The valiant, courageous and noble leader of the Autobots, Optimus is very guilt-ridden about the damage done to Cybertron and protects the Earth so it does not suffer the same fate. He transforms into a long-nosed Peterbilt 379 truck.Tfwiki Profile
Optimus Prime is the leader of the Autobots. Long ago, he was the humble leader of Cybertron's science division, which studied the All-Spark, and were protected by Lord High Protector Megatron's military. When Megatron was corrupted by The Fallen, Optimus discovered that he was the last of the Dynasty of Primes, hidden away when The Fallen destroyed their lineage. In response to Megatron's attempts to seize the All-Spark and conquer other worlds, Optimus assumed his proper title and rallied the Autobots to stand against the Decepticons. As obsessively as Megatron strives to achieve his objective, Optimus is equally as dedicated to stopping him, even at the cost of his life, his world, and — if necessary — his own people. It was on his order that the All-Spark was jettisoned into space, dooming Cybertron to a slow death and his people to a nomadic life. The sacrifices he has made weigh heavily on his spark, but they must be done, for there is no other choice. He knows the ambitions that lurk in Megatron's spark, and they must never see the light of day. Lives must be kept free from the threat of Megatron's tyranny, no matter the cost. This obsession with the defeat of Megatron has robbed Optimus of some of his early idealism. This has created a certain ruthlessness beneath his otherwise honest and caring personality. Prime is not one for second chances and is willing to consider any action that might lead to victory, short of directly sacrificing those he cares about.
Berserk Button: Enslaving and murdering innocents. Not even Sentinel Prime, his father figure and teacher is spared when he he did just that.
Beware the Nice Ones: The greatest living Cybertronian warrior is according to Word Of God a peace loving and kind-hearted scientist, so don't make him pissed or he'll take your face.
BFG: Two of 'em, and that's before he combines with Jetfire.
In DOTM, he uses one that belonged to Megatron to kill Sentinel Prime.
Big Damn Heroes: Rescuing Sam and company. from Megatron & Starscream at the warehouse AND killing the Fallen in ROTF.
Hurting Hero: Just like in Generation 1, there is an ever present yet dignified sadness in Peter Cullen's performance of Optimus, as if The Great War has affected him so deeply, that he is always crying deep inside. Cullen stated in interviews that he drew inspiration from his brother, a Shell-Shocked Veteran of the Vietnam War, who told him before the audition for Optimus "Don't be a tough hero; you are strong enough to be gentle."
Large and in Charge: The tallest of the Autobots — 32 ft. Until Jetfire, at ~50 ft. gets involved.
Last of His Kind: Was believed to be the last of the Primes, and was therefore hunted by the Fallen (who lost his title when he betrayed his brothers). Dark of the Moon reveals that he actually isn't; Sentinel Prime is still around, and when Optimus finds out, he revives the old warrior. Then Optimus kills Sentinel after the latter tries to enslave humanity, putting this trope back into effect. Ouch.
My God, What Have I Done?: After Sentinel Prime goes on a rampage, killing Ironhide and destroy the NEST base, the look on his face as he realizes this is his fault for bringing Sentinel back can only be described as this.
Papa Wolf: He loves humans like his own children, and would literally tear you a new one if you harm even one of them; Starscream, Grindor, The Fallen AND Megatron find this out the hard way.
"Taking the children was a bad move."
And then in DOTM when Sentinel Prime, his father figure and teacher, led an invasion of Chicago that murdered and enslaved MILLIONS of innocent civilians, Optimus shoots the bastard execution-style as he begged helplessly for his worthless life lying on the ground. Seriously, do NOT screw with a race that Optimus Prime has come to love.
Pre-Mortem One-Liner: "Give me your Face" on the Fallen, "Time to find out!" responding to Megatron's "Who would you be without me, Prime?" and "You didn't betray me. You betrayed yourself." on Sentinel Prime.
Walking Armory: Two ion blasters, two retractable Hot Blades, two superheatedhooks, an axe (also superheated), and the trailer he gets in the third film adds a shield, a BFG, spiked knuckles, and a jetpack. This version of Optimus is positively armed to the teeth.
You Are Not Ready: Refuses to share Autobot weapons advances with the humans for fear of them pointing said weapons at non-Decepticon targets. Part of this is because he's afraid of contributing to mankind destroying themselves like his own race did. In other words, if the Cybertronians weren't responsible enough not to wipe out their own race with their weapons, how is a race who are millions of years behind them supposed to?
Sam's designated guardian, Bumblebee is a 16-foot tall yellow Autobot. His vocal processor was crushed by Megatron so he speaks through the radio in his Chevrolet Camaro form.Tfwiki Profile
Bumblebee is one of Optimus Prime's most trusted lieutenants. Although he is not the strongest or most powerful of the Autobots, Bumblebee more than makes up for this with a bottomless well of luck, determination, and bravery. He would gladly give his life to protect others and stop the Decepticons. Badly damaged in battle, Bumblebee lost the ability to speak verbally, though he can still communicate over inter-Autobot frequencies (in a fashion that seems somewhat akin to instant messaging, a usable but more distant and less personal means of interaction).
At Arm's Length: Breaks up the twins' fight by picking them up, bashing them together, and chucking them out the doorway.
Big Damn Heroes: Several: The first film has him showing up to help kill Brawl. The second has him bursting in and blasting up the kitchen appliances brought to life by an Allspark fragment, helping Optimus rescue Sam & co. from the warehouse, and killing Rampage and Ravage in Egypt.
Heroic Mime: Not by choice in the first movie: backstory reveals that a battle that takes place before the films ended with Megatron ripping his arms off and then crushing his vocal processors. In the second movie, Sam says that he plays it up.
Nakama: Considers Sam this, at one point "saying" that Sam is "the person I care about most in this world. If there's anything you ever need, I won't be far away".
Poor Communication Kills: His failed attempts to inform Sam that the hot girl Alice who's riding with them is a Decepticon.
Alternate Character Interpretation: It seemed that he simply thought that Sam was dangerously in risk of cheating on Mikaela, given the choice of songs, and took a dislike to Alice simply on the grounds that she was an apparent man-stealer.
Since neither Bee nor the other Autobots notice that Frenzy's hitched a ride with them in the first film, the 2nd theory is more likely the case.
Shipper on Deck: In the first two movies, its quite apparent he was all for Sam & Mikaela. In the first he was outright trying to play The Matchmaker. And in the second, See the Alternate Character Interpretation above... While we don't know his thoughts on "Sam and Mikaela'sbreak up", but whatever the case, he like Sam has clearly moved on, and totally jumped on the Sam/Carly boat. Outright trying to hint that he wants Sam to propose to his new girl Carly, at the end of the third film.
The Speechless: Due to Megatron ripping out his vocal processors prior to the first film. However, he "speaks" using radio/sound clips.
A grouchy war veteran and Optimus' oldest friend. Ironhide is a proud figure who enjoys fighting and likes showing off his arm cannons. He transforms into a black GMC Topkick pickup truck. He is the first Autobot fatality of the third film, killed by the opening betrayal shot of the treacherous Sentinel Prime.Tfwiki Profile
Ironhide is the Autobots' resident weapons specialist and Optimus Prime's old friend. He is old because he is hard. He's probably had enough replacement parts to build a small army, but Ironhide doggedly refuses to roll over and die for anyone. He'll fight to the bitter end and take down more than his fair share of Decepticons in the process. Ironhide doesn't always see optic-to-optic with Prime, despite their friendship. He's perhaps the more practical of the two, and more than a little trigger-happy, so he can be more willing to push the Autobot code to the limit if he thinks it will get the job done faster. He has more guns than a smaller third-world country, and he may or may not have blown up a planet with said guns.
Sacrificial Lion: Sentinel Prime's coldblooded murder of him shows just how dangerously unstable the old guy has become.
Trigger Happy: Replying to Optimus scolding him for half-jokingly suggesting they slag Sam's annoying parents: "I'm just sayin' we could. It's an option...". The first movie's Video Game also implies that he's responsible for destroying an entire planet. Though Ironhide claims that "it was gonna blow up anyway".
The Autobot's medical and science officer. A former member of Cybertron's High Council, Ratchet is very diplomatic and intelligent. He transforms into a Hummer Search & Rescue truck.Tfwiki Profile
Ratchet, the Autobots' medic, is probably the bravest of them all. He'll risk his life to pull any wounded comrade from the battlefield. Indeed, he did not join Optimus Prime's team to be a soldier; rather, he's there to save lives, and thinks Prime is the best chance the universe has for peace. A medic who dislikes violence, Ratchet's well-armed appearance is more due to being an improviser with surgical tools, such as his buzzsaw, which he discovered he had a penchant for due to his early experiences as a tool-and-die maker. When combat is unavoidable, he can employ these makeshift weapons with surprising agility for his size.
Arm Cannon: His right arm turns into a machine gun.
Optimus' first lieutenant and the resident "black" guy. He loves Earth's cultures and styles and has since taken on several of Earth's customs. He transforms into a Pontiac Solstice car.Tfwiki Profile
First Lieutenant Jazz is one happy-go-lucky Autobot. Good-natured and always able to take things in stride, he provides a decent contrast to the more serious demeanor of Ironhide or Optimus Prime himself. He's also a talker, something Ironhide and Prime like to tease him about. He might be the smallest Autobot, but he's by no means a coward, willing to take on any foe, big or small.
Heroic Sacrifice: He deliberately stayed behind to fight Megatron; most likely knowing full well it was suicide, after telling the others to fall back. This buys enough time for Optimus to show up.
Voiced by André Sogliuzzo (ROTF), James Remar (DOTM)
Introduced in the second film. Sideswipe is a silver-armoured Autobot with retractable blades on his arms and has wheels for feet. He is a bit of a showoff. In the tie-in comics, Sideswipe was in charge of an Autobot colony until it was destroyed by Demolishor and chased him to Earth where he joined Optimus' team. He transforms into a Corvette Stingray car. DOTM sees a slight change to a convertible variant.Tfwiki Profile
Sideswipe is true to his function of Warrior. Though proficient with guns, he prefers melee combat to ranged weapons, and will employ any maneuver it takes to get close enough to the enemy to use his arm-mounted Cybertanium swords. His agile, wheel-legged form more than allows for this. His tactics are merciless and he's utterly unapologetic about this — war, after all, is messy.
Sociopathic Hero: Tie-in comics establish him to not give a shit about killing innocent people. He mellowed out a bit by the time the appears in the movie though.
One-Scene Wonder: Only makes a real impact in the opening scene of Revenge of the Fallen and is barely a background character in the rest of the film.
In the third movie, the only real scene with him in it, making much of an impact, is when he and Ironhide have a Mexican Standoff with Crankcase and Crowbar. But, just like his brief scene in ROTF, this one was also freaking awesome.
However, while it doesn't get much detail, he's also seen in the big group fight scenes comanding the other Autobots during the fight, so its possible that the plausible next film will have him get more time, What with both Jazz and Ironhide dead, someone's gotta step up, and it doesn't look like either Bumblebee or Ratchet would take the role of Optimus's number 2 considering their different roles.
Shout Out / Continuity Nod: Sideswipe's backstory appears to be inspired by that of Depth Charge from Beast Wars, who guarded a Maximal colony until it was destroyed by Rampage.
An elderly Decepticon turned Autobot. He was once a Seeker Transformer, but was abandoned on Earth by the Fallen and joined the Autobots as a result. He is falling to pieces but is resourceful and actually a pretty awesome fighter. He transforms into an SR-71 Blackbird jet.Tfwiki Profile
In his day, Jetfire was a living legend both in the air and on the battlefield. Sadly, his day has long since passed. His body went south years back. His bunny is dead on the wheel. He's got rust in places he didn't even know he had. Basically, Jetfire's old! An ancient Decepticon Seeker, Jetfire was around long before the war broke out, and unlike many, came to see his "comrades" for what they were. This caused him to defect to the Autobots, something virtually unheard of. As a consequence, Jetfire never managed to fully obtain the trust of the others back in the day. He's still a fine asset, powerful and able to activate a space bridge to teleport across great distances. This is slightly offset by the fact he's so old. After years without a proper source of energon, he's practically falling apart. His processor gave up the ghost millennia ago. These days he has a hard enough time remembering his name, and he's lucky if his teleporting puts him on the right planet. It makes him a bit crotchety and also leaves him with the nagging feeling he's forgotten something important.
Heel Face Turn: Technically he made it decades — if not centuries — before the movies take place, but never got around to changing his altmode's emblem, leading to a slight panic situation with Sam & co. at first
Incoming Ham: "BEHOLD! The eternal glory of...Jetfire!!!" (and of course, his first line: "What kind of hideous mausoleum is this?")
Arcee, Chromia, & Elita-1
" We're on our way."
Voiced by Grey DeLisle, hologram rider played by Erin Naas
A trio of female Autobots who transform into motorcycles. Arcee was captured by Decepticons Thundercracker and scientist Flatline who created Chromia and Elita-1, planning to use the three as attack drones but they combined their mental links and escaped to Earth.Arcee Tfwiki Profile
Though small compared to many of her peers and adversaries, Arcee compensates with speed and aggressive maneuvers, making her one of the most dangerous Autobots around. Moreover, Arcee is a born hunter. She honed her speed hunting turbofoxes with other speedsters, challenging herself to get as close as possible before tagging them with her bow. She's a crack shot with said crossbow weapon, and Ironhide has trained her to use her speed to her advantage in battle, striking suddenly and swiftly and then vanishing away again as fast as she appeared. She is the sister of Elita-One and Chromia. The events at Tyger Pax created a nagging doubt in Arcee about her abilities. She carries some guilt about Bumblebee's injuries, and part of what drives her is the desire to prove herself, not only in the optics of her friends and comrades, but most importantly in her own. She also carries a standing feud with Lockdown for unknown reasons.
Chromia Tfwiki Profile
Chromia is a tough bot, optics always scanning for the next fight. Naturally that means she and Ironhide agree on a lot of things. This combined with the countless battles they fought together in made for a friendship that has lasted centuries. When the conflict on Earth escalated, both seasoned warriors were pleased to be working together again.
Elita-1 Tfwiki Profile
Elita-One is the first of the female Transformers. Naturally, she receives a lot of attention, which by no means displeases her, but she's more than a pretty face. She's a cunning fighter and an excellent marksman, capable of hitting a target from at least four miles away. When it comes time to rely on more than her gun, she's able to emit an "attraction field" that can cause those without protection to overheat without warning. Older sister to Arcee and Chromia and one of Optimus Prime's closest and longest-serving officers, Elita-One shares the Autobot commander's compassion and dedication for protecting the innocent and downtrodden. Every bit as skilled as she is compassionate, Elita-One is one of the Autobots' strongest leaders. Determined to protect the weaker from the ruthless Decepticons to the bitter end, she's a living definition of an Autobot.
According to the tie-in comics, she (or at least Elita-1) ran afoul of Shockwave in Philadelphia. It didn't end well for her.
According to the Revenge of the Fallen film commentary, they all died in the final battle against the Fallen.
The comics overrode that however, showing her alive and well post Fallen, although Elita-1 was killed by Shockwave. Arcee and Chromia survive, making her current status, as alive, just off screen with all the other comic Autobots that weren't killed by Shockwave but didn't appear in DOTM.
Hive Mind: According to some sources, but not others.
The current accepted version in the comics is that Arcee, Chromia and Elita-1 started as three siblings and entirely separate beings. The latter two were eventually killed, with their bodies salvaged, while the third was eventually captured and experimented upon. Arcee's spark ended up reanimating the other two and leaving a permanent bond.
Combining Mecha: Not in the movie itself, mind, but they originally would have. They still do combine in the comics and (supposedly in the toyline.)
Voiced by Tom Kenny (Skids) and Reno Wilson (Mudflap)
A pair of kid-like Autobots who are identical twins save their colours (green and red). They are comic relief characters, but were not exactly welcomed by the public.Skids Tfwiki Profile
The dopey-looking Skids spends a lot of his time arguing with his twin brother Mudflap and trying to outdo him in crazy stunts, all while believing he's the responsible, level-headed one. In his own mind, everything dangerous and dopey he does is simply making him a better warrior. And that means one day, one glorious day, Optimus Prime will notice him! Prime even looking in his direction makes him babble, fall over, and generally fail to make an impression, but that won't stop him trying! Underneath it all, he harbors a secret fear that Mudflap is actually the superior warrior of the pair... which is probably true. Skids' hyper-reactive optical imaging scanner allows him to process tactical information faster than anyone (except his twin). Add that to his supreme firepower and his unpredictable actions, and he's a pain in the aft for any Decepticon who wants to counter him! And that's only if they spot him. He changes alt-mode so much it's hard to keep track of him. On Earth, he's already been part of an ice-cream truck (combining with his brother), and more recently a Chevy Beat, but that's unlikely to last very long.
Mudflap Tfwiki Profile
The goofy-looking Mudflap and his twin Skids are a result of a split spark, and share a close bond accordingly. Mudflap is hyperactive, noisy, argumentative, and eager... not that different from his brother. He's so desperate to impress that he comes off as having the robot equivalent of ADHD. When they're not trying to outdo each other in crazy, daredevil antics, the twins are usually bickering with each other over anything. Like Skids, he possesses hyper-reactive optical imaging scanners, making him able to process tactical information faster than any other Transformer (except Skids). As irritated as Mudflap gets from Skids' vocal one-upmanship, he realizes that they actually work best as a team. Each twin can transform into smaller, separate vehicles or combine into a single, more durable alternate mode, but whether they can combine similarly into a larger robot mode remains to be seen. Upon first arriving on Earth, Mudflap and his brother took the form of a beat-up old ice cream truck, but he later scanned a Chevy Trax for a disguise, and, sometime after that, a Chevrolet Spark. That being said, it's unlikely the twins will keep an alt-mode for long.
Bash Brothers: It's averted due to their clumsiness/stupidity, despite their best efforts. They managed to play it straight for a very short time against Devestator, but that ended when Mupflap accidentally shot Skids in the face.
Berserk Button: Attempting to harm or kill one of them is going to get you into big trouble with the other.
Child Soldiers: According to ancillary media. Probably would have helped their reception if it was stated outright...
Combining Mecha: Sorta-subverted: In the opening chase scene, their combined vehicle mode breaks in half and sends them crashing into a wall.
Colossus Climb: Skids tries this on Devastator; Mudflap had the benefit of already being drawn up there when Devastator ate him.
Fridge Brilliance: Mudflap's new alt mode of a slightly different version of Skids might be an odd change, until you remember that Mudflap wanted the Chevy Spark mode to start with, but Skids took it first. Once the battle with the Fallen was over, Mudflap was able to go find the alt mode he wanted at his lesiure.
I Just Shot Skids In The Face: Though lucky for Skids, this only cost him the gold tooth. He was still pretty pissed.
But one way or another, since they're robots who don't actually have ethnicity, all they could ever be is trying to be black, even if they're way off.
Heroic Sacrifice / Dying Moment of Awesome: Though written out of the film proper, the novel and comic adaptations have Skids taking a fatal shot from Sentinel Prime to protect Bumblebee immediately following Ironhide's death at Sentinel's hands. Mudflap then, in a rage, charges Sentinel and is killed by him, but in doing so gives the others the opportunity to escape.
Robo Family: They aren't called "The Twins" for nothing.
Sibling Yin-Yang: Skids thinks he's the smart one, but to everyone else they're both obviously kinda stupid. Skids is also inwardly fearful that he's ultimately the weaker of the two, which frankly he sort of is. However, they both process information much more rapidly than any of the other Earthbound Autobots, so that's something...
Jolt
"Jolt, electrify! Transfer those afterburners!"
—Ratchet
A blue-armoured Autobot who becomes a Chevrolet Volt. He is shown to be an assistant to Ratchet, wielding a pair of electrical whips. He is killed by Shockwave during the events between the second and third films.Tfwiki Profile
Jolt has a tendency towards mischief-making. Like any prankster, he's pretty impulsive, and if trouble rears its head, you can bet Jolt is going to try to be in the middle of it. (Though he more often ends behind it, mostly out of focus, as luck would turn out.) Luckily, he's got the fighting ability to make sure his head stays on his shoulders, utilizing electric whips in battle. He loves to act crazy in battle: it disorients and confuses the Decepticons, drawing them in close so he can whip 'em!
Satellite Character: He doesn't have a single line throughout the entire movie, and has no apparent plot importance besides helping upgrade Optimus at the end.
And promoting the at-the-time unreleased Volt.
Curb-Stomp Battle: On the receiving end of one against Shockwave, who shrugs off his volt-whips and then kills him.
Killed Off for Real: According to the IDW tie-in comics, Jolt was at Diego Garcia when Shockwave came calling, killing Jolt as well as the other two Autobots present.
A small salvage scrap drone used by the Decepticons as a spy. He is sent to retrieve the Allspark shard given to Mikaela by Sam, but ends up siding with the Autobots.Tfwiki Profile
Wheelie is a sneaky little salvage and scrap drone, always underfoot when you least expect it. As a reconnaissance specialist, he's equipped to the teeth with mid-range surveillance equipment. But his real asset is stealth, tooling along unseen and unsuspected while he accomplishes his mission. Unfortunately for his mission, he often bites off more than he can chew — and ends up being the one chewed on!
" Want me to tell ya what I know? I can tell ya about the solar system, all the fun planets to hang out in. "
Voiced by Reno Wilson
A Decepticon drone that gained sentience, Brains sided with the Autobots and now lives with Wheelie in Sam and Carly's apartment. He transforms into a laptop.Tfwiki Profile
The Decepticons constructed a "brain unit" drone to receive a very important download, but the drone gained sentience somehow and is now running around Earth calling himself "Brains." Trouble is, the Decepticons want him back. He transforms into a laptop computer. Brains gets along well with Wheelie.
A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Was built by the Decepticons, but gained sentience and defected.
The leader of the Autobot faction before Optimus Prime, who looks up to him almost as a father with admiration and respect. He transforms into a Rosenbauer fire engine.Tfwiki Profile
Sentinel Prime hails from an older time, when Cybertron was the galaxy's crown jewel, and the Transformer race was full of promise and potential. The only known remaining Prime, he personified what a leader should be: wise, compassionate, and a more than worthy warrior. Revered by both Autobot and Decepticon, few would dare stand against his shield and Primax Blade. But when Sentinel was presumably lost forever on board the Ark, Optimus Prime, his hand-picked successor, was left to fill his void. The loss of Sentinel signaled the end of Cybertron's golden age, and the planet spiraled deeper into war. Some who recall Sentinel's reign bitterly remember when Transformers were masters of their fate, rather than scattered to the stars and living as exiles.
Big Bad: More proactive than Megatron, the other half of the Big Bad Duumvirate. Note that Michael Bay's been saying all this time that Shockwave would be the Big Bad, possibly as a misinformation campaign to make Sentinel's reveal more shocking.
Calling the Old Man Out: Optimus does this to Sentinel during their final battle, although he's more of a father figure to him than an actual father.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Betrayed the Autobots to join with Megatron, but then betrays Megatron later on. Also a literal example, as The Reveal that he's actually with the Decepticons comes with blasting Ironhide In the Back.
Classic Villain: Fits all of the criteria as an Ambition and Pride villain.
Deal with the Devil: Inverted. It's arguable that he's the Devil in the relationship, despite him making the deal with Megatron in the first place.
Drunk with Power: You know that there is nothing of Optimus Prime's noble father and teacher left when he starts declaring Godhood of Earth.
Evil Counterpart: Retroactively, to Jetfire, who betrayed the Decepticons after falling out of their ways, defecting to the Autobots, and while he had issues with the humans, he was willing to put up with and defend them. Sentinel betrayed the Autobots because he thought they were never going to win the war, and considers himself superior to the humans in every manner.
Face Heel Turn: Sentinel actually betrayed the Autobot faction a LONG time ago by siding with Megatron before he started his journey in the Ark. His reanimation basically allowed him to pick up where he left off.
Fallen Hero: Was once Optimus' mentor and the leader of the Autobots, but it turns out he turned traitor.
Sealed Good in a Can: Sealed himself in a vault on the Ark for a great many years in stasis until the Autobots revive him. Turns out he was actually Sealed Evil in a Can and betrayed them long ago.
Shout Out: Sentinel has numerous Gundam-like design elements. The most noticeable are the iconic "V" on his forehead, along with his shield, which he even holds in a very Gundam-like fashion.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: His intention of restoring Cybertron was indeed legitimate. Unfortunately, he decided to "defect" to the Decepticons, and presumably use them, as well as launch a massive invasion on Earth with the intention of enslave humanity in order to do so. He also makes clear that although he does intend to restore Cybertron, that does not mean that he intends to let Megatron rule it. Though, considering his A God I Am speech, it's easy to imagine he might not be so well intentioned after all.
Wham Line: What you must realize, my Autobot brothers, is we were never going to win the war... For the sake of our planet's survival, a deal had to be made... with Megatron.''
Dino/Mirage
Voiced by Francesco Quinn
"On the ground, per favore, and stay there!"
A new member of the team in the third film who speaks with an Italian accent. While he doesn't do much, what little there is of him in the film does have him as a combat partner with Sideswipe.Tfwiki Profile
Mirage is a little impatient. Armed with a dart rifle, electro-disrupter, and the ability to create holograms and turn himself invisible, Mirage is one sneaky robot.
Barrier Warrior: Makes use of an impenetrable force field during the Philadelphia battle in Rising Storm; Fearswoop learns about the "impenetrable" part the hard way.
Non-Action Guy: Rather ironically, given all the weapons he carries on his person. Nonetheless, he's clearly not that great in a straight-up fight, as evidenced by his getting blown up by Shockwave in Rising Storm, and how easily he fell to the 'Cons in Chicago, resorting to begging for his life before Barricade snuffs him out.
Shout Out: To the character Q from the James Bond franchise. He's also a real-life shout out to a certain German scientist.
The Wreckers (Leadfoot, Roadbuster, and Topspin)
Voiced by John DiMaggio (Leadfoot) and Ron Bottitta (Roadbuster)
"This is going to hurt...alot!"
Mechanical engineers, warriors, and (according to the novelization) Nascar fans, the Wreckers were left to look after an Autobot ship in NASA custody.Leadfoot Tfwiki Profile
Leadfoot is one of the Wreckers, a group of former engineers turned fighters who have turned their talents to kicking Decepticon tail across the galaxy. His specialty is building bigger and better weapons, WITH SCIENCE! Not terribly surprisingly, this vocation has led him to strike up a friendship with the Autobots' resident weapons-hound Ironhide. With the way the two egg each other on towards bigger and better "boom-sticks", the other Autobots fear one day waking up to find a smoking crater where their workshop once stood.
Roadbuster Tfwiki Profile
When Roadbuster isn't out bashing Decepticons, there are only a couple of other places to look for him. He might be in his shop, hammering out a new piece of armor or putting together another in the line of powerful weapons he's made for the Wreckers. He might be out on the race track, pushing his engine to the limit. Wherever he is, though, you can be sure he'll be going about his task with his head down and his shoulders set. Roadbuster's not a big talker and he's no genius, but his willpower and dogged tenacity always get the job done.
Topspin Tfwiki Profile
If it doesn't result in at least a few dings and scraped paint, Topspin isn't interested. To him, buckled and burnt armor are signs of a life well-led. He's proud of being one tough bot, and is more than happy to wear the scars to prove it.
Ax Crazy: Let's just say their name is really fitting when they actually get into combat.
Jerkass: This is explained as why they weren't active with the other Autobots; they don't get along well with humans.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite that, they're all for defending humanity with the other Autobots. Leadfoot even reassures Sam that "We ain't goin nowhere."
Topspin was apparently to be voiced by Bill Fagerbakke, but his lines didn't make it to the final film.
Weaponised Car: Their alternate modes seem to automatically be like this.
Violent Glaswegian: Leadfoot and Roadbuster both have Scottish accents, and if you need proof of the "violent" bit there's how they kill that Decepticon pilot at the beginning of the Final Battle
Megatron is the leader of the Decepticons. Corrupted by the power of the Allspark and the Fallen's influence, he wages war on Cybertron. He chased after the Allspark after it was launched into space, but he crashed into the Arctic Circle and froze. What happens next is pretty coincidental or what.Tfwiki Profile
Megatron was not always the viciously powerful and brutally direct leader of the Decepticons: he was once brothers-in-arms with Optimus and a student of Sentinel Prime, appointed to be Cybertron's Protector and commander of its Defense Force. But Megatron resented his comrade, knowing he was a Prime and therefore Sentinel's favored son. This anger allowed The Fallen to ensnare him and led to the revival of the Decepticons. Even without The Fallen, though, it's not hard to imagine Megatron would have erupted Cybertron into war to rid himself of Optimus. Megatron tends to become so obsessed with the object of his desires that he can ignore "secondary" matters, glaring flaws in his plans. Otherwise, he likely wouldn't have chased after the All Spark alone, and spent centuries entombed in the Arctic. Trying to talk Megatron out of blindly going for his goals is useless. He will risk his world, his troops, and even his own spark to achieve his goals; these things do not matter to Megatron. Like his master, Megatron feels a violent hatred towards humans and views them as only slightly above bacteria, a feeling exacerbated by spending decades as their prisoner.
Badass: Just as powerful as Optimus, but much more ferocious, which often gives him the upper hand. As long as you don't rip his face apart and cripple him, he can also shrug off hits from tanks and other Transformers as if they were nothing.
Badass Decay: Becomes less of a threat in each movie, though it could just as well be due to the humans and other Autobots becoming more skilled/advanced. Though in ROTF, Optimus rips his face apart and tears his arm off, causing him to become a...
Retired Badass: Due to his injuries, he becomes an evil variant in DOTM. Instead of fighting, he spends most of his time commanding his Mooksand peacefully watching Cybertron about to be restored. It takes Carly, of all people, to rouse him back into action, and he plays a significant part in defeating the movie's Bigger Bad.
Batman Gambit: In DOTM. He knew the Autobots would find Sentinel Prime on the moon and reactivate him. Since he and Sentinel had agreed to work together, all Megatron needed was for the Prime to gain the Control Pillar for the Space Bridge from NEST, thus allowing them to carry out their long term plans.
Break the Haughty: Got broken hard, twice in ROTF. First by the "insects" when their tanks and machineguns totally screwed him over and forced him to retreat, and then by Optimus Prime, who tossed him aside like no business during his match against the Fallen; blasting half of his face off, leaving him bleeding and crying for Starscream.
Dangerously Genre Savvy: In DOTM, he spends most of his time commanding Mooks from the sidelines rather than fighting himself. The fact that this is probably because of his injured state is strongly supported by the ease with which Optimus kills him once Megs does fight after Carly makes a huge blow to his ego.
Darker and Edgier: Far more nightmarish than any other incarnation of the character.
Enemy Mine: He pulls this on both sides in the recent movie: He sides with Sentinel Prime to stop humanity and the Autobots, although he later ends up aiding Optimus in eliminating Sentinel Prime after the latter betrayed him, only for Optimus to kill both him and Sentinel Prime.
Expy: Of Darth Vader. Right down to being the apparent Big Bad in the first film but turning out to be The Dragon, yet remaining the more recognizable, central and active villain.
Parental Issues: In the IDW comics, where all the anger in him was over the fact that Optimus, not Megatron, was Sentinel's favorite.
Pet the Dog: Megatron's reaction in DOTM at seeing Cybertron again and thinking it saved. It really showed how he did care for something other than himself.
Shout Out: In DOTM, his green colour hue, raggy cloak and chains wrapped around him makes him look a bit like Dr. Doom.
May I mention that Megs is a Humongous Mecha who is missing half a face and wears a raggy cloak that covers up his left side? Now wasn't there another mecha like that?
Word Of God says that Megatron's face was intended to resemble Freddy Krueger's. The claw on his left hand was also made to resemble Freddy's glove, but the desired effect was for viewers to only make the connection subconciously and find Megatron scarier.
Maybe that's why his chest plates are in a more even, stripelike pattern during ROTF.
Spared by the Adaptation: The novel of DOTM has him actually teaming up with Optimus against Sentinel ("Three shall stand, one shall fall!") and then suing for peace, sincerely admitting he's tired of all the fighting. Optimus lets him go, and Megatron then heads back for Cybertron, aiming to corral the Decepticons still there into helping rebuild their homeworld, with the intention of calling the Autobots back when they're done to live in peace again.
Villainous Rescue: He comes to the rescue of Optimus Prime when he realized by the end of the invasion he will be nothing more than "Sentinel's bitch."
Wound That Will Not Heal: The facial injuries he sustained in ROTF. It didn't help that he casually killed the repair-bots like fleas when he got bored or angry.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Arguably the case, considering that he apparently desires the survival and future of the Transformer race in the Second movie, and apparently by the time of the third, apparently he was in on wanting to restore Cybertron.
The Bigger Bad than Megatron, The Fallen is the true founder of the Decepticons. Having Fantastic Racism against humanity, he tries to wipe them out by building a Sun Harvester machine on Earth, but is thwarted by his fellow Primes. Years later, he returns to exact his revenge.Tfwiki Profile
If the first Transformers were Cybertron's disciples, then The Fallen is its Judas. At the dawn of time, he was Megatronus Prime, one of a brotherhood of vastly powerful beings dedicated to the well-being of their world. But The Fallen would gain his current moniker by turning against his brother Primes and his purpose to pursue his own ends. His frightening form is a metal cage for primal, burning forces of chaos, giving him the appearance of a living furnace. These cauldron-like forces purged him of what empathy and morality remained. The Fallen is immensely powerful. He commands mystic, entropic arts, and when at full strength he can un-make creation at his focused will. He is rarely defeated; at best he is contained, where he waits with eternal patience for the chance to unleash his dark powers once again. Though he has at times been imprisoned between dimensions, this rarely lasts. When his power is at its height The Fallen can open space bridges and travel between dimensions and realities at will.
Dangerously Genre Savvy: Rather than go out and get killed, he absolutely refuses to leave his lair until Optimus is dead. Reason being, it's stated that only another Prime is capable of killing him and he's well aware that he needs to take this fact dead serious. And when Optimus is being brought back, the Fallen steals the Matrix of Leadership while he's being healed.
Curb-Stomp Battle: He winds up on the receiving end of one, courtesy of Optimus.
Voiced by Charlie Adler, hologram pilot played by Brian Reece
Megatron's Dragon, Starscream is a Dirty Coward and often sucks up to Megatron. Despite his previous incarnations' acts of betrayal, this Starscream has yet to display this trait.Tfwiki Profile
Starscream is a hero on the wrong side. Over the centuries, he's come to believe both Optimus and Megatron have lost sight of what is best for the Cybertronian race, and simply pursue their own agendas. At some point, he came to the decision that, for the good of the species, a new leader must emerge, and he would be that leader. However, over time, he became as corrupt in his own way as Megatron, although he prefers subtlety and deception to Megatron's brute force. Now, what may once have been noble goals are buried under layers of self-interest, transforming Starscream into that which he supposedly despised.
Cool Plane: His alt mode is an F-22 Raptor, which some would call the cool plane of the modern age
Cruel and Unusual Death: Gets a grappling hook jammed into his eye. Then gets a bomb jammed into his other eye. Spends his last moments flailing around blindly and screaming.
Noble Demon: According to the tie-in comics, the only reason he remains with the Decepticons despite having no respect for Megatron is because he feels that he nonetheless feels it is his duty to protect the Decepticons from other Starscreams who actually won't lead them effectively.
The Starscream: Apparently. He's less proactive than other incarnations, although he was happy to leave Megatron to die in Mission City. This comes back to bite him when Megatron makes his return.
Then again, the mere fact that he could lead the Decepticons quite effectively in the tens of thousands of years of Megatron's absence would probably have Starscream being justified in feeling that he is the better leader compared to Megatron.
Top Heavy Guy: He's almost triangle-shaped in order to keep him around the same height as the Autobots.
Villainous Breakdown: He completely loses his slag when Sam stabs him in the eyes, flailing and screaming like a madman as he frantically tries to yank the bomb out of his optic.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: According to tie-in comics, he doesn't believe in Optimus or Megatron - his only goal is to save his species from extinction.
Voiced by Jess Harnell, hologram driver played by Brian Reece
An aggressive Rabid Cop who transforms into a police car. He and Frenzy hunt down Sam Witwicky to get information on the glasses, but he is defeated offscreen by Bumblebee, before being Put on a Bus.Tfwiki Profile
Barricade is apparently a complicated robot. He's considered "fractious" even by Decepticon standards, yet is willing to give Starscream the benefit of the doubt and follow where he leads, at least for the time being. Though not totally dedicated to the service of the Decepticons' current leader, he is much more cautious and reserved about expressing mutinous dissent than say most. He believes that Starscream is vital in their search for Megatron and the All-Spark. In many ways this makes him Starscream's closest ally in the naturally combative Decepticon ranks. Then again, it's been said that he likes to trick people into trusting him, just so he can see their reactions when they find out just how much of a bad idea it was. As such, he has disguised himself as an Earth police car in an attempt to fool the humans around him. If his attitude toward his fellow Decepticons is inconsistent, his attitude toward the Autobots is not: kill them all. Barricade might not be as large as most of his peers, but he is every bit as deadly. He thoroughly relishes every chance in fighting the Autobots. He's smart enough to let one live if he thinks he or the Decepticons can use it to their advantage, but most of the time, they're dead before someone's even thought of a plan.
Shoot the Hostage: Has no qualms about doing this at all. Poor Wheeljack...
Schrödinger's Cat: The adaptations of the first film say that Optimus killed him along with Bonecrusher, Reign of Starscream says that Ironhide ran him off the road (nonfatally) during the highway chase, pretty much any given piece of supplemental material gives him a different fate
What Happened to the Mouse?: The prequel novel to ROTF reveals that he was damaged in battle by the Autobots shortly before ROTF, and was likely still recovering by the time the film's events took place.
The UK comics are having a lot of fun with this - Barricade and Ironhide co-host the letters page, and Barricade fluctuates between treating the movies with disdain and demanding more screentime.
Blackout
"Blackout incoming. All hail Megatron!"
Hologram pilot played by Brian Reece
Megatron's Yes Man. Blackout transforms into a military helicopter and obliterates an American air force base in Qatar. He is partnered with Scorponok. Blackout fights in the Mission City battle, but is killed via a Groin Attack by Captain Lennox.Tfwiki Profile
The massive Blackout has been described as the "hound" of Megatron. In better days he was always to be found looming powerful and silent behind his leader's right shoulder. When given a target, he hunts it down with fierce determination. Blackout is not happy with the progress Starscream is making towards finding the missing Decepticon leader. He suspects (quite rightly) that Starscream would prefer Megatron to stay lost. Blackout is openly mutinous and will challenge Starscream's leadership at any opportunity, not for his own sake, but to better serve his ultimate goal of finding his lost master. Blackout has a sneaky side and uses his symbiotic companion Scorponok's small size to great advantage.
Yes Man: Some sources portray him as this to Megatron.
Bonecrusher
"Bonecrusher rolling."
Voiced by Jimmie Wood
Tfwiki Profile
Bonecrusher, also known as The Claw of Megatron, is a Transformer that can be described with one word: Hate. While other Decepticons get by on greed, ambition, or just their fondness for dispensing chaos, Bonecrusher is fueled by sheer, unrelenting hate. He hates everyone and everything, be they Autobot, Decepticon, or anything in-between — he even hates himself, revolted by his misshapen, hunchbacked robot mode, which he considers a reflection of all the ugliness and malice inside himself. The full force of this vicious cycle of hatred finds release in explosive, frenzied bursts of psychotic brutality, as Bonecrusher takes out the full force of his bitterness and self-loathing on anyone who looks at him sideways. He also hates Megatron, but would hate being terminated by the Decepticon leader more, so he sticks around. On Cybertron, Bonecrusher was actually quite a skilled tactician — dedicated to the art of war, a fast thinker who could plough into battle while others were still mapping out strategy, and, most importantly in Megatron's eyes, a masterfully dirty fighter. However, Bonecrusher's skills left him consigned to a supervisory position and kept him off the battlefield, which, of course, he hated. Naturally, this only helped to increase his already-epic levels of frustration and misery at his lot in life, until he became what he is today. He's so intensely pent-up that he'll unflinchingly take on opponents of any size — the bigger the better! Bonecrusher wouldn't hesitate to confront Optimus Prime head-on, if he could.
Screaming Warrior: He does nothing but yell in rage whilst fighting Optimus. If you listen carefully it even sounds like he shouts "I hate you!" when Optimus cuts his arm off. Which definately fits with his character.
To say Brawl is a warrior is like calling Cybertron a hunk of metal. Brawl does not just enjoy fighting, he is consumed by it. Tearing Autobots apart is embedded into his very core, and every fiber-optic cable of his being is obsessed with wild, unyielding combat. The only thing he enjoys, or even cares about, is the fury of battle. And he loves a good explosion. Particularly if it's one he created, and if it's an Autobot that is exploding. While it's not uncommon for ambition or independent thinking to cause trouble in the Decepticon ranks, Brawl's never had that problem. This is mostly because he suffers from a severe lack of both qualities. Where others question orders, Brawl simply carries them out, perfectly happy to let Megatron do all his thinking for him.
Not Quite Dead: He falls early in the Mission City battle after Jazz, Ratchet, and Ironhide triple-team him, but gets up a few minutes later.
One Steve Limit: One big reason for calling him "Brawl" instead of "Devastator"
Rasputinian Death: He was being shot up with grenade launchers and getting his appendages cut off for nearly half an hour before he finally went down for good.
Frenzy is small, sneaky, skittering, and single-minded. His hyper-active twitching and lightning-speed jibbering in his own tongue bely incredible espionage and sabotage skills, but it is in causing chaos and carnage that Frenzy truly excels. This creepy little abomination is the best there is at what he does, and approaches his tasks with a level of sinister glee that make it hard to deter him from a course of action once he has settled upon it. Frenzy is exceptionally hard to kill, due to the fact that he possesses a de-centralized, modular nervous system. In essence, it means that even if he suffers critical injuries — such as getting his head severed, which seems to be a not-infrequent problem for him — he can continue to function. In addition to this, he is equipped with a hyper-reactive trans-scanning and reformatting system that allows him to totally reconfigure his alternate mode with ridiculous speed, meaning that he can be something one minute, and something completely different the next. Although this is something which he does regularly anyway, it also works regardless of what state of disrepair he may be in, making it quite the challenge to keep track of him.
Losing Your Head: Twice: one from Mikaela, and one from his own ricocheting shuriken. The second movie shows that Simmons kept it as a trophy even after losing his job.
A Scary Scorpion who works as Blackout's partner, having a symbiotic relationship with him. He is deployed to chase Captain Lennox's team across Qatar, but retreats when attacked by US aircrafts. He reappears in Revenge of the Fallen, but is curb stomped by Jetfire.Tfwiki Profile
Scorponok is a small Transformer with a symbiotic connection to Blackout. Just as Blackout would often be found looming powerful and silent by Megatron, Scorponok is always near Blackout, except in those times he has been sent to kill. His main drives are to hunt, destroy, and hunt some more, causing many to view him as barely sentient. Others are concerned that he may actually be a cunning opponent getting friend and foe alike to underestimate him... and the latter are right. In secret, Scorponok has proven to be astonishingly erudite and focused on patient, long-game operations. Since he can tunnel underground with frightening speed, he's incredibly good at ambushing. His favorite pastime is playing Hide-and-Seek with unsuspecting players, be they robotic or organic. He prefers to be hider and seeker. On Cybertron, he was deliberately left behind on battlefields so he could use his chameleon mesh armor plating to blend in perfectly with the background, then ambush any Autobot patrols that would arrive. Thanks to this, Megatron gave him more autonomy than other Decepticons would get, as he admired Scorponok's genocidal zeal. He may retreat, but he'll come back. He kills Autobots. He never gives up.
Megatron's loyal communications officer. He floats above Earth as a Kill Sat, observing the communications of N.E.S.T., learning where Megatron's corpse is located. He deploys Ravage to retrieve the humans' Allspark shard, and later commands Decepticons to attack Earth and capture Sam's parents. He's a bit of a Memetic Molester on an American satellite. Oh, and Frank Welker is voicing him.Tfwiki Profile
Soundwave, the Decepticon communications officer and one of Megatron's staunchest supporters, doesn't just master the frequencies that carry information across our planet, he revels in them. Stationed high in the upper atmosphere and capable of processing millions of data streams at once, he is fully capable of taking over communications on a planetary scale. Whether he uses this to direct civilization or destroy it remains to be seen. Soundwave has two extremely powerful weapons: his spread of Sonic Cannons... and Megatron. If any Decepticon crosses him, he does not hesitate to send a full record of said Decepticon's failures to Megatron, almost-certainly ensuring an untimely demise. His lofty position has made Starscream suspicious, so Soundwave has his minion Ravage keep an eye on the Air Commander if he gets out of hand. Soundwave is also nearly defenseless in space, as his devastating Sonic Cannons only work within the atmosphere.
The Beast Master: Utilizes Ravage and Laserbeak, animalistic Transformers, to do his dirty work.
Big "NO!" - Lets one out before Bumblebee blows his head off
Cool Car: A Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, which happens to belong to Carly
Off with His Head!: How Bumblebee kills him... by jamming his cannon upwards into/through Soundwave's chest and pulling the trigger, blasting Soundwave's head to bits from below/inside
Shoot the Hostage: "(evil laugh) Understood. No prisoners; only trophies."
What Happened to the Mouse?: Averted; Soundwave never came to Earth and so is still in orbit; his actions get picked up on in the comic sequel
Sideways
A relatively harmless Decepticon refugee who hides in Shanghai with Demolishor. He flees but is chased by the Twins, Arcee and co., and then Sideswipe who slices him in two.Tfwiki Profile
Before the war, Sideways was a simple courier so he's not a physical powerhouse like the other Decepticons. As he's pretty smart, Sideways prefers to team up with larger Decepticons in the battle against the Autobots. This way, his target-friendly companion takes all the heat! When he absolutely must face the enemy, he eagerly deploys the spinning saw blades on his arms. Many would call him a coward, but Arcee and her sisters know differently. A world-class spy doesn't do anyone any good if he's compromised. He surrounds himself with dangerous traps, yet always leaves an escape route, and has thus far never been captured.
Dirty Coward: According to his bio, he's a simple courier who shuns combat and hides behind bigger Decepticons, like Demolishor. When the Autobots and NEST discover him, rather than trying to fight, he flees in vehicle mode.
A Decepticon who looks a lot like Blackout. He captures Sam, Mikaela and Leo, delivering them to Megatron, Starscream and Scalpel to remove Sam's brain. He fights Optimus in battle, but has his face ripped apart. Ouch.Tfwiki Profile
You have to get up pretty early in the morning to get one over on Grindor. A master strategist, and close-combat specialist, Grindor can predict his opponents' next move before they know it themselves. It's reached the point where it's less planning and more instinct on his part. With every possible move planned out beforehand, Grindor confidently wades into the center of battle, ready for any and all comers.
Clock King: What his bio makes him out to be; it doesn't show up much in fiction.
A giant Constructicon who hides out in Shanghai. A Psycho for Hire in the comics, Demolishor destroyed several Autobot colonies before coming to Earth. He flees from the Autobots on Earth until taken out by Optimus.Tfwiki Profile
The gigantic Demolishor may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's smart enough to know when to fight openly and when to stick to the shadows. One of the Constructicons, Demolishor arrived on Earth to find Megatron dead, so he went into hiding, gathering other Decepticons who needed a big, blunt instrument to cower behind. Now in charge of this little band, he awaits the day when a new Decepticon leader will rise.
Famous Last Words: "This is not your planet to rule. The Fallen will rise again!"
Palette Swap: Demolishor, who is white with red details, into Scavenger, who is red with white details
Pet the Dog: His treatment of smaller, weaker Decepticons like Sideways
Psycho for Hire: As seen in Tales of the Fallen; he especially enjoys hiding in populated areas, both to cause as much collateral damage as possible and to lure large groups of Autobots toward him to fight.
Whether he's formed from six, seven, or even nine Constructicons, Devastator is a giant among giants. He is, in fact, so huge that his body simply cannot support itself when carrying his weight upright, forcing him to lumber on all fours. Devastator is a tormented being, his very formation wracking his component Constructicons with pain and stressing them to the breaking point both physically and mentally. The imperfect fusion process produces a mind that's very much less than the sum of its parts; rage and pain are all he knows, pushing aside whatever intelligence he might possess. Devastator relies on almost pure instinct in battle. Devastator is named after Cybertron's unwithstandable and terrifyingly destructive Devastator Winds, due to his intimidating strength. Devastator can also create powerful gravity wells by generating an artificial black hole with his Vortex Grinder, located in his mouth. Nearby objects are drawn into his gaping mouth to be crushed.
The Constructicons are a group of Decepticons that take the form of various construction vehicles, many sharing alternate modes, body-types, and even names. Constructicons have been built since the dawn of the Transformer race, and used to be considered simple drones.
Curb-Stomp Battle: They're on the receiving end of it. Although they do seem to be pressing the humans and Autobots back at first, they're all wiped out without scoring any kills on their Autobot opponents, and they fail in their other objectives as well.
Fan Nickname: Scrapmetal is affectionately called "ze little one", after Scalpel's order to tear him to shreds ("Kill ze little one!" He actually got a canon name solely because of his surprising fan following, meaning the Fan Nickname came first in this case.)
Ravage specializes in infiltration. A frequent partner of Soundwave, he does the dirty work of the larger Decepticon. Ravage's body and armaments are all dedicated to hitting the enemy before they even know what hit them. He can be orbitally inserted at fifteen times the speed of sound, spy inside highly secure locations using swarms of microcons, and generally ruin your day. He respects the danger humans present, though, as they were the ones who managed to kill Megatron. Perhaps due to his origin as reengineered Cybertronian wildlife, some doubt Ravage's sentience, and there is debate on the degree to which he is a distinct entity, rather than an extension of Soundwave's will However, he's displayed guile, cunning, and split-second tactical thinking, making it hard for others to believe he does not have some innate intelligence. In reality, Ravage just considers the other Decepticons beneath him, and allows his eerie, silent ways and manner to alienate him from his comrades. Soundwave is the one exception: the two are kindred spirits, understanding each other's true nature and motives.
Reedman is the form taken by a swarm of microcons when they combine together. The combined, mantis-like form is razor-thin, allowing for nigh-invisibility when seen from certain angles.
The tiny Scalpel, also known as "the Doctor", looks harmless enough with his big, inquisitive eyes. But beware — in the world of the Transformers, things are not what they seem! Scalpel has vast databases of anatomical and mechanical knowledge, being familiar with most species in the galaxy. He's extremely adept at getting to the root of a problem and can handily disassemble most technological devices... or life-forms. Unfortunately, when he goes to put them back together, he always has a few parts left over. This has left most of the Decepticons reluctant to come to him for care, in spite of his duties as their field medic.
Much like Megatron crashed into the North Pole and was discovered and kept on ice by the USA, Shockwave arrived atTunguska, Siberia in 1908and wound up in the Soviets' hands. Now he's awake, and he's not very happy about being kept in stasis by these filthy organics. His most dangerous weapon is the Driller, a gargantuan, tentacled sandworm-like monster that does Shockwave's bidding.Tfwiki Profile
Shockwave was left to watch Cybertron by Megatron long ago, arriving on Earth to hunt for the All-Spark shortly after Megatron. A peerless scientist with deadly efficiency and a cold devotion to logic, he is one of the very few who could rival Megatron. Shockwave is ready and willing to destroy the Autobots with his arm-mounted Astro-Mag Cannon.
Big Bad: Averted. Although Michael Bay claimed that Shockwave would fill this role, this may have been misinformation to make the reveal of the trueBigger Bad more shocking.
Played Straight when playing on the Autobots side of The Dark of The Moon Game(which takes place before the film) where he is The Final Boss
Expy: In yet another Star Wars analogy, Shockwave can be likened to Boba Fett as the prominent yet largely silent "faceless" villain with "toys" of his own who acts as Megatron's/Vader's muscle - which is quite out-of-character compared to hisotherincarnations.
Hero Killer: Not in the movie, but in the IDW comics, good Lord, he's killed Elita-1, Jolt, Knock Out, Dune Runner, Longarm and Salvage, as well as Galloway. In fact, the go-to explanation for why an Autobot from RotF is not present for the third film seems to be "Shockwave did it."
Mighty Glacier: In the game. He's got incredible defense and a top damage blaster arm, but he runs like a turtle and is the only character in the game that doesn't have a vehicle form.
Psycho for Hire: Functions as Megatron's top assassin, and absolutely revels in slaughtering Autobots in the most brutal way possible.
The Quiet One: Has one, maybe two, lines in the entire film, yet unlike the other characters who get hit with that he is a significant presence.
Notably only in the final film, though; in the comic adaptation, he's actually quite talkative.
The Driller
Shockwave's warbeast/"pet", essentially a massive Mechanical Lifeform version of a Sand Worm. Drillers are Cybertron's apex predators. This absolutely humongous beast (in the novel, Optimus outright calls this particular specimen the largest Driller ever seen) was, at some point, tamed by Shockwave. It travelled to Earth with him, was entombed in cryo-stasis by the Russians with him, and woke up when he did. Large and strong enough to bring down a skyscraper (by tunneling into and up through it, finding a weak spot, wrapping around, and then making like a boa constrictor). Killed by Optimus Prime.Tfwiki Profile
Drillers are a type of subterranean lifeform native to Cybertron, and some of the single most dangerous creatures on or under the planet's surface. So naturally, Shockwave keeps one as a pet.
An example of Cybertronian wildlife re-engineered to serve Transformers, Laserbeak serves the Decepticons primarily as a scout and spy for Soundwave. But that doesn't mean he isn't capable of other tasks, such as hunting down targets for capture, be they human or Autobot. Perhaps the most useful of his abilities is to transform into almost any type of alt-mode, even those who aren't alt-modes.
Animal Assassin: Not in terms of personality (he's rather chatty), but due to the fact that he's a murderous robotic bird.
Artifact Title: In that he dozen't even have any lasers this time, but ballistic slug throwers like every other Transformers in this universe.
Master of Disguise: Much more than other Decepticons and Autobots, Laserbeak is shown changing his alternate mode numerous times to quick and horrific effect. He can even become other Transformers, just not in the proper scale or color.
Suddenly Voiced: He's the first version of Laserbeak to speak on-screen.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Laserbeak goes about murdering his and Soundwave's human pawns when they've outlived their usefulness to the Decepticons.
The Dreads (Crankcase, Crowbar, and Hatchet)
Group Tfwiki Profile
The Dreads are a unit of particularly fearsome Decepticons. Their specialty is infiltration and the assassination of high profile Autobot targets. They’re also such unpleasant monsters that even the other Decepticons tend to dislike them.
Crankcase Tfwiki Profile
A rarity among Decepticons, Crankcase is known for his subtle and shadowy nature, though it would be a mistake not to see him as a threat. A member of the elite Dreads, the Decepticon’s top infiltration and assassination team, his specialty is hacking, data theft, and destructive sabotage of vital systems.
Crowbar Tfwiki Profile
Crowbar is well known as a master of breaking and entering. It doesn't matter if we're talking computer systems, human safes, or enemy compounds; he's got the tools and skills needed to get you in. His weapons of choice are "nanotech sentries".
Hatchet Tfwiki Profile
Decepticon master strategist Hatchet is most famous for formulating devastating counter-attacks against Autobot defenses. Yet as a member of the Dreads infiltration and assassination team, he also plays another role, taking on the dirtiest jobs available personally and exterminating his targets with a brutal and efficient finality.
Animal Motifs: Crowbar has raven-like features, Hatchet's robot mode is a giant, hungry alien lion, and Crankcase, in addition to looking like the Predator, resembles some manner of stag beetle.
Alien Hair: All three of these have this, but Crowbar's in particular are long, Medusa-like tendrils.
Badass Longhair: Crowbar's dreadlocks are absolutely whiplike.
Combat Pragmatist: In their battle with Ironhide and Sideswipe, Crankcase and Crowbar drop their weapons and feign surrender, only to whip out hidden spears and attempt to pull a cheap shot on their would-be captors.
Elite Mooks: Their bios describe the Dreads as an elite infiltration unit, specialising in assassination of high-value Autobot targets and hacking enemy systems to acquire vital data.
Flipping the Bird: Crankcase's middle finger is longer than the others. As such, some shipments of his toy came with it snipped, while Takara-Tomy opted to simply remold the hand entirely.
Shout Out: Crankcase is visibly based on the titular alien from the Predator franchise.
Terrible Trio: They're such an example of this, they each share the same vehicle mode, a black police suburban.
Theme Naming: Crowbar and Hatchet are both named for objects that can be used as weapons. Their team name is derived from the fact that all three of them have robo-dreadlocks.
Alice is the kind of girl you wish you met in college. She's pretty, has... prominent mammalian characteristics, is incredibly forward about what she wants, and lives next door to Leo Spitz and Sam Witwicky in Hamilton Hall. She's really interested in Sam. It's a bit suspicious, really; maybe she's just pretending?
Becoming the Mask: Mentioned in John Barber's "Convergence" prose story as a risk that all Pretenders like her take; going undercover as another species long enough causes one to start thinking like them.
Determinator: Particularly in the third film. The whole world is about to fall under Decepticon control, but he won't give up, even if it means going into Chicago to rescue Carly without human or Autobot assistance. Additionally, his reluctance to give up enables him to kill both Starscream and Dylan.
Rapid Fire No: Loves to use this trope, especially when running from Decepticons.
Shut Up, Hannibal!: In his final confrontation with Dylan. The Decepticon-collaborator mocks his attempts to be heroic, telling him that he picked the wrong side (the Autobots). He sums it up with "You think you're a hero!?" Sam's response: "No. I'm just a messenger!" right before he knocks Dylan into the Control Pillar, electrocuting him to death.
Put on a Bus: She gets practically no mention in the third movie.
Real Life Writes the Plot: It implied they broke up between films, in real life Megan Fox had a dispute with Micheal Bay calling him "worse then Hitler". Spielberg, who produces the movies, didn't take kindly to that and she was fired from the third movie. Hence Sam's new girlfriend.
Black Dude Dies First and Retirony: Averted, despite talking about how he enjoys his new life NOT being shot at and then volunteering for a near suicide mission, he survives all three movies.
Fan Disservice: Did we really need a close-up of Turturro's almost-bare ass?
Heroic Sacrifice: Keeps trying this in ROTF, but it doesn't work.
Honor Before Reason: In ROTF, he takes this concept and makes it work awesomely.
Humans Are Warriors: Not as much as Lennox and Epps, but definitely has the heart of one, at least.
Large Ham: Particularly from the second movie on, as he's free from Men in Black constraints.
Single Episode Handicap: In DOTM, he ends up in a car crash during the Dreads chase scene, and for the rest of the movie is confined to a wheelchair. Doesn't stop him from being as much of a conspiracy nut as he was earlier in the film and in the last one.
Worth It: In The Stinger for DOTM, he steals a kiss from Mearing and says it was totally worth it when she immediately has him arrested.
Ron & Judy Witwicky
Judy:"You are so cheap."
Ron:"It's his first car. It's supposed to be that way."
Speaking of marijuana, Judy's escapades after eating a pot brownie were the reason why both Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania forced Michael Bay from revealing what college Sam went to.
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Completely absent in the second two films, most likely either retired, replaced after Obama takes office, or some other reason. Either way, the next time a secretary of defense shows up, its a different actor, adifferent character, and a different gender.
Galloway:"So let me ask: If we ultimately conclude that our national security is best served by denying you further asylum on our planet, will you leave peacefully?"
Optimus Prime:"Freedom is your right. If you make that request, we will honor it. But before your President decides, please ask him this: What if we leave, and you're wrong?"
Played by John Benjamin Hickey
Dropped a Bridge on Him: Casually killed by Shockwave in the pre-DOTM comic, when Shockwave busts his way into a NEST base and slaughters every human and Autobot that gets in his way.
Stop Helping Me!: In the pre-DOTM comics, he ends up coming to like the Autobots and NEST after they save his life, and insists on helping out. Unfortunately, he isn't very good at it.
Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Throughout this film, with all the stuff she goes through with Sam, she never has a hair out of place or any scrapes to her flawless skin, whereas Sam looks like he's on the verge of needing to be in the emergency room.
Hannibal Lecture: Rare heroic example executed on Megatron, calling him "Sentinel's bitch" and prompting him to save Optimus Prime's life.
Mythology Gag: At the end of the film, Bumblebee hints at his wanting Sam to propose to Carly. In the original cartoon, Carly and Spike (the character Sam is based off of) got married and even in some continuities, had a son.
Official Couple: With Sam, as Mythology Gag above states...It's safe to say they are this in the film series, Sam himself said in DOTM-to his parents-"She's The One", and what with Mikaela gone, this being the last film of the franchise, oh yeah and again-that Mythology Gag bit stated above.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Carly pulls a short one on Megatron when she sees via telescope how Sentinel Prime pushes him around, telling him how he, as the Decepticon leader is forced to play second banana and will ultimately end up being "Sentinel's bitch." She more or less deduced that his ego wouldn't be able to handle it, which it can't, causing him to go after Sentinel just before he's about to kill Optimus.
Dylan Gould
"When it's not your war, you pick the side that's going to win."
Played by Patrick Dempsey
Beware the Nice Ones: When we first meet him, he's a bit full of pride and way too close to Carly for Sam's comfort, but there's nothing that immediately signals him to be a major threat. Then we learn he's working for the Decepticons and his darker persona starts taking over, continuing on to his Villainous Breakdown.
Big "NO!": When he struggles with Sam for the Control Pillar.
Cool Car: Has a big damn collection/museum of restored antique cars.
Dirty Coward: Sides with the Decepticons and sells out his own SPECIES so that he can walk out scot-free while everyone else is enslaved.
It's Personal: His reasoning for Soundwave to execute the Autobot prisoners. Contrast to his attitude earlier, where he considered his role in the Decepticons' plan as a simple job.
I Gave My Word: When he holds Carly hostage so Sam will spy on the Autobots, he promises that she will be out of harm's way. And he actually does keep his word.
Karmic Death: He reactivates the Control Pillar for the Space Bridge in order to help the Decepticons complete their plan (he was promised that he would spared after the takeover). Meets his end when Sam knocks him into the Pillar, electrocuting him to death.
Nothing Personal / Just Following Orders: He views assisting the Decepticons as simply working with "clients," and goes through with their plan in order to ensure that he doesn't get killed off.
Survival Mantra: "They said I'd be safe... they said I'd be safe..."
Villainous Breakdown: Starts off relatively cool and collected, but becomes more violent as the Autobots gain the advantage in battle. Arguably justified, as he was sure the Cons would win the war, and the Autobots getting closer to victory means he'll have to be responsible for his actions.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She softens up a bit to the protagonists as time goes on. In fact, she even apologizes to Sam for not taking his warnings seriously.
Jerkass Has a Point: She has Sentinel Prime's pillars detained, and makes an argument that they could be used to bring through weapons or an invasion army. Which is exactly what Sentinel uses them for.
Obstructive Bureaucrat: But not as bad as Galloway. In fact, she's actually somewhat helpful to our heroes.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Her hostility towards the Autobots and insistiance on the Pillars getting detained doesn't help Sentinel's already negative view of humanity, and forces him to attack the base to steal the pillars, which ends up getting Ironhide killed.
Not What It Looks Like: He lures Sam into the bathroom to give him information about Megatron's plan. Sam's boss comes into the bathroom, and hears both of them arguing in the bathroom stall.
Properly Paranoid: Due to his association with Laserbeak, he fears every machine near him to be the murderous Decepticon.
