Why Mirage Isn't In Michael Bay's Transformers Movies

Jul 03, 2023

Mirage almost made an appearance in Transformers: Dark of the Moon, but instead he got replaced by an Autobot with an Italian connection.

The Autobot Mirage was the breakout character of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts but he could have had his live-action debut way back in Michael Bay’s Transformers movies. Diehard fans of the franchise were delighted on seeing the humanoid robot on the big screen as Mirage regularly appeared in the Generation 1 Transformers series and its numerous tie-ins. Usually turning into a car on Earth, Mirage’s powers lie in creating lifelike holograms of himself to dupe the enemy. Despite being an Autobot, the original Mirage questioned war as a means to attain their goals. For this reason, he was sometimes treated as a Decepticon sympathizer and an outcast.

Voiced by Pete Davidson and turning into a Porsche in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Mirage’s philosophical side is toned down in the movie to provide more comic relief. Regardless, he’s still treated as an outcast among fellow Autobots for his unwillingness to stay on Earth as a robot in disguise. Jokes aside, he harbors an undying loyalty to the human protagonist Noah Diaz’s close friend and even bravely sacrificed himself in the final battle. But with Mirage still alive in a post-credit scene, the character remains with a lot more cinematic potential even if he could’ve appeared in the movies way before.

Mirage could have made his live-action debut in Transformers: Dark of the Moon, the third installment of Michael Bay’s Transformer movies. In fact, a Mirage was indeed featured in the movie but in a different form. The movie’s official DVD release features a behind-the-scenes documentary titled Above and Beyond: Exploring Dark of the Moon that sheds more light on what actually went down. As screenwriter Ehren Kruger explains, he named one of the minor Autobots in the movie Mirage as a nod to the original Generation 1 Transformer. This version of Mirage serves as an Autobot spy and can transform into a Ferrari 458 Italia.

The Ferarri contrasted with the original Mirage as he could transform into a 1979 Ligier JS11 Formula 1 in the animated series. Interestingly enough, Kruger confirmed that in the screenplay’s early draft, Mirage was supposed to have canonical accuracy with “some powers of invisibility and the ability to cloak other objects.” But when these powers were ultimately removed in the final draft, sticking with the name didn’t seem like the sensible choice anymore. And so, Mirage was renamed Dino in Transformers: Dark of the Moon and was voiced by Italian actor Francesco Quinn in his final film role as he died shortly after its release.

RELATED: Why Michael Bay Didn’t Want To Do A Transformers Movie (At First)

According to Ehren Kruger, he wanted to stick with the name Mirage for the character that would eventually be Dino. But with the robot’s car form being a Ferrari, Michael Bay decided to stick with an Italian name instead. That’s why Dino is also alternatively known as Enzo. Explaining the reason why Dino/Enzo has an Italian name and accent in the movie, Kruger adds, “it was really important to Michael that this character has the personality of a Ferrari.” The movie’s car coordinator David Urich confirmed that the name Enzo was an obvious nod to Ferrari founder and Italian racecar driver Enzo Ferrari.

While Mirage never made it to Michael Bay’s Transformers movies, he’s very much a part of the franchise’s continuity considering how Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is a prequel to 2007’s Transformers. Even if he appeared in his G1 form in Transformers: Dark of the Moon, he wouldn’t have enjoyed the same screen presence as he did in Rise of the Beasts. With Dark of the Moon focusing on the usual lead characters like Optimus Prime and Bumblebee while introducing Sentinel Prime as a surprise villain, there wasn’t much scope for Mirage to set himself apart from the other Transformers.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, on the other hand, reinterpreted Mirage as a multi-dimensional character. With a comedic talent like Pete Davidson voicing him, Mirage provided comic relief. But when matters turned serious, Mirage was also powerful and brave enough to put his life on the line. The fact that his body is later used as armor by Noah Diaz adds depth to Mirage’s relationship with the human protagonist, mirroring the close friendship between Sam Witwicky and Bumblebee in the Transformers movies. Even if Transformers: Rise of the Beasts garnered mixed reviews, the response toward Mirage was mostly positive with many finding him to be the movie’s standout Transformer.

Shaurya Thapa is an Indian freelance journalist who mostly dabbles in writings on cinema, music, and human interest features. When it comes to Screen Rant, he writes detailed fact vs fiction features, ending explainers and cast guides. Comics, anime, film history, Indian cinema and the horror genre are some of his several areas of expertise.