Function: Aerial Espionage

Sub Group: Pretender

First Appearance: Comics-Transformers #62
Cartoons- N/A

Death: Transformers #75

"Cover yourself with lies and no one will find you."

Profile: Thunderwing is a two-faced, lying, back-stabbing scoundrel, in other words: An ultimate Decepticon. He was also one of the most skilled Decepticons in combat and espionage. Thus he was chosen to be one of the first to utilize a new Pretender technology. This technology was far superior to early models, allowing for greater strength and control and the ability to actually merge with the shell to form a powerful shuttle mode.

By this point most of the Decepticon troops were scattered, with no strong leaders to control many of the Cybertronian ranks. Thunderwing with his new powers put together a squad to track down the Autobots and discover the reason for their strange movements throughout the galaxy. After capturing some of the Autobots, the Decepticons quickly discovered that they were searching for the legendary Creation Matrix. Thunderwing's purpose suddenly changed as he sought to poessess the power of the Matix for himself. He became obsessed caring for nothing else.

Fighting through Autobots and huge creatures powered by the Matrix, Thunderwing finally got his prize. However the object he had been so desperate to wield, took possession of him instead, using him as an instrument of destruction. He battled the Autobot troops until he fired on one of his fellow Decepticons and realized he had lost control. But by then it was already to late and the Matrix regained control, the lapse gave the Autobots the chance they needed to suck Thunderwing out the airlock and into the void of space.

Thunderwing also played a role in the destruction of Unicron. When Unicron began his attack on Cybertron the Matrix revived Thunderwing. He attacked Unicron, but the Matrix was now powered by evil and hate, and in that Unicron has no equal. Unicron making this realization then shattered the bonds the Matrix had formed, and destroyed Thunderwing in the process. However, this delayed Unicron's assault on Cybertron and brought the Matrix to Optimus Prime who was able to release the true power of the Matrix and destroy Unicron.

Abilities: Thunderwing's greatest asset is his power-enhancing, impenetrable exoskeleton. Like all Pretenders Thunderwing has the ability to disguise and protect himself within his shell or operate it remotely by thought. His shell is also equipped with electrostatic gun ports in shoulders and metal-eating laser beam in forehead. It has reserve fuel tanks in its legs that provide unlimited fuel supply and aerator hoses in chest emit noxious gases. His inner robot is armed with a cyclone cannon and transforms into an inter-steller jet that carries a full payload of plasma charges. While the outer shell jet, is equipped with a neutron power pack that increases firepower by 50%. He can combine with jet pod to form a super jet armed with heat-seeking laser blasters.

Weaknesses: Being one of the first Transformers to use this new Pretender Technology, the potential problems were unknown. Though there was no technical problems and everything ran flawlessly, there was a slight disruption in mental stability caused by the constant strain of controlling the shell. This combined with Thunderwings immense lust for power formed the weakness that led to his downfall.