Worth almost 30 billion dollars and having existed for almost 40 years, Transformers is an extensive franchise, and one that would have died in the 2000s if it weren’t for Michael Bay‘s live-action movie series. But unfortunately, while Bay’s movies arguably saved the franchise, their actual quality has been questionable at best, and downright terrible when The Last Knight came around.
But then to everyone’s surprise came Laika Studios CEO Travis Knight, of all people, saving the franchise’s live-action section with the prequel – really a soft reboot – Bumblebee, which became hands down the best live-action Transformers movie. And with its sequel Rise of the Beastscoming next year and two other movies on the way, it will hopefully be time for Autobots and Decepticons who haven’t made it to the big screen yet to finally be in the spotlight. So here are 10 Transformers characters we want to see in future live-action movies.
Ultra Magnus
We’re starting off the list big with this one, who is also the one who came closest to already being in a live-action movie, being originally intended to appear in Dark of the Moon before being replaced with Sentinel Prime, before being planned for an appearance in The Last Knight only to be scrapped again.
Making his first appearance in the 1986 movie, Ultra Magnus is usually presented as one of Optimus Prime’s chief lieutenants, although he has also been second in command of Rodimus Prime in the later seasons of the G1 animated series, or even Optimus Prime’s superior in the Animatedcontinuity. Definitely an important character, and one who is overdue for a live-action appearance.
Windblade
Originally created as the result of a series of official fan polls in 2013, Windblade has since become a mainstay in the Transformers franchise, having a strong presence in both comics and animated series.
Windblade’s design and personality have been very consistent since her introduction, a rare thing in the Transformers franchise, being an idealistic warrior with a Japanese-themed design who turns into a jet, and has to a certain extent replaced Arcee as the go-to female Autobot. Being literally created by fans, it goes without saying that Windblade is a fan-favorite, and is thus definitely due for an appearance on the big screen.
Slipstream
First appearing in Animated, Slipstream was the first female Seeker, and has arguably become the most recognizable female Decepticon since. Being originally a rather obscure character, she has recently come to the forefront in Cyberverse, where she serves as one of the main antagonists.
Seeing the live-action movies’ jarring lack of Seekers other than Starscream, it’s definitely time for more major names of the group to appear on the big screen, and while Skywarp and Thundercracker are more likely to be the ones making it, it would definitely be nice to see more female Decepticons like Slipstream, especially after the success of Bumblebee‘s original character Shatter.
Springer
With Bumblebee introducing Blitzwing to the big screen, there is no better time to introduce his Autobot counterpart as the original triple-changer of his faction, Springer. First appearing in the 1986 movie, Springer is a triple-changer who can change into both a car and a helicopter, and has since become best known as the leader of the Wreckers.
While Bay seems to have confused him with Drift in Age of Extinction, portraying the latter as triple-changer – which he normally isn’t – with the same vehicle modes as Springer, there is definitely room for him to appear in the new movie trilogy, perhaps as the leader of more accurate version of the Wreckers than the ones seen in Dark of the Moon.
Kup
Another character first introduced in the 1986 movie, Kup is a very interesting Autobot, being usually portrayed as grizzled veteran who has knowledge to share with even Optimus Prime. While he is mostly associated with G1, he has made several other appearances since, with the most notable one being his most recent in Cyberverse, and his design and personality have been fairly consistent.
With his status as war veteran, there was definitely a missed opportunity for him to appear in The Last Knight as one of the Autobots seen fighting in WWII, although in retrospect, he didn’t really miss much. But he definitely deserves to appear on the big screen, and hopefully the coming movies will be the occasion for that.
Perceptor
Being one of the original major Autobots from the first seasons of the G1 animated series, it’s actually surprising that Perceptor hasn’t appeared on the big screen yet. Although seeing what Dark of the Moon did to Wheeljack, it’s probably for the better. Along with the aforementioned Wheeljack, Perceptor is the brains of the Autobots, a genius scientist who is always seeking knowledge but isn’t very good at fighting.
He also tends to speak in an overly verbose way, a character quirk that reached its peak in Animated where he was straight up voiced by a text-to-speech program. While his original alternate mode as a microscope might look slightly ridiculous in a live-action movie, Animated started a trend of portraying him as an off-road survey vehicle instead, which persists through his recent appearance in Cyberverse and would definitely be a better fit.
Omega Supreme
Now that’s a big one. First appearing in the G1 animated series, Omega Supreme is a gigantic and extremely powerful Autobot who turns into a full-on battle station, complete with a tank and rocket. Having also made notable appearances in Animated and War for Cybertron, Omega supreme has had a very consistent design over the years.
He is usually portrayed as the Autobots’ most powerful asset and last line of defense, and often speaks with a distinctive speech pattern that more akin to a traditional robot, although Animated took the character in an interesting new direction by making him the Autobots’ spaceship. While Omega Supreme would be tricky to bring to live-action because of his size, it would undeniably be cool to see him on the big screen.
Alpha Trion
First appearing in the later seasons of the G1 animated series, Alpha Trion is a long-standing character in the Transformers franchise, being always portrayed as an old and wise sage and mentor to Optimus Prime, with a design that has changed very little despite his various appearances over several decades. Unlike most characters in the franchise, Alpha Trion has never had an alternate mode outside of toys, which might contribute to his consistent design.
One of the oldest Transformers and a powerful figure in Transformers lore, Alpha Trion was a huge missed opportunity to include in either Revenge of the Fallenor The Last Knight, especially since with the more grounded approach that the new movies are taking, it’s unfortunately unlikely that we will see him in them.
Warpath
While tank alternate modes are usually a thing of Decepticons, Warpath is a notable exception. Being a classic Autobot appearing in the first seasons of the G1 animated series, Warpath is unique in that his tank mode’s cannon remains functional in robot mode, sticking out of his chest and allowing him to fire a variety of different munitions.
This feature, along with his all-red color scheme, has been a fairly consistent aspect of the character throughout the years. While he has technically already appeared in the movies’ continuity through comics and video games, he has yet to actually appear in the movies, which is a shame, because his outgoing and extravagant personality would make for a fun character to bring to the big screen.
Blaster
A popular character in the G1 animated series who has unfortunately not made any notable appearances in the last ten years, Blaster is the Autobot version of Soundwave, turning into a cassette player and having his own group of Mini-Cassettes.
Where his Decepticon counterpart and nemesis has a cold and quiet personality, Blaster is the complete opposite, being loud, outgoing and with a taste for all sorts of Earth music, especially rock & roll. While his lack of recent appearances has left fans disappointed, the upcoming movies would be the perfect occasion to bring him back, and the presence of the popular old-school character could easily be a big selling point.