MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Death

2015-10-11T03:18:03Z

Primon12345: /* Destruction of brain */

{{disambig2|the end of life|the Horseman of Unicron|Airazor (Armada)}}

[[File:Battleofautobotcity.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|And lo, the children did weep. They wept hard too.]]

''Transformers'' is a children's franchise, but at its core, it's a story of war. This means that the '''death''' of major and minor characters sometimes figures into the fiction.

Given the ambiguous nature of [[Transformer]] physiology, there is very little consistency regarding what is fatal to a Transformer, even within a single storyline. Damage that one Transformer might shrug off can prove fatal to another, or even to the same character in a different story. Sometimes just a laser blast or two will do the trick. Other times, characters survive being melted, [[Waspinator (BW)|crushed into cubes]], and even [[Demolishor (Armada)|utterly disintegrated]]. It does not take a terribly cynical viewer to conclude that the threshold of survival is generally determined by the needs of the plot.

The out-of-universe reasons for a character's death can vary from plot development to the arrival of [[To sell toys|new toys]]. Conveniently enough for writers who are beholden to the whims of a toy company, the majority of Transformers characters are machines, which means that death isn't necessarily permanent. Across the various universes, characters that appear to have been killed have been known to pop up alive again at a later date, or go through some sort of resurrection.

{{quote|"How can you all be so cold and unfeeling? He died a hero!" "Don't you even have mechanical hearts?" "The humans don't understand! Our form of life is vastly different from theirs!"|[[Spider-Man]], [[Sparkplug Witwicky]], and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]]|"[[Prisoner of War!]]"|noquote=true}}

==In-fiction causes of death==
[[File:DEATH.jpg|left|thumb|upright=2.2|[[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] is just as puzzled as the rest of us.]]

There is little consistency in what can kill a Transformer. Sometimes it takes just a shot. Other times, even totally annihilating a Transformer's body still doesn't do the trick. Even the most basic method of killing, which is to destroy or otherwise cause the loss of a Transformer's [[spark]], varies quite a bit in its details from story to story, character to character, and series to series.

However, over time there has been some convergence of concepts regarding Transformer design across the various franchises and storylines. The concept of Sparks as a Transformer's driving life force has become nearly universal, and with it, the notion that loss of Spark equals death. Various [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]] comics, particularly ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More Than Meets The Eye]]'', have delved deeply into this, positing that a Transformer can die if their Spark, brain or (in a new and unique twist) transformation cog are sufficiently damaged, known as "[[Rossum's Trinity‎]]". MTMTE also makes note of the difficulties in killing a Transformer, and how things like decapitation may not be lethal in the right circumstances.

If one is so inclined, these concepts can be applied retroactively to many, if not all, older stories - so that various means of death described below can be seen simply as the means of inflicting the requisite damage on a Transformer's vital bits.

When a Transformer dies, the loss of their life force (or artistic convention, out here in the real world) often results in them turning gray. The most well-known example by far is Optimus Prime's death in the animated movie; Prowl can also be glimpsed turning gray as he falls during the shuttle assault. This idea has shown up in a few other places, such as [[Transform and Roll Out#Part 3|the ''Animated'' cartoon]] and [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|the ''More Than Meets the Eye'' comics]].

{{--}}
===Weaponsfire===
{{bigquote|This was almost too easy, Starscream!|[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (like the fandom) is surprised to find how easily Autobots die, ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''}}

[[File:Tftm1986a.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|We're here aboard the Autobot shuttle, where we've secretly replaced Brawn's hyper-dense metal armor plating with styrene plastic. Let's see if anyone can tell the difference.]]

[[File:TFTM UltraMagnus dies.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Prepare for your death today. Yer gonna die!!]]

[[File:Magnusdeath.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Ow! Hey! Cut it out, guys! That hurts!]]

[[File:Blades1.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Sorry, [[Outpost B-67 exo-structuring party|nameless guy]], your generic nature means you will never be miraculously resurrected.]]

Like humans, Transformers can be killed by damage caused by energy, projectile, and chemical weapons. Just how many shots it takes is widely variable, however.
* In the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original ''The Transformers'' cartoon]]:
** Many casualties of the [[Battle of Autobot City]] (and its run-up), including [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]], [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], [[Ironhide (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ironhide]], and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], were victims of energy weapons. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}} This was quite a change from the cartoon's M.O., wherein the same characters routinely got shot and blasted all the time and shrugged it off, or at worst spent some time in the repair bay. Brawn and Prowl both went down after ''one shot''.
** [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] subsequently "dies" after being shot a few times by the [[Sweep (G1)|Sweeps]], exploding into pieces. He is soon revived by the [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]], however. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
** In the Japanese continuity, Ultra Magnus dies ''again'', for real this time, after [[Sixshot (G1)|Sixshot]] shoots him a few times. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus Dies!!}}
* In the [[Marvel Comics continuity|Marvel comics]]:
** [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] was cut down by a single head shot from [[Macabre]]. {{storylink|Target: 2006}}
** Most deaths in the ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|Generation 2]]'' book occurred from energy weapons, such as [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], {{storylink|Devices and Desires! (Marvel)|Devices and Desires!}} as well as numerous generics. {{storylink|War Without End!}} Quite a few victims exploded spectacularly after being shot, including [[Tantrum (G1)|Tantrum]], {{storylink|The Gathering Darkness}} [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]], [[Quake (G1)|Quake]], {{storylink|New Dawn}} and [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]]. {{storylink|Escalation!}}
* In the ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' cartoon:
** [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] dies after incurring severe damage from numerous [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] weapons. {{storylink|Code of Hero}} Other characters have survived similar or worse levels of damage, but the episode gave a reason: Dinobot refuses to go into [[stasis lock]], which his onboard computer warns could "result in loss of Spark" if he keeps it up.
** [[Tigerhawk]] is disintegrated by the main cannon of the starship ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]''. The same cannon subsequently blasts [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]], apparently killing them, though their "death" may be permanent simply because there was nobody around to put them back together. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}
* ''Armada'' cartoon: [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] dies holding back the [[Hydra Cannon]], the damage causing him to [[:File:Crisis Optimus Prime dies.jpg|crumble to dust]]. {{storylink|Crisis (Armada)|Crisis}}
* [[Dreamwave Generation One continuity|Dreamwave G1]] comics: [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] is killed by [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]]. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath}} He got better. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 3|Prime Directive #3}}
* [[Transformers: Universe (comic)|Universe]]: [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] was shot and killed by [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] during the final battle of the [[Universe War]].
* This happens a ''lot'' in the [[Movie continuity]]:
**[[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]] and [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] both died from weapons fire. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}}
*Arcee and Elita-One and possibly Chromia were killed by Deception fire.
** All the [[Appliancebot]]s were killed by [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]].
**A crapload of [[Protoform]]s were shot down by [[NEST]] soldiers. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
(film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
*Arcee and Elita-One and possibly Chromia were killed by Deception fire.
** [[Crowbar]] was shot in the face by Ironhide.
**[[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que]] was killed by a Decepticon protoform. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
** [[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]] was killed by a massive onslaught of gunfire from [[Cemetery Wind]]. [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] was brutally whittled down in a similar manner, until Lockdown came and executed him.
* "[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]": [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] gets his face blown off/in by [[Cyclonus (SG)|Cyclonus]]. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 4}}
{{--}}
* Many goons during the [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)|War for Cybertron]] died from being shot. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (games)|War for Cybertron}}
*''Prime'' cartoon: [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] was killed by a shot through the chest by [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] {{storylink|Regeneration (Prime)|Regeneration}}

===Big explosions===
{{bigquote|They're going to blow us all to pieces! [[Guardian (Marvel)|Guardian]]'s booby-trapped - packed with enough explosives to level this whole mountain!|[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], "[[The Wrath of Grimlock!]]"}}

Transformers characters often assume that explosions are more lethal than they really are; characters survive explosions all the time. An explosion's messy nature makes a good "out" for a writer to fake a character's death. {{storylink|The Wrath of Grimlock!}} {{storylink|Gone but Not Forgotten!}} {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} Nevertheless, a few characters have been permanently killed by explosions. (This list omits characters who exploded from within, like Ultra Magnus up above.)
* In the Marvel comics:
** [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]] was the victim of an interdimensionally triggered explosion that destroyed his body. {{storylink|The Bridge to Nowhere!}} However, in the UK continuity he survived as a raggedy, bodiless head. {{storylink|...The Harder They Die!}}
** In an alternate future, a wounded [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] died in the fiery explosion of a crashing shuttlecraft. {{storylink|The Legacy of Unicron!}}
** [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] was killed when a prototype [[pathblaster]] exploded in his face. {{storylink|Time Wars}}
** [[Finback]] was presumably killed in the explosion of a huge gun battery. [[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] tried to warn him off, and may have been killed in the same explosion. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon:
** [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] was blown to bits — terminally so — by the [[transwarp]] explosion that destroyed the [[Planet Buster]]. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}
** [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]] was killed by the explosion that resulted from [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]]'s death (either his exploding spark, or the exploding energon shard that pierced it.) {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}
* Several of the [[Beast Era]] [[Wrecker]]s ([[Sonar (BW)|Sonar]], [[Spittor (BW)|Spittor]], the [[Deployer (BM)|Deployers]]) were destroyed when part of their ship exploded with them in it. {{storylink|Betrayal}}
* Energon: [[Bruticus Maximus (Energon)|Bruticus Maximus]] was killed when Storm Jet caused a massive explosion that engulfed them both.
* ''Prime'': [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]] and the surrounding [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]s were blown up by a grenade attached by the Autobots. Both the Vehicons and Makeshift were killed in the blast. (According to an interview at [[BotCon 2011]] with the ''Prime'' show runners, Makeshift was deemed too overpowered to be a regular in the show, so they killed him off at the end of the episode.) {{storylink|Con Job}}
*IDW Continuity: [[Bomb-Burst (G1)|Bomb-Burst]] and [[Skullgrin]] were killed when Springer blew them up with a grenade. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 3}}
* ''Movie Continuty'': [[Crankcase (DOTM)|Crankcase]] blew up when Ironhide kicked him into a gas station. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)}}
** Several Constructicons and Decepticon Protoforms are killed by a human air strike in [[Egypt]] {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)}}

===Impact trauma===
Falling off a cliff or mountainside or tall building is usually just as fatal to Transformers as it is to, say... Wile E. Coyote. Only on rare occasion does it result in death:
* ''[[Transformers: Classics|Classics]]'' continuity: [[Hacksaw]] met his end by falling from a huge communications tower. {{storylink|The New World}}
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]: [[Doubledealer]] was shot, fell off a mountain and smashed to bits on impact. {{storylink|Spotlight: Doubledealer}}
* Movie continuity:
**[[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]] fell off the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]] after losing his balance when his arm was shot off, and he shattered to pieces as he tumbled down. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
** [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] was smashed to pieces and killed by being flung into a freeway column. {{storylink|Movie Adaptation issue 4|Movie Adaptation Issue Number Four}}
** [[Hatchet]] met his end when [[Mirage (Movie)|Dino]] sent him crashing into a car.
* The [[Beast (G1)|Beast]] fell off a cliff and shattered. {{storylink|The Beast Within Part 2, Consequences}} At least, we hope that's where and how it ended.
* ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Prime]]'': [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] crash-landed after [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] punched out vital components in his [[alternate mode]], reducing his body to a partially transformed scrapheap.

===Disassembly===
[[File:Jazz DyingAction.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|"HERE'S what I think of your resemblance to your G1 counterpart!"]]

Taking a Transformer apart into its component parts - or ripping them to pieces - can occasionally kill them:
* Marvel comics:
**[[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] met this fate in an alternate future, when Swoop used a machine to pull him apart into his component pieces. {{storylink|Another Time & Place}}
**A future version of Ultra Magnus may have been killed when a group of Decepticons mobbed him and ripped him up. {{storylink|Time Wars}}
* Movie continuity:
**Being ripped in half by [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] killed [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]]. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}}
**[[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] was killed when Bumblebee ripped his spine out, tearing him apart. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
**A Decepticon pilot was ripped to pieces by the Wreckers.{{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]: [[Pyro (G1)|Pyro]] was torn apart and killed while making a final stand against a mass of generic Decepticons. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Last Stand of the Wreckers #5}}
* ''Prime'' cartoon:
** When fighting [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]]'s zombie army, [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] recommended dissection to [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus]] to "cut" them down to size. How this is more effective then just blasting the living slag out of them is still up for debate. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 4}}
** [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] managed to offline [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]] by tearing him limb from limb, leaving only a pile of mutilated body parts in her wake. {{storylink|Crossfire}}

====Bifurcation====
[[File:VictoryUKAnnual.JPG|thumb|upright=0.85|"Shakkooosh!" is good, but I could really go for a good old-fashioned "CHUK" right about now.]]

{{bigquote|I have no desire to be carved up into Auto-sushi.|Tracks, "[[Make Tracks]]"}}

A particular subset of disassembly, getting chopped in half is pretty graphic for a kids' story, even one about robots, so it doesn't happen very often.
* Marvel comics: In a dream sequence, [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] slices [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] in half, killing him. {{storylink|Victory!}}
* Japanese G1 cartoon: [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] gets sliced in half by Dai Atlas. The strike dissects what appears to be an organic brain in his head. {{storylink|Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!}}
* ''Beast Wars Metals'': Terrorsaur is killed by being sliced in half by Primal's mace. {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 1|Beast Wars Metals #1}}
* Movie continuity: [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] dies when [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]] slices his car mode in two. [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] slices [[Mixmaster (ROTF)|Mixmaster]] in half at the chest but Mixmaster survived this. Getting his skull stomped off, not so much. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}, [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]] meets his end in this manner courtesy of Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}}
* War For Cybertron: In the opening, a Decepticon goon is chopped in half by Optimus Prime.
* [[Ambulon (G1)|Ambulon]] is chainsawed in half ''vertically'' by [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]]. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} ([[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] specifically noted that ''horizontal'' bifurcation would be survivable - indeed, not much later, [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] would be quite active after being ripped apart at the waist by [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] {{storylink|Finest Hour: Dark Cybertron Chapter 5}})

===Crushing===
[[File:Edgeofextinction-hardheadbombburst.jpg|thumb|DO NOT WANT]]

Quite a few characters have been crushed into deactivation:
* In the Marvel comics:
** [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] was smashed between [[Unicron]]'s palms, while [[Bomb-Burst (G1)|Bomb-Burst]] and [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] met a similar fate when they were stepped on by Unicron. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] is apparently killed when a very large building collapses on top of him. {{storylink|Escalation!}}
* [[Unicron Trilogy]] cartoons:
** [[Thrust (Armada)|Thrust]] is killed when caught between two folding sections of Unicron's external armor. {{storylink|Union}}
** [[Shockblast]] is crushed by Unicron's hand on [[Blizzard Planet]]. {{storylink|The Power of Unicron}}
** His brother [[Six Shot (Energon)|Six Shot]] meets a similar fate, crushed under the heel of a super-sized Galvatron. {{storylink|Galvatron Terror}}
* IDW continuity:
** [[Ruckus (G1)|Ruckus]] and [[Skullcruncher]] were crushed by [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]].
** [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] was killed when a group of police set fire to a building and let it collapse on him, crushing him.
** The luckless [[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]] died after [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] stomped on him repeatedly, causing enough damage that his Spark fell out.
* Movie continuity:
** [[Dispensor]] was crushed under [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]'s foot.

===Melting===
[[File:BW Scorponok Terrorsaur deaths.jpg|thumb|Even having a new toy couldn't save Terrorsaur!]]

[[File:Fallout title.jpg|thumb|Primal's diet had gone horribly wrong.]]

They're made of metal; therefore, with enough heat or sufficiently acidic material, they can melt. This is one of the more fool-proof methods of killing a Transformer; few if any have survived it.
* In the G1 cartoon:
** An acid vat would apparently have been enough to destroy Optimus Prime. {{storylink|The Search for Alpha Trion}}
** Another acid vat was used to disintegrate living victims of Unicron. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
* In the Marvel comics:
** Victims of the Decepticon [[smelting pool]]s on Cybertron were reduced by intense heat into their base metals, including [[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]]. {{storylink|The Smelting Pool!}}
** It is possible that an acid bath from (naturally) [[Blot (G1)|Blot]] offlined [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] [[Makin' Tracks!|(for a while anyway)]]. {{storylink|Dark Star}}
** [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] was partially melted by Unicron's flame-breath and subsequently died. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** The [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronians]] used some kind of acid to rather messily eradicate some of their Decepticon ancestors, including [[Stranglehold]]. {{storylink|New Dawn}}
* In the Beast Era cartoons:
** [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] and [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] were apparently melted to death after tumbling into a lava pit within the [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon base]]. {{storylink|Aftermath}}
** Optimus Primal's body was seemingly melted into the floor after his climactic face-off with [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]]. Considering how many god-like forces were unleashed and conflicting during the battle, his demise may be due to more than simple temperature-induced melting. {{storylink|Fallout (episode)|Fallout}}

===Disintegration===
{{bigquote|I saw the end! They died in a cosmic funeral pyre!|[[Shawn Berger]], "[[Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2]]"}}

[[File:Armada 52 - Prime hangon to Galvatron.jpg|thumb|Galvatron died to save everyone and came back ''twice''—you lose, [[Jesus]]!]]

Plasma, energy fields, and stellar atmospheres can all utterly destroy a Transformer's body. Like being melted, being reduced to one's component molecules would seem to be a surefire way of getting killed, but quite a few characters seem able to survive the process as ghosts and/or disembodied sparks:
* Generation 1 cartoon: [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]]'s spectacular death at the hands of [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] might be categorized as incineration. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
* Quite a few characters met this fate in the Unicron Trilogy, but all survived it in some fashion:
** [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]]'s spark persisted within his burnt-out body when he was dropped into the exploding Unicron. {{storylink|Mortal Combat}} {{storylink|Megatron Resurrected}}
** [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]]'s body was obliterated by an expanding energon grid, but his spark survived the process and was placed in a new body. {{storylink|Go for Unicron!}}
** [[Inferno (Energon)|Inferno]] was destroyed when he threw himself into a star, but his spark was salvaged by the Autobots and, again, placed in a new body. {{storylink|Farewell Inferno}}
** And finally, Megatron (Galvatron, whatever) threw himself into Primus's new energon sun to prevent Unicron from possessing him, killing himself yet again. {{storylink|The Sun}} This death was so inconsequential that his subsequent resurrection wasn't even explained! {{storylink|Fallen (episode)|Fallen}}
* [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]] causes a Transformer's body to disintegrate to nothing:
**The [[Thirteenth Legion]] died of Cosmic Rust. {{storylink|Cosmic Rust (episode)|Cosmic Rust}}
**[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] died after several shots from [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel]]'s Cosmic Rust Blaster, though the big hole this left in his torso couldn't have helped much either. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}

===Consumption===
{{bigquote|...If we don't find the Matrix, some bad guy's gonna ''eat'' us! Right?|Longtooth, "[[Deadly Obsession]]"}}

[[File:Wreckers Mutants.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|The shocking death of the barely-seen guys with hardly any lines!]]
[[File:Rocky mecannibal bartender marvel uk 240.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Cannibalism is hilarious, kids!]]

Getting eaten is essentially being torn apart, crushed, and melted all in a row, and it's usually fatal. Quite a few critters in the multiverse are equipped to devour giant robots:
* In the G1 cartoon:
** Various life forms were routinely devoured by the [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticon]]s on Quintessa. This included [[Kranix (G1)|Kranix]], a mechanical life form, though not a Transformer. [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]] and [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] would have suffered this fate as well, but fought their way free. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
** Quite a few Transformers found their way into Unicron's gullet, though many survived the experience. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
* In the Marvel comic:
** [[Scraplet]]s were a mechanical disease - tiny robots that fed on Transformers. A hapless freighter pilot died after being infected, and quite a few other 'bots only narrowly survived being infected. {{storylink|Crater Critters}}
** The [[Mecannibal]]s ate robots routinely, including quite a few Transformers during their sojourn on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|All the Familiar Faces!}} {{storylink|Out to Lunch!}} There is some indication that they could actually reconstitute their victims from their "recycled" parts, though this is never explicitly shown. {{storylink|Recipe for Disaster!}}
** Unicron skewered [[Brainstorm]] and ate him. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** The subsurface-dwelling [[demon]]s devoured [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]]. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** The Swarm "devoured" innumerable Cybertronians and a handful of older-generation Transformers as well, though this was through a molecular process almost akin to incineration. {{storylink|Swarm (issue)|Swarm}} {{storylink|Total War!}} {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}
* The Sharkticons killed two of the [[Mutant (BW)|Mutants]] by gobbling them up. Or ripping them apart. Or both. We don't really know. {{storylink|Betrayal}}
* [[Flanker]] was eaten up and killed by the [[Insecticon (G1)|"Deluxe" Insecticons]].

===Decapitation===
{{main|Decapitation}}

[[File:Cyclonus death.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|Ahhhh, there we go...]]

Sometimes cutting a Transformer's head off is fatal. Sometimes!
* In the Marvel comics:
** The Megatron clone killed Cyclonus by ripping his head off. {{storylink|Dry Run!}}
** Several of the Wreckers were killed by having their heads ripped or blasted off, including Twin Twist and Topspin, respectively. {{storylink|Time Wars}}
** [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] had his head cut off by a propeller fired by [[Leadfoot (G2)|Leadfoot]], presumably (given the ''Generation 2'' book's emphasis on body count) killing him. {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}
* In the movie continuity:
** Characters frequently die by decapitation of some form: [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]], {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}} and [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
** Decapitation was an inconvenience for [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]] the first time. The second time, when the blow actually destroyed most of his head, was fatal.
** [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]], [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]], [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], and [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] are decapitated in the third movie. [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que]]'s and [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]]'s heads fell off when they died, possibly to add finality to their demises. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
** [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]]'s head was crushed by [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]]'s ''bare fist''.
* In the IDW Generation 1 continuity:
** The heads of [[Springarm]] and [[Wheelarch]] are removed and then mockingly put on display to creep out [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]].
* In the Aligned continuity
** Vehicons and Insecticons are frequently murdered by decapitation.

===Destruction of brain===
{{bigquote|Next strike in the neural cluster, yes? Weakest spot on ''all'' Transformers...|[[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]], "[[Fire on High!]]"}}

In the early days of the franchise, a Transformer's life force was sometimes understood to be entirely contained within their [[brain module]], most prominently in the Marvel comics. Destroying the brain would kill the Transformer. This premise was eventually modified to incorporate the more esoteric concept of [[spark]]s.
* In the Marvel comics:
** In an alternate future, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] is blasted by [[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]], who kills him by extracting and crushing his brain module. {{storylink|The Legacy of Unicron!}}
** The [[Throttlebot]]s ''avoid'' death by having their brain modules removed from their bodies shortly before their bodies are destroyed (by crushing). {{storylink|Toy Soldiers!}}
* Movie continuity:
** Optimus rips Grindor's head apart with two hooks. Dark of the moon.
** Optimus Prime kills Sentinel Prime by shooting him in the head with Megatron's shotgun. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
* IDW Generation 1 continuity:
** [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] blasts [[Rotorstorm (G1)|Rotorstorm]] right in the head, destroying his brain module. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4}}
** Impactor killed [[Snare]] by crushing his brain module. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4}}
** [[Squadron X]] were all shot in the head. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4}}
** In the [[Functionist Universe]], every Cybertronian possessed an [[obsolescence chip]] that could be remotely detonated, destroying their heads. [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] and all other Cybertronians with [[data slug]] alt-modes were killed in a [[mass recall]]. {{storylink|The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|The Custom-Made Now}}
** [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] died when [[Kaon (DJD)|Kaon]] smashed his brain module against his own forcefield. {{storylink|Births, Deaths, and Interventions}}

===Destruction of spark===
{{bigquote|RAW energon! Right through your twisted spark!|Depth Charge to Rampage, "[[Nemesis Part 1]]"}}

[[File:Skyfallwontbethereforit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|And then he hung Skyfall from his ceiling.]]

Getting stabbed right through the spark is almost always fatal:
* In ''Beast Wars'': The supposedly immortal Rampage was killed when Depth Charge pierced his spark with an energon blade. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}
* ''[[Transcendent Technomorph|TransTech]]'': [[Skyfall (Cybertron)|Skyfall]] died when [[Alpha Trion (SG)|Alpha Trion]] rammed his [[sword]] right through his chest. {{storylink|Transcendent: Part 6}}
*Energon: [[Constructicon Maximus]] was killed when [[Storm Jet (Energon)|Storm Jet]] impaled and crushed his spark.
* ''Cybertron'': [[Megatron (Armada)#Cybertron cartoon|Galvatron]] died after being impaled with [[Rhisling]] by [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|Unfinished}}
* Movie continuity: Optimus Prime died when Megatron stabbed him through the chest with his death-lock pincer, followed by a blast from his fusion cannon through the spark chamber. [[The Fallen]] also met his end when a resurrected Optimus punched through his chest and crushed his spark. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
* [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|Titan's Movie comics]]: Transformers have forcefields shielding their sparks, which can be externalized to protect bodywork. Jazz loved doing this, leaving him far more vulnerable to death by destruction of spark than he would otherwise be. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 6|Lost in Space 4: Jazz}}

That's not the only way to destroy a spark either:

* ''Beast Machines'' continuity: [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] - already reduced to a spark within the matrix - ceased to be when Megatron annihilated his spark from existence. {{storylink|Singularity Ablyss}}
* IDW continuity: [[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]] has modified his vocal processor so that he can get his voice into synch with a spark's pulse and then get it to stop. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement}}

===Loss of spark===
{{bigquote|Warning. Further expenditure will result in permanent loss of spark. Stasis lock ''must'' commence.|[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]'s internal computer, "[[Code of Hero]]"}}

[[File:Jetstorm with extractor.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Lost, stolen, whatever...]]

Sometimes sparks can survive outside of a body; sometimes they cannot. In the Beast Era, there is some indication that a spark left outside a body will soon begin to return to the Matrix/AllSpark/another dimension.
* When Dinobot expires after his final battle, his Spark is seen exiting his body. The implication is that a sufficiently damaged body can no longer hold a spark within this continuity. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
* ''Beast Machines'' subsequently showed living sparks existing outside of bodies on a regular basis. The sparkless bodies were simply considered shells, rather than "dead", due to the fact that the sparks were forcibly removed with a [[spark extractor]].
* ''Animated'' cartoon: [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] dies when he intentionally relinquishes his own spark. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}
* Movie continuity: [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] rips out his own spark chamber to give Optimus a fighting chance. Earlier Optimus, was stabbed in the chest from behind. [[The Fallen]] also meets a similar fate, dying from a resurrected Optimus punching through his chest and crushing his spark. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}} Ratchet is killed when Lockdown removes his spark. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}}

===Energy overload===
{{bigquote|We may need energon for power, but this is too much of a good thing.|[[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]], "[[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]"}}

[[File:TFAnimated transformandrollout DEATH.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Death — the Optimus version of a power nap.]]
[[File:Underbaseallmine.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|He's got an Underbase in his underpants.]]

The average [[human]] needs a lot of [[water]] to survive. But too much water results in [[wikipedia:Water intoxication|a horrible death]]. Similarly, Transformers need energy to survive, but too much of it can be a very bad thing. Sometimes it's just plain old energy; other times it some special god-like force that does them in.
* In the Marvel comics:
** An [[Underbase]]-empowered Starscream slaughtered dozens of Transformers with energy blasts, {{storylink|Dark Star}} which reportedly burned out millions of their [[microchip]]s. {{storylink|Guess Who the Mecannibals Are Having for Dinner?}} Some Transformers were seen to recover from these attacks, either via conventional repairs {{storylink|All the Familiar Faces!}} or through the power of [[nucleon]]. {{storylink|The Void! (US)}}
** Starscream himself was killed when he absorbed all the energies of the Underbase. {{storylink|Dark Star}}
** [[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]] was apparently killed when struck by a blast of energy from the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]], though the physical effect was more like being hit by an especially powerful laser blast. {{storylink|All Fall Down|All Fall Down (issue)}}
* ''Super-God Masterforce'' cartoon: [[Sixknight]] died from an overcharge of BlackZarak's Devil Power. {{storylink|Malevolent and Inhuman! The True Form of Devil Z}}
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]: [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] dies when one of the [[Reaper]]s zaps him full of energy, causing him to explode from within. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6}}
* Movie continuity: [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] was killed when [[Sam Witwicky (Movie)|Sam Witwicky]] shoved the [[AllSpark]] into his chest. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}} [[Evac (Ride)|Evac]] did the same thing with the Allspark shard with Megatron {{storylink|Transformers: The Ride – 3D}}
* ''Transformers Animated'' cartoon: [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] got caught in an explosion of [[AllSpark]] energy that may have been sufficient to kill him, although he also fell off a very tall building immediately afterwards (Starscream was caught in the same explosion and survived, but was knocked offline for an unspecified period.)

===Energy depletion===
On rare occasion, Transformers can simply run out of energy completely and expire.
* Marvel comics: the ancient [[Overlord (rank)|Overlord]] died from a lack of energy. {{storylink|State Games}}
* Movie continuity: [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] explains that a lack of energon causes the Transformer equivalent of aging, such as rusting joints, mental confusion, and pieces falling apart, followed by an indefinite period of stasis that can only be reversed by an infusion of Allspark energy. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
* [[Vector Prime (Cybertron)|Vector Prime]] dies after he helps the crew to time travel. {{storylink|Guardian (episode)|Guardian}}

===Disease===
You may think giant robots couldn't have diseases but it turns out they can!

* Marvel comics: [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] contracted [[Corrodia Gravis]], a wasting disease where your body is consumed by rust as your metal breaks down at molecular level. Only a systems boost from a compatible donor could save Snarl {{storylink|Assassins}} but the disease came back anyway. The best cure is to store a Transformer's brain in remote storage and build a whole new body. {{storylink|Destiny of the Dinobots!}}
* IDW comics: [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]] engineered the [[Red Rust]] virus: spread by touch and triggered by transforming, it causes all the coolants, dispersants and anti-rusting agents in a Transformer to cross-contaminate and cause a molecular breakdown. The first sign is when the Transformer starts "crying" the fuel out. {{storylink|How Ratchet Got His Hands Back}} Most of [[Delphi]] was killed. {{storylink|Life After the Big Bang}}
* And of course, there's the aforementioned [[Scraplet]]s and [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|cosmic rust]].

===Aging===
While many characters are portrayed as being old, dying of old age is almost unheard of in Transformers

* In Transformers UK, it is implied Transformers have long, but not endless life spans. In Kup's story, Kup says that he was put on a spaceship to live out his "remaining years" alone. In another story, Goldbug says that he may never understand humans, even if he lives to be 2 million.
* In the IDW continuity, Ratchet notes that the process of a cybertronian aging to death (also referred to as age-related burnout) is a relatively recent discovery. He also notes that many, both spiritual and scientific, still refused to "give up on this-this very seductive idea that we're immortal". Tailgate had been diagnosed with cybercrosis, a fatal condition that has been around since before Nova Prime's era but which Ratchet believes in this case was brought about by a combination of radiation and old age.
* [[Regeneration One]]: Although it takes eons, all Transformers eventually die of old age after being disconnected from the life-giving powers of [[Primus]]. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 5}}

==Suicide==
{{quote|Do you realize how '''hard''' it is for a Cybertronian to die by his own hand? You can jump off a building, blow yourself up, cut off your own head - and you might still survive.|Chromedome, [[Before & After]]}}
Sometimes a Transformer kills himself for some reason, or tries to.
* Marvel comics
** Dirge and Nightbeat, rather than be eaten by the Swarm, self destructed.
* ''Beast Wars''
** Transformers can deliberately override the stasis lock protocols, even if this will result in death. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
** In the final battles, Depth Charge allowed himself to be blown up killing Rampage and Rampage let Depth Charge kill him {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}. [[Dinobot II]] let himself go down with the ''Nemesis''. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}
* ''Energon'': Galvatron, Starscream, and [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Mirage]] threw themselves into a sun and vaporized themselves. [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Snow Cat]] and Demolishor may have also done this.
* ''Revenge of the Fallen'': Jetfire ripped out his entire spark housing for Optimus Prime to have enough power to kill The Fallen.

==Non-fatal deactivation==
{{quote|"You mean he's still alive?!" "No! But neither is he what you would term 'dead'!"|[[Spider-Man]] and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]], "[[Prisoner of War!]]"|noquote=true}}

[[File:Zombiesbackfromthedead.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Braiiiiiin mooooodulllllles....]]

For almost every single cause of death listed above, there's been one or more Transformers who have survived it, sometimes without so much as a period of unconsciousness.

In particular, "deactivation" is the Transformers equivalent of being in a coma. Numerous Transformers are seen to enter this state and eventually recover, such as the Autobots deactivated by Shockwave, {{storylink|The Last Stand}} who later were repaired. However, the line between death and deactivation is a blurry one. Sometimes the two words are used interchangeably, even in reference to characters who are later revived. Most of Starscream's Underbase victims were described as deactivated, and were sometimes lamented as "dead" while at other times were shown undergoing repairs. {{storylink|Back from the Dead}} {{storylink|Gone but Not Forgotten!}} {{storylink|The Gathering Storm}}

"[[Stasis lock]]" would eventually give a more concrete name to the state of deactivation. The inert Transformers on the crashed Ark were retconned as being in stasis lock. Various ''Beast Wars'' characters would go into stasis lock to maintain their spark when their body had sustained too much damage from weaponsfire or energon absorption. ''Animated'' showed a crew of Autobots voluntarily entering protective stasis lock in anticipation of a crash landing.

Some of the quasi-fatal things which can cause a Transformer to "deactivate" include:

===Impact trauma===
Smashing into something usually knocks out a Transformer, but almost never actually kills them:
* The crew of the original [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] is deactivated when the ship crashes on Earth and lies inert for 4 million years {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}} {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)}} {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)}}
* Marvel comics: [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] falls to his "death", but is patched together and talking again in short order. {{storylink|Prisoner of War!}}

===Decapitation===
[[File:Sentinelprimeanimatedhumiliated.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|In the movie continuity, this would've been fatal. In ''Animated'', it's just embarrassing.]]

{{bigquote|Anyone who can lop your head off in one blow is alright by me!|[[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]] jokes about [[Cloudburst]]'s near-death experience, "[[Recipe for Disaster!]]"}}

Like we said before, decapitation is sometimes fatal... and other times it isn't.
* Marvel comic:
** Optimus Prime was able to survive as just a head when Shockwave separated it from his body in an effort to get the Creation Matrix. {{storylink|The New Order}}
**[[Cloudburst]] was abruptly decapitated by sword, but was just fine after some repairs. {{storylink|Recipe for Disaster!}}
* G1 cartoon: Optimus Prime was disassembled into his component parts, but functioned just fine as nothing more than a head once [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] connected a few wires. {{storylink|City of Steel (episode)|City of Steel}}
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon: [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] survives having his head blasted or otherwise knocked off multiple times, {{storylink|Spider's Game}} {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}} {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)}} {{storylink|Code of Hero}} and even put it back on himself one time. He even accidentally swapped heads with Megatron once. Megatron was not amused. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}} And let's not even get started on how many times [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] has lost his head.
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]:
**[[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] was just fine when one of the Reapers whacked his head off. (He didn't fare so well when another Reaper crushed his head with a boulder, however.) {{storylink|Devastation issue 6}}
**[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]]'s head was removed in an apparent suicide attempt; he survived because he was put back together in time, before his Spark had faded out.
* ''Animated'' cartoon: Decapitated victims of the ''Animated'' [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] rarely show any ill effects other than not having a body anymore. {{storylink|Headmaster (episode)|Headmaster}} {{storylink|The Return of the Headmaster}} {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}
* Movie Continuity:
**Frenzy survived his first decapitation by [[Mikaela Banes]].
**[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] was said by [[Brains]] to have survived his decapitation in the Chicago battle, even after having an axe lodged right into his processor. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}}

===Dismemberment===
{{quote|MY ARM!!!|Starscream, ''Revenge of the Fallen''}}
Transformers get ripped to pieces all the time, and recover from it:
* Marvel comic: Scorponok tears [[Tantrum (G1)|Tantrum]] to pieces. [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] slices [[Horri-Bull (G1)|Horri-Bull]] in half at the waist. Both are seen alive later on. {{storylink|Cold War!}}
* ''Last Stand of the Wreckers'': [[Guzzle (G1)|Guzzle]] is torn in half by [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] and is easily repaired. The same also happened to [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]].
* ''Revenge of the Fallen'': During a fierce battle, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] not only cut off [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]]'s arm with an Energon blade, but he ripped off [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s arm with his bare hands, and proceeded to ''beat him with it''.

===Spark removal===
{{bigquote|His spark can't exist outside a living body!|[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], "[[Optimal Situation]]"}}

A Transformer's spark—their "soul", their living essence—can be removed from their body, or the body can be destroyed around them
* The destruction of Starscream's body, and his subsequent survival as a ghost, was eventually retconned to be his Spark enduring without a physical form. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}} {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}} {{storylink|Possession}}
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon: Tigatron and Airazor's sparks spent quite some time wandering around behind Tigerhawk, before combining and entering his body. {{storylink|Other Victories}}
* In the ''Beast Machines'' cartoon:
** Megatron de-sparked most of Cybertron's population and stored their sparks in a big barrel. Most were restored to bodies eventually. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future}}
** Blackarachnia's spark wandered around bodiless for a time. {{storylink|Revelations Part III: Apocalypse}}
** Megatron himself, his spark in a depolarized state, wandered the surface of Cybertron without a body for a time. {{storylink|Spark of Darkness}}

The treatment of bodiless sparks in ''Beast Machines'' is seen by some fans as contradicting the canon established by ''Beast Wars'', particularly the quote above.

===Limbo===
Sometimes Transformers get shunted out of creation as we know it, and into various alternate, sub- and non-dimensions.
* Marvel comics:
** The [[trans-time dimensional portal]] crosses [[unspace]], "a bit of dimensional nothingness" where Ratchet and Megatron vanished and were believed dead. {{storylink|The Gathering Storm}}
** Transformers mass-displaced by time travel wind up in a formless dimension known as [[Limbo]].
* IDW comics: Megatron severely damaged Optimus Prime in battle and planned on finishing him off by crushing his [[Laser core|spark core]]. Optimus Prime feigned death by downloading his "consciousness" into his [[Combat Deck (G1)|trailer section]], causing his [[Brain Center|robot mode]] to appear dead. In the time it took for Prime's consciousness to transfer to his trailer, he briefly entered [[infraspace|limbo]], the transitional infraspace between life and death. {{storylink|The Transformers: Escalation|Escalation}}

==Resuscitation==
Robots are machines. They can be switched off, taken apart, blown to bits, and put back together. Ergo, in many continuities and cases, "death" is not nearly as permanent a condition as it is for us fragile fleshy types.

===Reconstruction===
[[File:PeoplePower-reprogrammed.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]

{{bigquote|I've done it! Optimus Prime lives!|[[Klementia|A random Quintesson]], "[[The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1]]"}}

* Generation 1 cartoon: Optimus Prime was simply ''repaired'' back to life by a Quintesson. Some fixing of this and that, a burst of power, and boom, suddenly he was alive again. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}}
* Marvel comics: Optimus Prime's mind was encoded on a disk. After a new [[Powermaster]] body was constructed for him, the disk's contents were loaded into it, and Optimus Prime lived again. (One wonders why they couldn't make as many Optimus Primes as they pleased.) {{storylink|People Power!}}
* Movie continuity: The [[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticons]] have [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'s consciousness transferred to a [[Galvatron (AOE)|new body]] built by [[Kinetic Solutions Incorporated|KSI]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}}

===Spark transfer===
Transferring a Transformer's spark into a new body constitutes a form of resurrection, particularly if the Transformer's previous body was destroyed.
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon: Optimus Primal was restored to life when Rhinox managed to recall his spark from the Matrix, a special circumstance only enabled by a temporary window into transwarp space. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}
* ''Beast Machines'' cartoon: various Vehicon generals were brought to life by placing other Transformer's sparks into them.
* ''Armada'' cartoon: Smokescreen was shot through the chest at point blank range by the Requiem Blaster {{storylink|Sacrifice}} but his spark survived and was put into a new body. {{storylink|Regeneration (Armada)|Regeneration}}
* ''Energon'' cartoon: Inferno and Demolishor both had their bodies ''atomized''; however, their sparks both survived, and were placed into new bodies. (The upshot of all of this is that it's nigh-impossible to kill a Unicron Trilogy Transformer, unless they do it themselves.) {{storylink|Go for Unicron!}} {{storylink|Farewell Inferno}}
* ''Animated'' cartoon: The spark of a dying [[Yoketron (Animated)|Yoketron]] was placed into a new protoform body by [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]]; however, Yoketron consciously chose to let his life end, and expired anyway. {{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}}

==="Magical" substances===
* Marvel comics: The miraculous healing properties of Nucleon brought many Autobots back to life, as well as a few Decepticons. {{storylink|The Void! (US)|The Void!}}
* ''Energon'' cartoon: Megatron was revived by the all-encompassing power of energon, as was Unicron. {{storylink|Megatron Resurrected}}

===Primus and Primus-related powers===
{{bigquote|Where the Last Autobot is concerned, even death, it would appear, is an abstract concept!|Optimus Prime explains his latest revival, "[[End of the Road! (US)|End of the Road!]]"}}

Anything tied to the primordial life-force of the Transformers' god Primus tends to be a cure-all for death. This includes Primus himself, his various power-wielding avatars and servants, and the assorted Matrixes and Allsparks, all of which can deliver an infusion of the essence of life itself. In some continuities, this is parsed as a Transformer's spark being brought back out of the Allspark dimension.

[[File:RageInHeaven-HeroPrime.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85]]

* In the Marvel comics:
** The [[Last Autobot]] was granted the power of recreation by Primus, which he used to raise numerous fallen Autobots from the battlefield. {{storylink|End of the Road! (US)}}
** Optimus Prime was eager to find the lost Creation Matrix, stating that it would be able to restore many deactivated warriors to life. {{storylink|Bird of Prey!}}
** Optimus Prime was restored to life by the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]] after it had ingested the energies and knowledge of the Matrix. {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}
* In the movie continuity:
** The Allspark is shown repeatedly to be capable of restoring just about anything. Frenzy gets a whole new body from its power, Bumblebee temporarily gets his voice back, {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}} and Megatron is restored to life by merely a fragment of it. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
** Optimus Prime was restored to life by the Matrix of Leadership, an Allspark-related talisman. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
** Sentinel Prime is revived after crash landing on the moon by the Matrix of Leadership courtesy of Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
* Sam Witwicky was brought back alive by the Primes, a creation of [[Primus]].
* ''Beast Machines'' cartoon: [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]]'s body was destroyed, but the AllSpark granted him the choice of uniting with it or being reborn. He chose the latter, and ''poof'', just walked right out of the Oracle bubble in a brand new version of his previous body. {{storylink|Fallout (episode)|Fallout}}
* ''Armada'' cartoon: [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] was brought back to life by the power of the [[Mini-Con]]s after his body was disintegrated. {{storylink|Miracle}}
* "[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]": [[Skyfall (Cybertron)|Skyfall]] was resurrected when he and his gestaltmates were combined together and reborn by Primus into [[Nexus Prime (Classics)|Nexus Prime]]. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 5}} Nexus Prime then brought [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] back from the other side of the Allspark and infused him with some of Primus's power to become Galvatron. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 6}}

===Zombies===
* Dude, [[zombie]]s!

==Immortality==
===Immortal sparks===
Certain sparks have mutant qualities that allow them to, potentially, exist forever.
* Starscream survived his death at the hands of Galvatron; this was later explained as him having a "mutant indestructible spark". {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}} {{storylink|Possession}} {{storylink|Bad Spark}}
* [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] was created as an attempt to duplicate Starscream's immortal spark. {{storylink|Bad Spark}} He was eventually killed by [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]], so the attempt may be seen as unsuccessful. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

===Other===
* [[Multiversal singularity|Multiversal singularities]] such as [[Unicron]] and [[The Fallen]] can be killed off in one dimension, only to still be alive and well in another (or many others), due to the varying properties of different dimensions (reverse-time dimensions, for example, are key to revival of the singularities).
* ''Animated'' [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] could not be killed so long as he retained his Allspark fragment embedded in his forehead.
* Denizens of the [[Dead Universe]] could essentially regenerate themselves out of nothing, no matter how much damage was inflicted on them. This ability appears to no longer apply, post-[[Expansion]], except when in direct proximity to the Dead Universe.
* Thunderwing's Pretender shell seemed to make him nearly invincible. At the very least, he was able to withstand incredible amounts of salvo and not even flinch.
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] can never completely die no matter what for some reason. It's probably because if he died, the universe wouldn't be able to inflict pain on him anymore.

==Out-of-fiction causes of character death==
===Drama / character culmination===
[[File:LastStandoftheWreckers5- Ironfistaneurism.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|I told you I was ill.]]
At its best, character death can be a moving plot development, the fruition of an ongoing character arc.
* [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] spent much of [[Simon Furman]]'s Marvel US run conflicted and doubting himself, and under the weight of his pre-Headmaster self's reputation. He finally got past this and took the fight to Unicron, dying in the process, his last words asking Optimus if he'd done good. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
* Suspecting that they would have to remove a character from the show, the writers of ''Beast Wars'' began planning for Dinobot's death several episodes ahead of time. Thus, when it came, it was the outcome of the character's own choices, flaws, and history, and played a crucial role in the show's plot. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
* Sunstreaker's death in ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'' is intended to follow a similar style of arc... only it's missing the whole choices, flaws and history thing. Oh well!
* Optimus Primal's death(s) in ''Beast Machines'' are likewise the outcome of his own choices and character. {{storylink|End of the Line}} {{storylink| Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future}} His death in ''Beast Wars'', by contrast, was more a moment of dramatic pathos — knowingly walking into danger, his enemy got the better of him. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}
* [[Ironfist (G1)|Ironfist]]'s death in ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' is his main plot arc, quietly built up in the background since the first issue.

===Consequences of war===
[[File:Bulkhead Eradicon Darkness Rising 3.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|His special large intestine! There's only one like it!]]
It's hard to take a war story seriously when nobody actually dies. The reality of war can be more readily portrayed when characters die. [[Generic]]s are particularly handy for this, allowing death to be shown while not removing primary characters (retail toys!) from the story. The results can range from high drama and pathos to numbingly pointless body counts.
* Impactor's death was used to drive home the threat of the Decepticons as well as the risks taken by the Autobots and their commanders. {{storylink|Target: 2006}}
* The ''Generation 2'' book featured several deaths which drove home the realities of war. Most notably, Red Alert's destruction served to make Grimlock acutely aware of just how badly he'd screwed up. {{storylink|Devices and Desires! (Marvel)|Devices and Desires!}}
* Pretty much every death in ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' comes under this.
* [[Cliffjumper (WFC)|Cliffjumper]], [[Tailgate (Prime)|Tailgate]], [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] and [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]] are all killed in their first ''Prime'' episodes, due to just plain bad luck in the first three cases and because of a deliberate Autobot killing in Makeshift's. The [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] are presented as sentient ''and'' as being killed by Autobots in large numbers. [[Jeff Kline]] famously said at the advent of ''Prime'' that all deaths would be final. While the rule applied to the majority of the series, it was happily ignored when it came time for the deaths of [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]], [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]], and [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]], who were all revived almost immediately after death (admittedly it took until the follow-up series to revive Optimus a second time, but let's face it, we're used to that by this point).

===Increased threat===
An enemy that kills is an enemy to be taken seriously. Thus a writer will frequently throw in some preliminary deaths to point out how seriously the bad guy should be treated.
* The generic who dies at the beginning of "[[City of Fear!]]" serves to show the zombies as a true life-threatening menace.
* Likewise for Runabout's death at the hands of the demons ; {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} knowing they can devour a Transformer makes the reader more concerned about the Dinobots' subsequent fate. {{storylink|Still Life!}}
* In "[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]", [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] makes corpses in practically every scene he's in!
* Cliffjumper in ''Prime'' was set up as a main character and then killed in five minutes, immediately putting the ''Prime'' Decepticons forward as a major threat.
* [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] is brutally hunted down and killed early into ''Age of Extinction'' by [[Cemetery Wind]] and [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]], to show what has befallen the majority of the Cybertronians on Earth (and the old cast from the first three films) and what will happen if the survivors are caught.

===Cast thinning===
Generation 1 stories were particularly notorious for acquiring gigantic casts as they rolled on, because of the franchise's longevity. A simple way to make things more manageable was simply to kill off large numbers of characters in battle.

* Examples are rife in the Marvel comics:
** The "[[Time Wars]]" storyline got rid of the [[Wrecker]]s and quite a few Decepticons as well.
** The [[Underbase Saga]] even more explicitly cleared out dozens of characters, leaving perhaps 2 dozen characters from each faction in the story.
** The battle with Unicron in "[[On the Edge of Extinction!]]" likewise got rid of a lot of older characters, leaving the story free to concentrate on more of a core cast (and associated newer toy characters.)
* ''The Transformers: The Movie'' did this on a smaller basis. While only a handful of characters were actually killed off, many more cast members simply disappeared without explanation in the following season of the cartoon.
* [[Betrayal|Wreckers #2]] dealt with its oversized cast by killing off scads of characters right up front.

More recent stories - particularly those without the overriding imperative [[to sell toys]], such as the G1 IDW comics - have accepted that not every character must be constantly accounted for at all times or roll-called every issue, allowing larger casts to simply exist in the background until needed. Another alternative, particularly visible in the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon, is to give new bodies (based on corresponding new toys, of course) to existing characters, allowing them to continue promoting new toys across multiple seasons of the show.

===Character motivation===
A quick and easy way to create enmity between characters is for the antagonist to kill someone close to the protagonist.

* In Marvel's comics, [[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]]'s revenge plot against the new [[Mayhem Attack Squad]] is motivated by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]'s murder of [[Catilla (G1)|Catilla]]. {{storylink|A Savage Place!}}
* In ''Energon'', [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber ''nee'' Dagger]] swore revenge on [[Shockblast]] after the murder of his partner, [[Padlock (Energon)|Padlock]]. {{storylink|Shockblast: Rampage}} He then forgot to care about Shockblast later but, y'know, ''Energon'' story.
* In ''Prime'', [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] and [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee's]] conflict is down to Airachnid's murder of [[Tailgate (Prime)|Tailgate]]. {{storylink|Predatory}} She keeps throwing this in Arcee's face.

===Clear space for new toys===
{{main|To sell toys}}

[[File:Newyorkunderbase.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|(They also cease to appear on store shelves.)]]

Some fiction has an inherently limited capacity for characters. ''Beast Wars'' and ''Beast Machines'' are by far the most prominent examples; their CGI animation made character animation expensive and necessitated removing an old character before a new one could be brought in. But any medium can be susceptible to this toy-driven phenomena.
* The numerous casualties of "[[The Transformers: The Movie]]" were fairly explicitly removed from the story to make way for a wave of new toy/characters.
* Terrorsaur and Scorponok had to be removed — quickly — to make room for the two upcoming Fuzor characters, hence their sudden, blink-and-you-miss-it death in "[[Aftermath]]".
* Airazor and Tigatron were removed for similar reasons. When their plot was finally resolved, it was, surprise, via [[Tigerhawk|a new toy]]!

{{-}}

==Fleshling death==
In general, ''Transformers'' fiction is pretty squeamish about showing the deaths of Earth's organic creatures. But it's a war, and sometimes it does happen. The out-of-universe reasons generally fall into three categories: Consequences of War, Emotional Pathos, and BLOOD IZ KEWL.

The various cartoons tend to show organic death the least, as they are most clearly aimed at, and easily accessible by, children. Comics tend to be less reluctant to show the impact of the Transformers' war on innocent lives, though the death rate varies by series. Latter-day Generation 1 books especially revel in high body counts, because squishing stupid humans is killer and awesome and radical and hardcore. Even the occasional [[Satellite of Doom|children's storybook]] has been known to off mass quantities of the dumb fleshies.

===Animal death===
[[File:MurderedPuppy02.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|One dead dog]]

[[File:Sparkwar3 Dead noble.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|Two dead dogs]]

Cute little animals are almost always killed off for reasons of Emotional Pathos:
* A little girl's pet puppy named [[Pis]] barked at [[Wilder]] and was kicked so hard he died. {{storylink|Rage!! Little Devils with No Need for Rules}}
* The [[Murdered puppy]] was shot down by the Decepticons after running away from Megatron's experiments. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 8|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #8}}
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] reminded [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] that [[The Fallen]] once shot down a ship full of [[Antilian bumble-puppy|Antilian bumble-puppies]]. (Decepticons have a thing for killing puppies.)
* The dog-like [[Noble (BM)|Noble]] was shot at by [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] because of his hatred for organics {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. III: The Siege}} and was later mourned by his "owner", [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]]. {{storylink|Spark of Darkness}}
* A stray shot from [[Tigatron]] accidentally caused an avalanche which killed his friend [[Snowstalker]]. {{storylink|Law of the Jungle}}
* "[[Law of the Jungle]]" also portrays the deaths of four different forest animals (a bug is eaten by a frog, which is eaten by a snake, which is taken off to be eaten by a bird. Later, an orange tiger kills an antelope). This is a rare "Consequences of War" example.
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] also once ate an eagle, {{storylink|Power Surge (episode)|Power Surge}} while [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] ate a cute little rat, {{storylink|Victory (episode)|Victory}} and nearly ate an antelope as well. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
* In order to save [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]], [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] had to fight a [[saber-toothed cat|saber-toothed tiger]] off a cliff, killing it. {{Storylink|Bad Spark}}
* [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] used [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel]]'s shield to knock a spikey rock onto a giant spider effectively killing it. She later used [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]]' axe to kill some new born baby spiders. {{Storylink|Along Came a Spider}}
* Human villain [[Trophy White]] had a grisly display of stuffed and mounted animal heads. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.10|Bring Me the Head of Optimus Prime}}
* A vulture was shot when [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]] landed on Africa.
* [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] killed a friggin' elephant in Africa. (In the adaptation, at least.)
{{-}}

===Human death===
[[File:Razorclawshootsahuman.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|This didn't happen much.]]
* Marvel US: The [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|original Marvel book]] ignored or glossed over human casualties, which were rarely if ever shown; the panel at right, from [[Toy Soldiers!|US #37]], shows a ''very'' unusual instance of a human dying right in front of us. One of the few human(oid)s to die on-panel was [[Galen Kord|Galen]], killed off to make way for [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]]. ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|Generation 2]]'' was much more explicit about human death, as Bludgeon and later [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] attacked Earth for the purpose of inflicting casualties.
* Marvel UK: The UK-original stories were much less reluctant to show human death; within the first year or so, humans had died in Autobot-induced car wrecks and at the hands of mind-controlled Autobots.
* In ''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One|Regeneration One]]'', after his revival on Earth, Megatron managed to gain control of Earth's nuclear arsenal and used it to push humanity to the brink of extinction. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 3}} During that conflict, Megatron had some fun terrorizing the population with his army of zombie Decepticons. [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] tracked down and killed [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster]] and [[Jesse (G1)|Jessie]] Witwicky in a car wash; had he had his full faculties, he might have [[Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom|appreciated the irony]]. {{storylink|Less Than Zero}}
* In almost every US-aired cartoon series, humans essentially ''never'' die. Even ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]]'', which features the city of [[Detroit]] getting smashed by robot battles virtually every week, never once mentions humans getting killed. And then ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' showed up.
** A human was shown slumped against a wall in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 5]]", a victim of Soundwave, though it wasn't clear whether he was dead or merely unconscious.[[File:Convoy-kablooie.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|They'll, uh, be okay, maybe.]]
**When [[MECH|human terrorists]] are featured, they will often die. Piloted or driven vehicles explode and enemies are implied to be crushed. "[[Convoy (episode)|Convoy]]" is the first of numerous examples.
** When Nemesis Prime attacks a military base in his [[Nemesis Prime (episode)|self-titled episode]], it's likely his rampage cost the lives of numerous soldiers.
** When the military attacked [[Darkmount (Earth)|Darkmount]], its fusion cannons devastated the entire force, presumably killing them all.
**[[Silas|Cylas]] is the first human to die on-screen in Western Transformers animation, but not before thanking [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] for finally freeing him of his gruesome existence.
* Contemporary toyline-based comics (''[[Transformers: Armada (Dreamwave)|Armada]]'', ''[[Transformers: Energon (comic)|Energon]]'') seem to follow a similar policy, avoiding showing, only mentioning, human death.
* Japanese cartoons, by contrast, don't seem to mind showing human deaths (or [[Pis|dog deaths]], for that matter).
* The [[Dreamwave Generation One continuity|Dreamwave G1 comics]] really thought it was totally awesome and cool and radical to kill off those stupid humans. Thus, they start off with Megatron smushing some stupid humans. More smushing and killing and blowing up follows. DIE, dumb stubbies, DIE!
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]] managed to avoid this for a long time, showing human death only when it was particularly integral to the plot... then ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'' came down the pike. DIE, stupid fleshies, DIE!
* The live-action [[movie continuity]] implies a great deal of human death. ''Revenge'' mentions a body count of over 9,000 (don't even ''think'' about it), and massive damage is done during the battle of [[Mission City]], though little of it is shown on screen. And of course, the first film begins with Blackout wiping out an entire military base. A handful of humans are killed directly on-screen, most notably [[Patrick Donnelly|Donnelly]]. Then of course we get to ''Dark of the Moon'', which has Decepticons laying siege to [[Chicago]], killing most of its citizens, including several being shot and exploding and disintegrating into just skulls ''directly in front of the camera''. That's not even mentioning [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]], whose job it is to assassinate civilians, even if it means befriending their children to do it. Twisted.
** [[Dylan Gould]] was killed when he was shoved into [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime's]] space bridge generator, but given he was a villain it's not so much of a concern.
** [[Sam Witwicky (Movie)|Sam Witwicky]] was killed by Megatron but brought back to life by the Primes.
** [[Lucas Flannery]], in a bit of karmic retribution (for having tipped off [[Cemetery Wind]] to Optimus' location against Cade's wishes), gets fried by one of [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]]'s grenades and his mangled corpse is converted into ''[[Transformium]]''. [[James Savoy]] says his sister was a casualty of the Battle of Chicago, which he uses as an excuse to sadistically hunt and kill Autobots and their sympathizers. He ends up getting knocked out of a very high window by [[Cade Yeager]] for attempting to kill his family. Later, his boss, [[Harold Attinger]], is brutally gunned down by Optimus Prime when he tries to kill Cade for sympathizing with the Autobots. Additionally, [[Joshua Joyce]] tries to scramble paramedics to the scene of [[Galvatron (AOE)|Galvatron]]'s rampage (much to Attinger's disgust), believing people were killed. And then there's the [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobots]] stomping through the densely crowded streets of Hong Kong. They certainly killed more people than Decepticons!
* The alternate timeline arc in Titan's Movie comic featured big wars on Earth and lots of destruction, clearly ''insinuating'' human death while not being explicit. The exceptions were in [[Transformers Comic issue 10|issue 10]], where [[NATO]] is said to be suffering losses of 11,506 and the [[France|Palais Bourbon]] is blown up when people are still clearly inside. Sam Witwicky, meanwhile, was stated to have died.
* Titan quite blatantly stated that the [[Free Men]] had caused great loss of life at an air base, a rare example of humans killing humans. In the same story, [[Robert Epps]] opened fire on militia men, which kinda implies he was killing them. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.10|Bring Me the Head of Optimus Prime}} Similarly, [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] of all people was seen zapping humans at close range during a Decepticon attack; with no "oh it was a stun beam" handwave and the 'Cons not pulling punches, it sure seems like he's murdered 'em! {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.6|Outlaw Blues}}
* In ''[[Transformers: Kiss Players (franchise)|Kiss Players]]'', several [[Kiss Player]]s were seen being devoured by Legions.
{{-}}

==Characters who die a lot==
* [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|Optimus Prime]]
* [[Dirge (G1)]] — the unlucky guy who gets [[:File:Dirge DeathSerpentor.jpg|killed]] [[:File:Dirge DeathSwarm.jpg|off]] [[:File:Dirge DeathTimelines.jpg|in]] [[:File:Dirge DeathUnicron.jpg|many]] [[:File:Dirge DeathArmada.jpg|continuities]]
* [[Quake (G1)|Quake]] — the unlucky guy who gets killed over and over in the same continuity, but doesn't seem to mind.
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] — the unlucky guy from ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' who gets sliced, diced, and fricasseed every other episode only to be fully functional in time to get [[Slag (slang)|slagged]] ''again''. But he never actually dies.
* [[Cy-Kill (disambiguation)|Cy-Kill]] — a Go-Bots character transferred to many Transformers comics just to be killed off violently, for no other reason than the lolz of ending his toyline, his universe, and finally his life... repeatedly.
* [[Sentinel Prime (G1)]] — the unlucky [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] [[:File:Sentinel prime lou.jpg|who]] [[:File:Sentinel prime dw.jpg|must]] [[Megatron Origin issue 4|die]].
* [[Starscream (Animated)]] — the unlucky guy that constantly gets killed, decapitated, or maimed by others, only to be brought back to life, thanks to a fragment of the [[AllSpark]] embedded in his forehead.

==See also==
* [[Transformer funerary practices]]
* [[To sell toys]]

[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Transformer anatomy]]

Death

2015-10-11T03:12:47Z

Primon12345: /* Loss of spark */

{{disambig2|the end of life|the Horseman of Unicron|Airazor (Armada)}}

[[File:Battleofautobotcity.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|And lo, the children did weep. They wept hard too.]]

''Transformers'' is a children's franchise, but at its core, it's a story of war. This means that the '''death''' of major and minor characters sometimes figures into the fiction.

Given the ambiguous nature of [[Transformer]] physiology, there is very little consistency regarding what is fatal to a Transformer, even within a single storyline. Damage that one Transformer might shrug off can prove fatal to another, or even to the same character in a different story. Sometimes just a laser blast or two will do the trick. Other times, characters survive being melted, [[Waspinator (BW)|crushed into cubes]], and even [[Demolishor (Armada)|utterly disintegrated]]. It does not take a terribly cynical viewer to conclude that the threshold of survival is generally determined by the needs of the plot.

The out-of-universe reasons for a character's death can vary from plot development to the arrival of [[To sell toys|new toys]]. Conveniently enough for writers who are beholden to the whims of a toy company, the majority of Transformers characters are machines, which means that death isn't necessarily permanent. Across the various universes, characters that appear to have been killed have been known to pop up alive again at a later date, or go through some sort of resurrection.

{{quote|"How can you all be so cold and unfeeling? He died a hero!" "Don't you even have mechanical hearts?" "The humans don't understand! Our form of life is vastly different from theirs!"|[[Spider-Man]], [[Sparkplug Witwicky]], and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]]|"[[Prisoner of War!]]"|noquote=true}}

==In-fiction causes of death==
[[File:DEATH.jpg|left|thumb|upright=2.2|[[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] is just as puzzled as the rest of us.]]

There is little consistency in what can kill a Transformer. Sometimes it takes just a shot. Other times, even totally annihilating a Transformer's body still doesn't do the trick. Even the most basic method of killing, which is to destroy or otherwise cause the loss of a Transformer's [[spark]], varies quite a bit in its details from story to story, character to character, and series to series.

However, over time there has been some convergence of concepts regarding Transformer design across the various franchises and storylines. The concept of Sparks as a Transformer's driving life force has become nearly universal, and with it, the notion that loss of Spark equals death. Various [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]] comics, particularly ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More Than Meets The Eye]]'', have delved deeply into this, positing that a Transformer can die if their Spark, brain or (in a new and unique twist) transformation cog are sufficiently damaged, known as "[[Rossum's Trinity‎]]". MTMTE also makes note of the difficulties in killing a Transformer, and how things like decapitation may not be lethal in the right circumstances.

If one is so inclined, these concepts can be applied retroactively to many, if not all, older stories - so that various means of death described below can be seen simply as the means of inflicting the requisite damage on a Transformer's vital bits.

When a Transformer dies, the loss of their life force (or artistic convention, out here in the real world) often results in them turning gray. The most well-known example by far is Optimus Prime's death in the animated movie; Prowl can also be glimpsed turning gray as he falls during the shuttle assault. This idea has shown up in a few other places, such as [[Transform and Roll Out#Part 3|the ''Animated'' cartoon]] and [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|the ''More Than Meets the Eye'' comics]].

{{--}}
===Weaponsfire===
{{bigquote|This was almost too easy, Starscream!|[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (like the fandom) is surprised to find how easily Autobots die, ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''}}

[[File:Tftm1986a.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|We're here aboard the Autobot shuttle, where we've secretly replaced Brawn's hyper-dense metal armor plating with styrene plastic. Let's see if anyone can tell the difference.]]

[[File:TFTM UltraMagnus dies.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Prepare for your death today. Yer gonna die!!]]

[[File:Magnusdeath.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Ow! Hey! Cut it out, guys! That hurts!]]

[[File:Blades1.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Sorry, [[Outpost B-67 exo-structuring party|nameless guy]], your generic nature means you will never be miraculously resurrected.]]

Like humans, Transformers can be killed by damage caused by energy, projectile, and chemical weapons. Just how many shots it takes is widely variable, however.
* In the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original ''The Transformers'' cartoon]]:
** Many casualties of the [[Battle of Autobot City]] (and its run-up), including [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]], [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], [[Ironhide (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ironhide]], and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], were victims of energy weapons. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}} This was quite a change from the cartoon's M.O., wherein the same characters routinely got shot and blasted all the time and shrugged it off, or at worst spent some time in the repair bay. Brawn and Prowl both went down after ''one shot''.
** [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] subsequently "dies" after being shot a few times by the [[Sweep (G1)|Sweeps]], exploding into pieces. He is soon revived by the [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]], however. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
** In the Japanese continuity, Ultra Magnus dies ''again'', for real this time, after [[Sixshot (G1)|Sixshot]] shoots him a few times. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus Dies!!}}
* In the [[Marvel Comics continuity|Marvel comics]]:
** [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] was cut down by a single head shot from [[Macabre]]. {{storylink|Target: 2006}}
** Most deaths in the ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|Generation 2]]'' book occurred from energy weapons, such as [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], {{storylink|Devices and Desires! (Marvel)|Devices and Desires!}} as well as numerous generics. {{storylink|War Without End!}} Quite a few victims exploded spectacularly after being shot, including [[Tantrum (G1)|Tantrum]], {{storylink|The Gathering Darkness}} [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]], [[Quake (G1)|Quake]], {{storylink|New Dawn}} and [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]]. {{storylink|Escalation!}}
* In the ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' cartoon:
** [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] dies after incurring severe damage from numerous [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] weapons. {{storylink|Code of Hero}} Other characters have survived similar or worse levels of damage, but the episode gave a reason: Dinobot refuses to go into [[stasis lock]], which his onboard computer warns could "result in loss of Spark" if he keeps it up.
** [[Tigerhawk]] is disintegrated by the main cannon of the starship ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]''. The same cannon subsequently blasts [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]], apparently killing them, though their "death" may be permanent simply because there was nobody around to put them back together. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}
* ''Armada'' cartoon: [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] dies holding back the [[Hydra Cannon]], the damage causing him to [[:File:Crisis Optimus Prime dies.jpg|crumble to dust]]. {{storylink|Crisis (Armada)|Crisis}}
* [[Dreamwave Generation One continuity|Dreamwave G1]] comics: [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] is killed by [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]]. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath}} He got better. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 3|Prime Directive #3}}
* [[Transformers: Universe (comic)|Universe]]: [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] was shot and killed by [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] during the final battle of the [[Universe War]].
* This happens a ''lot'' in the [[Movie continuity]]:
**[[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]] and [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] both died from weapons fire. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}}
*Arcee and Elita-One and possibly Chromia were killed by Deception fire.
** All the [[Appliancebot]]s were killed by [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]].
**A crapload of [[Protoform]]s were shot down by [[NEST]] soldiers. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
(film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
*Arcee and Elita-One and possibly Chromia were killed by Deception fire.
** [[Crowbar]] was shot in the face by Ironhide.
**[[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que]] was killed by a Decepticon protoform. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
** [[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]] was killed by a massive onslaught of gunfire from [[Cemetery Wind]]. [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] was brutally whittled down in a similar manner, until Lockdown came and executed him.
* "[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]": [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] gets his face blown off/in by [[Cyclonus (SG)|Cyclonus]]. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 4}}
{{--}}
* Many goons during the [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)|War for Cybertron]] died from being shot. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (games)|War for Cybertron}}
*''Prime'' cartoon: [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] was killed by a shot through the chest by [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] {{storylink|Regeneration (Prime)|Regeneration}}

===Big explosions===
{{bigquote|They're going to blow us all to pieces! [[Guardian (Marvel)|Guardian]]'s booby-trapped - packed with enough explosives to level this whole mountain!|[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], "[[The Wrath of Grimlock!]]"}}

Transformers characters often assume that explosions are more lethal than they really are; characters survive explosions all the time. An explosion's messy nature makes a good "out" for a writer to fake a character's death. {{storylink|The Wrath of Grimlock!}} {{storylink|Gone but Not Forgotten!}} {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} Nevertheless, a few characters have been permanently killed by explosions. (This list omits characters who exploded from within, like Ultra Magnus up above.)
* In the Marvel comics:
** [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]] was the victim of an interdimensionally triggered explosion that destroyed his body. {{storylink|The Bridge to Nowhere!}} However, in the UK continuity he survived as a raggedy, bodiless head. {{storylink|...The Harder They Die!}}
** In an alternate future, a wounded [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] died in the fiery explosion of a crashing shuttlecraft. {{storylink|The Legacy of Unicron!}}
** [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] was killed when a prototype [[pathblaster]] exploded in his face. {{storylink|Time Wars}}
** [[Finback]] was presumably killed in the explosion of a huge gun battery. [[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] tried to warn him off, and may have been killed in the same explosion. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon:
** [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] was blown to bits — terminally so — by the [[transwarp]] explosion that destroyed the [[Planet Buster]]. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}
** [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]] was killed by the explosion that resulted from [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]]'s death (either his exploding spark, or the exploding energon shard that pierced it.) {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}
* Several of the [[Beast Era]] [[Wrecker]]s ([[Sonar (BW)|Sonar]], [[Spittor (BW)|Spittor]], the [[Deployer (BM)|Deployers]]) were destroyed when part of their ship exploded with them in it. {{storylink|Betrayal}}
* Energon: [[Bruticus Maximus (Energon)|Bruticus Maximus]] was killed when Storm Jet caused a massive explosion that engulfed them both.
* ''Prime'': [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]] and the surrounding [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]s were blown up by a grenade attached by the Autobots. Both the Vehicons and Makeshift were killed in the blast. (According to an interview at [[BotCon 2011]] with the ''Prime'' show runners, Makeshift was deemed too overpowered to be a regular in the show, so they killed him off at the end of the episode.) {{storylink|Con Job}}
*IDW Continuity: [[Bomb-Burst (G1)|Bomb-Burst]] and [[Skullgrin]] were killed when Springer blew them up with a grenade. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 3}}
* ''Movie Continuty'': [[Crankcase (DOTM)|Crankcase]] blew up when Ironhide kicked him into a gas station. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)}}
** Several Constructicons and Decepticon Protoforms are killed by a human air strike in [[Egypt]] {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)}}

===Impact trauma===
Falling off a cliff or mountainside or tall building is usually just as fatal to Transformers as it is to, say... Wile E. Coyote. Only on rare occasion does it result in death:
* ''[[Transformers: Classics|Classics]]'' continuity: [[Hacksaw]] met his end by falling from a huge communications tower. {{storylink|The New World}}
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]: [[Doubledealer]] was shot, fell off a mountain and smashed to bits on impact. {{storylink|Spotlight: Doubledealer}}
* Movie continuity:
**[[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]] fell off the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]] after losing his balance when his arm was shot off, and he shattered to pieces as he tumbled down. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
** [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] was smashed to pieces and killed by being flung into a freeway column. {{storylink|Movie Adaptation issue 4|Movie Adaptation Issue Number Four}}
** [[Hatchet]] met his end when [[Mirage (Movie)|Dino]] sent him crashing into a car.
* The [[Beast (G1)|Beast]] fell off a cliff and shattered. {{storylink|The Beast Within Part 2, Consequences}} At least, we hope that's where and how it ended.
* ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Prime]]'': [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] crash-landed after [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] punched out vital components in his [[alternate mode]], reducing his body to a partially transformed scrapheap.

===Disassembly===
[[File:Jazz DyingAction.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|"HERE'S what I think of your resemblance to your G1 counterpart!"]]

Taking a Transformer apart into its component parts - or ripping them to pieces - can occasionally kill them:
* Marvel comics:
**[[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] met this fate in an alternate future, when Swoop used a machine to pull him apart into his component pieces. {{storylink|Another Time & Place}}
**A future version of Ultra Magnus may have been killed when a group of Decepticons mobbed him and ripped him up. {{storylink|Time Wars}}
* Movie continuity:
**Being ripped in half by [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] killed [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]]. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}}
**[[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] was killed when Bumblebee ripped his spine out, tearing him apart. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
**A Decepticon pilot was ripped to pieces by the Wreckers.{{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]: [[Pyro (G1)|Pyro]] was torn apart and killed while making a final stand against a mass of generic Decepticons. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Last Stand of the Wreckers #5}}
* ''Prime'' cartoon:
** When fighting [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]]'s zombie army, [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] recommended dissection to [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus]] to "cut" them down to size. How this is more effective then just blasting the living slag out of them is still up for debate. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 4}}
** [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] managed to offline [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]] by tearing him limb from limb, leaving only a pile of mutilated body parts in her wake. {{storylink|Crossfire}}

====Bifurcation====
[[File:VictoryUKAnnual.JPG|thumb|upright=0.85|"Shakkooosh!" is good, but I could really go for a good old-fashioned "CHUK" right about now.]]

{{bigquote|I have no desire to be carved up into Auto-sushi.|Tracks, "[[Make Tracks]]"}}

A particular subset of disassembly, getting chopped in half is pretty graphic for a kids' story, even one about robots, so it doesn't happen very often.
* Marvel comics: In a dream sequence, [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] slices [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] in half, killing him. {{storylink|Victory!}}
* Japanese G1 cartoon: [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] gets sliced in half by Dai Atlas. The strike dissects what appears to be an organic brain in his head. {{storylink|Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!}}
* ''Beast Wars Metals'': Terrorsaur is killed by being sliced in half by Primal's mace. {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 1|Beast Wars Metals #1}}
* Movie continuity: [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] dies when [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]] slices his car mode in two. [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] slices [[Mixmaster (ROTF)|Mixmaster]] in half at the chest but Mixmaster survived this. Getting his skull stomped off, not so much. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}, [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]] meets his end in this manner courtesy of Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}}
* War For Cybertron: In the opening, a Decepticon goon is chopped in half by Optimus Prime.
* [[Ambulon (G1)|Ambulon]] is chainsawed in half ''vertically'' by [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]]. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} ([[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] specifically noted that ''horizontal'' bifurcation would be survivable - indeed, not much later, [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] would be quite active after being ripped apart at the waist by [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] {{storylink|Finest Hour: Dark Cybertron Chapter 5}})

===Crushing===
[[File:Edgeofextinction-hardheadbombburst.jpg|thumb|DO NOT WANT]]

Quite a few characters have been crushed into deactivation:
* In the Marvel comics:
** [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] was smashed between [[Unicron]]'s palms, while [[Bomb-Burst (G1)|Bomb-Burst]] and [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] met a similar fate when they were stepped on by Unicron. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] is apparently killed when a very large building collapses on top of him. {{storylink|Escalation!}}
* [[Unicron Trilogy]] cartoons:
** [[Thrust (Armada)|Thrust]] is killed when caught between two folding sections of Unicron's external armor. {{storylink|Union}}
** [[Shockblast]] is crushed by Unicron's hand on [[Blizzard Planet]]. {{storylink|The Power of Unicron}}
** His brother [[Six Shot (Energon)|Six Shot]] meets a similar fate, crushed under the heel of a super-sized Galvatron. {{storylink|Galvatron Terror}}
* IDW continuity:
** [[Ruckus (G1)|Ruckus]] and [[Skullcruncher]] were crushed by [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]].
** [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] was killed when a group of police set fire to a building and let it collapse on him, crushing him.
** The luckless [[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]] died after [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] stomped on him repeatedly, causing enough damage that his Spark fell out.
* Movie continuity:
** [[Dispensor]] was crushed under [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]'s foot.

===Melting===
[[File:BW Scorponok Terrorsaur deaths.jpg|thumb|Even having a new toy couldn't save Terrorsaur!]]

[[File:Fallout title.jpg|thumb|Primal's diet had gone horribly wrong.]]

They're made of metal; therefore, with enough heat or sufficiently acidic material, they can melt. This is one of the more fool-proof methods of killing a Transformer; few if any have survived it.
* In the G1 cartoon:
** An acid vat would apparently have been enough to destroy Optimus Prime. {{storylink|The Search for Alpha Trion}}
** Another acid vat was used to disintegrate living victims of Unicron. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
* In the Marvel comics:
** Victims of the Decepticon [[smelting pool]]s on Cybertron were reduced by intense heat into their base metals, including [[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]]. {{storylink|The Smelting Pool!}}
** It is possible that an acid bath from (naturally) [[Blot (G1)|Blot]] offlined [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] [[Makin' Tracks!|(for a while anyway)]]. {{storylink|Dark Star}}
** [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] was partially melted by Unicron's flame-breath and subsequently died. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** The [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronians]] used some kind of acid to rather messily eradicate some of their Decepticon ancestors, including [[Stranglehold]]. {{storylink|New Dawn}}
* In the Beast Era cartoons:
** [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] and [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] were apparently melted to death after tumbling into a lava pit within the [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon base]]. {{storylink|Aftermath}}
** Optimus Primal's body was seemingly melted into the floor after his climactic face-off with [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]]. Considering how many god-like forces were unleashed and conflicting during the battle, his demise may be due to more than simple temperature-induced melting. {{storylink|Fallout (episode)|Fallout}}

===Disintegration===
{{bigquote|I saw the end! They died in a cosmic funeral pyre!|[[Shawn Berger]], "[[Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2]]"}}

[[File:Armada 52 - Prime hangon to Galvatron.jpg|thumb|Galvatron died to save everyone and came back ''twice''—you lose, [[Jesus]]!]]

Plasma, energy fields, and stellar atmospheres can all utterly destroy a Transformer's body. Like being melted, being reduced to one's component molecules would seem to be a surefire way of getting killed, but quite a few characters seem able to survive the process as ghosts and/or disembodied sparks:
* Generation 1 cartoon: [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]]'s spectacular death at the hands of [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] might be categorized as incineration. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
* Quite a few characters met this fate in the Unicron Trilogy, but all survived it in some fashion:
** [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]]'s spark persisted within his burnt-out body when he was dropped into the exploding Unicron. {{storylink|Mortal Combat}} {{storylink|Megatron Resurrected}}
** [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]]'s body was obliterated by an expanding energon grid, but his spark survived the process and was placed in a new body. {{storylink|Go for Unicron!}}
** [[Inferno (Energon)|Inferno]] was destroyed when he threw himself into a star, but his spark was salvaged by the Autobots and, again, placed in a new body. {{storylink|Farewell Inferno}}
** And finally, Megatron (Galvatron, whatever) threw himself into Primus's new energon sun to prevent Unicron from possessing him, killing himself yet again. {{storylink|The Sun}} This death was so inconsequential that his subsequent resurrection wasn't even explained! {{storylink|Fallen (episode)|Fallen}}
* [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]] causes a Transformer's body to disintegrate to nothing:
**The [[Thirteenth Legion]] died of Cosmic Rust. {{storylink|Cosmic Rust (episode)|Cosmic Rust}}
**[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] died after several shots from [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel]]'s Cosmic Rust Blaster, though the big hole this left in his torso couldn't have helped much either. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}

===Consumption===
{{bigquote|...If we don't find the Matrix, some bad guy's gonna ''eat'' us! Right?|Longtooth, "[[Deadly Obsession]]"}}

[[File:Wreckers Mutants.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|The shocking death of the barely-seen guys with hardly any lines!]]
[[File:Rocky mecannibal bartender marvel uk 240.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Cannibalism is hilarious, kids!]]

Getting eaten is essentially being torn apart, crushed, and melted all in a row, and it's usually fatal. Quite a few critters in the multiverse are equipped to devour giant robots:
* In the G1 cartoon:
** Various life forms were routinely devoured by the [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticon]]s on Quintessa. This included [[Kranix (G1)|Kranix]], a mechanical life form, though not a Transformer. [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]] and [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] would have suffered this fate as well, but fought their way free. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
** Quite a few Transformers found their way into Unicron's gullet, though many survived the experience. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
* In the Marvel comic:
** [[Scraplet]]s were a mechanical disease - tiny robots that fed on Transformers. A hapless freighter pilot died after being infected, and quite a few other 'bots only narrowly survived being infected. {{storylink|Crater Critters}}
** The [[Mecannibal]]s ate robots routinely, including quite a few Transformers during their sojourn on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|All the Familiar Faces!}} {{storylink|Out to Lunch!}} There is some indication that they could actually reconstitute their victims from their "recycled" parts, though this is never explicitly shown. {{storylink|Recipe for Disaster!}}
** Unicron skewered [[Brainstorm]] and ate him. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** The subsurface-dwelling [[demon]]s devoured [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]]. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** The Swarm "devoured" innumerable Cybertronians and a handful of older-generation Transformers as well, though this was through a molecular process almost akin to incineration. {{storylink|Swarm (issue)|Swarm}} {{storylink|Total War!}} {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}
* The Sharkticons killed two of the [[Mutant (BW)|Mutants]] by gobbling them up. Or ripping them apart. Or both. We don't really know. {{storylink|Betrayal}}
* [[Flanker]] was eaten up and killed by the [[Insecticon (G1)|"Deluxe" Insecticons]].

===Decapitation===
{{main|Decapitation}}

[[File:Cyclonus death.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|Ahhhh, there we go...]]

Sometimes cutting a Transformer's head off is fatal. Sometimes!
* In the Marvel comics:
** The Megatron clone killed Cyclonus by ripping his head off. {{storylink|Dry Run!}}
** Several of the Wreckers were killed by having their heads ripped or blasted off, including Twin Twist and Topspin, respectively. {{storylink|Time Wars}}
** [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] had his head cut off by a propeller fired by [[Leadfoot (G2)|Leadfoot]], presumably (given the ''Generation 2'' book's emphasis on body count) killing him. {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}
* In the movie continuity:
** Characters frequently die by decapitation of some form: [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]], {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}} and [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
** Decapitation was an inconvenience for [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]] the first time. The second time, when the blow actually destroyed most of his head, was fatal.
** [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]], [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]], [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], and [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] are decapitated in the third movie. [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que]]'s and [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]]'s heads fell off when they died, possibly to add finality to their demises. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
** [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]]'s head was crushed by [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]]'s ''bare fist''.
* In the IDW Generation 1 continuity:
** The heads of [[Springarm]] and [[Wheelarch]] are removed and then mockingly put on display to creep out [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]].
* In the Aligned continuity
** Vehicons and Insecticons are frequently murdered by decapitation.

===Destruction of brain===
{{bigquote|Next strike in the neural cluster, yes? Weakest spot on ''all'' Transformers...|[[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]], "[[Fire on High!]]"}}

In the early days of the franchise, a Transformer's life force was sometimes understood to be entirely contained within their [[brain module]], most prominently in the Marvel comics. Destroying the brain would kill the Transformer. This premise was eventually modified to incorporate the more esoteric concept of [[spark]]s.
* In the Marvel comics:
** In an alternate future, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] is blasted by [[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]], who kills him by extracting and crushing his brain module. {{storylink|The Legacy of Unicron!}}
** The [[Throttlebot]]s ''avoid'' death by having their brain modules removed from their bodies shortly before their bodies are destroyed (by crushing). {{storylink|Toy Soldiers!}}
* Movie continuity:
** Optimus Prime kills Sentinel Prime by shooting him in the head with Megatron's shotgun. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
* IDW Generation 1 continuity:
** [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] blasts [[Rotorstorm (G1)|Rotorstorm]] right in the head, destroying his brain module. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4}}
** Impactor killed [[Snare]] by crushing his brain module. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4}}
** [[Squadron X]] were all shot in the head. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4}}
** In the [[Functionist Universe]], every Cybertronian possessed an [[obsolescence chip]] that could be remotely detonated, destroying their heads. [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] and all other Cybertronians with [[data slug]] alt-modes were killed in a [[mass recall]]. {{storylink|The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|The Custom-Made Now}}
** [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] died when [[Kaon (DJD)|Kaon]] smashed his brain module against his own forcefield. {{storylink|Births, Deaths, and Interventions}}

===Destruction of spark===
{{bigquote|RAW energon! Right through your twisted spark!|Depth Charge to Rampage, "[[Nemesis Part 1]]"}}

[[File:Skyfallwontbethereforit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|And then he hung Skyfall from his ceiling.]]

Getting stabbed right through the spark is almost always fatal:
* In ''Beast Wars'': The supposedly immortal Rampage was killed when Depth Charge pierced his spark with an energon blade. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}
* ''[[Transcendent Technomorph|TransTech]]'': [[Skyfall (Cybertron)|Skyfall]] died when [[Alpha Trion (SG)|Alpha Trion]] rammed his [[sword]] right through his chest. {{storylink|Transcendent: Part 6}}
*Energon: [[Constructicon Maximus]] was killed when [[Storm Jet (Energon)|Storm Jet]] impaled and crushed his spark.
* ''Cybertron'': [[Megatron (Armada)#Cybertron cartoon|Galvatron]] died after being impaled with [[Rhisling]] by [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|Unfinished}}
* Movie continuity: Optimus Prime died when Megatron stabbed him through the chest with his death-lock pincer, followed by a blast from his fusion cannon through the spark chamber. [[The Fallen]] also met his end when a resurrected Optimus punched through his chest and crushed his spark. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
* [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|Titan's Movie comics]]: Transformers have forcefields shielding their sparks, which can be externalized to protect bodywork. Jazz loved doing this, leaving him far more vulnerable to death by destruction of spark than he would otherwise be. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 6|Lost in Space 4: Jazz}}

That's not the only way to destroy a spark either:

* ''Beast Machines'' continuity: [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] - already reduced to a spark within the matrix - ceased to be when Megatron annihilated his spark from existence. {{storylink|Singularity Ablyss}}
* IDW continuity: [[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]] has modified his vocal processor so that he can get his voice into synch with a spark's pulse and then get it to stop. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement}}

===Loss of spark===
{{bigquote|Warning. Further expenditure will result in permanent loss of spark. Stasis lock ''must'' commence.|[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]'s internal computer, "[[Code of Hero]]"}}

[[File:Jetstorm with extractor.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Lost, stolen, whatever...]]

Sometimes sparks can survive outside of a body; sometimes they cannot. In the Beast Era, there is some indication that a spark left outside a body will soon begin to return to the Matrix/AllSpark/another dimension.
* When Dinobot expires after his final battle, his Spark is seen exiting his body. The implication is that a sufficiently damaged body can no longer hold a spark within this continuity. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
* ''Beast Machines'' subsequently showed living sparks existing outside of bodies on a regular basis. The sparkless bodies were simply considered shells, rather than "dead", due to the fact that the sparks were forcibly removed with a [[spark extractor]].
* ''Animated'' cartoon: [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] dies when he intentionally relinquishes his own spark. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}
* Movie continuity: [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] rips out his own spark chamber to give Optimus a fighting chance. Earlier Optimus, was stabbed in the chest from behind. [[The Fallen]] also meets a similar fate, dying from a resurrected Optimus punching through his chest and crushing his spark. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}} Ratchet is killed when Lockdown removes his spark. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}}

===Energy overload===
{{bigquote|We may need energon for power, but this is too much of a good thing.|[[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]], "[[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]"}}

[[File:TFAnimated transformandrollout DEATH.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Death — the Optimus version of a power nap.]]
[[File:Underbaseallmine.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|He's got an Underbase in his underpants.]]

The average [[human]] needs a lot of [[water]] to survive. But too much water results in [[wikipedia:Water intoxication|a horrible death]]. Similarly, Transformers need energy to survive, but too much of it can be a very bad thing. Sometimes it's just plain old energy; other times it some special god-like force that does them in.
* In the Marvel comics:
** An [[Underbase]]-empowered Starscream slaughtered dozens of Transformers with energy blasts, {{storylink|Dark Star}} which reportedly burned out millions of their [[microchip]]s. {{storylink|Guess Who the Mecannibals Are Having for Dinner?}} Some Transformers were seen to recover from these attacks, either via conventional repairs {{storylink|All the Familiar Faces!}} or through the power of [[nucleon]]. {{storylink|The Void! (US)}}
** Starscream himself was killed when he absorbed all the energies of the Underbase. {{storylink|Dark Star}}
** [[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]] was apparently killed when struck by a blast of energy from the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]], though the physical effect was more like being hit by an especially powerful laser blast. {{storylink|All Fall Down|All Fall Down (issue)}}
* ''Super-God Masterforce'' cartoon: [[Sixknight]] died from an overcharge of BlackZarak's Devil Power. {{storylink|Malevolent and Inhuman! The True Form of Devil Z}}
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]: [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] dies when one of the [[Reaper]]s zaps him full of energy, causing him to explode from within. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6}}
* Movie continuity: [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] was killed when [[Sam Witwicky (Movie)|Sam Witwicky]] shoved the [[AllSpark]] into his chest. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}} [[Evac (Ride)|Evac]] did the same thing with the Allspark shard with Megatron {{storylink|Transformers: The Ride – 3D}}
* ''Transformers Animated'' cartoon: [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] got caught in an explosion of [[AllSpark]] energy that may have been sufficient to kill him, although he also fell off a very tall building immediately afterwards (Starscream was caught in the same explosion and survived, but was knocked offline for an unspecified period.)

===Energy depletion===
On rare occasion, Transformers can simply run out of energy completely and expire.
* Marvel comics: the ancient [[Overlord (rank)|Overlord]] died from a lack of energy. {{storylink|State Games}}
* Movie continuity: [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] explains that a lack of energon causes the Transformer equivalent of aging, such as rusting joints, mental confusion, and pieces falling apart, followed by an indefinite period of stasis that can only be reversed by an infusion of Allspark energy. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
* [[Vector Prime (Cybertron)|Vector Prime]] dies after he helps the crew to time travel. {{storylink|Guardian (episode)|Guardian}}

===Disease===
You may think giant robots couldn't have diseases but it turns out they can!

* Marvel comics: [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] contracted [[Corrodia Gravis]], a wasting disease where your body is consumed by rust as your metal breaks down at molecular level. Only a systems boost from a compatible donor could save Snarl {{storylink|Assassins}} but the disease came back anyway. The best cure is to store a Transformer's brain in remote storage and build a whole new body. {{storylink|Destiny of the Dinobots!}}
* IDW comics: [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]] engineered the [[Red Rust]] virus: spread by touch and triggered by transforming, it causes all the coolants, dispersants and anti-rusting agents in a Transformer to cross-contaminate and cause a molecular breakdown. The first sign is when the Transformer starts "crying" the fuel out. {{storylink|How Ratchet Got His Hands Back}} Most of [[Delphi]] was killed. {{storylink|Life After the Big Bang}}
* And of course, there's the aforementioned [[Scraplet]]s and [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|cosmic rust]].

===Aging===
While many characters are portrayed as being old, dying of old age is almost unheard of in Transformers

* In Transformers UK, it is implied Transformers have long, but not endless life spans. In Kup's story, Kup says that he was put on a spaceship to live out his "remaining years" alone. In another story, Goldbug says that he may never understand humans, even if he lives to be 2 million.
* In the IDW continuity, Ratchet notes that the process of a cybertronian aging to death (also referred to as age-related burnout) is a relatively recent discovery. He also notes that many, both spiritual and scientific, still refused to "give up on this-this very seductive idea that we're immortal". Tailgate had been diagnosed with cybercrosis, a fatal condition that has been around since before Nova Prime's era but which Ratchet believes in this case was brought about by a combination of radiation and old age.
* [[Regeneration One]]: Although it takes eons, all Transformers eventually die of old age after being disconnected from the life-giving powers of [[Primus]]. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 5}}

==Suicide==
{{quote|Do you realize how '''hard''' it is for a Cybertronian to die by his own hand? You can jump off a building, blow yourself up, cut off your own head - and you might still survive.|Chromedome, [[Before & After]]}}
Sometimes a Transformer kills himself for some reason, or tries to.
* Marvel comics
** Dirge and Nightbeat, rather than be eaten by the Swarm, self destructed.
* ''Beast Wars''
** Transformers can deliberately override the stasis lock protocols, even if this will result in death. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
** In the final battles, Depth Charge allowed himself to be blown up killing Rampage and Rampage let Depth Charge kill him {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}. [[Dinobot II]] let himself go down with the ''Nemesis''. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}
* ''Energon'': Galvatron, Starscream, and [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Mirage]] threw themselves into a sun and vaporized themselves. [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Snow Cat]] and Demolishor may have also done this.
* ''Revenge of the Fallen'': Jetfire ripped out his entire spark housing for Optimus Prime to have enough power to kill The Fallen.

==Non-fatal deactivation==
{{quote|"You mean he's still alive?!" "No! But neither is he what you would term 'dead'!"|[[Spider-Man]] and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]], "[[Prisoner of War!]]"|noquote=true}}

[[File:Zombiesbackfromthedead.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Braiiiiiin mooooodulllllles....]]

For almost every single cause of death listed above, there's been one or more Transformers who have survived it, sometimes without so much as a period of unconsciousness.

In particular, "deactivation" is the Transformers equivalent of being in a coma. Numerous Transformers are seen to enter this state and eventually recover, such as the Autobots deactivated by Shockwave, {{storylink|The Last Stand}} who later were repaired. However, the line between death and deactivation is a blurry one. Sometimes the two words are used interchangeably, even in reference to characters who are later revived. Most of Starscream's Underbase victims were described as deactivated, and were sometimes lamented as "dead" while at other times were shown undergoing repairs. {{storylink|Back from the Dead}} {{storylink|Gone but Not Forgotten!}} {{storylink|The Gathering Storm}}

"[[Stasis lock]]" would eventually give a more concrete name to the state of deactivation. The inert Transformers on the crashed Ark were retconned as being in stasis lock. Various ''Beast Wars'' characters would go into stasis lock to maintain their spark when their body had sustained too much damage from weaponsfire or energon absorption. ''Animated'' showed a crew of Autobots voluntarily entering protective stasis lock in anticipation of a crash landing.

Some of the quasi-fatal things which can cause a Transformer to "deactivate" include:

===Impact trauma===
Smashing into something usually knocks out a Transformer, but almost never actually kills them:
* The crew of the original [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] is deactivated when the ship crashes on Earth and lies inert for 4 million years {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}} {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)}} {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)}}
* Marvel comics: [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] falls to his "death", but is patched together and talking again in short order. {{storylink|Prisoner of War!}}

===Decapitation===
[[File:Sentinelprimeanimatedhumiliated.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|In the movie continuity, this would've been fatal. In ''Animated'', it's just embarrassing.]]

{{bigquote|Anyone who can lop your head off in one blow is alright by me!|[[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]] jokes about [[Cloudburst]]'s near-death experience, "[[Recipe for Disaster!]]"}}

Like we said before, decapitation is sometimes fatal... and other times it isn't.
* Marvel comic:
** Optimus Prime was able to survive as just a head when Shockwave separated it from his body in an effort to get the Creation Matrix. {{storylink|The New Order}}
**[[Cloudburst]] was abruptly decapitated by sword, but was just fine after some repairs. {{storylink|Recipe for Disaster!}}
* G1 cartoon: Optimus Prime was disassembled into his component parts, but functioned just fine as nothing more than a head once [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] connected a few wires. {{storylink|City of Steel (episode)|City of Steel}}
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon: [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] survives having his head blasted or otherwise knocked off multiple times, {{storylink|Spider's Game}} {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}} {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)}} {{storylink|Code of Hero}} and even put it back on himself one time. He even accidentally swapped heads with Megatron once. Megatron was not amused. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}} And let's not even get started on how many times [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] has lost his head.
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]:
**[[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] was just fine when one of the Reapers whacked his head off. (He didn't fare so well when another Reaper crushed his head with a boulder, however.) {{storylink|Devastation issue 6}}
**[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]]'s head was removed in an apparent suicide attempt; he survived because he was put back together in time, before his Spark had faded out.
* ''Animated'' cartoon: Decapitated victims of the ''Animated'' [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] rarely show any ill effects other than not having a body anymore. {{storylink|Headmaster (episode)|Headmaster}} {{storylink|The Return of the Headmaster}} {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}
* Movie Continuity:
**Frenzy survived his first decapitation by [[Mikaela Banes]].
**[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] was said by [[Brains]] to have survived his decapitation in the Chicago battle, even after having an axe lodged right into his processor. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}}

===Dismemberment===
{{quote|MY ARM!!!|Starscream, ''Revenge of the Fallen''}}
Transformers get ripped to pieces all the time, and recover from it:
* Marvel comic: Scorponok tears [[Tantrum (G1)|Tantrum]] to pieces. [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] slices [[Horri-Bull (G1)|Horri-Bull]] in half at the waist. Both are seen alive later on. {{storylink|Cold War!}}
* ''Last Stand of the Wreckers'': [[Guzzle (G1)|Guzzle]] is torn in half by [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] and is easily repaired. The same also happened to [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]].
* ''Revenge of the Fallen'': During a fierce battle, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] not only cut off [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]]'s arm with an Energon blade, but he ripped off [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s arm with his bare hands, and proceeded to ''beat him with it''.

===Spark removal===
{{bigquote|His spark can't exist outside a living body!|[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], "[[Optimal Situation]]"}}

A Transformer's spark—their "soul", their living essence—can be removed from their body, or the body can be destroyed around them
* The destruction of Starscream's body, and his subsequent survival as a ghost, was eventually retconned to be his Spark enduring without a physical form. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}} {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}} {{storylink|Possession}}
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon: Tigatron and Airazor's sparks spent quite some time wandering around behind Tigerhawk, before combining and entering his body. {{storylink|Other Victories}}
* In the ''Beast Machines'' cartoon:
** Megatron de-sparked most of Cybertron's population and stored their sparks in a big barrel. Most were restored to bodies eventually. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future}}
** Blackarachnia's spark wandered around bodiless for a time. {{storylink|Revelations Part III: Apocalypse}}
** Megatron himself, his spark in a depolarized state, wandered the surface of Cybertron without a body for a time. {{storylink|Spark of Darkness}}

The treatment of bodiless sparks in ''Beast Machines'' is seen by some fans as contradicting the canon established by ''Beast Wars'', particularly the quote above.

===Limbo===
Sometimes Transformers get shunted out of creation as we know it, and into various alternate, sub- and non-dimensions.
* Marvel comics:
** The [[trans-time dimensional portal]] crosses [[unspace]], "a bit of dimensional nothingness" where Ratchet and Megatron vanished and were believed dead. {{storylink|The Gathering Storm}}
** Transformers mass-displaced by time travel wind up in a formless dimension known as [[Limbo]].
* IDW comics: Megatron severely damaged Optimus Prime in battle and planned on finishing him off by crushing his [[Laser core|spark core]]. Optimus Prime feigned death by downloading his "consciousness" into his [[Combat Deck (G1)|trailer section]], causing his [[Brain Center|robot mode]] to appear dead. In the time it took for Prime's consciousness to transfer to his trailer, he briefly entered [[infraspace|limbo]], the transitional infraspace between life and death. {{storylink|The Transformers: Escalation|Escalation}}

==Resuscitation==
Robots are machines. They can be switched off, taken apart, blown to bits, and put back together. Ergo, in many continuities and cases, "death" is not nearly as permanent a condition as it is for us fragile fleshy types.

===Reconstruction===
[[File:PeoplePower-reprogrammed.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]

{{bigquote|I've done it! Optimus Prime lives!|[[Klementia|A random Quintesson]], "[[The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1]]"}}

* Generation 1 cartoon: Optimus Prime was simply ''repaired'' back to life by a Quintesson. Some fixing of this and that, a burst of power, and boom, suddenly he was alive again. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}}
* Marvel comics: Optimus Prime's mind was encoded on a disk. After a new [[Powermaster]] body was constructed for him, the disk's contents were loaded into it, and Optimus Prime lived again. (One wonders why they couldn't make as many Optimus Primes as they pleased.) {{storylink|People Power!}}
* Movie continuity: The [[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticons]] have [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'s consciousness transferred to a [[Galvatron (AOE)|new body]] built by [[Kinetic Solutions Incorporated|KSI]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}}

===Spark transfer===
Transferring a Transformer's spark into a new body constitutes a form of resurrection, particularly if the Transformer's previous body was destroyed.
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon: Optimus Primal was restored to life when Rhinox managed to recall his spark from the Matrix, a special circumstance only enabled by a temporary window into transwarp space. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}
* ''Beast Machines'' cartoon: various Vehicon generals were brought to life by placing other Transformer's sparks into them.
* ''Armada'' cartoon: Smokescreen was shot through the chest at point blank range by the Requiem Blaster {{storylink|Sacrifice}} but his spark survived and was put into a new body. {{storylink|Regeneration (Armada)|Regeneration}}
* ''Energon'' cartoon: Inferno and Demolishor both had their bodies ''atomized''; however, their sparks both survived, and were placed into new bodies. (The upshot of all of this is that it's nigh-impossible to kill a Unicron Trilogy Transformer, unless they do it themselves.) {{storylink|Go for Unicron!}} {{storylink|Farewell Inferno}}
* ''Animated'' cartoon: The spark of a dying [[Yoketron (Animated)|Yoketron]] was placed into a new protoform body by [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]]; however, Yoketron consciously chose to let his life end, and expired anyway. {{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}}

==="Magical" substances===
* Marvel comics: The miraculous healing properties of Nucleon brought many Autobots back to life, as well as a few Decepticons. {{storylink|The Void! (US)|The Void!}}
* ''Energon'' cartoon: Megatron was revived by the all-encompassing power of energon, as was Unicron. {{storylink|Megatron Resurrected}}

===Primus and Primus-related powers===
{{bigquote|Where the Last Autobot is concerned, even death, it would appear, is an abstract concept!|Optimus Prime explains his latest revival, "[[End of the Road! (US)|End of the Road!]]"}}

Anything tied to the primordial life-force of the Transformers' god Primus tends to be a cure-all for death. This includes Primus himself, his various power-wielding avatars and servants, and the assorted Matrixes and Allsparks, all of which can deliver an infusion of the essence of life itself. In some continuities, this is parsed as a Transformer's spark being brought back out of the Allspark dimension.

[[File:RageInHeaven-HeroPrime.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85]]

* In the Marvel comics:
** The [[Last Autobot]] was granted the power of recreation by Primus, which he used to raise numerous fallen Autobots from the battlefield. {{storylink|End of the Road! (US)}}
** Optimus Prime was eager to find the lost Creation Matrix, stating that it would be able to restore many deactivated warriors to life. {{storylink|Bird of Prey!}}
** Optimus Prime was restored to life by the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]] after it had ingested the energies and knowledge of the Matrix. {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}
* In the movie continuity:
** The Allspark is shown repeatedly to be capable of restoring just about anything. Frenzy gets a whole new body from its power, Bumblebee temporarily gets his voice back, {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}} and Megatron is restored to life by merely a fragment of it. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
** Optimus Prime was restored to life by the Matrix of Leadership, an Allspark-related talisman. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
** Sentinel Prime is revived after crash landing on the moon by the Matrix of Leadership courtesy of Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
* Sam Witwicky was brought back alive by the Primes, a creation of [[Primus]].
* ''Beast Machines'' cartoon: [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]]'s body was destroyed, but the AllSpark granted him the choice of uniting with it or being reborn. He chose the latter, and ''poof'', just walked right out of the Oracle bubble in a brand new version of his previous body. {{storylink|Fallout (episode)|Fallout}}
* ''Armada'' cartoon: [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] was brought back to life by the power of the [[Mini-Con]]s after his body was disintegrated. {{storylink|Miracle}}
* "[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]": [[Skyfall (Cybertron)|Skyfall]] was resurrected when he and his gestaltmates were combined together and reborn by Primus into [[Nexus Prime (Classics)|Nexus Prime]]. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 5}} Nexus Prime then brought [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] back from the other side of the Allspark and infused him with some of Primus's power to become Galvatron. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 6}}

===Zombies===
* Dude, [[zombie]]s!

==Immortality==
===Immortal sparks===
Certain sparks have mutant qualities that allow them to, potentially, exist forever.
* Starscream survived his death at the hands of Galvatron; this was later explained as him having a "mutant indestructible spark". {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}} {{storylink|Possession}} {{storylink|Bad Spark}}
* [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] was created as an attempt to duplicate Starscream's immortal spark. {{storylink|Bad Spark}} He was eventually killed by [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]], so the attempt may be seen as unsuccessful. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

===Other===
* [[Multiversal singularity|Multiversal singularities]] such as [[Unicron]] and [[The Fallen]] can be killed off in one dimension, only to still be alive and well in another (or many others), due to the varying properties of different dimensions (reverse-time dimensions, for example, are key to revival of the singularities).
* ''Animated'' [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] could not be killed so long as he retained his Allspark fragment embedded in his forehead.
* Denizens of the [[Dead Universe]] could essentially regenerate themselves out of nothing, no matter how much damage was inflicted on them. This ability appears to no longer apply, post-[[Expansion]], except when in direct proximity to the Dead Universe.
* Thunderwing's Pretender shell seemed to make him nearly invincible. At the very least, he was able to withstand incredible amounts of salvo and not even flinch.
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] can never completely die no matter what for some reason. It's probably because if he died, the universe wouldn't be able to inflict pain on him anymore.

==Out-of-fiction causes of character death==
===Drama / character culmination===
[[File:LastStandoftheWreckers5- Ironfistaneurism.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|I told you I was ill.]]
At its best, character death can be a moving plot development, the fruition of an ongoing character arc.
* [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] spent much of [[Simon Furman]]'s Marvel US run conflicted and doubting himself, and under the weight of his pre-Headmaster self's reputation. He finally got past this and took the fight to Unicron, dying in the process, his last words asking Optimus if he'd done good. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
* Suspecting that they would have to remove a character from the show, the writers of ''Beast Wars'' began planning for Dinobot's death several episodes ahead of time. Thus, when it came, it was the outcome of the character's own choices, flaws, and history, and played a crucial role in the show's plot. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
* Sunstreaker's death in ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'' is intended to follow a similar style of arc... only it's missing the whole choices, flaws and history thing. Oh well!
* Optimus Primal's death(s) in ''Beast Machines'' are likewise the outcome of his own choices and character. {{storylink|End of the Line}} {{storylink| Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future}} His death in ''Beast Wars'', by contrast, was more a moment of dramatic pathos — knowingly walking into danger, his enemy got the better of him. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}
* [[Ironfist (G1)|Ironfist]]'s death in ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' is his main plot arc, quietly built up in the background since the first issue.

===Consequences of war===
[[File:Bulkhead Eradicon Darkness Rising 3.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|His special large intestine! There's only one like it!]]
It's hard to take a war story seriously when nobody actually dies. The reality of war can be more readily portrayed when characters die. [[Generic]]s are particularly handy for this, allowing death to be shown while not removing primary characters (retail toys!) from the story. The results can range from high drama and pathos to numbingly pointless body counts.
* Impactor's death was used to drive home the threat of the Decepticons as well as the risks taken by the Autobots and their commanders. {{storylink|Target: 2006}}
* The ''Generation 2'' book featured several deaths which drove home the realities of war. Most notably, Red Alert's destruction served to make Grimlock acutely aware of just how badly he'd screwed up. {{storylink|Devices and Desires! (Marvel)|Devices and Desires!}}
* Pretty much every death in ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' comes under this.
* [[Cliffjumper (WFC)|Cliffjumper]], [[Tailgate (Prime)|Tailgate]], [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] and [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]] are all killed in their first ''Prime'' episodes, due to just plain bad luck in the first three cases and because of a deliberate Autobot killing in Makeshift's. The [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] are presented as sentient ''and'' as being killed by Autobots in large numbers. [[Jeff Kline]] famously said at the advent of ''Prime'' that all deaths would be final. While the rule applied to the majority of the series, it was happily ignored when it came time for the deaths of [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]], [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]], and [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]], who were all revived almost immediately after death (admittedly it took until the follow-up series to revive Optimus a second time, but let's face it, we're used to that by this point).

===Increased threat===
An enemy that kills is an enemy to be taken seriously. Thus a writer will frequently throw in some preliminary deaths to point out how seriously the bad guy should be treated.
* The generic who dies at the beginning of "[[City of Fear!]]" serves to show the zombies as a true life-threatening menace.
* Likewise for Runabout's death at the hands of the demons ; {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} knowing they can devour a Transformer makes the reader more concerned about the Dinobots' subsequent fate. {{storylink|Still Life!}}
* In "[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]", [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] makes corpses in practically every scene he's in!
* Cliffjumper in ''Prime'' was set up as a main character and then killed in five minutes, immediately putting the ''Prime'' Decepticons forward as a major threat.
* [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] is brutally hunted down and killed early into ''Age of Extinction'' by [[Cemetery Wind]] and [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]], to show what has befallen the majority of the Cybertronians on Earth (and the old cast from the first three films) and what will happen if the survivors are caught.

===Cast thinning===
Generation 1 stories were particularly notorious for acquiring gigantic casts as they rolled on, because of the franchise's longevity. A simple way to make things more manageable was simply to kill off large numbers of characters in battle.

* Examples are rife in the Marvel comics:
** The "[[Time Wars]]" storyline got rid of the [[Wrecker]]s and quite a few Decepticons as well.
** The [[Underbase Saga]] even more explicitly cleared out dozens of characters, leaving perhaps 2 dozen characters from each faction in the story.
** The battle with Unicron in "[[On the Edge of Extinction!]]" likewise got rid of a lot of older characters, leaving the story free to concentrate on more of a core cast (and associated newer toy characters.)
* ''The Transformers: The Movie'' did this on a smaller basis. While only a handful of characters were actually killed off, many more cast members simply disappeared without explanation in the following season of the cartoon.
* [[Betrayal|Wreckers #2]] dealt with its oversized cast by killing off scads of characters right up front.

More recent stories - particularly those without the overriding imperative [[to sell toys]], such as the G1 IDW comics - have accepted that not every character must be constantly accounted for at all times or roll-called every issue, allowing larger casts to simply exist in the background until needed. Another alternative, particularly visible in the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon, is to give new bodies (based on corresponding new toys, of course) to existing characters, allowing them to continue promoting new toys across multiple seasons of the show.

===Character motivation===
A quick and easy way to create enmity between characters is for the antagonist to kill someone close to the protagonist.

* In Marvel's comics, [[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]]'s revenge plot against the new [[Mayhem Attack Squad]] is motivated by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]'s murder of [[Catilla (G1)|Catilla]]. {{storylink|A Savage Place!}}
* In ''Energon'', [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber ''nee'' Dagger]] swore revenge on [[Shockblast]] after the murder of his partner, [[Padlock (Energon)|Padlock]]. {{storylink|Shockblast: Rampage}} He then forgot to care about Shockblast later but, y'know, ''Energon'' story.
* In ''Prime'', [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] and [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee's]] conflict is down to Airachnid's murder of [[Tailgate (Prime)|Tailgate]]. {{storylink|Predatory}} She keeps throwing this in Arcee's face.

===Clear space for new toys===
{{main|To sell toys}}

[[File:Newyorkunderbase.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|(They also cease to appear on store shelves.)]]

Some fiction has an inherently limited capacity for characters. ''Beast Wars'' and ''Beast Machines'' are by far the most prominent examples; their CGI animation made character animation expensive and necessitated removing an old character before a new one could be brought in. But any medium can be susceptible to this toy-driven phenomena.
* The numerous casualties of "[[The Transformers: The Movie]]" were fairly explicitly removed from the story to make way for a wave of new toy/characters.
* Terrorsaur and Scorponok had to be removed — quickly — to make room for the two upcoming Fuzor characters, hence their sudden, blink-and-you-miss-it death in "[[Aftermath]]".
* Airazor and Tigatron were removed for similar reasons. When their plot was finally resolved, it was, surprise, via [[Tigerhawk|a new toy]]!

{{-}}

==Fleshling death==
In general, ''Transformers'' fiction is pretty squeamish about showing the deaths of Earth's organic creatures. But it's a war, and sometimes it does happen. The out-of-universe reasons generally fall into three categories: Consequences of War, Emotional Pathos, and BLOOD IZ KEWL.

The various cartoons tend to show organic death the least, as they are most clearly aimed at, and easily accessible by, children. Comics tend to be less reluctant to show the impact of the Transformers' war on innocent lives, though the death rate varies by series. Latter-day Generation 1 books especially revel in high body counts, because squishing stupid humans is killer and awesome and radical and hardcore. Even the occasional [[Satellite of Doom|children's storybook]] has been known to off mass quantities of the dumb fleshies.

===Animal death===
[[File:MurderedPuppy02.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|One dead dog]]

[[File:Sparkwar3 Dead noble.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|Two dead dogs]]

Cute little animals are almost always killed off for reasons of Emotional Pathos:
* A little girl's pet puppy named [[Pis]] barked at [[Wilder]] and was kicked so hard he died. {{storylink|Rage!! Little Devils with No Need for Rules}}
* The [[Murdered puppy]] was shot down by the Decepticons after running away from Megatron's experiments. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 8|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #8}}
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] reminded [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] that [[The Fallen]] once shot down a ship full of [[Antilian bumble-puppy|Antilian bumble-puppies]]. (Decepticons have a thing for killing puppies.)
* The dog-like [[Noble (BM)|Noble]] was shot at by [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] because of his hatred for organics {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. III: The Siege}} and was later mourned by his "owner", [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]]. {{storylink|Spark of Darkness}}
* A stray shot from [[Tigatron]] accidentally caused an avalanche which killed his friend [[Snowstalker]]. {{storylink|Law of the Jungle}}
* "[[Law of the Jungle]]" also portrays the deaths of four different forest animals (a bug is eaten by a frog, which is eaten by a snake, which is taken off to be eaten by a bird. Later, an orange tiger kills an antelope). This is a rare "Consequences of War" example.
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] also once ate an eagle, {{storylink|Power Surge (episode)|Power Surge}} while [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] ate a cute little rat, {{storylink|Victory (episode)|Victory}} and nearly ate an antelope as well. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
* In order to save [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]], [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] had to fight a [[saber-toothed cat|saber-toothed tiger]] off a cliff, killing it. {{Storylink|Bad Spark}}
* [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] used [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel]]'s shield to knock a spikey rock onto a giant spider effectively killing it. She later used [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]]' axe to kill some new born baby spiders. {{Storylink|Along Came a Spider}}
* Human villain [[Trophy White]] had a grisly display of stuffed and mounted animal heads. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.10|Bring Me the Head of Optimus Prime}}
* A vulture was shot when [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]] landed on Africa.
* [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] killed a friggin' elephant in Africa. (In the adaptation, at least.)
{{-}}

===Human death===
[[File:Razorclawshootsahuman.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|This didn't happen much.]]
* Marvel US: The [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|original Marvel book]] ignored or glossed over human casualties, which were rarely if ever shown; the panel at right, from [[Toy Soldiers!|US #37]], shows a ''very'' unusual instance of a human dying right in front of us. One of the few human(oid)s to die on-panel was [[Galen Kord|Galen]], killed off to make way for [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]]. ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|Generation 2]]'' was much more explicit about human death, as Bludgeon and later [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] attacked Earth for the purpose of inflicting casualties.
* Marvel UK: The UK-original stories were much less reluctant to show human death; within the first year or so, humans had died in Autobot-induced car wrecks and at the hands of mind-controlled Autobots.
* In ''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One|Regeneration One]]'', after his revival on Earth, Megatron managed to gain control of Earth's nuclear arsenal and used it to push humanity to the brink of extinction. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 3}} During that conflict, Megatron had some fun terrorizing the population with his army of zombie Decepticons. [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] tracked down and killed [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster]] and [[Jesse (G1)|Jessie]] Witwicky in a car wash; had he had his full faculties, he might have [[Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom|appreciated the irony]]. {{storylink|Less Than Zero}}
* In almost every US-aired cartoon series, humans essentially ''never'' die. Even ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]]'', which features the city of [[Detroit]] getting smashed by robot battles virtually every week, never once mentions humans getting killed. And then ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' showed up.
** A human was shown slumped against a wall in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 5]]", a victim of Soundwave, though it wasn't clear whether he was dead or merely unconscious.[[File:Convoy-kablooie.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|They'll, uh, be okay, maybe.]]
**When [[MECH|human terrorists]] are featured, they will often die. Piloted or driven vehicles explode and enemies are implied to be crushed. "[[Convoy (episode)|Convoy]]" is the first of numerous examples.
** When Nemesis Prime attacks a military base in his [[Nemesis Prime (episode)|self-titled episode]], it's likely his rampage cost the lives of numerous soldiers.
** When the military attacked [[Darkmount (Earth)|Darkmount]], its fusion cannons devastated the entire force, presumably killing them all.
**[[Silas|Cylas]] is the first human to die on-screen in Western Transformers animation, but not before thanking [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] for finally freeing him of his gruesome existence.
* Contemporary toyline-based comics (''[[Transformers: Armada (Dreamwave)|Armada]]'', ''[[Transformers: Energon (comic)|Energon]]'') seem to follow a similar policy, avoiding showing, only mentioning, human death.
* Japanese cartoons, by contrast, don't seem to mind showing human deaths (or [[Pis|dog deaths]], for that matter).
* The [[Dreamwave Generation One continuity|Dreamwave G1 comics]] really thought it was totally awesome and cool and radical to kill off those stupid humans. Thus, they start off with Megatron smushing some stupid humans. More smushing and killing and blowing up follows. DIE, dumb stubbies, DIE!
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]] managed to avoid this for a long time, showing human death only when it was particularly integral to the plot... then ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'' came down the pike. DIE, stupid fleshies, DIE!
* The live-action [[movie continuity]] implies a great deal of human death. ''Revenge'' mentions a body count of over 9,000 (don't even ''think'' about it), and massive damage is done during the battle of [[Mission City]], though little of it is shown on screen. And of course, the first film begins with Blackout wiping out an entire military base. A handful of humans are killed directly on-screen, most notably [[Patrick Donnelly|Donnelly]]. Then of course we get to ''Dark of the Moon'', which has Decepticons laying siege to [[Chicago]], killing most of its citizens, including several being shot and exploding and disintegrating into just skulls ''directly in front of the camera''. That's not even mentioning [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]], whose job it is to assassinate civilians, even if it means befriending their children to do it. Twisted.
** [[Dylan Gould]] was killed when he was shoved into [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime's]] space bridge generator, but given he was a villain it's not so much of a concern.
** [[Sam Witwicky (Movie)|Sam Witwicky]] was killed by Megatron but brought back to life by the Primes.
** [[Lucas Flannery]], in a bit of karmic retribution (for having tipped off [[Cemetery Wind]] to Optimus' location against Cade's wishes), gets fried by one of [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]]'s grenades and his mangled corpse is converted into ''[[Transformium]]''. [[James Savoy]] says his sister was a casualty of the Battle of Chicago, which he uses as an excuse to sadistically hunt and kill Autobots and their sympathizers. He ends up getting knocked out of a very high window by [[Cade Yeager]] for attempting to kill his family. Later, his boss, [[Harold Attinger]], is brutally gunned down by Optimus Prime when he tries to kill Cade for sympathizing with the Autobots. Additionally, [[Joshua Joyce]] tries to scramble paramedics to the scene of [[Galvatron (AOE)|Galvatron]]'s rampage (much to Attinger's disgust), believing people were killed. And then there's the [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobots]] stomping through the densely crowded streets of Hong Kong. They certainly killed more people than Decepticons!
* The alternate timeline arc in Titan's Movie comic featured big wars on Earth and lots of destruction, clearly ''insinuating'' human death while not being explicit. The exceptions were in [[Transformers Comic issue 10|issue 10]], where [[NATO]] is said to be suffering losses of 11,506 and the [[France|Palais Bourbon]] is blown up when people are still clearly inside. Sam Witwicky, meanwhile, was stated to have died.
* Titan quite blatantly stated that the [[Free Men]] had caused great loss of life at an air base, a rare example of humans killing humans. In the same story, [[Robert Epps]] opened fire on militia men, which kinda implies he was killing them. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.10|Bring Me the Head of Optimus Prime}} Similarly, [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] of all people was seen zapping humans at close range during a Decepticon attack; with no "oh it was a stun beam" handwave and the 'Cons not pulling punches, it sure seems like he's murdered 'em! {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.6|Outlaw Blues}}
* In ''[[Transformers: Kiss Players (franchise)|Kiss Players]]'', several [[Kiss Player]]s were seen being devoured by Legions.
{{-}}

==Characters who die a lot==
* [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|Optimus Prime]]
* [[Dirge (G1)]] — the unlucky guy who gets [[:File:Dirge DeathSerpentor.jpg|killed]] [[:File:Dirge DeathSwarm.jpg|off]] [[:File:Dirge DeathTimelines.jpg|in]] [[:File:Dirge DeathUnicron.jpg|many]] [[:File:Dirge DeathArmada.jpg|continuities]]
* [[Quake (G1)|Quake]] — the unlucky guy who gets killed over and over in the same continuity, but doesn't seem to mind.
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] — the unlucky guy from ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' who gets sliced, diced, and fricasseed every other episode only to be fully functional in time to get [[Slag (slang)|slagged]] ''again''. But he never actually dies.
* [[Cy-Kill (disambiguation)|Cy-Kill]] — a Go-Bots character transferred to many Transformers comics just to be killed off violently, for no other reason than the lolz of ending his toyline, his universe, and finally his life... repeatedly.
* [[Sentinel Prime (G1)]] — the unlucky [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] [[:File:Sentinel prime lou.jpg|who]] [[:File:Sentinel prime dw.jpg|must]] [[Megatron Origin issue 4|die]].
* [[Starscream (Animated)]] — the unlucky guy that constantly gets killed, decapitated, or maimed by others, only to be brought back to life, thanks to a fragment of the [[AllSpark]] embedded in his forehead.

==See also==
* [[Transformer funerary practices]]
* [[To sell toys]]

[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Transformer anatomy]]

Death

2015-10-11T03:08:47Z

Primon12345: /* Weaponsfire */

{{disambig2|the end of life|the Horseman of Unicron|Airazor (Armada)}}

[[File:Battleofautobotcity.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|And lo, the children did weep. They wept hard too.]]

''Transformers'' is a children's franchise, but at its core, it's a story of war. This means that the '''death''' of major and minor characters sometimes figures into the fiction.

Given the ambiguous nature of [[Transformer]] physiology, there is very little consistency regarding what is fatal to a Transformer, even within a single storyline. Damage that one Transformer might shrug off can prove fatal to another, or even to the same character in a different story. Sometimes just a laser blast or two will do the trick. Other times, characters survive being melted, [[Waspinator (BW)|crushed into cubes]], and even [[Demolishor (Armada)|utterly disintegrated]]. It does not take a terribly cynical viewer to conclude that the threshold of survival is generally determined by the needs of the plot.

The out-of-universe reasons for a character's death can vary from plot development to the arrival of [[To sell toys|new toys]]. Conveniently enough for writers who are beholden to the whims of a toy company, the majority of Transformers characters are machines, which means that death isn't necessarily permanent. Across the various universes, characters that appear to have been killed have been known to pop up alive again at a later date, or go through some sort of resurrection.

{{quote|"How can you all be so cold and unfeeling? He died a hero!" "Don't you even have mechanical hearts?" "The humans don't understand! Our form of life is vastly different from theirs!"|[[Spider-Man]], [[Sparkplug Witwicky]], and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]]|"[[Prisoner of War!]]"|noquote=true}}

==In-fiction causes of death==
[[File:DEATH.jpg|left|thumb|upright=2.2|[[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] is just as puzzled as the rest of us.]]

There is little consistency in what can kill a Transformer. Sometimes it takes just a shot. Other times, even totally annihilating a Transformer's body still doesn't do the trick. Even the most basic method of killing, which is to destroy or otherwise cause the loss of a Transformer's [[spark]], varies quite a bit in its details from story to story, character to character, and series to series.

However, over time there has been some convergence of concepts regarding Transformer design across the various franchises and storylines. The concept of Sparks as a Transformer's driving life force has become nearly universal, and with it, the notion that loss of Spark equals death. Various [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]] comics, particularly ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More Than Meets The Eye]]'', have delved deeply into this, positing that a Transformer can die if their Spark, brain or (in a new and unique twist) transformation cog are sufficiently damaged, known as "[[Rossum's Trinity‎]]". MTMTE also makes note of the difficulties in killing a Transformer, and how things like decapitation may not be lethal in the right circumstances.

If one is so inclined, these concepts can be applied retroactively to many, if not all, older stories - so that various means of death described below can be seen simply as the means of inflicting the requisite damage on a Transformer's vital bits.

When a Transformer dies, the loss of their life force (or artistic convention, out here in the real world) often results in them turning gray. The most well-known example by far is Optimus Prime's death in the animated movie; Prowl can also be glimpsed turning gray as he falls during the shuttle assault. This idea has shown up in a few other places, such as [[Transform and Roll Out#Part 3|the ''Animated'' cartoon]] and [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|the ''More Than Meets the Eye'' comics]].

{{--}}
===Weaponsfire===
{{bigquote|This was almost too easy, Starscream!|[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (like the fandom) is surprised to find how easily Autobots die, ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''}}

[[File:Tftm1986a.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|We're here aboard the Autobot shuttle, where we've secretly replaced Brawn's hyper-dense metal armor plating with styrene plastic. Let's see if anyone can tell the difference.]]

[[File:TFTM UltraMagnus dies.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Prepare for your death today. Yer gonna die!!]]

[[File:Magnusdeath.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Ow! Hey! Cut it out, guys! That hurts!]]

[[File:Blades1.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Sorry, [[Outpost B-67 exo-structuring party|nameless guy]], your generic nature means you will never be miraculously resurrected.]]

Like humans, Transformers can be killed by damage caused by energy, projectile, and chemical weapons. Just how many shots it takes is widely variable, however.
* In the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original ''The Transformers'' cartoon]]:
** Many casualties of the [[Battle of Autobot City]] (and its run-up), including [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]], [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], [[Ironhide (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ironhide]], and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], were victims of energy weapons. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}} This was quite a change from the cartoon's M.O., wherein the same characters routinely got shot and blasted all the time and shrugged it off, or at worst spent some time in the repair bay. Brawn and Prowl both went down after ''one shot''.
** [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] subsequently "dies" after being shot a few times by the [[Sweep (G1)|Sweeps]], exploding into pieces. He is soon revived by the [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]], however. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
** In the Japanese continuity, Ultra Magnus dies ''again'', for real this time, after [[Sixshot (G1)|Sixshot]] shoots him a few times. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus Dies!!}}
* In the [[Marvel Comics continuity|Marvel comics]]:
** [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] was cut down by a single head shot from [[Macabre]]. {{storylink|Target: 2006}}
** Most deaths in the ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|Generation 2]]'' book occurred from energy weapons, such as [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], {{storylink|Devices and Desires! (Marvel)|Devices and Desires!}} as well as numerous generics. {{storylink|War Without End!}} Quite a few victims exploded spectacularly after being shot, including [[Tantrum (G1)|Tantrum]], {{storylink|The Gathering Darkness}} [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]], [[Quake (G1)|Quake]], {{storylink|New Dawn}} and [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]]. {{storylink|Escalation!}}
* In the ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' cartoon:
** [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] dies after incurring severe damage from numerous [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] weapons. {{storylink|Code of Hero}} Other characters have survived similar or worse levels of damage, but the episode gave a reason: Dinobot refuses to go into [[stasis lock]], which his onboard computer warns could "result in loss of Spark" if he keeps it up.
** [[Tigerhawk]] is disintegrated by the main cannon of the starship ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]''. The same cannon subsequently blasts [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]], apparently killing them, though their "death" may be permanent simply because there was nobody around to put them back together. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}
* ''Armada'' cartoon: [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] dies holding back the [[Hydra Cannon]], the damage causing him to [[:File:Crisis Optimus Prime dies.jpg|crumble to dust]]. {{storylink|Crisis (Armada)|Crisis}}
* [[Dreamwave Generation One continuity|Dreamwave G1]] comics: [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] is killed by [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]]. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath}} He got better. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 3|Prime Directive #3}}
* [[Transformers: Universe (comic)|Universe]]: [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] was shot and killed by [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] during the final battle of the [[Universe War]].
* This happens a ''lot'' in the [[Movie continuity]]:
**[[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]] and [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] both died from weapons fire. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}}
*Arcee and Elita-One and possibly Chromia were killed by Deception fire.
** All the [[Appliancebot]]s were killed by [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]].
**A crapload of [[Protoform]]s were shot down by [[NEST]] soldiers. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
(film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
*Arcee and Elita-One and possibly Chromia were killed by Deception fire.
** [[Crowbar]] was shot in the face by Ironhide.
**[[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que]] was killed by a Decepticon protoform. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
** [[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]] was killed by a massive onslaught of gunfire from [[Cemetery Wind]]. [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] was brutally whittled down in a similar manner, until Lockdown came and executed him.
* "[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]": [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] gets his face blown off/in by [[Cyclonus (SG)|Cyclonus]]. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 4}}
{{--}}
* Many goons during the [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)|War for Cybertron]] died from being shot. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (games)|War for Cybertron}}
*''Prime'' cartoon: [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] was killed by a shot through the chest by [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] {{storylink|Regeneration (Prime)|Regeneration}}

===Big explosions===
{{bigquote|They're going to blow us all to pieces! [[Guardian (Marvel)|Guardian]]'s booby-trapped - packed with enough explosives to level this whole mountain!|[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], "[[The Wrath of Grimlock!]]"}}

Transformers characters often assume that explosions are more lethal than they really are; characters survive explosions all the time. An explosion's messy nature makes a good "out" for a writer to fake a character's death. {{storylink|The Wrath of Grimlock!}} {{storylink|Gone but Not Forgotten!}} {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} Nevertheless, a few characters have been permanently killed by explosions. (This list omits characters who exploded from within, like Ultra Magnus up above.)
* In the Marvel comics:
** [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]] was the victim of an interdimensionally triggered explosion that destroyed his body. {{storylink|The Bridge to Nowhere!}} However, in the UK continuity he survived as a raggedy, bodiless head. {{storylink|...The Harder They Die!}}
** In an alternate future, a wounded [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] died in the fiery explosion of a crashing shuttlecraft. {{storylink|The Legacy of Unicron!}}
** [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] was killed when a prototype [[pathblaster]] exploded in his face. {{storylink|Time Wars}}
** [[Finback]] was presumably killed in the explosion of a huge gun battery. [[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] tried to warn him off, and may have been killed in the same explosion. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon:
** [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] was blown to bits — terminally so — by the [[transwarp]] explosion that destroyed the [[Planet Buster]]. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}
** [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]] was killed by the explosion that resulted from [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]]'s death (either his exploding spark, or the exploding energon shard that pierced it.) {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}
* Several of the [[Beast Era]] [[Wrecker]]s ([[Sonar (BW)|Sonar]], [[Spittor (BW)|Spittor]], the [[Deployer (BM)|Deployers]]) were destroyed when part of their ship exploded with them in it. {{storylink|Betrayal}}
* Energon: [[Bruticus Maximus (Energon)|Bruticus Maximus]] was killed when Storm Jet caused a massive explosion that engulfed them both.
* ''Prime'': [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]] and the surrounding [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]s were blown up by a grenade attached by the Autobots. Both the Vehicons and Makeshift were killed in the blast. (According to an interview at [[BotCon 2011]] with the ''Prime'' show runners, Makeshift was deemed too overpowered to be a regular in the show, so they killed him off at the end of the episode.) {{storylink|Con Job}}
*IDW Continuity: [[Bomb-Burst (G1)|Bomb-Burst]] and [[Skullgrin]] were killed when Springer blew them up with a grenade. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 3}}
* ''Movie Continuty'': [[Crankcase (DOTM)|Crankcase]] blew up when Ironhide kicked him into a gas station. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)}}
** Several Constructicons and Decepticon Protoforms are killed by a human air strike in [[Egypt]] {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)}}

===Impact trauma===
Falling off a cliff or mountainside or tall building is usually just as fatal to Transformers as it is to, say... Wile E. Coyote. Only on rare occasion does it result in death:
* ''[[Transformers: Classics|Classics]]'' continuity: [[Hacksaw]] met his end by falling from a huge communications tower. {{storylink|The New World}}
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]: [[Doubledealer]] was shot, fell off a mountain and smashed to bits on impact. {{storylink|Spotlight: Doubledealer}}
* Movie continuity:
**[[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]] fell off the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]] after losing his balance when his arm was shot off, and he shattered to pieces as he tumbled down. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
** [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] was smashed to pieces and killed by being flung into a freeway column. {{storylink|Movie Adaptation issue 4|Movie Adaptation Issue Number Four}}
** [[Hatchet]] met his end when [[Mirage (Movie)|Dino]] sent him crashing into a car.
* The [[Beast (G1)|Beast]] fell off a cliff and shattered. {{storylink|The Beast Within Part 2, Consequences}} At least, we hope that's where and how it ended.
* ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Prime]]'': [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] crash-landed after [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] punched out vital components in his [[alternate mode]], reducing his body to a partially transformed scrapheap.

===Disassembly===
[[File:Jazz DyingAction.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|"HERE'S what I think of your resemblance to your G1 counterpart!"]]

Taking a Transformer apart into its component parts - or ripping them to pieces - can occasionally kill them:
* Marvel comics:
**[[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] met this fate in an alternate future, when Swoop used a machine to pull him apart into his component pieces. {{storylink|Another Time & Place}}
**A future version of Ultra Magnus may have been killed when a group of Decepticons mobbed him and ripped him up. {{storylink|Time Wars}}
* Movie continuity:
**Being ripped in half by [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] killed [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]]. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}}
**[[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] was killed when Bumblebee ripped his spine out, tearing him apart. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
**A Decepticon pilot was ripped to pieces by the Wreckers.{{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]: [[Pyro (G1)|Pyro]] was torn apart and killed while making a final stand against a mass of generic Decepticons. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Last Stand of the Wreckers #5}}
* ''Prime'' cartoon:
** When fighting [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]]'s zombie army, [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] recommended dissection to [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus]] to "cut" them down to size. How this is more effective then just blasting the living slag out of them is still up for debate. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 4}}
** [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] managed to offline [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]] by tearing him limb from limb, leaving only a pile of mutilated body parts in her wake. {{storylink|Crossfire}}

====Bifurcation====
[[File:VictoryUKAnnual.JPG|thumb|upright=0.85|"Shakkooosh!" is good, but I could really go for a good old-fashioned "CHUK" right about now.]]

{{bigquote|I have no desire to be carved up into Auto-sushi.|Tracks, "[[Make Tracks]]"}}

A particular subset of disassembly, getting chopped in half is pretty graphic for a kids' story, even one about robots, so it doesn't happen very often.
* Marvel comics: In a dream sequence, [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] slices [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] in half, killing him. {{storylink|Victory!}}
* Japanese G1 cartoon: [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] gets sliced in half by Dai Atlas. The strike dissects what appears to be an organic brain in his head. {{storylink|Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!}}
* ''Beast Wars Metals'': Terrorsaur is killed by being sliced in half by Primal's mace. {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 1|Beast Wars Metals #1}}
* Movie continuity: [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] dies when [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]] slices his car mode in two. [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] slices [[Mixmaster (ROTF)|Mixmaster]] in half at the chest but Mixmaster survived this. Getting his skull stomped off, not so much. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}, [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]] meets his end in this manner courtesy of Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}}
* War For Cybertron: In the opening, a Decepticon goon is chopped in half by Optimus Prime.
* [[Ambulon (G1)|Ambulon]] is chainsawed in half ''vertically'' by [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]]. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} ([[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] specifically noted that ''horizontal'' bifurcation would be survivable - indeed, not much later, [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] would be quite active after being ripped apart at the waist by [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] {{storylink|Finest Hour: Dark Cybertron Chapter 5}})

===Crushing===
[[File:Edgeofextinction-hardheadbombburst.jpg|thumb|DO NOT WANT]]

Quite a few characters have been crushed into deactivation:
* In the Marvel comics:
** [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] was smashed between [[Unicron]]'s palms, while [[Bomb-Burst (G1)|Bomb-Burst]] and [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] met a similar fate when they were stepped on by Unicron. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] is apparently killed when a very large building collapses on top of him. {{storylink|Escalation!}}
* [[Unicron Trilogy]] cartoons:
** [[Thrust (Armada)|Thrust]] is killed when caught between two folding sections of Unicron's external armor. {{storylink|Union}}
** [[Shockblast]] is crushed by Unicron's hand on [[Blizzard Planet]]. {{storylink|The Power of Unicron}}
** His brother [[Six Shot (Energon)|Six Shot]] meets a similar fate, crushed under the heel of a super-sized Galvatron. {{storylink|Galvatron Terror}}
* IDW continuity:
** [[Ruckus (G1)|Ruckus]] and [[Skullcruncher]] were crushed by [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]].
** [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] was killed when a group of police set fire to a building and let it collapse on him, crushing him.
** The luckless [[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]] died after [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] stomped on him repeatedly, causing enough damage that his Spark fell out.
* Movie continuity:
** [[Dispensor]] was crushed under [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]'s foot.

===Melting===
[[File:BW Scorponok Terrorsaur deaths.jpg|thumb|Even having a new toy couldn't save Terrorsaur!]]

[[File:Fallout title.jpg|thumb|Primal's diet had gone horribly wrong.]]

They're made of metal; therefore, with enough heat or sufficiently acidic material, they can melt. This is one of the more fool-proof methods of killing a Transformer; few if any have survived it.
* In the G1 cartoon:
** An acid vat would apparently have been enough to destroy Optimus Prime. {{storylink|The Search for Alpha Trion}}
** Another acid vat was used to disintegrate living victims of Unicron. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
* In the Marvel comics:
** Victims of the Decepticon [[smelting pool]]s on Cybertron were reduced by intense heat into their base metals, including [[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]]. {{storylink|The Smelting Pool!}}
** It is possible that an acid bath from (naturally) [[Blot (G1)|Blot]] offlined [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] [[Makin' Tracks!|(for a while anyway)]]. {{storylink|Dark Star}}
** [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] was partially melted by Unicron's flame-breath and subsequently died. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** The [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronians]] used some kind of acid to rather messily eradicate some of their Decepticon ancestors, including [[Stranglehold]]. {{storylink|New Dawn}}
* In the Beast Era cartoons:
** [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] and [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] were apparently melted to death after tumbling into a lava pit within the [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon base]]. {{storylink|Aftermath}}
** Optimus Primal's body was seemingly melted into the floor after his climactic face-off with [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]]. Considering how many god-like forces were unleashed and conflicting during the battle, his demise may be due to more than simple temperature-induced melting. {{storylink|Fallout (episode)|Fallout}}

===Disintegration===
{{bigquote|I saw the end! They died in a cosmic funeral pyre!|[[Shawn Berger]], "[[Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2]]"}}

[[File:Armada 52 - Prime hangon to Galvatron.jpg|thumb|Galvatron died to save everyone and came back ''twice''—you lose, [[Jesus]]!]]

Plasma, energy fields, and stellar atmospheres can all utterly destroy a Transformer's body. Like being melted, being reduced to one's component molecules would seem to be a surefire way of getting killed, but quite a few characters seem able to survive the process as ghosts and/or disembodied sparks:
* Generation 1 cartoon: [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]]'s spectacular death at the hands of [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] might be categorized as incineration. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
* Quite a few characters met this fate in the Unicron Trilogy, but all survived it in some fashion:
** [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]]'s spark persisted within his burnt-out body when he was dropped into the exploding Unicron. {{storylink|Mortal Combat}} {{storylink|Megatron Resurrected}}
** [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]]'s body was obliterated by an expanding energon grid, but his spark survived the process and was placed in a new body. {{storylink|Go for Unicron!}}
** [[Inferno (Energon)|Inferno]] was destroyed when he threw himself into a star, but his spark was salvaged by the Autobots and, again, placed in a new body. {{storylink|Farewell Inferno}}
** And finally, Megatron (Galvatron, whatever) threw himself into Primus's new energon sun to prevent Unicron from possessing him, killing himself yet again. {{storylink|The Sun}} This death was so inconsequential that his subsequent resurrection wasn't even explained! {{storylink|Fallen (episode)|Fallen}}
* [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]] causes a Transformer's body to disintegrate to nothing:
**The [[Thirteenth Legion]] died of Cosmic Rust. {{storylink|Cosmic Rust (episode)|Cosmic Rust}}
**[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] died after several shots from [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel]]'s Cosmic Rust Blaster, though the big hole this left in his torso couldn't have helped much either. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}

===Consumption===
{{bigquote|...If we don't find the Matrix, some bad guy's gonna ''eat'' us! Right?|Longtooth, "[[Deadly Obsession]]"}}

[[File:Wreckers Mutants.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|The shocking death of the barely-seen guys with hardly any lines!]]
[[File:Rocky mecannibal bartender marvel uk 240.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Cannibalism is hilarious, kids!]]

Getting eaten is essentially being torn apart, crushed, and melted all in a row, and it's usually fatal. Quite a few critters in the multiverse are equipped to devour giant robots:
* In the G1 cartoon:
** Various life forms were routinely devoured by the [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticon]]s on Quintessa. This included [[Kranix (G1)|Kranix]], a mechanical life form, though not a Transformer. [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]] and [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] would have suffered this fate as well, but fought their way free. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
** Quite a few Transformers found their way into Unicron's gullet, though many survived the experience. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
* In the Marvel comic:
** [[Scraplet]]s were a mechanical disease - tiny robots that fed on Transformers. A hapless freighter pilot died after being infected, and quite a few other 'bots only narrowly survived being infected. {{storylink|Crater Critters}}
** The [[Mecannibal]]s ate robots routinely, including quite a few Transformers during their sojourn on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|All the Familiar Faces!}} {{storylink|Out to Lunch!}} There is some indication that they could actually reconstitute their victims from their "recycled" parts, though this is never explicitly shown. {{storylink|Recipe for Disaster!}}
** Unicron skewered [[Brainstorm]] and ate him. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** The subsurface-dwelling [[demon]]s devoured [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]]. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** The Swarm "devoured" innumerable Cybertronians and a handful of older-generation Transformers as well, though this was through a molecular process almost akin to incineration. {{storylink|Swarm (issue)|Swarm}} {{storylink|Total War!}} {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}
* The Sharkticons killed two of the [[Mutant (BW)|Mutants]] by gobbling them up. Or ripping them apart. Or both. We don't really know. {{storylink|Betrayal}}
* [[Flanker]] was eaten up and killed by the [[Insecticon (G1)|"Deluxe" Insecticons]].

===Decapitation===
{{main|Decapitation}}

[[File:Cyclonus death.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|Ahhhh, there we go...]]

Sometimes cutting a Transformer's head off is fatal. Sometimes!
* In the Marvel comics:
** The Megatron clone killed Cyclonus by ripping his head off. {{storylink|Dry Run!}}
** Several of the Wreckers were killed by having their heads ripped or blasted off, including Twin Twist and Topspin, respectively. {{storylink|Time Wars}}
** [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] had his head cut off by a propeller fired by [[Leadfoot (G2)|Leadfoot]], presumably (given the ''Generation 2'' book's emphasis on body count) killing him. {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}
* In the movie continuity:
** Characters frequently die by decapitation of some form: [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]], {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}} and [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
** Decapitation was an inconvenience for [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]] the first time. The second time, when the blow actually destroyed most of his head, was fatal.
** [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]], [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]], [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], and [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] are decapitated in the third movie. [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que]]'s and [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]]'s heads fell off when they died, possibly to add finality to their demises. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
** [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]]'s head was crushed by [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]]'s ''bare fist''.
* In the IDW Generation 1 continuity:
** The heads of [[Springarm]] and [[Wheelarch]] are removed and then mockingly put on display to creep out [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]].
* In the Aligned continuity
** Vehicons and Insecticons are frequently murdered by decapitation.

===Destruction of brain===
{{bigquote|Next strike in the neural cluster, yes? Weakest spot on ''all'' Transformers...|[[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]], "[[Fire on High!]]"}}

In the early days of the franchise, a Transformer's life force was sometimes understood to be entirely contained within their [[brain module]], most prominently in the Marvel comics. Destroying the brain would kill the Transformer. This premise was eventually modified to incorporate the more esoteric concept of [[spark]]s.
* In the Marvel comics:
** In an alternate future, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] is blasted by [[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]], who kills him by extracting and crushing his brain module. {{storylink|The Legacy of Unicron!}}
** The [[Throttlebot]]s ''avoid'' death by having their brain modules removed from their bodies shortly before their bodies are destroyed (by crushing). {{storylink|Toy Soldiers!}}
* Movie continuity:
** Optimus Prime kills Sentinel Prime by shooting him in the head with Megatron's shotgun. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
* IDW Generation 1 continuity:
** [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] blasts [[Rotorstorm (G1)|Rotorstorm]] right in the head, destroying his brain module. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4}}
** Impactor killed [[Snare]] by crushing his brain module. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4}}
** [[Squadron X]] were all shot in the head. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4}}
** In the [[Functionist Universe]], every Cybertronian possessed an [[obsolescence chip]] that could be remotely detonated, destroying their heads. [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] and all other Cybertronians with [[data slug]] alt-modes were killed in a [[mass recall]]. {{storylink|The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|The Custom-Made Now}}
** [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] died when [[Kaon (DJD)|Kaon]] smashed his brain module against his own forcefield. {{storylink|Births, Deaths, and Interventions}}

===Destruction of spark===
{{bigquote|RAW energon! Right through your twisted spark!|Depth Charge to Rampage, "[[Nemesis Part 1]]"}}

[[File:Skyfallwontbethereforit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|And then he hung Skyfall from his ceiling.]]

Getting stabbed right through the spark is almost always fatal:
* In ''Beast Wars'': The supposedly immortal Rampage was killed when Depth Charge pierced his spark with an energon blade. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}
* ''[[Transcendent Technomorph|TransTech]]'': [[Skyfall (Cybertron)|Skyfall]] died when [[Alpha Trion (SG)|Alpha Trion]] rammed his [[sword]] right through his chest. {{storylink|Transcendent: Part 6}}
*Energon: [[Constructicon Maximus]] was killed when [[Storm Jet (Energon)|Storm Jet]] impaled and crushed his spark.
* ''Cybertron'': [[Megatron (Armada)#Cybertron cartoon|Galvatron]] died after being impaled with [[Rhisling]] by [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|Unfinished}}
* Movie continuity: Optimus Prime died when Megatron stabbed him through the chest with his death-lock pincer, followed by a blast from his fusion cannon through the spark chamber. [[The Fallen]] also met his end when a resurrected Optimus punched through his chest and crushed his spark. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
* [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|Titan's Movie comics]]: Transformers have forcefields shielding their sparks, which can be externalized to protect bodywork. Jazz loved doing this, leaving him far more vulnerable to death by destruction of spark than he would otherwise be. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 6|Lost in Space 4: Jazz}}

That's not the only way to destroy a spark either:

* ''Beast Machines'' continuity: [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] - already reduced to a spark within the matrix - ceased to be when Megatron annihilated his spark from existence. {{storylink|Singularity Ablyss}}
* IDW continuity: [[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]] has modified his vocal processor so that he can get his voice into synch with a spark's pulse and then get it to stop. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement}}

===Loss of spark===
{{bigquote|Warning. Further expenditure will result in permanent loss of spark. Stasis lock ''must'' commence.|[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]'s internal computer, "[[Code of Hero]]"}}

[[File:Jetstorm with extractor.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Lost, stolen, whatever...]]

Sometimes sparks can survive outside of a body; sometimes they cannot. In the Beast Era, there is some indication that a spark left outside a body will soon begin to return to the Matrix/AllSpark/another dimension.
* When Dinobot expires after his final battle, his Spark is seen exiting his body. The implication is that a sufficiently damaged body can no longer hold a spark within this continuity. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
* ''Beast Machines'' subsequently showed living sparks existing outside of bodies on a regular basis. The sparkless bodies were simply considered shells, rather than "dead", due to the fact that the sparks were forcibly removed with a [[spark extractor]].
* ''Animated'' cartoon: [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] dies when he intentionally relinquishes his own spark. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}
* Movie continuity: [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] rips out his own spark chamber to give Optimus a fighting chance. [[The Fallen]] also meets a similar fate, dying from Optimus punching through his chest and crushing his spark. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}} Ratchet is killed when Lockdown removes his spark. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}}

===Energy overload===
{{bigquote|We may need energon for power, but this is too much of a good thing.|[[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]], "[[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]"}}

[[File:TFAnimated transformandrollout DEATH.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Death — the Optimus version of a power nap.]]
[[File:Underbaseallmine.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|He's got an Underbase in his underpants.]]

The average [[human]] needs a lot of [[water]] to survive. But too much water results in [[wikipedia:Water intoxication|a horrible death]]. Similarly, Transformers need energy to survive, but too much of it can be a very bad thing. Sometimes it's just plain old energy; other times it some special god-like force that does them in.
* In the Marvel comics:
** An [[Underbase]]-empowered Starscream slaughtered dozens of Transformers with energy blasts, {{storylink|Dark Star}} which reportedly burned out millions of their [[microchip]]s. {{storylink|Guess Who the Mecannibals Are Having for Dinner?}} Some Transformers were seen to recover from these attacks, either via conventional repairs {{storylink|All the Familiar Faces!}} or through the power of [[nucleon]]. {{storylink|The Void! (US)}}
** Starscream himself was killed when he absorbed all the energies of the Underbase. {{storylink|Dark Star}}
** [[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]] was apparently killed when struck by a blast of energy from the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]], though the physical effect was more like being hit by an especially powerful laser blast. {{storylink|All Fall Down|All Fall Down (issue)}}
* ''Super-God Masterforce'' cartoon: [[Sixknight]] died from an overcharge of BlackZarak's Devil Power. {{storylink|Malevolent and Inhuman! The True Form of Devil Z}}
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]: [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] dies when one of the [[Reaper]]s zaps him full of energy, causing him to explode from within. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6}}
* Movie continuity: [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] was killed when [[Sam Witwicky (Movie)|Sam Witwicky]] shoved the [[AllSpark]] into his chest. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}} [[Evac (Ride)|Evac]] did the same thing with the Allspark shard with Megatron {{storylink|Transformers: The Ride – 3D}}
* ''Transformers Animated'' cartoon: [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] got caught in an explosion of [[AllSpark]] energy that may have been sufficient to kill him, although he also fell off a very tall building immediately afterwards (Starscream was caught in the same explosion and survived, but was knocked offline for an unspecified period.)

===Energy depletion===
On rare occasion, Transformers can simply run out of energy completely and expire.
* Marvel comics: the ancient [[Overlord (rank)|Overlord]] died from a lack of energy. {{storylink|State Games}}
* Movie continuity: [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] explains that a lack of energon causes the Transformer equivalent of aging, such as rusting joints, mental confusion, and pieces falling apart, followed by an indefinite period of stasis that can only be reversed by an infusion of Allspark energy. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
* [[Vector Prime (Cybertron)|Vector Prime]] dies after he helps the crew to time travel. {{storylink|Guardian (episode)|Guardian}}

===Disease===
You may think giant robots couldn't have diseases but it turns out they can!

* Marvel comics: [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] contracted [[Corrodia Gravis]], a wasting disease where your body is consumed by rust as your metal breaks down at molecular level. Only a systems boost from a compatible donor could save Snarl {{storylink|Assassins}} but the disease came back anyway. The best cure is to store a Transformer's brain in remote storage and build a whole new body. {{storylink|Destiny of the Dinobots!}}
* IDW comics: [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]] engineered the [[Red Rust]] virus: spread by touch and triggered by transforming, it causes all the coolants, dispersants and anti-rusting agents in a Transformer to cross-contaminate and cause a molecular breakdown. The first sign is when the Transformer starts "crying" the fuel out. {{storylink|How Ratchet Got His Hands Back}} Most of [[Delphi]] was killed. {{storylink|Life After the Big Bang}}
* And of course, there's the aforementioned [[Scraplet]]s and [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|cosmic rust]].

===Aging===
While many characters are portrayed as being old, dying of old age is almost unheard of in Transformers

* In Transformers UK, it is implied Transformers have long, but not endless life spans. In Kup's story, Kup says that he was put on a spaceship to live out his "remaining years" alone. In another story, Goldbug says that he may never understand humans, even if he lives to be 2 million.
* In the IDW continuity, Ratchet notes that the process of a cybertronian aging to death (also referred to as age-related burnout) is a relatively recent discovery. He also notes that many, both spiritual and scientific, still refused to "give up on this-this very seductive idea that we're immortal". Tailgate had been diagnosed with cybercrosis, a fatal condition that has been around since before Nova Prime's era but which Ratchet believes in this case was brought about by a combination of radiation and old age.
* [[Regeneration One]]: Although it takes eons, all Transformers eventually die of old age after being disconnected from the life-giving powers of [[Primus]]. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 5}}

==Suicide==
{{quote|Do you realize how '''hard''' it is for a Cybertronian to die by his own hand? You can jump off a building, blow yourself up, cut off your own head - and you might still survive.|Chromedome, [[Before & After]]}}
Sometimes a Transformer kills himself for some reason, or tries to.
* Marvel comics
** Dirge and Nightbeat, rather than be eaten by the Swarm, self destructed.
* ''Beast Wars''
** Transformers can deliberately override the stasis lock protocols, even if this will result in death. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
** In the final battles, Depth Charge allowed himself to be blown up killing Rampage and Rampage let Depth Charge kill him {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}. [[Dinobot II]] let himself go down with the ''Nemesis''. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}
* ''Energon'': Galvatron, Starscream, and [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Mirage]] threw themselves into a sun and vaporized themselves. [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Snow Cat]] and Demolishor may have also done this.
* ''Revenge of the Fallen'': Jetfire ripped out his entire spark housing for Optimus Prime to have enough power to kill The Fallen.

==Non-fatal deactivation==
{{quote|"You mean he's still alive?!" "No! But neither is he what you would term 'dead'!"|[[Spider-Man]] and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]], "[[Prisoner of War!]]"|noquote=true}}

[[File:Zombiesbackfromthedead.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Braiiiiiin mooooodulllllles....]]

For almost every single cause of death listed above, there's been one or more Transformers who have survived it, sometimes without so much as a period of unconsciousness.

In particular, "deactivation" is the Transformers equivalent of being in a coma. Numerous Transformers are seen to enter this state and eventually recover, such as the Autobots deactivated by Shockwave, {{storylink|The Last Stand}} who later were repaired. However, the line between death and deactivation is a blurry one. Sometimes the two words are used interchangeably, even in reference to characters who are later revived. Most of Starscream's Underbase victims were described as deactivated, and were sometimes lamented as "dead" while at other times were shown undergoing repairs. {{storylink|Back from the Dead}} {{storylink|Gone but Not Forgotten!}} {{storylink|The Gathering Storm}}

"[[Stasis lock]]" would eventually give a more concrete name to the state of deactivation. The inert Transformers on the crashed Ark were retconned as being in stasis lock. Various ''Beast Wars'' characters would go into stasis lock to maintain their spark when their body had sustained too much damage from weaponsfire or energon absorption. ''Animated'' showed a crew of Autobots voluntarily entering protective stasis lock in anticipation of a crash landing.

Some of the quasi-fatal things which can cause a Transformer to "deactivate" include:

===Impact trauma===
Smashing into something usually knocks out a Transformer, but almost never actually kills them:
* The crew of the original [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] is deactivated when the ship crashes on Earth and lies inert for 4 million years {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}} {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)}} {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)}}
* Marvel comics: [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] falls to his "death", but is patched together and talking again in short order. {{storylink|Prisoner of War!}}

===Decapitation===
[[File:Sentinelprimeanimatedhumiliated.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|In the movie continuity, this would've been fatal. In ''Animated'', it's just embarrassing.]]

{{bigquote|Anyone who can lop your head off in one blow is alright by me!|[[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]] jokes about [[Cloudburst]]'s near-death experience, "[[Recipe for Disaster!]]"}}

Like we said before, decapitation is sometimes fatal... and other times it isn't.
* Marvel comic:
** Optimus Prime was able to survive as just a head when Shockwave separated it from his body in an effort to get the Creation Matrix. {{storylink|The New Order}}
**[[Cloudburst]] was abruptly decapitated by sword, but was just fine after some repairs. {{storylink|Recipe for Disaster!}}
* G1 cartoon: Optimus Prime was disassembled into his component parts, but functioned just fine as nothing more than a head once [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] connected a few wires. {{storylink|City of Steel (episode)|City of Steel}}
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon: [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] survives having his head blasted or otherwise knocked off multiple times, {{storylink|Spider's Game}} {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}} {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)}} {{storylink|Code of Hero}} and even put it back on himself one time. He even accidentally swapped heads with Megatron once. Megatron was not amused. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}} And let's not even get started on how many times [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] has lost his head.
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]:
**[[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] was just fine when one of the Reapers whacked his head off. (He didn't fare so well when another Reaper crushed his head with a boulder, however.) {{storylink|Devastation issue 6}}
**[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]]'s head was removed in an apparent suicide attempt; he survived because he was put back together in time, before his Spark had faded out.
* ''Animated'' cartoon: Decapitated victims of the ''Animated'' [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] rarely show any ill effects other than not having a body anymore. {{storylink|Headmaster (episode)|Headmaster}} {{storylink|The Return of the Headmaster}} {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}
* Movie Continuity:
**Frenzy survived his first decapitation by [[Mikaela Banes]].
**[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] was said by [[Brains]] to have survived his decapitation in the Chicago battle, even after having an axe lodged right into his processor. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}}

===Dismemberment===
{{quote|MY ARM!!!|Starscream, ''Revenge of the Fallen''}}
Transformers get ripped to pieces all the time, and recover from it:
* Marvel comic: Scorponok tears [[Tantrum (G1)|Tantrum]] to pieces. [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] slices [[Horri-Bull (G1)|Horri-Bull]] in half at the waist. Both are seen alive later on. {{storylink|Cold War!}}
* ''Last Stand of the Wreckers'': [[Guzzle (G1)|Guzzle]] is torn in half by [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] and is easily repaired. The same also happened to [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]].
* ''Revenge of the Fallen'': During a fierce battle, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] not only cut off [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]]'s arm with an Energon blade, but he ripped off [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s arm with his bare hands, and proceeded to ''beat him with it''.

===Spark removal===
{{bigquote|His spark can't exist outside a living body!|[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], "[[Optimal Situation]]"}}

A Transformer's spark—their "soul", their living essence—can be removed from their body, or the body can be destroyed around them
* The destruction of Starscream's body, and his subsequent survival as a ghost, was eventually retconned to be his Spark enduring without a physical form. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}} {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}} {{storylink|Possession}}
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon: Tigatron and Airazor's sparks spent quite some time wandering around behind Tigerhawk, before combining and entering his body. {{storylink|Other Victories}}
* In the ''Beast Machines'' cartoon:
** Megatron de-sparked most of Cybertron's population and stored their sparks in a big barrel. Most were restored to bodies eventually. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future}}
** Blackarachnia's spark wandered around bodiless for a time. {{storylink|Revelations Part III: Apocalypse}}
** Megatron himself, his spark in a depolarized state, wandered the surface of Cybertron without a body for a time. {{storylink|Spark of Darkness}}

The treatment of bodiless sparks in ''Beast Machines'' is seen by some fans as contradicting the canon established by ''Beast Wars'', particularly the quote above.

===Limbo===
Sometimes Transformers get shunted out of creation as we know it, and into various alternate, sub- and non-dimensions.
* Marvel comics:
** The [[trans-time dimensional portal]] crosses [[unspace]], "a bit of dimensional nothingness" where Ratchet and Megatron vanished and were believed dead. {{storylink|The Gathering Storm}}
** Transformers mass-displaced by time travel wind up in a formless dimension known as [[Limbo]].
* IDW comics: Megatron severely damaged Optimus Prime in battle and planned on finishing him off by crushing his [[Laser core|spark core]]. Optimus Prime feigned death by downloading his "consciousness" into his [[Combat Deck (G1)|trailer section]], causing his [[Brain Center|robot mode]] to appear dead. In the time it took for Prime's consciousness to transfer to his trailer, he briefly entered [[infraspace|limbo]], the transitional infraspace between life and death. {{storylink|The Transformers: Escalation|Escalation}}

==Resuscitation==
Robots are machines. They can be switched off, taken apart, blown to bits, and put back together. Ergo, in many continuities and cases, "death" is not nearly as permanent a condition as it is for us fragile fleshy types.

===Reconstruction===
[[File:PeoplePower-reprogrammed.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]

{{bigquote|I've done it! Optimus Prime lives!|[[Klementia|A random Quintesson]], "[[The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1]]"}}

* Generation 1 cartoon: Optimus Prime was simply ''repaired'' back to life by a Quintesson. Some fixing of this and that, a burst of power, and boom, suddenly he was alive again. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}}
* Marvel comics: Optimus Prime's mind was encoded on a disk. After a new [[Powermaster]] body was constructed for him, the disk's contents were loaded into it, and Optimus Prime lived again. (One wonders why they couldn't make as many Optimus Primes as they pleased.) {{storylink|People Power!}}
* Movie continuity: The [[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticons]] have [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'s consciousness transferred to a [[Galvatron (AOE)|new body]] built by [[Kinetic Solutions Incorporated|KSI]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}}

===Spark transfer===
Transferring a Transformer's spark into a new body constitutes a form of resurrection, particularly if the Transformer's previous body was destroyed.
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon: Optimus Primal was restored to life when Rhinox managed to recall his spark from the Matrix, a special circumstance only enabled by a temporary window into transwarp space. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}
* ''Beast Machines'' cartoon: various Vehicon generals were brought to life by placing other Transformer's sparks into them.
* ''Armada'' cartoon: Smokescreen was shot through the chest at point blank range by the Requiem Blaster {{storylink|Sacrifice}} but his spark survived and was put into a new body. {{storylink|Regeneration (Armada)|Regeneration}}
* ''Energon'' cartoon: Inferno and Demolishor both had their bodies ''atomized''; however, their sparks both survived, and were placed into new bodies. (The upshot of all of this is that it's nigh-impossible to kill a Unicron Trilogy Transformer, unless they do it themselves.) {{storylink|Go for Unicron!}} {{storylink|Farewell Inferno}}
* ''Animated'' cartoon: The spark of a dying [[Yoketron (Animated)|Yoketron]] was placed into a new protoform body by [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]]; however, Yoketron consciously chose to let his life end, and expired anyway. {{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}}

==="Magical" substances===
* Marvel comics: The miraculous healing properties of Nucleon brought many Autobots back to life, as well as a few Decepticons. {{storylink|The Void! (US)|The Void!}}
* ''Energon'' cartoon: Megatron was revived by the all-encompassing power of energon, as was Unicron. {{storylink|Megatron Resurrected}}

===Primus and Primus-related powers===
{{bigquote|Where the Last Autobot is concerned, even death, it would appear, is an abstract concept!|Optimus Prime explains his latest revival, "[[End of the Road! (US)|End of the Road!]]"}}

Anything tied to the primordial life-force of the Transformers' god Primus tends to be a cure-all for death. This includes Primus himself, his various power-wielding avatars and servants, and the assorted Matrixes and Allsparks, all of which can deliver an infusion of the essence of life itself. In some continuities, this is parsed as a Transformer's spark being brought back out of the Allspark dimension.

[[File:RageInHeaven-HeroPrime.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85]]

* In the Marvel comics:
** The [[Last Autobot]] was granted the power of recreation by Primus, which he used to raise numerous fallen Autobots from the battlefield. {{storylink|End of the Road! (US)}}
** Optimus Prime was eager to find the lost Creation Matrix, stating that it would be able to restore many deactivated warriors to life. {{storylink|Bird of Prey!}}
** Optimus Prime was restored to life by the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]] after it had ingested the energies and knowledge of the Matrix. {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}
* In the movie continuity:
** The Allspark is shown repeatedly to be capable of restoring just about anything. Frenzy gets a whole new body from its power, Bumblebee temporarily gets his voice back, {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}} and Megatron is restored to life by merely a fragment of it. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
** Optimus Prime was restored to life by the Matrix of Leadership, an Allspark-related talisman. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
** Sentinel Prime is revived after crash landing on the moon by the Matrix of Leadership courtesy of Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
* Sam Witwicky was brought back alive by the Primes, a creation of [[Primus]].
* ''Beast Machines'' cartoon: [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]]'s body was destroyed, but the AllSpark granted him the choice of uniting with it or being reborn. He chose the latter, and ''poof'', just walked right out of the Oracle bubble in a brand new version of his previous body. {{storylink|Fallout (episode)|Fallout}}
* ''Armada'' cartoon: [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] was brought back to life by the power of the [[Mini-Con]]s after his body was disintegrated. {{storylink|Miracle}}
* "[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]": [[Skyfall (Cybertron)|Skyfall]] was resurrected when he and his gestaltmates were combined together and reborn by Primus into [[Nexus Prime (Classics)|Nexus Prime]]. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 5}} Nexus Prime then brought [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] back from the other side of the Allspark and infused him with some of Primus's power to become Galvatron. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 6}}

===Zombies===
* Dude, [[zombie]]s!

==Immortality==
===Immortal sparks===
Certain sparks have mutant qualities that allow them to, potentially, exist forever.
* Starscream survived his death at the hands of Galvatron; this was later explained as him having a "mutant indestructible spark". {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}} {{storylink|Possession}} {{storylink|Bad Spark}}
* [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] was created as an attempt to duplicate Starscream's immortal spark. {{storylink|Bad Spark}} He was eventually killed by [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]], so the attempt may be seen as unsuccessful. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

===Other===
* [[Multiversal singularity|Multiversal singularities]] such as [[Unicron]] and [[The Fallen]] can be killed off in one dimension, only to still be alive and well in another (or many others), due to the varying properties of different dimensions (reverse-time dimensions, for example, are key to revival of the singularities).
* ''Animated'' [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] could not be killed so long as he retained his Allspark fragment embedded in his forehead.
* Denizens of the [[Dead Universe]] could essentially regenerate themselves out of nothing, no matter how much damage was inflicted on them. This ability appears to no longer apply, post-[[Expansion]], except when in direct proximity to the Dead Universe.
* Thunderwing's Pretender shell seemed to make him nearly invincible. At the very least, he was able to withstand incredible amounts of salvo and not even flinch.
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] can never completely die no matter what for some reason. It's probably because if he died, the universe wouldn't be able to inflict pain on him anymore.

==Out-of-fiction causes of character death==
===Drama / character culmination===
[[File:LastStandoftheWreckers5- Ironfistaneurism.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|I told you I was ill.]]
At its best, character death can be a moving plot development, the fruition of an ongoing character arc.
* [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] spent much of [[Simon Furman]]'s Marvel US run conflicted and doubting himself, and under the weight of his pre-Headmaster self's reputation. He finally got past this and took the fight to Unicron, dying in the process, his last words asking Optimus if he'd done good. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
* Suspecting that they would have to remove a character from the show, the writers of ''Beast Wars'' began planning for Dinobot's death several episodes ahead of time. Thus, when it came, it was the outcome of the character's own choices, flaws, and history, and played a crucial role in the show's plot. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
* Sunstreaker's death in ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'' is intended to follow a similar style of arc... only it's missing the whole choices, flaws and history thing. Oh well!
* Optimus Primal's death(s) in ''Beast Machines'' are likewise the outcome of his own choices and character. {{storylink|End of the Line}} {{storylink| Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future}} His death in ''Beast Wars'', by contrast, was more a moment of dramatic pathos — knowingly walking into danger, his enemy got the better of him. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}
* [[Ironfist (G1)|Ironfist]]'s death in ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' is his main plot arc, quietly built up in the background since the first issue.

===Consequences of war===
[[File:Bulkhead Eradicon Darkness Rising 3.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|His special large intestine! There's only one like it!]]
It's hard to take a war story seriously when nobody actually dies. The reality of war can be more readily portrayed when characters die. [[Generic]]s are particularly handy for this, allowing death to be shown while not removing primary characters (retail toys!) from the story. The results can range from high drama and pathos to numbingly pointless body counts.
* Impactor's death was used to drive home the threat of the Decepticons as well as the risks taken by the Autobots and their commanders. {{storylink|Target: 2006}}
* The ''Generation 2'' book featured several deaths which drove home the realities of war. Most notably, Red Alert's destruction served to make Grimlock acutely aware of just how badly he'd screwed up. {{storylink|Devices and Desires! (Marvel)|Devices and Desires!}}
* Pretty much every death in ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' comes under this.
* [[Cliffjumper (WFC)|Cliffjumper]], [[Tailgate (Prime)|Tailgate]], [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] and [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]] are all killed in their first ''Prime'' episodes, due to just plain bad luck in the first three cases and because of a deliberate Autobot killing in Makeshift's. The [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] are presented as sentient ''and'' as being killed by Autobots in large numbers. [[Jeff Kline]] famously said at the advent of ''Prime'' that all deaths would be final. While the rule applied to the majority of the series, it was happily ignored when it came time for the deaths of [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]], [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]], and [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]], who were all revived almost immediately after death (admittedly it took until the follow-up series to revive Optimus a second time, but let's face it, we're used to that by this point).

===Increased threat===
An enemy that kills is an enemy to be taken seriously. Thus a writer will frequently throw in some preliminary deaths to point out how seriously the bad guy should be treated.
* The generic who dies at the beginning of "[[City of Fear!]]" serves to show the zombies as a true life-threatening menace.
* Likewise for Runabout's death at the hands of the demons ; {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} knowing they can devour a Transformer makes the reader more concerned about the Dinobots' subsequent fate. {{storylink|Still Life!}}
* In "[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]", [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] makes corpses in practically every scene he's in!
* Cliffjumper in ''Prime'' was set up as a main character and then killed in five minutes, immediately putting the ''Prime'' Decepticons forward as a major threat.
* [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] is brutally hunted down and killed early into ''Age of Extinction'' by [[Cemetery Wind]] and [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]], to show what has befallen the majority of the Cybertronians on Earth (and the old cast from the first three films) and what will happen if the survivors are caught.

===Cast thinning===
Generation 1 stories were particularly notorious for acquiring gigantic casts as they rolled on, because of the franchise's longevity. A simple way to make things more manageable was simply to kill off large numbers of characters in battle.

* Examples are rife in the Marvel comics:
** The "[[Time Wars]]" storyline got rid of the [[Wrecker]]s and quite a few Decepticons as well.
** The [[Underbase Saga]] even more explicitly cleared out dozens of characters, leaving perhaps 2 dozen characters from each faction in the story.
** The battle with Unicron in "[[On the Edge of Extinction!]]" likewise got rid of a lot of older characters, leaving the story free to concentrate on more of a core cast (and associated newer toy characters.)
* ''The Transformers: The Movie'' did this on a smaller basis. While only a handful of characters were actually killed off, many more cast members simply disappeared without explanation in the following season of the cartoon.
* [[Betrayal|Wreckers #2]] dealt with its oversized cast by killing off scads of characters right up front.

More recent stories - particularly those without the overriding imperative [[to sell toys]], such as the G1 IDW comics - have accepted that not every character must be constantly accounted for at all times or roll-called every issue, allowing larger casts to simply exist in the background until needed. Another alternative, particularly visible in the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon, is to give new bodies (based on corresponding new toys, of course) to existing characters, allowing them to continue promoting new toys across multiple seasons of the show.

===Character motivation===
A quick and easy way to create enmity between characters is for the antagonist to kill someone close to the protagonist.

* In Marvel's comics, [[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]]'s revenge plot against the new [[Mayhem Attack Squad]] is motivated by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]'s murder of [[Catilla (G1)|Catilla]]. {{storylink|A Savage Place!}}
* In ''Energon'', [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber ''nee'' Dagger]] swore revenge on [[Shockblast]] after the murder of his partner, [[Padlock (Energon)|Padlock]]. {{storylink|Shockblast: Rampage}} He then forgot to care about Shockblast later but, y'know, ''Energon'' story.
* In ''Prime'', [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] and [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee's]] conflict is down to Airachnid's murder of [[Tailgate (Prime)|Tailgate]]. {{storylink|Predatory}} She keeps throwing this in Arcee's face.

===Clear space for new toys===
{{main|To sell toys}}

[[File:Newyorkunderbase.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|(They also cease to appear on store shelves.)]]

Some fiction has an inherently limited capacity for characters. ''Beast Wars'' and ''Beast Machines'' are by far the most prominent examples; their CGI animation made character animation expensive and necessitated removing an old character before a new one could be brought in. But any medium can be susceptible to this toy-driven phenomena.
* The numerous casualties of "[[The Transformers: The Movie]]" were fairly explicitly removed from the story to make way for a wave of new toy/characters.
* Terrorsaur and Scorponok had to be removed — quickly — to make room for the two upcoming Fuzor characters, hence their sudden, blink-and-you-miss-it death in "[[Aftermath]]".
* Airazor and Tigatron were removed for similar reasons. When their plot was finally resolved, it was, surprise, via [[Tigerhawk|a new toy]]!

{{-}}

==Fleshling death==
In general, ''Transformers'' fiction is pretty squeamish about showing the deaths of Earth's organic creatures. But it's a war, and sometimes it does happen. The out-of-universe reasons generally fall into three categories: Consequences of War, Emotional Pathos, and BLOOD IZ KEWL.

The various cartoons tend to show organic death the least, as they are most clearly aimed at, and easily accessible by, children. Comics tend to be less reluctant to show the impact of the Transformers' war on innocent lives, though the death rate varies by series. Latter-day Generation 1 books especially revel in high body counts, because squishing stupid humans is killer and awesome and radical and hardcore. Even the occasional [[Satellite of Doom|children's storybook]] has been known to off mass quantities of the dumb fleshies.

===Animal death===
[[File:MurderedPuppy02.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|One dead dog]]

[[File:Sparkwar3 Dead noble.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|Two dead dogs]]

Cute little animals are almost always killed off for reasons of Emotional Pathos:
* A little girl's pet puppy named [[Pis]] barked at [[Wilder]] and was kicked so hard he died. {{storylink|Rage!! Little Devils with No Need for Rules}}
* The [[Murdered puppy]] was shot down by the Decepticons after running away from Megatron's experiments. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 8|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #8}}
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] reminded [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] that [[The Fallen]] once shot down a ship full of [[Antilian bumble-puppy|Antilian bumble-puppies]]. (Decepticons have a thing for killing puppies.)
* The dog-like [[Noble (BM)|Noble]] was shot at by [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] because of his hatred for organics {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. III: The Siege}} and was later mourned by his "owner", [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]]. {{storylink|Spark of Darkness}}
* A stray shot from [[Tigatron]] accidentally caused an avalanche which killed his friend [[Snowstalker]]. {{storylink|Law of the Jungle}}
* "[[Law of the Jungle]]" also portrays the deaths of four different forest animals (a bug is eaten by a frog, which is eaten by a snake, which is taken off to be eaten by a bird. Later, an orange tiger kills an antelope). This is a rare "Consequences of War" example.
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] also once ate an eagle, {{storylink|Power Surge (episode)|Power Surge}} while [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] ate a cute little rat, {{storylink|Victory (episode)|Victory}} and nearly ate an antelope as well. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
* In order to save [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]], [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] had to fight a [[saber-toothed cat|saber-toothed tiger]] off a cliff, killing it. {{Storylink|Bad Spark}}
* [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] used [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel]]'s shield to knock a spikey rock onto a giant spider effectively killing it. She later used [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]]' axe to kill some new born baby spiders. {{Storylink|Along Came a Spider}}
* Human villain [[Trophy White]] had a grisly display of stuffed and mounted animal heads. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.10|Bring Me the Head of Optimus Prime}}
* A vulture was shot when [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]] landed on Africa.
* [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] killed a friggin' elephant in Africa. (In the adaptation, at least.)
{{-}}

===Human death===
[[File:Razorclawshootsahuman.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|This didn't happen much.]]
* Marvel US: The [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|original Marvel book]] ignored or glossed over human casualties, which were rarely if ever shown; the panel at right, from [[Toy Soldiers!|US #37]], shows a ''very'' unusual instance of a human dying right in front of us. One of the few human(oid)s to die on-panel was [[Galen Kord|Galen]], killed off to make way for [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]]. ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|Generation 2]]'' was much more explicit about human death, as Bludgeon and later [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] attacked Earth for the purpose of inflicting casualties.
* Marvel UK: The UK-original stories were much less reluctant to show human death; within the first year or so, humans had died in Autobot-induced car wrecks and at the hands of mind-controlled Autobots.
* In ''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One|Regeneration One]]'', after his revival on Earth, Megatron managed to gain control of Earth's nuclear arsenal and used it to push humanity to the brink of extinction. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 3}} During that conflict, Megatron had some fun terrorizing the population with his army of zombie Decepticons. [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] tracked down and killed [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster]] and [[Jesse (G1)|Jessie]] Witwicky in a car wash; had he had his full faculties, he might have [[Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom|appreciated the irony]]. {{storylink|Less Than Zero}}
* In almost every US-aired cartoon series, humans essentially ''never'' die. Even ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]]'', which features the city of [[Detroit]] getting smashed by robot battles virtually every week, never once mentions humans getting killed. And then ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' showed up.
** A human was shown slumped against a wall in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 5]]", a victim of Soundwave, though it wasn't clear whether he was dead or merely unconscious.[[File:Convoy-kablooie.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|They'll, uh, be okay, maybe.]]
**When [[MECH|human terrorists]] are featured, they will often die. Piloted or driven vehicles explode and enemies are implied to be crushed. "[[Convoy (episode)|Convoy]]" is the first of numerous examples.
** When Nemesis Prime attacks a military base in his [[Nemesis Prime (episode)|self-titled episode]], it's likely his rampage cost the lives of numerous soldiers.
** When the military attacked [[Darkmount (Earth)|Darkmount]], its fusion cannons devastated the entire force, presumably killing them all.
**[[Silas|Cylas]] is the first human to die on-screen in Western Transformers animation, but not before thanking [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] for finally freeing him of his gruesome existence.
* Contemporary toyline-based comics (''[[Transformers: Armada (Dreamwave)|Armada]]'', ''[[Transformers: Energon (comic)|Energon]]'') seem to follow a similar policy, avoiding showing, only mentioning, human death.
* Japanese cartoons, by contrast, don't seem to mind showing human deaths (or [[Pis|dog deaths]], for that matter).
* The [[Dreamwave Generation One continuity|Dreamwave G1 comics]] really thought it was totally awesome and cool and radical to kill off those stupid humans. Thus, they start off with Megatron smushing some stupid humans. More smushing and killing and blowing up follows. DIE, dumb stubbies, DIE!
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]] managed to avoid this for a long time, showing human death only when it was particularly integral to the plot... then ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'' came down the pike. DIE, stupid fleshies, DIE!
* The live-action [[movie continuity]] implies a great deal of human death. ''Revenge'' mentions a body count of over 9,000 (don't even ''think'' about it), and massive damage is done during the battle of [[Mission City]], though little of it is shown on screen. And of course, the first film begins with Blackout wiping out an entire military base. A handful of humans are killed directly on-screen, most notably [[Patrick Donnelly|Donnelly]]. Then of course we get to ''Dark of the Moon'', which has Decepticons laying siege to [[Chicago]], killing most of its citizens, including several being shot and exploding and disintegrating into just skulls ''directly in front of the camera''. That's not even mentioning [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]], whose job it is to assassinate civilians, even if it means befriending their children to do it. Twisted.
** [[Dylan Gould]] was killed when he was shoved into [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime's]] space bridge generator, but given he was a villain it's not so much of a concern.
** [[Sam Witwicky (Movie)|Sam Witwicky]] was killed by Megatron but brought back to life by the Primes.
** [[Lucas Flannery]], in a bit of karmic retribution (for having tipped off [[Cemetery Wind]] to Optimus' location against Cade's wishes), gets fried by one of [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]]'s grenades and his mangled corpse is converted into ''[[Transformium]]''. [[James Savoy]] says his sister was a casualty of the Battle of Chicago, which he uses as an excuse to sadistically hunt and kill Autobots and their sympathizers. He ends up getting knocked out of a very high window by [[Cade Yeager]] for attempting to kill his family. Later, his boss, [[Harold Attinger]], is brutally gunned down by Optimus Prime when he tries to kill Cade for sympathizing with the Autobots. Additionally, [[Joshua Joyce]] tries to scramble paramedics to the scene of [[Galvatron (AOE)|Galvatron]]'s rampage (much to Attinger's disgust), believing people were killed. And then there's the [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobots]] stomping through the densely crowded streets of Hong Kong. They certainly killed more people than Decepticons!
* The alternate timeline arc in Titan's Movie comic featured big wars on Earth and lots of destruction, clearly ''insinuating'' human death while not being explicit. The exceptions were in [[Transformers Comic issue 10|issue 10]], where [[NATO]] is said to be suffering losses of 11,506 and the [[France|Palais Bourbon]] is blown up when people are still clearly inside. Sam Witwicky, meanwhile, was stated to have died.
* Titan quite blatantly stated that the [[Free Men]] had caused great loss of life at an air base, a rare example of humans killing humans. In the same story, [[Robert Epps]] opened fire on militia men, which kinda implies he was killing them. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.10|Bring Me the Head of Optimus Prime}} Similarly, [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] of all people was seen zapping humans at close range during a Decepticon attack; with no "oh it was a stun beam" handwave and the 'Cons not pulling punches, it sure seems like he's murdered 'em! {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.6|Outlaw Blues}}
* In ''[[Transformers: Kiss Players (franchise)|Kiss Players]]'', several [[Kiss Player]]s were seen being devoured by Legions.
{{-}}

==Characters who die a lot==
* [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|Optimus Prime]]
* [[Dirge (G1)]] — the unlucky guy who gets [[:File:Dirge DeathSerpentor.jpg|killed]] [[:File:Dirge DeathSwarm.jpg|off]] [[:File:Dirge DeathTimelines.jpg|in]] [[:File:Dirge DeathUnicron.jpg|many]] [[:File:Dirge DeathArmada.jpg|continuities]]
* [[Quake (G1)|Quake]] — the unlucky guy who gets killed over and over in the same continuity, but doesn't seem to mind.
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] — the unlucky guy from ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' who gets sliced, diced, and fricasseed every other episode only to be fully functional in time to get [[Slag (slang)|slagged]] ''again''. But he never actually dies.
* [[Cy-Kill (disambiguation)|Cy-Kill]] — a Go-Bots character transferred to many Transformers comics just to be killed off violently, for no other reason than the lolz of ending his toyline, his universe, and finally his life... repeatedly.
* [[Sentinel Prime (G1)]] — the unlucky [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] [[:File:Sentinel prime lou.jpg|who]] [[:File:Sentinel prime dw.jpg|must]] [[Megatron Origin issue 4|die]].
* [[Starscream (Animated)]] — the unlucky guy that constantly gets killed, decapitated, or maimed by others, only to be brought back to life, thanks to a fragment of the [[AllSpark]] embedded in his forehead.

==See also==
* [[Transformer funerary practices]]
* [[To sell toys]]

[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Transformer anatomy]]

Death

2015-10-11T03:07:21Z

Primon12345: /* Weaponsfire */

{{disambig2|the end of life|the Horseman of Unicron|Airazor (Armada)}}

[[File:Battleofautobotcity.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|And lo, the children did weep. They wept hard too.]]

''Transformers'' is a children's franchise, but at its core, it's a story of war. This means that the '''death''' of major and minor characters sometimes figures into the fiction.

Given the ambiguous nature of [[Transformer]] physiology, there is very little consistency regarding what is fatal to a Transformer, even within a single storyline. Damage that one Transformer might shrug off can prove fatal to another, or even to the same character in a different story. Sometimes just a laser blast or two will do the trick. Other times, characters survive being melted, [[Waspinator (BW)|crushed into cubes]], and even [[Demolishor (Armada)|utterly disintegrated]]. It does not take a terribly cynical viewer to conclude that the threshold of survival is generally determined by the needs of the plot.

The out-of-universe reasons for a character's death can vary from plot development to the arrival of [[To sell toys|new toys]]. Conveniently enough for writers who are beholden to the whims of a toy company, the majority of Transformers characters are machines, which means that death isn't necessarily permanent. Across the various universes, characters that appear to have been killed have been known to pop up alive again at a later date, or go through some sort of resurrection.

{{quote|"How can you all be so cold and unfeeling? He died a hero!" "Don't you even have mechanical hearts?" "The humans don't understand! Our form of life is vastly different from theirs!"|[[Spider-Man]], [[Sparkplug Witwicky]], and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]]|"[[Prisoner of War!]]"|noquote=true}}

==In-fiction causes of death==
[[File:DEATH.jpg|left|thumb|upright=2.2|[[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] is just as puzzled as the rest of us.]]

There is little consistency in what can kill a Transformer. Sometimes it takes just a shot. Other times, even totally annihilating a Transformer's body still doesn't do the trick. Even the most basic method of killing, which is to destroy or otherwise cause the loss of a Transformer's [[spark]], varies quite a bit in its details from story to story, character to character, and series to series.

However, over time there has been some convergence of concepts regarding Transformer design across the various franchises and storylines. The concept of Sparks as a Transformer's driving life force has become nearly universal, and with it, the notion that loss of Spark equals death. Various [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]] comics, particularly ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More Than Meets The Eye]]'', have delved deeply into this, positing that a Transformer can die if their Spark, brain or (in a new and unique twist) transformation cog are sufficiently damaged, known as "[[Rossum's Trinity‎]]". MTMTE also makes note of the difficulties in killing a Transformer, and how things like decapitation may not be lethal in the right circumstances.

If one is so inclined, these concepts can be applied retroactively to many, if not all, older stories - so that various means of death described below can be seen simply as the means of inflicting the requisite damage on a Transformer's vital bits.

When a Transformer dies, the loss of their life force (or artistic convention, out here in the real world) often results in them turning gray. The most well-known example by far is Optimus Prime's death in the animated movie; Prowl can also be glimpsed turning gray as he falls during the shuttle assault. This idea has shown up in a few other places, such as [[Transform and Roll Out#Part 3|the ''Animated'' cartoon]] and [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|the ''More Than Meets the Eye'' comics]].

{{--}}
===Weaponsfire===
{{bigquote|This was almost too easy, Starscream!|[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (like the fandom) is surprised to find how easily Autobots die, ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''}}

[[File:Tftm1986a.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|We're here aboard the Autobot shuttle, where we've secretly replaced Brawn's hyper-dense metal armor plating with styrene plastic. Let's see if anyone can tell the difference.]]

[[File:TFTM UltraMagnus dies.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Prepare for your death today. Yer gonna die!!]]

[[File:Magnusdeath.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Ow! Hey! Cut it out, guys! That hurts!]]

[[File:Blades1.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Sorry, [[Outpost B-67 exo-structuring party|nameless guy]], your generic nature means you will never be miraculously resurrected.]]

Like humans, Transformers can be killed by damage caused by energy, projectile, and chemical weapons. Just how many shots it takes is widely variable, however.
* In the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original ''The Transformers'' cartoon]]:
** Many casualties of the [[Battle of Autobot City]] (and its run-up), including [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]], [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], [[Ironhide (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ironhide]], and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], were victims of energy weapons. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}} This was quite a change from the cartoon's M.O., wherein the same characters routinely got shot and blasted all the time and shrugged it off, or at worst spent some time in the repair bay. Brawn and Prowl both went down after ''one shot''.
** [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] subsequently "dies" after being shot a few times by the [[Sweep (G1)|Sweeps]], exploding into pieces. He is soon revived by the [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]], however. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
** In the Japanese continuity, Ultra Magnus dies ''again'', for real this time, after [[Sixshot (G1)|Sixshot]] shoots him a few times. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus Dies!!}}
* In the [[Marvel Comics continuity|Marvel comics]]:
** [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] was cut down by a single head shot from [[Macabre]]. {{storylink|Target: 2006}}
** Most deaths in the ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|Generation 2]]'' book occurred from energy weapons, such as [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], {{storylink|Devices and Desires! (Marvel)|Devices and Desires!}} as well as numerous generics. {{storylink|War Without End!}} Quite a few victims exploded spectacularly after being shot, including [[Tantrum (G1)|Tantrum]], {{storylink|The Gathering Darkness}} [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]], [[Quake (G1)|Quake]], {{storylink|New Dawn}} and [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]]. {{storylink|Escalation!}}
* In the ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' cartoon:
** [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] dies after incurring severe damage from numerous [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] weapons. {{storylink|Code of Hero}} Other characters have survived similar or worse levels of damage, but the episode gave a reason: Dinobot refuses to go into [[stasis lock]], which his onboard computer warns could "result in loss of Spark" if he keeps it up.
** [[Tigerhawk]] is disintegrated by the main cannon of the starship ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]''. The same cannon subsequently blasts [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]], apparently killing them, though their "death" may be permanent simply because there was nobody around to put them back together. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}
* ''Armada'' cartoon: [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] dies holding back the [[Hydra Cannon]], the damage causing him to [[:File:Crisis Optimus Prime dies.jpg|crumble to dust]]. {{storylink|Crisis (Armada)|Crisis}}
* [[Dreamwave Generation One continuity|Dreamwave G1]] comics: [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] is killed by [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]]. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath}} He got better. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 3|Prime Directive #3}}
* [[Transformers: Universe (comic)|Universe]]: [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] was shot and killed by [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] during the final battle of the [[Universe War]].
* This happens a ''lot'' in the [[Movie continuity]]:
**[[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]] and [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] both died from weapons fire. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}}
*Arcee and Elita-One and possibly Chromia were killed by Deception fire.
** All the [[Appliancebot]]s were killed by [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]].
**A crapload of [[Protoform]]s were shot down by [[NEST]] soldiers. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
** [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] shoots and kills many Autobots. {{storylink|Transformers: Rising Storm}}.
** [[Crowbar]] was shot in the face by Ironhide.
**[[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que]] was killed by a Decepticon protoform. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
** [[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]] was killed by a massive onslaught of gunfire from [[Cemetery Wind]]. [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] was brutally whittled down in a similar manner, until Lockdown came and executed him.
* "[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]": [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] gets his face blown off/in by [[Cyclonus (SG)|Cyclonus]]. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 4}}
{{--}}
* Many goons during the [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)|War for Cybertron]] died from being shot. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (games)|War for Cybertron}}
*''Prime'' cartoon: [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] was killed by a shot through the chest by [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] {{storylink|Regeneration (Prime)|Regeneration}}

===Big explosions===
{{bigquote|They're going to blow us all to pieces! [[Guardian (Marvel)|Guardian]]'s booby-trapped - packed with enough explosives to level this whole mountain!|[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], "[[The Wrath of Grimlock!]]"}}

Transformers characters often assume that explosions are more lethal than they really are; characters survive explosions all the time. An explosion's messy nature makes a good "out" for a writer to fake a character's death. {{storylink|The Wrath of Grimlock!}} {{storylink|Gone but Not Forgotten!}} {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} Nevertheless, a few characters have been permanently killed by explosions. (This list omits characters who exploded from within, like Ultra Magnus up above.)
* In the Marvel comics:
** [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]] was the victim of an interdimensionally triggered explosion that destroyed his body. {{storylink|The Bridge to Nowhere!}} However, in the UK continuity he survived as a raggedy, bodiless head. {{storylink|...The Harder They Die!}}
** In an alternate future, a wounded [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] died in the fiery explosion of a crashing shuttlecraft. {{storylink|The Legacy of Unicron!}}
** [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] was killed when a prototype [[pathblaster]] exploded in his face. {{storylink|Time Wars}}
** [[Finback]] was presumably killed in the explosion of a huge gun battery. [[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] tried to warn him off, and may have been killed in the same explosion. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon:
** [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] was blown to bits — terminally so — by the [[transwarp]] explosion that destroyed the [[Planet Buster]]. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}
** [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]] was killed by the explosion that resulted from [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]]'s death (either his exploding spark, or the exploding energon shard that pierced it.) {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}
* Several of the [[Beast Era]] [[Wrecker]]s ([[Sonar (BW)|Sonar]], [[Spittor (BW)|Spittor]], the [[Deployer (BM)|Deployers]]) were destroyed when part of their ship exploded with them in it. {{storylink|Betrayal}}
* Energon: [[Bruticus Maximus (Energon)|Bruticus Maximus]] was killed when Storm Jet caused a massive explosion that engulfed them both.
* ''Prime'': [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]] and the surrounding [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]s were blown up by a grenade attached by the Autobots. Both the Vehicons and Makeshift were killed in the blast. (According to an interview at [[BotCon 2011]] with the ''Prime'' show runners, Makeshift was deemed too overpowered to be a regular in the show, so they killed him off at the end of the episode.) {{storylink|Con Job}}
*IDW Continuity: [[Bomb-Burst (G1)|Bomb-Burst]] and [[Skullgrin]] were killed when Springer blew them up with a grenade. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 3}}
* ''Movie Continuty'': [[Crankcase (DOTM)|Crankcase]] blew up when Ironhide kicked him into a gas station. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)}}
** Several Constructicons and Decepticon Protoforms are killed by a human air strike in [[Egypt]] {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)}}

===Impact trauma===
Falling off a cliff or mountainside or tall building is usually just as fatal to Transformers as it is to, say... Wile E. Coyote. Only on rare occasion does it result in death:
* ''[[Transformers: Classics|Classics]]'' continuity: [[Hacksaw]] met his end by falling from a huge communications tower. {{storylink|The New World}}
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]: [[Doubledealer]] was shot, fell off a mountain and smashed to bits on impact. {{storylink|Spotlight: Doubledealer}}
* Movie continuity:
**[[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]] fell off the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]] after losing his balance when his arm was shot off, and he shattered to pieces as he tumbled down. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
** [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] was smashed to pieces and killed by being flung into a freeway column. {{storylink|Movie Adaptation issue 4|Movie Adaptation Issue Number Four}}
** [[Hatchet]] met his end when [[Mirage (Movie)|Dino]] sent him crashing into a car.
* The [[Beast (G1)|Beast]] fell off a cliff and shattered. {{storylink|The Beast Within Part 2, Consequences}} At least, we hope that's where and how it ended.
* ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Prime]]'': [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] crash-landed after [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] punched out vital components in his [[alternate mode]], reducing his body to a partially transformed scrapheap.

===Disassembly===
[[File:Jazz DyingAction.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|"HERE'S what I think of your resemblance to your G1 counterpart!"]]

Taking a Transformer apart into its component parts - or ripping them to pieces - can occasionally kill them:
* Marvel comics:
**[[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] met this fate in an alternate future, when Swoop used a machine to pull him apart into his component pieces. {{storylink|Another Time & Place}}
**A future version of Ultra Magnus may have been killed when a group of Decepticons mobbed him and ripped him up. {{storylink|Time Wars}}
* Movie continuity:
**Being ripped in half by [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] killed [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]]. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}}
**[[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] was killed when Bumblebee ripped his spine out, tearing him apart. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
**A Decepticon pilot was ripped to pieces by the Wreckers.{{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]: [[Pyro (G1)|Pyro]] was torn apart and killed while making a final stand against a mass of generic Decepticons. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Last Stand of the Wreckers #5}}
* ''Prime'' cartoon:
** When fighting [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]]'s zombie army, [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] recommended dissection to [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus]] to "cut" them down to size. How this is more effective then just blasting the living slag out of them is still up for debate. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 4}}
** [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] managed to offline [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]] by tearing him limb from limb, leaving only a pile of mutilated body parts in her wake. {{storylink|Crossfire}}

====Bifurcation====
[[File:VictoryUKAnnual.JPG|thumb|upright=0.85|"Shakkooosh!" is good, but I could really go for a good old-fashioned "CHUK" right about now.]]

{{bigquote|I have no desire to be carved up into Auto-sushi.|Tracks, "[[Make Tracks]]"}}

A particular subset of disassembly, getting chopped in half is pretty graphic for a kids' story, even one about robots, so it doesn't happen very often.
* Marvel comics: In a dream sequence, [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] slices [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] in half, killing him. {{storylink|Victory!}}
* Japanese G1 cartoon: [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] gets sliced in half by Dai Atlas. The strike dissects what appears to be an organic brain in his head. {{storylink|Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!}}
* ''Beast Wars Metals'': Terrorsaur is killed by being sliced in half by Primal's mace. {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 1|Beast Wars Metals #1}}
* Movie continuity: [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] dies when [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]] slices his car mode in two. [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] slices [[Mixmaster (ROTF)|Mixmaster]] in half at the chest but Mixmaster survived this. Getting his skull stomped off, not so much. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}, [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]] meets his end in this manner courtesy of Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}}
* War For Cybertron: In the opening, a Decepticon goon is chopped in half by Optimus Prime.
* [[Ambulon (G1)|Ambulon]] is chainsawed in half ''vertically'' by [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]]. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} ([[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] specifically noted that ''horizontal'' bifurcation would be survivable - indeed, not much later, [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] would be quite active after being ripped apart at the waist by [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] {{storylink|Finest Hour: Dark Cybertron Chapter 5}})

===Crushing===
[[File:Edgeofextinction-hardheadbombburst.jpg|thumb|DO NOT WANT]]

Quite a few characters have been crushed into deactivation:
* In the Marvel comics:
** [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] was smashed between [[Unicron]]'s palms, while [[Bomb-Burst (G1)|Bomb-Burst]] and [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] met a similar fate when they were stepped on by Unicron. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] is apparently killed when a very large building collapses on top of him. {{storylink|Escalation!}}
* [[Unicron Trilogy]] cartoons:
** [[Thrust (Armada)|Thrust]] is killed when caught between two folding sections of Unicron's external armor. {{storylink|Union}}
** [[Shockblast]] is crushed by Unicron's hand on [[Blizzard Planet]]. {{storylink|The Power of Unicron}}
** His brother [[Six Shot (Energon)|Six Shot]] meets a similar fate, crushed under the heel of a super-sized Galvatron. {{storylink|Galvatron Terror}}
* IDW continuity:
** [[Ruckus (G1)|Ruckus]] and [[Skullcruncher]] were crushed by [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]].
** [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] was killed when a group of police set fire to a building and let it collapse on him, crushing him.
** The luckless [[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]] died after [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] stomped on him repeatedly, causing enough damage that his Spark fell out.
* Movie continuity:
** [[Dispensor]] was crushed under [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]'s foot.

===Melting===
[[File:BW Scorponok Terrorsaur deaths.jpg|thumb|Even having a new toy couldn't save Terrorsaur!]]

[[File:Fallout title.jpg|thumb|Primal's diet had gone horribly wrong.]]

They're made of metal; therefore, with enough heat or sufficiently acidic material, they can melt. This is one of the more fool-proof methods of killing a Transformer; few if any have survived it.
* In the G1 cartoon:
** An acid vat would apparently have been enough to destroy Optimus Prime. {{storylink|The Search for Alpha Trion}}
** Another acid vat was used to disintegrate living victims of Unicron. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
* In the Marvel comics:
** Victims of the Decepticon [[smelting pool]]s on Cybertron were reduced by intense heat into their base metals, including [[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]]. {{storylink|The Smelting Pool!}}
** It is possible that an acid bath from (naturally) [[Blot (G1)|Blot]] offlined [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] [[Makin' Tracks!|(for a while anyway)]]. {{storylink|Dark Star}}
** [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] was partially melted by Unicron's flame-breath and subsequently died. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** The [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronians]] used some kind of acid to rather messily eradicate some of their Decepticon ancestors, including [[Stranglehold]]. {{storylink|New Dawn}}
* In the Beast Era cartoons:
** [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] and [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] were apparently melted to death after tumbling into a lava pit within the [[Darksyde (BW)|Predacon base]]. {{storylink|Aftermath}}
** Optimus Primal's body was seemingly melted into the floor after his climactic face-off with [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]]. Considering how many god-like forces were unleashed and conflicting during the battle, his demise may be due to more than simple temperature-induced melting. {{storylink|Fallout (episode)|Fallout}}

===Disintegration===
{{bigquote|I saw the end! They died in a cosmic funeral pyre!|[[Shawn Berger]], "[[Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2]]"}}

[[File:Armada 52 - Prime hangon to Galvatron.jpg|thumb|Galvatron died to save everyone and came back ''twice''—you lose, [[Jesus]]!]]

Plasma, energy fields, and stellar atmospheres can all utterly destroy a Transformer's body. Like being melted, being reduced to one's component molecules would seem to be a surefire way of getting killed, but quite a few characters seem able to survive the process as ghosts and/or disembodied sparks:
* Generation 1 cartoon: [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]]'s spectacular death at the hands of [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] might be categorized as incineration. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
* Quite a few characters met this fate in the Unicron Trilogy, but all survived it in some fashion:
** [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]]'s spark persisted within his burnt-out body when he was dropped into the exploding Unicron. {{storylink|Mortal Combat}} {{storylink|Megatron Resurrected}}
** [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]]'s body was obliterated by an expanding energon grid, but his spark survived the process and was placed in a new body. {{storylink|Go for Unicron!}}
** [[Inferno (Energon)|Inferno]] was destroyed when he threw himself into a star, but his spark was salvaged by the Autobots and, again, placed in a new body. {{storylink|Farewell Inferno}}
** And finally, Megatron (Galvatron, whatever) threw himself into Primus's new energon sun to prevent Unicron from possessing him, killing himself yet again. {{storylink|The Sun}} This death was so inconsequential that his subsequent resurrection wasn't even explained! {{storylink|Fallen (episode)|Fallen}}
* [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]] causes a Transformer's body to disintegrate to nothing:
**The [[Thirteenth Legion]] died of Cosmic Rust. {{storylink|Cosmic Rust (episode)|Cosmic Rust}}
**[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] died after several shots from [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel]]'s Cosmic Rust Blaster, though the big hole this left in his torso couldn't have helped much either. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}

===Consumption===
{{bigquote|...If we don't find the Matrix, some bad guy's gonna ''eat'' us! Right?|Longtooth, "[[Deadly Obsession]]"}}

[[File:Wreckers Mutants.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|The shocking death of the barely-seen guys with hardly any lines!]]
[[File:Rocky mecannibal bartender marvel uk 240.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Cannibalism is hilarious, kids!]]

Getting eaten is essentially being torn apart, crushed, and melted all in a row, and it's usually fatal. Quite a few critters in the multiverse are equipped to devour giant robots:
* In the G1 cartoon:
** Various life forms were routinely devoured by the [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticon]]s on Quintessa. This included [[Kranix (G1)|Kranix]], a mechanical life form, though not a Transformer. [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]] and [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] would have suffered this fate as well, but fought their way free. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
** Quite a few Transformers found their way into Unicron's gullet, though many survived the experience. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
* In the Marvel comic:
** [[Scraplet]]s were a mechanical disease - tiny robots that fed on Transformers. A hapless freighter pilot died after being infected, and quite a few other 'bots only narrowly survived being infected. {{storylink|Crater Critters}}
** The [[Mecannibal]]s ate robots routinely, including quite a few Transformers during their sojourn on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|All the Familiar Faces!}} {{storylink|Out to Lunch!}} There is some indication that they could actually reconstitute their victims from their "recycled" parts, though this is never explicitly shown. {{storylink|Recipe for Disaster!}}
** Unicron skewered [[Brainstorm]] and ate him. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** The subsurface-dwelling [[demon]]s devoured [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]]. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
** The Swarm "devoured" innumerable Cybertronians and a handful of older-generation Transformers as well, though this was through a molecular process almost akin to incineration. {{storylink|Swarm (issue)|Swarm}} {{storylink|Total War!}} {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}
* The Sharkticons killed two of the [[Mutant (BW)|Mutants]] by gobbling them up. Or ripping them apart. Or both. We don't really know. {{storylink|Betrayal}}
* [[Flanker]] was eaten up and killed by the [[Insecticon (G1)|"Deluxe" Insecticons]].

===Decapitation===
{{main|Decapitation}}

[[File:Cyclonus death.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|Ahhhh, there we go...]]

Sometimes cutting a Transformer's head off is fatal. Sometimes!
* In the Marvel comics:
** The Megatron clone killed Cyclonus by ripping his head off. {{storylink|Dry Run!}}
** Several of the Wreckers were killed by having their heads ripped or blasted off, including Twin Twist and Topspin, respectively. {{storylink|Time Wars}}
** [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] had his head cut off by a propeller fired by [[Leadfoot (G2)|Leadfoot]], presumably (given the ''Generation 2'' book's emphasis on body count) killing him. {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}
* In the movie continuity:
** Characters frequently die by decapitation of some form: [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]], {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}} and [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
** Decapitation was an inconvenience for [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]] the first time. The second time, when the blow actually destroyed most of his head, was fatal.
** [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]], [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]], [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], and [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] are decapitated in the third movie. [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que]]'s and [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]]'s heads fell off when they died, possibly to add finality to their demises. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
** [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]]'s head was crushed by [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]]'s ''bare fist''.
* In the IDW Generation 1 continuity:
** The heads of [[Springarm]] and [[Wheelarch]] are removed and then mockingly put on display to creep out [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]].
* In the Aligned continuity
** Vehicons and Insecticons are frequently murdered by decapitation.

===Destruction of brain===
{{bigquote|Next strike in the neural cluster, yes? Weakest spot on ''all'' Transformers...|[[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]], "[[Fire on High!]]"}}

In the early days of the franchise, a Transformer's life force was sometimes understood to be entirely contained within their [[brain module]], most prominently in the Marvel comics. Destroying the brain would kill the Transformer. This premise was eventually modified to incorporate the more esoteric concept of [[spark]]s.
* In the Marvel comics:
** In an alternate future, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] is blasted by [[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]], who kills him by extracting and crushing his brain module. {{storylink|The Legacy of Unicron!}}
** The [[Throttlebot]]s ''avoid'' death by having their brain modules removed from their bodies shortly before their bodies are destroyed (by crushing). {{storylink|Toy Soldiers!}}
* Movie continuity:
** Optimus Prime kills Sentinel Prime by shooting him in the head with Megatron's shotgun. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
* IDW Generation 1 continuity:
** [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] blasts [[Rotorstorm (G1)|Rotorstorm]] right in the head, destroying his brain module. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4}}
** Impactor killed [[Snare]] by crushing his brain module. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4}}
** [[Squadron X]] were all shot in the head. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4}}
** In the [[Functionist Universe]], every Cybertronian possessed an [[obsolescence chip]] that could be remotely detonated, destroying their heads. [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] and all other Cybertronians with [[data slug]] alt-modes were killed in a [[mass recall]]. {{storylink|The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|The Custom-Made Now}}
** [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] died when [[Kaon (DJD)|Kaon]] smashed his brain module against his own forcefield. {{storylink|Births, Deaths, and Interventions}}

===Destruction of spark===
{{bigquote|RAW energon! Right through your twisted spark!|Depth Charge to Rampage, "[[Nemesis Part 1]]"}}

[[File:Skyfallwontbethereforit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|And then he hung Skyfall from his ceiling.]]

Getting stabbed right through the spark is almost always fatal:
* In ''Beast Wars'': The supposedly immortal Rampage was killed when Depth Charge pierced his spark with an energon blade. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}
* ''[[Transcendent Technomorph|TransTech]]'': [[Skyfall (Cybertron)|Skyfall]] died when [[Alpha Trion (SG)|Alpha Trion]] rammed his [[sword]] right through his chest. {{storylink|Transcendent: Part 6}}
*Energon: [[Constructicon Maximus]] was killed when [[Storm Jet (Energon)|Storm Jet]] impaled and crushed his spark.
* ''Cybertron'': [[Megatron (Armada)#Cybertron cartoon|Galvatron]] died after being impaled with [[Rhisling]] by [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|Unfinished}}
* Movie continuity: Optimus Prime died when Megatron stabbed him through the chest with his death-lock pincer, followed by a blast from his fusion cannon through the spark chamber. [[The Fallen]] also met his end when a resurrected Optimus punched through his chest and crushed his spark. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
* [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|Titan's Movie comics]]: Transformers have forcefields shielding their sparks, which can be externalized to protect bodywork. Jazz loved doing this, leaving him far more vulnerable to death by destruction of spark than he would otherwise be. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 6|Lost in Space 4: Jazz}}

That's not the only way to destroy a spark either:

* ''Beast Machines'' continuity: [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] - already reduced to a spark within the matrix - ceased to be when Megatron annihilated his spark from existence. {{storylink|Singularity Ablyss}}
* IDW continuity: [[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]] has modified his vocal processor so that he can get his voice into synch with a spark's pulse and then get it to stop. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement}}

===Loss of spark===
{{bigquote|Warning. Further expenditure will result in permanent loss of spark. Stasis lock ''must'' commence.|[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]'s internal computer, "[[Code of Hero]]"}}

[[File:Jetstorm with extractor.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Lost, stolen, whatever...]]

Sometimes sparks can survive outside of a body; sometimes they cannot. In the Beast Era, there is some indication that a spark left outside a body will soon begin to return to the Matrix/AllSpark/another dimension.
* When Dinobot expires after his final battle, his Spark is seen exiting his body. The implication is that a sufficiently damaged body can no longer hold a spark within this continuity. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
* ''Beast Machines'' subsequently showed living sparks existing outside of bodies on a regular basis. The sparkless bodies were simply considered shells, rather than "dead", due to the fact that the sparks were forcibly removed with a [[spark extractor]].
* ''Animated'' cartoon: [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] dies when he intentionally relinquishes his own spark. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}
* Movie continuity: [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] rips out his own spark chamber to give Optimus a fighting chance. [[The Fallen]] also meets a similar fate, dying from Optimus punching through his chest and crushing his spark. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}} Ratchet is killed when Lockdown removes his spark. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}}

===Energy overload===
{{bigquote|We may need energon for power, but this is too much of a good thing.|[[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]], "[[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]"}}

[[File:TFAnimated transformandrollout DEATH.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Death — the Optimus version of a power nap.]]
[[File:Underbaseallmine.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|He's got an Underbase in his underpants.]]

The average [[human]] needs a lot of [[water]] to survive. But too much water results in [[wikipedia:Water intoxication|a horrible death]]. Similarly, Transformers need energy to survive, but too much of it can be a very bad thing. Sometimes it's just plain old energy; other times it some special god-like force that does them in.
* In the Marvel comics:
** An [[Underbase]]-empowered Starscream slaughtered dozens of Transformers with energy blasts, {{storylink|Dark Star}} which reportedly burned out millions of their [[microchip]]s. {{storylink|Guess Who the Mecannibals Are Having for Dinner?}} Some Transformers were seen to recover from these attacks, either via conventional repairs {{storylink|All the Familiar Faces!}} or through the power of [[nucleon]]. {{storylink|The Void! (US)}}
** Starscream himself was killed when he absorbed all the energies of the Underbase. {{storylink|Dark Star}}
** [[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]] was apparently killed when struck by a blast of energy from the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]], though the physical effect was more like being hit by an especially powerful laser blast. {{storylink|All Fall Down|All Fall Down (issue)}}
* ''Super-God Masterforce'' cartoon: [[Sixknight]] died from an overcharge of BlackZarak's Devil Power. {{storylink|Malevolent and Inhuman! The True Form of Devil Z}}
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]: [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] dies when one of the [[Reaper]]s zaps him full of energy, causing him to explode from within. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6}}
* Movie continuity: [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] was killed when [[Sam Witwicky (Movie)|Sam Witwicky]] shoved the [[AllSpark]] into his chest. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}} [[Evac (Ride)|Evac]] did the same thing with the Allspark shard with Megatron {{storylink|Transformers: The Ride – 3D}}
* ''Transformers Animated'' cartoon: [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] got caught in an explosion of [[AllSpark]] energy that may have been sufficient to kill him, although he also fell off a very tall building immediately afterwards (Starscream was caught in the same explosion and survived, but was knocked offline for an unspecified period.)

===Energy depletion===
On rare occasion, Transformers can simply run out of energy completely and expire.
* Marvel comics: the ancient [[Overlord (rank)|Overlord]] died from a lack of energy. {{storylink|State Games}}
* Movie continuity: [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] explains that a lack of energon causes the Transformer equivalent of aging, such as rusting joints, mental confusion, and pieces falling apart, followed by an indefinite period of stasis that can only be reversed by an infusion of Allspark energy. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
* [[Vector Prime (Cybertron)|Vector Prime]] dies after he helps the crew to time travel. {{storylink|Guardian (episode)|Guardian}}

===Disease===
You may think giant robots couldn't have diseases but it turns out they can!

* Marvel comics: [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] contracted [[Corrodia Gravis]], a wasting disease where your body is consumed by rust as your metal breaks down at molecular level. Only a systems boost from a compatible donor could save Snarl {{storylink|Assassins}} but the disease came back anyway. The best cure is to store a Transformer's brain in remote storage and build a whole new body. {{storylink|Destiny of the Dinobots!}}
* IDW comics: [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]] engineered the [[Red Rust]] virus: spread by touch and triggered by transforming, it causes all the coolants, dispersants and anti-rusting agents in a Transformer to cross-contaminate and cause a molecular breakdown. The first sign is when the Transformer starts "crying" the fuel out. {{storylink|How Ratchet Got His Hands Back}} Most of [[Delphi]] was killed. {{storylink|Life After the Big Bang}}
* And of course, there's the aforementioned [[Scraplet]]s and [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|cosmic rust]].

===Aging===
While many characters are portrayed as being old, dying of old age is almost unheard of in Transformers

* In Transformers UK, it is implied Transformers have long, but not endless life spans. In Kup's story, Kup says that he was put on a spaceship to live out his "remaining years" alone. In another story, Goldbug says that he may never understand humans, even if he lives to be 2 million.
* In the IDW continuity, Ratchet notes that the process of a cybertronian aging to death (also referred to as age-related burnout) is a relatively recent discovery. He also notes that many, both spiritual and scientific, still refused to "give up on this-this very seductive idea that we're immortal". Tailgate had been diagnosed with cybercrosis, a fatal condition that has been around since before Nova Prime's era but which Ratchet believes in this case was brought about by a combination of radiation and old age.
* [[Regeneration One]]: Although it takes eons, all Transformers eventually die of old age after being disconnected from the life-giving powers of [[Primus]]. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 5}}

==Suicide==
{{quote|Do you realize how '''hard''' it is for a Cybertronian to die by his own hand? You can jump off a building, blow yourself up, cut off your own head - and you might still survive.|Chromedome, [[Before & After]]}}
Sometimes a Transformer kills himself for some reason, or tries to.
* Marvel comics
** Dirge and Nightbeat, rather than be eaten by the Swarm, self destructed.
* ''Beast Wars''
** Transformers can deliberately override the stasis lock protocols, even if this will result in death. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
** In the final battles, Depth Charge allowed himself to be blown up killing Rampage and Rampage let Depth Charge kill him {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}. [[Dinobot II]] let himself go down with the ''Nemesis''. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}
* ''Energon'': Galvatron, Starscream, and [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Mirage]] threw themselves into a sun and vaporized themselves. [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Snow Cat]] and Demolishor may have also done this.
* ''Revenge of the Fallen'': Jetfire ripped out his entire spark housing for Optimus Prime to have enough power to kill The Fallen.

==Non-fatal deactivation==
{{quote|"You mean he's still alive?!" "No! But neither is he what you would term 'dead'!"|[[Spider-Man]] and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]], "[[Prisoner of War!]]"|noquote=true}}

[[File:Zombiesbackfromthedead.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Braiiiiiin mooooodulllllles....]]

For almost every single cause of death listed above, there's been one or more Transformers who have survived it, sometimes without so much as a period of unconsciousness.

In particular, "deactivation" is the Transformers equivalent of being in a coma. Numerous Transformers are seen to enter this state and eventually recover, such as the Autobots deactivated by Shockwave, {{storylink|The Last Stand}} who later were repaired. However, the line between death and deactivation is a blurry one. Sometimes the two words are used interchangeably, even in reference to characters who are later revived. Most of Starscream's Underbase victims were described as deactivated, and were sometimes lamented as "dead" while at other times were shown undergoing repairs. {{storylink|Back from the Dead}} {{storylink|Gone but Not Forgotten!}} {{storylink|The Gathering Storm}}

"[[Stasis lock]]" would eventually give a more concrete name to the state of deactivation. The inert Transformers on the crashed Ark were retconned as being in stasis lock. Various ''Beast Wars'' characters would go into stasis lock to maintain their spark when their body had sustained too much damage from weaponsfire or energon absorption. ''Animated'' showed a crew of Autobots voluntarily entering protective stasis lock in anticipation of a crash landing.

Some of the quasi-fatal things which can cause a Transformer to "deactivate" include:

===Impact trauma===
Smashing into something usually knocks out a Transformer, but almost never actually kills them:
* The crew of the original [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] is deactivated when the ship crashes on Earth and lies inert for 4 million years {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}} {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)}} {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)}}
* Marvel comics: [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] falls to his "death", but is patched together and talking again in short order. {{storylink|Prisoner of War!}}

===Decapitation===
[[File:Sentinelprimeanimatedhumiliated.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|In the movie continuity, this would've been fatal. In ''Animated'', it's just embarrassing.]]

{{bigquote|Anyone who can lop your head off in one blow is alright by me!|[[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]] jokes about [[Cloudburst]]'s near-death experience, "[[Recipe for Disaster!]]"}}

Like we said before, decapitation is sometimes fatal... and other times it isn't.
* Marvel comic:
** Optimus Prime was able to survive as just a head when Shockwave separated it from his body in an effort to get the Creation Matrix. {{storylink|The New Order}}
**[[Cloudburst]] was abruptly decapitated by sword, but was just fine after some repairs. {{storylink|Recipe for Disaster!}}
* G1 cartoon: Optimus Prime was disassembled into his component parts, but functioned just fine as nothing more than a head once [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] connected a few wires. {{storylink|City of Steel (episode)|City of Steel}}
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon: [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] survives having his head blasted or otherwise knocked off multiple times, {{storylink|Spider's Game}} {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}} {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)}} {{storylink|Code of Hero}} and even put it back on himself one time. He even accidentally swapped heads with Megatron once. Megatron was not amused. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}} And let's not even get started on how many times [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] has lost his head.
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]:
**[[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] was just fine when one of the Reapers whacked his head off. (He didn't fare so well when another Reaper crushed his head with a boulder, however.) {{storylink|Devastation issue 6}}
**[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]]'s head was removed in an apparent suicide attempt; he survived because he was put back together in time, before his Spark had faded out.
* ''Animated'' cartoon: Decapitated victims of the ''Animated'' [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] rarely show any ill effects other than not having a body anymore. {{storylink|Headmaster (episode)|Headmaster}} {{storylink|The Return of the Headmaster}} {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}
* Movie Continuity:
**Frenzy survived his first decapitation by [[Mikaela Banes]].
**[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] was said by [[Brains]] to have survived his decapitation in the Chicago battle, even after having an axe lodged right into his processor. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}}

===Dismemberment===
{{quote|MY ARM!!!|Starscream, ''Revenge of the Fallen''}}
Transformers get ripped to pieces all the time, and recover from it:
* Marvel comic: Scorponok tears [[Tantrum (G1)|Tantrum]] to pieces. [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] slices [[Horri-Bull (G1)|Horri-Bull]] in half at the waist. Both are seen alive later on. {{storylink|Cold War!}}
* ''Last Stand of the Wreckers'': [[Guzzle (G1)|Guzzle]] is torn in half by [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] and is easily repaired. The same also happened to [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]].
* ''Revenge of the Fallen'': During a fierce battle, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] not only cut off [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]]'s arm with an Energon blade, but he ripped off [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s arm with his bare hands, and proceeded to ''beat him with it''.

===Spark removal===
{{bigquote|His spark can't exist outside a living body!|[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], "[[Optimal Situation]]"}}

A Transformer's spark—their "soul", their living essence—can be removed from their body, or the body can be destroyed around them
* The destruction of Starscream's body, and his subsequent survival as a ghost, was eventually retconned to be his Spark enduring without a physical form. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}} {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}} {{storylink|Possession}}
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon: Tigatron and Airazor's sparks spent quite some time wandering around behind Tigerhawk, before combining and entering his body. {{storylink|Other Victories}}
* In the ''Beast Machines'' cartoon:
** Megatron de-sparked most of Cybertron's population and stored their sparks in a big barrel. Most were restored to bodies eventually. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future}}
** Blackarachnia's spark wandered around bodiless for a time. {{storylink|Revelations Part III: Apocalypse}}
** Megatron himself, his spark in a depolarized state, wandered the surface of Cybertron without a body for a time. {{storylink|Spark of Darkness}}

The treatment of bodiless sparks in ''Beast Machines'' is seen by some fans as contradicting the canon established by ''Beast Wars'', particularly the quote above.

===Limbo===
Sometimes Transformers get shunted out of creation as we know it, and into various alternate, sub- and non-dimensions.
* Marvel comics:
** The [[trans-time dimensional portal]] crosses [[unspace]], "a bit of dimensional nothingness" where Ratchet and Megatron vanished and were believed dead. {{storylink|The Gathering Storm}}
** Transformers mass-displaced by time travel wind up in a formless dimension known as [[Limbo]].
* IDW comics: Megatron severely damaged Optimus Prime in battle and planned on finishing him off by crushing his [[Laser core|spark core]]. Optimus Prime feigned death by downloading his "consciousness" into his [[Combat Deck (G1)|trailer section]], causing his [[Brain Center|robot mode]] to appear dead. In the time it took for Prime's consciousness to transfer to his trailer, he briefly entered [[infraspace|limbo]], the transitional infraspace between life and death. {{storylink|The Transformers: Escalation|Escalation}}

==Resuscitation==
Robots are machines. They can be switched off, taken apart, blown to bits, and put back together. Ergo, in many continuities and cases, "death" is not nearly as permanent a condition as it is for us fragile fleshy types.

===Reconstruction===
[[File:PeoplePower-reprogrammed.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]

{{bigquote|I've done it! Optimus Prime lives!|[[Klementia|A random Quintesson]], "[[The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1]]"}}

* Generation 1 cartoon: Optimus Prime was simply ''repaired'' back to life by a Quintesson. Some fixing of this and that, a burst of power, and boom, suddenly he was alive again. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}}
* Marvel comics: Optimus Prime's mind was encoded on a disk. After a new [[Powermaster]] body was constructed for him, the disk's contents were loaded into it, and Optimus Prime lived again. (One wonders why they couldn't make as many Optimus Primes as they pleased.) {{storylink|People Power!}}
* Movie continuity: The [[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticons]] have [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'s consciousness transferred to a [[Galvatron (AOE)|new body]] built by [[Kinetic Solutions Incorporated|KSI]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}}

===Spark transfer===
Transferring a Transformer's spark into a new body constitutes a form of resurrection, particularly if the Transformer's previous body was destroyed.
* ''Beast Wars'' cartoon: Optimus Primal was restored to life when Rhinox managed to recall his spark from the Matrix, a special circumstance only enabled by a temporary window into transwarp space. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}
* ''Beast Machines'' cartoon: various Vehicon generals were brought to life by placing other Transformer's sparks into them.
* ''Armada'' cartoon: Smokescreen was shot through the chest at point blank range by the Requiem Blaster {{storylink|Sacrifice}} but his spark survived and was put into a new body. {{storylink|Regeneration (Armada)|Regeneration}}
* ''Energon'' cartoon: Inferno and Demolishor both had their bodies ''atomized''; however, their sparks both survived, and were placed into new bodies. (The upshot of all of this is that it's nigh-impossible to kill a Unicron Trilogy Transformer, unless they do it themselves.) {{storylink|Go for Unicron!}} {{storylink|Farewell Inferno}}
* ''Animated'' cartoon: The spark of a dying [[Yoketron (Animated)|Yoketron]] was placed into a new protoform body by [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]]; however, Yoketron consciously chose to let his life end, and expired anyway. {{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}}

==="Magical" substances===
* Marvel comics: The miraculous healing properties of Nucleon brought many Autobots back to life, as well as a few Decepticons. {{storylink|The Void! (US)|The Void!}}
* ''Energon'' cartoon: Megatron was revived by the all-encompassing power of energon, as was Unicron. {{storylink|Megatron Resurrected}}

===Primus and Primus-related powers===
{{bigquote|Where the Last Autobot is concerned, even death, it would appear, is an abstract concept!|Optimus Prime explains his latest revival, "[[End of the Road! (US)|End of the Road!]]"}}

Anything tied to the primordial life-force of the Transformers' god Primus tends to be a cure-all for death. This includes Primus himself, his various power-wielding avatars and servants, and the assorted Matrixes and Allsparks, all of which can deliver an infusion of the essence of life itself. In some continuities, this is parsed as a Transformer's spark being brought back out of the Allspark dimension.

[[File:RageInHeaven-HeroPrime.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85]]

* In the Marvel comics:
** The [[Last Autobot]] was granted the power of recreation by Primus, which he used to raise numerous fallen Autobots from the battlefield. {{storylink|End of the Road! (US)}}
** Optimus Prime was eager to find the lost Creation Matrix, stating that it would be able to restore many deactivated warriors to life. {{storylink|Bird of Prey!}}
** Optimus Prime was restored to life by the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]] after it had ingested the energies and knowledge of the Matrix. {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}
* In the movie continuity:
** The Allspark is shown repeatedly to be capable of restoring just about anything. Frenzy gets a whole new body from its power, Bumblebee temporarily gets his voice back, {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}} and Megatron is restored to life by merely a fragment of it. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
** Optimus Prime was restored to life by the Matrix of Leadership, an Allspark-related talisman. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
** Sentinel Prime is revived after crash landing on the moon by the Matrix of Leadership courtesy of Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
* Sam Witwicky was brought back alive by the Primes, a creation of [[Primus]].
* ''Beast Machines'' cartoon: [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]]'s body was destroyed, but the AllSpark granted him the choice of uniting with it or being reborn. He chose the latter, and ''poof'', just walked right out of the Oracle bubble in a brand new version of his previous body. {{storylink|Fallout (episode)|Fallout}}
* ''Armada'' cartoon: [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] was brought back to life by the power of the [[Mini-Con]]s after his body was disintegrated. {{storylink|Miracle}}
* "[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]": [[Skyfall (Cybertron)|Skyfall]] was resurrected when he and his gestaltmates were combined together and reborn by Primus into [[Nexus Prime (Classics)|Nexus Prime]]. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 5}} Nexus Prime then brought [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] back from the other side of the Allspark and infused him with some of Primus's power to become Galvatron. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 6}}

===Zombies===
* Dude, [[zombie]]s!

==Immortality==
===Immortal sparks===
Certain sparks have mutant qualities that allow them to, potentially, exist forever.
* Starscream survived his death at the hands of Galvatron; this was later explained as him having a "mutant indestructible spark". {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}} {{storylink|Possession}} {{storylink|Bad Spark}}
* [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] was created as an attempt to duplicate Starscream's immortal spark. {{storylink|Bad Spark}} He was eventually killed by [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]], so the attempt may be seen as unsuccessful. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

===Other===
* [[Multiversal singularity|Multiversal singularities]] such as [[Unicron]] and [[The Fallen]] can be killed off in one dimension, only to still be alive and well in another (or many others), due to the varying properties of different dimensions (reverse-time dimensions, for example, are key to revival of the singularities).
* ''Animated'' [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] could not be killed so long as he retained his Allspark fragment embedded in his forehead.
* Denizens of the [[Dead Universe]] could essentially regenerate themselves out of nothing, no matter how much damage was inflicted on them. This ability appears to no longer apply, post-[[Expansion]], except when in direct proximity to the Dead Universe.
* Thunderwing's Pretender shell seemed to make him nearly invincible. At the very least, he was able to withstand incredible amounts of salvo and not even flinch.
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] can never completely die no matter what for some reason. It's probably because if he died, the universe wouldn't be able to inflict pain on him anymore.

==Out-of-fiction causes of character death==
===Drama / character culmination===
[[File:LastStandoftheWreckers5- Ironfistaneurism.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|I told you I was ill.]]
At its best, character death can be a moving plot development, the fruition of an ongoing character arc.
* [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] spent much of [[Simon Furman]]'s Marvel US run conflicted and doubting himself, and under the weight of his pre-Headmaster self's reputation. He finally got past this and took the fight to Unicron, dying in the process, his last words asking Optimus if he'd done good. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
* Suspecting that they would have to remove a character from the show, the writers of ''Beast Wars'' began planning for Dinobot's death several episodes ahead of time. Thus, when it came, it was the outcome of the character's own choices, flaws, and history, and played a crucial role in the show's plot. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
* Sunstreaker's death in ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'' is intended to follow a similar style of arc... only it's missing the whole choices, flaws and history thing. Oh well!
* Optimus Primal's death(s) in ''Beast Machines'' are likewise the outcome of his own choices and character. {{storylink|End of the Line}} {{storylink| Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future}} His death in ''Beast Wars'', by contrast, was more a moment of dramatic pathos — knowingly walking into danger, his enemy got the better of him. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}
* [[Ironfist (G1)|Ironfist]]'s death in ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' is his main plot arc, quietly built up in the background since the first issue.

===Consequences of war===
[[File:Bulkhead Eradicon Darkness Rising 3.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|His special large intestine! There's only one like it!]]
It's hard to take a war story seriously when nobody actually dies. The reality of war can be more readily portrayed when characters die. [[Generic]]s are particularly handy for this, allowing death to be shown while not removing primary characters (retail toys!) from the story. The results can range from high drama and pathos to numbingly pointless body counts.
* Impactor's death was used to drive home the threat of the Decepticons as well as the risks taken by the Autobots and their commanders. {{storylink|Target: 2006}}
* The ''Generation 2'' book featured several deaths which drove home the realities of war. Most notably, Red Alert's destruction served to make Grimlock acutely aware of just how badly he'd screwed up. {{storylink|Devices and Desires! (Marvel)|Devices and Desires!}}
* Pretty much every death in ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' comes under this.
* [[Cliffjumper (WFC)|Cliffjumper]], [[Tailgate (Prime)|Tailgate]], [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] and [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]] are all killed in their first ''Prime'' episodes, due to just plain bad luck in the first three cases and because of a deliberate Autobot killing in Makeshift's. The [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] are presented as sentient ''and'' as being killed by Autobots in large numbers. [[Jeff Kline]] famously said at the advent of ''Prime'' that all deaths would be final. While the rule applied to the majority of the series, it was happily ignored when it came time for the deaths of [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]], [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]], and [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]], who were all revived almost immediately after death (admittedly it took until the follow-up series to revive Optimus a second time, but let's face it, we're used to that by this point).

===Increased threat===
An enemy that kills is an enemy to be taken seriously. Thus a writer will frequently throw in some preliminary deaths to point out how seriously the bad guy should be treated.
* The generic who dies at the beginning of "[[City of Fear!]]" serves to show the zombies as a true life-threatening menace.
* Likewise for Runabout's death at the hands of the demons ; {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} knowing they can devour a Transformer makes the reader more concerned about the Dinobots' subsequent fate. {{storylink|Still Life!}}
* In "[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]", [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] makes corpses in practically every scene he's in!
* Cliffjumper in ''Prime'' was set up as a main character and then killed in five minutes, immediately putting the ''Prime'' Decepticons forward as a major threat.
* [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] is brutally hunted down and killed early into ''Age of Extinction'' by [[Cemetery Wind]] and [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]], to show what has befallen the majority of the Cybertronians on Earth (and the old cast from the first three films) and what will happen if the survivors are caught.

===Cast thinning===
Generation 1 stories were particularly notorious for acquiring gigantic casts as they rolled on, because of the franchise's longevity. A simple way to make things more manageable was simply to kill off large numbers of characters in battle.

* Examples are rife in the Marvel comics:
** The "[[Time Wars]]" storyline got rid of the [[Wrecker]]s and quite a few Decepticons as well.
** The [[Underbase Saga]] even more explicitly cleared out dozens of characters, leaving perhaps 2 dozen characters from each faction in the story.
** The battle with Unicron in "[[On the Edge of Extinction!]]" likewise got rid of a lot of older characters, leaving the story free to concentrate on more of a core cast (and associated newer toy characters.)
* ''The Transformers: The Movie'' did this on a smaller basis. While only a handful of characters were actually killed off, many more cast members simply disappeared without explanation in the following season of the cartoon.
* [[Betrayal|Wreckers #2]] dealt with its oversized cast by killing off scads of characters right up front.

More recent stories - particularly those without the overriding imperative [[to sell toys]], such as the G1 IDW comics - have accepted that not every character must be constantly accounted for at all times or roll-called every issue, allowing larger casts to simply exist in the background until needed. Another alternative, particularly visible in the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon, is to give new bodies (based on corresponding new toys, of course) to existing characters, allowing them to continue promoting new toys across multiple seasons of the show.

===Character motivation===
A quick and easy way to create enmity between characters is for the antagonist to kill someone close to the protagonist.

* In Marvel's comics, [[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]]'s revenge plot against the new [[Mayhem Attack Squad]] is motivated by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]'s murder of [[Catilla (G1)|Catilla]]. {{storylink|A Savage Place!}}
* In ''Energon'', [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber ''nee'' Dagger]] swore revenge on [[Shockblast]] after the murder of his partner, [[Padlock (Energon)|Padlock]]. {{storylink|Shockblast: Rampage}} He then forgot to care about Shockblast later but, y'know, ''Energon'' story.
* In ''Prime'', [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] and [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee's]] conflict is down to Airachnid's murder of [[Tailgate (Prime)|Tailgate]]. {{storylink|Predatory}} She keeps throwing this in Arcee's face.

===Clear space for new toys===
{{main|To sell toys}}

[[File:Newyorkunderbase.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|(They also cease to appear on store shelves.)]]

Some fiction has an inherently limited capacity for characters. ''Beast Wars'' and ''Beast Machines'' are by far the most prominent examples; their CGI animation made character animation expensive and necessitated removing an old character before a new one could be brought in. But any medium can be susceptible to this toy-driven phenomena.
* The numerous casualties of "[[The Transformers: The Movie]]" were fairly explicitly removed from the story to make way for a wave of new toy/characters.
* Terrorsaur and Scorponok had to be removed — quickly — to make room for the two upcoming Fuzor characters, hence their sudden, blink-and-you-miss-it death in "[[Aftermath]]".
* Airazor and Tigatron were removed for similar reasons. When their plot was finally resolved, it was, surprise, via [[Tigerhawk|a new toy]]!

{{-}}

==Fleshling death==
In general, ''Transformers'' fiction is pretty squeamish about showing the deaths of Earth's organic creatures. But it's a war, and sometimes it does happen. The out-of-universe reasons generally fall into three categories: Consequences of War, Emotional Pathos, and BLOOD IZ KEWL.

The various cartoons tend to show organic death the least, as they are most clearly aimed at, and easily accessible by, children. Comics tend to be less reluctant to show the impact of the Transformers' war on innocent lives, though the death rate varies by series. Latter-day Generation 1 books especially revel in high body counts, because squishing stupid humans is killer and awesome and radical and hardcore. Even the occasional [[Satellite of Doom|children's storybook]] has been known to off mass quantities of the dumb fleshies.

===Animal death===
[[File:MurderedPuppy02.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|One dead dog]]

[[File:Sparkwar3 Dead noble.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|Two dead dogs]]

Cute little animals are almost always killed off for reasons of Emotional Pathos:
* A little girl's pet puppy named [[Pis]] barked at [[Wilder]] and was kicked so hard he died. {{storylink|Rage!! Little Devils with No Need for Rules}}
* The [[Murdered puppy]] was shot down by the Decepticons after running away from Megatron's experiments. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 8|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #8}}
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] reminded [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] that [[The Fallen]] once shot down a ship full of [[Antilian bumble-puppy|Antilian bumble-puppies]]. (Decepticons have a thing for killing puppies.)
* The dog-like [[Noble (BM)|Noble]] was shot at by [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] because of his hatred for organics {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. III: The Siege}} and was later mourned by his "owner", [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]]. {{storylink|Spark of Darkness}}
* A stray shot from [[Tigatron]] accidentally caused an avalanche which killed his friend [[Snowstalker]]. {{storylink|Law of the Jungle}}
* "[[Law of the Jungle]]" also portrays the deaths of four different forest animals (a bug is eaten by a frog, which is eaten by a snake, which is taken off to be eaten by a bird. Later, an orange tiger kills an antelope). This is a rare "Consequences of War" example.
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] also once ate an eagle, {{storylink|Power Surge (episode)|Power Surge}} while [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] ate a cute little rat, {{storylink|Victory (episode)|Victory}} and nearly ate an antelope as well. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
* In order to save [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]], [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] had to fight a [[saber-toothed cat|saber-toothed tiger]] off a cliff, killing it. {{Storylink|Bad Spark}}
* [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] used [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel]]'s shield to knock a spikey rock onto a giant spider effectively killing it. She later used [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]]' axe to kill some new born baby spiders. {{Storylink|Along Came a Spider}}
* Human villain [[Trophy White]] had a grisly display of stuffed and mounted animal heads. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.10|Bring Me the Head of Optimus Prime}}
* A vulture was shot when [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]] landed on Africa.
* [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] killed a friggin' elephant in Africa. (In the adaptation, at least.)
{{-}}

===Human death===
[[File:Razorclawshootsahuman.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|This didn't happen much.]]
* Marvel US: The [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|original Marvel book]] ignored or glossed over human casualties, which were rarely if ever shown; the panel at right, from [[Toy Soldiers!|US #37]], shows a ''very'' unusual instance of a human dying right in front of us. One of the few human(oid)s to die on-panel was [[Galen Kord|Galen]], killed off to make way for [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]]. ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|Generation 2]]'' was much more explicit about human death, as Bludgeon and later [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] attacked Earth for the purpose of inflicting casualties.
* Marvel UK: The UK-original stories were much less reluctant to show human death; within the first year or so, humans had died in Autobot-induced car wrecks and at the hands of mind-controlled Autobots.
* In ''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One|Regeneration One]]'', after his revival on Earth, Megatron managed to gain control of Earth's nuclear arsenal and used it to push humanity to the brink of extinction. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 3}} During that conflict, Megatron had some fun terrorizing the population with his army of zombie Decepticons. [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] tracked down and killed [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster]] and [[Jesse (G1)|Jessie]] Witwicky in a car wash; had he had his full faculties, he might have [[Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom|appreciated the irony]]. {{storylink|Less Than Zero}}
* In almost every US-aired cartoon series, humans essentially ''never'' die. Even ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]]'', which features the city of [[Detroit]] getting smashed by robot battles virtually every week, never once mentions humans getting killed. And then ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' showed up.
** A human was shown slumped against a wall in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 5]]", a victim of Soundwave, though it wasn't clear whether he was dead or merely unconscious.[[File:Convoy-kablooie.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|They'll, uh, be okay, maybe.]]
**When [[MECH|human terrorists]] are featured, they will often die. Piloted or driven vehicles explode and enemies are implied to be crushed. "[[Convoy (episode)|Convoy]]" is the first of numerous examples.
** When Nemesis Prime attacks a military base in his [[Nemesis Prime (episode)|self-titled episode]], it's likely his rampage cost the lives of numerous soldiers.
** When the military attacked [[Darkmount (Earth)|Darkmount]], its fusion cannons devastated the entire force, presumably killing them all.
**[[Silas|Cylas]] is the first human to die on-screen in Western Transformers animation, but not before thanking [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] for finally freeing him of his gruesome existence.
* Contemporary toyline-based comics (''[[Transformers: Armada (Dreamwave)|Armada]]'', ''[[Transformers: Energon (comic)|Energon]]'') seem to follow a similar policy, avoiding showing, only mentioning, human death.
* Japanese cartoons, by contrast, don't seem to mind showing human deaths (or [[Pis|dog deaths]], for that matter).
* The [[Dreamwave Generation One continuity|Dreamwave G1 comics]] really thought it was totally awesome and cool and radical to kill off those stupid humans. Thus, they start off with Megatron smushing some stupid humans. More smushing and killing and blowing up follows. DIE, dumb stubbies, DIE!
* [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]] managed to avoid this for a long time, showing human death only when it was particularly integral to the plot... then ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'' came down the pike. DIE, stupid fleshies, DIE!
* The live-action [[movie continuity]] implies a great deal of human death. ''Revenge'' mentions a body count of over 9,000 (don't even ''think'' about it), and massive damage is done during the battle of [[Mission City]], though little of it is shown on screen. And of course, the first film begins with Blackout wiping out an entire military base. A handful of humans are killed directly on-screen, most notably [[Patrick Donnelly|Donnelly]]. Then of course we get to ''Dark of the Moon'', which has Decepticons laying siege to [[Chicago]], killing most of its citizens, including several being shot and exploding and disintegrating into just skulls ''directly in front of the camera''. That's not even mentioning [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]], whose job it is to assassinate civilians, even if it means befriending their children to do it. Twisted.
** [[Dylan Gould]] was killed when he was shoved into [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime's]] space bridge generator, but given he was a villain it's not so much of a concern.
** [[Sam Witwicky (Movie)|Sam Witwicky]] was killed by Megatron but brought back to life by the Primes.
** [[Lucas Flannery]], in a bit of karmic retribution (for having tipped off [[Cemetery Wind]] to Optimus' location against Cade's wishes), gets fried by one of [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]]'s grenades and his mangled corpse is converted into ''[[Transformium]]''. [[James Savoy]] says his sister was a casualty of the Battle of Chicago, which he uses as an excuse to sadistically hunt and kill Autobots and their sympathizers. He ends up getting knocked out of a very high window by [[Cade Yeager]] for attempting to kill his family. Later, his boss, [[Harold Attinger]], is brutally gunned down by Optimus Prime when he tries to kill Cade for sympathizing with the Autobots. Additionally, [[Joshua Joyce]] tries to scramble paramedics to the scene of [[Galvatron (AOE)|Galvatron]]'s rampage (much to Attinger's disgust), believing people were killed. And then there's the [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobots]] stomping through the densely crowded streets of Hong Kong. They certainly killed more people than Decepticons!
* The alternate timeline arc in Titan's Movie comic featured big wars on Earth and lots of destruction, clearly ''insinuating'' human death while not being explicit. The exceptions were in [[Transformers Comic issue 10|issue 10]], where [[NATO]] is said to be suffering losses of 11,506 and the [[France|Palais Bourbon]] is blown up when people are still clearly inside. Sam Witwicky, meanwhile, was stated to have died.
* Titan quite blatantly stated that the [[Free Men]] had caused great loss of life at an air base, a rare example of humans killing humans. In the same story, [[Robert Epps]] opened fire on militia men, which kinda implies he was killing them. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.10|Bring Me the Head of Optimus Prime}} Similarly, [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] of all people was seen zapping humans at close range during a Decepticon attack; with no "oh it was a stun beam" handwave and the 'Cons not pulling punches, it sure seems like he's murdered 'em! {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.6|Outlaw Blues}}
* In ''[[Transformers: Kiss Players (franchise)|Kiss Players]]'', several [[Kiss Player]]s were seen being devoured by Legions.
{{-}}

==Characters who die a lot==
* [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|Optimus Prime]]
* [[Dirge (G1)]] — the unlucky guy who gets [[:File:Dirge DeathSerpentor.jpg|killed]] [[:File:Dirge DeathSwarm.jpg|off]] [[:File:Dirge DeathTimelines.jpg|in]] [[:File:Dirge DeathUnicron.jpg|many]] [[:File:Dirge DeathArmada.jpg|continuities]]
* [[Quake (G1)|Quake]] — the unlucky guy who gets killed over and over in the same continuity, but doesn't seem to mind.
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] — the unlucky guy from ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' who gets sliced, diced, and fricasseed every other episode only to be fully functional in time to get [[Slag (slang)|slagged]] ''again''. But he never actually dies.
* [[Cy-Kill (disambiguation)|Cy-Kill]] — a Go-Bots character transferred to many Transformers comics just to be killed off violently, for no other reason than the lolz of ending his toyline, his universe, and finally his life... repeatedly.
* [[Sentinel Prime (G1)]] — the unlucky [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] [[:File:Sentinel prime lou.jpg|who]] [[:File:Sentinel prime dw.jpg|must]] [[Megatron Origin issue 4|die]].
* [[Starscream (Animated)]] — the unlucky guy that constantly gets killed, decapitated, or maimed by others, only to be brought back to life, thanks to a fragment of the [[AllSpark]] embedded in his forehead.

==See also==
* [[Transformer funerary practices]]
* [[To sell toys]]

[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Transformer anatomy]]