With Shia LaBeouf once leading the Transformers franchise in the main role, many fans wondered what happened to Sam Witwicky in the later movies. Michael Bay was drawn to the original Transformers from the simple, relatable hook of the movie about a boy and his first car. The fact the car was a transforming alien robot was simply a bonus. LaBeouf was later cast as Sam Witwicky, the nerdy kid who gets unwittingly drawn into an intergalactic battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons. However, after the first three Transformers movies, Sam vanished without a trace.

Sam Witwicky was the lead character of the first three Transformers movies, exiting after Transformers: Dark Of The Moon. LaBeouf never returned to the franchise and the series received a soft reboot with 2014's Transformers: Age Of Extinction. Mark Wahlberg was introduced in Transformers 4 as Cade Yaeger, a struggling inventor who, like Sam, is unwittingly drawn into the Autobots' struggle. Cade's films and the 2018 movie Bumblebee, another soft reboot, didn't feature Sam at all. What happened to Sam Witwicky is at least touched upon in Transformers 5.

Why Shia LaBeouf Left Transformers

It Was The Actor's Choice

While many wondered what happened to Sam Witwicky, the decision to leave the Transformers franchise was Shia LaBeouf's. During the press tour for Transformers: Dark of the Moon, LaBeouf stated he would not return to the franchise, and he hasn't appeared in Transformers movies since, even for a cameo. LaBeouf felt the character of Sam Witwicky had run his course, and with Sam's narrative over, he would only grow stale if he returned. He even explained repeatedly in interviews that he didn't think "there's anywhere to take it with Sam" after the third movie (via The Guardian).

Since then, LaBeouf has made it clear that his career is heading in a different direction. Even if there was a narrative reason for him to return, the actor has made it clear he's not interested in any projects on the scale of the Transformers franchise. LaBeouf has also said that he didn't particularly care for the movies (via Esquire).

He called the Transformers movies "irrelevant." He cited movies like Raging Bull and Easy Rider as valuable stories, but called Transformers the "antithesis of [his] purpose on the planet." With a statement like that, it's hard to imagine he would ever appear in another chapter of the Transformers franchise.

Transformers 5 Explains What Happened To Shia LaBeouf's Sam Witwicky

It's Implied That He Died

The first Transformers movies introduced increasingly convoluted mythology into the franchise, with The Last Knight going for broke. The movie reveals King Arthur and Merlin had once teamed up with Transformers in the past to win a battle, with the Transformers gifting Merlin with an alien staff. In the present day, Professor Edmund Burton (Anthony Hopkins) explains that Transformers have been helping humanity for centuries. He also explains that Vivian Wembley is the last “Witwiccan,” a line descended from Merlin himself. This means only Wembley can wield Merlin’s (Stanley Tucci) staff and stop an impending Cybertron attack.

Burton also explains the Witwiccan Order is a secret society of adventurers tasked with protecting this alternate history, and he shows photos of of this society. The pictures include Transformers' Sam Witwicky himself. While speaking to Oxford Professor Vivian Wembley (Laura Haddock), he tells her that she's the only remaining Witwiccan. He shows Vivian her family tree, which is the same as Sam Witwicky's, and he includes a picture of Sam for good measure. Burton then tells her that she is the last surviving heir of Merlin.

Since Vivian is the last of the Witwicky line, this implies that Sam Witwicky died at some point between Dark of the Moon and The Last Knight. This would be a pretty abrupt ending for the character, who previously survived death in Revenge of the Fallen. Since LaBeouf has been somewhat outspoken about the quality of the series since his departure, making it unlikely he would ever return to the role, a definitive ending for the character would make sense.

The Last Knight at least provides some closure for Sam Witwicky while leaving enough wiggle room for fans to argue he could still be alive somewhere in the Transformers universe. The Last Knight doesn’t even attempt to explain what happened to Sam Witwicky or how he died. However, with Bumblebee softly rebooting the Transformers franchise, and him not appearing in any subsequent films, his presumed death is likely canon within the franchise's vast mythological universe.

Shia LaBeouf Isn't In Any Of The Transformers Movies

There Are No Plans For His Return

The soft reboot for the Transformers series saw Hailee Steinfeld in the lead for Bumblebee, though it ended up as a one-movie deal. Bumblebee moved entirely away from its previous installments, basically rebooting the franchise with a new and fresh storyline set when Bumblebee first came to Earth. Therefore, if there was any hope for a Sam Witwicky return, Bumblebee could have ended it. To continue the franchise, the creators decided to create a new story that would hopefully garner a new fanbase. The move worked, with Bumblebee making $467 million worldwide, all without Sam Witwicky.

Rise of the Beasts, which continues the prequels for the franchise, also doesn't feature Shia LaBeouf. Bringing Sam Witwicky back would only tether it down to the earlier movies. It certainly doesn't seem like studios want to bring the old cast back together, as Rise of the Beasts introduces characters from Transformers: Beast Wars. There are plenty of Transformers movies after Rise of the Beasts planned too, but Sam Witwicky probably won't be coming back for any of them, and that's likely for the best.

Meet Rise Of The Beasts' Human Leads

The Possible Future Of The Franchise

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts debuted in theaters in June 2023, and the franchise provides two new human lead characters. Anthony Ramos (In the Heights) plays Noah Diaz, an ex-military electronics expert who tries to his family while living in Brooklyn, NY. A new ally for the Autobots and Maximals, Noah also developed a close relationship with the Autobot Mirage (Pete Davidson). Dominique Fishback (Swarm) plays Elena Wallace. Elena is a historian with a lot of knowledge about South American history, which comes in handy when she's attempting to help the Autobots/Maximals.

The movie ends with both of their stories likely finished, although a post-credit stinger shows that Noah might have more fighting to do down the line. However, Elena receives her perfect ending in Rise of the Beasts and is probably not returning to the franchise. What the movie did show is that new characters can come in and work perfectly without bothering to bring back old characters to the story. With Rise of the Beasts, there's a bright future ahead for the Transformers franchise, even without Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky.

Have The Transformers Movies Improved Since Sam Witwicky's Departure?

Do The Transformers Movies Need Human Characters?

It was a long time ago since Sam Witwicky was the center of the Transformers franchise and the movies have certainly grown a lot beyond his appearances. However, the Transformers franchise has had ups and downs over the years, with the era directly after Sam's exit from the story being the weakest of them all. In Transformers: Age of Extinction, Mark Wahlberg brought a lot of star power to the series, but his character of Cade Yaeger felt all wrong.

Sam was not beloved by every fan, but the grounded nature of his character worked for the series. He was not an action hero and depended on Optimus Prime and the others to save the day. He was made even more relatable because he was scared and uncertain, which made his bravery more impactful. By contrast, Wahlberg played Cade like his typical action hero roles and seemed like he could save the day without the Autobots' help.

There were a lot of issues with Transformers: Age of Extinction and Transformers: The Last Knight, and replacing Sam with Cade was certainly a big one. The franchise seemed to recognize that mistake and went back to more relatable human characters in the next two entries. Bumblebee saw Hailee Steinfeld playing the likable yet troubled teen Charlie Watson, with the movie serving as a coming-of-age story of sorts. Likewise, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts found grounded heroes in Noah and Elena.

It wasn't until Transformers One that the franchise finally made a movie without human leads, something many fans have been calling for over the years. It is telling that the animated movie scored some of the best reviews for the franchise with the Transformer characters feeling more well-rounded and layered than any of the humans in the Transformers movies, including Sam Witwicky.