Wheeljack (SG)

Wheeljack is an evil Autobot from the Shattered Glass continuity family.

Wheeljack (aka Slicer) is a mad scientist in both senses of the word: crazy and angry. He's been laughed out of the Autobot ranks, and he's itching for a chance to prove his inventions aren't worthless. Loyal to no one but himself, Wheeljack takes pride in his ability to adapt to new and dangerous situations. Whether building Dinobots or acting as the Wreckers' explosives expert, you can be sure that whatever invention he whips up, it will make things worse for everyone involved.

Sometimes, while hiding under his alternate identity of Slicer, he works with the heroic Decepticon Exo-Suit, but his understanding of Wheeljack's true allegiance is unknown.

Fiction

Fun Publications Shattered Glass continuity

This can only end well.

Wheeljack created an army of Dinobots to rain vengeance upon Optimus Prime for laughing at his genius. Dramatically riding into battle upon the head of a sauropod-styled Dinobot, Wheeljack proclaimed his intentions. However, Optimus convinced Wheeljack that if his Dinobots were able to take out the Decepticons, he would be welcomed back into the fold. Upon being ordered to attack the Decepticons, the enthusiastic beasts gave out a rousing battle cry. Then they turned on each other. As punishment for his failure, Wheeljack found himself performing degradingly basic repairs to the Ark's computer systems and was told that, should he sabotage the ship, he would be on it when it launched. Dungeons & Dinobots

Following the Ark's crash onto Earth, Rodimus ordered Wheeljack to adjust the ship's computer Teletraan-X to accept commands from only the two of them. After that was done, he, Rodimus, and Goldbug, aided by some human allies, infiltrated and took over Burpleson Air Force Base, a command station for a human orbital defense weapon. When the Decepticons attacked the base, Wheeljack was somewhat damaged and wandering the corridors when he was accosted by Ravage and a Decepticon-allied human who accused him, him of being crazy. So he gave chase. Eye in the Sky

Goldbug enlisted Wheeljack and Side Burn to build a Stellar Spanner, claiming that Rodimus had commanded it be done under "project silence". They were lacking a volunteer to try the Spanner when they were fortuitously attacked by Heatwave. While Heatwave blasted Side Burn (who was later Mysteriously Fine), Wheeljack and Goldbug grabbed Heatwave, and Wheeljack had the idea of forcing the Decepticon to transform. They bound him up and put him in the spanner, though he still managed to deliver a solid kick to Wheeljack. Annoyed, Wheeljack was so deep in this thoughts that he didn't have time to react when Blitzwing subsequently took him out with a Jet-Judo throw. Wheeljack was merely feigning, of course, and used an electro-shell to activate the Spanner. His victory was short-lived, as Blitzwing began broadcasting the noise the humans called "music" over the Autobot comm frequency, forcing Wheeljack to retreat with the others. Blitzwing Bop

We already knew SG Wheeljack was a dimension-hopper.

When Sephie Beller had herself augmented with Cybertronian technology, Rodimus had Wheeljack turn his microwave gun on her. The gun successfully neutralized her, though Wheeljack was offended by Rodimus's suggestion she was dead, affirming that she would be perfectly fine when he and Ratchet vivisected her. Once he had Sephie properly bound, Wheeljack restored her to consciousness and asked her to answer some scientific questions while he carried out his work. Unfortunately Wheeljack didn't get a chance to get started before Beachcomber started acting up. When Rodimus informed him that there was a jamming field covering the area, Wheeljack realized with disappointment that his test subject was going to be used as a hostage instead. When the party was crashed by R.J. Blackrock in a giant suit of power armor, Wheeljack tried to turn the microwave gun on him, only to be sent flying by a missile. Transhuman

Still serving Rodimus, Wheeljack eventually perfected a portable form of the stellar spanner, which he was able to mount as a drive system for a spacecraft. Using this, he began travel to other universes, in an effort to track the journey of Nexus Prime. On one such excursion he managed to deceive Slicer into thinking he was a future version of the Decepticon, and so through trade he obtained a sample of Forestonite. Before Slicer could realize that he had been given a bum deal, Wheeljack was long gone. Generation 2: Redux

Wheeljack next formed an alliance with Ultra Magnus, failed usurper of his brother Optimus Prime. With Magnus armed with the Terminus Blade, stolen from the Vault of the Unknown, they hatched a plan to enter a positive polarity universe. In his dimensional travels, Wheeljack identified a unique substance called Rarified Energon, found only on the Earth of that particular universal stream. Along with Tracks, Wreck-Gar, and the Junkions, they attacked the Autobot mining installation Ironworks on that world, gaining access to the Energon. Wheeljack constructed a device which could destroy the entire universe using the Terminus Blade, channeling the energies of the devastation back into the Blade. Autobots and Decepticons of two worlds attempted to stop Wheeljack and Magnus, but failed. The positive universe was destroyed, leaving only a relative few survivors as the positive-Earth and all who dwelled on it entered the negative polarity universe. Invasion Prologue Invasion

Seeking to consolidate further power from destroyed universes, Wheeljack and the Junkions built the Collector on positive-Earth, letting Ultra Magnus charge the Terminus Blade repeatedly by destroying one universe after another. Treadshot and several heroic Decepticons and Autobots tracked them down, and battle ensued once more. Distant Fissures Ultimately however, Ultra Magnus's forces were undone by Nexus Prime, member of the Thirteen and master of the Star Saber, who retrieved the Terminus Blade, banished Magnus, and demolished their equipment. Restoration

Recordicons

Wheeljack and a team of Autobots under the command of both Rodimus Prime and Optimus Prime fought Thundercracker and Ravage in the Transformers' greatest battle on Earth, "Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction". According to Ravage, anyway. Recordicons #3

IDW Shattered Glass continuity

Slicer was one of Orion Pax's picks for the new "secret police" taskforce to be headed by his unofficial legal advisor, Ultra Magnus – a team that became known as the Wreckers. Slicer was present when the Wreckers crossed paths with Senator Shockwave; when Ultra Magnus' patience with his team wore out and he lobbed Kup at Impactor, Slicer attended to the latter. One team meeting with Orion later, Slicer was with the Wreckers when they launched a terrorist attack on the Senate. Shattered Glass II #1

At some stage after the outbreak of the war, Magnus had Slicer recruit the pirate radio host Blaster as a soldier, something Blaster ascribed undue significance to. Shattered Glass II #2

Even a megacycle after the Autobots had triumphed in the Great War, Slicer remained a spy loyal to Ultra Magnus, Shattered Glass #5 operating undercover in Gold City, where he bore witness to Starscream's torture. Shattered Glass #4 When a Decepticon rescue party led to the liberation of Gold City, Slicer went into hiding, calling Ultra Magnus to inform him that Goldbug had escaped with Starscream's spark and was poised to reactivate Metroplex. Shattered Glass #5

Slicer took to wearing an all-concealing cloak. He was with Magnus' updated team of Wreckers when the former pen-pusher demanded an audience with Optimus Prime, and when the encounter turned violent, he fought the guards Whirl and Sunstreaker. The team managed to fight their way into Prime's throne room just in time to see Ultra Magnus disable the Autobot leader. Shattered Glass II #1

Ultra Magnus tasked Slicer and Rodimus with disrupting the Decepticons' efforts to rebuild Gold City into New Kaon. Slicer chose Blaster for the task of infiltrating Soundwave's morale-boosting radio station, with the purpose of downloading any useful information and then destroying Soundwave's equipment. Blaster's showboating grated on the two Wreckers, though, and he ran out of time to destroy the station before Slicer's bombing of the city forced him to withdraw.

Blaster rendezvoused with Rodimus and Slicer outside the city, where a furious Rodimus revealed that they had executed Blaster's boys for their failure before killing Blaster himself. Sighing that he'd at least tried to give him a second chance, Slicer made use of Blaster's link to Soundwave's transmitter to snoop on Decepticon radio, which he did by rewiring his severed head into a receiver. Shattered Glass II #2

While discussing with Ratchet the need to move all the spare parts to his new base, the medic claimed Slicer to be on schedule to lose an arm soon. While driving towards Metroplex, Slicer listened to Decepticon radio, probably because Soundwave and Ratchet shared a similar approach to life, hoping to find a key to the future in the past, the opposite of Slicer's own philosophy.

Upon reaching Metroplex, Slicer noticed that the Titan had slightly shifted his position. Using static as a compass to reach Starscream's spark, Slicer made his way through Metroplex, planting explosives as he went. When he reached the spark, Goldbug made himself known, Slicer managing to ingratiate himself back into the exiled warlord's good graces. After a failed attempt to resuscitate Metroplex, Slicer excused himself to call in the other Wreckers before the Titan moved again, reacting to Jetfire's proximity. Listening to Decepticon radio, Slicer hit on the idea of summoning all of the Wreckers' enemies to destroy themselves. While the Air Strike Patrol was quickly dealt with and Jetfire killed Goldbug, Jetfire himself survived, managing to cut off Slicer's arm. When the Wreckers arrived to bound Jetfire, Slicer prevented them from killing the flier, noting that Magnus would need him alive. Shattered Glass II #3

Retreating into the Titan, Slicer left Rodimus to deal with the crew of the Rising Sea. After Flamewar was captured, Slicer noted that she was kept alive only as a potential bargaining chip. When Flamewar noted that Slicer seemed attached to Blaster's head, she managed to drill him for information long enough for Slipstream to come to the rescue, a shot from Flamewar sending Slicer tumbling out of Metroplex. Shattered Glass II #4

After being almost crushed by Metroplex's finger, Slicer was rescued by Soundwave who noticed his conflicting thoughts and influence of his radio, but Slicer nevertheless pulled his blaster on Soundwave. During the fight, Soundwave attempted to convince Slicer to help him, the Autobot agreeing after he shot down Springer, noting that, unlike Soundwave, Springer would have killed him.

After dispatching Jazz and Ricochet, Slicer and Soundwave made their way into the Titan, finding that Ultra Magnus had swapped bodies with Optimus Prime. When Magnus ordered Slicer to kill Soundwave, Slicer telepathically reached out to Soundwave and informed his unlikely ally that he only sought to rescue Ratchet and flee. When the Titan's movements caused chaos, Ratchet took a shot meant for Slicer. While Soundwave fought his way through the Wreckers, Slicer managed to escape Metroplex with Ratchet. Once outside, Slicer repaid his debt by shooting Magnus square in the chest, saving Soundwave's life. In the aftermath, Slicer and Ratchet retreated to a cavern to recuperate. Shattered Glass II #5

Games

Transformers: Forged to Fight

Yee! Mad science again...

Having been brought to another universe by a dimensional rip, Wheeljack joined forces with Kickback to build a device to bring more of his comrades to this new universe. The Commander and their unit stumbled upon the two and defeated them before their plans could proceed. Shattered Bridges

Toys

Timelines

I don't hafta be French if you don't want me to be.

• Decepticon Slice (Deluxe, 2010)

• Accessories: Hyper-carbine shotgun, neutronic exhaust gun, missile, spoiler
• Known designers: Dan Khanna (concept artist)

A redeco of Energon Deluxe-sized Downshift, "Decepticon Slice" transforms into a blue sports car with red and black stripes. He has a pair of dark red clear-plastic guns: one a spring-loaded missile launcher, one non-firing. These can be hand-held or attached to Slice in various ways in both modes. His spoiler is also removable and can be used as a blade weapon or something.

He can also form the top or bottom half of any silver or bronze "Powerlinx" combiner.

He was only available to BotCon 2010 Primus Package attendees, as an attendance freebie.

This toy was also redecoed as Universe Downshift.

• More information on Decepticon Slice at TFU.info

Shattered Glass Collection

Wait, I'm a good guy now?

• Decepticon Slicer / Exo-Suit (Deluxe Class, 2022)

• Accessories: Missile launcher, shotgun, exhaust-pipe rifle
• Known designers: Mark Maher (Hasbro), Hisashi Yuki (TakaraTomy)

A redeco of Earthrise Wheeljack, Decepticon Slicer transforms into a blue sports car resembling a Lancia Stratos with some portions of the vehicle's design being similar to the Lancia Rally. For armaments, Slicer still has the original version's shoulder-mounted missile launcher which can be hand-held or mounted on either shoulder using a slot and tab combo, but also comes with two brand-new red blasters homaging the red guns from the above toy, which can hinge for a (slightly) proper weaponized vehicle mode. His spoiler/"wing" halves are also attached via 5mm posts, so they can be easily removed and placed elsewhere if you want to do that.

He also comes packed with Exo-Suit, a redeco of Generations Selects Black Roritchi, who can split apart so Slicer can really arm himself to the teeth.

This figure also comes stamped with a Decepticon insignia in the same shade of pink as the original Slicer toy's, rendering him now able to function as both reference to his earlier disguise as the positive universe Slicer and a toy of the evil chap himself. The choice is yours. His packaging also uses a Decepticon symbol, rather than Autobot.

This mold was also used to make Selects Decepticon Exhaust.

Merchandise

Magic: The Gathering

It's my color scheme now.

• Slicer, Hired Muscle / Slicer, High-Speed Antagonist (2022)
  • ID number: 021
  • Set code: BOT
  • Color identity: Red
  • Casting cost: {4}{R} (front), {2}{R} (back)
  • Artist: Sara Pitre-Durocher

"Slicer, Hired Muscle" is part of the 2022 Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Transformers card set, found in Collector Booster packs of Magic's The Brothers' War set. It can be reversed to become "Slicer, High-Speed Antagonist", representing Slicer in vehicle mode.

A variant of this card was available in both Set Booster and Collector Booster packs, depicting "Generation 1" Slicer.

Notes

• Shattered Glass Wheeljack started life in Fun Publications' stories, where his body was that of Energon Downshift (who himself had been based on "Generation 1" Wheeljack) in the colours of Slicer (who was a redeco of Wheeljack's Action Master toy). At BotCon 2010, this concept materialised as a toy in the form of "Decepticon Slice", who had both Autobot and Decepticon insignias so he could double as either character, with the epilogue to that year's convention comic even seeing Shattered Glass Wheeljack tricking a positive-universe Slicer into thinking that he was the Decepticon's future self.
• His later appearance in the Forged to Fight mobile game was instead based directly on G1 Wheeljack's Masterpiece toy—just with red eyes instead of blue ones, a purple Autobot insignia, and no Alitalia markings to avoid trademark issues.
• Things with Shattered Glass Wheeljack got a little confusing years later, when he was slated to get a new toy as part of the Shattered Glass Collection, a redeco of Earthrise Deluxe Class Wheeljack. In deference to the Action Master, designer Mark Maher named the toy "Slicer".^[1] Before the toy was even revealed, Wheeljack showed up in IDW Publishing's Shattered Glass continuity, under the name Slicer (as the comics were being packed in with the toys)—in effect meaning that Shattered Glass Slicer and regular-universe Slicer are both evil guys that look the same. So for all intents and purposes, in Shattered Glass universes, "Slicer" is just the name Wheeljack sometimes goes by.^[2]
  • Then, when a set of Magic: The Gathering trading cards themed after Transformers was released—with a character roster formed mostly of the Shattered Glass Collection, so each could have a regular and mirror-universe art variant—this necessitated the creation of a new visually-distinct look for G1 Slicer, which ended up being based on Armada Wheeljack's colours.

References