The Transformers franchise is just two years away from being forty years old, cementing it as one of the longest-running and universally popular toy franchises of all time. To put it simply, having toy cars and trucks that transform into robotic warriors is just plain cool, and it's no wonder why the toy line got its own animated series the very same year the action figures made it on the shelves. The series was also a massive runaway success among young audiences and, like many nostalgic animated shows, was destined to get a live-action remake one day. We finally got that in 2007 when filmmaker Michael Bay brought the action spectacle of the conflict between Autobots and Decepticons to the big screen. The film spawned a total of five sequels that have received some mixed reception from fans, critics, and general audiences alike, but that same group responded far kinder to Bumblebee, which functioned as both a prequel and soft-reboot of the franchise. Though it's the lowest-grossing film in the franchise, Bumblebee is fondly remembered as the best live-action film in the series, so it makes sense that the next film in this long-running saga would be a direct continuation of the prequel. Thus, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts was born, not only bringing back fan favorites like the leader of the Autobots himself Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) but also reintroducing the Beast Wars storyline from the 1996 sequel series of the same name.
The continuity of this series has become messy, to say the least, but hopefully, a guide to the heroes and villains we'll be following this time around will help alleviate some of that confusion as the Beast Wars kick off on the big screen this weekend.
Editor's Note: This article was updated on June 9.
Colman Domingo as Unicron
Perhaps the biggest character joining the franchise in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (both figuratively and literally), Unicron is a far greater threat than the Decepticons, Predacons, and everyone else put together. A world-eating cosmic destroyer, Unicron usually takes the form of a biomechanical planet but can also transform into an equally massive robotic form. While the character has had differing origins in each adaptation, he's usually depicted as a cosmic being who seeks to destroy the multiverse and serves as the opposite number to his twin brother Primus, creator of the Cybertronians. The character first appeared in 1986's Transformers: The Movie, where he was voiced by the legendary Orson Welles. Unicron was also a plot point in Transformers: The Last Knight, which confirmed that Unicron isn't just a planet-sized Transformer, he's actually Earth itself in the current continuity.
In Transformers: Rise of the Beats, the impossibly evil titan is voiced by Colman Domingo. Domingo is an Emmy-winning actor, director, and writer who is known for his powerful performances. His previous work includes films like Lincoln, Selma, and Candyman, as well as shows like Euphoria and Fear the Walking Dead.
Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime
It should come as a surprise to absolutely no one that the leader of the Autobots and the face of the Transformers franchise is voiced by none other than Eeyore himself, Peter Cullen (The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh). The legendary voice actor has voiced the iconic hero in virtually every single movie, show, and video game since the original animated series, which is a legacy that many actors can only dream of.
Despite the live-action films having a heavy focus on the human characters, Prime is still front and center in nearly all the films and his journey in them isn't all that dissimilar from the source material. Optimus is the formidable leader of the Autobots, a group of benevolent Transformers who found themselves in a deadly civil war against the dreaded Decepticons, which in turn caused their home planet of Cybertron to become an unlivable battleground. Thus both the Autobots and Decepticons fled to Earth, where Optimus vowed to protect the humans from the threat their enemies posed. Optimus has had a long road in the main film series, with some key events including getting killed and then resurrected by a mystical Cybertronian device, killing his sworn rival Megatron (Hugo Weaving) twice, and even being briefly brainwashed by a malevolent god.
Optimus took a bit of a back seat in Bumblebee, making only a few brief appearances such as the opening sequence showing the War for Cybertron and the ending scene showing the other Autobots coming to Earth. Since this movie has "Transformers" in the title rather than just the name of "Bumblebee", it's safe to say that Optimus will have a much bigger role this time around.
Anthony Ramos as Noah
Anthony Ramos (In The Heights) will be fighting off against another pseudo-robotic entity in the MCU series Ironheart, but he's also an ally for the Autobots and Maximals in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. The heroic defenders of Earth have had many human allies over the years, notably Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) from the original trilogy, Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) from the last two mainline entries, and Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeld) from Bumblebee. Noah is the latest human to get involved with saving the Earth and is helping the Autobots protect the world and slowly but surely forms a bond with Autobot Mirage. He's a former military and a tech-whiz, who has been struggling to find a job ever since returning home. He's also been trying to fulfill the expensive medical costs to treat his younger brother, who is suffering from a chronic illness.
Here's what Ramos told Collider about his character:
“He’s very much the underdog. He’s had moments where he hasn’t felt enough. He just wants the best for his family, but he’s in a position where he can’t necessarily help them the way he wants to, which puts him in a moment of desperation, where he does something that he probably wouldn’t necessarily do otherwise. […] It’s fun when you can actually put real life things in a fantastical movie like that. We’re naming neighborhoods that are real neighborhoods in New York, in the film, but we’re on a plane on our way to Peru. It’s fun when you can add those elements of yourself to a movie like that.”
Dominique Fishback as Elena
Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah) is Elena, the second human lead of the film. Elena was primarily raised by her father, a cab driver, who taught her all about history, science, and mathematics. At the start of the film, she is interning at a museum but is constantly being passed over by her boss, who keeps taking credit for her hard work and research. She soon aligns herself with Noah and the Autobots after getting her hands on a piece of the Transwarp Key.
Bumblebee
Where there's Optimus Prime, his right-hand bot Bumblebee typically isn't far behind, but fans of the franchise are well aware that he's not the most talkative hero. Before Bee would meet Sam Witwicky years later, we see in his standalone film that precedes Rise of the Beasts that Bumblebee was originally known as B-127, and was shortly voiced by Dylan O'Brien (The Maze Runner). Bee was sent to Earth following the deteriorating situation on Cybertron to establish a base, but after an encounter with some hostile government agents, he's attacked by Decepticon Blitzwing (David Sobolov). Bee stops the would-be assassin but has his voice box permanently damaged and his ability to speak was taken away. This critical injury did little to sway Bee's fun-loving and optimistic attitude, now using his car's built-in radio to communicate and still defending the people of Earth when needed.
Pete Davidson as Mirage
Saturday Night Live alum Pete Davidson (The King of Staten Island) voices Mirage, who has a significant role in the film as the Bumblebee to Noah's Sam Witwicky. Mirage did have an appearance in Transformers: Dark of the Moon, albeit a brief one, as a bright red Ferrari Autobot complete with an Italian accent. In the '90s, however, Mirage is a Porsche this time around. We also get to see some of Mirage's unique abilities, such as being able to create duplicate cars to throw off pursuers on his tail. For a better look at the character, check out this TV spot showcasing Mirage and his abilities:
Liza Koshy as Arcee
Influencer and comedian Liza Koshy (Liza on Demand) takes on the role of Arcee picking up from voice actress Grey Griffin (Avatar: The Last Airbender) who voiced the character in her brief appearances in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Bumblebee.
Most of the Transformers seem to prefer four-wheeled vehicles but Arcee and her sisters prefer using smaller, faster, two-wheeled motorcycles to take down enemies quickly and efficiently. Arcee first appeared in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen as one of the new Autobots that heard Optimus's intergalactic message, but she ultimately perished in the Battle of Egypt. We got to see Arcee again in Bumblebee, fighting alongside the rest of the Autobots on Cybertron.
Cristo Fernández as Wheeljack
After bringing his endlessly positive energy to the equally positive character of Dani Rojas in Ted Lasso, Cristo Fernández portrays genius Autobot inventor Wheeljack. Wheeljack was one of the more unusual side characters in Transformers: Dark of the Moon, being designed to look like a robotic Albert Einstein, even featuring the accent of the world-famous genius to boot, crafting weapons and tech to aid both the humans and his Autobot companions. Like Arcee, Wheeljack made a brief appearance at the start of Bumblebee in the War for Cybertron section, now with a much tamer and show-accurate design that the new film is also sticking with.
John DiMaggio as Stratosphere
Even if you don't recognize John DiMaggio (Futurama) by name, you certainly know him for the constantly growing list of beloved characters he's voiced. Most of the Transformers take the lyric "robots in disguise" quite literally, only being cars when they need to stay hidden or get somewhere fast. The stratosphere is a unique exception. Taking the form of a massive cargo plane, Stratosphere is essentially a living jet for the Autobots, being large enough to transport a good number of them all at once to perform a team mission.
Ron Perlman as Optimus Primal
A critical figure of the Beast Wars saga and the descendant of Optimus Prime himself, Optimus Primal is voiced by veteran character actor Ron Perlman (Pacific Rim). The story of the Beast Wars begins at least several hundred years after the many conflicts between Optimus Prime and Megatron. The Autobot and Decepticon factions have been all but forgotten, and now the Maximals and Predacons have taken their place. Optimus Primal is the leader of the former, very much taking after his descendant in leading Cybertron's force for good. An incident on an experimental ship leads Primal, the rest of the Maximals, and a group of Predacons to be launched back in time several million years in the past, both factions ending up on a prehistoric planet Earth. Marooned on a version of a planet they can't begin to understand, both sides forgo turning into vehicles and instead adopt aspects of various animals and dinosaurs, with Primal himself adopting the form of a gorilla.
Seeing Prime and Primal meet on the big screen for the very first time is certainly a surreal feeling for long-time fans of the franchise, with two heroes from completely different timelines finally uniting. The two leaders will certainly need to put any questions for each other aside to combat the new threat facing Earth and its inhabitants.
Michelle Yeoh as Airazor
The current (and much-deserved) acting renaissance of Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) continues with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, where she brings to life a key character in the Beast Wars conflict.
Airazor very much functions as the eye in the sky for the Maximals, literally as she takes the form of a hawk to survey the battlefield and attack from above. She views her Maximal companions not just as a team of crimefighters, but as a family unit who has each other's backs no matter what the consequences may be.
Peter Dinklage as Scourge
Peter Dinklage voices one Scourge, one of the main antagonists in Rise of the Beasts. With the new film introducing the Maximals, it would seem easy to expect that their historic foes the Predacons would have a major role, as well as their leader Megatron (who is the descendant of the original Megatron from the original films, who's currently on ice in the Hoover Dam during the film's events). Yet, there's no word on if the Predacons or either Megatrons will appear, and Scourge historically is a prominent Decepticon. The arrogant enemy also historically has ties to Unicron.
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez as Nightbird
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (tick, tick...BOOM!) has made franchise history as the first openly transgender actor to be a part of the Transformers film series, and she plays one of the most unique villains to ever be a part of the IP.
As we know, the Autobots, Decepticons, Maximals, and Predacons are all extra-terrestrial entities, but what would happen if humans created their Cybertronians that they could control? That is the question that Nightbird answers, as one of the few Transformers characters to be invented by humans to combat threats from hostile Cybertronians, regardless of which side of their war they're on. Unfortunately, it doesn't go over all that well, as Nightbird is ultimately stolen by the Decepticons and turned into another dangerous enemy for Earth and the Autobots.
Michael Kelly as Agent Burke
One of the most exciting scenes in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts comes at the very last scene in the movie as Noah sits down to meet with Agent Burke, played by Michael Kelly (House of Cards). Noah has a job meeting with Agent Burke, who lets him know how impressed he was in assisting the Autobots and Maximals in defeating Unicron and the Predacons and offers him a spot on GI Joe. Yes, that GI Joe.
Dean Scott Vazquez as Chris Diaz
Dean Scott Vazquez plays Chris Diaz, Noah's younger brother, who is suffering from a chronic illness. Chris initially wants to join his brother on his quest to save the planet alongside the Transformers but is told to stay home.