Steeljaw
Steeljaw is the name of several characters from the Transformers franchise. Usually, the character has been depicted as a mini-cassette partner to Blaster who transforms into a robotic lion, or a robotic dog, partnered with Leadfoot in Dark of the Moon, but most recently he has been reimagined as the new Decepticon leader for the Transformers: Robots in Disguise 2015 television series (voiced by Troy Baker), being the first main antagonist of a western Transformers series who isn't an incarnation of Megatron/Galvatron.
Transformers: Generation 1
Autobot | |
---|---|
Information | |
Sub-group | Mini-cassettes |
Function | Tracker |
Rank | 6 |
Partner | Eject |
Motto | "What the eyes don't see, the nose knows." |
Alternate modes | Lion/Cassette Tape |
Series |
Transformers: Generation 1 Transformers: Universe |
Voiced by | Frank Welker (American English), Masashi Ebara (Japanese) |
Steeljaw is an Autobot and part of the mini-cassette team. He takes the form of a lion. He is described as a vicious hunter, and fights with a pair of blasters. As a member of the Autobot communications sub-group Steeljaw frequently worked with its other members - Blaster, Eject, Grand Slam, Raindance, Rewind and Ramhorn.
When he's on the hunt, his prey is as good as caught. Determined, tenacious, coolly professional when on a mission. Likely to trace any scent. Range of 800 miles. Super-strong jaws—can snap a foot-thick steel cable with one bite. Carries two solar-powered pellet guns that fire 1,200 rounds per minute. Lack of sunlight hampers the guns' performance. Can electromagnetize himself in cassette Mode. Prone to rusting.
Marvel Comics
Steeljaw made no appearance in the original US Transformers comic. He would appear in the alternate future of the Marvel UK series, in the storyline "Space Pirates". Along with his fellow cassettes Rewind and Ramhorn, he assisted Hot Rod and Arcee in defending Autobot City from a Quintesson attack.
He next appeared in the US comics' prelude to Generation 2, as part of a strike team sent to stop the rebuilt Megatron. Steeljaw was the first to fall, killed by a blast from Megatron's new rail gun weapon.
Animated series
In The Transformers: The Movie, set in the year 2005, Blaster and his cassettes were assigned to Autobot City on Earth. During the invasion by Megatron's forces, Blaster was responsible for sending a distress signal to Optimus Prime on Moonbase One. Blaster's transmission was jammed by Soundwave's cassette minions to prevent him from establishing contact with the Autobot Moonbase. However, the signal was received and Optimus Prime was able to arrive with reinforcements to defeat the Decepticons. After the attack, Blaster picked up transmissions from Moonbases One and Two. Blaster and his cassettes were not seen for the rest of the movie.
He later appeared in "Call of the Primitives" as one of the Transformers "Primitives" (animal themed Transformers like the Dinobots and Predacons) summoned by Primacron to battle his creation Tornedron, but was deactivated by the energy creature. He was revived when Grimlock defeated the creature.
In episode 78, "Madman's Paradise", Spike and Carly hosted a banquet for a visiting ambassador. Daniel got bored and wandered off. Grimlock followed him, and they fell into a lost chamber where Quintessons banished their criminals to other dimensions. They slipped through to the sorcerous other-dimensional realm of Menonia, and were tricked into fighting on the Red Wizard's side, only to find out that he was the Quintesson criminal, who overthrew the Golden One. Ultra Magnus, Blaster, Eject, Rewind, Ramhorn, and Steeljaw followed, and using Blaster's amplification, they help the Golden One defeat the Red Wizard. With the help of Perceptor, the Autobots and Daniel are returned to Cybertron.
In "The Quintesson Journal" he was a part of the Autobot team that recovered the Quintesson's recording device. He also had a small part in "The Ultimate Weapon", teaming with Ramhorn to ram Galvatron's cannon mode. Steeljaw was among the Autobots injured by Superion during the hate plague outbreak. After Optimus Prime was revived, Steeljaw was among the team of Autobots that joined the expedition to Chaar to recover the metal developed by Drs. Morgan and Swofford, previously stolen by Galvatron, which was impervious to the plague. Steeljaw bought time for Optimus and Sky Lynx to escape with the metal, before becoming infected with the plague himself. Steeljaw, along with everyone else who was infected, was subsequently cured by the power of the Matrix.
Toys
- Generation 1 Steeljaw
- Steeljaw was packaged together with Eject.
- Universe Generation 1 Series Autobot Blaster with Steeljaw, Ramhorn and Eject (2010)
- A San Diego Comic-Con International exclusive reissue of the original figure with cassettes Steeljaw, Ramhorn and Eject.[1]
Transformers Animated
A robotic lion, similar to Steeljaw, briefly appeared in the episode "This is Why I Hate Machines".
Shattered Glass
Autobot | |
---|---|
Information | |
Sub-group | Mini-cassettes |
Function | Solar Collector |
Motto | "All good things come to those who rest." |
Alternate modes | Lion/Cassette Tape |
This Steeljaw is a lazy evil Autobot. He occasionally leaves the remains of his prey outside Blaster's quarters and enjoys having his tummy rubbed.[2]
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Autobot | |
---|---|
Information | |
Sub-group | Wreckers |
Function | Tracker |
Partner | Leadfoot |
Motto | "Grrrrrr!" |
Alternate modes | Mechanical Dog / Cybertronian Rocket Launcher |
Series | Transformers: Dark of the Moon |
Steeljaw is more than just a war machine. Loyal, brave and almost as intelligent as his humanoid Autobot companions, Steeljaw is the ultimate tracker. When the Wreckers need to locate a creature, person or object, they turn to Steeljaw's advanced series.[3]
Whereas Steeljaw is originally a mechanical lion, Steeljaw this time around is a mechanical dog.
Toys
- Dark of the Moon Human Alliance Leadfoot (2011)
- A Human Alliance version of Leadfoot. Comes with Steeljaw, who becomes a wrist blaster weapon.
Transformers: Fall of Cybertron
Autobot | |
---|---|
Information | |
Partner | Blaster |
Alternate modes | Lion/Cybertronian Microcassette |
Series |
Transformers: Generations Transformers: Fall of Cybertron |
Aligned Steeljaw is depicted as one of Blaster's Deployers, with his appearance is based on his G1 predecessor. He is most likely a separate character from the Decepticon leader of the same name who appears in Robots in Disguise (set in the same continuity). He has only been depicted as a toy with no fictional appearances.
Toys
- Generations Voyager Cybertronian Blaster w/ Steeljaw (2014)
- Blaster is a redeco and retool of Cybertronian Voyager Soundwave, while Steeljaw is a retool of Ravage.
Transformers: Age of Extinction
Bounty Hunters | |
---|---|
Information | |
Sub-group | Mercenaries |
Function | Tracker |
Partner | Lockdown |
Alternate modes | Mechanical wolves |
Series | Transformers: Age of Extinction |
In Transformers: Age of Extinction, Lockdown commands several wolf-like, mechanical creatures referred to as "Steeljaws" alongside some mercenaries. This Steeljaw has no relation to the Steeljaw seen in Dark of the Moon.
Age of Extinction Film
A group of Steeljaws are first seen with Lockdown's crew of alien humanoids (possibly former Decepticons) when he meets CIA agent Harold Attinger on his personal ship. Later, when the ship's anchor-cables are unexpectedly launched, Lockdown sends the Steeljaw pack to find and eradicate the intruders. They chase Tessa Yeager, but she manages to elude them. When she, Cade and Shane attempt to flee by traversing the cables, the Steeljaws locate them, three attempt to follow them across, only two of them to be shot off by Cade using a Transformer weapon (the third retreats). The two rest begin chewing the cables apart in an attempt to drop them to the streets below, only for Bumblebee to arrive, rescues the humans and killed them.
Toys
- Age of Extinction One Step Changers Steeljaw (2014)
Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015)
Decepticon | |
---|---|
Information | |
Function | New Decepticon Leader |
Motto | "Savor the daylight. Things are about to get rather dark." |
Alternate modes | Off-road vehicle |
Series | Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015) |
Voiced by | Troy Baker |
Japanese voice actor | Yūichi Nakamura |
Steeljaw appears in Robots in Disguise as the Decepticon leader. Steeljaw has been confirmed by Hasbro as the main antagonist for the series.[4] Like most Decepticon characters in this Transformers series, who possess animal-themed robot-modes, Steeljaw resembles a werewolf and even has a tail in robot mode, but transforms into an Off-road vehicle. Steeljaw is notably the first main antagonist of a western Transformers series who is not an incarnation of Megatron/Galvatron (not counting Thaddeus Morocco, on-off overarching antagonist of Rescue Bots).
With the exception of Grimlock, who defected to the Autobots, Steeljaw has made the most appearances out of all the Decepticons in the series in the first season, especially as most of the Decepticon characters typically appear only in one episode. Steeljaw is depicted as a powerful foe, and a clever thinker. He is shown being able to take on Strongarm and Bumblebee, usually being able to knock out his opponents by merely throwing them around. He has also been able to escape capture. Steeljaw also seems to be less arrogant than Megatron or Starscream before him, often trying to deceive others into believing he's an Autobot and claiming to only want to dwell on Earth peacefully, as well as make Earth a home for all Decepticons.
Animated series
On Cybertron, Steeljaw studied sub-sonics and tried to instigate a rebellion. He was arrested and imprisoned on the Alchemor, and freed when Megatronus crashed the prison ship on Earth. He plans to make the Autobots pay for his incarceration and does this by building a Decepticon army from his fellow inmates where they fight against Bumblebee's group. In "As the Kospego Commands!", Steeljaw finds Thunderhoof in his part of the forest as he offers to team up with him. In "True Colors", Steeljaw uses Minitron to control Grimlock into stealing the Stasis Pod containing Underbite while using the Crown River Dam as a hideout. Following an inevitable battle which resulted in Minitron getting captured, Steeljaw made off with Underbite's Stasis Pod. By "Sideways", Steeljaw has assembled a gang, consisting of Thunderhoof, Underbite, Fracture and his Mini-Cons, Divebomb and Airazor. Clampdown joins the gang after a skirmish with the Autobots. Thunderhoof is left unhappy because of this, as he is the one who got him imprisoned, but Steeljaw threatens Clampdown in front of everyone that he will be a loyal soldier or else "he wouldn't rest until he's made him eat his own claws".
Seeking access to the scrapyard, Steeljaw engineered a diversion by using Kickback as bait. While Bumblebee's team was distracted, Steeljaw broke into the scrapyard, and his gang quickly took Fixit, Russell, and Denny hostage. Steeljaw also rigged up a sub-sonic pulse that would disable the Autobots and prevent them from gaining access. Steeljaw tried to get Fixit to free the other Decepticon convicts, then ordered Thunderhoof and Clampdown to try and recapture the missing humans. Fixit managed to stall long enough for the Autobots to break in and deactivate the sonic weaponry; in the ensuing fight, Steeljaw was defeated yet again by Bumblebee. Back at the Decepticon hideout, Steeljaw exploded at his comrades and ordered them to leave. The arrival of a mysterious entity snapped him out of his funk, and Steeljaw reluctantly agreed to build him a gateway and serve as his minion for the time being.
Steeljaw and his "pack" go search for materials to create a doorway for Megatronus to enter the material world. In the first season finale, he sends his troops out to kidnap Strongarm and Sideswipe (and eventually Windblade) to use them as a power source for the portal. The Autobots arrive to stop him and Steeljaw's portal is destroyed by a resurrected Optimus Prime. Despite this, Megatronus successfully makes it through and proceeds with his true plans: to merge the AllSpark and Anti-Spark together to destroy both Earth and Cybertron. Promising Steeljaw he'll be the ruler of the "pile of dust" left behind, he gets enraged at Megatronus and attempts to fight him, only to be backhanded out of sight. With the remaining members of his gang placed in stasis after the death of Megatronus, Steeljaw remained the only known Decepticon at large at the end of the first season, with the exception of Kickback. This is later brought up by Bumblebee as a reason he should remain on Earth.
Toys
- Robots in Disguise Warrior Class Steeljaw (2015)
- From the first wave of Robots in Disguise Warrior-class figures, Steeljaw transforms from a werewolf-like Decepticon, complete with articulated tail, into an off-road vehicle. He comes with a Wolverine-like claw weapon that he can either wield or attach to the roof of his vehicle mode. His scannable insignia is on his vehicle-mode windshield, which becomes his robot-mode chest, easily scannable while still on-package. This temporarily unlocks the Warrior-class version of Steeljaw in the mobile game.
Kre-O: Transformers
This version of Steeljaw is based on the 2015 Robots in Disguise version, but it little is known about him as he is yet to have any fictional appearances.
References
- ↑ San Diego Comicon Exclusives, Toy Review magazine issue #213, Fall 2010, page 23
- ↑ Transformers Collectors Club Magazine #27, June/July 2009
- ↑ http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/cybertronian-database.cfm#/characters/steeljaw
- ↑ Steeljaw Announced As The New Decepticon Leader For Transformers: Robots In Disguise - Transformer World 2005 - TFW2005.COM