The Strongest Versions of Shockwave in Transformers

This list contains spoilers!

Summary

• Shockwave is a cold, calculating scientist from Cybertron, ranking among the most powerful Decepticons.
• Shockwave’s various iterations differ in strength, with some versions being more powerful and ruthless than others.
• The IDW continuity Shockwave is the most formidable, manipulating time, reality, and history to shape the universe.

Shockwave is a cold and calculating scientist from Cybertron and among the most powerful Decepticons of all time, rivaling and defeating the likes of Megatron on multiple occasions. His genius-level intellect, combined with a lack of empathy, makes him one of the most terrifying and deadly characters in the Transformers universe.

Driven by logic and his belief in preserving Cybertron at any cost, Shockwave views his most ruthless actions as essential for the greater good, often placing him at odds with the Autobots and even the cruelest Decepticons. In this ranking, we’ll look at the strongest versions of Shockwave across multiple continuities.

10

Generation One (G1) Show

One Of The Most Beloved Yet Weakest Versions Of Shockwave

• First Appearance – Transformers (Season 1, Episode 1: “More Than Meets The Eye”)
• Last Appearance – The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
• Status – Unknown

Shockwave from the Generation 1 show didn’t have as much of a significant role compared to later iterations and acted more as a background character, as opposed to a real threat. While he was shown as a visually imposing character with his arm cannon and size, he spent most of his time on Cybertron and rarely saw combat throughout the series.

Acting as the Guardian of Cyberton, Shockwave spends most of his time relaying information to Megatron, commanding other Decepticons, and coordinating operations. With his limited combat experience and no significant feats of physical strength, it’s clear that Shockwave from the Generation One show is one of the weakest versions of the character.

9

Transformers: EarthSpark

A Child-Friendly Take On The Ruthless Decepticon

• First Appearance – Transformers: EarthSpark (Season 1, Episode 16: “Warzone”)
• Last Appearance – Transformers: EarthSpark (Season 3, Episode 4: “No Soldiers Left Behind”)
• Status – To Be Continued

Given the show’s target audience, it’s not a surprise that Shockwave from Transformers: EarthSpark ranks among the weaker iterations of the character. While he remains a threat to the Autobots and Terrans alike, the child-friendly style portrays the character as much weaker than others in this ranking.

Though physically weaker, this version of Shockwave possesses unique and powerful abilities, including a tentacled claw that lets him grab enemies from a distance, an immobilizer cannon that freezes Transformers with a single shot, and a Cybertronian tank alt-mode equipped with a devastating cannon that is powerful enough to take down Megatron.

8

Longarm Prime / Transformers Animated

The Master Of Disquise

• First Appearance – Transformers: Animated (Season 2, Episode 9: “Autobot Camp”)
• Last Appearance – Transformers: Animated (Season 3, Episode 13: “Endgame: Part II”)
• Status – Imprisoned

While not the strongest in this ranking, Shockwave from the Animated Series was a master of deception and disguise. Under orders from Megatron, he takes on the persona of Longarm and joins the Autobots, eventually becoming the head of the Cybertronian Intelligence Division, earning the prestigious rank of Prime.

As Longarm Prime, Shockwave managed to repeatedly undermine the Autobots from the inside while maintaining his cover. Even when he was discovered, Shockwave managed to defeat both Ratchet and Arcee with ease and even severely damaged Ultra Magnus, the Supreme Commander of the Autobots. These feats, combined with his intelligence and deception skills, showcase just how dangerous this version of Shockwave can be.

7

Skybound (Energon Universe)

The Ruthless Leader Of Cybertron

• First Appearance – Void Rivals #4 (2023)
• Last Appearance – Transformers #12 (2024)
• Status – Defeated (Killed By Optimus Prime)

In the Skybound Transformers comic run and the Energon Universe, Shockwave is a key figure despite his limited appearances, and in his short time, he manages to show just how strong he is. He one-shotted Ratchet, instantly killing the Autobot medic before holding his own against an enraged Optimus, who, alongside the other Autobots, was forced to retreat.

While other combat feats are limited in this series, his mere presence struck fear into Optimus Prime on many occasions, highlighting just how dangerous this Shockwave is. While this version of Shockwave was ultimately defeated by Optimus in a deadly battle, knowing Shockwave, he will probably return even colder and more ruthless in future issues of the ongoing Skybound series.

6

Bayverse

The Underused Behemoth

• First Appearance – Transformers: Dark Of The Moon (Video Game)
• Last Appearance – Transformers: Dark Of The Moon (Movie)
• Status – Defeated (Killed By Optimus Prime)

Shockwave from the live-action Michael Bay movies is easily one of the most physically intimidating versions of the character. His massive size and strength are enough to strike fear into Autobots and Decepticons alike, and when paired with his pet Driller, he’s able to level entire cities with ease.

While his screen time was unfortunately limited, this version of Shockwave appears in both the tie-in video game and comic series. In the comics series set before Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Shockwave easily defeats Jolt, Elita-One, Blazemaster, Brawn, Armorhide, Smokescreen, Arcee, Chromia, Knock Out, and Dune Runner, showcasing just how strong this version of Shockwave is.

5

Cyberverse

The Mad Scientist

• First Appearance – Transformers: Cyberverse (Season 1, Episode 6: “Megatron Is My Hero”)
• Last Appearance – Transformers: Cyberverse (Season 3, Episode 4: “Battle For Cybertron IV”)
• Status – Defeated (Sacrificed Himself)

Shockwave from the Cyberverse continuity is one of the cruelest versions of the character, constantly experimenting on Autobots with no remorse or care for their lives. He is shown to possess immense strength and skill, especially during hand-to-hand combat, where he effortlessly takes on multiple Autobots simultaneously.

His spider-walker alt-mode is one of the most powerful alt-modes the character has had, allowing him to have maximum mobility while outputting deadly blasts from his cannon. His mind-control abilities, emotion suppression technology, and use of drones, combined with his raw power, make this version of Shockwave one of the strongest in the verse.

4

Transformers: Prime / Aligned Continuity

The Most Confusing Version Of Shockwave

• First Appearance – Transformers: Prime (Season 1, Episode 26: “One Shall Rise, Part 3”)
• Last Appearance – Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising (2013)
• Status – Unknown

Spanning the Cybertron games, Transformers: Prime, and Robots in Disguise, the aligned continuity creates one of the strongest yet confusing versions of Shockwave. This version is perhaps the most durable, showing time and time again to be able to withstand attacks from large groups of Autobots, and even holding off Ultra Magnus, who was wielding the Forge of Solus Prime at the time.

Despite all the continuity errors and plot holes, each appearance of Shockwave in the Aligned Continuity is thankfully fairly similar. During most combat situations, he manages to hold off and defeat Autobots with his raw strength alone, and with his massive arm-cannon, he can easily defeat most Autobots in the verse, even when outnumbered.

3

Dreamwave

The Ultimate Weapon

• First Appearance – Transformers: Generation One (Dreamwave) Vol. 1 #3
• Last Appearance – Transformers: The War Within – Dark Ages #6
• Status – Unknown

The Dreamwave iteration of Shockwave is one of the more cunning iterations of the character, willing to work with anyone, including Autobots, if it serves his goals. While he may not be the most physically powerful version, his gun alt-mode is arguably the most devastating of any Shockwave iteration.

During the Siege of Iacon, Shockwave demonstrates the sheer power of his gun alt-mode by taking out two Omega Sentinels with a single blast. In the Dreamwave universe, Omega Sentinels are among the most powerful beings on Cybertron, but even they were no match for Shockwave’s firepower.

2

Generation One (G1) Comics

Classic Shockwave

• First Appearance – Transformers #4 (1984)
• Last Appearance – Transformers #80 (1991)
• Status – Unknown

Shockwave from the Generation One Marvel Comics run is one of the best versions of the character to date. Throughout the series, he is consistently shown as one of the strongest and most dangerous transformers in the universe, on par with the likes of Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Omega Supreme.

Throughout the comic run, Shockwave displayed many impressive feats of strength, cementing his place as one of the strongest versions of the character. He consistently took down groups of Autobots with ease, held his own against Grimlock, and beat both Megatron and Omega Supreme in single combat.

1

IDW

An Absolute Menace To The Universe

• First Appearance – The Transformers Spotlight: Shockwave #1
• Last Appearance – The Transformers: Optimus Prime #25
• Status – Defeated

It’s difficult to explain just how powerful Shockwave from the IDW continuity truly is. In combat alone, he managed to stalemate all five Dinobots at the same time as well as defeat Scorponok in single combat. While these feats are impressive, they are nothing compared to his master plan, in which he manipulates history, time, and even the very fabric of reality over millions of years.

Shockwave’s true power came from the Regenesis Ores, enabling him to manipulate fundamental concepts like Space, Life, Time, and even Death. During his grand plan, he was inadvertently sent millions of years into the past and assumed the role of Onyx Prime, subtly reshaping Cybertron’s history and deliberately engineering its future conflicts, including the Autobot-Decepticon War. Simply put, everything that has happened in the IDW universe is Shockwave’s fault, cementing this version of the character as the strongest.