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| “ | Let's move out! | „ |
| ~ Ironhide |
Ironhide is a a major character in the Transformers Generation One cartoon and comic, and is portrayed as a toughened old Autobot who has seen his share of battle. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ironhide was named after the television series Ironside.
In the cartoon, Ironhide was voiced by Peter Cullen, who also voiced Optimus Prime in the same show.
History[]
Cartoon[]
Ironhide played a prominent role in the first two seasons of the Transformers cartoon. He was the Autobots head of security, and Optimus Prime's bodyguard. Ironhide was most often seen in the capacity of a warrior, often fighting in battle without Optimus Prime, or a specific work site/person/cargo to protect. He was also used as an officer, leading a team of Autobots just as would Optimus's advisers, Prowl and Jazz. Ironhide seemed to develop a bond with the Autobots' human allies, engaging with them on a friendly basis as much as protecting them.
Season 1[]
In the "More Than Meets The Eye" three parter that launched the animated series, Ironhide was shown assisting Bumblebee in stopping a Rumble created flood. Later, tired of being constantly a step behind the Decepticons, Ironhide impetuously took off after them - only to be brought back down to Earth with a bump by a teleporting Skywarp.
Ironhide fulfilled his role as Prime's bodyguard in "Transport to Oblivion." While battling Megatron at a power plant, Prime accidentally knocked the Decepticon leader into a generator, giving him a temporary "power boost." Megatron took advantage of the boost, knocking Prime down and temporarily stunning him. He then transformed into his gun mode, ordering Soundwave to destroy the Autobot leader. Ironhide, leaping forward, took the shot himself, saving Prime's life. Rather than pursue the withdrawing Decepticons, Optimus ordered the team back to base because of how badly Ironhide had been hit. The grouchy Ironhide was not at all pleased with needing some "R&R" (what Ratchet said was needed for one of his components--"removed and rebuilt"). Ratchet humorously threatened to disconnect Ironhide's vocal circuits if he kept complaining. Ironhide made a full recovery and was available for duty soon thereafter.
Season 2[]
Ironhide's most prominent appearance was in the second season episode The Immobilizer. Distracted by Spike's friend Carly (who was a big fan of the Autobots) while on guard duty, Ironhide inadvertently allowed the Decepticons to steal Wheeljack's latest invention - a weapon that could freeze anything it fired at, including Transformers. Guilt-ridden and believing himself to be too old to be of any further use, Ironhide resigned from active service, against the wishes of Optimus Prime. However, when Carly was captured by the Decepticons trying to make up for what had happened to Ironhide, the veteran Autobot went to her rescue and saved her from the Decepticon base. After being frozen and unfrozen by the Immobilizer (after Carly and Brawn sabotaged it) Ironhide personally destroyed the device and returned to active duty.
In "A Prime Problem", Ironhide took temporary leadership of the Autobots when they could not decide on which Optimus Prime was which, as Megatron had made a perfect clone of Optimus Prime to fool the Autobots into venturing down into a dangerous chasm. In "The Search for Alpha Trion", when Optimus Prime returned to Cybertron alone to save Elita One, Ironhide leads Inferno and Powerglide after him. On Cybertron the Autobots are briefly reunited with his girlfriend Chromia, Moonracer and Firestar to defeat the Decepticons.
The Movie[]
Ironhide is killed in The Transformers the Movie as the Deceptions invade an Autobot shuttle in which Ironhide, Prowl, Ratchet and Brawn are traveling to Earth. Before the shuttle departed, Spike asked Ironhide to tell his son, Daniel, that he misses him, and that he will be coming home as soon as they 'kick Megatron's tail clear across the galaxy.' Despite his "heavily concentrated armor in his front section", he falls as result of a number of blasts from the invading Decepticons and several shots to the chest from Megatron in his 'gun' mode, wielded by Starscream. When Megatron reveals to Starscream how he is going to attack Autobot City on Earth and wipe them out forever, a wounded Ironhide clutches at Megatron's leg and yells, "No!!". Megatron answers with the famous words: "Such heroic nonsense", and kills Ironhide offscreen with a point-blank blast to the head from his fusion cannon. A few scenes later, Ironhide appears to be attacking Autobot City with the Decepticons, but this is actually a mis-colored Reflector.
Comics[]
Early battles on Earth[]
Ironhide was one of the Autobots aboard the Ark who was deactivated when the ship crashed on Earth and later revived by the ship's computers after four million years. He was involved in early battles with the Decepticons, notably preventing them flooding a village with the power of Sherman's Dam. When the Autobots' new ally Sparkplug Witwicky appeared to have given the Decepticons fuel, Irohide defended him to Huffer. With the Autobots low on fuel, Ironhide was one of five Autobots that Optimus Prime chose to give the fuel reserves to in order to defend the Ark from the Decepticons. He fought Ravage and Skywarp until the Decepticons all collapsed from Sparkplug poisoning their fuel. However, moments later, the remaining Autobots were gunned down by Shockwave.
The New Order[]
Ironhide remained dormant for some weeks until Ratchet retrieved and reactivated him and most of the other Autobots. With Optimus Prime still missing, Prowl took charge and sent Ironhide with a team to stop the Decepticons sending a message to Cybertron. They encountered Devastator for the first time but Ironhide managed to keep him busy until Huffer destroyed the transmitter. He later went with the other Autobots to recover Optimus Prime's head, but instead ended up under attack from a facsimile until the real Optimus rescued them.
With the Autobots searching for the feral Dinobots, Ironhide found himself, along with Jazz, in a team led by Jetfire. Ironhide had trouble trusting his new comrade, who still sported a Decepticon symbol, which Ironhide said represented everything he fought against. Ultimately though, they were able to work together to capture Slag. Ironhide later went with Brawn, Smokescreen and Tracks to guard Buster Witwicky from the Decepticons and ended up fighting Devastator again.
Fighting Galvatron[]
When Optimus Prime, Prowl and Ratchet were shunted into limbo by the arrival of Galvatron, Scourge and Cyclonus from the future, and Jazz was subsequently captured, Ironhide took on a senior role as second-in-command to acting leader Jetfire. After the Autobots' initial attempt to confront Galvatron ended in failure, Ironhide took the decision to retrieve Megatron and Soundwave, who had been buried under rocks, and form an alliance with them. Megatron came up with the idea of capturing Scourge in order to reduce Galvatron's manpower. The operation succeeded but Ironhide was injured in the process when Scourge knocked a crate onto him.
He was repaired just in time to find the apparent body of Optimus Prime following an encounter with Megatron and the Predacons. He welcomed the seven newly arrived Autobots from Cybertron to the Ark and learned from them that Galvatron had returned, shortly before Optimus Prime returned, the body having been a fake. Ironhide was not seen again until towards the end of Grimlock's tenure as leader, when he was present from the duel between Grimlock and Blaster and the subsequent battle with Ratbat's Decepticons.
When Optimus Prime returned again, he selected Ironhide for the squad he put together to confront Galvatron and return him to his own time. The mission faltered when Optimus Prime and several others were again shunted into limbo by the arrival of Rodimus Prime and a group of future Autobots, leading Ironhide to accuse the newcomers of killing them. He was not seen during the subsequent battle with Galvatron but may have been among the casualties since he was not seen again for some years.
Earthforce[]
Earthforce occurs in a slightly different version of the Marvel UK comics.
Ironhide was revived from stasis by Galvatron, who attempted to brainwash him and some other Autobots using memories of their darkest moments: In Ironhide's case, an incident when he clashed with the human police while trying to resolve a hostage situation. However, the Autobots soon overcame the memories and defeated Galvatron.
Ironhide was subsequently selected as a member of the new Autobot Earthforce led by Grimlock. In his first mission, he and Bumblebee stopped the Decepticons from constructing a new Devastator. He later, along with Bumblebee, Jazz and Sunstreaker, disrupted an Enclave between Megatron and Shockwave's Decepticon factions by framing Headstrong for an attack on Megatron.
He was part of the team put together to battle the Decepticon Mayhem Squad and later part of the mission to capture Starscream as a donor for Snarl, which ended with them battling Megatron and Shockwave. He was last seen using the training room in the Earthforce base during journalist Irwin Spoon's tour.
Unicron War and aftermath[]
Ironhide was among the Autobots revived from stasis by Grimlock using nucleon and brought to Cybertron as reinforcements for the battle with Unicron. He was last seen with the Autobots evacuating Cybertron in the aftermath of the battle.
Another Time and Place[]
Ironhide was one of the Autobots who travelled to Hydrus 4 in search of the rogue Dinobots. Stumbling across a plan by Bludgeon to revive Megatron with nucleon, Ironhide was part of a team led by Springer who managed to take down Fangry.
Generation 2[]
To be added
Classics[]
Regeneration One[]
To be added
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Ironhide's character designers for the cartoon redesigned his body, which is now the best-known of all his appearances. He was originally depicted as being a black 72' GMC. *Ironhide's classic colors are later referenced as Demolishor's super mode colors in Transformers: Armada.
- In the video games, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, one of R.O.B.'s alternate costumes is based on Ironhide's classic colors.
- In Transformers Earthspark, namely a retelling of the Autobots arrival on Earth in that series, Ironhide is seen looking identical to his G1 self.
