Live action TV
Description
Harold Attinger is a human antagonist originating from the 2014 film Transformers: Age of Extinction. He is a high-ranking and highly decorated officer within the Central Intelligence Agency who has served his country for decades, working in the shadows for thirty years. In response to the massive devastation and loss of life inflicted upon the city of Chicago by the Decepticons, Attinger becomes convinced that all Transformers, regardless of their allegiance as Autobot or Decepticon, represent an existential threat to humanity. He takes advantage of the resulting public fear and the dissolution of the joint military task force NEST to found a covert CIA black ops unit named Cemetery Wind. Officially, this unit is sanctioned to hunt down Decepticon remnants, but Attinger secretly orders his men to destroy Autobots as well, catching many off guard and killing them. He manipulates the U.S. government into believing his unit is still cooperating with the Autobots while pursuing his own far more extreme agenda.
Attinger is a no-nonsense, ruthlessly efficient, and cunning individual who maintains an icy, calm, and patient facade. Underneath this composed exterior, he is a paranoid, ruthless, and self-righteous monster. He is driven by a deep-seated resentment for the lack of recognition he has received for his achievements throughout his long career, which has shaped him into a man willing to commit any action, no matter how immoral, to achieve victory and, ultimately, secure a comfortable retirement for himself. His stated motivation is to make the world a better place and save mankind from the alien menace, but this is largely a farce. His crusade is heavily motivated by greed for money and a desire for fame and recognition, though he is pragmatic enough to understand his illegal operations must remain secret. He shows zero compassion for his enemies, which includes innocent civilians who get caught in the crossfire. When a man-made Transformer under his alliance goes rogue and causes massive property damage and civilian casualties, Attinger callously dismisses the loss of innocent lives as an everyday occurrence and actively prevents rescue services from being dispatched.
Attinger's role in the story is that of the primary human antagonist, leading the global manhunt against the remaining Autobots, particularly their leader, Optimus Prime. He orchestrates a complex three-way deal between himself, the ambitious tech CEO Joshua Joyce of Kinetic Solutions Incorporated (KSI), and a non-aligned Cybertronian bounty hunter named Lockdown. Under this arrangement, Lockdown agrees to help Cemetery Wind hunt and kill Transformers on Earth. The remains of these slain Cybertronians are then supplied to KSI, which reverse-engineers them to produce a line of man-made, human-controlled Transformers for the U.S. military. As payment for his assistance in capturing Optimus Prime, Lockdown is to receive the Seed, a powerful Cybertronian weapon that can transmute any matter into Transformium, the unstable metal from which Transformers are made. Attinger intends to give this Seed to Joyce in exchange for millions of shares in the newly successful KSI, providing him with a golden parachute for his early retirement.
Attinger has several key relationships that define his actions. His right-hand man and field leader is the ruthless James Savoy, who carries out his most violent orders without question. He views the brilliant but naive businessman Joshua Joyce as a mere tool, or his golden parachute, to be discarded once his financial goals are met. His most significant alliance is with Lockdown, whom he cynically calls his greatest asset. While they share a mutual respect and a similar disregard for any outside their own goals, Attinger ultimately sees the bounty hunter as just another alien to be eliminated when he is no longer useful. His primary human adversary is Cade Yeager, a mechanic who discovers and protects Optimus Prime. Attinger is prepared to murder Cade's teenage daughter to achieve his objectives and becomes obsessed with stopping Cade from exposing Cemetery Wind's illegal activities.
Throughout the film, Attinger demonstrates little to no development or change of heart; he remains committed to his goal of ending what he calls the age of Transformers. He is highly observant, manipulative, and an effective strategist and field commander. He is also a skilled user of firearms. His pragmatism is such that he is willing to ally with Lockdown, a powerful alien he despises, to further his own ends. His downfall comes when his schemes unravel: Joshua Joyce defects after learning the truth, the man-made Transformers rebel under the influence of the resurrected Megatron, and Lockdown is ultimately defeated. In the film's climax, Attinger corners Cade Yeager at gunpoint in Hong Kong, proudly justifying his actions for his country. Before he can pull the trigger, he is shot in the chest by Optimus Prime, who kills him and fulfills a vow to avenge the Autobots Attinger had slaughtered.
Attinger is a no-nonsense, ruthlessly efficient, and cunning individual who maintains an icy, calm, and patient facade. Underneath this composed exterior, he is a paranoid, ruthless, and self-righteous monster. He is driven by a deep-seated resentment for the lack of recognition he has received for his achievements throughout his long career, which has shaped him into a man willing to commit any action, no matter how immoral, to achieve victory and, ultimately, secure a comfortable retirement for himself. His stated motivation is to make the world a better place and save mankind from the alien menace, but this is largely a farce. His crusade is heavily motivated by greed for money and a desire for fame and recognition, though he is pragmatic enough to understand his illegal operations must remain secret. He shows zero compassion for his enemies, which includes innocent civilians who get caught in the crossfire. When a man-made Transformer under his alliance goes rogue and causes massive property damage and civilian casualties, Attinger callously dismisses the loss of innocent lives as an everyday occurrence and actively prevents rescue services from being dispatched.
Attinger's role in the story is that of the primary human antagonist, leading the global manhunt against the remaining Autobots, particularly their leader, Optimus Prime. He orchestrates a complex three-way deal between himself, the ambitious tech CEO Joshua Joyce of Kinetic Solutions Incorporated (KSI), and a non-aligned Cybertronian bounty hunter named Lockdown. Under this arrangement, Lockdown agrees to help Cemetery Wind hunt and kill Transformers on Earth. The remains of these slain Cybertronians are then supplied to KSI, which reverse-engineers them to produce a line of man-made, human-controlled Transformers for the U.S. military. As payment for his assistance in capturing Optimus Prime, Lockdown is to receive the Seed, a powerful Cybertronian weapon that can transmute any matter into Transformium, the unstable metal from which Transformers are made. Attinger intends to give this Seed to Joyce in exchange for millions of shares in the newly successful KSI, providing him with a golden parachute for his early retirement.
Attinger has several key relationships that define his actions. His right-hand man and field leader is the ruthless James Savoy, who carries out his most violent orders without question. He views the brilliant but naive businessman Joshua Joyce as a mere tool, or his golden parachute, to be discarded once his financial goals are met. His most significant alliance is with Lockdown, whom he cynically calls his greatest asset. While they share a mutual respect and a similar disregard for any outside their own goals, Attinger ultimately sees the bounty hunter as just another alien to be eliminated when he is no longer useful. His primary human adversary is Cade Yeager, a mechanic who discovers and protects Optimus Prime. Attinger is prepared to murder Cade's teenage daughter to achieve his objectives and becomes obsessed with stopping Cade from exposing Cemetery Wind's illegal activities.
Throughout the film, Attinger demonstrates little to no development or change of heart; he remains committed to his goal of ending what he calls the age of Transformers. He is highly observant, manipulative, and an effective strategist and field commander. He is also a skilled user of firearms. His pragmatism is such that he is willing to ally with Lockdown, a powerful alien he despises, to further his own ends. His downfall comes when his schemes unravel: Joshua Joyce defects after learning the truth, the man-made Transformers rebel under the influence of the resurrected Megatron, and Lockdown is ultimately defeated. In the film's climax, Attinger corners Cade Yeager at gunpoint in Hong Kong, proudly justifying his actions for his country. Before he can pull the trigger, he is shot in the chest by Optimus Prime, who kills him and fulfills a vow to avenge the Autobots Attinger had slaughtered.