Swindle

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“	It's... it's not my fault, Megatron! This greed is built into my personality component!	„
	~ Swindle, B.O.T

Swindle is a greedy con-artist Decepticon and is a major antagonist that appears throughout the Transformers franchise. Though his loyalties lie with Megatron, he is known for being a neutral weapons dealer who uses the war between the Autobots and Decepticons to his advantage by selling arms to both sides. He is also a Combaticon.

Generation One

Wings Universe

Swindle's involvement in the Wings Universe comics produced by the Transformers Collectors Club act as prequels to the cartoon.

Season 2

Swindle was among a group of five renegade Decepticons whose personality components were rescued by Starscream as part of his latest scheme to overthrow Megatron. Swindle's personality component was put in a Willys Jeep, one of several abandoned World War II vehicles. Starscream called them "Combaticons" and announced their names as they transformed, but they did not recognize him. Starscream only guaranteed their loyalty though having given them bodies bereft of energy absorbers, so they would be dependent upon him to refuel. While they were initially sucessful, the Stunticons' intervention meant the brigade's defeat, and Megatron exiled all six to a remote asteroid.

The Combaticons later escaped the asteroid and attacked Cybertron together as Bruticus. After being defeated again, Swindle and the Combaticons were reprogrammed to be loyal to Megatron.

Season 3

Swindle was among the Decepticons who went into exile on Chaar after the events of the movie. When they were contacted by the Quintessons, Swindle was selected to negotiate with them and was happy to accept their deal to attack the Autobots in exchange for energon. When Galvatron arrived to take charge, Swindle attempted to get a more favourable deal out of him before being part of the team that attacked Autobot City on Earth.

Swindle took part in a few more of Galvatron's plans and was part of a delegation that complained to Cyclonus about his unstable leadership. He was later sent to steal Metroplex's transformation cog, defeating First Aid in the process. His attempt to sell it to Galvatron instead of just handing it over was not well-received. He was later among those infected with the Hate Plague.

The Rebirth

Swindle was part of Galvatron's assault on Cybertron and put to work constructing engines to move the whole planet through space. His fate after Galvatron and the new Headmasters and Targetmasters were flung off into space was unclear.

Marvel's the Transformers

Swindle was created after Shockwave managed to hack into a vision from the Matrix about the future of the Transformers race. He and the other Combaticons accompanied Megatron in raiding a computer complex to steal a hydrothermocline. They were resisted by Optimus Prime and the Protectobots who they ended up battling in a virtual reality simulation. Swindle and Brawl ambushed Streetwise and First Aid but were defeated when the pair were assisted by the simulation's living vines.

After taking part in a convoy moving to the Decepticons' new base, Swindle and the other Combaticons were sent with Soundwave to destroy the volcano containing Galvatron and Ultra Magnus. Swindle was taken out of the subsequent battle with a group of humans when a jeep full of explosives was crashed into him. The Combaticons subsequently tracked the Throttlebots to a car lot and ended up in a three-way confrontation with the Protectobots and the human anti-robot organisation RAAT. Swindle tried to kill the car lot's owner, Big Steve Irwin, as a distraction but was stopped by Blaster. The Combaticons attacked the Protectobots again at a disused railway but were defeated by Blaster again despite forming Bruticus.

Swindle was later sent by Ratbat as part of the force ambushing the Autobots on the moon and acted as part of the island resort staff as cover for the Decepticons' search for the tapes containing details of the Underbase. He later served Scorponok in stealing military hardware to construct a smart bomb and ambushing the Protectobots.

Generation 2

After Megatron retook command of the Decepticons from Bludgeon, Swindle showed him around the Decepticons' Warworld headquarters. He was apparently killed when the Warworld was attacked by Jhiaxus not long after.

IDW Comics

Main article: Swindle (IDW Comics)

Transformers Cinematic Universe

Transformers the Game

In the game Transformers, Swindle serves as a main antagonist in the Autobot campaign. This version of Swindle is actually more of a mindless army of drones, being several enemy squads of nameless, characterless foot soldiers used simply as a nuisance to stop the player from advancing.

There were Autobot counterparts used to battle the player in the Decepticon campaign as well, and both sides were voiced by Fred Tatascoire (grunts only).

Transformers: Animated

Main article: Swindle (Transformers Animated)

Aligned Universe

Main article: Swindle (FOC)

Trivia

• Swindle is voiced by Johnny Heymer in the G1 cartoon, Fred Tatascoire in the games, the late Fred Willard in Animated, and Steve Blum in Fall of Cybertron.