Marvel UK‘s weekly Transformers series reprinted the American series, padded out with back-up reprints from a variety of US titles and new Transformers stories by British creative teams – most notably writer Simon Furman. Due to numerous events that ended up contradicting the US continuity, the UK stories would be considered a separate timeline, eventually gaining the designation Earth-120185.
One of the major differences was the inclusion of the Transformers: The Movie content as the probable future for this universe (despite it being closely tied to the animated series that had an altogether separate continuity). The three-ssue US adaptation was released as a collected one-shot special by Marvel UK in time for the film’s release and a teaser storyline featuring many of the film’s primary characters began to appear in the weekly series. As the teaser story was based on an earlier version of the script, the year the future timeline was set in was 2006 (with the Special amending the script to match this) and the story that spun into the modern Marvel UK stories became ‘Target: 2006’! (Go with it.)
At some point after Galvatron returns to Cybertron and kills Starscream for betraying him, the Decepticon leader travels back in time from Earth-88945 (the future UK timeline) to find a way to kill his new master, Unicron. A team of Autobots follow suit and aim to stop Galvatron from messing with future events by travelling to our present. When this story arc was launched, the hints dropped about the upcoming film, the appearances of these new characters and the whole time-travel aspect made all of this incredibly exciting, though it may not seem quite so strong today.
If you want to go into more depth about Target: 2006 and its impact, be sure to check out the excellent TFWiki page about this story.
Related Events: This isn’t technically a crossover as the UK story actually ties in with a reprint of the US Transformers: The Movie mini-series – but I wanted to cover it, so here it is; I’ve included the original mini-series – rather than the reprint – for the story breakdown.
Must-Reads: In the Fallout section, story arcs/issues marked with a ✔ are essential reading.
Spoilers: The issue descriptions and fallout section contain spoilers, so be warned!
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the chronological reading order without story descriptions, or spoilers:
- Transformers: The Movie #1-2
- Transformers #78 [1/2]
- Transformers #79 [1/2]
- Transformers #80 [1/2]
- Transformers #81 [1/2]
- Transformers #82 [1/2]
- Transformers #83 [1/2]
- Transformers #84 [1/2]
- Transformers #85 [1/2]
- Transformers #86 [1/2]
- Transformers #87 [1/2]
- Transformers #88 [1/2]
- Transformers: The Movie #3
| Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Transformers: The Movie #1 In the year 2005 (or 2006 – see our intro), the Decepticon forces have claimed Cybertron and plan an attack on Autobot City on Earth to definitively win the war. The battle doesn’t go as planned when Decepticon leader Megatron faces Optimus Prime in a showdown that leaves both of them mortally wounded. The Decepticons flee and Starscream takes the opportunity to kick Megatron and the other damaged troops out into space. They’re picked up by the world devouring Unicron who transforms Megatron into Galvatron and turns the others into Cyclonus, Scourge and the Sweeps. On Earth, Optimus hands the Leadership Matrix to Ultra Magnus before he dies. 1st appearance: Arblus, Kranix, Scourge, Springer, Sweeps, Ultra Magnus, Unicron, Daniel Witwicky |
| Transformers: The Movie #2 (pp.1-5) Unicron consumes one of Cybertron’s moons and plans to follow it up with Cybertron itself. Galvatron is punished for warning his master off his home world. Unicron orders Galvatron o attack Autobot City on Earth… |
| Transformers #78 [1/2] The present day Decepticons (circa 1986) have also managed to claim Cybertron, but Emirate Xaaron of the Autobots has a plan to change that by setting a trap with help from Impactor. On Earth, Optimus Prime, Ratchet and Prowl are addressing the Autobots when they disappear right before their optical sensors. Elsewhere, Galvatron, Scourge and Cyclonus materialise in the present! 1st appearance: Blurr, Hot Rod, Impactor, Kup, Roadbuster, Sandstorm, Springer, Sweeps, Topspin, Twin Twist, Ultra Magnus, Unicron, Whirl, Earth-88945 New identity: Bombshell (or Skywarp or Lifespark) as Cyclonus, Megatron as Galvatron, Thundercracker as Scourge |
| Transformers #79 [1/2] A team of Autobots spy on the Earth-based Decepticons to find out if they’re behind their leader’s disappearance. Instead, they witness Galvatron introducing himself to his past incarnation, Megatron, as the future leader of the Decepticons. Megatron turns down an alliance only to be buried under rubble by Galvatron’s blast (seeing as he can’t kill his past self). On Cybertron, Xaaron informs Ultra Magnus that the Creation Matrix seems to have disappeared from existence, putting Operation: Volcano in jeopardy. |
| Transformers #80 [1/2] Galvatron has taken over the present day Decepticons and put the Constructicons to work, building a weapon powerful enough to destroy Unicron. Cyclonus attacks the spying Autobots, seriously damaging Jazz, as Ultra Magnus makes the jump from Cybertron. Ultra Magnus rescues Hound and takes him back to the Autobot base. Magnus is met with hostility from Jetfire. Galvatron contacts the Autobots to tell them Jazz is his prisoner! |
| Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Transformers #81 [1/2] Ultra Magnus continues his search for Optimus Prime while Jetfire leads a team of Autobots on a rescue mission that completely fails. Galvatron is reluctant to kill anyone, but he doesn’t reveal that he’s trying not to alter the timeline. Ironhide is allowed to crawl back to base, but chooses to free Megatron from the rubble, instead. |
| Transformers #82 [1/2] Impactor prepares his team, the Wreckers, for Operation: Volcano. Despite is looking like the mission might be cancelled without Ultra Magnus, the team are willing to fight on and risk certain death! 1st appearance: Rack’n’Ruin, Wreckers |
| Transformers #83 [1/2] Present-day Starscream breaks out of the Autobot stasis pods and sees Megatron preparing to lead an assault on the Decepticons. Ultra Magnus continues to stay out of the fight and try to locate Optimus Prime. Megatron and a team of Autobots successfully capture Scourge. |
| Transformers #84 [1/2] On Cybertron, Emirate Xaaron gets Springer, Broadside and Sandstorm to stand in for Ultra Magnus when they launch Operation: Volcano. On Earth, Galvatron reveals his origin to Jazz, explaining that Unicron transformed him from Megatron into Galvatron. Cyclonus tells Megatron how he beat up Starscream and that Scourge has been captured by the Autobots and Megatron. Hotrod, Kup and Blurr transport themselves back from the year 2006, making Thundercracker, Frenzy and Shockwave blink out of existence. |
| Transformers #85 [1/2] Galvatron tests his laser cannon on the Decepticons’ orbiting ship, obliterating it. Starscream (ironically) allies himself with Galvatron against Megatron. Having travelled from the year 2006, the Autobots Blurr, Hot Rod and Kup explain their arrival to Ultra Magnus who realises Galvatron is the reason why Optimus disappeared. The Autobots exchange Scourge for Jazz only to discover Jazz has been ‘zombified’ and immediately assaults the Autobots. Starscream blocks Megatron’s sneak attack. And Ultra Magnus arrives to confront Galvatron! |
| Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Transformers #86 [1/2] Ultra Magnus lures Galvatron away from the cannon, to allow Kup’s team to set a trap. Galvatron rides Ultra Magnus’ roof down the freeway until their fight ends with Magnus blocking Galvatron’s deadly blast with a fuel tanker. They both survive the explosion, but Galvatron is the only one standing. |
| Transformers #87 [1/2] Galvatron returns to the cannon to find Cyclonus and Scourge unconscious, unaware that Kup is ready to blow charges to destroy the weapon and kill the future Decepticon leader. Despite Ultra Magnus and the Autobots getting in the way, Kup sets the charges off. Galvatron survives but is confronted by Starscream’s taunts. Galvatron kills Starscream in frustration and realises this must be an alternate past timeline if Starscream is now dead. He takes Cyclonus and Scourge back to the future, unaware that ‘Starscream’ was just the repainted corpse of Skywarp! |
| Transformers #88 [1/2] In the future, Unicron reveals that he mentally manipulated Kup, Hot Rod and Blurr into going back and stopping Galvatron. Kup and the others put the real Starscream back in stasis and return to the future. Ultra Magnus returns to Cybertron. With his priorities changed, Megatron orders the Decepticons on Cybertron not to attack Xaaron. But one of those Decepticons, Macabre, disobeys the order and kills Impactor before he’s destroyed in turn by the Triple Changers. The damaged Autobots – including Jazz – lie in a sorry state in the Ark where Optimus Prime rematerialises. |
| Transformers: The Movie #2 (pp.5-23) In the year 2006, the Autobots have no choice but to evacuate Earth upon hearing Galvatron’s forces are coming. Hot Rod, Kup and Grimlock are separated from the Dinobots when they end up on Quintesson where the Quintessons put them on trial. Found guilty, they fight their way through Sharkticons, are reunited with the Dinobots, befriend Wheelie and convince the Sharkticons to consume their masters. Cybertron’s second moon is consumed by Unicron, along with Bumblebee and the human Spike Witwicky. 1st appearance: Quintessons, Sharkticons, Wheelie |
| Transformers: The Movie #3 In the future, Ultra Magnus’ team crash land on the planet Junkion where Spike’s son, Daniel Witwicky, is outfitted with robotic armour. The Sweeps arrive and rip Magnus to pieces, allowing Galvatron to claim the Matrix. Hot Rod’s team arrive and ally with Wreck-Gar and the Junkions who rebuild Ultra Magnus. Unicron transforms into robot mode and attacks Cybertron. The Autobots and Junkions arrive and smash into Unicron’s eye. Separated from his team, Hot Rod confronts Galvatron and is transformed into Rodimus Prime by the stolen Matrix. Rodimus defeats Galvatron and opens the Matrix which destroys Unicron. 1st appearance: Junkions, Junkyard, Scrapheap, Wreck-Gar New identity: Hot Rod as Rodimus Prime |
See how part of this story fits into the two versions of Marvel’s Transformers Universes:
- TRANSFORMERS, 1984-1992 – The Marvel UK Years
- TRANSFORMERS, 1984-1994 – The Marvel US Years
| Must Read | Issue(s) & Fallout | Event / Crossover |
| Transformers #21 (US, 1986) / Transformers #89-90 (UK, 1986) The Insecticons arrive on Earth and carry out their mission for Megatron. | ||
| ✔ | Transformers #93 (UK, 1986) Jazz is up and running again, though shaken by his experience as Galvatron’s puppet. | |
| ✔ | Transformers #99 (UK, 1987) Ultra Magnus struggles with the guilt over not getting back to Cybertron in time to save Impactor; Ultra Magnus and the Wreckers are misled into trying to kill Optimus Prime. | |
| ✔ | Transformers #100 (UK, 1987) Optimus Prime recalls the strange Limbo dimension he, Prowl and Ratchet were transported to to while Galvatron, Scourge and Cyclonus took their place. | |
| ✔ | Transformers #101-102 (UK, 1987) Skids is transported to Limbo when Galvatron returns to the present day after escaping the exploding Unicron; the wandering Dinobots and Centurion encounter Galvatron; Galvatron destroys Centurion. | |
| Transformers #104 (UK, 1987) Ultra Magnus returns to Earth. | ||
| ✔ | Transformers #113-120 (UK, 1987) Transformers Annual 1987 (1987) In the future, Rodimus Prime hires the bounty hunter Death’s Head to track down Galvatron; the trail leads Death’s Head through time to the present day; Rodimus Prime, Wreck-Gar, Kup and Blurr travel back in time to stop the destructive threat of both Galvatron and Death’s Head; Galvatron clashes with the present day version of Ultra Magnus again; Galvatron builds a power siphon into the Mount Verona volcano to tap into the Earth’s core and give him god-like power; Rodimus’ team destroy the siphon and return to the future with Death’s Head; Galvatron and Ultra Magnus are caught in the volcano’s eruption. | WANTED: GALVATRON, DEAD OR ALIVE |
| Transformers Annual 1987 (UK, 1987) A previously untold future tale reveals that Autobot City was/will be built over 2003 to 2004. | ||
| ✔ | Transformers #133-134 (UK, 1987) The future version of Shockwave (having survived Unicron’s attack on Cybertron) hires Death’s Head to kill Cyclonus and Scourge; the two Decepticons escape. | |
| Headmasters #1-4 (US, 1987-1988) In the present, Cyclonus and Scourge are revealed to have joined Skorponok‘s Decepticon squad on Nebulos; the present day versions of Blurr, Hot Rod and Kup first appear; Cyclonus, Scourge, Hotrod, Kup and Blurr become Targetmasters. | HEADMASTERS | |
| ✔ | Transformers #137-138 (UK, 1987) In the present day, Galvatron and Ultra Magnus are revealed to be trapped in the hardened lava in Mount Verona; Galvatron begins to break free. | |
| Transformers #145 (UK, 1987) In the present, Starscream’s stasis pod is revealed to have been left in a field; Starscream emerges from the pod where a human tries to tell him the meaning of Christmas. |
| Must Read | Issue(s) & Fallout | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | Transformers #146-151 (UK, 1988) In the future, Unicron’s head is revealed to have made its way to Junkion where he manipulates the Junkions into rebuilding him along with a time machine that will allow him to reclaim the treacherous Galvatron from the past; Unicron manipulates Death’s Head, Cyclonus and Scourge into killing Shockwave; Unicron is revealed to be a god-like being and one of the first two being to emerge after the Big Bang, along with Primus; Primus evolved into Cybertron and Unicron evolved into a planet-eater; Unicron’s head is destroyed by Death’s Head and Wreck-Gar; Death’s Head is hurled into the timestream; Cyclonus and Scourge arrive in the present day where they join Skorponok (explaining their presence in the present day). | THE LEGACY OF UNICRON |
| ✔ | Transformers #152-153 (UK, 1988) In the present, Galvatron breaks out of Mount Verona. | |
| ✔ | Transformers #160-161 (UK, 1988) In the present, Ultra Magnus escapes Mount Verona, but lives in fear of Galvatron. | |
| ✔ | Transformers #166-169 (UK, 1988) In the present, Impactor’s corpse is reanimated by the insane Autobot scientist, Flame; Impactor gains enough sentience to kill Flame, make peace with Xaaron and save the Autobots from death by sacrificing what little life he has. | |
| ✔ | Transformers #172-173 (UK, 1988) In the present, Cyclonus and Scourge become aware that Galvatron is also in their timeline and they’re likely to cross paths with him; they decide to secure their new positions with the present day Decepticons against Galvatron; the Wreckers fail to take down Galvatron. | |
| Transformers #180-181 (UK, 1988) / Transformers #43 (1988) In the future, the Quintessons are revealed to have regained control of the Sharkticons (the US version that reprints this story treats it as a work of fiction devised by Wreck-Gar). | ||
| ✔ | Transformers #182-187 (UK, 1988) In the future, the Quintessons learn of the coming time-rift and make a failed attempt to destroy the Transformers to prevent it; the Quintesson home world is destroyed. | |
| ✔ | Transformers #189 (UK, 1988) In the present day, Shockwave mentally reprograms ‘Megatron‘ (actually Lord Straxus‘ mind in a cloned Megatron body) as a weapon against Galvatron; Cyclonus accidentally reveals that he and Scourge killed Shockwave in their future timeline, so present day Shockwave has ‘Megatron’ kill Cyclonus. | |
| ✔ | Transformers #199-205 (UK, 1989) Galvatron, Scourge and Cyclonus’ presence in the present day creates a time-rift; Galvatron teams up with ‘Megatron’ (Straxus) against the Autobots; Rodimus Prime leads a team back to the present day to present to put things right before the rift destroys reality; Galvatron is ripped apart by the time-rift; Cyclonus’ body and Scourge enter the rift to end the threat; Rodimus returns to the future and has all the time machines destroyed. | TIME WARS |
| ✔ | Transformers #219-222 (UK, 1989) After the final battle with Galvatron, a handful of surviving Wreckers join forces with two Pretender Decepticons to become the Survivors. | |
| ✔ | Transformers #224 (UK, 1989) In the year 2356 (in a possible future timeline), Rodimus Prime recalls how fixing the time-rift altered events so Galvatron remained in the future timeline where he took over Cybertron; Galvatron’s actions reawaken Unicron. | |
| Transformers #227 (UK, 1989) In the year 2356, the aged Rodimus Prime recalls how Unicron returned in 2010, only for Rodimus to suck Unicron’s spirit into the Creation Matrix. | ||
| ✔ | Transformers #66-67 (US, 1990) A Galvatron from an alternate future is revealed to have taken over Earth in the future. | |
| ✔ | Transformers #69-79 (US, 1990-1991) In the present day, an alternate future Unicron emerges and plans his attack on Cybertron; Unicron rips the alternate future Galvatron from his timeline to act as his herald; Galvatron is defeated by Fortress Maximus while Unicron is destroyed by the combined might of the Autobots and Decepticons. |
| Collected Edition Title | Collects… |
| Transformers: Target: 2006 (Titan) Transformers: Target: 2006 (IDW) | Transformers (UK) #78-88 |
| Collected Edition Title | Includes… |
| Classic Transformers vol.6 (IDW) Transformers Classics vol.7 (IDW) | Transformers: The Movie #1-3 |
| Transformers Classics UK vol.3 (IDW) Transformers: The Definitive Collection vol.6 (Hachette) Transformers UK Compendium vol.1 (Image) | Transformers (UK) #78-88 |
| Transformers: The Best of Simon Furman (IDW) | Transformers (UK) #81, 86 |
| Transformers: Til All Are One Box Set (Image) | Transformers (UK) #78-88 Transformers: The Movie #1-3 |
Reading Order © Omniverse Comics Guide 2025
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