Skullgrin is a fictional character in the Transformers storyline. He shouldn't be confused with Dauros.

Transformers: Generation 1

Like several other Pretenders, Skullgrin's personality changed somewhat when he received his Pretender shell. Normally a cool, calculating combatant, inside the shell he becomes a rampaging engine of destruction that tries to destroy everything in his path, never retreating. It has been speculated that the shell has a personality of its own. However, the egotistical Skullgrin has a surprising personality quirk — he loves Earth and is fascinated by it. Making him very different from other Decepticons. In his affair with Circuit-Breaker, he actually bargained for fuel instead of fighting to avoid any casualties.Skullgrin's Pretender shell is easily distinguishable by having the skull of a bovine animal for a head. The shell's dark gray color, multiple spikes, and skull ornaments on its belt give it a menacing appearance, similar to Judge Death. The inner Skullgrin robot transforms into a Cybertronian tank.

Marvel Comics

Skullgrin would appear again in issue #49, "The Underbase Saga Part 3, Cold War!" In this story he was a member of the Decepticon forces under Scorponok's command. They were tricked into fighting the Decepticon forces under Ratbat's command by Starscream, who used the battle to steal Scorponok's ship and get to the Underbase.

In the Marvel Transformers comic, Skullgrin's most notable appearance was when he accidentally met the sci-fi actress Carissa Carr, who was starring in a new sci-fi monster thriller named Monstercon from Mars. The machine playing the Monstercon had broken down, and Skullgrin agreed to star as the movie's villain, replacing the Monstercon. This led to an enormously successful movie star career, but it was abruptly cut short by Circuit Breaker, who struck Skullgrin down after learning he was a Transformer robot instead of an organic monster.

Skullgrin was also featured on the cover of issue #54 "King Con". In the issue itself, he and Iguanus were dispatched by Scorponok to rig a transceiver on top of the Empire State Building to allow them to produce energon cubes. The plan was thwarted by the Autobot Micromasters. Skullgrin returned to the Scorponok-led Decepticons afterwards and served with them until the coming of Unicron.

The Decepticon Pretenders Bomb-Burst, Iguanus and Skullgrin were sent to steal from an oil rig in the "Gulf of New Mexico" in the 1989 U.K. Annual story "The Chain Gang." They were opposed and captured by the Autobot Pretenders Cloudburst, Landmine and Splashdown.

Skullgrin made a brief appearance in the Transformers: Generation 2 comic series, as the lone surviving member of a party of Decepticons that were assaulted by the forces of Jhiaxus. He was killed while trying to radio Megatron for help.

Animated series

Although the U.S. Transformers series was canceled before Skullgrin was brought out, his Japanese counterpart Dauros appeared in the Masterforce anime series.

Dreamwave Productions

In Dreamwave Productions' re-imagining of the Transformers universe, Skullgrin was part of Starscream's Predacons faction. He was included in the party under Starscream who lost a shipment of Energon to Grimlock's Lightning Strike Coalition in the first issue of the second War Within series. The series takes place prior to the pretenders getting their shells.

IDW Publishing

Skullgrin made his first IDW Publishing appearance in The Transformers: Stormbringer, where he was one of Bludgeon's cultists. Capturing Jetfire and the Technobots, they then reanimated Thunderwing with the intention of using him to destroy other worlds in the hopes of reviving Cybertron. Hoping to gain his own Pretender shell, Skullgrin and his fellow cultists were defeated by The Wreckers.

Toys

• Generation 1 Pretender Skullgrin'

This toy is identical to the toy sold in Japan as Dauros.

References

1. Transformers Universe Supplementary Archive