The New Transformers Revealed in Transformers: The Last Knight

Transformers: The Last Knight ends director Michael Bay’s time as architect of the Transformers movies, while also launching a whole new (and very expansive) chapter of the franchise.

Like with any new Transformers film, we get a slew of new Autobot and Decepticon characters; however, The Last Knight introduces new characters that could have major impact on both the upcoming Transformers sequels, and the planned spinoff films that are already in the works.

Take a look at all of The New Transformers Revealed in Transformers: The Last Knight.

Aurthurian Knight Autobots

The expanded Transformers lore in The Last Knight reaches back to Medieval Times to chronicle how King Arthur and his legendary Knights of the Round Table defeated the barbaric Saxons in the Dark Ages… with help from the Transformers. 

As the film tells it, Arthur’s sorcerer adviser Merlin was actually a con artist drunk, who happened to know that a team of Transformers were stranded on Earth after their ship crashed. The Transformers team was comprised of twelve Autobots who patterned themselves after Medieval Knights, and could combine into a fearsome three-headed dragon called Dragonstorm. These Autobots became the secret members of the Arthurian Round Table, standing behind the famous Knights of Legend (Lancelot, Gawain, Percival, etc…).

After Arthur and Merlin’s time ends, the twelve Transformer Knights go dormant in their ship, waiting for a “Thirteenth Knight” that will supposedly arrive to restore them.

Quintessa

Quintessa is an ancient Transformers God who has apparently just been hanging out on Cybertron all this time. She claims to be the ‘life-giver’ who created the Transformers race – though she doesn’t prove to be very benevolent, as she instantly enslaves Optimus Prime and sets out to destroy Earth/Unicron. 

The Autobots and their human allies ultimately win the battle against Quintessa, destroying Quintessa’s ship and the weapon, and leaving Cybertron under the control of the Autobots. Optimus Prime takes his team and leaves to rebuild Cybertron – but what the Autobots don’t know is that Quintessa has survived the battle (and a seemingly fatal shot from Bumblebee) and is now hiding out on Earth, with a big twist to her powers that Autobots will never see coming…

MORE: Quintessa’s Secret Power Revealed

Canopy

Canopy is the Autobot that takes up residence (literally) with young tech prodigy/orphan Izabella (Isabela Moner), in the abandoned quarantine zone of Chicago. 

Canopy gets his name from the rubble and debris he wears as a turtle-like camouflage, while also serving as a hideout/home for Izabella. 

Canopy dies when the TRF (Transformers-hunting military force) discovers his presence in the Chicago quarantine and swiftly eliminates him. Cade and Izabella try to save the benevolent Autobot, but it’s too little, too late…

Cogman

It’s not made clear what Cogman’s (Jim Carter) origin is. What we do know is that this butler-like robot is a Steampunk-style Transformer in service to the Order of Witwiccans. He doesn’t have a vehicle mode, but is highly intelligent and adaptable, and programmed with a variety of deductive and combat skills. 

Cogman aids Cade and Vivian Wembley in their quest to fulfill Aurthurian destiny and take control of the ancient Transformers power source. However, at the end of the film, Cogman is “orphaned” (so to speak), when his master, Sir Edmund Burton, is killed. 

Cogman would presumably become the protector of Vivian, as she is now the last of the Witwiccans. 

Hot Rod

During Transformers 5, it is revealed that Hot Rod was assigned by the secret order of the “Witwiccans” to be the personal guardian of Vivian Wembley (Laura Haddock), who is revealed to be the last living descendant of King Arhtur Legend, Merlin. Hot Rod hangs around Vivian disguised as a 1963 Citroën DS that belonged to her father. When he finally reveals himself to be her Autobot protecto, he takes on the form of an orange-and-black Lamborghini Centenario.

This movie version of Hot Rod speaks with a French accent (just because he likes it), and has the unique weapon of a “Time Blaster,” which allows him to project a bubble of compressed time (or something), which slows down time for anyone, or anything, trapped within the bubble. 

Unicron

One of several big twists in Transformers: The Last Knight is the revelation that Earth, itself, is actually a planet-sized Transformer. Specifically, an ancient Transformers God known as Unicron. 

Unicron is one of the most famous and iconic villains in the franchise – and was the “big bad” featured in the 1986 Transformer animated movie. This movie version of Unicron is certainly a new take, and though The Last Knight only teases the iconic character, we expect that Transformers 6 will show him in full grandeur. 

MORE: How Unicron Sets Up the Future of Transformers

New Decepticons

(Image Source: DeviantART)

Transformers: The Last Knight goes to great length to outfit Megatron with an entire new team of Decepticons – and then wipes them all out with little to no fanfare or significance. 

The new Decepticons that come (and quickly go) in Transformers 5 are listed below: 

• Dreadnaught
• Nitro Zeus
• Onslaught
• Mohawk
• *Infernatus (sp?) – Quintessa’s combiner henchman isn’t technically a Decepticon, but he does fight alongside them and is another “easy come, easy go” character in the story. 

*Nemesis Prime

In Transformers G1 lore, Nemesis Prime is a clone of Optimus Prime who is as skilled as the Autobot leader – just without the moral restraint. He was created by Doctor Arkeville or Straxus (depending on the version of the canon you find), but the point was always to give the side of evil a leader who was greater than Megatron, using Optimus Primes own image as a blueprint. 

In Transformers: The Last Knight it is revealed that “Nemesis Prime” is the name that Optimus Prime takes for himself, after Quintessa’s influence makes him into an evil, purple-eyed monster version of his former noble self.

Borrowing a page from Batman v Superman’s infamous “Martha Moment,” Nemesis Prime is defeated (and Optimus Prime restored) when Bumblebee goes through a pivotal change that snaps Optimus back into his right mind, out of concern and love for his oldest friend. 

MORE: Bumblebee’s Big Change in Transformers 5 

More Transformers News

In Transformers: The Last Knight, humans are at war with the Transformers, and Optimus Prime is gone. The key to saving the future lies buried in the secrets of the past and the hidden history of Transformers on Earth. Now, it’s up to the unlikely alliance of Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), Bumblebee, an English lord (Anthony Hopkins) and an Oxford professor (Laura Haddock) to save the world.

Transformers: The Last Knight is directed by Michael Bay. The film stars Mark Wahlberg and Stanley Tucci reprising their roles from Transformers: Age of Extinction, with Josh Duhamel, and John Turturro reprising roles from the first three Transformers movies.

Transformers: The Last Knight’s voice cast includes Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, John Goodman as Hound, and John DiMaggio as Crosshairs. Other transformers appearing the film include Bumblebee, Drift, Hot Rod, Cogman, Canopy, Sqweeks, Grimlock, Megatron, Barricade, Onslaught, Hooligan, and Mohawk.

Transformers: The Last Knight is now in theaters.

MORE News:

• Transformers 5 Official Review
• How Unicron’s Reveal Sets up Transformers 6
• The Big Change to Bumblebee in Transformers 5
• Does Nemesis Prime Appear in Transformers 5? 
• Transformers 5’s Unicron Explain
• The Big Twist In the Transformers Origin Story
• Transformers 5 Is the Worst Reviewed Movie in the Franchise
• Who Dies in Transformers 5?
• Transformers 5 Post-Credits Scene Explained