Movie timeline
This article is a featured article, and considered to be one of the most informative on this wiki.
How could you have come to hate me so?
Is this what you wanted?
Then let my heart be hardened
And never mind how high the cost may grow
This will still be so:
I will never let your people go...
As was bound to be a great peril when multiple licensees were producing unrelated pieces of fiction, the timeline of the live-action film series is rife with contradictory stories, some minor that a talented writer could overcome if he so chose, and some insurmountable. This timeline is of what are essentially the "main" components: the films themselves, naturally, followed by those pieces of fiction that have over time actively attempted to keep continuity with one another, such as the novels and IDW Publishing's assorted comic books, and assorted helpful nuggets of info from a myriad of other minor sources. That is not to say that there are no contradictions to be found here, but time has papered over many of them, and this article relates details as generally as possible to minimize any confusion, with footnotes to explain any particularly egregious instances.
Elements actively excluded from in this timeline are those from the Sector Seven alternate reality game, because it is set in a parallel reality that represents the films and associated media not as fiction, but as a fictionalization of a real-life-event, and information from all but the earliest of the UK's Transformers Comic, which is mostly either actively set in a parallel timeline, or is otherwise utterly irreconcilable with the more prominent pieces of media. See Alternate timelines below for these separate chronologies.
| “ | We were once a peaceful race of intelligent mechanical beings. But then came the war... between the Autobots who fought for freedom, and the Decepticons who dreamt of tyranny. | ” |
Prehistory
The Very Beginning
65 million years ago, a race of mysterious bio-mechanical beings known only as the Creators uses "seeds" to cyberform many organic planets, converting their matter into a shapeshifting metal that would come to be known as Transformium. Prehistoric Earth is among the planets sown with the metal; the cyberforming of the planet triggers the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, wiping out the planet's native dinosaurs. The creators harvest the metal and take it to the planet that would become Cybertron, where they imbue it with life using the AllSpark to create what they intend to be a race of robotic explorers. One way or another, the sorceress Quintessa is somehow also involved with these events, and is aware of the fact that Earth is formed around an inerit entity known as Unicron. Age of Extinction The Last Knight
Subsequent events are unclear, but it is apparent that the Cybertronian race had no knowledge of their origins from the outset, instead deifying the AllSpark cube and crediting it as the sole creator of their race, formulating a legend that claimed life began when it fell from the sky. The first Cybertronian created is Primus, Foundation #2 and from Primus and the cube come the Dynasty of Primes, a race of trans-dimensional beings able to walk across space and time through the use of sarcophagi. The Primes live in contentment until the distressing revelation that the AllSpark's power is not infinite, requiring the energy of suns in order to sustain its constant flow of Energon. Despite their powers, the Dynasty find themselves unable to find any stars to sacrifice to the AllSpark, and so the AllSpark responds to their need, giving life to the next of many generations of Cybertronians that will follow. These new creations are able to exploit the properties of Transformium to reconfigure their bodies into alternate modes that will enable them to aid the Dynasty in their task: Seekers to search for suns, and construction drones to build the Star Harvesters that will absorb and convert the stars' energy into Energon. Defiance #4 The AllSpark also creates the Matrix of Leadership, the key that will activate these harvesters. Revenge of the Fallen (novel)
Among the first Transformers is a pantheon of great knights, many of whom owe their forms to the dinosaurs of Earth, while several others are blessed with the ability to combine into a single three-headed dragon. These knights, either knowingly or unknowingly, fulfil the mandate of their creators and set out exploring the universe. Among their number is a direct descendant of the Primes known as Optimus. Age of Extinction The Last Knight
One of the Primes comes to believe that the AllSpark is "speaking" to him, and, in his pursuit of power, he breaks the Dynasty's one law: he destroys the sun of a life-bearing world. This prompts the Dynasty to establish a new restriction, requiring them all to be present for the activation of a harvester. Undeterred, the renegade Prime secretly handpicks a selection of Cybertronians to be part of a new faction under his leadership- the Decepticons. He builds a facsimile Matrix to carry on his work, but the counterfeit Matrix proves inferior when his next star-harvesting attempt backfires and floods his body with primal energies, driving him to total insanity. For his repeated infraction, the Prime is cast out of the Dynasty by his brethren and dubbed "The Fallen". Tales of the Fallen #4
17,000 BC to 10,000 BC
Circa 17,000 BC, The Fallen brings his Decepticons to Earth and begins the construction of a star harvester, knowing that this attack on a life-bearing world will draw his brothers into the trap he has prepared. One of the Fallen's Seekers, Jetfire, unable to countenance his master's dark acts any longer, rebels, prompting the Fallen to warp him and several of his other Decepticons away to battle elsewhere. Tales of the Fallen #3 Subsequently, the Primes arrive to stop The Fallen's plan, but find themselves unprepared for his strength, and are slaughtered in quick succession until only one remains. The last survivor uses the combined lifeforce of his departed fellows to banish The Fallen to another plane of reality, sealing his sarcophagus to prevent him from returning. For his final act, the last Prime gives up his own life to fuse his body, and the bodies of his brothers, into a tomb that will serve as the resting place of the Matrix. Tales of the Fallen #4[1] The Fallen's Seekers begin searching the planet for the Matrix, but bereft of their master, their mission eventually degenerates into a series of interpersonal conflicts and challenges. Nefarious #5
Over the following 7,000 years, with none to tend the AllSpark, Cybertron's energy supply steadily diminishes, leading the Cybertronians to split into various warring factions, fighting over what little they had left. Foundation #1 The ferocity of this war wipes out any remaining traces of the Prime Dynasty and its descendants, save two: Optimus, hidden away to keep him safe, his knowledge of his true heritage lost, Revenge of the Fallen #3 and the elderly Sentinel Prime, the only robot who knows the stories of the Dynasty and the AllSpark to be anything more than legends. Recovering Optimus from hiding, Sentinel Prime rallies a small group to his side, including Megatron, Elita-One and Shockwave, and with their aid, he uncovers and raises the lost AllSpark from beneath the planet's surface. The scientific skill of Wheeljack is employed to teleport a sun into Cybertronic space, which proves able to feed the AllSpark without being absorbed, thereby restoring energy and peace to Cybertron. The AllSpark is enshrined in a temple at Simfur, built by the Thetacons, Foundation #1 and protected by the Knights of Cybertron, an elite group assembled by the antiquarian Alpha Trion. Prepare for Battle
Sentinel reveals Optimus's heritage to him and offers him the position of leader of the new unified Cybertron, but Optimus does not believe that he is a Prime, and turns the offer down. Foundation #1 Instead, a dual leadership system is employed, with Optimus in charge of the archaeological Science Division, and Megatron in command of the militaristic Defense Force. Foundation #2 However, Megatron had overheard Sentinel and Optimus's conversation, and begins to resent his brother-in-arms thanks to the knowledge that he was always "second best" in Sentinel's eyes. Foundation #1
Around the same time, Shockwave and Megatron rescue Starscream from a Driller, the largest indigenous subterranean predator on Cybertron. Foundation #2 Shockwave becomes fascinated with the creature, and his studies of it eventually lead to Drillers being tamed and used as beasts of burden. Shockwave keeps one as a "pet", which he trains and equips for military purposes. Dark of the Moon novelization
Optimus and Megatron successfully lead Cybertron together for two generations, until the rise in activity of Malcontents who oppose the current government gives Megatron's rage and resentment an outlet, allowing him to claim the primary position of power in the name of protecting Cybertron. Foundation #2 Not long after, a dig by Optimus's Science Division uncovers The Fallen's intact sarcophagus. Defiance #1
Through its eyes, the renegade Prime sees in Megatron the making of an apprentice, and he makes contact with him after he has been badly wounded following a battle with invading aliens from the nearby Eshems Nebula. Defiance #2 Under The Fallen's influence, Megatron reshapes his Defense Force into a military dictatorship that becomes the new incarnation of the Decepticons. Simultaneously, further archaeological discoveries lead Optimus to realize that Sentinel was correct, and that he is indeed descended from the Primes. Galvanized by this realization, he raises a small army of followers, the Autobots, to stand against Megatron. Defiance #3 Following The Fallen's direction, Megatron has the starship Nemesis constructed; learning of this, the Autobots refurbished an older craft, the Ark, in preparation for Megatron's next move. Soon, the Nemesis leaves the planet, captained by Soundwave and with The Fallen's sarcophagus on board, to seek out Earth and the Matrix. Following the departure of the Nemesis, true war finally breaks out once more on Cybertron, and Optimus's Autobots and Megatron's Decepticons battle for control of the planet over untold years. Defiance #4
In the very early stages of the war, the ancient technology known as Power Core Combination is lost, and in an attempt to recreate it, the Decepticons develop the monstrous Devastator. TFCC #32 At some point, the Autobot Tailgate is murdered by the Decepticon Reverb, adding another addition to Gears's list of dead friends. Switching Gears
10,000 BC onwards
As Cybertron is devastated by the worsening war, with Optimus Prime unwilling to take the decisive actions that will bring the conflict to an end, Sentinel Prime is forced to make a deal with Megatron to seek out another planet whose resources they can exploit to restore their homeworld. Dark of the Moon The chosen planet is the resting place of the Primes' Star Harvester. Sentinel recreates the Primes' lost space bridge technology, fashioning hundreds of pillars that will form a bridge large enough to teleport Cybertron itself across the cosmos, telling the Autobots it will be used to instantaneously teleport soldiers, supplies and refugees into and out of the battlefield, allowing them to defeat the Decepticons. The pillars are loaded onto a second Ark, while a strike team led by Optimus attacks Simfur in order to activate the control pillar for the space bridge by bringing it into contact with the AllSpark. Foundation #3 While most of the Autobots keep the Decepticons busy, Elita-One and her sisters Arcee and Chromia successfully reach the AllSpark and activate the pillar, which Elita then delivers to Sentinel Prime.
Sentinel takes his Ark to ostensibly collect Optimus and the others from Simfur, but upon arrival, the ship is attacked by Starscream, who is unaware of the secret deal his leader has made with the Prime. Starscream's attack triggers a huge explosion which consumes the Ark, leaving the Autobots to believe Sentinel, the space bridge and all others aboard have been destroyed. Foundation #4Dark of the Moon Unbeknownst to any present, however, the Ark has not been destroyed: the space bridge tech aboard has in fact teleported it away through space and time, with all on board knocked into stasis by the blast. Convergence chapter 1
Consumed with grief and rage at the apparent death of his mentor, Optimus Prime resolves to kill Megatron outright, and storms his fortress with aid from Ironhide. Foundation #1-3 Concurrently, Wheeljack leads the rest of the Autobots in a second strike on Simfur, where they are able to overcome the weakened Decepticons and capture the AllSpark, removing it from the machine that brought Cybertron its sun. The sun disappears, plunging the planet into darkness, and Prime breaks off his confrontation with Megatron to save Ironhide from Shockwave and Starscream. Although he did not cross the line of no return, Optimus's actions forever taint his relationship with Elita-One, driving a wedge between the two friends. Foundation #4
Resolving to keep the power of the captive AllSpark out of Megatron's hands, Optimus Prime has it moved to various locations around the planet before deciding to launch it into space. In an effort to disguise his plan, most of the Autobots are stationed at Simfur as misdirection, with only a small unit led by Bumblebee guarding its true hiding place at Tyger Pax. Unfortunately, Megatron is able to sense the AllSpark's true location and attacks Tyger Pax, crushing Bumblebee's vocal processor during the ensuing battle and robbing him of the ability to speak. Movie Prequel #1 Simultaneously, at Simfur, Optimus Prime is attacked by a drone sent by Megatron before he can launch the AllSpark, so he entrusts the task to his assistant, Arctus. Prequel: Optimus Prime Observing the AllSpark as it takes off, Megatron immediately pursues it into space, Movie Prequel #1 but is delayed by an Autobot tractor beam before he can stop it from plunging into the Alkaris Anomaly. Prequel: Megatron Cosmically drawn to the location of the star harvester left behind by The Fallen, Defiance #4 the cube is disgorged in the Solar System and crash-lands on Earth, in what will become Colorado. Megatron summons Brawl to occupy the Autobots delaying him, Prequel: Megatron and follows the cube into the anomaly, but is spat out in the far reaches of the galaxy. Movie Prequel #2
Megatron and the AllSpark are not the only ones scattered across space: the overzealous Brawl detonates a foldspace warhead that warps himself, Ironhide, Ratchet and Jazz to the four corners of the universe. Ratchet helps quell an alien civil war, Lost in Space 1 Brawl defeats psychic apparitions of his worst fears, Lost in Space 2 Ironhide encounters digital "ghosts" on a derelict ship with some kind of ancient connection to the AllSpark Lost in Space 3 and Jazz is nearly overwhelmed by the lure of a planet of pure information Lost in Space 4 before they are able to return to Cybertron. But their return proves a short-lived one: without the AllSpark and the energy it provided, Cybertron begins to atrophy, and many of the Transformers depart the planet to find the AllSpark and restore life to their world. Transformers Optimus Prime's best and brightest depart aboard the Ark, while Starscream takes a large force aboard a second ship christened the Nemesis, including most of Megatron's elite troops, The Reign of Starscream #1 leaving Shockwave in charge of the Decepticons in the planet. Rising Storm #2 The Nemesis is stymied by a volley of Autobot mines that badly damage the craft before it gets too far, forcing the Decepticons to return to Cybertron for repairs. After being fixed up, the Nemesis resumes the chase several cycles later, but have lost valuable ground to the Ark. The Reign of Starscream #1 The Ark and Nemesis crews pass the majority of the next twelve thousand years in stasis aboard their ships. Ghosts of Yesterday
Out in space, the original Nemesis and Sentinel's Ark (still jinking through space and time) zero in on the energy signature of the AllSpark, and are both crippled when the Ark blindly teleports directly into the same physical space as the Nemesis. The Ark makes one final jump, leaving a lingering space bridge portal in its wake; after setting the ruined Nemesis down on the dead moon of a nearby gas giant, the Decepticons board the smaller ship Longshot and follow the Ark through the portal at The Fallen's urging, leaving his sarcophagus behind. Both ships are hurled into the future. Convergence chapter 1
Eventually, after "countless solar spans" of searching, Megatron zeroes in on the AllSpark's resting place on Earth. While on the approach, he detects a distress signal being broadcast by the wrecked Nemesis and detours to investigate, but when The Fallen learns of the fate of the AllSpark, he furiously commands Megatron to carry on his course. Defiance #4 Upon entering Earth's atmosphere, however, Megatron's navigation system malfunctions, causing him to crash in the Arctic, where he is frozen solid, trapped in stasis.[2] Movie Prequel #2
The earliest human civilizations form on Earth, and build their monuments over remains of Transformer activity on the planet. Around 2560 BC, construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza around the solar harvester is completed, then later, in 1200 BC, the Tomb of the Primes is hidden beneath El Deir in Petra. A riddle is crafted to mark the tomb's location: "When dawn alights the dagger's tip, three kings will reveal the doorway." Although some of the Seekers learn of this riddle during their search of the planet, none are able to actually solve it before the march of time sends most (if not all) of them into stasis. Revenge of the Fallen
5th Century
Rebelling against Quintessa, whom they considered "the deceiver", her twelve guardian knights steal her control staff before departing Cybertron aboard a ship into space in hopes of finding worthy allies on another world. It is during this century that the guardian knights had land on Earth during the Dark Ages. While hiding out in England, they make contact with a native "wizard" named Merlin, who promises to keep their existence a secret.
However in 484, Merlin beseeches them to help his people against the imminent threat of destruction by invading Saxons. Seeing Camelot's knights as proof of the worthiness of humankind, the knights decide to render assistance to King Arthur and his brethren. After granting Quintessa's staff to Merlin, the knights combine into Dragonstorm and easily bring devastation against the enemies of Camelot. Afterwards, knights both human and Cybertronian celebrate their alliance. The Order of the Witwiccans is founded to preserve and cover up the exploits of the guardian knights and all Cybertronians who would arrived on Earth in subsequent centuries. The Last Knight
19th Century
In the year 1897, Captain Archibald Witwicky of the National Arctic Circle Expedition discovers Megatron when the Arctic ice gives way under his feet and he tumbles into the cavern that holds Decepticon's frozen form.[3] Witwicky's inadvertent entry into the cave triggers Megatron's navigation system, causing the release of a beam of light that imprints the AllSpark's co-ordinates onto Witwicky's spectacles. Witwicky is rescued by his crew, but once on their way home, the full extent of the damage Megatron's beam has done to the captain's mind and body is revealed: his sanity slowly begins to slip away, and he is eventually rendered blind. Movie Prequel #2 Transformers
Upon their return to shore, Witwicky's first mate Reginald Danco brings his captain to the Boston Secure Hospital, where his ramblings catch the attention of the United States government. On New Year's Day, 1898, gentleman adventurers Walter Simmons and Theodore Joseph Wells are drafted by presidential order to investigate his claims. After "interviewing" the raving Witwicky, they, Danco, and a team of four other men—Billy North, Theodore Grant, Philippe Bowen and Jack Arden—head for the Arctic to see Megatron first-hand. Movie Prequel #2 Original The group arrives in the Arctic in February, where their entry into Megatron's cave trips another of the Decepticon's systems, causing him to send out an energy pulse that is detected by Jetfire, who had been in hiding on Earth for millennia. Believing the signal to be The Fallen himself and desiring revenge, Jetfire sheds his disguise as a portion of the cruiser USS Maine (inadvertently starting the Spanish–American War in the process) and flies to the Arctic, resulting in a confrontation with Simmons's group that culminates in the humans blasting the ice out from underneath the Seeker, sending him to the ocean's depths. North does not survive the battle, and his death convinces the group to dedicate itself to protecting Earth against future Cybertronian threats. Original Simmons takes charge of the operation to excavate and study the frozen "Mega-Man", as he calls it, and an environment dome is constructed around the site by 1899, which is eventually expanded to become a fully-manned base which serves as the group's Alpha Command Post. Movie Prequel #2
20th Century
1900s
Sent on a mission to Tianjin, China by the President just after the turn of the century to recover a mysterious scepter, Theodore Wells finds himself embroiled in the middle of the Boxer Rebellion. He is saved from death at the hands of rebels by American expatriates and intelligence agents Herbert Hoover and his wife Lou. Irreplaceable
In 1902, the AllSpark is discovered at the bottom of the Colorado River by Simmons's group. Movie Prequel #2 News of this discovery reaches Wells and the Hoovers in China, and Wells brings his new allies into the organization, hoping that their mining and metallurgical skills will help in excavating and analyzing the find. Herbert puts into motion an extensive plan to redirect the river around the cube. Irreplaceable
When divers are sent to examine the cube, it unleashes a cosmic "scream" of sorts, which echoes across space and is felt by Shockwave, just after he has killed Chromia in the middle of a battle on Cybertron. Appointing Dreadwing leader in his absence, Shockwave immediately departs for Earth aboard a faster-than-light vessel with his Driller on board, reaching Earth on June 30, 1908. Unfortunately, he arrives at such speed that he loses control of his ship and crashes in Tunguska, Russia, causing the Tunguska event and knocking himself into stasis lock. Rising Storm #2
1910s
The diversion of the Colorado River is successfully completed in 1913, but the attempted excavation of the AllSpark by Simmons, Wells, the Hoovers and new junior member Roy Thompson is interrupted by Jetfire, who has tracked the cube down through a series of subterranean tunnels he has spent over a decade trapped in. At Jetfire's touch, the cube releases a surge of Energon which overloads his systems and brings to life a crane, a car, a radio and a gun. Jetfire escapes via space bridge, while the humans are forced to break open the dam holding back the river to "drown" the AllSpark Mutations and the cube. The car survives, and escapes into the desert. Having seen how Simmons's obsession with Cybertronian threats had consumed him, Wells convinces Simmons's wife Clara to elope with him. Irreplaceable
In 1919, the inert Shockwave is unearthed by the military forces of the burgeoning Soviet Union. Unable to master the technological secrets of his body, the Soviets keep the Decepticon in cold storage at a gulag in the Siberian wastes. Rising Storm #2
Around that same time, an Autobot disguised as a British Mark IV tank takes part in World War I. Unfortunately, he spends the next century suffering from both severely degraded physical facilities and "robot dementia", in which he still thinks the war is still happening. On the bright side, his exploits are covered up by the Order of the Witwiccans. The Last Knight
1920s
By 1924, Archibald Witwicky has been relocated to the Psychopathic Institute for the Long-Term Insane in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, his delusions and visions having progressed to the point that he is somehow experiencing visions of the future. Movie Prequel #3
In 1927, Herbert Hoover formally dubs Simmons's group "Sector Seven", Transformers named after the stable sector of ground along the Colorado riverbed to which they plan to move the AllSpark. The following year, Herbert begins his run for presidency, with a view to using the power the position would convey to arrange for the construction of a permanent housing for the AllSpark. Irreplaceable
In 1929, a battle between a Seeker known as Fortress and another of his kind over the latest potential lead to the location of the Matrix results in the accidental death of two civilians, and the crippling of their son, Carter Newell. Carter goes on to dedicate the next eighty years of his life to hunting down Transformers, founding the Initiative and capturing many of them, including Fortress himself. Nefarious #5
1930s
By 1934, Walter Simmons's estranged daughter Margaret has married and given birth to a child, Billy. Following her separation from her husband (be it through death, divorce or something else), Margaret is given a low-level position in Sector Seven by her father, and together with Roy Thompson, she hunts down and destroys the AllSpark Mutation that went missing in 1913, which had fallen in with outlaws Bonnie and Clyde. Together
Construction of Herbert Hoover's proposed enclosure for the AllSpark, the Hoover Dam, is completed in 1935, including a subterranean facility that becomes Sector Seven's Beta Command Post. Walter Simmons visits the dam in the closing stages of construction, preparing to retire once Megatron is transported from there from the Arctic for study in conjunction with the cube. Movie Prequel #3 A malfunction in the cryo-blocks that will keep Megatron frozen delays the move, and the subsequent outbreak of World War II tables both Megatron's relocation and Simmons's retirement indefinitely. Weapon
Archibald Witwicky dies on August 13, 1938. He is survived by his son Clarence. Movie Prequel #3
1940s
At the height of World War II, Jetfire is captured by Nazi scientists, who reverse-engineer his body to create assorted transforming mecha bonded with human pilots. In 1944, after learning of this, Walter Simmons forcibly drafts his grandson Bill into Sector Seven for a mission behind enemy lines to destroy all traces of the technology. Bill proves the only survivor of the mission, but winds up freeing rather than destroying Jetfire upon discovering his true nature. Having previously actively eschewed following in his mother and grandfather's footsteps, the experience convinces Bill to permanently transfer to Sector Seven. Weapon
Around the same time, Bumblebee and his brother-in-arms Hot Rod make their way to Earth in search of the Allspark. They and several other Autobots are active in World War II on the Allied side, though history remembers none of it due to their exploits also being covered up by the Order of the Witwiccans. One such Autobot is disguised as a Hawker Hurricane plane to defend Britain. In one mission, Bumblebee and Hot Rod sneak a squad of U.S. soldiers into a German-occupied building for a successful surprise attack. At some point, they befriend a young Sir Edmund Burton. While Bumblebee departs from Earth to resume his search, Hot Rod remains on the planet with Burton and his family's Headmaster envoy Cogman. As the war raged on, it wasn't until Adolf Hitler's assasination at the hands of his own watch that the war ended. The Last Knight
1950s
Bill proceeds to make quite a name for himself in Sector Seven, not least of all by leading a campaign to have scientist Robert Oppenheimer discredited and ejected from the organization on allegations of Communism. In 1953, Bill marries fellow agent Anne Fischer in a secret ceremony, and close to the end of the year, Anne becomes pregnant with their son, Seymour Simmons. Frozen
Reginald Danco's grandson Joe, jealous of how his family has become sidelined in history in favour of the Simmons line, defects to the Communist Party. In February 1954, acting as an undercover agent, he sabotages the cooling system at Sector Seven's Arctic base, planning to use the escape of Megatron to cover his theft of Sector Seven data and flight to Russia. Walter Simmons calls for liquid nitrogen bombs to be dropped on the facility to stop Megatron from thawing out, at the expense of the lives of the base personnel, which includes his grandson Bill. This prompts Jetfire to intervene, but the Seeker proves able only to save the lives of Anne Fischer and Philip Nolan. Frozen
Unbeknownst to Sector Seven, both Bill and Danco survive: Danco flees deeper into the tunnels and Bill pursues, but Bill is captured by a Soviet extraction team who have come to recover Danco. He is taken back to Russia for interrogation, and spends eight years being moved from facility to facility, often escaping, always being recaptured, but never breaking under torture. Convergence chapter 2 The data stolen by Danco, meanwhile, allows the Soviets to finally utilize the technology taken from the captive Shockwave, and with it, they create the world's first nuclear power plant, the Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant, which is activated in June, 1954. Rising Storm #2 Frozen
Seymour Simmons is born later in 1954. At Walter's wishes, Anne leaves Sector Seven in an effort to keep the child from ever learning of the legacy of obsession and death that has defined his family, changes her name to "Tova Simmons", and opens a delicatessen. Frozen But Seymour proves to be every inch his father's son, and as he grows older, he takes to sneaking out of the house, setting up a secret room in the basement of his mother's deli where he studies the paranormal and develops an ardent belief in the presence of aliens on Earth. Convergence chapter 3
The Vietnam War begins in 1955. Philip Nolan and Thomas Kinnear both serve in the conflict. Ghosts of Yesterday
1960s
Sentinel Prime's Ark and the Longshot emerge from the space bridge in the vicinity of Earth in early 1961. The Ark violently crash-lands on Earth's Moon, killing all on board save for Sentinel, who is safely sealed in the ship's crash vault. After examining the wreckage, Soundwave determines to keep the vessel out of the hands of the humans on the planet below, Convergence chapter 1 beginning with the removal of the space bridge pillars. Dark of the Moon
The crash of the Ark is detected by both the United States and the Soviet Union, and a "space race" begins to be the first to reach the Moon and plunder this alien treasure. Dark of the Moon Incorrectly believing Bill Simmons can tell them something about the moon event and America's plans, the Soviets relocate their prisoner to holding facilities at Soviet Research Station Oktober at the beginning of 1962. Convergence chapter 2 In 1963, the Soviet Union launches the space probe Luna 4, which captures images of the Moon's surface, including the space bridge pillars as the Decepticons are in the process of transporting them, prompting Soundwave to take action to conceal their movements. Dark of the Moon To this end, in 1964, the Decepticons' human-form Pretender operative infiltrates the Soviet space program by killing Spetsnaz agent Alisa Morozov and adopting her appearance. Convergence chapter 2
That same year, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird jet makes its first flight. At an unknown point in time during the next three decades, one of the jets malfunctions and crashes on top of Jetfire while he is wandering through a desert, and he adopts its form. Tales of the Fallen #3
In the summer of 1965, as the Soviets launch the Luna 6 probe, the Pretender uses her Morozov disguise to penetrate Research Station Oktober and massacre the scientists there, in order to prevent the relay of any data from the probe. Joe Danco also dies in the attack, but Bill Simmons is able to escape. In the process, the Pretender learns of the presence of two Cybertronians on Earth, but without the knowledge that they are his leaders Megatron and Shockwave, Soundwave disregards them as rumors and elects to focus on more important matters for the time being. Convinced by the Pretender that humans can be used as a means to their ends, Soundwave makes a deal with the sole surviving scientist, Voskhod, to curtail any subsequent Soviet investigations into the Ark. Convergence chapter 2
Two months later, Bill Simmons successfully returns to the United States, but when he attempts to contact Sector Seven, Soundwave zeroes in on his position and sends the Pretender to take him out. Bill locates his wife's deli during the night, where he meets Seymour for the first time, on another of his midnight sneak-outs. When the Pretender arrives, Bill leaves the boy with contact information for Sector Seven, and disappears in an explosion, the Pretender hot on his heels. Seymour subsequently makes contact with Sector Seven and meets his great-grandfather Walter; now knowing that his long-held beliefs about aliens are true, Seymour grows up to join the organization as one of its most prestigious agents. The fate of Bill Simmons remains unknown. Convergence chapter 3 As a consequence of this escapade, Soundwave becomes aware of the existence of Sector Seven. Convergence chapter 4
On July 16, 1969, NASA carries out the Apollo 11 mission, successfully sending astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the Moon. Dark of the Moon A strategic twenty-one-minute blackout is staged by Sector Seven at NASA command to keep the true purpose of the moon landing a secret, and Walter Simmons directs the men in their investigation of the Ark. Dark of the Moon #1
Simultaneously, Sector Seven also exploits the fact that the eyes of the entire world are focused on Apollo 11 to stage two additional concurrent operations. First, they initiate the test flight of their own spacecraft, the Ghost 1, created from Megatron's reverse-engineered Cybertronian technology and captained by Samuel Walker. Ghosts of Yesterday Incorrectly believing that this craft is more important than the Apollo 11, Soundwave focuses all his attentions on it, leaving him unable to stop Armstrong and Aldrin from exploring the Ark. Convergence chapter 4 The Ghost 1 is inadvertently sucked through a wormhole and deposited in a distant solar system, its arrival drawing the attentions of Optimus Prime's Autobots and Starscream's Decepticons. When the ship sets down on a barren planet, Starscream makes first contact with Walker and his crew and learns that Megatron and the AllSpark are on Earth, then turns on the humans in order to keep this information secret from the other Decepticons. Allying with Optimus Prime to survive the dangers of the alien world and also sharing this information with him, the crew of the Ghost 1 give their lives to save the Autobot leader from Starscream. Ghosts of Yesterday
For their second operation, Sector Seven finally carry out the much-delayed move of Megatron form the Arctic to Hoover Dam. Sabotage by Soviet agent Sergei Tasarov causes the convoy transporting Megatron to crash, resulting in damage to the cooling systems that allows the Decepticon leader to thaw out. Thomas Kinnear and Philip Nolan sacrifice their lives to ensure he is re-frozen Ghosts of Yesterday and successfully delivered to Hoover Dam. Rising Storm #2
A second American manned moon landing is carried out in November 1969, to continue excavation and research of the remains of the Ark. Dark of the Moon
1970s
From 1970 to 1972, the United States stages three further manned missions to the moon to continue plundering the Ark. Incensed over his failure to stop the Apollo 11 mission, Soundwave has Ravage scout for viable agents within the American space program, and makes contact with a NASA accountant named Gould. By tapping the stock market to provide Gould with all the money he desires, Soundwave procures his services to manipulate the NASA budget and make further moon missions financially unfeasible. Dark of the Moon Convergence chapter 4 Consequently, the sixth and final mission, launched in December 1972, is deemed the last, and the astronauts trigger explosives to hide the wreck of the Ark beneath lunar dust. Dark of the Moon #1
Similarly, also in 1972, Soundwave employs his Soviet agents to ensure that the first Russian manned mission is cancelled. Soundwave spends the remainder of the decade manipulating his pawns, and "recruiting" more and more human agents in various areas of the American and Soviet government to ensure the Ark is never re-discovered. Dark of the Moon
Continuing their use of Shockwave's technology to further their nuclear agenda, the Soviet Union spend most of this decade creating the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The United States also continue with the construction of more nuclear facilities, including the Three Mile Island power plant. A botched experiment with the energy of the AllSpark at this facility on March 28, 1979 leads to a partial core meltdown. Movie Prequel #4
That same year, the Witwicky home in Springfield, Missouri, is sold by Clarence Witwicky's son Herbert, and the proceeds are shared between his daughter and five sons, including Ben and Ronald. Interlude
Also in 1979, content that his plans to keep the Ark concealed are solid, Soundwave elects to return to the Nemesis and consult with The Fallen. He convenes with Gould to inform him of his departure, and meets Gould's son Dylan, who will eventually take over his father's position as Decepticon liaison. Soundwave's crew depart Earth aboard the Longshot, Convergence chapter 4 save for the stumbling, bumbling Space Case, who is left behind on Earth. Transformers: Jazz With no space bridge to teleport them, their journey takes over a decade. Convergence chapter 4
1980s
Unmanned probes are sent by the Soviet Union to the moon, where they uncover the remains of the Ark and return to Earth with a fuel cell salvaged from the ship's engine. The cell is experimented upon at Chernobyl, leading to a catastrophic nuclear accident on April 26, 1986. Dark of the Moon
1990s
Sam Witwicky is born to Ronald and Judy Witwicky.[4]
The Soviet Union collapses in 1991. Knowledge of the captive Shockwave slips between the cracks; no digital records of his existence are kept, and the paper trail is lost in the chaos of the regime's fall, so he remains frozen and forgotten in Siberia. Convergence chapter 4
Sometime around 1993, the Longshot completes its return journey to the resting place of the Nemesis.[5] Soundwave presents The Fallen with one of the space bridge pillars, and is then informed of Megatron's visit during his pursuit of the AllSpark. Realizing that Megatron must be one of the imprisoned Cybertronians learned of on Earth, Soundwave immediately departs on a return journey to the planet; he has most of the crew put in stasis for the trip. After Soundwave leaves, The Fallen activates the space bridge pillar, sundering space and time and finally liberating himself from his sarcophagus prison. Convergence chapter 4
In 1998, Jetfire takes advantage of the SR-71 Blackbird's retirement from service to hole up in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and goes into stasis in vehicle mode. Jetfire's profile
21st Century
2003 to 2007
Having followed a new lead on the AllSpark's whereabouts, Bumblebee returns to Earth's Solar System and briefly touches down on Mars, where the Hubble Space Telescope captures an image of his arrival. Movie Prequel #2 Designating him "N.B.E.-2", Sector Seven tracks him to his landing site in Virginia, but the Autobot scout avoids capture by adopting a local alternate mode. Discovering the history of Archibald Witwicky via the internet, Bumblebee sets out to track down the man's descendants. Movie Prequel #3
"Can I be a mongoose?"
Hot on Bumblebee's trail, Starscream's Nemesis arrives on Mars, where an encounter with the Beagle 2 Rover prompts Starscream to lead a small group on to the rover's planet of origin. Movie Prequel #3 Transformers teaser trailer The Reign of Starscream #1 Making planetfall in Afghanistan, the group attacks a local military base, where they learn of Sector Seven's "Project Iceman". In the course of the brief battle, Wreckage is disabled by an electromagnetic pulse, and after burying his body, the remaining Decepticons disseminate in disguise to carry out their quest.[6] Planetfall The Reign of Starscream #1
While tracking Archibald Witwicky's descendants across the country, Bumblebee clashes with both Sector Seven agents led by Seymour Simmons and the Decepticons, before finally tracking the Witwicky lineage to Sam, who has inherited his great grandfather's glasses, along with the secret of the AllSpark printed upon them.[7] Interlude Movie Prequel #4
Left to his own devices on Mars along with Hardtop and the rest of Starscream's Nemesis crew, Thundercracker spends this time exploring the solar system. He discovers the Ark on Earth's moon and recovers a space bridge pillar, which he modifies using know-how gained from studying under the Decepticon mad scientist Flatline. The resultant device is not quite a true space bridge, but allows the user to follow the passage travelled by the Ark, enabling instantaneous transit from Mars back to Cybertron. The Reign of Starscream #2Convergence chapter 4
2007
Wreckage's body is recovered from its desert resting place by Sector Seven and brought to their Nevada base for experimentation. Alliance #1 Reactivated by the organization, Wreckage trades information for his survival and provides Sector Seven with the means to create their L.M.-1 drones, but is taken offline when he declines to co-operate any further and attempts escape. Alliance #2
One month later, Blackout returns to Afghanistan, where he shoots down a military helicopter and takes its form. Three months after this, he stages attack on the SOCCENT Forward Operations Base in Qatar in an attempt to gain more information on Sector Seven and Project Iceman. Where he fails, Frenzy succeeds, hacking of Air Force One and learning of the Witwicky family and Archibald's glasses. To protect Sam from the Decepticons closing in around him, Bumblebee positions himself in a used car lot to ensure that he will be purchased as the boy's first car. After summoning Optimus Prime's team to Earth, he is forced to reveal himself to Sam and his girlfriend Mikaela Banes to protect them from Barricade, following which Sam agrees to help the Autobots in their quest. A clash with Sector Seven ensues, which results in Bumblebee, Sam and Mikaela being taken to their Hoover Dam base as captives. Transformers
Jazz is briefly distracted from the current dilemma when he detects a stray energy trace, which leads him to Space Case, still stuck on Earth, trying to rob a gas station. Jazz bests the Decepticon in battle and leaves him trapped in a cave. Transformers: Jazz Jazz rejoins the Autobots and tells them about his encounter, Transformers: Ratchet after which they use Archibald Witwicky's glasses to track the AllSpark and their captive friends to Hoover Dam. Unfortunately, in the process, they inadvertently lead the way for Starscream's Decepticons, who attack the base and bring Megatron back online. A truce is orchestrated between the Autobots and Sector Seven with help from soldiers William Lennox and Robert Epps, and they ally to battle their common foes.
Events culminate in a colossal battle over the AllSpark in Mission City, during which Jazz, Blackout, Brawl, Frenzy, and Bonecrusher are all killed. Transformers Kevin Bowman's parents are among the human casualties. Switching Gears The battle ends when Sam plunges the cube into Megatron's chest, killing him and leaving only a small fragment of the cube behind. With the majority of the Decepticons destroyed or otherwise routed in the battle, Starscream and Barricade are forced into retreat. Bumblebee regains his voice, and asks Optimus to remain with Sam. Optimus obliges, and, furthermore, announces that the other three Autobots will remain on Earth for the time being. Transformers
As the Autobots and government operatives begin clean-up, destroying or rounding up any AllSpark Mutations created during the battle, Alliance #1 Starscream flees the scenes and reclaims Frenzy's body from Hoover Dam. The Reign of Starscream #1 Returning to Mars, where his ship and the rest of his crew have been waiting, Starscream has the information Frenzy had obtained on the AllSpark beamed back to Cybertron, The Reign of Starscream #2 where it is used to create a huge replica AllSpark. After fending off an attack by a guerilla Autobot team led by Arcee, Starscream's forces use Thundercracker's jury-rigged space bridge to return to Cybertron, The Reign of Starscream #3 planning to activate the facsimile cube through the sacrifice of five captive Autobots. The Reign of Starscream #4 Arcee follows, and although she is unable to prevent the deaths of the Autobot captives—including her own sister, Elita-One—she is able to destroy the replica AllSpark, prompting Dreadwing to turn on Starscream for his failure. A brief battle for leadership ensues; Dreadwing sets the Nemesis to self-destruct and escapes back to Mars via the space bridge, but Starscream and a chunk of the ruined ship are sucked through the portal as well. Starscream survives and slays his opponent, The Reign of Starscream #5 then sets about carving cyberglyphs into his armor. Alliance #1
Back on Earth, the Mission City incident is covered up by government with a cover story that claims the Transformers were rampaging robotic constructs created by the company McClaren Robotics. Alliance #4 People such as Douglas Porter are able to buy this story. Switching Gears One month after the battle of Mission City, Optimus Prime entrusts the remaining AllSpark fragment to Sector Seven scientists, but when it is brought to the same Nevada facility that houses Wreckage, its power inadvertently brings the Decepticon back online. Wreckage goes on a rampage, but is soon killed for treason by Starscream, who has been summoned back to Earth by Barricade. In the resultant firefight, Starscream badly wounds Bumblebee, robbing him of his voice once more, but also drops the remains of Frenzy, which are spirited away by Seymour Simmons. Alliance #2 Simultaneous with this battle, the Longshot returns to Earth's solar system. Detecting trace energy from Thundercracker's space bridge on Mars, Soundwave investigates the wreckage of Starscream's Nemesis, and learns of recent events. Convergence chapter 4 Soundwave makes contact with Starscream and orders him to break off his fight, then dispatches a team under the command of Fracture to begin searching for the Star Harvester. Starscream is ordered back to the Longshot to awaken the crew members that remain in stasis so they may join the search. Soundwave adopts the form of a satellite and takes up orbit around Earth, observing from afar. Alliance #2
Sector Seven is officially disbanded by the government. Alliance #3 The bodies of the deceased Decepticons are submerged in the Laurentian Abyss, following which Optimus Prime broadcasts a message into space, encouraging other Autobots to join his team on Earth. Transformers A joint human-Transformer taskforce is assembled, dubbed the Non-Biological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty, or "NEST", and is headquartered on the island of Diego Garcia, where the AllSpark fragment is now stored. Alliance #3 For its first mission, NEST engages and defeats Deadend and Swindle in San Francisco. Bumblebee is reassigned from frontline combat to live with Sam Witwicky and serve as his guardian. Alliance #4 Tales of the Fallen #1
2007 to 2009
Decepticon sightings and attacks continue around the world, with forces under the command of Starscream-including Dropkick, Macerator, Payload, Ruination, and Blademaster-continuing the air commander's pursuit of power, while those directed by The Fallen via Soundwave-including Kickback and twins Tread and Trample-take on a secondary objective: the acquisition of large amounts of energy to facilitate the resurrection of Megatron. During this period, Autobots Knock Out and Beachbreak arrive on Earth in response to Optimus Prime's summons and join NEST The Veiled Threat, with Jolt arriving a while later. Rising Storm #3 Two AllSpark Mutations from the Mission City incident previously contained by Sector Seven take the names Longarm and Salvage and also join the organization.
While a team led by Optimus Prime pursues Starscream, foiling his plans to manipulate human crime lords across Africa and Europe, other NEST squads become aware of the Decepticons' new mission when they respond to attacks on an oil refinery in Peru and a uranium mine in Australia, though they remain unaware of their specific goal. In Italy, Starscream enters into a deal with an Italian criminal named Bruno Carrera to help destroy Optimus Prime in exchange for dominion over Europe when the Decepticons triumph. He and Barricade battle the Autobots and NEST, yet are once again defeated. Starscream takes the time to visit Carrera at this villa, where he pays him back for his "failure". The Veiled Threat
Concurrently with all of this, Decepticon activity continues across Earth. Together with NEST, the Autobots repeatedly engage them month after month, obliterating all opposition. Several examples include Fracture, Gunbarrel, and another guy named Reverb in Italy, Overcast in Europe, Jetstorm in the Middle East, and Dropkick and Incinerator in Florida. Alliance #4 At Soundwave's direction, Starscream travels to the ruined Nemesis to help tend the compliment hatchlings in stasis within the ship, which will be sustained by the Energon obtained once the Decepticons find the Matrix and harvester. Revenge of the Fallen Soundwave himself, meanwhile, re-establishes contact with his human agents and/or their offspring and inheritors, including Dylan Gould and Alexi Voskhod, nephew of Soundwave's original Russian pawn. Convergence chapter 4
Elsewhere, on an unknown planet, Flatline begins conducting experiments to create a new breed of soldier under the supervision of Thundercracker. Among the victims of his ministrations are the Autobot Twins Skids and Mudflap, whose processors are scrambled by the experience, Arcee, who is captured when Thundercracker shoots her ship down, and the deceased Elita-One and Chromia, whose remains have been claimed by Flatline. The Decepticon doctor uses Arcee's spark to reignite her siblings' lifeforces, bringing them back to life as a tripartate being bonded at the spark. The sisters use their new strength to free Skids and Mudflap and escape their captors, departing the planet in the Twins' ship. Tales of the Fallen #6Rising Storm #1 They soon pick up Optimus Prime's signal and begin following it; en route, they meet up with Sideswipe and the Wreckers and join them on their ship, the Xantium, for the rest of the journey to Earth. Dark of the Moon The team arrives on Earth in late 2008. Sideswipe, Arcee, and the Twins are quickly inducted into NEST and begin training. Alliance #4 The Wreckers, on the other hand, are retained by NASA to keep the Xantium in working order, but also because their abrasive personalities make them liabilities in the field and unpleasant to work with. Dark of the Moon Around this time, Seymour Simmons begins experimenting with Frenzy's head, bringing the Decepticon back online in order to gain information from him. Not particularly lucid, Frenzy causes a surge in Simmons's apartment building's electrical wiring, forcing Simmons to deactivate him and move the head to the basement of his mother's deli, where he has been working since Sector Seven's disbanding. The Veiled Threat
Sideswipe gets off to an ignominious start on Earth when he learns that his old foe, Demolishor, is in hiding somewhere on the planet, and on November 17, 2008, tears up Montevideo, Uruguay, searching for him. The chase leads to Buenos Aires, where Ironhide attempts to talk Sideswipe down in order to prevent human military incursion. Initially recalcitrant, Sideswipe acquiesces when an airstrike injures Ironhide, and he opts to save him rather than pursue Demolishor. Tales of the Fallen #2
Seeking the surviving fragment of the AllSpark as a means to revive Megatron, the Decepticons begin targeting Sam Witwicky as he is making preparations to go to college; Barricade abducts him and ransoms him for the fragment, but he is rescued by Bumblebee. Tales of the Fallen #1 Consequently, subtler methods are soon employed, with the spy Wheelie being assigned to watch the Witwicky home, while the Pretender, now sporting a human guise copied from a theme park animatronic and going by "Alice", is installed at Sam's school in advance of his arrival. Revenge of the Fallen Revenge of the Fallen #2 Revenge of the Fallen novelization
2009
Word reaches NEST of a fresh sighting of the fugitive Demolishor, hiding out in Shanghai, The Veiled Threat Alliance #4 and a strike team is able to successfully destroy both him and his companion Sideways. However, the massive amounts of collateral damage and the fact that both targets escaped quarantine offends NEST's government liaison, the officious bureaucrat Theodore Galloway. Simultaneously, Sam Witwicky discovers a second surviving sliver of the AllSpark embedded in his old clothes, and upon touching it, the knowledge of the cube floods into his mind, giving him visions of Cybertronian symbols. The sliver also brings to life the Appliancebots, which are quickly destroyed by Bumblebee, but the Witwicky residence is left badly damaged as a result. Sam entrusts the sliver to Mikaela before departing for college, making her a target for Wheelie, but she is able to overpower and capture the little scrap drone, eventually convincing him to switch sides to the Autobots.
Soundwave dispatches Ravage to recover the AllSpark fragment from Diego Garcia, after which Scalpel and the Constructicons put it to use restoring Megatron to life. Knowing that the knowledge of the AllSpark—including the location of the Matrix and the harvester—has entered Sam's mind, The Fallen directs Megatron to abduct the boy, leading to a ferocious forest battle that climaxes with Grindor being offlined by Optimus Prime, followed by the death of the Autobot leader himself at Megatron's hands. With the last Prime's death, The Fallen believes his victory assured, and addresses Earth with the demand that Sam be handed over, forcing the youth to go on the run with Mikaela, his roommate Leo Spitz, Bumblebee and the Twins.
Leo is able to lead the group to Seymour Simmons, who shares them with them various purloined Sector Seven documents that Wheelie explains pinpoint the locations of the long-abandoned Seekers on Earth. The four humans break into the Smithsonian and locate Jetfire, reviving him with the second AllSpark fragment. Although initially disoriented and confused, he soon regains the majority of his bearings. He soon teleports them to Egypt and explains the story of the Primes, The Fallen, the Matrix and the harvester. Revenge of the Fallen However, the energy discharge catches the attention of fellow Seeker Ransack, who has followed them through his own portal and wants to pick a fight with Jetfire. Unfortunately, he fires a shot that bounces off Jetfire, who stomps Ransack into the ground. Revenge of the Fallen novelizatiom
Meanwhile, NEST is alerted to the fact that Optimus might be able to be resurrected, and preparations begin to transport the Autobots to Egypt. After a long search, the group discovers the Tomb of the Primes, an impromptu wrestling match between Skids and Mudflap reveals the interior. Sam recovers the Matrix, only for it to disintegrate into dust at his touch. Undeterred, he heads towards Giza. While NEST quickly establishes a forward command post in the desert ruins, the Decepticon forces mobilize. Sam's group split up, with Leo, Simmons, Skids, and Mudflap arriving in a quarry and Bumblebee heads off Starscream. In the quarry, the quartet tangle with Devastator, and while the Twins attempt to slow down the colossus, they are thrown off. Devastator tears open the pyramid to reveal the harvester inside. Sam and Mikaela try to reach Optimus by foot, but Sam is attacked by Rampage. Bumblebee saves him, and ferries his parents to safety. During Operation: Firestorm, all Consctructicons, as well as Ravage, Scorponok, Devastator, and several additional Decepticon troops, are killed. Not long after, a blast from Megatron kills Sam, leading his soul to commune with the Dynasty of Primes in the afterlife. They return him to life, in the process transferring the AllSpark knowledge from his mind into the Matrix, reconstructing it. Sam successfully uses it to bring Optimus back to life, but The Fallen claims the Matrix immediately thereafter and activates the harvester. An injured Jetfire sacrifices his own life so that Optimus can bond with his parts, which gives the Autobot leader the necessary power to destroy both The Fallen and the harvester. The existence of the Autobots is made public, due in part to the destructive battle. Revenge of the Fallen
Around this time, stolen Soviet documents pertaining to Shockwave find their way into the hands of a human journalist. A mocking newspaper article is published, treating the whole thing as a Soviet joke, but a picture of Shockwave is included. In his constant monitoring of the planet, Soundwave discovers the article, realizes that Shockwave is the second captive Cybertronian hidden on the planet, and begins a search for him. Convergence chapter 4
2009 to 2010
Megatron returns to the Nemesis to tend the protoforms there. Revenge of the Fallen #4 While being awarded a medal for his heroism by President Barack Obama at the White House, Sam Witwicky has a brief encounter with Carly Spencer, an administrative assistant from the British Embassy. Dark of the Moon Either before or after this, Mikaela Banes breaks up with him for reasons unknown; Wheelie stays with Sam. Rising Storm #2 Seymour Simmons writes a book about his experiences, which soon makes him fabulously wealthy. Dark of the Moon
The Autobots and NEST initiate several joint technological programs. Project: Unite is developed to re-engineer the deceased Jetfire's parts into a form that will allow Optimus Prime to sustain his powered-up combined form. The Secret of Project: Unite With the knowledge of the AllSpark now residing within the Matrix of Leadership and accessible once again, the secrets of Power Core Combination are re-discovered and realized by the Autobots and their human allies, but then stolen by the Decepticons for their own use. TFCC #32
Soundwave maintains surveillance of Earth as more Autobots and Decepticons continue to arrive from space. While Dune Runner, Breakaway, Dirt Boss, Brakedown, and others manage to join up with their respective factions Nefarious #1 The Secret of Project: Unite, Armorhide, Skystalker, Blazemaster, Tankor, Smokescreen, Sonar, Brawn, Thrust, and a couple others all become captives of Carter Newell's Initiative without their comrades ever knowing. Nefarious #5 Also among the new arrivals are Wheeljack and Mirage, who are assigned to a new NEST base in Washington, D.C. Rising Storm #2
Several months after the battle in Egypt, the Initiative recovers and reanimates the remains of Ravage, who is sent to recover the deactivated Appliancebots from Guantanamo Bay, Tales of the Fallen #5 from which the Initiative drains the animating energies of the AllSpark, in order to feed an artificial AllSpark construct they have created. Nefarious #1 Discovering his minion is still alive, Soundwave investigates, as do the Autobots, leading to several clashes between the two and Soundwave's capture by NEST, during which Brakedown and Nefarious #2 Soundwave is able to quickly engineer his escape through his numerous other minions, but while the Autobots are preoccupied with him, the Initiative raids Sector Seven's decommissioned Hoover Dam base for the residual AllSpark energy that remains there Nefarious #3 while using Ransack (who they have also reanimated) to keep Galloway occupied. Soundwave attacks the Initiative's base, but is repelled by the brainwashed Transformers they have captured, forcing him to propose an uneasy alliance to the Autobots. Nefarious #4 Soundwave, the Autobots and NEST converge on the Initiative's base just as Newell activates his artificial AllSpark and uses it to power all the Transformers under the Initiative's control and send them into battle. Nefarious #5 The artificial AllSpark goes into meltdown, threatening to take out the Earth's Solar System, but it is teleported away into the depths of space by Fortress when he is freed from the Initiative's clutches by Carter's young relative Ingrid. Soundwave has Carter killed, but recovers from the Initiative's computers all the data on the AllSpark project. Nefarious #6 NEST takes in all the brain-damaged Autobots controlled by the Initiative for rehabilitation; the Decepticons are likewise able to recover their warriors and put them back on the front lines before long. Rising Storm #1
Learning of Project: Unite, Megatron charges Bludgeon with obtaining its secrets for him, in return for command of the Earth-based Decepticon forces. With a strike team consisting of Mindwipe, Dirge, and Brakedown, and intel provided by Soundwave, Bludgeon journeys to the N.E.S.T. Advanced Research Facility. However, Starscream objects and attempts to beat Bludgeon to the punch, fouling up his mission, and in the process obtaining a portion of the project's data. The Secret of Project: Unite Starscream sends Skystalker and Ravage to recover the deceased bodies of Decepticons currently in NEST custody and to infect NEST's systems using a nano-virus, Ambition Instigated and then replicates the Unite process with Bonecrusher's and Sideways' remains, giving himself a power-up. Sideswipe, Sea Spray, and Breacher track him to his base among the Cyclades islands, but are preoccupied by Ravage, Lockdown, and Skystalker. As this happens, Bludgeon takes the opportunity to exact his revenge against Starscream, only to be shot down by a Unite-enhanced Starscream. Bludgeon's Revenge Starscream begins cutting a swathe of destruction across Earth, his mental state rapidly deteriorating due to his failure to obtain the neural upgrades necessary to process the strain of the combination on the mind. Optimus, Elita-One, Scattorshot, and Hubcap arrive on the scene, but neither they nor Thundercracker and Brimstone, who have been sent there on behalf of Soundwave, can match his power. However, they provide enough of a delay for Megatron to get the Nemesis airborne and return to Earth for a showdown. On the Road of Destruction The Autobots intervene in the resulting battle between the two Decepticons, only for Terradive, Skywarp, Hailstorm, and Insecticon to arrive as well. During the now-battle royale, the Autobots create a distraction that allows Ratchet, escorted by Highbrow and Tomahawk, to hit Starscream with a blast that burns out the Unite technology, putting it beyond Megatron's reach. The Strongest Weapon
At NEST command, Bumblebee and Ironhide review some data tracks made by Optimus on the history of their war for preservation in Vector Sigma, only to be interrupted an attack by Soundwave and Bludgeon. Soundwave is defeated by Bumblebee using his weakness of being unable to repel multiple sonic booms Cyber Missions 1 and is sealed in a vacuum-sealed electromagnetic bubble by the Autobot's "smallest soldier". Ironhide, on the other hands, pursues Bludgeon into the surrounding jungle and offers him a chance to join the Autobots during their fight. Bludgeon refuses the offer on account of facing Megatron's wrath upon defection, and escapes by jumping off a cliff. Cyber Missions 2 Searching for Bludgeon, Ironhide stumbles across a cave filled with Energon deposits only to be hypnotized by Mindwipe. Optimus arrives and takes down the Decepticon, freeing Ironhide, and confiscates the Energon. Cyber Missions 5 Starscream and Mindwipe attempt to retrieve the Energon only to have it destroyed by Ratchet and Sideswipe. Cyber Missions 10
In Mission City, Ratchet resumes his old rivalry with Lockdown only to lose his EMP blaster to the Decepticon bounty hunter. Cyber Missions 3 Around the same time, Sideswipe pursues Barricade and a somehow-revived Frenzy in Scramble City, but is unable to stop them from stealing NEST defense deactivate codes and has his swords broken. Cyber Missions 6 Sideswipe gains some pistols as a replacement for his swords, and helps Ratchet reclaim his stolen EMP blaster from Lockdown. Cyber Missions 7 Ironhide does the two Autobots a favor by taking down both Lockdown and Barricade. Cyber Missions 11
Optimus and Sideswipe track down Megatron and battle him in sword fighting before he escapes by causing a distraction in his Cybertronian tank mode. Fortunately for the Autobots, he leaves a trail he cannot hide. Cyber Missions 4 While training in the Arctic, Bumblebee and Ironhide spare the life of a flower as a reminder of the Autobots' mission to defend all forms of sentient life. Cyber Missions 8 The young Autobot later helps Ratchet defeat the Decepticon Smolder and his Mini-Con partner Chopster, who attempt to burn down Scramble City. Cyber Missions 9 Sometime later, the Autobots track Megatron and Starscream into the Arctic, taking down the latter while allowing the former to escape once more. Cyber Missions 12
With the Decepticons giving them little choice, the Autobots have the still-bubbled Soundwave being transported by Sideswipe on a train that is soon derailed by Megatron, accompanied by Starscream, Barricade, Bludgeon, and Mindwipe. However, it is all a ruse to lure the Decepticons into a trap, given the fact that the Sideswipe and Soundwave onboard the train are actually holograms. As soon as NEST reinforcements arrive, Optimus Prime gives the Decepticons a choice to either leave Earth or be destroyed. To Megatron's surprise, he is abandoned by the other Decepticons present with him, and swears revenge before departing. Decepticons Attack Naturally, this is not an instruction Megatron takes to heart; instead, he forgoes his pride and finally adopts an Earth alternate mode to remain hidden on the planet, holing up in the deserts of Namibia, Africa with the hatchlings from the Nemesis.[8]
Starscream soon joins him there, but before long, the two have yet another altercation, prompting the second-in-command to finally break away from Megatron and begins reorganizing the scattered Decepticons under his own leadership. Transformers: Starscream Among their numbers is Space Case, who is eventually reawakened and freed from his cave prison by an earthquake. Bumblebee, Arcee and Sam arrive to investigate his energy signature, but are trapped in a rockslide by the Decepticon as he rockets out of the tunnel. Transformers: Space Case Ratchet picks up the trapped Autobots' distress signal, and briefly battles Space Case, who eventually turns tail when one of his engines is damaged. Ratchet digs Arcee out, and she leaves to pursue the fleeing Decepticon. Transformers: Ratchet Beneath the rockslide, Bumblebee realizes Sam is running out of air, and is able to shift the debris enough to stop him suffocating. Ratchet, digging the other way, soon finds and rescues the trapped friends. Transformers: Bumblebee Arcee, meanwhile, catches up to Space Case in a city, where a roof-level battle concludes with her taking out his other engine, sending him plummeting towards the coastline. Transformers: Arcee Starscream arrives on the scene just as Space Case crashes into a seaside pier, and chooses the bumbler to be the first of his personal army. Sore over recent events, Space Case immediately lashes out at Starscream, but is soon brought around to the air commander's side with flattery. Transformers: Starscream
At some point, Tracer, Bombshock, Dropshot, who undertake an attack on the Nevada Test and Training Range and easily deal with the squad of F-22s scrambled to stop them. Their progress is watched from afar by Simon Clay AKA "Stealth One", as well as a young family who got lost in their SUV. Optimus Prime and Ironhide soon arrive by plane and executes the trio of 'Cons. Not far away, Clay reports the disappointing outcome to Douglas AKA "Stealth Leader".
In Hurley's Crossing, Kevin and Gilbert are unable to do their science project due to Gilbert's sister having a raucous birthday party thrown for her by Douglas, and are further distracted by a news report about the Transformers until they it is interrupted by the birthday girl's rich boyfriend changing the channel. This report is also witnessed by Bumblebee and Ratchet at the NEST Forward Strike Base at Edwards Air Force Base, who are soon told that a couple of meteors, likely Cybertronians in transition forms, are approaching Earth. On his way home, Kevin witnesses Gears' arrival and is saved by the Autobot when he's nearly run down by Simon Clay's van. While he is taking a call from his brother Duane, Kevin's phone suddenly goes dead as the very Reverb who killed Tailgate arrives as well, who immediately fights Gears and loses. Gears cannot finish off the unconscious Decepticon, so he resumes his mission with Kevin coming along for the ride as a native guide. A NEST team arrives at Hurley's Crossing a while later and find Reverb, securing him for transport and interrogation. Reverb recovers enough to spin a story about being a defector, in pursuit of another Decepticon who intends to destroy the Hawthorne Army Depot where Duane works. As there is a communication's blackout over the area, Ratchet decides to play along and try to find this other Decepticon despite Bumblebee's doubts.
Gears and Kevin near the army depot, where Gears again unsuccessfully attempts to ditch his human friend only for the to be attacked by remote-controlled tanks, which Gears manages to outwit. They then an ancient munitions stronghold filled with a multitude of Cybertronian weapons established there during the Dynasty's conflict with The Fallen, which Gears intends to protect against Reverb. Before long, the NEST helicopter carrying Reverb, Bumblebee, and Ratchet arrives at the army depot, followed by Duane and a convoy of army trucks. While Reverb chases Gears into the cave and gets the better of his rival, Kevin fills in the other two Autobots on the situation. Reverb loads up with the ancient tech and battles Bumblebee and Ratchet. At the same time, he uses the metal cylinder he was originally sent to find on Duane and four other humans soldiers, transporting them to a location elsewhere. While Kevin goes to help Gears, Bumblebee and Ratchet continue to vainly fight Reverb when Optimus and Ironhide arrive. With his enhancements, Reverb is still a match for them and Kevin comes up with a desperate plan that utilizes a hologram of Tailgate to lure Reverb back into the cave where Gears manages to get off a lucky shot and wreck the Decepticon's personal force shield. Reverb attacks the battered Autobot, but now that the shield is down, Optimus is able to defeat Reverb and NEST takes him prisoner. The Autobot leader deduces the cylinder's function and convinces General Marcus that Kevin should join NEST. Elsewhere, Douglas takes a call from Clay reporting the failure of the mission at Hawthorne and assures him that they have enough information to go ahead with Project Nightbridge. Switching Gears
Sometime later, in a junkyard in a Nevada desert, Ironhide does battle with a remote-controlled prototype tank that is operated by Douglas. His father, Hyperdynamix company CEO Alexander Porter, is unimpressed with how much damage Ironhide did to the prototype. Douglas is not particularly forgiving towards for failing to beat Inronhide, raising the Autobot's ire. Back at home, Douglas assumes his identity of "Stealth Leader" and has Clay send him footage of the battle with Reverb at Hawthorne Army Depot; recognizing Kevin from the footage, and comes up with a new plan.
Meanwhile at Hurley's Crossing, Kevin is paying a visit to his home to pick up some things when he gets a phone call from Gilbert Poole, who is unable to tell his friend much as Kevin is now part of NEST. He and Gears return to the NEST Rapid Response Base where General Marcus has news: NEST technicians have isolated a chemical signature unique to Cybertronian artifacts and used it to locate another such storehouse on Antler Peak near Battle Mountain. Kevin wonders if his brother might have been transported there, and plans are made to leave for Battle Mountain in the morning. However, the meeting is interrupted by news that the Decepticons are attacking Hyperdynamix Laboratories in Mission City, and Marcus and Optimus set off to help, leaving Kevin at the base with Gears and Bumblebee. They pay a visit to Lindsay in the lab, who has been analyzing Reverb's cylinder and identified it as a device for trans-special porting. Unfortunately, there is no way to determine where it transported Duane, or even if it transported him anywhere.
At Hyperdynamix, Porter discovers that the twelve prototype tanks are missing, despite the attacking Decepticons not having reached that area yet. Clay notifies Douglas that he has obtained the tanks, but Douglas refuses to give the order for the Decepticons to withdraw as he still needs them there as a distraction. The Autobots at the labs continue to hunt for the Decepticons, who appear to be in hiding. Meanwhile at the Rapid Response Base, Douglas apologizes to Kevin for their last encounter and reveals a recording of a Cybertronian transmission intercepted by Hyperdynamix which states that Blowback is heading for the Battle Mountain storehouse. Kevin wants to call in Optimus, but Douglas insists Optimus is needed to defend Hyperdynamix and manipulates Kevin into agreeing to an expedition there without the knowledge of any of the NEST superiors. They, Bumblebee, and Gears then set off for Battle Mountain. Douglas leaves his MP3 player at the base, which reveals itself to be a highly-advanced drone and proceeds to free Reverb from NEST custody. Once the MP3 drone informs him of the Battle Mountain storehouse and the fact Gears will be there, Reverb heads in the same direction.
As they near Battle Mountain, Gears instructs Kevin and Douglas to hide as he and Bumblebee take on Blowback, unaware that he has reinforcements in the form of Sawtooth, Roadrash, and Burnrate. As the battle moves into Battle Mountain, forcing the residents to scramble to safety, Kevin and Douglas immediately start heading to Antler Peak to check out the storehouse and find a chamber of rusted, useless Cybertronian technology, but also an artificial intelligence guarding a second cylinder. Once they are finished dispatching Blowback's crew, Bumblebee and Gears head to the storehouse, where Douglas has already arranged a Hyperdynamix truck to take away the cylinder "to the NEST base". As they wait, they spot Reverb and are about to face him when Ironhide arrives in a NEST helicopter to take everyone and the cylinder back. Douglas suggests he leave the cylinder for the Hyperdynamix truck so he can pursue Reverb, but Ironhide turns down this idea.
They arrive back at Hyperdynamix just in time for Ironhide to miss out on killing any of the Decepticons, as Optimus and Ratchet have already finished all of them off. Kevin receives a telling-off from Optimus and General Marcus. Lindsay examines the second cylinder, and concludes it is operational yet only has enough charge for one journey, and they do not know what coordinates the first cylinder was set to. Douglas contacts Clay, who is now sharing quarters with Reverb, and declares the mission at least a success as far as stealing the prototype tanks and winning the confidence of Kevin and the Autobots goes. They also have an image of Reverb's cylinder showing the coordinates to Blue Planet as another bargaining chip. While trapped on Blue Planet Battle Mountain, Duane and his men lay a trap for two of the wolves that plague them. Though Anson is injured in the fight, they manage to dispatch the creatures, only to find that the wolves are robotic in nature. They barely escape the wolves by managing to shelter on a rocky ledge. Unfortunately, they find themselves surrounded by the predators until a giant robot centipede attacks the wolves, killing or driving them off. Fortunately, Duane's team stumble across a Cybertronian cylinder identical to the ones found on Earth that activates as they watch.
Back on Earth, Kevin and Gears are in the lab catching up on the analysis of the Cybertronian cylinders as Chief Lindsay attempts to introduce power to the intact Battle Mountain cylinder gradually, only for it to unexpectedly climb to 600% power levels. They rapidly vacate the lab only to determine from its readings that the cylinder will not actually activate for another four days. Meanwhile, General Marcus, Optimus Prime, Ironhide, and Ratchet preview Hyperdynamix's latest rocket technology: Reusable Launch Vehicles, which service the Hyperdynamix Orbital Debris Disposal Initiative Station, a space station which will clean up space junk in Earth orbit. Porter reveals that known to many working on the project, the station also includes an early detection system for incoming Cybertronians. Additionally, the latest two RLVs they are preparing to launch carry a satellite which will broadcast a signal to shut down Decepticons worldwide. Optimus is totally unconvinced that it will not affect Autobots as well, but Porter seems confident. The discussion is cut short when HODDIS detects four meteors heading for northern Idaho. Elsewhere, Douglas, who intends to ruin his father's plans, reviews footage from his spy drone hidden in the Rapid Response Base.
Optimus and his team arrive in a remote area of Idaho and soon find the fallen meteorites, which turn out to have been carrying giant robot centipedes. The Autobots come off second best during the initial encounter, and when Optimus comes around, the intruders have scattered. The Autobots likewise split up, with Optimus following and dispatching one pair of the creatures, who seem intelligent enough to lay traps. Ironhide and Ratchet follow the other pair before they reach the town of Sagle and manage to dispose of the first, though Ironhide has to chase the other into a lake to kill it, startling some fishermen.
Marcus orders the powered-up cylinder moved to a more secure location near Yucca Mountain. As it's the only way he might get Duane back, Kevin enlists Gear's help in persuading Lindsay to let them accompany the cylinder. Douglas, still spying via the drone, contacts Clay to organize an interception of the NEST convoy with Reverb and the stolen Hyperdynamix tanks. Bumblebee and Gears accompany the NEST convoy only for them to duly ambushed on Highway 99, just south of Beatty. While the Autobots scramble to defend the cargo, not far away at Hyperdynamix Aerospace, Porter and Marcus view footage of the battle and are surprised to see Reverb using the stolen tanks. Porter accelerates the launch of the RLVs to twenty minutes from now. Doug, spying on his father remotely, instructs Reverb to break off the ambush and stop the launch. The confusion allows the Autobots to get the upper hand, driving off the rest of the autonomous tanks, and Gears and Kevin likewise head for Hyperdynamix. Reverb gets there first and bursts into the control room, seriously injuring the elder Porter. As he is unable to stop the launch from there, the Decepticon attempts to attack the RLV directly, and is still on board as it launches. As Gears and Kevin arrive, Porter smugly reveals that the signal the satellite will generate will destroy Autobots as well as Decepticons. Gears and Kevin board the second RLV just before it also launches.
Witnessing his father's brush with death causes Douglas to have a change of heart, and he turns the information he has on the cylinders over to NEST. Gears and Kevin attempt an operation to stop the satellite with Reverb's help and some instructions from Hyperdynamix's fight controller Lyons. The first attempt goes poorly, so Kevin is forced to don a space suit and go outside to rewire to the satellite and succeeds only for Reverb to shoot Gears in the back. The crew on HODDIS use the station's anti-junk drones to send the Decepticon plummeting Earthward. While the badly-injured but functional Gears is taken on board the station, Kevin assumes manual control of and rides the RLV back down to Earth. Landing next to the activating trans-spacial cylinder, Kevin is transported to Blue Planet and uses the information provided by Douglas to reconfigure the cylinder Duane's team has found. The cylinder transports all six of them back to Earth, where they arrive back with the convoy in front of a startled Optimus Prime. Back at the NEST base, Marcus and the Autobots debrief on the giant centipedes and Reverb. Kevin visits Douglas at his father's bedside before he and the repaired Gears go for a drive. Satellite of Doom
Starscream proceeds to recruit more of the scattered Decepticons to his side, including Barricade, Fearswoop, Bludgeon, Tankor, Sonar, Storm Surge, Brimstone, Ruination, Blademaster, Mindewipe, Divebomb, and Skystalker. Revisiting his previous plans to gain personal power by manipulating human criminals, he establishes a "gun running" scheme in which he and his Decepticons provide humans with Cybertronian weaponry. Rising Storm #1
2010 onwards
Soundwave's efforts bear fruit and Shockwave's resting place is at last located.[9] This knowledge, coupled with all Soundwave has told him of the Ark on the Moon and his manipulation of humans over the last half-century, galvanizes Megatron into putting back into motion his millennia-old plan with Sentinel Prime. Before the plan can resume, the Decepticon house must be put back in order; to this end, Megatron liberates Shockwave and charges him with forcing the vast majority of his disenfranchised Decepticon followers back into line while allowing him to offline as many Autobots as possible, Rising Storm #2 starting with Longarm and Salvage. While the Autobots and NEST capture Fearswoop and eliminate Skystalker and Divebomb, Shockwave puts his plan into action. It entails allowing Brains, a brain unit scrap drone, to "escape" from the clutches of Shockwave's partner Astrotrain and make contact with Sam Witwicky and Bumblebee in Philadelphia, then forcing Starscream, Barricade, Space Case, and the rest of the former's followers back into Megatron's service and sending them to attack Sam's school to "recover" Brains. However, Wheeljack and Mirage arrive to help out. Rising Storm #1 Rising Storm #2 While Optimus Prime leads a NEST squad into action, Arcee, Elita-One and Chromia investigate Brains's point of origin, and discover that everything has been set up by Shockwave and are ambushed by Soundwave and his minions (Ravage, Rumble, Beastbox, Ratbat, and Buzzsaw). Rising Storm #3 Shockwave assaults the undermanned Diego Garcia base, killing nearly all the Autobots and humans there, including Jolt, Knock Out, Dune Runner, and Galloway. Shockwave then heads to Philadelphia for a showdown, crushing and killing Elita-One in the process, and is pummelled to within an inch of his life by an enraged Optimus Prime, only to be rescued by his Driller. Rising Storm #4 During the chaos at his school, Sam Witwicky again meets up with Carly, who is now working for Dylan Gould. Rising Storm #3 By the end of this crisis, Astrotrain, Fearswoop, Brimstone, Storm Surge, and Blademaster, and possibly Bludgeon, Ravage, Rumble, Beastbox, Ratbat, and Buzzsaw are killed by the Autobots. Rising Storm
Brains joins Wheelie in living with Sam, who begins a relationship with Carly. Dark of the Moon Robert Epps retires from active duty and takes a consulting job, working with NASA and the Wreckers. Rising Storm #4 Having been critically damaged during the battle in Philadelphia, Shockwave, Mirage and Wheeljack's bodies are rebuilt into new forms. Rising Storm #4 In their new bodies, Mirage and Wheeljack take on the names "Dino" and "Que", respectively. Dark of the Moon
National Security Director Charlotte Mearing is appointed the new director of NEST in place of the deceased Galloway, and quickly brings firm order to the organization, revoking Bumblebee's permission to live with Sam and arranging for the establishment of a network of Energon detectors around the globe to warn of any Decepticon threats. Dark of the Moon The devastated Diego Garcia NEST base is decommissioned, and the group moves its headquarters to its Washington, D.C. base. Dark of the Moon #1 While Decepticon high command remains hidden in Namibia, the vast majority of the villains' forces gather in seclusion on Earth's moon in preparation for Megatron's final plan. With this drastic reduction in Decepticon activity on Earth, NEST begins helping to resolve human disputes, though not always with government sanction. Dark of the Moon
After Sam graduates college, he and Carly move to Washington D.C., with Wheelie and Brains in tow.[10] Sam applies to work with NEST, but is turned down by Mearing, and spends three months struggling to both find a job, and to deal with his sudden lack of importance. Exploiting this, and seeking to use Sam as a mole through his connection to the Autobots, Dylan Gould begins an attempt at currying his favour by arranging a job for him at Accuretta Systems.
Requiring the Autobots to learn of the Ark's resting place, Megatron has Soundwave call upon Alexi Voskhod to request NEST's investigation into some "alien activity" in the ruins of Chernobyl. There, as planned, the Autobots discover the fuel cell from the Ark, which leads them to the craft on the moon. Recovering Sentinel Prime's body, Optimus Prime uses the Matrix of Leadership to restore his mentor to life, just as Megatron intended.
Another of Soundwave's pawns, Sam's Accuretta co-worker Jerry Wang, manages to alert Sam to the Decepticon's plans, but is himself executed by Laserbeak. With the help of Wheelie, Brains and Seymour Simmons (who, in the interim became famous with his tell-all book), Sam tracks down the cosmonauts from the cancelled Russian mission and learn of the hundreds of space bridge pillars the Decepticons removed from the ship. Believing that the Decepticons will come for Sentinel because they require him to activate the space bridge, Sam alerts the Autobots. Along the way, the Dreads-a unit of Decepticons (Crankcase, Hatchet, and Crowbar) fresh from the staging ground on the Moon-move in to intercept the convoy of Autobots tasked with defending the Prime. They are eventually dispatched by Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Dino, and Ironhide. Upon arriving at NEST headquarters, though, Sentinel reveals his ancient betrayal, killing Ironhide in the process. Dark of the Moon He proceeds to kill Bumblebee, only for Skids to take the shot. Mudflap makes a revengecrazed attempt to avenge his twin, but is unfortunately killed as well Dark of the Moon Dark of the Moon Movie Adaptation before Sentinel escapes with the pillars. Joining with Megatron, Sentinel triggers the space bridge, teleporting Decepticons and their associated war machines from the moon into the heart of Washington, D.C. for two reasons: 1) to devastate the city in a preliminary strike and 2) to entrench the Decepticon footsoldiers into human civilization by scanning alternate modes. Sentinel addresses the United Nations, demanding the exile of Optimus Prime's Autobots from Earth. Sam learns that Dylan Gould is working for the Decepticons, but with Carly as his prisoner, he is unable to warn the Autobots of the conspiracy. The Autobot occupation force departs aboard the Xantium, but the ship is attacked by Starscream moments after launch and explodes.
With the Autobot threat apparently gone, the Decepticons storm Chicago and begin fortifying it, turning it into a heavily guarded fortress bristling with troops and weaponry. Dark of the Moon Izabella's parents are among the human casualties. The Last Knight Sentinel announces that the human population will be enslaved and rebuild Cybertron. To accomplish this, Decepticons around the world begin setting up space bridge pillars to teleport Cybertron into the Solar System. Sam teams up with Robert Epps and his ex-NEST comrades to enter the city and save Carly from Dylan. After the Wreckers rescue the group from a fighter, they soon learn they will not be fighting alone. The apparent death of the Autobots was merely a ruse to catch the Decepticons off guard. An apocalyptic battle ensues in the streets and skies of Chicago. Although the battle initially goes well for the Autobots, the Decepticons eventually take Bumblebee, Ratchet, Sideswipe, Dino, and Que prisoner while Optimus becomes snared in a network of crane cables. Dylan convinces them not to take prisoners and kill them all. Barricade begins the slaughter by executing Que, and Soundwave moves to kill Bumblebee next, but Wheelie and Brains hotwire one of the Decepticons' Motherships and sabotage it, thereby distracting Soundwave long enough for Bumblebee and the other Autobots to get free. While NEST and the Autobots fight the Decepticons, Optimus Prime kills Shockwave and uses his arm cannon to topple over the space bridge's control pillar, deactivating the bridge. By the end of the conflict, Starscream, Soundwave, Laserbeak, and the Driller also perish alongside many other Decepticon troops Dark of the Moon, whereas Wheelie, Brains, and Barricade are barely able to make it out alive. Age of Extinction The Last Knight
While Optimus faces off with Sentinel, Sam kills Dylan by hurling him into the space bridge control pillar, which is then destroyed by Ratchet and Bumblebee. The pillar's destruction causes the space bridge to collapse in upon itself, destroying Cybertron and forcing the Decepticon armada into retreat. Convinced by Carly that Sentinel will take Decepticon leadership from him, Megatron intervenes in the Primes' battle and badly wounds Sentinel. Megatron then tries to deceive Optimus into thinking that he wants peace, but Optimus sees through the ruse and tears off Megatron's head, finally killing the tyrant. Optimus then executes the weakened Sentinel for betraying not the Autobots, but his own principles. The Autobots know that with Cybertron truly gone, Earth is now their only home. Dark of the Moon
Five years later
The destruction and political fallout caused by the Battle of Chicago turns a large portion of humanity against the Transformers, and as a result NEST and all other human-Autobot cooperation programs are shut down. Taking advantage of the turn in public opinion, CIA agent Harold Attinger forms a secret cabal of the organization called Cemetery Wind to hunt down all Transformers, regardless of faction. Cemetery Wind claims to only be hunting the Decepticons, and the White House is convinced that Cemetery Wind is working with the Autobots. All slain Transformers have their body harvested down for their raw material by KSI, whose leader Joshua Joyce, a partner of Attinger, dubs "Transformium." Additionally, the deceased Decepticons recovered from Chicago are used to assist in the process of creating man-made Transformers. Seeking to capture Optimus Prime for the mysterious Creators, Lockdown cuts a deal with Attinger and Joyce: in exchange for assistance in finding Optimus, Lockdown promises a Seed to his human allies. With this, they can cyberform a large area of land, creating enough Transformium to last for the next century. Age of Extinction
Optimus orders his Autobots into hiding upon learning of humanity's betrayal, but five years after the Battle of Chicago, almost every Earth-bound Transformer-including Ratchet and Leadfoot-has been killed. Age of Extinction During this period, Barricade reformats his body after surviving the Chicago battle and manages to avoid being hunted, all while being under the government's surveillance. Izabella is "adopted" by the Autobot Canopy, who also takes in the small-sized Autobot Sqweeks. The Last Knight Meanwhile, Optimus continues to evade Attinger's forces and eventually makes his way south to Mexico City. At some point, Lockdown and James Savoy manage to track down Optimus and badly damage him; as a result, Optimus is forced to take on a new disguise and flees north to Texas. While Optimus takes refuge in an abandoned movie theater, Bumblebee takes temporary command over the remaining Autobots, much to the displeasure of former Decepticon Drift.
Eventually, Cade Yeager purchases Optimus, intending to gut the "truck" for parts. Instead, he manages to reawaken the Autobot leader, and eventually offers to repair his injuries. Cemetery Wind tracks Optimus down to Cade's home, but Optimus is able to escape with Cade, his daughter Tessa and her boyfriend Shane. Optimus regroups with Bumblebee, Drift, Hound, and Crosshairs, and the group infiltrates KSI headquarters, learning of Ratchet's death and rescuing Brains, who had been captured by KSI to decode the dead Transformers' heads. Attinger orders KSI's most prestigious drones-Galvatron, who keeps turning out looking like Megatron rather than Optimus, and the Bumblebee lookalike Stinger-to capture Optimus, but Lockdown arrives on the scene and kidnaps him and Tessa.
In Chicago, Lockdown gives Attinger the Seed with their deal done, but the Autobots free Optimus and Tessa from his ship without his knowledge using a smaller, detachable ship. Brains reveals that Galvatron is in fact Megatron in a new body, who is has been manipulating KSI to produce a new body for him as well as a new army of Decepticons, in order to get the Seed and wipe out millions of humans. Cade warns Joyce of Galvatron's true nature, but Galvatron breathes life into the KSI drones and escapes anyway. In Hong Kong, a repentant Joyce tries to give the Autobots the Seed, but he, Hound, Bumblebee, and the Yeager family are separated from Optimus by Galvatron's army. Optimus recruits the Dinobots to aid them against the Decepticons, destroying Stinger, Junkheap, and over 50 other drones. Galvatron escapes to parts unknown as the Autobots and Dinobots triumph. Lockdown returns, having learned of Optimus' escape, but is killed when the Yeager family and Bumblebee come to his aid. Attinger is slayed by Optimus, avenging all the Autobots who have died because of Cemetery Wind. With the battle won, Optimus allows the Dinobots to roam the Earth freely. Knowing that the Creators still have a price on his head, Optimus departs Earth with the Seed to confront them, assigning the Autobots to guard Cade and his family in his absence. Age of Extinction
In the aftermath of the conflict at Hong Kong, most of Earth's governments have declared Transformers illegal, with the sole exception of Cuba where Simmons manages to relocate Topspin and Roadbuster, among other Autobots. Cemetery Wind is shut down and the multinational Transformers Reaction Force, or the TRF for short, is formed in its place to eliminate the remaining Autobots and Decepticons, yet are also able to capture the Decepticons Mohawk, Dreadbot, Nitro Zeus, Onslaught, and Berserker, the latter of which deemed unable to be released under any circumstances. Cade relocates Bumblebee, Hound, Drift, Crosshairs, the Dinobots, and their newborn babies to a junkyard hideout in South Dakota. Wheelie and an Autobot disguised as an excavator are eventually found and brought to the junkyard as well. Cade also hires a new employee to help out while he travels along the country in search of other surviving Autobots. Hoping to leave Earth while they still have a chance, the Autobots reluctantly enlist the help of the scavenger Daytrader with finding an operational ship. Around this time, Sir Burton (and later Simmons) are the last remaining members of the Order of the Witwiccans.
Despite the absence of Optimus, new Transformers continue to arrive regularly; the newest ship to arrive crash-lands in Chicago, where it is found by a group of children. When a TRF mecha confronts the kids, they are saved by Izabella, Sqweeks, and Canopy. Unfortunately, Canopy is killed by the TRF while Sqweeks loses both his right arm and his ability to transform. Fortunately, Bumblebee and Cade arrive and help Sqweeks and the children escape. Despite Yeager being unable to save the crashed ship's pilot, one of Quintessa's former guardian knights, the ancient Cybertronian attaches a metallic talisman to Yeager’s body. Barricade observes and reports this to Galvatron, who has been reformatted into a yet another new body under unknown circumstances (most likely thanks to Quintessa) and has reprised his former identity of Megatron.
On the far reaches of the Solar System, Optimus Prime -having been put into stasis and no longer in possession of the Seed- arrives on a now-disassembled Cybertron as it is heading directly for Earth while under Quintessa's control. Using her powers, she places Optimus under her control, dubs him "Nemesis Prime," and charges him with recovering her staff in order to drain Unicron's life force so that Cybertron can be restored. Around that time, Unicron's six horns extend from the ground at six different locations around the Earth. Meanwhile, Lennox, now a member of the TRF, brokers a deal between the TRF and Megatron, releasing from their custody a squad of Decepticons who will help Megatron recover the talisman from Yeager: Mohawk, Dreadbot, Nitro, and Onslaught, the latter of which was settled mainly because Berserker was refused. The Decepticons hunt Yeager to his junkyard hideout before following them to an abandoned town. During the chaos of the ensuing battle, Onslaught, Dreadbot, and Mohawk are killed by the Autobots. Yeager is approached by Cogman, who takes him and Bumblebee to England to meet his master. There, Yeager also meets the Oxford professor Viviane Wembly, who Burton has had Hot Rod kidnap. Burton reveals that Viviane is the last living descendant of Merlin, and tasks her and Cade in finding and using his staff to prevent the impending destruction of Earth by Cybertron.
Fleeing the TRF, Yeager and Wembly follow clues left by the latter's father that lead them, Bumblebee, and Cogman to take the submarine HMS Alliance into the sea to find the guardian knights' sunken ship, in which they discover the tomb of Merlin and the staff. Wembly activates the staff, and the ship rises to the surface when the TRF arrives to confront the group. Suddenly, several knights awaken and attack them, one of which is easily defeated by the TRF. The attack is cut short by the arrival of Nemesis Prime, who takes the staff from Viviane. After a brutal fight with Bumblebee, the young Autobots is finally able to speak once more. Recognizing the sound of Bumblebee's voice is enough to break Optimus free of Quintessa’s control. Megatron and Nitro arrive to steal the staff, where it is revealed that the Decepticon leader too has been working for Quintessa all along. As the Decepticons flee with their prize, the remaining guardian knights attack Optimus for his betrayal until Yeager stops the fight as talisman becomes the sword Excalibur. Realizing he is the last knight, the knights yield to Yeager, who urges Optimus to protect the Earth once more.
Megatron delivers the staff to Quintessa, who begins draining the life force of Earth/Unicron via Stonehenge. When the British military intervenes, Megatron shoots Burton, who dies with Cogman at his side. Using Lockdown's old ship, which had been procured by Daytrader, the Autobots arrive to join the fight, landing on Cybertron and battling against the surviving Decepticons and Quintessa's legion of Infernocons. The Autobots and TRF are unable to advance due to both a gun emplacement and the Infernocons' combiner form Infernocus. Fortunately, Sqweeks is able to use his new arm's weaponry to destroy the gun emplacement while Optimus, backed up by Dragonstorm, weakens Infernocus long enough for the "ugly mess" to separate into his components before executing them. Optimus, Bumblebee, Hound, and Hot Rod battle and defeat Megatron just as Quintessa's ignition chamber is knocked off Cybertron. Bumblebee executes Nitro and manages to seemingly slay Quintessa while Viviane removes the staff, stopping Cybertron's destruction of Earth, but leaving the two planets connected. Optimus declares that humans and Transformers must work together to rebuild their worlds, and sends a message calling any surviving Autobots to come home. Having somehow survived being blasted, Quintessa (disguised as a human) encounters a group of scientists inspecting one of Unicron's horns in a desert and offers them a way to destroy Unicron. The Last Knight
Alternate timelines
- Sector Seven ARG timeline—Detailing the history of the "alternate reality" that presents Transformers as real beings, and the fiction associated with them a cover story propagated by Sector Seven.
- Titan Magazines movie timeline—Covering the UK take on the live-action movie universe, which diverges following the events of the first film. Also includes a timeline of the parallel universe where the events of the movie turned out differently.
Footnotes
- ↑ In Revenge of the Fallen, when Jetfire recounts the Fallen's battle with the rest of the Dynasty, he projects an image of multiple surviving Primes forging their bodies into the tomb, not just one. But per the comics, Jetfire wasn't even there when this went down, and he's old and crazy anyway.
- ↑ The Wal-Mart exclusive "Beginnings" story claims Megatron crash-landed on Earth "four million years" ago, which is in stark contradiction to the dates included everywhere else, including the films themselves.
- ↑ A document briefly seen while Frenzy hacks Air Force One in the film itself dates Witwicky's discovery of Megatron to September 7th, 1895, but is contradicted in dialogue by Sam, who dates his great-grandfather's voyage to 1897 during his class presentation. All tie-in media has supported Sam's version of events!
- ↑ Hasbro's Vector Sigma timeline states Sam was born October 10, 1990. However, Sam's driving license in Revenge of the Fallen reads September 13 1991. Presumably, Sam's date of birth was adjusted so he would be 18 when he enrolled at college in 2009.
- ↑ The Longshot leaves Earth in 1979 and returns in 2007; assuming an equal amount of journey time on both trips, its return to the Nemesis would occur around this year.
- ↑ Movie Prequel #4 and "Planetfall" present two irreconcilable versions of the Decepticons' arrival on Earth. In the former, only Starscream, Barricade and Blackout arrive, in scattered locations around the world, with the date given as 2003 in accordance with the date given for the Mars Rover's destruction in the movie's teaser trailer. In the latter, Bonecrusher, Brawl and Wreckage are also part of the group, and they all arrive together in Afghanistan, with the end of the story implying they have arrived just before the beginning of the movie in 2007. The "Planetfall" version is used in this timeline because both The Reign of Starscream and Alliance went on to corroborate it, and base a portion of their plots around it. However, Alliance also presented Wreckage as being captured by Sector Seven four months prior to the movie, contradicting the very narrow timeframe "Planetfall" suggests, indicating that the most "correct" combination of the stories is to place the events of "Planetfall" in 2003, per both the trailer and the original prequel.
- ↑ The timeframe of this whole affair is a bit wonky: per Movie Prequel #4's adherence to the 2003 date of the teaser trailer, Bumblebee and the Decepticons spend four years flouncing around on Earth before finding Sam.
- ↑ While Transformers: Starscream and Rising Storm are both written by John Barber and are clearly intended to tie in to one another, Megatron appears in his Dark of the Moon body in the former, but in his Revenge of the Fallen body in the latter. Barber confirms he is supposed to be in his Dark of the Moon form in Rising Storm, but did not appear that way because of either an artwork mistake or an active desire on the part of Hasbro and/or Paramount to not feature the body in that comic. This is not uncommon: his Revenge of the Fallen body was likewise the subject of secrecy in 2009, and Shockwave, Wheeljack and Mirage all featured different designs from their movie selves in Rising Storm (albeit with explanations for their changed appearances).
- ↑ Rising Storm refers to Arcee having received wounds "in Egypt last year", placing the mini-series somewhere in 2010.
- ↑ No date for the events of Dark of the Moon is provided in the film. Given that Sam has recently graduated college by the time of the film, this would place it at least three years after Revenge of the Fallen; the Dark of the Moon video game, while not workable in this timeline (as most video games tend not to be), employs a three year gap, while the novelization of the film puts the movies "several years" apart, which sure sounds like "more than two" to us. The junior novelization, meanwhile, implicitly sets Dark of the Moon in 2013, by noting that the Xantium, which landed on Earth in late 2008 per Tales of the Fallen, arrived "five years ago".
