WARNING! Spoilers ahead for FCBD 2024: Energon Universe 2024 Special #1

Megatron has been largely absent from Transformers’ Energon Universe continuity thus far, with the Decepticon leader being imprisoned by the secret society of Cobra-La. Skybound’s Free Comic Book Day special finally tells the story of how Megatron got separated from the Decepticons, and shows how the feared Transformers villain has now broken free of his captivity to seek revenge.

Appearing in the FCBD Energon Universe 2024 Special #1 story by Daniel Warren Johnson and Ryan Ottley, readers finally learn what happened to Megatron all those centuries ago when the Ark crash-landed on Earth. The Decepticons attack the Autobots, and fans are treated to an epic showdown between Megatron and Optimus Prime.

Prime gains the upper hand in the fight, activating his Energon axe to slice off Megatron’s gun arm. Megatron gets kicked away during the fight, barely hanging on to Ark’s open hanger. Starscream sees his opportunity then, blasting Megatron and sending him careening to the Earth below.

Starscream Betrays Megatron For Leadership of the Decepticons

The story then cuts to the present day, where readers learn the previous scene was a flashback dream Megatron had while being experimented on by Cobra-La scientists. Megatron manages to break free of their control, recovering one of his arms before going on a rampage through the Cobra-La compound. Megatron takes on Golobulus in a brutal smackdown, as the Cobra-La leader faces down the Decepticon while riding a giant, multi-armed serpent creature. After taking a spear to the eye, Megatron flees the battle, managing to break through Cobra-La’s underground lair to the arctic environment above.

It’s a story that promises to have major repercussions for the Energon Universe moving forward. In the final panel, Megatron proclaims “I’m coming for you, Starscream,” confirming that the true Decepticon leader has a mind for revenge now that he’s gained his freedom. Starscream was recently ousted as the Decepticons’ leader by Soundwave, with the conniving Sky Brother thoroughly savaged by the fight. Even if he survived the encounter, Starscream probably wants to lay low, as Megatron is now on a warpath. Megatron’s story serves as an excellent showcase for Ryan Ottley, as the Invincible artist does what he does best in rendering the robot carnage.

Megatron Is Now Free of Cobra-La’s Control, But What’s Next?

Considering that Megatron is missing an arm and has his optics badly damaged, he’ll have a long way to go if he wants to regain control of the Decepticons. Still, the feared Transformers villain has a lot of scores to settle in the Energon Universe: Starscream may be number one on his revenge list, but Megatron will likely also want to look up Cobra Commander for a little payback for all the years he was imprisoned. However, now that the Commander has been excommunicated from Cobra-La, it’s also not unthinkable that an alliance with Megatron could be in the cards.

The Energon Universe started by surprising fans the world over, and Skybound’s line of Hasbro properties has continued to subvert reader expectations at every turn. Megatron now acts as the ultimate narrative wild card, as the feared villain’s freedom could set up any number of exciting directions for the story to take, hopefully in the first massive crossover between Void Rivals, Transformers, and future G.I. Joe titles. The story could go any way now that Megatron is free in the Energon Universe, setting up an epic Transformers story to play out this year.

FCBD 2024: Energon Universe 2024 Special #1 is available now from Skybound Entertainment.