The following contains spoilers for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, now in theaters.
Long suspected of being a reboot, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts confirms that it and its predecessor have no connection to the previous Michael Bay-directed movies. The new movie only shares a continuity with the 2018 film Bumblebee, which itself was intended initially as a prequel instead of a reboot. That movie focused a lot more on the relationship between the titular Transformer and his human ally, though it ended on a bittersweet note.
Since then, many have wondered what became of Bumblebee and his human friend Charlie, especially since the continuity of the other movies was discarded. Rise of the Beasts takes place seven years after Bumblebee, offering ample time for Bee and Charlie to reunite. Sadly, the reality of what happened is far more tragic, meaning that the first human friend that Bumblebee had is likely gone from his life forever.
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2018's Bumblebee Had the Best Transformer/Human Friendship
In Bumblebee, the title Autobot comes to Earth in 1987, where he befriends a young woman named Charlie Watson. Discovering that her new Volkswagen Beetle is actually an alien robot, Charlie and her friend try to hide the revelation amid the threat of both the secret human organization Sector 7 and the Decepticons Shatter and Dropkick. Through her growing friendship with Bumblebee and teaching him about Earth's culture, Charlie comes to grieve and heal from the death of her father. Bumblebee also has something to fight for as he regains his memories of Cybertron, with Optimus Prime and the other Autobots headed to the planet thanks to Bee's being able to single-handedly defend it from outside threats.
Unfortunately, this means the end of Bumblebee and Charlie's time together. After defeating Shatter and Dropkick and escaping the authorities, the two say goodbye to each other. It was a heartbreaking scene that capped off the already emotional movie. Bumblebee was lauded by fans and critics alike, and its greater emphasis on storytelling and character development made it the first universally praised Transformers movie. After a five-year wait, Rise of the Beasts finally continues the series and the continuity that its predecessor began. Those looking for Charlie's return, however, will be left sorely disappointed.
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Rise of the Beasts Confirms the Fate of Bumblebee and Charlie's Relationship
Toward the beginning of Rise of the Beasts, a cynical Optimus Prime is distrustful of human beings and sees them as a sort of nuisance. Bumblebee objects to this, noting how humans had helped him in the events of the other movie seven years prior. Optimus himself references a human that was kind to Bee but claims that this situation is different. It's the only real reference to Charlie and the Bumblebee movie, but it paints a clear picture of the woman's whereabouts and her relationship with Bumblebee. From how he makes his comment, Optimus Prime essentially says that Charlie is far in Bee's past, with the two seemingly having had no contact since 1987.
A lot would have changed in seven years' time, but given the state of mass communication in 1994 and Bumblebee's inability to speak outside his radio, it'd be nearly impossible for him and Charlie to reconnect. On top of that, the Autobots are located in New York in Rise of the Beasts, a long way away from California, where Charlie lived. With Transformers still clearly a secret within society, Charlie has likely gone on with her life and moved completely past her old adventures. Since this is a reboot and doesn't have to line up with the Michael Bay Transformers movies (which began chronologically in 2007), there's a chance that she and Bumblebee can reunite in a later film. For the time being, however, the two are simply distant memories in each other's minds, with the 1980s being a completely different decade.
To see how it references Charlie, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is now playing in theaters.
