Wheelie (Transformers)

Wheelie is the name of fictional characters in the Transformers series.

Generation 1

The first Wheelie is a young Autobot who turns into a car. He has a distinctive style of speech, in which he rhymes his sentences while speaking in a high pitched voice, making him sound like a child. A young Autobot, Wheelie's function is listed as "survivalist". He despises the Quintessons and their Sharkticon minions, but only fights when he has no alternative.^[2]

Reception

Wheelie was chosen as the "Annoying character of the day" column by IGN.^[3]

Wheelie was voted one of the top robot characters that does not look like his toy by Topless Robots.^[4]

He was also picked as the 9th worst Transformer by X-Entertainment.^[5]

Animated series

Wheelie first appeared in the 1986 film The Transformers: The Movie.^[6]

Marvel Comics

Wheelie's existence was acknowledged only by the UK Transformers Marvel Comics community, where adventures were inserted in-between the stories sourced in the US. He aids Wreck-Gar in escaping from the Quintessons, whose homeworld was dying due to a rift in space-time. The two then transmit the Quintessons' plan for colonization throughout the galaxy, making the Quintessons' targets aware of their plans. Wheelie retains his distinctive style of speech in his comic appearance.^[7]

3H Enterprises

Wheelie was featured in the "Wreckers" comic series produced by 3H Enterprises for Botcon, where he joined Arcee and Daniel Witwicky in battling an army of drones based on the Nightbird robot (featured in the G1 episode "Enter the Nightbird"). He was badly wounded during the battle, and despite the arrival of the Targetmasters only Arcee and Professor Fujiyama-whom they were protecting-survived. Surrounded by the enemy, Daniel set off a bomb, destroying the Nightbirds but killing himself and Wheelie in the process.

IDW Comics

Wheelie is the central character in Spotlight: Wheelie where, stranded on an alien planet, he confronts the Decepticons that make up Reflector: Spectro, Spyglass and Viewfinder. On meeting one of the planet's natives and learning their language, he picks up his distinctive rhyming manner of speech.

Books

Wheelie appears in the 1986 story and coloring book The Lost Treasure of Cybertron by Marvel Books.^[8]

Toys

• Generation 1 Mini-Bot Wheelie (1986)

A new toy designed for the 1986 Transformers movie.^[9]

In Japan, a yellow/white/blue redeco of the figure was released by E-Hobby in 2005 as Dion.

• Generations Deluxe Wheelie (2012)

An Asia-exclusive orange redeco of Reveal the Shield Deluxe Special Ops Jazz with a different head sculpt and a slingshot weapon instead of Jazz's gun.

• Transformers Universe Legends Wheelie (2010)

Transformers: Armada

Wheelie

Autobot
Information
Rank	1
Partner	The Autobot Officer
Alternate modes	Cybertronian car
Series	Transformers: Armada

Wheelie is an Autobot Soldier, who does not question his officer's orders...

Animated series

The officer and Wheelie were fetched by Hot Shot after Wheeljack became trapped under rubble in the middle of a raging inferno. As the three of them stood while looking at the flames, Wheelie told Hot Shot it was hopeless, and told him to forget about his friend. When Hot Shot tried to charge in anyway, Wheelie physically restrained him until Hot Shot managed to throw Wheelie aside. The officer then punched Hot Shot to the ground, and stood with Wheelie while they looked at the flames for a while longer.

Transformers Cinematic Universe

Wheelie/Wheels

Wheelie in Dark of the Moon.
Autobot
Information
Sub-group	Deluxe vehicles, Legends
Function	Spy
Rank	5
Partner	Brains
Motto	"The Autobots are here."
Alternate modes	RC Ford F-Series Monster truck
Series	Transformers Cinematic Universe
English voice actor	Tom Kenny

The RC Ford F-Series Monster truck Wheelie is Decepticon turned Autobot who turns into the blue toy truck and appeared in the 2009 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and 2011 Transformers: Dark of the Moon voiced by Tom Kenny. In contrast to the good-natured, rhyme-speaking G1 character, the film character is a foul-mouthed, slightly perverted jerk (although it is understandable as he was previously a Decepticon).^[10]

In some early script drafts and fiction he was called Wheels.

Reception

Wheelie is considered a troublemaker.^[11] Some film reviewers commented on the negative racial stereotype of Wheelie's character.^[12]

Wheelie was picked as the 100th "Coolest Movie Robot" by Matt Patches of UGO.com.^[13]

IGN described Wheelie humping the leg of Mikaela as one of the worst moments of the Transformers films.^[14]

Books

Wheelie appears in the novelization of Transformers: Dark of the Moon. During the battle with the Decepticons Wheelie and Brains take over a Decepticon ship and use it against the Decepticons.

Wheelie appears as a character in the book Transformers: Dark of the Moon: The Junior Novel.^[15]

Movie plot

Wheelie first appears in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. He was sent by Soundwave to spy on Mikaela Banes, who is given a shard of the All Spark by her boyfriend Sam Witwicky. However, when trying to steal the shard from a vault, he is immediately caught by Mikaela, who destroys his left eye with a blowtorch. He pleads for her to give him the shard as The Fallen needed it and would die if he failed. She then locks him in a suitcase and flies to the East Coast to rendezvous with Sam. When Mikaela, Sam and his dorm mate Leo Spitz meet up with former Sector 7 agent Seymour Simmons, Mikaela releases Wheelie from the suitcase and convinces him to translate the symbols from the Sector 7 photo archives. He tells them that it was the language of the Primes and couldn't read it, but offered to find them someone who could. He then helps the humans locate the former Decepticon Jetfire at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Washington, D.C. After Jetfire is awakened, Wheelie swears allegiance to the Autobots as he hates the Decepticons. He joins the group in searching for the Matrix of Leadership in Egypt, but disappeared after a while.

Wheelie reappears in the 2011 film Transformers: Dark of the Moon. He was Sam's 'pet', alongside his new friend Brains. Wheelie and Sam have been dumped by Mikaela and Wheelie isn't entirely happy with his and Brains' "living arrangements", as the U.S. government didn't care for the two small robots. His damaged eye is already healed in the third film. Later they are among the Autobots as they are exiled from Earth and presumed killed as their ship is blown up by Starscream. Later, during the battle in Chicago, Wheelie stated the Autobots were staying to win the war, and though excited to help, he is angry when he and Brains are accidentally left behind by the Wreckers from Shockwave. Wheelie and Brains wandered the streets, but found and use a crashed Decepticon fighter to fly to the main battlecruiser. Once there, he and Brains sabotaged the ship, saving Bumblebee and the other captured Autobots, and the ship came crashing down in the water. While Wheelie's fate is unknown in the film, it was later revealed in Transformers: Age of Extinction that Brains is still alive. However, in the novelization of the film showed Wheelie and Brains together surviving the crash.

It is rumored that Wheelie will return in Transformers : The Last Knight.

Toys

• Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe Class Autobot Wheelie (2009)

A new mold of Wheelie, which transforms from toy truck to robot. His chest panel switches between Autobot and Decepticon symbols.

• Revenge of the Fallen Legends Class Autobot Wheelie (2009)

This toy was sold by itself, as sell as in a 2-pack with Legends Soundwave.^[16]

References