Megatron Transformer was once the vanguard of the now defunct planet of Cybertron, where he used his massive and powerful cybernetic frame as the first bastion of defense for the city. As a judge of threats, he was solid and unwavering – but ever fair; however, there was an ambitious streak in him that turned his glowing gaze towards the Allspark. At the time, it wasn’t clear to anyone else, but Megatron secretly coveted the tremendous power within the techno-biological marvel, and wanted it exclusively for himself.

It wasn’t long before Megatron corralled his personal army and launched a devastating attack on Cybertron; decimating the city he once loved. Inside his cavernous mechanical form, his power-lust festered and grew and his war machine ran amok, committing great misdeeds and securing himself as the most ruthless Transformer – until the time of Galvatron.

Megatron’s Primary Form

Megatron is one of the very largest bipedal Transformers of Cybertron. He stands over four stories tall at a towering 35 feet, is brutally strong and weighs over 12,000 pounds. He has a menacing and dense cranial enclosure, which sits on top of his formidable mechanical armament.

His arms end in razor-sharp pincers comprised of cybertanium – the same nigh-unbreakable alloy that makes up Sideswipe Transformer’s dual swords. There’s a locking mechanism that allows these pincers to shoot outward as deadly projectiles capable of rending the metal armor of other Transformers.

Megatron’s thick armature is supported by massive trunk-like legs that are instrumental in forming his Cybertronian tank alt-mode transformation. Deep within his chassis, there lies a power core that employs elusive dark matter particles for energy generation. Megaton owes his boundless energy to this alien source, which also regenerates if damaged behind the shielding.

Megatron’s Weapons Systems

With power cells all over the place, you would expect Megatron – the unquestioned leader of the Decepticons – to have superlative array of weapons. First off, his pincers are capable of crushing smaller Transformers outright; and, with the brutal ion accelerator in the middle of what passes as an arm, he can blast car-sized holes into larger Autobots (or Decepticons, for that matter).

Opposite the pincers is a telescoping claw for holding his helpless prey in place – there’s actually a power-cell on top of his shielded shoulders to give the entire contraption some extra juice.

How much extra, you ask? Try hundreds of pounds per square inch. No Transformer armor – except, perhaps, that of Ironhide’s or one of the mighty Dinobots – can stand up to the combination of pincer and telescoping claw Megatron unleashes.

As if this wasn’t enough, Megatron also possesses a veritable lightning rod. It is really a nuclear-enabled power rod, and can generate hundreds of megawatts of power in an instant, over a range of several mile.

He can deliver loads of energy on a pinpoint target that’s almost 40 football fields away. This array of weapons means that the Decepticon leader can either brutalize you up close with his pincers and ion accelerator blast cannon, or deliver hell-fire and dark matter-brimstone from a great distance. There’s nowhere to hide…

Megatron’s Mighty Alt-Mode Forms

The most important thing about Megatron’s transformation abilities is that he is the rare triple-changer. Usually, the Autobots have one other alt-mode other than their bipedal, upright form; it’s almost always a ground-bound vehicle of some kind. The Decepticons also usually have a single alt-mode form; the difference is that they often have flight capabilities in this form.

Megatron can assume the form of both a Cybertronian tank, and an interstellar jet. Thus, he can lead an attack with the formidable visage of a super-tank, or take to the heavens to chase down a disobedient Starscream – or for some other nefarious reason.

The Triple-Changer Interstellar Jet

The Cybertronian jet is actually capable of interstellar flight, and allows Megatron to travel to distant planets on a whim. His regenerating dark matter core is capable of powering this flight for as long as he (probably) needs it. There’s plenty of energy to go around, and this power-density is used for neutronic thrusters, force-field generators, and the forward barrage weaponry jutting out of the carbonized hull.

The jet has a max speed of Mach 3 within a planetary atmosphere, but its interstellar slipstream openings allow much higher velocities in a vacuum. One of the more fearsome weapons is a lightning beam emanating from the wing-tip, which can raze a field of enemies (or innocents, given that it’s Megatron).

The Super-Tank of Cybertron

The tank mode is truly formidable – powerful and difficult to damage. Bearing down on an enemy on a battlefield, most opt for evasive tactics when Megatron’s turrets turn toward them, threatening to fire gigantic, depleted uranium bullets to decimate any defense they might launch. Advanced targeting software means his plasma cannons rarely miss even rapidly-moving targets. It is, frankly, the Decepticon leader’s preferred mode of transport, because of the terror it strikes on a battlefield.