William Irving "SPARKPLUG" WITWICKY is a widower and a natural born mechanic who loves to take things apart or put them back together, and can fix just about anything. A rough, rowdy guy, Sparkplug has a deep, unspoken affection for his sons, but cannot understand why his boys don't share his interest for the practical things in life. Sparkplug sees the Autobots as potentially dangerous threats to be around and does his best to keep his family away from them. Never formally educated, Sparkplug relies on his instincts and basic mechanical know-how to survive.