Transformers Animated fans are finally getting the fourth season they never got on TV. Animator and comic creator Keyan Carlile announced on October 14 that Transformers Animated Season 4 is happening as an ongoing indie comic book series in 2027. Carlile is co-writing it with Marty Isenberg, the show's original head writer, and the project also has the series' lead toy designer, Eric Siebenaler, on board.
Carlile shared the news on X along with a promo poster showing Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and a lineup of other Autobots under a big Season 4 logo, with the tagline "The ongoing comic book series... rolling out in 2027!" The post has been viewed more than 600,000 times. Check it out below:
In a follow-up post, Carlile explained how far along the project already is and what the team hopes to do with it: "Marty and I have been co-writing Season 4 all year, and a talented team of artists is bringing it to life as we speak. It's time to give the series a satisfying, definitive conclusion and do our very best to make the late Derrick J. Wyatt proud. Season 4 rolls out in 2027!"
Made By The Original Team Without Hasbro
The comic is an independent project. Carlile states on his releases that "This is an unofficial project created by much of the show's original creative team without involvement from Hasbro." When a fan asked about it, he replied that it is not produced by or affiliated with Hasbro but is spearheaded by the show's original creators. Skybound currently publishes Hasbro's official Transformers comics through its Energon Universe line.
Carlile has been answering fan questions about what Season 4 will look like, too. He confirmed digital releases will continue alongside physical copies, and he made it clear the team will not be using the old Season 4 lineup art that has circulated online for years. According to Carlile, Siebenaler mocked that lineup up in about an hour to appease his bosses in a meeting, and the redesigns for Ratchet and Optimus were met with immediate pushback from Isenberg, supervising director Matt Youngberg, and Wyatt at Cartoon Network. Fans hoping to see some long-planned story beats can relax, since he also wrote "We will NOT make Ratchet green! Red and white suit him just fine." and "We are still doing Prowl's funeral!"
He also shared that in Isenberg's 2008 outline for the planned "Trial of Megatron" story, Optimus gets a flame paint job, complains that it looks dumb, and drops it after about 20 minutes of screen time. Ideas the original team liked, such as Bumblebee getting a second stripe and Jazz losing his Elite Guard stripes, could still show up.
Mirror, Mirror #4 Is Out Now
Season 4 grows out of books Carlile and Isenberg have already been putting out. Their four-issue miniseries Mirror, Mirror is set in the Shattered Glass universe, where the heroes and villains swap sides, and Carlile said more information on Season 4 would be in the final issue. Mirror, Mirror #4 went on sale in physical and digital editions on October 15:
The final issue runs 30 pages instead of the usual 22 and comes with three cover variants that all share the same content. It also includes a 20-page Allspark Almanac Apocrypha by Jim Sorenson and Carlile, plus a two-page "Bot Slayer Mission Log" drawn by Kabuki.Aku that shows how episodes of the original series played out in the mirror universe. Before Mirror, Mirror, the pair also released Bumble Prime, a comic based on a planned Season 4 story.
The Show That Ended Too Soon
Transformers Animated premiered on Cartoon Network on December 26, 2007, and ended on May 23, 2009, after 42 episodes across three seasons. Produced by Cartoon Network Studios and Hasbro, it dropped Optimus Prime's small Autobot crew into a futuristic Detroit, where they befriended Sari Sumdac and battled Megatron's Decepticons over pieces of the AllSpark. David Kaye voiced Optimus Prime, Bumper Robinson played Bumblebee, Corey Burton was Megatron, and Tara Strong voiced Sari.
Its bold, blocky look came from Derrick J. Wyatt, the show's art director and lead character designer, who also worked on Teen Titans, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, and Ben 10: Omniverse. The style split some fans at first, but the series has since become one of the most loved takes on the franchise. Wyatt passed away in December 2021 at the age of 49. Isenberg came to the show after writing Beast Machines, and a fourth season was planned before Cartoon Network ended the series, which left its story unfinished until now.
No issue count, price, or release month has been announced for Season 4 yet, and 2027 is the only window so far.
Are you going to pick up the Season 4 comic when it rolls out, or would you rather hold out hope for an animated revival?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.