Spoiler Warning: The following article contains massive spoilers for the Transformers One end credits sequence, as well as pretty much the rest of the story. If you’ve yet to watch the new animated movie, please exercise extreme caution.
There has been a ton of buzz surrounding Transformers One, a movie many critics are calling the best in the franchise by a long shot. And now that the animated prequel starring Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry has hit the 2024 movie schedule, and considering those glowing fan first reactions, there’s a good chance longtime fans and newcomers alike will be filing into theaters opening weekend ready for a return to the franchise’s animated roots and the possibility of an end credits sequence.
So, what happens in the Transformers One end credits sequence, how does it push the Transformers franchise forward, and what does it mean for Optimus Prime, Megatron, and the fate of Cybertron? Come with us as we break down the short yet epic post credit scene and its major ramifications.
And again, major spoilers ahead…
What Happens In The Transformers One End Credits Sequence
There are plenty of non-MCU movies with great end credit sequences, and that’s very much the case for Transformers One. Near the end of the movie, after Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry) evolve into Optimus Prime and Megatron, respectively, and defeat Sentinel Prime (Jon Hamm), the two longtime friends become the bitter enemies we know from the various Transformers movies and go their separate ways. Optimus becomes the new leader of Cybertron while Megatron goes into exile with the High Guard.
During the Transformers One end credits sequence, Megatron is seen carrying out a pretty epic ceremony in his hidden lair where he rechristens the High Guard as the Decepticons, the iconic villainous group of transformers we’ve all come to know and love to hate over the years. On top of that, a now fully evil Megatron uses the Megatronus Prime insignia that Sentinel Prime scratched into his chest earlier in the movie as the symbol for his new group before yelling a new mission statement and perhaps the coolest movie line of the year:
We will not be blinded by his deception. We are the ones who are Decepticons. Rise Up!
This deception Megatron speaks of is that of Sentinel Prime, the supposed hero of Cybertron who is actually revealed to be working against the transformers all along by taking away their cogs and giving away resources to the evil Quintessons.
How Transformers One Perfectly Set Up The Birth Of The Decepticons
Megatron’s journey towards the more evil side of the spectrum was to be expected considering the character’s history, but Josh Cooley and everyone else involved with Transformers One did a masterful job of slowly crafting a story that showed the one-time friend of Optimus Prime slowly transition away from the more heroic path. As seen in the Transformers One trailer, we see a different side of the eventual Decepticon leader, and that’s what really makes his transition so impactful and well-earned.
Throughout the movie, Megatron idolizes Sentinel Prime and will do anything in his power to help the supposed faithful leader of Cybertron, which primarily means keeping up his quota in the Energon mines. But when he learns that Sentinel is actually betraying his own robots so he can live like a king, he begins to snap. Not all at once, but instead, a gradual change that is honestly one of the best villain stories in recent memory.
Though Megatron is very much a villain by the time the end credits sequence shows the birth of the Decepticons, he is still the most sympathetic character in the entire movie, as he takes this path not because he wants to, but because it’s the only way to right the wrongs he sees in the Cybertron. No longer Decepticons due to hiding their identities in various vehicles, the group instead takes its name as a reminder of Sentinel Prime deceiving them and betraying Cybertron.
It Looks Like All Roads Lead To War For Cybertron, And It Sounds Epic
Nearly a decade ago, we asked if the Transformers franchise would ever move the action to Cybertron, and Transformers One granted us that. After the events of the movie, and the awesome end credits sequence, it appears that that will be the case moving forward now that attention has been turned to the fight between the Autobots and Decepticons. Well, at least in the animated movies.
There were little seeds planted throughout the movie with Megatron and Optimus Prime butting heads about their differing philosophies and temperament, and those blossomed by the time everything wrapped up at the end. Now, it looks like all roads are leading to war for Cybertron between the iconic adversaries, and I couldn’t be more excited.
For the most part, the fight between the two warring factions has taken place on Earth in the various Transformers live-action movies, so seeing the civil war play out on their home planet is going to be epic, to say the least. And with producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura previously telling Collider that he hoped Transformers One would be the start of a trilogy, this could be a lot of fun to watch unfold.
Okay, I Have To Talk About The Hilarious Mid Credits Sequence, Too
Before I wrap things up, I have to talk about the hilarious Transformers One mid-credits sequence where Bumblebee (Keegan-Michael Key) goes back down to Sub-Level 50 to check up on his “friends” and catch them up to speed on everything that’s happened since he left. It’s short, it’s sweet, and it involves the Autobot formerly known as B-127 accidentally cutting off the head of one of the non-moving robots he showed to Optimus Prime and Megatron earlier in the movie. And it’s so much fun.
Like a lot of other mid-credit sequences over the years, it didn’t really progress the overall plot of the series, but it did give us at least one more look at the Key & Peele co-creator’s hilarious comedic chops.
As you can probably tell by now, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the franchise following the Transformers One end credits sequence. And while we don’t know when we’ll see the next step in Optimus Prime and Megatron’s history, there are some exciting upcoming sci-fi movies to hold us over.