We've all talked about our least favorite characters, our most favorite characters, and our favorite obscure characters, but how about our most underrated characters? These aren't necessarily your favorite characters, just characters you feel get an undeserved bad reputation. If an thread for this exists already, please merge them.

For me, I have to go with:

Movie/Prime Bumblebee. A lot of people hate these versions of Bumblebee because he can't talk. What's wrong with a character who's been fighting in a war for centuries suffering an injury that can't be fixed by known Cybertronian medical practices? Yeah, I get that his being a robot lead a lot of people to think that it shouldn't be as hard to rebuild his voice box, but come on. In both series, they're on a planet with dwindling resources, and in Transformers: Prime, at least, they do try and explain why it isn't as easy as patching up a blaster wound.
There's also this belief that his lack of a voice means a lack of a character. Why is that? They clearly establish Movie Bumblebee as a playful and mischievous with a bit of an ego, but also loyal to his friends and fearless to the point of being a bit reckless, while Prime Bumblebee is playful and loyal to his friends, while feeling somewhat inferior due to his damaged voice box.
I mean, if you don't like these character traits, that's fine. It's your opinion. But why do people think mute Bumblebees don't have a character when in some cases (*cough* Movie Bee *cough*) have more personality than almost any other Autobot character?

Prime/RID2015 Optimus Prime. I know a lot of people dislike him because or find him boring compared to the wittier G1 Optimus or the more inexperienced and impatient Animated Optimus or Beast Wars Optimus Primal. I get that after all that, a more subdued and stoic Optimus Prime can seem boring and even lifeless, but saying he has no character? He's stoic, yes, but that's part of his character: he's a stern and stoic general, but beneath the professional stocisim is a genuine concern for his troops, doubt in his leadership, and a strong sense of honor (he only kills in the heat of battle, except when an innocent is harmed, and he doesn't condone lethal force against non-combatants).

Enough of my rambling. There are a few more characters who I think are underrated, but I can get to them tomorrow. I'd like to hear what characters you think get a lot of unfair hate.

 

You know, when thinking of underrated characters, I usually don't think of the two characters who are literally the figureheads of the franchise.

 

When i read the words underrated character i think of characters that have potential but have never been used much in fiction or no writer has ever tried to exploit that potential, so that would make my list:
Mindwipe, Sixshot, Dreadwind and Darkwing, Doubledealer, Paradron Medic, Thundertron, Highbrow, any of the Pretender characters...

 

The Technobots
As far as Megatrons go: BW Megatron

 

Underrated TF Characters?: OK

1.) Jack Darby (Prime)
2.) Tigatron (BW)
3.) Megatron BW
4.) Blurr (G1)
5.) Depth Charge (Beast Wars)

 

If we are talking about underrated in terms of people don't like them as much I think they would then I gotta go with Windblade. I think especially in terms of her IDW version she brings a cool perspective on the events of the conflicts (Kind of a NAIL but has no emotional attachment to the history of the war) and she is going through a really cool arc where she is having to learn how to be more pragmatic and less rigid and naive. I also like her RID version, just kind a butt-kicker one line-slinger. I get why her CW version is hated, but it surprised me the number of fans that don't seem to like anytime she has story stuff in IDW or RID2015.

 

G1 Blurr

Tech spec intelligence of 8 and only Simon Furman showed how good a fighter he is

 

I did state that this is a thread to list characters you feel get underserved hate from a lot of fans. If I were to list Transformers who I feel are are underutilized, I'd go with Roadbuster, Whirl, the Deluxe Insecticons, the Monsterbots, and the concept of Pretenders in general.

 

Hi guys. I am new to this forum and it's so interesting with you

 

Blaster..soundwave arch enemy he barley have any appearance outside of g1 and the comics..also wind charger

Welcome to the fandom! Hope you have a good time here

 

Miko. She was despised by fans for being reckless, however what she did is probably the natural reaction a lot of fanboys/fangirls would have to giant, sentient transforming robots.

 

Beachcomber: An actual bona fide pacifist in a robot civil war, this Autobot and his character do not get enough love from Hasbro or the fandom. More of him in future fiction and toy lines, please.

Punch-Counterpunch: The Doublespy concept is really cool in my opinion, moreso from the point of his character than toy possibilities, although the latter is also a really cool idea.

Transmutate: This arguably unattractive and creepy robot, who appeared in one episode of Beast Wars, really brought out a different side to some of the Maximals as well as Rampage. It was an interesting take on what a Transformer at an infant-like level of development might be like.

Animated Starscream's clones: I have always loved these guys (and one gal). I feel like having different sides of Starscream as physical bodies was an interesting way at looking at Starscream's layers.

 

Underrated characters... that's a tough one. I guess I would have to go with Sludge. I mean why is it the brontosaurus robot that everyone pretty much forgets? Doesn't help that he tends to either get forgotten by the writers or just shoved to the side. He was meant to be in Age of Extinction but got scrapped, he doesn't even appear in Animated, and he got tossed aside in FOC by having him stuck in stasis lock and no one bothering to help him! Does no one like him because he's portrayed as the dumbest of all the Dinobots? Cause it's odd, the Dinobots were never really to clever yet some how Sludge was even dumber. This fact was evident by Megatron's quote in War of the Dinobots "Slag is hostile, Grimlock is arrogant, and Sludge is stupid."

 

For me it's one of my favourite transformers of all time, Doubledealer! In my opinion a great transformer, unique and rarely used in the original line.

 

Doubledealer has a lot of potential.
Its a shame writers always write him as a hi-and-die doublecross one trick pony.
In my fanfic he's a spymaster and hero of the revolution that rid Cybertron of the Primes and installed a more democratic governement.
All it takes is a little creativity with the characters.

 

Exactly, he had such potential as a character. I guess because he was at the tail end of the line so it didn't happen. Oh well.

 

I always saw him as a anti hero type, you were never sure which side he was on. A Han Solo type always out for himself, playing both sides off each other. Or perhaps a bounty hunter.

 

Yeah, i can dig that.
A guy like Han Solo or the captain of the Firefly or Serenity (dont remember what the name of the ship was, guess i'll have to see the movie again  )
A guy who ended up on the losing side of the battle and now leads a life of crime but cant help helping out people in trouble.
That would be a very cool arc for him, pity he's allready dead in IDW cause that would have been the perfect setting for such a character.
On the other hand nobody ever really dies in IDW, no matter what the writters twitter.

 

Definitely BW Megatron. This guy should make a lot more influence in the Transformers line than he did overall.

I'd also say characters like Carnivac, Punch, Tracks, and the Protectobots

 

Yeah, BW Megatron is one of the most colourfull characters we have. Its always surprising to me how little Hasbro or its writers have done with him.