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Everyone knows The Transformers, it was one of the most popular cartoons of the '80s! You don't need us to explain the adventures of the Autobot spy Muffler and his human friends getting into wacky antics trying to survive and wage guerrilla war on a Decepticon controlled Earth.

Just kidding, that's obviously not the cartoon we got.

In early 1984, though, it was possible that wouldn't be the case. A radically different version of the show was pitched by Marvel Productions, its series bible written before "More Than Meets The Eye" even had a final script. For decades, there was no information about this pitch, barring mentions in writer Jeffrey Scott's resume and a brief discussion in a production memo.

Forty years later, that all changed.

Background

In 1981, animation studio DePatie-Freleng Enterprises was sold to Marvel Comics, becoming Marvel Productions. Both were located on different sides of the country, with Productions in California and Comics in New York. Despite this new merger, the two companies did not get along well at all. In 1983, Marvel Productions ignored the work that Comics had created for the unproduced series Mysterians, rejecting the serious action premise for a goofy, Hanna-Barbera-esque one largely centered on kid supporting characters and a wacky dog.

By 1984, the same thing happened with Transformers. Fueled by the massive success the Transformers toyline was projected to be (and ultimately was), Hasbro rushed to expand the still in-production miniseries into a full show, naturally turning to Marvel Productions to do so. However, rather than sell it to syndication as with the miniseries, Marvel Production attempted to sell the show to the network CBS. One of the network requirements were female characters, but we're not sure if they had others or if the writers just decided to reuse other stock tropes they knew networks liked.

Enter Jeffrey Scott. A former Hanna-Barbera employee most known for his work on Super Friends at the time, Scott was hired by DePatie-Freleng in 1979 for Spider-Woman and Spider-Man, by Stan Lee and Lee Gunther, the latter which would be delayed to 1981 due to the merger. While at Marvel, Scott worked on Dungeons and Dragons, and story edited the fever dream that was Pandamonium. Besides writing scripts, Scott also developed series bibles for animated series: in 1984 alone, he wrote the unproduced The Right Stuff, The Secret Wars, Menudo and would later devise the smash hit Muppet Babies. Thus, Scott was tasked with creating a development bible for this new Transformers series.

First Bible

No that's not Bumblebee. He's Toad.

On February 22, Scott began work on the series bible, including the basic premise, style of the show, and the characters' personalities. Difficulties arose due to a lack of reference material, seemingly receiving little more than a list of names and altmodes, with Scott specifically requesting 'bio cards'. In fact, he was given so little to work with, Cybertron isn't even referred to by name. Impressively, he finished the first bible just three days later on February 25. In this version, the Autobots had finally destroyed the last of the Decepticon rebels after eons of war, bringing peace to their planet. However, they had only destroyed their robot forms, while the Decepticons' "electronic life-entities" had fled into space to try and acquire new bodies. They eventually found their way to Earth and built a base in the Bermuda Triangle, spending the next 50 years hijacking various military crafts to rebuild their forces. The Autobots spent years searching the universe for their enemy, eventually tracking them down to Earth and reigniting their war once again.

The Autobots assume control of various Earth vehicles to blend into the new world, with their leader Optimus Prime takeing control of a truck owned by the human William 'Duke' Convoy. Unwilling to steal Duke's truck from him, the human is 'drafted' into the war, using his knowledge to help the Autobots. However, Optimus is not the only Autobot to have a human driver: the Autobot Toad (originally meant to be Bumblebee until they decided "NO MINI-CARS") assumed the form of a green VW belonging to a teenage girl named Wendy Fairchild, and now he's stuck with her. The other main Autobots include Jazz, Trailbreaker, Sideswipe (the only female Autobot), Mirage, with Ironhide, Hound, Prowl and Ratchet as secondary characters rounding out the rest of the cast.

From their underwater headquarters, the Decepticons plot to conquer Earth. The Decepticon leader Megatron carries a canister with him which holds the energy forms of an army's worth of Decepticon soldiers. All he needs to do is place one of these energy orbs into his cannon and shoot it at a mechanical object, and it will be transformed into a Decepticon warrior. The other Decpticons are Soundwave (the disloyal second in-command), Buzzsaw (used by Soundwave to spy on the Autobots as well as the other Decepticons), Starscream (a female Decepticon who hates Jazz for destroying her body back on Cybertron), Thundercraker, and Skywarp. They have also joined forces with Arthur Kroll, a human who aids the invaders so that he may rule over the rest of humanity after the Decepticons have conquered Earth.

The bible includes a list of "story springboards":

Rotten To The Core

Megatron takes control of the New York subway system and implants "glowing energy orbs" into the trains, turning them into an army of Deception warriors! Optimus Prime and Duke join forces with a group of teens to help save the day.

The Titanium Germ

When the Autobots try to stop Megatron from converting Alaskan oil rigs into new robot soldiers, Jazz is exposed to a deadly substance that infects and slowly kills him. Now the Autobots have to save their friend and stop Megatron!

Anything For A Friend

Converting a nuclear submarine into a new warrior, the Decepticons take control of the seas. Optimus is forced to leave his truck body and poses as an old battleship to try and stop the threat. He's nearly destroyed in the ensuing battle, and Duke must form a 'mind-link' with him to try and restore the Autobot leader to life.

Not On The First Date

Wendy is forced to abandon her first date when Megatron plots to bring an army of Japanese electronic devices to life. It's up to her and Toad to stop him.

Time For Trouble

Kroll reveals the existence of a government time machine to Megatron. With the device transformed into one of their soldiers, the Decepticons can escape into another time—unless the Autobots stop them!

Hasbro and Sunbow would provide feedback on this bible, clarifying that Transformers were mechanical beings, not electrical. They also didn't want any pre-existing characters to be female, and suggested that Optimus meet the human hero after being repaired when severely damaged in the desert. As a result, the bible was brought more in line with the preexisting premise. CBS also had input, wanting to tie the pitch into the miniseries as well as give Duke a dog that could sniff out Decepticons. Remember that for later.

Revised Series Bible

No that's not Bug Bite. He's Muffler.

Scott completed a revised draft of the bible, now 41 pages long, on March 3. By this point, he had been provided with Bob Budiansky's character profiles and a copy of the first act of "More than Meets the Eye, Part 1". As a result, the pre-existing characters were brought more in line with their bios, and the plot was given the same backstory of the Transformers crashing on Earth and being awoken millions of years later by a volcanic eruption. However, by the year 1988, the Decepticons' superior numbers have allowed them to conquer much of the Earth, taking control of its manufacturing facilities and leaving humanity as little more than slaves, with Megatron Negator giving them only a sliver of control over the remains of the economy to keep society running. Dissent is impossible due a secret police of disguised Decepticons, who keep the human population under constant surveillance. Howeveer, the Autobots continue to operate from the shadows, attempting to free humanity and stop the Decepticons for good.

Most of the roster of characters would be carried over from the previous draft, with some minor alterations. The main Autobot lineup now included Optimus Prime, Jazz, Firecycle, Mirage, Muffler (a renamed Toad) and Trailbreaker. The Decepticon roster now featured Negator, Soundwave, Buzzsaw, Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp and Whirlpool.

Cast

Autobots

• Optimus Prime- Leader of the only six remaining Autobots.His bio is a rework of Bobs but with a few new twists. Described as "IMENSELY KIND, AND HIS COMPASSION EXTENDS TO ALL LIVING THINGS, INCLUDING THE "TWO-LEGGED FLESH FORMS" OF EARTH." Views humans "AS NO DIFFERENT THAN AUTOBOTS, EXCEPT THAT THEIR PERSONALITIES ARE CLOTHED IN FLESH INSTEAD OF METAL." Still has that weird three modules aspect of the bio with Roller being present, though he doesn't appear in the script. However, here the Combat Deck trailer is "AUTOBOT HQ" which besides transporting Autobots is "A REPAIR CENTER FOR DAMAGED AUTOBOTS" which can perform "ELECTRO-SURGERY."
• Jazzz- Optimus cool, happening right hand man. His bio is a very slight reworking of his profile. Uses the early three z's spelling.
• Firecycle- The only female Autobot, she transforms into a red motorcycle and is a skilled mechanic tasked with repairing her fellow Autobots. She's also a robot expert able to create many things, such as turning a toaster into a fighting robot. She has a 'Laser Heat-Ray' and a 'Zero-K Blaster' that can freeze anything. Firecycle loves Optimus Prime, but the Autobot leader fears returning her feelings after all the Autobots he's lost in centuries of war. The medic's main failing is her reluctance to hurt any living thing. She even tries to avoid driving on grass for fear of hurting the plant life. The Decepticons take advantage of this by often pretending to be injured to lure her into a trap. While her role as the 'girl Autobot' and crush on Optimus originates with the previous bible's version of Sideswipe, she is otherwise a very different character.
• Mirage- An aristocrat turned reluctant freedom fighter. Like in the final cartoon he can turn himself invisible. Also has a Twin Tractor Beam. Distrusted by some of the other Autobots who think he could be a spy.
• Muffler: An Autobot spy and messenger, named after his noisy exhaust system. He turns into a VW Beetle (described as yellow and pink at different points in his profile). He adopted this form while trying to escape a Decepticon ambush by hiding in a used car-lot. It worked so well he was brought by Wendy Fairchild. The tenderhearted Autobot not wanting her to have wasted her money now serves as her car when he's not on missions. Wendy calls him 'Muffy' a nickname he dislikes. Muffler has refused to use a weapon since he shot himself in the foot with a laser cannon. He has issues with his 'elctro-mechanical control functions' which prevent him from transforming properly. For instance when transforming into robot mode one of his legs might get stuck as a fender forcing him to comically hop around on one leg. His main strength is his klutziness. He might lose a wheel while fleeing a Decepticon, only for his pursuer to trip over it.
• Trailbreaker- An incredibly fuel ineffective Autobot which leads him to view himself as a liability. To counter this he acts as a prankster. Once fused a game cartridge into Muffler's mind. Jerk. Has a "A LASER-GATTLING GUN" which "FIRE 32 PENCIL-THICK BEAMS AT ONCE."

Decepticons

• Negator: The Decepticon leader. Yes he's a renamed Megatron to emphasize how he's completely negative with no positive traits. He has dedicated the Decepticons to subjugating all inferior lifeforms, and he views all other life as inferior to him. He's so evil the Autobots question if he's really sentient, or some sort of empty husk animated by an ancient computer program.
• Soundwave: Negator's scheming Comm-Officer. He's described as red in the script. The only cassette he has is Buzzsaw, a "STAUNCH ALLY AND CONFIDANT."
• Starscream- Biggest change to the profile is the line "NEGATOR OVERLOOKS THE POTENTIAL PERSONAL THREAT STARSCREAM REPRESENTS FOR TWO REASONS: 1. STARSCREAM IS VERY GOOD AT HIS JOB, 2. NEGATOR IS BETTER." (Move over Seekers, Here the jets are known as "Strato-Warriors").
• Thundercraker-Just a straight copy of his character profile with no changes.
• Skywarp- "THE LEAST INTELLIGENT OF ALL DECEPTICONS", a prankster that no-one else likes. Teleports by way of a "A SPACE-WARP LOCATION TRANSFER." Carries "HEAT-SEEKING "ACID-WARHEADS" that melt into an Autobots Armour. Has the early "Olive Drab" colour scheme.
• Whirlpool: The only female Decpticon she turns into an AMPHIBIOUS FLYING CRAFT, that is able to fly, jet across ground and water, along with being able to travel underwater allowing her to reach any depth beneath the waves. She poses a twin torpedo launcher which fires a special imploding torpedo which sucks anything in range. Her rotors can also create a powerful whirlpool when underwater. Her seductive charms allow her to trick an Autobot into thinking they're on the same side, before she betrays them. Whirlpool is a former Autobot. Optimus Prime seeks to reform her, while she wants to destroy him to prove that the Decepticons are superior.

Others

• Matt Conroy- (Sunbow didn't think Duke was a good name. Imagine a cartoon had that as the main character's name...) A twenty-nine year old truck driver who found a damaged truck by the side of the road. He repaired it planning to replace his old truck that had been repossessed by the bank. But once the repairs were done it transformed into Optimus Prime. Since then Matt has been swept up in the Transformers war 'bitching and moaning' about the Mechanical Men from Mars who've taken over his life, but like Han Solo he'll always come though for his Autobot friends in the end. When driving Optimus the Autobot talks to him over the truck's CB radio. When Optimus transforms Matt's cab becomes part of Optimus chest and all the human can do during fights is yell "I'LL CREAM YA IF YA DENT MY TRUCK, YOU TIN PIRATE". Optimus overlooks Matt's behavior because his knowledge of Earth is useful to the Autobots. That and he likes him. Matt's mechanically skills also mean that he can jury-rigg repairs to help patch the Autobots up.
• Burt- Matt's pet German Shepard with the unique ability to detect Decepticons via their smell. An otherwise friendly creature he goes wild when he senses a Decepticon. This is useful for revealing Decepticons in disguise (he's fine with Autobots which has led Matt to wonder if the differences between Autobots and Decepticons goes beyond political persuasions).
• Wendy Fairchild- Once she was a normal teenager, like Dominique Dunnne from "Poltergeist" who lived in the suburbs like in "Poltergeist" with her parents and had a little brother like in "Poltergeist" (That is the comparison CBS used). Now she helps the Autobts with their fight against the Decpticons, while trying to balance her teenage life, having to come up with excuses as to why she has to suddenly ditch her date at the drive-in theater, or explain to her father why her car has laser-shots in the windscreen. As her parents work in one of the Decepticons fabrication plants she worries what would happen to them if her connection to the Autobots was revealed. The network wanted her to be Russian like Nadia Comeniech who, umm, wasn't Russian. This didn't happen. At the end of the pilot script Scott suggests finding her parents could be a potential plot point for the series.
• Eddie Fairchild-Wendy's younger brother, his youthful curiosity lead him to uncover the secret of his sister's car. Since then lack of fear has resulted in him getting involved in the Autobots fight with the Decepticons, such as the time he hide in Muffler's backseat. He looks up to the small Autobot, pestering him with questions like what happens if you fall into a black hole or if aliens built the pyramids. He wasn't in the first bible, but appeared in Scott's notes.
• Arthur Kroll-An amoral human whose allied himself with the Decepticons as way of obtaining power and wealth. While he provides them with information about the human resistance their is little trust between Kroll and the Decepticons, as ultimately the human only cares about himself. His greed and thoughtlessness often result in him becoming a hindrance to both the Autobots and Decepticons. He does not appear in the pilot script.

Episodes

The series bible contains the episodes included in the previous bible, along with a set of new episodes.

The Erasing of Optimus Prime

Negator captures Optimus and takes his memory tapes, giving him the information he needs to destroy the Autobots. Matt must risk his life to steal back the tapes and rescue his friend.

The Plutonium Plot

Negator plans to cut the Autobots off from their fuel supply knowing that it will only be a matter of time until they run out of energy. The Autobots must sneak into a nuclear power reactor to recharge themselves before its too late!

A Cold Day In December

Developing a 'Diamond-steeling alloy' Negator takes control of the Pennsylvanian coal fields for a new source of diamonds. The Autobots must take back control of the mines before the coldest winter in years spells the end for the people of the Eastern US.

Nobody Home

Wendy's parents are taken by the Decepticons to work in a factory forced to help create a new, deadlier kind of 'mind controlling' robot. Wendy and Eddie embark on a dangerous mission to save their parents with the Autobots help.

Operation Alpha Centuri

Negator war fleet is complete and he is ready to begin his conquest of the universe! With the help of the human resistance the Autobots build their own ship. In a 'Star Warsian' battle the Autobots manage to destroy the Decepticons fleet.

The Robot With A Thousand Eyes

A Decepticon spy learns of the Autobots plan to hijack a shipment of Decepticon parts. Now they need to stop the spy from reaching Negator.

A Robots Best Friend Is His Dog

Annoyed that Burt the German Shepard has foiled another scheme, Negator sends a squad of Decpticons to captured the robot detecting dog. The Autobots and Matt plan a raid on Decepticon headquarters to rescue their four legged friend. This episode was chosen as the pilot script to represent the series.

A New Muffler

During battle Muffler is captured and rescued by his friends. But after Autobot plans begin to fail it seems that they have a spy in their midst. And suddenly Muffler isn't such a klutz....What's going on?

A Deadly Decision

A battle leaves several Autobots several wounded. Firecycle tries to repair them, but a lack of supplies means that she can't save everyone. One of the Autobots will die unless she can get the supplies to save them.

Legacy

Ultimately CBS did not produce a Transformers cartoon in 1984. While the pitch was passed over it wasn't quite the end. On April 30th Sunbow staff briefly considered including some aspects into the final show, such as a big brother figure (they decided not to) and maybe reusing some the episode premises (they didn't). The January 1985 issue of Comic Features which showcased various ultimately unproduced cartoons included artwork created for this pitch under the new title of Car and Cable. For years this was assumed to be Marvel creating a knockoff of their own success with Transformers. We still don't know why this happened. Were Marvel seriously considering reworking this show without the Transformers elements? Did they publish concept art under a fake name to make it look like they had more shows in development? It's unclear.

And that was the end of this version.

Until 2020, when Instagram user consumercollectiables uncovered additional concept art which showed a silhouetted Prowl menacing Muffy and his friend in a garage using the names mentioned in the memo, explicitly tying it to Transformers. This just raised more questions..... Which were answered in 2024, when Jeffery Scott sold his copy of the series bible.

External links

• First Series Bible
• Revised Series Bible
• A collection of Jeffery Scott's network notes
• Story outline for A Robot's Best Friend Is His Dog
• Script for A Robot's Best Friend Is His Dog