The upcoming Rise of the Beasts film seems like it’ll be placing the spotlight on Autobots who went underused in previous films, like Arcee, Wheeljack, and Mirage. However, there are still plenty more Autobots who haven’t appeared in the live-action movies at all. Here are just a few prominent Autobots who would be welcome in future Transformers movies.
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While most of the major characters from the early days of the series have already appeared in the live-action films, there’s one notable Autobot from the original cast who’s been left out. Prowl was once meant to appear in the 2007 Transformers movie, but he was removed when his police car alt-mode was instead given to the Decepticon Barricade. But while he has yet to appear in live-action, he’s been very prominent in both animation and comic books.
Prowl was a main character in the 2007 Transformers Animated cartoon, in which he was reimagined as a wise and stoic Cyber-Ninja who had a fierce rivalry with the villainous bounty hunter Lockdown. Meanwhile, the comic books from IDW Publishing have a very different take on Prowl, portraying him as a morally ambiguous mastermind who’s willing to cross any line to advance the Autobot cause. The comic Prowl may not be the most likable character, but his complexity makes him a truly unique presence amongst the Autobot ranks.
Windblade is a more recent addition to the franchise, making her first appearance in 2014. But since then, she’s already carved out a place for herself as a mainstay of the series, appearing prominently in comics and animation alike as a core member of the Autobot ranks. She’s an idealistic young bot with a jet fighter alt-mode and a samurai sword — but though she’s a powerful combatant, her greatest strength is her compassion. Originally appearing in the IDW comics, Windblade has gone on to appear in the Robots in Disguise, Prime Wars Trilogy, and Cyberverse cartoons. At this rate, it’s only a matter of time until she crosses over to the big screen.
Ultra Magnus first appeared in 1986’s The Transformers: The Movie, which introduced him as Optimus Prime’s right-hand man who was named leader of the Autobots after Optimus’ tragic death. Other iterations of the character have portrayed him as Optimus Prime’s brother, the supreme leader of the Autobots, and most recently as a stick-in-the-mud control freak. Ultra Magnus has been portrayed in myriad ways throughout the past few decades, but he’s always one of the most powerful members of the Autobots.
Another notable Autobot who debuted in the 1986 animated movie, Kup is a grizzled old soldier who spends his days complaining about “turbo-revvin’ young punks”, regaling the Dinobots with his war stories, and making peace with enemies using the Universal Greeting. Like Ultra Magnus, Kup went on to become a main cast member in Season 3 of the original cartoon, but he’s enjoyed less prominence in following Transformers series. Even so, he’s continually appeared in comics and video games, and he remains a beloved character in the fandom.
Another relatively recent character, Bulkhead was completely absent from the original 1980s series, making his first appearance in 2004’s Transformers: Energon. However, the iteration most fans will likely think of first is the Bulkhead of Transformers Animated — a lovable oaf voiced by Bill Fagerbakke, better known as Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants. A similar Bulkhead would appear as a main cast member in Transformers: Prime, this time voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson (aka the Mauler Twins in Invincible). Not many post-Generation 1 Autobots can boast that they were a main character in multiple series, but Bulkhead is so darn lovable that he made it happen.
The Autobots have had their fair share of giant-sized allies over the years, from combiners like Superion and Defensor to city-sized titans like Metroplex and Fortress Maximus. But before any of them, there was Omega Supreme, the very first giant Autobot. Omega Supreme was first introduced in Season 2 of the original animated series, all the way back in 1985. He was characterized as a gentle giant — despite his overwhelming power, he was ultimately peaceful by nature. This tragic aspect of his character was further emphasized in Transformers Animated, which reinterpreted him as a living superweapon who had the capacity to think and feel despite his destructive purpose. And of course, Omega Supreme was also prominently featured in the Transformers: War For Cybertron video game, in which he was the final boss of the Decepticon campaign.
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