Bugly

Transformers: Generation 1

Bugly is Decepticon Pretender, released as a toy in 1988. He is described as a deadly martial artist who is very cruel.

Reception

Bugly is unusual for a Transformers because of his mysticism.

Marvel Comics

Bugly and the other Decepticon Pretenders were presumably with the Scorponok's Decepticons through The Transformers: Headmasters series, but were not depicted. His first appearance was in issue 40 of the U.S. comic in a story called "Pretender to the Throne", where Scorponok created the first six Decepticon Pretenders.

Bugly continued to appear after this as one of Scorponok's troops. Bugly appeared in issue #49, "The Underbase Saga Part 3: Cold War!" In this story he was a member of the Decepticon forces under Scorponok's command. They were tricked into fighting the Decepticon forces under Ratbat's command by Starscream, who used the battle to steal Scorponok's ship and get to the Underbase.

Bugly appeared in issue #50, "The Underbase Saga Part 3: Dark Star".

Bugly appeared in issue #54, "King Con!" In this story the Decepticon Pretenders were assigned to protect a power converter Scorponok was building in the meadowlands of New Jersey.

His last appearance in the U.S. Marvel series was in issue #55, "The Interplanetary Wrestling Championship!"

Dreamwave Productions

Bugly was one of the members of the Chaos Trinity in the second War Within series.

When Megatron and Autobot leader Optimus Prime disappeared in an accident with a Space Bridge, the Autobot and Decepticon forces splintered into smaller factions. Bludgeon became leader of the Chaos Trinity, which was composed of him, Bugly, and Mindwipe. The Chaos Trinity was devoted to expanding its members' knowledge of the mystic arts. The Chaos Trinity acted as master manipulators, tricking others into doing their work for them. For instance, when Shockwave's faction developed Trypticon, the Chaos Trinity tipped off the Autobots under Prowl where it was being tested. The Chaos Trinity came into the service of the Fallen, an ancient Transformer who betrayed Primus and was now an agent of Unicron. The Fallen promised to expand their mystic powers in return for their loyalty, after threatening to kill them if they didn't join him. Attacking a meeting between Jetfire and Shockwave, hypnotising the former and incapacitating the latter, they were then beaten by Grimlock, who had come because he believed that Jetfire was betraying them. However, this was all part of a bigger set-up by the Fallen, who easily defeated the Dinobot leader. Then battling the Protectobots and kidnapping Hot Spot, the Trinity took him to the Fallen for an arcane ritual. However, they were attacked by Shockwave's Decepticons. Shockwave personally gunned down Mindwipe, with Bugly falling to a combined barrage. Bludgeon fled, but was blasted by a teleporting Skywarp.

IDW Publishing

Bugly appeared amongst Bludgeon's acolytes The Transformers: Stormbringer, as he and his followers kidnapped Jetfire and the Technobots, hoping to dissect them and use their parts to replicate the same grafting process that created Thunderwing, giving them their own Pretender shells. Hacking into the monster's mind Bludgeon implanted a subconscious suggestion for Thunderwing to seek out and destroy entire planets, believing their sacrifice would enable Cybertron to be reborn, before unleashing the monster on Nebulos. However, their plans were stopped by the Wreckers, who took out his cult. In desperation, Bludgeon underwent the grafting process only to find out, far too late, that the shell hadn't been neuro-aligned; the psychic backlash destroyed his mind.

Bugly and the Decepticon Pretenders seen here have completely different robot forms to their toys and bear resemblance to the original toys' Pretender shells.

Toys

Generation 1 Bugly (1988)

This Decepticon Pretender came with a shell shaped like a bug-like humanoid. Bugly was not released among the Pretenders in Japan.