Summary
- Transformers: Rise of the Beasts missed an opportunity to set up a crossover between Transformers and G.I. Joe five years ago, but still effectively builds excitement for future collaborations.
- John Cena’s potential connection to G.I. Joe in Bumblebee could have been utilized to introduce the crossover earlier, as he expressed enthusiasm for being part of a Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover.
- A Bumblebee and G.I. Joe crossover would have not only changed the timeline and technology of the Hasbro Universe but also opened up numerous possibilities for future movies and storylines, as well as generating buzz for Transformers 7.
Although Transformers: Rise of the Beasts effectively sets up a Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover, the movie franchise had the perfect opportunity to set up the Hasbro universe five years ago. Directed by Steven Caple Jr., Transformers: Rise of the Beasts features an all-out battle between the Autobots and Unicron’s army of Terrorcons, where both parties try to find the Transwarp key on Earth. What begins as a globetrotting adventure for the Autobots and their human allies ultimately paves the way for an exciting future collaboration between Transformers and G.I. Joe.
By showing how Transformers: Rise of the Beasts‘ main character, Noah, could get recruited by the G.I. Joe and help the military unit develop ties with the Autobots, the movie creates enough excitement and anticipation for audiences to look forward to the franchise’s future movies. Given that it achieves this without giving away too much information about how the Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover will ensue, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts ending also leaves room for multitudes of potential storylines to unfold. However, as perfect as the crossover setup may seem, it could have been executed 5 years prior to Transformers 7.
Transformers’ G.I. Joe Crossover Should’ve Happened With John Cena First
Towards the closing moments of 2018’s Bumbblee, John Cena’s character, Agent Burns, had a change of heart about the Autobots. This ending scene was the perfect setup for introducing the G.I. Joe in Transformers‘ live-action movie universe. Many viewers who watched Bumblebee also theorized that John Cena’s Agent Burns could have been connected to the G.I. Joe, owing to his military background. Unfortunately, instead of seizing this opportunity and using it to introduce Transformers: Rise of the Beasts‘ big reveal five years earlier, Bumblebee made no promises about the franchise’s future or its potential crossovers with G.I. Joe.
What makes this failed opportunity all the more disappointing is that John Cena, too, was open to the idea of returning to the Transformers franchise as a G.I. Joe character. In an interview for Bumblebee, he reacted to the fan theories surrounding his character’s ties with the G.I. Joe and mentioned that he would love to be a part of a future Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover if it happens. John Cena’s excitement about being a part of the potential Hasbro universe shows how the G.I. Joe and Transformers crossover could have happened long before Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Hopefully, a retcon will reinstate him into the franchise’s future plans.
Bumblebee Could Have Set Up Snake Eyes With A Transformers’ G.I. Joe Crossover
The Snake Eyes movie from the G.I. Joe live-action franchise had immense potential, owing to the narrative depth of the character’s backstories and moral complexities in the original G.I. Joe comics. It could have effectively rebooted the live-action G.I. Joe universe if its storyline had remained loyal and respectful towards the character’s original legacy. Sadly, the Snake Eyes movie failed to make the titular character’s arc compelling, leading to underwhelming box office numbers and terrible critical ratings. By introducing John Cena’s Agent Burns as a connective thread between Bumblebee and the G.I. Joe, 2018’s Bumblebee could have set up a new Snake Eyes’ arrival.
Since Snake Eyes is one of the most popular characters from the G.I. Joe franchise, his arrival would have hyped audiences up for the live-action movie series’ future installments. The prospect of a new Snake Eyes and John Cena’s appearance as a G.I. Joe character alone would have generated a lot of buzz for Transformers 7 if Bumblebee had made good use of the opportunity in hand. This not only would have given the movie franchise a second chance at portraying Snake Eyes the right way but also leveraged the character and John Cena’s popularity to get viewers more invested in the Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover.
How A Bumblebee G.I. Joe Crossover Would Change Hasbro’s Universe
Since Bumblebee unfolds in the late 80s, a Bumblebee and G.I. Joe Crossover would have completely changed the timeline of the Hasbro Universe. Unlike the original live-action G.I. Joe movies, which were set in the near future, the new storylines surrounding the elite military group would have ensued somewhere in the mid-aughts, limiting the military weaponry and technology the G.I. Joes would use. The Bumblebee and G.I. Joe crossover would have also established Snake Eyes, Scarlett, Storm Shadow, the Baroness, and many other G.I. Joe characters as active members of the military force, opening a floodgate of opportunities for future movies and storylines.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts only hints that the G.I. Joe exists in its universe towards its closing moments. The rest of the movie primarily adopts a typical Transformers storyline, where the Autobots join forces with a group of humans to save the world from an evil force. If Bumblebee had set up the G.I. Joe crossover, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts could have avoided settling for a familiar narrative and, instead, focused on bringing something new to audiences with a never-seen-before live-action G.I. Joe and Transformers team-up.