Bumblebee (Movie)
| 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 live-action film continuity family. He is also known as N.B.E.-02.
Bumblebee is one of Optimus Prime's most trusted lieutenants. Although he is not the strongest or most powerful of the Autobots, Bumblebee more than makes up for this with a bottomless well of luck, determination and bravery. He would gladly give his life to protect others and stop the Decepticons.
Badly damaged in battle, Bumblebee lost the ability to speak verbally, though he can still communicate over inter-Autobot frequencies (in a fashion that seems somewhat akin to instant messaging, a usable but more distant and less personal means of interaction).
- Spanish name: Abejorro ("Bumblebee")
- Mandarin name: Dà Huáng-fēng (大黃蜂, "Bumblebee")
- Cantonese name: Daai Wong Fung (大黃蜂, "Bumblebee")
- Hungarian name: Űrdongó ("Space Bumblebee")
Fiction
IDW Transformers movie comics
Many years in the past, Bumblebee and Cliffjumper were guardians of the All Spark at the Temple of Simfur. One day, Bumblebee wondered aloud why Optimus and Lord High Protector Megatron were out investigating the nearby excavation site when the All Spark was "freaking" out with energy spikes. Cliffjumper assured him that whatever Optimus and the others were investigating, it must have been important, then reminded his colleague that they had their duties. When Bumblebee admitted nerves, Cliffjumper said that the two of them could handle anything, and just to let trouble come to them. He would soon regret those words when aliens attacked Simfur. They were seeking cover inside the temple when Lord Megatron swooped in, berated them for not taking the fight to the enemy and destroyed their opponent. He then told commander Starscream to keep the lowly security guards out of the way of the military. Defiance issue 1
Bumblebee was concerned this was the start of something big, to which Cliffjumper agreed, but he felt that as little cogs in the great machine, all they needed to do was stand guard. Prowl advised them to stay at their posts and report to him of any unusual activity from the All Spark during the battle. Defiance issue 2
After the relic informed Megatron of Optimus' break and enter of his personal quarters, Bumblebee, Smokescreen, Cliffjumper, Camshaft, Jazz and Prowl were sent to the ruins near Burthov to arrest Optimus Prime's party on trumped-up charges of treason. When Optimus angrily demanded to know just what he had done to be charged with treason, Bumblebee pointed his weapon at the science leader and said they were just following orders, which seemed to satisfy Optimus. What the security officers didn't know was they were being led into a trap, and soldiers loyal to Megatron were under orders to eliminate all but Optimus. After being hit by an explosive round, the group banded together, realising they had all been marked for death. Optimus ordered them to flee to Burthov while he took care of Starscream's group personally. Defiance issue 3
While on an apparent scouting mission, Bumblebee and Arcee discovered the Nemesis while it was under construction and reported their findings back to Prowl. Then Bumblebee transformed into a ball and Arcee transformed into a hover-bike and they both headed back to base. When the Nemesis was completed, Bumblebee and Arcee were there once again to witness the majority of the Decepticon forces board and take off for parts unknown to them.
With the bulk of the war-like Decepticons gone into space, the Autobots were able to hold their own in their resistance to Megatron's rule, but the war was ever-escalating in intensity, leading to increasing casualties and devastation to Cybertron. When it was clear to Optimus Prime that the conflict was locked in a stalemate, he made the desperate decision to capture the All Spark and launch it into space. This decision took Bumblebee by surprise, but he supported Optimus Prime. Defiance issue 4
During the raid to capture the All Spark, Bumblebee commanded the Autobot forces at Tyger Pax on Cybertron attempting to hold the Decepticons off while the All Spark was launched off-planet. He succeeded, but Megatron crushed his voice box, and he lost his ability to speak in the process. Defiance issue 4Prime Directive issue 1 Ratchet has been having trouble fixing it ever since. Bumblebee was declared a hero for his actions, but he feared that all they had done was potentially spread their war to other worlds. Prime Directive issue 1
Later, he was the first to track the All Spark to Earth, making planetfall in 2003. Here, he learned to express his emotions by tuning in appropriately emotive music on his car radio. Though the clandestine human organization Sector Seven tracked his descent and secured the area in Virginia where he landed, his quick assumption of a local alternate mode disguise allowed him to escape via Interstate 64. Bumblebee's search for the All Spark began in St. Louis, Missouri, where he used a remote link to a coffee shop computer to search Shwiggle for any signs of extra-terrestrial sightings. There, he discovered the legend of the Ice Man, and the story of Captain Archibald Witwicky. Prime Directive issue 3
Bumblebee's quest took him to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where Captain Witwicky had been committed. First he visited the ruins of the long-abandoned Psychopathic Institute for the Long-Term Insane, Witwicky's final home. Prime Directive issue 4 From there, Bumblebee headed into downtown, where he scanned the records of Captain Witwicky from an unnamed asylum. This action unfortunately put Sector Seven onto his trail.
The Baton Rouge clues led Bumblebee to Springfield, Missouri, in search of Witwicky's son Clarence. En route, he evaded the first of several attacks by Sector Seven. In Springfield, he found records of Clarence's descendants, and started out to track them down. The oldest son, Ben, had resided in Denver, Colorado, but the trail ended there. En route to his next stop in Tucson, Bumblebee was again attacked by Sector Seven, evading their helicopters by blinding them and rocketing off at high speed. Not long after, he was attacked by Barricade in the desert. Interlude
Damaged and smoking, Bumblebee stopped by the roadside to rest and recover. Suddenly detecting a burst of All Spark energy, he continued onwards out of Colorado. In New Mexico, as he approached the source of the All Spark energy, he came under attack once again from Barricade. Other Decepticons, meanwhile, attacked the energy source and found it to be a Sector Seven ruse. Bumblebee managed to escape Barricade again, though unbeknownst to him the Decepticons let him go so that they could track him. Eventually, his search took him to Tranquility, Nevada, Prime Directive issue 4 where he would soon encounter Sam Witwicky.
Transformers: Beginnings
- Voice actor: Mark Ryan
Optimus Prime entrusted Bumblebee with the secret that the All Spark would be sent into deep space to prevent Lord Megatron from possessing and corrupting it. Just after the launch, Megatron attacked Bumblebee in rage at losing the All Spark and shattered the Autobot's voice capacitor beyond repair.
Bumblebee arrived on Earth and, sensing the AllSpark was near, took on local camouflage to search for the artifact. He immediately attracted the attention of Sector Seven agents and the Decepticons. Transformers: Beginnings
Ghosts of Yesterday prequel novel
Between Tyger Pax and his arrival on Earth, Bumblebee and the rest of the Ark crew encountered some humans in deep space and got their first clues to where Megatron and the All Spark rested. Bumblebee discovered a human shuttle, the Ghost 1, which had been made by reverse-engineering from Megatron's body. He was attacked by Starscream and escaped. Attacked by giant, metal-eating worms, he was ultimately saved by Optimus Prime. Bumblebee participated in the final battle against the Decepticons. Ghosts of Yesterday
Transformers (2007) film
- Voice actor: Mark Ryan (English), Hiroshi Iwasaki (Japan radio voice) Akio Kato (Japan normal voice), Helmut Gauß (German)
Bumblebee, having made his way to a second-rate car dealership, became Sam Witwicky's first car. Sam's father promised his son a car if Sam paid half of the money and achieved three A's in school. After doing so with the help of his genealogy project, Sam rode with his father to a car lot with an exceedingly long name. Following them to the lot, Bumblebee quietly placed himself among the other cars. To prevent Sam from having to choose another car, he used a high-frequency sound wave to blow out the windows of every other car in the lot, leaving Bobby Bolivia with no choice but to sell Bumblebee to the Witwickys.
The next day, Sam and his friend Miles Lancaster drove Bumblebee down to the lake in a misguided attempt to impress the popular girls at a party. Observing the exchange of thinly veiled insults between Sam and the football jocks, Bumblebee decided to help out Sam when the boy noticed Mikaela Banes walking home after a falling-out with her now ex-boyfriend. Playing "Drive" on his radio, Bumblebee inspired Sam to kick Miles out and drive Mikaela home. As the two awkwardly chatted, Bumblebee suddenly turned off his engine when they neared a romantic spot overlooking the city, this time playing "Sexual Healing" and "I Feel Good". Not knowing his car has a mind of its own, Sam misinterpreted this as a breakdown. Mikaela attempted to fix Bumblebee with her mechanical know-how, only to leave after Sam asked her why she tolerated jerks like her ex-boyfriend. Trying to help as much as he could, Bumblebee allowed Sam to start up his engine as she walked away, this time playing "Baby, Come Back". Arriving at Mikaela's house, Sam advanced a step towards her by stating that he didn't believe her to be shallow at all, that there was "more than meets the eye" with her. After she left, Sam quietly enthused that he loved his car.
Later that night, Bumblebee drove off by himself with Sam in hot pursuit, believing it to be a car theft. Unwittingly leading his human owner to a junkyard, Bumblebee transformed and activated his communications beacon, requesting assistance from Optimus Prime and the other Autobots. Unknown to him, Sam had seen his robot form and run off, and was now being being pursued by the junkyard's two guard dogs. Bumblebee came to Sam's aid, scaring off the dogs, but had to escape when the police (whom Sam had previously summoned when Bumblebee drove away from his house) arrived to arrest Sam for breaking into the junkyard.
The next day, Bumblebee drove back to the Witwicky house sometime after Sam had been bailed out by his dad. Frightened and confused, Sam rode away from what he dubbed "Satan's Camaro", ending up in the city and encountering Mikaela in front of a Burger King. Bumblebee followed Sam towards an industrial area, not realizing that the Decepticon Barricade was stalking the boy, intent on finding glasses belonging to Sam's ancestor, which Sam had been auctioning on eBay Sam ran away from the attacking Decepticon and literally ran into Mikaela after she had followed him. As Barricade bore down on the pair, Bumblebee suddenly appeared, knocking the Decepticon off his feet, then drove the humans away as Barricade gave chase.
Racing through dilapidated factories and warehouses, Bumblebee eventually arrived at a deserted chemical plant on the outskirts of town. There he waited until Barricade's back was turned before dumping Sam and Mikaela out of his passenger side door, then transforming into robot mode to protect his friends. Barricade transformed and attacked, hitting Bumblebee with his tire spikes and knocking the Autobot into a chemical tank. In retaliation, Bumblebee grabbed Barricade and threw him into an electrical substation, seriously damaging the Decepticon and putting him into stasis lock. After Sam and Mikaela took care of Frenzy, Bumblebee introduced himself to them entirely through the use of his radio, explaining that it was the only way he could communicate, that he was an alien, and that Sam had witnessed him calling to his friends the previous night. Transforming back into vehicle mode, Bumblebee invited his friends to enter (which they did after a brief hesitation) and began to drive them to nearby Griffith Observatory.
On the way, Mikaela (who had refused to sit in the driver's seat, as Bumblebee was driving), rhetorically asked Sam that if Bumblebee was a super-advanced robot, why did he turn into a piece-of-crap Camaro? Mildly insulted, Bumblebee stopped in the middle of a packed tunnel and forced the humans out, then drove away. As Sam lamented the fact that "four thousand dollars just drove away", Bumblebee passed another car and scanned it, driving back to the pair as a sleek and shiny 2009 Camaro. Amazed and impressed, Sam and Mikaela got back in, and Bumblebee continued their journey to the observatory. Arriving, the humans observed as the other Autobots entered the Earth's atmosphere and crash-landed in various parts of the city.
Bumblebee then took his friends to a secluded alleyway, where Sam and Mikaela met the other Autobots. Introducing themselves, Sam learned that Bumblebee was his guardian and that the Autobot's vocal processors had been damaged in battle. Ratchet was still working on them as he fired a regenerative plasma beam[1] at the damaged area. Optimus Prime explained that their mission was to find the All Spark, and that Sam Witwicky was the key due to his grandfather discovering Megatron on an Arctic voyage.
Arriving at the Witwicky residence, Bumblebee attempted to convince his comrades to remain out of sight while Sam was talking to his father. When Sam and Mikaela were captured by Sector Seven, Bumblebee helped rescue them. The interrogation of Agent Simmons went nowhere, however, and Bumblebee became so annoyed with his attitude that he released lubricant onto the agent. Soon, Sector Seven reinforcements arrived, intent on recapturing the kids and any "N.B.E.s" they could get their hands on. Optimus Prime tried to protect Sam and Mikaela as they hid under a bridge, but both almost fell to their deaths when they slipped. Bumblebee raced forward, transforming and catching them in mid-air. Unfortunately, this also gave Sector Seven a clear and obvious target for them to attack. Firing harpoon cables from helicopters, the clandestine human organization dragged Bumblebee to the ground, and its soldiers began to freeze the helpless Autobot, who reached out to Sam. The boy broke free from an agent's grip, pushing the soldiers aside until he was tackled by several agents and taken away. Though Jazz objected to allowing Sector Seven to leave with their friend, Optimus Prime ordered his troops to stand down, as there was no way to save the prisoners without incurring human casualties.
Taken to Hoover Dam, Bumblebee was continually doused with cryoblasts to keep him docile and inert as Sector Seven performed experiments on him. Sam and Mikaela (with some armed persuasion from Captain Lennox) convinced Sector Seven to release Bumblebee. Upon his release, Bumblebee converted to battle mode and almost lashed out at his human oppressors until Sam calmed him down, informing him of the presence of the All Spark and Megatron in the facility, and that the Decepticons were coming for both. Following the humans to the All Spark's chamber, Bumblebee hesitantly reached out to the life source of his people and reformatted it, shrinking the cube until it was a size that the humans could manipulate. Bumblebee and a military escort fled to Mission City, meeting the Autobots en route.
Soon after they arrived at the city, Starscream appeared. Recognizing the Decepticon, Ironhide and Bumblebee lifted up an abandoned truck in order to shield the humans from any collateral damage Starscream's attack would inevitably bring. One of the Decepticon's missiles struck the truck, sending both Autobots flying, with Bumblebee landing in a store front. The attack tore off Bumblebee's legs and left him barely functional, as Sam discovered to his horror when Bumblebee crawled from the wreckage. Soon, the other Decepticons arrived, led by Megatron, and the remaining Autobots were engaged. Mikaela and Sam hoisted Bumblebee onto a abandoned tow truck, but refused to leave his side. The Autobot silently handed his friend the All Spark, trusting the fate of his people into the boy's hands, and urged him to run while he still could. As Sam ran off, Mikaela drove Bumblebee away from the fighting to relative safety.
However, she was soon overcome with guilt for leaving Sam and the battle. With Bumblebee's assent, she turned the truck around and headed back in. As Mikaela drove down the street in reverse, Bumblebee activated his weapon systems, then fired his plasma cannon and missiles at Devastator, who was pinning down Captain Lennox and the rest of the combined Ranger/Sector Seven soldiers. His contribution was the deciding factor, confusing Devastator enough for the soldiers to counterattack, and the Decepticon was destroyed at last when Bumblebee's final cannon blast pierced his spark. Bumblebee was rather pleased with himself, and Mikaela complimented his shooting.
After the destruction of Megatron and the All Spark, Bumblebee (who had regained his voice[1] requested permission to remain with Sam, to which the young man agreed. After his legs were repaired, he allowed Sam and Mikaela to make out on top of him as the other Autobots watched. Transformers
It was the best day ever. Well, maybe not for Jazz.
Titan Magazines Transformers movie comics
In an alternate reality, it was the crappiest day ever because Sam failed and was killed, and Megatron went on to conquer much of the Earth. Bumblebee liked to believe that there was a universe out there in which Megatron lost.
Bumblebee and Mikaela went on to become old comrades in guerrilla warfare, and in 2008 went on a mission to rescue Optimus Prime from a Decepticon bunker in Denver. Bumblebee, now with missile launchers in car mode and increased physical strength, took out the bunker guard, Swindle, (nearly crushing Mikaela by accident—"My bad.") and found Prime...or what was left of him. Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 1 Now stuck in the base, Bumblebee was being hunted by Megatron Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 2, and baited into revealing himself when the tyrant threatened to kill Mikaela. Bumblebee made a desperate attack, only to be beaten aside with ease. Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 3
Despite his defeat, he remained defiant to the end and refused to beg for mercy. Luckily the Autobot reinforcements arrived; unluckily, they couldn't stop Megatron; luckily again, Mikaela had revived Optimus Prime to save them Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 4 and arrived with Phase Two of their plan, a Sector Seven nanovirus that targeted All Spark energy. Plugging it to himself, Bumblebee charged at the super-powered Megatron and forcibly uploaded the nano-virus, killing the tyrant once and for all. Not that he patted himself on the back over this, for he knew too well that this just left a power vacuum... Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 5
Still partnered with Mikaela near the Savannah, Georgia refugee camp post-occupation, Bumblebee appeared frustrated with how the humans were frightened of him and, to be listened to, Mikaela had to do the talking for him. Transformers Comic issue 14 They went back into battle again to end a NATO bombardment of the Autobots in Savannah, running a gauntlet of tanks and Thundercrackers before freeing the NATO field commander from Decepticon mind control. During the course of the battle he roasted a drone with fiery exhaust. Aftermath Part 2
Following this battle, Bumblebee was involved in many clashes with Decepticons to protect human infrastructure, including leading a small group to protect an oil pipeline in Alaska. Armorhide did not follow orders well. Dark Spark
Following that, he was sent with Arcee and Armorhide to Cybertron, under Ironhide's command. The mission was to retrieve Nucleon. Bumblebee was ordered to do recon and discovered a strange satellite dish, but investigating it saw the team jumped by Stockade. Then a strange energy anomaly appeared in orbit, and when Bumblebee asked what it was, Stockade babbled "BLBLBLBLBBL!". Return to Cybertron: Part 1 Bumblebee's subsequent attempt at dialogue (after first convincing Ironhide to stop throwing his face at Stockade's fists) was more successful, finding out the anomaly was a living entity the Decepticons had deliberately summoned, believing it would rejuvenate Cybertron.
Not trusting this entity and wanting to stop all the Nucleon being used up, Bumblebee organised the Autobots to create a distraction while he snuck around and turned the Nucleon transfer off. He also intended to send a message to Optimus, and considering the entity was Unicron the Anti-Life, it's a good thing he did. Return to Cybertron: Part 2 In the resulting chaos, Bumblebee had Divebomb barge past him, had to rescue Ironhide from rubble, and found out the guy wanted to stop Unicron by destroying the world. He wasn't having a good day. Return to Cybertron: Part 3
The day improved when Optimus arrived with a better plan: Cut off the Nucleon that Unicron's body was using for power. Bumblebee and Armorhide were dispatched to drain the Nucleon seam. This took too long, though, so Ratchet came up with a quicker alternative. Return to Cybertron: Part 4
Upon returning to Earth, the Autobots found the Decepticons had pinched their base and all 600 square miles around it. They retreated, leaving Mikaela in Decepticon hands; Bumblebee was distraught over this. Hard Target He would be part of the raid to get her back, knowing and ignoring that it was an obvious trap due to how much they owed Mikaela. The raid was successful and the two were reunited, awwww! The Decepticon Who Haunted Himself
It didn't last long, with the Decepticon-blackmailed American government ordering the Autobots out; Bumblebee got dispatched with Ironhide on a mission related to this. The next day, Bumblebee got one last hour with Mikaela (and to beat up Dropkick as an "up yours" gesture) before joining the Autobots in departing... and then they got nuked! Revolution Part 1
Optimus had anticipated this though, and the Autobots faked their deaths with a decoy ship. Bumblebee, however, couldn't tell Mikaela this due to a decision to minimise any possible exposure. He was part of the spearhead team on return to Earth, intended to raise the Decepticon Heartland and teleport all the enemy there to the dead Cybertron. Mikaela was not happy to see him back, feeling they'd kept the plan from her because they didn't fully trust her to not be captured; Bumblebee tried to deny this.
In the final battle, Bumblebee 'tagged' Megatron and so is responsible for the tyrant being exiled forever—third time lucky!
In the aftermath, after it became clear the Autobots had just exiled themselves to Earth forever—"Hey, there are worse fates," said Bumblebee—Mikaela forgave Bumblebee. Both had a lot of clean-up work to do, but also a brave new world to explore together...!Revolution Part 3
Real World
At some point, Bumblebee let his guard down and the Decepticons took advantage by taking out an Autobot communications hub. He apologized for his lapse. Transformers: Rise of the Chevy Autobots
Toy bios
Bumblebee and Hardtop, as two opposing elite spies, have crossed paths many times across the galaxy in a grueling test of endurance. Lately Hardtop has been taking this rivalry very personally, turning it into a vendetta. It was a crack shot by Hardtop that damaged Bumblebee's vocal processors, causing the Autobot pain when he tries to speak. Hardtop
During the Mission City battle, Bumblebee required assistance and had to be towed to safety by Longarm. Towed to Safety
With the initial threat over, Bumblebee decided to kick back and relax. Transcanning a rally car, he began hanging around at race tracks, pitting himself against the human racers. Rally Rocket Bumblebee
He would later be sent on a mop-up duty, hunting Scorponok across the Middle East. Bumblebee vs. Scorponok
Eventually, with pictures of him all over the internet, Bumblebee found to his discomfort that everyone recognised him... including newly arriving Decepticons, which put Sam and others in danger! With Mikaela's help, Bumblebee recoloured himself to help restore his disguise and make it easier to sneak up on the enemy. Stealth Bumblebee
IDW Transformers movie comics
Shortly after the battle in Mission City, Bumblebee's injuries were tended to by Ratchet while Ironhide and Captain Lennox's men searched for the creatures inadvertently created by the All Spark's energy. After his legs were attached, he rolled out with the Autobots to escape Sector Seven's inquiries. A month later, when asked by Lennox, Optimus Prime informed the human that Bumblebee had resumed his role as Sam Witwicky's protector. Alliance issue 1
Bumblebee accompanied the other Autobots to escort the convoy transporting the dead Decepticons to a navy base in San Diego, California, where they would be taken out to sea and dumped. Optimus Prime gave the surviving All Spark sliver to Professor Vine of Sector Seven, but after deciding this was a bad idea later on, he sent Ironhide and Bumblebee back to the Nevada facility to retrieve it. Bumblebee raced ahead and arrived to inadvertently save Starscream's life by disarming the revived Wreckage. A grateful Starscream shot Bumblebee as he was protecting the humans, Alliance issue 2 leaving his vocal processor damaged. Though Ironhide praised him for his bravery and selflessness, Bumblebee regretted not being able to save everybody. By the time the Navy and the Autobots were out at sea to bury Jazz and dump the Decepticon corpses, Ratchet had repaired Bumblebee's body (giving him a modified vehicle mode in the process), but was evidently unable to fully restore his vocal processor. In an effort to prevent mistakes of the past occurring again and to protect Earth, the Autobots and the United States Military formed a special unit under Major Lennox and Optimus Prime's command. When the Decepticon Swindle was detected in San Francisco, Bumblebee and the others rolled out from Diego Garcia. Alliance issue 3
After Optimus Prime destroyed a surprised Dead End, Bumblebee chased Swindle onto the deserted Golden Gate Bridge. Though cornered, the Decepticon was amused that they had sent his old nemesis Bumblebee against him, and quickly set to clobbering the Autobot. Major Lennox distracted the Decepticon, allowing Bumblebee to pay Swindle back for his inept attempt to torture him thousands of years ago. On the plane trip back to Diego Garcia, Lennox and Optimus agreed that Sam Witwicky would become the target of the Decepticons again, and that he must be protected. Bumblebee was chosen to act as Sam's guardian again, and before he left, Prime pressed upon him that the protection of the boy was his first priority. Alliance issue 4
The Veiled Threat prequel novel
Bumblebee does not appear in the novel, but NEST personnel mention that he is guarding Sam Witwicky.
Titan Magazines Revenge of the Fallen comics
His voice gone again, Bumblebee communicated by playing snippets of Earth songs.
Bumblebee was driven by the Witwickys to Sam's college, where he quietly endured their bickering while scanning everything around him for potential threats. When he picked up radio transmissions from two new Autobots, he drove off into battle, and saved Skids and Mudflap from being slaughtered by the Decepticon Ransack. But with the villain threatening a long game, Bumblebee knew that here came trouble... Dogfight!
Speaking of trouble, poor Bumblebee ended up as the twins' minder. You can guess how well that went... Learning Curve
Some time later, Bumblebee was hanging out in Sam's garage when he received an emergency call from Diego Garcia: the twins, now dangerous Decepticon turncoats, had abducted Sam! He tore out of the garage, tracked down the twins, and demanded they stop immediately. When they didn't, he launched suppressive fire and began ramming Skids, yelling "let my people go-go!". He soon had Sam free and the twins at gunpoint, ready to eliminate if necessary. However, partway into Mudflap's claims that they'd been framed and there was a bigger threat coming, Soundwave got the drop on Bumblebee and gunned him down... Outlaw Blues
Clearly he got better, because he was around for the Fallen (see below) and later was sent back into the field to capture Reverb. When Jolt messed the mission up, Bumblebee saved the day by ramming the bike head-on. Culture Shock
Revenge of the Fallen movie
- Voice actor: Mark Ryan (dialogue cut from final movie)
Bumblebee was dozing in the Witwicky garage the day Sam was packing for Princeton University when he heard the boy scream out his name. Bumblebee drove through, transformed and started blasting away at Allspark Mutations of the Witwicky kitchen appliances. Judy Witwicky was horrified that Bumblebee blew up much of their house, but he shrugged her off and went back into the garage. As firefighters and local police arrived, Sam and Mikaela Banes went inside the garage. Mikaela asked whether Bumblebee was still having voice problems, to which Sam replied the Autobot was just playing it up. Sam revealed he did not want Bumblebee to come to college as he wanted a normal life, and he couldn't do that with Bumblebee watching over him. Bumblebee was heartbroken and began crying, refusing to listen anymore.
However, Optimus Prime was having difficulties with NEST director Theodore Galloway, who believed protecting the human race required drawing away the Decepticons from Earth by making the Autobots leave. Optimus believed Sam would be a worthy ambassador to convince the President of the United States otherwise. Bumblebee picked up Sam from a frat party, only to get an unwanted passenger in Alice. Bumblebee knew something wasn't right about the girl interested in Sam, smashing her head against his dashboard, and dousing her in liquid to get rid of her. Bumblebee dropped Sam off to meet Optimus at a graveyard, where the boy turned down Optimus' offer.
When Megatron returned from the dead, Bumblebee was deployed to rescue Sam, Mikaela and Leo Spitz, driving away with the latter two while Optimus drove off with Sam. Optimus died protecting the boy, and Bumblebee took him with Skids and Mudflap to an abandoned prison where they would be safe. Following Optimus' death, The Fallen and a new army of Decepticons struck out across Earth and announced their existence, promising to leave if they were given Witwicky. Galloway shut down NEST and had the other Autobots placed under guard with orders to ship them back to Diego Garcia, while a manhunt began for Sam. Bumblebee was now protecting a fugitive.
That evening, Sam told Bumblebee he was responsible for Optimus's death, and would understand if Bumblebee hated him, but the little Autobot bore Sam no grudge, and promised that he would help in any way he could. When Sam announced that he would turn himself in, Bumblebee insisted that it would not help matters. Under Leo's suggestion, the group came to New York City to meet his internet rival, the Robo-Warrior. As it turned out, the Robo-Warrior was none other than Bumblebee's former lubrication post, Seymour Simmons, who elaborated on evidence of the Seekers that came to Earth before Megatron and the All Spark. Bumblebee watched from the sideline as the humans and Wheelie awoke Jetfire, who transported them to Egypt, which unfortunately sent Bumblebee crash landing near Sam. Jetfire explained the origins of the Seven Primes and the treasons of The Fallen, mentioning the Matrix of Leadership, which Sam believed could be used to resurrect Optimus Prime.
Bumblebee continued his role as chauffeur, transporting the humans to Petra, the supposed location of the Tomb of the Primes. However, Petra appeared to be a dead end, and the Twins got into an argument of why they were following Sam around, which, knowing the Twins, got violent. As their brawl threatened to crush the humans in the close quarters, Bumblebee picked his two subordinates up in each hand, slammed them together, and threw them out of the temple. However, the Twins' brawl had managed to unearth the Tomb of the Primes, and Bumblebee further opened the hole with his plasma cannon, where they found the Matrix...which instantly turned to dust. Oops.
While heading back to Egypt, the Autobots came under assault by Starscream, and it was decided that Sam and Mikaela would take the Matrix dust to Prime's body while Bumblebee, Simmons, Leo, and the Twins would lead Starscream and the Decepticons away. When it became apparent that Starscream was no longer pursuing them, Bumblebee left to rejoin Sam. Heading to the abandoned town where Sam and Mikaela were, Bumblebee found that Ron and Judy Witwicky had been captured by the Decepticons, and were being held by Rampage. Noticing Bumblebee, Sam distracted the Constructicon long enough for Bumblebee to jump him. While Bumblebee had Rampage on the ropes, Ravage jumped Bumblebee, but the plucky Autobot managed to fight off Ravage and rip out his spine. Ouch. With Ravage dispatched, Bumblebee managed to tear off Rampage's arms and distend his head. Bumblebee then tried to escort his charges to NEST's positon, but the heavy amount of fire convinced Sam to have Bumblebee to take his parents to safety, while he continued his quest to save Optimus.
However, during Sam's flight to Optimus's body, Megatron caught up and blasted the boy, evidently killing him. Bumblebee returned to the scene with Sam's parents, and broke down in grief. However, the human miraculously survived the attack, and with the reformed Matrix of Leadership, resurrected Optimus Prime. Together, the assembled Autobots and humans watched as Optimus combined with the remains of Jetfire, destroyed the harvester and killed The Fallen. Revenge of the Fallen (film)
Toy bios
After the discovery of new Decepticons on Earth, Bumblebee decided to upgrade his arsenal and modified his vehicle mode so he could use weaponry in it, deciding he'd been caught off guard too many times before. Cannon Bumblebee
Following this, he volunteered to be Sam's guardian, It was a pretty swank deal: he got to hang with Sam and Mikaela all the time, got lots of oil, and could join Ironhide in killing Decepticons whenever he wanted. Bumblebee But when the battle shifted to the deserts, he threw himself into the fray, upgrading himself for desert combat and wielding the mighty sand blast! Sand Attack Bumblebee
Cyber Mission
- Voice actor: ?
Games
"Flight of the Bumblebee" online game
At some point in time Bumblebee was trapped in a canyon with several Decepticons, among them Brawl, Barricade, Wreckage, and Scorponok. He valiantly fought through them all to make it to the other side. He did it without even bending a fender. Flight of the Bumblebee
Transformers: The Game
(No voice actor, considering the fact that his voice box got blown before the events of the game)
Bumblebee landed in Tranquility while being briefed by Optimus Prime on his mission to find clues on the All Spark. While on Earth, he took the form of a beat-up 1976 Chevrolet Camaro in possibly a dump or a demolitions bay. Some Decepticon drones were also in Tranquility at a nearby construction site, so Bumblebee confronted and destroyed the drones before any civilian casualties could ensue.[2] Prime detected a Cybertronian code matching that on an artifact owned by a boy named Sam Witwicky, who was reported to be buying a car at Bobby Bolivia's. Unfortunately, some more drones heard of Prime's report, so Bumblebee had to get involved in a high-speed car chase and defeat the drones.
With Sam buying the Camaro-ed Bumblebee, the first phase of finding the All Spark was complete. The next day, Prime warned Bumblebee that the Decepticon named Barricade was also on Earth and threatening to take Sam and his new female friend, Mikaela. So the Autobot had to incapacitate the arm-spinning, spike-punching, tantrum-throwing Decepticon while the humans escaped. Now that Bumblebee knew of the Decepticons' growing involvement in finding the All Spark's location, he obviously needed help. The only problem now with the Autobots' landing was their radar systems. The Decepticons had hacked radio towers throughout Tranquility to mess up any aircraft radar. Naturally, Bumblebee went to the scene and destroyed the towers. With the Autobots having landed, it was time to find the All Spark.
Optimus Prime explained to Sam and Mikaela about the All Spark, the importance of the glasses, and Humanity's fate. Before moving on the matter at hand, Mikaela questioned Bumblebee's alt-mode being such a beater. The mildly insulted Autobot then copied a more current version of the Camaro (2009 Concept). Later, a government group called Sector Seven went after the Autobots with their helicopters and cars. After Jazz's successful distraction, Sector Seven then switched their sights to Bumblebee, who got captured, but then got away with the efforts of Prime.
Sector Seven sent Bumblebee to Hoover Dam. The Autobot immediately saw the All Spark and a frozen Megatron. After a mysterious blackout, Bumblebee got free and started to shut down the power faster by ripping out the mainframe, blowing up the cooling fans, and removing nuclear canisters from their generators. The All Spark was his, but he had to wait for it to shrink while fending off Sector Seven troops, a lot of Energon drones, and a defrosting Megatron. (Oy!) Eventually, Sam and Mikaela got to the dam and fled with Bumblebee to Mission City before Megatron could get his huge, pointy clutches near the cube.
The Autobots' first priority was then keeping the cube from Megatron. Unfortunately for Bumblebee, he crashed into a building due to interference from energon drones generated by the cube's radiation. Ironhide came in and helped. While the rest of the Autobots fought the Decepticons, Bumblebee had one final showdown with Barricade. After a lot of punches, blasts, and car chases, Barricade finally went down for good. Megatron then went to the scene and incapacitated the wounded Autobot with one shot from his fusion cannon. Bumblebee urged the two humans to take the cube to Optimus for he could not go on any longer.
After the battle was won by the Autobots, Bumblebee struck a pose with the other remaining four as they listened in on Prime's final speech. Transformers The Game (console)
Transformers: Autobots
Bumblebee arrived in Tranquility to meet up with Create-A-Bot, and after a short discussion created from radio sound clips, instructed Create-a-Bot to scan a number of vehicles, the last of which was a Decepticon. After a short battle, Bumblebee then used Create-a-Bot's mad h4x0r skills to break into the internet and find the location of Archibald Witwicky's glasses, which turned out to be conveniently in Tranquility. Going to retrieve them, Bumblebee arrived at the Witwicky house to find Barricade, who then blew up a car and ran, blaming the explosion on the yellow car now chasing him down the highway. Meeting on a bridge, they fought. Once Bumblebee won, Barricade once again ran.
Later, Bumblebee received a mission to destroy several Sector Seven turrets designed to shoot down the reported N.B.E.s seen around the city. Afterward, he served as a distraction, driving to various markers to fight off the police while the other Autobots did their thing. Once that task was completed, he got captured by S7 forces and taken to Hoover Dam, where he had to be rescued by the others. Once free of his restraints, he searched the base for the All Spark, finding it in the deepest part of the dam. Upon being discovered, the All Spark turned the site's computers into mechanical scorpions...to defend itself. From the good guys. After retrieving the All Spark, Bumblebee had to escape in under 30 seconds to avoid getting locked in. After a quick getaway with Create-a-Bot providing cover fire, they met with Optimus. Following another quick gun-and-cover mission, a drone and Barricade were waiting for a two-on-two battle, in which Prime had to keep both Bumblebee and himself alive.
Finally, Bumblebee's last mission once again took place in Tranquility. All Spark in hand, he had to run to meet up with the Autobots, avoiding as many Decepticons as possible, within a time limit. Blackout was gunning for him the entire time, and lots of Decepticons were in the way. Once there, Create-a-Bot needed to keep Bumblebee from being blasted into slag as they raced to meet up with Optimus. Transformers: Autobots
Transformers: Decepticons
After sending troops to slow down Barricade and the Decepticon Create-A-Bot, Bumblebee showed up in person to take care of business himself, serving as little more than a distraction. After running away, Bumblebee later acquired the All Spark, transporting it across Tranquility while Starscream gave chase. Stopping in the suburbs, Starscream pounded Bumblebee's face to custard and pried the All Spark from his cold, non-functioning fingers. Transformers: Decepticons
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - The Game
- Voice actor: Mark Ryan (English)
Xbox 360/Sony PS3/PC
Autobot campaign
Bumblebee was the Autobots' high speed recon soldier. In combat mode, he possess a solar plasma cannon firing rapid energy bursts, which could shift into a missile launcher that fired six missiles at a time. In melee combat, he could deploy an axe from his left hand. Finally, he possessed the ability to emit a localized electromagnetic pulsewave, which would temporarily stun enemy Decepticons.
Since he hadn't seen combat in some time, Bumblebee was sent through some retraining under Ironhide. Despite being fully combat certified, Bumblebee was not deployed during the Shanghai mission. When the Decepticons learned of the AllSpark shard Sam had left with Mikaela, Bumblebee was sent to rescue the girl and protect her from the drones dispatched to capture the shard. After a vicious fight, Mikaela was air lifted to safety.
After Megatron was reborn and kidnapped Sam, Bumblebee was sent to an industrial sector near his college to rescue the boy. He fought through twenty eight Decepticons while Ratchet hacked their processors to learn Sam's location. Once he found Sam at an abandoned foundry, Bumblebee raced Sam to the extraction point. However, the Decepticons sent reinforcements under Grindor. Bumblebee was able to fight off the Decepticons and defeat Grindor, saving Sam. However, it was learned that some knowledge from the AllSpark had been absorbed into the boy when he killed Megatron. Sam was forced to go seek out Seymour Simmons to learn what was going on. Bumblebee protected the boy while talked at the deli Simmons' mother owned. Sam than told Bumblebee that he needed to get to the museum nearby to speak with Jetfire, an ancient Decepticon defector. Bumblebee fought off the Decepticons sent to destroy the museum long enough for Jetfire to open a space bridge and take him and Sam to Egypt.
Once there, Jetfire explained what was going on: thousands of years ago, the Dynasty of Primes came to Earth to build a solar harvester to convert Earth's sun into Energon. When they discovered the humans, twelve of the original Primes upheld the sanctity of life, but one Prime, forever known as The Fallen, betrayed and slaughtered his brothers. The machine was hidden from the Fallen, who went on to become the master of the Decepticons. The machine was hidden within the Great Pyramid of Giza, and Devastator was sent to destroy it and expose the harvester. On the way, he decided to terrorize the city of Cairo. Faced with the largest Decepticon ever seen, the Autobots decided that Bumblebee, the smallest of the Autobots, would be a good choice to help NEST counter Devastator's rampage. Surprisingly enough, it worked: Bumblebee was able to whittle down Devastator's cannons and missile launchers before finally defeating the beast.
Decepticon campaign
Toys
Merchandise
Second Life
In the online virtual world simulation/game Second Life, there is a full replica of the Sector Seven base which contains a giant discussion room where Michael Bay held a question board. This room contains a giant frozen Megatron replica and free avatars of both Bumblebee and Barricade. Both freebies are non-transforming. Also, the Bumblebee avatar has his battle mask down and it can't be raised. However, some sellers have created a transforming version.
Trivia
- According to an article on Edmunds.com, the film makers wanted Bumblebee's original Earth form to be the 1976 iteration of the Camaro because it was the worst Camaro possible that also had chrome bumpers.
- The same article indicates that the 1976 Camaros used in the film were all purchased via online auction for under $6000 each, one for less than $2000. That one didn't run.
- One of the 1976 Camaros was sold on eBay. The bidding ended on July 18, 2007; the final price was $40,100.01.
- The Bumblebee computer-generated model consisted of 7608 individual parts, 1,511,727 polygons, 19,722 rig nodes, and 8094 texture maps. The volume of all the pieces came to 1069.01 cubic feet.[3]
- Bumblebee stands approximately 16 feet tall, according to the official game strategy guide.
- Bumblebee's character animation is based on the performance of Michael J. Fox in the Back to the Future movies.[4]
- The 2008 Concept Camaro used for Bumblebee in the first movie was built by Saleen in 30 days, using a heavily modified 2006 Pontiac GTO body as the basis. The '08 Camaro was not in production at the time that the first film was being made, hence an identical mock-up was needed to fill the role.[5]
- Bumblebee is equipped with a pair of arm-mounted electrical "stingers."[6] The stingers were ultimately not featured in the movies, but influenced other media.
- Speaking of weapons, for someone whose main job is being subtle, Bumblebee is quite well armed, with a cannon powerful enough to rattle Brawl and a ring-shaped light missile launcher in either shoulder. He is also a capable close-combat fighter, as seen in his fight against Barricade and Rampage.
- The Bumblebee Camaro '09 toy's blade weapon might be influenced by the arm-mounted stingers from early concepts.
- According to the prequel comic by IDW Publishing, Megatron ripped out and crushed Bumblebee's voice capacitor during the battle at Tyger Pax back on Cybertron. Hardtop's toy bio claims the damage came from a shot fired by Hardtop. In the film itself, Ratchet only states to Sam that Bumblebee's "vocal processors were damaged in battle" and he was "still working on them" after firing a single plasma beam at Bumblebee's throat; by the end of all the conflict (the climax of the film proper), Bumblebee has regained his ability to speak. Although it was not confirmed on-screen, screenwriter Roberto Orci did confirm off-screen[1] that Ratchet's (regenerative) beam was indeed the reason. It could be that the doc didn't have enough time/resources, what with all the war and inter-stellar space travel, to fully perfect the healing plasma early enough. And even if he did, 'Bee took off for the Cube after only a marginal amount of repairs were performed on him after his encounter with Megs, so a vial of even faster-acting plasma could be sitting in Ratchet's lab back on ol' Cybertron, if the 'Cons didn't trash it of course.
- Just as well, Roberto Orci also admitted that Bumblebee's brief contact with the All Spark would be an equally valid (and an even more "in-continuity") explanation.[1]
- In Transformers (2007), Bumblebee scans a working, driveable new generation Camaro—conveniently with the same paint job as his classic Camaro disguise at that time—that wouldn't be released until some time in the year 2009. However, it is possible that the Camaro in question was being road-tested by GM engineers, like they are doing in the real world.
- Although unexplained in the films, Bumblebee's vehicle mode changes appearance subtly between Transformers (2007) and Revenge of the Fallen. This is probably because of product placement: Bumblebee's old alternate mode was an unavailable concept Camaro, while in Revenge he uses what seems to be the new Z/28 Camaro which would have entered mass production. Said car has now been canceled.
- Screenwriter Roberto Orci, when asked, admitted there had been plans to have Bumblebee speak in Revenge of the Fallen; however, ultimately they liked his "musical ability" too much, and Michael Bay wanted to focus more on Skids and Mudflap, since he thought kids would like the two characters.[7]
- Bumblebee's license plate number is 4NZ2454, registered in California.[8]
- According to the "25 Years of Transformers" feature on the ROTF DVD, Bumblebee was at one point intended to transform into a black Chevy Camaro covertible.
ROTF scale guide
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Post-movie Q&A with screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman
- ↑ Even though in the game, you actually can't step on or run over civilians.
- ↑ Robertson, Barbara (2007). Heavy Metal. Computer Graphics, 30(7), 12-17.
- ↑ From Cinefex magazine, issue number 111, published October 2007.
- ↑ Saleen article about the construction of the Barricade and Bumblebee vehicles
- ↑ Bumblebee's Battle Bio at Hasbro.com
- ↑ Q&A with Roberto Orci at TFW2005
- ↑ Revenge of the Fallen: The Movie Universe
