Ok this is a perfect TF discussion thread, anyways they are soliders with special abilities:
Trailbreaker having force fields
Mirage turning invisible
etc.

 

So what other soldier series have soldiers with powers that the others do not? Some soldiers might be a better shot or able to lift more but the members of the same species still fall with in the same range of abilities.

But Transformers end up with special abilities that they don't share with other members of their species. If a Transformer can teleport you want to call them a soldier but if it was an organic like Nightcrawler then people call him a superhero. Does being a mechanical life form just negate being a superhero?

We've had leaders of super hero and super villain teams, we've even had mutant nations formed by Magneto, but we don't stop calling them super heroes or super villains if they form a government.

 

Always Super Heroes to me, even the ones not so super.

 

There's a lot of factors. In Animated the Autobots were more like super heroes because they fought human villians. In the movie, they are more like soldiers fighting a civil war on Earth. It's based a lot on continuity stuff.

 

Soldiers. Honestly, I hate it when they're described as "super heroes" as it feels like it misses the point.

 

I disagree.

If we're talking from the G1 perspective, more often than not humans were in trouble because of the Decepticons. Their war on our planet is what causes the danger, and that sense of responsibility is what leads the Autobots to help out. Not for any sentiment that we as a race need the help, but we ended up as bystanders in their gun-fight.

Yes, by our real life standards they could be considered heroes, but the question here is about the term "Superheroes." And I think that involves a bit more.

 

Soldiers

 

They are definitely soldiers.

 

I was going to go with them being super heroes, but after a bit of thinking, they are definitely soldiers. They have probably developed their weaponry to the point where it looks like they are superheroes to humans. Like, for example, there are vast technological differences between our modern military and a medieval army.

 

There are many soldiers, after all it is set in a war-like conflict. But a select few are exaggerated (super) heroes, or conversely super villains.

Transformers media is fundamentally about storytelling, and even though propaganda (particularly villanisation/ hero-worship) is a vital part of every war, the shows and comics center around select dynamic characters that direct the conflict as strong character archetypes.

'Super Heroes' should not be considered cape-wearing comic book stereotypes, they are (potentially inspiring) protagonists without typical human weaknesses, distilled as hyperbolic representations of particular ideals. Their 'powers' may be mystical or technological.

Prominent characters like Optimus Prime are definitely super heroes, they're just often soldiers/ officers too, due to the setting. One should not make the mistake of thinking the two are mutually exclusive, or considering 'Super heroism' an occupation.

 

I would say soldiers

 

Neither.

Depends which universe.

AEC seem past the great war. So they have soldiers and laborers now.

Animated is post great war, has an academy, and all sorts of bots from soldiers to scientists and laborers. Story is handled via the superhero angle for character dynamic of a ragtag repair crew.

G1 is more autobots were scientists and laborers until the military robots (decepticons, and yes even the military has scientists) decided to take over. So the autobots are technicly race traitors fighting against martial law, to try and save the freedom of all.

Marvel is too much of a mess to really make any subtle judgements.

IDW varies mildly, but the bots chose sides for various reasons.

Movie-verse some are soldiers, some are laborers, many have been fighting for ages so they are soldiers now from over-exposure. Megatron's army is the militia, declaring martial law on the race to try and save it from those who would make it weaker, casting the autobots as race traitors since they are stopping the further salvation of the race, the autobots are trying to protect life, but are also hardened from a millenia of fighting nonstop.

WFC - Cast system Megatron overthrows, which inspires prime to lead a new era for cybertron, whereas megatron wants to rule, prime wants freedom for all.
Neither are really soldiers, but fighting for a cause with conviction.

 

This is probably the most accurate statement on the matter I've heard.

 

I'd say they're soldiers in a war. Decepticons are always soldiers. Some autobots THINK they're superheroes.

Though a few series had factions that weren't directly at war, the factions still basically broke down into being organized along military lines.

 

Admittedly, I don't know much about comic book characters, so correct me if I'm wrong; But wouldn't Superman's abilities seem pretty average to the, (once), inhabitants of Krypton [sic]?

To qualify as a Super Hero from what I see, you just need to be heroic and super-human, regardless of whether you're mediocre in another context.

 

Just watched More Than Meets The Eye again tonight (1st time in a long time) and my impression was they're soldiers, but some have super powers. (Teleportation, holgrams, forcefield, invisibility, flight, etc). In other words they are soldiers fighting a war, but because they are out of this world, literally, they become super heroes to humans... especially since they are so many times larger than a human. At least the Autobots are superheros at times, the Decepticons are just terrorists in a way.

I'll go with Soldiers overall. They are fighting a war that just spilled out into other worlds, and so did they're hatred of the other side. The Decepticons are more formal in their rank structure than the autobots, while the Autobots are informal and buddies with each other they still remain organized enough to assemble task force teams and to work as an effective team helping each other out in battle. The only thing that makes the Autobots possible super heroes is because they are larger than life, and thus save human lives.

I guess neither answer is wrong. After all the fiction does give some characters super powers.

 

Soldiers.... whose advanced technology and skill (honed by millennia of warfare) occasionally affords them the opportunity to act like superheroes. But primarily, soldiers.

 

On Krypton nobody has powers and is comparable to a human due to their red sun.

Superman has powers on Earth due to effect of the yellow sun on his physiology.

On Deadend comments on the Autobots.

You got it mixed up. The Decepticons are the subversives.

Decepticon (di-sep-ti-con ) A member of a subversive sect or society. From the noun — 'decepticon'; one who deceives.

In G1 cartoon the Autobots and Decepticons are descended from the two Quintesson product lines. Civilian and military hardware. Just so happens they revolted. They weren't united to begin with but the Autobots tend to dominate politics. In comics the Decepticons are movement founded by Megatron to overthrow the Autobot regime. This is embodied in Animated Megatron who views himself leader of righteous cause.

In the Movie-verse the Decepticons are the traitors. First was the betrayal of the Fallen, second was the betrayal of Megatron wanting to build an army with the Allspark. Autobot is technically the name of their race, Autonomous Robotic organisms. Decepticons are a movement started by the Fallen.

 

Thanks for the clarification Redwolf, I assume that it is not a unique reaction though, and any Zods and the like have the same disposition, though I may be wrong.