros (he got his name back!) is once more included with his larger partner Hardhead. Despite Hardhead's super-toy-based deco, Duros utilizes the Headmasters anime face from Legends figure.

Along with the rest of the Retro Headmasters toys, Hardhead is a Walmart exclusive in Canada and the US, and a Warehouse and Toyworld-exclusive in New Zealand.

Notes

Foreign names

• Japanese: Duros (デュロス Dyurosu)
• Italian: Omicron