100 Fun Facts About Transformers

What are the two warring factions in Transformers called?

The Beast Wars era renamed the sides Maximals and Predacons, and in Japan the originals were long known as Cybertrons and Destrons.

What is the name of the Transformers' home planet?

In later lore the planet is literally the body of the god Primus, and Iacon is one of its cities.

In which year did the Transformers toy line and cartoon both launch in the United States?

US regulators had just relaxed rules on promotional content in children's TV, clearing the way for a show built around a toy line.

The original Transformers toys were rebranded from which Japanese company's Diaclone line?

The company later merged with Tomy, and today Takara Tomy still owns the franchise inside Japan while Hasbro owns it everywhere else.

Which publisher did Hasbro hire to write the Transformers backstory in 1984?

Editor-in-chief Jim Shooter wrote the treatment and Bob Budiansky named most of the characters; IDW rebooted the comics two decades later.

Which mecha designer, creator of Macross, designed most of the original Transformers robots?

His transforming VF-1 Valkyrie fighter for Macross grew out of the same idea that produced the Diaclone mechs.

Which Canadian voice actor has played Optimus Prime since the 1984 cartoon?

He based the voice on his older brother Larry, a Vietnam veteran who told him real heroes do not yell.

Optimus Prime's original truck mode was most likely based on which real vehicle?

The trailer turned into a combat deck holding a small scout robot named Roller; the 2007 film swapped him to a Peterbilt.

What did the original Megatron toy transform into?

The Micro Change toy was based on the gun from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and was a hero in Japan before Hasbro made him the villain.

Why did Hasbro initially object to the name Megatron?

Writer Bob Budiansky replied that the lead villain's name was supposed to be frightening; the name is a blend of megaton and electronic.

Which treacherous Decepticon second-in-command constantly schemes to replace Megatron?

The name almost never happened: early suggestions for the jet toy included 'Ulchtar', 'Silver Snake' and 'Pretty Poison'.

Megatron's communications officer transforms into what in the original series?

The tapes in his chest, like Ravage and Laserbeak, transform too; later versions became trucks and jets because nobody uses cassettes.

Grimlock leads which group of Autobots?

He turns into a Tyrannosaurus, and the group were the best-selling toys of 1985 despite Michael Bay later saying he hated them.

Which company sold the rival GoBots line from 1983 to 1987?

Hasbro bought Tonka in 1991, and the GoBots universe was later folded into the Transformers multiverse as an alternate reality.

In what year is The Transformers: The Movie (1986) set?

That put it 20 years after the cartoon's second season, and the third season picked up from the film's ending.

Which legendary actor voiced the planet-eating Unicron in his final film role?

He recorded on October 5, 1985 and died five days later; his voice was so weak it reportedly had to be run through a synthesizer.

Which Star Trek actor voiced Galvatron, the rebuilt Megatron, in the 1986 film?

He came back to the franchise 25 years later as Sentinel Prime in Dark of the Moon, whose face ILM had originally modelled on Sean Connery.

Which Autobot catches the Matrix of Leadership and becomes Rodimus Prime in the 1986 movie?

The dying Optimus meant it for Ultra Magnus, who cannot open it; the ending was largely engineered to sell a new line of toys.

According to its story consultant, why did Hasbro let the 1986 film kill Optimus Prime?

Kids cried in cinemas, the backlash was so strong that Prime was resurrected at the end of the cartoon's third season.

Stan Bush's song 'The Touch', a highlight of the 1986 movie, was originally written for which film?

The Stallone action film passed on it; the song later resurfaced in the Bumblebee movie and a Transformers video game.

The 1996 series set among the Maximals and Predacons was the first Transformers show to do what?

Vancouver's Mainframe Entertainment made it, with the good Maximals mostly mammals and birds and the evil Predacons mostly bugs and dinosaurs.

Who directed the 2007 live-action Transformers film?

Spielberg was executive producer; Bay took a 30 percent pay cut to keep the shoot in Los Angeles with his usual crew.

Which actor plays Sam Witwicky, the teenager whose first car turns out to be Bumblebee?

The car is a Chevrolet Camaro in the Bay films, a deliberate break from the character's classic Volkswagen Beetle look.

In the 2007 film, what is the lost artifact both sides are hunting for on Earth?

It is hidden inside the Hoover Dam by the secret agency Sector 7, next to a frozen Megatron.

Which 2009 sequel won the Golden Raspberry for Worst Picture yet out-grossed the original?

Its finale at the Giza pyramids has the Constructicons combine into Devastator to uncover a hidden Star Harvester.

Which city hosts the climactic battle in Transformers: Dark of the Moon?

Gary, Indiana stood in for Ukraine, and the plot ties the Autobots' crashed Ark to the real Apollo 11 landing.

Roughly how much did Dark of the Moon gross worldwide, a franchise first at the time?

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley replaced Megan Fox as Sam's girlfriend, and 3D filming accounted for about $30 million of the budget.

Who took over as the human lead, inventor Cade Yeager, in the fourth live-action film?

The film was the only 2014 release to pass a billion dollars worldwide, and Optimus rides Grimlock into battle in Hong Kong.

Transformers: The Last Knight opens in AD 484 with which wizard seeking Transformers' help?

The film also reveals that Earth is the dormant Unicron, with the access point to drain it lying under Stonehenge.

In which year is the Bumblebee (2018) film set?

Hailee Steinfeld's Charlie finds him as a yellow Volkswagen Beetle in a scrapyard, a nod to his classic Generation 1 look.

Which stop-motion studio veteran, director of Kubo and the Two Strings, directed Bumblebee?

It was the first film in the series not directed by Michael Bay and the first to earn generally positive reviews.

What is Bumblebee's designation before Charlie gives him his name?

The Decepticons Shatter and Dropkick torture him for Optimus's message and learn the Autobots are on their way to Earth.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts draws mainly on which sub-franchise, bringing in the Maximals?

Set in 1994 Brooklyn and Peru, it opens with Unicron attacking the Maximals' homeworld and sending his herald Scourge after them.

Which car does Noah Diaz try to steal in Rise of the Beasts, only to find it is the Autobot Mirage?

Pete Davidson voices Mirage; the film became the lowest-grossing entry in the series despite mostly warm reviews for the character.

Which two actors voice the young Optimus Prime and Megatron in Transformers One (2024)?

The characters start as Orion Pax and D-16, miners without transformation cogs; Steve Buscemi voices Starscream.

Which former Pixar director made Transformers One?

The Toy Story 4 director wanted a voice cast to rival the 1986 movie's; the film was well reviewed but grossed only $129 million.

In Transformers One, what is the robots' home planet itself formed from?

The idea of Primus as the planet's living body was first introduced in the UK Marvel comics in the 1980s.

Which comic-book cosmic villain inspired the characterisation of the planet-eating Unicron?

Both are cosmic beings who eat worlds; illustrator Floro Dery designed Unicron for the 1986 film.

Which Japanese studio did the main animating work on the first two seasons of the 1984 cartoon?

Marvel Productions and Sunbow produced it for first-run syndication in the US.

What was the very first live-action Transformers film's approximate worldwide gross?

Bay claimed a $145 million budget, calling his secret shooting 'very, very fast'; the producers called it a bargain next to that summer's other tentpoles.

Which Transformers film was the highest-grossing movie of 2014 worldwide?

It made $1.105 billion and was the only film that year to cross the billion mark, despite scathing reviews.

Which fan-favourite Transformer, left out of the 2007 film, topped a USA Today poll for the sequel?

He appeared in Revenge of the Fallen as a satellite in orbit and came down to Earth as a Mercedes SLS in Dark of the Moon.

Which country made its own cel-animated series to fill the gap between Canadian Beast Wars seasons?

The second Canadian season was only 13 episodes, too short for Japanese TV, so local cel-animated series were made instead.

Which female Autobot did the UK comic explain was built to counter human accusations of sexism?

The comic had earlier stated Transformers had no concept of gender at all.

Which 1986 film features a Weird Al Yankovic song alongside Stan Bush's 'The Touch'?

'Dare to Be Stupid' plays over the Junkion scenes; the soundtrack mixed his parody with hair-metal and Vince DiCola's synth score.

Hasbro gained the rival GoBots property by buying out which company in 1991?

The GoBots cartoon universe was then retroactively folded into the Transformers multiverse as an alternate reality.

Season three of the original cartoon revealed which alien race had used Cybertron as a factory?

Their robot workers rebelled to become the Autobots while the soldier models became the Decepticons.

Who leads the Maximals in Beast Wars?

The Maximals and Predacons crash on what turns out to be prehistoric Earth and take organic beast forms to survive its Energon levels.

In Dreamwave's The War Within comics, Optimus Prime was originally a clerk with what name?

Dreamwave went bankrupt in 2005, leaving several of its storylines unfinished.

Transformers: Animated (2008) is set in the year 2050 in which US city?

The Autobots act as superheroes there, battling mostly human villains until Megatron resurfaces.

Who voiced Megatron in the first three live-action Transformers films?

Bay felt Welker's cartoon voice did not fit the part; Welker finally got to play Megatron on the big screen in The Last Knight, using his Prime-era growl.

Which Autobot became the first to die in the live-action films, torn in half by Megatron?

The 2007 film turned the cartoon's music-loving Porsche into a Pontiac Solstice, voiced by Darius McCrary.

Which wrestler-turned-actor plays Sector 7 agent Jack Burns in Bumblebee?

Hailee Steinfeld's Charlie is a former competitive high diver, and filming wrapped six days early under the working title Brighton Falls.

Why was Bumblebee left out of Beast Wars entirely?

The name was only reacquired in the 2000s, just in time for the character to become the breakout star of the 2007 film.

In the original cartoon's third season, Bumblebee is rebuilt and takes what new name?

He and Wheeljack were the first two Transformers ever shown on screen in the 1984 pilot, and Dan Gilvezan voiced him throughout the series.

Which comics writer coined the name "Optimus Prime" before being replaced on the project?

Jim Shooter disliked the rest of his work and handed character creation to Bob Budiansky, but that single surviving name became the most famous in the franchise.

Besides Optimus Prime, which Winnie the Pooh character is Peter Cullen known for voicing?

He also provided the first voice of KARR in Knight Rider and the clicking vocalizations of the creature in Predator.

Megatron's original voice actor has played which Scooby-Doo character since 1969?

Frank Welker has around 850 credits, took over Scooby himself in 2002, and his films have grossed more than $17 billion combined.

Transformers: Prime (2010–13) originally aired on which US network?

The channel was co-owned by Hasbro and Discovery, and reruns on The CW's Vortexx block made Prime the first Hasbro Studios cartoon on US terrestrial TV.

Transformers: Prime's Autobots hide in a missile silo near which fictional Nevada town?

Ironhide was meant to be on the team but was swapped for Bulkhead because the two characters were judged too similar.

Rescue Bots' island of Griffin Rock lies off the coast of which US state?

Heatwave, Boulder, Blades and Chase are partnered with the Burns family of first responders, and the show quietly teaches kids about hazards and safety.

How many episodes did the original 1984–87 Transformers cartoon run for?

Rescue Bots overtook it with 104 episodes to become the longest-running Transformers series.

Which 2015 series was the first to make Bumblebee, not Optimus Prime, the lead character?

It sent him to Earth to recapture the escaped inmates of a crashed prison ship, with Cartoon Network airing it until 2017.

In Transformers: Armada, both factions fight over which race of small power-up robots?

Their crashed ship split in two, leaving half embedded in the Moon and the rest scattered across Earth in pentagonal stasis panels.

In Beast Wars, what artifact guides the Predacon Megatron's hunt for energon?

He also stole a ship called the Darksyde, and the Maximals pursued him aboard the Axalon until both crashed on prehistoric Earth.

In the 1999 Beast Wars sequel, what mindless drones rule a depopulated Cybertron?

It was the only North American Transformers cartoon fully outlined in advance, which is why it plays as one serialized story.

Prime's third-season subtitle was first the working title of which 1999 Maximal series?

Its DVD commentary reveals the title swap; the writers also renamed Jetstorm from Skybolt after five episodes to hide his link to Silverbolt.

Japan skipped which three-part 1987 US finale, making its own Headmasters series instead?

These Headmasters are small Cybertronians who became the heads of giant bodies called Transtectors, not humans from the planet Nebulos.

Who returned in Fall of Cybertron to voice Grimlock for the first time in 25 years?

Fred Tatasciore voiced both Megatron and Ratchet in the same game, which was delisted from digital stores once Activision's Hasbro licence expired.

Which radio host was offered the role of the Decepticon hacker Frenzy in the 2007 film?

His agent talked him out of it, and Reno Wilson took the part of the robot that hides as a boombox and later a Nokia phone.

With Hoover Dam, which building let the 2007 film's crew in for the first time since 9/11?

Dam exteriors were shot before tourists arrived at 10 a.m., and the hangar holding a frozen Megatron was built at a Hughes Aircraft plant in Playa Vista.

In Revenge of the Fallen, the elderly Seeker Jetfire disguises himself as which aircraft?

He is a Decepticon who switched sides, and his teleport sends the heroes to Egypt to hunt for the Matrix of Leadership.

Which Candyman actor voiced the ancient Prime Megatronus in the 2009 sequel?

He later joined Transformers: Prime as the Seeker Dreadwing, out to avenge his twin brother Skyquake.

The Petra shoot for Revenge of the Fallen was aided by which country's sci-fi-fan king?

Four days there followed a secretive three-day shoot at Giza and Luxor, arranged by winning over Egypt's antiquities chief Zahi Hawass.

Which band's "New Divide" served as the main theme of Revenge of the Fallen?

It debuted at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, the band's highest debut, and its breakdown mimics the franchise's transforming sound effect.

Which Apollo 11 astronaut appears as himself meeting Optimus Prime in Dark of the Moon?

The plot reimagines the Moon landing as a cover story for secretly inspecting the crashed Autobot ship, the Ark.

Megan Fox lost her role in Dark of the Moon after comparing Michael Bay to whom?

Bay claimed Spielberg told him to fire her, which Spielberg denied; Rosie Huntington-Whiteley replaced her as Sam's girlfriend.

In Dark of the Moon, Optimus's traitorous mentor disguises himself as what vehicle?

The red and black Rosenbauer Panther hides a traitor, and the script's many Star Trek nods honour the Spock actor who voiced him.

In Age of Extinction, Optimus trades a rusty Marmon for a truck from which maker?

The 2014 Western Star 5700 XE kept the flame decals; the rusty 1977 Marmon 97 was found hiding in Texas by inventor Cade Yeager.

What is the name of the rogue CIA unit hunting Transformers in Age of Extinction?

Kelsey Grammer's Harold Attinger runs it, working alongside the alien bounty hunter Lockdown, who wants Optimus Prime for his mysterious Creators.

Which Downton Abbey actor voiced the sociopathic butler-bot Cogman in The Last Knight?

Co-writer Matt Holloway, a Downton fan, asked for him; Cogman serves Anthony Hopkins's Sir Edmund Burton.

Which Churchill-linked stately home was draped in Nazi flags for The Last Knight?

The film went on to earn a record ten Razzie nominations without a single win.

Which pair voiced the triple-changing Decepticons Shatter and Dropkick in Bumblebee?

Shatter is a Plymouth Satellite and a Harrier jet, Dropkick an AMC Javelin and a Bell AH-1 attack helicopter.

Which single did Hailee Steinfeld release from the Bumblebee soundtrack?

The soundtrack is packed with 1980s hits, including "The Touch", the anthem from the 1986 animated movie.

Which character does Scarlett Johansson voice in Transformers One?

Chris Hemsworth recruited her by text; her character is a mining supervisor demoted to waste management who becomes a three-wheeled motorcycle.

In Transformers One, Alpha Trion's beast mode is what unusual creature?

Laurence Fishburne voices him; he is found deactivated in a cave beside the corpses of the other Primes and exposes Sentinel as a fraud.

Which Euphoria actor voiced the planet-eating Unicron in Rise of the Beasts?

It was the character's first proper live-action appearance after being teased as the Earth's core in The Last Knight.

Which Game of Thrones star voices the trophy-hunting Terrorcon leader Scourge?

Scourge turns into a black Peterbilt 359 logging truck and kills Bumblebee in the film's first act.

Michelle Yeoh voices which falcon-formed Maximal in Rise of the Beasts?

Scourge corrupts her with Dark Energon, and the Maximal leader reluctantly kills her at her own request to save Elena.

Rise of the Beasts ends with Noah recruited into which other Hasbro franchise's unit?

The two franchises now share continuity, and producers say future films will fold in more characters from that series.

In Cyberverse, which telepathic Autobot helps an amnesiac Bumblebee recover his memories?

She was the only bot able to squeeze through a half-repaired space bridge to Earth, where the pair also revive Grimlock from a dinosaur-era stasis.

In EarthSpark, the new breed of Earth-born Transformers are called what?

They bond to the Malto kids through cyber-sleeves on their arms, in a Pennsylvania town named Witwicky after the cartoon's human family.

In Angry Birds Transformers, what are the villainous pig characters called?

The 2014 mobile run-and-gun game spawned an IDW comic miniseries the following year.

Monty Python's Eric Idle voiced which leader of the Junkions in the 1986 film?

The film's $6 million budget was six times that of an equivalent 90 minutes of the TV series, yet it opened in 14th place at the box office.

After the 1986 movie, Galvatron's Decepticons are exiled on which ruined world?

Season three moved story editing to Sunbow, and animation for around half the season came from producer Nelson Shin's studio AKOM.

In the 1984 pilot, how long had the crashed Autobots and Decepticons lain dormant?

The three-part pilot was later titled "More than Meets the Eye", and it ends with the Decepticons presumed dead after their cruiser plunges into the ocean.

Hasbro representatives first encountered the future Transformers toys at which 1983 event?

The truck that became Optimus Prime was originally sold as Battle Convoy, complete with a human pilot that Hasbro removed.

Which ceremony gave Optimus Prime a Lifetime Achievement honour in March 2023?

Total Film has also ranked him the 30th greatest movie hero of all time.

Which female Autobot combiner, born of the Enigma of Combination, stars in Combiner Wars?

The Machinima web series ran in five-minute episodes on go90; its sequel Titans Return cast Michael Dorn as Fortress Maximus and Wil Wheaton as Perceptor.

In Transformers lore, which god created Unicron and split him into twins with Primus?

Primus trapped them both inside metal planets, becoming Cybertron, while his brother learned to turn his planet into a robot and eat worlds.