Summary

• The comic book Decepticons deserve recognition for their unique storylines and characters like Grit and Heretech.
• Characters like Sharpclaw and Killmaster add depth to the Transformers lore with their interesting backgrounds and abilities.
• Decepticons like Afterburn and Termagax showcase the complexity and depth of the Decepticon faction in the Transformers universe.

The Transformers franchise has an impossibly large cast that continues to grow every year. Because of this, it is impossible to know, let alone appreciate, every single character in the ever-expansive franchise.

However, especially within the realm of comics, some characters deserve more recognition than they have. Nowhere is this more prevalent than with the Decepticon cast of characters, who are often outshone by the comic book Autobots in terms of notoriety.

10 Grit Was A Foot-Soldier Who Learned To Think For Himself

While Grit technically first debuted as a toy, he was essentially a non-character within the Transformers franchise, making no appearance in any comic, manga, show, or movie, not even in the background. It was only through Shane McCarthy's Transformers: Drift—Empire of Stone miniseries that Grit became a character of semblance.

The comic miniseries depicted Grit as a die-hard loyalist to the Decepticon cause, yet throughout the storyline, he's forced to question what he's loyal to, as the majority of Decepticons around him have either stopped fighting or resorted to extreme zealotry. Ultimately, it was the fiendish actions of the Decepticon Hellbat that led Grit to decide that the Decepticon cause was no longer something he wanted to be affiliated with, betraying the faction and leaving for parts unknown.

9 Heretech Is The Often Overlooked 'Pious Decepticon'

Heretech is a character who appears sporadically within IDW Publishing's two Transformers continuities, yet he is rarely given the spotlight. He first appeared in several flashbacks within IDW's Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye, where he took many fans by surprise by being a Decepticon who wore a replica of the Matrix of Leadership on his forehead, an odd sight since the faction is supposed to be ideologically opposed to the Lineage of Primes.

Yet through the 2019 reboot of IDW's Transformers line, Heretech was given greater substance. He was credited as a member of the Reversionist Faction, which worshiped the god Primus in a way that conflicted with Sentinel Prime's militant stance, leading to Heretech's discrediting as a religious zealot. Thus, it was only through the Decepticons that Heretech spread his religious philosophies; a religious Decepticon hasn't been seen outside of Heretech, making him a particularly unique character needing a larger role within Transformers.

8 Ser-Ket Is Transformers Prime's Forgotten Decepticon-Predacon Hybrid

Transformers Prime's reinterpretation of the Predacons as the prehistoric precursors of the Cybertronian race caught on with Transformers fans, so much so that it spawned several Predacon characters outside the TV show. The most interesting of these was Ser-Ket, the first Predacon who properly affiliated with the Decepticons; she acted as the leader of Shockwave's homunculus army known as The Forged.

With a design that acted as the perfect blend of Transformers: Fall of Cybertron's Insecticon and Transformers Prime's Predacons, Ser-Ket was one of the most aesthetically pleasing comic-exclusive characters of Transformers Prime. On top of that, she had a commanding presence, capable of being Grimlock's rival as both a combatant and tactical leader. She never got the same reputation as Predaking or Darksteel, but Ser-Ket remains one of the coolest characters out of Transformers Prime's new Predacon concept.

7 Sharpclaw Is A Comic Exclusive Character Related To A Major RID Villain

Created by Nick Roche's daughter, Sharpclaw became a major character in Roche's Transformers: Last Bot Standing graphic novel. It was meant to be his fair-well piece for the Transformers franchise before its license was removed from IDW Publishing and given to Image Comics. Playing on his daughter's conception of the character, Sharpclaw was created as the sister of the Decepticon Steeljaw, particularly a version very reminiscent of the one featured in 2015's Transformers: Robots in Disguise.

Initially, Sharpclaw was devoted to her brother, helping him scour the planet Donnokt for biofuel after a massive Energon Famine threatened to wipe out the Cybertronian race. Tragically, this devotion did not last, as Sharpclaw and Steeljaw would end up fighting each other over the resources of Donnokt when it became apparent that there just wasn't enough. Despite her connection to Steeljaw, Sharpclaw has gone largely unrecognized by the fandom; hopefully, future appearances may change that eventually.

6 Killmaster Is Whirl's Greatest Nemesis - And He Has A Wand

Killmaster is a murderer who joined the Decepticon Empire because --true to his name-- he loved to kill on a massive scale. His accolades of destruction became so great that he became a member of the Decepticon Warriors Elite and became the eternal archnemesis of the amoral Wrecker, Whirl.

But as a great juxtaposition to his hulking size and terrifying reputation, Killmaster's weapon of choice is a tiny wand that allows him to teleport and cast different spells. Most bizarrely, he became a part of My Little Pony when he joined forces with the Equestrian Unicorn, King Sombra, who blessed Killmaster with enhanced abilities to defeat the Autobots Arcee and Greenlight. Yet, despite his powers, Killmaster lost to the ponies, Holiday and Lofty. A character with such bizarre extremes needs to be taken advantage of more often by the Transformers franchise.

5 Afterburn Is The Decepticon Spy Who Tricked Bumblebee

As part of the Transformers Animated continuity, while Afterburn looks like an Autobot, he is a Decepticon Drone created by Megatron to infiltrate the Autobot Elite Guard. As a faux Autobot, Afterburn was sent to Earth by Ultra Magnus and quickly became the team's most effective member. He earned the admiration of Bumblebee and Ratchet and even caused Sari Sumdac to develop a crush on him.

But Afterburn's apparent flawlessness did not stop him from eventually slipping up and contacting Megatron in the middle of Autobot HQ, causing Bumblebee to walk in on him and discover he was a traitor. Thanks to a combination of being discovered and the fact that Afterburn hadn't uncovered much information about the Decepticons, Megatron murdered Afterburn right in front of Bumblebee. While he was a spy, Bumblebee couldn't help but feel bad for Afterburn, believing that if he had known about his true nature, he could have turned Afterburn into a genuine Autobot.

4 Drift Wouldn't Exist Without His Partner Turmoil