Cliffjumper


Cliffjumper is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers franchise. His name is usually associated with an Autobot whose toys are often red repaints or remold of Bumblebee toys.

Transformers: Generation 1

Cliffjumper's bio indicates that he compensates for his small size by being the first to rush into any dangerous situation, desiring only to beat up "Decepti-creeps." Although this trait has his fellow Autobots' respect, occasionally it ensnares him into situations he cannot handle. His motto is "Let me at 'em!"
Cliffjumper's weapon is his glass gas gun, which fires a gas that turns metal as brittle as glass for a short time. In the episode "Fire In the Sky," he mentions his gun has a "defrost cycle" to melt ice.
According to original tech spec notes written by Bob Budiansky found at Iacon One in 2006 the original name for Cliffjumper was Blow-Out, a name later used for a Generation 2 Autobot.
Hasbro registered the name Cliffjumper for U.S. Trademark in October 2003.

Animated series

In The Transformers animated series, Cliffjumper was part of the original Autobot crew of the Ark. When the Autobots and Decepticons were reawakened, Cliffjumper was given the alternate mode of an Earth car. He and Hound were sent to scout out the location of the Decepticons. Although ordered not to engage the Decepticons, Cliffjumper took the opportunity to try to shoot Megatron, revealing their existence to the Decepticons. Because of this, Hound was blown off the road by Laserbeak – something that made Cliffjumper regret his impulsiveness. Hound, however, did not blame him, quipping that he was only sorry he missed.
Cliffjumper's bravery was often a boon to the Autobots – as well as a problem. In the episode "Changing Gears", Cliffjumper's rash actions helped the Autobots get past a Decepticon force field and stop their Solar Needle device from destroying the sun. However, Cliffjumper survived the blast but he ended up having a temporary concussion which he was able to recover quickly.
In the episode "Traitor", Cliffjumper overeacted & developed a belief that Mirage had sold them out to the Decepticons after missing a Decepticon power plant while on patrol. Cliffjumper followed Mirage, who was devising a scheme to prove he was not a traitor by setting the Decepticons and Insecticons, who were in a feud, against each other. However, Cliffjumper misinterpreted his actions. Reporting back to base, Cliffjumper told Optimus Prime what he saw and then believed he must be stopped but Prime decided to go back to the power plant to stop the Decepticons then find Mirage so they can hear his side of the story with Ratchet accompanying them. Once they got to the power plant, Cliffjumper, Optimus Prime and Ratchet saw no one there until Mirage, who's been implanted by one of Bombshell's cerebro-shells, shows up as he explains to them that he was setting up the two factions of Decepticons against each other. However, Cliffjumper doesn't believe Mirage's story. Being led into an ambush by the Decepticons and Insecticons, Cliffjumper knocks Mirage unconscious. Listening in on what Optimus Prime and Ratchet, who removed the cerebro-shell that was controlling Mirage, were saying when they sum as to why Mirage set them up, Cliffjumper realizes that Mirage didn't betray the Autobots, was telling him the truth about setting up the Decepticons as well as not seeing them while he was on patrol. Cliffjumper finish the battle, but retreated when Megatron destroyed his own power plant. After returning to base, Cliffjumper apologized to Mirage for not believing him and making him go through so much trouble.
In "Starscream's Brigade", Cliffjumper and Jazz were invited as guest of honor for an unveiling of a statue for their leader Prime but were under attack when Starscream showed up, after he broke off from Megatron, along with his newly created Combaticons. During the scuffle, Cliffjumper suggested to Jazz into calling headquarters for help but were captured before they can make the call, as Starscream wanted their Energy absorber for the Combaticons. Cliffjumper with Jazz were chained up at a water and power plant but they did get rescued by the other Autobots when they found their location.
During The Transformers: The Movie, Cliffjumper, with Jazz again is stationed on Moonbase 1, from which they try unsuccessfully to escape when attacked by Unicron. After their apparent consumption by the planet-eater, they are ultimately saved by Daniel Witwicky. Despite living through the movie, in season 3 Cliffjumper was reduced to a background character, an unforeseen result of voice actor Casey Kasem's objection to the portrayal of Arab characters as stereotypical villains and eventual departure from the show. His last appearance in the original U.S. cartoon was in "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1", the first episode of the third season.

Books

Cliffjumper appeared in the following books:
  • The 1984 sticker and story book Return to Cybertron written by Suzanne Weyn and published by Marvel Books.
  • The 1984 sticker and story book The Revenge of the Decepticons written by Suzanne Weyn and published by Marvel Books.
  • The 1985 audio adventure Laserbeak's Fury. In this story's accompanying book Cliffjumper was depicted in his yellow variant, not his usual red one.
  • He was a main character in the 1985 story Sun Raid, where he was described as a "red truck."

    Comics

Devil's Due Publishing

Cliffjumper reappeared in the third G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers crossover series from Devil's Due Publishing as part of the combined Autobot/G.I. Joe force trying to rescue Optimus Prime.

Dreamwave Productions

When civil war broke out on the planet Cybertron between the Autobots and Decepticons, Cliffjumper joined the Autobot cause.
When Decepticon Military Operations Commander Shockwave led a force of Decepticons against the Autobot capitol of Iacon, Cliffjumper was among the Autobots who defended the capitol.
When Decepticon leader Megatron and Autobot leader Optimus Prime disappeared in an accident with a space bridge, the Autobot and Decepticon forces splintered into smaller factions. Cliffjumper stayed with the Autobots under the leadership of Prowl. Learning that the Decepticons were testing a new mobile command base at the Praetorus Wharf, Prowl led Cliffjumper, Gears, Jazz, Skids and Sideswipe to investigate. What they discovered was Trypticon. The giant Decepticon easily routed them, and Prowl's team were only saved by Shockwave's calling him away to battle against the Fallen and Chaos Trinity..
Six million years ago, Ultra Magnus united the Autobot factions and lead them to victory over Decepticons and Ultracons. Megatron returned to Cybertron in command of the clone forces of the Aerospace Extermination Squadron and took over Cybertron. Cliffjumper was among the Autobots enslaved and forced to labor tunneling into Cybertron's core. Eventually Optimus Prime returned to Cybertron and helped free the enslaved Autobots.
Cliffjumper was among the Autobots who followed Optimus Prime on his mission on board the Ark and crash landed on Earth.
In 1984, when the Ark's computer re-activated, it reformatted Cliffjumper as in the form of an Earth car. Eventually the combined forces of the Autobots on Earth, and their human allies were able to capture the Decepticons. A ship called the Ark II was built to take the Cybertronians back to Cybertron, along with some human companions, but the ship exploded shortly after takeoff. The human allies were killed, but the Cybertronians were lost in the ocean, again in stasis lock.
Cliffjumper traveled to Cybertron along with Optimus Prime and a number of Autobots when arrested by Ultra Magnus.
Bumblebee was placed in command of the Autobot supply shuttle Orion, with Powerglide, Warpath, Seaspray, Cosmos, Cliffjumper, Bumper and the Powerdashers assigned to him. Their mission was to aid the Autobots on Earth. Upon arriving in the Earth system from transwarp space, they witnessed the arrival of Sunstorm. After Omega Supreme was damaged in the fight with Sunstorm, Cliffjumper was reluctantly assigned the duty of protecting him until he recovered. Dreamwave would go out of business at this point, preventing any further tales of Cliffjumper from being told.

Fun Publications

The Classics storyline by Fun Publications is set in a sequel to the Marvel Comics story, ignoring the events of the U.K. and Generation 2 comics. It is revealed that Cliffjumper had been in stasis since the attack by the Underbase powered Starscream in the Marvel Comics story, and was only recently revitalized on Cybertron. Optimus Prime then returns to Earth commanding a small groups of Autobots including Cliffjumper when they learn Megatron has returned.
In Crossing Over the mysterious Skyfall allies himself with the Autobots as they investigate a strange energy reading in South America. Cliffjumper is assigned to watch over Skyfall by Optimus Prime. Skyfall, Cliffjumper and the Decepticon Landquake arrive in an underground energon pool together and meet the Autobot Breakaway, who is guarding the pool, but has little memory of why. Together Breakaway, Landquake and Skyfall feel they are somehow connected. Cliffjumper refuses to leave Skyfall as they are sent through a dimensional portal by Breakaway's Caretaker computer to find their "fourth".
In the Transformers: Timelines story "Shattered Glass" Cliffjumper is separated in dimensional transit and ends up by himself on a mirror universe Cybertron where the tyrant Optimus Prime and his evil Autobots are opposed by Megatron and the heroic Decepticons. After being shot by Optimus Prime for being a traitor, he is recovered by the Decepticons and joins their cause. He and his glass gas is key to the destruction of the launch pad to the Ark - a space ship the Autobots plan to use to conquer Earth.
Cliffjumper appears in the fiction Dungeons & Dinobots, a text based story. He defends the Arch-Ayr fuel dump with the Decepticons from an Autobot attack. He later captures the Dinobots Slugfest and Goryu for the Decepticons to reprogram as Dinocons. Cliffjumper, Sideswipe, Blurr and Rodimus then track Grimlock through a maze of traps and discover the Omega Terminus. A trap separates him with Sideswipe, leaving him to survive with Rodimus. Cliffjumper refuses to be part of Rodimus' plan to use the Terminus to create an army to take over Cybertron. After a run-in with Grimlock and zombified versions of Cliffjumper's evil counterpart and Sideswipe's old commander Drench, they escape the maze.
Cliffjumper appears in the story Do Over. When Megatron is captured by the Autobot Targetmasters led by Ricochet, it is Cliffjumper who warns Starscream not to send a large force to rescue him, but instead send a small group of Micromasters. He is among the crew of the Nemesis, which follows the Autobot's Ark to Earth before being shot down by human defenses.
Cliffjumper appears in Eye in the Sky. After meeting the Decepticons new human allies Cliffjumper warns that the Autobots probably survived the crash to Earth. He helps recover the stasis pod of Crasher and gets her back online. Cliffjumper, Crasher, Frenzy, Heatwave, Ravage and Soundwave are sent on a mission to Burpleson Air Force Base to stop the Autobots from controlling the Global Orbital Defense System. Heatwave uses his powers to convince the GODS transmitter to fire the weapon on itself and stop the Autobots from taking control.
Cliffjumper appears in Reunification having returned to Cybertron where he was reunited with Landquake, Skyfall and Breakaway just before Cyclonus attempts to kill Megatron at the command of Alpha Trion.