With the release of The Transformers: Combiner Wars in 2015, Hasbro announced a joint venture with Machinima to produce an animated web miniseries based on the comic for the following year.
With Megatron's defeat, the war has ended. Cybertron and sister planet Caminus have joined together to face a new future and a new peace. Rodimus, Starscream, and Caminus's Mistress of Flame have formed a council to help guide their people though this new world; but a new threat has arisen. The Combiners, beings formed from multiple Transformers, have arisen and they threaten the peace and stability of the new era. With the Council paralyzed with indecision and disaster mounting, the young City-Speaker Windblade takes matters into her own hands to stop these destructive creatures.
Leading up to the series, 4 short videos were released, detailing the significant characters and how the plot came about. Each is animated in the vein of a motion comic. They give focus to Optimus
, Victorion, Starscream, and Windblade.
Combiner Wars was launched as part of Hasbro's Prime Wars Trilogy as a loose adaptation of the comic series of the same name. The series is created by Machinima and animated by Tatsunoko Production, and released on August 2 on the go90 platform and YouTube. A sequel, The Transformers: Titans Return, premiered in November 2017, with another sequel, The Transformers: Power of the Primes, premiering in 2018.
Tropes:
- Adapted Out:
- Superion, the Autobots first and most recognizable combiner, doesn't appear at all in the series. It's especially notable because he was one of the major characters in the comic.
- Defensor also doesn't appear, though unlike Superion, the Protectobots do have a cameo in Optimus's short. The Combaticons also cameo in Megatron's short, but unlike Superion and Defensor, Bruticus was absent from the comic.
- While the Combiner Limbs don't really have a role in the story save for being limbs, Off-Road, Wildrider's replacement, is absent from Menasor and Wildrider returns as Menasor's leg.
- Adaptational Badass:
- In the comic series Menasor was the weakest Combiner and easily beaten by all the Heroic Combiners. Here he debuts beating Computron into a pulp, nearly killing him.
- Windblade is easily at her most powerful here, taking down a combiner with minimal help.
- Adaptational Wimp: While Menasor does get a chance to shine, he's defeated by a normal sized Transformer, Windblade, who cuts through his limbs like they were tinfoil. In the comics Menasor could easily No-Sell blows like those.
- Actually Pretty Funny: Despite Windblade not liking Megatron very much, she can't help giggling when Megatron mockingly quotes Optimus Prime's famous, "Transform and roll out!" catchphrase. Optimus isn't as amused.
- Adaptation Personality Change:
- Windblade, to an even greater degree than Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015). In the original Windblade was a pacifist, or at least tried her best to be one. It's notable that the Council of Worlds was her idea in an attempt to curb Starscream's power and give the people a voice, whereas here she views the Council with disdain to the extent that the Mistress of Flame's presence on it makes Windblade consider it to be a betrayal (whereas in the comics Windblade was the one trying to bring the Mistress onto the political field). When the peace faces a difficulty in the form of the Combiners, Windblade in the comics fought to preserve order and tried to work within the system, while here she explicitly states she's done with diplomacy and expresses a desire to kill all of the Combiners.
- Menasor is traditionally portrayed as the single most mentally unstable Combiner (due to his limbs Dead End, Dragstrip, Breakdown and Wildrider all hating his torso Motormaster; and even without that, none of them are all that mentally stable). In the comics this was tweaked to make him a ball of uncontrolled rage that the collective Stunticons manifested. Here, he's intelligent and stable enough to mock Computron even as he beats him down, and later pulls a "Not So Different" Remark on Windblade after she slices him in half.
- Adaptational Villainy:
- The Mistress of Flame was originally solicited as an Ambiguously Evil potential threat in the comics, but all she really does is establish Caminus's Religion and help in peace talks. Here she's the most vocal council representative for using the Fantastic Nuke Combiners. In the comics she valued Windblade's contributions whilst here she dismisses Windblade's accusations with a cold "know your place."
- Windblade has been revamped from a peaceful conflict resolver to a darker Anti-Hero who's quicker to resort to violence.
- All-CGI Cartoon: To be expected from the creative team.
- Artifact of Doom: Windblade considers the Enigma of Combination to be this and sought to destroy it, but Optimus Prime, thinking she was trying to assassinate Starscream, interfered. Once she explains what she was trying to do, Optimus agrees to help her, but also suggests looking for someone with enough firepower to destroy it.
- Blood Knight: Megatron says that his exile has given him peace and freedom, apparently spending his days in an abandoned arena on an abandoned world taking on challengers. When Optimus Prime arrives, Megs is eager to pick up where they left off.
- Bond One-Liner: After crushing Computron, Menasor mocks him with "What a nerd." It's not as cool as it sounds.
- Canon Foreigner: Maxima was created for this series using Windblade's template.
- Combat by Champion: Optimus Prime's prelude episode reveals that the Autobot/Decepticon war ended after a final duel between himself and Megatron, as Optimus was afraid that the widespread introduction of Combiners would wind up destroying Cybertron itself.
- Composite Character: Computron uses the Hasbro CW design, minus Scrounge, save for the chest which is lifted from his original G1 look (which is recreated on the Takara version of the Combiner Wars figure).
- Cruel Mercy: Megatron taunts Optimus over the fact that Optimus didn't have the guts to finish him following their duel that ended the war. His bitterness makes it clear he felt that Optimus failing to kill him after his defeat was a huge insult.
- Curb-Stomp Battle:
- When Windblade fights Optimus Prime in Episode 3, she can't even land a single blow. Optimus himself doesn't even seem to be taking the fight seriously until he decides to disarm her.
- The fight between Menasor and Computron becomes this once Menasor successfully rips away Nosecone and Afterburner, Computron's left leg and right arm respectively. It even ends with Menasor stomping on Computron's downed body.
- Dirty Old Mech: Megatron shows shades of this when flirting, in his own way, with Windblade, particularly during battle.
- Dull Surprise: The CG tends to result in this on multiple occasions, not unlike Transformers: Energon or Transformers: Cybertron.
- Enemy Mine: Megatron hates Optimus, but hates the idea of Starscream having control of the Enigma of Combination more and so agrees to join forces with Optimus and Windblade.
- Equippable Ally: Megatron is still able to become a hand held blaster, though this time promoted to BFG.
- Famed In-Story: Optimus Prime has since gone into exile following the end of the war, but Rodimus Prime still evokes his name.
- Foe Romantic Subtext: Megatron's interactions with both Optimus Prime and Starscream are dripping with this. At some points he comes off like jilted old friend/lover who hasn't gotten over the break-up as well as he claims.
- Free-Fall Fight: Computron and Menasor's duel as they fall from the space bridge to Caminus.
- Gondor Calls for Aid: In Episode 3, Optimus Prime reveals that as Computron lay dying, he sent a final message to Optimus warning him of Windblade's departure for Cybertron.
- I Let Gwen Stacy Die: Maxima's death seems to be this for Windblade, as she repeatedly brings up dead friends while trying to attack Optimus Prime.
- Incoming Ham: Devastator's first appearance has him bursting through the floor of the council chamber, tearing Rodimus's arm off, laughing maniacally all the way.
- Made of Plasticine:
- Maxima's arm falls off easily after being swatted aside by Menasor. Menasor himself is remarkably fragile for a huge combining super-warrior; Windblade slices off his limbs with a single strike each, which she follows up by slicing him in half at the waist.
- Likewise, Menasor knocks off Computron's left leg and right arm surprisingly easily.
- Not Quite Dead: At the end of Episode 1, Computron is barely functional following his thrashing at the hands of Menasor.
- Episode 5 confirms his death, as Starscream regrets his decision to send him after Menasor.
- Mythology Gag:
- When Megatron was sparring or maybe fighting against the Constructicons in an arena, one of them stabs him in the back with a piece of shrapnel that looks way too similar to the one he threw and stabbed Optimus in the gut with from The Transformers: The Movie
- Optimus Prime's energon-axe is a faithful recreation of the version included with the second Masterpiece Optimus Prime toy.
- In Optimus Prime's prologue,Megatron challenges Optimus to a one on one battle to end the war similar to the season 1 finale of the original series, "Heavy Metal War". The key difference is that rather than cheat, he actually fights fair, loses, and accepts defeat and goes into exile.
- Sequel Hook: Eventually, the Combiner problem is solved at last but Windblade states there's a bigger threat coming, it's none other than the Titans.
- Storming the Castle: Episode 5 has Windblade, Optimus Prime and Megatron directly assault the Council's tower.
- Sword Limbo: Optimus evades Windblades attacks by doing this.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Megatron delivers one to Optimus Prime in Episode 4, blaming him for Cybertron's sorry state (after defeating Megatron and refusing to finish him, Optimus went into voluntary exile, thus leaving Rodimus, Starscream and the Mistress of Flame to form the Council). Optimus protests he went into exile to ensure a lasting peace, but Megatron mocks him for being so naive.
- Tank Goodness: One of Megatron's alternate modes is a tank for long distance travel.
- This Is a Drill: Nosecone forms one of Computron's legs, with his drill-bit protruding from the combined mode. Computron uses the drill to do extra damaged when he knees Menasor in the torso.
- This Is Unforgivable!: Windblade's response to the destruction caused to Caminus by the Combiners, as well as the Mistress of Flame's decision to leave Caminus to become part of Cybertron's ruling council.
- Tragic Keepsake: Maxima's rifle acts as this for Windblade, and she attempts to use it to destroy the Enigma of Combination. Optimus Prime, mistakenly thinking she was trying to assassinate Starscream, interferes and snaps the rifle in half, sending Windblade into a rage.
- Visual Pun: Starscream's final form is a screaming star.
- The Voiceless: Long Haul, Scavenger and Scrapper all appear in Episode 5 fighting Megatron, but they don't say a word. Instead, they communicate with each other via electronic beeps like Minicons.
- While the Combaticons and Protectobots appear in Optimus Prime's prelude episode, they only observe Optimus' and Megatron's final duel. They don't even transform into robot mode.
- We Hardly Knew Ye:
- Maxima, the Canon Foreigner, is introduced and dead before the first episode has ended.
- This could be argued for Menasor and Computron, who only had speaking lines in the first episode and briefly reappeared as corpses and voiceless extras later on.
- With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: After absorbing the powers of the Enigma of Combination, Starscream quickly finds out he can't contain such godhood and is quickly driven mad by it. He is reduced to a formless mass attacking everything at random.
