Bumblebee is almost in theaters, and no doubt some fans are eager to see if the film is as far of a departure from the standard franchise formula as it appears to be. For those that may be hazy on events of the Transformers franchise that may be relevant ahead of the movie, here are some notable events from past films in the franchise that may come into play during this new adventure.
Megatron's Discovery And Transfer
Bumblebee takes place in the year 1987, and will feature Decepticons seemingly collaborating with Sector 7 in an attempt for their aide in tracking Autobots for information. Sector 7 seems receptive to the partnership, which is probably only happening because the Decepticons are oblivious to Megatron's location. Little do they know, he's currently on ice and frozen within the organization's custody in the Hoover Dam.
While Megatron is confirmed not to have a massive role in the film, it would stand to reason he might appear via a quick shot of him in the spot he was seen during Michael Bay's initial Transformers. Bumblebee really can't have him make an impact without making a mess out of the first movie. Regardless, it would be shocking if the entire feature skates by without one appearance by the traditional big bad of the franchise, even if he is frozen.
Bumblebee Serving In World War 2
Whatever the circumstances are that bring Bumblebee to Earth in this feature, we already know this is not his first adventure on Earth. Transformers: The Last Knight revealed that Bumblebee was part of a group of Autobots that aided the allies in WWII, which meant he was killing Nazis. This Bumblebee was also known to be cold-blooded and not a fan of humans, which doesn't seem to be the case in trailers for this new movie.
Obviously, Bumblebee's experienced some growth over the years. Either that, or he's lost his memory and isn't the killing machine he was during the war. That said, Bumblebee was on the record as saying he didn't remember WWII as a significant event, so perhaps he's managed to put that major historical event out of his mind rather quickly? Obviously, humankind has not, and his war record may mean the U.S. government is pretty familiar with him when the movie starts.
The War On Cybertron
War between the various factions on Cybertron has been going on for some time now, and according to Optimus Prime's words in the Bumblebee trailer, it appears to be at a breaking point. Optimus tells Bumblebee that Earth must be protected at all costs, which is going to be rough given what he's up against. Exactly why is it so important Bumblebee defend Earth now, of all times?
That much is a mystery, but considering Megatron and the All Spark aren't recovered until the 2000's, it's safe to assume Bumblebee gets things done. Where he goes from there is unknown, although with the other Autobots already on Earth at the time of Transformers, could he just be preparing Earth as a rallying point for his Autobot brethren? If so, it'll be interesting to see if the rest of the team gets into another adventure between Bumblebee and Transformers.
The Cybertronian Ark Discovery
Per the events of Transformers: Dark Of The Moon, Bumblebee takes place about two decades after the United States started the space race in order to investigate a Cybertronian Ark that landed on the Earth's moon. Though they didn't recover all the Ark had to offer, some things were taken back to Earth and tested to see how they could be used. One known experiment on a fuel cell went awry, and resulted in the Chernobyl disaster.
With Bumblebee happening around two and a half decades after that scene in Transformers: Dark Of The Moon, there may be some reference of the Cybertronian Ark. John Cena's Jack Burns seems to be holding a meeting with fellow government officials speaking to how deadly the Transformers may be, where this information could come into play. Of course, Bumblebee could just sidestep all that, and just chalk it up to Burns' Sector 7 clearance being too low to know about past encounters.
The AllSpark Recovery
Megatron wasn't the only thing discovered by Sector 7, as the organization ended up building the Hoover Dam around the mysterious object known as The AllSpark before transferring the evil Decepticon to its facility. This is especially important to remember ahead of Bumblebee because the AllSpark was launched into space by Optimus Prime in order to keep the Decepticons from retrieving it.
Prime's plan will ultimately prove successful, and while the AllSpark ultimately is destroyed, it's still a highly sought after object during the time of Bumblebee. No doubt the Decepticons will be searching for the AllSpark in this story, provided they have the same information Megatron had when he went searching for it long ago. Neither side is going to recover it, but again, if the giant AllSpark is seen deep within the confines of Sector 7's Hoover Dam and no further mention is made, that's why.
Bumblebee Discovers Sam Witwicky
It was always known how the Decepticons managed to track down Sam Witwicky and his great-great grandfather's glasses that held the coordinates to the AllSpark, but what about Bumblebee? The Transformer rolls onto the car lot just in time to be purchased by Sam and his dad, and this all is just a coincidence? Where did he come from prior to that, and what ultimately led him to Sam?
That's a question that Bumblebee may or may not answer, especially given that this is a film set decades prior to his arrival in the car lot. That said, the ending of Bumblebee could shed some light as to what Bumblebee will be up to following the film, and how he and the rest of the Autobots eventually find their way to Sam for their big adventures that follow.
Bumblebee arrives in theaters Friday, December 21. For more on the film and some of its stars, check out the hilarious transformation John Cena would like to undergo if he ever became a Transformer, or what critics are saying about the new entry in the franchise so far.
