The ending of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts introduces a major twist that changes the future of the Transformers franchise.
The seventh film in Paramount’s live-action series explores the world of the Maximals, Terrorcons, and Unicron, who encounter the Autobots in their quest for the Transwarp Key. This powerful artifact can either help the Autobots return to Cybertron or unleash Unicron’s planetary appetite.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts follows a rebooted timeline that diverges from Michael Bay’s canon, allowing the movie to avoid inconsistencies or irrelevant events after its 1994 setting.
The film culminates in a climactic battle where the Autobots and Maximals join forces to prevent Scourge from summoning Unicron to Earth with the Transwarp Key. Paramount has ambitious plans for the future of the Transformers series, and the ending of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts delivers a surprising twist that goes beyond a simple sequel tease.
The Crossover Between Transformers & G.I Joe
The ending of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts confirms a crossover with G.I. Joe as part of the future plans, by revealing a shocking connections to the military team.
Noah, Elena, the Autobots, and the Maximals have just saved Earth, when Noah goes back to New York and applies for more jobs. He ends up at Slizza Imports, a front for a covert organization, and meets Agent Burke (Michael Kelly), who is aware of Noah’s involvement with the Transformers. Instead of being affiliated with Sector 7, Burke works for G.I. Joe.
The twist sets the stage for a crossover movie that could bring together the two popular Hasbro franchises on the big screen for the first time. Burke invites Noah to join G.I. Joe, based on his background as a former soldier and his recent heroism in saving the world.
G.I. Joe needs Noah to help them fight a secret war, but they also want him to be their liaison with the Autobots. The movie ends before Noah gives his answer to the offer.
The ending of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts reveals a connection to G.I. Joe that could have significant consequences for the future. This could imply that G.I. Joe will play a larger role in Transformers 8. It could also mean that Anthony Ramos will join the cast of a new G.I. Joe movie if Noah agrees to work with the team.
Paramount has long wanted to create a crossover between Transformers and G.I. Joe, but the lack of success of previous G.I. Joe movies prevented this from happening. Now, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts uses its ending to relaunch the G.I. Joe franchise.
The brief glimpse of G.I. Joe in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts suggests that this is a different version of the team than before. Paramount’s original G.I. Joe movie series with Channing Tatum and Dwayne Johnson ended ten years ago, while Snake Eyes flopped at the box office and ended the franchise before it could really start.
Since Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is set in 1994 (long before any other G.I. Joe movie), Noah’s invitation seems to be Paramount’s latest attempt to reboot the IP.
Mirage is Alive
The post-credits scene of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is another crucial step for the franchise’s future, as it shows that Mirage is alive after Noah helps restore him. Pete Davidson’s Autobot character has a prominent role in the movie and forms a close bond with Noah during the adventure.
Mirage appears to be killed by Scourge in the ending of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts after he is shot repeatedly while protecting Noah. Although the final battle reveals that Mirage survived, he is so weakened that he transforms into a suit that Noah can wear, and he does not fully recover afterward.
Since Noah and Mirage are the new human and Autobot leads of the Transformers franchise, the outcome of the mid-credits scene of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is not very unexpected. Noah works with his friend Reek to fix Mirage using spare parts.
While Reek thinks they should try to sell the car for scrap and that it will not even run, Mirage transforms back into his Autobot form to prove that he does work again. This enables Noah and Mirage to come back in a sequel to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. While Mirage might not look great right now, he will likely transform into a better car model for his next appearance.
Unicron is the Main Villain in the Franchise
The ending of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts shows the Autobots and Maximals preventing Earth from being devoured, but the movie also establishes Unicron as the main antagonist of the new trilogy.
The planet-consuming villain is used sparingly in the new entry, as Scourge commands the Terrorcons on behalf of Unicron to obtain the Transwarp Key. The Autobots and Maximals might have thwarted his first attempt to invade Earth, but the movie confirms that Unicron is still alive despite this setback.
The formidable Transformers movie villain is still lurking and growing hungrier, implying that he will try again to eat an Energon-rich planet like Earth.
The fate of Unicron in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts implies that he will return in other parts of the trilogy. After Scourge’s demise, Unicron could seek other agents to serve him and grant them the enhancements of his dark energy.
This might be how the new Transformers trilogy introduces Megatron/Galvatron before making Unicron the main antagonist of Transformers 9. For now, Unicron is isolated in another region of the universe away from Earth and in a position where he will need to regroup, devise a new strategy after the Transwarp Key is destroyed, and ultimately seek revenge on the Autobots and Maximals.
The Fate of Bumblebee
One of the sequel’s major twists is Bumblebee’s death at the hands of Scourge early on, removing him from the story for most of the runtime. It is only in the ending of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts that Bumblebee returns after being revived, which surprisingly happens mostly offscreen.
Bumblebee is buried by Optimus Prime and Optimus Primal on a bed of pure Energon earlier in the movie. This turns out to be the key to how Bumblebee is revived, as the Transwarp Key portal tower emits a blast that activates all nearby Energon. It seems that the combined energy is enough to restore Bumblebee’s spark.
Optimus Prime Destroys the Transwarp Key
Another twist is the destruction of the Transwarp Key in the ending of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Optimus Prime‘s main goal throughout the movie is to use the Key to open a portal for the Autobots to return to Cybertron after being stuck on Earth for seven years.
The sacrifice of giving up his only opportunity to do so by breaking the Transwarp Key reflects his character development. He learns from Optimus Primal the importance of protecting life from Unicron’s menace at any price. As a result, Optimus Prime prioritizes saving Earth and humanity over returning to Cybertron.
Will There Be a Rise of the Beasts Sequel?
The ending of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts prepares the ground for a sequel. Noah restoring Mirage means that they can come back for Transformers 8, while Unicron remains a menace the Autobots will have to confront later on.
Details on Transformers: Rise of the Beasts 2 are not yet confirmed, but the movie ends with the Autobots and Maximals united as the guardians of Earth. This leaves the current team lineup consisting of Optimus Prime, Optimus Primal, Bumblebee, Mirage, Arcee, Wheeljack, Cheetor, and Rhinox, while Noah and Elena could return to save the world again.
The bigger implication comes from the G.I. Joe connection revealed in the ending of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which apparently marks the beginning of the Hasbro Cinematic Universe. Paramount originally started developing ideas for a shared universe in 2015, but most of the movies reported to be in development have yet to materialize.
Now that a crossover between Transformers and G.I. Joe is planned for the future, there is room for other Hasbro properties to also potentially join the universe. This includes Micronauts, M.A.S.K., Rom the Spaceknight, and more. What is not clear is if the G.I. Joes will have a larger role in Transformers 8 or if the crossover will happen elsewhere.
What it All Boils Down To
Beyond the action and CG spectacle that comes with a Transformers movie, there is a core theme that runs through Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. The movie is about the Autobots, the Maximals, and humanity joining forces against a common enemy, instead of each group pursuing their own agendas.
That is why the theme of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ ending is unity and the need for people from different backgrounds to cooperate. If there is any doubt about the message, the “Til all are one” saying as Optimus Prime, Optimus Primal, and Noah work together in the end clarifies it.
About Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is an upcoming American cybertron fantasy film and the seventh movie in the Transformers franchise, which started all the way back in 2008.
Rise of the Beasts is set in 1994, with the story evolving out of Brooklyn, New York City. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will take audiences on a ’90s adventure and introduce the Maximals, Predacons, and Terrorcons to the existing battle on Earth between Autobots and Decepticons and the big bad Unicorn.
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