Windsweeper is a minor antagonist in Generation One of the Transformers franchise. He was based on a figure in the 1988 toyline.
Marvel Comics[]
Windsweeper first appeared in flashback in Marvel US Issue #48, where he and the other Triggercons were seen assisting Megatron on Cybertron millions of years ago. They came into conflict with Optimus Prime and the Triggerbots when they both attempted to locate the Underbase, which Optimus Prime eventually caused to go shooting off into space.
In his first present day appearance in the Marvel UK story "The Rise and Fall of the Decepticon Empire", Windsweeper was among the Decepticons serving the Triumvirate on Cybertron. Megatron appeared and chided the Decepticons for their laziness in letting the Autobots gain further territory. When the Triumvirate attempted to kill Megatron, Windsweeper and the other Triggercons fired first, killing their leaders, and were sent out by Megatron to recruit further troops to his cause.
In his subsequent appearance in "Rage", Windsweeper was part of a team led by Ruckus who travelled to Earth in search of the missing Decepticon leadership candidate Thunderwing. Thunderwing ended up co-opting them for his attack on the Ark, although they were soon beaten back. In the "Demons" storyline, Windsweeper was part of a team investigating deaths in Cybertron's underworld who ended up fighting a group of demons alongside the Autobot Classic Pretenders.
Windsweeper returned to the Marvel US title for the Matrix Quest storyline, where he was part of the squad assembled by Thunderwing who captured the Autobot Headmasters Nightbeat, Hosehead and Siren and learned of their quest for the Creation Matrix. After a brief fight with the Triggerbot Dogfight, the group eventually followed a clue to the planet VsQs where they ended up battling the Classic Pretenders. During the battle, Windsweeper was attacked by a Matrixspawn: He survived the encounter, but the fact Thunderwing was willing to sacrifice him rather than lose a lead on the Matrix increased the feeling of resentment among his troops. The Decepticons gained the Matrix and used the Autobots' shuttle to infiltrate the Ark. Windsweeper and the others acted as mute spectators as Thunderwing, possessed by the Dark Matrix, tore through the Autobots and surrendered without a fight when Thunderwing was defeated.
The UK annual text story "Trigger Happy" saw Windsweeper working for Megatron on Earth, acting as aerial cover alongside Spinister and Needlenose while Ruckus and Crankcase transported some battle plans. The post-movie version of the character appeared in "Aspects of Evil" as part of a strike team that accompanied Galvatron in massacring an Autobot outpost.