LIST: 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' new characters

MANILA, Philippines — The action and spectacle returns to the big screen on June 7, as "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" takes audiences on a ‘90s globetrotting adventure with the Autobots and introduces whole new breed of Transformer the Maximals to join them as allies in the ongoing battle to save the Earth.

Meet new allies, villains and fleshlings. Meet the new characters who will join the battle and get reacquainted with old favorites:

The Autobots 

Optimus Prime

Voiced by Peter Cullen, he is the fabled commander of the Autobots, and he transforms into a shiny red 1987 Freightliner LFA, with sharp silver trim. He is stoic, fearless, thoughtful and will not stop until the Decepticon threat has been neutralized for good and his Autobots have returned home to Cybertron.

Combat abilities: A formidable fighter, Optimus Prime has a left fist that doubles as an Ion Blaster and a right that doubles as an Energon Sword.

Bumblebee

An Autobot scout best known for forming friendships with humans, Bumblebee converts into a black and yellow 1977 Chevrolet Camaro, now with a rugged off-road update. Open, optimistic and an eternal adventurer, he is fueled by the need to be there for his friends and to fight to the end for the greater good.

Combat abilities: No matter what the mission or challenge is, Bumblebee will always bring his A-game.

Mirage

Voiced by Pete Davidson, this Autobot warrior, which has been stuck in an underground car park for way too long for his liking, converts into a silver 964-Gen Porsche 911. Cool, casual and can be a little cocky, Mirage delights in pushing limits and testing boundaries, and isn’t afraid to challenge authority. Despite all that, he sincerely believes in doing the right thing and would never let any harm come to his friends.

Combat abilities: Can do holographic illusions. With the ability to multiply before his opponents’ eyes, he can throw them off his tail in a flash.

Arcee

Voiced by Liza Koshy, this Autobot sharpshooter transforms into a sleek, dark pink and white Ducati 916 motorcycle and enjoys verbal sparring with her friends and allies. Like her fellow Autobots, Arcee is a tireless defender of freedom and the common good, dedicated to protecting the right of all sentient beings to determine their own destiny.

Combat abilities: In her motorcycle mode, Arcee dazzles with her agility and precision of movement as a hunter and an elite sharpshooter. And it doesn’t hurt that she has a double-barreled Ion blaster.

Wheeljack

Voiced by Cristo Fernández, a master Autobot mechanic, Wheeljack, who’s been hiding out in South Africa, transforms into a brown and cream 1970 Volkswagen Bus. Known to his allies for his ingenuity and technical knowledge, Wheeljack is also committed to ending the war that threatens Earth, so he and the rest of the Autobots can make a peaceful return to Cybertron.

Combat abilities: An ingenious inventor, a crack mechanic and an intrepid scientist, he is one triple-threat Autobot. 

Stratosphere

Voiced by John DiMaggio, this Autobot transport plane converts into a military-green monolith that’s an amalgamation of the body of a C-130 Hercules, the wings of a C-17 Globemaster III, the cockpit of a C-5 Galaxy, and the tail of an Antonov An-225. A gruff and unflappable senior member of the Autobot team, Stratosphere is currently grounded but ready to fly back into action.

Combat abilities: Stratosphere’s vast size can fit the entire Autobot team inside his massive cargo hold. He can also provide high-altitude covering fire.

The Maximals

Optimus Primal

Voiced by Ron Perlman, the leader of the Maximals, a heroic beast faction of Transformers bots, Optimus Primal has been hiding out in the jungles of Machu Picchu, Peru, and converts into a 13-foot-tall metallic silverback gorilla with fists the size of boulders. Optimus Primal and the rest of the Maximals are ever vigilant, watchful for the return of an evil they have battled across galaxies, for eons.

Combat abilities: A roar from Primal is enough to stop enemies in their tracks, and a pound from his gigantic fists makes even the ground quake in fear.

Airazor

Voiced by Michelle Yeoh, Maximal scout, Airazor converts into a peregrine falcon with a jaw-dropping wingspan and deadly poise and power, and is unafraid to operate alone and fly without backup.

Combat abilities: Her falcon beast mode gives Airazor astonishing attack capabilities in tandem with her high-flying prowess, like being able to rain down destructive fire from her mighty beak.

Cheetor

Voiced by Tongayi Chirisa, this Maximal warrior converts into a cheetah the size of a small truck with a grace and athleticism that belies his bulk.

Combat abilities: A supersonic blur, Cheetor is the fastest of all the Transformers beasts. His sheer speed combined with his colossal claws means he can strike down his enemies before they even see him coming.

Rhinox

Voiced by David Sobolov, another Maximal warrior, Rhinox, converts into an enormous metallic Rhino—all 8,000 pounds of sheer force.

Combat abilities: Defined by his staggering strength and peerless physicality, once Rhinox gets going, he is impossible to stop.

The Terrorcons 

Scourge

Voiced by Peter Dinklage, the most fearsome hunter in the universe, this Terrorcon leader converts into a monstrous looking 1994 Peterbilt 359, with four exhausts belching black smoke into the air, and a horrifying, maw-like front grill. Ruthless, cunning, treacherous and incredibly powerful, Scourge commands the Terrorcons on the mission of annihilation they have carried out for thousands of years across thousands of worlds, leaving nothing but chaos and ruin in their wake.

Combat abilities: Scourge is as patient as he is fierce and ferocious – a deadly combination. The ultimate Autobot-hunting machine, he has a giant electric claw and devastating blade. He also has a collection of six-legged Terrorcon Freezers – mechanical insectoids that can sniff out his prey.

Battletrap

Voiced by David Sobolov, this elite Terrorcon scout and enforcer transforms into a blood orange and black GMC with a rear-mounted crane for dragging the carcasses of his defeated enemies away.

Combat abilities: In the spirit of his considerable appetite for destruction, Battletrap’s left fist is capable of unleashing an electrified flail—a huge ball on a chain designed for maximum carnage.

Nightbird

A Terrorcon ninja, Nightbird, voiced by Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, is the ultimate assassin that converts into a jet-black Nissan Skyline GTR R33, with a suitably shadowy matt copper trim.

Combat abilities: An enemy you don’t see coming until it’s too late, Nightbird is armed with twin katanas and an ability to attack her victims in deadly silent strikes.

The Deity 

Unicron

Known as a devourer of planets, Unicron, voiced by Colman Domingo, uses the energy from the ecosystems he’s ingested to become the most omnipotent force in the multiverse. An embodiment of evil, Unicron’s primary function is to bring chaos and ruin, and he uses the Terrorcons to accomplish this mission.

Combat abilities: Unicron is an ever so hungry deity so large it can consume entire other worlds—and all life on them.

The Humans

Noah

Played by Anthony Ramos, Noah is an ex-military electronics expert who, in his pursuit to help provide for his family, becomes a reluctant hero in the war between enormous extra-terrestrial bots that could end humanity as we know it.

Combat abilities: He’s brave even when the odds are massively against him.

Elena

Played by Dominique Fishback, Elena is a keen but largely underappreciated artifacts researcher working at the New York Museum of Archaeology, and has a passion for mankind’s history that might just safeguard its future.

Combat abilities: Terrorcons or not, Elena isn’t one to back down from a fight especially one that can save the world.

A highly anticipated film, "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" stars Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Tobe Nqigwe, Peter Cullen, Ron Perlman, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, Liza Koshy, John DiMaggio, David Sobolov, Michaela Jae Rodriguez, Pete Davidson, and Cristo Fernández.

Screenplay is by Joby Harold and Darnell Metayer & Josh Peters and Erich Hoeber & Jon Hoeber; story by Joby Harold, based on Hasbro’s Transformers Action Figures.

Directed by Steven Caple Jr., it is produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Tom DeSanto & Don Murphy, Michael Bay, Mark Vahradian, and Duncan Henderson. Distributed by Paramount Pictures through Columbia Pictures, the film hits Philippine theaters on June 7.

RELATED: 'Transformers' goes primal in the '90s for 'Rise of the Beasts' trailer