Transformers Live-Action Continuities - Timelines

@Pro Bot Did you...actually watch GI Joe: Retaliation?

It literally says it's set in August, literally over a week after the previous film, but before 2016 (i.e the nuclear conference scene.)

So the entirely of the first film, the sequel game, the sequel comic to the first film and the prequel comic to the second, and MAYBE the Operation H.I.S.S. web-animation shorts...set over the course of less than two weeks.

August 2015 is a safe bet for a majority of GI Joe two-film universe timeline. :p
A quick skimming through these, here's the order of those in-between stories:
1.) Operation H.I.S.S. comic - Cobra Commander and Destro remain captured, Storm Shadow is discovered to be alive. (Also, substitute the "weeks later"s for "hours later" in the story and there's no discrepancies.)
2.) G.I. JOE: Rise of Cobra (sequel video game) - Baroness escapes but game ends with her recaptured, while Cobra Commander and Destro escape
3.) G.I. JOE: Retaliation Prequel comic - ...I can't find info about the last two issues, so I'll assume Storm Shadow gets away at the end. BUT, he is now leader of the Red Ninja clan which he is shown to be still leading in the...
4.) Operation H.I.S.S. animated shorts - Baroness escapes at the start, but by the end Storm Shadow and Cobra Commander, implicitly Baroness AND Destro offscreen(?), all recaptured by the end

Then there's the 2nd film. Honestly, I can easily interpret the timespan of these 4 stories as happening as under 10 days tbh.

G.I. JOE: Rise of Cobra (film) - August 9-11th, 2015
Operation H.I.S.S. (comic) - August 11-13th, 2015
G.I. JOE: Rise of Cobra (video game) - August 13 - 14th, 2015
G.I. JOE: Retaliation Prequel (comic) - August 14-16th, 2015(?; I don't own the trade paperback)
Operation H.I.S.S. (animated shorts) - August 16-17th, 2015
G.I. JOE: Retaliation (film) - August 17-21st, 2015
 
Last edited:
A quick skimming through these, here's the order of those in-between stories:
1.) Operation H.I.S.S. comic - Cobra Commander and Destro remain captured, Storm Shadow is discovered to be alive. (Also, substitute the "weeks later"s for "hours later" in the story and there's no discrepancies.)
2.) G.I. JOE: Rise of Cobra (sequel video game) - Baroness escapes but game ends with her recaptured, while Cobra Commander and Destro escape
3.) G.I. JOE: Retaliation Prequel comic - ...I can't find info about the last two issues, so I'll assume Storm Shadow gets away at the end. BUT, he is now leader of the Red Ninja clan which he is shown to be still leading in the...
4.) Operation H.I.S.S. animated shorts - Baroness escapes at the start, but by the end Storm Shadow and Cobra Commander, implicitly Baroness AND Destro offscreen(?), all recaptured by the end

Then there's the 2nd film. Honestly, I can easily interpret the timespan of these 4 stories as happening as under 10 days tbh.

G.I. JOE: Rise of Cobra (film) - August 9-11th, 2015
Operation H.I.S.S. (comic) - August 11-13th, 2015
G.I. JOE: Rise of Cobra (video game) - August 13 - 14th, 2015
G.I. JOE: Retaliation Prequel (comic) - August 14-16th, 2015(?; I don't own the trade paperback)
Operation H.I.S.S. (animated shorts) - August 16-17th, 2015
G.I. JOE: Retaliation (film) - August 17-21st, 2015
How is that "Baroness escapes" if in this version she was good all along and mind controlled with nanomachines by Cobra Commander? Do the nanomachines reactivate?
 
How is that "Baroness escapes" if in this version she was good all along and mind controlled with nanomachines by Cobra Commander? Do the nanomachines reactivate?
I skimmed through these tie-in stuff because I'm freaking busy, so maybe.
 
Transformers One / Bumblebee / Rise of the Beasts (Tyran ???.?? Delta)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
??,??? B.C.
????

Transformers One

????
????

Bumblebee Chapter 1 (0:00:00 - 0:03:29)
Bumblebee Chapter 8 (0:43:30 - 0:44:13)


1987
????

Bumblebee Chapter 2 (0:03:30 - 0:12:15)
Bumblebee Chapter 3 (0:12:16 - 0:16:55)
Bumblebee Chapter 4 (0:16:56 - 0:21:02)
Bumblebee Chapter 5 (0:21:03 - 0:26:41)
Bumblebee Chapter 6 (0:26:42 - 0:32:32)
Bumblebee Chapter 7 (0:32:33 - 0:39:43)
Bumblebee Chapter 8 (0:39:44 - 0:43:29)
Bumblebee Chapter 8 (0:44:14 - 0:45:17)
Bumblebee Chapter 9 (0:45:18 - 0:50:42)
Bumblebee Chapter 10 (0:50:43 - 0:54:15)
Bumblebee Chapter 11 (0:54:16 - 1:01:09)
Bumblebee Chapter 12 (1:01:10 - 1:06:25)
Bumblebee Chapter 13 (1:06:26 - 1:11:38)
Bumblebee Chapter 14 (1:11:39 - 1:16:07)
Bumblebee Chapter 15 (1:16:08 - 1:21:36)
Bumblebee Chapter 16 (1:21:37 - 1:25:07)
Bumblebee Chapter 17 (1:25:08 - 1:30:14)
Bumblebee Chapter 18 (1:30:15 - 1:36:45)
Bumblebee Chapter 19 (1:36:46 - 1:43:51)
Bumblebee Chapter 20 (1:43:52 - 1:49:42)


1989
????

Sector 7 Adventures: The Battle at Half Dome*

1994
May

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* The physical version of the comic included with the original Blu-ray release.
Il y a deux univers ??
 
I'm still broke as a hobo.

If anyone has Rise of the Beasts on bluray, please provide the Chapters according to the time stamps I have.
 
1944
????

Transformers: The Last Knight Chapter 11 (1:13:07 - 1:13:48)

1897
September 7

Transformers
Chapter 3 (0:09:36 - 0:10:02)
Transformers Chapter 11 (1:04:59 - 1:06:18)


1961
July 10

Transformers: Dark of the Moon Chapter 1 (0:02:02 - 0:03:28)
What's with these years?
 
I think the modern Earth speech in Transformers One is probably because the movie is a 'retelling' of Transformers history to a select human 'audience' (their allies) in-universe.
 
I appreciate it. Only doing the comic adaptations for the "expanded movie universe" timeline was always the intention for me because I'm aware of the major differences from the films themselves.
Only the third comic adaptation can be considered canon to the expanded universe timeline. For example, in the 2007 comic adaptation, Barricade gets decapitated by Optimus, explaining why he doesn't participate in Mission City battle, but in Reign of Starscream, we see another explanation in that Ironhide simply pushed him offroad in vehicle mode and Barricade crashed into a column and got damaged.

The third comic adaptation on the other hand acknowledges plot points from the prequel comics, like certain characters' deaths that only happened in the previous comics.

BTW, the prequel novels are also acknowledged by the comics. So, those are also canon. I found PDFs for them in this Russian site. Those novels along with many other material are in the section called "Комиксы и книги".

There is an interview with the writer John Barber, and he seems to think that anything else that doesn't clash with the movies, the comics or the novels can be considered canon as well. With that, Cyber Missions cartoon can be considered canon.


In the above interview, he talks about the movie comic continuity in the first half hour or so. He also says the toy bios can be considered canon unless they are condradicted.

1.) I think this game can also fit the timeline.

2.) The comic below can also fit the expanded timeline easily. The only thing is that the character Brakedown was bisected in the IDW comic Nefarious, yet here, he gets stabbed in the chest by Starscream. I guess he survived one of these apparent deaths. Whichever one is his actual death depends on which one of them chronologically takes place later.

3.) Maybe this comic could count as well? It clashes with the movie canon but doesn't clash with the OG expanded universe timeline and is written by the writer that wrote a good chunk of those OG expanded universe material. But it might be non-canon simply because its premise is silly.
 

It could be argued that this Titan Magazines comic is in the same continuity as the 2007 comic adaptation as it acknowledges Barricade getting decapitated by Optimus.

Barricade's 2007 movie adaptation death:
Barricade-comicsadaptation-death.jpg

Zombie Barricade with his severed head in Titan Magazines "Starscream's Militia" comic:
StarscreamMilitia_zombie_barricade.jpg

As for "Starscream's Militia"'s placement in the broader Titan Magazines Transformers timeline, it is probably non-canon to that timeline, as Barricade is later seen alive and well in the later Titan issues.
 
Only the third comic adaptation can be considered canon to the expanded universe timeline. For example, in the 2007 comic adaptation, Barricade gets decapitated by Optimus, explaining why he doesn't participate in Mission City battle, but in Reign of Starscream, we see another explanation in that Ironhide simply pushed him offroad in vehicle mode and Barricade crashed into a column and got damaged.
and what about the novel adaptations? Could they be placed in place of the movies?

P.S. John Barber is amazing, tho i prefer him in his Robots in Disguise works.
 
and what about the novel adaptations? Could they be placed in place of the movies?

P.S. John Barber is amazing, tho i prefer him in his Robots in Disguise works.
I think it's best to say that the movies themselves are canon. They are meant to tie in to the movies, after all. The only exception is the third movie.

At the end of the Transformers 2007 Movie Prequel comic, it says it is to be continued in the movie.
Screenshot_20240910_161419.jpg

In the Transformers: Alliance comic (taking place immediately before the ROTF movie), it also says the story is continued in the movie itself.
RCO024_1486024460.jpg

However, in the DOTM Rising Storm comic, it instead says it will be continued in the DOTM Adaptation comic.
IMG_20240910_161919.jpg

So, the first two movies are canon to the Expanded Universe, while the comic adaptation is canon for the third one, and indeed the DOTM Adaptation continues plot points from Rising Storm.
 
I think it's best to say that the movies themselves are canon, with the exception of the third movie.

At the end of the Transformers 2007 Movie Prequel comic, it says it is to be continued in the movie. View attachment 2549

In the Transformers: Alliance comic (taking place immediately before the ROTF movie), it also says the story is continued in the movie itself.
View attachment 2550

However, in the DOTM Rising Storm comic, it instead says it will be continued in the DOTM Adaptation comic.
View attachment 2552

So, the first two movies are canon to the Expanded Universe, while the comic adaptation is canon for the third one.
Interesting, so there are some clear timeline divergences akin to Marvel's branched timeline logic. I think the Cyberverse cartoon essentially confirmed the Transformers multiverse worked the same way as Marvel's.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top