Brainstorm is a supporting character in Transformers franchise. He is a major character in the Headmasters miniseries and the "Trial by Fire" storyline.
Brainstorm is voiced by Michael Bell in the G1 cartoon, who also voiced Sideswipe and Swoop.
Biography[]
Cartoon[]
Brainstorm appeared in "The Rebirth" miniseries, as one of the Autobots stationed on Cybertron in the aftermath of Optimus Prime's return. He supervised a race between Hot Rod and Blurr, which Hot Rod won thanks to help from Daniel Witwicky, and expressed his belief that Transformers could be improved by working with humans. When the Decepticons attacked, Brainstorm's group ended up being blasted off Cybertron with the Decepticons' target, the Key to the Plasma Energy Chamber.
Arriving on Nebulos, Brainstorm had the opportunity to put his theory to use when the Autobots allied with the Nebulan resistance. He was binary bonded to the Nebulan scientist Arcana. When the Decepticons copied the procedure, their allies from the Nebulan Hive took the Key off Brainstorm, although he managed to analyse Nightstick and create Autobot Targetmasters. Returning to Cybertron with Optimus Prime, Brainstorm and the others helped eject the Decepticons from the planet aboard Scorponok, resolving to return to Nebulos.
He was voiced by Michael Bell, who also voiced Prowl, Sideswipe, Swoop and First Aid, as well as Guts in Swords of Berserk.
Comics[]
Deputing in the Headmasters miniseries, Brainstorm was one of the Autobots who chose to follow Fortress Maximus in leaving the war on Cybertron. They travelled to Nebulos but were met with suspicion, especially when Blurr was framed for an act of vandalism. Brainstorm was one of the senior Autobots who disconnected their heads and deactivated themselves as a gesture of peace. However, when Scorponok and the Decepticons attacked, Brainstorm helped work out a way to binary bond Autobots and Nebulans, being partnered with Arcana, and fought off the Decepticon attack.
Brainstorm, with Hardhead and the Technobots, helped defeat an attack on the city of Splendora by the Terrorcons and Horrorcons. Not long after, the Decepticons developed their own Headmasters. During the first battle between the two groups, Brainstorm and the other Autobot Headmasters were gunned down and captured, but were later freed by the Decepticons' Nebulan ally Lord Zarak in the hope they would lead the Decepticons away from Nebulos. Prior to this, in the UK-exclusive story "Worlds Apart", Brainstorm and other Autobot Headmasters set out to rescue captured Targetmasters Pointblank, Crosshairs and Sureshot, defeating a trap from Scorponok in the process.
Brainstorm made his first appearance in the main Marvel US comic in Issue #38, accompanying Fortress Maximus to Earth and taking part in the first battle with the Decepticon Headmasters on the new world. He was at the forefront of the Nebulan Autobots' technical innovations, enlarging Fortress Maximus' body, constructing a new body for Goldbug after they recovered his brain module, and developing the Autobot Pretenders. However, he was unable to make a new body for Optimus Prime, forcing them to contact the Earth Autobots led by Grimlock. This led to a duel between Grimlock and Blaster over leadership before the Autobots all teamed up to fight off Ratbat's Earth Decepticons.
Once Optimus Prime was restored as leader of the new combined group, Brainstorm was part of the team he put together to challenge Galvatron, but ended up missing out the battle when he was shunted into limbo by the arrival of Arcee and the other Autobots from the future. He was one of the Autobots injured by a malfunctioning Guardian robot. He made his last appearance in Issue #75 during the battle against Unicron on Cybertron. With Cloudburst begging him to come up with a solution, Brainstorm's only response was to fire wildly at Unicron. Unicron proceeded to scoop him up and swallow him, making him the first casualty of the battle.
IDW Comics[]
- Main article: Brainstorm (IDW Comics)
