| “ | High Guard, eject! | „ |
| ~ Soundwave commanding the High Guard and his most famous line. |
Soundwave is a supporting character in the 2024 animated film Transformers One. He was a member of Cybertron's High Guard, acting as one of Starscream's lieutenants, specifically as his second-in-command and chief spymaster, until he was defeated and overthrown by D-16. He and Shockwave then briefly assisted Orion Pax and Elita-1 in rescuing their captured comrades from Sentinel Prime's forces.
Following Sentinel Prime's death, Soundwave and the rest of the High Guard joined with D-16, having now named himself Megatron, and assisted in destroying Iacon, out of revenge for Sentinel's crimes. Eventually, he and the rest were banished from Iacon, in which they rechristened themselves as the Decepticons.
He is voiced by Jon Bailey, who also voiced his Reboot Film counterpart and Shockwave in the Transformers reboot films.
Appearance[]
Soundwave is a blue Decepticon, with a sleek, angular body, predominantly dark blue with silver accents. His chest features a rectangular, glass-like window with a yellow border, reminiscent of a cassette deck. His shoulders are broad and squared, with one housing a cylindrical cannon. The shoulder cannon can rotate to be on either shoulder. His legs are blocky, with silver details on the thighs and lower legs. His head has a visor-like reddish-orange eyeslit, and a mouthplate that gives him a stoic, expressionless look.
His alt mode is a Cybertronian hovercraft or dropship-style vehicle that has a sleek design that makes it bolky but built for stealth, compact, and high-tech feel. This design resembles a futuristic jet or drone-like hovercraft, consistent with his alt modes in other Cybertron-based depictions like War for Cybertron or Fall of Cybertron. The transformation design keeps his iconic chest window and general blocky build, maintaining visual continuity with his G1 look.
Upon being outcasted from Iacon, he gains an insignia of the Decepticons on his chest and his visor turns to red.
Personality[]
Compared to the rest of the Cybertronian High Guard, Soundwave is cold-hearted, calculating, vengeful, and fiercely loyal. He prioritizes logic over emotion, rarely showing any hint of personal feelings. As a master spy and communications officer, he is highly intelligent, always listening, gathering, and analyzing information to gain the upper hand. Soundwave's loyalty to his leader is unwavering, and he remains dedicated to the cause without question. His silence and ability to blend into the background make him a formidable presence, always observing and ready to strike when the moment is right. Despite his seemingly emotionless demeanor, he is ruthless when carrying out his duties. He also showed a unnerved sigh when Airachnid shows eyes behind her head. Like the rest of the High Guard, he seems to despise Sentinel intensely. He is also a firm believer of the High Guard code of the strongest should rule, as when he fully backs D-16 after he defeats Starscream, and kills Sentinel. He additionally followed Orion's command after Elita helped Shockwave pay attention. His loyalty to D-16 was absolute due to D-16 fulfilling his promise to kill Sentinel that he directly intervened with his duel with Optimus to help while in the High Guard base he allowed D-16 defeat Starscream and even stopped Shockwave from intervening.
Biography[]
Just like many of the members of the High Guard, Soundwave was recruited by the Thirteen Primes along with their chief advisor Sentinel, and was given the job to lead the High Guard. With the High Guard, Soundwave helped the Primes protect Cybertron against threats like the Quintessons. But after seeing Sentinel's betrayal as he slaughtered the Primes, Soundwave and the High Guard went into hiding on the surface continuing to fight in the shadows to sabotage Sentinel as they came to believe that might makes right over unifying all of Cybertron. Soundwave eventually became one of Starscream's lieutenants.
Following Orion Pax, D-16, Elita-1, and B-127's escape from the Trackers, they unknowingly trespassed into the High Guard's hiding spot, where they were mistaken for spies and captured for interrogation under Starscream's supervision. Starscream then offered the four bots two options: either they suffer a slow and painful death or they give up intel about Sentinel for a quick cleaner death. Soundwave scanned Orion's electrical impulses and informed Starscream that Orion was speaking the truth, but Starscream rebuked him and claimed it only meant Orion believed what he was saying. When a fight broke out between Starscream and D-16, Soundwave silently stopped Shockwave from intervening with a single gesture. After D-16 defeated Starscream, Soundwave cheered for his new leader.
However, Airachnid and the Death Trackers managed to track down the High Guard's hideout and got half of the High Guard captured (including D-16, Starscream, and B-127). Recovering from the attack, Soundwave and Shockwave debated on what to do next, but Orion and Elita recruited him and the remaining High Guard to rescue everyone who had been captured. Soundwave argued that they didn't not have enough soldiers or a way inside Sentinel's tower, Orion assured that he could find more help and Elita could get them a way inside. Shockwave and Soundwave went with Elita to take control of one of the Energon trains, and once they were in Iacon, Soundwave ordered the High Guard to eject as the Death Trackers charged at them. Despite being overwhelmed, Orion came with the reinforcements, then Airachnid attack Orion and crashed into the front of the train where they crashed into the Sentinel's tower.
Soundwave freed the prisoners and fought Sentinel's forces. Once D-16 killed Sentinel and renamed himself as Megatron, Soundwave obliged his order to attack Iacon, only to be interrupted by a returned Orion - now rechristened Optimus Prime. He then rushed in to engage Optimus in combat but got bashed in the head by one of Starscream's missile by Optimus. After the newly christened Optimus Prime defeated Megatron in battle, Soundwave was banished alongside Megatron and the High Guard. In their exile, the group was rechristened the Decepticons, and the faction's insignia based on the face of Megatronus Prime was branded onto Soundwave's chest.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
Cybertronian Physiology: As a Cybertronian, Soundwave possesses numerous enhanced abilities due to his mechanical nature.
- Superhuman Strength: Soundwave’s physical strength far exceeds that of ordinary Cybertronians, allowing him to overpower most opponents with ease.
- Superhuman Durability: His body is highly resistant to damage, making him capable of withstanding heavy attacks and harsh environments without sustaining significant injury.
- Superhuman Speed: Soundwave moves with exceptional speed, outpacing most Cybertronians and performing swift maneuvers in battle.
- Superhuman Agility: Despite his size, Soundwave exhibits remarkable agility, allowing him to perform complex movements and dodge attacks with precision.
- Superhuman Stamina: He can operate for extended periods without tiring, making him highly effective in prolonged combat scenarios.
- Superhuman Reflexes: Soundwave’s advanced reflexes enable him to react to threats in a fraction of a second, giving him an edge in fast-paced battles.
- Flight: Unlike Seekers, Soundwave lacks rocket thrusters/jet boosters in his robot mode. Although he can fly in his alternate mode at great speed.
- Longevity: Like all Cybertronians, Soundwave can live for millions of years, making him nearly ageless and able to withstand the passage of time without physical degradation.
- Sonic Blasts: Soundwave can emit sonic blasts that can either be used offensively to destroy enemies and disable stasis cuffs. Alternatively Soundwave's sonic blasts can allow him to use telepathy by scanning electrical impulses in other Cybertronians, as seen with him doing this to see if Orion Pax was lying or not during an interrogation.
- Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Emission: Soundwave's sonic blasts can also generate EMP charges, effectively disabling electronic devices and systems within a certain radius. This capability is particularly useful for neutralizing enemy technology during missions.
- Neural Scanning: One of Soundwave's distinctive features, is his capacity to scan the electrical impulses of other Cybertronians' brains. This ability allows him to detect lies and deceptions, making him an invaluable interrogator and intelligence officer.
- Transformation: Soundwave can turn into a Cybertronian jet, allowing him to fly at extreme speeds. Soundwave can manifest various weapons and equipment from his body, including his shoulder blaster and comm units for comminucation.
Abilities[]
- Expert Combatant: Soundwave is a highly powerful fighter in advanced combat, combining hand-to-hand techniques, weapon usage and even switching between robot and vehicle forms partially or fully to maintain an edge. According to the Transformers Roleplaying Game, Soundwave is an expert fighter with his Mini-Cassettes. He manage to survive an Tracker attack and easily take down many Trackers in Iacon. He also manage to fight Optimus Prime the longest in close-combat, but was the first one to be defeated.
Gallery[]
Promotional[]
_Concept_Art.jpg "Soundwave (One) Concept Art.jpg (207 KB)")
Images[]
Quotes[]
| “ | Scanning for electrical impulses. He speaks the truth. | „ |
| ~ Soundwave to Starscream after he scanned Orion. |
| “ | Orion Pax: Uh, Shockwave, Soundwave. You in the back. In order to save our captured friends, we have to act now. Shockwave: How about I blast you back to Iaco- (Elita-1 punches Shockwave in the eye) ARRGHH!! Oh, she punched me in my eye! Elita-1: Everyone, shut up! All of you (Points at Orion Pax), listen to him. (Shockwave and Soundwave look at Orion Pax) Orion Pax: Most likely our friends are being held captive at the top of Sentinel's Tower. A surprise attack would give us a chance to rescue them. Soundwave: Impossible. We do not have enough soldiers, or a way inside. Orion Pax: Elita will get us in, and I will get more troops. Shockwave: Why should we follow YOU? (Elita-1 brings her fist to her palm, threatening Shockwave) Shockwave: We will follow you. Soundwave: Attention High Guard, prepare for battle. What is our first move? Orion Pax: (Quietly and dramatically) We roll out... Skywarp: ...What?! Elita-1: (Whispers) Louder. Orion Pax: (Loudly) Transform and roll OUT! |
„ |
| ~ Orion Pax and Elita-1 gathering up Shockwave, Soundwave and half of The High Guard to help him rescue D-16, B-127 and other half of The High Guard from Sentinel. |
Trivia[]
- Soundwave has army of Mini-Cassettes, although they aren't used in the film.
- Although in Transformers Roleplaying Game, when Soundwave served as the High Guard’s chief spymaster before the fall of the Primes, it is mention he does have his army of Mini-Cassettes made him a formidable combatant.
- Soundwave's alternate mode is based on the flying transport mode of the Studio Series toy of his reboot film series counterpart.
- While most previous G1-styled Soundwaves are based on the original cartoon character model, this Soundwave instead draws more inspiration from the original G1 toy. As such, he has a yellow visor, his hips have black markings evocative of the toy's transformation hinges, and his general profile is much wider and more broad than the original cartoon design.
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 Villains
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Iacon City Government Quintessons Decepticons | ||