Movie timeline

This article is a featured article, and considered to be one of the most informative on this wiki.

As was bound to 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.

Prehistory

According to legend, the Transformer race begins when the AllSpark falls from the sky onto the barren world that will become Cybertron, giving life to the planet, and to the first Cybertronian, Primus. Foundation #2 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 generation of Cybertronians. These new creations are able to transform 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.

Fallen in the Hiz-ouse!

Defiance #4 The AllSpark creates the Matrix of Leadership, the key that will activate these harvesters. Revenge of the Fallen (novel)

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, and builds a facsimile Matrix to carry on his work. His 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 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 The march of time eventually sends most (if not all) of them into stasis, but not before they are able to find a riddle that points the way to their objective. Revenge of the Fallen

We stand united for all time! Right guys? Guys? For all time? Guys?

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: a young robot with no knowledge of his heritage named Optimus, hidden away to keep him safe, 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. 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, one of Cybertron's indigenous subterranean lifeforms. Foundation #2 Shockwave becomes fascinated with the creature, and is eventually able to trap and tame one. Dark of the Moon

Megatron needs to feed his wall blood.

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. At some point on its journey, as a result of currently unknown causes, the Nemesis crashes on a lifeless planet and is abandoned by all but the sarcophagus. Defiance #4

10,000 BC onwards

"...and he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow."

As the war worsens, Sentinel Prime invents a "torch" that will somehow end the conflict, and the Autobots ready for its mysterious use by preparing a second Ark. The torch must make contact with the AllSpark in order to be activated, so a large Autobot force mounts an attack on the Simfur temple. 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 torch. Elita brings it to Sentinel Prime, who boards the Ark and goes to pick up Optimus and the others from Simfur. Alas, Sentinel's Ark is attacked by Starscream upon arrival, and vanishes in an explosion, leaving the Autobots to believe Sentinel, the torch and all others aboard have been destroyed. Foundation #4 In actuality, however, the Ark is blasted into space by the explosion, and drifts through the void for twelve thousand years. Dark of the Moon

Consumed with rage at the death of his mentor, Optimus Prime resolves to kill Megatron outright, and storms his fortress with aid from Ironhide, only to find that Megatron has surrounded himself with defenceless hatchlings. 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 brought to Tyger Pax that it may be launched 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 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 Devastator 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 Devastator 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 Devastator 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.

YOU LEFT HULK IN THE POOL!

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 Ark and Nemesis crews pass the majority of the next twelve thousand years in stasis aboard their ships. Ghosts of Yesterday

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 crashed Nemesis and detours to investigate, but is commanded by his furious master 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. 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 Al Khazneh at Petra. Revenge of the Fallen

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. 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 Megatron's beam on 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, 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. Irreplaceable

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

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 the Seeker Ransack and Fortress himself. Nefarious #5

1930s

By 1934, Walter Simmons's estranged daughter Margaret has married and given birth to a child, William. 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-engineered his body to create assorted transforming mecha bonded with human pilots. In 1944, after learning of this, Walter Simmons forcibly drafts his grandson William into Sector Seven for a mission behind enemy lines to destroy all traces of the technology. William 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 William to permanently transfer to Sector Seven. Weapon

1950s

Would Barber care to explain where my nose has run to?

William 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, William 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, 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 William.

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, Danco survives and makes his way to the Soviet Union with the stolen information on Cybertronian technology. The data 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, and opens a delicatessen. Frozen Sadly, through unrevealed circumstances at some point over the next fifty years, Seymour does indeed go on to become aware of his legacy, and joins Sector Seven.

1960s

In 1961, after tumbling through space for thousands of years, the wreckage of the Ark crash-lands on Earth's moon. Its crash is detected by the United States government, and a "space race" begins to beat the Russians to the moon and be the first to plunder this alien treasure. Dark of the Moon

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird jet makes its first flight in 1964. 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 July 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. The ship is inadvertently sucked through a wormhole and deposited in a distant solar system, where Optimus Prime's Autobot and Starscream's Decepticons detect its arrival and clash over it. The battle concludes with the destruction of the ship and its crew, but in the course of events, both factions learn that Megatron and the AllSpark are on Earth. Ghosts of Yesterday

For their second operation, Sector Seven finally carry out the much-delayed move of Megatron form the Arctic to Hoover Dam. Further Soviet sabotage causes the convoy transporting Megatron to crash, resulting in damage to the cooling systems that allows the Decepticon leader to thaw out. Philip Nolan sacrifices his own life to re-freeze him with liquid nitrogen, Ghosts of Yesterday and he is successfully delivered to Hoover Dam. Rising Storm #2

One further manned moon landing is carried out in November of 1969, to continue excavation and research of the remains of the Ark. Dark of the Moon

1970s

From 1970 to 1972, four further manned missions land on the moon to continue plundering the Ark. Dark of the Moon

Missing in action since the abandonment of the Nemesis, Soundwave returns, having tracked the AllSpark to Earth's Solar System. His attention is drawn specifically to Earth when he discovers the remains of the Ark on the planet's moon. Subsequently, in 1973, he carries out some form of unknown action at the Soviet Research Station Oktober, ostensibly in preparation for Megatron's inevitable return. Rising Storm #2

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

1980s

The Chernobyl disaster occurs on April 26, 1986.

1990s

Sam Witwicky is born to Ronald and Judy Witwicky.

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 the trail of the AllSpark to Earth's Solar System, Bumblebee 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

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. 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. Interlude Movie Prequel #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

Four months later, with the Decepticons now closing in on Sam Witwicky following an attack by Blackout on the SOCCENT Forward Operations Base in Qatar and the hacking of Air Force One by Frenzy, Bumblebee makes his move, positioning 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, but when the Autobots pursue them, 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, which ends when Sam plunges the cube into Megatron's chest, killing him and leaving only a small fragment of the cube behind. Starscream and Barricade are the only Decepticon survivors of the battle. Bumblebee regains his voice. 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 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, with Starscream emerging the victor. The Reign of Starscream #5

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 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. Soundwave establishes contact with Starscream, sending an army of warriors to search the Earth for the Matrix and the solar harvester. 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, and the Autobots repeatedly engage them month after month, obliterating all opposition. Alliance #4 Autobots Knock Out and Beachbreak arrive on Earth in response to Optimus Prime's summons and join NEST; two AllSpark Mutations from the Mission City incident previously contained by Sector Seven take the names Longarm and Salvage and also join the organization. The Veiled Threat Starscream, meanwhile, returns to the Nemesis to help spawn a new army of hatchlings that will be sustained by the Energon obtained once the Decepticons find the Matrix and harvester. Revenge of the Fallen

Elsewhere, on an unknown planet, demented Decepticon 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 Picking up Optimus Prime's signal, they follow it to Earth and arrive at the same time as Sideswipe in late 2008, upon which they are quickly inducted into NEST. Alliance #4

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

Concurrently with all of this, Decepticon activity continues across Earth, with forces under the command of Starscream continuing the air commander's pursuit of power, while those directed by The Fallen, via Soundwave, take on a secondary objective: the acquisition of large amounts of energy to facilitate the resurrection of Megatron. While a team led by Optimus Prime pursues Starscream, foiling his plans to manipulate human crimelords 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. 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

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 human-form Pretender Alice is installed at Sam's school in advance of his arrival. Revenge of the Fallen

2009

Word reaches NEST of a fresh sighting of the fugitive Demolishor, hiding out in Shanghai, The Veiled ThreatAlliance #4 and a strike team is able to successfully destroy both him and his companion Sideways. 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. 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 (at this point having been freed from his sarcophagus through unknown means) directs Megatron to abduct the boy, leading to a ferocious forest battle that climaxes with the death of Optimus Prime 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 team locates Jetfire in the Smithsonian and reactivates him with the second AllSpark fragment; he teleports them to Egypt and explains the story of the Primes, The Fallen, the Matrix and the harvester. While NEST and the Decepticons gather at the great pyramid in Giza, which Devastator tears open to reveal the harvester, Sam recovers the Matrix, only for it to disintegrate into dust at his touch. Undeterred, he heads into the battle erupting in Giza, but a blast from Megatron kills him, 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. Revenge of the Fallen

2009 to 2011

I fixed my arm and face... I just lost them again later.

Megatron returns to the Nemesis to tend the protoforms there. Revenge of the Fallen #4 Sam Witwicky meets Carly Miller under unknown circumstances while at the White House. Rising Storm #3 Either before or after this, Mikaela Banes breaks up with him for reasons unknown. Rising Storm #2 NEST initiate Project: Unite, seeking 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 Soundwave maintains surveillance of Earth. Nefarious #1The Secret of Project: Unite More Autobots and Decepticons continue to arrive from space, some managing to join up with their respective factions, others becoming captives of Carter Newell's Initiative without their comrades ever knowing. Nefarious #5 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 had died during the conflict. Ravage recovers 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. 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 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. 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, Ambition Instigated and then replicates the Unite process with their remains, giving himself a power-up. The Autobots and Bludgeon track him to his base among the Cyclades islands, but both parties arrive too late to stop him, Bludgeon's Revenge and 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. Neither the Autobots nor the Decepticon contingent scrambled by Soundwave can match his power, but 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, creating a distraction that allows Ratchet to hit Starscream with a blast that burns out the Unite technology, putting it beyond Megatron's reach. The Strongest Weapon

GTFO, N00B

After a series of failed attempts at appropriating Energon from around the world, Megatron is abandoned by the vast majority of his disenfranchised Decepticon followers and ordered to depart Earth by Optimus Prime. Cyber Missions 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. Although he is joined there by Starscream, it is not long before the two have yet another altercation, prompting Starscream to finally break away from Megatron and reorganize the scattered Decepticons under his own command. He begins with Space Case, a member of Soundwave's Nemesis crew who has been bumbling around Earth for a while, Transformers: Starscream and soon has him attack Arcee, Bumblebee and Sam, who are saved by Ratchet. Transformers: Ratchet

To put his house back in order, Megatron brings the hatchlings from the Nemesis to Namibia, and liberates Shockwave from his Soviet prison, charging him with forcing his errant troops back into line. Rising Storm #2 Shockwave's plan entails allowing Brains, a brain unit scrap drone, to "escape" from Decepticon clutches and make contact with Sam Witwicky and Bumblebee in Philadelphia, then forcing Starscream and his followers back into Megatron's service and sending them to attack Sam's school to "recover" Brains. Rising Storm #1Rising 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. Rising Storm #3 Shockwave assaults the undermanned Diego Garcia base, killing nearly all the Autobots and humans there, then arrives in Philadelphia for a showdown, only to be pummelled to within an inch of his life by an enraged Optimus Prime. Rising Storm #4

During the chaos at his school, Sam Witwicky meets up with Carly Miller again. Rising Storm #3 They begin a relationship, and move to Washington, D.C. to live together. Wheelie and Brains go with them. Dark of the Moon New director of NEST Charlotte Mearing revokes Bumblebee's permission to live with Sam. Robert Epps retires from active duty and takes a consulting job. 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 #4Dark of the Moon

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.