Transformers: Generation 1
| Irving/William/Col. Daniel "Sparkplug" Witwicky | |
|---|---|
| Transformers character | |
 Sparkplug in the episode "More Than Meets The Eye Part 2". | |
| Voiced by | Chris Latta |
| Information | |
| Affiliation | Autobot ally |
| Sub-group | Humans |
| Alternate modes | None |
Sparkplug Witwicky is the patriarch of the Witwicky family who was vastly unlike his two sons, in that he was portrayed in startlingly different ways across the two main fictions. The Transformers Classics Mirage toy sports an advertisement for Witwickey Sparkplugs, a reference to this character.
Transformers Classics is a line of Transformers toys based on and resembling the first generation (G1) characters introduced in the 1980s. The toy line was created to fill the gap in Transformers product releases between the end of the Transformers: Cybertron series and the start of 2007 live-action movie; as well as tie-in to the release of the Transformers: The Movie 20th Anniversary Special Edition DVD edition, and later Transformers Animated, then in Transformers Universe Classics / Henkei.
Mirage is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers series in the Transformers robot superhero franchise. Mirage is one of the most re-used names in the Transformers series, and is almost entirely synonymous with characters possessing Formula One racing car alternate modes. The first Mirage was introduced in 1984 as an Autobot spy.
Marvel Comics
Although Sparkplug started out as being quite similar to his animated counterpart in the comic book universe, aiding in the repair of Bumblebee when his son, Buster, brought the injured robot to his garage, his personality took a sharp turn after he was kidnapped by the Decepticons. Instructed by Megatron to develop a process that would convert Earthen gasoline into fuel they could consume, Sparkplug drew on his memories of his time as a mechanic in the Korean War, recalling an instance where he had sabotaged the enemy vehicles' fuel and brake lines, and did the same to the Decepticons, poisoning their fuel and allowing the Autobots to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. However, before this heroic act could come to light, many of the Autobots believed that Sparkplug had betrayed them, and an over-reactive Jazz let loose with his flamethrower, causing Sparkplug to have a heart attack. Thankfully, he soon recovered, but his opinion of the Transformers had changed with that action, and he forbade Buster from interacting with them again.
The Korean War was a war between North Korea and South Korea. The war began on 25 June 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea following a series of clashes along the border.
Jazz is a fictional robot superhero character from the Transformers robot superhero franchise. He is usually portrayed as a music-loving robot and speaks in slang. He is also Optimus Prime's good friend and right-hand man.
Ironically, Sparkplug would also come to fall prey to a hypnotic Decepticon device in the comic book continuity as well, drawn in by Ratbat's "Wash and Roll" car wash scheme, which mesmerised humans into giving up their gasoline to the Decepticons in a complex-yet-effective plan. Buster was able to break the hypnotic effect with a splash of water, and Ratbat's plan was foiled, but Sparkplug was given even more cause to hate the Transformers and their involvement in his life when the Predacons destroyed his garage and a vengeful Ratbat captured Buster. Even worse for Sparkplug, when his older son, Spike, returned from college, he took up with the Autobots and was binary-bonded to Fortress Maximus, becoming a mechanical freak in his father's eyes. Spike subsequently saved Buster from the Decepticons, and his father was overjoyed to have his two sons back, although Spike's bond with Fortress Maximus kept him returning to the Transformer war and eventually resulted in his death in battle against Megatron.
Sparkplug's real first name was given as William in issue #3, but was later contradicted in #31 when he gives his first name as Irving.
Animated series
Sparkplug is Spike Witwicky's father. In addition to being a highly skilled automotive mechanic and engineer, "Sparkplug" Witwicky had, in his lifetime, also worked in the crystal mines of Burma, and was working on an oil rig with his son, Spike, in 1984 when a Decepticon attack brought the Transformers into his life. Rescued from drowning by Optimus Prime, Sparkplug became a friend and ally to the Autobots, mainly excited at the prospect of encountering and learning about strange new alien machines and technology he could work on.
A frequent mechanical assistant to Ratchet and Wheeljack, Sparkplug is skilled in physical, practical arts, but like many fathers, lacks knowledge about his son's esoteric tastes, such as types of music, and dinosaurs. Sparkplug owns an automotive garage in New York City, which the Autobots refitted to serve as a secondary command base while they were far from their main headquarters.
Wheeljack is a fictional robot superhero character in the Transformers robot superhero franchise. Wheeljack is usually depicted as a very smart mad scientist who has invented numerous creations, including the Dinobots in Generation 1. His most useful invention is an almost impenetrable mask with bulbs on each side that light up when he talks. He is one of Optimus Prime's closest friends. In many incarnations, Wheeljack is an Autobot, but he is sometimes portrayed as a Decepticon.
The City of New York, usually called either New York City (NYC) or simply New York (NY), is the most populous city in the United States. With an estimated 2018 population of 8,398,748 distributed over a land area of about 302.6 square miles (784 km2), New York is also the most densely populated major city in the United States. Located at the southern tip of the state of New York, the city is the center of the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass and one of the world's most populous megacities, with an estimated 19,979,477 people in its 2018 Metropolitan Statistical Area and 22,679,948 residents in its Combined Statistical Area. A global power city, New York City has been described as the cultural, financial, and media capital of the world, and exerts a significant impact upon commerce, entertainment, research, technology, education, politics, tourism, art, fashion, and sports. The city's fast pace has inspired the term New York minute. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy.
Aside from helping Bumblebee to plant a bomb that disrupted the Decepticons' crystal-mining operations in Burma, Sparkplug's biggest role in any Transformer adventure was when he was captured by the Decepticons and became the first subject of Doctor Arkeville's mind-controlling hypno-chip. Although he was rescue by the Autobots but was still under the Decepticon control, as he unknowingly sabotaged many of the Autobots under the preface of repairing their systems and Teletraan One. Sparkplug regain his senses for a brief minute when Spike asked him what's wrong but he didn't know why as he can't stop himself then tried to tell Spike about what the Decepticon wanted him to do but could't when Doctor Arkeville put him back under Decepticon control then left with them. Sparkplug attack his friends but was able to snap out the Decepticon control for a brief moment, when he heard Spike voice along with being reminded that those are his friends he was attacking. However, Sparkplug was put back under Decepticon control again when Doctor Arkevillie raised the output in his hypno-chip. Sparkplug was later taken to Cybertron to toil their energon cubes under Shockwave's command, until Wheeljack successfully created a device to undo the hypno-chip's effects. After being freed he thank everyone for not giving up on him, especially Spike, then helped them stop the Decepticon plan.
Sparkplug was never seen or referred to again after the second season of the original Transformers cartoon series.
Books
Sparkplug appeared in the 1984 sticker and story book Return to Cybertron written by Suzanne Weyn and published by Marvel Books. [1]
Sparkplug appeared in the 1984 sticker and story book The Revenge of the Decepticons written by Suzanne Weyn and published by Marvel Books. [2]
Sparkplug was featured in the 1985 Transformers audio books Autobots' Lightning Strike , Megatron's Fight For Power , Autobots Fight Back and Laserbeak's Fury , as well as Decepticon Hideout from the 1986 series. He is not named in any of the books, simply being referred to as "Spike's father". [3]
Sparkplug is featured in the Find Your Fate Transformers book 'Attack of the Insecticons' by Lynn Beach. His invention of the Sun-Pak, a way to power Autobots by solar energy, drives the plot.
Sparkplug Witwicky appears in the 1985 Forest Rescue Mission coloring book published by Marvel Books.
Dreamwave Productions
Sparkplug made no appearances in Dreamwave Productions' version of the G1 universe, instead playing a part in its newly sculpted backstory. After the successful defeat of the Decepticons through a joint Autobot/human operation, Sparkplug was one of the "Magnificent Seven" - a crew of seven humans who would accompany the Autobots and their Decepticon prisoners on the Ark II back to Cybertron, which also including Americans mechanical engineer Mark Marsh and sociologist Linda Richards, Japanese biologist Akira Yashimura, German chemist Rolf Meyer, Russian architect Rudolph Vesic, and British Oxford Professor, Henry Lanson. Sadly, shortly after the Ark II departed Earth's atmosphere, it exploded as part of a plan by Shockwave, taking the lives of Sparkplug and the Magnificent Seven and thrusting the Transformers into stasis.
IDW Publishing
A character by the name of Colonel Daniel Witwicky appears in the second issue of IDW Comic's All Hail Megatron series, it is unknown whether his full name is Daniel. When Danny makes his first appearance his dialog implies a knowledge of cars. This fact, as well as comments made by writer Shane McCarthy on the IDW forums, imply that this character may actually end up being "Sparkplug" Witwicky. Eventually, it was revealed that this is the case.
Toys
- Classics Deluxe Mirage (2006)
- The original Mirage received an upgrade in 2006 in the Transformers: Classics line. This Deluxe class car came out in the second wave of the Classics line. Instead of having advertisements from Ligier on it, this Mirage advertised Witwicky Sparkplugs on his spoiler, a reference to the human character from the original Transformers animated series, Sparkplug Witwicky. This toy was designed by Alex Kubalsky. [4] The transformation of this Mirage is very faithful to the original toy. [5]
- The mold for this figure was also used for Universe Decepticon Drag Strip [6] and Transformers: Allspark Battles Decepticon Fracture. [7]
