Easter Eggs And References You Missed In Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts

Contains spoilers for "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts"

The newest entry in the "Transformers" franchise, "Rise of the Beasts," has finally arrived, introducing fans to a whole new faction. The film is inspired by the beloved "Beast Wars" storyline and sees Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) and the Autobots team up with new humans and an ancient Transformers group known as the Maximals, who transform into mechanized animals rather than vehicles. Led by the fearsome Optimus Primal (voiced by Ron Perlman), the Maximals have been tasked with protecting an ancient artifact so that it doesn't fall into the hands of the destructive Unicron (Colman Domingo) and his lead mercenary Scourge (Peter Dinklage). With the help of the Maximals, the Autobots are forced into a fight to defeat Scourge and protect Earth from Unicron's wrath.

For fans of the franchise, seeing the Maximals on the big screen is undoubtedly a big treat, with plenty of great set pieces that show their immense power. The entire finale is a brutal fight for survival, leading to a shocking conclusion. However, the biggest gift for fans throughout "Rise of the Beasts" is all the little Easter eggs and references that can be spotted. From hints at a crossover with another legendary franchise to nods to other Transformers factions, let's delve right into the best Easter eggs in "Rise of the Beasts."

Although Optimus Primal is defined as the leader of the Maximals, that wasn't always the case. In the film's opening, we see that there is a leader named Apelinq (voiced by David Sobolov) who attempts to keep Scourge distracted while Primal and others escape. This ultimately causes him to die at Scourge's hands, but he's able to pass the reigns to Primal before they leave. Even though Primal might not have been ready to fill Apelinq's shoes, we eventually watch him become a great leader who has grown to love humanity and carries on the duties of protecting the Transwarp Key. Aside from the opening giving Apelinq a different origin, it ties to Primal's personal arc as a leader.

In his original incarnation, Primal was described as a young and inexperienced captain who took on leadership duties that made some question his readiness. Over time, he becomes the knowledgeable and caring leader that impresses Optimus Prime and plays a pivotal role in battle. It's great that the film gives more credence to Primal's start as a young leader, creating a real origin story that fans will appreciate seeing. Plus, the film also touches on how Primal's Optimus title is inspired by Optimus Prime — just like it is in his animated origins.

"Rise of the Beasts" isn't the first time that fans have seen Arcee (voiced by Liza Koshy) on the big screen. She made her live-action debut back in "Revenge of the Fallen" and had a brief cameo in "Bumblebee" during the opening war sequence on Cybertron. However, her appearances have been incredibly brief and — in the case of "Revenge of the Fallen" — have largely failed to capture the character's iconic look. It's fair to say that one of "Transformers'" most iconic female Autobots hasn't exactly been treated with the respect she deserves. "Rise of the Beasts" changes that by not only giving her more screen time, but also restoring the character to a more classic look.

Arcee's redesign in "Rise of the Beasts" is heavily inspired by her look in the 2007 animated series "Transformers: Animated." Although she trades out bright pink for a reddish shade, she has a sleek aesthetic that makes her a terror in battle. Her look back in "Revenge of the Fallen" was just plain atrocious, so it's nice that "Rise of the Beasts" pays homage to the character's legacy by restoring her to her superior form.

It's established early on that Scourge has quite a history as a deadly bounty hunter and loves to take trophies. As shown when Scourge kills Apelinq, he loves to rip off the emblem of his victims and attach them to himself. Various symbols can be seen on his shoulder as well as behind the grill on the front of his truck incarnation. While this is a great nod to Scourge's original history as the leader of a bounty hunter group known as the Sweeps, it's also full of fun Easter eggs.

Along with symbols representing the Autobots, Decepticons, and Maximals, there are emblems that tie to the Autobot Elite Guard and Mercenaries. However, there's one emblem that'll be much more familiar to fans. Eagle-eyed fans will notice that a couple of emblems are connected to the Wreckers, who were last seen in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon." It's a pretty interesting nod to a fan-favorite faction and an Easter egg that makes you wonder if the Wreckers will rise again.

For those who don't remember, there was a prequel to "Rise of the Beasts" that focused on Bumblebee, where he teamed up with a human protagonist named Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld). The film set up the Autobots being stranded on Earth while war continued on Cybertron. Although "Rise of the Beasts" isn't technically a direct sequel, it still takes time to acknowledge the events of the previous film. When Optimus shows some frustration at having to work with Noah (Anthony Ramos), Bumblebee openly disagrees with his view. Optimus then acknowledges that he understands that Bumblebee has "worked with humans before," but that it doesn't change how he feels. 

It's a moment that directly references how Bumblebee worked with Charlie to protect Earth. As Bumblebee learned in his titular solo film, Optimus follows suit in his understanding of how important humanity can be in "Rise of the Beasts," eventually developing a real connection that makes him a protector of Earth. Given that "Bumblebee" doesn't directly tie into what's happening in "Rise of the Beasts," the latter film didn't need to reference it for audiences to follow the thread of the plot — but thankfully it does, and "Bumblebee" fans can feel acknowledged. 

With "Rise of the Beasts" bringing the franchise back to the mid-90s, it's no surprise that there are plenty of nostalgic nods to '90s pop culture. A lot of the film's comic book and video game references come from Noah's brother Kris (Dean Scott Vazquez). When we first see Kris, he's sporting a "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" shirt, a show that first premiered in 1993. Throughout the film, Kris makes references to different video games, including "Super Mario Bros" when he's talking about being unable to defeat Bowser and "Sonic the Hedgehog" when he wants to use Sonic and Tails as codenames over the radio. 

As for music, the film is absolutely littered with different songs from the '90s. Two of the most notable instances are when Elena (Dominique Fishback) sings TLC's "Waterfalls" to calm herself down and Bumblebee makes a grand entrance to the final battle with LL Cool J's 1990 classic "Momma Said Knock You Out." Mirage (Pete Davidson) even brings up how Mark Wahlberg was in the process of transition from musician to actor — which is even funnier when you realize that Wahlberg is an alum of this franchise starring in "Transformers: Age of Extinction" and "The Last Knight." 

When the group arrives in Peru, they run into their old friend Wheeljack (voiced by Cristo Fernandez) — who Noah believes is Spanish due to his voice. He thinks that he might've picked up a Spanish accent while hiding in Peru, and Wheeljack cleverly turns the tables on Noah by making it seem like Noah has preconceived notions about him because of the way he speaks. This causes Noah to wonder if he's being racist, or if it's even possible to be racist to a robot. On its own, it's a funny interaction that lets audiences have a light-hearted moment with Wheeljack. However, given this franchise's controversial past, it's hard not to wonder if this is a cheeky reference. 

After all, it's no secret that "Revenge of the Fallen" was heavily criticized for how Skids and Mudflaps were seen as discriminatory depictions of Black stereotypes, so this moment with Wheeljack is likely the film's way of touching on the franchise's negative past. Sometimes the best way to move forward from a bad choice is to own it, and that seems to be what "Rise of the Beasts" does here. 

No fan could ever forget the iconic "Transformers" theme that dubs the titular beings as "robots in disguise" and tells fans that they're "more than meets the eye." Well, the latter phrase actually gets a mention in "Rise of the Beasts" and is given an interesting new meaning. When talking to Optimus about the Peruvian tribe that has helped the Maximals during their time on Earth, Primal explains how these people have given him a new perspective on life and their role as protectors. While Optimus thinks of humans as weak and a nuisance in his plans to return home, Primal tells him that he shouldn't doubt them and that they're truly "more than meets the eye."

With this pronouncement, Primal treats fans to a new spin on the classic theme song line, and it actually causes Optimus' mindset to change as well. From here, he starts to see his purpose on Earth as something greater, and it's what ultimately makes him a better leader. This classic line takes new form in "Rise of the Beasts," acting as a symbol of change and a bit of fun nostalgia for longtime fans.

Unlike most Transformers, Mirage has a lot of powers at his disposal. He has the ability to create holograms of himself to distract enemies, and can even give Noah his armor to form an exo-suit that helps him fight in battle. However, one of Mirage's more underrated capabilities is that he can transform into multiple types of vehicles. From a sleek Porsche that can speed through the streets to a garbage truck that can help in stealth missions, Mirage is basically a Swiss army knife.

One vehicle he transforms into is a nod to his original incarnation. While showing Noah the different cars he can transform into, Mirage turns into a small Indy car, which is what he has historically been most identified with in the multiple different "Transformers" incarnations. It's a shame that we don't get to see Mirage's Indy car in action, but it's still a nice callback, nevertheless.

It's pretty surprising that by this point Bumblebee's voice still isn't fixed, and he's the only Transformer who can't speak. However, Bumblebee being forced to use his radio frequencies to communicate has become such a memorable part of the character that fans certainly aren't complaining. This time around, his lines come from a very specific medium: movies. As mentioned by Optimus, Bumblebee has been spending a lot of time at the drive-in, so it's not shocking that a lot of his lines are from movies he's been watching lately.

There are two key instances of Bumblebee using movies that stand out the most — one heartbreaking, and one heroic. The heartbreaking moment comes when Bumblebee sacrifices himself to save Optimus and he spouts the "O' Captain, My Captain" line from "Dead Poets Society." The other comes with his triumphant return in the final battle, where he puts his own spin on Roddy Piper's famous "Chew bubble gum and kick ass" line from "They Live." It's good to know that Bumblebee loves movies just as much as we do and frankly, he's got good taste. 

As the big final battle rages on, Unicron decides to send in more reinforcements in an effort to turn the tide — which end up being these scorpion-looking robots that can do some serious damage. Not only are they gigantic and vicious, but their pincers and stinger can be deadly. While some might see these henchmen as nothing more than cronies who just happen to fit the animal theme, fans will likely recognize these scorpion henchmen as Scorponok. Scorponoks are often seen as symbiote connections to larger Transformers who send them out to unleash absolute chaos onto enemies. 

Unicron isn't the first to use Scorponoks in battle either, as fans might remember that Blackout used a Scorponok as well during the first "Transformers" film. Blackout's was much larger than the ones seen in "Rise of the Beasts" and stood a much better chance in battle than they do here, but it's still fun to see Scorponoks continue to be a terror on the battlefield. 

While Mirage might've sacrificed himself to save Noah in the film's climactic battle, a mid-credits scene shows Noah trying to bring back his friend, which leads to a pretty rad Easter egg. With the help of Reek (Tobe Nwigwe), Noah is seen putting Mirage back together in his car form using scraps that Reek brings him. Although Reek is doubtful of Noah's plans, Mirage eventually springs back to life and sports a new color scheme thanks to all the rust on the scrap pieces.

Many might not realize it, but this version of Mirage is actually a nod to another "Transformers" faction known as the Junkions. The Junkions are a race in "Transformers" lore who reside on the Planet of Junk and have a brown-colored aesthetic that's very similar to how Mirage looks after his reassembly. So, Mirage's resurrection comes with a great little Easter egg for fans that touches on a faction of junk robots who could and should make an appearance in a future film.

One of the biggest surprises of "Rise of the Beasts" was undoubtedly the reveal in the film's final moments. As Noah continues to look for security work following his adventure with the Autobots, he comes across a man named Agent Burke (Michael Kelly) who cryptically indicates that he knows everything that's been going on. He knows all about Noah's time with the Autobots and wants him to join his secret team. In this scene, it's tough to figure out who Burke is or what organization he works for. Then, as Noah looks into the secret lab behind the wall and flips over the card, we get the surprising reveal that Burke is part of "G.I. Joe."

Now, it's not totally out of the realm of possibility for these two franchises to have an epic crossover, especially since it's happened before. "G.I. Joe" and "Transformers" have crossed paths multiple times in the comics and they're both toy brands under Hasbro. Plus, Paramount has produced films for both franchises. The "G.I. Joe" films haven't found the same success that "Transformers" has at the box office, so maybe Paramount thinks a crossover could benefit both franchises. Regardless, it's still an epic Easter egg that teases a potentially amazing mashup.