M.A.S.K.

Set a flying car to catch a flying car.

The Mobile Armored Strike Kommand, or M.A.S.K. for short, is a secret peacekeeping organization. They typically operate specially modified vehicles that can transform or otherwise reconfigure themselves into battle modes.

Or in other words: They're masked crusaders working overtime, fighting crime! (fighting CRIME!)

Fiction

Unit:E comic

Now they're really fighting crime.

M.A.S.K. was a team of civil servants—policeman Matt Trakker, medic Hannah Moon, firefighter Glenn Gephard, and the married duo of Damone and Vanessa Kendall—who were busy trying to restore order in Detroit after the government abandoned the populace. The five found a workshop full of ancient technology belonging to "The League of Ancient Wheelmen" and were using this technology to stop the decay of Detroit. Unit:E

Transformers vs. G.I. Joe

M.A.S.K. were the fictional heroes of a franchise featured in the crossover series "GoBots vs. M.A.S.K.". Since the Transformers had ended up being nicknamed "GoBots" by G.I. Joe, Snake-Eyes figured this made the Joes M.A.S.K. Black Cybertron

2005 IDW continuity

M.A.S.K. began as Project Spectrum, an effort to develop anti-Transformer weaponry overseen by Cornelius Trakker. At some point, Cornelius Trakker was "mysteriously murdered" (cough cough) and the totally trustworthy Miles "Mayhem" Manheim took over the operation. Miles Mayhem's profile

Following Optimus Prime's controversial annexation of Earth into the Council of Worlds, Manheim met with Joe Colton and Scarlett to discuss the ramifications of the Transformer threat to Earth and a new crisis sparked by Earth's supply of Ore-13. Colton turned over the captured Blitzwing to Manheim's operatives, hoping that he could put captured Cybertronian technology to good use.

After a clash between G.I. Joe and the Transformers in Portland, Manheim and his operatives Matt Trakker, Gloria Baker, Brad Turner, and Julio Lopez had already relocated to G.I. Joe's Governor's Island base, taking Blitzwing along with them. There, he introduced Scarlett to Project Spectrum's newest initiative–the Mobile Armored Strike Kommand, a team of operatives piloting transforming vehicles based on Cybertronian physiology. M.A.S.K. made its debut shortly afterwards as the team headed out to neutralize Kup and Aileron, who had been investigating the mystery of Ore-13 in Greece. Their shapeshifting vehicles allowed them to get the drop on the unprepared Transformers–although the two Autobots fought back, the team managed to capture Kup. The Divine Source of Liberty

Upon conferring with his Dire Wraith allies about a large Ore-13 deposit beneath Autobot City, Mayhem sent M.A.S.K. to attack the Cybertronian stronghold. However, Trakker had reservations about the attack, which only intensified as they were joined by a horde of Wraiths. During the battle, their vehicles suffered extreme damage, the Rhino vehicle in particular having its front crushed by Optimus Prime, before Mayhem summoned Baron Karza, who enerchanged with the Dire Wraiths to become a giant monster. The New Colossus

After Optimus rallied Rom, Snake-Eyes and Acroyear to fight Karza, Trakker joined them, ordering M.A.S.K. to follow Optimus (for now). Karza proved capable of destroying all the M.A.S.K. vehicles but Trakker's Spectrum Mask proved instrumental in stopping his plans and saving Earth. With Mayhem having seemingly sacrificed himself in the battle, the team was now left without a mission. Luckily, G.I. Joe recovered the remains of the M.A.S.K. vehicles, and Scarlett encouraged Trakker to continue on. Valley Forge

Meanwhile, in Texas, the Scavengers Spinister and Misfire attempted to retrieve their rampaging friend, Grimlock and reshaped their holomatter avatars in the (rather poor) likeness of fictitious M.A.S.K. agents to navigate the human cities. Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again!

Some time later, Matt Trakker and Gloria Baker were called upon by the Revolutionaries to help them storm Garrison Kreiger's Project Ice Man facility. Power and Glory

Not long afterwards, Scarlett contacted Matt and Gloria for help regarding the Iron Ring's invasion of Cybertron. With a modified sample of an alien virus derived from Astrotrain's corpse in tow, the two set course for Metrotitan to meet with Scarlett as she prepared to send reinforcements to Cybertron. Conslting with Stormclash and Skyburst, the heroes—Scarlett, Doc, Quick Kick, Roadblock, Lady Jaye, Matt, Gloria, Soundwave, and the Torchbearer twins—set course for Castle Destro to seize the M.A.S.S. Device that had teleported their foes to the metal world. First Strike #2 Matt and Gloria kept the outside defenses occupied while the other members of G.I. Joe secured the teleportation device. Once on Cybertron, the group helped take down the initial invasion wave, learning that Joe Colton, having abandoned his "Baron Ironblood" disguise, had already set course for Cybertron's core. Though the team made a path to Iacon, they were barred by Strika, and it was only thanks to the intervention of Ironhide that the team was instead delivered to the Spire so that the Council of Worlds could judge their intentions. First Strike #3

Though Elita One was eager to execute the humans, some diplomacy from Scarlett helped to calm the tense situation, but not enough that the Earth heroes could continue their quest; instead, the humans were detained in Iacon, pending deportation back to Earth pending while Starscream's forces tried to contain the threat. First Strike #4 They failed to so, and in the chaos, it was Optimus Prime who wound up having to spring the group from jail. With Prime now on their side, the team raced to the core before Colton could execute his plan to detonate the alien Talisman in the center of the planet, disarming traps and navigating holographic trickery along the way, before catching up to the villains just outside the entrance to Vector Sigma.First Strike #5

Battle quickly broke out between the two sides, a situation that was only compounded when Elita One, Starscream, and Obsidian arrived, intent on arresting both sides. In the melee, Matt wound up unleashing the alien virus that he'd brought from Earth, and Gloria used her mask to take control of the infected Elita. Before either side could gain the upper hand, "Garrison Krieger" made a dash for the Talisman and activated it there, its magic revealing him as the wizard Merklynn—an alien who had orchestrated the entire attack as a means to recreate his lost homeworld. As he harnessed Cybertron's supplies of energon to give rise to the city of "New Prysmos," Gloria and the other combatants were teleported back to the surface of Cybertron. First Strike #6

When Unicron bore down on Earth, M.A.S.K. performed disaster relief in Detroit. Reunion

Aligned continuity family

Prime cartoon

But can it change into a mobile defense unit?

M.A.S.K. was a division of the United States military that developed an "experimental, all-terrain, expeditionary fighting vehicle". This vehicle was brought to Optimus Prime so he could scan a new alternate mode. Project Predacon

2015 Robots in Disguise cartoon

By the time that Bumblebee returned to Earth, the vehicle had made its way into mass production. One of Our Mini-Cons Is Missing

Knights of Unicron

Boulder Hill (HQ of M.A.S.K.) was the fifth venue for the Knights of Unicron on their 2014 "Till All Are One" tour. Knights of Unicron

Ask Vector Prime

Vector Prime noted that most realities containing an iteration of the Mobile Armored Strike Kommand were in the Megaverse and thus fell outside the purview of the Transcendent Technomorphs. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/11

Notes

• Rik Alvarez stated at TFcon Charlotte in 2015 that Prime was intended to backdoor launch M.A.S.K., along with other brands, via a Unit:E crossover story.
• M.A.S.K. agent Gloria Baker's Aura Mask and Shark vehicle provided the inspiration for the Beast Wars: Uprising Maximal character Aura.
• The decos of Windstorm and Stingracer from the Amazon exclusive Earthrise Galactic Odyssey Collection "Micron Micromasters" 6-pack, in combination with their alternate modes, are an homage to the M.A.S.K. vehicles Hurricane and Stinger, respectively.

External links

• M.A.S.K. at Wikipedia