Ultra Magnus

Ultra Magnus is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers storylines.
A commander could want no finer a soldier than Ultra Magnus. Despite his incredible fighting skills, courage and unmatched talent for improvisation on the battlefield, Ultra Magnus is most comfortable when carrying out orders, and is naturally uncomfortable if the mantle of leadership should ever find itself placed upon him. He serves as the deuteragonist of the 1986 animated film, "Transformers: The Movie" and the third season of the Generation One television series.
In Ultra Magnus' mind, he is a follower, not a commander, and his reluctance to change that will see to it that he expends all options before accepting the idea that he is required to lead. As a leader, Magnus would be resolute, fair and courageous, ever-ready to sacrifice himself for the greater good of his companions and mission, and unyielding in preparation for protection of those under his command. Although not interested in overall command, Ultra Magnus was the City Commander for Autobot City in Transformers The Movie, and his toy also featured him in the role of City Commander (a title also held by his original opposite number, the Decepticon leader Galvatron), which indicates that he at least is willing to accept a leadership role in a smaller capacity rather than as supreme commander, a role filled by both Optimus Prime and later Rodimus Prime.
Ultra Magnus was voiced in The Movie by the late Robert Stack, and his role would be taken on by the late Jack Angel.
==History==
===Cartoon===
Any stories written after the original franchise, but designed to fit into the cartoon in some way are in italics.
====Battle Lines====
This info comes from the Wings Universe, which occurs in a version of the cartoon.
After Autobot officer Magnum and Optimus's old friend Dion were mortally wounded, Alpha Trion could only rebuild one of them. While one perished, the other was rebuilt into a new body, as was renamed Ultra Magnus, and greeted Optimus Prime, who congratulated him on his increase in size.
====The Movie====
Commander of Autobot City, Ultra Magnus directed the Autobots’ counter-offensive when the city came under attack from Megatron and the Decepticons in 2005. After directing Springer and Arcee to transform the city into battle station mode, he and Blurr alerted the rest of the city's occupants to the attack, but they were only able to hold the Decepticons off for so long. During the battle, Optimus Prime was mortally wounded, and, on his deathbed, passed the Matrix of Leadership on to Ultra Magnus. Despite his misgivings, Magnus took possession of Matrix and became the new leader of the Autobots.
Magnus's leadership did not get off to an easy start, when reports came in from the Autobots stationed on Cybertron's moons of Unicron, a monster planet consuming them. Magnus quickly arranged for the Autobots to head to Cybertron aboard two shuttles, but as they were preparing to depart, they were attacked by Decepticon forces led by Galvatron, the upgraded Megatron. The Autobots fled into space and were pursued by Galvatron's troops. In a last-ditch effort to lose the Decepticons, Magnus ordered an emergency separation of the shuttle. After Galvatron destroyed the jettisoned portion of the vessel, Magnus and his crew landed their craft on the Planet of Junk for repairs. Facing Galvatron solo, Magnus attempted to open the Matrix, but the talisman did not respond, and Magnus was blown to pieces by the Sweeps. Ultra Magnus was soon repaired by the native Junkions after they befriended the Autobots. Magnus joined the other Autobots in the battle with Unicron on Cybertron and helped drive the last of the Decepticons from their home planet.
====Season 3====
Ultra Magnus would become the newly appointed Rodimus Prime's second in command, regularly giving advice to the inexperienced new leader and trying to draw him out from under the shadow of Optimus Prime.
A year after the Unicron War, in Five Faces of Darkness, Ultra Magnus, Kup and Spike Witwicky were captured by the Quintessons, and taken to Quintessa, where they were found guilty in one of the Quintessons’ twisted trials. Dropped into the Sharkticon pit, they were quickly rescued by their fellow Autobots, but the whole team was then set adrift in space when the Quintessons blew up their planet in an attempt to destroy the Autobots. They eventually made it back to Cybertron, only for their homeworld itself to come under attack by a united Quintesson-Decepticon alliance. Ultra Magnus held off the attackers long enough for Rodimus and the others to make it to cover, dispatching Ramjet and Dirge before being faced with Galvatron, who took a few shots at him before deciding he had more important things to deal with. When the Quintessons betrayed Galvatron in order to achieve their true goals, he turned on the aliens, and the invasion of Cybertron was repelled.
In The Killing Jar, Ultra Magnus was abducted by the Quintessons, along with Cyclonus, Wreck-Gar and Marissa Faireborn, as part of a study of various species' behaviour. The quartet managed to break free of their cells but the ship ended up on a collision course with a black hole. Ultra Magnus tried to give the only escape pod to Marissa but ended up falling out into space. Ironically, it was Cyclonus that saved him and they passed through a negative universe together.
In Dark Awakening, Ultra Magnus was part of the team that found Optimus Prime alive, only for him to have turned out to have been reprogrammed by the Quintessons, trapping Ultra Magnus and the others on the Autobots' mausoleum ship. They returned to Cybertron only to learn from the Dinobots that Optimus had taken the rest of the Autobots to supposedly avenge their deaths. Magnus and the others caught up with the fleet, about to fly into a Quintesson trap. Optimus' original personality eventually reasserted enough for him to make a sucide run on the Quintesson ships while Magnus and the other Autobots escaped.
In Fight or Flee, Ultra Magnus was among the Autobots who responded to the Decepticon occupation of Paradon. When Rodimus Prime decided to destroy the world rather than leave it in Decepticon hands, Magnus accompanied local Autobot Sandstorm to lay the charge, taking a moment to appreciate the beauty before blowing it up.
In Surprise Party, Ultra Magnus protected Wheelie during a Decepticon attack, prompting Wheelie and Daniel Witwicky to try and find out Ultra Magnus' birthday to throw him a party. This led to Cyclonus using them as hostages in an attempt to crash an asteroid into Cybertron. After Ultra Magnus foiled the plan and the pair explained their intentions, Spike declared that day Ultra Magnus' birthday.
In Carnage in C-Minor, Ultra Magnus led a group of Autobots who followed Galvatron to Eurythmia where he and Soundwave recorded a powerful sound they could use against the Autobots. Ultra Magnus and Blaster defeated the attempt and erased the recording.
In Only Human, Ultra Magnus, along with Rodimus Prime, Springer and Arcee, was temporarily placed in a human body by crime lord Victor Drath. Finally, in The Return of Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus was among those infected with the Hate Plague. He obsessively pursued Rodimus Prime and managed to infect Wreck-Gar. He was finally cured when a returned Optimus Prime used the power of the Matrix.
====Season 4====
to be added
===Comics===
====Transformers 84====
Described as "Cybertron's greatest warrior", Ultra Magnus came to inspect the finished Ark. When Optimus asked Magnus to lead the Autobots should he not return, Magnus noted Prime's unusually fatalistic tone, commenting that it seemed he was planning on not returning, which Optimus declined to respond to.
====Marvel's the Transformers (UK)====
=====Target: 2006=====
Ultra Magnus was first introduced in Target 2006, set in 1986, as the Autobot resistance on Cybertron prepared to execute "Operation: Volcano", where Magnus would act as back up for the Wreckers plan to lure and destroy the Decepticon's crack troops. However, when the Matrix Flame (linked to the Creation Matrix) suddenly extinguished, Magnus was dispatched to Earth to discover what had happened to Optimus Prime.
With the launch of Operation: Volcano going ahead whether he returned or not, Magnus allied himself with the Earth Autobots, while they were battling Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge, and worked to discover what had caused Optimus Prime, Prowl and Ratchet to vanish. Initially concerned only with his investigation, Ultra Magnus learned the two situations were linked, as Galvatron and his lieutenants were time travelers from 20 years in the future, having employed a mass substitution mechanism that sent the three Autobots into Limbo.
Ultra Magnus discovered this connection from three time travelling Autobots, Hot Rod, Kup, and Blurr. They had a plan to stop Galvatron, and needed was for Ultra Magnus to keep him busy. Ultra Magnus then engaged Galvatron in battle as the others set up their scheme to force Galvatron back into the future. Magnus' battle with Galvatron carried them out of the isolated wilderness and onto a human freeway system. Even though Magnus was severely beaten by the more-powerful Decepticon, the plan succeeded and the future Decepticon returned to his own time. Magnus was out of time as Operation: Volcano proceeded without him, with disastrous results, with the Wreckers' leader Impactor being killed protecting Xaaron.
=====Battles alongside the Wreckers=====
Ultra Magnus took temporary command of the Wreckers until Springer was ready for command, and continued to rebel against the rule of the Decepticons on Cybertron. In The Harder They Die, Megatron revealed false information about a spy made over to look exactly like Optimus Prime, planning to infiltrate the Autobots, Ultra Magnus led them in hunting down the "impostor", unaware this was the orginal Optimus Prime.
In Under Fire, they were about to execute Prime when the Autobot Outback intervened, insisting that Ultra Magnus was being blinded by his guilt over his failure to prevent Impactor's death to see that this was the real Optimus Prime. Ultra Magnus denied such claims, and ordered him away. Instead of obeying orders, Outback set off a gas particle bomb to distract the Wreckers, allowing both himself and the captive Prime to slip away. Magnus went after the escapees himself, bringing along a trio of Guardian units in pursuit. In Distant Thunder after seeing Prime protect Outback, Magnus became suspicious of his information and, after summoning Emirate Xaaron, confirmed his suspicions and welcomed the true Optimus Prime back to Cybertron.
In Resurrection, Prime lead Magnus and the others on a series of successful raids and strike missions on Decepticon territory. When Optimus decided to return to Earth, he allowed Magnus to accompany him during his attack on the Decepticon Stronghold in Polyhex, so that they could both take on Megatron. Ultra Magnus fought Megatron to avenge Impactor, whose increased mental instability led to him, Optimus, and Megatron being transported to Earth by the space bridge. Materialising far away from Prime, Magnus decided to take his time getting to the Ark, and enjoyed his "vacation".
=====The return of Galvatron=====
In Burning Sky, Ultra Magnus met up with three human females and developed an attachment to one of them, Cindy Newell. Not long afterwards, however, he encountered Galvatron again, who had returned from the future and set up a power siphon to drain the power of an exploding volcano, destroying most of the area in the process. Ultra Magnus ended up joining up with Rodimus Prime, Kup and Blurr, who had returned from the future, along with Wreck-Gar and present day Autobot Goldbug. Magnus kept Galvatron busy while Wreck-Gar set up a device that would return all the time-travellers to the future. Galvatron threw Magnus into the volcano, with only a narrow ledge saving his life, and the plan was only partially successful, removing the deranged bounty hunter Death's Head and the future Autobots but leaving Galvatron behind. In Vicious Circle, Magnus was reluctant to confront Galvatron again, but when Goldbug went to challenge him alone, Magnus followed and fought him again. In the process, the power siphon was damaged, meaning the explosion would be confined to the area they were in. Telling Goldbug to run, Ultra Magnus held Galvatron in place until the volcano erupted, apparently destroying them both.
After months encased in lava, Ultra Magnus was finally freed by the Sparkabots in Salvage when they needed his help against the already revived Galvatron. Magnus was again reluctant to confront his arch-enemy, even after the discovery Shockwave was attempting to revive Megatron to use against him. However, watching the Sparkabots try to take on Galvatron galvanised Ultra Magnus to step up, give Galvatron a beating and drive him off, although too late to stop Shockwave.
In City of Fear, Ultra Magnus returned to Cybertron and helped defeat the plans of the insane Autobot scientist Flame, while in Deadly Games he stopped the alien Zabra using captive Autobots in gladiator games.
=====Original future=====
By 2003, Ultra Magnus was in charge of the construction of Autobot City on Earth, as well as being presented a year later for the city's unveilling amid an attack by Shockwave.
After the events of the movie, he served under Rodimus Prime on Cybertron and tried to dissuade him from following Galvatron and Death's Head into the past. In Legacy of Unicron, he and Kup were left behind on Cybertron to lead the Autobots in repelling an all-out Decepticon attack which had been manipulated by Unicron. In Space Pirates, he was again left in charge on Cybertron with Rodimus Prime travelling to Earth, and ended up joining up with Soundwave and the Decepticons to repel a Quintesson invasion, although both groups quickly realised a permanent alliance would not work given their history.
In Time Wars, Ultra Magnus accompanied Rodimus Prime, Kup, Blurr, Arcee and Red Alert into the past to try and halt the time storm caused by Galvatron's presence there. In the process, they displaced Highbrow and several other Autobots into limbo and had a hard time convincing Fortress Maximus and the other present day Autobots to trust them. They finally attacked Galvatron and Megatron together in concert with Decepticons from two time periods. However, when Ultra Magnus accidentally hit Scorponok with friendly fire, the present day Decepticons Mindwipe, Triggerhappy and Snapdragon turned on him, all blasting him at close range. After Galvatron was finally defeated, Ultra Magnus was carried back to the future by his comrades, apparently deactivated.
In one timeline, as seen in Peace, Ultra Magnus, the Technobots and the Wreckers survived up to 2150, where the Autobots finally defeated the Decepticons. At Rodimus's ceremony to annouce the end of the war, he handed leadership over to Springer. However, the Autobot Triton protested against this, saying that a tactical mind like Magnus himself deserved leadership. Ultra Magnus tried to explain that he did not want the position, but the situation quickly spiraled, leading to Scattershot shooting Roadbuster. After a horrified silence, Sandstorm blamed Triton, and Magnus tried to talk him down, but he killed Triton anyway, and a civil war within the Autobots began, with all unaware that Triton was a Decepticon spy.
====Classics====
Classics does not include any UK stories
To be added
====Regeneration One====
Regeneration One does not include any UK stories or any sequels.
to be added
==Robots in Disguise (2001)==
See main article: Ultra Magnus (RID 2001)
==Unicron Trilogy==
Ultra Magnus was introduced in Energon as a wise and practical leader. As a young Autobot, Magnus was betrayed by his best friend, Treadshot, who joined the Decepticons. Magnus was left vengeful towards his former friend, determened to hunt him down, even to the point of disobeying direct orders. According to Ask Vector Prime, Ultra Magnus was eventually severely injured battling Treadshot. As a result, he was completely rebuilt, wielding a new body based on Rhinox's blueprints for Overload. His new form was far more powerful than his old, and he could even combine with Optimus Prime.
Having served with distinction in the Armada War and the Powerlinx Battle, in Force of Habit Ultra Magnus was given command of the half-finished Autobot flagship Iron Hope during the events of Cybertron. Magnus sent the Eclipse, the Valiant, the Azusa, the Spanner, the DieCast, and the Longbow to search the galaxy for ancient colony worlds. While en route to the Delta Crateris system, he received a distress signal from Longrack, the Spanner's commander. Over Ironhide's objections, he maintained their course. A second call for aid was also denied, as the Iron Hope had come under Decepticon attack. After ordering his troops to their battle stations, Magnus leapt into battle against the raiders himself.
==Transformers IDW==
See main article: Ultra Magnus (IDW Comics)
==Transformers Animated==
See main article: Ultra Magnus (Transformers Animated)
==Aligned Universe==
See main article: Ultra Magnus (Transformers Prime)
==War for Cybertron Trilogy==
==Trivia==
*The Ultra Magnus toy is a recolour of the Diaclone Powered Convoy toy, where the body was armour for the Optimus Prime toy. This was ignored during G1, but has inspired later versions of Magnus where his body is armour.
**An early trailer for Transformers the Movie depicts Magnus in his Powered Convoy colours.
*The bio for the Marvel Comics version of Ultra Magnus states that he was created in the 1980s, which would only be contradicted in the prequel comic Transformers 84, where he is depicted as existing millions of years ago.
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