The Story Behind Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen
From ‘80s toy spin-off to sequel Bayhem…
BY Jun 17th 2009 14:14PMFILED UNDER: Features
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Transformers sequel Revenge Of The Fallen is about to invade our cinemas with another round of Bayhemic 'bot carnage.
So we're taking a stroll down Cybertron’s memory lane (just off the corner of Circuit Avenue and Byte Street) to look back at just how Transformers has grown from kids' toy to behemothic movie franchise.
1. Proud Parents
Transformers, as you likely know, began life as a toy line. But did you know that they didn’t spring into existence fully formed?
Those robots in disguise got their start from two sources, neither of which was the Allspark.
Back in the mid ‘70s and early ‘80s, Japanese toy company Takara (you might know them as TOMY) brought out a line of toys featuring robots and other creations known as Microman and Diaclone.
Their strengths were interchangeable parts and the fact that some of them could transform into other things.
US company Hasbro bought the rights to both lines and began to develop what is now called Transformers.
Hasbro then hired American comic writers Jim Shooter and Dennis O’Neil to start building a backstory for the characters, with O’Neil giving Optimus Prime – heroic leader of the Autobots – his name.
In 1984, Marvel published a comic based on the Transformers which featured superhero mainstays like Spider-Man and Nick Fury cropping up for cameos.
It was here that Marvel's comic writer Bob Budiansky created and named the vast majority of the 'bot personalities that survive to this day.
But the fictional origin story was more open to re-interpretation. In the comics, it saw Optimus, evil Decepticon chief Megatron and their various supporters crash-landing on prehistoric Earth before slumbering until they awaken in the ‘80s and take the form of various vehicles, believing them to be the dominant race.
On TV, the tale was a little more fluid...
Next: TV Time...
Print Comments (1)
1: Desperation says
Interesting feature,. this. I enjoyed reading it.
Not much else i can say really apart from thank you so much for reminding me how awseometastic the original animated movie was. I'm going to be watching that DVD tonight.
Oh and while i'm here: if Shia does have to choose between Transformers 3 and Indy 5, he should choose Transformers. I'm of the opinion that Indy 5 shouldn't be made anyway as it wouldn't be "Indiana Jones and the MacGuffin" it would be "Mutt Williams (and his decrepit old father Indiana Jones) and the MacGuffin", which would be BAD.
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