Devastator (Primax)

STRENGTH

Devastator's physical strength level has no specific limit in any canon. What's clear though is that, with some exceptions, he is far stronger than any non-giant or non-combining Transformer. Devastator is often introduced as one of the first combiners, if not the first. As such his strength level relative to the others can fluctuate between continuity.

None of his bios give an exact lifting strength for him. However Devastator is easily beyond the Class 100 tier based on the fact that he's formed from the Constructicons (six construction vehicles - usually) and that gestalt technology forms a super warrior greater than the sum of its parts. That puts Devastator over 100 ton-level-strength even accounting for the fact that only three of his Constructicon components have weight classes...

Hook can lift at least 20 tons with his crane, Scrapper can lift up to 30 tons with his shovel, and Long Haul can carry 90 tons in his bed. That's at least 140 tons from only half of his components. While not a lifting strength, Bonecrusher is stated to be the strongest individual Constructicon, and is capable of exerting 800,000 psi (approx. 400 tons per square inch) in bulldozer mode. That's extremely high even if Bonecrusher is a small bulldozer.

Even the remaining two Constructicons, Mixmaster and Scavenger, have above-average strength ratings of 7 out 10 (compared to Hook and Scrapper at 8, Long Haul and Bonecrusher at 9, and Devastator at 10) and can likely lift 15-20 tons (the Autobot Huffer at a 7 rating can lift 20 tons). While Mixmaster is a concrete mixer and doesn't lift weight like the other Constructicons, Scavenger is a backhoe and has been shown using his shovel to scoop up tons of material.

The lack of a stated ceiling to Devastator's strength allows for some suppositions. Especially regarding his size. Devastator's size is unsurprisingly inconsistent between mediums. His original bio claims "he is over 60 feet tall". The UK pamphlet, Transformers: The Facts" pegs Devastator at 100 feet, seven times shorter than Metroplex's 698 feet.

IDW has cemented mass-shifting as a standard part of combiner physiology and has had Devastator under 200 feet

    fighting next to the Statue of Liberty, while in later issues Marissa Faireborn describes him as 400 feet tall.

Simply accounting for Devastator's capacity for increasing his mass and bulk  raises any ceiling on Devastator's strength. That isn't to say he has no physical limits. But not having a number has allows writers to buff his strength from time to time. His original bio described his strength as sufficient to knock down a bridge with one punch. Since then Devastator has accumulated more impressive feats...

Though Devastator tends to come up short against the mighty Guardian robot known as Omega Supreme, a rivalry exists between the two across several canon, especially the 1980's Sunbow cartoon. What's important to note here is the fact that Devastator, despite being outshined by newer and supposedly better combiners as the series progressed, is a physical match for Omega Supreme at all. Omega Supreme's bios states he can lift 300,000 tons with one arm and can shatter a mountainside with one strike.

    This fact wasn't lost on the Japanese evidently as, despite later "Scramble City"-style combiners (Menasor, Superion, Bruticus and Defensor) taking the spotlight, TV Magazine rates their battle power and rivalry as that of the "Heavyweight Rivals". That seems to indicate that sure the newer guys have better designs, abilities, and functionality. But so what? Omega Supreme punched an asteroid in half in the episode The Secret of Omega Supreme and Devastator stopped a broke a giant drill long enough to dig through Earth's radius in the episode The Core. Devastator has recently been called the "alpha male" of combiners. Make of that what you will.

    Dreamwave attempted the flesh out Devastator's might a bit more. His More Than Meets The Eye bio says he can punch a fissure a mile-deep.

    His section within the Ultimate Guide book states his punch leaves a half-mile-wide hole and causes 20 mile shockwaves.

Devastator's strength relative to newer combiners fluctuates by canon and for story purposes. The newer combiners are blatantly called "far mightier" than Devastator in the UK Marvel comics and stated to be superior in both design and power...

    Yet Devastator has shown the ability to trade blows with them in Marvel, Dreamwave and IDW comics and the Sunbow cartoon, in some cases actually winning under the right circumstances (like a turned back).

DURABILITY

In Devastator's debut episode of the Sunbow cartoon, Heavy Metal War, he took everything the Dinobots could throw at him. Grimlock bit Devastator's arm doing no damage, despite the Dinobot being able to use his "powerful jaws to snap in two virtually anything that comes between them - from a 4-foot diameter steel cable to a Decepticon leg". Snarl slammed his tail into Devastator's leg, an attack that "can shatter a 20-foot concrete cube", doing nothing. It took a distraction from Hound's holograms and a shot from Optimus Prime's Ion Blaster to force Devastator to disengage. Then the individual Constructicons all survived sinking into lava unharmed.

In The Secret of Omega Supreme a Devastator is thrown into an icy mountain by Omega Supreme, who moments before punched an asteroid in half. Immediately after, Devastator is buried under collapsed mountain shot down by Omega's cannon.

Starscream's Brigade Devastator is hit with a bum rush from Bruticus followed by a punch. According to Bruticus' Marvel bio, he "can pulverize a suspension bridge with one 14,000 psi punch. He can lift up to 500,000 pounds." Devastator thus took hits from a Class 250 combiner whose fist exerts 7 tons of force every square inch.

In The Transformers The Movie Devastator again took on the Dinobots. Devastator was only momentarily slowed down by Slag ramming his leg. Slag's head can shatter a brick building. Devastator then, according to storyboards, went on to be disabled by the combined attack of several Autobots and City Commander Ultra Magnus. Later the Decepticons battled for leadership inside Astrotrain. Devastator attempted to form but was disengaged by the combined force of Rumble and Frenzy. Rumble's earthquakes alone can register as high as a 5.4 on the Richter Scale, equivalent to 125 kilotons of TNT.

In Five Faces of Darkness a starving Devastator, missing an arm, takes two swipes from Menasor's sword before disengaging. In Carnage In C-Minor Devastator was defeated after being crushed under the weight of Broadside dropping on him in aircraft carrier mode and then a well-placed shot from Perceptor's light cannon.

Devastator can take hits from Superion who can demolish an entire battleship in one blow. He can take blows from the physical superior of Bruticus (Class 250 tons), Defensor (Class 300 tons). He can take hits from Omega Supreme who can shatter a mountain with one strike.

Omega Supreme strikes Devastator.