Shockwave is an immoral Mad Scientist who joined Exarchon for the scientific secrets he offered, using them to create a clone army with which Exarchon almost brought Cybertron down during the war. Brought back from exile by Megatron, Shockwave leads the Rise to commit terrorist acts to delegimitise the Autobot government so Megatron’s Ascenticons could gain power. He has Insecticons organise the massacre of Mayalx colony so he can gain energon and secure the loyalty of the Constructicons, and by extension the Devastator. Shockwave restarts his experiments on Cybertron, one of them leaving several of his test subjects dead, while having his minion Soundblaster gather materials for his cloning experiments by forming a huge splicing operation. On Megatron’s orders, Shockwave has Rise organise the destruction of Tether, causing huge amounts of death and destruction across the planet as it falls and enabling newly formed Decepticons to begin their takeover. When Exarchon returns, Shockwave is ready to join him once again and start another bloody campaign against Cybertron. Shockwave joins Megatron again after Exarchon is defeated for good, taking part in the battle at Darkmount to wipe out the Autobots.
The Plenary Heretech is leader of the Reversionists and self-proclaimed prophet of Primus. Originally a senator, Heretech decided Cybertronian society was in decay and decided to lead the Reversionists to leave the planet, supposedly in search of a new beginning. Heretech’s true plan, <- comma however, <- comma is to use the engine of his ship as a Plasma Cannon, causing a huge enviromental disaster on Cybertron, <- comma on giving its population a choice between joining the Reversionists or dying. When Gauge, Arcee and Greenlight board his ship to escape the damage from Tether, Heretech has the latter two imprisoned and newly forged Gauge’s mind rewritten into believing she is a Reversionist. Ready to proceed with his plan, Heretech has his minions try to take the Communications tower to deliver his threat to Cybertron, while planning to have Gauge use her alt mode to unearth an energon vein and accelerate the planet’s destruction. When he realises Gauge has turned against him, he tries to kill her. Despite his preaching about being Primus’s prophet and wishing to stop Cybertronian decay, it's made clear that Heretech is an egoistical megalomaniac who simply wants to force his entire race to either join his Cult of Personality or die.
...aware during the process. When Ultra Magnus and his crew encounter his operation during their search for Alpha Trion, Spinister has Magnus lured to his base and introduces himself by killing one of his harvested prisoners. He reveals he captured Magnus’s crew and threatens to subject them to the same fate as his other victims unless Magnus obeys him. Spinister manipulates Magnus into finding a ship...
Optimus Prime, originally known as Orion Pax, is the despotic leader of the Autobots who uses the pretense of bringing order to mask his greed and need for control. Working with Ultra Magnus to gain power, Optimus has the Wreckers created to serve as his Secret Police and when his supossed friend Shockwave starts speaking against his policies, has the barbaric Empurate reinstated and Shockwave subjected to it in an attempt to provoke his empathy. Optimus leads a violent coup against the Senate, <- comma and when the Decepticons, led by his friend Megatron, stand in his way, starts the war that leaves both Cybertron and Earth desolate wastelands and almost kills Megatron. Optimus makes the city of Pax his domain, having any Decepticons and non-Autobots hunted down, <- comma and when Goldbug and Prowl found their own cities, schemes to conquer them as well.
Slicer is an alternate version of Wheeljack and one of the first Wreckers. Sent into Gold City to spy on Goldbug, Slicer informs Ultra Magnus that Starscream’s spark is the key to awakening Titan Metroplex, before assisting his boss in his coup against Optimus Prime. Slicer is sent back to the Gold City, now a base of operation for the Decepticons, to disrupt its operations. When his plot to have Blaster destroy Soundwave’s radio station <missing text>, Slicer has him and his cassetes killed and their bodies dumped to make it look like they were killed by Decepticons, taking Blaster’s head and using it to spy on the Decepticons' frequency. Using Goldbug to get rid of Decepticon troops near Metroplex while playing on his ego and violent tendencies so he won’t notice Jetfire coming to kill him, Slicer secures Titan and Starscream’s spark for the Wreckers. During a battle with Decepticons, he encounters Soundwave and reveals he was touched by his broadcasts, helping him save Starscream’s spark and personally killing Ultra Magnus, before leaving to start a new life.
^ When his plot to have Blaster destroy Soundwave’s radio station what? Fails? Succeeds?
^ Is "cassetes" correct?
