Mayhem Attack Squad

The Mayhem Attack Squad is aDecepticonsubgroup from theGeneration 1continuity family.

Shut up, we like our name.

TheMayhem Attack Squad(or sometimes simplyMayhem) is the Decepticon answer to theWreckers.The team's lineup is ever-changing, and they recruit the most bloodthirsty and deadly Decepticons to swell their ranks when old members die (or desert). Whether it's attacking high-value targets or fomenting societal upheaval through sabotage and deception, the group always lives up to the name, spreading doom, destruction...mayhem.

They usually have asweetshipand some of them can combine into the mightyThunder Mayhem.

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

MarvelThe Transformerscomics

WithGalvatronandMegatronteamed up onEarthand arift in time and spacethreatening to destroy all reality, the Decepticons onCybertronwere getting desperate. They teamed the Mayhem Attack Squad with the Autobots' Wreckers and sent them to Earth in a Decepticon ship to bring down Galvatron and Megatron. Secretly, the Mayhems were under orders to kill any surviving Wreckers once the threat of Galvatron and Megatron was over.

Once on Earth, the two teams joined with theAdvance Surveillance UnitBroadside,Inferno,andSandstormand moved to attack Galvatron in his lair.

Galvatron shows what he thinks of the lesser-known toys.

The battle could have gone... better than it did.

Galvatron embedded his hand in Battletrap's chest and cannon-blasted Venom, and by the time the first skirmish was over, only Carnivac, Flywheels and Catilla remained alive.

As the battle moved above ground, Carnivac had a change of heart about killingSpringerwhen Springer saved his life.

The battle escalated as more and more Autobots and Decepticons joined. Ultimately, it was neither Wrecker nor Mayhem that would destroy Galvatron, but a rift in time and space.Time Wars

With the Time Wars over, the two surviving Mayhem Attack Squad members found themselves stranded on Earth when Megatron stole their ship to return to Cybertron.

The surviving Mayhems joined with the surviving Wreckers and the stray Autobots Inferno andSkidsto form a new team called theSurvivors.

Shortly after this, Carnivac teamed with Snarler (with Catilla observing) on a mission for Scorponok. The three were givenPretendershells as a reward. Snarler, however, was not impressed when the two former Mayhems refused to rejoin the Decepticons.Survivors!

Snarler returned to Cybertron and set about recruiting a new Mayhem Attack Squad to destroy Carnivac and Catilla through training sessions againstsolid light simulationsof high-ranking Autobots in a fakeSlaughter City.Despite his abject cowardice, Needlenose was admitted into its ranks alongside Bludgeon, Stranglehold, Octopunch and Spinister.The Hunting Party

One of these things is not like the others, one of these things does not belong!

The newly-formed Mayhems travelled to Earth where they released aHellhoundinto theTexasarea to flush out the Survivors. Instead, it drew the attention of the estranged Survivor Carnivac, one of their primary targets.Way of the WarriorThey were about to execute the renegade Decepticon when an armoured detachment of theU.S. Armyarrived to deal with the Hellhound and opened fire. Carnivac made good his escape while the Mayhems slaughtered the soldiers, so they split up and tracked him down in the town ofLos Gravos.Although he managed to subdue Needlenose, Carnivac surrendered when Octopunch threatened the lives of some nearby humans. Octopunch prepared to deliver the killing blowSurvival Runwhenone of the humanshit him in the back with a truck, incapacitating him. The rest of the squad quickly converged on the commotion and although Carnivac put up a good fight he once again put himself in danger to protect the humans and was left helpless at Spinister's feet. The arrival of Catilla and the other Survivors saved Carnivac's life but Catilla was killed by Bludgeon before the Mayhem Attack Squad retreated and Carnivac subsequently swore to hunt down and kill the Mayhems for murdering his friend.A Savage Place!

"So that's it? What, we're some kinda... attacking... mayhem squad?"

On Cybertron, the Mayhem Attack Squad—Bludgeon, Stranglehold, and Octopunch—got the assignment of assassinating the Autobot PretendersBumblebee,Jazz,andGrimlock.Yesterday's Heroes!

After initially failing to kill the Autobots, the Squad accidentally teleported deep inside Cybertron along with the Autobots. The two groups met inside a huge chamber containing a sleepingPrimusand promptly set about trying to kill each other.

After the Squad had been utterly crushed, Octopunch made one final attack against a distracted Grimlock, which was deflected by Grimlock's armor and ended up hitting Primus in the face. Consequently, Primus awoke, drawing Unicron to his ancient enemy's location.Primal Scream
Known members:

Earthforce

"Contrary to popular belief, our job is NOT just to attackMiles Mayhem."

Rather than going out to hunt down Carnivac, the Mayhems decided to let the renegade come to them and so established a base on a tropical island. True to their predictions, Carnivac arrived and managed to dispatch Needlenose fairly easily.Cry Wolf!In response, the Mayhems managed to destroy Carnivac's Pretender shellWolf in the Fold!but he recovered from the mental shock and murdered Snarler and Spinister. When the Autobot Survivors and Grimlock's Earthforce arrived, he saw to it that Bludgeon, Octopunch and Stranglehold were captured alive—because he knew that being taken alive and not having a warrior's death would be torment for them.Where Wolf?

They later managed to escape fromEarthbaseby being vewwy quiet.Shut Up!

Afterwards Bludgeon, Octopunch, and Stranglehold hooked up with Megatron andShockwave,who had been deposed as leaders of their respective Decepticon factions, and took on a bounty to assassinate their betrayers,StarscreamandSoundwave.External Forces!Though they outnumbered their prey they hadn't counted on the (admittedly highly unlikely) intervention of the Earthbound Autobots andDinobotsto save Starscream's life and the Mayhems were soundly defeated.The Lesser Evil!

Classics

Twenty years after the end of the war,RuckusandNeedlenoseemployedOctopunchandStrangleholdin attempt to reform the Mayhem Attack Squad. Despite going to elaborate lengths to get atNightbeat,they were undone by Ruckus' naïveté as leader and eventually received a serious thrashing at the hands of the Autobots.Cheap Shots

Known members:

Regeneration One

In preparation for the arrival ofBludgeonand hisWarworld,Soundwavebegan seeding the undernet of Cybertron with subsonic transmissions to increase the population's aggression levels. AfterBlasterstumbled across his signal, Soundwave sent the Mayhen Attack Aquad—Carnivac, Snarler, and Roadblock—to eliminate the Autobot communications specialist before he spread word of his discovery. At theGaragethey easily broke through troops fromUltra Magnus'scivil defense corps,however Blaster and his fellow post-Nucleonpatients were ready for them.Huffer,Silverbolt,andInfernohelped Blaster take down the Mayhems and the undernet signals were disabled.Destiny, Part Two

Known members:

TransTech

One of the many criminal gangs and factions in the Offworlder Zone ofAxiom Nexuswas theMayhem Attackers.Gone Too Far

2005 IDW continuity

Ah, close enough to Octopunch.

Mayhemwas a post-war anarchist outfit, out to bring down the 'ruling class' of both sides. They were led and presumably founded by Carnivac, a former agent of theTyrest Accord.Their first known target, and certainly a big one, was the notoriousProwl:this was done at the behest ofTarantulas,who gave them advanced Earthbeast modedisguises that would disguise their spark signatures. PoorTidal Wavefound himself not just a whale but a whale with a mobile HQ in his guts!Sins of the Wreckers #2Sins of the Wreckers #3

Agents of Mayhem not only helped capture Prowl, they triedSins of the Wreckers #1and eventually succeeded at covertly snatching theAequitasdata fromVerity Carlo.This brought them into open conflict with the Wreckers and while Carnivac hoped they'd see sense and join, the Wreckers managed to account for Mayhem membersPolar ClawSins of the Wreckers #2andClaw Jaw.Sins of the Wreckers #3Mayhem aided Tarantulas by defendinghis basein theNoisemazefrom the Wreckers,Sins of the Wreckers #4but Tarantulas was ultimately defeated and the Noisemaze collapsed. The surviving Mayhem members were able to escape and were joined by the WreckerImpactor,who ended up agreeing with their mission statement.Sins of the Wreckers #5

Mayhem Debate Club

Two years later, most of Mayhem had adopted vehicular alt-modes and addedSmolderandSteamhammerto their ranks. They capturedSpringerand under their control he attacked politicianMegan Guiglionein a plot to disrupt the weak Autobot/human peace. However, to their surprise, Guiglione ended up being the human alt-mode ofOverlord!The Mayhems attempted to attack Overlord but were destroyed in seconds, leaving only Carnivac and Impactor. Impactor was later killed while battling Overlord but Carnivac was able to use his power to separate Overlord into his two components, which Springer disposed of in opposite points of time with Tarantulas'Timemaze.Requiem of the Wreckers

Known members:

Beast Wars: Uprising

During the Great War, the Mayhem Attack Squad was a famous Decepticon group, led by or associated with Carnivac.

On the Builder controlled Cybertron, their legacy endured in a Predacon supremacist group which took their name. A far cry from their ancestors, the Mayhems were little more than another gang in Iacon's underworld, and a particularly pathetic one at that, regarded by theMaximal Command Security Forceas nuisances. Meanwhile, Predacon Secret Police officerTarantulassaw them as useful foot-soldiers, stringing them along with promises of power in the "new world order".

When the BuilderTwirlwas murdered, MCSF officerWolfang's investigations brought him into conflict with the MayhemistFennec,working for Tarantulas, who had discovered Twirl was a Targetmaster. In his attempt to find Twirl's murderer, Wolfang and Resistance member Blackarachnia fought and incapacitated the Mayhemists, with the survivors being taken into custody by the MCSF.Trigger Warnings

Of Masters and Mayhem

The Mayhem Attack Squad was selected byShockwaveto form the ultimate combiner,Thunder Mayhem.Their power amplified and the combiner's personality solidified by theMatrix of Malice,the Mayhem Attack Squad's destructive ability proved uncontrollable. The Squad capturedOptimus Primeand restrained him within their ship, forcing him to watch as Thunder Mayhem went on an apocalyptic rampage across Cybertron, nearly driving the Cybertronian race to extinction.Deadly AimLively PursuitPandora's Gift

With their homeworld in ruins, the Mayhem Attack Squad turned their combined form on other planets, styling themselves as "the Slaughterers of Worlds", before they were called to Earth byRamjetwho requested their aid in destroying the universe.HistoryAgreeing, the Mayhem Attack Squad turned Thunder Mayhem onMerida,only to be confronted by the AutobotPretendersand Optimus Prime himself.Pandora's Gift

Though Thunder Mayhem handled this resistance at first, it was met byWreckagewho distracted it long enough forElizabethto fire a beam of energy that wounded its chest, allowing Wreckage to expose the Matrix of Malice. Together, all parties managed to destroy the Matrix, causing the Squad to de-combine and killing Thunder Mayhem. In the aftermath, the Wreckers took the Mayhem Attack Squad into custody when they left the planet.Finale

Known members:

2019 IDW continuity

Get Wreckers. You could save money and be better protected from Mayhem, like us.

Mayhem was a terrorist organization operating from the shadows ofVelocitronand seeking to subvert the local government.Tread & Circuits Part 1Mayhem was so pervasive thatBreakdown,head of the localSecurity Operationsbranch, was actually in cahoots with them, along with many of his operatives. Much likeThe RiseonCybertron,Mayhem was secretly affiliated with theAscenticonmovement and their end goal was to seize control of Velocitron and put their representativeKnock Outin charge of the planet.Tread & Circuits Part 4

Mayhem's spokesmanOctopunchhacked into the latest performance broadcast by theWreckers,denouncing the group as just another dose of meaningless entertainment for the ignorant masses. He demanded that the government halt the upcomingSpeedia 500race, the method in which the planet used to choose its leaders, and executedElectronson the air to punctuate his statement. The Wreckers arrived on Velocitron to investigate and after accidentally discovering a hidden Mayhem hideout,Circuitran afoul of his old comradeAxer.Tread & Circuits Part 1Employed by SecOps for the planet but also a covert member of Mayhem, Axer tried to warn his old friend to stay out of their business. However, when Circuit subsequently tracked Axer back to the Mayhem hideout, he was shot in the head to conceal its location.Tread & Circuits Part 2

After the Speedia 500 began with the Wreckers in participation, Mayhem struck, seeking to eliminate as many of the racers as possible.Skullgrincaused an avalanche to separate the participants, while Axer, Octopunch, andSubmarauderpicked off racers one at a time. The Wreckers did their best to fight off the terrorists, but a bombing run bySlugslingerandThunderblastbrought more chaos to the race.Thunderclashmanaged to down Submarauder, but interference from Breakdown's SecOps operatives allowed thePretenderto escape. Apparently ignorant of Mayhem's larger agenda, Axer chased Knock Out down, intent on killing the lead racer. However, Axer was killed by his own commander Breakdown, allowing Knock Out to win the Speedia 500 and the position of Velocitron'sFirst Senator.Tread & Circuits Part 3

The Wreckers were in attendance at Knock Out's inauguration to prevent any further assassination attempts. Submarauder fired aharpoonat the new First Senator from a balcony, despiteMinerva's attempt to stop him. Knock Out was struck in the chest and chaos erupted again as more Mayhem members stormed the hall. The Wreckers engaged them and ultimately seemed to triumph, but Submarauder succeeded in framing Minerva for the assassination attempt on Knock Out. Breakdown had her taken into custody and the Wreckers were forced to leave her on Velocitron as they departed the planet. The shackled Minerva was brought before the new First Senator and his inner circle, where she realized the terrifying truth- Knock Out and his entourage were ALL Mayhem, and the entire conflict was manufactured for their benefit. Minerva was consigned to indefinite stasis and the new rulers of Velocitron, now sporting their updatedinsignias,hailed theDecepticonsand Knock Out!Tread & Circuits Part 4

Known members:

Toys

Combiner Wars

• Bludgeon(TFSS4.0,2016)
• Grabuge(TFSS 4.0, 2016)
• Needlenose(TFSS 4.0, 2016)
• Spinister(TFSS 4.0, 2016)
• Windsweeper(TFSS 4.0, 2016)

The Mayhem Attack Squad was the theme of2016'sCombiner Wars-themedTransformers Figure Subscription Service,with five of its toysredecoedas established and new members of the team. Ruckus was renamed to his French Canadian name for trademark reasons. The five combine intoThunder Mayhem.

Legacy

• Wrecker Malleus Minotaurus/Chop Shop/Barrage(2024)
• Prime Universe Breakdown/Windsweeper(w/Cleansweep,Ozone) (2024)
• Decepticon Bludgeon/Decepticon Rukus(2024)

TheAmazon-exclusiveLegacy United Doom 'n Destruction Collectionwas themed around the Mayhem Attack Squad as a follow-up to theWreckers-themedWreck 'N Rule Collectionfrom the first year ofLegacy.Most of the figures are adorned with the tentacled skull insignia introduced inTread & Circuitsas well as the standard Decepticon insignia. The capsule line inducted a handful of new members into the ranks of the Mayhem Attack Squad, including newTargetmasterpartners for Windsweeper.

Notes

• Flywheels is not seen to die in "Time Wars", but if you look very hard you can see his corpse among the general carnage.
• However, Battletrap, who had the dubious honor of being the first casualty of the battle, reappears later in both the post-Unicron U.S. issues and inGeneration 2,amongBludgeon's forces.
• Some believe that the TriggerconsWindsweeper,Ruckus,andCrankcaseare also part of the original Mayhem Attack Squad. Although this is implied by Windsweeper and Ruckus's proximity to Spinister et al. in theMatrix Quest,it is never explicitly stated that they are Mayhems within the text of those U.S. stories. Furthermore, Crankcase isn't present during the Matrix Quest, despite his appearance on the cover of#63.In 2008, Ruckus would be made the leader of a "new Mayhem Attack Squad" in theTimelinesstory "Cheap Shots",and in 2015, Windsweeper was made a member of the team that formsThunder Mayhem.Still crossing our fingers for Crankcase.
• The fleshy look of the 2005 IDW continuity Mayhems is taken fromJack Lawrence's oldBeast WarsTransmasters UKfancomics (with permission from Lawrence).^[1]

Foreign names

• Japanese:Mayhem Kōgeki-tai(メイヘム công kích độiMeihemu Kōgeki-tai,"Mayhem Attack Force" )

See also

• Decepticon Heavy Brigade
• Squadron X
• Ten Deadliest Killers

References