Grimlock is an evilAutobotDinobot from theShattered Glasscontinuity family.

I, Grimlock, say you are DOOMED.

Grimlock was born in aDecepticon lab as a warrior who would run on artificial intelligence instead of anember, butMegatron ordered his deactivation after his violent tendencies emerged and overrode his logic subroutines. He was put into storage with every intention of never using him again. However, whenOptimus Prime heard of his creation, he stole and reactivated Grimlock. Given the chance to engage in the violence for which he yearned so much, Grimlock eagerly became Prime's most powerful warrior, not stopping for anything except deactivation, having not a single shred of mercy or self-control. "I wish I had a thousand more like him!" said Optimus Prime on multiple occasions. ThankPrimus he doesn't.^[1]

Following an encounter with theOmega Terminus, Grimlock was granted an ember, a true cybernetic personality, and the ability to transform into arobot mode. In this new form, he is gifted with remarkable intelligence, a wicked scheming streak, and a delightfully wry sense of humor, wot? However, the mindless violence that once governed his thought processes has not been entirely excised; should robot mode Grimlock lose his temper, he will involuntarily transform back into his dinosaur form, and his mind will be overwhelmed with the uncontrollable ferocity for which he is so well known.^[2]

Fiction

Shattered Expectations

Grimlock proved himself to be the smartest (and most humble) of the Autobots raiding the secretPretender lab. Insulted byGoldbug relegating him to the position of mere attack dog, he nonetheless fell for aPredacon ruse and was ambushed by theMayhem Suppression Squad.Shattered Expectations

Fun PublicationsShattered Glass continuity

I need not express my intellect. Me speak dumb for now.

At some point after joining the Autobots, Grimlock was subject to an experiment by the egotistical combinerComputron meant to increase Grim's intelligence. It didn't work, and in fact managed to ruin Computron and his constituents' own mental stability.SG Computron profile

Grimlock was with theAutobots when the Decepticons attacked theArk's launching platform. Optimus sicced him on the Decepticons, and he very quickly ended up in a tussle with the Predacons.Shattered Glass

When the deranged Autobot scientistWheeljack succeeded in modifying and duplicating Grimlock's artificial intelligence matrix, he was able to give life to an entire herd ofDinobots. With Grimlock at the head of the pack, Wheeljack unleashed his creations into the middle of a battle between the Autobots and Decepticons, only for the mindless monsters to wind up fighting amongst themselves. As the out-of-control Dinobots proceeded to run wild acrossCybertron, Grimlock began to hear a mysterious disembodied voice that gave him directions to follow, and he obeyed it without argument, pausing on his way only long enough for a minor altercation withHuffer. Trekking deep into theRad Zone, Grimlock ventured into a series of tunnels that led him to the chamber of the life-giving mega-computer, Omega Terminus, the owner of the voice that had lured him into its presence.

No, Mr. Jumper, I expect you to die!

Grimlock was hidden beneath a pile of scrap at the feet of the Omega Terminus whenCliffjumper,Sideswipe,Blurr, andRodimus eventually succeeded in tracking him to the chamber sometime later. When Rodimus proposed an alliance between the four to take control of Omega Terminus, and Cybertron by extension, Grimlock rose from his hiding place to oppose the idea, and was promptly struck by a bolt of energy from the Terminus. Bestowed with true life by the mega-computer, Grimlock shocked all present by transforming into arobot mode he was never meant to have, and displaying remarkable intelligence. With a quartet of corpses reanimated by the Terminus's power backing him up, Grimlock engaged his opponents in battle, so enraged by Rodimus's interruption of his monologue that he inadvertently transformed back into his dinosaur mode. Although the unlikely team was able to take down their zombie opponents, Grimlock succeeded in knocking them all off the edge of the narrow dais upon which the Terminus rested, then shifted back to robot mode to gloat as they all clung to the edge of the platform. When Blurr began deliberately goading him, Grimlock assumed he was trying to make him angry and force a change back to his dinosaur mode. In actuality, Blurr was distracting Grimlock long enough for Cliffjumper to haul himself up to safety. The small Autobot shoulder-charged Grimlock, who toppled into the bottomless chasm above which the platform hung.

Blurr and Rodimus returned to the Autobot base to inform Optimus Prime of Grimlock's destruction... only to have the lie put into their words mere moments later, when a fully functional Grimlock came strolling into the Autobot base none the worse for wear. Prime was enraged to discover that his greatest weapon had become free-willed, but when Grimlock displayed his new robot mode and intelligence by quickly identifying a potential error in the fuel system of Prime'sArk blueprints, the Autobot leader was convinced to let him remain in one piece.

Some time later, Grimlock snuck into the corral the Decepticons had established to hold the Dinobots they had gathered up, promising to take all the Dinobots to the Omega Terminus...Dungeons & Dinobots

When theArk ended up launching without Optimus Prime aboard, Grimlock was one of the Autobots that Rodimus threw off the ship for being too loyal to Prime.Do Over

Afterwards, he got to happily eat Blurr, as Blurr's punishment for failing to stop Rodimus' mutiny.Reunification: Part 3

Knowing of his universe's Grimlock,Ultra Magnus was disgusted to hear thathis counterpart's universe hada Grimlock as well.Distant Fissures

Lil Formers

While sipping some tea, Grimlock compared himself to his positive-polarity counter, and remarked that he noted no differences between himself and his virtuous double.Lil Formers

Games

Transformers Legends

During an Autobot attempt to launch from Cybertron in a battleship, Grimlock,Ricochet, and Goldbug were distracted from reaching the launch site and ended up chasingRavage instead.Shattered Glass

Toys

Timelines

I dislike you with great intensity, you dislike me with great intensity, wot.

• Shattered Glass (BotCon box set,2008)

• Accessories: Bayonet blaster, tail/whip

Part ofBotCon 2008'sexclusive box set of five figures,Timelines Grimlock is aredeco ofClassics Deluxe ClassGrimlock with a new dark gray, turquoise, purple and orange color scheme, as anhomage toTrypticon. He transforms into a roboticTyrannosaurus rex. His spring-loaded bayonet missile launcher can be hand-held inrobot mode or mounted on his dino mode's back, and his multi-jointed dino-mode tail detaches to form a hand-held whip weapon.

As a redeco of theClassics Grimlock mold, he suffers from a few common issues carried from the mold: the size of the peg that locks his arms in place is too small in relation to the peg-hole, making it difficult to keep him transformed. The black shoulder flaps above this assembly are meant to tab into these and lock the whole thing together, but the flaps don't align properly and the tabs themselves are too short to even reach the slots. In addition, the bayonet blaster has a hair-trigger and his fist holes are a few fractions of a millimeter too small to accommodate standard5 mm post accessories that most modernTransformers toys use.

Grimlock was only available as part of a set of six toys, along withOptimus Prime,Autobot Jazz,Goldbug,Razorclaw, andStarscream.

This mold was also used as the basis forBotCon 2007's customizing-class figure,Overkill, andUniverse Special Edition Overkill.

• More information onShattered Glass Grimlock at TFU.info

Shattered Glass Collection

I may be easier to acquire than my relative of 15 years past, but I still hold my great dislike for you.

• Grimlock (Leader Class,2023)

• Accessories: Dual-barreled blaster

Released in the third year of Hasbro'sShattered Glass Collection subline, Grimlock is a redeco ofStudio SeriesGrimlock, transforming into a mechanicalTyrannosaurus rex in Trypticon's color scheme. Unlike the original release of the toy, he only comes with the dual-barreled blaster, which can store on the back of hisT. rex mode. Yes, sadly, he lacks aWheelie.

Grimlock has numerous5 mm post-holes all over his body, making him compatible withC.O.M.B.A.T. System toys, and he also hasFire Blast effect posts on the ends of his blaster's barrels and on the inside of his dino-mouth so he can properly spew plastic flame. He of course still retains the robot-mode shoulder-holes that theStudio Series Wheelie figure can use.

Grimlock was revealed in an interview withEvan Brooks onFebruary 21st, 2023, and went up for preorder onHasbro Pulse onMarch 28, 2023.

Merchandise

The Loyal Subjects

• Shattered Glass-Evil Dinobots (SDCC exclusive, 2014)
  • Accessories: 1 swords, 1 blaster

Part of theSDCC 2014exclusiveThe Loyal Subjects 3-pack set along withSlag andSnarl, Grimlock is aredeco of the non-transforming vinylWave 1Grimlock figure.

Notes

• The "super-intelligent, well-spoken criminal genius" Grimlock was originally created for the April Fool's "Shattered Expectations" comic, as a direct inversion of Grimlock's normally dim, caveman-esque portrayal. He proved so overwhelmingly popular that the "real" Shattered Glass version of the character—nothing more than a slavering monster—later underwent a personality upgrade to become just like him.
• The eruditeShattered Glass Grimlock was the star of theFun Publications OfficialTransformers Collectors' Club website's "I, Grimlock" feature, in which a single "Shattered Glass" Grimlock toy was sent across the nation (nay, world!) for fans to take photos of in various locations. He forcibly took the role from theoriginal Grimlock onJuly 23,2008.
• SG Optimus Prime's wish to "have a thousand more like Grimlock" mirrors G1Megatron's wish to have a thousand more likeBruticus.

References

External links

• Shattered Grimlock takes over the world-hopping journey on the Fan Club's website.