The survival of the fittest theory is more applicable to the world of Cybertronians than it is to us Terrans. Divided into factions, warfare follows the denizens of Cybertron all their lives and reaches any part of the cosmos where they seek refuge as well. Previously, while the pentalogy of Bayverse movies primarily focused on the conflict between two major factions, namely the noble, honorable Autobots and the evil, treacherous Decepticons (Dinobots and Constructicons appeared too with bare minimum focus), the second movie of the prequel series Transformers: Rise of the Beasts introduces an additional three factions into the mix. The introduction of Maximals, Terrorcons, and Predacons is surely going to please longtime Transformers fans, who will be eager to know how the characters compare in power scaling. We will like to provide a brief overview of the Transformers that have appeared in Rise of the Beasts and will try to rank them according to their power, in descending order.
Spoilers Ahead
Unicron: The Dark Overlord
In the Transformers universe, there is hardly anyone more menacing, dominating, and literally ‘all-engulfing’ than the dark overlord Unicron. According to Transformers lore, Unicron is the evil counterpart of the creator god Primus and is the ultimate form of chaos and corruption. The gigantic monstrosity has the size of an average planet and sustains itself by devouring worlds across the galaxy. Unicron also commands and creates corrupted forms of Cybertronians known as Terrorcons and uses them in his pursuit to find new worlds for his own consumption. Previously, in the last Bayverse movie, “Transformers: The Last Knight,” Unicron was mentioned, and a glimpse was shown as he rose from Earth’s core. In “Rise of the Beasts,” the previous version of the characters is deemed non-canon, as a more source-accurate version of Unicron was presented as the antagonist. As far as the ranking goes, Unicron is definitely the most powerful entity in Transformers lore.
Scourge: The Deadly Enforcer
With someone as empowered and grand as Unicron at the top of the evil hierarchy, the second in command has to match the wickedness, and Scourge is the perfect candidate for that. The leader of the faction Terrorcons, Scourge, is a sadistic, menacing, and terrifying individual who takes great pleasure in brutalizing his victims. In order to serve his master, Scourge searches for the transwarp key across the galaxy and hunts down adversaries who seem to be detrimental to his plans. Proficient in combat and tactical maneuvering, Scourge welds the emblems of the enemies he has dispatched in his body as a signifier of the cruelty he is capable of, and none of the major factions are spared from his indiscriminate onslaught, as we can identify the symbols of Autobot Elites, Decepticons, Maximals, Predacons, and Wreckers among his collected ‘badges.’
Scourge transforms into a grimdark semi-truck, which at first glance seems like a corrupted version of Optimus’ classic alternate form, which led to speculation that the character is a Dark Energon-possessed version of Optimus, a rumor that has been debunked since. Scourge wields a double-sided blade, a devastating energy claw, and his usual ion blaster. In terms of sheer combat strength, Scourge is intimidating, as he not only managed to kill former Maximal leader Apelinq and Autobot General Bumblebee but also beat Optimus Prime on his own and handled multiple Transformers at once. Even though he was taken down by Prime at last, Scourge proved to be one of his most formidable enemies—dare we say stronger than even the Decepticon leader, Megatron?
Optimus Prime: Leader Of The Autobots
Close to Scourge in terms of strength is the valiant Optimus Prime, who is also the leader of the Autobots army. The legendary status of the last Prime needs no introduction, as he has proven himself to be an adept protector of both his species and humanity time and time again. However, on this occasion, he faces Scourge, who is more terrifying than any Decepticon Optimus and his comrades have ever faced, and in order to defeat him, Optimus must learn to trust others. Optimus had to also conquer his personal battle with his guilt-ridden self, as he blames himself for the uprooted condition of his comrades and also for the death of Bumblebee at the hands of the Scourge. However, Optimus was able to get his justice by agreeing to form an alliance with humans and Maximals, and he wrought retribution by decimating Scourge at the end. Fans will be eager to see Unlike the Bayverse’s ultra-upgraded form, this version of Optimus wields an ion cannon and an Energon battle axe.
Optimus Primal: Leader Of The Maximals
More than his brawny, animalistic battling demeanor and intimidating Gorilla alternate form, Optimus Primal left a mark through his leadership skills. After his friend, Apelinq, sacrificed himself to allow the Maximals a chance to escape from the Scourge and protect the Transwarp key, Primal took it upon himself to do whatever was necessary to value his sacrifice. Named after the legendary hero Optimus Prime himself, Primal showed his pragmatism by befriending the early humans and entrusting them with the key, and his advice of co-existence is something Optimus Prime himself will learn to implement during the course of the movie. Primal’s resilience was tested when he had to defend Elena, a human, from a corrupted version of his Maximal comrade, Airazor, and at the end, an aggrieved Primal had to put an end to the misery of Airazor. Later, during the climactic battle, Primal and Prime tag-teamed to destroy the Terrorcon named Battletrap.
Bumblebee: The Iconic Loyal General
The protagonist of the first movie of the sequel Transformers series, also the first movie of the Bayverse series, the iconic Autobot General Bumblebee, showcased his gallantry when, in order to save Optimus, he sacrificed his life at the hands of the Scourge. However, during the climactic battle, an Energon-revived Bumblebee makes a grand entry and single-handedly takes out the fierce Terrorcon named Nightbird. After Optimus, Bee is surely the toughest bot fighting the good fight.
Battletrap And Nightbird: Deadly Terrorcon Duo
In his mission to retrieve the Transwarp key, Scourge was assisted by two of his elite Terrorcon comrades, Nightbird and Battletrap. Nightbird mimics her ubercool nun-ninja fighting style and appearance and provides aerial support to her team, proving to be too much to handle for average Cybertronians. Battletrap, on the other hand, is a more burly, trigger-happy bot with a more hands-on approach to combat and significant firepower to scatter the enemy force. Autobots had to join hands with the Maximals to put an end to these Terrorcons along with Scourge.
Airazor And Arcee: Badass Fembots
For a positive change in the franchise, Rise of the Beasts marks the appearance of three awesome female Transformers. We have mentioned Nightbird previously, and Arcee from Autobots, along with Airazor from Maximals, constitute the other two. Due to her small stature, Arcee is nimble on her feet, uses her exceptionally fluid mobility to evade enemy attacks, and compensates for her lack of raw strength with speed and agility. Airazor, the veteran Maximal with an Eagle appearance, uses her devastating beak-laser powers to wreak havoc on enemy lines, which she uses to save Autobots from the Terrorcons on a couple of occasions. We wish to see more of the Fembots, and perhaps it’s time for the studio to consider an all-female-led Transformers flick as well, given how many existing female Cybertronians are included in the source material.
Mirage: True ‘Robot In Disguise’
Mirage is someone without whom the discussion will remain incomplete. While in most of the Transformers content, Bumblebee takes the role of sidekick beside Optimus, in Rise of the Beasts, the role has been given to a quirky, youthful Autobot named Mirage, who validates the significance of his name by displaying his hologram conjuring skills – creating multiple illusory copies of himself to distract opponents. The chirpy bot is loyal to a cause and values friendship the most, as he puts his own life on the line for Noah, for he had promised his human friend’s brother that he would look after him. Later, as Mirage finds himself unable to operate on his own, he fuses himself with Noah and creates an exo-armor, and the duo engages with Scrouge together.
Aside from the aforementioned bots, there were classic Maximal bots like Cheetor and Rhinox, whom we wished would have gotten a bit more screen time. Perhaps in future installments, a Maximal-oriented series can allow for better exploration of their and other lesser-known factions’ lore.
