A Tragic Character
Empurata is a terrible crime that was used all too often by the old Senate. This is but one of many things which brought about the Great War. It was used as a way to publicly shame anyone that disagreed with the Senate by removing their heads and hands and replacing them with the cyclops, claw hands look. Whirl is one such victim.
Whirl had, and still has, a flight-capable alt-mode. During the time of the Senate and the Functionists, this meant that his lot in life was to use that flight capability to the greater benefit of all of Cybertron. It is unclear what his exact flight duties were in the Aerial Corps, but it is known that he was one of the lucky ones to change to a job that was not related to his alt-mode. His chosen profession was a chronosmith – a watchmaker.
I hope he didn’t make Tailgate’s malfunctioning Chronometer.
When he had nothing left to lose, the Senate took his identity by removing his head and hands in an effort to persuade him to join their cause. As he has said, it is very convincing. Before too long, Whirl was working a Senate enforcer and was sent to deliver a message to a certain miner from Tarn who had been wrongly arrested for a barfight that he had not participated in, but was simply at the bar. It would be known years later that this “message” had turned the miner from a peaceful, freedom-fighter who preferred to use words to bring about change into the tyrant that we all know as Megatron, founder and leader of the Decepticons.
As the war loomed near, Whirl’s former commander, Orion Pax, now Optimus Prime, invited Whirl to join the Autobot cause. He did, but he has never been able to release the anger that Empurata and the actions of the Senate has poisoned him with.
He’s only happy when he’s mad!
He behaves irrationally and violently in nearly every circumstance and shows very little regard for the well being or feelings of others. Truly, Whirl’s actions are more befitting those of a Decepticon than an Autobot, but in war, it can be difficult to determine exactly who the “good guys” really are.
At the end of the day, when Whirl is alone and does not feel the need to maintain his tough-guy image with absurd levels of bravado, he is left alone with his thoughts and his one true longing.
