Apeface is a Decepticon who serves as a saboteur and is part of the Horrorcon subgroup of Headmasters. His alternate modes include a Cybertronian jet and a robotic gorilla, making him a Triple Changer. Apeface was originally a loyal follower of Scorponok on the planet Master. Before the Decepticon Headmasters left Master to join the wider war, Apeface and his fellow Horrorcon, Snapdragon, were captured and banished into the depths of space by the Autobot Fortress and his allies. They were later found and recruited by the Decepticon leader Galvatron, who brought them into his ranks and quickly came to value them as favorite warriors.

In the Japanese animated series The Headmasters, Apeface is portrayed as a strong presence in any situation. He is loud, rude, obnoxious, and intimidating to nearly everyone he meets. He dominates those around him with his aggressive attitude and fearsome countenance. There is some debate among his fellow Decepticons about whether his boorish behavior is a genuine personality flaw or a calculated psychological tactic to control and manipulate others into folding under his demands. Whatever the truth of his cerebral circuitry, he never reveals it. The only individual he seems to genuinely get along with is his partner, Snapdragon. His reputation for being thoroughly unpleasant includes habits such as pounding loudly on his own chest plates, insulting everyone he speaks to, knocking others over without apology, and never changing his lubricant, which results in a foul odor. He is also known for spitting fuel in public and revels in the reactions his disgusting antics provoke. Despite this, he is considered an effective team player who can put aside his pranks and focus on a mission when necessary.

Apeface is binary-bonded to a nervous and insecure Nebulan named Spasma. Spasma was the son of a disgraced and bankrupt noble family who saw becoming a powerful Decepticon Headmaster as a way to escape his feelings of worthlessness. However, the dangerous situations he is now thrust into cause him to worry even more, making his speech nearly unintelligible and his movements jerky. When their minds are merged, Apeface's repellent behavior often becomes even more pronounced. The pair are tasked with missions of sabotage and terror. In jet mode, Apeface can reach speeds of 3250 miles per hour and emit powerful jamming frequencies from his nose cone to disorient enemy aircraft, though he has no offensive weapons in this form. He primarily uses his jet mode for transportation before switching to his agile and powerful ape mode to climb and wreck enemy installations. In robot mode, he wields a semi-automatic sonic boomer gun that fires concentrated sound waves and carries an electro-shield that generates a small force field. A notable weakness is that Spasma's erratic and nervous leadership can dangerously delay Apeface's reactions to enemy attacks.

Throughout The Headmasters series, Apeface and Snapdragon accompany Galvatron on his quest for energy across the universe, participating in invasions on planets such as the beehive world of Hive and the Twin Star planets. On the planet Daros, they joined the ninja-like Sixshot in battle against the Autobot Headmasters. When the Decepticons returned to Earth, Apeface began working under Sixshot, attacking Autobot energy facilities and engaging in combat with Autobots like the Monsterbot Doublecross and the combined robot Raiden. During the final Decepticon scheme on Earth, Apeface participated in a bizarre formation with his fellow Headmasters, hopping on top of Mindwipe to form an unstable tower that was easily toppled by the Autobot battleship.