Gilmer
From Transformers Wiki
- Gilmer is a Decepticon Pretender from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Thousands of years ago, Gilmer (ギルマー Girumā) and his fellow Decepticon Pretenders were passing through the Earth's solar system in an attempt to escape a crew of Autobots led by Metalhawk when both groups wound up crash-landing on the planet. Seeking to conquer Stone Age man, the three Decepticons used their Pretender powers to adopt the forms of monstrous creatures, spreading terror across the world down through the ages as the Autobots struggled to stop them. Over the centuries, the Transformers inspired many Earthly legends with their inhuman forms and deeds; in Gilmer's case, his fondness for dragging ships down into the depths of his underwater domain seems to have inspired many old sailors' tales of beasts from the depths. After epochs of battling, Gilmer and the other Decepticons were defeated by the Autobots and imprisoned, with Gilmer being sealed up in the ancient ruins of lost Atlantis. In the present day, however, the evil alien entity Devil Z has liberated Gilmer and his fellow Pretenders to play a role in his evil plans for humans and Transformers alike.
There is the sense that Gilmer is a little bit older and wiser than his fellow Pretenders, Blood and Dauros, but that he's been outstripped by these younger, more eager hot-heads, and that he's fairly aware of it. He's quite accepting of this state of affairs, though, and he gets along quite well with both of them in different ways: he and Blood often scheme together, and he regularly goes on missions alongside Dauros, who seems to respect him. However, a fair bit of his time is also spent getting between the two and stopping them from fighting amongst themselves, thanks to Dauros's resentment of Blood's leadership position. Gilmer transforms into a Cybertronic submarine that can hover over ground just as well as it cuts through water. He is a terrifying force in the water, able to create undersea volcanoes, control sea life and use his "Aqua Saw" sword to bend the flow of the oceans to his will.
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Fiction
Super-God Masterforce cartoon
- Voice actor: Masaharu Satō (Japanese)
Having been freed from imprisonment by Devil Z, Gilmer and Blood set about attempting to draw out the Autobot Pretenders by attacking a cruise ship off the coast of Canada. When this tactic failed to gain any response, Dauros attacked a Japanese city instead and Gilmer had to play referee when Blood accusing Dauros of "playing leader". As it happened, Dauros's approach actually proved successful, as Metalhawk soon arrived and all three Decepticons ganged up on him. Unfortunately for the villains, Metalhawk's fellow Autobot Pretenders also soon arrived, and Gilmer was attacked by Diver—although the Autobot had the decency to tap him on the shoulder first. When Metalhawk destroyed the Seacons that the Decepticons had brought with them, the evil trio elected to retreat. Rise Up!! Pretenders
Seeking to find a way to infuse human beings with Decepticon power, Blood had Gilmer and Dauros steal corpses from a university medical lab, and channelled energy from Devil Z to transform them into zombie-like "Destroids". These creatures soon proved unstable and short-lived, so Gilmer and Dauros were then dispatched to round up some test subjects in the Karin Islands. Taking their captives to the remote Isle of the Gods, the two Pretenders were pursued by the Autobots, who liberated the humans and forced the Decepticons to flee. Terror! The Decepticons' Manhunt Blood later acquired live test subjects from a jet airliner, and Gilmer observed as these new Destroids were unleashed on Rome, unnecessarily explaining their actions for the benefit of no-one in particular, as Blood angrily pointed out . When the Autobots arrived to subdue the Destroids, Gilmer and his fellow Pretenders escaped into the catacombs under the city. Kidnapping!? The Targeted Jumbo Jet
After the failure of the Destroid scheme, the Decepticons decided that it was time to unleash their Headmaster Juniors—human beings bonded to transtectors that they had stolen from an Autobot cargo ship some time previously. Blood and Gilmer ordered the three Juniors, Wilder, Cancer and Bullhorn to run wild in Tokyo. Birth! Headmaster Jrs Gilmer and the other Headmasters watched from their base as the three Decepticon Juniors made short work of the Cool Guys. Rage!! Little Devils with No Need for Rules
After holding back from the front lines for a while to allow the Decepticons' new Headmaster Junior warriors to take centre stage, Gilmer was then dispatched to Africa with Dauros to cause wild animals to stampede, as part of a plan to destabilize the natural balance of Earth. Blood soon joined the pair to help cause an elephant stampede, but despite a bout of terrible punnage from Gilmer, the Autobots still succeeded in pacifying the panicked pachyderms and the Decepticons retreated once more. Panic! Protect the Wild Animals!!
When Gilmer and his fellow Decepticons were united with the second Decepticon unit operating under Devil Z's command, they fell into service under their new leaders, Giga and Mega. Gilmer had no lost love for Mega, quietly uttering some sexist mutterings over his general distaste with her attitude and approach to doing things, and although Mega didn't comment directly, she made it fairly obvious she had heard him by forcing him to play punching bag for Cancer so he could show off his martial arts skills for her.
Dauros and the Pretenders took a back seat in the battles that ensued, during which time the Autobots recruited their own Godmaster, Ginrai. Always out to improve their standing in Mega and Giga's eyes, the Pretenders attempted to lure Ginrai to his destruction at the hands of the Seacon combiner King Poseidon by kidnapping children and holding them on an island off the coast of America. When Autobot Pretender Diver arrived to investigate, Gilmer spotted his approach from beneath the waves, enabling Dauros was able to capture him as well. Unfortunately for the Decepticons, Diver and the captive kids worked together to summon the other Autobots to the island, and King Poseidon was defeated by the new-born "Super Ginrai". Heroism!! The Birth of Super Ginrai
Gilmer and the Pretenders were later recruited by Hydra and Buster to help them track Ginrai down as he searched for more Godmasters around the world. Blood found Ginrai as he was meeting up with the first new Autobot Godmaster, Lightfoot, but kept the discovery a secret from the Godmaster brothers, calling in Gilmer and Dauros so that the Pretenders could take the credit. During a short skirmish with Lightfoot, poor Gilmer got rammed in the unmentionables by the former's vehicle mode. Blood grappled with Lightfoot while Gilmer and Dauros summoned King Poseidon to the battlefield, but when Ginrai defeated the combiner again, the villains made themselves scarce. Lightfoot: A Dramatic Encounter
When the wandering Six Changer Sixknight arrived on Earth seeking to join the Decepticons, Gilmer and Blood exploited his anger at being turned down by Giga and Mega by suggesting that he destroy Ginrai in order to prove himself. The pair watched the ensuing battle from afar, but when Ginrai gained they upper hand, they decided to step in by seizing Minerva, forcing Ginrai to stay his hand. While Gilmer and Blood were arguing over who go to hold her, however, Sixknight turned his weapons on them, disgusted at their dishonourable interference in the fight. Minerva was freed and Sixknight ultimately lost the fight; needless to say, Gilmer and Blood were not impressed. A Powerful Foe!! Sixknight the Wanderer
Carrying out a complex plan formulated by Hydra and Buster, Gilmer and the Pretenders captured doctors from all over the world and held them captive on Atlan Island in the South Pacific. Gilmer returned to the Karin Islands to capture Doctor Dado, inadvertently alerting the Autobot Headmaster Juniors to their scheme and leading to the arrival of the Autobot Godmasters to save the day. Gilmer battled Lightfoot during the fight, which concluded when the Godmasters unleashed their special powers and sent the Decepticon Pretenders back to their base in disgrace. Save the Little Girl! The Chōjin Warriors, the Godmasters
Later, when Mega was posing as a fortune teller and horrifying the world with predictions of disaster, Gilmer and the Pretenders later helped to make these "predictions" come true by trying to blow up Watson Dam, although they lacked the firepower to accomplish the task, forcing a disgusted Giga to step up. Expose the Decepticons' Dark Trap!
Giga ordered the last Godmaster to be found and Gilmer and the Pretenders set out to find him. However the Decepticon Headmaster juniors found him instead. But forgot to tell Gimler and the Pretenders. Unaware that the Godmaster known as Clouder was found they continued to look. The best hint they got was a bear. Appearance!! The Final Godmaster
When the Decepticons were constructing an advance base off the coast of Australia, their undersea blasting caused a sub-sea volcano to become active, leading to an earthquake that drew the Autobots into the area. Lightfoot was buried in a crevasse by the Seacons, and Gilmer silently observed the arrival of Ginrai, hastily returning to the Decepticons' base to inform Mega and Giga of the situation, and to join them in observing the escapades that followed over their viewscreens. Escape!! The Underwater Volcano Erupts
After dropping off the radar for a lengthy period of time, Gilmer and the Decepticon Pretenders were later seen battling the Autobot Pretenders in Latin America God Ginrai - Save Cancer!? and were at the Decepticon headquarters when Ginrai was lured there to rescue his captive comrade Shūta Gō, God Ginrai: Showdown at the Decepticon Base and when the Autobots initiated an all-out attack on the base. The Ultimate Combination!! BlackZarak, the New Lifeform During this battle, Devil Z and BlackZarak fused together and the Decepticon base was destroyed, following which Gilmer relocated with the rest of the villains to the Grand Canyon for an attack on North America. When Autobots pursued them, the Decepticon Pretenders battled Road King and Lightfoot, although Hydra and Buster soon butted in and took over the fight.
With the attack on North America complete, the Decepticons moved to the Alps to attack Europe. Again, the Autobots gave chase, and Gilmer, Blood and Dauros observed the heroes' approach, reporting on it to Overlord and BlackZarak. When Hydra and Buster were defeated once again in battle by Ginrai, BlackZarak unleashed his full fury upon them, and at Gilmer's suggestion, the terrified Pretenders fled the scene, fearing what would happen if BlackZarak turned his anger on them. Malevolent and Inhuman! The True Form of Devil Z
Super-God Masterforce comic
After being freed by Devil Z, Gilmer, Dauros and Blood reintroduced themselves to the modern world by attacking the Karin Islands. The islands' prince, Cab, made a vain attempt at battling the Decepticons, but the tide turned when the Autobot hero Metalhawk arrived and sent the Decepticons packing with his "Shining Arrow" attack. Gods? Demons? The Pretenders
After unleashing a Lobclaw on Ginza, Tokyo The Birth of the Junior Headmasters Gilmer and Dauros directed the Decepticons' new Headmaster Junior warriors in attacking the city while Blood was busy occupying Metalhawk. The Decepticon Juniors were defeated by the Autobots' own Headmaster Juniors The Battle of Destiny - Children of Good and Evil and Gilmer joined them in withdrawing to meet up with their leaders, Mega and Giga. On Scene! Our Savior's Name Is Ginrai! Later, when the Seacon combiner King Poseidon was defeated by Super Ginrai, the battered Turtler escaped to report his failure to the Pretenders. Burn, Chokon! New Commander Super Ginrai!
When Mega and Giga rolled their Transtectors into battle for the first time, Gilmer and the Pretenders came along for the ride, clinging to the top of the Megajet. God Ginrai's Amazing Divine Combination! Gilmer later observed the torture of the Autobot Headmaster Juniors Shūta Gō and Cab at Blood's hands, as the Decepticons tried to force the boys to join their evil family, The Good and Evil Families of Earth and later still, helped to make decorations for the Decepticon base to celebrate the New Year. The Great Turnabout of the Autobots
Gilmer, Dauros and Blood were the only Transformers that did not participate in the final battle against Devil Z when he turned on the other Decepticons and attempted to absorb their Jinchōkon. After all the other Transformers joined their energies in the "Perfect Transform Attack" and destroyed Devil Z once and for all, the Autobots' and Decepticons' Transtectors were brought to life by the alien's death and departed Earth to rejoin their respective factions in space. Watching as their once-comrades left the planet, Gilmer Dauros and Blood were last seen running off into the distance, deciding that they should learn to transform into humans too. The Birth of the Super Life-Forms
Toys
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers
- Gilmer (Pretender, 1988)
- ID number: D-203
- Accessories: Pretender shell, belt, shield, "Aqua Saw", "Aqua Buster"
- Known designers: Masakatsu Saito (concept artist)
- Released in the fourth year of Takara's Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers line under the Super-God Masterforce banner, Pretender Gilmer is identical to the Hasbro-release Submarauder , transforming into a purple and blue Cybertronic submarine. His "Aqua Buster" rifle can be attached to the top of his sub mode via 5 mm post.
- In robot mode, Gilmer fits inside his larger two-part Pretender shell, a blue and grey bipedal fish-monster. The shell is adorned with a removable belt that unlike most Pretender belts doesn't actually hold the shell together, plus he has a weird shield pieces that can plug into one of the "barnacles" on the shell's arm. The shell can hold Gilmer's Aqua Buster as well as his "Aqua Saw" sword weapon (which robot-Gilmer cannot handle, sadly).
Notes
- Gilmer's name is possibly derived from either Gill-man (ギルマン) or "gill" (ギル) and "merman" (マーマン).
Foreign names
- English: Submarauder (Omni Productions dub, Shout! Factory sub)
- Italian: Reptilo
- Mandarin: Shēnhǎi Bàwáng (深海霸王, "Deep Sea Despot")
- Spanish: Fish (America)
