Sam Witwicky

In the 2007 Transformers film, the main human protagonist, portrayed by Shia LaBeouf, is named "Sam" rather than "Spike". In early versions of the script, Sam had the nickname "Spike". This idea was later scrapped because, according to writer Roberto Orci, these nicknames were appropriate for a mechanic and an oil rig worker in the animated series, occupations in which the characters did not work in the film. He fights alongside the Autobots in the Battle of Mission City, and ultimately defeats Megatron at the end of the film. According to Roberto Orci, the character of Sam was written as a "2007 version of Marty McFly".