The world of blockbuster storytelling is starting to veer away from the standard “one-off” film or trilogy and starting to focus more on “Cinematic Universes.” Whether it’s the “Marvel Cinematic Universe,” “The Worlds of DC” or “Sony’s Universe For Marvel Characters,” this is the new trend in long-term storytelling. Paramount and Hasbro, the companies that hold the film rights to Transformers, Power Rangers and G.I. Joe, might be looking to get in on the action by combining it’s two biggest franchises this December.

As always, take this with a heaping grain of salt.

The upcoming release of Bumblebee might contain a character from another franchise, G.I. Joe. John Cena, whose given character name in the film is “Agent Burns,” decided to add some fuel to the fire on who his character may actually be via his Instagram this morning:

For those who are unsure on who that is, that’s the leader and “face” of the G.I. Joes, Duke. The image of Duke is from the 80’s cartoon which, coincidentally, is when Bumblebee takes place. Cena, or Cena’s Social Media Manager, photoshopped the image over his character’s face from the most recent Bumblebee trailer as well as on his name badge. He also placed the G.I. Joe logo on the wall over his shoulder.

One other tiny aspect that should be noted is the scar on Cena’s head. Though the location is a little off, that scar is a defining physical aspect of Duke who has had it depicted at different locations on his head throughout the years.

The character of Duke was recently played by Channing Tatum in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and had a brief appearance in G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Channing has expressed numerous times that he has no intention of returning to the role, which leaves it open for another buff, blonde guy to take over.

This contradicts quite a bit from what we’ve seen of John Cena’s character so far. When we see him in the trailers, he is wearing a “Sector 7” uniform (Sector 7 being the secret government agency introduced in the first Transformers film) but that could easily change by the end of Bumblebee. “Agent Burns” might leave Sector 7 to join, or even create, the Joes. 

One other thing that shouldn’t be ignored is the banner under which both of these franchises fall, “Allspark Pictures.” Hasbro, owning the rights to these franchises, setup this new company at Paramount where they have expressed an intention to building a new cinematic universe. They also recently purchased the rights to Power Rangers where they have expressed an interest in a potential crossover. This logo has already had a presence in the marketing for Bumblebee. 

The most peculiar thing about all of this is the timing. This theory of Cena playing a G.I. Joe has been circulating around for a few months but has never received much attention. Cena posting this image two months before the film is released could be a good way of stirring up hype for the film.

What do you think of this rumor? Do you think Cena could be a Joe or are we grasping at straws? Tweet us your thoughts @superbromovies on Twitter!

-Kellen Murack

Bumblebee drives into theaters December 21st, 2018!

On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee the Autobot seeks refuge in a junkyard in a small California beach town. Charlie, on the brink of turning 18 years old and trying to find her place in the world, soon discovers the battle-scarred and broken Bumblebee. When Charlie revives him, she quickly learns that this is no ordinary yellow Volkswagen.