With the release of the first trailer for the Transformers spin-off Bumblebee, we’re starting to see what could be the franchise’s attempt at branching out into a cinematic universe along the lines of its superhero comrades, The Avengers. It’s not to say that there’s a lot riding on the bright yellow robot in disguise, but his success could lead to further exploration of the Transformers as a property beyond the ludicrously expensive Michael Bay blockbusters. The great thing about the Transformers is that there really are dozens, if not hundreds of viable characters that could conceivably carry their own movie, proving that there really is more than meets the eye about the colorful toy brand.
Starting life in 1984, Transformers began as an American conversion of already existing Japanese toys from Takara’s Diaclone and Microman lines. With the rights to Western distribution bought, Hasbro went about hiring Marvel comics creators to fill in the names, characters, backstory and the overall hook of Transformers, in order to turn it into a viable media property that, as is the fashion, could support not only a toy line but comics, cartoons and eventually movies. Editors Jim Shooter, Denny O’Neill and writer Bob Budiansky are responsible for the characters, names, and personalities that are still used to this day, making them responsible for this list of 20 Transformers Who Deserve Their Own Solo Movie!
20 OPTIMUS PRIME
How could we not start with the greatest Transformer of all time? The fearless leader of the valiant Autobots, Optimus Prime is easily the most recognizable of the Robots in Disguise and guaranteed to have been in the home of you or one of your friends if you grew up in the mid-‘80s. Based on the Takara model known as “Battle Convoy,” Optimus Prime is notable for his red and blue coloring and his ability to transform into (specifically) a Freightliner FL86 cab over semi truck.
On the world of Cybertron, he was originally called Orion Pax before taking on the mantle of leadership and becoming Optimus Prime. He carries the Matrix of Leadership on him at all times, the gift and burden of his command, and is known as the Autobot leader throughout their war with the dreaded Decepticons, a war that spills over onto Earth in almost all incarnations of the franchise. His name was apparently invented by famed comics writer Denny O’Neill, and he is sometimes depicted as “the Last Prime,” descended from a long line of Transformers known as the Dynasty of Primes. All we know is that he was the cool red and blue robot that could transform into a big rig truck and that was perhaps the best thing in the world in 1984.
19 MEGATRON
For every good guy, there’s a bad guy, and if heroes are only as good as their villains then the Autobots must be amazing to have a nemesis like Megatron. While Optimus Prime could transform into a wholesome semi-truck, Megatron was much more controversial in that he could turn into a life-size gun that kids could run around with. That's something you’d be hard-pressed to market in today’s society. In fact, the original Megatron toy is still banned on aircraft in the United States, and a special license is needed to even own one in Australia.
The Megatron toy has been changed over the years so that it’s less offensive, transforming the Decepticon leader into cars, tanks, and jets, and it was only in 2006 -- nearly two decades since this last happened -- that Hasbro released a version of Megatron that transformed into a gun; in this case a Nerf Maverick REV-6. This controversy might also be why he’s become so popular. Taking on the name “Megatronus,” Megatron was once a loyal friend of a young Orion Pax, rising through the ranks of gladiatorial combat to become the character we know today and a resident of Cybertron that rallied against what he saw as an unfair and discriminatory caste system and eventually leading an uprising of Decepticons against the Autobot state.
18 STARSCREAM
Behind Optimus Prime and Megatron, Starscream is one of the most popular and prominent of the Transformers, appearing in every version of the franchise across all forms of media. A powerful and treacherous Decepticon, Starscream is famed for using his force and his cunning to be Megatron’s right-hand man, one who is constantly seeking any and every opportunity to usurp his superior and one day lead the Decepticons. Heralding from the Japanese Diaclone toy line, Starscream can transform into a fighter jet, something that’s persisted throughout every iteration of the property.
As his transformation is consistent throughout the decades, so too is his personality, one of deviousness, cunning and a touch of cowardice, often choosing to bide his time behind the scenes rather than strike. Starscream is depicted as a cruel and masterful tactician, and while he’s led the Decepticons on multiple occasions, he’s always defeated. As to why Megatron would keep such a duplicitous ally so close, it’s been claimed that the Decepticon leader respects Starscream’s thirst for power, and may even welcome the constant threat to his leadership in order to keep him alert. That dynamic sure would make for an excellent flick!
17 RODIMUS PRIME
Also known as Hot Rod, Rodimus Prime was introduced as part of the new wave of Transformers for the 1986 big screen release, Transformers: The Movie, which saw the controversial decision to kill off a lot of the fan favorite characters in favor of newer ones (meaning all new toys to buy). Hot Rod went from being a loyal yet arrogant young Transformer to Rodimus Prime, bold but an indecisive new leader of the Autobots and bearer of the Matrix of Leadership following Optimus Prime’s death. Often depicted in a red, yellow and silver paint job, Hot Rod has numerous alternate forms, most prominently sports cars like a Ford GT or a Dome Zero, or even a futuristic truck emulating his predecessor.
In the animated series, following his introduction in the movie, Rodimus Prime goes on to lead the Autobots against the Quintessons, creators of the Transformers who sought to destroy the Matrix of Leadership. In the IDW reboot of Generation 1, Rodimus Prime continues his leadership role but in a different capacity. In the 2012 ongoing series Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye, Rodimus leads a ragtag group of argumentative and comical Autobots on a quest across the stars to find the mythical Knights of Cybertron aboard his ship Lost Light.
16 SHOCKWAVE
Often seen as Megatron’s “Mad Scientist,” Shockwave is a cold and emotionless Decepticon that original creator Bob Budiansky allegedly based on Star Trek’s Mr. Spock. Governed by logic rather than loyalty, while the original animated series saw him fiercely defend Megatron as his leader, most other depictions see that as Shockwave biding his time before he can overthrow Megatron and claim the Decepticon leadership for himself. For fellow Decepticon Starscream, this would be a power play, but in true Spock fashion, for Shockwave, replacing Megatron as leader of the Decepticons is simply the logical thing to do.
A giant, purple Decepticon with a singular “eye” in the middle of his robot face, Shockwave has been described as far more powerful than even Megatron; however, his cold logical brain is seemingly no match for the raw emotional power of Megatron. He can transform into a number of things, including a Mazda RX-8, a Cybertronian laser gun, and a warship. Shockwave was one of the first Transformers not to be derived from the Japanese toy lines remodeled by Hasbro, but was, in fact, a figure from the company ToyCo called “Astro Magnum.” It’s believed it’s the only figure made by ToyCo used in the Transformers universe.
15 GRIMLOCK
If there’s anything cooler than a robot that can turn into a truck, it’s a robot that can turn into a dinosaur, and as the leader of the Dinobots, Grimlock is the strongest there is. He’s often viewed as one of -- if not the -- strongest Transformer, easily beating Megatron in certain iterations and virtually indestructible in his Tyrannosaurus Rex form. In his Robot form, Grimlock wields an energon sword, wears a double-barrelled, self-propelled rocket launcher and is a formidable fighter. In his dinosaur mode, aside from being almost unbeatable, he can also breathe fire and shoot energy bolts from his mouth, as well as bite through anything with his powerful steel jaws.
The Dinobots are a sub-faction of the Autobots, but despite that Grimlock has often shown a distaste for Optimus Prime’s leadership, begrudgingly allying himself with the Autobots but openly admitting that he believes he’d make a better leader. The Dinobots are loyal to themselves first and foremost, but they still maintain an obvious respect for Prime and have fought against the Decepticons side by side with the Autobots on countless occasions. There have been numerous toys of Grimlock over the years, but the original is based on the Takara Diaclone model from their Dinosaur Robo series.
14 JAZZ
The cool-headed first lieutenant of the Autobots, Jazz is the jive-talking, slang-slinging right-hand man to Optimus Prime, as well as the head of Special Operations. Voiced by the legendary Scatman Crothers in the animated series and the movie, Jazz was always depicted as stylish, cool and competent, and can transform into a Martini Porsche 935 Turbo race-car. It’s noted that Bob Budiansky originally had tech specs which called him Jazzz, which was verified with early promotional material too, however, he’s known only as Jazz in all later media.
In the 2007 Michael Bay Transformers movie, Jazz is depicted as a hip-hop loving style guru, who could transform into a silver Pontiac Solstice. Throughout the various iterations of Transformers, Jazz would always be seen as one of the smaller Autobots, standing at just 15 feet tall in the 2007 movie universe. Jazz has always maintained his right-hand man status, although in the animated series he shared this role with Ironhide and Prowl, but was still a prominent character throughout the series. He was one of the original Autobots that descended on Earth in the Ark alongside Optimus Prime. He, along with everyone on board, was kept in emergency stasis for 4 million years after they were attacked by Megatron’s ship, the Nemesis.
13 ULTRA MAGNUS
The Chief Lieutenant of the Autobots, Ultra Magnus is the stern and respected voice of command in the ranks of the Autobots. First seen in the United States in Transformers: The Movie in 1986, he’s depicted as the City Commander for Autobot City, despite the fact that he finds himself uncomfortable with command. When Megatron fatally wounds Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus is the Autobot that Prime hands the Matrix of Leadership to, but after he’s blown apart by his Decepticon counterpart Galvatron, Hod Rod picks up the mantle of Autobot leader. Even when he’s rebuilt by the Junkions and able to resume command, Ultra Magnus defers the leadership to Rodimus Prime.
Ultra Magnus is able to transform into a heavy duty vehicle transport, meaning he can carry his fellow Autobots into battle or on missions. In the IDW series Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye, Ultra Magnus accompanies Rodimus Prime on the Lost Light, on his mission to find the fabled Knights of Cybertron. A stern security enforcer, Magnus becomes Rodimus’ right-hand man, but it’s later discovered that there literally is more than meets the eye to Ultra Magnus. In this continuity, Ultra Magnus is an identity created to inhabit a suit of armor to resemble the original Ultra Magnus, who died. This suit of armor is piloted by Minimus Ambus, a much smaller Autobot piloting the suit from within.
12 WINDBLADE
Being a female Transformer already puts Windblade in the minority, but what else sets her apart is the fact that she’s the first ever “fan-built” character created for the show. Hasbro announced the character at San Diego Comic-Con in 2013 and had a series of polls on their website to establish her physical traits and personality. Windblade was, naturally, accompanied by a deluxe toy in which she transformed into a VTOL jet, and a comic book miniseries dedicated to her, written by Mairghread Scott, illustrated by Sarah Stone, and released through IDW.
Windblade bears the title of Cityspeaker, due to her rare ability to communicate with Metrotitans, huge Transformers that take the form of whole cities. Being a relatively young Autobot, her bodyguard and friend Chromia believed Windblade to be far too trusting, and while her adherence to truth and duty is perhaps her greatest strength, it can be seen as weakness by those looking to exploit her. Her appearance is that of Japanese Kabuki, with body paint that mimics the evocative theatrical makeup, although in fiction it is the markings of the people of Caminus, the city where she and her people hail from. She’s also a skilled swordsman, and her action figure comes with “Tornado Blade” accessory.
11 SENTINEL PRIME
Originating from the classic Marvel Transformers comics, Sentinel Prime is an imposing Autobot -- standing head and shoulders above his peers -- and is often depicted as the predecessor to Optimus Prime, the previous bearer of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. He first appeared in name only on a list of all previous Primes, before being seen in #150 of the UK comic handing the baton over to Orion Pax upon his death, although what killed him in this continuity is not clear.
In the original animated series, under Sentinel Prime’s leadership, the Autobots went from being offensive weapons of war to stealthy, tactical soldiers, gaining the ability to transform which turned the tide of the war with the Decepticons and ushering in the Golden Age of Cybertron. In more recent continuities, however, such as the IDW series and the movies, Sentinel Prime is more of an antihero, shown as falling from grace and turning on his friends and colleagues the Autobots. In Transformers: Dark of the Moon, it's revealed that his desperation to restore Cybertron to its former glory had driven him mad, causing him to turn on Autobot and Decepticon alike in order to achieve his goals. After looking the Autobot Ironhide, Sentinel Prime is himself killed in a final battle against both his former student Optimus Prime and Decepticon leader Megatron.
10 PROWL
Hailing from the Japanese Diaclone model titled “Police Car Fairlady Z,” Prowl is a quiet and logical Autobot whose expertise with military tactics has earned him a spot at the side of Optimus Prime. Prowl was one of the original 1984 Transformers line, changing into the Datsun 280ZX Turbo sports car (known as Fairlady Z in Japan) adorned with the markings of the police. Even though Prowl is a prominent member of the Autobots, he’s not particularly well liked socially, as his strict adherence to rules and military strategies make him an excellent soldier, but not much fun to hang around with. He’s been known in certain continuities to merge with the Constructicons to form Devastator, as well as become a limb for the combined Transformer Optimus Maximus.
In some continuities, prowl’s strict discipline puts him at odds with his fellow Autobots, especially Optimus Prime. Prowl sees Prime’s way of listening to the advice of charismatic warriors and mavericks to be far too cavalier, and while his loyalty is rarely in question, his true loyalty lies with logic and a belief that he knows what is truly the right way to do things. In the IDW continuity, Prowl was manipulated by the Decepticon Bombshell after having his memory erased, making him susceptible to being turned. It was here that he became the head of Devastator until the Autobot Arcee was able to kill Bombshell and restore Prowl’s mind to him.
9 UNICRON
Appearing in the 2017 movie Transformers: The Last Knight gives Unicron the edge of many others on this list, although quite how you could frame a movie plot around a giant Cybertronian God of Chaos that devours realities and can transform into a planet is unclear, but all we know is we want to see it. Originally created in 1986 for the animated Transformers: The Movie, Unicron has the distinction of being the last role played by the legendary actor Orson Welles before his death. Unicron’s origins have changed over the years, from being a God from a previous universe in the Marvel comics continuity to being the twin brother of Primus and the god of Chaos and Destruction to being another name for Earth and the ancient enemy of Cybertron as seen in the Transformers cinematic universe.
It’s generally accepted now in the continuity that Unicron is the twin brother of Primus, who were both sent out into the universe by the personification of Chaos and Order known as The One. This being that predates time sent Unicron and Primus to explore the galaxy. Primus soon learned that Unicron was a villainous entity, and following a battle traps them both within metallic planetoids. They adapt in time, and while Unicron becomes extremely powerful, Primus becomes Cybertron, giving birth to the age of Transformers.
8 SOUNDWAVE
One of the most popular and well known of all the Transformers, Soundwave is instantly recognizable by fans no matter how casual, as he's the Decepticon that transforms into a micro-cassette deck. While he's appeared in multiple incarnations of the franchise over the years, the original animated series is where he gained the most popularity, and the toy that accompanied his appearance being fully interactive with micro-cassettes.
In the animated series, Soundwave is a loyal ally to the Decepticon leader Megatron, as well as being extremely useful due to his abilities to jam electronic signals, not to mention his surveillance capabilities. He also has a photographic memory thanks to the giant databanks in his chest, and when he transforms he can alter his overall mass, much like Megatron, so that he becomes an object far smaller than his robot form. Soundwave also has a series of much smaller Decepticons that can transform into cassettes and fit inside him when he’s in his alternate form of a micro-cassette deck. In the animated series, these Transformers -- which include Ravage, Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, Ratbat, Rumble, Frenzy, Slugfest, and Overkill -- are loyal to Soundwave as if they are his servants or even pets, however in the modern IDW continuity, Soundwave forces Ratbat into a cassette, enslaving him and betraying the Cybertronian Senate by joining the Decepticons.
7 OMEGA SUPREME
One of the biggest, most overwhelmingly powerful of the Autobots, Omega Supreme is not very chatty, preferring to let his strength do the talking. He is the last line of defense against the Decepticons and all enemies of the Autobots, in his ability to transform into a huge rocket defense base that guards Cybertron. One of the writers for the Transformers animated series, David Wise -- who wrote much of the backstory for Omega Supreme -- felt that the character was stupid and illogical, and found it amusing to give him a convoluted backstory. As such, Omega Supreme was revealed to be an Ancient Guardian, a race of large robots designed to police all Cybertronians by their creators the Quintessons. Omega Supreme gained sentience and became one of the strongest defenders of the Autobots and their way of life.
In his robot form, Omega Supreme has a punch that can shatter mountains, and his clawed right arm can lift upwards of 300,000 tons. His left arm has been replaced with an intensely powerful plasma blaster, and his offensive capability is supported by a rear-mounted laser cannon with a range of 50 miles. He and the toy he was based on splits into three distinct parts: a large rocket base, a rocket, and a tank. The original toy didn’t transform as much as just separate into three parts, but it didn’t stop him from becoming a popular figure.
6 ARCEE
Being the most famous and popular female character across an entire franchise isn’t so hard when you’re the only one. Sure, there are canonically other female Transformers, but until Windblade came along there was none as prominently featured as Arcee. She wasn’t the first female Autobot to feature in the animated series but rose in popularity due to her prominent role in Transformers: the Movie. Arcee’s appeared throughout Transformers continuity, and while her color design has changed in recent years, she’s more commonly known as having a pink and white livery, and her transformations include a Cybertronian convertible hover car, a 2006 Buell Firebolt motorcycle, and a Honda S2000 Roadster.
Despite her prominence, Arcee didn’t receive a truly faithful action figure until the Generations line recreated her in 2014. Before that, fans were only able to buy recolored versions of other figures, or Arcee models that did not properly transform. Having a female lead character in a Transformers solo movie would be a huge deal and, along with Windblade, we can’t think of a more worthy character. She was scheduled to appear in the 2007 Michael Bay Transformers movie, but she was dropped at the last minute for Ironhide as the writers found they could explain giant robots that could transform into cars, as well as explain how Megan Fox would be interested in Shia Labeouf, but couldn’t explain why there would be a female Transformer.
5 METROPLEX
As the name would suggest, Metroplex is a massive Autobot that dwarves many of his colleagues, including Omega Supreme, and is so big in fact that he can transform into a sentient city, originally becoming the embodiment of Autobot City. Due to his immense size, when Metroplex isn’t a fully functioning Battle Station/City, he houses three smaller Autobots: Six-Gun, a combination of six of the battle station’s guns and a city tower, Slammer who turns into a Tank and a skyscraper, and Scamper who transforms into a car. Autobot City becomes the new base of operations on Earth, and to counter this advantage, the Decepticons build Decepticon city. Just as Autobot City transforms into Metroplex, Decepticon city also transforms, in this case into Trypticon.
Metroplex and Trypticon are known as mortal enemies, mirror images of each other that are locked in earth-shattering conflict whenever they come into contact with each other. Metroplex is known as the last line of defense for Autobots on Earth, and while Trypticon can also transform into a huge dinosaur, Metroplex’s impressive offensive capabilities ensured his nemesis’s defeat in the animated series. Appropriately enough, Metroplex currently holds the record of largest ever Transformers toy, dethroning the previous holder Fortress Maximus at 22 inches tall and costing $125.99 upon release.
4 IRONHIDE
Depicted as an old Cybertronian warrior, Ironhide is the war-weary bodyguard of Optimus Prime, and one of the more popular characters of the Transformers franchise. In the modern cinematic universe, his attachment to Optimus Prime goes further to that of his oldest friend and the team’s weapon specialist. His alternate form is also updated in the movies, from the minivan of the original toy line to the much cooler GMC Topkick C4500 pickup truck. When Arcee was removed from the cast list of the original 2007 movie, Ironhide was chosen to replace her.
In the original animated series, Ironhide is a core component of the Autobots, and was depicted as being in a relationship with Chromia, and was one of the first characters seen on screen, taking down Soundwave aboard the Ark before it crash-landed on Earth. His cinematic appearances depict him as an old curmudgeon of an Autobot, grizzled by combat and willing to do the things that perhaps even Optimus Prime cannot do. He’s a more practical character in a lot of ways, pushing the Autobot code on occasions to get the job done, and seeing a movie based around him would introduce a different dynamic than that of Bumblebee.
3 GALVATRON
In his original incarnation, Galvatron is an upgraded and enhanced version of Megatron, first appearing in Transformers: The Movie in 1986, voiced by the late Leonard Nimoy. The god of chaos Unicron rescues Megatron from the depths of space and imbues within him new powers and a new purpose: find and destroy the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. Galvatron was to Rodimus Prime what Megatron was to Optimus Prime. The newly christened leader of the Autobots, Rodimus was plagued with self-doubt and internal strife about his own fitness for command. Galvatron, meanwhile, was a more crazed and less focused version of Megatron, his first act being to obliterate Starscream for betraying his old form and leaving him to drift in space.
The original Galvatron toy is one of the rare figures from the early releases that comes with electronic lights and sounds. Powered by a 9-volt battery, Galvatron had light up eyes in his robot form and a light-up cannon when he transforms into a laser pistol. Much like a lot of the new characters introduced in Transformers: The Movie, Galvatron was designed for animation first and a toy second. This, along with the need for batteries, made him a larger figure than most. In the 2014 movie Transformers; Age of Extinction, Galvatron is a man-made Transformer, a piloted drone that becomes possessed by Megatron who uses it as his new, near-indestructible form.
2 DEVASTATOR
A beast of a Transformer (not to be confused with the actual beasts of Beast Wars), Devastator is the Voltron of Decepticon construction robots. This transformer is made up of the six robots that form the Decepticon team known as the Constructicons: Bonecrusher, a bulldozer; Scrapper, a front-end loader; Long Haul, a haul truck; Scavenger, an excavator; Hook, a crane vehicle; and the awesomely named cement truck known as Mixmaster. The Constructicons come together to form Devastator, and his name is entirely appropriate: he’s a lumbering, dimwitted ‘bot, but extremely powerful and able to destroy almost anything that gets in his way, devastating his enemies.
His physical capabilities are only hindered by his mental capacity. While the individual forms of the Constructicons fit together seamlessly, having six distinct personalities in one body can have strange effects, and in the case of Devastator, these minds clash and argue, which can have the unfortunate consequence of sending him into a blind destructive rage. In the continuity of the original animated series, the Constructicons were granted the ability to form Devastator around 9 million years before the start of the series, shortly after he brainwashed them all into serving the Decepticon cause (there’s always a catch). Devastator would make for a fascinating solo movie, as it would be both a solo feature and a team-up movie all in one!
1 PRIMUS
If Unicron is the God of Chaos, his twin brother Primus is the Lord of Light. The “children” of the extra-dimensional entity known as The One, Unicron and Primus were sent out into the newly formed universe to explore and satisfy the entity’s curiosity. Both brothers were multiversal singularities, meaning that they existed on multiple planes, but while Unicron existed in one universe at a time, Primus existed in all universes simultaneously. It soon became apparent to Primus that his twin was villainous and corrupted, and in their ensuing battle, Primus sacrificed his freedom to imprison them both within metallic planetoids. Over time, however, Unicron adapted his prison and transformed himself into a metallic planet, and Primus followed suit, becoming the mechanical world of Cybertron.
Boys Life magazine voted Cybertron Primus as one of the “coolest toys around” in 2006, and it’s easy to see why. The first action figure of Primus was a gold chrome Rodimus Prime figure released as a lucky draw in Japan, but in 2006 the Cybertron Supreme Primus figure was released and was suitably impressive for the god-like Transformer that formed the homeworld for the entire race. The Cybertron Supreme Primus figure is a triple changer: not only does he come as a robot form and his Cybertron form, but into a planet-sized spaceship called the world-ship. What makes both Primus and Unicron such fascinating characters is the almost-mythical lore that surrounds their origins, a storyline ripe for a movie adaptation.