In the 1990s, the Transformers franchise nearly disappeared. Cars and planes no longer captured children's imaginations. That's when Hasbro made one of the boldest (and most successful) decisions in toy history: replacing vehicles with wild beasts. Thus was born the Beast Wars: Animutants saga.

But this series isn't just a reboot. It's deeply rooted in the official lore of Cybertron. Forget the war between Optimus Prime and Megatron... Now, let's focus on their distant descendants: the Maximals and the Predacons .

1. The Maximals: The Autobots' successors

Three centuries after the end of the Great War (detailed in our Complete Guide ), the Autobots have evolved into the Maximals. These robots are smaller, consume far less energy, and have inherited the nobility of their ancestors.

Their leader is none other than Optimus Primal , an explorer commander who takes the form of a silverback gorilla. Unlike his namesake (Optimus Prime), Primal is much less rigid. He's a leader in the field, often exasperated by his team's antics, but ready to do anything to protect the universe's timeline.

The Maximals team favors mammals and peaceful animals:

• 🦍 Optimus Primal : The leader (Gorilla).
• 🐆 Cheetor : The young and fast scout (Cheetah).
• 🦏 Rhinox : Scientific genius and brute force (Rhinoceros).
• 🐀 Catch-up : The cynical but indispensable spy (Rat).

2. The Predacons: The Decepticons' Cold-Bloodedness

While the Autobots became the Maximals, the terrible Decepticons mutated into the Predacons . Led by a war criminal who usurped the name "Megatron," they prefer animal forms associated with predators, reptiles, and deadly insects.

The Megatron from Beast Wars (who transforms into a purple T-Rex) is often considered by fans to be one of the best villains in the entire franchise. He's not just brutal, he's Machiavellian. His goal? To travel back in time and assassinate Optimus Prime before he even awakens on Earth in 1984, thus erasing the Autobots' victory from history!

3. The Return to Cinema

Fans' love for this 3D animated series (a pioneer in 1996) has never waned. That's why Paramount decided to bring it to the big screen in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts .

Seeing Optimus Prime fight alongside Optimus Primal, or admiring Cheetor's lightning speed in live-action, allowed a whole new generation to discover that Transformers don't have to have wheels to be incredibly cool.