The Autobots remain perhaps the most iconic faction in the Transformers franchise. Led by the heroic Optimus Prime, the Autobots fight for the forces of good — with each of its Transformers members aiming to protect Earth from Megatron and the evil Decepticons. Each member of the Autobots features unique personalities and abilities, and a lot of them have been highlighted in the acclaimed Transformers film franchise.
However, fans of the franchise know that a lot of acclaimed Autobot Cybertronians have yet to appear in the film franchise, and that they deserve their own outing on the big screen. Just which Autobots may become a huge asset to the team by the time they finally arrive on modern-day Earth?
10 Longarm
The unimposing truck driven by Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) during the chaotic city battle in the 2007 Transformers was actually Longarm, which fans wouldn’t immediately notice unless they know what to look for. The fact that Longarm didn’t transform into his humanoid form in an actual movie is such a shame, considering he had a more active role in the comics set in the same universe. It would be safe to say, then, that while Longarm was “technically” in the film, the lack of a humanoid appearance and active acknowledgment of his presence makes it pointless that he was “present” in the film at all.
While Longarm is a nice and friendly Autobot in the movie comics, Longarm’s presence in other media is split into two major origins. First, Longarm can be a Mini-Con, either as a partner to Red Alert or Prowl, or as a part of the Giant Planet Mini-Con Team. Alternatively, Longarm could’ve been an Autobot whose identity was stolen by the Decepticon Shockwave.
9 Prowl
Similar to Longarm, Prowl is iconic for being the go-to police car vehicle among the Autobots, and is equally the team’s go-to strategist. Patient, quiet, and competent, Prowl never goes on a mission he isn’t sure he can accomplish, and he always has a cool and uptight personality stemming from his military experience.
Unfortunately, despite his popularity, Prowl didn’t make the cut in the Bayverse films either. Apparently, the writers preferred having the Decepticon Barricade as a police car more than Prowl. In the comics based on the films, Prowl had become the head of Cybertron’s Security Force prior to the crisis in Cybertron. His penchant for security and protection becomes a trait he shares across all his iterations.
8 Ultra Magnus
When the Autobots established Autobot City on Earth, Ultra Magnus was appointed as its Commander. This was a well-deserved role, considering Ultra Magnus’s skill in terms of leadership, coordination, and hard work. Dedicated to defending Autobots, Ultra Magnus is willing to sacrifice even his own life to protect his brethren. If anything, his potential to lead was stifled by his lack of belief in himself and his preference to follow orders instead. As such, when Optimus offered Ultra Magnus the Matrix of Leadership to become his successor, Ultra Magnus didn’t hesitate to become second-in-command to Rodimus Prime, who was the Autobots’ choice for successor. This was a shame, considering the fact that even the Maximal Optimus Primal became somewhat of a successor to Optimus as well.
Given this rich backstory, it’s such a shame not to see Ultra Magnus in the film franchise. It’s interesting to note that “Ultra Magnus” was a working name for the titular “Fallen” in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, who would eventually turn out to be Sentinel Prime instead.
7 Red Alert
Serving as the primary security officer of the Autobots, Red Alert is the team’s go-to bot when it comes to securing the defenses of anywhere they call home. As such, it seems apt that Red Alert’s vehicular forms are almost always related to safety — be it a fire truck or rescue vehicle in Generation One, or a police car in the hit Transformers Armada series.
Despite his penchant for safety, he can take it a bit too far. Red Alert is extremely paranoid, going over-the-top with both his measures and threat detection. Given how Red Alert isn’t always taken seriously because he detects the smallest of red flags, his inclusion in the film series where Decepticons expertly hide amongst humanity could make good use of his security skillset for the Autobot’s advantage.
6 Hot Shot
Due to the lack of Bumblebee because of franchising issues in the airing of Transformers Armada, it’s Hot Shot that took the brave youngster trope. Overconfident and blunt, Hot Shot is as heroic as any valiant hero could be — except his young age does come with naïveté and lack of attention span. As such, Hot Shot always tends to get in trouble simply out of sheer curiosity, and he is almost always the first one to try and save a friend in times of need.
Given how the films are almost always do-or-die for the Autobots, the presence of someone like Hot Shot can be a welcome change. After all, in the absence of Optimus Prime in good halves of some films, a good-spirited lad like Hot Shot could be charismatic enough to rally his former Autobots into doing what needs to be done.
5 Inferno
Paired best with the paranoid Red Alert is the rather boisterous Inferno, often at odds with the former because of principles. Like his namesake, Inferno is always the first to rush into the scene if his friends need help — and he does so with a bit of a plan in mind. Thankfully, his armored build and focus on rescue-themed transformation choices do help him withstand tough damage when it comes to being in the front lines.
Intriguingly enough, despite his love for combat, Inferno tends to be the more cautious and rational bot, often calling out and getting in fights with Red Alert whenever the latter tends to get over-the-top. Regardless, the ever-reliable nature of Inferno can make him a great side character to be introduced in the films.
4 Bulkhead
Regardless of the iteration, Bulkhead remains the go-to engineering specialist of the Autobots. His first appearance in Transformers Energon was that of a seasoned veteran — an old soldier who’s had a taste of battle and knows he’s skilled enough to enjoy it. Such was Bulkhead’s age that he actually served as an officer for the Autobots during the war in Cybertron, and actually had leadership skills in the mission to find Optimus Prime while he was lost in space.
Other notable appearances of Bulkhead include a sweet and gentle giant that has a massive all-terrain vehicle form in recent animated works. In the IDW Comics, Bulkhead was the leader of Cybertron’s Engineering Guild and was a supporter of Optimus Prime even in the early days. As with his animated counterpart, Bulkhead took an all-terrain vehicle as a vehicle form.
3 Metroplex
Fans of the Transformers franchise might be surprised that, when a Transformer can be programmed to transform into anything mechanical, that includes structures like buildings, starships, or even entire cities. Such was the case of Metroplex, a Titan who, in most continuities, is built as a subsection of Autobot City, which was the headquarters of the Autobots in the original cartoons.
Despite his hulking size, Metroplex once needed to be transformed manually. However, this caveat did pave the way to a Metroplex willing to lay down his own life to defend the Autobots he housed within him. He comes equipped too, armed with various defensive and offensive weapons. Metroplex would’ve been a good addition to the film franchise, especially when both sides had to unleash the “big guns'' in climactic showdowns.
2 Omega Supreme
Once a member of the legendary Guardian bots, Omega Supreme was a giant Transformer tasked to protect Crystal City, the most beautiful of Cybertron’s cities. When Omega Supreme’s friends among the Constructicons became evil, he tried to reverse their programming. And when they lured him into an ambush instead, Omega Supreme pursued the Constructicons in their escape to Megatron’s side, ending up on Earth.
Considering how a variation of the Constructions appears in the film franchise as a Decepticon Combiner unit, it makes sense for someone like Omega Supreme to be the Autobot “counterpart,” considering his canonical grudge over them. Being a giant Transformer, Omega Supreme transforms into either a starship or a tank, packing quite a punch against his foes.
1 Vector Prime
One of the thirteen original Transformers in Cybertron, ancient Primus assigned Vector Prime to be the guardian of time and space, bestowing upon him the Blades of Time to travel across multiverses and glean information about the past, present, and future. In order to continue guarding space and time, Vector Prime left Cybertron to traverse the stars. Unfortunately, his disconnect from Cybertron and time itself made him stranger not just to modern Cybertronian politics but also cultures and trends.
However, Vector Prime isn’t always lonely in his journey. He’s accompanied by Safeguard, his ever-present companion, as well as the Recon Mini-Con Team that help him accomplish missions across the timestream. Should the film franchise need any form of reset, an intervention from Vector Prime could’ve done the job, similar to what The Flash is currently planning.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will be released in 2023.