The Transformers (TV series) of that strategy, the process was repeated in 1984 when Hasbro marketing vice president Bob Prupis approached Marvel to develop their new robot series, which Jay Bacal dubbed "Transformers." Marvel's Editor-in-Chief at the time, Jim Shooter, produced a rough story concept for the series, creating the idea of the two warring factions of alien robots – the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons. To flesh out his concept, Shooter called upon veteran editor Dennis O'Neil to create character names and profiles for the cast, but O'Neill's work did not meet with Hasbro's expectations, and they requested heavy revisions. O'Neill declined
Countdown (Transformers) character. Although not seen directly, Countdown has been mentioned as one of the evil Autobots in the "Shattered Glass" storyline. Countdown (Transformers) Countdown is the name of the fictional character in the Transformers series. He was introduced as a toy in the United States in 1989, but his first appearance in fiction was in the Japanese "Transformers: Zone" series, in which he was called Moon Raider. He didn't appear in the U.S. Transformers fiction until his role as a main character in the Dreamwave Producations comics' "Micromaster" title. Since then, Hasbro released a new toy of the character in 2009.