Tarantulas (Transformers)

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Tarantulas (pernounced TER-ANT-CHEW-LASS) is a Predacon in the Beast Wars series. He scanned a tarantula as his Beast Mode. He was voiced by Alec Willows (English) and Yūichi Nagashima (Japanese).

Beast Wars

Transformers character
Tarantulas
Allegiance	Predacon (Destron)
Sub-Group	Deluxe Beasts
Function	Ninja Warrior (although he seemed more the mad scientist and double agent in the series.)
Motto	None officially, but he has said "Never turn your back on a spider. They tend to be venomous."
Alternate mode	Giant Tarantula
Fiction Appearances	Transformers: Beast Wars cartoon
Voiced by	Alec Willows (English)

The character of Tarantulas as seen on the television series was very different from how Hasbro originally depicted him on his tech specs. On the specs he was a stealthy ninja of average intelligence who liked to feed on humans, not a double agent or scientist. When Tarantulas was re-released in 2006 they changed his tech specs to more reflect the television series character.

Original Tech Spec: An eight-armed master of martial arts, this ninja nightmare slashes his way through battle virtually unstoppable! The heroic Optimus Primal suspects him of being responsible for the disappearance of numerous earthlings, and recent rumors suggest the existence of giant cocoons where Tarantulas may store his unfortunate prey. He must be stopped before he spins his web of terror across the galaxy!

10th Anniversary Tech Spec: Spawn of something darker and more ancient even than the Decepticon forefathers of the Predacons, Tarantulas is the very soul of treachery. As a Predacon spy, he had every intention of betraying and destroying Megatron when the time came, but now that he's been stranded on this stinking, mudball planet his agenda and ambition have grown. Access to the alien technology of the mysterious Vok has given him a taste of true power, which he will stop at nothing to claim as his own.

Season One

Tarantulas was one of the original members of Megatron's Darkside crew who stole the Golden Disk from the Cybertron archives. He has been known to attack enemies physically and pyschologically. He is often considered one of the most sadistic and treacherous of his peers, a "mad scientist" in his own right. He was the one who infected Blackarachnia and Inferno with Predacon shell programs. In the case of Blackarachnia, he reprogrammed her from a Maximal Protoform with the full intention of her being his mate and partner. He later developed an obession (lust?) with the "She-spider" (as he often called her), because of how she rivaled him in skills. However, when he was consistently rejected by Blackarachnia, he then took to calling her "Witch".

Megatron often relied on Tarantulas because of his technological and strategic brilliance, but was always suspicious of his intentions and aspirations as well as his somewhat psychotic nature. Well known for his frequent maniacal laughter.

At points in the first Season, Tarantulus would show to have abnormal levels of knowledge about the Vok and even knew in advance they planned to destroy the planet, attempting to capture & modify a Stasis Pod so he could escape.

Season Two

Tarantulas's mind was temporarily in Blackarachnia's body when she tried to access his mind until she transferred him back into his transmetalized body, but kept a psychic link to use her as his puppet until Blackarachnia forced him to break it.

After that, Tarantulas left Megatron and became a free agent to follow his own agenda, though he helped Megatron if he had something to gain from it. Tarantulas turned out to be an agent of the Tripredacus Council, a lieutenant of their Secret Police force. He aided Ravage in capturing Megatron.

Season Three

Tarantulus only appeared sparingly, working off his own agenda off-screen, though he returned at times such as to try and ensure Blackarachnia would die from her Shell Program being tampered with. It was also revealed he was a direct Tripredacus agent and they had some history & grudge against the Vok.

He finally cut all ties with the Predacons when he had Megatron thrown into a lava pit and attempted to destroy the Ark. Forced into hiding when his plan failed, Tarantulas attempted to take over control of Tigerhawk from the Vok and attempt to destroy the Ark. Here he revealed that this was the plan of the Tripredacus Council, who were not descended from Autobot & Decepticon like the rest of Cybertron and wanted the planet's current existence erased from the timeline. However, in doing so he inadvertently extracted the Vok influence and, as it tried to enter his own body, accidentally vaporized himself with his own laser cannon. Later Megatron refers to Tarantulas as a "treacherous Unicron spawn" - it's unknown whether he was talking literally (though later fictions have had Tarantulus as a creation of Unicron) or just as a generic insult. Most likely an insult.) It is revealed in the 2-part series finale "Nemesis" that Tarantulas has been repairing and restoring the Decepticon warship the Nemesis for his own use.

Primeval Dawn

In the Beast Wars: Primeval Dawn comic, it is revealed that Tarantulas' destruction was an elaborate ruse engineered by himself, in order to absorb the Vok who possessed Tigerhawk into himself. Reviving Ravage and adding Razorclaw, Spittor and Iguanus to his ranks, he sought to complete the task he had begun. However, he met opposition in the Vok's new avatar, Primal Prime, as well as with the returned Tigatron and Airazor.

Tankor and Obsidian bring Blackarachnia to Tarantulas in the comics.

Although no Tarantulas toy was for the Universe line, Tarantulas (in his Transmetal Fox Kids incarnation) appeared in the Transformers: Universe comic book series. Presumably after his defeat in the Primeval Dawn storyline, he joined forces with Unicron's Decepticons. He welcomed Blackarachnia back to the side of evil (Transformers Universe #2) and sent her on a mission against the Autobots (Transformers: Universe #3).

Tarantulas Toys

Tarantulas was a deluxe sized toy who turned from robot to tarantula. He shared a common mold with Blackarachnia, but in the television series they proportioned Tarantulas like the toy and used the mutant head from the toy, whereas Blackarachnia was given more female proportions and they used the robot head from the toy.

He was later reformatted as transmetal spider with attributes of a motorcross bike. This toy was recolored for his Fox Kids release. These colors were used to deptict Tarantulas in the Primeval Dawn and Universe comics.

In 2006 the original Tarantulas toy was one of the toys selected for the Beast Wars 10th Anniversary toyline. He was repainted in more show-accurate colors. His name is indicated on packaging as Predacon Tarantulus, the spelling of his proper name changed for trademark reasons. He came packaged with one of the six pieces used to make the Transmutate toy.

 

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