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Still from Transformers (2007)
Character · by Marcus Reyes

Megatron Transformers: Who He Is and Who Plays Him

Megatron in Transformers is the leader of the Decepticons and the main enemy of Optimus Prime, voiced by Frank Welker in 1986, Hugo Weaving in the 2007, 2009 and 2011 films, and Brian Tyree Henry as D-16 in Transformers One (2024). He is the villain of every film he appears in, and he returns under the name Galvatron when his body is rebuilt.

Image: TMDB

Who Plays Soundwave / Megatron / Rumble / Frenzy / Wheelie (voice)?

Who Is Megatron in Transformers?

Megatron is the leader of the Decepticons and the chief enemy of Optimus Prime, and he is the villain in every Transformers film where he appears. Is he a villain or a hero, then? In the films he is a villain, though Transformers One (2024), directed by Josh Cooley, introduces him as D-16, a Cybertron miner and loyal best friend of Orion Pax, so that film asks you to like him first.

The role has changed hands several times. Frank Welker voices Megatron in The Transformers: The Movie (1986), directed by Nelson Shin, in a credit that also covers Soundwave, Rumble, Frenzy and Wheelie. Hugo Weaving voices him in Transformers (2007), directed by Michael Bay, and again in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Brian Tyree Henry voices D-16 / Megatron in Transformers One. Megatron is also part of the story of Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), where the Decepticons team up with the government and later ally with Quintessa.

He has a second name that matters. Galvatron is the form Unicron builds from Megatron's broken body in 1986, voiced there by Leonard Nimoy, and Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) builds a new Galvatron from Megatron's remains, voiced by Frank Welker. That is why the Galvatron Transformers profile sits next to this one.

Two of his films, the 1986 movie and Transformers One, are animated spinoffs, and the other main films are live action. This profile covers the films only. For the toys, see Transformers merchandise, and for the full cast list see Transformers characters and Transformers cast.

Soundwave / Megatron / Rumble / Frenzy / Wheelie (voice) Films

Megatron Transformers Story Arc, Film by FilmSpoilers

Megatron's story runs across six films and is easiest to follow in release order, with Transformers One last because it is a prequel. The Transformers movies in order page shows where each film sits, and the Transformers timeline puts them in story order.

Transformers the movie 1986. The Decepticons conquer Cybertron, and Optimus Prime beats Megatron but dies of his wounds, so the Autobots lose the Matrix of Leadership. Megatron's body is dumped into space, where Unicron, a Transformer the size of a planet, rebuilds him as Galvatron and sends him to fetch the Matrix. Galvatron seizes it, but Unicron swallows him as well, and Hot Rod uses the Matrix to become Rodimus Prime and destroy Unicron.

Transformers 2007. Megatron is the reason the war reaches Earth. He took the AllSpark, the cube that can create life, and crashed in the Arctic, where he froze and was found by Captain Archibald Witwicky in 1897. Sector 7 later built the Hoover Dam around the cube and studied the frozen Megatron. In the present day the Decepticons hit a US base in Qatar and hunt Sam Witwicky, whose family heirlooms point to the cube. The fight ends in Mission City, where Sam drives the AllSpark into Megatron's chest and destroys both. The film grossed about $710 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen (2009). Megatron is brought back to life and answers to the Fallen, an ancient Prime who tried to destroy Earth's sun. The Fallen orders him to kill Optimus Prime and capture Sam, who holds the knowledge of where a lost Matrix of Leadership is hidden. After Optimus destroys the sun machine near the Giza pyramids and kills the Fallen, Megatron and Starscream flee alive.

Transformers Dark of the Moon (2011). Megatron teams up with Sentinel Prime, the old Autobot leader found on the Moon, who secretly betrays the Autobots hoping to save the dying Cybertron. The Decepticons use five Pillars to start pulling Cybertron toward Earth and invade Chicago. Bumblebee destroys the Control Pillar, and Optimus Prime kills both Megatron and Sentinel.

Transformers Age of Extinction (2014). Megatron's remains drive this one. The tech company KSI melts down fallen Transformers to build drone soldiers, and one of them, Galvatron, is built from Megatron and breaks free of Joshua Joyce's control. Galvatron takes over the drones and builds a Decepticon army, then retreats after the Hong Kong battle and swears he will return.

Transformers The Last Knight (2017). Megatron and the Decepticons team up with the government to take a talisman Cade Yeager is carrying, and they later ally with Quintessa. At Stonehenge Megatron kills Sir Edmund Burton, and the Decepticons take Merlin's staff. Once Optimus overcomes the corruption Quintessa put on him, he defeats Megatron.

Transformers One (2024). This is the origin, and chronologically the first film. D-16 and Orion Pax are cogless miners in Iacon, and after they follow a distress message from Alpha Trion they learn that Sentinel Prime murdered the real Primes and has been sending Energon to the Quintessons. D-16 beats Starscream, who leads the High Guard, and takes charge, and Orion grows uneasy about how aggressive his friend has become. D-16 later learns that Sentinel stole the cog of his hero Megatronus Prime. He defeats Sentinel, and he and Orion fight over whether to kill him. D-16 accidentally shoots Orion, who falls to his apparent death, and then kills Sentinel, takes Megatronus's cog and names himself Megatron. Orion is revived as Optimus Prime, defeats him and exiles him and his followers.

Megatron and Optimus Prime: Enemies, and Once Friends

The relationship between Optimus Prime and Megatron is leader against leader, and in Transformers One (2024) it begins as a friendship. That film shows two best friends, Orion Pax and D-16, who end up on opposite sides of a war after the fight over Sentinel Prime. What the story gives you is a broken friendship that hardens into a rivalry.

Is Megatron in love with Optimus? No film in the series presents it that way. What the films put on screen is a close friendship in Transformers One, where D-16 stays at Orion's side until they disagree over whether to kill Sentinel Prime, and then open war in every other film. In my opinion, the pull some fans feel in their scenes comes from how personal the fight is, since D-16 accidentally shoots Orion before the two part for good.

Across the other films their fights follow a pattern. In 1986 Optimus beats Megatron and dies of his wounds. In Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen the Fallen orders Megatron to kill Optimus, and Optimus is killed protecting Sam before he is brought back. In Transformers: Dark of the Moon Optimus kills Megatron. In Transformers: The Last Knight Quintessa corrupts Optimus into Nemesis Prime, and he overcomes it and defeats Megatron. For the other side of this pairing, see Optimus Prime Transformers.

Megatron's other bonds are mostly about rank. Starscream Transformers flees with him at the end of Revenge of the Fallen. In Transformers One, Starscream leads the High Guard until D-16 beats him, and the two are later captured together. The Fallen is Megatron's master in 2009. Sentinel Prime Transformers is his partner in 2011 and the Prime he kills in Transformers One. Unicron rebuilds him as Galvatron in 1986, and Quintessa is the ally of his final live action appearance. Sam Witwicky is the human who ends him in 2007, and Bumblebee's destruction of the Control Pillar in 2011 breaks his invasion. The Decepticons page lists the rest of his army, and the Autobots names page covers the other side.

What Happens to Megatron at the End?Spoilers

Megatron's fate changes with the film, because the series keeps rebuilding him. In Transformers (2007) he is destroyed when Sam drives the AllSpark into his chest, and in Transformers: Dark of the Moon Optimus Prime kills him. In Transformers: The Last Knight Optimus defeats him. The 1986 film leaves Megatron dumped in space until Unicron rebuilds him as Galvatron, who is swallowed in turn, and Transformers: Age of Extinction builds another Galvatron from his remains, who flees alive.

Transformers One ends with Megatron alive and at war. Optimus Prime exiles him, and he turns the exiled High Guard into the Decepticons, using Megatronus's face as their symbol, and declares war on the Autobots. That sets up the long conflict the other films pick up.

As for the next film, the status is in development. TheWrap reported on October 6, 2026 that Michael Bay is in early talks to direct, that Steven Spielberg is overseeing the franchise and that the film is set in modern day. In a separate report on June 11, 2026, TheWrap said Jason Fuchs was hired to write an untitled live-action Transformers script for Paramount and Hasbro. No title, cast or release date is announced. The latest is on the new Transformers movie page.

Megatron's Best Moments, Ranked by Me

In my opinion, the best Megatron moment is the end of Transformers One, and the reason is how it is built. D-16 fights Orion over whether to kill Sentinel, shoots Orion by accident, watches him fall, and only then kills Sentinel and takes Megatronus's cog. The name comes last, after every step that makes it hurt, and it could be argued that no other film in the series earns his name this carefully.

Second, I would pick Mission City in Transformers (2007). The beats are simple and well ordered: Sam is left carrying the AllSpark, he fights to keep it from Megatron, and then he drives it into Megatron's chest. It is a clean, human scale finish for a robot that spent the film hunting one teenager.

Third, the Stonehenge scene in Transformers: The Last Knight, where Megatron kills Sir Edmund Burton, and the Chicago finish of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, where Optimus Prime kills both Megatron and Sentinel Prime. Both work as set pieces more than as character moments. That being said, I would put the Chicago one higher because Megatron has spent the whole film as Sentinel's partner and goes down beside him.

Last is 1986, where Unicron rebuilds a defeated Megatron as Galvatron in the middle of space. It is a strange, abrupt resurrection, but it is the first time the series shows that Megatron can come back. If you are new to him, start with Transformers One for the origin and Transformers (2007) for the version most people picture.

Facts

FAQs

Who is Megatron in Transformers?

Megatron is the leader of the Decepticons and the main enemy of Optimus Prime. Frank Welker voices him in 1986, Hugo Weaving in Transformers (2007), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and Brian Tyree Henry voices D-16 / Megatron in Transformers One (2024).

Is Megatron a villain or a hero?

Megatron is a villain in every film he appears in. Transformers One shows him as D-16, a loyal friend of Orion Pax, before he turns against the Autobots and declares war.

What is Megatron's real name?

In Transformers One his name is D-16. He becomes Megatron after killing Sentinel Prime and taking the cog of Megatronus Prime, the hero he admired.

What turned Megatron evil?

In Transformers One, D-16 learns that Sentinel Prime stole Megatronus Prime's cog. He then fights Orion over whether to kill Sentinel, shoots Orion by accident and kills Sentinel himself, and takes the name Megatron.

Is Megatron really Optimus Prime's brother?

No, the films do not make them brothers. Transformers One portrays them as best friends, Orion Pax and D-16, who end up on opposite sides of a war.

What is the relationship between Optimus and Megatron?

They lead opposing sides, the Autobots and the Decepticons, and they fight in several films. Optimus beats him in 1986, kills him in Transformers: Dark of the Moon and defeats him in Transformers: The Last Knight, and in Transformers One he first meets him as a close friend.