Brainstorm (Transformers)
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Brainstorm is the name of a fictional character in the Transformers universes.
Contents |
[edit] Transformers: Generation 1 (1987)
| Transformers character | |
 Brainstorm Box Art |
|
| Brainstorm with Arcana | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Autobot  |
| Sub-Group | Headmasters |
| Rank | 7 |
| Function | Scientist, Biomechanical Engineer |
| Partner | Arcana |
| Motto | "The strongest tyrant cannot crush freedom of thought." |
| Alternate Modes | Cybertronian Jet |
| Series | Transformers: Generation 1 |
| Voiced by | Michael Bell (Brainstorm, English) Jack Angel (Arcana, English) Hideyuki Hori (Japanese) |
Brainstorm is an Autobot introduced in the 1987 Headmasters sub-line of Generation 1. He has the Headmaster partner Arcana, a humanoid medical doctor from the planet Nebulos, and he turns into a Cybertronian jet. Both Brainstorm and his partner Arcana were responsible for the adaption of the Headmaster process
Brainstorm is the brains behind the Autobot team on Nebulos, and is described as one of the most brilliant and scientific minds of Cybertron. In vehicle mode, he can reach speeds of up to 5,200 miles per hour. His range at this speed is is 8,000 miles. His dual high-powered photon pulse cannons are available in both vehicle and robot mode.
Arcana’s genius is a bit more mysterious. Trained as a medical doctor the Nebulan quickly rose to the top of his field, but he found his job unchallenging, so he turned his attention to studying the ancient lore of Nebulos. He became learned in many sciences that had long been repudiated, which earned him the disfavor of many of his medical colleagues. Arcana combined some of that ancient knowledge with his modern medical skills to bio-engineer Nebulans, including himself, so they could transform and become the heads of the Autobot Headmasters. Working wth Brainstorm, Arcana made fortress Maximus version of the Headmasters a reality. He is the oldest Nebulan among the Autobot Headmasters and the wisest. He is also the most remote – no one truly can fathom the workings of Arcana’s mind, not even Brainstorm, who shares it!
[edit] Animated series
Brainstorm first appeared in the episode Rebirth Part 1.
Decepticons successfully stole the key to the Plasma Energy Chamber and opened the ancient device, a group of Autobots and humans included Brainstorm were blasted across the galaxy by the energy release, crash-landing on the planet Nebulos. Quickly siding with a group of rebels engaged in a war against the planet's evil rulers, the Hive, they deduced a process by which they could combine the best of their minds and bodies together, becoming Headmasters.
[edit] Headmasters Series
Whereas "The Rebirth" served as an ending for the cartoon series in the west, in Japan, it was decided to continue producing new episodes. To that end, "The Rebirth" was discarded, and in its stead, a new 35-episode series titled Transformers: Headmasters was created, along with a new Japanese concept for Headmasters which differed distinctly from their Western counterparts. There would be no Nebulons or humans here - instead, the heads were small Cybertronians, and the bodies were lifeless constructs called "Transtectors" to which these small robots connected themselves, and which they controlled. Although the Japanese toyline, like the West, gave the Headmaster components different names to the larger Transtectors the animated series used only one name for both the head and the Transtector.
Four million years ago, Fortress was the leader of one of the many groups of Autobots who fled Cybertron to escape the wars. Things took a turn for the worse, however, when their spaceship crashed on the planet Master, the harsh environments of which killed many members of the crew. In order to survive the dangers inherent to life on Master, the Autobots created the lifeless bodies known as Transtectors, and underwent rigorous training to master the transformation technique and merge with them. Their training also allowed them to developed considerable mental powers such as telepathy and telekinesis.
However, a member of the group known as Zarak chaffed under Fortress's leadership, and he and three of the Headmasters loyal to him turned on him, only to be defeated and forced off of Master. Zarak subsequently teamed up with Decepticon leader Galvatron, and when they attacked Cybertron in the year 2011, Fortress and his men - Brainstorm, Chromedome, Brainstorm, Hardhead and Highbrow - returned to their home planet aboard Fortress's battleship, Maximus, and joined the war once more.
[edit] Marvel Comics
Brainstorm spent several thousand years crunching numbers at Cybertron's Institute for Higher Programming before a Decepticon attack reduced it to a smoking pile of microchips. Forcibly dragged into the war in this way, Brainstorm turned his skills to limiting the potential for violence by reprogramming many of his Autobot colleagues to be able to outsmart their foes, but this only began an ever escalating strategic brain race during which each side furiously competed to apply the latest in software to military purposes.
Disillusioned and frustrated, Brainstorm eagerly joined Fortress Maximus's expedition in search of a peaceful world upon which to live. The Autobots travelled to the peaceful world of Nebulos, a pacifistic paradise where war and weapons were obsolete. However, the sudden arrival of the Autobots and the Nebulans' fears about their goals and the danger they posed threw Nebulos's society into chaos. Nebulan leader Galen Kord was willing to give the Autobots a chance to present their case, but his fellow council member, Lord Zarak, was not, and engineered events to make it appear as though Blurr had attacked the Nebulans. Reactivating some of the planets' ancient weapons of war, Galen attacked the Autobots, but Fortress Maximus refused to fight back. The disarmament of the Autobots proved insufficient to prove their intentions, and so, in a (somewhat grotesque) show of good faith, Fortress Maximus gave the Nebulans the most he had to give - his own head, which he tore from his shoulders and threw to the ground. Following his lead, Chromedome, Brainstorm, Hardhead and Highbrow did the same - and won Galen over (Transformers: Headmasters #1).
Lord Zarak, however, was not convinced. In an attempt to have the Autobots removed from the planet, his forces contacted Cybertron, calling to Nebulos a contingent of Decepticons led by Scorponok. Galen's group attempted to remote-control the decapitated Autobot bodies themselves, but when that met with failure, Arcana and Fortress Maximus worked together to create a process called "Binary-Bonding" - the engineering of the Nebulan's bodies into transforming cybernetic forms, allowing them to transform into heads and become masters of the Autobots' bodies. Thus, the Headmasters were born, and they defeated Scorponok's Decepticons soundly, forcing them into an alliance with Lord Zarak and his forces, becoming Headmasters themselves.
Much to his chagrin, the war soon followed him to Nebulos, Brainstorm still devotes much of his time to academic pursuits - after all, he now has a whole new world to learn about, but he is also now resigned to the idea that the war with the Decepticons can not be avoided, only won. He's as scholarly and reserved as he ever was, but now he's also a stalwart warrior.
The Autobot Headmasters were defeated and captured, but Lord Zarak slowly began to feel the malicious, robotic emotions of Scorponok overtaking his mind, worsening with each combination. In a final attempt to save his planet before the inhumanity overcame him, he freed Galen and the other Nebulans, who then followed a distress signal emanating from the Autobots on Earth. The Decepticons pursued them, leaving Nebulos, as Zarak had wished (Transformers: Headmasters #4).
A story told in Marvel U.K. #130-131 called Worlds Apart was set some time during the events of issue #4 of the U.S. Headmasters series. In this story the Decepticons have captured Autobot Targetmasters Crosshairs, Pointblank and Sureshot, supposedly to learn to perfect the Targetmaster process. Autobot Headmasters Brainstorm, Chromedome, Hardhead and Highbrow made their way to the Decepticon headquarters but were attacked by the Apeface, Mindwipe, Skullcruncher, Snapdragon and Weirdwolf. The Autobots won, perhaps too easily, causing an argument between the Autobots and their Nebulan partners on what to do next. Eventually the Nebulans prevail and they arrived at Scorponok's Fortress of Dispair, where they found both the missing Autobots and a trap set by the Decepticons. Scorponok and his Targetmasters Cyclonus, Misfire, Scourge, Slugslinger and Triggerhappy ambushed the Autobots, who learn the Decepticons actually were having trouble with their Headmasters and needed to capture one of Headmaster Autobots. Scorponok grabbed Highbrow to study and left the others to die, but the Autobots freed their Targetmasters, who helped even the odds. As Highbrow and his partner Gort were having trouble working together, Scorponok learned the importance of compatibility of a Transformer with his binary bonded partner. Chromedome aided Highbrow in realizing it's not compatibility as much as common goals and using the best of both minds which unite a Headmaster team and he was able to help Highbrow's team work together. Together they forced Scorponok to flee.
After Brainstorm's appearance in the 4 issue limited Headmasters series he joined the cast of the regular U.S. comic series. He first appeared in issue 38 when Fortress Maximus's crew came to Earth. Brainstorm was killed in issue 75 when he was impaled and devoured by Unicron.
[edit] Dreamwave Productions
Although Brainstorm didn't appear in the Dreamwave Transformers comics before they closed down, Brainstorm and Arcana did get a one page biography in their More Than Meets The Eye series.
[edit] IDW Publishing
Although Brainstorm has yet to appear in the IDW Transformers comics, he does appear on the cover to one of the Transformers Stormbringers comics, which happens to mention incidents on his home planet of Nebulous
