On the big screen, the beloved Transformers franchise has been a mess. The first film is silly and charming, the Michael Bay films are widely despised, and the standalone film Bumblebee is a welcome return to form. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the upcoming sequel to Travis Knight's entry will bring a lesser-known fan-favorite element of the franchise to the big screen for the first time.
In 1996, Beast Wars: Transformers introduced the distant future of the original 1986 cartoon continuity. That CGI series imagined the descendants of the original cast continuing the long battle between good and evil. To keep the fight going, they'd need a new cast of robots in disguise. Instead of transforming into the typical vehicles, Beast Wars' Transformers became animals.
Who are the Maximals?
As introduced in Beast Wars, the Maximals are the descendants of the original series' Autobots. They're the good guys, and they'll be the new allies for the human heroes. In the original cartoon, most of the existing Transformers were gone, paving the way for the new characters to take over. However, the film will take place in the 90s, allowing the Maximals and the Autobots to coexist. The comics describe "the great upgrade" as the process that turned classic Transformers into their new animalistic forms. The plot of Beast Wars is a bit confusing. It follows the future of Cybertronian robots, but the first plot element sends them hurtling into the distant past. Stuck without technology, the machines select animals as their alternate bodies. The Maximals tended to pick mammals, birds, and fish.
The leader of the Maximals is Optimus Primal, named after the iconic Optimus Prime. He transforms into a silverback gorilla and leads the team with a sense of honor. The film's trailer has also shown off Cheetor, who is the hotshot speed demon of the group, and Rhinox, the tech guy. Airazor, the team's scout, can take the form of a peregrine falcon. It's unclear which other members of the team will make their way into the film. The Maximals will undoubtedly be a force for good who add a lot to the franchise.
Who are the Predacons?
The opposite faction of the Maximals is the Predacons. The distant descendants of the Decepticons tend to take the form of insects, arachnids, and reptiles. The leader of the bunch takes Megatron's name, but he transforms into a T. rex. In later seasons, this version of Megatron becomes a dragon. His army includes Waspinator, a slow-witted aerial combatant, Tarantulas, a sadistic scientist, and Scorponok, an incompetent scientist. Unfortunately, no teaser has revealed the appearance of a Predacon. There's a piece of art or two depicting Megatron as the aforementioned purple Tyrannosaurus, but the trailers haven't shown them off yet. The presence of the Predacons will complicate matters slightly because Rise of the Beasts will feature two villainous factions. The Predacons are the overarching villains of Beast Wars, but Rise of the Beasts will bring the Terrorcons to the screen.
Who are the Terrorcons?
Thanks to the casting announcements, fans know that the main villain of Rise of the Beasts will be Peter Dinklage's Scourge. Scourge was initially known as a tracker for the villainous Galvatron, the reborn version of Megatron who manages to be even more despicable. He'll be transforming into a logging truck in the film, but he typically becomes a monster in the original cartoon. Scourge is joined by Battletrap, who'll become a tow truck, Freezer, a mobile artillery unit, and Nightbird, who becomes a Nissan Skyline. Together, they'll oppose the Maximals and the Autobots with their might. These Terrorcons are nothing like those of the cartoons, but they may still be hiding some impressive forms.
The Terrorcons of the cartoons and comics are a faction of Decepticons who transform into misshapen monsters. They have alternative forms including a two-headed dragon, a land shark, and a harpy. They can also combine into a single mountainous beast called Abominus. The Terrorcons bring a slight horror element to the chapters of the franchise they appear in. The film appears to have taken the name, but it remains to be seen whether Rise of the Beasts will include the monsters from the cartoon.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts seems to be playing fast and loose with the established lore of Beast Wars. That's probably the right call since so many audiences will have never heard of that strange off-shoot franchise. Director Steven Caple Jr. will be taking what he needs from the long history of the brand and putting it together however it works best. Transformers was built one block at a time, reinventing itself every time it needed a new line of toys. The film franchise has the freedom to take the old series apart and reassemble it in whatever way they imagine.