Ironhide (voiced by Jess Harnell) was a member of the Autobot faction in Michael Bay's Transformers film series. He served under Optimus Prime as a weapons specialist and was one of the Autobot leader's oldest friends. He is always ready for a fight and is especially proud of the cannons he sports on his arms.
History[]
Transformers (2007)[]
Ironhide joined Optimus, Bumblebee, Jazz and Ratchet when the Autobots ventured to Earth in search of the AllSpark, the all-powerful, life-giving relic that gave birth to Cybertron and its inhabitants. Enlisting the aid of young humans Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes, the Autobots discovered the cube's location, but had to contend with Megatron and the Decepticons in a fierce battle that caused tremendous damage to Mission City and claimed the lives of many human bystanders. Though the Decepticons were defeated, the Autobots' victory cost them the AllSpark which was destroyed in the battle. Unable to return to Cybertron, the Autobots took refuge on Earth, using their transformative powers to disguise themselves as Earth vehicles to blend in.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen[]
In the years since their arrival on Earth, the Autobots' numbers have increased as more Cybertronian refugees have responded to Optimus Prime's call. The Autobots have formed a military alliance with the United States known as the Non-biological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty (NEST), which works to hunt down and eliminate any Decepticons remaining on Earth.
In 2009, Ironhide became temporary leader of the Autobots after Optimus Prime was killed by a resurrected Megatron. During this time, the ancient Cybertronian known as The Fallen had returned and was threatening to destroy Earth unless humanity surrendered Sam Witwicky who, at that time, had become the vessel of the AllSpark's vast knowledge and power. While Sam and Mikaela were on the run with Bumblebee and former Sector 7 agent Seymour Simmons, Ironhide and the Autobots were being pressured to leave Earth. Fortunately for them, Sam, Mikaela and Bumblebee managed to find the ancient Seeker Jetfire who put them on the path to finding the Matrix of Leadership.
Once the Matrix had been located, NEST and the Autobots mobilised to secure it before the Decepticons could get a hold of it. A great battle was fought at the Pyramid of Giza, which turned out to contain the Star Harvester machine created by the Fallen centuries ago. Though they suffered significant losses, the Autobots won the day in the end as Sam used the Matrix to resurrect Optimus, who in turn defeated the remaining Decepticons and killed the Fallen.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon[]
In the years since the defeat of the Fallen in Egypt, and with their human allies closely watching for signs of Decepticon activity, the Autobots had dedicated themselves to resolving human conflicts, fearing that rogue elements of humanity might spark the sort of global conflicts that devastated Cybertron.
Shortly after returning to the NEST facility from an unspecified mission, Ironhide was inspecting a new weapon that Que had created when NSA Director Charlotte Mearing arrived to speak with Optimus Prime. However, Ironhide and Mirage let the human know that the Autobot leader was in a foul mood, believing that the US government had lied to the Autobots about disclosing all of their knowledge about the Cybertronians, given the discovery of an engine fuel cell from the long-lost Ark at Chernobyl. Mearing professed that she had not had clearance to this information until then, and introduced the Autobots to NASA administrators and famed Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who explained the truth about their mission to the Moon was to explore the wreck of the Ark, and how they suspected that the Soviet Union had been trying to generate fissionable power with the fuel cell.
After Sentinel Prime had been rescued from the wreck of the Ark and brought back to Earth, Ironhide rushed into the chamber where he had been reactivated by the Matrix of Leadership after hearing of a commotion. After Sentinel realized that he was among friends, Ironhide witnessed him explain how his pillars were key to activating his space bridge, a teleportation device that was crucial to the Autobot war effort.
Soon, the human boy Sam Witwicky discovered that the Decepticons had stolen hundreds of pillars from the Ark decades earlier, and were now after Sentinel Prime and his control pillar to utilize the space bridge. As Sentinel, Bumblebee, Sideswipe and Mirage neared the NEST base, Ironhide moved out to intercept their Decepticon pursuers, the Dreads. After colliding head on with Crankcase and Crowbar, Ironhide and Sideswipe forced the Decepticons to drop their weapons after a tense "Mexican standoff". However, they deployed explosive spears, managing to hit Ironhide in the shoulder with one before recommencing their attack. The veteran Autobot caught a blaster tossed by Sideswipe and used it to shoot Crowbar in the face, before pulling the spear out of his shoulder, impaling it into Crankcase's face, slamming the Decepticon into an abandoned car and kicking the wreckage into a nearby auto shop as the spear exploded.
Arriving at the NEST base, Ironhide assured Sam and Colonel Lennox that he would protect Sentinel Prime from the Decepticons. However, the former Autobot leader had other ideas, explaining that he knew that they would never win the war, and to save Cybertron from destruction, a deal was made with Megatron. Before anybody could react, Sentinel shot Ironhide in the back with his hidden cosmic rust cannon. Succumbing to the effects of the rust, Ironhide demanded to know what Sentinel had done, but the Prime callously stated that he was merely "discharging" the soldier from duty, and dealt the finishing blow. As the traitor disappeared into the NEST base to retrieve his pillars, Ironhide died, crumbling into dust.