Which Transformers Character Wasn't Allowed To Appear In 'Bumblebee'?

There's a large array of Transformers available for use on the big screen, especially after years of toy manufacturing, video games, comics and more. But there was one single character that was explicitly forbidden from appearing in Bumblebee. Sorry for being intentionally mysterious, but saying this character isn't in Bumblebee might be considered a spoiler for some sensitive fans out there. So if you want to find out, keep reading.

With Bumblebee going into the past for a new story starring the titular yellow Autobot, it means that fans finally got to see Cybertron, opening the door for a lot of Transformers to make an appearance. However, due to the continuity created by the Transformers franchise that came before it, director Travis Knight wasn't allowed to use one single character: Megatron.

That's right, despite being the chief villain in the Transformers franchise, Megatron is nowhere to be seen in Bumblebee. But Travis Knight originally wanted him to appear, in his original G1 form. The director explained to io9:

"I had this whole thing boarded where we see Megatron and he comes in like Sauron, just blowing shit up and laying waste to everything."

So why didn't it happen? Well, according to the Transformers mythology created by the first film in 2007, Megatron was already on Earth and frozen in a secret facility in the Hoover Dam. Knight was certainly disappointed, "So even though I really wanted to see G1 Megatron on the battlefield at the fall [of] Cybertron, I couldn't do it."

It's a little ludicrous that Bumblebee couldn't use Megatron in order to stay true to the Transformers timeline when it really doesn't make sense in a variety of other ways. And considering most hardcore Transformers fans aren't very proud of Michael Bay's film franchise, ignoring that detail probably wouldn't have been a big deal. But apparently Paramount Pictures wants to keep the events of the Transformers timeline intact, at least for the time being.

But even so, Travis Knight was thrilled to be able to bring G1 Transformers to the big screen in this way:

"I wanted to fit as much of this G1 stuff I loved in there, and so I put my favorite characters in. Obviously there are ones I wish I could put in there, and I would love to see an entire movie about the fall of Cybertron because I think it's awesome, but just to be able to visit it for a moment, to see the Cybertron of my imaginations on the big screen, it was a real thrill."

See it for yourself when Bumblebee hits theaters this weekend.