Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity - Transformers Wiki

The little yellow fellow was very busy in the Marvel Comics continuity. He made so many appearances that he gets a page for them.

Marvel The Transformers comics

Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.

Four million years ago, Optimus Prime led a crew of Autobots including Bumblebee aboard the Ark to clear a path through an asteroid belt for Cybertron to pass through. Once their objective was completed, they were attacked by Decepticons and both their ships crashed in a volcanic mountain on a primitive planet known as Earth. In 1984, the volcano erupted, awakening their ship, which rebuilt them. Bumblebee was reconfigured to transform into a yellow Volkswagen Beetle.

Prowl led a mission into a human city to investigate their new world. Bumblebee, anxious to be the first to meet the planet's inhabitants, rear-ended a car full of teenagers watching A Kiss for Us at the Community Drive-In. Before he could introduce himself, he was under attack by Decepticons and damaged badly. One of the teenagers, Buster Witwicky, brought the car back to his father's auto repair shop. Bumblebee weakly pleaded to them to fix him, for he was dying. The Transformers Buster's father, Sparkplug Witwicky, fixed Bumblebee and offered to help the Autobots convert their native fuel resources into a form that Transformers could use. Bumblebee relayed the message to the Ark, and Optimus Prime brought the Autobots to the garage. Soon, a Decepticon attack began, and Prime charged Bumblebee with keeping the humans safe. Unfortunately, Bumblebee was struck down from behind by Megatron, and the Decepticons then made off with Sparkplug. Power Play! Bumblebee was sorry he failed Buster, and the Autobots brought the boy back to the Ark to prep a rescue mission. Because of his injuries and the Autobots' poor fuel reserves, Bumblebee was not a part of the rescue team, however. Prisoner of War!

One day, Bumblebee was assisting with repairs on the Ark when Brawn's mind was damaged in electrical feedback. Brawn went on a rampage until the Autobots managed to recover him, and reverse his mental damage. The Enemy Within! When the Ark's computer Auntie went haywire, Bumblebee was one of the Autobots trapped by her powerful electromagnetic field. Raiders of the Last Ark He also participated in the Autobot defense of Sherman Dam, though the Autobots were unsuccessful in preventing the dam's destruction at Megatron's hand. Racing ahead of the flood, the Autobots helped evacuate a nearby town before the waters reached it. Bumblebee and the others managed to prevent any loss of life, only for the humans to blame the Autobots for what had transpired, not understanding the difference between their saviors and the Decepticons. Decepticon Dam-Busters!

After a seemingly final battle with the Decepticons, the long-lost Decepticon Shockwave arrived and reversed the Autobots' victory with a single blast. The Last Stand Bumblebee and the rest of the Autobots were kept captive aboard the Ark in a deactivated state The New Order Repeat Performance! until Ratchet managed to free the Ark from Decepticon control and repair them. Afterwards, to make sure all of the Autobots were back in fighting shape, Ratchet had Bumblebee and the others go on a diagnostics run through the open plains. DIS-Integrated Circuits! The Decepticons had moved on to Blackrock Aerospace Assembly Plant Number One by then, which Bumblebee kept under surveillance at Prowl's command. He tracked the newly created Constructicons to a deserted site where they began construction of a transdimensional radiowave scrambler. The Next Best Thing to Being There!

Meanwhile, Buster had been entrusted with safeguarding the Creation Matrix, which the Decepticons discovered, so Bumblebee and Bluestreak were sent to protect him. Buster was attacked by the Decepticons' newly built but lifeless Jetfire. Bumblebee and Bluestreak did their best to defend Buster, but it was Buster's use of the powers of the Creation Matrix which saved them all, disassembling Jetfire in mid-air. Bumblebee removed Jetfire's brain module so Buster could reassemble and remote-control the body with his mind. Brainstorm! Prime Time!

After the Creation Matrix was returned to a restored Optimus Prime, he was still somewhat disconcerted by his ordeal. When the Decepticon spy Ravage was briefly captured, only to escape again, Bumblebee saw how much this troubled his already upset leader and took it upon himself to chase down and capture the fleeing spy. Unfortunately, he got in over his head and was captured by Soundwave's Decepticons after being led into a box canyon. In order to show the Autobots they meant business, Soundwave had Laserbeak deliver Bumblebee's severed arm to the Ark as a message. Soundwave had learned from Ravage how low Prime's self-confidence was at that juncture, and planned to lure the despondent Autobot leader to his death. Instead, kidnapping Bumblebee just pissed Prime off, and he single-handedly bashed and battered his way through the entire Decepticon front, rescuing Bumblebee and restoring his confidence in the process. Crisis of Command! Bumblebee remained in recovery for some time as a result of his injuries, under Ratchet's care. The Icarus Theory

During the Dinobot Hunt, Bumblebee went to Alaska with Optimus and Ratchet to reinforce the unit trying to overcome the rampaging Dinobots, Grimlock and Sludge. While scouting the perimeter with a portable energy trace, Bumblebee was shocked to discover a cloaked Autobot shuttlecraft and three of his comrades who had gone missing earlier in the Hunt. He also discovered a Decepticon-issue sonic lance (that was being used to drive Sludge "berserker mad") installed in the ship. Rightly suspecting a booby trap, instead of just turning the device off, Bumblebee instead evacuated his comrades and got a good distance away from the ship before using his gun to blow up the sonic lance. Good call—the shuttlecraft exploded violently the moment he did so. Dinobot Hunt!

When the Autobots took steps to fill out their ranks, Bumblebee was charged with giving four new recruits (Hoist, Skids, Smokescreen, and Tracks) a tour of the planet. During this outing, Bumblebee received word that a Brick Springstern concert had been targeted by the Decepticons. Though Optimus ordered Bumblebee to lead an observation-ony mission to the concert in anticipation for reinforcements, Bumblebee's hand was forced into action when he learned that the Decepticons were literally stealing the event's music to harvest energon. Bumblebee led the four into battle, saving the concert. Optimus scolded him afterwards, but also took note that Bumblebee had handled himself well in what had seemed insurmountable odds. Rock and Roll-Out! When Robot-Master appeared on television and claimed to control the Transformers, it was Bumblebee's job to ask their human business partner, G.B. Blackrock what the deal was. Robot-Master broadcast next in a coal mine next to a de-energized Megatron, but before Bumblebee and several other Autobots could investigate, they were pushed away by overwhelming Earth military forces. I, Robot-Master!

This event caused Bumblebee to question his usefulness to the Autobots, and he abandoned them without a word. The Decepticons, however, saw much use for him and attempted to apprehend him. Hiding in a used car lot, he was stolen by two humans, whom he grew to think of as his friends. The Decepticons did not relent, and Bumblebee was ultimately rescued by the rest of the Autobots, an act which reminded him how valuable he was to them. Plight of the Bumblebee!

When Buster Witwicky ran off to confront the Decepticons alone, Bumblebee was one of the Autobots who rescued him from Shockwave. Robot Buster! Upon learning that both Shockwave and Megatron were dueling for leadership of the Decepticons, the Autobots sent out Bumblebee to spy on the battle. The broadcast of the event was interrupted by Soundwave, and Bumblebee was forced to return to headquarters in order to avoid combat. Second Generation! He also witnessed the apparent death of Optimus Prime, Prowl, and Ratchet when Galvatron's mass-displacement time-jump first took them. Bumblebee was particularly distraught by his leader's apparent demise, letting out a defiant cry upon Optimus's vanishment. The Autobots mustered up their forces nonetheless, and launched an offensive against the newly-arrived Decepticon... only to be soundly thrashed by Galvatron's two cronies, Cyclonus and Scourge. Bumblebee and the others slinked back to the Ark, and were pushed to join forces with Megatron in order to best the time-traveling tyrant. Target: 2006

Later, the Autobots decided to create combiner robots of their own, to match the power of the Constructicons and their united form, Devastator. To accomplish this goal, Optimus Prime staged a frontal assault on the Decepticon quarry base as a cover for Bumblebee to infiltrate the area unnoticed. When the Decepticons inevitably unleashed Devastator to counter the Autobot offensive, Bumblebee was on hand to take a sensor recording of Devastator's transformation sequence, giving Wheeljack a blueprint to start from and improve upon. The Aerialbots were soon created as a result of Bumblebee's heroic efforts. Command Performances!

When the Decepticons staged a hostage situation at Hoover Dam, Bumblebee was monitoring the communications at the Ark. He relayed the situation to Optimus, who in turn sent out the newly built Aerialbots to deal with it. Aerialbots over America!

As Optimus Prime became concerned that the Autobots were too reliant on him as leader, he arranged for Wheeljack to create a facsimile construct of him to temporarily divert the Autobots into believing he was dead so that they would think for themselves. Upon Prime announcing that he would be heading out on a solo scouting mission near Decepticon territory, Bumblebee protested, insisting that a more expendable Autobot carry out the task instead. Optimus insisted on carrying out his plan despite Bumblebee's and several other Autobot's disapproval. Prey! Unfortunately, Prime was attacked by the Predacons during his staged mission, and ended up being transported to Cybertron. Bumblebee and the others were left behind to collect the scattered remains of Prime's construct, and Optimus was in no position to return. ...The Harder They Die! A funeral was held for the Autobots' fallen leader, attended by all. At least, until Optimus spontaneously reappeared on Earth standing atop his headstone, and the whole matter was quickly forgotten. Resurrection!

On Christmas Eve, Bumblebee and the Autobots investigated the loss of electricity in Midville. Discovering the source of the problem was Soundwave, Laserbeak, and their energy siphon, Bumblebee helped confront the Decepticons and shoo them away. The human child Megan Perry asked if he'd help them get to town so they could deliver presents to the needy, and Bumblebee did them one better: he wired the town's Christmas tree to his car's engine to power its lights. The Night the Transformers Saved Christmas

Optimus Prime ordered Bumblebee to Fort Lewis to keep an eye on Power Station Alpha in case the Decepticons attempted to steal it. Sure enough, Bumblebee spotted Bombshell and contacted headquarters. Bumblebee then revealed himself in order to help save a boy from getting crushed. The Joes did not know what to make of the robot, so Hawk ordered him destroyed, just in case he was there to sabotage the power station. Blood on the Tracks The Joes collected the pieces for inspection by Mainframe and Crankcase, Power Struggle who got a visit from G.B. Blackrock who told them Bumblebee was one of the good guy robots. Mainframe thought Bumblebee's personality might still be intact and began rebuilding him. Ashes, Ashes... Having established an alliance with the Autobots, Ratchet arrived to help with the finishing touches. When he was completed, Bumblebee requested to be called the more mature name "Goldbug". Goldbug, Scarlett, and the Baroness were sent on a successful mission to mission to plant explosives on Power Station Alpha. ...All Fall Down!

Bumblebee was with First Aid when the medic disappeared into Limbo as part of the mass substitution required for Death's Head's time travel. Not desiring a witness for his presence in 1987, Death's Head shot Bumblebee, blowing him to pieces. Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive! The Autobot's pieces were soon found by a time-travelling Wreck-Gar, who rebuilt him into Goldbug. Hunters Goldbug went on to aid Autobots from the future in dealing with Galvatron and his power siphon. An attempt at sending all of the future individuals back to their native time did not work, Fire on High! leaving only Goldbug and Ultra Magnus to deal with Galvatron. When Ultra Magnus momentarily gave in to hopelessness, Goldbug carried on the fight alone despite being completely out of his league. A timely rescue from the returning Ultra Magnus stopped the Decepticon's doomsday machine, saved Goldbug, and left both Galvatron and Ultra Magnus encased in hardened lava. Vicious Circle! These events were observed by the time travelling Dicet Alpha-zero. The Quest!

Goldbug and Blaster were ordered by the new Autobot leader, Grimlock, to track down the Mechanic, who had stolen Autobot technology from the Ark. Their first stake-out on this mission met with difficulty, as two juvenile delinquents tried to steal Blaster from Goldbug's dashboard, forcing them to flee in an attempt to maintain their cover. An outraged Grimlock insisted that the next time the duo encountered human interference, they were to eliminate the fleshlings. Goldbug and Blaster were then sent back out, with promise of punishment should they fail once more in acquiring their target. The Autobots tracked down Forbes as he was in the middle of a heist, and cornered him as the local police were boxing them in... only for the officers to turn on the Autobots, allowing the criminals to escape once more. Eventually managing to broker an alliance with the police, the group made their way to the Mechanic's hideout and took down his entire operation with a concerted effort, though the villain himself escaped once again. Figuring that Grimlock was a terrible leader and had no regard for human life, both Goldbug and Blaster exiled themselves from his command rather than return home empty-handed. Mechanical Difficulties!

Goldbug and Blaster tracked down G.B. Blackrock and informed him of their current situation. Though Blackrock was quick to label them as deserters, they insisted that they would continue to help Earth in fighting against the Decepticons, and asked if he had any information on their whereabouts. The human directed them to a desert of the American Southwest, where unusual reports of a meteor crash had been made. Indeed, the meteor turned out to be a Cybertronian spaceship. Befriending the research scientist Charlie Fong, the Autobots bypassed the military blockade surrounding the crash-site. But upon their approach, the Autobots had a run-in with the Decepticon Triple Changers, who had become infested with Scraplets. With Blaster cornered by the enemy and contaminated by the disease, Goldbug and his new human friend left to get help and possibly a cure. Goldbug drove off without saying a word, leaving Blaster to believe that Goldbug had abandoned him to die. But despite leaving the site without making contact with the Decepticons, Goldbug was also infected. Crater Critters

As the disease spread, Goldbug neared death himself. He arrived with Charlie at a gas station, where they met up with the Throttlebots, sent from Cybertron by Ratbat and armed with acid to contain the disease. Goldbug narrowly escaped extermination when it was discovered that the cure for Scraplets was none other than ordinary water. After being hosed down, Goldbug called Blackrock, and the industrialist trucked in tanks of water himself. However, upon Goldbug's return to the crater, Blaster refused the cure; dispensing it meant curing his Decepticon captors as well, and he was dead-set against having any Decepticon be spared death for his own sake. Though downtrodden that he couldn't save his friend, Goldbug decided to honor Blaster's wishes and instructed the Throttlebots to use the acid instead of the water. Before they had a chance to do so, thousands of Scraplets combined to form a monster, and attacked the Autobots. The Throttlebots being weaponless, Goldbug was forced to cure all those in the crater after all, since the Decepticons had the firepower necessary to down the beast. All of the Scraplets were eliminated, though the Decepticons escaped with their cargo. Goldbug apologized to Blaster for going against his instructions, but Blaster's anger was outweighed by the renewal of his trust in his fellow Autobot. The Cure!

With the Throttlebots joining Goldbug and Blaster on their travels, the group discovered that the bodies of Galvatron and Ultra Magnus had been found, encased in stone after both robots had plunged into a volcano. They traveled on-site in the hope of freeing their comrade, only to find the Combaticons already there upon their arrival. Learning that the Combaticons were planning to destroy Galvatron once and for all, Goldbug decided to not interfere; he reasoned that this might be their only chance at ridding themselves of the mad tyrant, and risking Ultra Magnus's release might do little more than undo his heroic sacrifice. But a human friend of Magnus, Cindy Newell, refused to stand by and risk Ultra Magnus being reduced to collateral damage. She teamed up with two other humans, Susan Hoffman and Joy Meadows, to run interference in the Combaticons' demolition project. Goldbug's team was forced to intervene in order to protect the trio. The Throttlebots saw the Combaticons off, but Goldbug's warning that the humans should not further endanger themselves by getting involved in the Transformers' conflict fell on deaf ears. Ladies' Night This unfortunately earned him the ire of the Combaticons. The group found refuge in a used car lot owned by Big Steve. However, they were all badly in need of fuel. They attempted a deal with Big Steve, but he double-crossed them, filling them up with soda pop instead of gasoline. It was then that the Protectobots caught up with them, followed by the Combaticons. During the ensuing battle, the immobilized Throttlebots (including Goldbug) were carted away by the humans' anti-robot organization, RAAT. Used Autobots

Goldbug and the captured Throttlebots were interrogated by Triple-I, who eventually had their bodies crushed in a pointless threat to stop Decepticon raids. However, their brain modules were transplanted by Walter Barnett into remote-control cars owned by his son, who sought out Goldbug's old friend Buster at Goldbug's suggestion. After being attacked by the Predacons and separated from the others, Goldbug and Buster traveled to Mount St. Hilary and found the Ark gone. Using equipment left behind, Goldbug and Buster sent a distress call, just before Ratbat revealed he'd tagged along and crushed the Autobot's toy car body. Toy Soldiers!

Arriving in response to his distress call, the Autobot Headmasters rescued Goldbug's shattered form, Chromedome patching into his circuits to ease the pain of retelling the attack and capture of Buster. Trial by Fire! Taken back to their ship, Brainstorm built him a new body identical to his Throttlebot form. As Brainstorm put the final touches on him, the Autobots intercepted a phone call, made on behalf of "Optimus Prime." Deciding that someone posing as his former leader was worth investigating, Goldbug headed out into the field despite his body being untested, and thus viable to have a few bugs in its functions. He traced the origin of the call to Alternate Reality, Inc., a new video game company founded by Ethan Zachary, who had been involved in the adventure that had led to Optimus's demise. Goldbug discovered that Zachary's claims that he could talk with Optimus was no trick; the human had managed to safeguard a copy of the Autobot leader's mind on a floppy disk. Unfortunately, Optimus's mind had become convinced that he was merely a computer game character. To return him to his former self, Goldbug and Zachary decided to pit Optimus against some real dangers. They first sent him on a scouting mission in the Decepticon's computers. That mission was a success, but prompted the Decepticons to launch an counter-attack in the physical world. Patching Optimus through his sensors, Goldbug was able to act as Optimus's eyes as he directed the Autobots in defending their location. Though his eyes malfunctioned during the siege, Goldbug had his sight back in time to see the Decepticons off. Pretender to the Throne!

Goldbug championed the reconstruction of his former leader's body, until his present allies suggested contacting the Ark to seek the resources to do it. Goldbug was quickly imprisoned by Grimlock, but this allowed him to convince Blaster to challenge the Dinobot for leadership of the Autobots. The Decepticons attacked during the pair's duel, and Fortress Maximus ordered Goldbug to take the Steelhaven and its skeleton crew back to Nebulos to rebuild Optimus Prime while the rest of the Autobots fought back. Totaled!

Arriving on Nebulos, Goldbug and the others learned that the natives had implemented anti-Transformer measures; all of the planet's fuel supplies had been converted to a type poisonous to Cybertronians. They further learned that a pair of Decepticons had bypassed this toxic fuel by binary-bonding to two local criminals as Powermasters. Despite all this, Goldbug urged Hi-Q, a friend of Fortress Maximus's former Headmaster partner, to rebuild Optimus Prime. He believed that, though the fuel would kill his old friend, it was better for him to die whole and with dignity than live as a mockery of himself. Partway through construction, the Autobots responded to one of the Decepticons' attacks against the Council of Peers. Goldbug managed to dodge most of Dreadwind and Darkwing's attacks, though his allies weren't so lucky. Despite the Autobots making a poor showing of themselves and wounding up all unconscious by the altercation's end, the Decepticons retreated rather than test their luck against the Autobots' superior numbers.

The Autobots' act of altruism convinced Hi-Q and his aides to go the extra mile in assisting them. Optimus Prime was rebuilt into a more powerful body, and Hi-Q's group underwent the Powermaster process to keep Prime, Slapdash, Getaway, and Joyride alive. Goldbug avoided having to undergo the process like the others due to his high fuel efficiency. Now better equipped to handle the Decepticons, Goldbug helped his teammates drive Dreadwind and Darkwing off-planet, then departed as well with four new Nebulan friends in tow. People Power! On the journey back to Earth, the Steelhaven received a transmission advertising the "Cosmic Carnival," an intergalactic traveling show housing acts from various worlds. Upon seeing that Sky Lynx was in the line-up, Optimus and Goldbug changed the ship's course to investigate. While making their way through the various attractions, the two Autobots noticed that four human children were being held captive as part of a sideshow. They approached their keeper, another human named Berko, demanding to see his manager over the situation. But the head honcho, Big Top, produced a contract signed by the children and Sky Lynx. Goldbug scrutinized the document, and was sad to say that it was ironclad; the children and Sky Lynx were to be employed until they had paid off a debt they owed the Carnival. A conversation with Sky Lynx later, the Autobots decided to disregard any legalese and bust out both him and the children anyways; it was apparent that the Carnival would never consider their debts payed, no matter how long they worked. The pair talked once more with Berko, and convinced him to cooperate in exchange of also granting him his freedom, as well as safe passage back to Earth. Optimus went off the fetch Sky Lynx while Goldbug stuffed all of the humans in his vehicle mode and made his getaway. Though Big Top returned to make trouble, Goldbug bumped him into the children's cage and Berko locked him inside. The Cosmic Carnival

Goldbug was part of an Autobot shuttle team that arrived on Earth to deal with the threat of Galvatron. When half the Autobots present (including Optimus Prime) were seemingly atomized before the sudden arrival of six newcomers, Fortress Maximus ordered a counter-attack against the apparent invaders. Goldbug's prior experience with time-jumps was needed to explain that Optimus and the others were not dead, just in Limbo. Though he was nearly unable to share his insight with the others after being blasted by Misfire during the confusion, the Ultra Magnus from the future carried him so that he could deliver his message despite his injuries. After both sets of Autobots calmed down, Goldbug was tended to by Hoist. Time Wars

When an Underbase-powered Starscream announced that he would "destroy the cities of New York, Tokyo, and Buenos Aires," Goldbug was among the allied Autobot/Decepticon teams sent ahead to New York City. As Starscream approached, Goldbug led a team of Autobots towards the villain, only for the lot of them to get blown to smithereens by a blast of cosmic energy. Dark Star

He was soon reassembled, Guess Who the Mecannibals Are Having for Dinner? but all attempts to reactivate Goldbug proved futile. Haunted by his failures, Ratchet started to have nightmares about Goldbug and various other deactivated Autobots reviving as zombies to kill him for letting them down. Ratchet's nightmares came true for a short while, when the Decepticon Sports Car Patrol managed to infiltrate the Ark and took control of the damaged Autobots' bodies to torment the medic. When this failed to make Ratchet snap completely, the Decepticons' plan was abandoned and Goldbug was shut down once more. The Micromasters switched to their "plan B," tricking Ratchet into thinking they were fellow Autobots and inviting him on their return trip to Cybertron. Ratchet brought along Goldbug's body, hoping to repair it with his homeworld's superior tools. Back from the Dead Ratchet's "sponsors" soon revealed themselves to be working for Megatron, who needed Ratchet's medical assistance to activate a new, Pretender version of Starscream. Ratchet was forced to do so, but spotting three discarded prototype Pretender shells, he resolved himself to also reactivate Goldbug and the other Autobots he had brought along. The Resurrection Gambit! He successfully did so, the repairs coming to completion moments after Megatron predictably betrayed Ratchet, despite his cooperation. The three revived Autobots were loosed on Megatron and his minions. All the Familiar Faces! Instead of simply restoring Goldbug, Ratchet had rebuilt him as a much larger Bumblebee, explaining that he'd always preferred Bumblebee's original form. Before they could discuss it further, Bumblebee had to help Jazz and Grimlock in the escalating conflict. All three Pretenders were pitched outside by the tyrant, despite their upgrades, and Megatron's minions pursued them while Megatron himself chased down Ratchet. While the new Pretenders defeated the other Decepticons, Ratchet seemingly sacrificed himself to destroy Megatron and his base. Skin Deep

Afterward, the three Pretenders briefly joined the Autobot resistance movement on Cybertron. Together, they were sent to investigate a brutal group-killing. Their inquiries were interrupted by Ruckus, Windsweeper, Sparkstalker, and Cindersaur, out for revenge on behalf of the Decepticons offed in said killing. Demons! Bumblebee was the first to notice several Demons encroaching on their battlefield, and warned all other combatants of their approach. Realizing in short order that the Demons were responsible for the murders, both group joined forces against the monstrous giants. Unfortunately, the Demons seemed to draw strength from whatever was thrown at them. Bumblebee and his teammates were saved when Xaaron and Red Hot showed up, having learned of the Demons through the only survivor of their previous attack. Knowing the Demons' weakness from ancient lore, Xaaron pumped them full of pure energon until they overloaded and self-destructed. Dawn of Darkness Thanks to his increased stature, Bumblebee experienced a big boost of confidence as he and the others rejuvenated the resistance. In response, Thunderwing ordered the Mayhem Attack Squad to assassinate them. As Bumblebee, Jazz, Grimlock and the Rescue Patrol prepared to teleport to Earth, the three Decepticons attacked Autobase, sabotaging the trans-time dimensional portal. All nine Transformers found themselves teleported into the heart of Cybertron, where the Autobots discovered the resting place of Primus. Yesterday's Heroes!

There, they encountered the Keeper and learned the secret origin of the Transformers, as well as of Primus's never-ending battle with Unicron. As the Keeper's tale ended, the Mayhem Attack Squad found the Autobots. Their initial attack destroyed the Keeper, and the Autobots had to hold back to prevent Primus being awoken. As the Autobots were being "slaughtered", Bumblebee, frustrated at himself, begged Primus for help, asking if he and his friends must die again prevent the coming of Unicron. Suddenly, he gained a new inner strength, refusing to accept this fate, and charged Bludgeon, luring him to Seawatch, so he could drag Bludgeon away. However, a stray blast woke Primus seconds before the repaired portal sent the Transformers back to Earth. The Primal Scream Bird of Prey!

With Unicron undoubtedly on his way to devour Cybertron, Bumblebee and his fellow Pretenders embarked on a quest to find the lost Creation Matrix. The three traveled to VsQs, the last known location of Optimus Prime's funeral barge, to search for clues. Finding an abandoned science station, Bumblebee searched through its computer records. He confirmed that the scientists had found Prime's body and the Matrix, but also a strange creature that promptly attacked one of the scientists. Before they could investigate further, Thunderwing attacked, also seeking the Matrix. Bumblebee used his Pretender shell to combat the Decepticon, only for Thunderwing to destroy it. The feedback temporarily knocked Bumblebee unconscious, and it seemed Thunderwing would destroy all three Autobots, until the Matrixspawn attacked. While Thunderwing pursued the creature, Bumblebee and the other Autobots searched the science station for the Matrix. Dark Creation They recovered it, but were so low on Energon that they were becoming unable to compensate for the moon's heavy gravity. While they were attempting to reach their shuttle, Thunderwing overtook them, seizing the Matrix and leaving them for dead. All Fall Down Fortunately for Bumblebee, the Autobots sent a shuttle to rescue him and the others before they entered final shutdown. Eye of the Storm

Bumblebee survived the war with Unicron, and was one of many Autobots left on Cybertron afterwards. Unfortunately, the Transformers' troubles weren't at an end just yet; Primus's consciousness had been sundered during the apocalyptic battle, and without it, Cybertron began to break apart. Bumblebee attended a meeting where the united Autobot and Decepticon forces discussed the matter, and decided to leave their homeworld behind. Exodus!

Transformers Annual 1985

Due to being published early in the franchise, these stories are out of continuity with the above.

Bumblebee found himself grumbling to Prowl after being left out of an important mission one too many times, relegated to monitoring news broadcasts instead. The monotony of the task came to an end when Prowl found footage of a man being rescued by a woman; at their feet lay a piece of cybertronian metal. Convinced by his analysis that Ravage had attacked the man, Prowl tried to contact Optimus, but found that his signal wasn't getting through. Though Prowl was hesitant to act without his commander's authorization, Bumblebee convinced him that they should investigate, alongside Twin Twist and Topspin.

The group picked up Ravage's trail, but Bumblebee fell behind his stronger companions as they made their way through a swamp. He was surprised by a boa and ensnared by the creature. After Topspin rescue him, the Autobots continued on their trek, coming upon the Decepticons' hideout days later. The enemy had set up a mining operation to excavate rare crystals, which could be used to bring new soldiers to life. Prowl suggested that the Autobots hold their position and contact the Ark for reinforcements, prompting a debate within the group. While the others were busy arguing, Bumblebee snuck away in an attempt to free the Decepticons' slave workforce on his own. Unfortunately, he hadn't counted on there being aerial guards overlooking the grounds, and he came under attack from both Thrust and Starscream. Prowl and the Jumpstarters came to his rescue, and though they took out Starscream, sending him crashing into the mine, the Autobots were buried in an avalanche triggered by Thrust in retaliation. Bumblebee was soon back on his feet, but learned that Megatron had triggered a self-destruct mechanism within his ruined base. He headed in to rescue the humans still held captive, and though everyone escaped safely, the Decepticons managed to get away. Hunted!

Marvel UK future timelines

The movie adaptation, originally published by Marvel US, is in italics

In the 21st century, Bumblebee and Spike were stationed on Moonbase Two. The Planet-Eater! The pair witnessed Unicron gobbling up Moonbase One, and reported the disastrous turn of events to Ultra Magnus on Earth. As Unicron moved on to Cybertron's second moon, Spike and Bumblebee rigged the satellite's entire stockpile of weapons to blow up after a twenty-second delay.

They then hopped on a ship and watched from afar as the moon exploded while Unicron was devouring it. Bumblebee and Spike cheered until they realized that Unicron had been left completely unscathed by the explosion. A subsequent attempt to flee proved fruitless, as Unicron sucked up their ship and swallowed it up. Judgment Day! Eventually, they were rescued from inside Unicron's gullet by a crew of Autobots, and the Planet Eater was destroyed by the Matrix. The Final Battle!

In 2007, Bumblebee was stationed on Cybertron. Under the command of Rodimus Prime and Ultra Magnus, he helped ambush a group of Decepticon attackers, catching them in a pre-planned crossfire. Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive!

Robo-Capers

Bumblebee was friends with Pushalong, and tried to comfort him on his embarrassing alternate mode. Robo-Capers issue 66 After Grimlock had a complete change in attitude, Bumblebee explained to Jazz that it was due to the fame of becoming a movie star. Robo-Capers issue 91

Earthforce

These stories do not fit into the normal Marvel continuity. See Earthforce for details.

When Optimus Prime left Grimlock in charge of protecting Earth, Bumblebee signed up for the new "Earthforce" along with many of his long-time comrades. Break-Away! Grimlock made it clear to Bumblebee and the others that Earthforce would be doing things his way, not Prime's. Once upon a Time... After Prowl disappeared while riding an atmosphere-destroying missile through the stratosphere (long story), Bumblebee and Ironhide went looking for him. They picked up a set of Transformer lifesigns on a small island in the Bahamas, and took some speeder bikes to investigate. Instead of Prowl, what they found was a massive reconstructed version of Devastator, half-finished as the Constructicons attempted to recreate their combined form as an independent super-warrior. Luckily, Bumblebee had Ironhide along to disable the automated defense ring protecting the Devastator project, and they were able to destroy "him" before the Constructicons could activate their creation. Desert Island Risks!

Later, Bumblebee joined Jazz, Ironhide and Sunstreaker in infiltrating the Decepticon Enclave. Fearing an alliance between the two Decepticon factions would be bad news for the Autobots, Ironhide conceived a plan to throw a spanner into the proceedings. Using an unconscious Headstrong as a patsy, the Autobots staged a sniper shot at Megatron. When Megatron and his Decepticons unleashed their firepower at the rocks where the shot supposedly came from, Jazz and Bumblebee tossed down Headstrong's body, leading Megatron to conclude Shockwave had tried to have him killed. The peace talks quickly went downhill from there. Once the Decepticons' in-fighting had taken them out of the cave they had held their soirée in, Bumblebee and his teammates took the opportunity to have some festivities of their own, and nabbed the snacks that their enemies had left behind. The Bad Guy's Ball!

Bumblebee was present when Wheeljack showcased his brand-new defense grid to successfully protect Autobot Earthbase. Unfortunately, Wheels forgot that, once activated, the defense system could only be deactivated from inside the base... behind the various laser cannons and heat-seekers and Acidbats he had turned on. While Prowl ran the gauntlet to reach the control center, Bumblebee and Jazz watched his back, drawing fire and disabling what defenses they could. The House that Wheeljack Built! Later, Bumblebee and several other Autobots went in pursuit of Motormaster of the Stunticons, who had kidnapped their human ally, Irwin Spoon. Weaving their way through the various Stunticons who got in the way, Bumblebee and Tracks finally managed to trick two of Motormaster's own thugs into running him off the road themselves, giving Bumblebee a chance to rip off his cab door and retrieve Spoon. End of the Road!

Cybertron comic

Vector Prime witnessed Bumblebee's presence at Octopunch accidentally waking up Primus The Primal Scream and considered it a highlight of his career as the guardian of time and space. Vector Prime: In the Beginning

Conflicting Goldbug origins

In G.I. Joe and the Transformers, Bumblebee was destroyed by G.I. Joe due to a misunderstanding. They later rebuilt him as Goldbug with help from Ratchet. However, Marvel UK did not initially print the crossover,^[1] so an alternate origin for Goldbug was conceived. In the pages of the UK comic, Bumblebee was destroyed by a time-traveling Death's Head, yes? Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive! Then he was repaired by a time-traveling Wreck-Gar. Hunters The conflicting origins for Goldbug is the single largest difference between the American and British Marvel Transformers comics; most everything else kinda sorta meshes together, if you squint.

Transformers Comic-Magazin

Bumblebee was part of the Ark crew that fled Decepticons in search of new worlds. Stranded on Earth, he woke up in 1973. Powermaster Optimus Prime - A Robot, a Hero

Bumblebee was present when Powermaster Optimus Prime led the Autobots against the joint Decepticon leaders Shockwave and Megatron, who had tried to hijack the oil reserves of Alaska. The Autobots drove off the Decepticons, but not before Quickmix accidentally shot a Minibot because he turned off his targeting computer. Bumblebee argued that the Autobots should turn their targeting computers off because while they would be less accurate, they would be faster and more agile. Optimus then sat his troops down and explained to them the differences between Autobots and Decepticons. Attack at Dawn

He attended a meeting in which Optimus Prime lectured the Autobots on the basics of their mission and existence, and applauded Slapdash's call for a one-world Autobot government. He notes that if the Autobots were like the Decepticons, they wouldn't have had to drift through space for an eternity and be entombed on Earth for four million years. Later, the Decepticons attack an oil tanker, and he helps the rescue effort as a Classic Pretender. A Big Day for Powermaster Optimus Prime He was present when the Decepticons unleashed a robotic hell-beast known as 'King Con' on New York; however Optimus Prime rented a helicopter to fly a banner announcing huge raw oil deposit finds in the Rocky Mountains. After a short hesitation, the Decepticons retreated to pursue these findings. New York — A City Sinking in Terror

When the Decepticons stole three nuclear missiles from the United State Federation to hold the world to ransom, Optimus Prime ordered that Bumblebee, Jazz and Grimlock be given the power and abilities of Pretenders and sent to defeat the Decepticons. They arrived outside the Decepticon base, but were attacked by Pretender Starscream! Beating Starscream, they then chased off the Firecons in their Pretender shells, leaving Bumblebee to defeat Megatron one-on-one and stop the missile countdown. Megatron's Ultimatum They kept their fancy Pretender shells, which were modelled on gladiators of the future and made to look nice and trustworthy. "By their Blasters you shall know them ...!"

Time and space ripped open and a strange bridge began to link up multiple dimensions and it was really pissing Bumblebee off, but that didn't stop him and his chums focusing on a crashed oil tanker! Bumblebee liaised with human aircrew during the mission and later helped seal the leak. Headmaster of the Dimensions

During a massive Decepticon assault, Bumblebee fell (and transformed while doing so). He Who Laughs Last... He got better in time to sit through (and help with) a presentation on how to recognise fellow Autobots, himself having noticed how bloody hard it was keeping track of the constant arrivals from Cybertron and even the future. "By their Blasters you shall know them ...!"

Following a vicious battle he was rebuilt into Goldbug by a cosmic Transformer, but the process had scrambled his mind as he forgot that he had been Bumblebee. The Cosmic Adventure: Memories of Bumblebee His new self was first spotted at a battle to defend a nuclear transporter. (He smugly noted that the Decepticons wasted energy taking the fuel they wanted when the Autobots were given it by their human chums)The Energon Trap He later spearheaded a convoy that fell into a Decepticon ambush; in the resulting breakout, Optimus trusted Goldbug to give them all covering fire. The Countdown to a New Space Age!

While dozing on security duty sometime after Optimus had gone MIA, Goldbug accidentally caused the Ark's computers to create a training simulation out of mashed-up footage of previous battles. He was left distraught and confused, trying to send real communications, before realising both the truth and that the constant presence of this "Bumblebee" meant something weird was going on. Now aware again of his past, he felt proud of his old self. Memories of Bumblebee

Goldbug somehow defeated Unicron! Thanks to the Decepticons psychological trauma over Unicron's defeat, Goldbug and his chum Stealth got to put their feet up and read. Intrigued by the fact humans could surely not have built the Egyptian pyramids, they decided to go take a look themselves. He was stunned to realise pyramids were laid out exactly like Autobot spaceships, and further that old paintings depicted "gods" that resembled robots and the Autobot symbol. All evidence pointed to the fact that the missing Optimus was the "Lord of the Light" "Imus" who had helped mankind create the pyramids! Goldbug swore to solve it one day. The Curse of the Pyramids

Goldbug, Scoop, and Landfill were tracking the missing QuickMix and Goldbug lamented that the missing Optimus could have found him. In the process, they discovered a new Decepticon super-weapon and, just like QuickMix, were captured and turned into slave labour to build a new blaster. The other Autobots reluctantly held off from a rescue mission for fear the hostages would be executed. However, weeks later and after Rescue Force decided to make a Rescue Attempt, Goldbug and his team were able to take some guards captive and 'negotiate' their way to freedom! Shockwave's Galactic Secret

Optimus reappeared!^[2] Then he was kidnapped on a mission with Goldbug and our boy's circuits were left severely scrambled so he couldn't communicate. Oh well. The Case of Optimus Prime

Marvel Generation 2 comic

Years after the battle on Klo, and the Autobots had returned to a renewed Cybertron, Bumblebee received a distress signal from G.I. Joe on Earth, notifying them of Megatron's return. He passed this information on to Optimus Prime. Goin' South He also accompanied Prime and a team of Autobots to an unnamed planet home to an ancient civilization which reportedly stored a cache of superweapons, and battled the Decepticons there until a monstrous native scared them away. Ghosts

Bumblebee was among the Autobot/Decepticon forces battling the Cybertronian Empire on Ethos. Escalation!

Fleetway Generation 2 comic

Millions of years ago, before the Transformers' war left Cybertron, Bumblebee and Optimus Prime participated in a furious battle against the forces of the Decepticons. War Without End

Classics

Bumblebee was among the Autobots who returned to Earth with Optimus Prime once word of Megatron's re-emergence reached them on Cybertron. They established a headquarters at Autobase Prima in the Pacific Northwest. Bumblebee remained behind at headquarters when Optimus and the Autobots helped Skyfall on his quest. Crossing Over: Part 3 He was present when they returned from the battlefield with injured soldiers. Games of Deception

Regeneration One

After the Decepticon Warworld was defeated, Bumblebee was present at the Autobot council when Optimus Prime officially ceded his role to Rodimus Prime. As Rodimus described the anomalies presented to him in his visions of Primus (Galvatron, Jhiaxus, the Dark Matrix, and Spike Witwicky), he designated Bumblebee and Nightbeat heads of the "Zero Unit" to investigate and correlate the anomalies. After establishing a Command HQ, the Zero Unit, the duo decided to focus on the unknown variable amidst the anomalies: Jhiaxus. Finding that Jhiaxus had scrubbed himself from all planetary databases, Bumblebee and Nightbeat decided to reach out to other civilizations in the galaxy still active from Jhiaxus's day. Eighty-eight queries, and no response. Their next effort, a physical probe, was rendered moot when Jhiaxus arrived out of nowhere to address Cybertron personally. The War to End All Wars, Part 1 The Zero Unit suggested an open-air meeting in Eugenesis Plaza to welcome home the long-missing senator, although he immediately saw through the ruse and spotted their back-up sniper teams. When negotiations broke down, Jhiaxus easily escaped from Bumblebee and the others, causing serious injuries while suffering none himself. The War to End All Wars, Part 2

As the Autobots struck back against Jhiaxus's Hub worlds, Bumblebee joined a commando unit led by Ultra Magnus down on the surface. Their beachhead assault failed to do the crippling damage anticipated, putting the commandos on the run during the counter-attack. They were quickly routed, and Rodimus was forced to surrender. The War to End All Wars, Part 3 Bumblebee and the rest were imprisoned on the Hub network until some chaos, Wreckers-style, provided an opening to depart. The War to End All Wars, Part 4

Unfortunately, back on Cybertron Bumblebee and the Autobots found a veritable necropolis, as shadow-demons of the Dark Matrix had consumed nearly the entire population. Many Autobots died before the Dark Matrix was cleansed. It is unknown if Bumblebee survived the conflict. The War to End All Wars, Part 5

Transformers '84

One of Optimus Prime's most elite troops, Bumblebee was among the crew of the Ark. When the ship was completed, Bumblebee commented on its gargantuan size, noting there hadn't been such a large construct since the era of the Titans before telling Prowl that, despite the severity of their mission, the Ark crew could still be considered trailblazing pioneers. Ten breems before launch, Bumblebee flagged that Optimus was running late before the ship took off. Though the crew cleared a path through the asteroid belt, they were attacked by Decepticon High Command, Optimus choosing to crash the ship on the nearby Earth in an attempt to take their enemies with them. Exactly as Optimus had planned from the start. '84 #0

Royal Mail stamp bio

Bumblebee was a courier before the war and eventually joined up with the Autobots. On Earth, he was the first Cybertronian to make contact with humans. Even though he doubts his worth to the Autobots, his courage and good nature make him invaluable.

References