Insignia

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Some of the more prominent Transformer faction insignias.

Throughout the Transformers multiverse, one constant across the myriad iterations of the Great War is the use of insignia to differentiate members of the respective armies — most prominently, the heroic Autobots and evil Decepticons.

And these ones have different tribal markings! Perhaps they’re rivals?Pakak on Maximals and Predacons, "Savage Landing Part 2"

Conceptual history

The toy packaging's faction insignia were stylized and metallic. Note the beveled detailing on the Decepticon symbol's crest, which was misinterpreted as a third spike for the cartoon.

Faction insignia were used to differentiate heroes and villains in several 1980s Hasbro toylines, including G.I. Joe and Visionaries, but the Transformers toys were the first to make heavy use of the idea on the toys themselves. The original Autobot and Decepticon insignias, supposedly designed by Wayne Molinare, were seemingly based on toys from the first year of the original Transformers toyline; the Autobot symbol is a heavily stylized and simplified version of the face of Prowl, while the Decepticon insignia is drawn from that of Soundwave.

For the toy packaging and the cartoon's scene transitions, the insignia were rendered in metallic colors with beveled edges. This resulted in an odd curiosity of the original cartoon's designs; as the designers were evidently working off these renderings rather than a flat image, the beveled detail at the top of the Decepticon symbol's crest was misinterpreted as a third spike on said crest, resulting in a disparity between the cartoon insignia and other appearances of the Decepticon badge. This version of the insignia remained otherwise unused for decades, but eventually saw a return as part of the Masterpiece toyline's move towards ever-more-painstaking animation accuracy, starting with MP-29 Destron Laserwave.

In 2007, the Autobot and Decepticon insignia were redesigned to fit the tone of the new movie. In practice, this means Angry Eyes.

Though replacements for the Autobot and Decepticon insignia were introduced for Transformers: Generation 2, with the G2 Autobot symbol being based on the face of Optimus Prime, they failed to catch on. When the Transformers brand was reimagined in the mid-1990s as Beast Wars, entirely new insignia were created for the new heroic and villainous factions, the Maximals and Predacons, though these were not based on any specific toy or design; rather, they reflected the mammalian and insectoid memberships of these factions. Over the next decade or so, new symbols were designed for various new factions and subgroups, with a wide variety of stylistic influences.

For the 2007 live action Transformers movie, the famous Autobot and Decepticon insignia were given a redesign, with the most obvious changes being the eyes — the tops of the Autobot symbol's eyes were slanted slightly down, and the Decepticon symbol's eyes were shrunk and changed from triangles to diamonds. The implementation of these redesigns is inconsistent, as while the redesigned insignia are typically used by movie tie-ins with everything else using the classic designs, "mix-ups" of the symbols frequently happen; infamously, Bumblebee, the breakout character of the movie franchise, wears the classic version of the Autobot insignia on his forehead crest.

Fiction

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

"Welcome to the Autobots! Now you have to wear Prowl's face on your body."

Skyfire switched sides, tearing the Decepticon insignia off of his chest and installing an Autobot insignia. Fire in the Sky

Wheeljack reawakened the Dinobots and told them to go help their friends. They reluctantly agreed and flew off after them. When they arrived, they initially could not distinguish friend from foe, until Sludge suggested that their friends might be the ones with the same robotic face on them as they had. S.O.S. Dinobots

Mirage once stole Skywarp's insignia as part of a successful plan to turn the Insecticons against the other Decepticons. Traitor

Smokescreen identified Devcon as a fellow Autobot upon seeing his insignia, which led to the two teaming up. The Gambler

Wings Universe

After defeating Clench's Decepticons at the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, Streetwise decided that he would have the rest of the Protectobots transferred to serve on Earth. To make it official, Pyro handed him a set of Generation 2 Autobot badges. Generation 2: Redux

Masterpiece toy bios

When the Decepticons acquired several "G2 bodies" and upgraded their own troops with them, they etched a modified symbol on them to signify they were "G2" Decepticons. During his own certification ceremony, Riggorus noticed an unfamiliar soldier with the same insignia, but Garboil assured him there was nothing to worry about. Masterpiece Riggorus profile

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.

When Slag was revived by Ratchet after being trapped in a tar pit for four million years, he went into a frenzy and attacked, until he saw Ratchet's Autobrand and calmed down. Repeat Performance!

Die cast construction...

Ironhide was uncomfortable taking orders from Jetfire, who was still wearing a Decepticon insignia. Dinobot Hunt! Jetfire officially became an Autobot after going through the Rite of the Autobrand. To better disguise themselves on Earth, Wheeljack installed shielding circuitry into the Autobots which enabled a metal sheet to cover their Autobot symbols in alternate mode. Rock and Roll-Out!

The Predacons fooled Megatron into thinking they were Autobots by wearing fake Autobot symbols. Gone but Not Forgotten! The Sports Car Patrol tricked Ratchet into thinking they were Autobots by wearing counterfeit Autobot symbols—Decepticon and Autobot symbols on a rotating plate so they could switch back and forth. Back from the Dead

Megatron spent some time in Cybertron's Dead End district as an Empty. His mind was damaged and he just wandered about the place until the sight of an Autobot symbol snapped him out of it. The Resurrection Gambit!

...it's a lost art.

United into a single team following the events of the Time Wars and by battling the nightmare creatures generated by Skids's time in Limbo, Springer offered to make Carnivac and Catilla Honorary Autobots, passing them a pair of Autobot badges as he did so. Survivors!

When Optimus Prime surrendered to the Decepticons, he laid an Autobot insignia at Scorponok's feet. Scorponok promptly crushed it. Surrender! After the Autobots and Decepticons came together to fight Unicron, they continued their uneasy alliance and adorned their headquarters with an insignia that included a slightly modified Decepticon sign atop a slightly modified Autobot sign. Still Life! Dreadwind and Darkwing were outside in Cybertron's increasingly bad weather discussing the planet's upcoming self-destruction when the wind blew the gigantic Autobot insignia off the wall and onto Dreadwind's head. Exodus!

Marvel Generation 2 comics

The Autobots had at some point begun using a new insignia that resembled Optimus Prime rather than the Last Autobot. Bludgeon's Decepticons were also using a new symbol, similar to their old one, that coincidentally closely resembled the Cybertronian Empire insignia.

Beast Wars

Rattrap's Maximal insignia once morphed into a Predacon one (and later back again). No other Transformer showed they could do this, and he only used it for a con. Double Jeopardy

When the Transmuter turned Rhinox into a Predacon, it automatically changed his insignia as well as giving him a redeco. Dark Designs Likewise, Waspinator gained a Decepticon insignia while he was possessed by Starscream. Possession Ravage sported both Decepticon and Predacon insignia while working as a Predacon secret agent. The Agenda (Part 1)

Waspinator pulled his insignia off like it was a fabric patch when renouncing his Predacon membership. Nemesis Part 1

Tarantulas has such an ego, he created his own special insignia for his Arachnoids.

Unicron Trilogy

Sideways could change his insignia from Autobot to Decepticon—an ability he utilised for deceptive purposes. Credulous Ship

Using the power of Unicron, Megatron had the ability to brainwash Transformers to the Decepticon cause. In Inferno's case, it changed his insignia from Autobot to Decepticon. Imprisoned Inferno When Inferno fought against Megatron's influence through his willpower, his insignia would toggle back and forth until he succeeded in purging the Decepticon in him. His Autobot insignia looked brand new after that. Jungle Planet

Animated cartoon

The Constructicons gained Decepticon insignia through the Rite of the Deceptibrand, which involved electrically branding the symbol onto their chests. The process also changed their colors to green and purple. A Bridge Too Close, Part I

When the recently-sparked Wreck-Gar enthusiastically decided he was an Autobot, he somehow pulled an Autobot insignia from his backpack and slapped it crookedly onto his chest. He also pulled out a Decepticon insignia when Lugnut 'convinced' him he must be one. Garbage In, Garbage Out

2005 IDW continuity

"Let us ride... to Camelot!"

The first five Transformers, the Guiding Hand, each had their own personal insignia. The Return of the King When the Knights of Cybertron left the planet, they marched beneath the banner of Adaptus. As a result of the information creep unleashed following the God War, the symbols of the other four members would later be conflated as having belonged to other clans of the Knights. An Axe to Break the Ice The Ties That Bind The Return of the King

In the primitive age that followed the departure of Knights, the Thirteen came to power. One of their number, the bestial Onyx Prime, marked the occasion by commissioning the "First Face" — supposedly based on Metrotitan's description of Primus's likeness, but in reality, one of the many ontological paradoxes he had dedicated himself to invoking. Origin Myths The First Who Was Named

...It's so good we'll put it right here on the fridge.

The First Face was, up until the outbreak of the war, considered the closest thing Cybertron had to a universal symbol, held in high regard by the High Priests of K'th Kinsere, the Ignition Cults and the Circuit Sects. Whenever the Cybertronian race was moved by significant unrest, the face would appear, often redesigned in subtle ways that historians would use to mark the transition from one epoch to the next. During Zeta Prime's rule as Prime, the symbol was co-opted for the nascent Autobot faction. Omega's Conundrum

The Decepticon insignia came about after Megatron hurled his datapad at a random screen and decided he liked the shatter pattern. Chaos Theory Part 1 The Rite of the Deceptibrand involved molding part of the Decepticon's spark casing into their new badge; those who had not yet undergone the Rite, referred to as "Genericons", wore "learner plates" that could be distinguished by their color. Life After the Big Bang

Other insignia were recognized by Cybertronian society, such as the distinctive facial insignia worn by members of the House of Ambus. House of Ambus

When he renounced the Decepticons and declared himself an Autobot during his confrontation with Shockwave, Megatron punctuated the gesture by donning an Autobot symbol taken from the body of Bumblebee. ...And the Damage Done

Even as he took on the moniker of the "Grand Architect", Adaptus continued to utilize his insignia, having his troops branded with it. Animals The Return of the King In their quest for the Knights of Cybertron, the Lost Light crew repeatedly encountered the emblem but failed to connect it to Adaptus until they confronted him. The Return of the King

Beast Wars: Uprising

In the aftermath of Maxima's death, numerous proto-formers began using a stylized image of her Luponoid steed as the insignia of the burgeoning Maximal faction. The Predacon Manifesto Meanwhile, the nascent Predacon faction took the face of an Insecatron as their insignia. Book of Logos

When Galva Convoy made it clear he was no longer obeying the Builder Assembly, Knock Out noted he bore a different insignia from the Maximal one he'd had previously, one representing the Vehicons. Derailment

War for Cybertron Trilogy

The War for Cybertron Trilogy franchise innovated an idea that no Transformers series has attempted to such an extent – a ranked hierarchy of the Autobot and Decepticon armies, matched with Cybertronian military insignias. Each insignia consists of three parts: the division (ground, air, sea, or space); the unit (infantry, recon/intelligence/espionage, medical, engineering/applied sciences, special ops/black ops, artillery/weapons, or transport); and the rank (private/raider, sergeant, specialist, captain, major, or general).

Live-action film continuity

Your insignia will make a fine addition to my collection!

Scourge liked to take insignias from his kills as trophies, adorning his upper arms with them. He did so when he killed Apelinq, and again when he seemingly killed Bumblebee. During the final fight with Optimus Prime, the enraged Autobot leader made a point of removing Bumblebee's insignia from Scourge and returning it to its now-revived original owner. Rise of the Beasts

Transformers One

D-16 idolized Megatronus Prime for being the biggest and strongest of the Primes and collected decals based on him. His best friend Orion Pax found a rare first-edition decal of Megatronus's face and applied it to D-16's left shoulder. D-16 continued to wear it, though it became as worn and frayed as his friendship with Orion and his faith in the Primes. When Sentinel Prime noticed the decal, he mocked D-16 for his hero worship before revealing he took Megatronus's transformation cog for himself after he killed him. Reapplying the decal to D-16's chest, Sentinel made sure it never came off by welding a crude drawing of Megatronus's face over it, destroying the decal in the process. After D-16 killed Sentinel, took Megatronus's cog, and renamed himself Megatron, he and the High Guard were banished from Iacon City. Megatron would then use Megatronus's face as the insignia of his new army, literally rebranding them as Decepticons. Transformers One

Toys

BotBots

• Retro Recon (2022)

Gee, I wonder what faction is their favorite?

Part of the sixth Series of BotBots, Retro Recon is a tiny robot who turns into pixelated Autobot insignia, likely intended to be one of those novelty "retro" sprite wall-lights.

They are available in one of the Series 6 "Gamer Geeks"-themed 5-packs, packed in with Gamerguy1027, Jetaway, Scratchmouth, and a blind-packed Joystick.

Transformers (2025)

Freedom Fighter finally got a robot mode!

• Icons Optimus Prime (2026)

• Accessories: Ion Blaster, stand

"Icons Optimus Prime" is a Voyager-scale figure that transforms into the Autobot insignia in 25 steps. He comes with a stand to display him in alt-mode, as well as an ion blaster to wield in robot mode.

In an interesting pull, the product description for this figure refers to the Autobot insignia as having originated as an ancient symbol called the "First Face", as it was in the 2005 IDW continuity... though we're pretty sure Hasbro's idea of events doesn't involve a time-traveling Shockwave disguising himself as Onyx Prime and screwing around with the past.

Merchandise

Universal Studios

• Foam Autobot Shield (2012)

Ever want to LARP as Optimus Prime?

A Universal Studios exclusive item, this roleplay foam shield is shaped like an Autobot insignia. To date only one example of this shield has been found via an eBay auction.

• Foam Decepticon Shield (2012)

Also comes in purple!

A Universal Studios exclusive item, this roleplay foam shield is shaped like a Decepticon insignia.