Doublecrosser (Transformers Generation 1)

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Name: Doublecrosser
Aliases: Crossguard
Allegiance: Double Agents
Function: Triple Agent
Timeline: Generation 1

What's in it for me?

Profile:

Doublecrosser is a troubled individual. Originally known as Crossguard, he had a similar bodytype to his fellow maintenance unit Soundbarrier. But shortly after Megatron's uprising Doublecrosser was captured by Decepticons and subjected to Shockwave's twisted experiments. Inspired by the Wrecker Rack 'n' Ruin, Shockwave modified Doublecrosser to have a second head. According to Shockwave's datatrax, the idea was to see if he could increase processing power (intelligence and tactical acumen) through the introduction of a co-processor (the second head). The Autobots liberated Doublecrosser from the Decepticons before Shockwave could complete his experiments. Autobot psychologist Rung noted during his assessment of Doublecrosser that Doublecrosser had difficulty accepting the second head grafted onto his shoulders - Doublecrosser perceived the feed of data from the second head as "whispers in his mind", which made him paranoid and unstable. Rung also noted by the way Doublecrosser stormed out of his assessment that asking about the second head is a sore point. Doublecrosser never felt welcome among the Autobots. He always felt like the Autobots were laughing at him and his two heads, and that his important maintenance work was underappreciated. The whispers in his head told him so, too. They reminded him he'd never asked to be an Autobot or taken away from Shockwave. They reminded him that Megatron was a patriot who stood up against the oppression of false Primes. Doublecrosser had some misgivings - the Decepticons were responsible for his sorry condition - but he ultimately agreed to go to the Decepticon side.

Doublecrosser quickly realised this was a mistake. At worst, the Autobots forgot Doublecrosser was there or talked about him behind his back. The Decepticons actively mistreated Doublecrosser - assigning him demeaning tasks like cleaning waste ducts or misappropriating his ramp mode as a shield. Worse, Shockwave refused to finish what he'd started with his experiments. "I have no reason to revisit failed experiments" he said. Deca-cycles of abusive treatment have caused Doublecrosser to realise the only one who he can rely on is himself (and even then he has to be cautious. The whispers in his head are those of a fanatical Decepticon loyalist, something Doublecrosser is definitely not). Thus, Doublecrosser became a triple agent - feigning loyalty to the Decepticons to pass intelligence to the Autobots, while simultaneously passing information on Autobot operations to his Decepticon commanding officers. It was this playing of both sides that earned Doublecrosser his new name. Unfortunately, both sides know that Doublecrosser is not trustworthy, and so do not grant him access to any useful information. The Autobot Prowl has found it is more useful to use Doublecrosser as a means to feed false information to the Decepticons. Likewise, the Decepticons keep a close eye on Doublecrosser, and the head of the Decepticon Secret Service, Banzai-Tron, intends to hand Doublecrosser over to the Decepticon Justice Division once he outlives his usefulness.

Powers and Abilities:

Doublecrosser possesses a suite of tools and equipment including adhesive dispensers, laser cutting tools and magnetic clamps in line with his role as a maintenance unit. Although he only grudgingly follows orders, he keeps his tools in good order, and has some expertise in maintaining structures. As a Decepticon soldier, Doublecrosser has been further equipped with twin arm-mounted machine guns, and a missile launcher within his torso which contains three low-yield wire-guided missiles.

Like fellow maintenance unit Soundbarrier, Doublecrosser can transform into a panel which can bridge damaged sections of road. Doublecrosser uses his alternate mode reluctantly because he knows it isn't some everyday thing to turn yourself into a piece of road, and he finds it demeaning to be walked on or driven over by others. However this is far from the worst indignity suffered by Doublecrosser - after one Decepticon realised that Doublecrosser's panel mode could be held like a shield, most Decepticons routinely use Doublecrosser's alternate mode to protect themselves from incoming fire. To protect himself (and by extension whomever is holding him) Doublecrosser has installed a black market version of Trailbreaker's shield emitter procured from Swindle. This forcefield can deflect most projectiles and forms of radiation, but quickly consumes Doublecrosser's energon reserves and is prone to glitching.

Weaknesses:

Even back when he was a normal 'bot with only one head on his shoulders, Doublecrosser was a bitter and unlikeable character that few Cybertronians wanted to spend time with. Since having a second head grafted onto his body, Doublecrosser has become even more bitter, now with an added dose of selfishness and paranoia. Doublecrosser trusts nobody - not even himself. He's never been able to rationalise the constant stream of data from his second head, which consequently manifests as whispers in his mind. The constant whispering drives Doublecrosser to the brink of madness, and occasionally it can reach an intensity that causes Doublecrosser to lock up from the mental strain. Doublecrosser's overall attitude and duplicity means neither his Autobot not Decepticon handlers actually trust him or can be bothered to protect him if he finds himself in trouble, beyond token measures to keep up appearances.

Ramp mode:

(Improvised) shield mode:

Author notes:

This character is an example of me creating a character from nothing but a stock image and the character's name. I said to myself "with a name like that, he's bound to be playing both sides" and from there I came up with a whole story based on this one little guy who turns into a ramp getting fed up of not being appreciated and playing both sides, all in the name of looking after himself and nobody else. (Now watch Hasbro release him as a part of their new mercenaries faction and canonise that story beat).

I've been marathoning Transformers Cyberverse while writing this guy. One particular scene came on with a two-headed Seeker that Shockwave had been experimenting on, which according to the writers was Shockwave taking inspiration from Rack 'n' Ruin. I decided to borrow that idea for Doublecrosser, making him one of Shockwave's unethical experiments. I decided he'd be a failed experiment because Shockwave never perfected the idea (and presumably abandoned it, given the lack of two-headed Decepticons running around). Like any good two-headed Transformer, both heads have their own personalities, with the dominant head being a selfish jerk, and the second head being a completely fanatical Decepticon loyalist. I'd toyed with the idea of the second head somehow taking control, but I decided to keep it as a subservient entity - it has no access to motor functions, it just sits there and feeds data to Doublecrosser.

I only realised it after writing it, but there's a subtle nod to Binaltech in the abilities. Doublecrosser's forcefield is a black market copy of the one used by Trailbreaker procured from Swindle (yes, Swindle is now selling knockoffs. This surprises nobody, I'm sure). In Binaltech, Swindle receives a body originally intended for Trailbreaker, complete with shield emitters. So Trailbreaker's tech is canonically something Swindle has had access to in at least one timeline. Completely non-intentional on my part, as I thought it'd be in character for Doublecrosser to use stolen tech and Swindle is the black market of Generation 1 Transformers. It made me smile when I realised the coincidence, though.

Toys of Transformers Generation 1 Doublecrosser

Like Soundbarrer, Doublecrosser is one of those toys who has a totally unexciting design and transformation. I got him on the strength of the story I crafted for him, but having got Doublecrosser, I find he is a much better toy than Soundbarrier.

Foremost, Doublecrosser has more articulation than his Autobot counterpart. Not only are the legs functional and able to actually swing forward, but the arms have forearm swivels, which creates a few more posing possibilities. Can I also please take a moment to appreciate the quality of the sculpt on this one?

There's not much else that I can say about Doublecrosser. He looks cool and inspires me to make stories about him, so I give him the thumbs up on that basis, but if you're not inclined that way, this one perhaps isn't for you.

More information on Transformers Earthrise Doublecrosser at TFW2005