William Irving "SPARKPLUG" WITWICKY was a fairly incompetent mechanic who chose to fritter away his little inborn talent on a life of booze, broads, and bullying anyone within range of his fists or voice. A rough, rowdy guy, Sparkplug had a deep loathing for his sons, who he felt reminded him of his ex-wife. Sparkplug was a mean drunk, and seldom sober. He never rose out of a drunken stupor long enough to realize his son Spike had gotten involved with the evil Autobots – if he’d known, he’d have tried to exploit the connection for his own benefit. Never formally educated, Sparkplug relied on others to survive, harassing his sons to steal for him when he couldn’t be bothered to do it himself. Raised in an abusive household, Sparkplug played it forward, beating his own children and setting a