Beast mode

Are you tired of being nice? Don't you just wanna go ape?

The Transformers have taken on many alternate modes over the years, but no group of Cybertronians are quite as distinct or unique as those who adopt beast modes. Broadly speaking, a Cybertronian with a beast mode possesses one or more forms partially or completely based on a biological lifeform: this might be a contemporary Earth creature, an extinct organism like a dinosaur, some kind of alien monster, or something fantastical like a dragon or unicorn; in very rare cases, Cybertronians have even adopted plant or fungus-based alternate modes. Although the majority of beast mode Transformers change from humanoid robots into animals, several possess an animal form as their robot mode and instead transform into vehicles or other inanimate objects, and a select few simply transform from one animal shape into another.

Most Autobots and Decepticons with beast modes transform into oversized, blatantly mechanical creatures, and as a result forego disguise in favor of combat utility when operating on planets like Earth. Their descendants, the Maximals and Predacons, will refine the technology by integrating organic material directly into their superstructures and gaining the ability to convincingly mimic organic creatures; in time, this synthesis may even evolve into a genuine technorganic symbiosis that bonds carbon and silicon on a cellular level. Not all Cybertronians understand this deeper significance, however, and in some realities beast Transformers have faced prejudice and even institutionalized discrimination against their unusual forms.

Transformers with beast modes are sometimes referred to as "beast-formers", a term that sometimes sees use to distinguish themselves from vehicular "standard-formers."

Conceptual history

Although the specific term "beast mode" only rose to prominence in the mid-1990s, animal-mode Cybertronians formed a part of the Transformers franchise from the very beginning. Although Ravage, Laserbeak, and Buzzsaw all appeared as Soundwave's minions in both the original cartoon and comic, the two works took their characterizations in radically different directions: while the Marvel comic hewed closer to Bob Budiansky's profiles for the characters by depicting them as intelligent, fully articulate beings whom the other characters treated as equals, the cartoon (barring one exception) depicted them as mindless, animalistic creatures. 1985 brought the first humanoid-to-animal Transformers in the form of the heroic Dinobots and evil Insecticons, and by 1986 the floodgates had opened: in addition to new Mini-Cassette characters like Ratbat and Overkill, other new beast characters included the Predacons, Sharkticons, Terrorcons, Trypticon, and Scorponok. The Pretender toyline featured characters like Longtooth and Octopunch, who disguised themselves as humanoid animals, while the Pretender Beasts became ordinary quadrupedal creatures. No serious attempts were made to distinguish these beast characters from their vehicular kin, although one episode of the original Transformers cartoon dubbed them "Primitives".

In 1996, the Beast Wars franchise brought the idea of beast Transformers to the fore, and in doing so took the traditional Transformers aesthetic in a radically new direction. The franchise introduced two new groups of Transformers, the heroic Maximals and evil Predacons, who all transformed into different kinds of animals; unlike the blocky, clearly mechanical animals of "the original franchise", however, these new Cybertronians were sleek, Guyver-style humanoids who all transformed into fully organic animals. The tie-in cartoon established that they'd adopted organic animal forms to protect their mechanical bodies from high amounts of radiation while stranded on a planet rich with energon. This cartoon also codified the phrase "beast mode" to describe these alternate modes; different episodes like "Call of the Wild" would, on occasion, highlight the unique challenges these biomechanical Cybertronians faced. The original Beast Wars cartoon did not ever give a specific explanation behind the origins of biomechanical beast mode technology, but multiple later sources, most prominently Dreamwave's More than Meets the Eye guidebooks, have retroactively connected the upgrade to some combination of Pretender, Powermaster, and Micromaster technology. In terms of both design and storytelling conflict, Beast Machines pushed the envelope even further by introducing "technorganic" Maximals that blended metal and flesh on the cellular level, and detailing their conflict against evil, purely-mechanical Vehicons who transformed into ordinary machines. Subsequently, Robots in Disguise turned the premise on its head by pitting its cast of heroic vehicle-mode Autobots against villainous beast-mode Predacons.

For the next few years, beast-formers faded into the background; although the Armada toyline included a number of redecoed Beast Wars toys, and Energon featured both a new version of Scorponok and an army of bestial Terrorcons, it would be Cybertron, that really brought the concept back into prominence when it introduced the "Jungle Planet", a world populated by Transformers who'd adapted to their rugged world by adopting animal forms. This idea of beast-formers being something distinct from ordinary Cybertronians would carry over into the "Aligned" continuity. Initially, War for Cybertron and Prime did not feature beast mode Cybertronians at all beyond the vaguely spider-themed Airachnid, but the Fall of Cybertron game would eventually feature both the Dinobots and Insecticons in starring roles. Supposedly, new versions of the Maximals and Predacons would've appeared in the original pitch for Prime's third season,^[1] but a new creative team taking the reins at Hasbro led to the introduction of the Beast Hunters subline imprint; while this new imprint did feature a group of Predacons, these new Predacons were ancient, dragon-like creatures from Cybertron's prehistory.

After the end of Prime, the Covenant of Primus hardcover book expounded on the significance of Onyx Prime, the first Cybertronian with a beast mode, and the role that he played in Cybertron's evolution and the development of the aforementioned Predacons. Perhaps most notably, the book also introduced a subgroup of Transformers called the "Arachnicons" and heavily implied that Airachnid belonged to this specific Cybertronian subspecies. The sequel series, Robots in Disguise, really ran with the idea by featuring dozens upon dozens of beast-themed Decepticons—anthropomorphic animals with with vehicle alternate modes like Steeljaw and Bisk, humanoid Cybertronians who became animals like Filch or Scowl, and even a few animal-to-vehicle oddballs like Underbite and Crazybolt. Around this time, IDW Publishing looped the concept around into its ongoing Transformers universe, which depicted all beast-bots as victims of functionist prejudice. In addition to introducing a new version of Jungle Planet, this time named "Eukaris", the final arc of Optimus Prime dealt with the return of Onyx Prime and his minions. A few years later, beast-bots again came into focus with 2021's Kingdom franchise, which revived the Beast Wars premise to celebrate its 25th anniversary, alongside a rebooted Beast Wars comic.

While the Transformers movies have included a number of animalistic robots, including re-imagined versions of Scorponok, Ravage, or the Dinobots, their prominence in the franchise is comparatively small compared to their more famous vehicle-mode brethren. The 2023 Rise of the Beasts film shone the spotlight on beast mode Cybertronians for the first time in the films, having a group of Maximals in the main cast.

Fiction

Generation 1 continuity family

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

Most if not all beast mode Cybertronians, such as the Mini-Cassettes, The Transformers the Predacons, Gone but Not Forgotten! or Scorponok, possessed creature-based alternate forms even before leaving Cybertron. The Transformers One notable exception would be the Dinobots. Shortly after the crash of the Ark, the ship's computer detected Shockwave's arrival in the anachronistic Savage Land and rebuilt Grimlock and four other Cybertronians into dinosaur-based forms based off the regional wildlife. The Last Stand

Classics

When dimensionally-displaced Autobot and Decepticon ships crash-landed on a prehistoric Earth saturated with Energon radiation, Prowl came up with the idea of combining Pretender and Powermaster technology to create organic beast modes. Though Dirge came up with the same idea, Megatron opted to give the Decepticons new armor instead. Shattered Time In their new bodies, the Autobots could consume and metabolize organic matter into energy using their on-board "biomass processors". Shattered Balance

After travelling to the mirror-universe Cybertron of that dimension, Prowl, Silverbolt, and Ironhide abandoned their beast modes, but both Grimlock and Ultra Magnus took a liking to their new bodies and kept them. Falling into Place

Transformers '84

According to Punch, who was skeptical that the Cybertronians had ever encountered living dinosaurs, the Ark's AUNTIE computer system had actually used preserved fossils to turn Grimlock and his team into the Dinobots. Secrets & Lies #2

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

Traditionally, Cybertronians with animal forms were known as "primitives". Call of the Primitives Beast mode Cybertronians shared at least some physiological traits; for instance, those who possessed reptilian forms like Trypticon and Sky Lynx possessed unique "dinosaur electrons". Thief in the Night

Other animalistic Cybertronians displayed unique powers: notably, the Insecticons, whose idento-computers reformatted them into insectoid beast forms to survive in the jungles of Bali, could consume and metabolize organic matter. A Plague of Insecticons After discovering dinosaur bones, the Autobots created the Dinobots, powerful warriors with dinosaur alternate modes. S.O.S. Dinobots War of the Dinobots The Quintessons utilized the Sharkticons and Allicons, Transformers with shark and crocodile beast modes respectively, as servants. The Transformers: The Movie In 2006, a large group of beast mode Transformers, consisting of both Autobots and Decepticons, were summoned by a mysterious entity to defeat Primacron and his creation, Tornedron. Call of the Primitives When forced by the Hive to volunteer Decepticons to undergo the Headmaster process, Cyclonus added the stipulation that they were only allowed to take the heads of the Transformers with beast modes. The Rebirth, Part 2

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

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Legends comic

Cybertronians with beast modes had the ability to channel Beast Power, an energy shared between them and the animalistic inhabitants of the planet Beast. Bonus Edition Vol. 41 On Z Planet, Dai Atlas encountered newborn beast Transformers created by exposing protoform capsules to Beast Power, which granted them the power to scan and transform into organic life. Wheeljack believed that their descendants would evolve into the Maximals and Predacons, and granted them new symbols as a symbol of everlasting peace between the factions. Epiloge

Wings Universe

The earliest recorded "beastform" Transformers were re-engineered specimens of naturally occurring Cybertronian wildlife: Laserbeak, the first beast-former, was originally a Cryo-Condor who'd modified with a rudimentary alternate mode. Soon enough, Ravage and Buzzsaw would join him. Menagerie #1 However, conflicting evidence places beast-form Cybertronians, most prominently Brimstone, as having existed in ancient times long before the Autobot-Decepticon conflict. Flames of Yesterday

As the Autobot-Decepticon war spilled over to Earth, more and more beast-formers rose to prominence, including groups who transformed from humanoid robots into animals. The Insecticons developed the ability to catalyze organic matter into a crude but usable form, Menagerie #3 while the presence of dinosaur transform static amongst the Dinobots and their kin indicated the presence of a deeper synthesis taking place between these two disparate forms of life. Menagerie #2 Around this time, both the Autobots and Decepticons began making heavy use of animalistic "Recordabots" and "Recordicons". Menagerie #1

The Terrorcons were the first beast Transformers with the ability to combine, and the first to not be based upon any recognizable Earth creature. Menagerie #4 The Predacons would become the most notable beast-bots in the years that followed Galvatron's disappearance and the revitalisation of Cybertron; Perceptor speculated that Razorclaw had marshalled the remnants of the Decepticon military to another world, where he could mastermind the evolution of the Decepticons into a new breed of Predacon that combined the advantages of organic Pretender shells with fuel-efficient Micromaster bodies. Menagerie #5

At some point during the Second Golden Age, Cybertronians with beast modes became increasingly commonplace. Menagerie #1 Some forward-thinking Autobots like Fortress Maximus encouraged this kind of evolutionary leap forward, if only to counter the inevitable next generation of Predacons. Menagerie #5

Beast Era

Toy bios

The Maximals developed a unique "bio-genetic morphing process" that allowed them to create the perfect fusion of organic musculature and Transformer technology. However, the evil Predacons stole this breakthrough and used it to create new forms for themselves based on Earth's most vicious creatures. Optimus Primal vs Megatron!

In order to win the Beast Wars, Megatron developed an experimental anti-conversion virus. When used on a group of Fuzors, the experiment went wrong and turned the four into Mutants trapped between two beast modes.^[2]

Beast Wars cartoon

By the era of the Maximals and Predacons, three centuries after the end of the Great War, technology had evolved to the point where Cybertronians could now use DNA scanners and CR chambers to perfectly mimic organic lifeforms, even extinct animals like dinosaurs. These next-generation beast modes sheathed Cybertronian superstructures beneath a layer of artificially grown skin and tissue and rendered them largely impervious to energon radiation that would otherwise damage purely mechanical lifeforms. Transformers would often initiate the process of converting from their robot mode by using the activation code "Beast mode!" Beast Wars (Part 1) Beast modes also seemingly have no effect on a Cybertronian's overall size, nor does there appear to be any mass-shifting when converting into their alternate forms. This is likely due to their function as protection, rather than disguise, and thus bypassing the benefits that the smaller sizes of the Great Upgrade provided may have been unnecessary.

Adopting a beast mode in this way appears to have a subtle effect on the Cybertronian psyche. Many combatants in the Beast Wars on prehistoric Earth displayed appetites consistent with the diets of their chosen form: for instance, Rattrap ate cheese and garbage, The Web Optimus Primal displayed interest in a bunch of bananas, Feral Scream Part 2 and Tarantulas took a perverse delight in sucking the vital fluids from his victims, although it's not clear if their artificial beast modes could actually digest and catalyze these materials into a usable form of energy. The Web While in beast mode, Cybertronians could affect internal repairs without the use of a CR chamber, although the process took time. Beast Wars (Part 1)

Traditionally, a programming block prevented a beast mode's natural instincts from interfering with the higher functions of the Cybertronians. Call of the Wild However, damage sustained by Tigatron's stasis pod affected the protoform within, and after adopting a suitable beast mode he first believed himself to be a normal organic tiger before coming to his senses. Fallen Comrades Although Inferno's stasis pod did not sustain any apparent damage, the monomaniacal instincts of his ant beast mode shaped his worldview: he grew to believe that Megatron was his "queen" and the Darksyde his "colony". Spider's Game When the Predacons sabotaged the Axalon's rectifier coil, the Maximals were forced to remain in beast mode for days on end and eventually succumbed to their feral instincts. Thanks to Tigatron, who had already learned how to accept both sides of his being, the Maximals deleted the programming block and embraced their animal sides. Call of the Wild Indeed, both Maximals and Predacons would occasionally identify with their beast modes; Cheetor once claimed that, as a cat, he should know better than to trust a dog, The Agenda (Part 2) and later fantasized about playing with cat toys; Changing of the Guard Tarantulas, meanwhile, sought to create more of "[his] kind" by ensuring that new stasis pods scanned spider alternate modes. Spider's Game

A quantum surge of exotic energy mutated several Cybertronians into advanced "Transmetal" bodies: Transformers altered in this way integrated organic matter into the robot mode, while the entirely mechanical beast mode now possessed a third "vehicle mode". Aftermath Transformers who evolved even further into "Transmetals 2" became asymmetrical, sometimes monstrous, amalgamations of flesh and metal. Feral Scream Part 2

Beast Machines cartoon

Cybertronians could use beast mode technology to mimic lifeforms other than animals—while exploring a distant world populated by ambulatory plants, Botanica and her crew used the technology to adopt plant-based alternate modes. Home Soil While Optimus Primal and his crew were off-planet, a standardized upgrade fitted every Cybertronian with an in-built DNA scanner and rendered stasis pod technology obsolete. Survivor

Optimus Primal would later claim that the Oracle supercomputer had engineered the entire Beast Wars as a way to bring fresh organic material to Cybertron via their biomechanical beast modes. The Key Upon arriving on Cybertron after Megatron broke free of their shuttle and conquered the planet, his armies of Vehicons attacked the group with a debilitating transformation virus that devolved the Transmetal Maximals and trapped them in their beast modes. Descent Weakened and dying, the Maximals might've perished had Optimus not discovered the Oracle, which reformatted Optimus and the other Maximals into technorganic bodies, a powerful new breed of Cybertronian life that combined the organic and the technological on a cellular level. The Reformatting While in their beast modes, the Maximals gave off no energy signatures and were thus invisible to Vehicon sensors so long as they kept out of sight. Combined with the stress of mastering the lost art of transformation and consciously having to maintain control over their robot modes, their beast modes became their primary form while sneaking around the Cybertronian underlevels. Master of the House Although their new bodies could theoretically subsist upon purely organic material like fruit, doing so pushed their bestial instincts to the fore and reduced them to a primeval state. Forbidden Fruit

Having conquered the planet, Megatron developed a virulent hatred for organic life and beast modes as a whole; he regarded the Maximals as "mongrels" and regularly attempted to purge his own beast mode. Master of the House When he finally succeeded in doing so, he somehow created Noble, a strange organic creature capable of shifting between humanoid wolf and dragon forms. Savage Noble

2006 IDW Beast Wars continuity

A few of the Axalon's remaining stasis pods malfunctioned, and when Razorbeast activated them the protoforms within emerged as Mutants, Cybertronians who changed from one animal form to another. They fiercely defended their swamp against intruding Predacons and made it clear that neither the Maximals nor Predacons were welcome in their peaceful home. The Gathering #3

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

Encouraged by the early success of Pretender technology, Cybertronian scientists speculated that they could one day directly integrate this miraculous nanotechnology into a Transformer body. A Cybertronian upgraded in this manner could directly assume a biological alternate mode externally indistinguishable from the real thing, and this breakthrough might lead to a new generation of tougher, more-energy efficient Cybertronians. Transformers: More than Meets the Eye

2005 IDW continuity

The earliest known beast Transformers date back to the brief Dark Age that occurred between the departure of the Knights of Cybertron and the rise of the Thirteen. Many individual flocks and herds wandered the prehistoric badlands, searching for energon, The First Who Was Named but among the most notable would be a powerful warrior tribe known as the Maximals and their commander, Liege Maximo. Endless Forever While fleeing the armies of Megatronus, the group came into the employ of Onyx Prime—in reality, a time-travelling Shockwave in disguise—who incorporated the Maximals into his personal "menagerie" of beast warriors. The First Who Was Named Origin Myths Working with Alpha Trion's group of Primes, their impromptu alliance confronted Megatronus and his Darklanders on the site that would one day become the Crystal City, blunted his advance for good, and eventually laid the foundations for what would eventually become the Thirteen. Origin Myths

During the subsequent reign of the Thirteen Tribes over Cybertron, the Maximals and their kin faced discrimination due to their alternate modes. Another Mine During the later First Cybertronian Civil War between the tribes and their leaders, Onyx Prime and his armies entered into an alliance with Nexus Prime; using his Enigma of Combination, they created an army of Headmasters that combined small beast-formers with larger humanoid Cybertronians. Darklander warrior Galvatron declared the union of beast and bot disgusting, and eventually slaughtered the ancient Headmasters to the last 'bot in the name of Cybertronian purity. The Mind Bomb

Ultimately, however, the war ended with all of the Primes either dead or missing, and in their absence Nova Prime united the tribes of Cybertron under a new system of functionism where one's alternate mode defined their position in society. Under this new societal schema, the beasts were placed near the bottom of society, only outranking the unfortunate 'bots in the so-called "disposable class". The beasts would become the victims of institutionalized discrimination that lasted until the final days of Sentinel Prime's reign. The Crucible However, before he and his innermost retinue of Maximals abandoned Cybertron for the ruins of Antilla, Onyx Prime instructed the Titan Chela to colonize a distant jungle world; using the hot spot within his body, Chela birthed an entire civilization of beast mode Transformers who could thrive in safety. These new "Eukarian" Transformers remembered the prejudice their ancestors had faced and cultivated a deep distrust of vehicular "standard-formers". Windblade vol. 2 #6

By the time of the Great War, the stigma surrounding beast modes had largely dissipated. Some vehicular Transformers even adopted beast modes—notably, the Dynobots adopted dinosaur beast modes with synthetic flesh to protect them from high leves of Energon radiation on prehistoric Earth. Spotlight: Shockwave During his tour of duty on Z'verei, Rattrap adopted a Z'verein mole-rat alternate mode. Three Monologues

Several years after the war, beast modes again rose to prominence: while Starscream's post-war government discovered and opened diplomatic channels with the citizens of Eukaris, the Decepticon Demus began kidnapping beast mode Transformers, subjecting them to a horrific "domestication" process, then marketing his victims as "Roboids" as torture dolls for organic races. Animals Exposure to Trypticon's corrupted energon spontaneously mutated the Camien Strafe so that she transformed into a two-headed monster. Redemption

The mad scientist Mesothulas combined quasi-organic beast mode technology with obtenteum to create mass-shifting "bio-disguises". Cybertronians who underwent this "Chimeracon" upgrade gained the ability to perfectly mimic any living creature and completely mask their Cybertronian energy signatures in the process. Members of Mayhem adopted this technology and used it to hide out among the native wildlife while operating in the Alaskan wilderness. Sins of the Wreckers #3 Later still, Tarantulas perfected the technology, allowing Overlord to pass himself off as a human politician. Requiem of the Wreckers

When "Onyx Prime" returned to Cybertron, he brought with him an entire Maximal army; eventually, however, his beast servants betrayed him and allied instead with his ultimate creation, Unicron. Road's End Several of the newborn Cybertronians born from Trypticon's hot spot on Earth possessed beast modes. Post

Hearts of Steel

During the "Ice Age Wars" on prehistoric Earth, both the Autobots and Decepticons transformed into creatures like dinosaurs, flying reptiles, and giant insects. Hearts of Steel #1

TransTech

Although they transformed into a rabbit and pika respectively, Kitte Shūshū and her husband Z Grill were nevertheless able to use their "integrated organic parts" to conceive a son, Stampy. Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News, 2015/05/10

Of Masters and Mayhem

While investigating the planet Chicxulania, Thrashclaw, Slice, and Shred discovered an abandoned laboratory where an advanced alien civilization had developed "Beast Warrior" technology, which allowed a Cybertronian to assume techno-organic hybrid forms. To protect themselves from ambient energon radiation, they and Gnash integrated the technology into their superstructures, adopted beast modes based on the local dinosaurs, and dubbed themselves the "Raptoricons". Later on, the shipwrecked Fractyl briefly assumed a pterosaur beast form using the same technology, but ultimately switched back to his vehicular configuration when he departed the planet with Impactor. Life Finds a Way

Beast Wars: Uprising

Several years into the Grand Uprising, the ambitious Predacon Megatron observed that Cybertron's growing menagerie of mechanimals could somehow metabolize their own energon from raw materials like industrial runoff. Inspired by this unexpected resilience, Megatron grew interested in somehow grafting this physiological trait onto the Maximals and Predacons, who remained reliant on ordinary energon cubes like their Builder forebears. Progress did not come easily; most of Megatron's earliest test subjects died from the imperfect process, but after seeking out the disgraced Autobot scientist Leatherhide, who had previously attempted to hybridize Cybertronians with mechanicals, the pair quickly perfected process—first, they created Formikon, then applied the process to themselves. Not All Megatrons

Sure enough, Transformers who adopted the Beast Upgrade no longer required external energon cubes to function; instead, they could ingest food which their onboard systems could then process into energon. Not All Megatrons Beast mode Transformers also possessed increased reflexes as a result of their bio-enhanced physiologies, Cultural Appropriation enhanced senses, Safe Spaces and could quickly repair their injuries while transformed. Cultural Appropriation Soon, Megatron's front corporation made the upgrade public, and Maximals and Predacons across the planet chose to abandon their original vehicular configurations in favor of beast modes. Cultural Appropriation Popular beast mode templates included jurassanoids, armodrillos, and cybercats, Derailment although some Cybertronians modelled their alternate modes on strange alien creatures Safe Spaces or even mythical animals like dragons and phoenixes. Derailment They became a decisive factor as the Grand Uprising came to a close; freed from the need for vulnerable energon supply chains, members of the Resistance and other splinter forces could besiege Builder-held cities with impunity. Cultural Appropriation

By the time of the Vehicon Apocalypse, Leatherhide had moved on to creating new breeds of biomechanical life like the Fuzors and Horrorcons after reverse-engineering a a mysterious cybernetic life-form. A spectral Overshoot, acting on the will of the Oracle, informed Stiletto that the Beast Upgrade marked a new beginning: the rise of the mechanimals and the fusion between beast and 'bot represented Cybertron's efforts to generate a self-sustaining ecosystem. Derailment

2019 IDW continuity

During the Age of the Firstforged, the Cybertronian folk heroes Halonix Maximus and Big Bang battled beast mode Cybertronians like Preditron and Gaidora in the wilderness. End of Time

Numerous Cybertronians, most prominently a number of infiltration troopers, possessed either beast modes or animalistic robot modes. Although beast-formers did not suffer any kind of institutionalized discrimination, We Have Deceived You some individual Cybertronians expressed prejudiced attitudes toward them: Starscream, for instance, once categorized ordinary vehicle-mode Cybertronians like himself as possessing more "advanced forms" then the beasts, Wheeljack: Orbital Decay and Grotusque occasionally grumbled that people looked down on him for his choice of alternate mode. We Have Deceived You

2021 IDW Beast Wars comic

To protect the Cybertronians from harmful levels of energon radiation, the artificial intelligences aboard the crashed Axalon and Darksyde reconstructed their crews with new beast modes based on fabricated techno-organic material that matched the native organics on a molecular level. Savage Landing Part 1 In their new bodies, they were capable of digesting and metabolizing organic material, Savage Landing Part 2 Thicker Skin and retained the ability to access some of their weapons and gadgets while in their beast modes. Savage Landing Part 4

When Optimus Primal and Megatron were captured by the Children of the Vok, the force fields holding them were only designed to work on the Cybertronians' robot modes, allowing the two to escape in their beast modes. Children of the Vok

War for Cybertron Trilogy cartoon

After arriving on prehistoric Earth, a group of time-travelling Maximals and Predacons adopted suitable beast modes during their battle over the Golden Disk. Kingdom episode 1

2001 Robots in Disguise cartoon

In contrast to the vehicular Autobots, their ancient enemies the Predacons possessed beast forms. Although the Predacon leader Megatron could transform into multiple forms, two of his alternate forms were a two-headed dragon and a bat. Battle Protocol! After becoming Galvatron, he gained additional beast modes that included a one-headed dragon, an elephant, and a griffin. Maximus Emerges

Unicron Trilogy

Dreamwave Armada comics

The Decepticon Predacon experimented with hybridizing Cybertronian technology with organic tissue in the belief that Cybertronians who underwent this upgrade would become far more powerful, and went as far as to test the process on himself. Although most Cybertronians found the idea repulsive, Predacon gathered a small but fanatical cult of personality who believed wholeheartedly in his ideals. More than Meets the Eye

Energon cartoon

Alpha Quintesson's Terrorcons all possessed animalistic alternate modes. Each sub-species of Terrorcon had their own beast form, with Battle Ravages and Command Ravages transforming into jaguars, Cybertron City Crisis in Jungle City Divebombs and Blackouts transforming into hawks, Energon Grid Cruellocks turning into an approximation of a dinosaur, The Return of Demolishor and Insecticons turning into beetles. Each One Fights...

Terrorcons usually stayed in their beast modes, and only transformed into their rarely-seen robot modes when it became absolutely necessary while in combat. Energon Stars A Tale of Two Heros

Cybertron cartoon

Millennia ago, a group of Cybertronian colonists settled the planet they would name "Jungle Planet" aboard the starship Hyperborea. Homecoming As time passed, their descendents adopted various beast modes to cope with life on their wild and untamed planet: although most inhabitants of Jungle Planet appear to transform into reptiles, dinosaurs, or mammals, Search some have become birds or even arthropods. Honor

Jungle Planet's Cyber Planet Key appears to have the power to instantly reformat Cybertronians into a suitable beast mode. When Overhaul tapped into the power of the Jungle Planet's Cyber Planet Key, he gained a lion alternate mode and redubbed himself "Leobreaker". Detour In one alternate timeline, the energies of the Jungle Planet key mutated both Optimus Prime and Megatron into beast forms while on the Jungle Planet. Jungle Planet Optimus Prime toy bio Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/19

Ask Vector Prime

In another alternate reality, a version of the Beast Wars took place in Alpha Q's universe. To survive the star system's volatile Super Energon sun, the Maximals and Predacons adopted a wide variety of unusual beast modes that included mobile fungi, mechamorphs, Rock Lords, Battle Beasts, and even abstract elemental beings. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/03

Live-action film series

Movies

In Cybertron's distant past, beast modes appeared to have been more common—ancient warriors such as the Dinobots and Guardian Knights transformed into imposing predators like dinosaurs and dragons. Age of Extinction The Last Knight

By the era of the Great War, beast modes appear to have fallen out of favour. Many modern Cybertronians with animal forms, including Laserbeak, and the Insecticons, are mechanimals who have been re-engineered to serve wartime roles, such as espionage or sabotage.^[3] In many cases, these beast warriors formed symbiotic relationships with larger Cybertronians, who could deploy them as needed to scout ahead or carry out specific duties. Transformers

Rise of the Beasts film

The Maximals hailed from a Cybertronian colony populated by Cybertronians who bore beast modes. Rise of the Beasts

The Veiled Threat

A particularly cunning Decepticon spy disguised himself as one of the many red crabs that periodically infested the NEST base on Diego Garcia. The Veiled Threat

IDW movie comics

Soundwave commanded the loyalty of multiple beast Decepticons, including Ravage, Ratbat, Beastbox, and Rumble. Nefarious #4

Animated

Although robotic creatures like brontobots and cybercats were common enough on Cybertron to be kept as pets, Cybertronians with beast modes were a very uncommon sight. The AllSpark Almanac II During a disastrous expedition to the forbidden world of Archa Seven, the Autobot cadet Elita-1 attempted to use her download powers on a native arachnid, but wound up infecting herself with their venom instead. The transformation mutated her into a technorganic amalgamation of organic and mechanical and gave her a new alternate mode based on the spiders. Along Came a Spider

As part of his many attempts to regain his body and power, Megatron experimented on dinosaur automatons to make them attack drones. Perhaps as a result of these modifications, Sari Sumdac's AllSpark Key was drawn to the automatons, granting them sparks and turning them into fully fledged Cybertronians. Blast from the Past Their beast modes, and indeed their very existence, was viewed as proof by Sentinel Prime as what a screwloose planet Earth was. The Elite Guard

In her quest to purge herself of her organic half, Blackarachnia fused Wasp with an organic wasp in the hopes that finding a way to reverse the process could clue her into curing her own condition. Like her, the monstrous "Waspinator" possessed the ability to transform into a huge technorganic wasp. Predacons Rising

Fun Publications Shattered Glass continuity

Inspired by Grimlock's success after the Autobots liberated him from stasis and inducted him into their ranks, the mad scientist Wheeljack created an entire army of deranged Dinobots, artificial lifeforms who utilized a sophisticated artificial intelligence instead of a life-giving ember. Wheeljack used his impromptu army to launch a coup against Optimus Prime, but the Dinobots turned on one another and scattered into the Cybertronian wilderness.

Both the Autobots and Decepticons tried to gain control of as many Dinobots as they could. In the meantime, Grimlock stumbled across the ancient Omega Terminus supercomputer, which imbued an ember upon him that transformed him from a simple-minded beast into an intelligent Cybertronian with a humanoid robot mode. After returning to the surface, he gathered all of his fellow Dinobots and upgraded them in a similar fashion, granting them embers and the ability to transform. Dungeons & Dinobots While some of the Dinobots and Dinocons gained humanoid robot forms, others, like Slugfest and Overkill, instead transformed into data cartridges. Do Over

Other Autobots and Decepticons, most prominently the Predacons, transformed into small animals. Shattered Glass Terrorcon leader Hun-Grrr adopted an alternate mode based on an Algean two-headed razor beast. Hun-Grrr profile A future group of time-travelling Transformers led by a different Megatron also possessed beast modes. Shattered Destiny

Aligned continuity family

The Covenant of Primus

At the dawn of time, Primus created Onyx Prime, the first beast-mode Cybertronian. Although Quintus Prime and Liege Maximo would cooperate with one another in the days after Unicron's defeat to found a "farm" of small, semi-autonomous animal robots, these were not truly "alive", although when the remaining Primes fell to violence and chaos in the wake of Solus Prime's passing they proved deadly enough to mortally wound Onyx. When he and his friend Micronus Prime returned to Primus via the newly created Well of All Sparks, Onyx used his Triptych Mask to scan all the life in the universe and provide the Well itself with an infinite variety of templates for future Cybertronian lifeforms. These included both humanoid Cybertronians and a wide array of beasts, who formed a functioning ecosystem based around exploiting the energon that flowed freely over the planet's surface. The planet's apex predators, the Predacons, harassed the city-dwelling Cybertronians until Prima finally defeated Predaking in single combat. Although all of the creatures that emerged from the Well of All Sparks possessed functioning transformation cogs, the Cybertronians of the era did not understand how to transform and thus creatures like the Insecticons and Predacons permanently remained in their beast modes.

In the wake of Cybertron's first mass extinction, many forms of life, including the Predacons, vanished entirely. Cybertron's overall diversity took a major hit; although some beasts and beast-like Cybertronians like the Insecticons and Arachnicons survived, the subsequent rise of civilization pushed many of them out into Cybertron's dwindling wilderness or deeper underground. When the Quintessons invaded, the Sharkticons were enslaved as enforcers and executioners.

After the departure of the Ark and Nemesis, Shockwave used a malfunctioning space bridge to study creatures from other planets and time periods, and found himself captivated by the dinosaurs of prehistoric Earth. Inspired by their ferocity, he and his Insecticon minions rebuilt Grimlock and four other Transformers into the fearsome Dinobots that incorporated a number of design traits inspired by the extinct Predacons. Later still, Shockwave would even clone one of those Predacons to become one of his enforcers. The Covenant of Primus

IDW Aligned comics

Shockwave discovered the Insecticons in the depths of Cybertron and re-engineered them into loyal Decepticons who would aid the Decepticon empire as it broadened its reach beyond Cybertron. Fragmentation The Insecticons lured Grimlock and the Lightning Strike Coalition into a trap, allowing Shockwave to experiment upon the group; inspired by the creatures he'd viewed on a prehistoric planet called Earth, his experiments took place on the genetic level that spliced dinosaur DNA with their CNA. Siege Mentality Rage of the Dinobots #4

Later still, following the disappearance of Optimus Prime, Megatron, and their followers, Shockwave wasted no time in establishing an empire of his own, enforced by a legion of warriors who called themselves the "Forged". Rage of the Dinobots #1 A mixture of remnant Decepticons and cloned Predacons, the most loyal of their number received bestial upgrades that gave them Predacon-like traits and draconic beast modes.^[4] Their leader, Ser-Ket, embraced the idea, and viewed beast modes as the "true forms" of the Cybertronians who had undergone Shockwave's experimentation. Rage of the Dinobots #2

Prime cartoon

As the Great War spilled over onto other worlds, Shockwave cloned an army of Predacons from fossilized remains and deployed them to distant planets to eliminate Autobots. On Earth, they formed the basis for many myths and legends involving dragons. Project Predacon Other prominent beast mode Cybertronians included the Insecticons, which possessed a strange, quasi-telepathic connection with the similarly insectoid Airachnid, Armada and the Dinobots. Project Predacon

In the present day, Shockwave again turned his attention to cloning Predacons, and first created Predaking before travelling to Earth, with the intent of producing many more. However, the discovery that the Predacons were intelligent beings with the ability to transform prompted Megatron to scrap the project. Evolution

Despite this setback, Shockwave would later clone Darksteel and Skylynx after his return to Cybertron and put them to work searching for more Predacon remains. Predacons Rising

Aligned novels

A number of Cybertronians with aquatic beast modes, including Sharkticons and Leviacons, colonized the planet Aquatron during Cybertron's Golden Age. Retribution

Rescue Bots cartoon

In order to safely navigate Wayward Island, Optimus Prime scanned Trex, an animatronic dinosaur with techno-organic components, and gained the ability to transform into a Tyrannosaurus rex. Land Before Prime However, his low energon levels caused Optimus to succumb to his new form's dinosaur instincts and go on a rampage in Griffin Rock, which attracted the attention of the villainous hunter Quint Quarry. To rescue the Autobot leader, Boulder, Graham Burns, and Doc Greene developed an energon patch that would return him to normal, and tested it by having Boulder scan an animatronic Triceratops Big Game

During a second confrontation with Quarry, Heatwave, Chase and Blades all scanned dinosaur modes, and used energon patches to stay in control of their faculties. Quarry's Quarry

2015 Robots in Disguise cartoon

Humanoid Cybertronians shared their planet with an impressive variety of bestial offshoots and subspecies, which ranged wildly in both form and function. Notable groups include the metal-eating Chompazoids, Pilot (Part 1) frog-like Amphiboids, Rumble in the Jungle flying Corvicons, True Colors aquatic Sharkticons, Blurred ape-like Orangucons, Brainpower thick-headed Buffaloids, W.W.O.D.? or thick-skinned Lobstercons. Pretzel Logic While some transformed from humanoid robots into animalistic beast modes, others changed from quadrupedal beasts into vehicles, and still others resembled anthropomorphic animals while in their robot modes. Intriguingly, if somewhat confusingly, a naturally-occurring group of Cybertronians with dinosaur alternate modes were referred to as "Dinobots", apparently separate from the artificially-created Autobot subgroup who had appeared in prior "Aligned" media. Similarly Different

Almost all of the Decepticons aboard the prison ship Alchemor belonged to one or more of these subgroups. Decepticon Island (Part 1)

Go! cartoon

A number of beast-mode Predacons, including Dragotron, the Four Oni, and the Jaki, rebelled against their Decepticon masters and took up residence on Earth, but were later sealed away inside Mount Fuji. Triple Combination! Swordbot - Samurai! Triple Combination! Swordbot - Ninja!

Ask Vector Prime

When asked what kind of beast mode he'd choose if given the opportunity, Vector Prime mused that he'd always been fond of cetaceans. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/05/30

BotBots

A very large number of BotBots possess animal-based robot modes—notable examples include Unilla Icequeencone, Javasaurus Rex, Big Cantuna, or Chilla Gorilla. A few, like Venus Frogtrap or Bonz-Eye, become plants.

Cyberverse cartoon

Cheetor received a cheetah beast mode from the AllSpark to better act as its guardian. Dark Birth

After being stranded on Earth, Grimlock reformatted himself into a Tyrannosaurus rex to better cope with the harsh environment, even rewiring his circuitry to increase the raw power of his beast mode. King of the Dinosaurs His act inspired a number of young Cybertronian colonists, who adopted prehistoric alternate modes and dubbed themselves the "Dinobots". The Immobilizers

EarthSpark cartoon

Skullcruncher, Bombshell, and Shrapnel each have a beast mode. Secret Legacy, Part 2

Nightshade didn't believe they needed an alt-mode to complete themself. Tarantulas, himself possessing a spider beast mode, explained that an alt-mode isn't a missing part, but an expression of their selfhood. Taking these words to spark, Nightshade scanned a statue of the Winged Sentinel owl, taking it on as their beast mode. Missed Connection

Grimlock possessed a T. rex beast mode. Home, Part 1

During a little training at the Dino-Mite Quarry, one of Grimlock's seismic stomps unearthed the fossilized skeleton of a Stygimoloch. Drawn to the ancient bones, Jawbreaker scanned them and gained a dino mode of his own. Grimlock and Elita-1 were surprised as this wasn't how trans-scanning usually worked. A Stygi Situation

Notes

• "Beast mode" has since been trademarked by Marshawn Lynch, an American football running back for the Seattle Seahawks, who claims to have "invented" it as his own personal, signature catch phrase. Lynch now uses it as the primary branding of his clothing line, so don't expect the phrase to appear on any Hasbro merchandise any time soon.

See also

• Popular beast alternate modes
• Primitive
• Chimeracon

References