Jim Shooters original treatment for The Transformers Part 4
Continuing our look at the original treatment for The Transformers
In part 2 and part 3 of these essays, I described the first part of Jim Shooters original treatment for The Transformers (with a bit of background in part 1). In that part of the treatment Shooter described the origins of the Transformers and the start of the war between the Autobots and Decepticons. He described how their battles led them to crash a ship into ancient Earth, and how four million years later they are revived by a volcanic eruption.
Now, in part 4, we get to understand a bit more about the actual characters. Everything has been rather story-focused thus far, but Shooter is about to change that by naming the human companions Buster (originally Spike) and his father “Sparkplug” Witwicky.
1. Sparkplug Witwicky
Shooter suggested that Sparkplug’s real name is Stanislas Piotr. He’s something of a thug and obviously not American-born. Shooter describes him as a ‘rough, tough guy’ uneducated and rowdy. He’s more a gang-leader styled character than the gruff mechanic that we’ve grown to love. There is very little in the Marvel comics to suggest that this name was kept, just as the characterisation was significantly changed. In “The Last Stand” he is identified as William, but later in “Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom” he is identified as Irving. The nearest we get to Stanislas is the name of his service shop, which is called S. Witwicky Auto Repairs & Tow Service. Shooter does highlight his mechanical abilities and suggests that ‘by instinct he can take apart, put together, and fix almost anything’.
Sparkplug originally had a ‘lady friend’ called “Toots” (adding to the gang attitude). She can’t understand why he’s suddenly so busy all the time, but eventually she was meant to also get into the war as well.
2. Buster (Spike) Witwicky
Spike was going to be the original name of Sparkplug’s kid and the main human protagonist. Somewhere during the revision stage the name was updated to Buster. Marvel would keep that name, but the cartoon would go with Spike. Shooter describes him as completely unlike his father. He’s no mechanic but rather something of an academic. Buster likes to draw, and he reads poetry and philosophy. His father just doesn’t get it. This academically capable Buster is kept for the Marvel comics as is his dad’s complete inability to ‘get’ Buster.
3. O and Jessie
O never really took off as a character. He appears in the early Marvel stories but is quickly dropped. In the original treatment he is described as a ‘big’ and ‘rotund’ kid, which is basically what we get. Jessie also appears in the comic but gets to stay for much longer and becomes part of the Transformers war. Here she is described as having a ‘diminutive stature’ which ‘belies her boundless courage’. In the cartoon Jessie would become Carly.
4. Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime is described as the leader of the Earthbound Autobots. He is the largest, strongest and wisest of them, having no equal. Shooter equates him to Abraham Lincoln ‘he can be immensely kind and his compassion extends to all the lives, including the creatures of Earth’. This has been kept in most versions of the character. As is the fact that when life is threatened ‘he can wage war swiftly and mercilessly’. There is another aspect to the character here though, which did not quite translate into the Optimus Prime we all know. Shooter describes him as a healer and repairer. He’s a doctor, mechanic, scientist, and a warrior all rolled into one. Part of the medical background to Prime was kept in the Marvel UK comics. A datafile on Optimus Prime, which appeared in the 1986 annual, mentioned that Optimus has initially planned to become a medical officer but instead enrolled in the Autobot army as soon as the Decepticons declared war.
5. Prowl
The version of Prowl which Shooter describes fits his 1980s version pretty closely. It is far less accurate for how IDW would come to portray him. Prowl is endlessly patient, quiet, competent and loyal. If assigned a task he will keep going until it is accomplished. He is also something of an investigator. Shooter suggests that he will work with proven facts, rejecting imagination or guesswork. He is also cautious. If in doubt, Prowl will radio Optimus Prime before proceeding with a plan of action. Prowl ‘hates doubt in any form and strives to make everything he encounters reasonable and logical’. That is certainly the Prowl that came out of the 1980s G1, as is the suggestion that he is friendly ‘but not too sociable’.
6. Starscream (Ulchtar)
Shooter at first called Starscream, Ulchtar. That’s a strange name and its not really very surprising that it changed. Nevertheless, what would Megatron’s second in command have been if his name had been Ulchtar? Shooter describes Starscream as gazing with scorn at the creatures below him. Starscream is ‘utterly contemptuous of anything that cannot lift itself from the ground and claim the sky’. He is, though, not ‘totally insane’. There is reason for his violence and Starscream can always find a way to justify it. Shooter suggests that the Decepticon cause is his justification ‘he believes their words about the war against the Autobots being a holy mission’. This is an interesting take on the cunning, insubordinate Starscream. It suggests that Starscream was originally intended as a true believer of the cause. This has been picked up in his character from time to time, in particular in the flashback stories of IDW’s first universe, where Starscream is shown to have been a true believer but over time had begun to doubt Megatron’s competence (and believe his own ego that he would be best in charge).
In the final part of this essay, looking into the original treatment for The Transformers by Jim Shooter, we will look at the suggestions for the first adventure after the opening story and begin to move towards the next stage of the story: Bob Budiansky.