Transformers 10 Most Powerful Villains, Ranked

The villains of the Transformers franchise are some of the nastiest bad guys ever, and that has never held more true than in the new Energon Universe continuity. With Skybound’s imprint approaching its second anniversary, the new era of Transformers has introduced quite a number of baddies into the new, shared continuity.

Ever since the surprise appearance of Jetfire at the end of Skybound’s Void Rivals #1, the Energon Universe has delivered one memorable moment after another. The Decepticons have never been more ruthless than their portrayal in the new continuity, as they have routinely amassed a high body count in the pages of Transformers.

From Starscream gleefully attacking a hospital to Soundwave’s brutal plan to attack human cities to draw the Autobots out of hiding, the villains have taken quite the dark turn in the Energon Universe; here are the ten most powerful villains in Transformers’ Energon continuity.

10

Thundercracker

Decepticon Terror Of The Skies

As a feared member of Starscream’s Seekers, Thundercracker is a feared opponent who brings death from above. Thundercracker only joined the Decepticons on Earth after fellow Seeker Skywarp was cannibalized by Starscream and Soundwave, but almost immediately turned on his Sky Brother after Starscream was handed a demoralizing defeat by Optimus Prime. While Thundercracker has been loyal to Soundwave ever since, he has recently had second thoughts after learning what happened to Skywarp.

Thundercracker left the battle when Starscream’s rogue Decepticon faction attacked Soundwave’s forces, and it appears that the Seeker has left the Decepticons altogether. It could be that the Energon Universe is repeating previous continuities, where Thundercracker left Megatron after his cruelty to humans became too much to bear. Interestingly enough, the IDW continuity saw Thundercracker working among humans and eventually becoming a screenwriter. Wherever Thundercracker winds up next in the Energon Universe, he will a valuable asset on the battlefield.

9

Skywarp

Teleportation Powers Give Him The Edge

As one of the first Decepticons to be revived by Starscream on Earth, Skywarp proved to be a fearsome ally in the faction’s war against the Autobots. As the third member of Starscream’s Seekers, Skywarp has an edge over his opponents thanks to his ability to teleport. This special power allowed Skywarp to hold his own against none other than Optimus Prime. Skywarp may have even bested the Autobot leader had Prime not tore his own damaged arm off his body to use as a weapon against the Decepticon.

Sadly, Skywarp wasn’t long for the Energon Universe, as he found himself the weak link in the chain when Starscream and Soundwave decided they needed more Energon at all costs. Skywarp was essentially cannibalized, and his remains were then attached to the Teletraan I computer on-board the crashed Ark spaceship. He still functions enough to carry on a conversation, but his horrifying fate shows the Decepticons’ true depths of depravity.

8

Starscream

The Decepticon Is Treacherous, But Deadly

Megatron’s longtime second-in-command has been a fixture of the Energon Universe, to the point where most of his actions have driven many of the main plot points playing out in the current Transformers series. Starscream started out leading the Decepticons after they were awakened on Earth, although he was eventually overthrown from his position after Soundwave challenged for the right to become leader.

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Starscream’s time as the Decepticon leader may have been a disaster, but his true power comes from his treacherous nature; Starscream is always looking for ways to elevate his position, and there is no limit to what he’ll do to get ahead. Starscream has recently formed his own splinter group of Decepticons, showing how he is able to manipulate others into furthering his cause. While he’s been hampered somewhat by having his lower half replaced with a HISS Tank, Starscream remains as deadly as ever.

7

Astrotrain

The Decepticon Triple-Changer Is A Loose Cannon

Astrotrain has an axe to grind in the Energon Universe, and the number one target in his sights is his former leader Megatron. The Decepticon leader wound up imprisoning Astrotrain aboard the Decepticon vessel Nemesis, meaning that he spent several centuries trapped after the Nemesis crashed on Earth. As such, Astrotrain has a lot of pent-up rage, which he often unleashes upon anyone unlucky enough to be caught in his path.

Due to his anger at Megatron, Astrotrain was one of the first Decepticons to be recruited into Starscream’s rogue faction, and has already shown how dangerous an opponent he can truly be. His ability to transform into both a shuttlecraft and a train gives him dominion over land and air, and he’s big enough to fly many of his colleagues into battle. Now that Megatron has returned to the main stage in the Energon Universe, the Decepticon leader will have to keep an eye out for a revenge-obsessed Astrotrain.

6

Shockwave

The Decepticon Left In Charge Of Cybertron

Shockwave was the second Transformer to appear in the Energon Universe, all the way back in Void Rivals #4. The Decepticon left in command of Cybertron by Megatron himself would go on to be the main villain of Transformers’ second story-arc, which saw him transported to Earth via a space bridge. While there, Shockwave discovered that Earth’s life-forms could be harvested for Energon, and proceeded to open the bridge even further by literally bringing Cybertron to Earth.

Shockwave truly established himself as one of the most dastardly villains in the Energon Universe during this storyline, showing just how far his cruelty could go as he sacrificed countless sea-life to harvest Energon. Shockwave’s villainy extends to the pleasure he gains for torturing Autobot prisoners, to the point where his former prisoner Ultra Magnus lost all courage and fled at the very sight of him; Shockwave was killed in battle with Optimus Prime at the end of the arc, but his villainy still casts a long shadow in the Energon Universe.

5

Soundwave

The Loyal Decepticon Makes A Cold, Calculating Leader

Loyal to a fault, that still didn’t stop Soundwave from challenging Starscream for the right to lead the Decepticons in the absence of Megatron. Soundwave’s cool, calculating nature proved to be a better fit for the leadership role, something that has given the Decepticons an edge over the Autobots on Earth. While Starscream’s cruelty was unparalleled, Soundwave’s approach is even more brutally efficient, such as the moment he casually murders a group of sailors after sinking their ship to prevent them from telling any other humans.

Soundwave has his own battalion of mini-cassettes, all of whom provide the Decepticon with various ways to gain the advantage in combat. Frenzy and Rumble give Soundwave some added muscle on the battlefield, while Ravage and Laserbeak allow him various opportunities to spy on and infiltrate his enemies. Soundwave may have willingly handed the leadership of the Decepticons over to Megatron now that the true leader is back, but he’s still one of the most fearsome villains in all of Transformers.

4

Bruticus

The War-Themed Combiner Brings The Combaticons Together

The combined form of the Combaticons is war personified. With all of the Combaticons having alt-modes as combat vehicles, Bruticus is certainly not lacking for firepower. While he suffers from a loss of intelligence as a result of combining together, Bruticus is still a horrifying sight on the battlefield for any opponent who has the misfortune of coming across it. His strength is unmatched among nearly all the Transformers, and his armor is capable of withstanding the heaviest of artillery.

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While the Combaticons came to Earth via the Cybertronian space-bridge to help the Decepticons fight against the Autobots, Starscream was able to recruit them for his rogue faction. This has led to perhaps the biggest battle yet seen in the Energon Universe, as Bruticus fought fellow combiner Devastator. That epic smackdown nearly levelled Seattle, showing just how much power the Decepticon Combiners are working with.

3

Devastator

The Greatest Decepticon Combiner Of All

He was the very first Combiner in all of Transformers lore, and in many ways, Devastator is still the greatest of them all. The combined form of six Constructicon warriors, Devastator’s power is only matched by his size. Devastator made his debut at the end of Transformers first story arc, and proceeded to lay waste to every Autobot in sight. It was only thanks to a supercharge in Optimus Prime’s power level that allowed the Autobots to barely survive the encounter, but Devastator continues to be a menacing presence in the Decepticon ranks.

The Constructicons came to blows with the Combaticons after Starscream formed his own brigade of renegade Decepticons, and the resulting battle between Devastator and Bruticus nearly destroyed the whole of Seattle. After two issues of fighting, Devastator was able to finally defeat Bruticus by executing a devastating RKO from the top of a skyscraper, officially claiming his position as the greatest Combiner of them all.

2

Megatron

The True Decepticon Leader Returns To Action

The most famous villain in the Transformers franchise has largely been absent from the Energon Universe until very recently, but all of that build-up only adds to Megatron’s intimidating presence. The Decepticon leader was betrayed by Starscream and shot off the Ark when it crashed on Earth centuries ago. From there, Megatron became a prisoner of the hidden society of Cobra-La, where he was relentlessly tortured and experimented upon by Cobra Commander.

Megatron broke free from Cobra-La in last year’s Energon Universe Special, but only recently was found by a scouting Laserbeak. Although he’s missing his fusion cannon arm and using Laserbeak to guide him, Megatron is still able to stop Starscream and Soundwave’s fight in Seattle with a simple command. His mere presence is enough to give Optimus Prime reason enough to order the Autobots to retreat; even wounded, Megatron is still the biggest threat to the planet Earth in the Energon Universe.

1

Goliant

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Goliant’s backstory has only recently been revealed in the Energon Universe, and there is still much that remains mysterious about the brand-new character. The most recent issue of Void Rivals detailed the backstory of the major new villain, revealing that he was a weapon created by the Quintessons to destroy Cybertron. The Cybertronian hero was able to lead Goliant away from her homeworld, where it proceeded to feast upon a star in a distant system. That caused the star to become a black hole, with the remnants of the nearby systems coming together to form the Sacred Ring.

Goliant has been imprisoned within the black hole at the edge of the Sacred Ring ever since, but the time of his reawakening is about to draw near. Given his size and his propensity to feed upon planets, many fans assumed that Goliant was actually Unicron. But the latest issue of Void Rivals revealed more about the new character, finally solving some of the long-running mysteries in the Energon Universe’s debut title. Whatever happens when Goliant breaks free of his black hole remains to be seen, but Transformers fans can guess it will be nothing good.

Transformers (2023)

Optimus Prime was supposed to have led the Autobots to victory. Instead, the fate of Cybertron is unknown, and his allies have crash-landed far from home, alongside their enemies—the Decepticons. As these titanic forces renew their war on Earth, one thing is immediately clear: the planet will never be the same. New alliances are struck. Battle lines are redrawn. And humanity’s only hope of survival is Optimus Prime.