Tear Jerker / Transformers (2023)

This is probably one of the continuities with the most amounts of tearjerking moments and facts of all the franchise.

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• The Witwickys in this continuity are a broken family ever since the eldest son, Jimmy, died. Sparkplug here has taken up drinking to forget the pain of both losing his son in the Challenger explosion and the trauma he received from serving in the military, Carly's struggling to get into art school due to her poverty, and Spike's trying his best to keep everything together despite the odds he's facing.
  • Even worse, Issue #2 reveals that the Witwickys' mother has been dead for even longer. It's little wonder Sparkplug is such a wreck.
• Jetfire's shock and confusion directed at Starscream's remorseless murder of Bumblebee. He is completely unaware of the war, and from his perspective is seeing a close friend casually murder a defenseless random person.
• In the middle of his fight with Starscream, Optimus is taken off-guard by an attack from Soundwave and knocked over. When he looks up, he sees Bumblebee's lifeless body and breaks down cradling it. It stands as a stark example of the humanity of the Transformers.
  • Spike's visible look of understanding and sympathy towards Prime's grief. Even though he's understandably out of his depth when faced with the robot war, losing a loved one is a pain he knows all too well.
  • In issue 2, while talking to Spike, when the human offers sympathy for Bee's death, Optimus admits the smaller bot was family.
• When Optimus guns down Ravage, Soundwave can only react with a Little "No". He spends the rest of the issue cradling Ravage's body, checking him for signs of life.
• Jetfire succumbing to his injuries while profusely apologizing to Optimus for bringing the Decepticons back online, unaware of the conflict that had brewed since he last left Cybertron.
  • Worse than that, Jetfire's last words are lamenting his failure and the death of his world… and Optimus can't even correct him or reassure him because the situation really is that dire.
• Optimus quickly discovers just how fragile organic life is. While marveling at the forest near the Autobots hiding place, he accidentally crushes a deer underfoot. Even when Spike notes it was clearly an accident, Optimus can only cradle the dead animal, claiming he should have known better.
• Issue 2 keeps the tears going with its big end-of-the-issue reveal. The person Starscream killed at the end of issue 1? Who was seemingly just a random buddy of Sparkplug? That was Carly's father.
• In issue 3, upon seeing Spike on the brink of death, Optimus has a flashback to the deer he accidentally killed from the previous issue.
• As Optimus reaches down to pick up Spike, Sparkplug trains his gun on the Autobot and desperately begs him to stay away from his son. We already know Optimus won’t hurt Spike, but from Sparkplug’s perspective, he’s only seen the Transformers do nothing but kill and fight, and one of them was about to go after the only family he has left.
• Starscream killing Frosting is already a pretty somber affair but it gets even worse when Duke reveals he had a wife and a baby boy.
• When the power to the hospital is knocked out by Starscream, and the doctors declare that Spike will die if the life support isn't brought back online, Sparky cradles Spike's head, fully believing that he's about to lose his son.
  Sparky: Spike... I'm here, buddy. It's okay. It's okay. Oh, my boy. My beautiful boy.
  • After Optimus and Ratchet restore power, and Spike is stabilized but left in a coma, Sparky continues to sit at Spike's bedside and talks about how he feels his war trauma has "infected" him with bitterness and misery, which he's unintentionally spread to everyone he loves. He views Spike as the only person who's able to show him the good in the world, and doesn't know how he'll go on without him.
  • Nearby, Cliffjumper attempts to console Carly over her father's death by revealing that his own family was also slain by Starscream, which is what motivated him to start fighting in Cybertron's civil war. This makes Carly burst into tears, asking Cliffjumper if it will ever get easier to live with the pain of loss.
• In issue #6, the Heroic Sacrifice of Sparky Witwicky to save Optimus Prime. As Optimus lies dying from his severe battle injuries, the Matrix sitting on the floor next to him, Sparky notices the Matrix glowing at his touch and says that, after having witnessed the tragedies that befell his sons and wishing he could have suffered in their places, he now finally has a chance to actually do it. After making a last request that the Autobots watch over Spike and tell him Sparky is proud of him, Sparky allows the Matrix to consume him and use his life energy to heal Optimus.
  Optimus: You will not be forgotten, Sparky. And I promise, I will protect your son. I will protect the whole Earth.
  • At the end of the issue, Spike emerges from his coma, and the very first thing he does is ask "Where's my dad?"
• Cliffjumper breaking down after he gets a chance to kill Starscream in revenge for the deaths of his clan and Carly's father, only to lose his nerve and find he can't go through with it. It heavily damages, if not outright destroys his and Carly's burgeoning friendship.
  • After the fight against the Decepticons, Cliffjumper meets his two human friends at the lake, but Carly leaves not wanting to talk with Cliff for letting Starscream live even after he killed Bumblebee and her father. All Cliffjumper can do is to take Troubled Fetal Position while Spike tries to comfort him.
• In issue #7, we see several of the Autobots on Cybertron die like insects swatted by the superior Decepticon firepower as they are trying to reach a Decepticon POW camp to free Ultra Magnus who has been captured for information. Only Elita manages to make it into the prison and when she breaks in to save Magnus, she sees him. But mutilated, practically skinned to the bones... and still alive. What makes this even worse is that Ultra Magnus has been tortured so badly that he is now a Death Seeker; Elita can’t help but cry to the state of her dear friend, promising that if both are captured she will kill both him and herself to spare themselves the torture Ultra Magnus went through.
• As the Decepticons retreat from the Ark, Optimus reaches out to Soundwave and begs him to take command and end the senseless bloodshed, since it's clear that he doesn't agree with Starscream's actions. Soundwave pauses and genuinely considers it... then looks at the still-wounded Ravage, who Optimus shot in issue one, and immediately throws a punch at Prime. Peace isn't an option for many here.
• As the Decepticons take control of an aircraft carrier in order to raise the Nemesis out of the ocean, Thundercracker takes mercy on the crew and lets them escape on lifeboats since they're not a threat and he sees no honor in killing those who can't defend themselves... only for Soundwave to immediately point out that said crew will alert the government to the Decepticons' presence if allowed to flee, promptly shooting them all to death in the water for the sake of the mission, much to the displeasure of Thundercracker and himself. Even worse, one of the first crew-members to die is the captain, who Thundercracker had decided to spare despite being attacked by him partly because the man had a family.
• The Autobots are able to revive Jetfire to act as their aerial transportation, but only partially: he's stuck in vehicle mode, unable to move on his own or even see, and wondering why Optimus didn't just let him stay dead. Optimus is apologetic over the situation and visibly upset by his friend's suffering, agreeing to sit with Jetfire for a while when he begs Optimus not to leave him alone in the dark.
  Jetfire: Is that what I am to you now? A husk? I cannot move. Everything is... black. I cannot see the stars anymore.