Transformers 7 will introduce audiences to new factions of Transformers, including Predacons, Terrorcons, and Maximals. The movie is titled Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and is set to be released on June 24, 2022. Though the plot was not thoroughly discussed, Paramount confirmed that the film will be set in 1994, seven years after the events of Bumblebee. This allows it plenty of room to operate without encroaching on the franchise's official present-day timeline established by Michael Bay over a decade ago in 2007.
Additionally, as the title suggests, the film will be inspired by the 1996 animated television series Beast Wars: Transformers. The series featured new factions of Transformers and was set in a prehistoric setting. This classic animated series ran for three seasons with a total of 52 episodes and was the first Transformers property to be done using 3D computer animation.
Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and additional Autobots will appear alongside the new Predacons, Terrorcons, and Maximals in Transformers 7. This is already a deviation from the original animated series which did not include the Transformers audiences are widely familiar with today. Choosing to pull inspiration from Beast Wars may mean an entire prequel Transformers franchise is in the works at Paramount. This would provide an opportunity for the franchise to reinvent itself without entirely “rebooting” the cinematic universe.
Predacons
Introduced in Beast Wars, Predacons were acknowledged as the descendants of the Decepticons. They were a species of Transformers that arose after the Great War, which wreaked havoc on Cybertron. Predacons acted as the main antagonists in the animated series and were portrayed as regularly taking reptilian, amphibian, or invertebrate forms. Specifically, Predacons actively take the form of predatory animals or creatures such as dinosaurs or even scorpions. This will be perhaps the most significant change as to how audiences generally imagine Transformers. However, viewers did get a taste of animalistic Transformers in Transformers: Age of Extinction, which featured the “Legendary Warriors,” the Dinobots.
While there will be Decepticons involved, the primary antagonists in Transformers 7 will be Predacons alongside the Terrorcons. An additional fact about Predacons, which may or may not be explored in Rise of the Beasts, is the notion that their faction was considered somewhat of an underclass when compared to the Maximals, who arose as their counterparts after the Great War. This can be credited with the source of the bitter tension that eventually arose between the two developing factions. Consequently, Predacons became to the Maximals what the Decepticons are to the Autobots.
Terrorcons
Predacons may the primary antagonists in Beast Wars; however, Paramount announced that the upcoming film’s primary villain will be Scourge, a Terrorcon who will likely be assisted by the Predacons and Decepticons. Terrorcons, which are also a sub-faction of Decepticons, have been around since the original 1984 Transformers series. Scourge, though never appearing in the Beast Wars animated series, was utilized in Beast Wars: Uprising, a comic book series based on the animated show. During the Paramount showcase, Bonaventura specifically referenced Scourge’s “horror-filled twist” in enjoying the collection of insignia from the Autobots he defeats. “Horror-filled twist” is definitely appropriate when discussing Terrorcons as — in their most recent version in the series Transformers: Prime, they are essentially Transformer zombies.
Terrorcons are created from dead Transformers with the use of Dark Energon. Their use of Dark Energon is one of their greatest assets: It provides them with the ability to suck the life force from their Autobot prey. It's an ability that, when combined with their brute strength and relentlessness, makes them a particularly harrowing threat to Optimus Prime, his fellow Autobots, and the Maximals. Moreover, while Autobots and Decepticons possess Sparks that are extinguished upon their death, Terrorcons boast a unique life source called an Anti-Spark. This Anti-Spark, unlike the Sparks at the heart of ordinary Transformers, is capable of surviving the destruction of the Terrorcon’s physical body.
It's also possible, however, that Transformers 7 will feature a different characterization for the Terrorcons. The Terrorcon lore involving Dark Energon was introduced in the Transformers: Prime iteration — the first version of Terrorcons characterized them as a team of combiners, forming Abominus. Their characterization has shifted throughout the franchise's history — but the common thread is that Terrorcons are monsters, so viewers can expect them to lean into horror themes in Transformers 7.
Maximals
Just as the Predacons are descended from Decepticons, Maximals are descended from Autobots. In general, Maximals are good-natured Transformers dedicated to protecting each other and peace. Whereas the Predacons primarily transform into cold-blooded reptilian creatures, Maximals generally take the form of mammals, such as gorillas or rhinos. This was the primary faction of Transformers focused on in the 1996 Beast Wars animated series. The leader of the Maximals in Beast Wars, Optimus Primal, will be introduced in Rise of the Beasts. As the name suggests, this Transformer takes the form of a gorilla, and is capable of blending in seamlessly with surrounding animals.
Perhaps the most significant difference between Autobots and Decepticons, and their descendents, the Maximals and Predacons, is their highly advanced cloaking technology that allows them to transform. This advanced tech grants them “beast modes” which are comprised of pseudo-organic skin. Specifically, what this means is, when they transform into their animal counterparts, they cover themselves in an artificial skin allowing them to hide among nature. The advanced technology used to do this may be a branch of the same “Pretender Tech” that allows Transformers to transform in the first place. The exploration of this tech alone will be a visually interesting addition to Rise of the Beasts.
Each of these new factions have very specific qualities and abilities capable of injecting the Transformer franchise with new life. Taking inspiration from Beast Wars: Transformers is a great way to introduce these new characters to a movie franchise that waned in popularity in recent years. These new Transformer factions will also allow Transformers: Rise of the Beasts to set up entirely new storylines, which could lead to a new trilogy of films. The name certainly implies that this will only be the beginning of the Predacons, Terrorcons, and Maximals.
