Mindwipe is a Decepticon Headmaster and an antagonist in the Transformers G1 cartoon. He also appears as an antagonist in the Japanese sequel anime Transformers: The Headmasters.
History[]
The Transformers[]
Mindwipe was part of the team of Decepticons who participated in an operation to seize the key to the Plasma Energy Chamber from the Autobots. During the battle, the key was briefly used to open the Plasma Energy Chamber, causing it to throw both the key and several Autobots across the galaxy to the planet Nebulos. Mindwipe and several other Decepticons were then sent to Nebulos to retrieve the key.
In the initial scuffle on the planet, the Decepticons managed to capture several of the Autobots, but the Autobots managed to rescue their allies by becoming binary bonded to a group of Nebulan rebels, turning them into powerful "Headmasters". After being defeated by the Autobot Headmasters, Mindwipe and the Decepticons were forced to flee into the wilderness of Nebulos. They soon encountered Nebulos' corrupt ruling council, the Hive, and were brought before them. The Decepticons made a deal with the Hive's leader Lord Zarak to become binary-bonded with the members of the Hive to combat the Autobot Headmasters. Mindwipe's head was thus re-engineered to become an exo-suit for the Hive scientist Vorath. Though Vorath was reluctant to be paired with a "mangy night-scavenger", Mindwipe simply hypnotized Vorath and forced him to combine with him.
The Decepticon Headmasters then launched an attack the Autobots. Using his extra-sensory powers, Mindwipe discovered that the Autobot Brainstorm was the one holding onto the Plasma Energy Chamber key. After having Vorath shoot the Autobot, the Decepticons took the key from his fallen body and all returned to Cybertron with their new Hive allies to help Galvatron fight off the Autobots on the planet.
In the battle for Cybertron, Mindwipe fought and defeated Ultra Magnus with assistance from Weirdwolf and Apeface. Galvatron then used the key to open the chamber, planning to use it to destroy Cybertron and Earth. After Galvatron's plan was foiled, Mindwipe and the Decepticons escaped aboard Scorponok, only for a plasma energy shot to knock them into the depths of space.
The Headmasters[]
Four million years ago, Mindwipe was among a group of Cybertronians who left Cybertron under the leadership of Fortress to escape the eternal war that had consumed the planet. After crash landing on the planet Master, the Cybertronians made several technological quantum leaps to survive in the planet's inhospitable atmosphere and rapidly-changing environments, including the creation of larger, lifeless Transformer bodies called transtectors that would allow them to become "Headmasters". However, Mindwipe and several others ended up rebelling against Fortress and siding with a traitor named Scorponok.
The traitorous Headmasters later pledged their allegiance to the Decepticon leader Galvatron and in the year 2011 they joined the Decepticons in a massive assault on Cybertron to seize control of the Cybertronian supercomputer Vector Sigma so they could use it to establish Decepticon control over Cybertron.
After the death of Scorponok, Mindwipe and the other Decepticon Headmasters were forced to flee Earth.
The Headmasters[]
Mindwipe was part of Scorponok's forces on Cybertron, who found that the Autobots had fled their base. Mindwipe detected strange sounds from a nearby console, which turned out to be a signal coming from the planet Nebulos. Once translated, the transmission revealed that Fortress Maximus's Autobots had settled on the planet, and Mindwipe was among Scorponok's strike team who headed to Nebulos to exact revenge.
After their initial attack was defeated thanks to Fortress Maximus and several of his senior officers being upgraded to Headmasters, Mindwipe and several other members of Scorponok's inner circle similarly underwent the Headmaster process. Battling their opposite numbers again, Mindwipe hypnotised a group of Nebulans into walking into danger, causing the Autobots to break off from the fight to save them, with the Decepticons shooting them all down immediately afterwards.
The Autobots subsequently escaped and Mindwipe was part of a team that ambushed a group of the Headmasters, who were on their way to rescue the Targetmasters Pointblank, Sureshot and Crosshairs. Mindwipe broke off the attack after the rest of his group were overcome, since it was merely a ruse to stop the Headmasters realising they were walking into a trap.
Arrival on Earth[]
Mindwipe and the rest of Scorponok's group subsequently followed Fortress Maximus' group to Earth. Mindwipe was part of the initial landing party who encountered first the human Spike Witwicky and then the Autobot Headmasters. After initially gaining the upper hand, they were driven back when Spike managed to gain control of Fortress Maximus, whose Nebulan partner Galen had been killed during the battle. Mindwipe was later present when Scorponok upgraded a number of his troops into Pretenders.
Time Wars[]
Mindwipe joined Scorponok in ambushing Highbrow and trying to hypnotise him into joining the Decepticons. The plan was a failure and resulted in Highbrow stealing Scorponok's head. Mindwipe followed Misfire in pursuing him and, although the intervention of Highbrow's fellow Autobots initially thwarted them, Mindwipe used the distraction caused by the arrival of a group of future Autobots to retrieve the head and revive Scorponok. He was one of the few members of Scorponok's command to not be shunted into limbo by the arrival of the future Decepticons and thus join the alliance between the four factions against Galvatron. However, when Scorponok was injured by friendly fire, Mindwipe, together with Triggerhappy and Snapdragon, instead tore into Ultra Magnus before fleeing the battle.
Underbase Saga[]
Mindwipe was later among Scorponok's senior staff when they made contact with Ratbat's Earth Decepticons to try and pool resources. However, talks broke down when Scorponok's group instead learned that Ratbat was secretly hoping to gain the power of the Underbase. In fact, both groups were being manipulated by Starscream, who tricked them into fighting each other and then the Autobots, allowing him to obtain the Underbase powers.
Decepticon Civil War[]
Mindwipe was with the Decepticons who accompanied Scorponok to MacDill Air Force Base to break up a confrontation between the Autobots and the Air Strike Patrol. The mission was disrupted first by both the Air Strike Patrol and all the Autobots bar Optimus Prime and Hot Rod vacating the scene, and then by the arrival of Starscream, rebuilt as a Pretender and brainwashed into serving Megatron. Mindwipe was one of the many that Starscream shot down before his original personality reasserted itself and he quickly pledged his loyalty to Scorponok.
Mindwipe was one of the many furious at Scorponok allowing Starscream to join them, even more so when Starscream promptly deserted. Mindwipe and Triggerhappy deserted themselves, only to immediately run into Starscream and be pressganged into joining the rogue Decepticon faction led by Shockwave. They joined them in attacking Scorponok's base, fighting his troops while Scorponok and Shockwave personally battled elsewhere. Mindwipe hypnotised Soundwave, field commander of Scorponok's forces, intending to have him order a surrender, but immediately found himself surrounded by the Autobots, who instead had him order a truce between the three groups.