''Transformers'' is a
media franchise
A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or ...
produced by American toy company
Hasbro
Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of ...
and Japanese toy company
Takara Tomy
is a Japanese entertainment company that makes children's toys and merchandise. It was created from a merger on March 1st 2006 of two companies: Tomy (founded in 1924 as Tomiyama, changing the name to Tomy in 1963) and long-time rival Tak ...
. It primarily follows the
Autobot
The Autobots are the main protagonists in the fictional Continuity (fiction), continuities of the Transformers (fiction), Transformers multimedia franchise, and are depicted in a collection of various toys, cartoons, films, graphic novels, and p ...
s and the
Decepticon
The Decepticons are the main antagonists in the fictional continuities of the ''Transformers'' multimedia franchise. They are depicted as a faction of sentient robotic lifeforms led by Megatron, identified by a purple face-like insignia. Capab ...
s, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms, such as vehicles and animals. The franchise encompasses toys, animation, comic books, video games and films. As of 2011, it generated more than () in revenue, making it one of the
highest-grossing media franchises of all time.
The franchise began in 1984 with the
''Transformers'' toy line, comprising transforming
mecha
In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...
toys from
Takara
Takara Co., Ltd. (株式会社タカラ) was a Japanese toy company founded in 1955. In March 2006, the company merged with Tomy Co., Ltd. to form Takara Tomy. The Takara motto was 遊びは文化」("playing is culture").
Products Toys
In ...
's ''
Diaclone
is a toyline by Takara Toys launched in 1980. It consisted of transforming vehicles and robots piloted by miniature, magnet-shoed figures spun off from the prior Microman toy line.
The toys in the 1980 line were designed by future ''Macross'' ...
'' and ''
Micro Change
was a science fiction toyline created, manufactured and marketed by Takara, Takara Co., Ltd. from 1974 to 1984 as well as from 1998 to 2007. The ''Microman'' line was a series of action figures with accompanying vehicles, robots, playsets and ...
'' toylines rebranded for Western markets. The term "
Generation 1" covers both the animated television series ''
The Transformers'' and the comic book series of
the same name, which are further divided into Japanese, British and Canadian spin-offs, respectively. Sequels followed, such as the ''
Generation 2'' comic book and ''
Beast Wars
Beast most often refers to:
* Non-human animal
* Monster
Beast or Beasts may also refer to:
Bible
* Beast (Revelation), two beasts described in the Book of Revelation
Computing and gaming
* Beast (card game), English name of historical Fren ...
'' TV series, which became its own mini-universe. Generation 1 characters underwent two
reboots with
Dreamwave
Dreamwave Productions was a Canadian art design studio and comic book publisher founded in 1996. Best known for its comic book adaptations of Transformers (toy line), Transformers, the company shut down on January 4, 2005.
History
Brothers Pat ...
in 2001 and
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...
in 2005, with
a third starting in 2019. There have been other incarnations of the story based on different toy lines during and after the 20th century. The first was the ''
Robots in Disguise'' series, followed by three shows (''
Armada,
Energon'', and ''
Cybertron Cybertron may refer to:
*A fictional planet, the homeworld of the Transformers and the planet form of their creator Primus
*The English dub name for "Tobikage", a small robotic ninja in the TV series '' Ninja Senshi Tobikage''
*The Japanese name fo ...
'') that constitute a single universe called the "Unicron Trilogy".
A
live-action film series started in 2007, again distinct from previous incarnations, while the ''
Transformers: Animated'' series merged concepts from the G1 continuity, the 2007 live-action film and the "Unicron Trilogy". For most of the 2010s, in an attempt to mitigate the wave of reboots, the "
Aligned Continuity" was established. In 2018, ''
Transformers: Cyberverse'' debuted, once again, distinct from the previous incarnations.
Although initially a separate and competing franchise started in 1983,
Tonka
Tonka is an American producer of toy trucks. The company is known for making steel toy models of construction type trucks and machinery. Maisto International, which makes diecast vehicles, acquired the rights to use the Tonka name in a line of ...
's
Gobots
GoBots is a line of transforming robot toys produced by Tonka from 1983 to 1987, similar to Hasbro's Transformers (toy line), Transformers. Although initially a separate and competing line of toys, Tonka's Gobots became the intellectual property ...
became the
intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
of Hasbro after their buyout of Tonka in 1991. Subsequently, the universe depicted in the animated series ''
Challenge of the GoBots
''Challenge of the GoBots'' (or ''GoBots'' for short) is an American animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera, based on the GoBots toyline released from Tonka. The show was first broadcast in syndication on September 8, 1984, then the show joine ...
'' and follow-up film ''
GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords'' was
retroactively established as an
alternate universe within the ''Transformers'' multiverse.
Fiction
''Transformers: Generation 1'' (1984–1993)
![Transformers layered text logo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Transformers_layered_text_logo.png)
''Generation One'' is a retroactive term for the ''Transformers'' characters that appeared between 1984 and 1993. The ''Transformers'' began with the 1980s Japanese toy lines ''
Micro Change
was a science fiction toyline created, manufactured and marketed by Takara, Takara Co., Ltd. from 1974 to 1984 as well as from 1998 to 2007. The ''Microman'' line was a series of action figures with accompanying vehicles, robots, playsets and ...
'' and ''
Diaclone
is a toyline by Takara Toys launched in 1980. It consisted of transforming vehicles and robots piloted by miniature, magnet-shoed figures spun off from the prior Microman toy line.
The toys in the 1980 line were designed by future ''Macross'' ...
''. They presented robots able to transform into everyday vehicles, electronic items or weapons. Hasbro bought the ''Micro Change'' and ''Diaclone'' toys, and partnered with
Takara
Takara Co., Ltd. (株式会社タカラ) was a Japanese toy company founded in 1955. In March 2006, the company merged with Tomy Co., Ltd. to form Takara Tomy. The Takara motto was 遊びは文化」("playing is culture").
Products Toys
In ...
.
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
was hired by Hasbro to create the
backstory
A backstory, background story, back-story, or background is a set of events invented for a plot, presented as preceding and leading up to that plot. It is a literary device of a narrative history all chronologically earlier than the narrative of p ...
; editor-in-chief
Jim Shooter
James Shooter (born September 27, 1951) is an American writer, editor and publisher for various comic books. He started professionally in the medium at the age of 14, and he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comic ...
wrote an overall story, and gave the task of creating the characters to writer
Dennis O'Neil
Dennis Joseph O'Neil (May 3, 1939 – June 11, 2020) was an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until his retir ...
. Unhappy with O'Neil's work (although O'Neil created the name "
Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime, , is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Transformers'' franchise. The Transformers characters were developed for an American market after Hasbro representatives visited the 1983 Tokyo Toy Show. The characters were ...
"), Shooter chose
Bob Budiansky
Bob Budiansky (; born March 15, 1954) is an American comic book writer, editor, and penciller, best known for his work on Marvel's ''Transformers'' comic. He also created the Marvel character Sleepwalker and wrote all 33 issues of that comic.
E ...
to create the characters.
The ''Transformers''
mecha
In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...
were largely designed by
Shōji Kawamori
is a Japanese anime creator and producer, screenwriter, visual artist, and mecha designer. He is best known for creating the ''Macross'' mecha anime franchise and the ''Diaclone'' toyline, which were in turn the basis for the ''Robotech'' and ...
, the creator of the Japanese
mecha anime
Mecha anime and manga, known in Japan as and , are anime and manga that feature robots (mecha) in battle. The genre is broken down into two subcategories; "super robot", featuring super-sized, implausible robots, and "real robot", where robots are ...
franchise ''
Macross
is a Japanese science fiction mecha anime media franchise/media mix, created by Studio Nue (most prominently mecha designer, writer and producer Shōji Kawamori) and Artland in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth and the ...
'' (which was adapted into the ''
Robotech
''Robotech'' is a science fiction franchise that began with an 85-episode anime television series produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production and first released in the United States in 1985.
The show was adapted from t ...
'' franchise in North America). Kawamori came up with the idea of transforming mechs while working on the ''Diaclone'' and ''Macross'' franchises in the early 1980s (such as the
VF-1 Valkyrie
In the fictional ''Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Macross'' Japanese anime series and its English adaptation ''Robotech'', the first mass production, mass-produced transforming aerospace fighter aircraft, fighter mecha is called the VF-1 Valk ...
in ''Macross'' and ''Robotech''), with his ''Diaclone'' mechs later providing the basis for ''Transformers''.
The primary concept of Generation One is that the heroic
Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime, , is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Transformers'' franchise. The Transformers characters were developed for an American market after Hasbro representatives visited the 1983 Tokyo Toy Show. The characters were ...
, the villainous
Megatron
Megatron is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the ''Transformers'' media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. Megatron is the cruel and tyrannical leader of the Decepticons, ...
, and their finest soldiers crash land on
pre-historic
Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...
Earth in the ''
Ark
Ark or ARK may refer to:
Biblical narratives and religion Hebrew word ''teva''
* Noah's Ark, a massive vessel said to have been built to save the world's animals from a flood
* Ark of bulrushes, the boat of the infant Moses
Hebrew ''aron''
* ...
'' and the ''
Nemesis
In ancient Greek religion, Nemesis, also called Rhamnousia or Rhamnusia ( grc, Ῥαμνουσία, Rhamnousía, the goddess of Rhamnous), was the goddess who personifies retribution, a central concept in the Greek world view.
Etymology
The n ...
'' before awakening in 1985, Cybertron hurtling through the Neutral zone as an effect of the war.
The Marvel comic was originally part of the main
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Super-teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardians of ...
, with appearances from
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...
and
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in ''Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos ...
, plus some cameos, as well as a visit to the
Savage Land
The Savage Land is a hidden prehistoric land appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is a tropical preserve hidden in Antarctica. It has appeared in many story arcs in ''Uncanny X-Men'' as well as other related books.
Pu ...
.
''The Transformers'' TV series began around the same time. Produced by
Sunbow Productions
Sunbow Entertainment (known as Sunbow Productions until 1995) was an American animation studio and distributor, founded on June 23, 1980, and owned until May 4, 1998, by Griffin-Bacal Advertising in New York City and in the United States. Griffin ...
and
Marvel Productions
New World Animation Ltd., formerly known as Marvel Productions, was the television and film studio subsidiary of the Marvel Entertainment Group, based in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It later became a subsidiary of ...
, later Hasbro Productions, from the start it contradicted Budiansky's backstories. The TV series shows the
Autobot
The Autobots are the main protagonists in the fictional Continuity (fiction), continuities of the Transformers (fiction), Transformers multimedia franchise, and are depicted in a collection of various toys, cartoons, films, graphic novels, and p ...
s looking for new energy sources, and crash landing as the
Decepticon
The Decepticons are the main antagonists in the fictional continuities of the ''Transformers'' multimedia franchise. They are depicted as a faction of sentient robotic lifeforms led by Megatron, identified by a purple face-like insignia. Capab ...
s attack. Marvel interpreted the Autobots as destroying a rogue asteroid approaching Cybertron.
Shockwave
In physics, a shock wave (also spelled shockwave), or shock, is a type of propagating disturbance that moves faster than the local speed of sound in the medium. Like an ordinary wave, a shock wave carries energy and can propagate through a me ...
is loyal to Megatron in the TV series, keeping Cybertron in a stalemate during his absence, but in the comic book he attempts to take command of the Decepticons. The TV series would also differ wildly from the origins Budiansky had created for the Dinobots, the Decepticon turned Autobot
Jetfire
Jetfire is the name of several fictional characters from the '' Transformers'' franchise. He is almost always depicted as an Autobot with flight capabilities and a jet or space shuttle as an alternate mode. In some continuities he is a former Dec ...
(known as Skyfire on TV), the
Constructicons
This is a list of characters from The Transformers (TV series), ''The Transformers'' television series.
Autobots
The Autobots (also known as Cybertrons in Japan) are the heroes in the ''Transformers (toy line), Transformers toyline'' and related ...
(who combine to form
Devastator),
and
Omega Supreme
''The Transformers'' is an American animated television series that originally aired from September 17, 1984, to November 11, 1987, in syndication
based upon Hasbro's ''Transformers'' toy line. The first television series in the ''Transformer ...
.
The Marvel comic establishes early on that Prime wields the
Creation Matrix
The Autobots are the main protagonists in the fictional continuities of the Transformers multimedia franchise, and are depicted in a collection of various toys, cartoons, films, graphic novels, and paperback books first introduced in 1984. The ...
, which gives life to machines. In the second season, the two-part episode
The Key to Vector Sigma
This is a list containing the episodes of '' The Transformers'', an animated television series depicting a war among the Autobots and Decepticons who could transform into vehicles, other objects and animals. Written and recorded in America, the ...
introduced the ancient Vector Sigma computer, which served the same original purpose as the Creation Matrix (giving life to Transformers), and its guardian
Alpha Trion
''The Transformers'' is an American animated television series that originally aired from September 17, 1984, to November 11, 1987, in syndication
based upon Hasbro's ''Transformers'' toy line. The first television series in the ''Transformer ...
.
In 1986, the cartoon became the film ''
The Transformers: The Movie'', which is set in the year 2005. It introduced the Matrix as the "
Autobot Matrix of Leadership
The Autobots are the main protagonists in the fictional continuities of the Transformers multimedia franchise, and are depicted in a collection of various toys, cartoons, films, graphic novels, and paperback books first introduced in 1984. The ...
", as a fatally wounded Prime gives it to
Ultra Magnus
Ultra Magnus is a fictional character from the various ''Transformers'' storylines in the Transformers franchise, generally appearing as a chief lieutenant of Optimus Prime.
Transformers: Generation 1
Despite his incredible fighting skills, ...
; however, as Prime dies he drops the matrix, which is then caught by
Hot Rod
Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimised for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and made ...
who subsequently becomes
Rodimus Prime
''The Transformers'' is an American animated television series that originally aired from September 17, 1984, to November 11, 1987, in syndication
based upon Hasbro's ''Transformers'' toy line. The first television series in the ''Transformer ...
later on in the film.
Unicron
Unicron is a fictional villain from the ''Transformers'' media franchise. Designed by Floro Dery, he was introduced in the 1986 animated film ''The Transformers: The Movie'' and has since reappeared in ''Transformers: Armada'', ''Transformers: ...
, a transformer who devours planets, fears its power and recreates a heavily damaged Megatron as
Galvatron
Megatron is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the ''Transformers'' media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. Megatron is the cruel and tyrannical leader of the Decepticons, a ...
, as well as Bombshell or
Skywarp
''The Transformers'' is an American animated television series that originally aired from September 17, 1984, to November 11, 1987, in syndication
based upon Hasbro's ''Transformers'' toy line. The first television series in the ''Transformer ...
becoming
Cyclonus
''The Transformers'' is an American animated television series that originally aired from September 17, 1984, to November 11, 1987, in syndication
based upon Hasbro's ''Transformers'' toy line. The first television series in the ''Transformer ...
,
Thundercracker
''The Transformers'' is an American animated television series that originally aired from September 17, 1984, to November 11, 1987, in syndication
based upon Hasbro's ''Transformers'' toy line. The first television series in the ''Transformer ...
becoming
Scourge
A scourge is a whip or lash, especially a multi-thong type, used to inflict severe corporal punishment or self-mortification. It is usually made of leather.
Etymology
The word is most commonly considered to be derived from Old French ''escorgi ...
and two other
Insecticons
This is a list of characters from ''The Transformers'' television series.
Autobots
The Autobots (also known as Cybertrons in Japan) are the heroes in the '' Transformers toyline'' and related spin-off comics and cartoons. Their main leader is O ...
becoming Scourge's huntsmen, the
Sweeps
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
. Eventually,
Rodimus Prime
''The Transformers'' is an American animated television series that originally aired from September 17, 1984, to November 11, 1987, in syndication
based upon Hasbro's ''Transformers'' toy line. The first television series in the ''Transformer ...
takes out the Matrix and destroys Unicron. In the United Kingdom, the weekly comic book interspliced original material to keep up with U.S. reprints, and ''The Movie'' provided much new material. Writer
Simon Furman
Simon Christopher Francis Furman (born 22 March 1961) is a British people, British Script (comics), comic book writer who is best known for his work on Hasbro's ''Transformers'' franchise, starting with writing Marvel Comics, Marvel's The Tran ...
proceeded to expand the continuity with movie spin-offs involving the time travelling Galvatron. The Movie also featured guest voices from
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy (; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor, famed for playing Spock in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes originating Spock in the original ''Star Trek'' series in 1966, then ...
as
Galvatron
Megatron is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the ''Transformers'' media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. Megatron is the cruel and tyrannical leader of the Decepticons, a ...
,
Scatman Crothers
Benjamin Sherman Crothers (May 23, 1910 – November 22, 1986), known professionally as Scatman Crothers, was an American actor and musician. He is known for playing Louie the Garbage Man on the TV show ''Chico and the Man'', and Dick Hallo ...
as
Jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
,
Casey Kasem
Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014) was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio personality, who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably '' American Top 40''. He was the first actor to voice Nor ...
as Cliffjumper,
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
as
Unicron
Unicron is a fictional villain from the ''Transformers'' media franchise. Designed by Floro Dery, he was introduced in the 1986 animated film ''The Transformers: The Movie'' and has since reappeared in ''Transformers: Armada'', ''Transformers: ...
and
Eric Idle
Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943) is an English actor, comedian, musician and writer. Idle was a member of the British surreal comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band The Rutles, and is the writer of the music and lyrics for the Broadwa ...
as the leader of the Junkions (Wreck-Gar, though unnamed in the movie). The Transformers theme tune for the film was performed by Lion with
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...
adding a song to the soundtrack.
The third season followed up ''The Movie'', with the revelation of the
Quintessons
''The Transformers'' is an American animated television series that originally aired from September 17, 1984, to November 11, 1987, in syndication
based upon Hasbro's ''Transformers'' toy line. The first television series in the ''Transformer ...
having used Cybertron as a factory. Their robots rebel, and in time the workers become the Autobots and the soldiers become the Decepticons. (Note: This appears to contradict background presented in the first two seasons of the series.) It is the Autobots who develop transformation. Due to popular demand, Optimus Prime is resurrected at the conclusion of the third season, and the series ended with a three-episode story arc. However, the Japanese broadcast of the series was supplemented with a newly produced
OVA
, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
, ''
Scramble City'', before creating entirely new series to continue the storyline, ignoring the 1987 end of the American series. The extended Japanese run consisted of ''
The Headmasters'', ''
Super-God Masterforce'', ''
Victory
The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal Duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitu ...
'' and ''
Zone
Zone or The Zone may refer to:
Places Climate and altitude zones
* Death zone (originally the lethal zone), altitudes above a certain point where the amount of oxygen is insufficient to sustain human life for an extended time span
* Frigid zone, ...
'', then in illustrated magazine form as ''Battlestars: Return of Convoy'' and ''Operation: Combination''. Just as the TV series was wrapping up, Marvel continued to expand its continuity. It followed ''The Movies example by killing Prime and Megatron, albeit in the present day. Dinobot leader
Grimlock
Grimlock is the name of several fictional robot characters in the Transformers robot franchise. He is usually portrayed as the leader of the Dinobots, a subfaction of Autobots who can transform into metal dinosaurs. Grimlock was known for his d ...
takes over as Autobot leader. There was a ''G.I. Joe'' crossover and the limited series ''
The Transformers: Headmasters'', which further expanded the scope to the planet Nebulon. It led on to the main title resurrecting Prime as a Powermaster.
In the United Kingdom, the mythology continued to grow. Primus was introduced as the creator of the Transformers, to serve his material body that is planet Cybertron and fight his nemesis
Unicron
Unicron is a fictional villain from the ''Transformers'' media franchise. Designed by Floro Dery, he was introduced in the 1986 animated film ''The Transformers: The Movie'' and has since reappeared in ''Transformers: Armada'', ''Transformers: ...
. Female Autobot
Arcee
Arcee is the name of several fictional characters in the ''Transformers'' franchise. Arcee has been depicted as female Autobots, usually pink or blue in color. Being the most famous of the Female Autobots, she has made more appearances and has h ...
also appeared, despite the comic book stating the Transformers had no concept of gender, with her backstory of being built by the Autobots to quell human accusations of sexism.
Soundwave, Megatron's second-in-command, also
broke the fourth wall
The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...
in the letters page, criticising the cartoon continuity as an inaccurate representation of history. The UK also had a crossover in ''Action Force'', the UK counterpart to G.I. Joe. The comic book featured a resurrected Megatron, whom Furman
retcon
Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in which established diegetic facts in the plot of a fictional work (those established through the narrative itself) are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subse ...
ned to be a
clone when he took over the U.S. comic book, which depicted Megatron as still dead. The U.S. comic would last for 80 issues until 1991, and the UK comic lasted 332 issues and several
annuals, until it was replaced as
Dreamwave Productions
Dreamwave Productions was a Canadian art design studio and comic book publisher founded in 1996. Best known for its comic book adaptations of Transformers, the company shut down on January 4, 2005.
History
Brothers Pat Lee and Roger Lee founde ...
, later in the 20th-Century.
In 2009,
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...
released the entire G1 series in a 16-DVD box set called the Matrix of Leadership Edition. They also released the same content as individual seasons.
''Transformers: Generation 2'' (1993–1995)
It was five issues of the ''
G.I. Joe
''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), Ac ...
'' comic in 1993 that would springboard a return for Marvel's Transformers, with the new twelve-issue series ''
Transformers: Generation 2'', to market a new toy line.
This story revealed that the Transformers originally breed
asexually, though it is stopped by Primus as it produced the evil
Swarm
Swarm behaviour, or swarming, is a collective behaviour exhibited by entities, particularly animals, of similar size which aggregate together, perhaps milling about the same spot or perhaps moving ''en masse'' or migrating in some direction. ...
. A new empire, neither Autobot nor Decepticon, is bringing it back, however. Though the year-long arc wrapped itself up with an alliance between
Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime, , is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Transformers'' franchise. The Transformers characters were developed for an American market after Hasbro representatives visited the 1983 Tokyo Toy Show. The characters were ...
and
Megatron
Megatron is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the ''Transformers'' media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. Megatron is the cruel and tyrannical leader of the Decepticons, ...
, the final panel introduced the Liege Maximo, ancestor of the Decepticons. This minor cliffhanger was not resolved until 2001 and 2002's Transforce convention when writer
Simon Furman
Simon Christopher Francis Furman (born 22 March 1961) is a British people, British Script (comics), comic book writer who is best known for his work on Hasbro's ''Transformers'' franchise, starting with writing Marvel Comics, Marvel's The Tran ...
concluded his story in the exclusive novella ''Alignment''.
''Beast Wars'' and ''Beast Machines'' (1996–2000)
The story focused on a small group of
Maximals
This is a sortable list of characters and toys in the ''Beast Wars'' franchise, part of the larger Transformers franchise, from Hasbro. This includes characters appearing in an animated series, comics or video games. This does not include cha ...
(the new Autobots), led by
Optimus Primal
Optimus Prime, , is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Transformers'' franchise. The Transformers characters were developed for an American market after Hasbro representatives visited the 1983 Tokyo Toy Show. The characters were ...
, and
Predacons
This is a list of characters from The Transformers (TV series), ''The Transformers'' television series.
Autobots
The Autobots (also known as Cybertrons in Japan) are the heroes in the ''Transformers (toy line), Transformers toyline'' and related ...
, led by
Megatron
Megatron is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the ''Transformers'' media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. Megatron is the cruel and tyrannical leader of the Decepticons, ...
, 300 years after the "Great War". After a dangerous pursuit through
transwarp space, both the Maximal and Predacon factions end up crash landing on a primitive, uncivilized planet similar to
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
, but with two moons and a dangerous level of Energon (which is later revealed to ''be'' prehistoric Earth with an artificial second moon, taking place sometime during the 4 million year period in which the Autobots and Decepticons were in suspended animation from the first episode of the original Transformers cartoon), which forces them to take organic beast forms in order to function without going into stasis lock. After writing this first episode,
Bob Forward
Bob Forward (born 1958) is an American writer, producer, and director. Forward is the production director and president of his independent company, Detonation Films. Forward has been the writer of many animated television series, as well as a f ...
and
Larry DiTillio
Lawrence G. DiTillio (February 15, 1948 – March 16, 2019) was an American film, TV series, and tabletop role-playing game writer. His creations include ''He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword'' and the award-winning ''Masks of Nyarlathotep ...
learned of the G1 Transformers, and began to use elements of it as a historical backstory to their scripts, establishing ''Beast Wars'' as a part of the ''Generation 1'' universe through numerous callbacks to both the cartoon and Marvel comic. By the end of the first season, the second moon and the Energon are revealed to have been constructed by a mysterious alien race known as the
Vok.
The destruction of the second moon releases mysterious energies that make some of the characters "
transmetal" and the planet is revealed to be prehistoric Earth, leading to the discovery of the ''Ark''. Megatron attempts to kill the original
Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime, , is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Transformers'' franchise. The Transformers characters were developed for an American market after Hasbro representatives visited the 1983 Tokyo Toy Show. The characters were ...
,
but at the beginning of the third season, Primal manages to preserve his spark. In the two-season follow-up series, ''Beast Machines'', Cybertron is revealed to have organic origins, which Megatron attempts to stamp out.
After the first season of ''Beast Wars'' (comprising 26 episodes) aired in Japan, the Japanese were faced with a problem. The second Canadian season was only 13 episodes long, not enough to warrant airing on Japanese TV. While they waited for the third Canadian season to be completed (thereby making 26 episodes in total when added to season 2), they produced two exclusive cel-animated series of their own, ''
Beast Wars II
is a 1998 Japanese ''Transformers'' anime series, spawning a movie and a toyline. It was broadcast on TV Tokyo from April 1998 to January 1999, and was the first ''Transformers'' anime to be produced by Nihon Ad Systems and animated by the s ...
'' (also called ''Beast Wars Second'') and ''
Beast Wars Neo
is a 1999 Japanese Transformers television animated series, a toy line, and a sequel to ''Beast Wars II''. It was produced by NAS, TV Tokyo, and Ashi Productions. Hozumi Gōda reprised his role as Lio Convoy from Beast Wars II whenever he ...
,'' to fill in the gap. Dreamwave
retroactively revealed ''Beast Wars'' to be the future of their G1 universe,
and the 2006 IDW comic book ''
Beast Wars: The Gathering'' eventually confirmed the Japanese series to be canon within a story set during Season 3.
Beast Wars contained elements from both the G1 cartoon series and comics. Attributes taken from the cartoon include Transformers that were female, the appearance of
Starscream
Starscream is a fictional character in the ''Transformers'' media franchise. He is one of the most frequently occurring characters in the franchise, appearing in almost all of its different continuities. Starscream in generally depicted as the s ...
(who mentions being killed off by Galvatron in ''The Transformers: The Movie''), and appearances of the Plasma Energy Chamber and Key to Vector Sigma. The naming of the Transformer ship, the "Ark" (and reference to 1984, the year the Transformers on board were revived) and the character,
Ravage being shown as intelligent, and Cybertron having an organic core were elements taken from the comics.
In 2011,
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...
released the complete series of ''Beast Wars'' on DVD.
Dreamwave Productions (2001–2005)
In 2001,
Dreamwave Productions
Dreamwave Productions was a Canadian art design studio and comic book publisher founded in 1996. Best known for its comic book adaptations of Transformers, the company shut down on January 4, 2005.
History
Brothers Pat Lee and Roger Lee founde ...
began a new universe of annual comics adapted from Marvel, but also included elements of the animated. The Dreamwave stories followed the concept of the Autobots defeating the Decepticons on Earth, but their 1997 return journey to Cybertron on the ''Ark II'' is destroyed by
Shockwave
In physics, a shock wave (also spelled shockwave), or shock, is a type of propagating disturbance that moves faster than the local speed of sound in the medium. Like an ordinary wave, a shock wave carries energy and can propagate through a me ...
, now ruler of the planet.
The story follows on from there, and was told in
two six-issue limited series, then a ten-issue ongoing series. The series also added extra complexities such as not all Transformers believing in the existence of Primus, corruption in the Cybertronian government that first lead
Megatron
Megatron is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the ''Transformers'' media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. Megatron is the cruel and tyrannical leader of the Decepticons, ...
to begin his war and Earth having an unknown relevance to Cybertron.
Three ''
Transformers: The War Within'' limited series were also published. These are set at the beginning of the Great War, and identify Prime as once being a clerk named Optronix. ''Beast Wars'' was also
retroactively stated as the future of this continuity, with the profile series ''More than Meets the Eye'' showing the
Predacon
This is a help:sorting, sortable list of characters and toys in the Transformers: Beast Wars, ''Beast Wars'' franchise, part of the larger Transformers franchise, from Hasbro. This includes characters appearing in an animated series, comics or ...
Megatron
Megatron is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the ''Transformers'' media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. Megatron is the cruel and tyrannical leader of the Decepticons, ...
looking at historical files detailing Dreamwave's characters and taking his name from the original Megatron.
In 2004, this real life universe also inspired three novels and a
Dorling Kindersley
Dorling Kindersley Limited (branded as DK) is a British multinational publishing company specialising in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 63 languages.
It is part of Penguin Random House, a subsidiary of German media co ...
guide, which focused on Dreamwave as the "true" continuity when discussing in-universe elements of the characters. In a new twist, Primus and Unicron are siblings, formerly a being known as The One. ''
Transformers: Micromasters'', set after the ''Arks disappearance, was also published. The real life universe was disrupted when Dreamwave went bankrupt in 2005. This left the ''Generation One'' story hanging and the third volume of ''The War Within'' half finished. Plans for a comic book set between ''Beast Wars'' and ''Beast Machines'' were also left unrealized.
''G.I. Joe'' crossovers (2003–present)
Throughout the years, the G1 characters have also starred in crossovers with fellow Hasbro property ''
G.I. Joe
''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), Ac ...
'', but whereas those crossovers published by Marvel were in continuity with their larger storyline, those released by Dreamwave and ''G.I. Joe'' publisher
Devil's Due Publishing
Devil's Due Publishing (often abbreviated as DDP) is an independent comic book publisher in the United States. Based in Chicago, Illinois, DDP is best known for its wide selection of genres, including licensed and original creator-owned proper ...
occupy their own separate real life universes. In Devil's Due, the terrorist organization
Cobra is responsible for finding and reactivating the Transformers. Dreamwave's version reimagines the familiar ''G1'' and ''G.I. Joe'' characters in a
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
setting, and a second limited series was released set in the present day, though Dreamwave's bankruptcy meant it was cancelled after a single issue. Devil's Due had Cobra re-engineer the Transformers to turn into familiar Cobra vehicles, and released further mini-series that sent the characters travelling through time, battling
Serpentor
Serpentor is a fictional character and a recurring antagonist from the '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' toyline, comic books, and animated series. Introduced in 1986, the character rules as Emperor over Cobra. Serpentor serves as the primary a ...
and being faced with the combined menace of
Cobra-La
Cobra (sometimes referred to as Cobra Command) is a fictional terrorist organization and the nemesis of the G.I. Joe Team in the Hasbro action figure toyline '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' and '' G.I. Joe: Sigma 6'', as well as in related m ...
and
Unicron
Unicron is a fictional villain from the ''Transformers'' media franchise. Designed by Floro Dery, he was introduced in the 1986 animated film ''The Transformers: The Movie'' and has since reappeared in ''Transformers: Armada'', ''Transformers: ...
. During this time, Cobra teams up with the
Decepticon
The Decepticons are the main antagonists in the fictional continuities of the ''Transformers'' multimedia franchise. They are depicted as a faction of sentient robotic lifeforms led by Megatron, identified by a purple face-like insignia. Capab ...
s.
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...
has expressed interest in their own crossover.
IDW publishing (2005–2022)
The following year,
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...
rebooted
''Rebooted'' is the third season of the computer-animated television series '' Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu'' (titled ''Ninjago'' from the eleventh season onward). The series was created by Michael Hegner and Tommy Andreasen. The season aired f ...
the G1 series from scratch within various
limited series Limited series may refer to:
*Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series
*Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered
*Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...
and
one shots. This allowed long-time writer of Marvel and Dreamwave comics,
Simon Furman
Simon Christopher Francis Furman (born 22 March 1961) is a British people, British Script (comics), comic book writer who is best known for his work on Hasbro's ''Transformers'' franchise, starting with writing Marvel Comics, Marvel's The Tran ...
to create his own universe without continuity hindrance, similar to
Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring re-imagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Those characters in ...
. This new continuity originally consisted of a comic book series titled The Transformers with a companion series known as
The Transformers: Spotlight. The main series was broken up into several story arcs. Eventually, with IDW Publishing losing sales, the series was given a soft reboot. Beginning with ''All Hail Megatron,'' the series was set in a new direction, discarding the mini series and Spotlight format with
ongoing comics. By 2012 the series had split into three ongoing series; The Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye, The Transformers: Robots in Disguise (which later changed in 2015 to "The Transformers") and The Transformers: Till All Are One. In 2022, it was announced that IDW lost the publishing rights to Transformers.
Alternative stories
In January 2006, the ''Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club'' comic wrote a story based on the Transformers Classics toy line, set in the Marvel Comics universe, but excluding the ''Generation 2'' comic. Fifteen years after
Megatron
Megatron is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the ''Transformers'' media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. Megatron is the cruel and tyrannical leader of the Decepticons, ...
crash lands in the ''
Ark
Ark or ARK may refer to:
Biblical narratives and religion Hebrew word ''teva''
* Noah's Ark, a massive vessel said to have been built to save the world's animals from a flood
* Ark of bulrushes, the boat of the infant Moses
Hebrew ''aron''
* ...
'' with Ratchet, the war continues with the characters in their ''Classics'' bodies.
IDW Publishing introduced ''
The Transformers: Evolutions'' in 2006, a collection of mini-series that re-imagine and reinterpret the G1 characters in various ways. To date, only one miniseries has been published, ''
Hearts of Steel
The Hearts of Steel, or Steelboys, was an exclusively Protestant movement originating in 1769 in County Antrim, Ireland due to grievances about the sharp rise of rents and evictions. The protests then spread into the neighbouring counties of ...
'', placing the characters in an
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
-era setting. The series was delayed as Hasbro did not want to confuse newcomers with too many fictional universes before the release of the
live-action film
Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...
.
However, IDW and the original publisher
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
announced a crossover storyline with the
Avengers
Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to:
Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe
* Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes
**Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...
to coincide with the film ''
New Avengers/Transformers''. The story is set on the borders of
Symkaria
The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features.
Places
Certain places fe ...
and
Latveria
Latveria is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is depicted within the storylines of Marvel's comic titles as an isolated European country ruled by the fictional Supreme Lord Doctor Doom, suppose ...
, and its
fictional universe
A fictional universe, or fictional world, is a self-consistent setting with events, and often other elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed, or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes may ...
is set between the first two ''
New Avengers'' storylines, as well in between the ''
Infiltration
Infiltration may refer to:
Science, medicine, and engineering
*Infiltration (hydrology), downward movement of water into soil
*Infiltration (HVAC), a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning term for air leakage into buildings
*Infiltration (me ...
'' and ''
Escalation'' phase of IDW's ''
The Transformers''. IDW editor-in-chief, Chris Ryall hinted at elements of it being carried over into the main continuities, and that a
sequel
A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
is possible. In June 2018 it was announced there would be
Star Trek and Transformers Crossover being released in September 2018.
''Robots in Disguise'' (2000–2001)
First broadcast in Japan in 2000, ''Robots in Disguise'' was a single animated series consisting of thirty-nine episodes. It was exported to other countries in subsequent years. In this continuity, Megatron recreates the Decepticons as a subfaction of the Predacons on Earth, a potential reference to the return to the vehicle-based characters following the previous dominance of the animal-based characters of the ''Beast'' eras. It is a stand-alone universe with no ties to any other Transformers fiction, though some of the characters from ''Robots in Disguise'' did eventually make appearances in ''Transformers: Universe'', including Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus,
Side Burn
''Transformers: Robots in Disguise'', originally known as , is a Japanese anime television series based on the ''Transformers'' franchise. The series was produced by Nihon Ad Systems and Studio Gallop, in cooperation with Korean company Dongwo ...
and
Prowl.
The show was heavily censored in the U.S. due to its content of buildings being destroyed and terrorism references after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centers. The show was eventually banned from cable TV networks in the U.S.
The Unicron Trilogy (2002–2006)
These three lines, launched in 2002 and dubbed the "
Unicron Trilogy" by ''Transformers'' designer
Aaron Archer
Aaron C. Archer (born 1972 in Canton, Ohio) is an American illustrator and creative professional who spent over 18 years at Hasbro, designing for toy brands like ''Transformers (toy line), Transformers'', ''G.I. Joe'', and others. Archer worked on ...
, are co-productions between Takara and (lesser extent) Hasbro, simultaneously released in both countries, each lasting 52 episodes. ''Armada'' followed the Autobots and Decepticons discovering the powerful
Mini-Cons
''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the Autobots and the Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms, suc ...
on Earth, which are revealed by the end to be weapons of
Unicron
Unicron is a fictional villain from the ''Transformers'' media franchise. Designed by Floro Dery, he was introduced in the 1986 animated film ''The Transformers: The Movie'' and has since reappeared in ''Transformers: Armada'', ''Transformers: ...
. ''Energon'', set ten years later, followed the Autobots and the Omnicons in their fight to stop the Decepticons and the Terrorcons from resurrecting Unicron with energon.
In Japan, the series ''Transformers: Cybertron'' showed no ties to the previous two series, telling its own story. This caused continuity problems when Hasbro sold ''Cybertron'' as a follow-up to ''Armada/Energon''. The writers attempted to change certain plot elements from the Japanese version to remedy this, although this largely added up to nothing more than references to Unicron, Primus, Primes and Minicons.
Just as Marvel produced a companion comic to ''Generation One'',
Dreamwave Productions
Dreamwave Productions was a Canadian art design studio and comic book publisher founded in 1996. Best known for its comic book adaptations of Transformers, the company shut down on January 4, 2005.
History
Brothers Pat Lee and Roger Lee founde ...
published the comic ''Transformers Armada'' set in a different continuity to the cartoon. At #19, it became ''Transformers Energon''. Dreamwave went bankrupt and ceased all publications before the storyline could be completed at #30. However, the Transformers Fan Club published a few stories set in the ''Cybertron'' era.
''Transformers: Universe'' (2003–present)
The storyline of ''Transformers: Universe'', mainly set following ''
Beast Machines
''Beast Machines: Transformers'' is an animated television series produced by Mainframe Entertainment as part of the Transformers franchise. Hasbro has the full distribution rights to the show as of 2011. It was a direct sequel to ''Beast Wars'' ...
'', sees characters from many assorted alternate continuities, including existing and new ones, encountering each other. The story was told in an unfinished comic book exclusive to the Official Transformers Collectors' Convention.
Live-action film franchise (2007–present)
![Transformers costume characters at Universal Studios Hollywood](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Transformers_costume_characters_at_Universal_Studios_Hollywood.jpg)
In 2007,
Michael Bay
Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget, high-concept action films characterized by fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use of ...
directed a
live-action film
Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...
based on ''Transformers'', with
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
serving as executive producer. It stars
Shia LaBeouf
Shia Saide LaBeouf (; born June 11, 1986) is an American actor, performance artist, and filmmaker. He played Louis Stevens in the Disney Channel series ''Even Stevens'', a role for which he received Young Artist Award nominations in 2001 and ...
,
Josh Duhamel
Joshua David Duhamel (; born November 14, 1972) is an American actor and former fashion model. After various modeling work, he made his acting debut as Leo du Pres on the ABC daytime soap opera ''All My Children'' and later starred as Danny McC ...
,
Megan Fox
Megan Denise Fox (born May 16, 1986) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the family film '' Holiday in the Sun'' (2001), which was followed by numerous supporting roles in film and television, such as the teen musical comedy ...
, and
Tyrese Gibson
Tyrese Darnell Gibson (born December 30, 1978) is an American actor and singer. He released his self-titled debut album in 1998, which featured the single " Sweet Lady", peaking at number twelve on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. His second ...
in the lead human cast while voice actors Peter Cullen and Hugo Weaving voice Optimus Prime and Megatron, respectively. ''Transformers'' received mixed to positive reviews and was a box office success.
It is the
forty-fifth highest-grossing film and the
fifth highest-grossing film of 2007, grossing approximately $709 million worldwide. The film won four awards from the
Visual Effects Society
The Visual Effects Society (VES) is an entertainment industry organization representing visual effects practitioners including artists, animators, technologists, model makers, educators, studio leaders, supervisors, PR/marketing specialists and pr ...
and was nominated for three
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
s, for
Best Sound Editing
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow List of film awards, film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awa ...
,
Best Sound Mixing, and
Best Visual Effects. The performance of Shia Labeouf was praised by ''
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'', and Peter Cullen's reprisal of Optimus Prime from the 1980s was well received by fans. A sequel, ''
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'', was released on June 24, 2009. It received mostly negative reviews, but was a commercial success and grossed more than its predecessor. A third film, ''
Transformers: Dark of the Moon'', was released on June 29, 2011, in
3-D and went on to gross over $1 billion, with mixed reviews. A fourth film, ''
Transformers: Age of Extinction'', was released on June 27, 2014, which also grossed over $1 billion, though it got mixed to negative reviews. A fifth film, ''
Transformers: The Last Knight'' was released on June 23, 2017. ''
Bumblebee
A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related gener ...
'' was released on December 21, 2018, serving as a prequel to the first film, although it has since been declared a reboot of the film franchise.
''Transformers: Animated'' (2007–2010)
''
Transformers: Animated'' is a cartoon that was aired in early 2008 on Cartoon Network in the United States.
Originally scheduled for late after 2007 under the title of ''Transformers: Heroes'',
''Transformers Animated'' is set in 2050 Detroit (after crash landing 50 years earlier),
when robots and humans live side by side.
The
Autobot
The Autobots are the main protagonists in the fictional Continuity (fiction), continuities of the Transformers (fiction), Transformers multimedia franchise, and are depicted in a collection of various toys, cartoons, films, graphic novels, and p ...
s come to Earth and assume superhero roles, battling evil humans with the Decepticons having a smaller role until Megatron resurfaces. Main characters include Autobots Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Prowl, and Ratchet; Decepticons Megatron, Starscream, Blitzwing, Lugnut, and Blackarachnia; and humans Professor Sumdac and Sari Sumdac. Several characters that were in the original Transformers cartoon and 1986 animated movie, as well as characters only seen in comics and such, make special appearances and cameos throughout the show, with various voice actors (including Corey Burton, John Moschitta, Jr., Susan Blu, and Judd Nelson) reprising their roles.
Aligned Universe (2010–present)
Hasbro, in an attempt to stop the wave of reboots that started in 2001, created the Aligned Universe, with the intent to unify every ''Transformers'' media into one continuity. The name of this continuity, however is not official; it was adopted by the fans after Hasbro referred to it as an "Aligned Continuity".
The toy lines derived from this continuity are ''Transformers: Generations'', ''Transformers: Rescue Bots'', and ''Transformers Go!''. The television series belonging to the Aligned Universe include ''Transformers: Prime'' (including its concluding film ''Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising, Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising''), the ''Rescue Bots'' TV series, its sequel ''Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy'', the ''Go!'' anime adaptation, and the 2015 series ''Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 TV series), Transformers: Robots in Disguise''.
The video games that are part of this shared universe are ''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (including its Transformers: War for Cybertron (Nintendo DS), Nintendo DS version and the companion ''Transformers: Cybertron Adventures''), ''Transformers: Fall of Cybertron'', the Transformers: Prime – The Game, ''Prime'' video game adaptation, and ''Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark'', that serves as a conclusion of the ''Cybertron'' series and crossover with the live-action film video game series.
So far List of Transformers books#Aligned Continuity, four novels have been published: ''Transformers: Exodus'', ''Transformers: Exiles'', ''Transformers: Retribution'', and ''Transformers: The Covenant of Primus''. The first three were published by Del Rey Books, while ''Covenant of Primus'' was published by 47North. In addition,
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...
has published several comic books, including graphic novels, while Titan Magazines published ''Transformers Comic UK'', a 20 issues series from 2007 to 2014.
The video games, novels, and television series contradict each other due to creative differences, miscommunications, constant team changes, and
Aaron Archer
Aaron C. Archer (born 1972 in Canton, Ohio) is an American illustrator and creative professional who spent over 18 years at Hasbro, designing for toy brands like ''Transformers (toy line), Transformers'', ''G.I. Joe'', and others. Archer worked on ...
being replaced with a different person that had no knowledge of the 354-page brand bible, "The Binder of Revelation".
Transformers: Prime Wars Trilogy (2016–2018)
In August 2016, Machinima and Hasbro co-produced a computer-animated series named ''Combiner Wars'', simultaneously published on the website Go90 and YouTube. This was followed by two further installments, ''Titans Return'' and ''Power of the Primes''.
Eric Calderon was executive producer of the trilogy. The events of the series take place 40 years after the end of the Autobot/Decepticon civil war, with the Transformers having returned to Cyberton and now being threatened by ancient technology.
The trailer for ''Combiner Wars'' was released on July 26, 2016, along with four prequel episodes.
Eight five-minute episodes of the series ''Combiner Wars'' were released weekly beginning on August 2.
The cast of the ''Combiner Wars'' was predominantly made up of famous YouTube personalities.
The first series was included as a bonus feature on the ''Transformers: The Last Knight'' Blu-ray release.
The second series, dubbed ''Titans Return'' featured returning voice cast from previous iterations of Transformers, such as Peter Cullen and Judd Nelson, along with newcomers such as Michael Dorn as Perceptor and Wil Wheaton as Fortress Maximus.
Guest voices included Mark Hamill and Ron Perlman. ''Titans Return'' debuted on November 14, 2017, on the Go90 platform, consisting of ten episodes at roughly 11 minutes each. The series featured returning Titan characters such as Metroplex, Fortress Maximus and Trypticon and the resultant destruction such enormous characters create.
The third part of the trilogy, dubbed ''Power of the Primes'' was launched on May 1, 2018, comprising 10 episodes released weekly, each roughly 11 minutes long. FJ DeSanto was executive producer of the third installment. Animation was done by Tatsunoko Productions. ''Power of the Primes'' focused on the arrival of Megatronus, one of the original Primes. In 2019, Machinima shut down and folded into Otter Media. On January 19, Machinima removed all of its videos from YouTube, including those of the Prime Wars Trilogy. After the shutdown, a number of former Machinima creations returned to the web via Rooster Teeth. The series is available on the Rooster Teeth website.
Transformers: Cyberverse (2018–2020)
Produced by Boulder Media, Boulder Media Limited, Hasbro Studios and Hasbro Studios, Allspark Animation for Cartoon Network, it started airing on September 1, 2018.
Two seasons, named "Chapters", were planned, with the first aired in 2018 and with the second, subtitled ''Power of the Spark'', planned for 2019.
''Cyberverse'' uses characters and elements across G1, Beast Era, the live-action film series, ''Animated'', and the Aligned continuity. It is notable for being the first television series of the franchise to have an 11-minute runtime (the latter two installments of the Prime Wars Trilogy have first utilized this format) and for having a New York cast instead of the usual Los Angeles one.
Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy (2019)
The Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy is a 3D computer-animated three-part series that was developed as a co-production between Rooster Teeth, Netflix and Hasbro. Polygon Pictures was chosen as the animation studio. Headed by FJ DeSanto, a veteran of Transformers animation having previously worked on two installments of the Power of the Primes trilogy, the series tells the origin of the civil war between the Autobots and Decepticons.
Comprising three parts, the series was announced on February 15, 2019, for release on Netflix.
The voice cast of the show used new actors for recognizable characters such as Jake Foushou as Optimus Prime and Jason Marnocha as Megatron.
Each series is made up of six episodes, each a half hour long.
[ The series also had a tie-in toyline.]
A trailer of for the first installment ''Siege'' was released on July 8, 2020, with the show following on July 30, 2020, The first series focused on the civil war on Cybertron and the conflict between the two leaders of the opposing factions, Optimus Prime and Megatron, along with the introduction of a third, mercenary, faction.
A trailer for the second series, dubbed ''Earthrise'', was published on December 7, 2020 The second series debuted on Netflix on December 30. ''Earthrise'' was more limited in scope than the previous series. Instead of the entire Transformer civil war, this series focused on the two leaders once again and the crews of their starships as Optimus sought to flee Cybertron and find the missing Allspark. The series also saw the introduction of a fourth faction, the Quintessons.
The trailer for the final series, ''Kingdom'', debuted on July 5, 2021 and the series premiered on Netflix on July 29. ''Kingdom'' picks up where the last series left off with Optimus and Megatron searching for the Allspark, having now crash-landed on Earth. On the planet, they encounter characters previously seen in the older series ''Transformers: Beast Wars''. The third series was the final one, as Hasbro has no plans for a fourth series.
Transformers: EarthSpark
See also
*''Gundam''
*''Macross
is a Japanese science fiction mecha anime media franchise/media mix, created by Studio Nue (most prominently mecha designer, writer and producer Shōji Kawamori) and Artland in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth and the ...
''
*List of space science fiction franchises
*Mecha anime and manga
References
External links
G1 Transformers toy figures and parts identification archive at Transformerland.com
Transformers.com
- Official Hasbro Transformers web site
Transformers
official YouTube channel
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