The following contains spoilers for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, now in theaters.
As Transformers: Rise of the Beasts rolls on, Noah deals with a daunting task. The former soldier’s thrust into an intergalactic war with Scourge and the Terrorcons coming to Earth. They’re after the Transwarp key, so they can open a portal and bring Unicron over to devour the planet.
Thankfully, Optimus Prime and the Autobots get help from Optimus Primal and the Maximals. Eventually, they stop the villains, but there are casualties. And while Rise of the Beasts doesn’t have a post-credits scene, a mid-credits sequence brings back a fallen Autobot as a reward for their service.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ Mid-Credits Scene Revives Mirage
In the final act, fans see Pete Davidson’s Mirage die protecting Noah when they try to destroy the key and shut the portal down. But the mid-credits scene has Noah working on the body in his garage. It seems at first like he’s just using the junk parts to scrap together the car again. But it’s clearly meant to honor the bot that became like a brother to him after Mirage kidnapped Noah at the start.
However, when Noah’s buddy, Reek, jokes about selling it to earn cash in Brooklyn, Mirage activates and transforms back to life. Noah’s ecstatic, affirming he’s a genius when it comes to tech. But fans don’t get to see Mirage fully when he wakes up, hinting Noah has made changes. It’s a happy ending and cements the fact that death is never truly the end for Autobots. Bumblebee also got revived with an energon infusion, so it’s possible Mirage had a similar thing happen.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Does Justice to Mirage and Noah
Now, some would say this is idealistic. But it does justice to the bond Noah and Mirage have in the film. Mirage sees how Noah fights to protect his family and the world, especially his sick brother, Kris. This inspires Mirage to take care of Noah more, to the point he even keeps in radio contact to update Kris on their mission. It’s endearing and outdoes the sentimental arcs seen with humans like Sam and Charlie — both of whom befriended Bumblebee.
Even with Cade and Izabella from The Last Knight, that sense of family and the overall emotional connection didn’t run as deep as this. What also plays into Mirage and Noah’s brotherhood is how Noah stands up to Prime, making it clear he’ll even destroy the key and end their chances of going back to Cybertron if it stops the sinister giant in Unicron. That’s the kind of rebellion Mirage likes, so when he sees Noah giving lip, he lives vicariously through it and knows he’s found a true buddy. He even gave Noah a gauntlet to protect him in battle.
Ultimately, this helps them come together, which is why Mirage gives his body up as he dies to form a robotic shell around Noah. It makes Noah a super-soldier, nodding to the exosuits of the lore, and pushes Noah to save Prime in the end. As such, it’s worth seeing Mirage return because this is only the beginning of the journey for him and Noah. They represent Prime’s “‘Til All Are One!” mantra the best, meaning this mid-credits resurrection is well-earned.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is now in theaters.