THE Transformers The franchise is defined by both the Decepticons and the Autobots, with numerous Cybertronian villains becoming fan favorites over the years. These include Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, and Shockwave, all of whom have appeared in various iterations and continuities. Some of the Decepticons are quite obscure, however, though one is poised to step out of that shadow with an upcoming cinematic appearance.
Airachnid is a female Decepticon who debuted in the Aligned Continuity, where she quickly became one of the most notable Decepticons in Transformers: Prime. It also bears more than a passing resemblance to an iconic part of the Beast Era, though the two are unrelated. Now it's set to appear in the movie Transformers OneAirachnid is poised to achieve stardom in a way her Predacon predecessor never was.
Who was Airachnid in Transformers: Prime?
Airachnid did not appear in the
Transformers: Prime
sequel series,
Transformers: Robots in Disguise
.
Airachnid was one of the Decepticons in the TV series Transformers: Prime (the TV series' entry in the amorphous Aligned Continuity), although she was not initially part of the series' main antagonist group. She was also a completely original character, as she did not even share a name with a Transformer from a previous continuity. This contrasted with most Decepticons, many of whom were variants of characters introduced in the Generation 1 timeline. Her first misadventures were when she captured Arcee and her partner, Tailgate, hoping to use them to gain information. When this plan failed, she tortured Tailgate to death, just before the Autobots Bumblebee and Cliffjumper appeared to stop her. This brutal incident scarred Arcee and created a strong sense of rivalry with Airachnid.
After the Great Exodus from Cybertron, Airachnid deemed the conflict between Autobots and Decepticons pointless and retreated to pursue her favorite pastime: torturing her “trophies.” This saw her arrive on Earth and capture Jack Darby and his mother in an attempt to lure Arcee into a fight, not to mention losing another loved one. Unfortunately, these ambitions continually failed, forcing Airachnid into a circumstance where she rejoined the Decepticon army. There, she quickly replaced the absent Starscream as Megatron's second-in-command, despite being even more treacherous than the shady Air Commander. In fact, when Megatron briefly embarked on a quest involving Unicron and left Airachnid in charge, she manipulated Soundwave into informing him that their true leader might not return.
Despite her ambitions, Airachnid's hopes of becoming the Decepticon leader were quickly dashed when Soundwave and Lazerbeak turned on her. However, she continued to strike back at both the Autobots and Megatron's forces, even sending an army of Insecticons against the Decepticon leader. Unfortunately for her, another clash with Arcee saw her locked in a stasis pod and taken back to the Autobot base, leaving Megatron in control of his Insecticon horde. When she was taken back to the Decepticon base by Starscream and awakened by Cylas (a human who had been transformed into a cyborg via Breakdown's corpse), she was reduced to the state of an energon vampire. The last time she was seen on the show was when she summoned the Insecticons back to her, being forced to drain their energon in order to survive. Unable to even satisfy her rivalry with Arcee, she was now nothing more than the monster many saw her as.
What does the airachnid transform into?
THE
Transformers: Prime
The Deluxe Class Airachnid figure was widely criticized by fans for its stiff and cheap nature.
Given her bestial nature and spider-like legs, it stands to reason that Airachnid transforms into a robotic spider. She wouldn't be the first Transformer to have this arachnid alternate mode, which would explain her name. In fact, Airachnid's nickname is a real double entendre, as it refers to both her spider-like appearance and her aerial alternate mode. Instead, she transforms into a RAH-66 Comanche, with the cockpit even transforming into her shoulders in robot mode. In Transformers: PrimeHe gained this form after scanning one of the stealth helicopters summoned by Agent Fowler, though, oddly enough, they were Bell 212 Huey models.
Since her character model already showed elements that reflected her later vehicle mode, it is unknown what Airachnid transformed into beforehand. It is possible that she transformed into a Cybertronian helicopter that resembled her later alternate mode, but this has never been confirmed. After she transformed into a “Terrorcon” of sorts by draining the Insecticons' energon, it is possible that her alternate mode would have changed to reflect this. This development would have made her much more similar to other “spider” Transformers, namely a deadly Predacon villain that most fans remember from Beast Wars.
Are Airachnid and Blackarachnia the same thing?
The first form of Blackarachnia in
Transformers: Animated
Elita-One, named after G1 Elita-One but resembles her first form, Ariel/Erial.
In many ways, Airachnid is very similar to the iconic evil Transformer known as Blackarachnia. Making his debut in Beast Wars: TransformersBlackarachnia was a Maximal protoform who had been transformed into an evil Predacon. Her toy was a reimagining of the Tarantula figure, and in the series, the two spiders were both very close, but also fierce rivals. Conniving and manipulative, she often had her own agenda, especially if it involved usurping power. In the second season of the series, however, she was courted by the banal but chivalrous Maximal Silverbolt, with this relationship leading to her joining the Maximals in the following season.
A new version of the character appeared in the cartoon Transformers: Animatedwith this iteration originally an Autobot named Ariel who was mutated into a techno-organic spider Decepticon. Despite similarities (namely their disdain for Megatron), Airachnid and Blackarachnia are not the same characters. As mentioned, Airachnid was one of the few characters in Transformers: Prime which wasn't even named after a pre-existing Transformer, much less was it meant to be an exact update. Airachnid also lacks the spider-like alternate mode that Blackarachnia had in every other continuity, further distinguishing them.
If anything, her tendency to torture her victims made her a bit closer to the sadistic Tarantulas. Another similarity between them was that she wanted nothing to do with the Decepticon cause, just as Tarantulas was secretly a double agent who betrayed his version of Megatron and possibly even had ties to Unicron. Even her hordes of Insecticons were reminiscent of how Tarantulas had spider drones at his beck and call. Tarantulas and Blackarachnia have both appeared in other continuities since then, but Airachnid is only now leaving the confines of the Aligned Continuity.
Airachnid's Role in Transformers One
Megatron is initially referred to as D-16 in
Transformers One
referring to the designation number of the Japanese version of his G1 toy.
A G1-style version of Airachnid appeared briefly in the first Transformers continuity of IDW Publishing's comics. This incarnation was essentially just a “transplanted” version of his Aligned Continuity incarnation, looking and behaving nearly identically. However, he had little impact on the comic book series, with his most definitive form still being the one seen in Transformers: PrimeNow, she is set to appear in a major theatrical film, with the animated film Transformers One presentation of a new version of Airachnid.
While it appears to have at least a similar design to its previous variant, not much else is known about it at the moment. Airachnid can be seen briefly in marketing materials and trailers for Transformers Onewith the film itself designed to show the early days of the Cybertronian conflict. His robot mode suggests an alternate mode of the Cybertronian helicopter, which would match his depiction in Transformers: Prime. At the same time, his toy in the Transformers One The Cog Changers line sees her transform into a spider-like drone. This suggests she could be a Triple-Changer, but that has yet to be confirmed.
She is voiced by Vanessa Liguori in the English dub of the film, while the Japanese dub is Transformers One has Ryōka Yuzuki voicing her. She'll be sharing the screen with classic Decepticons like Starscream and Soundwave (with Megatron not necessarily being their leader yet), but more than ever, she has the chance to become a bigger part of the franchise. Of course, she and the Decepticons aren't even the “real” antagonists in the film, so it's unknown if Airachnid will actually be able to emerge and spin a successful web for herself.