Thundercracker (Movie)

Thundercracker is a Decepticon from the movie continuity family.

These guys robbed me of my clothes and left me half-naked in a corner of Chicago. Now that they're dead I've finally got them back.

Thundercracker is a Decepticon who lives on being the "master of fear" to his opponents. Cruising at Mach 6, his victims can hear him coming from 200 miles away, which is the way he likes it—it's not worth the effort it takes to kill them unless they're nice and terrified first. He doesn't care much about galactic conquest or the AllSpark, but as long as Megatron allows him to indulge himself, he's happy to serve.^[1]

A fellow Seeker and loyal to a fault, Thundercracker is Starscream's personal choice for Second in Command once he takes control. In fact, bar a lack of experience, he is in many ways comparable to Starscream in skill. However, the air commander is not simply going to hand the job over, and Thundercracker must prove himself worthy by seizing the opportunity with both servos.^[2]

Fiction

Titan movie comics

"Alright, Thundercracker?"
"Not bad, Thundercracker. How's you and Thundercracker?"

In an alternate timeline where the Decepticons won the first battle on Earth, Thundercracker was the designation for a series of drone units used in the Decepticon occupation of Earth. Dreadwing and Starscream led a group of Thundercrackers in the annihilation of the NATO nuclear fleet. The drones were skilled enough to take out submarines with their guns whilst still in high-speed flight. Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 2

There also exists a non-drone Thundercracker, whose colors switched between black and blue.

Thundercracker served under Starscream, carrying out a recon sweep at the Okeechobee energon field. Dark Spark He was present for Starscream's moment of glory and at the taking of Savannah. Return to Cybertron: Part 3

Thundercracker was a key part of an ambush when the Autobots re-entered Savannah, flying with Dreadwing and hitting Optimus with a barrage of missiles. Unfortunately, an Autobot sonic attack knocked everyone out of the sky. The Decepticon Who Haunted Himself

Thundercracker served as one of Starscream's generals in the attempted reconquest of America. Revolution Part 2

Letters page

Thundercracker and Starscream were old colleagues and Starscream wanted to reunite with him, #9's Star Screams though he also sneered at Thundercracker for having a lack of drive.

At some point, Thundercracker had an F-15 form, implying he was with Starscream in his covert mission in 1980s Earth. #11's Star Screams

IDW movie comics

Many years ago, Thundercracker was member of Cybertron's Defense Force under the command of Protector Megatron. When a mysterious relic was uncovered, aliens from the Eshems Nebula attacked, leveling much of the city of Metrotitan. Thundercracker was among the forces deployed to defend their home. Defiance #1 Following this outrageous attack on their sovereignty, Megatron used this to declare a military dictatorship and led the flight-capable soldiers in a bloody counterattack on the aliens. During the battle, Thundercracker and his comrade Ramjet competed against each other in the numbers of confirmed kills. Defiance #2

After Megatron discovered that science leader Optimus had snooped around his quarters, he issued orders for the arrest of the scientist, but assigned Starscream and Thundercracker's team the task with assassinating those escorting Optimus. However, they underestimated the scientist's fighting prowess and paid for it when an entire city was dropped on top of their heads. They survived, and Megatron used Optimus's act of self-defense as a catalyst for declaring them traitors and forming a new faction: the Decepticons. Defiance #3 Thundercracker was present for the inspirational speech Megatron held at the dawn of this new faction. Foundation #3

During the subsequent civil war, Thundercracker fought against Strongarm and was present for the launch of the Decepticon flagship Nemesis. Defiance #4 He also became an understudy of the immoral Decepticon scientist Flatline. Convergence chapter 4

"Face it Cliffjumper! You're not half the man Camshaft is!"

Late in the war, Optimus Prime ejected the AllSpark into deep space, leaving the warriors of Cybertron to fight over the limited Energon they had left. At one point in the early 20th century, Thundercracker participated in an ambush on a team of Autobots attempting to steal resources from the Decepticon capital of Trypticon. Rising Storm #2 He later left Cybertron to join up with the crew of Starscream's battlecruiser which had been launched to search for the AllSpark, and told Starscream that Shockwave was also looking for the cube. Convergence chapter 4 While the other Decepticons went to Earth in search of the AllSpark, Thundercracker waited aboard the ship, hidden on Mars with only Hardtop for company. The Reign of Starscream #2 During this time, he explored Earth's moon and discovered Sentinel Prime's ship, where he recovered a pillar. Using his scientific knowledge gained from Flatline, he jury-rigged a space bridge back to Cybertron, based on the path the Ark took through space. Convergence chapter 4

When Starscream returned with the seemingly lifeless Frenzy, Thundercracker was there to greet his barely functioning Commander and brought him aboard for repairs. Afterwards, Starscream began to confide in his subordinate his plans for recreating Cybertron while Thundercracker questioned him on both his new alternate mode and the fate of the AllSpark. Before they could finish their chat, Hardtop alerted them that the ship was under Autobot attack. The Reign of Starscream #2

Thundercracker sent in Swindle, Dreadwing, and Payload drones to soften up the Autobots, and then entered the fray himself, shooting down Air Raid and unleashing his sonic weaponry on the rest of the team. He then swiftly slew Camshaft and wounded Cliffjumper, but he took a little too much time savoring the latter's fear and soon found himself at the mercy of Cliffjumper and Arcee. The revitalized Starscream was forced to enter the fray to save his would-be second-in-command, and he killed or critically damaged the entire Autobot squad. After berating him for his failure, Starscream took Thundercracker back on board and took the Nemesis back to Cybertron. They landed in Trypticon, where they were greeted by Ramjet. Starscream ordered Thundercracker to undergo repairs. The Reign of Starscream #3

Thundercracker was evidently back to working order, as he accompanied Starscream and Dreadwing to the site where a copy of the AllSpark was being constructed when the former questioned Payload's delay with delivering the generator for the replica. Upon their arrival, he swatted a Payload drone aside. The Reign of Starscream #4

Thundercracker's status received a boost after Starscream's copy AllSpark failed. While Dreadwing, Ramjet, and Payload all turned on the Seeker leader, Stockade and Thundercracker fought at his side. As Dreadwing made his escape, Thundercracker stated that he would take care of Dreadwing's drones. Starscream wished "Commander" Thundercracker luck before giving chase to the Dreadwing. After they were transported by the space bridge, Thundercracker transformed and began to search for his lord, who returned to Mars and, shortly after executing Dreadwing, was comforted by the fact he had some actual allies still out there. The Reign of Starscream #5

Sometime later, Thundercracker caught up to Arcee's spaceship by an undesignated planet. Eager for a chance to settle the score, Thundercracker singlehandedly massacred his way through the ship until he caught up with Arcee and gleefully tore her apart limb from limb. However, he wasn't about to let her off so easily. He brought her remains back to the outpost he commanded so that Flatline could experiment on her. Flatline questioned Thundercracker whether or not her spark was cut out for his latest far-reaching, objectionable experiment. But Thundercracker insisted it would be and scolded him for squandering the outpost's supply of protoforms on some of his not-so-successful endeavors.

Once Arcee regained consciousness in a strange new body, Thundercracker dropped by to pay his respects personally, casually remarking he got 'carried away' taking her down. Even though Arcee couldn't quite remember him, Thundercracker and Flatline revealed their plan to use her spark to power three discarded protoforms to bolster Decepticon forces and helped the medic carry out the procedure. The experiment was successful...But perhaps a little too successful when all three Arcees escaped, freeing two other prisoners with her. Ultimately, Thundercracker had to personally intervene and subdued one of the three Arcees. However, even he was no match for the combined forces of the two other fury-driven Arcees and was forced to flee. After Flatline purged the outpost, the wounded Thundercracker bitterly watched Arcee, Skids and Mudflap escape on their shuttle. Tales of the Fallen #6

Unite for the Universe

After Starscream, high on the power Project: Unite granted him, attacked various human installations, Megatron became furious that he would so without his command. Soundwave, on his behalf, sent Brimstone and Thundercracker to intercept the rogue Decepticon. Thundercracker was shot down with little difficulty and Brimstone soon followed his teammate when Starscream transformed and plunged his claws through Brimstone's torso. On the Road of Destruction

Toy bios

Thundercracker was one of the many Decepticons who arrived in Washington, D.C. through the use of Sentinel Prime's space bridge pillars. When it became apparent the Autobots survived the destruction of their ship, Thundercracker participated in an aerial assault on the Autobots during the battle for Chicago. Studio Series Thundercracker

Bumblebee film

"Though I am almost indistinguishable from other blue Seekers, I am somewhere in the film."

Thundercracker(s) were among the Seeker hordes participating in the attack on the Autobots' launchpad to prevent them from evacuating Cybertron. One was unfortunate enough to take a beating from Optimus Prime, another was bowled over by B-127, and another joined Soundwave and Shockwave in surrounding the Autobot leader. Bumblebee

Games

3D Battle-Card Game

Under Megatron's command, Thundercracker did battle with the Autobots using machine guns, cruise missiles, and sonic booms. He could also perform a "Thunder Punch" and a "Terror Slash", but it's unclear exactly what those attacks involved. Thundercracker may also have participated in the seemingly inter-dimensional "Energon Wars" conflict, during which the Decepticons were led by Predacon Megatron against Optimus Primal's Autobots. 3D Battle-Card Game

Transformers: The Game (PSP)

Voice actor: Seth Bleiler (English)

Just like you are embarrassed by your high school picture, Thundercracker is embarrassed by his depiction in this game.

Thundercracker was Shockwave's right-hand man and confidante, and came to Earth alongside him and the other Decepticons. After Shockwave received a communique from Frenzy informing him that the Autobots had found a lead to the location of the lost Decepticon leader Megatron, Thundercracker airlifted his boss into Qatar so they could relay the message to Blackout. Shockwave decided to follow up on the lead himself, and had Thundercracker take him to the Arctic, where they battled their way through a platoon of Autobots that had already arrived and searched the ice cavern that Megatron's body had been found in. Although Megatron had already been moved by Sector Seven, Shockwave discovered that Megatron had brought an army of drones to Earth with him which were currently lying dormant on Earth.

Thundercracker and Shockwave subsequently travelled south, keeping themselves hidden by making the trip submerged in a large body of water, heading for an unknown location. Thundercracker was fairly puzzled by the whole affair, as Shockwave was playing the mission objective close to his chest, but things soon became clear when he discovered that they had arrived at a rocket launch site. While Thundercracker created a distraction by attacking the facility, Shockwave slipped in and programmed the rocket with the signal code required to reactivate the drones. Once the rocket blasted off, the signal was beamed down across the world, bringing the drone army back on-line.

A platoon of drones proceeded to attack the Autobots who were on their way to Hoover Dam, forcing Ironhide and Ratchet to break off and take care of them. The fight carried the two Autobots to the Smash Derby arena, where Thundercracker attacked them. Unfortunately for the Decepticon, the two Autobots overpowered him, and forced him to reveal the origin of the drone army, providing them with the information they needed to take the drones down. When the drones shut down, Blackout recommended Shockwave to summon Thundercracker for support but however, Shockwave claims to have lost contact with him. For some odd reason in Center City, Thundercracker appears in a nearby factory, only to be meant with Optimus Prime who easily defeats him, forcing the Decepticon warrior to flee. Transformers The Game (PSP)

Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (3DS)

Rise of the Dark Spark

Toys

Transformers (2007)

I'm blue, dabadee dabadi, dabadee dabadi

• Thundercracker (Voyager Class, 2007)

• TakaraTomy ID number: MD-19
• Accessories: 6 missiles
• Known designers: Joe Kyde (deco artist)

Released in the fourth wave of Transformers Voyagers, Thundercracker is a retool of the Voyager Class Starscream toy, with a new head. Cast mostly in light blue and grey plastic resembling Generation 1 Thundercracker's paint scheme, he transforms into a licensed Lockheed-Martin F-22 Raptor fighter jet. As with Starscream, this vehicle mode is ridiculously inaccurate. Farcically so. Pushing the fighter along a smooth surface causes the barrels of his gigantic spring-loaded Gatling missile launchers to rotate and fire their projectiles, which can also be stored in the black flip-up braces on the launchers.

During transformation, pushing up upon the canopy fuselage piece activates Thundercracker's Automorphing gimmick which pushes panels out of the torso, wings and stabilizers. In robot mode, his projectile missiles are sculpted to resemble fingers.

This version of the mold was later redecoed into the Target-exclusive Generation 1 style-Starscream and the Walmart-exclusive Revenge of the Fallen Skywarp. The original mold was used to make Revenge of the Fallen Ramjet.

• More information on Thundercracker at TFU.info

Revenge of the Fallen

Beefcake! BEEEEFCAAAAKE!

• War for the Skies (Legends Class multi-pack, 2009)

Revenge of the Fallen Thundercracker was available only as part of the Kmart-exclusive "War for the Skies" Legends Class battlepack, He is a redeco of Legends Class Starscream, colored very similarly to his Voyager class toy from 2007.

He comes with the Legends Class figures Autobot Blades, Jetfire, and Spinister.

• More information on Revenge of the Fallen Thundercracker at TFU.info

Dark of the Moon

Can I get an appearance in a movie now?

• Thundercracker (MechTech Deluxe Class, 2011)

• TakaraTomy ID number: DD08
• Accessories: MechTech Blaster/Assault Saw, Null Ray Cannon/Sword
• Known designers: Joe Kyde (Hasbro)

Dark of the Moon Thundercracker is a redeco of Dark of the Moon MechTech Deluxe Class Starscream, and transforms into a licensed F-22 Raptor. His incredibly flexible arms have joints at the shoulder, in the middle of the upper arm, elbow, and wrist, allowing them to neatly fold up for transformation, as well as scratch his own back.

He comes with a redecoed version of Roadbuster's MechTech weapon, and one of Starscream's MechTech Null Ray Cannon/Sword weapons. The MechTech saw is unfortunately not deployable on the port on the underside of the wings as depicted in the instructions, as robot undercarriage kibble gets in the way of the mechanisms of the weapon and prevent it from functioning correctly. Oddly, his packaging and stock photos only depict him with the Saw weapon, and don't acknowledge the Cannon/Sword.

This mold was also used to make the TakaraTomy exclusive Dark of the Moon Skywarp.

• More information on Dark of the Moon Thundercracker at TFU.info

Studio Series

That much is certain, even from my remote command post here at the Times Square Applebee's.

• Thundercracker (Voyager Class, 2018)

• Movie: Dark of the Moon
• ID number: 09
• Accessories: 2 rocket clusters, removable head, "Chicago Aerial Offensive" backdrop

Studio Series Thundercracker is, shockingly, not a redeco of concurrently-released Studio Series Starscream, but rather, a retool of The Last Knight Decepticon Nitro, featuring a new Titans Return-compatible head subtly inspired by Starscream with a spidery twist. He can fit a Titan Master in his opening cockpit. He comes with a cardboard backdrop display depicting an aerial dogfight scene from Dark of the Moon. However, Thundercracker never actually appears in Dark of the Moon (or any of the first 5 movies for that matter), making this the first off-screen figure in the Studio Series toyline, despite its focus on screen accuracy.

A simple fan mode for Thundercracker to to leave his wings unfolded in robot mode, giving him traditional Seeker wings.

Due to coinciding with the liquidation of the United States division of Toys"R"Us, he ended up being the last Toys"R"Us exclusive in the US. This meant he was very hard to come by, being only briefly available in some stores before their closure, and was never added to the Toys"R"Us online store before the latter ceased operations. However, the unsold stock was later made available via several US-based online retailers such as BigBadToyStore and Entertainment Earth. In Canada, he was released as a Toys"R"Us exclusive both online and in stores. In Hong Kong, he was available in Toys"R"Us stores and from online retailers. In Malaysia and the Philippines, he was released as a Toys"R"Us exclusive in stores. In the United Kingdom, he was released via The Entertainer, and sold exclusively at The Warehouse in New Zealand.

The original use of the mold was also used for Studio Series KSI Boss.

Hey, I was in the movie this time!

• Thundercracker (Voyager Class, 2022)

• Movie: Bumblebee
• Hasbro ID number: 89
• TakaraTomy ID number: SS-94
• TakaraTomy release date: November 2022
• Accessories: arm cannon, 2 Null Rays, "Cybertron Falls" backdrop (1st version)
• Known designers: Sam Smith (Hasbro),^[3] Takashi Kunihiro (TakaraTomy)^[4]

Redecoed from the Studio Series Bumblebee Starscream and utilizing the head of the Thrust version, Thundercracker transforms from robot to Cybertronian tetrajet in 29 steps. There are a few notable color discrepancies between the toy and the CGI model due to how the parts were were originally arranged on the mold, such as the outer shoulders and feet which should be gray. The inaccurate red paint on his arms and feet were intentionally added as accent colors.^[5]

Thundercracker comes with a handheld cannon, two wing-mounted Null Rays evocative of his Generation 1 namesake, and a cardboard backdrop display depicting a war-torn Cybertron as it appears in the beginning of the film. The cannon has no robot mode storage but forms the underslung weaponry in vehicle mode. The Null Rays are meant to be moved to rectangular slots in vehicle mode, though they can be left in the 5mm ports.

Thundercracker's instructions are oddly low-resolution and still show his arms tabbing together using non-existent tabs for vehicle mode, though this time the image is mirrored. Also kept is Step 6 showing the wingtips being rotated, despite being unnecessary with Thundercracker's wingtip orientation. His instructions and box art inaccurately depict his Null Rays pointing down instead of up in robot mode. His CG renders cast his white parts in metallic gray.

This toy can be repurposed as any of the generic blue Seekers featured in Bumblebee. The mold was also used to make Skywarp.

• Designer commentary on SS-89 Thundercracker from Sam Smith on Instagram

Merchandise

3D Battle-Card Game

Nothing spells "fear" like "papercut"

• Thundercracker (3D Battle Card, 2007)

• Card number:

3D Battle-Card Game Thundercracker consists of two card with punch-out pieces that can be assembled into a robot or a jet. He uses the same parts layout as live-action Starscream, Dreadwing, and Jetfire, but is decorated like Generation 1 Thundercracker. This layout was also used for Classic Starscream, Skywarp, and Ramjet in the "Energon Wars" expansion set.

Thundercracker's card art was done by Lucio Parrillo.

Notes

• Curiously, the upturned nosecone behind 2007 Transformers Thundercracker's head is interpreted as being a part of his head on the box art. On the other hand, Target-exclusive Starscream (which was released nearly concurrently and has the same head) uses the same box art, but with the odd nosecone section correctly removed.
• During the opening Cybertron scenes of Bumblebee, Thundercracker's onscreen design is used for numerous generic Seekers. Unlike Thrust and Skywarp, his Studio Series toy bio does not distinguish one of them as the "real" Thundercracker.
• The Bumblebee Thundercrackers all wield rifles similar to the ones used by the Autobots, just with a scope added, instead of the integrated arm cannon of the Studio Series toy.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Thundercracker (サンダークラッカー Sandākurakkā)

References

External links

• Thundercracker at TFU.info
• 3D Battle Card Game at Wizards of the Coast