Redmaw

*"It's, uh, it was... an ancient legend. First appearance was over a couple hundred years ago. Mechanical T-Rex in appearance, bloodthirsty. Supposedly roams the forests of Blackwood."* ―Tessa describes Redmaw to Shockdrop

There is very little information on the origins of the ferocious Thunderjaw **Redmaw**, however, there are some rumors that he was created as a secret weapon by the mysterious sorceress Quintessa. At some point before the Great Exodus, Redmaw arrived on Earth where he quickly earned a reputation for the massacre of an entire village and laying waste to the surrounding landscape. Eventually, the mighty Thunderjaw came to rest in Blackwood Forest. The story of Redmaw's rampage spread across the country, and many hunters attempted to bring him down. None returned.

Apparently, Redmaw was resting deep within Blackwood when the Transformers arrived on Earth in 1995. The attempt by Quintessa to restore Cybertron by destroying Earth presumably stirred Redmaw from slumber, and the Thunderjaw became an active predator once more. After learning of his existence, the Autobots occasionally patrol the areas around Blackwood in search of Redmaw. Furthermore, no Cybertronian has been able to recruit Redmaw to their cause, not even Galvatron.

## History

### Origins

There are several theories on the origins of the great Thunderjaw known as Redmaw. One such theory is that the space sorceress Quintessa created him as a secret weapon to be used against the Transformers should they ever rebel. Another theory suggests that Redmaw was among the Predacons who once inhabited Cybertron before the Great Cataclysm wiped them out. This theory seems unlikely, however. For many decades, the Dimension Guardians and High Council have debated on which of these theories could be true.

### On Earth

Redmaw first arrived on Earth in 500 AD, crash-landing in the Rocky Mountains in September. While no conclusive evidence has been provided, it is thought that the destruction of a stronghold in England and the deaths of twelve people in the spring of King Arthur's 3rd year as King of England. In the late summer of the same year, four hunters set out from the Kingdom to further investigate; all of them perished. This was also assumed to be the work of Redmaw.

During the Dark Ages of England, two members of the Guardian Knights were sent out by Stormreign to investigate reports of an envoy that had been attacked north of the Kingdom. Both Knights were ambushed and brutally ripped apart by Redmaw; their bodies almost completely torn apart.

The first actual sighting of this Thunderjaw came in the late winter of King Arthur's final days as King of England, when a wounded knight returned and gave it the name for it's ability to bite a man in half. Of six knights, he was the only survivor. While another, larger expedition set out from the Kingdom in the late winter, none returned and only six bodies (out of eight members total) were found near the borders. In 1000 AD, Redmaw went into hiding, reportedly seen wandering around near Blackwood Forest. A hunting party went in to check things out, but they were unable to locate the Thunderjaw.

### Events of *Transformers: Robot Defenders*

At some point in 1995, Quintessa sought to revive Cybertron by draining the life force out of Earth, in reality the Chaos Bringer, Unicron. The energy transfer was apparently enough to stir Redmaw from his slumber, and the Thunderjaw fully awakened to resume its reign of terror. It was sometime after Quintessa's defeat that the Transformers Reaction Force (formed under Cyclonus' hand) tracked an energon signal deep in Blackwood Forest, where they encountered Redmaw for the first time. Despite their possession of Cybertronian technology, the Thunderjaw proved more than a match for the TFR, and most of the battalion was wiped out, save for two soldiers who managed to escape.

Apparently, during her time at Oxford University, Tessa Barry had read stories about Redmaw, who was said to resemble a Tyrannosaurus Rex. All she really knew about Redmaw was that he was first seen in 500 AD and apparently roamed around Blackwood Forest. However, she didn't actually believe he existed.

The proof of Redmaw's existence was proven when the Autobot Triple-Changer Shockdrop flew over Blackwood Forest, prompting the Thunderjaw to shoot him out of the sky. Redmaw proved to be a threat, and most likely would've killed Shockdrop right there had Windblade not intervened and teleported him out. The Thunderjaw then turned its attention to other matters, deciding to send a message to anyone who would dare challenge him.

At the start of the New Year, the Thunderjaw rampaged through Los Angeles, California. The efforts by the United States Military and TRF proved inefficient, with Redmaw wiping out most of their forces and killing a number of civilians. The Autobots soon arrived on the scene when they were called in by Colonel William Lennox for backup. The combined firepower of the Military, TRF and Autobots was enough to drive the Thunderjaw off, but not before Redmaw collapsed a building upon a group of civilians to distract the Autobots while he ran off into the hills. In the aftermath of the attack, Redmaw was shown observing the Autobots helping the Humans to rebuild and Lennox negotiating terms with the Transformers Reaction Force. It was at this moment Redmaw unlocked the ability of transformation, changing to Robot Mode and promising some retribution.

At one point, the former Air Commander Starscream approached Redmaw to recruit his help in defeating Megatron and claiming Leadership of the Decepticons. Redmaw made it clear to the former Decepticon that he had no intention of aligning with neither Autobot or Decepticon, before savagely attacking the Seeker and very nearly killing him. However, rather than pursue and finish the Air Commander, Redmaw allowed him to leave.

Redmaw's later activities involved him attacking innocent Humans camping out in the woods and shooting down any aircraft that passed over Blackwood. Such actions prompted Windblade to temporarily rejoin the Dimension Guardians and lead a strike force to neutralize the Thunderjaw, with Shockdrop following soon after. Redmaw made short work of the Guardians accompanying Windblade, though seemed to have more trouble with Windblade herself. As Shockdrop arrived on the scene, Redmaw finally broke through Windblade's defenses and neutralized her. Shockdrop intervened and battled Redmaw in defense of his friend, though Redmaw once again managed to escape, satisfied with his small victory.

Redmaw's encounter with Windblade, Shockdrop and the Dimension Guardians would be his last appearance until 2004, when Redmaw attacked the SOCCENT base in Qatar. Despite the efforts of the Military, the legendary Thunderjaw decimated the base and left no survivors. It was at the time that Galvatron became aware of Redmaw's activities on Earth, and sought to use him as a weapon against the Autobots and Decepticons.

## Notes

* Redmaw is one of the few neutral Cybertronians, not being allied with the Autobots or the Decepticons. The others are Galvatron, Outblast, The Agent and Ouja.
* Even before gaining the ability to transform, Redmaw was quite intelligent, able to come up with strategies that enabled him to outsmart his opponents.