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Brainstorm is the name of a fictional character in the Transformers universes.

Brainstorm is an Autobot introduced in the 1987 Headmasters sub-line of Generation 1. He has the Headmaster partner Arcana, a humanoid medical doctor from the planet Nebulos, and he turns into a Cybertronian jet. Both Brainstorm and his partner Arcana were responsible for the adaption of the Headmaster process in most continuities. He is a scientist, responsible for many scientific discoveries, including the Pretender process. His Nebulan partner is almost as much a genius.

Note: "Brainstorm" was also the title of issue 11 of the Marvel Comics Transformers series, but it had nothing to do with this character.

Brainstorm first appeared in the episode "Rebirth Part 1".

Decepticons successfully stole the key to the Plasma Energy Chamber and opened the ancient device, a group of Autobots and humans included Brainstorm were blasted across the galaxy by the energy release, crash-landing on the planet Nebulos. Quickly siding with a group of rebels engaged in a war against the planet's evil rulers, the Hive, they deduced a process by which they could combine the best of their minds and bodies together, becoming Headmasters.

Whereas "The Rebirth" served as an ending for the cartoon series in the west, in Japan, it was decided to continue producing new episodes. To that end, "The Rebirth" was discarded, and in its stead, a new 35-episode series titled Transformers: The Headmasters was created, along with a new Japanese concept for Headmasters which differed distinctly from their Western counterparts. There would be no Nebulons or humans here - instead, the heads were small Cybertronians, and the bodies were lifeless constructs called "Transtectors" to which these small robots connected themselves, and which they controlled. Although the Japanese toyline, like the West, gave the Headmaster components different names to the larger Transtectors the animated series used only one name for both the head and the Transtector.

Four million years ago, Fortress was the leader of one of the many groups of Autobots who fled Cybertron to escape the wars. Things took a turn for the worse, however, when their spaceship crashed on the planet Master, the harsh environments of which killed many members of the crew. In order to survive the dangers inherent to life on Master, the Autobots created the lifeless bodies known as Transtectors, and underwent rigorous training to master the transformation technique and merge with them. Their training also allowed them to developed considerable mental powers such as telepathy and telekinesis.

However, a member of the group known as Zarak chafed under Fortress's leadership, and he and three of the Headmasters loyal to him turned on him, only to be defeated and forced off of Master. Zarak subsequently teamed up with Decepticon leader Galvatron, and when they attacked Cybertron in the year 2011, Fortress and his men - Brainstorm, Chromedome, Brainstorm, Hardhead and Highbrow - returned to their home planet aboard Fortress's battleship, Maximus, and joined the war once more.

Arcana

Disillusioned and frustrated with their war with Scorponok's Decepticons, Brainstorm eagerly joined Fortress Maximus's expedition in search of a peaceful world upon which to live. The Autobots travelled to the peaceful world of Nebulos, a pacifistic paradise where war and weapons were obsolete. However, they faced problems from the off, as the Nebulans distrusted and feared them, and Scorponok's Decepticons had followed them. To allay Nebulan fears, Brainstorm was among those who surrendered their heads in a goodwill gesture. When the Decepticons attacked, Arcana and Brainstorm underwent the Headmaster process to fight them off.

Brainstorm went on to fight in many more battles against the Decepticons, including being lured into a trap at Scorponok's fortress of despair, resulting in a battle with the Decepticon Targetmasters (Marvel U.K. #130-131). Realising the damage they were doing, Maximus' forces fled Nebulos for Earth, with Scorponok's troops in hot pursuit. Brainstorm joined up with Optimus Prime's forces on Earth, and was responsible largely for creating the Autobot Pretenders in issue 40.

Brainstorm continued to appear after this, but in a much reduced capacity, usually not having any major roles. Brainstorm was killed in issue 75 when he was impaled and devoured by Unicron.

Although Brainstorm didn't appear in the Dreamwave Transformers comics before they closed down, Brainstorm and Arcana did get a one page biography in their More Than Meets The Eye series.

Generation 1 Brainstorm with Arcana (1987)

One of the first year Autobot Headmasters.