Flatline (ROTF)
From Transformers Wiki
| The name or term "Flatline" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Flatline (disambiguation). |
- Flatline is a Decepticon from the movie continuity family.
A master surgeon, Flatline might be a little too eager about his work. Tasked by his commander Thundercracker with creating the next generation of Decepticon warriors, he has wasted many viable protoforms in unsuccessful experiments. He's on the verge of a breakthrough, though! Any cycle now...
Contents |
Fiction
IDW movie comics
Before the war, when the AllSpark was rediscovered and used to revitalize Cybertron, Flatline was seen tending to some newborn hatchlings. Foundation #1
During the war, some time in the early 20th century, Flatline was present when Shockwave killed Chromia in battle. He scooped up her remains, deciding to use them for his experiments. Rising Storm #2
Later, Flatline served as the medical officer on a Decepticon outpost on an undisclosed planet. He was in the midst of reporting to Thundercracker on the status of the latest subject Thundercracker had procured just as she was coming back online. Flatline wasn't confident whether or not her spark was strong enough to power the other specimens, the corpses of Chromia and Elita-One. However, Thundercracker didn't take no for answer, saying that her spark was stronger than Flatline believed. He also warned Flatline not to screw this up, as he'd wasted the rest of outpost's viable protoforms on a long line of botched experiments. Once Flatline had procured the supplies he needed for the final procedure, he happily introduced himself to Arcee and revealed his grand scheme. He cannibalized Arcee's spark from her old body after Thundercracker tore it apart, and installed it one of the protoforms he'd killed in one of his many unsuccessful experiments. He would then transfer her spark into the two dead Autobots and create a new breed of soldier that'd swell the outpost's dwindled ranks. It was pretty much Flatline's last shot at rebuilding Thundercracker's army, as he hadn't had any luck reprogramming two other yo-yos. Once he had finished expositing, he flipped the switch, shutting down Arcee and carrying out the transferral process as Thundercracker watched. Against all odds, the procedure was a success, and Flatline got three soldiers for the price of one.
Elated, Flatline ran off to find one of the last protoforms he hadn't killed to see if Arcee could power four at once. However, Arcee didn't give him the chance, as she promptly freed Skids and Mudflap, who in turn freed her. Flatline returned, horrified to see all the prisoners out and about. While amazed to see Arcee's consciousness shared amongst three bodies, he was quickly overpowered and forced to retreat. In desperation, Flatline tried overwhelming the determined Arcee with an army of Payloads, Dreadwings, and even Thundercracker himself. Unfortunately, he had done his work too well, and he had no choice but to beat another hasty retreat after getting shot in the shoulder. Once Arcee dealt with the drones and chased off Thundercracker, she/they tried to track Flatline down by the trail of fluids he'd left. However, he had activated a pile of explosives that covered his escape long enough to make a clean getaway. Tales of the Fallen #6
Notes
- Flatline originally was going to make his appearance in The Reign of Starscream, operating on Devastator and turning him into the first Movieverse gestalt out of the bodies of several construction bots (including some folks like Mixmaster and Huffer(!)). The idea was turned down, however.[1]
- Back when Mowry was trying to think up a Generation 1-based story to pitch, he also asked Ben Templesmith to sketch for him what a Generation 1 version of Flatline might look like. Templesmith ended up producing a sketch based around Flatline transforming into a 1960s model hearse.[1]
- Flatline's Movie design, however, was entirely created by Alex Milne.