10 More Insulting Ways Characters Were Killed Off Between Movies
8. Sam Witwicky Died... Somehow - Transformers: The Last Knight
While none of the human characters in the Transformers movies are great, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) was at least an inoffensive enough lead to guide audiences through the fantastical world of the "Bayformers" franchise.
When LaBeouf decided that three movies was enough, Mark Wahlberg was drafted in as the new lead for the fourth film, Transformers: Age of Extinction, with nary a mention made of Sam.
But for Bay's fifth and final film, Transformers: The Last Knight, the baffling decision was made to low-key reveal that Sam Witwicky was no more... for some reason.
The sequel reveals a secret society called - wait for it - the Order of the Witwiccans, who have safeguarded the existence of the Transformers on Earth for centuries, with Sam Witwicky being counted among their number.
But astronomer Sir Edward Burton (Anthony Hopkins) also declares to the new heroes that he's the last surviving member of the Witwiccans, in turn implying that Sam has died since we last saw him.
It's a bizarre choice both because there's no explanation for Sam's death nor any real stakes-raising reason to make Burton the last of the Witwiccans. It comes off as weirdly mean-spirited, even if some fans have simply deferred to the belief that Sam has faked his death and is still out there somewhere.