Devastator is a massive Decepticon gestalt, a warrior formed from the combination of several smaller robots known as Constructicons. This particular incarnation of Devastator appears as a monstrous, animalistic entity rather than a standard upright robot. His very formation is a tormented affair; the process of merging wracks the individual Constructicons with intense pain and pushes their physical and mental systems to the breaking point. The fusion is imperfect, and the resulting intelligence is far less than the sum of its parts. The individual intellects of the Constructicons are lost upon combining, leaving Devastator with a mind dominated by pure, primal rage and pain, pushing aside any higher reasoning. He operates almost entirely on instinct, making him seem more like a wild, driven creature than a cognizant soldier. His physical stature is immense, but he is so heavy that his body cannot properly support its own weight when upright, forcing him to lumber and crawl on all fours.

In the narrative of the 2009 film, Devastator is unleashed during the climactic battle in Egypt. Upon arrival, the Constructicons combine into this giant form to assault a group consisting of the human Seymour Simmons, the young man Leo Spitz, and the Autobot twins Skids and Mudflap. He rampages through a construction facility, using the powerful suction vortex in his maw to consume everything in his path, including sand, cars, and even the Autobot Mudflap. His fighting style is brutal and direct, relying on his immense size and his grinder to overwhelm opponents. While he proves difficult for the smaller Autobots to stop, he is not portrayed as a strategic mastermind. For instance, when Megatron calls his name from atop the Great Pyramid of Giza, Devastator responds to the summons instinctively, much like a domesticated animal responding to its master.

Devastator's primary role in the story is that of a destructive force of nature and a tool for the Decepticon leadership. His key objective is to reach the Great Pyramid of Giza and use his vortex grinder to suck away the outer stone layer, revealing the ancient Sun Harvester device hidden within. His relationship with the other Decepticons is hierarchical and functional; he is a weapon to be directed. Megatron explicitly commands him, and his focus shifts from the Autobots to the pyramid upon receiving this directive. He has no significant allies among the Autobots, serving as an enormous, terrifying obstacle for the human and Autobot protagonists. Devastator shows no personal development within the film. He is formed, rampages, is given a task, and is ultimately destroyed. His existence is defined entirely by his function as a combiner and his instinctual drive to destroy.

The character is named after the Devastator Winds, which are described as unwithstandable and terrifyingly destructive gales that whip around the equator of the Decepticon home planet, Cybertron. His most notable and terrifying ability is the vortex grinder located in his mouth. This device can generate powerful artificial gravity wells that act like a black hole, drawing in nearby objects from a considerable distance to be crushed and destroyed. He uses this ability to devastating effect against both the environment and his enemies. Physically, he possesses immense strength and durability, allowing him to climb the Great Pyramid of Giza using large grappling hooks, despite his enormous weight and quadrupedal posture. His end comes not from another Transformer, but from an experimental rail gun fired from the naval ship USS Kidd at the order of Seymour Simmons. The projectile strikes Devastator, blasting off one of his arms and causing his colossal body to shatter into many pieces as it tumbles down the pyramid.