Mikaela Banes

Mikaela Banes is a human in the Movie continuity family.

Dull surprise!

Mikaela Banes (1990-) is a 17 year old high school student. A beauty with brains, a penchant for fixing cars, and looks strong enough to make Sam Witwicky offer to "ride" her home in his new car.

She does not seem to mind making out on top of an alien car while other alien cars watch. Kinky.

"No matter what happens, I'm really glad I got in that car with you."

―Mikaela Banes to Sam Witwicky

Fiction

Transformers (2007) movie

Actor: Megan Fox (English) Kanako Toujô (Japanese-language dub voice)

Mikaela fails to find a sandwich under Bumblebee's hood.

Mikaela learned how to fix cars from her father, a long-time car thief who has presumably been single for some time. When he couldn't find a babysitter, he'd bring young Mikaela along, and she learned his trade. She hid her automotive knowledge from her boyfriends, for fear that they will be insecure around a girl who knows more about cars than they do.

She went to school with Sam Witwicky since first grade, but had failed to notice him at all during that entire time. After a spat with her boyfriend Trent, she dumped him, and Sam gave her a ride home in his new car. When the car suffered engine trouble, she took a look at the engine and was very impressed with the layout. Sam was more impressed with her. After Sam drove her home, Mikaela asked him if he thought she was "shallow", to which Sam awkwardly replied that he thought that there was "more than meets the eye...with...you."

Slasher film with a twist: Girl wields chainsaw against maniac alien monster!

The next day, Mikaela was having lunch with her friends when Sam passed by on his mother's bike, saying that his car was following him. Concerned, she followed him on her moped, but just as she caught up, Sam knocked her off. Angry, she demanded to know what his problem was...at which point a monster sheriff deputy car came charging out from under the bridge where Sam had just been. Sam's Camaro knocked the monster down and then urged them to get in. After a hectic chase, the two teens arrived at a deserted chemical plant, where the Camaro transformed into a giant robot. However, the monster unleashed a radio boogeyman that went after Sam and pantsed him. Heading to an abandoned tool shed, Mikaela found a power saw and attacked the radio boogeyman, decapitating it. Mikaela then watched with trepidation as Sam tried to communicate with his now-bipedal car, learning that it could only speak through the radio and that it was an alien who had summoned others of its kind to Earth. Mikaela remained unsure about re-entering the vehicle, but then Sam asked her a simple question: "Fifty years from now, when you're looking back at your life, don't you wanna say you had the guts to get into the car?" Mikaela reluctantly agreed...unaware that the decapitated robot had slipped into her purse.

She still refused to sit in the driver's seat, as the car was driving, so Sam argued that since he had the only other seatbelt, she should sit in his lap. Safety first, after all. Mikaela agreed, then admitted that it was a smooth move on Sam's part. She then asked why the car turned back into a piece-of-crap Camaro if it was such a super-advanced robot. Insulted, the car forced the two teens out, only to return moments later as a sleek and shiny 2009 model. The car then took them to a local observatory, where they could see four meteors entering Earth's atmosphere. Mikaela instinctively reached for Sam's hand as this spectacle took place. The Camaro then brought them to an abandoned alley, where four more cars joined them, then transformed into robots. After inquiring Sam's identity, the lead robot introduced himself as Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots, a race of sentient robots from Cybertron. Prime introduced Jazz, his first lieutenant; Ironhide, his weapons expert; Ratchet, their medical officer (who revealed that Sam's pheromone levels indicated that he wanted to mate with Mikaela, something that embarrassed both teens); and identified the Camaro as Bumblebee, Sam's guardian. When Mikaela asked their intentions, Optimus explained their mission to find the All Spark, the betrayal of a jet boogeyman and the Decepticons, and how Archibald Witwicky's glasses played a role in finding their target.

Now THAT'S home delivery!

Heading to Sam's house, Mikaela was told to stay and watch the Autobots, though they eventually headed to Sam's backyard and proceeded to cause some havoc. Losing patience with Sam's inability to locate the glasses within a couple of minutes, Optimus gave Mikaela a boost up through Sam's window so she could help. Further difficulties arose when Ratchet accidentally hit some powerlines, causing a blackout. The blackout and their shuffling around attracted the unwanted attention of the parents, and Mikaela hid before they came in. This led to some awkward conversation as Sam tried to explain what was going on, until Mikaela finally stood up, revealing her presence as "a friend" of Sam's. This genuinely delighted his parents, and his mother rather awkwardly apologized for their family discussion. Mikaela commented that she thought Mrs. Witwicky was nice.

When Sector Seven forcibly detained Mikaela and Sam's family, Agent Simmons revealed that she had a police record, confirmed that she was hot, and threatened her father's upcoming parole hearing. This strategy nearly made Mikaela cry...until Optimus Prime ripped off the roof of their SUV and demanded that the agents get out of the car and release the two teens. After the Autobots rescued the pair, Sam expressed misgivings about Mikaela's history. She huffily confided to him that her record stemmed from her refusal to turn her father over to the authorities. Sector Seven soon recaptured both teenagers (along with Bumblebee) and brought them to Hoover Dam. There Sam negotiated with Simmons to have Mikaela's criminal record expunged as part of his reward for helping Sector Seven with the information he had about the Transformers. Mikaela was pleased with and grateful for Sam's change in attitude toward her.

Inside Hoover Dam, the teens, along Defense Secretary Keller, two hackers, and some soldiers, were shown the frozen body of a jet boogeyman, which Sam and Mikaela recognized as Megatron, as well as a demonstration of the All Spark. However, the robot hiding in Mikaela's purse had slipped away and contacted the other Decepticons. Sam, with some help from one of the soldiers, managed to convince Sector Seven to release Bumblebee, who reformatted the cube.

Bumblebee totally checks out Mikaela's butt—er, the destruction he caused. Yeah, that's it.

They group fled to Mission City, soon joined by the Autobots. During the Decepticon attack at Mission City, Bumblebee was injured by an airplane boogeyman, and Mikaela strapped the injured Bumblebee to an abandoned tow truck. Sam told her to get Bumblebee (and herself) away from the battle, while he took the All Spark to a building to be extracted by the military. They left, but Mikaela was soon overcome with guilt and frustration for having left. Looking at Bumblebee, the injured robot gave a simple nod, and Mikaela decided to go back. She drove the tow truck backwards through the battle while Bumblebee shot at the tank, destroying the Decepticon.

After the death of Megatron, Sam and Mikaela began dating, even making out on Bumblebee while the Autobots watched. That's kinky. Transformers (2007)

Transformers: The Game

Voice Actor: Megan Fox

She totally understands the frozen nemesis, robot lifeforce, and magic glasses parts, but she still has trouble understanding why the super scout turns into a beater. Women. Transformers: The Game

Titan Magazine

Dynamic duo!

In an alternate reality, the Decepticons won, and Mikaela was part of the resistance. She's an experienced veteran of guerilla warfare and partnered with Bumblebee, who was an old friend by this point. She still grieved over Sam's death.

She wore tight, body-hugging black spy clothes, including leather gloves and long boots. Hawt.

She knows what you think about her outfit, and it pisses her off.

She and Bumblebee raided a Decepticon facility (the former Sector Seven base) to rescue Optimus Prime, Earth's last hope—only to find him frozen and offline—and to attract Megatron's attention. Transformers Comic issue 9 While the tyrant hunted Bumblebee, Mikaela tried to thaw out Optimus with guidance from Tom Banachek. Unfortunately, A radio boogeyman was watching her... Transformers Comic issue 10 ...and when he shot at her, she dodged and grabbed a fire-axe, this time intending to finish him for good. Transformers Comic issue 11 The Decepticon managed to evade her attacks and smacked her backwards into the liquid nitrogen tanks, but she appeared to have planned this: she avoided his finishing blow, allowing him to shatter the tank (freezing him to death in the process) while she escaped the area with a really cool slide under the door. Phase One was now complete and Optimus Prime was thawing out.

Phase Two involved entering a restricted area of the base with Banachek's help and locating an old Sector Seven experiment Transformers Comic issue 12: a nanovirus designed to block All Spark operational frequencies. This caused the All Spark's powers to consume Megatron from the inside, killing him for good. Which basically meant Mikaela single-handedly saved all of Earth and reversed the Autobots' fortunes. You go, girl! (Okay, Bumblebee helped.) Transformers Comic issue 13

Following the liberation of America, Mikaela (who was optimistic that humanity would one day accept the Autobots) took a position of authority at an emergency medical shelter in Savannah, Georgia; a mysterious illness had begun sweeping through the area. To make matters worse, the Decepticons attacked the shelter, and Mikaela tried to evacuate the patients to a safer location. Transformers Comic issue 14 When human tanks joined in the assault on the Autobots, Mikaela called into Tom Banachek to get the attack stopped; when orders to stop were ignored, it became clear something was wrong and she and Bumblebee ran a gauntlet of hostile enemies to reach the tank commander and free him from Decepticon mind control. Transformers Comic issue 15

Toys

Transformers (2007)

• First Encounter (Screen Battles, 2007)
  • Japanese ID number: SB-01

We love Bruce Campbell too, but there was nothing WRONG with your hand.

This Screen Battles pack features a largely unchanged Deluxe class Barricade figure, but the Frenzy accessory has been cast in black plastic to better blend in with Barricade's chest. The pack also comes with unposable figurines of Sam Witwicky in a running pose, Frenzy menacing Sam, and Mikaela Banes holding the power saw she uses to attack Frenzy. The set is packaged in a special window box with a diorama depicting the battle between Barricade and Bumblebee. This item was released during the last weeks of 2007.

• Final Stand (Screen Battles, 2007)
  • Japanese ID number: SB-02

She'll drive, you shoot. Everyone wins (except Brawl, but that's the point).

Ah to be Longarm's seat cushion...

This Screen Battles pack comes with a Longarm figure redecoed in the same paint job as the tow truck Mikaela uses to tow Bumblebee to safety. The "Orson's Towing" markings have been replaced by the "Mike's Towing" markings seen on the actual truck used in the movie. Longarm's interior features a non-removable figurine of Mikaela where the driver's seat would be, plugged into one of the screw holes in the dashboard piece. The pack comes with a battle-damaged, posable Bumblebee figure similar to his Robot Replicas toy.

This set comes in a special window box featuring a diorama background of the battle in Mission City. This item was released during the last weeks of 2007.