Trypticon
Trypticon (Dinozaurer in Japan) is a fictional character in the Transformers toyline. He is a Decepticon.
| Transformers Character | |
| Trypticon (Dinozaurer) | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Decepticon (Destron) |
| Subgroup | None |
| Function | Assault Base |
| Motto | "Total victory requires total destruction." |
| Alternate mode(s) | City/Battle Station |
| Series | G1 Cartoon, Marvel Comics, Dreamwave Comics |
| Voiced by | Brad Garret (English) unknown (Japanese) |
Trypticon is the Decepticons’ principal command base. He has three modes—a city, a mobile battle station, and a Tyrannosaurus Rex. In each mode, he has a variety of weapons. As an added gimmick, the Tyrannosaurus Rex mode can actually walk, operated with a battery-powered motor.
Trypticon is characterised as a merciless, brutal killing machine. He enjoys combat and takes delight in his enemies’ death. However, underneath all this violent rage is a nagging bit of self-doubt: Trypticon is not completely confident in the Decepticon cause, and sometimes wonders if he would be better serving someone else.
Trypticon is aided with two remote-controlled drones, called Full-Tilt and Brunt.
Trypticon’s Autobot counterpart is Metroplex.
Cartoons
US Cartoon
In the American G1 cartoon, Trypticon was created in 2005 from a human city by the Constructicons, to act as the main weapon in the Earth-based half of the Decepticon-Quintesson alliance’s two-pronged strike on the Autobots. Trypticon’s first action was the destruction of the Ark, and he then proceeded to attack the helpless Autobot City. The city’s sub-section, the colossal Autobot known as Metroplex, had been left unable to transform by the destruction of his transforming cog, but just in time, Blurr, Wheelie, Sky Lynx and Marissa Faireborn returned with the replacement, allowing Metroplex to transform to robot mode and dispose of Trypticon, defeating him in battle and hurling him into the ocean.
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Trypticon survived the encounter, however, and walked across the seabed to the prehistoric Dinobot Island, where he recuperated. In short order, however, he was located by the Decepticon wheeler-dealer, Octane, who took him to the Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya, where the country’s ruler, Supreme Military Dictator, King of Kings, and President for Life Abdul Fakkadi paid for their military services. When Fakkadi tired of spending his country’s oil on the two Decepticons, Trypticon began to steal national monuments to placate him, but eventually the arrival of Galvatron forced Fakkadi to call in the Autobots. Once again, Metroplex battled Trypticon and defeated him.
One of Trypticon’s eyes was stolen by Starscream’s ghost and Scourge for Unicron, and Starscream then possessed Trypticon himself in order to deliver the behemoth’s Transforming Cog to Unicron. Before Starscream could direct Trypticon to make the connections that would give Unicron a new body, however, the Decepticons inside Trypticon disconnected some of his systems, leaving him immobile and preventing Starscream from making his move.
In preparation for a later attack on Autobot City, the Decepticons successfully stole Metroplex’s transforming cog. In retaliation, however, the Autobots had their human allies appropriate Trypticon’s. With each of the cities now fitted with the other’s incompatible cog, Trypticon and Metroplex battled again, partially transforming back and forth from mode to mode, until First Aid correctly aligned the cog within Metroplex, allowing him to fully transform and defeat Trypticon yet again.
Trypticon’s last appearance saw him called to a dead world in an ancient region of the galaxy along with many other Transformer “primitives” (those possessing animal alternate modes), where they were charged with defeating Tornitron, the creation of insane genius Primacron, who had also built Unicron. Unfortunately for Trypticon, he was the first to fall to Tornitron, and, drained of all his energy, nearly crushed his comrades as he collapsed. When Tornitron was defeated, the energy he absorbed was released, restoring Trypticon. Nevertheless, he did not make any further appearances in the American cartoon series.Trypticon was voiced by Brad Garret.
Japanese Cartoon
The Japanese cartoon series, however, was a different story. There, Trypticon—or Dinosaurer, as he is known in Japan—was introduced in the direct-to-video special, Scramble City, which took place at an unspecified point between the show's second season and the movie. At the special’s conclusion, Trypticon makes his dramatic introduction, rising up from the ocean’s depths, about to square off against Metroplex...and that’s where the story ended. The cliffhanger to Scramble City was never resolved.
Subsequently, the third season of the show aired in Japan, with Trypticon being “rebuilt,” rather than created. In the Japanese-exclusive follow-up series, Headmasters, Trypticon continued to make semi-regular appearances, fighting Metroplex.
Comics
Marvel
Trypticon only appeared in one issue. He was sent to Earth on an espionage and reconnaissance mission just after Megatron’s supposed death. He launched a full-scale attack on the Autobots, nearly obliterating them. Wipe-Out (referred to here as Full-Tilt) kidnapped a human woman and Trypticon was about to kill her, but by coincidence, the Dinobots had recently resigned from the Autobots and found him while trying to establish their own base. A fight ensued, and Trypticon was called back to Cybertron by Ratbat, having exceeded his predetemined fuel expenditure, leaving the Dinobots to save the woman’s life.
Trypticon would make one further appearance, this time in the British counterpart of Marvel’s American Transformers comic series, in a storyline revolving around the plan of the rogue Autobot scientist, Flame, to turn Cybertron into a warship. Having previously been forced into a partnership with the Decepticon, Flywheels, while fighting Flame’s zombie army, Ultra Magnus sent the Decepticon to get reinforcements. Despite doubts that he would make good, Flywheels returned with Trypticon, who helped tear through Flame’s forces.
Dreamwave
Presented as intelligent and loquacious in this continuity, Trypticon appeared in the second War Within mini-series, The Dark Ages. Having just been constructed, Trypticon was undergoing tests as a new mobile command base when a group of Autobots tracked his location (actually leaked to the Autobots by the Chaos Trinity), and a battle ensued. The Autobots were losing, and were about to be killed, but just in time Trypticon was recalled to aid Shockwave in combating The Fallen and Chaos Trinity.
Devil's Due
Trypticon would make an appearance in the third crossover between G.I Joe and the Transformers, acting as the Decepticons' major defence against a combined Autobot/G.I Joe strike force trying to rescue Optimus Prime from Serpentor. He was stopped by the combined firepower of many Autobots, led by Ultra Magnus. He would also appear at the end in a glimpse of the future by Optimus Prime, facing off with his arch-rival Metroplex in shadow.
Variations
In the Japanese series, Beast Wars Second, the Trypticon toy was recoloured, remoulded and renamed Gigastorm, the transformed version of Megastorm, the younger brother of the Predacon Galvatron, leader of the Decepticons/Predacons (not the original G1 Galvatron).