WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Transformers: Beast Wars #2, by Erik Burnham, Josh Burcham and Jake M. Wood, on sale now.

The Transformers franchise is host to several iconic villains, from the Decepticons to Predacons. The former group includes the original Megatron, his loyal lackey Soundwave and the treacherous Starscream. Meanwhile, the Generation 1 sequel Beast Wars introduced a new version of Megatron, as well as lovable loser Waspinator and the villainous Vok aliens.

One Predacon that slowly became more important throughout the series was Tarantulas. As something of a mad scientist, the spider Transformer was revealed to have potential ties with the Chaos Bringer Unicron himself. Though the show only slightly portrayed his sadistic experiments, Transformers: Beast Wars #3 perfectly showcases just how evil Tarantulas is, and why he may potentially even worse than Megatron.

RELATED: Bumblebee Was Never Meant To Be the Star of G1 Transformers

The issue picks up where the second left off, with the Maximal Nyx captured by the Predacons. Megatron attempts to use her to gain information about the other Maximals, doing so by leaving her at the mercy, or lack thereof, of Tarantulas. She quickly mentions his reputation for being a torturous butcher, which Tarantulas callously refutes.

Despite this, Tarantulas more than enjoys the ensuing torture upon the helpless Maximal, with even Dinobot lacking the stomach to stay and watch. They later release her on the bridge of the Darksyde, but her potential escape is revealed to be a ruse so that the Predacons can finish her off. Nyx's ability to transform into Beast Mode is impeded her a device that Tarantulas creates, putting her already damaged body at even more risk of suffering fatal Energon poisoning.

Tarantulas revels in the thought of Nyx's dead corpse, proclaiming that he plans to rip her apart piece by piece and literally stew her circuitry in a bath of Energon. This barbarous behavior is mentioned only by Tarantulas, with apparently even the other evil Predacons having no interest in his cannibalistic sense of haute cuisine. As gross as this all sounds, this type of fiendish fine dining is par for the full course meal for Tarantulas.

RELATED: Transformers '84: Secrets and Lies Revisits Cybertron's War With Style

Beast Wars Transformers Tarantulas

In the earliest episodes of the Beast Wars cartoon, Tarantulas was also shown as conducting several amoral experiments. Ironically, much as Nyx's torture occurs in this comic's third issue, a similar incident involving Tarantulas and Cheetor happened in the third episode of the show's first season. There, the impetuous Cheetor gets in over his head trying to test his mettle against the Predacons. This leads to his capture by the mysterious Tarantulas, who uses a stasis web to drain his body of energy. Cheetor mentions that he lacks real blood and has only mech fluid, to which Tarantulas comments that it's the mere thought of the sadistic act that pleases him.

This is essentially exactly what he plans to Nyx in the comic, but with a few differences. For one, his torture of Nyx is seen by all of the other Predacons, with its horrendous nature leaving Dinobot in disgust. Likewise, this version of Tarantulas apparently already has a reputation for doing things such as things, making it clear that his desire to torture, kill and eat his victims is not a mere one-off event. His mentioning of stewing Nyx's parts in an Energon bath also suggests that he has literal recipes with which to prepare his victims, making it even more clear that he's more than an accomplished chef in this sinister regard.

Unfortunately for the spider's appetite, Nyx is able to escape, robbing him of a, particularly horrifying meal. Only future issues will show if Tarantulas finally sates his palette with an appealing victim, be they animal or Maximal.

KEEP READING: How Transformers Erased Marvel's Savage Land from the Dinobots History