Though Transformers has been around for over 30 years, it’s no surprise. Transformers: Rise of the Beast, the Transformers anime movie, showed that it’s still going strong with all-new, never before seen stories, and Transformers: War for Cybertron Twilight Titan Series Warlock Batch 2 Review proves the toy line isn’t going anywhere either.
But what makes the franchise so endearing, even 30 years on? For one thing, the franchise has not shied away from delving into some dark territory. From dire and tragic deaths to torture and trauma from fighting in a war, it’s clear that the Transformers franchise is aimed at children and adults alike, mixing technical depth with pop culture references. While some actions are dictated by the circumstances the characters find themselves in, all of them stem from an honest place, never stooping to shock value for temporary profit.
Darkest Transformers moments
One of the grimmest moments appears in Transformers Prime, with the Autobot Arcee flashing back to her torture at the Decepticons’ hands on Cybertron, as well as the murder of her partner in front of her eyes. While not strictly a Transformer, it’s a moment that showcases Airachnid’s sadistic nature, making her one of the few foes Arcee fears.
Transformers is famous for its incredibly detailed and unique character designs, so a radically new take on the concept was never going to be easy. With Beast Wars, the franchise took the idea of Autobots and Decepticons on an entirely different scale by introducing the Maximals and Predacons, descendants of Ar Optimus and Megatron. Though many characters have been killed since this change – and some deaths have stuck, as was the case with Optimus Prime – there have been moments that have been shocking with their implications.
Silverbolt died in Beast Wars after sacrificing himself for the greater good of the team. He later came back as Optimal Optimus, but only as a ghost in his younger, beast form. Though the show explained that he was with Ravage, another character that had died previously, Silverbolt’s death still had implications on his friends and the show itself. When the Maximals finally recover the Transformer, they discuss putting him in stasis lock for both Transmutate’s safety and the Maximals’. Silverbolt lashes at Optimus for what he sees as a eugenics course of action.
In the New Generation, after Megatron has regained control of Cybertron and the Maximals are forced to flee, they meet their new companion, Transmutate. Never having had a Spark – Transformers that can think for themselves – of their own, they gain one in order to blend in with the Maximal team. Transmutate is not a true Transformer, however, as he never had a Spark; he is more of a Beast, a being that has the mind of a child. When the Maximals finally recover the Transformer, they discuss putting him in stasis lock for both Transmutate’s safety and the Maximals’. This leads to Silverbolt lashing at Optimus for what he sees as a eugenics course of action. When Transmutate sees both Rampage and Silverbolt fighting, he puts himself between them, not wanting the two people that care about him to be hurt anymore. Unfortunately, he gets caught in the crossfire and is killed. His sadness at his loss can be seen on Rampage’s face, as the brute truly cared for him.
Though a large chunk of the franchise is aimed at making audiences laugh, there are still some incredibly dark moments, proving to be truly emotional. In Beast Wars: Transmetal, Rhinox, Dinobot, and Rattrap are tricked into fighting each other while they were in vehicle form by the Beast, a shapeshifter. Rhinox and Rattrap blame Dinobot – a deep friendship is normally something that can’t be overcome. In order to stop the Beast, Dinobot sacrifices himself to kill it, knowing he will never have his friendship back, but hoping he will be able to die with some peace of mind.
As Optimus Prime notes in the third live-action movie, The Last Knight, casualties are part and parcel of the Transformers’ eternal war.