Dreadwing (Prime)

Dreadwing is a Decepticon from the Prime portion of the Aligned continuity family.

It's not revenge I'm looking for. It's justice.

Dreadwing, a split-Spark twin of Skyquake, was the captain of an army of Seekers, and is an expert in explosives. Like Skyquake, Dreadwing is intensely loyal to Megatron, though his loyalty to his twin may be stronger. However, unlike his brother, Dreadwing is better at keeping his temper in check, most of the time.

In addition to his calculating tactics, cool-minded leadership, and fierce loyalty, Dreadwing has outwardly shown a sense of integrity not normally characterized by the Decepticon agenda. During situations of dwindling odds, Dreadwing considers all possibilities within battle, and is wary of the potential consequences of hasty decisions. He will even fight alongside the Autobots if surviving the situation calls for it. In order to secure a favorable outcome or the welfare of his sovereign lord, the dreaded seeker will save face, or indeed the sparks of a few Autobots, if it means a clean victory and living to battle another day...

Fiction

Cartoon continuity

Prime cartoon

Voice actor: Tony Todd (English), Masami Iwasaki (Japanese), Ronald Nitschke (German), Juan Carlos Tinoco (Latin American Spanish), Ángel Amorós (Castilian Spanish), Juhani Rajalin (Finnish), Patrick Descamps (French), Giorgio Bonino (Italian), Tatá Guarnieri (Brazilian Portuguese), Jacek Król (Polish, episodes 32-33 & 37), Do-hyeong Nam (Korean)

Your daystar burns me! I demand frozen treats!

Dreadwing felt his brother's death, and headed for Earth in the Sky Claw to investigate, but stopped off to kill Seaspray on his way. He was followed by Wheeljack, whom had almost been killed in the explosion that killed Seaspray and wanted to avenge his fellow Wrecker, and soon they landed on Earth. They had a brief battle, which appeared to be in Dreadwing's favor before more Autobots showed up, so he scanned a new alternate mode and flew away. Using a beacon to let his fellow Decepticons track his position, he soon boarded the Nemesis and reported to Megatron. After being filled in on his brother's death, Dreadwing was keen for some avenging, however Megatron ordered him to leave it be. Dreadwing disobeyed, and lured Wheeljack and Bulkhead into a trap. Using Bulkhead as bait, Dreadwing intended to kill Wheeljack and Optimus Prime in a cargo port, and while waiting informed Megatron of his plan when he discovered him gone. However, the Autobot leader was tougher than Dreadwing anticipated, and he was soon forced to disarm the bomb he'd planted on Bulkhead after failing to call Optimus's bluff, but retreated back to the Nemesis, where he decided to leave vengeance for another time and pledged his loyalty to Megatron. Loose Cannons

Someone's about to get voted off the island.

Megatron assigned Dreadwing the task of ridding them of Airachnid, offering him the second-in-command post if he succeeded. Dreadwing took Breakdown along on the mission with him as backup. Unfortunately Breakdown's temper resulted in Airachnid attacking them and webbing Dreadwing to a tree. With the apparent loss of Breakdown and no sign of his remains or Airachnid, Dreadwing returned to the Nemesis to face a disappointed Megatron. When Airachnid goaded Megatron to finish the job himself, Dreadwing offered to accompany him, but Megatron ordered him to remain behind. However Dreadwing followed him with a squad of Vehicons, and after a standoff, was able to rescue his leader from the Autobots after giving his word not to shoot if they released their leader. However Megatron did not give his and had his troops open fire on them as he and Dreadwing made their getaway. Though Dreadwing had disobeyed his orders, Megatron noted that he would make a fine second in command. Crossfire

After the Nemesis crashed and Megatron brought it back online with Dark Energon, the newly-awoken intelligence in the ship went rogue. Dreadwing, along with the rest of the Decepticons, attempted to find a way to shut the ship down, but was put into stasis-lock. He remained in that state until the kids removed the Dark Energon from the ship's power core. Flying Mind

"I know how you're feeling. You don't know whether to kiss me or...kill me."
"Ooooooh yes I do."

Dreadwing headed to Antarctica with four Vehicons in search of a relic. After capturing and taking Starscream prisoner, he discovered that the relic had already been taken from its location, and assumed the Autobots were responsible. However Optimus Prime arrived demanding the relic, and during the inevitable battle, Dreadwing was left buried under tons of ice thanks to Prime. He eventually dug his way out and tracked down Optimus and the traitor to a human facility that had taken possession of the relic. But while he battled with Optimus, Starscream donned the Apex Armor and attacked them. Forced to team up with Prime, Dreadwing attempted to destroy the Armor with one of his explosives, which failed, before Prime gave him an idea, and planted explosives around Starscream, which on detonation sent him falling through the ice. With the loss of the relic, Dreadwing opted to return to the Nemesis, vowing to finish Prime another day. Triangulation Megatron was displeased at his failure. Triage Dreadwing watched as Hardshell and Knock Out had an argument in the wake of the missions. Hurt

Dreadwing was on the Nemesis bridge when Optimus attacked the warship with the Star Saber. Legacy While he was keen to take on the Autobots, he instead accompanied Megatron on a trip through the space bridge to Cybertron. There, the pair broke into a tomb and retrieved the arm of Liege Maximo. After the arm was grafted on to Megatron, Dreadwing watched his leader use the Forge of Solus Prime to create the Dark Star Saber. Alpha/Omega

I'm ready for my close up!

Megatron intentionally requested Dreadwing to retrieve the second Omega Key, but chose Knock Out instead. Dreadwing was then sent to retrieve the third Omega Key and mined a whole bunch of trees as a trap for the Autobots. Bulkhead and Smokescreen escaped the trap and the larger Autobot goaded Dreadwing into fighting him. Though Dreadwing attempted to take Bulkhead out with a bomb, Bulkhead turned the tables and it was Dreadwing who was knocked out with his own explosives. Megatron was once again unhappy at Dreadwing's failure. Hard Knocks

Do I look epic enough? Or do I need some more lightning in the background?

After losing their Omega Keys to the Autobots, Dreadwing conferred with Megatron about locating the Autobot's base, when they found Starscream on the Nemesis bridge. His first instinct was to pull out his gun, but Megatron motioned for him to lower it. Inside Job As Megatron considered Starscream's request to rejoin the Decepticons, he ordered Dreadwing to remove Knock Out from the wall so that they could use a cortical psychic patch to interrogate Starscream. Dreadwing later arrived and stopped Knock Out from prematurely disconnecting the link. He watched Starscream's memories, and learned that Skyquake was not lying in peace, but had been turned into an undead zombie by Starscream and was wandering around in an alternate dimension. Shaken by the revelation of Skyquake's fate, and Megatron's decision to allow Starscream to return, Dreadwing stepped outside the ship to scream at the sky. Patch

This couldn't possibly end up with another Rocket Man joke!

Disillusioned with the Decepticon cause, Dreadwing stole the Forge of Solus Prime and delivered it to Optimus, his only request that Optimus put it to good use. Optimus tried to recruit him once more, but Dreadwing did not consider betraying the Decepticons and joining the Autobots to be equal, and so declined. Returning to the Nemesis, he was confronted by Megatron, who stressed the need for the Decepticons to remain united. Taking that to heart, his first act was to attack Starscream, swearing revenge for the desecration of his brother. Megatron arrived to put a stop to it, but Dreadwing refused to back down, forcing Megatron to blast a hole through his first lieutenant's chest with Dreadwing's own discarded blaster. Megatron then warned Starscream to never make him regret killing his former second-in-command. Regeneration

Japanese cartoon continuity

Go! toy bio

Following his death, Dreadwing was resurrected by Knock Out, but returned not as his usual level-headed self, but a raging berserker filled with nothing but hatred towards the Autobots who took his brother's life. One of the Autobots targeted by the returned Dreadwing was Swoop. Adventure Dreadwing

Takara Legacy toy bio

Dreadwing emerged into the Legacy World from Prime Spacetime in search of his brother. TL-57 Dreadwing bio

Eaglemoss Prime comic

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Hasbro Prime toy bios

For years, Dreadwing had to live in Starscream's shadow. With the traitor gone, he was looking forward to taking his place! Dreadwing was better at the job too: strong and intelligent enough that with control of the Decepticon hordes, the Autobots' very survival was in question. Voyager Dreadwing packaging bio

Tales of the Beast Hunters

Dreadwing heard of Megatron's apparent death, and immediately assumed Starscream was to blame. Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 7 He then hunted down Starscream to his hideout, intent on bringing him to justice, but Starscream offered a valid excuse that Dreadwing could only accept. He then ordered Starscream to help him find Megatron. Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 14

Precursor World

A Warrior of the Seven Lights resembling Dreadwing was a member of the Blue Order of the Primus Vanguard. When the traitorous Straxus twins unleashed a rage virus to destroy the corps from within, he was slain in the ensuing brawl. Vanguard supreme leader Primus later loaded the Warrior's lingering spark into his Golden Noah in an attempt to ferry his soul to the next world. God Neptune comic 1 Unfortunately, this did not work. Finale

Games

Transformers: Prime - The Game

Milestone Media's Biggest Fan.

Voice actor: Fred Tatasciore (English), Javier Gámir (Castilian Spanish)

After Thunderwing was taken into custody aboard the Nemesis, Dreadwing was among the Decepticons sent out across the Earth to find the parts of him that remained missing. Deep in rocky terrain, Dreadwing faced both Bumblebee and Arcee, and would have escaped successfully with a missing Thunderwing component if Bumblebee had not leapt onto Dreadwing's jet mode while in the air and torn out his circuitry.

Dreadwing, now grounded, fought Bumblebee, leaving strategically placed bombs and maneuvering around the Autobot using what limited flight powers he had left. Ultimately, he was subdued and buried under a rockslide, and Soundwave left with Dreadwing's found Thunderwing component. Transformers: Prime - The Game

Transformers Prime: Decepticon Strike

Dreadwing swore that he would defeat Optimus for the honor of the Decepticons, and duked it out against the Autobot leader in aerial combat. He admitted defeat after Optimus bombarded him with enough fire power, and flew off, swearing that he would return to fight another day. Decepticon Strike

Toys

Prime

Depth Charge's Son Strikes!

• Dreadwing (Cyberverse Commander Class, 2012)

• Series / Number: 2 / 005
• TakaraTomy ID number: EZ-12
• TakaraTomy release date: May 26, 2012
• Accessories: Sword, cannon
• Known designers: Joe Kyde (Hasbro)

Part of the second wave of Prime Series 2 Cyberverse Commander Class toys, Dreadwing transforms into a modified Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jet. He features translucent plastic on the center of his jet/his back and on his cockpit-chest, allowing him to be illuminated by the larger Cyberverse sets. He comes with two translucent yellow weapons, a sword and a cannon, and both weapons feature multiple 3 mm posts, with the cannon additionally featuring three 3mm post-holes. This allows them to be held with his hands or mounted onto his arms and wings in different ways, store on Dreadwing's back, combine with each other to form a bayoneted cannon, as well as combine with other Cyberverse weapons.

His packaging stock photography depicts his jet mode as mis-transformed, with the arms not being pegged into his legs and instead being awkwardly bent and left jutting out from the front of his wings, and with his weapons being held by his hands instead of mounting underneath his wings.

This mold was redecoed into Skyquake.

• More information on Cyberverse Dreadwing at TFU.info

Chucky Sol, I am your Blue Angel of Death. (Hasbro version)

(Takara version)

• Dreadwing (Voyager Class, 2012)

• Series / Number: 01 / 005
• TakaraTomy ID number: AM-22
• TakaraTomy release date: October 27, 2012
• Accessories: Blaster cannon/light-up "Magnetar pulse blaster" & sword (Hasbro only), "Jigu" Arms Micron (TakaraTomy only)

Part of the third wave of Prime: Robots in Disguise Voyager Class toys, Dreadwing now comes with different sword and blaster cannon accessories, both of which can be mounted (via 5 mm posts) onto ports on his forearms, hands, wings, and back, as well as behind the cockpit canopy. The sword itself features an additional peg on its hilt, and the cannon has a peg-hole on its translucent side and on the tip of its barrel. The cannon can transform into a longer-barreled "Magnetar pulse blaster" that's illuminated at the barrel by a red LED as a sort of "Energon glow". As with other Robots in Disguise Voyager Class toys, the deployed weapon cannot lock into place.

The TakaraTomy release of Dreadwing, part of the seventh wave of Prime product in Japan, has some significant differences from the Hasbro release. Many of his detail paint operations have been replaced with customer-applied stickers, his blue is lighter and metallic, his gray is darker, and he does not come with the Hasbro version's weapons. Instead, he has his Arms Micron partner Jigu, who transforms from a robot shark into a weapon vaguely resembling his in-show cannon.

Dreadwing and Skyquake's very similar looking left and right robot mode feet are notorious for being incorrectly added to the figure during factory assembly, resulting in a left foot on a right leg, a right foot on a left leg, two left feet, or two right feet. Not having the right foot on the right leg and left foot on the left leg causes him to not stand properly because each foot is designed on the bottom to sit at a specific slanted angle. Both feet look very similar to one another, however they can be identified by finding the corresponding "L" and "R" on each one. If placed on a flat surface to be viewed, one will notice that both feet have subtle slants to their stance.

All versions of this mold have a spot that's very prone to breakage: the thruster / stabilizer fin assembly which folds up onto his back has a joint that can crack and break the whole assembly off—even on brand new figures! This can be avoided by gluing it in vehicle mode configuration- while it loses functionality it is not detrimental to his robot mode.

This mold was also redecoed into Skyquake and Timelines Megaplex.

• More information on Voyager Dreadwing at TFU.info

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Yes.

• Dreadwing (Deluxe Class, 2013)

• Series / Number: 2 / 011
• Accessories: Cannon, two missiles, & axe (combine to form Dread Assault Cannon)
• Known designers: Andrew Scribner (deco artist)

Part of the third wave of Prime: Beast Hunters Deluxe Class toys, Dreadwing transforms into a heavily modified Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jet, and features a bird motif, such as his wings transforming into peacock-like "feathers".

He now comes with a spring-loaded missile launcher that can fire either of the two included missiles, as well as a chainsaw axe that can be combined with the launcher to form the "Dread Assault Cannon". In vehicle mode, the missiles can attach to clips on his wings, and the axe is shoved through a 5mm port located on his jet underside. The weapons can also mount onto additional ports on his hands, legs, arms, and fuselage/robot back.

His instructions forget to mention that his shoulder-pads have to be hinged over to the cockpit to form the intakes. They also include the fourteenth chapter of the Tales of the Beast Hunters series.

This mold was also the basis of the non-toy Beast Wars: Uprising incarnation of Windrazor.

• More information on Beast Hunters Dreadwing at TFU.info

Adventure

Batman all the way, baby.

• Dreadwing (Deluxe, 2015)

• ID number: TAV-12
• Release date: March 21, 2015
• Accessories: Axe

Part of the first wave of TakaraTomy's Adventure toyline, Dreadwing is a redeco of Beast Hunters Deluxe Class Dreadwing, replacing much of the gray plastic, such as the head, wings, and intakes, with blue and black, returning him to a more show-like coloration all around. He also has various changes in paint operations, most noticeably featuring gold in place of yellow and removing the yellow entirely from his back "feathers".

This release only comes with the axe, now molded in black, and lacks Beast Hunters Dreadwing's cannon and missiles.

Legacy

Though illin', that gun hasn't gatled in its life!

• Prime Universe Dreadwing (Leader Class, 2023)

• Accessories: Cannon, Energon clip/sword
• Known designers: Mark Maher (Hasbro), Hisashi Yuki (TakaraTomy)^[1]

Released in the sixth wave of Legacy Leader Class toys, Legacy: Evolution Dreadwing is a redeco (and technical retool) of his brother Skyquake, transforming into a massive fighter jet of entirely made-up model. Both modes are an amalgamation of his/Skyquake's Prime cartoon appearance and Generation 1 Skyquake, though the transparent red against the dark blue also invokes Generation 2 Dreadwing. His jet mode features three retractable landing gear and an openable cockpit canopy. The jet mode also retains the slots on the top that allow Needlenose to attach as noted in the instructions. Skyquake's chaingun barrel has been replaced with a new 5mm compatible cannon barrel, and the main body still has the same "Energon clip" Evo-Fusion attachment that can be used separately as a sword.

Unfortunately, Dreadwing retains all the same design and instruction problems that plagued Skyquake, including said instructions still asking for the canopy to do the impossible and slide through another solid piece. The grooves that the wings slot into are deeper though, seemingly fixing the drooping issue.

If one desires a more show accurate look, a semi-convincing fan mode can be achieved via swapping his arms at the bicep swivel, swinging his wings around to the faux cockpit, rotating his waist, and finally rotating then sliding his head into place.

Notes

• Prior to his debut in the Prime cartoon, Dreadwing was originally planned to be a member of the Star Seekers. ^[2]
• Perhaps coincidentally, the Prime Dreadwing mold was almost used as one of the Star Seekers for BotCon 2014.^[3]

Foreign names

• Japanese: Dreadwing (ドレッドウイング Doreddouingu)
• Mandarin: Hàiyì (骇翼, "Dreadwing")

References