Overbite (G1)

Overbite is a Decepticon Seacon from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Also known as "Bruce".

Overbite (aka Jawbreaker^[note]) is a relentless hunting machine. His name strikes fear into the processors of any seagoing Autobot. Though Overbite loves a good hunt, he's not wholly obsessed with the occupation. He enjoys taking time off, but in his own special way: sinking oil tankers and picking off the drowning humans for sport.

He can combine with his fellow Seacons to form Piranacon.

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

My name is Jawbreaker, dammit!

When Shockwave's Earthbound Decepticons established their new undersea base, Jawbreaker and his Seacon mates were summoned from Cybertron to work on the base's fortifications, as they were uniquely suited for underwater activity. They got more than they bargained for when the super-Decepticon Galvatron came a'calling. In the battle, Seawing and Jawbreaker managed to momentarily stun Galvatron, but in the end even the combined might of Piranacon couldn't beat him. Enemy Action!

According to Grimlock, Jawbreaker was renamed "Overbite" by Shockwave when the Seacons were brought to Earth. He preferred Jawbreaker, and liked to make it clear what his real name was; the other Seacons still thought of and called him Jawbreaker. Who's gonna argue with that someone with those teeth? 'Course, Grimlock, also implied you'd be gullible to believe a tall tale like that.^[1]

When bazillionaire Richard Branson (or Mister Johnson) had the rusted-together remains of Megatron and Centurion dredged up from the River Thames, Jawbreaker (minus his beast mode arms and legs!) swam in to bite through the barge-chains. This allowed Blitzwing, Dirge, Ramjet, and Thrust to attach their own cables to the pair and haul them away for Shockwave to experiment on. Salvage!

At some point, the Aerialbots shot down Dreadwing over the ocean while he was carrying a vital power source. Optimus Prime and the Autobot Powermasters descended to retrieve it but were ambushed by Overbite and the Seacons, who had the upper hand in their home environment. During his initial approach, Overbite was caught off-guard by Slapdash dropping in on top of him, but recovered in short order to attack Getaway. Prime then ordered Hi-Q and the other Nebulans to take the power source and return to the surface, but with that gone the Seacons decided that rather than press their advantage against the Autobots, they couldn't afford to let Hi-Test and Throttle drown and rescued them instead. Dreadwing Down!

Oh, THERE'S my limbs!

After Shockwave was deposed, the new commander Ratbat kept the Seacons on retainer for another mission. The Seacons were commissioned to hunt down a sunken shipwreck in the water around the Decepticon undersea base, a wreck which supposedly contained two Autobot cassettes with valuable information encoded on them. They successfully obtained the treasure chest containing the cassettes and, despite a brief theft by the Autobot Blaster, managed to recapture the prize and return it to their leader. Club Con!

The cassettes were decoded, leading to both Ratbat and Starscream learning about the Underbase, a powerful Cybertronian artifact headed for Earth. Ratbat relocated his troops to the Arctic, only to be apparently found by an enemy force. Overbite was among the troops who reacted to the invasion alert being sounded, and combined with his fellow Seacons to meet this threat. Their visitors turned out not to be Autobots as they had anticipated, but another group of Decepticons led by Scorponok. Through subtle manipulations, Starscream managed to pit both groups against one another, culminating into a Decepticon Civil War. While Overbite was busy battling the likes of Bomb-Burst, Starscream snuck off to claim the power of the Underbase for himself. Cold War! The Decepticons eventually caught on that they were being duped, and called for a cease-fire. Joining forces with the Autobots, they headed into space to stop Starscream from seizing ultimate power. They were only partially successful, and Starscream absorbed enough of the Underbase's energies to attain might beyond reason. Several squads were formed to combat the Seeker as he rampaged across the Earth, with Overbite being stationed in Manhattan. He and the Seacons attacked Starscream in unison after he had been pushed into the waters beneath the Brooklyn Bridge, but they were destroyed in a single energy discharge. Dark Star

Earthforce

Sometime later, Megatron traveled back in time and possessed the body of Seacon leader Snaptrap during the Underbase Saga, in an attempt to save them in the past to bolster his troops in the present. He failed due to the intervention of Prowl, and the Seacons met their fate as before. Flashback!

Transformers Comic-Magazin

The characteristics of Overbite and the other "Small Targetmaster Seacons" were reviewed by Optimus Prime and Bumblebee in a simulation watched by Goldbug. Memories of Bumblebee

Classics

After the Seacons were revived following their destruction at the hands of Starscream, Snaptrap rose quickly in the ranks of the Decepticons under Bludgeon's command. As a result, Overbite was named sub-commander of the Seacons, and frequently governed the team in Snaptrap's absence. Seacons Timelines Profiles

When Bludgeon detected an apparent traitor in his organization, he assembled Snaptrap, Overbite and the Seacons to face the betrayer. Unfortunately, their target was Hun-Grrr, leader of the Terrorcons, and Terrorcons stick together. Literally. As Abominus formed inside the Decepticon armory, Overbite and his men took aim at the giant's weak points, but were unable to break up the combination robot. The Seacons then switched tactics, forming their own giant warrior, Piranacon. Overbite remained separate from his fellows and, after the initial bout of grappling and melee, lept into the fray in his stormsurge cannon mode, blasting Abominus in the face with a foot-wide blast of corrosive fluid.

The enraged behemoth continued fighting back, knocking Piranacon to the floor. Nautilator slipped free from the combination form and joined Overbite behind Abominus. The smaller warriors were beneath Abominus's notice until they concentrated their firepower on his lower leg, bringing him down. As Overbite and Nautilator reconnected with Piranacon, the latter shifted into weapons mode and further disabled Abominus with a blast from his torpedo cannon. One final swipe from Piranacon's coral blade, and Abominus was finished.

Believing the imminent battle with Megatron's Decepticon forces was compromised, Bludgeon summoned the Seacons to his command centre to prep for the attack. Bludgeon was so enthralled with analyzing the attack pattern of Megatron's incoming ships that he failed to notice the Seacons merge once more. The real traitors, they formed Piranacon and obliterated Bludgeon using their mass compression cannon before alerting Megatron's forces that the area was secure. At Fight's End

As the universe was obliterated, Overbite was aboard the Talon which was pulled into an alternate universe. The Talon crashed on prehistoric Earth where the ambient energon radiation required the Seacons to adopt experimental energon-absorbing armor. Shattered Time Overbite was with Megatron when the Decepticon leader activated three new Decepticons from stasis pods. He and the others were blasted by Ultra Magnus after the newcomers failed to terminate the Autobots. Shattered Expectations

The Decepticons pursued the Autobots to a chasm, where they watched Megatron take on Ultra Magnus and be defeated. They climbed to the bottom of the chasm to retrieve their fallen leader and found a giant face hewn into the rock. It cheered Megatron up immensely once they dug him out of the rubble. Shattered Paths Overbite and the others watched Megatron utilize the equipment in the cavern they'd found. The Seacons later attempted to retrieve the "Maximal" energy purifier, and merged into God Neptune so they could fight off Magnaboss. Shattered Hope The Predacons including Overbite accompanied Megatron as he used the giant mech he'd built to try and claim the matrix the Maximals had found. Shattered Balance Combining into God Neptune once more, the Seacons battled the Maximals until they were all sucked into a dimensional rift thanks to Ultra Mammoth. Shattered Destiny

Regeneration One

After his defeat at Starscream's hands during the Underbase Saga, Overbite was resurrected and lobotomised by Megatron as part of his zombie army of "Ex-Bots". In 2012, when the Autobots arrived from Cybertron to confront Megatron he ordered Overbite and the other zombies to attack them. In retaliation, Skids called dibs on shooting Overbite. Loose Ends #5

G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers

In the form of Piranacon, Overbite and the Seacons battled Predaking in the Gladiator Zone before joining Serpent O.R.'s new army of Decepticons. The Art of War #2 Still in combined form, they subsequently helped their new leader capture a few Autobots and Joes and attacked Omega Supreme at an Autobot peace conference. The Art of War #3 Although Piranacon defeated the Autobot giant with the help of some other combiners, he was taken out of action when Optimus Prime rammed Sixshot into his head. The Art of War #4

Hearts of Steel

Like his fellow Seacons, Overbite was awoken from his slumber on the bottom of the ocean by an Elder God's servants and brought to their underground city. Infestation 2: The Transformers #1

Ask Vector Prime

Hellscream, he is not.

The Jawbreaker of Primax 1104.30-TW Zeta acquired a new body, changing his name to Overbite in the process. He was drawn into the multiversal Universe War, where he became a Minion of Unicron. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/02

2005 IDW continuity

• First Appearance: Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #2

Billy, the theme park shark! Performing tricks for tourists that have paid five bucks ahead!

Overbite became part of a secret society known as Mayhem after the war, using advanced spark signature-shielding techniques and organic alt modes to disguise themselves on Earth. Their agenda was to take out the "ruling class" of both factions and they started with Prowl, plotting to expose all his dirty deeds. He stayed lurking inside their mobile base/comrade Tidal Wave, waiting for Stampy to bring the Aequitas data slug, and swam out of Tidal Wave's mouth to bash up Stakeout when their cover was blown.

In the resulting fight, Overbite took control of the Mayhem squad: he took the fight to the Wreckers and told Tidal Wave to stop bitching. Neither objective succeeded and Overbite was sent into retreat while several Wreckers infiltrated Tidal Wave. Sins of the Wreckers #2 The Mayhems returned to fighting the remaining Wreckers until Tidal Wave regained his ability to transform, at which point they retreated into the ocean. Sins of the Wreckers #3 On learning that the Wreckers were entering the Noisemaze, Tarantulas ordered Mayhem to enter the dimension and fight them off. Overbite had his reservations, but followed orders and traveled to the crazy dimension to continue the battle with the Wreckers. Sins of the Wreckers #4 Tarantulas was defeated in the end, though the members of Mayhem escaped the implosion of the Noisemaze and welcomed former Wrecker Impactor into their ranks as they continued their mission. Sins of the Wreckers #5

Over the next few years, Mayhem continued to operate on Earth, keeping an eye on the anti-Cybertronian campaigner "Megan Guiglione" and adopting new vehicle modes to blend in with her rallies. During one surveillance mission, the mind-controlled Springer arrived and blasted her, prompting "Megan" to drop her own Chimeracon disguise and reveal herself as the Decepticon Overlord. Realizing that their cover had been blown, Overbite and the other members of Mayhem transformed to fight Overlord, but were summarily slaughtered by the superpowered Decepticon. Requiem of the Wreckers

Commercial appearances

Overbite and the Seacons attacked a M.A.R.S. Industries submarine deep underwater. They then combined into Piranacon to wreak havoc in a city. Seacons commercial

Games

Transformers Legends

Overbite and Nautilator attacked a coastal town, hoping to secure some research, but they were seen off by Pipes and his team. The B-Team Part Deux

Transformers: Battle Tactics

Overbite participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was an Epic character who could be recruited by collecting 500 units of Cybermetal, 250 units of Transmetal, and 50 cores of this character. Transformers: Battle Tactics

Transformers Roleplaying Game

Overbite was a member of the Seacons. Decepticon Directive

Toys

The Transformers

Overbite, hump that gun!

• Overbite (Seacon, 1988)

• Team ID number: SE1
• Accessories: jawbreaker cannon, left & right shark-arms, tripod rifle, connector, weapon stand base

Released in the fifth year of the original Transformers toyline (fourth year in the European line), transforms into a robotic shark with arms and legs. His shark mode also has an opening jaw. His "jawbreaker cannon" can be mounted un the underside of his shark-mode head, where it interferes with the opening jaw, but whaddayagonnado. He also has a third "double barrelled[sic] tidal wavemaker" Targetmaster mode (despite it being a single-barreled cannon), which can be mounted on the weapon stand formed from the "tripod rifle" and other accessories.

His beast mode shark-arms are not really meant to be separate accessories and are not listed as such in his instructions, but they are easily removable, and therefore often missing from loose samples, and therefore we list them as accessories.

As a "Scramble City"-style combiner, he can form an arm or leg to any compatible robot combination, or the hand-held cannon to any combiner equipped with Piranacon's unique fists (minus the whole tripod-rifle assembly, of course). The instructions that come with each Seacon show him as the Piranacon-held cannon, a position that he sometimes swaps with Nautilator in some media depictions. Said instructions also spell his name as "Over Bite".

This toy was concurrently sold in Takara's Super-God Masterforce line as the drone-unit Overbite.

• More information on Overbite at TFU.info

• Piranacon (Gift set, 1988)

• Accessories: jawbreaker cannon, left & right shark-arms, tripod rifle, connector, weapon stand base

Overbite was also available in the Seacon box set, along with his teammates Snaptrap, Seawing, Skalor, and Tentakil; the set omits Nautilator (presumably for cost/standardization reasons).

Because Nautilator is now missing, his instructions put Overbite in Naultilator's place as Piranacon's right leg. But the box-front illustration shows Overbite as the right arm, with Skalor as the right leg, the configuration shown in most media.

Beast Wars

The Ghost Who Bites?

• God Neptune (Multi-pack, 1998)

• ID number: D-21
• Accessories: left & right shark-arms

Sea Phantom was repurposed as Overbite in Beast Wars Shattered Glass.

A redeco of the Generation 1 Seacon Overbite, Sea Phantom transforms into a robotic shark with limbs. However, he lacks the rifle and stand-pieces of the original version of the mold. Since he uses the "Scramble City" style of combination, he can form the arm or leg to any combined robot of similar construction, but his nominal place is as the right arm of God Neptune.

He was available only as part of the God Neptune gift set with his teammates, sold under the Beast Wars II banner.

For unknown reasons, a great number of unboxed God Neptune sets—lacking all of their accessories, including combiner parts and Sea Phantom's shark-arms—ended up available on the secondary market. These went for considerably less than the "complete" releases, naturally.

• More information on Sea Phantom at TFU.info

Universe (2003)

• Overbite with Repugnus (Ultra, 2006)

• Accessories: 2 missiles, shark head/weapon
• Known designers: Marcelo Matere (packaging artist)

Universe Overbite is a barely-changed redeco of Beast Wars II Hellscream (itself an extensive retooling of the Beast Wars Cybershark mold), with fewer paint applications and a new Decepticon insignia on the right of his chest. In beast mode, his shark head can be launched via spring-loaded mechanism, and can also be used as a hand-held weapon in robot mode. In robot mode his head-blade or his missiles (which store in his back) can fire from his chest via a flip-up spring-loaded missile launcher. His tail turbine is removed for transformation and is reconnected to form his left forearm in robot mode. The tail turbine also features a spring-loaded mechanism, which is where the missiles are intended to be used. The blade portion of his shark-head weapon can also be removed if one chooses to use just the blade without the rest of the head attached.

Overbite was only available in an Ultra-class two-pack with Repugnus. This set was originally slated to be available as part of the line's general retail Ultra assortment, but the sudden discontinuation of Universe as a general retail line resulted in a large amount of already produced sets taking up space in one of Hasbro's warehouses. Hasbro eventually struck a deal with Target, who agreed to pick up this set as an exclusive, along with the two other canceled Universe Ultra two-packs of Hightower/Long Haul and Bonecrusher/Scavenger.

This toy also doubles as the independent Beast Wars: Uprising character Overbite.

• More information on Overbite at TFU.info

Timelines

The years haven't been kind to this mold.

• Decepticon Piranacon (Multi-pack, 2010)

• Accessories: rifle, left & right shark arms, long rifle, connector, weapon stand bases

A redeco of the original Overbite mold, Timelines Overbite was available exclusively as part of an Transformers Collectors' Club exclusive set containing all six Seacons in new color schemes. This time his weapon mode is a "Stormsurge Cannon".

This set was originally intended as a Walmart exclusive set of Energon-series Terrorcons, but was shelved due to a lack of retailer interest. The team were to be called the "Piranhacons", with their combined form as "Piranhaking", but this other Overbite's name would have remained "Overbite".

Many Timelines Overbites suffer from quality-control problems that keep him from using his Jawbreaker cannon in two of three modes. The larger pegs just don't fit well anymore.

• More information on Timelines Overbite at TFU.info

Transformers (2010)

• Decepticon Piranacon (Multi-pack, 2010)

• Accessories: rifle, left & right shark arms, long rifle, connector, weapon stand bases

All six Seacons were released as a "shared exclusive" for several online toy merchants (BigBadToyStore in particular), in... well, close to its original colors. Unlike the previous 1988 version gift set, the set now includes all the Seacons: Snaptrap, Overbite, Seawing, Skalor, Tentakil, and Nautilator.

Most of the aqua-blue plastics across the team have been changed to a more greenish seafoam color, plus the purple plastic formerly found only on Overbite has changed to the bright magenta found on most of the rest of the team. The stickers, now pre-applied, also appear to have been remastered after a fashion, as new highlights and gradients have been added to almost all stickers, as well as just being remarkably crisp and vibrant in general. Previous screwed-on connectors have been changed to riveted points.

Just like the previous use of the mold set, certain degradations of the mold are very obvious, although the 5mm holes and pegs have been readjusted somewhat from the much degraded state they were in on the Timelines release. The pegs and holes on all figures still are not exact fits in all cases, however.

The set is packaged in a way reminiscent of the Hasbro Masterpiece-style transparent display box. The toys are fully combined in Piranacon mode, holding Overbite's Targetmaster mode in his right hand and Snaptrap's newly-chromed incendiary sword in the left. The set also includes seven metallic-finish bio cards (the seventh being for Piranacon).

The set is packaged with Nautilator as the right leg and Skalor as the right arm, a combination also reflected in the new packaging art, box photo and instructions. However, the Piranacon card included with the set reuses the original box art, which depicts Skalor as the right leg and Nautilator as the right arm. Confused yet?

• More information on 2010 Overbite at TFU.info

Kre-O

He has no nose because he accidentally bit it off.

• Decepticon Piranacon (Micro-Changer Combiner, 2013)

• Set number: A4475
• Pieces: 95
• Known designers: Ed Masiello (Hasbro)

Kre-O Micro-Changer Kreon Overbite can be rebuilt from a robot into a shark, this time without arms and legs. He can also contribute his bricks to form Piranacon: most of him goes into forming Pirancaon's right leg, but inexplicably his head ends up on the right arm while Snaptrap's head forms the right kneecap.

Overbite was only available as part of the Piranacon combiner set, along with Nautilator, Snaptrap, and Tentakil, sold in the second wave of Combiner sets.

Some packages of Piranacon contained a duplicate Overbite rather than a Tentakil.

• More information on Overbite at TFU.info

Generations Selects

• Seacons Overbite (Deluxe, 2020)

• Release date: March 28, 2020
• Hasbro ID number: TT-GS07
• Accessories: laser gun, sword, combiner hand/gun mode handle, hand gap filler/gun

A TakaraTomy-initiated addition to the Generations Selects series, "Seacons Overbite" is an extensive retooling of Power of the Primes Deluxe Class Terrorcon Rippersnapper, transforming into a robotic shark monster, but a different robotic shark monster than Rippersnapper does. A less upright one.

Just as with his original toy, he is able to form any limb for any Combiner Wars-style super robot. He also retains his artillery mode, which can again be used as a hand-held cannon by compatible combiners, particularly King Poseidon. Like the other Generations Selects Seacons, Overbite has newly-tooled combiner hands with individually-posable fingers, which also form the base of the Targetmaster-style gun mode, with the handle being a Combiner Wars styled port that plugs in to the hand provided in this set. The hand can be plugged into the back of the tail in beast mode, or as the back of the feet in the combined mode, whilst Turtler's feet components are at the front. He also has a new sword, which combines with the other Seacons' melee weapons to form King Poseidon's oversized trident-sword.

Overbite was released as a TakaraTomy Mall exclusive in Japan, as part of the third of three mini-waves of Seacons alongside Tentakil. The Seacons were also available via Hasbro Pulse and other online retailers in the U.S. and Canada.

This mold was later redecoed as Sea Phantom.

Notes

• The instructions for assembling Piranacon (both those included with Snaptrap and with the Piranacon giftset) consistently misspell Overbite's name as "Over Bite". (They also consistently misspell Tentakil's name as "Tenta-kil".)

The name "Jawbreaker"

He can form a team with Archerbot.

In his first appearance in issue #152 of the Marvel UK comics, Overbite is referred to by the name "Jawbreaker". This is repeated in his appearance in issue #160 and a Transformers AtoZ profile in Transformers Annual 1989. Even though this later spawned an urban legend that the Overbite toy was officially released under the name "Jawbreaker" in some European markets, no substantial evidence has ever surfaced to back up this rumor—rather, all existing specimens of packaged toys confirm that Overbite was sold under his US name in Europe as well, including the United Kingdom, where he was sold in unchanged US packaging.

In the end, this odd alternate name was limited to the Marvel UK comics, and their German translations by Condor Verlag in Transformers Comic-Magazin. A definite explanation finally appeared in 2016, when a couple of early internal model sheets were offered on eBay: Overbite's model sheet has his name crossed out, with "Jawbreaker" written below it. This would suggest that he had his name changed at one point during the early planning stages for the 1988 toy and character line-up, but eventually had it changed back to the earlier name prior to the figure's release. Since "Jawbreaker" was previously also one of Bob Budiansky's early working names for the Dinobot leader who ultimately ended up being named "Grimlock", it's likely that Budiansky had tried to recycle one of his rejected names for another character (as he had done with several other names as well), only to have it rejected by Hasbro once more.

"It's virtually impossible to track down which names were used in every European country."^[2] Well, it just took a decade or two.

The Overbite toy's instructions, as well as his on-packaging bio (which was written by Budiansky himself), still refer to his weapon as a "jawbreaker cannon" (spelled with a lowercase "j", thus implying that it was meant as a mere descriptive term, rather than an official name), and he himself is also called "Jawbreaker" at one point in the Piranacon assembly instructions included with Snaptrap, while his weapon mode for Piranacon is named "Jawbreaker weapon". Additionally, the Universe-style profile page for Overbite published in issue #59 of the Marvel US series (which is essentially just the full version of Budiansky's writeup for the character that got shortened for the on-packaging toy bio) also calls his weapon a "jawbreaker cannon", as does the aforementioned AtoZ profile from the 1989 UK Annual.

That overbite is gonna break his jaw one day!

Other model sheets from the same batch also refer to the Sparkabots as "Sparkler Minibots", another naming anomaly for the Marvel UK comics (and, again, Condor's Transformers Comic-Magazin), and indeed, Marvel UK writer Simon Furman confirmed at BotCon 2022 that he had been provided with these model sheets, with the non-final names on them, as reference materials. By the time the Seacons' appearances in issues #47 and #49 of the US series were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #194-195 and #206-207, respectively), Marvel UK had become fully aware of the naming discrepancy. Rather than changing Overbite's name and thereby maintaining consistency with the character's earlier UK appearances, his name was left unchanged in order to conform to the toy's name. Even the introductory paragraph for issue #195 referred to him by the name "Overbite". Additionally, in one of Overbite's last appearances in a UK-exclusive story, "Dreadwing Down!" from Transformers Annual 1990 (also written by Furman), he also referred to himself as "Overbite" rather than "Jawbreaker". Presumably, by this time Furman had received more accurate information.

The name discrepancy was first brought up by a reader in a "Grim Grams" letters page in issue #164, which offers a contemporary confirmation of sorts that the toy was indeed sold as "Overbite" in the United Kingdom. Furman (as Grimlock) came up with a rather unconvincing explanation claiming that Shockwave arbitrarily renamed Jawbreaker "Overbite" when he arrived on Earth, but that everyone would still call him "Jawbreaker". Allegedly, the threat of physical violence from Jawbreaker made Marvel UK use his "real" name.^[1] Three years later, in late 1991, another reader brought up the naming discrepancy again in the "Darn 'n' Blast" letters page in issue #327. By this point, the toy had long disappeared from store shelves, and the character's last appearance in the comic had been in issue #268. Whoever answered the letters at this point was not very well-informed, and thus contributed to (or possibly even started) the myth by misleadingly claiming that Jawbreaker was the British name, and Overbite the American name.^[3]

In the end, the name "Jawbreaker" wouldn't be used by Hasbro for a Transformers toy until the Transmetal 2 Deluxe hyena figure from Beast Wars, released in 1999, by which point Budiansky had long stopped being involved with the Transformers brand. (Ironically, both multilingual European packaging variants for that figure instead retained its earlier working name, "Cackle".)

Foreign names

• French: Morsure (Canada)

References