Transformers introduces new nonbinary robot

Well, would you look at that. As reported by Kotaku, almost 40 years after the franchise’s initial inception, a nonbinary Transformer who canonically uses they/them pronouns has finally been introduced. When you think about it, it’s pretty surprising that this hasn’t happened sooner.

This new robot friend is called Nightshade - they were introduced in the cartoon TV series Transformers: EarthSpark, which released last Friday (11 November). EarthSpark centres around the Terrans - a whole new generation of bots who were born on Earth alongside humans.

Take a look at the trailer for Transformers: EarthSpark right here.

According to a couple of screenshots which have been circulating online, the show is very clear about Nightshade’s identity. After it’s revealed that “Nightshade’s pronouns are they/them”, the robot explains that “he or she just doesn’t fit who I am”.

Many Transformers fans are super excited about the character’s inclusion: “Well I for one am absolutely thrilled with a nonbinary Transformers character. The moment the character got introduced I was hoping they'd go that route and they did. I was cheering,” tweeted @Spriteling113. “As a genderfluid Transformers fan, who is thankful to the franchise for getting me through low points in my life and helping me figure out who I am in terms of my bisexuality and gender identity… Nightshade being nonbinary hits so hard,” wrote @littlemisstfp.

According to Kotaku, there were a number of transgender characters in the Transformers series already - Arcee, Anode and Lug. It’s also previously been implied that a different Transformer called Acid Storm may be nonbinary, but it was never explicitly stated that this robot uses gender-neutral pronouns. Either way, it’s apparent just by looking at the positive fan reactions that Nightshade’s canon nonbinary identity means a lot to plenty of people - hopefully we’ll see more of the character in the future.