Given that blunt force trauma is a bitch on the body if done repeatedly (case in point, boxers dementia) and the same can be done with machinery (try dropping a computer repeatedly), are there cases where Transformers have died by just getting beaten to death?
Some have been crushed to death, yes (Armada Sideways, G1 cartoon shockwave, depending on who you believe, IDW 1.0 Pipes). But I think you mean something like Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) or Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) leading to cognitive issues, rather than blunt force trauma, which just means getting hit with something blunt hard. I don't know of any transformers with that kind of cognitive impairment, maybe some of the dead-enders in the G1 comic?
I'd say Megatron came very close in TFTM. If Starscream hadn't thrown him out, we don't actually know what his fate would've been. He was cracked and broken all over. Prime died from his stab wounds and gun shots, but Megatron was just a mess from head to toe. No Energon, no facilities for care, Megatron might've been pretty screwed.
Definitely would agree with death by acute blunt force trauma (though not immediate death), but I think the OP is looking for more long term consequences leading to a different sort of death. Maybe if Megatron had lingered we'd have seen them then?
It could be argued that CTE, coupled with being thrown into lava was what sent Galvatron insane for the majority of the remainder of the G1 cartoon. Dude was a straight nutter, man. The Joker was like "...hmm. I like your energy, but maybe bring it down from 11 for a bit."
Ooh, that's a good one, not sure why I didn't think of that. I always preferred the idea that it was being cut off from Unicron that messed up Galvatron but he definitely did drop out of orbit onto the surface of chaar, and lava's not completely solid, but it would still be a pretty blunt impact.
Hmm. I couldn't think of anyone dying from non-crushing blunt trauma, but some edge cases I can thought of that might be noteworthy: Marvel Straxus and Animated Megatron exist as just a beat-up head, and the victims of Animated Headmaster keep working just fine. IDW Red Alert attempts suicide by removing his own head, but is ultimate kept alive on life support since he "anticipated" losing his head. The Headmasters in their various depictions as having nebulon partners remove their heads voluntarily with no apparent ill affect. Animated Soundwave gets punched so hard he disassembles into the electronics he was made up out of (but ultimately survives as a small tape cassette looking part), and is later cleaved in half with Laserbeak in their guitar mode. Waspinator suffers some pretty severe trauma repeatedly over the course of Beast Wars, including head trauma that at least temporarily impedes his cognitive function, but is basically the only predicon to survive. (with what level of permanent damage is... hard to tell). Animated Optimus dies (and then is revived) after a fall from a great height. Bayverse. Then I remembered Code of Hero. That seems like a pretty clear case of a transformer being killed from a severe pummeling. I haven't had the opportunity to get into the Skybound comics, but I'm willing to bet there's probably AT LEAST one example of what you're looking for there.
Imagine being a giant robot and dying to something like 'blunt force trauma'. Or like something happens reminiscent of the Crowdstrike fuck-up where a bunch of Cybes blue-screen and need external help rebooting.
He didn't die but one of the novels had a character fall down a mountain. Pretty graphic detail on all his injuries happening as he hit rocks on the way down. I don't remember how he survived or if someone went and got him but he was fixed later.
Marvel Comics Megatron fell from a great height; it didn't kill him, but it did cause him to lose his memory and/or self-awareness for a time.
Does Thrust in Armada getting trapped between Unicron's joint linkages and getting crushed so hard his head popped count?
