This is something I've been thinking about concerning the two characters and seeing as how Shockwave and Grimlock and the other Dinobots have a history in a lot of the TF media like both the Marvel and IDW comics as well as FOC do you think Shockwave is Grimlock's arch nemesis? I mean like I've mentioned before the two have histories with each other in some manner or another not to mention character wise they're very much extreme opposites. Grimlock is very violent and aggressive but has a noble heart while Shockwave is more calm and collecting but is a cruel,and emotionless bot.

 

They definitely have been pitted against each other quite a bit throughout their histories. I also think they are great foils for each other, as you pointed out. I wouldn't be against them being "definitive" rivals, I think it'd be an awesome duality between the two.

 

It also would make a pretty good parallel for "Brains against Brawns" with Shockwave being the Brains and Grimlock being the Brawns.

 

The dinobots are shockwave's rival

 

I like to think it that way.

 

Basically, yeah. That, or Fangry. I like the idea of Grimlock making a big deal out of a rivalry with a nobody that lasted for like two issues.

 

I guess so?

The cold tactician vs the brutish barbarian. It does fit nicely.

 

It works for me...I've sorta been going that route with my collection...

 

I think it's safe to say he is, but I'd like to see the Dinobots vs Predacons rivalry more often.

 

I kinda see Grimlock and Tarn as rivals as well as the rest of the DJD as rivals to the other Dinobots.

 

Well I prefer Shockwave being Wheeljack's rival, and The Dinobots being The Construticons' rival.

 

i always thought of shockwave's rival as being people that believe in magic. or anti-vaxxers. yanno, people who just oppose science lol

 

No. Grimlocks struggle is often with himself. His rebellious (and anarchic?) nature means he's bucked against Optimus Prime more then he has Shockwave.

He does work against Shockwave though, Grimlocks wild nature contrasts nicely with Shockwaves cold logic.

 

I still want to see a battle royal of Dinobots vs Predacons. Savage noble warriors who answer to nobody, and whose allegiance to any faction or leader is temporary at the best of times.

Prime and even Megatron subscribe to at least some type of philosophy (whether good or evil, peacemaker or tyrant) while Grimlock is a savage primitive warrior who has no place in a cultured civilized society. He's going to follow his animal instintcs rather than logic and intellectual reasoning.

In times of war and chaos, he's the warrior any group would want leading or supporting, but in times of peace, there is no place for him in the world. Better to shutdown until the next inevitable conflict. I like him best as a sort of Guerilla fighter leading his own dirty dozen style squad (like the team you send in on secret hush hush missions while The Wreckers are busy with more tactically oriented missions).

Few stories really get the character, but Simon Furman did some good stuff with him in the Marvel Comics, and particularly in the later War Within story where he was even more nomadic and savage, a full time soldier basically.
Dinobots as the Lighting Strike Team really made a lot of sense to me.
Their overwhelming fury and brute force directed in short missions and objectives seems to be a good use, rather than lengthy campaigns. I think Grimlock works best when the higher intelligence of Prime is directing say the mission, but once unleashed, he's in charge of his team on the ground - he's like the Hulk, like a bomb that's going to go off, and the best you can is pick a direction or target for that bomb

Regarding the US run of the Marvel comics, he had quite a few tangles with Megatron also, that were just as exciting as anything to me in the animated show.
Without Prime around, I think Grimlock would just rip Megatron to pieces.

I love in the G1 show, when they first show up and beat the living hell out of the Decepticons, and you see Megatron, well I don't know if he's afraid, but he runs away and I found it hilarious, like for once the ultimate bad ass warrior, tyrant and sadist ran into a brick wall he just could not plow through like so many other fights.

In the marvel comics Megatron was meaner and tougher though.
In one issue he single handedly beats up all the Dinobots (after they had been in stasis lock and were weakened) and in another issue Shockwave sends the Predacons to assassinate Megatron, he gets so pissed off he beats up all the Predacons individually, and even in their combined Predaking mode.

I just finished reading the Marvel US run for the first time (including regeneration) and I realy enjoyed seeing how many times Shockwave went head to head with Megatron, trying to kill him, and repeatedly trying to assassinate Megs when Shockwave was leading the Decepticons.

I prefer Shockwave as leader over Megs, I mean he's more qualified, but there is something cool about a psychotic mentally unbalanced man-child as leader of the Decepticons. In the later issues where Megatron destroys the earth (a nuclear waste land) he just sits bored with even killing things.

He kills just about everything and everyone (on earth) and finds himself purposeless with nothing further to do, other than perhaps travel to another planet and start all over again. Also, at the point he rules the Decepticons not as a leader, but as one leads a dog on a leash, they were all basically zombies unable to do anything that what he told them to do. It was kinda dark for a kids comic, well more than the cartoons anyhow.

 

I always thought of Prowl as Shockwave's enemy, both base their actions on logic, but Prowl is passionate whilst Shockwave detached.

 

You basically just described Grimlock as Conan the Barbarian... which actually works quite well! Also, Megatron laying waste to Earth wasn't in the G1 comics, but in Regeneration 1. Grimlock has fought Megatron some other times in the UK Comic, best fight imo? When they go toe to... claw in the story 'Ancient Relics' guest starring none other then Action Force/GIJoe!

 

I read it all back to back non-stop so it blurs together, and Furman wrote it, connecting it to the other stories so it's canon marvel G1 for me, even when it's not.
And whatever I wrote and whatever impression it gave I can take no credit for, as again it was the impressions from how Furman wrote Grimlock, which was to keep him as the noble savage, but more intelligence (at least in a military combat sense) that he is typically written with.

I'm reading the UK run next. What did you like from that run (without too many spoilers thanks)

 

I always thought this made sense^. I love both characters and hail them as my favorites of both factions (aside from the sub-group of Stunticons). That being said, I love the idea of Shockwave always being in conflict with not just Grimlock, but the whole Dinobot team. I love that story thread in the original Marvel run where Shockwave's backstory had him confronting the Dinobots in the past.

 

In the comics yes, but originally in the toy line it was Jetfire vs Shockwave and the Dinobots vs the Constructicons. Of course the cartoon changed it further to Omega Supreme vs Constructicons.

 

Arguments could be mader that Grimlock's nemesis is Shockwave, Razorclaw or even Scrapper.