WARNING! Spoilers ahead for Transformers #1

Summary

• Transformers #1 kicks off the Energon Universe era with a shocking twist: the death of Bumblebee, executed by Starscream.
• Optimus Prime mourns the loss of his fallen comrade and readers get a glimpse of Bumblebee's lifeless body, establishing high emotional stakes.
• Bumblebee's death allows lesser-known Autobots like Cliffjumper to shine and gives the story a sense of unpredictability and danger.

The Energon Universe era of the Transformers has officially begun, and it’s kicked off with the death of a major character: Bumblebee. After much hype and speculation, Transformers #1 has finally arrived after the shocking appearance of Jetfire in the pages of fellow Energon Universe title Void Rivals. If the new issue and its deadly twist is anything to go by, the shocks won’t end there in this new continuity.

Coming from the creative team of Daniel Warren Johnson, Mike Spicer, and Rus Wooten, Transformers #1 starts things off with a bang, as Spike Witwicky and his girlfriend Carly stumble upon a crashed starship containing the comatose bodies of several Autobots and Decepticons. Jetfire arrives soon thereafter and activates Teletraan I, the ship’s computer, which then begins re-awakening and rebuilding the fallen Transformers one-by-one.

The first to be awakened is the Decepticon Starscream, who immediately takes advantage of the situation by shooting a comatose Bumblebee in the head.

Optimus Prime Mourns the Death of Bumblebee

Having been sent to search the galaxy for Energon centuries before — and thus unaware that war had broken out between the Autobots and Decepticons — tries to stop Starscream from more killing, only to be shot himself by the newly-christened Decepticon leader. Starscream very nearly kills a comatose Jazz before Teletraan I repairs Optimus Prime, who takes out Starscream before he can kill any more of his comrades. Bumblebee’s death is both brutal and shocking, as Starscream point-blank executes the Autobot before he has the chance to wake up. Later in the issue, Optimus Prime takes a moment to mourn his fallen friend. Readers get a glimpse of the now-faceless corpse of Bumblebee, hammering home that Bee’s not coming back any time soon.

When the new line-up of Autobots was announced over the summer, fans were perplexed by the inclusion of Cliffjumper as opposed to the more popular Bumblebee, but now the reason for that choice is clear. It is a smart move on the part of the Energon Universe team, as Bumblebee has been way over-exposed as of late in all Transformers media. His death in this new continuity establishes the idea that no one is safe, upping the stakes for Prime and the rest of the Autobots as they find themselves in the fight of their lives as their war against the Decepticons is renewed on Earth.

Where Will the Transformers Go from Here?

Taking Bumblebee off the board this early will also allow other Autobots — like the lesser-known Ciffjumper — the chance to shine, giving them more page time as part of an otherwise crowded cast. Of course, given that they’re all robots, fans can assume that Bumblebee’s death may not be as final as it appears. It’s entirely possible that Bee will be resurrected at some point in the new continuity, but it won’t be any time soon. The immediate death of Bumblebee in the new Energon Universe continuity has established high emotional stakes in this bold new era for the Transformers.

Transformers #1 is on sale now from Skybound Entertainment.