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Drama comes from conflict, which is why every good story needs a disagreement. If Eve doesn't eat that apple, then there's no story and your plot can't progress beyond the garden. So even when you're filling in gaps in an existing backstory, a nice betrayal is still a good way to kick things off.
The Fallen forgot his real name long ago. It didn't matter. It was a name given to him by his creator – the one he betrayed. It was a relic of the time before he had come to see the truth.
The truth of Unicron.
Created as one of the original 13 Transformers to serve as a protector of Cybertron, the Fallen has always been a creature of chaos and degradation. His original purpose was to oversee the stately running down of the universal clock, the ordered tick of universal balance from energy to entropy, the slow and total collapse that heralds a new creation - for what are creation and life without dissolution and death? He knew his purpose only too well, and became obsessed with the end of all things. Intrigued by the dark sciences, he came in contact with Unicron, and fell under the evil planet's thrall.
He exists now for one purpose alone: the destruction of the Seal of Primus and the release of Unicron into the universe. He lives only so that one day he might witness the last star in the universe wink out, and eternal ending fall.
Though the Fallen's history had been hinted at,
we never got a full reveal until the release of this figure. He first appeared in War Within: The Dark Ages #1, and started collecting Transformers he thought represented the "angles of the geometry of dissolution." He never explained exactly what that meant, and he probably never will.
The Fallen is the first and only Transformer created by Pat Lee, though the character in the comics actually bears little resemblence to his designs. That's okay, though, because the toy actually bears little resemblence to the character in the comics. He doesn't look bad, at all - in fact, this is a darn impressive design.
His vehicle mode never appeared in the comics,
but the Fallen transforms into a tank. A crazy space tank. Turns out Megatron was just following tradition. The tank has two main guns on the turret, and smaller guns mounted at the front of the treads. It's about 5¼" long and 3¼" wide, and it's only in this mode that the Fallen's faction symbol is visible: an icon of his own flaming head.
The transformation has just enough complexity to keep from being dull. The turret splits in two to form arms, the legs fold down out of the center, and the tank treads collapse upwards to rest against his back. The tank's main guns can either be mounted on his forearms or held in his hands. His waist tends to pop out of place when going from robot to tank, but only if you apply pressure in the wrong place - remember, it's his hips that move to transform him, not his waist.
Being an ancient Transformer,
the Fallen's body is built from out-moded technology. Like Vector Prime (a fellow "First 13"er), who looked like a clockwork creation, the Fallen seems to be coal-fired. His outer shell is designed with small slots that show off the fire inside him. The openings are painted orange and yellow, which really stands out against his black body and absolutely captures the look of a working furnace. Though his head is just below the 6" mark, the tank treads on his back top out at 7½", making him the biggest Titanium Transformer yet.
One of the visual quirks of the Fallen in The Dark Ages was that he is constantly on fire. Completely engulfed in flame. To suggest that, the inside surfaces of the tank's treads have been sculpted with flames. It's not really visible in vehicle mode, but when you transform him, those flames end up rising above his shoulders and silhouetting his head. The paint fades from yellow to orange on them, for a truly impressive look.
Even the Fallen's articulation is good. He moves at the head, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips and knees, which is a decent amount for this line. Even better, all the joints are tight, and should keep the Fallen looking evil for some time to come. No ragdoll physics for him! The Fallen comes with a display base, like all the Titanium Cybertron Heroes, but his features his unique faction symbol.
It's a shame the Titanium line is ending, that it didn't get the sales it deserved. The Fallen is, hands down, the best Titanium figure yet released. He's like the complete antithesis of Soundwave. The design in both modes is cool, the transformation is mildly challenging, the contrsuction is all-around top notch, the paint is impressive... the Fallen is a Transformer you should own. We don't often say this, but this is one worth paying slightly above retail for. If you must. He's been showing up at Target stores, finally, but he's selling out fast. If you see this one on the shelf, don't hesitate. Grab it fast and run to the register. It's not a complete rip-off if you have to buy online, but as more people realize what they're missing, expect prices to climb, so move quickly.
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