Pointblank is a supporting protagonist in Generation One of The Transformers.
He was voiced by Neil Ross, who also voiced Springer and Slag, as well as Shipwreck and Dusty in G.I. Joe and Moneybags and Bentley in Spyro: Year of the Dragon.
Biography
Cartoon
Pointblank was one of the new Autobots featured in the three-part finale "The Rebirth". He was stationed on Cybertron under Kup and Hot Rod following Optimus Prime's return. An attempt at stopping the Decepticons opening the Plasma Energy Chamber saw the group hurtled off into space and ending up on the planet Nebulos. They were initially mistrusted and captured by the Nebulan resistance but ended up protecting them from the Decepticons, although Pointblank and Kup were taken out after charging the Decepticons in car mode and they and several others were captured.
They were freed by the remaining Autobots, who had been upgraded to Headmasters. When the Decepticons retaliated by transforming into Headmasters and Targetmasters, Pointblank and the others followed suit by becoming Targetmasters, with Pointblank bonding with the resistance member Peacemaker. They accompanied Optimus Prime back to Cybertron to defeat the Decepticons, then returned to Nebulos.
Marvel Comics
In the Headmasters miniseries, Pointblank was one of the Autobots who chose to follow Fortress Maximus in leaving the war on Cybertron and retiring to Nebulos. Met with suspicion by the native Nebulans, Pointblank was among the Autobots who surrendered their weapons as a gesture of peace. When Scorponok's Decepticons followed them and Fortress Maximus and the new Autobot Headmasters were captured, Pointblank took command of the remainder, overseeing their transformation into Targetmasters. He led them in an attempt to stop Scorponok taking control of the Nebulan nursery but ordered a retreat on realising they were destroying the area they had tried to protect.
In the UK-exclusive story "Worlds Apart", Pointblank and fellow Targetmasters Crosshairs and Sureshot were captured by Scorponok as a lure for the Autobot Headmasters, who he hoped to capture and analyse. They were freed by Hardhead and joined the Headmasters in driving off the Decepticons.
Pointblank made his first appearance in the regular Marvel US comic in Issue #38, where he and the rest of Fortress Maximus' crew travelled to Earth, although he was left behind on the ship during the first expedition to the planet. In the following issue, he and the other Targetmasters accompanied Fortress Maximus and his new partner Spike Witwicky in an attempt to rescue Spike's brother Buster from Ratbat and Shockwave's Earth Decepticons. Attacking the Decepticon base, Pointblank and the others were driven off by the defences. Fortress Maximus and Spike made an attempt at a rescue on their own, failing but managing to defeat and apparently kill Shockwave, after which Pointblank and the others recovered them from space.
Pointblank last appeared in Issue #41, where he was one of the senior Autobots who accompanied Fortress Maximus to his first meeting with Earth Autobot leader Grimlock. He witnessed the duel for leadership between Grimlock and Blaster and was probably one of the casualties of the battle with Ratbat's Decepticons that followed.
