Recent Megatron threads got me thinking about all the other great Decepticon leaders in the Transformers mythos. While Autobot leadership passed through very few hands other than Optimus, the Decepticon mantle seemed to have a lot more takers. There is quite the selection of Decepticon leaders in the comics alone: Shockwave, Ratbat, Scorponok, Thunderwing, Bludgeon, Jhiaxus... Let's open this up to all continuities-- other than Megatron, who do you think was the best bad guy leader? Who was your favorite?

Personally, I love the comic book Scorponok-- but my vote has to go to Shockwave! I'm glad he got some love in the Dreamwave books, too.

Shoot, I meant to choose Starscream in the list but I accidentally picked "other"....sorry :/


I would choose Starscream because he obviously wanted it badly enough that he would destroy Megatron himself to be the leader. He had the leadership qualities in which he loves to give orders and stands out in the crowd. He's cocky and he wouldn't let anyone or anything get in the way of him becoming leader.

Marvel Comics Shockwave, easily. Best comic cover ever, and he was just a ruthless badass. Lead because his logic told him he was the best at it, not for desire of power.

Shockwave

Came to Earth with Magnus and others to arrest Prime, Megatron and other Autobots/Decepticons, all in the name of logic, is simply

"Autobots. Decepticons. Hear me. I am Shockwave. As ruler of Cybertron, I command you to put down your weapons. You are criminals of war, and Cybertronian law decrees that you surrender immediately. Defiance will not be tolerated."

"Megatron! Though your determination is impressive, your struggle is ultimately futile. Despite the incredible power you wield, your lack of control has hindered your ability to effectively lead. Your anger has made you weak, Megatron, and this weakness is easily exploited. Accept it, I am your superior.... In every conceivable ways."

comic wise shockwave cartoons DeathZaras ok his army was a bunch of goons bar liozak and maybe a few others but he did make something like the death star

I voted for Scorponok whose name is mispelt in the poll!

Mods please merge---> http://forums.TFormers.com/talk/index.php?showtopic=96594

I say Falsitron, AKA Beast Wars Megatron. He is NOT Megatron, he stole the name.

Well duh! BW Megatron said so himself that he took the name of the original Megatron after learning about him from the Golden Disk. He did so because he idolised Megatron and aspired to his greatness. He didn't really steal his name though because the original Megatron was long gone by time the Beast Wars occurred. It's not like say G1's Divebomb who actually stole his name from an Autobot who then had to rename himself as Swoop (later becoming a Dinobot, who still bore an intense hatred for the Predacon who stole his name).

"I served under the original Megatron. You have his name, but not his army." - Ravage (Beast Wars, The Agenda).

Marvel Comics Shockwave - He was the most effective in actually getting things done.

beast machines megatron <_<

My personal favourite would be Starscream, however brief his reign was

I have to go with Marvel Ratbat though. He has the track record others can't beat.

starscream skorponok and shockwave

...and everyone else on the Orient Express.

I think this topic proves why Megatron is so great. The obvious answers here (excluding some of the comic characters that I'm not as familiar with) are Starscream and Shockwave but it's hard to pick one or the other. Starscream is very passionate but his aptitude isn't what it should be. Shockwave is logical but doesn't have the fire that a great leader needs. Megatron embodies the best of both. He is the ego to Shockwave's superego and Starscream's id. Or, if you'd rather think of it this way, the Kirk to Shockwave's Spock and Starscream's McCoy.

But if I have to choose, it's Shockwave. Starscream's a better character but never actually proven himself competent in battle.

I think Starscream is an Autobot spy anyway.

Shockwave for me I guess I don't know much on the others anyways.

i agree he was very effective.

Sorry I going a different way, Thunderwing! in the Marvel comics

I vote OverLord, I realy like that figure, and he was alright in MasterForce.

Shockwave. I would actually go as far as to say that he's better than Megatron most times.

Well Starscream is my favorite so I would have to pick him. But as a good leader I have to pick Shockwave. He is as strong if not stronger than Megatron and very smart.

Beast Wars/Machines Megatron...I know he's not THE Megatron, I know he's not classical, but he conquered Cybertron and stole the souls (sparks) of just about every Transformer and eventually "helped" reformat Cybertron...in a way. Don't forget how he almost rewrote Transformer history! Who can forget that awesome scene when he blasted G1 Optimus in the face! I know people may hate me for it, but beast Megatron is tops in my book...ohhh hooo yessss!!!

Without a doubt, BW Megatron kicks ass!

I thought cause of the name though(and the fact that for a short while he was kinda G1 Megatron) that he was out of the running. To this day, he's a focal point for the events in my collections ongoing stories.

Shockwave...

I like Thunderwing in the G1 Marvel comics and Jhiaxus in the G2 ones.

'Struth. If you MUST have an enemy, let it be Screamer.

Beast Wars Megatron

[fanboy]
Also, the Covenant of Primus prophesises a Megatron:

""I am alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. I am that which is, which was, and is yet to come...and you will know my name is Megatron when I lay my vengeance upon you!""

Seeing as how BW Megatron is carrying the spark of G1 Megatron (thus being alpha and omega) it makes him the Megatron of prophesy. Arguably G1 Megatron took his name from this book, and thus stole his name from BW Megatron.
[/fanboy]

If we can't use any Megatrons

Shockwave + Overlord ftw

I've never read the old comics so I wanna know, How Da F! did Ratbat become leader?!

indeed,

BW MEGATRON is without any doubt the 2nd most Important leader of the DESTRON faction (decepticons/predacons or similar)
in my POV, when he blasted G1 Prime's face and caused the temporal vortex, he inadvertedly caused that the actual (G1) reality splitted in several realities messing all the TF's history; he was responsible for the Birth of the Cybertronian multiverse.

Even in the IDW's TF CYBERTRON: BALANCING ACT TPB. this event is mentioned by VECTOR PRIME

Click to view attachment

I'm partial to Deathsaurus....he pretty much completed his master plan lol

He basically hogged all the fuel on Cybertron, then took advantage of the no-shows known as Megatron and Shockwave to say "I HAVE ALL TEH ENERGON! BOW B4 ME N00BS!."

Strange thing is, he had the best track record of all the Decepticon leaders.

Beast Wars Megatron would be my first choice. Had he led the Decepticons during the great war the outcome may have been different. He was a brilliant leader and strategist.

He was initially the Decepticons' fuel accountant and a member of the Decepticon Court. After the fall of Straxus Ratbat emerged as the most powerful Decepticon in the Decepticon capital of Polyhex. He then audited the Earth-bound Decepticons (at the time under the Shockwave's command). He joined the Earth-bound Decepticons and made attempts to improve their fuel efficiency. When Shockwave was defeated in orbital battle with Fortress Maximus Ratbat concluded that a rescue attempt wouldn't be cost-effective (fuel-wise) and so allowed Shockwave to presumably perish and thus seized Decepticon leadership. He continued to lead the Decepticons until he was killed by Scorponok during the Underbase Saga. As bizarre as the concept of having a cassette as Decepticon leader is, Ratbat was actually a pretty darn efficient Decepticon leader!

So, how did Soundwave reacted to Ratbat's leadership? Pre and post-leadership?

Although he was a cassette-former, there was never any implication that Ratbat and Soundwave were connected, at least not like Soundwave and the rest of the cassette 'Cons were.

Actually Soundwave never had the intimate bond with the cassettes in the comics as he had in the cartoon. They were fully independent Decepticons that happened to be housed within his chest - although Ratbat wasn't one of them. Soundwave followed Ratbat's command just as he would any other Decepticon commander. The only Decepticon leader he really ever questioned was Scorponok around the time of the Decepticon Civil War, although that was partially as a result of Starscream's scheme to sow seeds of dissent amongst Scorponok's Decepticon ranks.

actually i thought ratbat only bought them as mercenarys in the comics?

oh and also uhhhh jhiaxus maybe?

KING STARSCREAM!

lol. he was funny.