Summary
The Decepticon Shockwave has one of the most unique designs inTransformers. Featuring his signature singular eye and arm cannon, he is one of the franchise’smost famous and iconic villains.
He pops up in variousTransformersmedia, including a couple of live action appearances. The designs are usually kept very similar, but there are a few different variations on the character’s appearance in comic books, toys, TV shows and video games. This list ranks the best of the best when it comes to the cold and calculating Shockwave.
7Transformers One
A Faithful Design But Something Is Missing
Transformers Onewas very faithful to the Generation 1 designs of both the Autobots and the Decepticons, but in Shockwave’s case this wasn’t the best idea. Although the design is still awesome and fans can completely tell who it is, something is missing from the design to give it the edge.
It had the signature singular eye, which all versions of Shockwave have, and the purple coloring that has both become synonymous with the character. The head is a little too small and flat in comparison to the shoulders and chest, which doesn’t lend to a well-proportioned character.
6Transformers: War For Cybertron
Better Proportioned And A Solid Design
Another design that is very faithful to the original concept for Shockwave. The 2010 video game gave Shockwave his iconic eye, cannon and purple color scheme, but made the proportions a little better. The chest wasn’t as wide and the legs not as skinny.
Overall, this version of the character was a solid one. In the game, he was included as a DLC character, and again assumed the role of a high-ranking Decepticon and an evil scientist who acts on logic. This is why the eye works so effectively for the character, as there is no emotion behind it.
5Transformers: Animated
A Different Take But It Works
Transformers: Animatedoffered a very different design for the character, a lot slimmer in appearance and a longer head, although it still had the same singular eye. Shockwave is very different, but it kind of works, although it can’t be ranked too highly as it is completely unfaithful.
Shockwave also has a completely new roleas part of the Decepticonsas he is a covert agent posing as Longarm Prime to infiltrate the Autobots from behind enemy lines. His original colors are that of the Autobot, grey, cyan and black, but eventually he switches to his iconic purple.
4Transformers: Prime
A Bulkier Shockwave
The biggest change to the character’s appearance in 2010’sTransformers: Primewas the fact that he was a lot more bulky. Shockwave always had a large chest, but Prime gives his own body a bulkier look which makes him feel like a much more imposing threat.
The eye is a lot bigger in the design, basically covering his whole face, which works as it gives an even more emotionless look like an AI. Think HAL in2001: A Space Odyssey. The arm cannon is much more prominent with big wires coming out of it, making it seem it could do some serious damage. Overall, a great design for Shockwave.
3Bumblebee
A Faithful Iteration
Michael Bay’s designs for theTransformerswere seen as divisive, but 2018’sBumblebeefixed this with some faithful charactersthat took large inspiration from the original toyline and Generation 1 cartoon.
Shockwave received this treatment, as his look in the movie, although briefly in the movie’s opener, was essentially just an updated Generation 1 appearance. The iconic yellow eye, purple wide chest and massive arm cannon are all synonymous with the character, and they are shown perfectly in live-action in this movie.
2Dark of the Moon
A Truly Menacing Design
Although this design is different, there is a lot of quality in it. The Decepticons in the movies are pretty much all gray and black, which really makes them roll into one. Shockwave stands out among the rest as his glowing singular eye is a clear giveaway of who he is.
InThe Dark of the Moon, the third entry to the live-action franchise, Shockwave appears with his partner in crime Driller, a massive snake-like being who wreaks havoc in Chicago. Shockwave commands his pet in the heart of the city, also causing mayhem himself with his arm cannon. It was a shame that this was his only appearance in the original live-action run and his scenes were even limited in this one.
1Generation 1
The Gold Standard For Shockwave
Sometimes the original just captured the design and essence of the character perfectly and this is what happened with Shockwave. The purple coloring, large chest, arm cannon and glowing singular eye, which are all tropes that have continued withthe Decepticon scientistto the modern day.
Weirdly, Shockwave doesn’t transform into a vehicle but instead a gun. Which makes sense as it was originally a toy, but when translated to a cartoon it doesn’t make a lot of sense. Nonetheless, Shockwave is perfect in G1 and there has been little change to the character throughout the years.
