Vertex is the main antagonist of the 2009 Canadian animated series Rollbots.
He is voiced by Colin Murdock, who also voiced Canaletto from Oban Star-Racers in the English dub, and voiced Thrust in Transformers: Armada.
Biography[]
Vertex makes his first appearance in his lair where he admonishes his men who are bickering over the stolen money. After, he asks them if they are feared and if they have not been followed by Keiz'atsu, the police of Flip City. Faced with the lack of seriousness, Vertex makes them understand that they will never rule Flip City if they do not inspire fear and dominate the police. As he opens the chest containing the loot, Vertex gets a call. He answers and explains to the person on the other end of the phone that the plan is in motion and that Flip City will soon fall down.
When he returns, he intercepts Spin who was escaping with the loot. Turning into Spiderbot, he fights with the protagonist. Spin manages to hold him back by putting an iron bar in his mouth and knocking over a column on him. Vertex manages to free himself and grabs Spin with his claws. He asks the hero if he has anything to say before he dies. Spin tries to put them under arrest. Vertex and his men laugh at him because the law has no value with the crime lord. Before Vertex can kill Spin, Spin breaks free of his grip and runs away with the tank containing the stolen money, passing under Vertex's body. The evil robot sends his men after him. The evil robot orders one of his men to stop him. The minion grabs the loot, but a Rollbot who was in the box frightens him, allowing Spin to recover it and flee with it. Vertex sends his men after him and secretly laughs at the fact they think this is just about money.
Manx, a henchwoman of Vertex, later calls him to say she and the other minions have located the octavo. It’s in a restricted area of the hubs library. Vertex orders to move fast, as the possession of the octavo will allow him to have full control of the hub and by consequent, of the whole city. The criminals eventually get it. Vertex is enjoyed and wants it back in his lair without delay.
Unfortunately, the octavo is smashed. Vertex isn’t pleased to hear this. A minion says he was able to read the octavo and have its info stored in himself. Vertex says it’s not enough and wants the device itself. However, Vertex accepts to listen to him when asked if he has a Dimex key. The octavo is revealed to contain a map on 11 artifacts that Rollbots’ ancestors have hidden around the city. These combined form a weapon apparently so powerful it’ll anyone in its possession to rule over the city. The minion is anxious to do it, but Vertex doesn’t intend to share power and silences him. He goes back with the other goons and tells them to train for their next mission. He also says that the guy who has the information of the octavo has become indisposed.
Vertex wants to disable the safety net holding Flip City in the airs. To do this, he sends her henchwoman to steal some orbs at the museum. She succeeds the mission and goes back with the other minions to stock these, but they’re defeated by the Keiz'atsu, much to his annoyance.
Later, Vertex gives them an ECS (Extraction Circuit Scorcher), which a single blast can destroy a Rollbot’s circuitry. To demonstrate it, he orders Botch to shoot another minion with the ESC. He then sends Botch to scorcher all the Keiz'atsu units. When it’s done, he orders to round up some hoodlum’s thugs to burn a market. Manx asks why they don’t do it themselves, but Vertex firmly tells her to not question him. The thugs are brought up to Vertex. The criminal then calls Mayor Aria to say he apprehended the criminals. Since, she doesn’t know who he is, she gives him her trust and congratulates him for doing the job of the FCPD. Vertex tells her to call him again if he can help again. However, the Keiz'atsus have found a way to repair themselves. Vertex sends Botch to the FCPD to scorch them again, but he is intercepted by Spin. Angered by him interfering against his plan, he orders his death, orders Manx to help Botch, and leaves.
Some days after, Vertex shows electromagnets to his goons. He also reveals he made the one who can handle this escape from prison, Manx’s foe Phaze, and he offers him the gadget. The mission of the new recruit is to go to Pengi Park, a park of Flip City, to destroy everything. Vertex wants an object located there, and in exchange, he promises the electromagnets and what will be left of Pengi Park to the bot. The object is unique because it can’t be magnetized. When Phaze and the others are gone, Vertex has a talk with a mysterious person and reveals the item is a doomsday device. Watching over his men, he warns them cops are approaching. They eventually find the item and bring it back to the crime lord. The latter takes the little piece put into it and stores it preciously.
After, Vertex realizes that Spin has a mysterious power, which is the significant increase in his speed when he rolls. He orders Botch and Macro to go and get him because the energy spent to use this power would be useful to him. To do so, the bandits capture Spin’s friend to use him as a bait. Spin proves to be difficult to catch. Vertex orders his goons to bring the bait to him and sends Manx to capture Spin. In the hub, Manx tries to get the test results of Spin’s medical record, but gets detained by the staff. Botch and Macro fail to catch Spin. Annoyed at their failure, Vertex sends them to the hub, but they have the same fate as Manx.
When released, Vertex sends them to search the Contrab, a device to trap Flip City into a continual time loop. They bring in the scientist responsible for his development, and goes with Vertex’s gang to test it in the hub.
Vertex decides to take more part in the action and ambushes Spin from the ceiling when he takes the Contrab. With one swipe of his paw, he pushes Spin back against the wall of the hub. However, the Keiz'atsus intervene and the police chief, Captain Pounder, fights against the robotic crime lord. Although Pounder seems to have the upper hand at first, Vertex takes him in his mouth and throws him at the wall. He then intercepts Spin running away with the Contrab, and puts a pipe on Pounder to make sure he won’t interfere. Spin throws the Contrab to his associate Jenny, but the latter is frozen by Botch’s laser. Manx gives the Contrab to Vertex who plugs it to the hub. At the same time, he reveals that the time will stop so Flip City will be under Vertex’s thumb, to Manx’s horror. The result is a big wave destabilizing the whole city. Angry, Vertex grabs the scientist who brought the Contrab and throws him at the wall. The hub’s floor fissures itself under Vertex, who falls down, unable to escape.
Spin manages to fix the time disorder caused by Vertex, and comes back at the moment where he is attacked by the villain. Vertex tries to grab the Contrab from Spin, but accidentally breaks it because of his claws. Hearing the Keiz'atsus arriving, he swears he will see Spin before fleeing in the ceiling.
Vertex’s next attempt is to have his minions steal some members of the Rollbots (called limbs), build a high-bot with the stolen limbs, put a massive power siphon (MPS) on him, and sends him to the FCPT in order to drain the power of the cops and make them powerless. Vertex is greatly annoyed by Macro’s idiocy, as he brought two left legs in a previous attempt, and threatens him to death if he fails again. Macro brings two different legs the next time and Vertex allows him to live another day. The plan nearly succeeds, but Pounder grabs the high bot and throws him away before the MPS explodes, much to Vertex’s frustration.
He comes again with a new plan, which is to put booby traps in a new district of Flip City, the Project 10. He also manages to control the Zurasho workers, who build the buildings. The goal is to kill the mayor Aria and every tribe bots leader present at the inauguration. However, Octo, the main responsible of the project, makes the new district fall, and Spin removes the Zurashos of Vertex’s control. The latter isn’t pleased about this.
He then concocts a plan to send his henchmen to the city hall. Macro will literally invert the building with the 180 bot mod, giving access to the hall by the platform below. Test has already been made on the project 180. Manx is skeptical about the plan, no seeing what this is about, but Vertex furiously reminds her to follow his instructions and orders his henchbots to go before he loses his patience. The reason is to take a medaillon on the City Hall’s roof. The henchbots succeed and bring it back to Vertex, albeit losing the 180 bot mod in the process. Macro apologizes to Vertex for this, only to be bluntly dismissed and told to get out by the crime boss.
The next mission is to penetrate in the bot mod repair sector to allow Vertex to access and download data of every bot mod to be invincible against every Rollbot in Flip City. Manx informs him this is the tightest security in the hub, but Vertex doesn’t care and sarcastically assures Manx she will find a way to access it. He also informs his goons that the mission must be done absolutely in secret. On the road, Manx realizes an invisibility mod bot exists and is carried by a fangbot, she decides to bring it to Vertex after taking it. Spin follows her, but faints because of lack of energy and is found and made captive by Vertex. The villain orders Botch and Macro to take the bot from the dog-robot if they don’t want consequences. He then goes to his office and hacks the hub’s system to wrong the Keiz’atsus about Spin’s location.
Vertex returns to see if the fangbot is visible again, but finds Macro and Botch imprisoned in the cage instead. Annoyed, he orders Manx to release them, but she is attacked by Spin using the invisibility mod bot. Vertex however manages to grab Spin and take off the invisibility device. Having taken it and about to use it, he is attacked by the fangbot, who runs away with it.
Flip City Grand Prix is organized. Vertex has his minions install a pulse box charger, a device whose explosion fries the electrical circuits to any bots reached by its shockwave, on the racetrack to give shocks to the bots and tasks them to find a lever and to high boost central. Botch assures Vertex everything goes as planned. The latter firmly grabs it and threatens him saying he is better to have right. According to Vertex, it will be fast as Kei’zatsus are providing security for the event. When Manx, Botch, and Macro arrives to the race, Vertex calls the FCPD and announces them he has a pulse box charger put to the race destined to explode at the end of the race. He threatens to set it off if the cops try to stop the race or evacuate the participants. Vertex has in fact installed the device in the arc indicating the finishing line. Spin take the structure and sends it to explode far away. Vertex is annoyed but this does not endanger his plan, as his goons have recuperated the lever and with it, the little medallion.
The villain’s next plan is to recuperate another medallion in some blades, located in Flip City power generator. To do so, Vertex feigns to start a fire in a park to alert the Kei’zatsus. In reality, he has his minions just cutting off tires of trees to set up fire alarm. This being only a test, he now orders his minions to start fires in apartment complexes and go into the grid to seek the blades. They succeed, but Vertex berates them for nearly being caught by Spin. He angrily chases them off, recuperates the medallion and places with the others, forming a sort of paw.
In his next move, he acquires a sophisticated technology named the Quantum Phase Changer, who sends anyone touching it into another dimension. He makes a demonstration to his minions by experimenting it on Botch. The bot disappears momentarily and reappears right away, deeply troubled. Vertex then instructs his henchbots to use it on Flip City’s population while the Koppa Festival is celebrated to find another artifact. The Quantum Phase Changer is released on Flip City’s hub, much to Vertex’ satisfaction, but he then sees Botch playing at video games. Annoyed, he sends him join Macro and Manx. All the bots in the bazar vanish due to being touched. But Spin, who go in there to see what is wrong, mysteriously dodges the engine. After several tentative, an enraged Vertex orders Manx to go in to find the artifact and dispose of Spin. Botch and Macro are victims of the Quantum Phase Changer. Manx protests, but Vertex says it is not his fault and orders Manx to drop her attitude, otherwise he will make her disappear like the other two. Manx eventually corners Spin, but Vertex wants to take care of him personally because of a personal grudge. While he is about to touch Spin, the engine is shot and destroyed by Tinny. Vertex is confused, but he still recuperates the artifact located in a tripod’s tip. Manx asks why he needs an apparent useless thing, but Vertex abruptly closes the door to the lair, breaks the tip, recuperates the small card, and places it among the others while laughing evilly.
Botch, on his hand, decides to disobey Vertex and goes to find the Optic, an artifact located in Flip City’s cathedral, also searched by Vertex. Realizing the betrayal, the crime boss sends Macro and Manx to bring back the Optic. They are chased off by the Zogensha, the guardians of the cathedral. In the meantime, Vertex convokes a criminal triad to discuss things, but the leader is quickly butchered by the villain. After, Vertex angrily orders Manx and Macro to clean the scene and seeing Botch has come back, takes the Optic out of his hands and pushes him away.
Another day, Vertex figures out by his surveillance system that a new maintenance robot has been built to fix Flip City’ problems. He decides to hijack it to serve as a distraction in order to recuperate an artifact located on the city’s gear. The henchbots hijacks the robot, but after Vertex reminds Manx of the mission and she brings back the artifact, a small golden wheel. Manx, skeptical about the usefulness, asks to Vertex why he needs this. Vertex answers that it doesn’t concern Manx, but the former Keiz’atsu stands up to her boss. Angered of her defiance, Vertex smashes her with the wheel and warns her to remind for who she is working for. He then goes back to his lair, but he spots Spin stealing the artifact. Taking matter on his own hands, he chases the bot around Flip City until the police headquarters. Succeeding to take back the thing, he fools Pounder and Mayor Aria by making himself look like a Rollbot. This results in Spin getting terminated from his job by Pounder. Before he leaves, Spin declares to Vertex that their conflict isn't over.
Vett, another spiderbot, arrives from the airs and wreaks havoc on Flip City. Annoyed by the fact he is here without being told first, Vertex sends his henchbots to seek him by any means necessary. Manx asks how they capture him because of his superior strength, but Vertex ignores the question and sends them on their mission. Vett comes to see Vertex on his own. The latter explains his annoyance and disagreement on Vett’s presence, apparently threatening his own plan. When Manx asks who Vett is, the spiderbot grabs her leg, much to Vertex’s indifference. After throwing her on the ground, Vett leaves Vertex’s lair and the latter orders his goons to bring him back again.
Vertex then assigns the most important mission to Manx and Botch (Macro is inexplicably missing). On Vett’ orders, they must launch an attack on the Keiz’atsu. The real goal is revealed to take another artifact (the last one) to bring it to Vertex. However, Spin learns that if Vertex collects all the artifacts of Flip City, the safety grid will be shut down and the whole city will fall, causing the deaths of all Rollbots. The cathedral plays also a part on the protection, but Vett manages to successfully destroy it.
Returning to Vertex’s base, Manx overhears a conversation between him and Vett, revealing the true intentions of Vertex. However, before Manx can hear more, she hits some metal posts that fall to the ground, alerting Vertex and Vett. Spotted by a spy drone, Manx is seen by Vertex because of this. Not wanting his plan to be publicly devoiled, Vertex lies to Botch by saying Manx betrayed the group and promises him a promotion if he disposes of her.
Spin goes to confront Vertex to prevent him to carry out his plan. Faced with his foe, Vertex chases Spin, who rolls away from him. Spin gets grabbed, but manages to free himself, and runs away. When chasing him, Vertex slides on the roof and takes an unconscious Botch as a shield against Spin. Dropping Botch down, he is about to finish Spin off, but is stopped by Pounder.
It is there when the truth is revealed. Spin is in fact the last member of the Zushin tribe, the others having been exterminated by Vertex a long time ago. Pounder protected Spin and lost an eye because of Vertex.
Vett managing to assemble all the artifacts together, the safety net begins to withdraw. Vertex laughs it off and announces an army of spiderbots under his command will invade Flip City in the night and destroy every bots here. Pounder and Spin engage in a fight against Vertex and stuck him under a stack of trash. However, he frees himself and rushes against the two heroes. Pounder tries to stop him, but Vertex pushes him to a ledge on the city platform, from which they fall into the void due to a hole formed in the net, but not before Vertex warms Spin that every Rollbot will die once the spiderbots get into the city eventually.
Personality[]
Vertex is a sinister, psychopathic, and sadistic spiderbot seeking the deaths of all the inhabitants of Flip City to allow the members of his own tribe to take it over. It's implied he holds a high rank among his species, being the superior of Vett. However, they don't seem to like each other very much. Vertex has also not care for the rogue bots under his command, hiding his true intentions from them and abusing them the moment they queston him.
He is also extremely deceitful, manipulative, and able to fake politeness when it suits him. It's best seen during his interaction with the mayor Aria when he says he has captured several troublemakers in Flip City.
Gallery[]
