Bumblebee (ES)
| The name or term "Bumblebee" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Bumblebee (disambiguation). |
- Bumblebee is an Autobot from the EarthSpark continuity family.
Bumblebee has been at Optimus Prime's side since the Autobots arrived from Cybertron back in the 1980s. Famous for his daring skills and high-speed driving abilities, it was a shock when he vanished, going undercover for years at the behest of his commander. Now, in the modern day, he's returned not to reclaim the spotlight as an Autobot hero, but to teach the newest generation of Transformers, the Terrans, who have been adopted by the human Malto family.
His reputation and experience has made Bumblebee somewhat ill-equipped to handle his new mentorship role. He'd rather be in the middle of trashing Decepticons than lesson planning, and he's bought into his own hype, expecting others to immediately listen to him and follow his orders or advice. It's been a rude awakening for a bot who thinks he's one of the best, combined with the fact that he has to keep his own existence a secret from G.H.O.S.T.. But his spark is in the right place, and he's found a surprising confidant in his self-proclaimed biggest fan, Alex Malto. Bumblebee may be the Terrans' teacher, but maybe the Maltos can teach him something about what's he's been missing for years: being part of a family.
Fiction
EarthSpark cartoon
- Voice actor: Danny Pudi (English), Ryōhei Kimura (Japanese), Alfredo Gabriel Basurto (Latin American Spanish), Davide Garbolino (Italian), Gil Mesquita (Brazilian Portuguese), Alexis Tomassian (French), Péter Szokol (Hungarian)
Bumblebee fought alongside the Autobots in their war against the Decepticons, becoming a key ally of Optimus Prime. While initially staying behind on Cybertron to hold the line, he ended up joining his allies on Earth, becoming one of many stranded there. Secret Legacy, Part 1 Bumblebee played a crucial role in the last battle of the war, in which he helped deliver the AllSpark relay-race style towards a Space bridge portal back to Cybertron to hopefully revitalize it and keep it out of Decepticon hands. Warzone After the war ended, he suddenly disappeared, with many believing he had perished. In truth, he had actually gone into hiding, with a select few being made aware of his location. He spent some time taking part in drag races at the Tagbilarian City airport in the Philippines and became familiar with the legend of the Wakwak. Traditions At some point, he acquired a "X12 limited edition" car mode. Classified
Years later, Bumblebee's hiatus was bought to an end when Optimus came to him with a new mission. First, he aided in battling a group of Decepticons controlled by Mandroid, saving his biggest fan Alex Malto from the Insecticon Bombshell. Afterwards, Bumblebee was given his true assignment: mentoring the newly created Terrans Twitch and Thrash alongside the Malto family, much to Alex's joy (and Bumblebee's chagrin). That night he showed up to a Malto family cookout, beginning his stay with them. Secret Legacy, Part 2
Bee's initial attempts to get the Terrans interested in training were largely ignored, and he was unable to reach Optimus for advice. Even taking part in the Malto Family Game Night resulted in Twitch getting angry at him, and it was only after he successfully helped her rescue Fluffy Ears from the train tracks that the Terrans were more open to training. Moo-ving In Bumblebee helped Alex repair the house after Twitch and Thrash damaged it during training. He was later alarmed when Thrash and Mo were befriended by Swindle, and joined Dot in chasing the Decepticon off once the inevitable betrayal happened. House Rules While Agent Schloder was working with Dot, Bumblebee had to hide in the barn in vehicle form. Unfortunately Schloder found him and, assuming he was a regular sports car, insisted on requisitioning Bee for his search. Bee drew the line at Schloder eating a powdered donut in his interior, locking the agent out, and Schloder opted to requisition a more reliable vehicle. Classified
Bumblebee failed to get the hand of basketball, leading Alex to invite him on a Wakwak hunt. The pair bonded on the hunt, with Alex teaching Bee his kali defense techniques, and Bumblebee headed back to the house to pick up Mo and Robby, believing the kids were missing out. Bee got to hear Mo and Thrash's new musical skills, and they were visited by Wheeljack. Traditions Twitch and Thrash began experiencing malfunctions during Bee's training lessons, and sensing that emotional feedback from the kids was distracting them, Bee took the two Terrans on a more practical scouting expedition to the kid's school. When Twitch and Thrash disappeared, Bee and the kids tracked them and found Thrash was almost out of energon. As they later learned, it was because the Terrans were powered by Earth water rather than energon, and Bumblebee discovered an ancient message left by Quintus Prime. Friends and Family
When Optimus contacted Bumblebee to ask for backup, Bee saw his opportunity to get involved with big boy work, and left the Terrans to train with Arcee. He was able to help Optimus and Megatron to capture three cassette bots. As they transported their captives to a G.H.O.S.T. base, they were attacked by Soundwave. After Arcee and the Terrans joined the battle, Bumblebee opted to return to his duties training the Twitch and Thrash. Decoy During a G.H.O.S.T. Autobot Alliance ceremony, Bumblebee had to stay home with the Terrans to maintain his cover. He and Optimus went with the Terrans to track down the cave they were born in, leading them to battle Skywarp and Nova Storm when the pair turned up intending to take Optimus's arm. Age of Evolution, Part 1 Bumblebee joined the search for Mandroid's base so they could rescue Dot and Megatron. Unfortunately said base turned out to be a giant mech, which resulted in Bee and the others working together to defeat it. Age of Evolution, Part 2
With the arrival of the three new Terrans, Bumblebee decided to let Twitch and Thrash take the lead in teaching their new siblings on the value of an alt-mode. With Twitch and Hashtag however this ended up with the latter being inadvertently abducted by G.H.O.S.T. when she scanned one of their vans. Bee and Twitch's rescue attempt of Hashtag led to them discovering the young Terran's internet powers. Hashtag: Oops When Jawbreaker was interviewing others about how to find the perfect alt-mode, he first went to Bumblebee though was later turned away when the Terran dissed Bumblebee's previous alt-mode, a VW-inspired looking Beetle. Outtakes When Alex and Dot were abducted by the the reclusive Decepticon scientist, Tarantulas, Bee and the others arrived on scene to see they had already been rescued by Nightshade. He was convinced by Nightshade to give the spider-bot a second chance after being told the incident was a misunderstanding. Missed Connection
Bumblebee's past racing history finally caught up with him when Agent Schloder deduced Bumblebee was disguised as Alex's car. Still not realizing the Maltos were harboring Bee, Schloder recruited Alex to help him trap Bumblebee at the upcoming Witwicky 500. When confronted by Dot over his racing history, Bumblebee revealed it was because he used it was a way to keep in contact with his old friend, Breakdown. Realizing he couldn't endanger his family, Bee went to Breakdown to try and convince his friend to stop joining races that endangered the both of them. Breakdown only agreeing however if Bee could beat him in this one last race. The race however never even started as G.H.O.S.T. agents on the scene were able to detect Breakdown through Energon trackers. Bumblebee was forced to reveal himself when he saved Schloder from some collapsing debris caused by the battle between Breakdown and G.H.O.S.T. Upon being crippled by a shot from Agent Croft, Breakdown acted as a diversion to let Bee escape. With his identity compromised, Bumblebee couldn't return to Malto farmstead. Security Protocols
Back working undercover, Bee was dispatched by Optimus to track down what happened to Grimlock, who had gone missing when investigating the underground Bot Brawl ring in Philadelphia. Entering the Bot Brawls, Bee gained quite reputation for himself but surprised when he found one of his next opponents was Jawbreaker. The Terran having been tricked by one of the Brawl's employees into entering the matches. The two's reunion was short lived however when they were forced to fight the mind-controlled Grimlock. Joined by Mo and Thrash, they all overcame the Autobot T-Rex when they were able to smash the control badge placed on him. They made a temporary retreat however when the freed Grimlock went on a fire-breathing rampage, deciding to let him cool off. Re-uniting with the rest of the Malto children above ground, Bee recruited his students for their first Autobot mission in recovering Grimlock. Home, Part 2
The rescue mission however soon turned into a battle with the returning Mandroid, revealed to the be one running the Bot Brawl ring in the city. Bee found himself the latest victim of Mandroid's latest invention, a series of Arachnamech-style tentacles that entangled him on the ceiling and slowly drained him of Energon. While eventually freed, the situation escalted when Hashtag was placed under one of Mandroid's control badges and forced to fight her siblings. With the fight moving up to the city, Bee told Twitch to go free her sister and not worry about him while he recovered. Bee finally resurfaced shortly after Hashtag was freed from Mandroid's control, though he lamented they were never able to find Grimlock. Bee tried to depart to go look for him but collapsed from a combination of his wounds, Energon depletion, and exhaustion. Needing to get back to Witwicky, the Maltos took Bee back home with them. Home, Part 2.
Toys
EarthSpark
- Bumblebee (Tacticon Assortment, 2022)
- "Tacticon assortment" Bumblebee is a small figure that converts from a small car into an unposeable robot with just a single step controlled by your fingertip.
- Oddly, his faux-kibble chest omits his normally prominent windshield.
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- Bumblebee (1-Step Flip Changer, 2022)
- TakaraTomy Name: Supatto Change Bumblebee
- TakaraTomy ID Number: ESS-03
- "1-Step Flip Changer" Bumblebee is a simple toy that converts from robot to vehicle and vice versa by being folded inside-out/outside-in, much like a switchblade. His vehicle mode can be arrived at much faster by letting him fall face-up onto a solid surface. This releases a switch on his leg and allows him to spring back into car mode instantly. Unlike previous One Step Changers, Bumblebee lacks any robot mode articulation beyond waggling his free-moving arms side to side.
- Bumblebee (Deluxe, 2022)
- TakaraTomy ID Number: ESD-03
- Accessories: Stinger blaster, right arm for Mandroid (Hasbro Release only)
- Released as part of the first wave of Deluxe Class toys, this Bumblebee converts from robot to sports car and features more poseability than other price points. The Stinger blaster can fit over his fist for battle, stow on his robot mode back, or attach to the top of his vehicle form. He also comes with a Build-A-Figure piece: a Hardtop right arm for Mandroid.
- The TakaraTomy release of the toy features additional/altered paint patterns to make him closely resemble his on-screen appearance while omitting the Mandroid piece.
- Bumblebee & Mo Malto (Spin Changer, 2022)
- TakaraTomy ID Number: ESC-02
- Accessories: Mo Malto figurine, Vehicle spoiler/Flight unit for Mo
- Spin Changer Bumblebee is a roughly Voyager Class-sized figure that features a spinning gimmick on the upper torso if the included Mo Malto figurine is mounted onto it. Bumblebee also comes with a removable vehicle spoiler that doubles as a flight unit for Mo (though its peg was slightly larger, which means you have to wedge through your way on her back). Bumblebee only features very limited articulation on the elbows and features 5mm-compatible hands.
- The initial preorders made for the TakaraTomy release of the toy will come with an additional "Burning Chainclaw" Battle Master.
Notes
- Bumblebee's '80s alternate mode (an unlicensed approximation of a VW Beetle) seen in "Warzone" is an homage to his Generation 1 counterpart.
- Bumblebee's design in the present is a modified versión of his character in Cyberverse.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Bumblebee (バンブルビー Banburubī)
- Hungarian: Űrdongó ("Spacebumblebee")
