WARNING! Spoilers ahead for Void Rivals #16
TheEnergon Universejust introducedTransformers’latest big bad, as Zerta-Trion makes her much-hyped debut in the latest issue ofVoid Rivals. The brand-new character has been teased for several issues now, and her first on-panel appearance in the Energon Universe marks a huge turning point for Skybound’s shared universe moving forward from here.
Coming from the creative team of Robert Kirkman, Lorenzo De Felici, Patricio Delpeche and Rus Wooton,Void Rivals#16 continues the story of Solila, one half of the titular “Void Rivals” who separated from her companion Darak four issues ago.
Solila has been descending to the center of the Sacred Ring to find the mythic Zerta-Trion, who her people worship as a deity. After encountering thesupercomputer Vector-Theta last issue,Solila finally encounters Zerta-Trion at the end ofVoid Rivals#16, after realizing she had been unknowingly walking along her massive body.
Zerta-Trion Makes Her Energon Universe Debut
The Autobot Springer previously describedZerta-Trion as an ancient Cybertronianwho played a key role in freeing the Transformers’ homeworld from the Quintessons, but later rebelled against her own kind and left to make something new. Given that both the Agorrians and Zertonians of the Sacred Ring were revealed to have Cybertronian origins, it would be easy to assume that Zerta created the two races, if not the Sacred Ring itself.Zerta-Trion being awakened at the heart of the Sacred Ring is a huge turning point for the Energon Universe, setting up what could be the biggest story yet seen in the imprint.
Zerta-Trion’s name recalls that ofAlpha-Trion, the great Cybertronian warriorwho defeated the Quintessons and liberated Cybertron. Throughout nearly all iterations of theTransformersfranchise have connected Alpha-Trion to Primus, basically the god of the Cybertronians whose body transformed into Cybertron itself. With that in mind, it would be easy to make the assumption that Zerta-Trion is connected to Primus’ opposite: the world-devouring Unicron, who first appeared in 1986’sTransformers: The Movie.If Primus is the God of theTransformersuniverse, then Unicron is very much the Devil, so his appearance would be huge in the Energon Universe.
The Energon Universe is Setting Up Some Major Storylines
Void Rivalshas been dropping subtle hints that Unicron is somehow connected to the Sacred Ring, if not the actual Sacred Ring itself. Several characters in the series have spoken of something called “Unity,” a coming together of theAgorrians and Zertonians that their respective leaders have engineered the longstanding conflict between the two races to keep them apart. Most tellingly, when Solila originally left Darak to embark on her quest to find Zerta-Trion, the two pressed their foreheads together as they said goodbye, causing theEnergon Port gems on their foreheadsto touch.
Upon touching foreheads, the scene then shifts to some deep, black darkness, in which a massive figure opens its glowing green eyes. Many fans immediately assumed thisgigantic being was Unicron, and the further hints that have appeared in subsequent issues ofVoid Rivals. The series will enter its third year of publication this summer, so whatever happens next in the Energon Universe’s debut title is sure to be positively epic in scope. Whether or not Unicron appears,Transformersfans will have to keep their eyes onVoid Rivalsto see where Zerta-Trion’s debut leads in theEnergon Universe.
