Follow us on Google News
Get the latest updates directly in your Google News feed
Transformers: Rise of the Beastswas a first for the live-actionTransformersfilms. Not only did it introduce the Maximals in the live-action history of the franchise, but the film also marked itself as an entry into a shared universe.
As the film closes out, the protagonist of the movie, Noah Diaz (played by Anthony Ramos), is approached by a government agency, which takes care of all the issues he is facing (such as monetary issues and his younger brother’s deteriorating health). He then hands him a card, with a stylizedG.I. Joewritten on it, signaling the organization’s existence worldwide. However, as exciting as the prospect sounds, Hasbro might be in for a nasty surprise should it go ahead with making its shared cinematic universe with such properties with diverse lore.
Also Read:Dwayne Johnson Replacing Mark Wahlberg’s Cade Yeager in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ Sequel? Director Steven Caple Jr Reportedly in Talks to End Beast Wars Saga
Hasbro would benefit from keepingG.I. JoeandTransformersseparate
There is a multitude of reasons why Hasbro could benefit from keeping theTransformersfranchise and theG.I. JoeIP separate. For starters, both these franchises have deep lore that can be used to write stories in their isolated universe. There have seldom been crossovers between these two IPs in the comics, and they have not had any lasting effects on their respective universes.
As Hasbro tries to ape the successes of the Monsterverse and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, what it needs to function like is more akin to Disney than any of these smaller franchise labels. Fusing theTransformersand theG.I. Joeuniverses is more akin to bringingStar Warsinto the same universe as the MCU. While the properties have some similarities, it makes no sense that they should share a cinematic universe.
Also Read:Forget Dwayne Johnson, Robert Downey Jr Should be Leading Transformers after Mark Wahlberg
G.I. Joemight not be compatible withTransformers
While we have grown accustomed to seeing billionaire playboys with high-tech suits of armor co-exist with extradimensional aliens identified as Norse Gods, howG.I. JoeandTransformersexist in their separate continuities makes them incompatible with each other.
To begin with,G.I Joeis an IP that focuses on the various branches of the American Military. While the brand went through multiple continuity reboots (including a science fiction theme) the one that stuck was the team being a super-elite group of soldiers fighting the secret organization called Cobra from taking over the world.
Transformers, on the other hand, went through fewer continuity reboots, in the sense that the concept of it remained the same, even if older events were written out of continuity.
Fusing these two franchises into one universe may cause the erosion of the G.I. Joe brand, making it unusable in any sense. Given that rebooting the universe might be a very time-consuming endeavor, Hasbro is better off keeping the Joes separate from the Transformers, as the crossover runs the risk of making the former a supplement to the latter, damaging its brand value.
Also Read:Latest Twist as Hasbro Apologise for Getting it Wrong Regarding Activision and ‘Lost’ Transformers Games
Hasbro needs to think about its audiences
Marvel was able to appeal to the audiences of Iron Man and Thor because there was a reasonable overlap between the two. When thinking about Marvel, it was clear that readers and audiences were thinking about superheroes. Similarly, Kong and Godzilla were catering to kaiju fans at large. However, when it comes to audiences that are consumingTransformersandG.I. Joecontent, while there might be an understanding that these two genres cater to a similar audience, it becomes too absurd to have these franchises exist together.
Here, the company runs the risk of alienating an audience because a crossover such as this exists, which might sideline one property for the sake of the other, as seems to be the case forG.I. Joewhen compared toTransformers. While these toys were all produced by Hasbro, there is no longstanding united narrative that brings together all these properties and neatly organizes them in the form of source material. Without the lack of this, new and old audiences might find themselves scratching their heads about the new lore that the studio might have to develop, which has the potential to alienate fans from either franchise.
Anuraag Chatterjee
Content Writer
Articles Published :1633
Anuraag Chatterjee, Web Content WriterWith a passion for writing fiction and non fiction content, Anuraag is a Media Science graduate with 2 year’s experience with Marketing and Content, with 3 published poetry anthologies. Anuraag holds a Bacherlor’s degree in Arts with a focus on Communication and Media Studies.
