Blackarachnia
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Blackarachnia (Widow in Japan) is a Transformer character from Beast Wars, Beast Machines and Transformers: Universe.
- 1
- 2
- 3 Transtech
- 3.0.1
Original Tech Spec: Moving like a venomous shadow under a midnight moon, Blackarachnia is an evil temptress posing as a Predacon double agent! Capable of converting thermal energy into poisonous cyber-venom, she lures Maximals into her darkened den and then stuns them by firing a poison-tipped missile! After restraining them in her powerful legs, she then sinks her fangs into their armor to suck their life-force dry.
Season One
During the Beast Wars series, she was originally a Maximal protoform, but her stasis pod was stolen by the Predacons and reprogrammed by Tarantulas as a Predacon spy and saboteur fitted with a Predacon shell program. Her beast form is a black widow spider.Blackarachnia has some skills in mechanics and science, second to Tarantulas. In Season 1 she largely assisted Tarantulas in his machinations.
Originally, this character was intended to be a quick retool the Tarantulas toy, but animators ended up giving Blackarachnia a very feminine design, said to have been inspired by an Asian exotic dancer.
Although a transmetal version of Blackarachia was sold with children's meals, Blackarachnia did not become a Transmetal in the beginning of the second season of the television series like some other characters did, probably because of the limited resources of the show animators.
TECH SPECS Strength Intelligence Speed Endurance Rank Courage Firepower Skill Beast Wars: 4 7 6 6 5 8 7 6 Convention Comics
Blackarachnia was one of the stars of the 1997 Botcon Convention Comics, a story set near the end of season one of the Beast Wars television series.In the Convention Comics plot, Inferno and Blackarachnia watched as the Predacon scientist Fractyl attempted to invent energon armor capable of protecting them from energon build up. Although seemingly successful, the armor was stolen by the Maximal thief Packrat. Blackarachinia and Fractyl realized the energon armor was flawed and could destroy the planet if it came in contact with large amounts of energon. Inferno pursued Packrat, but since Packrat didn't need to assume beast mode with the armor on, he got the upper hand in the fight with Inferno. Hearing the battle, Airazor, Cheetor and Rhinox joined Packrat. Fractyl convinced Rhinox that the armor was a threat to them all. Rhinox was able to talk Packrat into giving up the armor, which Fractyl aided them in doing. When Blackarachnia arrived with Megatron, Packrat suggested that Fractyl pretend to be attacking the Maximals, who fled. Megatron was impressed with Fractyl's new found battle prowess.
Season Two
Although a transmetal toy of Blackarachnia was made, it was never utilized for the character in the show.She was briefly possessed by Tarantulas (later, when Tarantulas was returned to his new Transmetal body, he maintained a psychic link with Blackarachnia for a few episodes).
Eventually, Blackarachnia began a relationship with the Maximal Silverbolt, who continually tried to bring her over to the side of good. She first encountered him when she was setting up an Energon mining post with Tarantulas and Quickstrike, and was stunned at how he didn't destroy her simply on the grounds that she was a female unit.
They spent their first significant amount of time together when the Predacons and Maximals fought over Rampage's pod; although she had goaded him into trying to fight her as she attacked him, Blackarachnia was attacked by Tarantulas, and Tarantulas in turn was attacked and struck down by Silverbolt, who then helped Blackarachnia to her feet. Unfortunately, Silverbolt slammed Tarantulas into the pod, which was laying in a bank of energon deposits, and the force of the throw caused an explosion that scattered the combatants and left the two equally damaged and in need of contacting their respective bases, so they travelled to a mountain that was out of range of the energon interference. Along the way, Silverbolt saved Blackarachnia again from a saber-toothed tiger, even though she was about to shoot him in the back. Shocked again, she decided to keep him alive after that, unaware that Megatron and the other Predacons were listening in. Their journey ended when Optimus Primal and Cheetor came to help them fight Rampage (then called Protoform X), and Silverbolt forced his damaged wing mechanism to work so he could save her from seemingly falling to her demise. That was only the beginning of their relationship.
For a long while Blackarachnia resisted Silverbolt's attempts to reform her based on his assessment that as a Maximal protoform, the good side was where she belonged, and she even told him that it was her bad girl persona that he liked most about her.
Season Three
Blackarachnia officially switched sides in the first episode of the third season when Megatron attempted to change history by killing Optimus Prime, a change which would probably have resulted in Blackarachnia and the other Maximal protoforms never being created. Although still calling herself a Predacon (and not yet changing her activation code), she worked on the same side as a Maximals from this point on.Envying the power Cheetor and the Dinobot clone gained form the Transmetal Driver, Blackarachnia gained it for herself and tried to make herself into a transmetal, but it failed and caused her Predacon shell program to start to fail, something that would eventually wipe her core clean. While Rhinox tried to save her, she died, but the Driver brought her back to life as a transmetal Maximal while still retaining some of her bad girl personality and sardonic sense of humor, and finally changing her activation code. For some unexplained reason, Blackarachnia gained telekinetic or magnetic powers in her transmetal 2 form. One theory, however, is that the residual traces of Tarantulus' mind control/link somehow also got a significant upgrade when she went Transmetal 2.
TECH SPECS Strength Intelligence Speed Endurance Rank Courage Firepower Skill Transmetal 2: 5.5 9.3 7.2 6.8 5.0 7.6 6.1 8.5 
Blackarachnia was one of eight characters to survive Beast Wars and go on to the Beast Machines series. At this point, she underwent a sort of "role-reversal," and she spent a great deal of time looking for her love Silverbolt and freeing him from the Vehicon General Jetstorm he became.The toy of Blackarachnia again did not resemble the character in the television series (whose design takes it to the full extent of her "Exotic Dancer" look) - although the toy was recolored to more closely resemble the television model in it's Japanese release. Also, a kids meal toy was released which looked more like the television model.
Blackarachnia's function was Saboteur and her motto was "It is a double pleasure to deceive the deceiver." Despite Predacon past, Blackarachnia detests Megatron and fights with the Maximals. The definitive femme fatale, she despises life's pleasantries, though sometimes can't help but feel an affinity towards certain Cybertronians. Her history of treachery and double-dealing make fellow Maximals distrustful. Spins metal-deteriorating webs that deflect energy pulses. Two stinger legs disrupt/overload any electronic system. Can ground herself with legs and use stingers to send electronic pulses through the ground towards enemies. Six eyes are hyper sensitive to enemies and targets.
TECH SPECS Strength Intelligence Speed Endurance Rank Courage Firepower Skill Beast Machines: 5.5 9.3 7.2 6.8 5.0 7.6 6.1 8.5 
All three Beast Machines Blackarachnia toys - Hasbro, Takara and McDonalds versions.
Season One
On the way back to Cybertron Megatron II escaped into transwarp space, and arrived on Cybertron years before the Maximals. Megatron II conquored Cybertron and when the Maximals arrived he captured Silverbolt III and Rhinox and removed their sparks. Optimus Primal, Rattrap, Cheetor and Blackarachnia escaped, but were infected with a transformation blocking virus which stripped them of their transmetal enhancements and left them glitching in beast mode, suffering from memory loss. Fleeing deep within Cybertron Optimus Primal was contacted by Vector Sigma and was reformatted into a techno-organic form. He then reformatted his companions (The Reformatting).In an attempt to learn what had happened on Cybertron the Maximals raided the Cybertron Archives, but found it empty. Megatron II's diagnostic drone continued to remove the organic elements from Megatron II's body, however it continued to fail. Blackarachnia started to have visions of Silverbolt III when she was in robot mode. Frustrated with how the Maximals were eluding his drones, Megatron II used the sparks of Rhinox, Silverbolt III and Waspinator to create the Vehicon Generals Tankor, Jetstorm IV and Thrust III. Rattrap and Blackarachnia first encountered the three Vehicon Generals when looking for their ship, the Autobot shuttle Omega Delta, at a spaceport. Rattrap discovered that the Vehicons could only track the Maximals in robot mode. When Blackarachnia accessed the shuttle records in an attempt to learn what happened when the arrived on Cybertron, Megatron II attempted to read her memories and learn the location of the Maximal base, but Rattrap saved her from revealing the information. Cornered by the Vehicon Generals, Optimus Primal and Cheetor rescued their comrades as the shuttle was destroyed (Fires of The Past).
Season Two
Blackarachnia and Silverbolt in Beast MachinesBlackarachnia finally managed to restore Silverbolt by turning him into a techno-organic condor. Unfortunately, Silverbolt's mind had been fully aware and conscious whilst Jetstorm was active, and the fact that he'd been able not only to commit such atrocities but also enjoy them had left him with a darker, more Ronin-like personality, no longer as close to his beloved as he had originally been out of mixed-guilt.
After the defeat of Megatron II the planet Cybertron was left reformatted into a techno-organic world.
Transtech
After the Beast Machines line ended, Hasbro planned a follow-up series called Transtech. The Transtech concept was a line intended to take Transformers to their most futuristic. Hasbro commissioned sets of designs from Draxhall Jump. The series was supposedly to bring back some of the characters who died in Beast Wars along with some Generation 1 characters, all in new, techno-organic bodies, though with vehicle alternate modes instead of the animals used in Beast Machines. Many concept sketches and even a few toy prototypes were made, but Hasbro scrapped the idea in favor of bringing to their markets as .Concept sketches or prototype toys have been seen for Blackarachnia, Cheetor, Depth Charge, Megatron, Nightscream, Optimus Prime, Scavenger, Shockwave, Silverbolt, Soundwave, Starscream and a new character called Immorticon. There were also rumors of a Transtech Dinobot.
In , Blackarachnia converts to the Decepticon side and joins forces with Unicron, as Silverbolt once again attempts to return her to the side of good.
BlackarachniaHer function was Covert Operations and her motto was "My looks can be deceiving; my touch will be lethal." Reformed from her Predacon history of treachery and double-dealing, Blackarachnia became a Maximal largely thanks to her relationship with the noble Maximal known as Silverbolt. Under the command of Optimus Primal, Blackarachnia proved herself in the battles to liberate Cybertron from Megatron's tyranny. Following the Maximal victory and reformatting of Cybertron itself, Blackarachnia enjoyed a brief spell of peace and happiness with Silverbolt by her side. However, due to the machinations of Unicron, Blackarachnia has once again been corrupted, this time siding with a renegade Decepticon faction loyal to Unicron. In spider mode Blackarachnia can scale any surface, is extremely agile and is invisible to all scanning equipment. She can spin webs for a variety of uses both offensive and defensive. Her metal-deteriorating web nets deflect energy pulses, while web based throwing stars explode to ensnare their target upon impact. Two stinger legs disrupt/overload all but the most heavily shielded electronic systems. Can ground herself with legs and use stingers to send electronic pulses through the ground towards enemies. Six eyes are can see into the infrared spectrum.
TECH SPECS Strength Intelligence Speed Endurance Rank Courage Firepower Skill Universe 2.5 9.3 8.2 4.0 5.0 7.6 5.0 8.5 On the reformatted techno-organic Cybertron Cheetor, Rattrap, Silverbolt and Blackarachnia were interviewed by the Autobot reporter Rook. They then welcomed the Autobots Roulette, Shadowstriker, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker and Trailbreaker back to Cybertron. Buzzsaw, Quickstrike and Rockbuster were also present. The returning Autobots along with Blackarachnia and Silverbolt were then abducted via teleportation beams and taken to Unicron. Silverbolt, Blackarachnia, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were forcibly reformatted by Unicron. Taken captive by Razorclaw, Reptilion, Obsidian, Tankor and Striker, the Autobots were forced to fight one another. They witnessed Armada Smokescreen kill Generation One Smokescreen, whose spark was absorbed by Unicron (Transformers: Universe #1).
Optimus Primal helps break free the slaves from various timelines which are held there and gets them to Cybertron. Blackarachnia and Shadow Striker defect to the Decepticons and stay behind. Blackarachnia discovers Tarantulas is working for Unicron (Transformers: Universe #2).
Depth Charge rescues Rattrap from an attack by Blackarachnia (Transformers: Universe #3).
In the comic story found in issue 8 of the Transformers Collectors Club magazine Cybertron/Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime told the story of the last battle he was in, set in the Transformers: Universe storyline. Alongside 10th Anniversary Optimus Primal they attacked the last of Unicron's forces when Unicron suddenly disappeared, and they barely escaped. Among the Autobot forces were Universe Fireflight, King Atlas, Universe Night Slash Cheetor, Universe Longhorn, Universe Prowl, Universe Repugnus, Rhinox, Universe Side Burn, Sideswipe, Universe Silverbolt, Sunstreaker, Tap-Out, Trailbreaker, Cybertron/Robots in Disguise Ultra Magnus and Universe Whirl. Among the Decepticons were Universe Blackaracknia, Nemesis Strika, Universe Obsidian, Universe Razorclaw, Reptilion and Universe Skywarp. In the flashback Silverbolt is seen carring Blackarachnia as they all retreat, but it's unknown if this means she switched back to the Autobot/Maximal side.
The toy of Blackarachnia was recolored as the Autobot Crystal Widow.
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