In the world of theTransformers, everything can prove to bemore than meets the eye.For nearly 40 years,Hasbrohas shown the wars between the factions of Cybertron’s inhabitants on television, comics, video games, and cinema screens. The Transformers leading heroic faction, the Autobots, has long been the face of the franchise, the good guys that kids should love and buy merchandise of.
Related:Best Games Based On A Cartoon Series
With decades of stories under its belt, the Transformers have introduced plenty of Autobots to fill out the ranks, and not all of them are created equal. There are some Autobots who stand tall against the rest, and they’ve earned their reputations.
10Sideswipe
A hot-headed twin that turns into a sports car, what’s not to love? While Sideswipe has rarely taken the spotlight in Transformers media, he’s been a regular presence with a consistent attitude and carefree demeanor since 1984. Sideswipe’s often a partner-in-crime with his twin, Sunstreaker, and the two are known to be excellent fighters, if rather showboat-y and egotistical.
Sideswipe’s recurring appearances, even out-pacing his brother, and his ease of inclusion in any Transformers story has cemented him as a recurring friendly face that generations of fans have come to love. If there’s ever a fight, Sideswipe will be racing to bethe first into the thick of it.
9Ultra Magnus
First appearing in 1986’sThe Transformers: The Movie, Ultra Magnus has become a regular face of the Autobot’s senior command staff, sometimes evenout-ranking Optimus Primehimself. A large, stack-shouldered, blue-and-red behemoth, Ultra Magnus is acalm, seasoned soldier that isn’t big on superstition or hyperboleand wants results from those under his command.
Starting with the IDW comics continuity and the Transformers Prime cartoon, Magnus is also the head of theAutobot’s Spec-Ops division, The Wreckers, a misfit band of unhinged and specialized soldiers willing to do the dirty work that others would shy away from, all in the name of establishing a lasting future for Cybertron.
Unlike a number of the Transformers from the early years of the franchise, Ratchet did not find his popularity in the animated series and instead became a recurring protagonist in theMarvelcomics. Both the US and United Kingdom run of the Transformers made him into astable and consistent presenceon their pages.
Related:Dragon Ball: All Of Gohan’s Transformations, Ranked
A dedicated and loving, if grumpy, medical officer, Ratchet has repaired, created, and saved countless lives, Cybertronian and human alike. He’s the grumpy but caring uncle that makes family gatherings so much fun, and he’s a giant transforming robot to boot; what’s not to love? Ratchet will gladly give his peers a mouthful for their lack of self-preservation as he patches them back up for the hundredth time before booting them out of his med bay.
Not all Transformers characters are portrayed the exact same way across media and continuities, and Prowl is one such case. His most beloved and popular incarnations are quite different, as he’s either arule-obsessed strategistthat will gladly throw away lives to achieve his goals, or he’s aponderous and observant ninja.
Both transform into police vehicles and act as strategists for the Autobots, working hard to maximize their chances of success. Whether he’s flipping tables, learning to master self-enlightenment, or plotting a (mild) coup against the corrupt Cybertronain government, Prowl is always there to plot, ponder and find a way to get what he wants.
Thefirst mainstream female Transformerand one of the most beloved. Arcee’s been a mainstay in the franchise since 1986, even being name-dropped in the Beast Wars animated series when so many other characters and names went unused for years, and has become known asone of the Autobot’s best fighters,thanks to her character arcs in the IDW comics and Transformers Prime cartoon.
She’s been able to avoid most of the ‘female-character-in-a-boy’s-cartoon’ tropes that plagued the 1980s and 90s, and she’ll be making herfourth big screen appearancein Transformers: Rise of the Beasts in 2023. Whatever the continuity, Arcee is primed to make a big splash wherever she ends up, regardless of the circumstances.
5Wheeljack
An Italian sports-car alternate mode, amad scientist lifestyle,and shady misgivings in his past — all of these are just some of the many reasons Wheeljack has become a beloved icon of the Transformers franchise.
Related:House Of The Dragon: What To Expect From Season 2
Wheeljack’s insane inventions have given life to the Dinobots, frozen time, created alternated timelines, and helped save the galaxy from Unicron, depending on the continuity, sohe’s never short on working a miracleakin to the tropes born of Montgomery Scott and Geordi La Forge onStar Trek. He’s always well-intentioned, even when the simplest creations blow up a city block by accident. Wheeljack will always be ready to supply creative solutions to the wildest problems the Autobots encounter, even if his devices are just as much of a threat to the user as Megatron himself.
The Gentle Giant trope is well-known in pop culture, and Bulkhead is a shining example. Introduced in Transformers Animated, Bulkhead can throw himself into the deadliest situations and walk away withmore paint scratches than actual damage, but he’s a kind and thoughtful soul deep down and loves the art and culture of the Earth while also working to see Cybertron flourish again.
He may always be a fighter, but he knows that perpetual fighting isn’t what’s best for Cybertron, and Bulkhead is happy to work alongside Optimus Prime and the Wreckers to put down existential threats and secure a future for Cybertronians and humans alike. Bulkhead has a lot of bark to his bite, but he’s really a big softie when he isn’t getting shot at by Decepticons.
3Bumblebee
He started out as an ambassador to the human race in the original cartoon, and he brought the franchise to new heights. When the issues regarding his name’s trademark were ironed out in the early 2000s, Bumblebee became a big screen sensation in the 5 film Transformers series from Michael Bay, taking the world of the Transformers to itslargest cultural peaks.
Related:Best Anime Games, Ranked
Bumblebee is another lover of earth culture and always seems to be befriending humans in whatever continuity he pops up in, and his experience and self-taught leadership skills have earned him Optimus Prime’s respect as a potential heir to the Autobot’s command. In a vacuum,he’s surpassed Optimus Prime, Megatron, and almost every other Transformer in the public conscience, essentially becomingthe face of the franchise.Without Bumblebee, the Transformers may very well have tapered off into obscurityas it once did after the end of the original toy line, before the Beast Wars cartoon made the brand a household name again.
He’s no bozo,he’s king. Grimlock is the leader of the Dinobots,a sub-faction of close-knit Autobots that regularly defy ordersto do things their own way and have repeatedly escaped punishment due to their overwhelming success and raw power. Grimlock’s alternate mode, a stylized Tyrannosaurus, already does a huge number on his popularity, and his status as a rule-breaking rebel leading a band of color-coded misfits all but guaranteed his rise to fame.
Grimlock has taken charge of the Autobots after Prime’s death, helped defeat the forces of Jihaxus and Scorponok, and always makes sure the world knows whenever the Dinobots are on the scene.So long as there’s someone or something that needs a beat-down, Grimlock will be thereto stamp out any troublemakers and look glorious while he does it.
1Optimus Prime
Til all are one. The 1980s gave rise to a lot ofsurrogate father figures in media, giving children around the world morals and traits to build off for themselves and become better people. Optimus Prime is the grandest of them all, and he will always smile for the children and fight for the defenseless, even when he himself is suffering on the inside.
He’s taken to books, cartoons, comics, and the big screen, repeatedly defending mankind from the threats of the Decepticons, even as his own well-being was worn down as the deaths of friends and allies grew larger and larger.Optimus Prime embodies the best aspects of a leader and individual, leading from the front, caring about those under him, and knowing when to put aside violence for an olive branch.
