Though many Transformers fans are excited to see what director Steven Caple Jr. will do with Pete Davidson would be ing the cast as Mirage has made some concerned about the film's quality. The move to hire a famous comedian to voice characters in blockbusters has been a long tradition, yet Transformers fans are scared it might be a sign of studio meddling.
Regardless of how Davidson will fair in the role, there are sings that indicate the movie will be legitimately scary thanks to the influences Steven Caple Jr. has listed for the film. It's only a matter of time until audiences see how suspenseful the movie might be, but if it includes any of the Transformers villains Redditors say are the scariest, then people are sure to have a fright.
Megatron
As leader of the Decepticons, Megatron has to back up a lot of his threats with action, and while some versions of the character have failed to come across as threats, others have. Redditor Absolute_madlad1605 specifically noted "Idw megatron is John wick as a transformer."
What makes the comic book version of Megatron so terrifying is his drive. He was one of the few Decepticons to successfully take over Earth, and famously tortured Starscream to such a degree that the cowardly Decepticon begged for death.
Sunder
An original character from IDW's Transformers comics, Sunder lacks the name recognition compared to most Autobots and Decepticons, but that hasn't stopped him from building up a notorious reputation. As Cometvinity asked, "Does anyone Sunder from the old comics? Dude literally turned bots inside out."
Beyond simply turned Cybertronians inside out, Sunder also had the ability to probe other robots' minds without touching them, a skill which he used to feast on the memories of his victims. His abilities left numerous dead across the galaxy, most notably the Autobot leader Rodimus.
Swindle
Though not a traditionally tough or imposing presence, Swindle is one of the most iconic Decepticons thanks to his moneygrubbing personality and willingness to con both Autobots and Decepticons to make a profit. These actions might not scream as terrifying, but as ununseptimus points out, "he's the most craven and treacherous war profiteer of the lot."
Swindle isn't likely to top anyone's list of the most terrifying Transformers, but his actions and loose morality are scary. He has no qualms about letting the war between Autobots and Decepticons wage on so long as his business is thriving, and that cold detachment can hit too close to home for many Transformers fans.
Thunderwing
There are many threatening Decepticons that strike terror into the hearts of readers for their vicious acts. Megatron, Straxus, and Lockdown are among the most common names thrown around when describing scary Transformers, but liege_paradox believes, "Thunderwing also fits in this category, specifically the big scary monster one."
The ironic thing about Thunderwing and his brand of terror is that the Decepticon is largely respectable toward his troops under most circumstances. It's only because of his obsession with the Matrix that the Cybertronian becomes a terrifying menace, especially when he used the fabled relic to dismember the Autobots in the original Marvel comic.
Airachnid
Derived from one of Beast Wars' most intelligent characters, "airachnid from prime" is who Brilliant-Match-1515 deemed the most terrifying Transformer. It's not hard to see why considering her angular, spider-like design and sadistic personality.
Airachnid's creepiness was played up in several episodes of Transformers: Prime, the most notable of them being "Predatory" where she hunted down Jack like an animal in an effort to torture Arcee. The effort wasn't successful, but it did bring up painful memories for Arcee that took the Autobot some time to recover from.
Tarantulas
Introduced as a duplicitous Cybertronian with a taste for organic flesh, Tarantulas became one of Beast Wars' most iconic characters thanks to his constant scheming and spine-chilling voice. While not an outright monster, the Predacon managed to take on such a form for the likes of Cheetor and Blackarachnia by mentally torturing them.
Though the Beast Wars's version of Tarantulas was a terrifying force, the IDW version was even worse, with Redditor Uden10 calling Tarantulas the scariest Transformer "for manipulating a Wrecker into murdering and torturing his students." The Transformers comics might be visceral, but Tarantulas pushes the envelope of comfort-ability with his actions.
Tarn
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Tarn has been cited by several Redditors as the scariest Transformer, with TechnOuijA explaining "Anyone that can't even be reasoned with is pretty scary to me." Such resolute determination is only part of what makes Tarn such a terrifying force.
Much of Tarn's terror comes from his actions in the Lost Light comic. He was a murderous Decepticon who would obsessively transform and recite poetry while killing others, and did this to a number of beloved characters, the most notable being [insert name]
Bayverse Optimus Prime
Despite being leader of the heroic Autobots, OrderlyRoddyPiper felt "Bayverse Optimus Prime" was the scariest character in the Transformers franchise. Part of it can be attributed to the general terror a giant robot would instill upon any human, but much of the fear seems to stem from the character's bloodthirsty nature.
Frequently cited as the worst incarnation of Optimus Prime, the Bayverse version of the character contradicts Optimus's morals because he shows no mercy for his opponents. In Revenge of the Fallen, he made explicit his desire to have the Fallen's face and in Dark of the Moon, killed a surrendering Sentinel Prime in cold blood. Most egregiously, he threatened to murder human beings in Age of Extinction for desecrating the corpses of his fellow Autobots.
Unicron
Though he's essentially a rip-off of Galactus, Unicron is still one of the best Transformers antagonists across multiple continuities. He's a constant presence in every universe, being the companion to Primus, and as Coffee-Coffee-Coffin joked, "he’s probably still alive and slowly moving towards us right now."
The true fright of Unicron stems not from his design or size, but his motivations. He's a being that wishes to consume all in his wake, and unlike Galactus, cannot be reasoned with or persuaded in changing his course. The only way to stop him is through destruction (at the cost of hundreds).
Overlord
Introduced in Transformers: The Last Stand of the Wreckers, Overlord was commander of a vicious prison known as Garrus-9, and turned place into a gladiatorial arena where inmates fought to the death. His role in the comic won him instant acclaim and infamy, with ununseptimus calling him "a frigging monster."
Beyond simply running the bloodthirsty games at Garrus-9, Overlord's terror can be found in the way he sadistically plows through other Cybertronians. He tore the Autobot Guzzle in half, killed subordinates that questioned his command, and pulled a knife out of his eye while laughing at his opponents.
