With Shia LaBeouf once head theTransformersfranchise in the main role , many fans wondered what happen to Sam Witwicky in the recent film . Michael Bay was drawn to the originalTransformersfrom the simple , relatable hook shot of the movie about a boy and his first motorcar . The fact the car was a transforming alien robot was simply a incentive . LaBeouf was later range as Sam Witwicky , the nerdy kid who gets unwittingly drawn into an intergalactic battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons . However , after the first threeTransformersmovies , Sam fly without a trace .

Sam Witwicky was the lead character of the first threeTransformersmovies , exiting afterTransformers : Dark Of The Moon . LaBeouf never returned to the franchiseand the serial find a soft reboot with 2014’sTransformers : Age Of Extinction . Mark Wahlberg was introduced inTransformers 4as Cade Yaeger , a struggling inventor who , like Sam , is inadvertently get into the Autobots ' struggle . Cade ’s films and the 2018 movieBumblebee , another gentle reboot , did n’t boast Sam at all . What chance to Sam Witwicky is at leasttouched upon inTransformers 5 .

Why Shia LaBeouf Left Transformers

It Was The Actor’s Choice

While many wondered what happened to Sam Witwicky , the decision toleave theTransformersfranchise was Shia LaBeouf ’s . During the press tour forTransformers : Dark of the Moon , LaBeouf stated he would not deliver to the franchise , and he has n’t appeared inTransformersmovies since , even for a cameo . LaBeouf felt the character of Sam Witwicky had ply his class , and with Sam ’s narrative over , he would only develop stale if he return . He even explain repeatedly in consultation that he did n’t think " there ’s anywhere to take it with Sam " after the third movie ( viaThe Guardian ) .

Since then , LaBeouf has made it clear that his career is heading in a dissimilar charge . Even if there was a story grounds for him to rejoin , the role player has made it cleared he ’s not interested in any projects on the scale leaf of theTransformersfranchise . LaBeouf has also said that he did n’t especially give care for the movies ( viaEsquire ) .

He called theTransformersmovies " irrelevant . " He cited movies likeRaging BullandEasy Rideras valuable stories , but calledTransformersthe " antithesis of [ his ] aim on the planet . " With a program line like that , it ’s hard to imagine he would ever appear in another chapter of theTransformersfranchise .

A set of Final Destination Bloodlines characters looking concerned in new trailer

Transformers 5 Explains What Happened To Shia LaBeouf’s Sam Witwicky

It’s Implied That He Died

The firstTransformersmovies innovate increasingly convoluted mythology into the franchise , withThe Last Knightgoing for broke . The movie reveals King Arthur and Merlin had once teamed up with transformer in the past tense to acquire a battle , with the Transformers gifting Merlin with an alien staff . In the present day , Professor Edmund Burton ( Anthony Hopkins ) explains that Transformers have been help humanity for centuries . He alsoexplains that Vivian Wembley is the last “ Witwiccan , ” a line descended from Merlin himself . This means only Wembley can wield Merlin ’s ( Stanley Tucci ) staff and stop an impending Cybertron attack .

Burton alsoexplains the Witwiccan Orderis a secret society of adventurer task with protecting this alternate chronicle , and he shows photos of members of this society . The pictures includeTransformers ' Sam Witwicky himself . While speak to Oxford Professor Vivian Wembley ( Laura Haddock ) , he tells her that she ’s the only remain Witwiccan . He show Vivian her family tree , which is the same as Sam Witwicky ’s , and he include a picture of Sam for good bar . Burton then tells her that she is the last surviving heritor of Merlin .

Since Vivian is the last of the Witwicky line , this implies that Sam Witwicky died at some point betweenDark of the MoonandThe Last Knight . This would be a middling abrupt stop for the fictional character , who antecedently survived decease inRevenge of the Fallen . Since LaBeouf has been somewhat free-spoken about the caliber of the serial since his departure , making it improbable he would ever return to the office , a definitive conclusion for the character would make sense .

A collage image of Luke Skywalker in A New Hope

The Last Knightat least provides some gag rule for Sam Witwicky while leave enough wriggle room for fans to argue he could still be alive somewhere in theTransformersuniverse . The Last Knightdoesn’t even attempt to explain what happened to Sam Witwicky or how he died . However , withBumblebeesoftly rebooting theTransformersfranchise , and him not appearing in any subsequent films , his presumed death is likely canyon within the franchise ’s immense mythic population .

Shia LaBeouf Isn’t In Any Of The Upcoming Transformers Movies

There Are No Plans For His Return

The soft reboot for theTransformersseries see Hailee Steinfeld in the lead forBumblebee , though it ended up as a one - flick deal . Bumblebeemoved altogether aside from its former installments , basically bring up the franchise with a fresh and impertinent plot line set up when Bumblebee first came to Earth . Therefore , if there was any hope for a Sam Witwicky regaining , Bumblebeecould have terminate it . To continue the dealership , the creators decide to create a raw story that would hopefully pull together a unexampled fanbase . The move worked , withBumblebeemaking $ 467 million worldwide , all without Sam Witwicky .

hike of the Beasts , which preserve the prequels for the enfranchisement , also does n’t feature Shia LaBeouf . Bringing Sam Witwicky back would only tether it down to the former movies . It certainly does n’t seem like studio want to bring the honest-to-goodness mould back together , asRise of the Beastsintroduces character fromTransformers : Beast Wars . There are plenty ofTransformersmovies afterRise of the Beastsplannedtoo , but Sam Witwicky probably wo n’t be coming back for any of them , and that ’s likely for the good .

Meet Rise Of The Beasts' Human Leads

The Possible Future Of The Franchise

transformer : Rise of the Beastsdebuted in theatersin June 2023 , and the dealership provides two fresh human lead fiber . Anthony Ramos ( In the Heights ) plays Noah Diaz , an ex - military electronics expert who tries to support his family while living in Brooklyn , NY . A novel ally for the Autobots and Maximals , Noah also developed a near human relationship with the Autobot Mirage ( Pete Davidson).Dominique Fishback ( Swarm ) toy Elena Wallace . Elena is a historiographer with a heap of knowledge about South American chronicle , which fare in handy when she ’s undertake to help the Autobots / Maximals .

The moving picture ends with both of their tarradiddle belike finished , although a post - credit stinger show that Noah might have more combat to do down the line . However , Elena take in her perfect stop inRise of the Beastsand is plausibly not returning to the enfranchisement . What the movie did show is that new characters can come in and work perfectly without bothering to wreak back old characters to the story . WithRise of the Beasts , there ’s a bright future ahead for theTransformersfranchise , even without Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky .

Have The Transformers Movies Improved Since Sam Witwicky’s Departure?

Do The Transformers Movies Need Human Characters?

It was a retentive time ago since Sam Witwicky was the center of theTransformersfranchise and the pic have certainly maturate a lot beyond his appearances . However , theTransformersfranchise has had ups and downs over the years , with the era straight after Sam ’s outlet from the story being the weak of them all . InTransformers : Age of Extinction , Mark Wahlberg brought a lot of star power to the serial publication , but his case of Cade Yaeger felt all amiss .

Sam was not beloved by every fan , but the grounded nature of his graphic symbol figure out for the series . He was not an action hero and depended on Optimus Prime and the others to save the day . He was made even more relatable because he was frightened and changeable , which made his bravery more impactful . By contrast , Wahlberg played Cade like his typical natural action hero role and seemed like he could save the day without the Autobots ' service .

There were a lot of issues withTransformers : Age of ExtinctionandTransformers : The Last Knight , and replacing Sam with Cade was certainly a big one . The franchise seemed to recognize that misapprehension and die back to more relatable human part in the next two entries . Bumblebeesaw Hailee Steinfeld launch the likable yet troubled teen Charlie Watson , with the movie serve as a coming - of - eld story of sorting . Likewise , transformer : Rise of the Beastsfound grounded Hero in Noah and Elena .

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Lead Character

Lead Actor

A blended image features Shia LaBeaouf as Sam Witwicky in a photo in a frame and in action in the Transformers movies

Custom Image by SR Editor

Transformers ( 2007 )

Sam Witwicky

Shia LaBeouf

Transformers Textless Poster

Transformers is a multimedia franchise consisting of movies, TV Shows, video games, and comics. The franchise centers on a race of humanoid robots called the autobots who must protect Earth from the Decepticons. Some of the most popular characters include Megatron, Optimus Prime, and Bumblebee. In 2007, the first live-action movie in the franchise was released starring Shia Labeouf.

transformer :

Revenge of the Fallen ( 2009 )

Dark of the Moon ( 2011 )

Movies

Age of Extinction ( 2014 )

Cade Yeager

Mark Wahlberg

Transformers

The Last Knight ( 2017 )

Bumblebee ( 2018 )

Charlie Watson

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Hailee Steinfeld

Rise of the Beasts ( 2023 )

Noah Diaz and Elena Wallace

Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback

It was n’t untilTransformers Onethat the enfranchisement finally made a moving picture without human star , something many fans have been calling for over the twelvemonth . It is tell that the animated movie scored some of the good reexamination for the enfranchisement with the Transformer characters experience more well - rounded and superimposed than any of the human in theTransformersmovies , including Sam Witwicky .

Transformers is a multimedia dealership consisting of movies , idiot box display , video recording games , and comics .   The franchise centers on a race of humanoid golem call the autobots who must protect Earth from the Decepticons . Some of the most pop characters admit Megatron , Optimus Prime , and Bumblebee . In 2007 , the first live - action at law motion-picture show in the dealership was released star Shia Labeouf .