Breakdown (Generation One)

Evil-doer
Full Name	Breakdown
Alias	None
Origin	The Transformers
Occupation	Decepticon Scout
Powers / Skills	Transforms into car Capable of causing mechanical failure in others Combines with other Stunticons to form Menasor
Hobby	Being paranoid
Goals	Serve the Decepticon cause Gain new fuel sources
Crimes	Terrorism Theft Incrimination
Type of Villain	Paranoid Minion

Breakdown is a minor antagonist in Generation One of the Transformers franchise. He is a member of the Stunticons.

He was voiced by Alan Oppenheimer, who also voiced Gmork in The Never Ending Story, Skeletor in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and Ming the Merciless in the 1979 Flash Gordon cartoon. In "The Key to Vector Sigma", he was voiced by Jack Angel, who also voiced Cyclonus (in "The Return of Optimus Prime" and "The Rebirth"), Ramjet, and one of the Hyena Clan in The Lion King.

Biography

G1 Cartoon

Breakdown first appeared alongside the other Stunticons in "The Key to Vector Sigma", when Megatron decided he needed a group of Decepticons who could challenge the Autobots on the road. He created the Stunticons from a group of stolen cars, giving them personalities with the Vector Sigma computer. They raided a military base, with the raid blamed on the Autobots. They were ultimately defeated by new Autobot unit the Aerialbots.

Breakdown continued to function as one of the Decepticons on Earth. In "Masquerade", he was taken out by Grapple, resulting in him and the other Stunticons being captured by the Autobots, who then posed as the Stunticons, with Sideswipe taking on the role of Breakdown. The real Breakdown managed to free himself and the other Stunticons but too late to stop the Autobots sabotaging the Decepticons' new cannon.

Breakdown went into exile on Chaar with the other Decepticons after the events of the movie. He last appeared in "The Return of Optimus Prime" where he was among the Decepticons who accompanied Galvatron in pursuing Optimus Prime's body only to be infected by the Hate Plague.

Marvel Comics

Breakdown first appeared in the Marvel UK story "Second Generation" when the Matrix gave Optimus Prime and Buster Witwicky a vision of the Transformers' future. The vision was intercepted by Shockwave, who began construction of Breakdown and the others.

In US Issue #22, Breakdown and the other Stunticons were brought online by Megatron using power drawn from the Matrix. Their first job was to spoil the Autobots' good publicity by causing havoc on a motorway and pretending to be allied with the Autobot Skids. They were then attacked by the Aerialbots and formed Menasor to combat them.

Breakdown continued to appear among the Earth Decepticons until after Ratbat took command. His last appearance was in the Underbase Saga, so he may have been deactivated during either the battle with Scorponok's Decepticons, the battle with the Autobots that followed or the conflict with the Underbase-powered Starscream.

Breakdown appeared in Marvel UK's Earthforce storyline, initially at the Enclave between Megatron's and Shockwave's Decepticon factions. In the final story arc, "End of the Road", Breakdown, Dead End and Drag Strip provided back-up for Motormaster after he kidnapped the human journalist Irwin Spoon. Breakdown took Jazz out by ramming him, but was left damaged himself as a result.

The post-movie version of the character appeared in "The Legacy of Unicron", preparing to execute Cyclonus and Scourge before Death's Head announced Shockwave was dead and forced the Decepticons to accept Cyclonus and Scourge as their new leaders.