Hailing from Animatron, a jungle world of beast-form Transformers, Backstop began as an angry, formidable warrior. Seeking enlightenment, he journeyed across the galaxy. Under martial arts masters Bludgeon and Banzai-Tron, he learned combat techniques and philosophical teachings that reshaped his worldview, encountering vehicular Transformers whose origins his mentors avoided. After Banzai-Tron's death, Backstop continued traveling, eventually teaching others, including future students Shrapnel and several Mini-Cons. Returning to Animatron, Backstop addressed strife caused by raiders. He became a wise elder, instructing young warriors like Scourge, Snarl, and Undermine in "peaceful aggression" and honorable combat. He stressed true strength lay in purpose, not violence, serving as a father figure. When Scourge advocated aggressive retaliation against raiders, Backstop warned it would trigger a cycle of vengeance. Scourge disregarded him and left, joined by Snarl. Backstop's prediction proved accurate; Scourge defeated the raiders only to establish tyrannical rule over Jungle Planet, abandoning his ideals. Years later, Backstop aided the weakened Autobot Overhaul, expressing curiosity about his vehicular alternate mode – a form Backstop recognized from his travels but rarely saw on Animatron. This alliance affiliated Backstop with the Autobots. He facilitated communications between them and Scourge, arranging a meeting where Overhaul (later Leobreaker) and Optimus Prime confronted Scourge, initially leading to conflict. Backstop provided Optimus Prime crucial insights into Scourge's history and the planet's politics. Despite his commitment to non-violence, Backstop acknowledged the necessity of confrontation, personally delivering Optimus's challenge to Scourge and reminding him of his abandoned ideals. Following Scourge's defeat and redemption during the black hole crisis, Backstop joined a multi-world alliance to restore Jungle Planet's position. He later oversaw a tournament confirming Scourge as the rightful leader, reconciling their relationship. In personal development, Backstop chose to leave Animatron, joining the starship Hyperborea crew. He explained this decision to Evac: "sometimes the path to enlightenment leads away from home." Backstop transforms into a robotic rhinoceros. His spring-loaded ramming horn is activated by a Jungle Planet-style Cyber Planet Key (code: stw7). An initial human-like arm design was modified to avoid visual incongruity in beast mode.