WARNING! Spoilers for Transformers #13The Energon Universe has put a fresh new spin on classic Transformers lore, but now, Skybound’s shared universe is introducing new characters into the franchise. Transformers #13 features the debut appearance of a brand-new Decepticon, a minor character who goes on to play a pretty significant role. In fact, this new bot might be one of the most important characters in franchise history.

Transformers #13 by Daniel Warren Johnson, Jason Howard, Mike Spicer, and Rus Wooton flashes back to Starscream’s early days on Cybertron. Readers learn that he was once a peaceful scientist named Ulchtar, who s his friends Jetfire and new robot Genvo to witness the flyover of Omega Supreme.

While waiting for Omega Supreme to arrive, Genvo tells his friends about ing up with the Decepticons in the war that’s broken out on Cybertron. His friends aren’t as convinced, as Jetfire is planning to head to the stars to search for Energon, and Ulchtar is content to continue his work in peace.

Genvo Is the Energon Universe’s First Original Transformer

Friend of Starscream and Original Decepticon

In spite of Ulchtar’s reluctance to up, the Autbot/Decepticon war winds up finding him anyway. Genvo attempts to save Ulchtar from being caught up in a surprise attack from the Autobots, but he winds up getting killed by a stray blast. With his dying words, Genvo expresses his iration for Ulchtar, saying he “screamed the stars into seeing us” in reference to Ulchtar previously getting Omega Supreme’s attention when he flew over Cybertron. After Genvo dies, Ulchtar is approached by Megatron. When the Decepticon leader asks for his name, Ulchtar tells him it’s Starscream.

"Ulchtar" was initially going to be the name for Starscream when Hasbro originally brought over the Takara toys from Japan.

In that way, Genvo winds up being one of the most important characters in the entire franchise. The new character not only gives Starscream his Decepticon name, but his death winds up being the entire reason Megatron’s future second-in-command s up with the Decepticons in the first place. In the opening moments of Transformers #13, readers see how peaceful and gentle Ulchtar truly was, as he even stops Genvo from swatting harmless turbosects, which is in stark contrast to the Starscream seen in the present day, who senselessly slaughters everything in sight with little regard.

Genvo's friendship with Starscream is an important addition to the Energon Universe, to the point that Starscream is calling out for his long-deceased friend in the present day while being towed by MARS mercenaries for scrap. Getting to see Ulchtar before he became Starscream shows a depth to the character many fans may not have even realized was there, oddly giving a human touch to the cruel, vainglorious Decepticon seen in the present day. Whether this memory of Genvo winds up playing into Starscream's arc remains to be seen, but it will be interesting to see where the character goes from here.

Genvo’s Death Leads to the Birth of Starscream in the Energon Universe

New Character Gives Starscream His Name

Genvo’s death winds up leading Starscream down a dark path and is a stark reminder of how anyone can be twisted and corrupted, given the right circumstances. Although he makes his debut and is killed off in his first appearance, the “Butterfly Effect” of Genvo’s death winds up having huge ramifications for the entire Energon Universe. Megatron gained a valuable (if not entirely trustworthy) ally when Ulchtar/Starscream ed his ranks, and the feared Seeker is one of the prime instigators that lead to the current events playing themselves out in the Energon Universe.

It's smart for the creative team to introduce a new character in such a way, as Genvo is not some throwaway cameo that serves no point in the story, but rather a major piece of the new continuity. New characters rarely play a role of such consequence, so it's refreshing to see that Genvo was a key player in Starscream's origin story. It's exciting to see the creative team introduce a new character to the Transformers franchise, with hopefully more to come in the Energon Universe.

Transformers #13 is available now from Skybound Entertainment.