Transformer fuel
From Transformers Wiki
| This article is about the generic fuel from the Marvel Comics continuity. For Transformers' fuel from most other continuities, see Energon. |
Transformer fuel is a liquid substance used by Transformers to sustain their mechanical life. It is not a hydrocarbon, but with the right technical know-how, it can be converted from hydrocarbons. Transformers can drain some of their fuel by removing their hand and allowing the fuel to pour out their forearm. Fuel from within one group of Transformers can be used to re-energize a second group of Transformers by utilizing Tubes of Transference.
The mingling of Transformer fuel holds special significance and is used in rituals such as Rite of Oneness and the Rite of the Autobrand.
Fiction
Marvel The Transformers comics
After the Autobots and Decepticons woke up on Earth from their four million year slumber, The Transformers one of the most pressing problems both sides had was securing fuel sources to replenish their dwindling supply. To that end, the Decepticons attacked and dismantled Harrison Nuclear Power Plant. However, they were ignorant of human technology, so they overlooked the energy generating potential of the nuclear power plant and used it to build their new base. After a short debate amongst the Autobots, Optimus Prime decided to reach out the humans of the planet and form an alliance to barter for the fuel they need. Luckily Bumblebee had already made contact with two humans. The spy Ravage discovered the alliance and Megatron ordered that the human be kidnapped and forced to convert fuel for the Decepticons. During a battle at the Witwickys' garage, Sparkplug Witwicky was indeed captured. Power Play!
After some persuasion, Sparkplug agreed to help them convert gasoline to the fuel they needed. Rumble supplied a sample of the Transformers' fuel for Sparkplug to analyze while other Decepticons stole some gasoline and other equipment needed for the process. Soon after completing the conversion, Sparkplug was rescued by Gears and Spider-Man. Prisoner of War!
The Autobots had not secured a fuel source of their own and prepared for an inevitable attack by the refueled Decepticons the best they could. They used the Tubes of Transference to re-energize some Autobots with the remaining fuel supply of other Autobots. When the attack came, the five remaining Autobots fought valiantly, but the Decepticons got the best of them, until the Decepticons started writhing in pain from the fuel that was secretly poisoned by Sparkplug! But then Shockwave showed up and blasted everybody. The Last Stand
Fuel supplies were still an issue for the Decepticons under Shockwave's command, so he single-handedly conquered an oil-drilling platform owned by G.B. Blackrock. The Worse of Two Evils!
Ratchet entered into an alliance with Megatron against Shockwave, and the two of them solemnized the occasion by performing the Rite of Oneness, which was a ritual that involved mingling their fuel and lighting it on fire. Warrior School!
After Ratchet (with a little help from the Dinobots) rescued the Autobots (except for Optimus Prime's head), Repeat Performance! the Autobots went through with their previous plan of forming an alliance with humans and successfully reached out to G.B. Blackrock with an agreement where the Autobots would provide him protection from Decepticons in exchange for unlimited fill ups from any of Blackrock's gas stations. DIS-Integrated Circuits!
Jetfire was initiated into the Autobots through the Rite of the Autobrand, a ceremony that involved the mingling of fuel from his new teammates. Wheeljack installed converters in the Autobots' fuel intakes that change gasoline into usable fuel. At this point, power siphon technology was developed by Shockwave as a significant advance in the Decepticons' energy procurement, enabling them to easily store any kind of energy into energon cubes. Shockwave used it to extract the energy from the oil collected at the oil rig. Rock and Roll-Out!
Desperate for fuel, a newly awakened Megatron raided a coal mine, but was unable to digest the black stones. He completely ran out of fuel and froze up solid. After his lifeless form caused lots of commotion amongst the humans, Soundwave and Laserbeak arrived with a canister of Transformer fuel and reactivated Megatron. I, Robot-Master!
Back on Cybertron, fuel supplies were dwindling. In Polyhex, Empties could often be seen begging for a beaker of fuel or trading fuel to the Autobots for information on Decepticon activities. One such informant was Wheezel. The Smelting Pool!
On Earth, Donny Finkleberg let Optimus Prime know that he saw several Autobots arrive on Earth over the space bridge. Optimus wasn't ready to trust the former Robot-Master so he sent Jetfire with Donny to check out his story. When they arrived, there was nobody around, but Jetfire recognized some Transformer fuel that had leaked on the ground. He said the fuel leak could be tracked with the right equipment. Aerialbots over America! Wheeljack installed a chemical tracker into Skids and Optimus Prime sent Skids and Donny to find the Autobots. The tracker was working fine, but Donny betrayed Skids to RAAT and Skids was captured. Heavy Traffic!
Just before Christmas 1986, Jazz and Jetfire were taking care of a shipment of fuel at Blackrock's chemical plant near Portland when the facility was attacked by Thrust and Bombshell. An out-of-control fire threatened to set off a chain reaction amongst the chemicals, unleashing a toxic cloud that could kill thousands, but Jetfire's instinct to protect humans meant that he was able to act quickly and avert the potential catastrophe. The Gift
Wheeljack developed the Geothermal Generator which was a major advancement for the Autobots, providing vast amounts of energy directly from the Earth's heat and storing it into energon cubes, which granted them energy independence from Blackrock. Used Autobots
Much later, a group of Cybertron-based Autobots raided a Decepticon fuel store with the help of the visiting Classic Pretenders. They successfully commandeered a stash of large canisters labeled "FUEL." Unbeknownst to them, however, the fuel was irradiated by Thunderwing making it extremely easy for the Mayhem Attack Squad to track it to Autobase. Yesterday's Heroes!
Notes
- These early Marvel continuity stories were written before energon was widely established as the catch-all fuel for all Transformers that it has become today. It's not hard to retroactively imagine that the fuel in these stories was just energon, and that the converted gasoline was an artificial brew.
