Sideswipe

"*I hate the notion of war, but i love the thrill of battle.*".[1]

**Sideswipe** was true to his function of Combat Specialist[2]. Though proficient with guns, he prefers melee combat to ranged weapons, and will employ any maneuver it takes to get close enough to the enemy to put an end to them. His tactics were merciless and he was utterly unapologetic about them. He became Optimus’ second-in-command after Ironhide's death.

## History

### Tales of the Fallen

When Sideswipe joined the Autobots he trained under the veteran warrior Ironhide, learning the arts of war. After his training was complete, he went on to become the protector of a settlement of displaced Autobots. This settlement was found by the pitiless Demolishor, who slaughtered them nearly to a bot. Sideswipe was ashamed, not only over having failed to protect his charges, but also because he had lived to tell the tale of the killing.

After Optimus Prime's Autobots left Mission City, they left a homing beacon in a junk yard near the metropolis to attract any Autobots who might have heard Prime's rallying call to Earth. Alliance #3 Sideswipe was among those few that answered the beacon and arrived on the planet on the Wreckers ship, the *Xantium*. The ship and the Wreckers stayed behind in NASA, and had hidden themselves in the junk yard. Once discovered, they were brought to Diego Garcia to train with the other Autobots and Major Lennox's soldiers in defense of their new home. However, Sideswipe proved a loose cannon as he continued his vendetta against Demolishor when the Decepticon turned up in Montevideo, Uruguay. Showing little regard for humans in pursuing his quarry, Sideswipe reached Ezeiza International Airport, where his reckless actions caught up with him as Ironhide arrived on the scene to rein him in. The younger Autobot was openly insubordinate towards Ironhide, warning him not to get in the way. Ultimately all the old veteran could do was to serve as damage control during Sideswipe's singleminded pursuit into the city of Buenos Aires. Ultimately more reinforcements from NEST arrived, and Demolishor fled the scene. In the aftermath, Sideswipe saw the fear and mistrust the humans regarded him with because of his violent actions. Understanding this, he was forced to admit that Ironhide was correct.

Soon after, Demolisher had been sighted in Shanghai, China, and Sideswipe headed there with the others, although, perhaps taking Ironhide's advice to heart, he would let Ironhide and Optimus defeat the Decepticon.

### Training Skids and Mudflap

*This story is told in Titan comics, which also funtions as a prequel to* Revenge of the Fallen*, but does not follow the continuity of the IDW comics.*

Sideswipe served as a combat instructor at NEST's Scottish base, and had to put Skids and Mudflap back through basic training—something he was fed up of. As far as he was concerned, they should've been put on charge for causing Grindor to escape and he should have better things to do. He dealt with this by putting the twins through simulated combat after simulated combat, finally cracking it up to maximum setting, before someone knocked him out.

When he came to, the twins were babbling about how a mysterious and long-vanished Decepticon working for another mysterious Decepticon had done it and tried to kill them! Sideswipe was having none of it, viewing this as impossible and believing the twins knocked him out in revenge for training and were covering themselves. Between this and Grindor, he was becoming suspicious of them...

Following the training, poor Sideswipe took them to Diego Garcia and continued to be pestered by them for a meeting with Prime. Not trusting them and ignoring their babble about some "dude", he tried to discourage them, only for the two to sneak off behind his back. Sighing, he went in pursuit... and saw them distract Prime before a Decepticon attacked, Skids tripped over Prime before he could take charge, and Mudflap handed a weapon to an escaping prisoner! When Optimus remarked that someone must've compromised security, Sideswipe fingered the twins: their actions clearly showed they were turncoats!

Sideswipe would be part of the team tracking down the twins Outlaw Blues, and would later be surprised when they were tracked down to North Carolina... and were *fighting* two Decepticons? Why, if he didn't know better, he'd think they were fighting the two 'cons they'd helped!

After the Autobots tracked the twins to the Decepticon's base, it became clear they *weren't* traitors after all and *had* been framed. Did Sideswipe apologise? Hell no, he instead had a scary amount of fun slaughtering drones and had to be told off by Ironhide for excessive bloodlust.

### *Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen*

 File:SideswipeinShanghai.jpg  In Shanghai, Sideswipe was sent out to finish Sideways. He chased Sideways around the city before using his left sword to propel himself up into the air over Sideways, firing his back-mounted guns and launching his right sword into Sideways' hood. He then landed on the ground, twirled around, reattached his blade, and pulled it through to finish off Sideways. He then triumphantly twirled around and stated, "Damn, I'm good!"

After Optimus Prime was killed in combat against Megatron, Starscream, and Grindor, Sideswipe and the other Autobots arrived to help, but all they could do was provide cover fire as the humans and Bumblebee sped away. Afterwards, when Optimus Prime's body was brought to the N.E.S.T. base, Sideswipe and the other Autobots readied their weapons in case the humans attacked. Galloway pointedly looked at Sideswipe when he was lecturing Major Lennox about the Autobots and their presence on Earth.

Later, when the Autobots arrived in Egypt to revive Optimus and stop the Decepticons, Sideswipe was on the lookout for Sam. He soon spotted Sam and alerted the Autobots and soldiers. He was then shot and fired back. Later, he was pushed to the ground along with all of the other Autobots when The Fallen teleported in to steal the Matrix of Leadership from Optimus Prime.

Following the Battle of Egypt, Sideswipe and the other Autobots made it their mission to prevent human conflicts.

Sideswipe met up with Optimus, Ironhide and Bumblebee in a desert to train. He raced Bumblebee, only for their training to be interrupted by a large boulder tumbling towards a nearby town. The two Autobots destroyed the boulder before resuming their race. They met back up with Optimus and Ironhide afterwards, and Optimus revealed the they had encountered a "natural disaster" as well. The source of the disturbances soon revealed itself to be Megatron and Starscream tunneling underground. Though the two Decepticons attempted to ambush the Autobots, Sideswipe and the others were able to send them running thanks to the training they had gone through that day.

Upon learning that Buzzsaw and Ratbat were causing trouble, Optimus ordered Sideswipe and the rest of the Autobots to roll out to face the Decepticons. Thanks to Soundwave's tampering with their communications, however, the Autobots arrived at an abandonned warehouse instead of where the trouble was taking place. Thankfully, Sam and Bumblebee met with the Autobots, and led them to the correct location. The Decepticons were defeated and the Autobots cheered Sam for his help in the mission.

### Nefarious

When Alice stole an RV and went on a rampage, Sideswipe was part of the NEST team sent to stop her. She attempted to ram the NEST roadblock, but Sideswipe decided to ram her first, and impaled her through the front windscreen. He was later seen carrying the RV over his head. He observed Ratchet examining Alice's corpse, and wondered why any Cybertronian would stoop to taking on the appearance of a lesser life form. He was sent with Ironhide to stop a Decepticon trio. Ironhide warned him not to get cocky, but Sideswipe merely responded that he really *was* that good, before chopping Brakedown in half. He was ready to finish off the apparently-surrendering Dirt Boss as well, but the surrender was just a ruse to allow Soundwave time to attack, and Sideswipe was caught in the explosion. He survived to see Optimus Prime swoop in and capture Soundwave.

Sideswipe helped prepare a nuclear shelter in Odessa, Texas to house Soundwave. When Soundwave led them to the location of the Initiative base and it wasn't there, Sideswipe wondered why Optimus continued to trust the Decepticon. Soundwave traced the Initiative to Oregon, and the Autobots went there to launch an attack. Ratchet suggested Sideswipe stay behind him to avoid damage, but Sideswipe scoffed at the very idea. However the Autobots found themselves facing brainwashed Transformers, and Sideswipe even recognized one as Armorhide. Optimus sent Sideswipe, Skids and Mudflap to help Bumblebee's team. They briefly found themselves under a new kind of attack when Carter Newell tried to use a duplicate AllSpark to destroy Cybertronian life. The Autobots ultimately triumphed.

### Rising Storm

Sideswipe was present when a squad of Autobots returned from a mission with a captured Fearswoop in tow. He watched on as Ironhide escorted the prisoner into NEST headquarters. When Sam called in that he was being attacked by a group of Decepticons, after the Brain Unit that he had stumbled onto, Sideswipe was deployed to help with the situation. Sideswipe's group arrived in Philadelphia just in time to rescue Sam from being killed by Starscream's hand. Though the battle went well for the Autobots at first, the tables turned once Shockwave arrived on scene. The Autobots managed to send Shockwave fleeing with his pet Driller, but only just barely.

### Alternate Timeline Fates

#### *Toy bios*

Sideswipe likes pummeling Decepticons and fast cars more than anything else in the galaxy. When he arrived on Earth, he chose to scan a vehicle that would allow him to enjoy both. Disguised as a stylish cutting-edge sports car, Sideswipe was ready to junk any Decepticon that would dare put a scratch on his paint job.[3]

Used to battling alone before coming to Earth, Sideswipe was given over to Robert Epps to be trained as a team player. The two have become good friends, and Sideswipe is now more dangerous than ever.[4]
Though Sideswipe prides himself as a good driver, he admits that he's not as good as Mikaela. Her instinctive driving ability is so silky smooth that it allows Sideswipe to focus purely on his blades.[5]He has also worked well with Jazz.

At one point, Sideswipe taught Mudflap everything he needed to know about defensive driving.[6] When the hooligan Fearswoop gained new powers and threatened Earth, the pair were dispatched to take the giant Decepticon down.[7] When going after Wreckloose, the fast and intelligent Decepticon was the sort of challenge that Sideswipe loved, allowing him to match wits as well as arms.[8]

When Ironhide convinced him to use guns again, Sideswipe eventually realized that they would be perfect against Axor.[9]

Sideswipe and Barricade had been stalking each other for a long time, each of them determined to catch the other by surprise. After a days-long game of cat-and-mouse, they came together in inevitable combat where only the most skillful warrior would walk away.[10]

As a master battle tactician, Sideswipe developed a method of dispersing mobs of Decepticons with his blasters before screeching into the fray with his blades at the ready. His special race-tuned vehicle mode allowed him to enter the battle faster than ever before, the thought of which caused the Decepticons' sparks to dim.[11]

Though he was a highly-skilled fighter, Sideswipe found himself at a disadvantage during a fight against Icepick and Sergeant Chaos. First of all, he was fighting without a human partner of his own. Secondly, he was driving on a road slick with ice. As Icepick and Chaos closed in for the finish, Sideswipe snapped his blades out for the fight of his life.[12]

Following Battle of Chicago, Sideswipe changed his alt form and while hunting the Autobots reunited with the surviving Autobots.[13]

### Dark of the Moon: The Game

*Note: This game serves as a prequel to Dark of the Moon, but is not in continuity to the IDW comics.*

Three years after the Fallen's defeat, Sideswipe provided backup with Optimus for Bumblebee after the yellow Autobot inserted a virus in the Decepticon transmissions. Sideswipe went on a mission to investigate Decepticon activity in Central America afterwards and got captured. Later, Mirage and Bumblebee came and rescued him only to be informed that Starscream was trying to launch a ship in the area. Sideswipe assisted the Autobots (not really) in fighting off Starscream but failed to prevent the ship from launching.

### *Transformers: Dark of the Moon*

Sideswipe assisted Bumblebee, Dino, and Que in taking over an illegal power plant in the Middle East. Later on, he, alongside Dino and Bumblebee, attacked the Dreads, and helped Ironhide in finishing them off. Sideswipe fought alongside Ironhide when Sentinel Prime betrayed the Autobots, and watched as Ironhide was killed by Sentinel.

Sideswipe, alongside the other Autobots, left Earth in the *Xantium*, which was destroyed by Starscream. However, Sideswipe and the Autobots hid in a booster rocket that separated from the shuttle before it was blown up.

Sideswipe participated in the final battle at Chicago, where he was captured by Soundwave, Barricade, and other Decepticons alongside Bumblebee, Ratchet, Dino, and Que. However, thanks to a distraction by Wheelie and Brains, Sideswipe and the others were able to escape.

Sideswipe later assisted Bumblebee and Ratchet in firing at oncoming Decepticons. He also teamed up with them to fight Sentinel Prime, but was shot by Sentinel's cosmic rust cannon and painfully knocked to the ground. He still managed to survive the battle.

## Weapons

* **Swords**: Sideswipe's most popular weapon
* **Double-Barreled Shotguns**
* **Double-Barreled Hand Rocket Launcher**
* **Machine guns**
* **Back Guns**: Used against Sideways
* **Missile Launchers**: (as Stealth Force in Transformers: Dark of the Moon)
* **Grappling Chain**: (Sideswipe Clones only)

Sideswipe Weapon’s Sword.jpegSwords used against SidewaysSideswipe Weapon’s Back Gun.jpegBack GunsSideswipe Weapon’s 2x Double-Barreled Shotgun.jpegDouble-Barreled ShotgunRatchet Missile Laucher ROTF.pngSideswipe’s Machine GunsSideswipe's Missiles DOTM.pngSideswipe’s MissilesSideswipe Hand Rocket Launchers DOTM .pngDouble-Barreled Hand Rocket LauncherSideswipe-transformers-dark-of-the-moon-7.1.jpgSideswipe Close-Up
## Weapon Gallery

To see more images go to: **Sideswipe/Gallery**

Swords.jpegBazooka Tubes2x Double-Barreled Shotgun.jpegBack GunsSword.jpegBattle BladeSideswipealtmodetf2-tf3.pngAs Corvette Stingray(ROTF)Sideswipealtmodetf2-tf32.pngAs Corvette Stingray Convertible(DOTM)
## Trivia

* By Unknown Reasons, Leadfoot have in the Kreo AOE Toy Subline the Sideswipe's name, this was replied too with G1 Punch who was named "Nightbeat".
* He is one of the only Autobots to not have a confirmed final fate, the others are Mirage/Dino and Roadbuster.
* In the Titan Comics #13 "Law and Disorder" a kid asks Ironhide if Sideswipe and Sideways are related, while Ironhide responses that no but yes with someone named "Sunstreaker"

## Sideswipe's fate in the AOE and TLK timeline

According to Topps Europe collector card No.121, Sideswipe was killed along with Ratchet and an unknown cybertronian by the name of "Flash"

File:Age of Extinction Topps Europe collector card No.121.jpg