Kup

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Kup (Cha)
Transformers character

Affiliation	Autobot
Sub-Group	Autobot Cars Targetmasters
Function	Warrior
Partner	Recoil
Motto	"The past is the greatest teacher."
Alternate Modes	Cybertronian pickup truck
Series	Transformers: Generation 1
Voiced by	Lionel Stander (English/Movie) John Stephenson (English/TV Series)

Kup is the name of a fictional character in the Transformers universe. Introduced in 1986, Kup is an Autobot who can transform into a light bluish-green futuristic pickup truck and wields a musket laser. He has a wealth of experience and is well-liked by the Dinobots for his old war stories, of which he seems to have an endless supply.

1 Transformers: Generation 1 (1986)
2 Transformers: Cybertron

[edit] Transformers: Generation 1 (1986)

[edit] Animated series

Kup was introduced and featured in The Transformers: The Movie and the third season of the original animated television series. He also serves as something of a mentor to the more rebellious and youthful fellow Autobot Hot Rod.

Kup first appears in the movie putting up a roadblock which Hot Rod ignores and demolishes. Kup later rescues Hot Rod and Daniel Witwicky from Decepticon Blitzwing.

Later, Hot Rod and Kup crash into an ocean on the planet Quintessa. He is captured by a giant mechanical squid which is then attacked and defeated by Hot Rod. On Quintessa, he uses the universal greeting when confronted by hostile alien transforming robots. Although the ploy fails in this case, it leaves a lasting impression on Hot Rod, who uses it later on the planet of Junk. The pair are taken prisoner and meet Kranix who tells them about Unicron and who is soon after taken out and dropped into a pool full of Sharkticons. A fate which later befalls Kup and Hot Rod, who escape by creating a whirlpool, thus avoiding Kranix's fate.

Throughout the movie, Kup has an anecdote for every situation, although at the sight of Unicron attacking Cybertron, he claims to have "never seen anything like it." Alongside Springer and Arcee, he combats Unicron's internal defenses until Hot Rod releases the power of the Matrix, destroying the Chaos Bringer. Kup and the others escape Unicron just as he explodes.

In season 4, Kup he becomes a Targetmaster with a Nebulon named Recoil.

[edit] Transformers: Headmasters

In the Japanese exclusive Headmasters series, the events of The Rebirth are ignored and Kup never became a Targetmaster, instead leaving Cybertron with Rodimus Prime and Blurr to find a new homeworld for the Autobots.

[edit] Marvel Comics

Kup's first chronological appearance came in the Marvel UK Transformers Target: 2006 arc. He was unwittingly sent by Unicron alongside Hot Rod and Blurr, thwarting the future Decepticon Galvatron in his plan to destroy Unicron in 1986 with aid from the present day Ultra Magnus. He would appear in many of the movie-future themed stories, time-traveling again with Blurr and Hot Rod (now Rodimus Prime) to recapture Galvatron and stop Death's Head, leading the Autobots on Cybertron against the Unicron-controlled Decepticons in Prime's absence and battling the Quintessons on Earth. Things would come to a head when Galvatron's continued presence in the past (along with Scourge and the now-deceased Cyclonus) opened a time rift that threatened to destroy Earth and Cybertron. Kup was part of the group led back by Rodimus Prime to deal with the threat, but even they could not stand against Galvatron and his ally - a clone of Megatron (believed by all to be the real thing). Only Optimus Prime's defeat of Galvatron and Shockwave depositing Cyclonus' body into the rift saved everything.

The present day Kup made his first chronological appearance in the UK story "Kup's tale" in issue #132. Believing himself to be old and a liability to his comrades, Kup had willingly set himself adrift in a spaceship. His solitude was interrupted when he chanced on a ship being attacked by alien pirates. Helping out he encountered Hot Rod, who begged him to help rescue Blurr. Kup refused as he thought he would just get the young Autobot killed. However, when Hot Rod brashly attempted to rescue Blurr on his own Kup, wracked by guilt, intervened and saved the two rookies. His confidence restored, Kup joined them in returning to Cybertron. Kup made his first Marvel US appearance in the Transformers: Headmasters limited series as one of the Autobot crew led by Fortress Maximus. He became a Targetmaster in the fourth and final issue of the series. He then went on to appear in the regular Transformers comic series. With the elimination of so many of Prime's lieutenants (such as Prowl, Jazz and Grimlock) Kup became Prime's right-hand bot, providing the voice of experience when Prime's self-doubt threatened to overwhelm him. It was Kup who put up the most resistance when Prime surrendered to Scorponok (in the hopes of forging an alliance to combat Unicron) and who also resisted when Prime freed them during Shockwave's attack. Despite this he fought bravely against Unicron and his servants, and was later one of the few to survive Bludgeon's ambush in issue 80. After Prime's resurrection, he went on to appear again in the Generation 2 comics, again serving as one of Prime's right hand bots.

[edit] Dreamwave Productions

During the Cybertronian War's earlier years, a younger Kup served alongside Ironhide and Wheeljack under the command of Grimlock. He appeared to be the only one who would speak up against Grimlock. When Optimus Prime and Megatron disappeared in a prototype Space Bridge accident, Kup followed his unit to the Lightning Strike Coalition offshoot of the Autobot faction.

In the present, along with Arcee, Blaster, Hot Rod and Wheelie, Kup was part of a resistance group during Shockwave's control of Cybertron.

[edit] Devil's Due Publishing

Kup reappeared in the third G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers crossover series from Devil's Due Publishing as part of the combined Autobot/G.I. Joe force trying to rescue Optimus Prime.

[edit] IDW Publishing

A Spotlight issue for Kup is due in April 2007, with Nick Roche both scripting and drawing the story [1]. Cover art by Alex Milne [2] and Nick Roche [3] have been revealed.