#but the idea that Knockout defected when the war ended and has been living as an autobot / autobot-adjacent since then could be interesting

[transingthoseformers]

If Knockout was in TFA, do you think he would have defected to the Autobots back then as well?

Mnnnn, maybe??

In tfp Knockout did defect for specific reasons, so I can see an argument for both him defecting and him NOT defecting in tfa

Though if it happened in TFA then it probably happened back when the war ended pre-series

And, considering the environment that's set up on Cybertron in TFA, I'm sure there's interesting consequences to his defection!

Would he, like TFA Drift, completely change frames or not?

What kind of life would TFA Knockout set up for himself after the war?

If he DIDN'T defect, what's post war life like for Knockout with the decepticons?

[melishade]

One thing I am curious about, in the War Timeline Dreadwing is on the ship and he is currently the SIC of the Decepticons. How does he feel about the enslavement and mass murder of Eldians and Marleyans alike? Dreadwing values honor greatly, I don't think he'll be able to sit idle with all the shit happening. He is someone who took on Optimus twice and gained the upperhand in both fights he is certainly not someone to underestimate.

Part 12: Breakdown’s role

Again, I have to remind everyone that the War Timeline takes place before season 2 episode 7. But yeah, Dreadwing is an absolute powerhouse in strength and loyalty when it comes to the Decepticon cause, but even his loyalty is starting to wane because of how the Eldians are treated.

Picture this: your whole cause is about fighting against the oppression of the Autobots. And that what Dreadwing still believes in throughout the series. He only defected when he realized that Megatron was willing to lie to him in order to protect Starscream about Skyquake.

Now when we go to the War Timeline, Dreadwing is still extremely loyal to Megatron. His opinions on the humans doesn't really matter. It doesn't improve, but it doesn't falter. He just doesn't care about them. He cares about the war and the Autobots. He cares about avenging Skyquake by killing Optimus.

But over time, Dreadwing is seeing Zeke's torture and the treatment of the Eldians and just finds the process unnecessary. They break easily when asked to do tasks. Why not just get the vehicons to do it? They were more than capable of doing so. Dreadwing presses the question to Megatron, but the former warlord justifies it saying that the humans are bugs that don't even live very long. They shouldn't care about their well-being and safety, especially since their lives help save the lives of their own army. Vehicons aren't put in dangerous situations if the humans take their places. Same them resources for combat.

Dreadwing can see the logic behind it. There was still the matter of the Autobots being MIA, and this 'Rumbling' power that has been alluded to before by Zeke, but then he's getting...information. Information about the treatment of the Eldians through the vehicons, and through his own spying of Breakdown connecting with the Eldians himself. And Dreadwing is acknowledging the fact that this was hypocritical of them. Who cared if their lives were short? Megatron was abandoning the cause they stood for in the past.

Dreadwing was ready to try and reason with him, but then he gets attacked by the people from Paradis and the ship goes down. They lose resources, Airachnid still hadn't returned, and Knockout says that Breakdown is dead, and Megatron is going further off the deep end to the point where he can't be reasoned with anymore. Dreadwing is quite fearful of what that would entail. But Dreadwing is mortified to hear that they intend to attack the island with the Colossal Titans. They haven't gauged the threat level. The Autobots are here. They haven't heard back from Airachnid. They needed a plan! He brings up this concern with Megatron, but Megatron has an idea. A completely twisted idea involving dark energon and the titan powers.

(I don't really have much to say about Dreadwing. I think it would take more time for right now, for Dreadwing to defect from Megatron given the circumstances. But the pieces are there. I just think it'd be funny for Dreadwing to form a union now that Breakdown is gone.)