Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts!A Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover movie is coming, as Transformers: Rise of the Beasts sets up the Hasbro movie event. The last two decades have seen Paramount leverage Hasbro's most iconic toy lines into potential movie franchises, with Transformers and G.I. Joe movies routinely part of the studio's slate. These efforts began in the late 2000s as Michael Bay's Transformers was released in 2007 and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra hit theaters in 2009. Both franchises have since been rebooted to very different results, as Snake Eyes tanked the franchise restart and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts continues Bumblebee's timeline.

The popularity of Transformers and G.I. Joe toys has at times translated to massive success for Paramount, to the point where a cinematic universe was considered several years ago. However, the studio has never brought the two franchises together on the big screen despite constant interest from audiences to see such a crossover movie. That is why the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts ending comes as such a surprise. Amidst setting up a new trilogy, Paramount also used the 2023 blockbuster to tease the possibility of a Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover movie, something that has precedence in other media but has failed to transpire on this level.

Transformers & G.I. Joe's Crossover History

The history of Transformers and G.I. Joe crossovers goes back nearly 40 years from the time of the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts tease. The Transformers and G.I. Joe characters first interacted in the pages of a four-part limited series from Marvel Comics written by Michael Higgins and released in 1986, titled G.I. Joe and the Transformers. It brought the Autobots and G.I. Joe team together to fight the Decepticons and Cobra, who unite to try and control a new nuclear power plant. This marked the beginning of many Transformers and G.I. Joe crossovers, including as part of Hasbro and Marvel's Transformers toy and comic relaunch in 1993.

Devil's Due Publishing eventually brought several more crossovers to comic readers during the mid-2000s, starting with G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers in 2004. The series created a new continuity that allowed the characters to exist in the same universe where Cobra found the Transformers and turned the Autobots and Decepticons into their war vehicles. The latter concept was abandoned for follow-up crossovers, which occurred in 2005's G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II, 2006's G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers: The Art of War, and 2007's G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers: Black Horizon. These stories included everything from time travel to Unicron's arrival as the Hasbro characters interacted.

The most recent run of Transformers and G.I. Joe crossovers has come from IDW Publishing, which brought the characters together repeatedly from 2014-2017. This included the massive Revolution event series that created a new Hasbro Universe in 2016. This Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover allowed them to interact with multiple other Hasbro creations, as M.A.S.K., the Micronauts, Rom the Spaceknight, and more all were brought together. The last comic crossover occurred in the 2017 miniseries First Strike, which brought the Transformers and G.I. Joe characters together to fight a new threat, Baron Ironblood - the evil identity of the original G.I. Joe, Joe Cotton.

A Transformers & G.I. Joe Movie Has Been Discussed For Years: Why It Never Happened

Paramount has long had an interest in a Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover movie. Conversations about a possible event movie have been around since 2013 when Transformers and G.I. Joe franchise producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura stated his interest in making it. This led to various discussions about how Paramount could unite the two franchises, and Dwayne Johnson played a role in those talks. After he ed the G.I. Joe franchise with the sequel, the original script for G.I. Joe 3 included a Transformers crossover. The studio eventually talked to The Rock about the idea, but nothing ever came of the idea as a reboot happened instead.

The biggest problem that Paramount has had in making a G.I. Joe and Transformers crossover movie is timing. The studio has yet to have a time when the G.I. Joe and Transformers franchises were both independently successful and in a position where a crossover would make sense. This is mostly because of the repeated failures of launching the G.I. Joe franchise. G.I. Joe: Retaliation was not the franchise saver the studio hoped for, while Snake Eyes also failed to relaunch the series. The result was Paramount's decision to reboot the franchise again, and this time it aligned well enough with how the Transformers franchise underwent a soft reboot.

How Rise Of The Beasts Sets Up Transformers & G.I. Joe's Movie Crossover

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts officially sets up a G.I. Joe movie crossover for the Autobots during its final scene. After saving the world from the Terrorcons and Unicron, Noah returns to New York to try and find a job, leading him to an interview with Slizza Imports. What he does not know is that this company is a cover for a secret organization that knows all about his recent adventures with the Autobots and saving the world. The interviewer is named Agent Burke, who reveals he works for G.I. Joe. The Transformers: Rise of the Beasts G.I. Joe crossover movie is set up as Burke offers Noah a job.

The movie ends before Noah can officially take his place as a member of the G.I. Joes, but the Transformers crossover movie hopes are clear. It marks the first time that Paramount has brought the two franchises together on the big screen. Noah's inclusion with the G.I. Joes is understandable considering Transformers: Rise of the Beasts gives him a backstory as a former soldier for the United States Army. Burke mentions that he wants Noah and the Autobots to work with the organization during a new war, setting up the Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover movie, possibly even as the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts sequel.

What Will Transformers & G.I. Joe's Movie Crossover Actually Look Like?

There is still a lot about the potential Transformers and G.I. Joe movie crossover that remains a mystery based on how briefly Transformers: Rise of the Beasts teases it. The one piece of crossover that does look to be solidified is that Paramount will not pit the two heroic groups against each other. The Transformers: Rise of the Beasts G.I. Joe tease makes it clear that Burke views the Autobots as allies, while Optimus Prime's new view of humanity will make it easier for them to work together eventually. This means that the crossover movie should explore how the Transformers and G.I. Joes come together against a common threat.

It remains to be seen who will direct the Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover movie or when it will be released. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts does begin to establish the characters who will likely be involved. Anthony Ramos' Noah should be back in a major role, while Michael Kelly's Agent Burke also might have a role to play. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' post-credits scene also makes it possible for Mirage to return as one of the main Autobots, but Optimus Prime and Bumblebee will also surely be involved given their popularity.

Will The Rock Return For Transformers & G.I. Joe's Movie Crossover

Viewers should not count on seeing The Rock return for the Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover. He was meant to be the new lead of the franchise after G.I. Joe: Retaliation, but the 2013 movie became his one and only appearance as Roadblock. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' G.I. Joe crossover tease makes it impossible for Dwayne Johnson to be involved again since the movie takes place in 1994. This means that Paramount's previous talks with The Rock about being in a Transformers and G.I. Joe movie crossover will not come to , which is not surprising considering this will be the franchise's second reboot since his last appearance.

Dwayne Johnson's absence from the Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover should be part of the plan to bring in an entirely new cast of Joes. The rebooted continuity means that no one from any of the previous movies should appear. This includes everyone from The Rock to Henry Golding's Snake Eyes to other Snake Eyes characters like Samara Weaving's Scarlett. While Paramount might miss Dwayne Johnson's box office boost, it is easier for the franchise to undergo a complete reset to make the crossover happen rather than trying to explain how and why some characters from past iterations return.

How Transformers & G.I. Joe's Crossover Could Begin A Hasbro Movie Universe

The established Transformers: Rise of the Beasts G.I. Joe crossover has much bigger implications than a single movie. This could be the start of a Hasbro movie universe at long last. Now that Paramount has finally brought two Hasbro IPs together in this fashion, it becomes possible that additional titles, concepts, and characters will also the franchise. That will largely depend on if the eventual Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover is a box office success that gives Paramount the confidence to fully embrace a cinematic universe plan that features a wide variety of Hasbro characters.

Now that Transformers and G.I. Joe exist in the same movie universe, Paramount could keep delivering surprises by bringing M.A.S.K., the Micronauts, Rom the Spaceknight, and more into the franchise. This is something the studio dreamed of doing back in 2015 and assembled a writers room to crack the shared universe idea. However, nothing ever really came of this work, and Transformers was potentially going to remain separate. As long as the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts G.I. Joe crossover movie tease leads to future success, the Hasbro universe will likely expand.