Doubledealer
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| Transformers character | |
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| Doubledealer | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance | Autobot/Decepticon |
| Sub-group | Powermaster |
| Partners | Knok and Scar |
| Function | Mercenary |
| Motto | "The price of victory is never too high." |
| Alternate mode | Missile Truck/Transmetal Falcon |
| Series | Transformers: Generation 1 |
Doubledealer is a fictional character from the Transformers "Generation 1" universe and toyline.
Although nominally a Decepticon, and branded as such, Doubledealer believes in neither the philosophy of the Decepticons nor the Autobots, and has no allegiance to anyone except himself – and the highest bidder. As a Triple Changing Powermaster, he is bonded to both the humanoid Knok and the bat-like Skar, who transform into engines to allow him to transform from his vehicle mode - a missile trailer - into two other modes. When Knok becomes his engine, he transforms into an Autobot robot, but with Skar in place, he becomes a Decepticon falcon. Armed with an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of flattening a mountain and a solid-light blaster, Doubledealer uses both his modes to switch back and forth between factions, working for both and neither. Doubledealer is a backstabber extraordinaire – utterly rutheless and treacherous, he is valued by everyone, but trusted by no-one.
Released in 1988, Doubledealer was the only Powermaster with two partners sold in the United States. The only other such figure is Overlord, exclusive to Japan and Europe, but while both of his engines could be in place at the same time, Doubledealer can only use one engine at a time.
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[edit] Marvel Comics
Doubledealer’s solitary comic appearance came in one five-page black-and-white strip in the United Kingdom’s exclusive Transformers comic. Attacking the Autobot Chainclaw in his Decepticon form, Doubledealer captured him and the Autobot battle plans he was transporting, and, calling himself “Dealer,” proceeded to ransom him off to the Autobots for Energon. Then, taking on his Autobot form and calling himself “Double,” he offered to perform the switch, then resumed Decepticon form and simply sold the plans to the Decepticons. Returning with Catilla as “Double,” he feigned injury and informed the Autobots of the Decepticons’ location, sending them off into battle while he calmly departed with double the profit.
[edit] Dreamwave Comics
Although Doubledealer did not appear in any of the stories published during Dreamwave Productions’ 21st Century re-imagining of the Transformers universe, he did receive a biography during their “More Than Meets the Eye” profile series which added an extra layer of depth to the character and his partners. Although normally, Powermaster partners are aliens from the planet Nebulos, Doubledealer’s original toy tech specs did not state them to be such, and his Dreamwave profile exploited the opening to present them as native Cybertronian Transformers, neither of which is aware of the other’s existence, keeping Doubledealer’s shady side-switching activities all the more secret.
[edit] IDW Publishing
Doubledealer would make his first IDW Publishing appearance in a Spotlight issue focusing on Hot Rod. In this he was shown to be a double agent called Dealer working for the Decepticon secret service - specifically Banzaitron. Charged with locating the Magnificence - a device that could effectively tell the future - Dealer orchestrated the sabotage of his teams' mission, getting all but Hot Rod killed by the Guardians. However, Hot Rod was able to switch the real one for a decoy, forcing Dealer to pretend he had been captured by the Decepticons. A guilty Hot Rod soon rescued him, and Dealer now intended to gain the location of the Magnificence. In this continuity it was Banzaitron who named him Doubledealer in recognition of his duplicitous ways.
[edit] Transformers: Super-God Masterforce
As the American Transformers animated series had come to an end in 1987, Doubledealer was not featured in it, but when his toy was exported to Japan and reinvented as a new character named Doubleclouder, he proceeded to appear in the Japanese-exclusive series, Transformers: Super-God Masterforce. No longer a Powermaster, he was now characterised as a "Godmaster" – a human being named Clouder, bonded with one of several Transtectors, lifeless Transformer bodies scattered across Earth by the evil energy entity and self-styled Decepticon god, Devil Z.
Precisely who the young man called Clouder is remains somewhat unclear. There are some vague suggestions that he is connected to the American Department of Defense, since he is able to observe video taped footage of Transformer battles the DoD has been noted to acquire. Likewise, how he discovered his Transtector goes unexplained, but before he actually dons its armor-summoning Masterbraces and combines with it, he hides it in a cavern behind a waterfall. Unlike the other Godmasters, whose pairs of Masterbraces are of one specific type, Clouder has one Autobot bracelet and one Decepticon, enabling him to don two different suits of armour, and to thereby combine with and transform his Transtector in two ways.
His geekishness getting the better of him, Clouder decided to adopt his Decepticon falcon form first, considering the evil robots to be “cooler.” As the final Godmaster, he was welcomed into the fold by the Decepticon leaders, Mega and Giga, quickly proving his worth in battle against King Poseidon, staged by the distrusting Buster and Hydra. During the course of the battle, a cruise ship was damaged much to Clouder’s regret, drawing the attention of the Autobots. In the firefight which ensued, under Giga’s orders, Clouder adopted his Autobot robot form and “saved” the Autobot Minerva, joining up with the unwitting Autobots and infiltrating their base. Transmitting security diagrams to the Decepticons and setting bombs, Clouder departed to deliver the final schematics to the Decepticons, only to be found out by Metalhawk, but not before he could complete his mission. Imprisoned within the Autobot base, Clouder was trapped when his bombs detonated and the uncaring Seacons left him for dead. Rescued by the Autobots despite his misdeeds, Clouder realised the error of his ways, and requested permission from Ginrai to join their side. Ginrai agreed, but rather than stay with the Autobot forces, knowing they did not trust him, Clouder departed to work alone.
Attempting to prove his worth, Clouder approached Shuta, asking him to contact Ginrai so that he could reveal to him the location of the Decepticon base. Naturally sceptical, Shuta instead had Clouder take him, intending to call Ginrai if the information proved accurate. Unfortunately, the Decepticons – unaware of Clouder’s change in allegiance, but taking no chances – captured them both, consigning Clouder to the same fate as Shuta when they discovered he had turned on them. Ginrai was then drawn to the base to rescue them, and succeeded with help from another turncoat Decepticon, Cancer. The Autobots then initiated an all-out attack on the Decepticons' headquarters, during which Devil Z, submerged the base, leading to Clouder’s use of the flight powers of his falcon form to deliver jet boosters to fly the Autobots to safety.
The two remaining Decepticon Headmaster Juniors, Wilder and Bullhorn had also been abandoned in the submerged base, and parted ways with the Decepticon as a result. Teaming up with Cancer and Clouder as part of the Autobots’ final attack on the Decepticons, all four boys were then made victims of the power of Devil Z, who removed their Masterbraces and separated them from their Transtectors, bringing the mechs to life and discarding the humans. Clouder again displayed his military connections by acquiring for the boys an armoured vehicle that they could use for the final battle, but they arrived to late to participate in the fight, as Doubleclouder and the other Decepticons fled into space, pursued by the Autobots’ own now-living Transtectors.
Notably, although the Doubleclouder toy’s colour scheme was different from his American predecessor – the grey parts became white, the missile had additional silver paint, and the chest plate was golden chrome – for the entirety of the Super-God Masterforce animated series, Doubleclouder is rendered in the same colour scheme as Doubledealer.
