Kickback

Kickback is a Decepticon Insecticon — a villainous Transformer who converts into a grasshopper. Cunning and manipulative, he specializes in bribery and corrupting others, making him one of the more insidious members of the Insecticons alongside fellow bugs Shrapnel and Bombshell.

Kickback crawled onto the scene in 1986, debuting in The Transformers #17 in a run crafted by Bob Budiansky and Don Perlin — part of the electrifying Copper Age wave that expanded the Transformers universe well beyond its toy-aisle origins. A Marvel creation through and through, this character has kept genuinely dangerous company over the decades, sharing pages with the likes of Shrapnel, Bombshell, Ramjet, and Thrust — a rogues' gallery that signals Kickback runs in some of the most formidable circles the Transformers universe has to offer. With a presence stretching from 1986 all the way to 2025, Kickback is a testament to the enduring pull of that original Marvel mythology, and The Transformers Universe gives collectors a deeper look at what makes this character tick. For fans who love digging into the rich supporting cast that gave the early Transformers comics their teeth, Kickback is absolutely worth tracking down.