There is no getting around the fact that the one unbreakable rule of all fiction genres is that the evil guys always have to appear cooler than the good people. When it comes to the Transformers, they have successfully kept their end of the bargain while captivating fans of all ages and for decades with their comic books, animated series, live-action movies, and, let us not forget, their greatest action figures.
As kind and considerate as the renowned Autobots have been, the dreaded Decepticons have been nothing short of brutal and cruel. Remember, though, that the evil Decepticons would do whatever to seize control, rule the universe, and bring about the destruction of the valiant Autobots.
This gets us to the video for today, in which we will examine the top 12 Decepticons in terms of strength. Are you prepared? Let’s do this then!
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Megatron
What we have here is the cornerstone of the Transformers franchise and is regarded as one of the strongest Decepticons, if not THE greatest. This despotic leader of the Decepticons is well known for his dubious morals and abhorrence of his archrival, Optimus Prime.
A glimpse into Megatron’s past reveals him to have been an exploited worker at first until evolving into a gladiatorial champion and assuming the illustrious name Megatronus, one of the original Thirteen Primes. He changed from Megatronus to Megatron and eliminated the failing caste system as a result of his emergence as a political rebel and attempts to change Cybertron’s corrupt political system.
Megatron once held the view that every sentient being possessed the right to self-determination, but over time, thanks to his increasing strength, he turned into an evil figure who went on to command an army of the evil Decepticons against the Autobots.
The live action movies have had Megatron’s alternate modes ranging from a Cybertronian jet, Cybertronian flying tank, a Mack 10-wheeler tanker truck to a 2014 Freightliner Argosy cabover truck. Speaking of his powers and abilities, Megatron can convert his right hand into his signature fusion canon while simultaneously altering his right arm into a steel flail.
Add to that a power upgrade, which comes in the form of a lobster claw-like blade, or a crushing device, to be more precise. There are times when he has been seen using a handheld version of a fusion canon, one that looks quite similar to a sawed-off shotgun, for instance a Lupara. Besides all of these, Megatron is an ace combatant, an expert marksman, a master tactician and leader boasting genius-level intellect, superhuman strength, speed, stamina, agility, durability, longevity and reflexes.
It is safe to say that he is the most intimidating Decepticon that has ever been created.
Unicron
To be honest, Unicron does not really fall under the category of a Decepticon. But having said that, it is only fair to address him as the most supreme being to exist in the Transformers universe. Now, if one is to believe the Transformers mythology, Order and Chaos are said to have lived in harmony inside an extra-dimensional entity called The One, who upon desiring to traverse the developing universe, created Unicron and further divided the astral being forming Primus – Unicron’s twin brother.
Often addressed as the ‘Planet Eater’, ‘Lord of Chaos’ and at times the ‘Chaos Bringer’, Unicron is massive in size; we are talking about a cosmic-size robot, one that is easily capable of altering into an enormous planet. Mind you, he is a threat to the whole universe and not just to Autobots and is often seen enlisting the aid of Decepticons to exterminate humanity. In fact, there are some tales that regard Unicron as part of the foundation of the Decepticon forces.
Now, for those of you who are wondering about his ultimate goal, it is actually quite simple. This pitiless being desires to bring an end to the very fabric of existence and become the centerpiece of the absolute nothingness that remains after he ends up devouring an entire universe.
Needless to say, he stays true to his name and is powerful enough to travel between universes and across realities too, and at will, may we add! It is reported that Unicron has consumed about 22.56% of the familiar universes so far and is particularly known for negotiating with lesser beings, assuring them extensive, new powers and abilities. Of course, this comes as barter for their service, or in other words, their servitude, to be more precise.
Unicron is certainly not the one to be taken lightly and is more than often seen taking the first place when the list revolves around powerful Decepticons.
Nemesis Prime
Think Optimus Prime but think evil – well, that pretty much sums up Nemesis Prime for you all! Next, we want you to imagine someone boasting literally the exact amount of power of Optimus Prime but with no morality and conscience, for that matter. Doesn’t just the thought of it send chills down the spine? It surely does to us.
After all, what we are talking about here happens to be an evil clone of Optimus Prime – same appearance, ditto powers but cold-blooded and absolutely merciless. Putting stress on the original Transformers cartoon, Nemesis Prime happens to be an accidental creation of Megatron with the latter striking a disabled truck and Optimus Prime with a cloning ray. It goes without saying that Nemesis Prime has had many versions since his first appearance, but it was in the anime series, Transformers: Armada that he appeared as someone unstoppable with a penchant for slaughtering any Transformer, be it Decepticons or Autobots.
So much so that in order to defeat him, the Autobots and the Decepticons had to go to the extent of joining hands. It should not come as a surprise to you that Nemesis Prime, as an agent of Unicron, desired the complete annihilation of Cybertron, and to be honest, he was almost successful… but thanks to a joint effort from Autobots all across different timelines that prevented him from doing so.
The sole fact that he looks like a copy of Optimus Prime makes him exceedingly terrifying. Like it or not, he has behaved like a sociopath with a goal to butcher everything in sight. His battle strategies along with that brute strength and weaponry consisting of cannons and sabers definitely deserve mention.
For someone who is primarily known for destruction, murder and assault, literally takes pleasure in massacring both Autobots as well as Decepticons and believes from the core in causing mayhem, Nemesis Prime indisputably deserves to be on the top of this list.
Starscream
Devious, treacherous and nasty – these define Starscream aptly who has always had this burning desire to remove Megatron from his powerful position. Now, while it is true that he happens to be the second in command right after Megatron, but knowing his nature, this double-crossing Decepticon lieutenant is quite strategic and will not pass a single opportunity that will put him in an advantageous position.
No wonder, he regards himself way more superior than the other Decepticons and even detests Megatron for his old-fangled military policies. He is well aware that nothing is capable of giving as much power as military rule… but give Starscream the prospect to lead and you will see him mostly fail.
His alternate modes deserve a special mention; we are stressing on the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle as well as the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. It is true Megatron has punished Starscream many a times for his treacherous nature and the duo have engaged in violent, verbal and physical fights, but having said that, it would still be a mistake to underestimate Starscream. As the leader of the Decepticon Seekers, the sky belongs to him.
Conclusively, one of the most popular Decepticons to have existed, Starscream has played a major role throughout the Transformers franchise, be it live action movies, animated series or comic books.
Sentinel Prime
This direct descendant of Primus was believed to be the last of the Primes, one who is recorded to have mentored Optimus Prime. The former and the first leader of the Autobots was also the captain of the Ark, who had secretly made some kind of a deal with Megatron in order to reconstruct Cybertron.
He was imposed with the safety of his secret weapon, the Pillars to be more precise, and Sentinel Prime firmly believed that he would be able to retain his dying planet. However, his very hopes to bring around Cybertron to its former glory altered him and he ended up going against the Autobots just so that he could protect Cybertron. This resulted in his fated death in the very hands of Optimus Prime at the Battle of Chicago.
Shockwave
He has always been backed by Megatron but does that make Shockwave loyal? No way! Is he dangerous? That would be ‘yes’ in bold. This unrivaled Decepticon scientist conclusively happens to be one of the most detrimental, destructive and dangerous eliminators that Megatron has ever had literally at his fingertips.
This clearly points towards a simple thing – if it wasn’t Megatron, it surely was Shockwave who was capable of instilling fear within the Autobots. Believe it or not, such was his personality; guess, it would not be wrong to admit that had Megatron and Shockwave indulged themselves in a battle, high chance that it would be Shockwave ending up as the ultimate winner. Extremely popular amidst the Decepticons, Shockwave was respected, feared and at the same time idolized.
His alternate mode had him transform into a Cybertronian tank and there are no second thoughts about him being an absolutely formidable, cold-blooded fighter both on and off the field of operations. Shockwave was cold and calculative in nature, which automatically gave him an upper hand in destroying even the strongest Autobots.
Laws, logic and morals have never really bothered him and it was his readiness to go to every literal extent just so as to succeed that made him almost impossible to defeat. Last but not the least, let us not disregard his arm-mounted AstroMag Cannon, which hardly let anyone stand in his way in the first place, and if that’s not enough, he also had a pet Cybertronian creature, the dangerous Driller, one who would usually take care of things.
Galvatron
We all know Megatron is deadly, but Megatron reborn is Galvatron, which obviously makes him far more powerful, threatening and ruthless. Let’s get one thing straight about this new incarnation; he will not let anybody stand in his way when it comes to him gaining access to the ultimate power.
This brings us to his origin story – Megatron post getting critically injured by Optimus Prime was thrown off of Astrotrain only to be found by Unicron, who offered him a new body, an entirely new troop for him to take command of as well as a new ship. Megatron repaired and transformed was made into a new warrior, renamed as Galvatron, who of course did not waste a single moment to take back his place as the all-powerful leader of the Decepticons.
It is only fair to categorize the terror of terrors as one of the most fearsome enemies that the Autobots had to go up against. Controlled by Unicron and driven by Megatron’s uncontrollable desire to kill, Galvatron is well remembered to this day for his cold opportunism and ruthlessness. So, for those of you who have been considering Megatron as the ultimate threat, it is high time that you change your mind.
Overlord
It is true that over the years, the Decepticons have had access to a horde of super weapons, plenty of which they have used, but what we are talking about here is a super weapon, one that itself happens to be a Decepticon. Say hello to Overlord, one who is kind of computerized to exterminate his enemies and if you ask us, we think he takes immense satisfaction in it.
A little bit of digging into his back story shows Overlord having met Megatron while he was a fellow gladiator and it is reported that Megatron was the only one Overlord could not crush. No wonder, his desire to defeat Megatron made him go to great extents. We are talking about Overlord joining the Decepticons and eventually emerging as one of the most outstanding warriors.
Then comes the part where Megatron gives Overlord an upgrade, providing him with the power to change into five distinct alternate modes, making him almost indestructible. With the amount of strength that he possesses, he is literally what nightmares are made up of.
Please note that even Megatron was left with no other option but to build a strategic blind spot within the very brain of Overlord just so that he could prevent him from finding a way to overcome him. A blend of the most destructive Decepticon armaments, add to that grenade launcher and laser blasters, Overlord is without a doubt not the one to be taken lightly at all.
Soundwave
Unlike the other Decepticons that have been mentioned so far in this list, Soundwave is exceedingly faithful to Megatron and is a staunch believer when it comes to the Decepticon cause. As the Decepticons communications officer, Soundwave is blessed with this special skill of decrypting electrical impulses in the brain that allows him to read minds of not just humans but also Cybertronians.
We are stressing on him serving himself as the spy Decepticon and at the same time assemble as much military information as possible. He is very intelligent and an exemplary strategist. It is only fair to address him as the most attentive amongst all the Decepticons, keeping them all in check.
No wonder, he is positioned pretty high when it comes to the ranking – full credit to his skills for that, especially his ability to take over communications on a planetary scale. He is a great fighter too, one who can efficiently fight a number of Autobots simultaneously all by himself. This automatically fits him perfectly in the frontline battles.
But do you know what is it that actually makes him both cool and threatening at the same time? We are stressing on his additional troops stationed inside his very chest – Frenzy, Laserbreak, Rumble, Ravage and Buzzsaw. You name the job and it’s done already by them! Soundwave’s alternate mode besides being a Cybertronian satellite happens to be a Mercedes Benz SLG AMG.
Blackout
One of the primary reasons why this big baddie here is also referred to as the hound of Megatron is pretty simple; when Blackout is given a particular target, he will hunt it down come what may. He is sly, he is sneaky and he is more than often seen making use of his own symbiotic companion, Scorponok, especially the latter’s tiny size to serve his very purpose.
Blackout is tremendously loyal towards Megatron; he feels it is his duty to abide by his master and he is usually found next to him, unless he is asked by Megatron to take care of things. Blackout will literally go to every extent to defend his master and there’s nothing that he relishes more than hearing Megatron give his signature command, ‘Decepticons attack’.
Blackout’s element of surprise usually comes in the form of rocket launchers, machine guns and massive shock waves. His alternate mode happens to be an MH-53J Pave Low III helicopter, as in seen in the 2007 movie.
Nitro Zeus
It is only fair to categorize this merciless Decepticon hunter here under the hunt and blast list. Boasting an array of armaments along with some very intimidating tracking skills, Nitro is certainly not the one to be taken lightly. There are no second thoughts about him being very powerful and he has maintained this reputation of finding and capturing every target that Megatron has told him to with immaculate success. Now, he may appear as the standard, unruly squabbler with a particular penchant for trash talking, but please know that he is also the one to keep a track of everyone that he crosses his paths with.
While his alternate mode happens to be the Saab JAS 39 Gripen Jet, he was also made to become the new second-in-command to Megatron post the demise of Starscream. Also, he was quite impacted by the death of Shockwave and has had both the Autobots as well as the humans in his sights.
Alice
Do not be fooled by this otherwise normal-looking college student, who in reality happens to be a Decepticon Pretender. For those of you, who are not aware of this particular term, here, let us help you out. This one is a special type of transformer, one that gives the impression of being a human from the outside but is actually not. Alice is first seen trying to seduce Sam Witwicky at a college fraternity party.
Her advances are interrupted by the arrival of Bumblebee and even with Alice inviting herself for a ride, things don’t work out in her favor initially. Later, Alice is able to stir things up forcefully, may we add, when she tries to make out with Sam in his dorm, only to give Sam’s girlfriend Mikaela the fake impression of him cheating on her.
With Mikaela leaving disgusted, Alice shows him her true intentions, giving him quite the literal robotic tongue-lashing while wrapping the metallic tentacle around his neck and strangling him. Alice is eventually seen to alter into her real self before she goes on a destructive rampage after Sam and the rest. This Decepticon conclusively is a total badass!