Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts - What Crucial Role Does Michael Kelly Play?

Contains spoilers for "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts"

While some of the Autobots like Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) and Bumblebee may look familiar in "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts," the human cast has once again received a change-up. Don't expect Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld) from 2018's "Bumblebee" to make a cameo as the new friends of the transforming robot aliens include Noah (Anthony Ramos) and Elena (Dominique Fishback). Fans also got a glimpse of a character played by Michael Kelly in the final trailer who sounds pretty interested in recruiting the Autobots for something. 

Now that the film is out, there's greater clarity on who Kelly is in the grand scheme of things, and it's honestly kind of surprising they'd include his scene in the trailer. He doesn't show up until the very end of the movie when Noah goes in for what he thinks is a normal job interview. However, it's soon apparent Kelly's character knows more than he's letting on, as he's well aware of what the Autobots and Maximals did in Peru, and he even offers to pay for all of Noah's brother's medical expenses. He hands him a card before the wall pulls away, revealing all sorts of military vehicles. Noah looks down at the card, which reads "G.I. Joe," setting up Kelly's character to play a big role in any future installments. 

On IMDb, Michael Kelly's character in "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" is listed as "Agent Burke." That name shouldn't mean anything to fans of either "Transformers" or "G.I. Joe," meaning he's likely a completely new character for both franchises. However, more than digging into who his character could secretly be, it's far more fun to ponder how he'll factor into potential crossovers moving forward.

While "Bumblebee" and "Rise of the Beasts" still kind of take place in the same timeline as Michael Bay's "Transformers" movies, there's ample time to explore between 1994 and 2007. After some prior "G.I. Joe" cinematic outings, it seems as though Paramount and Hasbro want these two toy juggernauts to join forces on the big screen finally. Michael Kelly's Agent Burke could function as the Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) of this new cinematic universe, drawing in Noah to continue being part of globe-trotting adventures while having a way to form an alliance with the Autobots if a world-ending event were to present itself.

And why should the crossovers end there? Hasbro has plenty of toys at its disposal to throw into this universe. Why not have the Autobots and the members of G.I. Joe fight the forces of evil at Gumdrop Mountain in Candy Land? All it would take is continuing to have Kelly show up at the ends of these movies to tease what's next, and viewers will gladly eat it up.