WMG / Transformers (2019)

Orion will Acquire a super mode at some point in the future

His design in the comic is based on the 'Galaxy Upgrade' Leader Class figure based on his Cybertron self. Now the other designs in the comic show no particular effort to skew away from the G1 character designs, so why base Optimus on the leader figure, particularly as it hadn't been announced when the cover for the first issue debuted, showing Orion in this design, unless at some point (likely after the point that the war truly begins) the plan is for Orion to assume his super mode, possibly with the trailer being given to him by Wheeljack.

Megatron is secretly in control of the Rise.

Much like Palpatine in the Clone Wars, Megatron actually controls both the Ascenticons and the Rise. The attack on him was just a False Flag Operation used to justify him building up an army. When the other Ascenticons find out about this, Megatron and his supporters will be branded deceivers or Decepticons. Megatron and his Decepticons then attack the remaining Ascenticons and that's how the Great War gets started.

• Sort of confirmed, this is how Megatron want's things, with the Rise's leader, Shockwave, working for Megatron, who smuggled him back to Cybertron, but Shockwave appears to have his own agenda, certainly Brainstorm and Rubble's murders were not part of Megatron's plan.

When Orion becomes Optimus he will switch to his Voyager toy design.

Aside from being more G1 accurate it would be a way to more visually see the change from Orion to Optimus, as opposed to Autocracy, where there wasn't a visible change.

• Jossed, Optimus retains the Leader Class Figure design after becoming a Prime.

Quake being responsible for Rubble's murder will be what drives Bumblebee to the Autobots, or at least back to neutrality

Obviously Bumblebee isn't going to stay with the Ascenticons as they lean closer to the Decepticons we all know they're going to become. Now who else is associated with the Ascenticons? Quake. The guy who killed Bumblebee's protege. Presumably either Bumblebee or Prowl will discover evidence of Quake's guilt and if the Ascenticons defend Quake from the consequences of this, perhaps because they need him, then that may be the thing that pushes ‘Bee to defect from them, whether that means immediately joining the Autobots or not... well we'll have to wait and see.

The war will have begun by 2020

I don't mean in universe, I mean that before the year is out the comic will have reached the point where the war actually begins. Largely because ultimately that's what the fans want and it'll keep them from abandoning ship.

• Seems possible, while it's not an outright declaration that the war will begin, but the November solicitations state that issue 15 will see the Rise and Ascenticons be replaced with the Decepticons, so...

  • Jossed, as of issue 15 the war hasn't begun and issue 15 was pushed back to new years day.

• Turns out it started right at the END of 2020. So close.

Brainstorm isn't actually dead.

Whether it's a clone, Qauntum Duplication or something else it will transpire that Brainstorm isn't actually dead and the body that was found is fake in some way. My logic is that as Brainstorm was a major character from MTMTE/ Lost Light, which was certainly my favourite of the final days of the 2005-2018 era IDW TF Verse, it doesn't make sense to kill him off before we even meet him.

Alternatively the universe the Lost Light jumped into is the 2019 universe

Sentinel Prime won't be a villain this time around.

• It's been pretty common to make Sentinel Prime a bad guy in the last decade (or at least corrupt and incompetent/somewhat amoral), but this time it could go back to his original characterization of a benevolent peacetime leader who is simply ill-suited for leading a war effort.
  • What original characterisation? Megatron Origin was his first prominent appearance in any media and he was still pretty bad there.
    • I think it more refers to the idea that, back before anything pre Optimus was really established, the previous Prime was a decent guy. Perhaps a better term than the original poster saying Original Characterization more invoke Not His Sled and have him not turn out to be a bad guy.
  • Confirmed... sort of. He's not evil, but he is corrupt, and his hubris inflames the conflict. He does prove to be relatively heroic in his final moments, though.

Froid isn't forbidden from seeing a particular patient because he's bad for them, but because they are bad for him

Possibly some kind of Joker/ Harley Quinn thing, where Froid is adversely effected by contact with that patient in some way.

• Original poster: It may be Jossed, while there is no confirmation it is possible that, going off their interaction in Issue 10 Cyclonus is Froid's forbidden patient,and their relationship doesn't fit this theory if it is right.
• Looks like his forbidden patient was Pyra Magna, and the only reason he can't speak with her anymore is because, well, it just wasn't working.

When Springer traveled back in time at the end of Requiem of the Wreckers, the new timeline he created is this very comic.

Springer traveled back in time to stop the war, and at first he succeeded, but he will realize that the Autobot-Decepticon War is a destiny not so easily averted.

• Jossed: Cybertron's depiction is so radically different (Transformers don't even reproduce the same way they did in the previous series) that it can't just be the result of a time-traveling Springer instituting social reform.

Exarchon is still alive.

Previously it was ambiguous if Cyclonus' belief that Exarchon was still around was a legit threat or just his own issues however issue 15 reveals that Exarchon was one being spread over many bodies, raising the possibility that at least one escaped destruction.

• Cyclonus is probably half-right: Something out in deep space corrupted Exarchon (Unicron? The Fallen? Liege Maximo?), and they're still out there... and probably far worse than him or Megatron put together.
• When Orion ventured into the Matrix, his guide made a point of saying Exarchon "had yet to come home", so...
• Issue 32 suggests that the Cybertron ruled by Exarchon that Jumpstream found herself on is not an alternate universe but the future...
• Issue 36 indeed confirms this as it's revealed that he survived in Provoke's body.

Exarchon will eventually return and be curbstomped by Megatron showing how much stronger Megatron is

• It's probably more likely that Megatron has been "Indoctrinated" by Exarchon and doesn't know it.

Alternately, Exarchon isn't dead, and will sooner or later re-emerge to finish what he started.

Bonus points if its during the war, causing the Autobots and Decepticons to put aside their differences and bring him down for good.

Exarchon's unique abilities are the result of contact with Unicron.

A (eventually villainous) Cybertronian ending up in deep space and coming back changed for the worse? That general story beat has been done before, and usually means Unicron.

• I imagine we'll get Unicron eventually, but IDW1 didn't really get to do much with the Reapers (due to Simon Furman's plans being scrapped) or the Elder Gods (because there brought up so close to reboot time) so maybe this might be their shot at the limelight. Or the writers might be looking at someone like, say, Violenjiger from the Japanese Continuity, and see him as obscure enough that they could do whatever they want with him (that reasoning made Overlord the villain of Last Stand of the Wreckers).
• A possible clue is the title of the current arc of the book; "The Lord of Misrule." Now while this title has so far, in universe, been applied to Skywarp he is tied to Exarchon in this continuity, not to mention that the arc includes a hop into a potential future where Exarchon rules Cybertron. Misrule is a synonym of chaos, and one of Unicron's most well known nicknames? The Chaos Bringer.
• In Darkness, Once Gazed Upon: Part One in a flashback it is revealed Exarchon's spark was modified to be an infectious agent capable of taking over others, and was given weapons and technology to wage war to the entirety of Cybertron, taking into consideration other continuities, Unicron is capable of corrupting and altering sparks and even providing technology and weapons forged in his bowels, on another note in the previous IDW continuity one of Unicron's many titles was "The Enemy of Cybertron".
• Probably Jossed, War's End #2 sees Exarchon credit the "Quintessence" as being responsible for his transformation, and a flashback shows him restrained in tentacles. While it could be a Bait-and-Switch, this would imply that the Quintessons are the ones responsible for Exarchon.

The Ark is a Titan in this community.

The titans are already established as being a key part of transformer society, with Sentinel having been travelling on the Titan Lodestar, and the rise using Vigilem to collapse the teather. Furthermore, for some time now IDW have been influenced by what is currently happening with the Generations toyline. Now of yet it is not confirmed but there are strong rumors that the current line, Kingdom will include the Ark as a toy, furthermore in a piece of promotional artwork released for the Kingdom line a Titan that appears to turn into the Ark can be seen in the background.

Therefore it is possible that, when the time comes that the Ark comes in to the narrative either will either immediately be revealed as a Titan or will later be revealed as a Titan at a crucial moment, possibly either Autonomous Maximus, aka The Last Autobot, who some say the Titan in the Kingdom artwork resemble, or Omega Supreme, who turned into the spaceship used by the main group of Autobots in Transformers: Animated, in which he did spend time sticking out of a mountain, not unlike the Ark.

If so then it is possible that, like his aligned counterpart, the Nemesis would be revealed to be the alternate mode of Trypticon.

Termagax will become Galvatron and, with Cyclonus and Scourge, seek to retake the Decepticons.

Termagax won't be able to run from Megatron and his forces forever, and maybe she won't want to and try another go at retaking her old faction. In the process she's beaten but alive and, either in a fit of inspiration or rage at Megatron's actions, re-invents herself as Galavatron, the one who originally 'Galvanised' the Ascenticons.

Joining her will be her fortress who, already shown to be intelligent, will gain true sentience either through Termagax's upgrades or other means and make a body and name for itself: Scourge. Her house has already shown it's able to produce drones of incredible likeliness to Cybertronians; they will turn this into a Sweeps factory.

Cyclonus will tag alone wanting revenge on the Rise, and by extension the Decepticons, for the destruction of the Memorial Crater and won't ally with the Autobots because they released Pyra Magna from prison. He and Termagax may have history during the War of the Threefold Spark that could be explored.

Straxxus will go from Insufferable Genius to his G1 counterpart's Tin Tyrant personality thanks to the events of Escape.

Straxxus' plan to get his citizens of Darkmount aboard the Arks and leave was thrown into chaos thanks to the arrival of the Autobots, the non-combatants and organic aliens accompanying them, and the Insecticon clone swarm that arrived in pursuit. Despite launching both available Arks, one of them was destroyed by the Insecticons. That Ark also contained all the terraforming and colonisation supplies Straxxus was no doubt planning to use to set up a new home elsewhere, and also their only Energon harvester.

No doubt when he's encountered again, having to resort to cannibalizing parts of his Ark (and probably his citizens) will probably have driven Straxxus insane. I mean, using a smelting pool to melt Transformers down to build new ones is something the original Straxus did, and it's a good way to make use of limited resources...

Jumpstream's time hopping will become a recurring plot device

After Exarchon is defeated the second time and finally killed Perceptor may suggest to recreated the device and circumstances, with additional safeguards, to go forward in time again. Pyra Magna and others will likely be against it for the sake of Jumpstream's safety. But the potential information advantage it would give to the Autobots could be game changing; it already saved Cybertron by warning them of Exarchon's return.

This could start a theme of Jumpstream going to the future, finding a bad future courtesy of Decepticons or other factors and then returning in an attempt to prevent said future from happening. This could happen any number of times but the last time it happens will be on a down note. Jumpstream will jump and find a desolate Cybertron ruined by war like most continuities before the exodus to Earth. The 'bots will try as hard as they can but will eventually accept that this is one bad future they cannot avert.