Transformers is actually based on the Transformers toy series. The Transformer toy line gained popularity in the 1980s as toys that could be transformed from vehicles, animals, and other devices into various action figures. Based on the popularity of the Transformer toy line, there have been a number of spinoffs in the franchise, such as several comic books series, animated movies, and even a TV series The Transformers (1984). This movie's plot is taken from the Transformers TV show season one trilogy story arc "The Ultimate Doom": (1) The Ultimate Doom: Brainwash (1) (1984), (2) The Ultimate Doom: Search (2) (1984), and (3) The Ultimate Doom: Revival (3) (1984); which featured the Decepticons using human slaves to bring Cybertron into Earth's orbit through the space bridge.

Transformers are fictional, sentient alien robots and the title characters of a popular Hasbro toy line and its spin-offs. Coming from the planet Cybertron, the Transformers are divided into two factions, the heroic Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, and the evil Decepticons, almost always led by Megatron. They are able to "transform", rearranging their bodies into common or innocuous forms, including vehicles (the most commonly known form), devices or animals. They can displace mass (i.e. shrink and expand), combine with one another, and apply synthetic flesh, although the displacement of mass is only used outside of the film trilogy as Michael Bay felt is was unrealistic and wanted to you use real physics on the Transformers. This ability to transform is reflected in the programs' taglines "More Than Meets the Eye" and "Robots in Disguise". All Transformers stories and characters, in a range of media, have been based around this core concept since their debut in 1984.

Transformers (called Cybertronians as a species name) have their own civilization and customs, which has generally existed for a very long time (tens of millions of years). In fact, many Transformers themselves are millions of years old, having extremely long lifespans and power reserves. They are usually depicted as being born from "protoforms" (blank shells) and after being given Spark (their life force) they develop into their own bodies and age via upgrades. Despite being robots, they do show cases of "sexual dimorphism", in that there are Transformers with distinctly "male" and "female" traits (and some individuals even form romantic relationships).

As of 2017, there are five films in the series. They are divided into two trilogies. The initial trilogy consists of Transformers (2007), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), and Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) is the first film of the second planned transformers trilogy and in which none of the previous human characters return, and Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) continues off from it with only Sector Seven agent Simmons and USMC General Morshower resurfacing from Dark of the Moon.

[hr] Autobots (logo wallpaper here)

Returning Autobots

Optimus Prime - The Autobot leader that transforms into a Peterbilt 379 semi truck, blue with red flame decals, and now features a Semi's trailer similar to his G1 roots. His weapons include an energy rifle that unveils from his back, two retractable energon blades that extend from both forearms, Ion cannons on both of his arms, as well as two retractable energon hooks on both of his forearms. His trailer serves as a weapons pack and a jetpack. He encounters Shockwave and the Driller in Ukraine and confronts Charlotte Mearing for keeping the secret of the Fuel Cell from the Ark hidden from him. Accompanied by Ratchet, he searches the Ark and finds his former Mentor Sentinel Prime, bringing back to Earth to revive him which resulted in Sentinel attacking him in confusion. After learning of Sentinel's betrayal, he confronted his Predecessor where he fought and bested Optimus but spared his life. He participated in Chicago, killing a number of Decepticons including Shockwave and the Driller and faced Sentinel which resulted in his right arm cut off. As Sentinel prepared to deliver the final blow, he is saved by Megatron and the Decepticon leader offers a truce, Optimus uses this opportunity to murder him by ripping out his head and spine with an axe and executes Sentinel with Megatrons gun. Concept art of Optimus here.

Bumblebee - Sam's guardian who turns into a yellow-and-black Fifth Generation Chevrolet Camaro. He can transform his right arm into a plasma cannon and has missile launchers in his shoulders. Bumblebee has also gone through some changes, his alternate mode features new body kit and paint job. Accompanied by Sideswipe, Que and Dino, he fires at Iranian Soldiers in the Middle East. Upon returning to the NEST base, Bumblebee assisted in teaching soldiers how to fight Decepticons. Sideswipe and Dino escorted the humans and Sentinel back to the NEST base. Along the way they were attacked by the Dreads, and Bumblebee and Sideswipe used their Stealth Force modes to shoot at Hatchet while Dino held him in place. He says goodbye to Sam after human governments exiled the Autobots at Sentinel's Request. He participates in Chicago. He helps Sam rescue Carly piloted the Fighter Ship used by a Decepticon. Upon being captured, he witnesses his friend Que being executed, leaving Bee distraught, he had barely a moment to mourn as he was pulled forward and about to be killed by Soundwave himself. he soon avenged his friends death by Killing Soundwave. He helps Optimus, Sideswipe and Ratchet take on Sentinel on also brings down the Pillar with Ratchet's help. He is amongst the surviving Autobots and is commended by Ratchet for his bravery. Concept art of Bumblebee here.

Ironhide - The Autobot Trigger-Happy weapons specialist who transforms into a GMC Topkick pickup truck. Ironhide possesses weapons that include an energy rocket launcher on his left arm, a plasma rocket launcher on his right arm, with a super Gatling gun connected around the outside of the right forearm plasma rocket launcher. Ironhide was inspecting a new weapon that Que had created for him in which he uses to kill Crowbar and Crankcase with the help of Sideswipe after colliding head on with the two Dreads in vehicle form. Arriving at the NEST base, he is shot in the back by Sentinel, Ironhide demanded to know what Sentinel had done, but the Prime callously stated that he was merely "discharging" the soldier from duty, and dealt the finishing blow. As the traitor disappeared into the NEST base to retrieve his pillars, Ironhide died, crumbling into dust. His death was never mourned or mentioned. Concept art of Ironhide here.

Ratchet - The Autobot medic who transforms into a green-and-gray Search and Rescue Hummer H2. His weapons include a Cybertronian rotary saw that emerges from his left arm and can transform his right and left arm into a medigun. Ratchet also had some modifications done to his alt mode, he has been painted green and grey. He was yellow in the previous two movies. In the movie, he accompanies Optimus to Ukraine but left the fighting to his leader when Shockwave and the Driller attacked. He also accompanied Prime to the moon in search of the Ark and later joined the other Autobots in leaving Earth aboard the Xantium. He is present in Chicago where he defiantly put up a fight as he was forced to the ground at gunpoint when the Autobots and helped Optimus, Bumblebee and Sideswipe take on Sentinel Prime himself, but even all of their combined strength could not defeat Sentinel. He is among the Surviving Autobots at the end.

Sideswipe - The Autobot Combat Instructor who has now upgraded into a silver Chevrolet Corvette Centennial Convertible. An expert fighter with his swords and tries to get in close with his opponents. He is armed with two retractable Cybertanium arm blades in robot mode, along with a double barreled machine gun on each of his wrists and a gun on his back. Sideswipe was previously a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept in the last movie. He joined Bumblebee, Dino and Que in the Middle East and was also present at HQ. He helps fend off the Dreads coming to capture Sentinel on a highway with Dino and Bumblebee. Using his Stealth Force mode to help in bringing down Hatchet. He helps Ironhide kill the last two remaining Dreads when the Weapon Specialist confronts them in a "Mexican Standoff" where they throw hidden spear bombs, injuring Ironhide but Sideswipe managed to avoid damage by cutting the spear bomb thrown at him in half with a back flip and tosses Que's weapon to Ironhide that kills them. He participates in the final battle and helps Optimus, Bumblebee and Ratchet take on Sentinel. He is amongst the Surviving Autobots at the end of the film. Concept art of Sideswipe here.

Wheelie - A little spy who turns into a blue radio-controlled toy monster truck. He lives with Sam and Carly and befriends Brains. He went with their human housemates to the NEST base to reveal information to the Autobots, however their offer of help was turned down by Charlotte Mearing. Wheelie later noted that they were disrespected greatly, and decided they were safer with Bumblebee at Sam and Carly's. However when the Autobots were forced to leave Earth by the human authorities, both Wheelie and Brains were captured and shoved into a small cage. They begged for help from Sam, warning him the whole thing was a Decepticons trap. He is present in Chicago. He and Brains stumble across a Decepticon fighter and use it to enter the mothership overrode the ship's controls, dropping several of the small fighters onto the battlefield, causing a distraction just at the right second for Soundwave, preventing Bumblebee from being executed after Que. This also allowed the Autobots to gain an essential lead in the battle, proving the duo's worth in the end as the massive ship crashed into a large body of water below. Concept art of Wheelie here.

Introduced Autobots

Sentinel Prime - A Descendant of the Dynasty of Primes who turns into a red-and-black Rosenbauer Panther firetruck. He is a Mentor and Predecessor of Optimus Prime and is armed with a shield and lance in robot mode. He is briefly mentioned in the rambling speech given by Sam Witwicky while under an All Spark fragment-induced trance in Revenge of the Fallen. He is Surprisingly the main villain, revealed as a rogue Autobot later in the film. Sentinel reveals his plans before killing Ironhide and destroying the Nest HQ. He brings the pillars to Washington DC and transporting hundreds of Decepticons that were concealed on the moon. He spares Optimus who tried to stop his former mentor. He battles Optimus and the Autobots in Chicago. He proves to be a skillful Warrior by severing Optimus' right arm. He is attacked by Megatron, wounding him. Sentinel pleads for Mercy before being executed by Optimus. Concept art of Sentinel here.

Dino - A red Ferrari 458 Italia. Originally meant to be called Mirage until it was changed in late post-production. It was changed apparently due to copyright disputes over Ferarri, as Hasbro owns the rights to transformers (and the character named Mirage) but Mattel owns the rights to Ferrari. He still appears named Mirage in comics, books, toys and the video game. In the film, he is known as "Dino" and he speaks in an Italian accent. He also wields two Mantis wrist blades that can be detached onto a length of cable. He first appears at the Nuclear facility transformed to robot mode the instant they were through the barrier and, blades flashing, politely requested that the human guards lie on the ground. He later kills helps kill Hatchet by digging his blades onto him and steered him into the firing line of the other Autobots before hurling him into oncoming traffic to finish him off. He participates in the final battle and is among the surviving Autobots. Concept art of Dino here.

Que/Wheeljack - The Autobot Scientist who transforms into a blue Mercedes-Benz W212. Originally meant to be called Wheeljack until it was changed in late post-production. He still appears named Wheeljack in comics and books. In the credits he is listed as Que/Wheeljack. His Robot form looks similar to Albert Einstein. He provides Ironhide with a weapons upgrade, supplying him with two powerful rifles. Que went alongside his comrades into the midst of the Decepticon-occupied Chicago. Que provided a team of soldiers with several new weapons. Later on, when the Autobots were captured, he was taken hostage alongside Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Dino and Ratchet. Soundwave decided to make trophies of the prisoners, starting with Que. Despite Ques pleas for mercy, he was shot by a Decepticon protoform before being swiftly finished off by Barricade. His death left Bumblebee distraught, mourning his lost friend, while Barricade added insult to injury laughing at the fallen Autobot. But Bumblebee soon avenged his fallen friend by killing Soundwave. Concept art of Que here and here.

*The Wreckers* - An Autobot Subteam that function as a group of Mechanics helping Epps rebuild an Autobot spaceship called Xantium. The Wreckers consist of three members who transform into modified NASCAR Chevrolet Impala stock cars equipped with machine guns and armed to the teeth. The Wreckers helped engineer the Autobots' feigned exile from Earth and assassination by Starscream, and later participated in the battle for Chicago. They kill a Decepticon fighter pilot that attempted to kill humans, later on they distract Shockwave in order for Optimus Prime to get to his trailer, they find Optimus who was caught up in the wires of a construction crane and tried to get him loose, they participated in the final battle, providing cover for the rest of the Autobots by challenging and killing a giant Decepticon. All three of the Wreckers survive during the event of the film. Comic adaptation revealed that they came to earth with Sideswipe, Jolt, Arcee, Chromia, Elita-1 and the Twins but had to stay at the secret Autobot launch facility at Cape Canaveral, partially because caring for the ship dominated their time. The Members of The Wreckers are:

Leadfoot - The Leader of the Wreckers. He turns into a red #42 Juan Pablo Montoya NASCAR Target Chevrolet Impala. He speaks with a Cockney accent. He is Armed with laser guided missiles, jet boosters, 6-barrel 7.62mm minigun and 30-caliber machine guns. He appears to have a sunglasses, a beard and a beer gut in robot form, making him appear much like a stereotypical NASCAR fan. He is credited as "Leadfoot/Target". Concept art of Leadfoot is here.

Roadbuster - A green #88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. NASCAR AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet Impala. His weaponry includes a 30-caliber machine gun, 6-barrel 7.62mm minigun, and missile pods. He speaks with a Scottish accent. Roadbuster has sunglasses, a baseball cap, a goatee, and a mullet in robot mode, making him resemble a stereotypical NASCAR fan. He is credited as "Roadbuster/Amp". Poster with Roadbuster's robot mode is here.

Topspin - A blue #48 Jimmie Johnson NASCAR Lowe's/Kobalt Chevrolet Impala. He is equipped with a .50-caliber machine gun and a flame thrower. Topspin's robot mode features sunglasses, a big chin and a mullet, making him resemble a stereotypical NASCAR fan. He is the only Wrecker and Autobot not to speak in the film. Concept art of Topspin here.

Brains - A small brain unit originally designed by the Decepticons, but he escaped and then found Sam and Bumblebee and befriended with Wheelie before the events of the movie. Turns into a Lenovo ThinkPad Edge laptop. Screenshot of Brains here.

Note: A number of Autobots that were aboard the Ark were killed as the ship crashed in the flashback to the Autobot/Decepticon war. [hr] Decepticons (logo wallpaper here)

Returning Decepticons

Megatron - The Decepticon leader that has now Downgraded himself into a rusty, armored M915 Line-Haul Mack Titan 10-wheeler tank truck equipped with Heavy Weaponry and a tarp which he uses as a cape in robot form to hide his battle scars. He is hiding out in the plains of Namibia, Africa in exile, nursing wounds and taking care of Hatchlings. After Sentinel Prime betrayed the Autobots, Megatron and Starscream traveled to Washington D.C., where Megatron outlined his scheme to his second-in-command. Apparently, Sentinel was supposed to rendezvous with Megatron there on Earth, but the circumstances caused them both to be deactivated, and Sentinel was the only one who knew how to activate the space bridge. He blasted President Lincoln off his stone throne, and used the remains as a seat. In Chicago, after stating to Sentinel that this is the world he promised, Sentinel, feeling his partner was getting too chummy, violently reminded Megatron of his place. Sentinel did not work for Megatron, Megatron worked with Sentinel. Sentinel warned Megatron to remember the difference. While the Decepticons fought the Autobots, Megatron laid in an Alleyway until he was goaded by Carly that he is "Sentinel's bitch". Realising that she's right, Megatron saves Optimus from being Decapitated by Sentinel and wounding him in the process. He offers Optimus a truce, unaware that Prime uses this opportunity to murder him by shoving him to the ground, smashing his head with an energy axe, and tore it off his body, killing him once and for all. Optimus then used his nemesis' fusion shotgun to end Sentinel's life as well. Concept art of Megatron somewhere.

Starscream - The Decepticon second in command and air commander who transforms into an F-22 Raptor fighter jet. His arms store heavy weaponry, with a missile launcher carrying six missiles in both arms, a saw in his right arm, and a high caliber machine gun. He also has the ability to leap great heights into the air and take flight using the jet's powerful main engines on his back. He is killed by Sam after the teenager lodges a bomb in his Eye. Concept art of Starscream here.

Soundwave - Megatron's communications officer that now turns into a silver Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Soundwave has now come to Earth to fight alongside Megatron and uses his pet Lazerbeak to kill and spy on Humans. He is killed by Bumblebee after ordering the execution of Que. Concept art of Soundwave here.

Barricade - A Saleen-Modified Ford Mustang police cruiser. After his absence in Revenge of the Fallen though his absence is never explained. He appears in Chicago, rounding up the Autobot prisoners, he addressed his old foe Bumblebee by a hard kick to the back for fun. Under Soundwave's orders for Execution, he chooses that Que shall be executed first and pushed the Autobot scientist forward despite his pleas for mercy. After a Decepticon protoform delivered the first shot, Barricade killed Que by shooting him in the back and laughed derisively as his victim fell. After Soundwave's death, he met up with Shockwave and showed his anger by abusing and pushing the Protoforms, blaming them for Soundwave's death. He is killed by Nest while yelling at the Protoforms. He speaks with the same voice as Soundwave, this is most likely an error. Concept art of Barricade here.

Introduced Decepticons

Shockwave - The Decepticon military commander that turns into a Cybertronian tank in the toy line, but does not transform in the film itself. Like his comic/TV counterpart he has one eye, is purple and has a gun in place of an arm. Though Shockwave did not appear in the last movie, he is briefly seen on the front page of a newspaper that is hanging from the pipe in the scene where Devastator is trying to suck up the twins. At some point during 2009, Shockwave was caught on film and the event was written up for a newspaper article. A newspaper page with the headline "Mysterious Robot Spotted" was discarded in Egypt, where it was sucked up by a rampaging Devastator. Concept art of Shockwave somewhere.

Driller - A subterranean tentacle-beast lifeform native to Cybertron and some of the single most dangerous creatures on or under the planet's surface. He serves as Shockwave's pet. The Driller causes destruction in Chernobyl and Chicago. Under Shockwaves command, he attacks a building that Sam is in until Optimus (with a jet pack and upgraded weapons from his trailer) attacked it in midair and apparently killed it by slamming his entire body through its head. Concept art of Driller somewhere.

Laserbeak - Soundwave's minion that resembles a Giant Mechanical Condor. He has a variety of alt modes, including a black computer / copy machine, a wall-mounted CD player, a TCL flatscreen TV and even a human size, pink version of Bumblebee. He serves as Soundwave's Assassin and killed a number of Decepticons' human collaborators. He soon meets his demise when Sam managed to hold his head after attacking him, in front of one of the fighter ship guns and had Bumblebee fire, decapitating and killing Laserbeak. Concept Art of Laserbeak here.

Igor - A small deformed hatchling that scurries about Megatron at his base on Africa. The original design had Igor created from the head of (a) Long Haul that had arms and legs, this design has been changed more to a hatchling for the movie. Concept art of Igor here.

*The Dreads* - A Decepticon sub team that function as an infiltration and assassination group. All three Dreads transform into a Chevrolet Suburban emergency vehicle. The Dreads engage the Autobots on the highway while causing destruction in an attempt to capture Sentinel Prime. They are killed by the Autobots. The members of the Dreads are:

Crankcase - Leader of the Dreads. He is killed by Ironhide after the Autobot forced Crowbar's spear through his head, slammed the Decepticon's body into an abandoned car, and kicked the wreckage into a nearby auto shop which then exploded. Concept art of Crankcase here.

Hatchet - A Dread with an animal-like robot mode. Hatchet was targeted by the Autobot Dino, who embedded his anchored blades into the Decepticon's back, and corralled Hatchet into the firing line of Bumblebee and Sideswipe. After Hatchet was pounded with Autobot ordnance, Dino tossed the Decepticon into the oncoming side of the highway, where he slammed into a passing car and was destroyed. Concept art of Hatchet here.

Crowbar - The Dread who is killed by Ironhide after Sideswipe tossed the Autobot veteran his discarded blaster, which he used to shoot the Decepticon in the face as Crowbar leaped to attack. Concept art of Crowbar here.

Russian military launcher Decepticon - A huge, quadrupedal, behemoth of a Decepticon, and armed to the teeth as well, he has rocket launchers, machine gun turrets, and two huge cannons mounted under his abdomen. Heturns into Russian Military Launcher. During the invasion of Chicago, he participated in the initial strike and contributed to the mayhem. During the Autobots' attack on this Decepticon stronghold, he was one of the many Decepticons who fired upon the retreating Autobots. When the tide began to turn in the Autobots' favor, however, the behemoth met his end as he tried to hold a bridge. The Wreckers piled onto him, shooting him in the head multiple times until he fell to the ground dead. Concept art of this Decepticon here.

Unknown Brawl clone - A Decepticon whose design is similar to Brawl from the first movie, the only difference is that his colour scheme is brown. Spotted in the trailer participating in the Chicago battle. It is possible he could be based on Deep Desert Brawl from the toy line. He has the same weapons and armory of Brawl. Seeing how he resembles him, it is possible his alternate mode is a M1 Abrams battle tank.

Unknown Long Haul clone - A Decepticon that looks exactly like Long Haul spotted in the trailer participating in the Chicage battle. But unlike real Long Haul, this one turns into a WM garbage truck. Artwork of this Decepticon here.

Unknown Sideways clone - A Decepticon that looks similar to Sideways. Spotted in the trailer participating in the Chicago Battle. He is impaled and presumably killed by Optimus.

Unknown Scrapper clone - A Decepticon that looks similar to Scrapper is seen in Chicago.

Unknown Scalpel clones - a few robots who resemble Scalpel are seen on Megatron, trying to repair his face.

Unknown bank truck Decepticon - A Superfund armored truck with a Decepticon symbol. Never seen in his robot mode.

Decepticon Protoform soldiers - Decepticon clones that have no alternate modes. They are in stasis on the moon and are brought to earth via the space bridge created by Sentinel. This time the Protoforms pilot fighters and a mothership. A number of Protoforms were killed in the Chicago Battle though a number of Protoforms around the Globe survive at the end of the movie.

Michael Bay stated that it was Megan Fox's name-calling and criticism of Bay that got her fired, but not by Bay himself, rather by executive producer Steven Spielberg who was quite upset about Fox's "Hitler" comments directed at Bay.

Sentinel Prime preceded Optimus, making Optimus the last prime. As to why Sentinel was of no concern to the Fallen, Sentinel had been in stasis lock (i.e. a coma) for many years, leaving him anything but a threat to the Fallen.

For the most part, yes. About 70 percent of the film was shot in stereoscopic 3D, except for scenes that could not be filmed due to limitations of the digital camera, or filming conditions that could cause damage to the digital camera itself, or scenes that yielded a better image quality if filmed with an analog camera instead of using a digital camera. Those scenes were filmed using an analog camera, and then post-converted into 3D.

There is no scene after the credits. But there is a one short scene involving Agent Simmons and Director Mearing less than a minute after the credits first begin. Also, a select number of theaters showed a 3D version of the music video for the film's theme song, Linkin Park's "Iridescent", after the credits.

Fans may have to forgive the reasons for Mikaela not being given any elaboration in this film due to Megan Fox's abrupt departure from the film. It is simply stated that Mikaela dumped Sam, so Sam moved on. Sam met Carly when she was working for the British embassy and was at the White House when Sam was awarded a medal by President Obama. They met, obviously clicked (having saved the world twice and being awarded a medal by the President obviously helped) and started dating. This was likely within the first few months after Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

It is unknown why his colour scheme was changed. It was possible that this was done to hide the fact that Sentinel is the firetruck as people would've quickly figured it out if he appeared red in the trailer.

The Twins, Skids and Mudflap, were originally scripted to feature in Dark of the Moon as a pair of black Chevrolet Sparks with color schemes that tells them apart as their vehicles were spotted on set, but their appearances were cut from the finished film for unknown reasons. They do make a cameo in their alternate forms, they could be spotted in vehicle mode at the end of an Autobot convoy as the team rolled into the hangar of NEST's Washington, D.C. base, this is most likely an error. The novel and comic book adaptations of the film reveal that they would have died at Sentinel Prime's hands alongside Ironhide if they did in fact appear in the finished film with Skids sacrificing himself to save Bumblebee from Sentinel's Cosmic Rust gun (the Weapon that kills Ironhide), his death sends Mudflap into rage, seeking revenge for his brother's and Ironhide's death, but not even his righteous anger could make him a match for Sentinel, and he too meets his end moments later. Sentinel eulogized him with some degree of respect, remarking that he at least died a death worthy of an Autobot.