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"The Magnificent Six!"
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First published	31 July 1990
Cover date	1991
Writer	Simon Furman
Art	Staz
Colours	Louise Cassell
Continuity	Marvel Comics continuity/Earthforce

Five Autobots must face their past failures, and learn of the horrors of war.

Synopsis

Jazz regrets laughing at Megadeath's new hair style.

More than four million years ago, before Optimus Prime was leader of the Autobots, Prowl, Jazz, Wheeljack, Sunstreaker, Inferno, and Stampede are sent on a mission to Stanix, deep within Decepticon-controlled territory to create chaos. A young and cocky bunch, they label themselves "the Magnificent Six".

After rescuing a group of neutralists from a Decepticon unit led by Steamhammer, they are pinned down under steady bombardment by Thunderwing.

A flippant remark by Sunstreaker after the town's museum is destroyed angers Huxx, the town elder, who convinces the other neutralists to betray their Autobot defenders. They are tortured for seven days by the Decepticon general Megadeath.

After breaking their will, Megadeath challenges the Autobots to stop him from killing Stampede. They are all too afraid to stop him, and watch as Stampede dies horribly. Megadeath releases the Autobots, giving them two hours to find the neutralists before a neutronic explosion will devastate Stanix.

Unable to find the neutralists, the Autobots instead hide, and attack Megadeath when he comes to investigate. Though crippled at ground zero, Megadeath refuses to tell them where the neutralists are, and the Autobots are forced to flee Yuss before the bombs explode.

Demoralized by their experiences, the five survivors claim amnesia after returning to the Autobot Army rather than confront their shame.

In 1990, with the Matrix lost and all hope at a Decepticon alliance ruined, Optimus Prime orders the five survivors (plus Silverbolt) back to Stanix to locate the site where the Underbase once stood, in the hope of tapping into its former power source as an anti-Unicron weapon.

The surviving members of the Magnificent Six are paralyzed by indecision as they pass through the ruins of Yuss—and are ambushed by Megadeath, who now commands the mutated neutralists. Imprisoned in the same Yuss justice building where Stampede was killed, Silverbolt forces the others to overcome their haunted past. They escape, and the five Autobots beat Megadeath nearly to death with their bare hands (well, Prowl uses part of a refrigeration unit). Rather than be put on trial for crimes against the Transformer race, Megadeath ruptures his internal reactor and explodes—finally demolishing Yuss... and its ghosts.

Having acquired some closure, the Autobots press on with their mission, the surviving mutant neutralists in tow. Prowl suggests to Jazz that they might call themselves the Magnificent Six once more, with Silverbolt taking up Stampede's place. But Jazz shoots down the notion; they're older, wiser mechs who know more of the nature of war—and while there's six of them again, they know they—and their actions—are not magnificent.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Notes

Continuity notes

• This story takes place in Earthforce continuity, as Optimus Prime references the more-disastrous-than-in-the-US outcome of their attempted alliance with the Decepticons. Unicron is taking his sweet time reaching Cybertron.
• Because everything must tie back to Primus and Unicron, the story establishes that the Underbase was linked to the center of Cybertron, and therefore to Primus. This means a link to Primus's power exists at its former site.
• The titular Six were around long before Optimus was leader, or had even met them.

Continuity errors

• Thunderwing is depicted in a Pretender shell, which should not exist yet as Scorponok hasn't invented them yet and issue #1 told us that Transformers did not then understand even the concept of organic life.

Real-life references

• The title is a reference to The Magnificent Seven.

Courtesy of my...

• Steamhammer reminisces about killing Autobots with a concussion blaster. He has piston hammers mounted on his arms and carries a particle accelerator cannon.
• Ripsnorter and Switchblade are armed with thermo-laser blasters. They are both killed by an incendiary missile.
• Megadeath has concussion cannons mounted on his arms. He can also shoot lasers from his eyes and fire missiles from somewhere.
• Neutron bomb detonations created the Acid Wastes.
• Silverbolt's weapon fires electrostatic bolts and beams.
• Thunderwing destroys the Yuss Ampodrome with a thermo-charge.
• Backfire's instruments of torture include the Hydraulic Probe, Electro rods, a Rust Bore, and the Mind Warp.
• Megadeath is hit by the Autobots' particle beams, proton accelerator rays, and concussion bolts.