List of Beast Machines Characters - Maximals

Maximals

Optimus Primal

The commander of the Maximals and their ship the Axalon. A brave and compassionate leader, Optimus named himself after a great hero of old: Optimus Prime. He can make rash decisions but is compelled to defeat the Predacons. He dies briefly when he destroys an alien death ray, but is revived by Rhinox as a Transmetal giving him a hover board in beast mode. He later becomes Optimal Optimus, a large new Transmetal form he gained by briefly absorbing the spark of Optimus Prime. His beast mode is a silverback gorilla, and when he becomes Optimal Optimus, he gains both an assault aircraft form and a ground assault vehicle form.

Supreme Commander and leader of the Maximals in Beast Machines. His beast mode is a technorganic gorilla. His leadership degrades as his fanaticism to defeat Megatron grows. He blames himself for the current state of Cybertron and also for the loss of his comrades, Rhinox and Silverbolt. Upon discovering Tankor was Rhinox, Optimus made a choice to allow Rhinox to carry out his own goals. Tankor manipulates both, but Megatron knows of Tankor's treachery, and in the end, Tankor, Megatron and Optimus all perish. Optimus is later reborn with help from his friends and the Matrix. Optimus could absorb incoming energy blasts and fire it right back at his attackers. He could also fire energy shurikens from his chest.

Rhinox

Second-in-command and Optimus' oldest friend as well as the chief scientist and mechanic of the team. He is not really a fighter and more of a strategist, but he can let it rip with his two chainguns. He prefers nature to technology at times. He is very intelligent and skilled in multiple forms of science and technology. Rhinox is the only original Maximal to not gain a new body, but he plays a key role in defeating Megatron in the show's finale. His beast mode is a rhinoceros.

Although never appearing materially in Beast Machines, Rhinox appeared several times. He was captured by Megatron alongside Silverbolt and became Tankor. Rattrap awoke Rhinox's memories, but instead of rejoining the Maximals, Rhinox shocked everyone by revealing that he planned to cleanse the planet of all of the chaos and rule over it himself, his gentle Maximal personality having been completely overwritten by Megatron’s sinister Vehicon programming. He used Megatron and Optimus to activate the Key to Vector Sigma and the Plasma Energy Chamber to carry out his plan. Tankor/Rhinox was destroyed at the end of season one. Realizing his mistakes, Rhinox joined the Matrix despite his transgressions.

Rattrap

The smart-alek sometimes third-in-command of the Maximals. Often pessimistic and sarcastic, Rattrap is usually a survivalist, even though he always believes the Maximals are going to die. Despite the fact he is the smallest Maximal, this works to his advantage several times in the series. He often clashes with fellow Maximal Dinobot, calling him "Chopperface", as he nicknames all his allies and some enemies. Rattrap gains a Transmetal form, including a wheeled mode of his beast mode. His beast mode is a rat.

He appears again in Beast Machines. Beast mode is a technorganic rat. He is the last of the original four Maximals to learn how to transform, because he was impatient. Then to his dismay he discovered his short wheeled robot mode had no weapons. Rattrap soon learned he could access the computers of Cybertron and gain secret information. Near the end of the series, Rattrap fell in love with fellow Maximal, Botanica. Rattrap had no direct weapons to speak of, hence part of a character flaw, but he has a built in toolbox located in his back which he can use to build various gadgets, such as seed grenades and a spark extractor. He is also equipped with a visor that he could use to scan his peripheral environment and use his onboard computer systems to hack other computer systems.

Cheetor

The youngest member of the original Maximals, Cheetor is rather immature and reckless. He looks up to Optimus and tries to get onto his good list by achieving any mission given to him, but his reckless behavior can lead him into trouble. He matures over the course of the series, with each form he gains. He gained a Transmetal form first, also gaining a flight mode. He later gained a Transmetal 2 form after being shot into the overload of a Transmetal 2 generator, gaining a feral beast mode but a new Transmetal 2 form. His beast mode is a cheetah.

In Beast Machines, Cheetor is the second-in-command. Beast mode is a technorganic cheetah. He is the second to transform into his new robot mode. He is now a mature, but still hot-headed adult in the Beast Machines. Cheetor still looks up to Optimus as his idol. However, the two can get into heated arguments when either of them make rash decisions. Cheetor's new beast mode allows him to move much faster than before. Cheetor was one of the four Maximals to appear on Cybertron with no memory of what happened before, even though he hears the words of Optimus Prime's spirit before he disappeared to the stars. Cheetor survives the Beast Machines war and appears to become the leader of the Maximals, and the Oracle's new representative as Optimus was previously. Cheetor's weapons included an enhanced super speed and a pair of sabers, which he pulled from his back. The sabers could be used to deflect incoming energy blasts, could be thrown as boomerangs and attached at the hilt to form a glider.

Dinobot

A former Predacon, Dinobot is a warrior who follows a strict code of honor. Betrayed by Megatron, Dinobot joined the Maximals, becoming an asset to their team, even though his tactical methods were rather extreme at times. Dinobot often fought with Rattrap, who he named "Vermin" to counter Rattrap's remark of calling him "Chopperface". Dinobot's loyalty is often changed by his own decisions, but he remained a Maximal to the end. Dinobot honorably sacrificed himself to protect the evolving human race from the Predacons, defeating the whole team but dying in the process. He fights with a sword, and shoots lasers from his eyes. Beast mode is a Velociraptor.

Tigatron

The first Maximal protoform to crash-land on Earth, Tigatron gained a natural love for Earth and considered it as his home. Peaceful and wise, Tigatron does not really enjoy battle, as seen when his tiger friend Snowstalker is accidentally killed during a battle. He developed a close relationship with fellow Maximal Airazor, but both were kidnapped by the Vok and later fused together into Tigerhawk. His beast mode is a White tiger.

Airazor

The only female Maximal on the team, until the recruitment of Blackarachnia. Airazor's spark nearly died at birth but she was saved by Rhinox and Cheetor, considering them her "uncle" and "brother". She developed a close relationship with Tigatron during their time on Earth, but both were kidnapped by the Vok and later fused together into Tigerhawk. Her beast mode is a Peregrine Falcon.

Tigerhawk

An emissary of the Vok, created from the bodies of Tigatron and Airazor. Tigerhawk is sent to Earth to apprehend Megatron, but his primary program is altered when the sparks of Tigatron and Airazor join his body. Tigerhawk has amazing powers, capable of manipulating the weather. Tigerhawk is destroyed with a large energy cannon fired by Megatron from the Nemesis. Beast mode is a White Tiger/Peregrine Falcon hybrid.

Silverbolt

A Fuzor, a hybrid of a wolf and a golden eagle. Originally tricked by Megatron into thinking he was a Predacon, but soon switched sides and became a Maximal. He is a stereotypical hero and follows a code of honor, but one not as extreme as Dinobot's. Silverbolt falls in love with Blackarachnia whom he refers to as the "dark poison of my heart". It is Silverbolt who convinces her to join the Maximals, which she does eventually. Beast mode is a Gray Wolf/Golden Eagle hybrid.

Appearing in Beast Machines, Silverbolt is one of the original six Maximals to survive the Beast Wars and Blackarachnia's lover. He disappeared when the Maximals returned to Cybertron. It is revealed later that his spark was implanted in the Vehicon General Jetstorm. Silverbolt had taken on a samurai-like appearance and the beast mode of a condor. However, he was bitter to his friends initially because of his Vechicon experiences. Blackarachnia learned later that Silverbolt actually had enjoyed the atrocities he committed while being Jetstorm, believing he had been freed of his code of honor by Megatron. In the last episode he survived and appeared to regain his former noble personality. His feathers can serve as throwing knives and explosive darts.

Blackarachnia

A former Predacon, turned Maximal, after she fell in love with Silverbolt. She longed to become a Transmetal 2, in order to survive the Beast Wars. She achieves this by using the Transmetal II driver, which is the same device used to create Dinobot II. Beast mode is a black widow spider.

She later appears in Beast Machines. Beast mode is a techno-organic black widow spider. She is now a true Maximal, but still has her crafty and bad-girl personality. She is the third to figure out how to transform. She eventually frees Silverbolt from his evil form Jetstorm, but he is bitter about his revival. In the end, Blackarachnia and Silverbolt are properly reunited. Her weapons include a very limber athleticism, venomous webbing and deadly fighting skills. She can use her webbing to create a shield to protect her from incoming fire. She has a pair of stingers which she could use to deliver powerful blasts of bioelectrical energy. She also had web stars which could cover Vehicons in paralyzing webbing, hit them with paralyzing energy and cut them to pieces.

Depth Charge

The only aquatic member of the Maximals, Depth Charge comes to Earth in search of Rampage, who leveled his home Colony Omicron. He was struck by the transmetal wave giving him a flight mode. Depth Charge started out as a rogue, refusing to work alongside the other Maximals, but over time he became a full member of the team. He was eventually killed in a confrontation with his rival Rampage. Beast mode is a manta ray

Nightscream

Nightscream appears in Beast Machines. A young impetuous hothead, Nightscream was the sole survivor of the eradicating virus that infected Cybertron and was inadvertently merged with the beast mode of a bat, later reformatted by Optimus to a technorganic form of the same animal. He often finds conflict with the others and hides his emotions more than the others, but still comes across as an hotheaded child, replacing Cheetor's role in Beast Wars in this regard. It is worth noting though, that Nightscream, being less likely to take the other Maximals on trust, is the first to question Optimus' fanatical obsession with the Oracle's missions, and his observations are usually accurate, if not diplomatically phrased. His robot mode weapons included a hypersonic scream and a vampiric bite that sucks the energon out of his target.

Savage/Noble

Although not considered an official member of the Maximals, Savage/Noble still does count among their number. After his discovery as the beast Savage, who was attacking both sides in the fight, Nightscream persuaded him to join their team. He accepted, but it was later revealed that he was, in fact, Megatron in a new, organic-based body. However later the allegedly comatose Noble reawakened as a true beast, loyal to Nightscream. Noble was killed soon after.

Botanica

Botanist and Bioscientist. A strange Maximal that crashed landed on Cybertron during the Vehicon War who was discovered and helped by the Maximals. She is a calm minded, peace oriented female who, due to being crossed with a plant, has an innate awareness of the new growth on Cybertron. She becomes Rattrap's romantic interest. She could control any form of plant life on Cybertron and had a cannon mounted on each hip.