Warning! This article contains spoilers for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.With Transformers: Rise of the Beasts bringing the Maximals to live-action for the first time, many questions are raised about their past, present, and future. Serving as a soft reboot of Michael Bay's Transformers franchise, Rise of the Beasts is a sequel to Bumblebee and set in the 1990s. In order to differentiate the film from Transformers live-action projects of the past, Rise of the Beasts is loosely based on the original Beast Wars CG animated show, bringing the Maximals into the fold.
With the ending of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts solidifying the Maximals as true allies of the Autobots, it is likely they will appear in the future of the franchise. However, Rise of the Beasts has a very fast-paced story, meaning some details can get lost in translation regarding the bestial Autobots. With that said, here is every question Transformers: Rise of the Beasts raises about the Maximals.
5 How Long The Maximals Have Been On Earth
One of the main questions that looms over the Maximals in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is how long they have been on Earth. At the beginning of the movie, the Maximals flee their home world and arrive on Earth to hide from Scourge, the Terrorcons, and Unicron. It is implied that the Maximals have been hiding on Earth for thousands of years, due to their language and culture being engrained into ancient civilizations. The character of Elena mentions some of these runes dating back to around 5,000 B.C., meaning the Maximals have been on Earth for at least seven millennia.
The film ends with the Maximals and Autobots still on Earth. This will likely mean that a Transformers: Rise of the Beasts sequel could explore more of the Maximals' past. If this was the case, future movies in the franchise could certainly explore exactly how long they have been hiding out on Earth, and their adventures in the meantime.
4 What Planet Are The Maximals From In Transformers: Rise of the Beasts?
In the original Beast Wars show, the Maximals are from Cybertron like the other Autobots. They are then transported to prehistoric Earth, laying the foundations for the entire Beast Wars storyline. However, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts gives the Maximals a slightly different origin. Firstly, the Maximals are not from Cybertron, at least they are shown inhabiting a planet different from the Autobot homeworld at the beginning of the movie.
Rise of the Beasts does not divulge exactly which planet this is. It can be assumed that the planet is a colony world of Cybertron, given the rich Energon sources that are clearly present on the planet. Also, the Maximals are still descendants of the Transformers' creator and god Primus, meaning they must still be connected to Cybertron in some way. If a sequel chooses to further outline the Maximals' history, it could be confirmed what planet they were originally from, despite knowing it was a colony world of Cybertron.
3 Are The Maximals From The Future?
Another of the biggest questions surrounding the Maximals is whether they are from the future, given the events of Beast Wars. In the original show, the Maximals are distant descendants of the original Autobots, with the opening taking place 300 years after The Transformers. They are then sent back in time using a Transwarp Key to prehistoric Earth, making the original story both a sequel and prequel to The Transformers. With Rise of the Beasts, the question remains over whether this is the same for the live-action Maximals.
It is never confirmed in the film whether the Maximals come from the future. It is not clearly established when the opening scene between the Maximals and Unicron takes place, although the inclusion of the Transwarp Key could provide evidence that this actually is set in the future. The Transwarp Key is a central MacGuffin in the film, and it is clearly explained that it can be used to travel time and space. The Maximals are in possession of the Transwarp Key when escaping their homeworld, which could hint that they are sent back in time to Earth rather than simply traveling to the human homeworld.
2 How Many Maximals Are There?
Another thing that Transformers: Rise of the Beasts does not make fully clear is how many Maximals there are. The original Beast Wars had plenty of Maximals, though the opening of Rise of the Beasts does not make it clear how many of the beings live on their homeworld. Only five are seen in the film's opening: Optimus Primal, Apelinq, Rhinox, Cheetor, and Airazor. Once the film skips to the 1990s, only four remain as Apelinq is killed by Scourge earlier in the film.
Airazor is introduced first, aiding the Autobots in acquiring the Transwarp Key from a museum in New York. Optimus Primal is then shown to have a standoff with Optimus Prime, alongside Rhinox and Cheetor who subdues Mirage - the subject of Rise of the Beasts' post-credit scene. At that point in the film, only four Maximals remain, with Airazor explaining they are all that is left of the mechanical species. By the end of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, only three Maximals - Optimus Primal, Rhinox, and Cheetor - remain after Airazor is killed by Primal thanks to Scourge’s infection of her.
Finally, the last main question that Transformers: Rise of the Beasts raises concerning the Maximals is how they are related to the Autobots. While the original Beast Wars show makes it clear that the Maximals are distant descendants of the Autobots, Rise of the Beasts does not divulge how they are linked. However, the god Primus is mentioned in the movie, who is responsible for the creation of every Transformer. This would mean that the Maximals and Autobots are somewhat siblings, with the two Optimus' potentially being more closely linked.
Primus is a god who tends to imbue his strongest children, the Primes, with his own life force. This is likely the case with both Optimus Prime and Optimus Primal, meaning the two are more closely related than any of the other Maximals and Autobots. However, much like the unclarity of whether the Maximals are from the future or where their home planet is, future sequels to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will hopefully answer any lingering questions about the Maximal species.
