Monzo

Monzo is a Decepticon-allied Nebulan Headmaster from the Generation 1 continuity family.

"Dude, you should totally come over. Balls."

On Nebulos, Monzo (sometimes Monxo) was a professional hyperwrestler before he became a nightclub owner. He's a brutal fellow who doesn't appreciate the fine art of tactics or strategy. He especially hates poetry, which puts him at odds with his Headmaster partner, Weirdwolf. However, they both find common ground in wanting to beat stuff up.

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

After Scorponok's Decepticons arrived on Nebulos and set up a headquarters in a former industrial complex on the remote Plains of Thok, Monzo was kidnapped by Mindwipe, Weirdwolf, and Skullcruncher to subject to their experiments. Monzo's capability to experience fear was removed via Mindwipe's hypnosis, and the former professional wrestler was encased in a bubble created by the Decepticons' experimental polymer alloy. With a blast from Skullcruncher's anti-gravity gun, Monzo began floating upwards, towards the open skylight. When it became apparent to the Decepticons that the bubble was going to pop, indicating a structural disorder in the polymer membrane, Mindwipe flew after Monzo. No sense wasting a good laboratory animal, after all.

Lord Zarak, another prisoner of the Decepticons, made a deal with them to become their Headmaster partners in order to equal the Autobots' own new Headmaster might. Monzo was next seen as the Headmaster partner of Weirdwolf. Whether he was still hypnotized at the time of this conversion or if he joined the Decepticons of his own free will is not detailed. In any case, as his partner's head, he helped the Decepticons defeat their heroic counterparts in an ambush, and took the do-gooders prisoner. Love and Steel!

Monzo and the Decepticon Headmasters enjoyed a brief period as heroes of Nebulos, thanks to Mindwipe's hypnotic influence over the Council of Peers. During one of their battles against the Autobots, within the Mercury Gardens of Melanossus, he helped slaughter many of the enemy robots, sending the few survivors fleeing for Nebulos's swamp lands. He seemed rather pleased with himself that those that had succumbed to his power were much more powerful than the opponents he had once fought in his hyper-wrestling days. In a moment of clarity, however, Lord Zarak realized the war between the Autobots and Decepticons would destroy Nebulos, and he convinced Galen to flee Nebulos. As the Autobots departed aboard the Steelhaven, Monzo and Weirdwolf joined the Decepticons in pursuit, eventually leading them to Earth. Brothers in Armor!!

When Scorponok's troops first met Ratbat's Decepticons on Earth, the Mini-Cassette commander mocked the pitiful flesh creatures. Zarak had Monzo and his other Headmaster soldiers reveal their human forms to counter Ratbat's statement. Cold War!

Classics

In the fifteen years after the battle on Klo, Weirdwolf fell under the sway of the mysterious Bug Bite, who had Weirdwolf rebuilt to remove his Headmaster technology, resulting in both a spurned Monzo and Weirdwolf being even less coherent than he was previously. Weirdwolf's recreation was Bug Bite's downfall; Monzo turned to the Autobots with what information he knew, and a rogue Autobot team led by Ultra Magnus arrived and put a stop to Bug Bite's insurrection. Games of Deception

The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Neil Ross (English), Akimitsu Takase (Japanese), Gerd Wiedenhofen (German, The Rebirth, Part 2), Bernd Simon (German, The Rebirth, Part 3)

*yawn*

Monzo was among several Hive members who were rebuilt as Headmasters in order to match the firepower of the Hive's rivals and their new Autobot allies. The Rebirth, Part 2

After the Decepticons captured Arcee, Lord Zarak instructed Monzo to torture her Headmaster partner, the human child Daniel Witwicky, until the female Autobot turned over the Key to the Plasma Energy Chamber. Declaring that it would be a pleasure, Monzo set about the task, and in short order Arcee gave up the Key. The Rebirth, Part 3

Desert of Danger

"Follow your dream. You can reach your goals. I'm living proof. Beefcake. BEEFCAKE!"

In the 'Dust Bowl' desert of Nebulos' equatorial continent Monzo ran the Wolf at the Door nightclub, which on the surface was an oil bar for thirsty Nebulan miners but its cellar concealed something far more sinister. A treaty ensured that only Transformers with Nebulan partners were allowed on Nebulos so Weirdwolf, Skullcruncher, and Mindwipe sought to upset the balance of power in their favour by awakening infantry from the war on Cybertron, known as Attack Squad robots, from cryogenic suspension. To this end, they ordered a crate of catalytic stimulant from offworld and to avoid suspicions had it delivered to the Wolf at the Door disguised as Sirian brandy.

After you dropped off the crate Monzo was quick to ask you, Hot Rod and Professor Sparks to leave the nightclub, threatening the Autobot with violence if he stayed. Later he accompanied Weirdwolf in retrieving a metal cylinder (containing an ASR) that had fallen from orbit, and they were successful in bringing two of the robots online, but they proved to be of little value in a confrontation with the Autobot Targetmaster. After Mindwipe and Skullcruncher were disabled by you and Sparks, Weirdwolf stood his ground against Hot Rod but ultimately Monzo surrendered, not wanting to give up his life for the Decepticon cause. Of course under the terms of the treaty, Hot Rod had to let him go anyway. Desert of Danger

Ladybird Books continuity

Stationed on Nebulos, Weirdwolf and Monzo were patrolling in an attempt to find out what the Autobots were up to. When they spotted Chromedome and Hardhead, Monzo's first instinct was to attack, but Weirdwolf wanted to try to work out what the pair were doing. Monzo suggested that they might be having a picnic, as Autobots were very stupid, to which Weirdwolf retorted that he was a fine one to be labeling anyone stupid, and promptly took his Nebulon partner back to base to report to Cyclonus. Autobots Strike Oil

Titans Return marketing material

An ancient Titan Master, Monxo joined the Autobot-Decepticon conflict on the side of the Decepticons, and he was partnered with Wolfwire, whom he could grant the power of rewinding time for short bursts. Titans Return Monxo/Wolfwire toy bio Monxo was part of a group of Decepticons dispatched to Eukaris in the hopes of ambushing Alpha Trion and Clobber. Unfortunately, Apeface's lack of subtlety blew their cover, and although Monxo chewed out his teammate for ruining their ambush, the two Autobots were able to counter-attack. Monxo was later present as his partner's head in a Decepticon assault led by Soundwave on Cybertron when Fortress Maximus emerged. Titans Return: The Power of the Titan Masters

Beast Wars: Uprising

A Cyberdroid, presumably originally from the colony world of Master, Monxo operated as a Decepticon Headmaster during the Great War. Afterwards, he settled down in Iacon and established a bar called The Way Of All Things. An absolute dive, it attracted the worst of clientele, although Monxo diligently only saw what he was paid to see.

When one of his recent regulars named Twirl was killed, Monxo became the focus of MaxCop Wolfang's investigation. He parted with as little information as he could before the Mayhemist named Fennec roughed Wolfang up. Later on, Wolfang came back to the Way for info on his assailant, only for Monxo to witness a second fight between Wolfang and Fennec. Trigger Warnings

Wasp of the Darksyders consulted with Monxo while locating Bisk for a quest. Not All Megatrons

Commercial appearances

• After several Transformers blasted their way to the planet Nebulon, they were forced to surrender to the locals. Monzo was one of several Nebulons who fused with a Cybertronian partner, so that the war between Autobots and Decepticons could resume on their world. Headmaster comic book commercial
• Monzo, Grax, and Vorath rode atop of their Decepticon partners into battle, coming to blows against their Autobot-allied counterparts in the middle of a Nebulan city. Headmasters commercial
• Monzo watched over Weirdwolf's training at the Decepticon Headmasters' secret base. There, he had his Decepticon partner jump through an obstacle course and smash stone sculptures of their Autobot enemies. Monzo transformed, becoming Weirdwolf's robot mode head in order to smash statues of Blurr and Rodimus Prime. Decepticon Headmasters commercial

Games

Transformers Roleplaying Game

Monzo bonded with the eccentric Weirdwolf over their shared love of violence. The Enigma of Combination

Toys

The Transformers

• Weirdwolf (Headmaster, 1987)

• Takara ID number: D-86

Released in the fourth year of Hasbro's US The Transformers toyline (third year in Europe and in Takara's Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers line), Headmaster Monzo transforms from an armored humanoid into a robot head. In head mode he is compatible with any other Headmaster body: on the larger Headmasters, he gives three of Weirdwolf's Tech Spec stats in their display window, but the smaller ones still display their normal heads' stats due to their construction.

He was only available packed in with his larger partner Weirdwolf.

• More information on Monzo at TFU.info

Titans Return

• Monxo & Wolfwire (Deluxe Class, 2016)

• Known designers: John Warden (Hasbro), Emiliano Santalucia (concept artist)

Released as part of the second wave of Titans Return, "Monxo" (still pronounced like the original, but probably re-spelled because of trademark reasons) once again transforms from armored humanoid into robot head, this time dubbed a Titan Master. In head mode, he is compatible with any Deluxe, Voyager, or Leader class figure.

He was only available with his larger partner Wolfwire, and can store inside of a compartment inside of Wolfwire's beast mode back, or in a socket in Weirdwolf's giant gun.

Monxo was retooled into "Monzo", the small Headmaster stage of Weirdwolf for Takara's Legends Weirdwolf toy.

Retro Headmasters

Aww, he's blushing!

• Weirdwolf (Deluxe Class, 2021)

Released as part of the Retro Headmasters line, "Monxo" is a slight repaint of Legends Weirdwolfs' small Headmaster stage in even more original-toy-like deco, using the alternate Headmasters anime face from that release. As such, his face is now red, and his aqua-colored plastics are slightly darker.

Along with the rest of the Retro Headmasters toys, Weirdwolf (and by extension Monxo) was a Walmart exclusive in Canada and the US, and a Warehouse and Toyworld-exclusive in New Zealand.

Merchandise

Transformers Trading Card Game

• Monxo (2020)
  • Wave 5: Titan Masters Attack
  • Rarity: UT
  • Card Number: T29/T46
  • Stars: 2

Monxo is one of forty-six double sided character cards included in Wave 5 of the Transformers Trading Card Game, Titan Masters Attack. As a Titan Master, Monxo begins play in head mode on a character with a body mode. When that character is KO'd, Monxo is deployed in bot mode. In order to represent Monxo's size as a Titan Master, the card is the size of a battle card, about half the size of a normal character card.

The card's art is based on the Monxo Titan Master included with the Titans Return Wolfwire toy. The head mode artwork is reused from said toy's packaging artwork while the bot mode receives original artwork with lines by Dan Khanna.

This card's set was originally set for an April 2020 release, however due to the global COVID-19 pandemic the release was pushed back to May 29, 2020.

Notes

• Ask Vector Prime noted in a jokey answer that, somewhere in the Multiverse, the "Mo" in Lord Mo Zarak stood for Monzo.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Monzo (モンゾ)
• French: Mongo (France)