Geek Exclusive: ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ Ending Sets Up Crossover With Another Toy Franchise

It’s been heavily rumoured and after watching the film at the recent premiere, we can report that the Joes are meeting the Transformers.

The new installment of the Transformers movie series, Rise of the Beasts, introduces the live-action Maximals from the Transformers: Beast Wars animated series and toyline, but by the end of the film, audiences will see the reveal of another famous toy franchise. 

Because knowing is half the battle.

** SPOILERS AHEAD!! PLEASE PROCEED ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THE ENDING OF TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS **

At the end of the movie, and after stopping Unicron and his minion, Scourge, down in Peru, Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) returns home to New York and continues his job search. The film shows him entering a warehouse, where the ex-military electronics expert sits with his interviewer, played by Michael Kelly. 

The interviewer notes that Diaz’s resume is thin, and when Diaz tries to embellish his recent experience working with the Autobots and Maximals without outing hew new found friends, the interviewer reveals that he knows all about the recent world-saving exploits of Diaz and his giant friends. Diaz is surprised but still keeps his mouth shut, until the interviewer hands him a card and says he wants Diaz to work for his team.

The interviewer then stands and touches a shield-shaped plaque hanging on the wall behind him. The wall then moves to reveal a large military facility/warehouse, where audiences can see a futuristic jet being assembled in the back. He then steps onto an open lift and descends into the warehouse.

Diaz looks astounded at what was just revealed and turns the card over to see a logo, of a falcon’s head and a star on a shield-shaped emblem, with the words G.I. Joe under it, before the credits roll.

After seven Transformers live-action films and three live-action G.I. Joe films based on two extremely popular toylines and Saturday morning cartoon shows, it looks like Paramount Studios and toy company Hasbro are finally ready to merge the two toys as a single shared universe franchise.

This team-up of Transformers and G.I. Joe isn’t new. When Marvel Comics first held both publishing licenses for the franchise, it published three separate Transformers and G.I. Joe comic book limited series.

The first, G.I. Joe and the Transformers, was a four-issue mini-series published within the original Transformers comics in 1986, which established that both franchises were in a shared universe. In 1993, a follow-up, G.I. Joe Starring Snake-Eyes and the Transformers was a five-issue story set in the regular G.I. Joe comics from 1993 that saw the return of Megatron. It was in this series that saw Megatron transform into a Cobra tank. A third, Transformers: Generation 2 was a 12-issue series published in 1993–94, featuring prominent appearances by the G.I. Joe team. 

When both publishing licenses were subsequently picked up by new publishers, Dreamwave, Devil’s Due, and finally, IDW, new Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover comics were published, establishing that the Joes sided with the Autobots, while Cobra was aligned with the Decepticons, albeit temporarily.

While the folks behind the new Transformers film, the seventh in the franchise, have indicated that this film has the potential to be the first part of a new trilogy, the same cannot be said for the live-action G.I. Joe film franchise, where the first two films were recently rebooted, with 2021’s Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins.

While there have been rumours of a potential crossover between both properties in a movie, this teaser is the first that both Paramount and Hasbro have given fans what they want in live-action. And it makes sense because fans know that Freedom is the right of all sentient beings…. And they fight for freedom wherever there’s trouble.

Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?