Paramount+ just gave fans their first look at Transformers: EarthSpark's villain, Mandroid, in action in the upcoming animated series.
The streaming service spotlighted half human/half android cyborg Mandroid in a recent promotional video shared on YouTube. The video establishes that Mandroid is the Terran Transformers' nickname for Dr. Meridian, a brilliant roboticist determined to rid Earth of all Cybertronians, who he views as an "invasive species." Meridian's cybernetic enhancements are also briefly touched on in the video, as is his distaste for the "Mandroid" moniker. Mandroid is voiced by Diedrich Bader, who previously guest starred in an episode of Transformers: Rescue Bots.
Nickelodeon first announced Transformers: EarthSpark in February 2022, however, the animated series later moved to Paramount+, instead. Transformers: EarthSpark is set in the wake of a civil war between the Autobots and Decepticons, from the ashes of which emerges a new breed of Transformers called Terrans. 13-year-old Robby Malto (Sydney Mikayla) and his 9-year-old sister Mo (Zion Broadnax) soon become friends with the Terrans, even adopting two of their number, Twitch (Kathreen Khavari) and Thrash (Zeno Robinson), as part of their family. Aside from Mandroid's schemes, Robby, Mo, Twitch and Thrash will reportedly have to contend with fan-favorite villain Megatron, brought to life by Game of Thrones veteran Rory McCann.
Transformers: EarthSpark Brings Back Fan-Favorite Autobots
Transformers: EarthSpark is also confirmed to feature several of the franchise's most iconic heroes, including Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. Resident Alien star Alan Tudyk will voice Optimus, marking his second foray into the world of Transformers, having previously appeared in a supporting role in 2011 live-action film Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Meanwhile, Bumblebee's vocals will come courtesy of Mythic Quest's Danny Pudi, taking over from the Autobot's most recent performer Joe Zieja, who played the part in 2020's Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy. Other familiar faces locked in for Transformers: EarthSpark include Wheeljack, Arcee, Skullcruncher, Swindle and Soundwave, although no actors are officially attached to these roles at this stage.
Transformers: EarthSpark forms part of Paramount's ongoing efforts to boost the franchise's presence on both the big and small screens. In February 2022, the studio announced forthcoming film Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is actually the first installment in a trilogy of movies based on the popular Beast Wars toyline and tie-in media. Paramount also confirmed that an animated Transformers feature is currently in the works and is slated to arrive in cinemas in 2024.
Transformers: EarthSpark arrives on Paramount+ on Nov. 11, 2022.
Source: Paramount+, via YouTube