After giving multiple hit live-action movies in the Transformers franchise, Paramount has now arrived with an animated film that shows the very origin of everything. Transformers One is about the time when young Optimus Prime and Megatron used to be friends and the events that eventually turned them into arch-enemies.
The movie has a star-studded voice cast, which includes Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, and Laurence Fishburne, among others. Among them all, one character who has not been seen in live-action is Johansson’s Elita-1, but the actress is already familiar with its nature thanks to her Marvel role.
Scarlett Johansson Draws Similarity Between Elita-1 and Black Widow
One of the reasons why Transformers One is completely animated is because it takes place on Cybertron, thousands of years before Transformers came to Earth, and there was no need for any human involvement.
However, it doesn’t mean that there was no physical involvement from the actors who voiced the characters. In an interview with CBS, Scarlett Johansson reveals how physically demanding it was to portray Elita-1, especially during the action sequences.
Johansson mentioned being familiar with the nuances of action because of working in Avengers movies as Black Widow. Similarly, in order to not make her character sound flat and boring, she had to emulate the action sequences in her own way in the vocal booth. Johansson said,
You’re squatting and punching and running in place … it’s just really very physical, but it brings the action to life.
Moreover, the actress also pointed out certain similarities that she shares with Elita-1. Talking about her character, Johansson said,
She’s very driven, she has a healthy ambition. She believes in her ability. She has all of these qualities that make a leader. She’s a little bit of a control freak, which I may or may not know something about.
Johansson’s character has played a big role in Transformers One. She is a female miner who eventually becomes an Autobot and has the power to transform into a Cybertronian motorcycle. However, even after being such an important character, she was not seen in the live-action sequels.
Why Elita-1 Is Not Seen in Previous Transformers Movies
Elita-1 plays the role of Orion Pax’s love interest. She has an important role in motivating Pax and leading the group in its initial stage. Besides that, the character has been featured in cartoon series, comics, and toylines as well.
After all these, the character has been credited only once in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen as one of the female Autobots. However, she hardly had any role in the movie. Moreover, her character design looked nothing similar to that in Transformers One.
One possible reason for this might be the storylines followed by Michael Bay. The movies were mostly built around Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Megatron because of their design, abilities, characters, and interconnected stories of the three.
All the other Autobots and Decepticons played the role of side characters. Elita-1 could have been one of them at best, which adds no value to the character. The previous movies never demanded her involvement, and she was only relevant until Orion Pax became Optimus Prime.
Transformers One is now running in theaters.
The Transformers movies are available to stream on Prime Video.
Frequently asked questions
Which character does Scarlett Johansson voice in Transformers One?
Scarlett Johansson voices Elita-1 in Transformers One, a female miner who becomes an Autobot and transforms into a Cybertronian motorcycle. Although a version of Elita-1 had a brief appearance in the live-action films, she was never featured prominently there. Johansson joins a voice cast that also includes Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, and Laurence Fishburne.
How did Scarlett Johansson compare Elita-1 to her Black Widow role?
Johansson drew parallels between Elita-1 and her Marvel character Black Widow. Describing Elita-1, she said the character is very driven with a healthy ambition and believes in her own ability, adding that she is “a little bit of a control freak, which I may or may not know something about.” In the CBS interview she also noted she drew on the physicality of her Avengers action work for the role.
Had Elita-1 appeared in earlier Transformers movies before Transformers One?
The article reports that Elita-1 had only a minor appearance in the previous live-action films. She was credited once in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen as one of the female Autobots but had hardly any role. Michael Bay’s films focused mainly on Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Megatron, leaving characters like Elita-1 in the background.
