Bugly (G1)

Bugly is aDecepticonPretenderfrom theGeneration 1 continuity family.

Insects don't have politics. They're very brutal. No compassion, no compromise. We can't trust the insect.

Buglyfunctions only to control and dominate others. As a strategist, he relishes giving orders and commanding his fellow Decepticons to carry out his bidding. He is also one of the few known modern practitioners ofCircuit-Su,which teaches martial artists of theAllsparkthat connects all energy in Transformer life-sparks, and how to tap into that energy. Bugly believes in the conservation of energy principle—by drawing greater amounts of power from his spark through discipline, he thinks that this is limiting the amount of energy available for all other Cybertronians. This is the ultimate form of domination for Bugly, and he works tirelessly to cultivate his mental abilities at the expense of others.

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

MarvelThe Transformerscomics

From the mind of David Cronenberg...

After commandeering a genetics research lab onEarth,Scorponokwas able to recreate and perfect the science of Pretender shells using synthoplasmic chambers constructed by him andVorath.Bugly was one of six Decepticon volunteers transformed by the process into new Pretenders. But soon after the process was completed, the Decepticons took notice of a digital eavesdropper. After tracing the intruder toAlternate Reality, Inc.,Scorponok sent out his newly recreated troops to test their might against the spies. With the data they had stolen, the Autobots managed to create Pretenders of their own, and manufactured heroic counterparts to Scorponok's goons. A digital copy ofOptimus Primeproved too great a tactician for Bugly and his kin to defeat, and they were soon driven into a retreat by their opposites.Pretender to the Throne!

And staring Jeff Goldblum...

When Scorponok's Decepticons met with those under the command ofRatbat,the two commanders were manipulated byStarscream,driving them against each other. The conflict eventually came to a head with an all-out brawl erupting between both groups. Bugly found himself facing off againstSkywarp;theteleportingSeekerproved a difficult target until Bugly concentrated on predicting the pattern of his "jumps", and caught Skywarp with a blast ofphoton firewhile he was re-materializing. Hostilities ceased when both teams realized they had been tricked, and Starscream was already on his way to seize theUnderbasefor himself.Cold War!The combined Decepticon forces were then forced into battle with the Autobots in another of Starscream's manipulations. When all sides agreed to temporarily put their grudges to rest and stop the treacherous Seeker, they scattered their forces across various cities where they expected him to strike. Bugly was part of a wave that included the Decepticon Pretenders and thePredaconsthat attacked the Underbase-powered Starscream inTokyo.The Predacons quickly fell, but the Pretenders were protected from Starscream's cosmic blasts by their synthoplasmic shells.Dark Star

Later, Bugly got the job (along withBomb-Burst) to flyIguanusaway from a skyscraper, in a plot by Scorponok to gain energy by channeling lightning. TheMicromasterOff Road Patrolfoiled the plan and Iguanus was toasted, so Bugly let him plummet to his doom and fled.King Con!

Bugly later assistedSubmarauderwith his Pretender shell at the Decepticons'New Jersey base,after he had served as Zarak's ferry across the nearby river.The Interplanetary Wrestling Championship!

Transformers Comic-Magazin

Bugly was present when the Decepticons unleashed a robotic hell-beast known as 'King Con' on New York; howeverOptimus Primerented a helicopter to fly a banner announcing huge raw oil deposit finds in the Rocky Mountains. After a short hesitation, the Decepticons retreated to pursue these findings.New York — A City Sinking in Terror

Regeneration One

An undead Bugly, still clad in his Pretender shell, was part ofMegatron's horde of "Ex-Bots"during his conquest of Earth. AlongsideOctane,Razorclaw,Skalor,Skywarp,Thundercracker,Thrust,andRatbathe exterminated a convoy of escaping humans, includingBusterandJesse.Less Than Zero

In2012after Megatron's defeat, all of the deactivated zombies were piled into a large pit by the Autobots and obliterated from orbit.Natural Selection, Part One

DreamwaveGeneration Onecontinuity

DOOF!

During theDark Ages,in a period whenOptimus PrimeandMegatronwere lost in aspace bridgeincident, Bugly was part of theChaos TrinityalongsideBludgeonandMindwipe,seeking to expand their personal power throughdark rites and mysticism.During one of their ceremonies deep inKalis,they were interrupted byThe Fallen,a mysterious and powerful being who offered the great power if they helped him find theAngles of Dissolutionrequired for theUnbinding.The three Decepticons accepted.FragmentationWith preparations advancing, the trio met with The Fallen in theWell of All Sparks,and Bugly and Mindwipe watched as their new master gave Bludgeon a taste of the dark power he offered. The trio began stirring up interfactional conflicts to lure their targets to the right position to be captured.Escalation

The trio attackedShockwaveandJetfire,who were meeting to combine their resources to work out what was going on. Bugly used hiselectro-stingerson Shockwave, disabling the Decepticon. With Jetfire captured, the trio wondered whyGrimlockhadn't shown up as they expected he would, having leaked Jetfire's communication to him, but it turned out Grimlock had. TheDynobotjumped them, striking Bugly with hisenergo-swordand taking out the other two with equal ease.RevelationThey recovered to watch The Fallen take out Grimlock. He sent them to secure the third Angle, so the Chaos Trinity went and attacked theProtectobots.WithHot Spotreluctant to have his team formDefensorafter previously losing control of the Combiner, the three Decepticons overwhelmed them and captured Hot Spot.ConfrontationWhile The Fallen began the Unbinding, Bugly, Bludgeon, and Mindwipe attempted to protect the Well of All Sparks against Shockwave's forces. Shortly afterTrypticonarrived at the battle, Bugly was felled by enemy fire.Conflagration

2005 IDW continuity

He's a bug, he's ugly...

Bugly was part of the squad led toEarthbyBludgeonin the 1980s to collectOre-13,and wound up buried inside theirMount St. Helensbase after an eruption. In the late 20th century,Skywatchfound and revived him, only for Bugly to escape the mountain. He didn't get far before being attacked by the newly foundedG.I. Joe,and Skywatch allyCenturionsoon proceeded to drag him back into the mountain base, where he was chained to the enigmaticTalismanat the behest ofJoe ColtonandGarrison Kreiger.The visitingSgt. Savageprotested this treatment of the Decepticon, but was thrown at the Talisman by Centurion for his troubles, activating the device and releasing energies which utterly destroyed Bugly.When Eagles Scream

Precursor World

Bugly, or a creature that looked like his Pretender shell, was part ofPurple Wicked Convoy's collection of monsters.God Neptune comic 1

2019 IDW continuity

Bugly was a member ofSecurity OperationsonVelocitron,but also an undercover agent ofMayhem.He was on duty forKnock Out's inauguration and helped apprehendMinervaafter she was framed for an assassination attempt on the newFirst Senator.Tread & Circuits Part 4

Toys

The Transformers

On his way to audition for the role of Scumbug inTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

• Bugly(Pretender,1988)

• Accessories:Pretender shell, 2 "photon rifles",2"electro-stinger"antennae, belt
• Known designers:Masakatsu Saito(concept artist)

Released in the fifth year of the originalThe Transformerstoyline (fourth in European matkets), Bugly transforms into a Cybertronian hoverjet. He comes with two high-finned blaster weapons that form his wings injet mode.

His outerPretendershell resembles a huge bipedal insect, with large compound eyes and aThe Fly-like claw for a right hand (which was the left hand in the original movie but oh well). His antennae are removable, which also lets you rotate them around in the socket for some modicum of posability. In keeping with the general weirdness of the second wave of original Pretenders, Bugly's robot mode has a dedicated5 mm holein his back for no particular reason; the rifles already plug into his backpack's sides to serve as extra wings.

Bugly was not released in Japan.

• More information on Bugly at TFU.info

Notes

Foreign names

• Italian:Insector