This Predacon was pretty diabolical in the TV show but nowhere close to his counterpart in the latest issue of Transformers: Beast Wars.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Transformers: Beast Wars #16!

Out of all of the treacherous Predacons, Beast Wars has always portrayed Tarantulas as one of the more dastardly Transformers ever to double-cross Megatron, but IDW Publishing's comic series just took this dynamic to the next level.

IDW's Beast Wars creative team members have obviously been taking great care to respect the TV show's original storyline in service of readers who grew up watching the series in the late 1990s - but still giving it their own twist. As the comic comes to a close before IDW loses the publishing rights to the Transformers franchise, this team has expertly aligned the comic's final moments with the end of the TV show's first season where the Maximals and Predacons scramble to protect themselves from the Vok. Like in the show, Tarantulas takes center stage as he attempts to save himself at the expense of his comrades, but the manner in which he executes his plan in the comics is much more sinister.

Related: Transformers: Beast Wars Reveals Megatron Is Truly a Coward

In Transformers: Beast Wars #16 by Erik Burnham, Josh Burcham, Nathan Widick, and Jake Wood, Tarantulas' treachery is discovered by the Predacons and Maximals who have been forced to work together against the Vok. Upon his capture, Tarantulas reveals that he never thought Megatron was a capable leader and that, rather than serving under such an inept ruler, he chose to align himself with Transformers' so-called Children of the Vok, a group of Transformers who have pledged their allegiance to these aliens, because he was promised "the secrets of the universe." Tarantulas then successfully escapes his capture by unleashing the corpse of the late Terrorsaur whom he "resurrected" into his pet slave without a life spark. Tarantulas' plan is to now present the Predacons and Maximals as offerings over to the Vok. But unfortunately for Scorpinok, he receives a much worse fate as Tarantulas feeds up to his Terrorsaur pet.

This is more unsettling than what his TV counterpart attempts. TV's Tarantulas only plans on leaving everyone behind and saving himself. His scheme involves reprogramming one of the Maximals' prototype pods into a one-man spaceship that will launch himself safely off the planet that the Vok are planning to destroy. Ironically, Tarantulas' work actually helps both the Maximals and Predacons later on when Optimus Primal thwarts Tarantulas' plans and repurposes Tarnatulas' shuttle to protect them all against the Vok's weapon (which Megatron later sabotages to kill Optimus Primal). The only true maniacal development is when Blackarachnia forces her way into Tarantulas' scheme and Tarantulas takes over her mind, a development that stays in effect for much of season two.

Basically, IDW is increasing the diabolical nature of Tarantulas' treachery. Although TV's Tarantulas is only thinking of himself, he doesn't actually go out of his way to thwart everyone else's survival plan. He just doesn't share his scheme. Meanwhile, IDW's Tarantulas is not only just helping himself but his methodology is coming at the expense of all of the Transformers trapped on the same planet as him. He's even killing - nay torturing - his former comrades with his Dinbot-esque resurrection of Terrorsaur just because he can, even though it's not necessary. In the end, IDW's Beast Wars has definitely taken Tarantulas' treachery to a whole other level even though his control over TV's Blackarachnia was a compelling development that added to his overall sinister persona. Regardless, it's a shame that this series is now forced to end because IDW lost the publishing rights to not just Beast Wars but Transformers, among others. Hopefully, whatever company that bought these characters will do right by them just as IDW has done. They have some really big shoes to fill.

Next: Transformers' Twisted Alternate Reality Returns in Shattered Glass Sequel

Look for the latest issue of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars available now!

Email: steven.screenrant@gmail.com