Bumblebee is one of the most iconic characters in the Transformers franchise, but the live-action movies have only scratched the surface of his capabilities. With over 30 years of appearances under his belt across Transformers TV shows, toy lines, movies, and more, Bumblebee has proven himself as one of the franchise’s mainstays, displaying some impressive powers and weaponry over the course of his career. The plucky, unassuming Autobot may have some impressive feats in the live-action movies, but much of his potential has still not been fulfilled after 7 years.
As a diminutive Cybertronian with a smaller body plan, Bumblebee admittedly isn’t the most suited to direct combat compared to his Autobot comrades, more inclined to his role as a scout and spy. Optimus Prime may have more powers than him, but Bumblebee is still no slouch in the fighting department, with a variety of more practical non-combat powers the movies never utilize, as well. Most of these non-movie powers and techniques come from the animated series or toy appearances, usually more keen to distinguish their Transformers with unique powers and equipment.
10 Shock Stingers
Transformers Animated (2007)
True to his name, Bumblebee’s series of “Stinger” weaponry in the movies is compact, concealable, but packing a big punch. But rather than the cannon and shortsword that the live-action movies pair Bee with, his Transformers Animated incarnation instead equips him with a pair of dual Shock Stingers, electricity-based weaponry that extends from his arms. Interestingly, the Michael Bay movies almost introduced these devices, even going as far as to design them in early concept art, but the idea was ultimately scrapped for unknown reasons.
9 Shoulder-Mounted Chainguns
Transformers: Prime (2010)
Not being limited to weaponry that conforms to a typical humanoid anatomy, the Autobots are no strangers to mounting powerful guns wherever they see fit. Despite being a more lightly-armed Transformer in general, Transformers: Prime saw Bumblebee get an upgrade in the form of twin shoulder cannons, installed by Ratchet in the Weaponizers toy line that coincided with the series. In the commercial for the line, Bumblebee uses the chainguns to mow down some pesky Vehicons.
8 The Energized Jackhammer
Transformers: Rescue Bots (2011)
While the cybernetic weaponry Autobots are capable of wielding gets much of the attention when it comes to compiling the Cybertronitans’ capabilities, sometimes more practical solutions are needed for non-combat problems. Enter Transformers: Recue Bots, a more kid-friendly take on the giant alien robots that had the Autobots going up against natural disasters as much as the evil Decepticons. In this series, Bumblebee was capable of infusing a Jackhammer with Energon to powerful effect, typically using it to clear away dangerous rubble.
7 Ninja Stars
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) Toyline
As the Autobots’ resident scout and subterfuge expert, pairing traditional shinobi weaponry with Bumblebee just seems to make sense. Despite not appearing in the movie, a tie-in toyline for Transformers: Age of Extinction saw Bumblebee adding a pair of throwable Ninja Stars into his arsenal, an extremely cool, if impractical, weapon system. While Bumblebee has had some bizarre movie powers, including blowing himself up and reforming at will in Transformers: The Last Knight, the ninja stars sadly were seen, but not used in their appearance on the big screen.
6 Invisibility
Transformers: War for Cybertron (2010)
Acting as a prequel that describes the events leading to the destruction of the Transformers’ home planet, Cybertron, Transformers: War for Cybertron featured Bumblebee as he appeared eons ago, long before arriving on Earth. In this video game, Bumblebee was part of the Scout class, a subcategory of Transformers known for their lightning fast ground speed and alternate car modes. One of the Scout class abilities shared by Bumblebee was the power to turn completely invisible, invaluable for Bee considering his bright yellow paint job doesn’t exactly act as the best camouflage.
5 The Sting Shot
Transformers: Cyberverse (2018)
Despite its sharpshooter-souning name, the Sting Shot was a gimmick inherited by many of Bumblebee’s toys released as a part of the Transformers: Cyberverse continuity. More of a melee weapon, the Sting Shot was a retractable drill Bumblebee wielded that could spin rapidly, typically being able to do so even in toy form. This same line also utilized a similar mechanic for Bumblebee’s “Hive Swarm” missiles, which Bumblebee does use in Transformers: Age of Extinction.
4 Ocean Storm Battle Armor
Transformers: Cyberverse (2018)
A more dramatic form of upgrade for Bumblebee, some toys within the Transformers: Cyberverse saw the Autobot utilize what was known as the “Ocean Storm” battle armor. Similar to Optimus’ use of Jetfire’s spare parts to form a jetpack and canons in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Bumblebee was able to turn an ocean-liner ship into a combination upper-body armor and gun rack. While an incredibly cool power-up with precedent for the movies to include, the scaling issues of the car-sized Bumblebee wearing such a large ship like a scarf makes this an impractical weapon system for live-action representation.
3 Goldbug’s Alternate Mode
Transformers: Shattered Glass (2008)
In the original Transformers cartoon, Bumblebee at one point gets totally rebuilt, being re-christened as Goldbug by Optimus Prime to signify his maturation (read: by Hasbro to sell more toys). In the short lived Transformers: Shattered Glass storyline, Goldbug becomes a dark reflection of Bumblebee, proving his newfound seriousness by ditching his cute Volkwagen Bettle alt-mode for a sleek 80s sports car, complete with a massive canon on the back. While not exactly the most inconspicuous disguise, Bumblebee’s time as Goldbug saw him enjoy the benefits of a lot more firepower.
2 The Cybertronian Staff Weapon
Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015)
Bumblebee in the live-action Transformers continuity has never been a slouch in the melee department, utilizing brachial swords, hammers, and even his own two fists when necessary to lay out some serious hurt on Decepticons and the like. However, his Transformers: Robots in Disguise incarnation would occasionally utilize a much more refined melee weapon — A Cybertronian polearm powerful enough to send Decepticons running with a single hit. This more stately weapon helped embody Bumblebee’s presence as a leader in this particular cartoon.
1 The Eagleshot Bow
Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015)
As part of the IDW tie-in comic that released alongside Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Bumblebee was given some new weaponry by Ratchet to aid him in the hunt against the bestial Predacons. Testing it for the first time in the deserts of New Mexico, Bumblebee was able to snipe a target almost 3 miles away. A Transformers-scale bow is an incredibly unique ability that surprisingly didn’t make an appearance in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts or Age of Extinciton, whose animalistic characters would’ve been a fitting way to introduce this item of Bumblebee’s extended arsenal.
