The End (BW)
From Transformers Wiki
| The name or term "End" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, seeEnd (disambiguation). |
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 Although we’ve come To the end of the road Still I can’t let go | |||||||||||||
| "The End" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | IDW Publishing | ||||||||||||
| First published | June 22,2022 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | June 2022 | ||||||||||||
| Written by | Erik Burnham | ||||||||||||
| Art by | Josh Burcham | ||||||||||||
| Letters by | Jake M. Wood | ||||||||||||
| Editor | David Mariotte,Jazmine JoynerandRiley Farmer | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | Transformers: Beast Wars | ||||||||||||
As the Vok put their final contingency into play, the Maximals and Predacons unite to forestall the ultimate extinction event.
Contents |
Synopsis
As a stunnedRhinoxcomes to outside the crashedDarksyde,Dinobothelps the dazed Maximal to his feet—but not even the stoic engineer can keep his composure in the face of what they're up against: theVokhave already begun their counterattack! While theMaximalsandPredaconsspent cycles modifying their weapons to handle energy-based lifeforms, they weren't prepared forTarantulas's treachery, for the mad scientist has successfully activated everystasis podhe could find and turned the protoforms into more Vok soldiers! As Dinobot leaps into battle,Optimus Primalgrapples withTigatron,whileMegatrondeals withArmordilloandSnarl.CheetorandBlackarachniafight back-to-back to eliminateRazorclawandInsecticon,but Blackarachnia points out that, with the Maximals and Predacons outnumbered five-to-one, they can't hold out forever...
In the crashedAxalon,WaspinatorandRattraphave successfully brought the ship's engines and weapons systems back online... but when Waspinator asks why Rattrap hasn't already lifted off, the little Maximal explains that, betweenScorponok's last message and theGolden Diskfiles he's decoded, he's learned that the Vok don't like transwarp technology... and that's precisely why he's rigging up the ship'stranswarp drivetoweaponizeunspaceagainst the aliens.
Back on the battlefield, Skold easily holds her own against the Children of the Vok, only to be suddenly blasted, paralyzed, and pinned down by thezombieTerrorsaur.Thankfully, Rhinox'sbeast modeand double gatling guns shred Terrorsaur to bits before the burly Maximal finally punches the monster out. AsNyxtangles withJetstormandAirazor,Primal and Megatron trade barbs, while, from his vantage point atop the crashedDarksyde,Tarantulas exults in the bedlam until an irate Blackarachnia tries to take him down. Despite her best efforts, however, she can't take out the slippery spider, who swats her aside... moments before the Vok themselves finally arrive to observe the proceedings. However, the dispassionate aliens have arrived only to voice their disappointment with this entire experiment: after many cycles of observation, they've come to the conclusion thatallCybertronians, even the ones they've twisted to serve them, are simply too violent and disruptive to be allowed continued existence. The only way forward,Tikaaniannounces, is to sterilize the planet and begin again. While a horrified Tigatron realizes what this means, Megatron bellows defiance at the aliens for violating the terms of their agreement—but as the Vok incapacitateallof the Transformers present with a surge of energy, one of the planet's many floating mountains begins to transform into a massivereversion deviceto scour the planet clean of life. Before they can give the command to sterilize the Cybertronian infection, however, a brilliant lance of transwarp energy cuts through the air and instantly disintegratesPakak!Tikaani andTonrarhave only a few seconds to panic before Rattrap and Waspinator fire again, destroy the two remaining Vok, and finally put an end to their machinations.
With their alien benefactors gone, Tigatron's momentarily lost—but when Optimus offers a truce, Tigatron, Airazor, and most of the others agree to leave, and simply live in nature like the Vok intended.Megatron,on the other hand, won't accept defeat so easily, but as he pounces on Optimus, a fourth blast catches the Predacon leader in its beam and leaves nothing behind but a wisp of glowing smoke. An annoyed Primal rounds on Rattrap as theAxalontouches down, but Rattrap explains that he didn'tkillthe Predacon leader, merely shunted him forward a few cycles in time. Although Optimus suggests that they extend their truce to find Megatron and return toCybertrontogether, Blackarachnia and the other Predacons decline the offer. Dinobot points out that he and all the other Predacons will take the fall if they return to Cybertron without their leader, leaving Megatron free to continue plotting. Primal understands, but warns Blackarachnia that they'll be seeing one another again, and that the Maximals might not be so understanding when next they meet.
As theAxalontakes off to find Megatron, Blackarachnia—unexpectedly thrust into a leadership role after Megatron's disappearance—announces their new plan: find and killTarantulas,then devise a way to get their ship spaceworthy again. However, the remaining three Predacons discover that notallof the Children of the Vok have left: left rudderless by the loss of his old "queens",Infernopledges fealty to the Predacon cause, while Blackarachnia wonders if they could scavenge some of the spare parts left behind by the destruction of the Vok's superweapon...
One hundred and fourteen cycles later, Megatron abruptly rematerializes in an empty cave. As he stalks off to rebuild his power and begin again, Megatron gloats that, with the Vok gone, he holds all the cards—and so long as Megatron still lives, the Beast Wars will never end!
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Maximals | Predacons | Children of the Vok | Others | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Quotes
"You invaded our world and wouldn't leave when we asked."
"Thisisn'tyour world! "
"Was I not born here?"
- —Tigatron
"I truly prefer to avoid engaging in violence against living, sentient beings. But you and I have a score to settle... and since my sensors show that your spark is gone... I don't believe youqualifyas a livingorsentient being—which means I don't have to worry about holding back! "
- —Rhinoxgoes ham on Terrorsaur
"I still say we should have put the device in one of the moons."
"Every world we come to, you want to put a fail-safe into amoon.It's impractical, Tonrar. "
- —TonrarandTikaani
"I didn't exzzzpect it to be over zzzo quickly."
"Hey, whaddya want? We don't get paid by the minute."
"We get paid?"
- —WaspinatorandRattraplean on the fourth wall
"Since ol' Meggy's not an energy monster, he'll just reappear a few cycles into the future, long after we're long gone. He'll be fine. I think. Probably. Butwho cares,right? "
"I know I don't. Though I would like to know whereTarantulasgot off to... I want very much to feed him his own mouth parts. "
- —RattrapandBlackarachnia
"The Beast Wars will not end until I have won... no matterwhatfate throws at me. "
- —Megatroncloses us out
Notes
Continuity notes
- Polar ClawandSaberbackare among the many Cybertronians fighting the Maximals and Predacons despite both dying on-panel inissue #15.Howthey're back isn't really explained, but we can presume that either Tarantulas or the Vok had something to do with it.
- Rattrap notes that he used the information encoded on the Golden Disk to deduce the weakness of the Vok—he copied all the files on the Golden Disk during his heist on theDarksydeinissue #12,and Dinobot's speech inissue #10revealed that the Golden Disk was saturated in transwarp energy as a result of moving backwards and forwards in time.
- As she fights the Children of the Vok, Skold laments that the new Cybertronians could've been like her late friendRazorbeast,who emerged on Earth inissue #10.
- When the Vok unveil their "energon-powered reversion device" —disguised as the largest floating mountain near the Predacon base—Tikaani notes that it still functions despite Cybertronian-induced damage. Inissue #7,Terrorsaur and Waspinator mined some of the crystalline energon from its surface for their own use, and during the battle inissue #11Terrorsaur killed Razorbeast by dropping him directly into the rawenergon crystalsand killing him. Indeed, the mountain is revealed to still sport a crater from that incident.
- After rematerializing in an abandoned cave, Megatron notes that he'll have to remember to overwrite his own message on the Golden Disk to preserve the timeline—as seen in issue #7, Megatron discovered a hidden, fragmentary message on the Golden Disk, apparently sent by his future self to warn him of some future event. Like a lot of other tidbits sprinkled throughout theBeast Warsongoing, it seemed as though that scene would build up to something greater... but with the end of IDW's tenure on theTransformerslicense necessitating a premature and somewhat rushed conclusion, it seems as though the original story behind the message shall remain a mystery.
- Unbeknownst to Megatron, the cave contains one other occupant—a puddle in the cave shows the reflection of a buried stasis pod with a large "X" emblazoned on its hull. This is, presumably, the same pod that briefly appeared inissue #1,a reference toRampage's twisted origin story as seen in theBeast Warsepisode "Bad Spark";if the Beast Warsareto continue, the Predacons might gain a powerful ally...
Transformers references
- The new Children of the Vok who appear in this issue are all made up of characters who debuted in the first two years of the originalBeast Warstoyline.Given this bit of commonality, it's likely that the brightly colored crab is meant to beRazorclaw,in his1998 toy colors,rather than the nigh-identicalBeast Wars NeocharacterRockbuster.
- To dispatch the zombie Terrorsaur, Rhinox finally busts out his famous "Chainguns of Doom", the dual-wielded gatling guns he used frequently in the cartoon.
- As their experiment falls apart, the Vok resort to planetary sterilization using an enormous "reversion device" implanted in one of the planet's floating mountains—recalling the infamousPlanet Bustersuperweapon their cartoon counterparts used in thecartoon'sfirst season finale.Indeed, upon revealing their weapon, Tonrar complains that they should've implanted the device on one of the planet's moons, and wonders if it's been tried in "another universe".
- So,wasthe planet prehistoricEarth,like in the original show? The final answer is unclear—in this universe, both of the planet's moons appear to be natural celestial bodies, whileissue #9implies that at least some of the planet's unnatural wildlife were either genetically modified or imported from other worlds, but issue #1 showed dinosaur and pterosaur fossils buried in its crust. Draw your own conclusions!
Other trivia
- In his farewell note, writerErik Burnhamlays out a number of potential storylines that didn't make it into the comic as a result of IDW'sTransformerslicense expiring:
- Rattrap's habit of eating the planet's native fruit causes a glitch in his system, forcing the other Maximals to find a cure before it's too late.
- A rivalry develops between Scorponok and the new Predacon recruitQuickstrike,who plans on replacing him.
- The Maximals suspect that Rhinox might be a Predacon mole—likely tying into a scene fromissue #4in which the Maximals discovered that someone had used theAxalon's systems to beam a secret message to the Predacons before leaving Cybertron.
- Blackarachnia takes over the Predacons while Megatron is indisposed, although Burnham notes that a truncated version of this plotdidslip into this final issue.
- Burnham would've pushed forGrimlockand the other fourDinobotsto show up in some capacity: perhaps building on a bit of dialogue fromissue #6,when Primal noted that Grimlock and his comrades had mysteriously disappeared before the end of theGreat War?
- In a followup to the events of this issue, Waspinator would join the Children of the Vok and renounce violence.
- TheTripredacus Counciland theMaximal Elderswould've aided in some capacity in the final battle against the Vok.
Covers (3)
- Cover A:Megatron vs. the Vok, byJohn Yurcaba
- Cover B:The Vok triumphant, byAndrea Bell
- Retailer incentive cover:Cheetor transforms,Animorphsstyle, byKelly Deng
It’s unnatural
You belong to me
I belong to youuuu…but can we keep Skold?
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- The Last Ronin
Reprints
- The Transformers: Beast WarsVolume 3(October 5,2022)ISBN 1684059380/ISBN 978-1684059386
- CollectsBeast Warsissues #13–17, andBeast WarsAnnual 2022.
- Bonus material includes alternate covers, and an one-page sketch by Burcham.
Beast Wars,Vol 3; cover art byColm Griffin
