...Unicron's origin in "Call of the Primitives"... For the Multiversal singularity he's come to be, or was intended to be, it comes across lacking to put it nicely.

 

G1 Optimus Prime's death.

The Autobot shuttle massacre.

Starscream's disintegration.


The movie was a jaw dropper back in the day.

 

Hmm...
G1 Prime's death
Armada Starscream's death
Jazz's death
The Fallen's face getting ripped off (read the novel, expected him to get a spike to the head instead)
Sentinel's betrayal and the Autobot shuttle being destroyed in DOTM (Dylan working with the Decepticons caught me by surprise by wasn't really shocking)
Trypticon being the space station in WFC
Cliffjumper's death in TFP, as well has Optimus losing his memories and referring to Megatron by his old name ("Where are we Megatronus?")

 

Ironhides death.
Optimus killed Megatron in a split second, the ending should have turned out like in the novel.
Finding out there's something called kiss players, it really embarrassed me.

 

This and

In the Idw comics jazz just kills a police officer for really no reason put oh no he as a megatron like gun i have vaporise him. really didnt see that coming

 

Aside from the obvious that have already been stated; Tankor revealed to have the spark of Rhinox, a great surprise was Ravage's first "Depticons forever!" in the Agenda Part 2, and then the original transformation sound, Megan Fox being cast in anything after the first movie, and the swear heard round the world in the G1 movie.

 

Spoiler

Breakdown's death in Crossfire

 

I know it has been mentioned before in this thread, but holy Shit, Sentinel's betrayal. That scene is just a major kick in the audience's teeth, he not only turns evil, but he also murders one of the main characters at the same time. I don't think I have ever seen a more shocking betrayal scene in the history of cinema [there have been more shocking betrayals in the ample sense, but the scene of the betrayal specifically, no].

Spoiler

Breakdown's death as well.

Also, Last Stand of the Wreckers as a whole, but specially Rotorstorm's death, that came out of the freaking nowhere.

 

Only time I was ever truly surpised by anything was when Sentinel killed Ironhide.

 

I was going to post about Ravage too. I was old enough that i remember it really well but young enough I didnt overanalyze it. I must have replayed him transforming half a dozen times on my first viewing.

Also the fact that a live action movie happened. Sometimes i think about it and am still very surprised that this thing i was a weirdo for liking has now become mainstream again.

 

The totally different direction taken by Armada regarding the character of Starscream. It was a slow surprise but then it high gear and culminated on the most noble and dignified death a Starscream has ever been accorded before or since.

 

dinobots on cybertron and starscream attack megatron

 

I was fairly shocked when the three BM Vehicon generals had their former personalities revealed (especially Tankor/Rhinox).

 

I actually rationalize that as Unicron existed in another form, and he simply put the thought into Primacrons head to construct him a physical body.
At least if I put it that way it makes my brain hurt less.

 

Finding out Tankor was actually Rhinox

 

This. I'm sure much of the fandom was surprised at the development of Starscream in Armada. Going from the scheming backstabber everyone knew him to be to a caring "fight for whats right" kinda guy is a big change. It was all for the better in my opinion

 

For me, the shocking part was the severe amount of inappropriate for kids material in ROTF. Explaining the waffle iron penis cannon to my 8 year old daughter still tops my list of reasons to hate the franchise.


As an aside, was I the only one totally unsuprised and unaffected by Jazz's death in TF1?

 

The latest episode of Prime was pretty freaking shocking.

 

got to be you-know-who in the last two prime episodes, since it's the first series i've watched 'live' for a long while.

1st episode: ok that was unexpected for him.

2nd episode: wow, their not going to.......

 

unicorn and primus got human form