Why One Famous Autobot Still Hasn't Shown Up In The Transformers Movies
"Transformers" is home to hundreds of characters, far too many to ever include in a film series — not even one running seven installments strong. However, one of the most persistent absences is one of the most puzzling. The Autobot Prowl has yet to show up in live-action despite an otherwise consistent presence in the franchise.
Part of the original 1984 toy line now known as "Generation One," Prowl transformed into a police car and had one of the most striking character designs of the Autobots, from his "door wings" to his car-hood chest to his contrast-heavy color scheme. His character bio described him as Optimus Prime's right hand and a military strategist who believed that "logic is the ultimate weapon." Prowl never got much spotlight in the cartoon, but was a bigger player in the contemporaneous Marvel comics written by Bob Budiansky; he even assumed command of the Autobots after Optimus Prime was incapacitated.
Prowl has been reinvented in later versions. "Transformers: Animated" depicted him as a meditative, nature-loving "cyber-ninja" who transformed into a motorcycle, giving the character the original's stoicism and a new blend of spiritualism to boot.
Comic writer Nick Roche, writer of the comic mini-series "Last Stand of the Wreckers" and the one-off, "Everything In Its Right Place," took "G1" Prowl's character to the logical next step. Roche's Prowl was a duplicitous, ruthlessly pragmatic schemer, one who crossed moral lines in the name of defeating the Decepticons. Roche's Prowl became the template for his portrayal in further "Transformers" comics from IDW Publishing.
Why has Prowl been kept on the bench for the "Transformer" movies when he keeps showing up in the comics and cartoons? It goes back to a creative decision in the original 2007 "Transformers" film.
Creating a Barricade for Prowl
There is a Transformer with a police car vehicle mode in the movies — but it's not Prowl, and that redundancy is the reason for his absence. "Transformers" co-writer Roberto Orci interacted with fans on the now-defunct boards.transformersmovie.com. In a June 7, 2007 post, he revealed why he and his co-writer Alex Kurtzman considered including Prowl but ultimately decided against it: "It seemed to us that the notion of a Decepticon in disguise as a police vehicle was too good to pass up for 'TF-1,' so no Prowl in this one."
The Police Car Decepticon, originally named Brawl, was ultimately dubbed Barricade. In the final movie, he transforms into a Ford Mustang police cruiser. Kurtzman/Orci described him as a "camouflaged hunter." Indeed, his starring moment comes when he lures in Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) and then reveals himself when the human is in his grasp. Barricade made the most of his screen time (he's the only Decepticon who talks, besides Megatron and Starscream), but became a star by accident.
In the 2007 film, Barricade is last seen chasing the Autobots down a highway alongside fellow Decepticon Bonecrusher; he disappears after his comrade transforms and attacks Optimus Prime. If the novelization and comic adaptation are any clue, Barricade was originally scripted to die at Prime's hand during this sequence. For whatever reason, this didn't make it into the final film.
This mystery only made his character more popular, as fans were left to speculate about his fate (the comic sequel "The Reign of Starscream" retconned that Ironhide rammed Barricade off the road while Optimus fought Bonecrusher, then Starscream retrieved his injured minion after the battle's end). This disappearance also opened the door for Barricade to return, and he did so in the sequels "Dark of the Moon" and "The Last Knight."
This screen ain't big enough for both of us
Barricade remains one of the most recognizable live-action "Transformers" characters. Later versions of him have invariably been based on the movie's "bad cop" iteration, and his return in "The Last Knight" after apparently dying in "Dark of the Moon" speaks to his popularity. Now, this is speculation, but Barricade's enduring presence means Prowl's redundancy remains in place as well. No need to have two characters, on opposite sides no less, transform into the same type of car and confuse the audience.
To be sure, a Decepticon disguised as a police car is a clever idea and the films have fun with it. Instead of "To Protect and Serve," Barricade's car mode has the decal "To Punish and Enslave" — ironically, a more honest description of what cops do. It's tempting to think that Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman were trying to make a political statement by having a police car be a "camouflaged hunter," but their reasoning doesn't read that way. Rather, their thought process appears to have been that the police are obviously good guys, so a Decepticon taking their visage adds to the "robot in disguise" theme.
Even so, increased awareness of police brutality in the U.S. could complicate a live-action Prowl appearance even further. There's probably no way to make a police car a hero and have it not be taken as a Blue Lives Matter endorsement. That is, unless the films take a page from IDW Prowl, but four-quadrant blockbusters generally don't add true moral failings to their heroes.
"Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" is playing in theaters.