The Transformers series is home to plenty of villainous Decepticons who have become pop culture icons in their own right. There’s Starscream, Soundwave, and of course, the Decepticon leader Megatron.
However, there’s one Decepticon in particular who, while not quite as iconic as Megatron, is perhaps just as important to the history of the Transformers franchise. In fact, one could even consider them part of the same entity. This is the tale of Galvatron, the mighty Decepticon warlord whose story is intrinsically linked to that of Megatron.
Who Created Galvatron?
For those who have only experienced the world of Transformers through the live action films, the name Galvatron may bring back memories of the fourth Michael Bay-directed Transformers movie: 2014’s Age of Extinction. In that film, Galvatron was created by the tech corporation KSI as a man-made Transformer drone, intended to be sold for military use. Galvatron was originally intended to be modeled after Optimus Prime — however, it was created using the remains of Megatron. And though Megatron was thought dead after the events of Dark of the Moon, his mind survived. After years of biding his time, Megatron eventually seized control of the Galvatron drone, claiming it as his new body.
Now in the form of Galvatron, the Decepticon leader did battle with his old nemesis Optimus Prime once again at KSI’s Chicago facility. After escaping the battle, Galvatron took command of the other KSI drones, turning them into his new Decepticon army. Together with his forces, Galvatron tried to steal the terraforming device known as the Seed during the film’s climactic battle in Hong Kong. In the end, Galvatron’s scheme was thwarted thanks to the combined power of the Autobots and Dinobots. However, due to the interference of the bounty hunter Lockdown, he escaped to plot another day.
In Michael Bay’s fifth and final Transformers film, The Last Knight, Galvatron is back in his original guise as Megatron, with no explanation given for his change in form. However, that doesn’t mean that Age of Extinction is Galvatron’s only big-screen appearance. In fact, Galvatron's grand debut in the Transformers franchise occurred in 1986’s The Transformers: The Movie. Serving as a continuation of the original cartoon, the animated film provided a massive shakeup to the Transformers status quo — most famously with Optimus Prime’s death at the hands of Megatron. However, Megatron himself would soon undergo a major change as well.
After being betrayed one last time by his conniving right-hand bot Starscream, a mortally wounded Megatron was set adrift through space, along with his most loyal followers. Soon, Megatron found himself in an audience with the planet-sized destroyer of worlds, Unicron. Unicron offered to save Megatron’s life in exchange for his servitude, and Megatron reluctantly accepted. Thus, Unicron’s vast cosmic power granted a new, stronger form, transforming him into Galvatron. And while Unicron was destroyed at the end of the movie, the Decepticon leader’s new persona as Galvatron would remain for the duration of the cartoon’s final seasons.
Is Galvatron Still Megatron?
While Galvatron’s origins may be set in stone, the distinction between Galvatron and Megatron is not always so certain. For instance, in Age of Extinction, Galvatron is a temporary persona assumed by Megatron while inhabiting the form of the KSI drone. Once he’s broken free from KSI’s influence, he returns to his original identity as Megatron. Thus, Megatron and Galvatron are clearly the same entity within the live action films — two names for a single character. However, that isn’t the case in every adaptation.
In the 1986 animated movie, Galvatron is initially depicted as simply Megatron with a new look, along with a new voice thanks to guest star Leonard Nimoy. However, in the next season of the cartoon — in which Megatron’s voice actor Frank Welker takes over the role — Galvatron takes on a different characterization. While he’s just as tyrannical and power-hungry as Megatron, Galvatron quickly proves to be incredibly unhinged compared to his former self. While Megatron was a competent leader forced to keep his colorful crew of underlings in line, Galvatron was unstable, irrational, and prone to fits of rage. As such, it’s unclear whether Galvatron is simply Megatron driven to madness thanks to Unicron’s influence, or a new being altogether.
The Transformers comic books take things even further by depicting Megatron and Galvatron as two separate, coexisting entities. In the 1980s Transformers comics published by Marvel, Galvatron is actually Megatron’s future self, sent back in time by Unicron to ensure the Autobots’ destruction. In more recent years, The Transformers: Robots in Disguise and other comics from IDW Publishing have depicted Galvatron as completely unrelated to Megatron. In fact, he’s a warlord from Cybertron’s ancient past, long before Megatron was even born — but of course, he’s no less deadly than the present day Decepticon leader.
Galvatron is a character who has taken many different forms throughout the Transformers franchise. Sometimes he’s a temporary disguise assumed by Megatron, sometimes he’s Megatron’s upgraded form. And other times still, he has nothing to do with Megatron at all. But no matter what role Galvatron takes, one thing remains the same — he’s bad news for any Autobots unfortunate enough to cross his path.