WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Transformers: Beast Wars #2, by Erik Burnham, Josh Burcham and Jake M. Wood, on sale now.
The Beast Wars cartoon added many now-classic characters to the larger Transformers universe, from the wisecracking Rattrap to young and impetuous Cheetor, who were spiritual successors to characters like Bumblebee and Hot Rod. However, the biggest fan favorite of the series may have very well been Dinobot, the Predacon turned Maximal. Though he shared a name with an iconic subgroup of prehistoric Generation 1 Autobots, this Transformer traded their dim-witted brutality for an almost Shakespearean wit and warrior's code of ethics.
Dinobot's seceding to the Maximals was a pivotal part of his character, but the show introduced and wrapped up this arc fairly early on. However, IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars #3 makes Dinbot's desertion of his original faction much more personal, using it to illustrate his morality in its new continuity.
In the third issue of the new Beast Wars comic series, the captured Maximal Nyx is brutally tortured by the maniacal Predacon Tarantulas. This session of horrors is interrupted by Dinobot, who clearly has misgivings about Megatron's methods of extracting information. This causes the two dinosaurs to come to blows, with the mighty Megatron easily asserting his dominance.
By the time Nyx is released outside of her containment, the torture had already extensively damaged her circuitry. This nearly lethal damage was made worse by Tarantulas' newest device, which impeded her ability to transform into Beast Mode and fly away. Being stuck in robot mode also made her especially susceptible to outside Energon poisoning. The Predacons take advantage of her injuries and begin using her as target practice. Dinobot becomes even more visibly unhinged, as his warrior ethics make him disgusted at the inhumane tactics on display. When questioned on when he'll take his shot at Nyx, Dinobot answers by shooting at and destroying Tarantulas' device, which allows Nyx to escape.
This causes the other Predacons to begin attacking him for his traitorous actions. However, Megatron reminds him that torturous methods such as the ones Tarantulas employed were part and parcel with what Megatron had always planned. Fighting off his former allies, Dinobot pleads with the female Skold to leave the Predacon ranks with him, though her intense loyalty to Megatron keeps her from doing so. Left without a choice or an ally, Dinobot leaves the other Predacons behind.
This is decidedly different from how he left Megatron in the show and arguably reveals far more about his character. In the series, Dinobot's change of allegiance comes in the first episode, when he argues with Megatron over supposedly leading the Predacons to the wrong alien planet. Megatron quickly comments on his insubordination by having Scorponok attack him. Easily beaten, Dinobot defects to the Maximals, facing Optimus Primal in combat and being allowed to stay by their side.
The comic book version of this event is much more personal, making Dinobot's reasons for leaving the Predacons go beyond a merely bruised ego. His disagreement with Nyx's treatment also helps to showcase and establish his code of ethics much sooner than the show did. The comic will likely continue with a version of his faceoff with Primal and joining the Maximals. The show had the Maximals initially untrustworthy toward the still devious Dinobot, namely for his sometimes brutal sense of honor and justice.
This rift between Dinobot and Optimus Primal very much reflected the sometimes tense relationship between the original Optimus Prime and Generation 1 Dinobot commander Grimlock. It remains to be seen how this will play out in the comics, though Nyx will certainly begrudge working with someone who stood by as she was mercilessly tortured.