Mirage (Transformers)
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Mirage is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. After Optimus Prime and Megatron, and along with Prowl, Mirage is one of the single most re-used names in the Transformers series, and is almost entirely synonymous with characters possessing Formula 1 racing car alternate modes.
Contents |
Generation One
| Transformers character | |
| Image:Mirage toy.jpg | |
| Mirage | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance | Autobot |
| Sub-group | Autobot Cars |
| Function | Spy |
| Motto | "Who and what I am, I hide from my enemy." |
| Alternate mode | Ligier JS25-Ford F-1 |
| Fictional Appearances | original cartoon, Marvel comics, Dreamwave comics |
| Voice actors: | Frank Welker (U.S.) |
Some might say that Mirage was created with a silver sparkplug in his mouth. On Cybertron, he was one of the planet’s elite upper class, preferring to spend his days hunting turbo-foxes instead of involving himself in conflict. When that became unavoidable, Mirage enlisted with the Autobot forces, although he is often unsure about his motivations for doing so, which leaves his fellow Autobots finding it hard to trust him – a problem not helped by the fact that Mirage can rarely hide that he is often unwilling to fight directly, or his contempt for the “commoners” he is now forced to interact with. He has no lost love for Earth, and would happily return to his old life on Cybertron if he could.
Is it ironic that, given his unwillingness to fight, Mirage is a superior hand-to-hand combatant, and a skilled sharpshooter, having honed his talents hunting game on Cybertron. He is armed with a rifle which fires explosive, armor-piercing darts, but the most important piece of his arsenal in his function as a spy is his shoulder-mounted electro-disruptor, which can bend photons to make Mirage invisible, or appear to be where he is not, or even alter his physical appearance, hence his name.
Mirage Toy
The toy that was to become the Autobot Mirage was originally released as part of the Japanese Diaclone series by Takara. Mirage transforms into a Ligier JS25-Ford Formula 1 racing car, which is the origin for his Japanese name, Ligier. He bears the racing number 26 – denoting the vehicle as that which was driven by Jacques Laffite in the 1980 season – and sponsorship logos for “Citanes,” a reference to the cigarette company, Gitanes. It was announced at Botcon 2005 that the mould for Mirage’s original toy, first released in 1984, has been lost, meaning that the toy cannot be reissued like many others have.
Animated Series
Image:Mirage.jpg The animated series opted to present Mirage’s desire to return to Cybertron as a genuinely sad longing, rather than as a result of any great dislike of Earth, and this shaped him into a more gentle character, not especially like the snob suggested by his profile. His actions immediately after the Transformers’ reactivation on Earth in 1984 were heroic ones, working with Hound on a plan to dupe the Decepticons, and using his invisibility powers to sneak aboard the villains’ space cruiser as it launched, sabotaging it from within and forcing it to crash back to Earth.
Image:Mirage-anim.gif Be it as a result of his own desire not to engage in combat or not, Mirage’s role in the Autobots’ battles on Earth was a distinctly minimal one, leaving him confined to the background on the battlefield, or not present at all. In early 1985, however, the spotlight shone on Mirage again when Cliffjumper suspected him of disloyalty. The discovery of a Decepticon installation in a sector Mirage had recently observed caused Cliffjumper to leap the incorrect conclusion that he was a traitor to the Autobots, having conceal the information. After a battle with the Decepticons, Mirage risked the trust of his comrades by sneaking away to perform a plan of his own, framing the Decepticons for stealing Energon Cubes from the Insecticons. Spotting carrying the cubes by Cliffjumper, Mirage’s guilt seemed all but confirmed, and before he could reveal his innocence, he was captured and brainwashed by one of Bombshell’s mind-controlling cerebro-shells. Under Bombshell’s control, Mirage led the Autobots into an ambush, but at the battle’s end, the assorted manipulations were revealed and Cliffjumper apologised to Mirage.
Towards the end of the year, Mirage was among the team of five Autobots who disguised themselves as the Stunticons, with Mirage’s alternate mode making him the perfect choice to masquerade as Drag Strip. Penetrating the Decepticons’ camp, the Autobots ran into trouble when the real Stunticons arrived, trying to prove their identities by forming Menasor. With a combination of Windcharger’s magnetic powers and Mirage’s illusion-creating ability, the Autobots were able to appear as Menasor too, but the deception was soon revealed, though they were still able to thwart the Decepticons’ plans.
Mirage did not play any role in the events of 2005, which saw many of his contemporaries destroyed, and did not appear during the battles in 2006. His ultimate fate was never revealed. The true reason for his departure from the series, of course, was the fact that this toy was no longer availble on toy shelves in 1986, meaning there was no longer a reason for the series to promote the toy by featuring his character.
Marvel Comics
Image:Mirage comic.JPGFollowing the awakening on Earth, Mirage immediately made clear his desire to return to Cybertron, even going so far as to question where his loyalties lay, if a different alliance would allow him to return to his home world. Attacked by Ravage in an early battle, Mirage attempted to reason with him, seeing no reason that two Transformers should fight, viewing co-operation as the best way to get back to Cybertron. However, when he clashed with Ravage for a second time, and had his arm severed by the Decepticon’s fangs, Mirage came to the realisation that only by fighting on the side of the Autobots did he truly stand a chance of returning to the world he loved.
Mirage did not play any major role in battles which immediately followed, but managed to avoid being among the ranks of the injured following the Autobots’ climactic clash with Shockwave. Still, he remained largely absent from combat situations until the Underbase-empowered Starscream threatened the world; attempting to defend New York with a large number of his fellow Autobots, Mirage was deactivated by the Decepticon. His damaged body was stored in a stasis pod on the Ark, until and his fellow fallen comrades were brought back online through the power of Nucleon.
After the end of their original Transformers comic book series, Marvel continued the story with its Transformers: Generation 2 series a few years later, accompanying the toyline of the same name. In the comic, Mirage was among a team led by Grimlock onto the Twilight, the flagship of the second-generation Cybertronians led by Jhiaxus. Overwhelmed by the troops on board, the Autobots were captured but eventually mounted an escape attempt. The first to rush into battle, Mirage was destroyed by a flamethrower; his death was soon avenged in battle by Ironhide.
Dreamwave Comics
Image:Mirage dw.JPGDreamwave Productions’ 21st Century re-imagining of the G1 universe presented a Mirage much closer to the cold, snobbish character his tech specs originally suggested.
As ever, when the civil war on Cybertron broke out, Mirage eventually sided with the Autobots, and even maintained his allegiance to them when the two warring forces split off into several smaller factions following the disappearance of Optimus Prime and Megatron. During this period of unrest, when The Fallen attacked the Autobot base in order to capture Blitzwing, Mirage was among the Autobots who tried to stop him.
As one of the Autobots on the Ark, Mirage participated in the battles on Earth, awakening in 1984 and developing a loathing of the planet. It was no doubt a relief for him to head back to Cybertron in 1999 after the Autobots defeated and captured the Decepticons, but when an act of sabotage caused their craft to explode shortly after leaving Earth, Mirage was among the Transformers who were able to avoid having their bodies appropriated by the terrorist, Lazarus. He was reactivated by Optimus Prime in 2002 and participated in the ensuing battles against the Decepticons that culminated in a nuclear explosion above San Francisco.
The following year, when Shockwave arrived on Earth to arrest Prime and Megatron’s forces as war criminals, the Autobots were naturally resistant to the idea. Mirage was among a squad who monitored Shockwave’s movements on Earth, but upon discovering that Ultra Magnus was under Shockwave’s command, surrendered himself and the others, recognising this as his chance to return to Cybertron. When Optimus Prime then overthrew Shockwave, who was revealed to possess sinister ulterior motives, Mirage was among the Autobots who voted to stay on the planet rather than return to Earth, even though he had discovered that Shockwave had divided up his old estate and holdings amongst others.
Generation 2
Image:Miragecard.jpgFor Mirage's appearance in Marvel Comics' Generation 2 series (see above), he was rendered in his original G1 body, although his original toy was not among those re-released for the G2 toyline. The comic was cancelled, however, before the toyline debuted Mirage's new incarnation in 1995 - still a racing car, Mirage was now part of the smaller, simpler line of Go-Bots figures, and shared his mold with another figure named Double Clutch. Despite his new body, however, he was clearly the same character, evident from his motto, bio and powers, which all remained the same as his original G1 incarnation.
The figure was later repainted into a new Mirage for the Robot in Disguise toyline (see below).
Machine Wars
Image:Mirageart.jpg Motto: "Like a ninja in the night, I strike swiftly and unseen."
In 1997, the small Machine Wars toyline was released exclusively in KB Toys stores, and featured a new Mirage figure with a spring-loaded transformation and the traditional racing car alternate mode, shared by the line’s Prowl figure. The lack of any supporting fiction for the line leaves its place in continuity hard to define, but Mirage’s bio-card makes it clear that the figure represents a new version of the G1 character, presenting him to possess the same personality, ability and function - the only difference is his new motto.
Transformers: Robot Masters
Whatever the precise placement in continuity of the Machine Wars figure, it was all that was seen of the original G1 Mirage until 2004, when it was repainted for the new Japanese-exclusive toyline, Transformers: Robot Masters. Released as Rijie (an alternate romanisation of Ligier, Mirage's Japanese name), the figure was recolored to resemble the character's original toy, and the fiction of the series - which spun out of the animated series at a point prior to Transformers: The Movie - made it clear that this was the original Mirage, still wielding his electro-disruptor and possessing his invisibility powers.
Transformers: Alternators
At Botcon 2005, a new incarnation of Mirage was unveiled as part of the Transformers: Alternators toyline, which features updated versions of classic G1 characters with modern vehicular alternate modes and complex transformations. Alternators Mirage transforms into a Ford GT, with the first painted images of the toy made available in late January 2006 in an issue of the Official Transformers Collectors' Club bulletin. The toy is not yet available in stores.
Although the American toyline offers no supporting fiction for the Alternators toys, the line's Japanese counterpart, Binaltech, has featured a growing storyline, a new chapter released with each toy, making it clear that the Alternators/Binaltech timeline branches off from the animated series continuity prior to Transformers: The Movie. However, with the line currently stalled in Japan, it seems unlikely that a new chapter of the story will be written to precisely explain the specifics of Mirage's acquisition of his new form, or any of its special features, any time soon.
Beast Machines
Image:Mirage bm.jpg Motto: "Eat my dust!"
The first truly new, different character to bear the name of Mirage appeared in the 1999 Beast Machines toyline, a portent of the frequent reuse the name would soon receive. A member of the evil Vehicons, with the requisite (albeit stylised and alien) racing car alternate mode, this Mirage did not appear in the accompanying animated series, but was characterised as an experiment by Megatron in bridging the intelligence gap between Vehicon drones and their generals.
Mirage’s biography presents him as a trickster who enjoys playing cruel pranks on his comrades, making him unpopular with his fellow Vehicons. He is not particularly smart and would be entirely useless without Megatron’s own supervision and orders. He possesses the power of teleportation, able to appear from nowhere to attack his foes, and is armed with a plasma blaster and duel missile launchers.
Interestingly, with the exception of his weaponry, Mirage’s biography is a carbon copy of that of the G1 Decepticon, Skywarp. The toy was later repainted and released in as part of the Robots in Disguise line, as an Autobot named Mirage GT (see below).
Transformers: Robots in Disguise
Motto: "You can't hit a speeding target!"Image:Mirage rid.JPG
The parallel universe of the 2001 line, Transformers: Robots in Disguise introduced another new Mirage, known as Counter Arrow in the original Japanese version, Car Robots. Fittingly, the Mirage toy is a repaint of the G2 Go-Bots Mirage figure, part of a smaller sub-group of such repaints known as Spychangers. The toy, originally sold in a two-pack with Ironhide, was also released alone in translucent plastic, and as a translucent redeco.
Mirage is the fastest of the Spychangers, which makes him the best choice for spying on the enemy – he’ll be in and out before anyone is the wiser. As an excellent marksman, he is fittingly armed with a sniper rifle, and, like the other Spychangers, possesses optical camouflage powers that can make him appear invisible and is able to drive over any surface, including water, and even upside-down.
Mirage’s most focal role in the Robots in Disguise animated series, in which he was voiced by Wally Wingert, was an unintentional homage to G1 Mirage’s own biggest role, when the other Spychangers inaccurately suspected Mirage of betraying the Autobots to the Predacons.
Mirage GT
Image:Mirage gt.jpg As noted above, the Robots in Disguise toyline also included a repaint of Beast Machines Mirage as an Autobot named Mirage GT, sold in a three-pack with Nightcruz and Scavenger (also repaints of Beast Machines toys). The toy was exclusive to the ‘‘Robots in Disguise’’ line, not having been a part of Car Robots and hence the character did not appear in the animated series, and without a profile, it is unclear whether or not Mirage GT is intended to be the same character as the existing Robots in Disguise Mirage or any other character by that name.
Transformers: Armada
Motto: "Hide yourself, but never your ideals."Image:Mirage arm.jpg
The alternate universe of Transformers: Armada introduced another Mirage (known in Japan as Indy) in 2002, this time a member of the diminutive Mini-Con faction and one third of the Race Team, alongside Dirt Boss and Downshift. Mirage's mold is based on an earlier figure, Swindle – the transformation of the toy is identical, aside from an additional waist swivel, but every piece is moulded differently – and, naturally, transforms into a Formula 1 racing car. He can combine with his team-mates into the Skyboom Shield.
As a Mini-Con, Mirage possessed no given personality in the Armada animated series, communicating only in bleeps and spending most of his time onscreen in the merged form of the Skyboom Shield as the Autobots and Decepticons battled for ownership of it and the other Mini-Con weapons. As the toy similarly offered no bio for the character, he remained without any characterisation until Dreamwave Productions produced a profile that presented Mirage to be the leader of the Race Team. In the early days of the war, his skills in stealth and speed lead him to prefer running and hiding to fighting, but upon witnessing the atrocities of war, he viewed his cowardice as the worst crime of all, and stepped up to a command position in hopes of doing something about it. Although smart, observant and direct, Mirage still carries with him the guilt from the earlier part of his life, when he ignored his principles in favor of his own self-preservation. Like his G1 progenitor, Dreamwave presented Armada Mirage to possess a light-bending invisibility power, capable of rendering himself and other objects inperceptible, which he used in defence of the Mini-Con's moonbase in the Dreamwave comic book storyline.
Mirage and the Race Team were later upgraded into the Road Assault Team, redecoed in red, white and black, and Mirage's toy was later redecoed into the Japanese exclusive toy Topgear.
Transformers: Cybertron
The Armada incarnation of Mirage later returned in the 2005 Transformers: Cybertron toyline when he and his team-mates were repainted and included, with a Tiny Tin, in special double-packs with several of the larger Cybertron figures. Mirage himself was packaged with both Hot Shot and Override. According to the bio included with the Hot Shot pack, Mirage was brought to the Speed Planet under the protection of Hot Shot, where he quickly overcome his sadness at his separation from Downshift and Dirt Boss when he discovered the planet's perfect raceways. Now he and Hot Shot are a nearly unbeatable racing team.
The Mirage figure included with Override, on the other hand, is a version of Armada Mirage from an alternate universe, from which he was plucked by a rip in space-time created by the black hole threatening Cybertron. Blasted to the Speed Planet, his damaged body was found by Override who recognized his potential and took him in. Repaired by her, Mirage became her willing parter, helping her win race after race. Upon discovering that Mirage's team-mate, Downshift, had been captured by Speed Planet native Dirt Boss (no relation to the Race Team member), the team have dedicated themselves to hunting down the villain and rescuing Downshift.
Transformers: Universe
The original yellow toy of Armada Mirage (and the rest of his team) was repackaged individually with a collectible Tiny Tin for the Transformers: Universe toy line. He did not appear in the Transformers: Universe comics.
Plans existed for a remould/redeco of Beast Machines Mirage as the Autobot bounty hunter, Devcon, to be released as an exclusive for a future BotCon. By extension, the toy would have been a Transformers: Universe figure, but plans were abandoned when 3H Enterprises lost the lisence of the hold the convention. Although the toy was not produced, the character did appear in the Transformers: Universe - Wreckers comic series.
Transformers: Energon
Image:MIRAGEIMAGE.jpg Motto: "I am your funeral at sea."
Despite occupying the same universe as Transformers: Armada and its Mirage, Transformers: Energon introduced its own Mirage (named Shockfleet in Japan) in 2004, an upgraded version of the lumbering Decepticon battleship, Tidal Wave. Unusually for a character bearing the name, he transforms into a high-speed gunboat. This Mirage has proved himself as much a threat on land as he is on water, turning destruction into an art form.
Animated Series
When the unruly, treacherous Decepticon known as Shockblast joined Megatron’s forces, Tidal Wave warned against the idea, distrusting Shockblast as a result of some unspecified past conflict that had occurred between them. Ordered to aid Shockblast in battle, however, Tidal Wave was badly damaged when an Energon Tower collapsed on him, and Megatron used the power of Unicron to reformat him, recreating Tidal Wave as Mirage.
Smaller and sleeker than in his original form, Mirage received an intelligence upgrade to go along with his new body, speaking more full sentences and losing his penchant for repeating his own name, though he still referred to himself in the third-person. Somewhat outlandishly, by the climactic events of the series, Mirage appeared to have developed a romantic fixation upon his leader, often making comments about his affection for him and, in one instance, contorting his body and generating a glowing pink heart. Tragically, Mirage’s sheer devotion to Megatron led him to follow his leader into oblivion when he flew into the Energon sun that had caused his leader’s demise.
Mirage’s voice was provided by Doug Parker.
Dreamwave Comics
Energon Mirage also made a brief appearance in the Dreamwave Energon comic book series. Here, after failing in a mission on Cybertron, Tidal Wave was punished by Scorponok for his misdeed, and was damaged so badly that Alpha Q used Unicron’s power to rebuild his shattered body as Mirage. Mirage proceeded to battle the Omnicons and Kicker, but the bankruptcy and subsequently closure of Dreamwave Productions has left its storylines unfinished.