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The name or term Optimus Prime refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Optimus Prime (disambiguation).


Optimus Prime is the awe inspiring, powerful and compassionate leader of the Autobot forces. Originally a working-class civilian, he was chosen by the Matrix to command the Autobots, which was merely the first of a number of burdens he would be forced to bear — another being his unintentional relocation of the Transformers' age-old conflict to Earth. He is the complete moral opposite of his mortal enemy Megatron; every casualty, human or Cybertronian, soldier or civilian, weighs heavily on his spark. He does not openly display these emotions to his fellow Autobots however, and sometimes nearly succumbs to despair. He believes that "freedom is the right of all sentient beings", and has fought for thousands of years against the bellicose Decepticons. In an attempt to bring peace to the galaxy, the Autobots require a strong, charismatic leader who can lead from the front, and by example, which are some of the most prominent characteristics of Optimus Prime. His ability to lead is a pivotal weapon in itself, so much so that it helped to turn the tide in the early years of the Great War in favor of the Autobots.

On the battlefield, there are few who can rival Optimus Prime's prowess. His ion blaster and his energon-axe are deadly weapons, though sometimes lacking when compared to others. He is easily the strongest of any Autobot his size, and what he lacks in raw firepower he easily augments with selflessness and bravery. Optimus would sacrifice his life to protect his fellow Autobots or those under his care, and has on a few occasions. His compassion for other sentient beings is his only constant weakness, and one the Decepticons have exploited time and time again... though ironically, it's also the source of his strength.

Optimus (almost always) carries within him the Matrix of Leadership.

Before being rebuilt into a Powermaster his robot mode split into three components:

  • A sentient robot module, the Brain Center.
  • A wheeled drone module known as Roller, which at least once in the Generation 1 cartoon is referred to as a separate Autobot in its own right.
  • A Combat Deck.

Although Optimus Prime can function as three independent modules, injury to any one module is felt by the other two.

"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings."
―Optimus Prime's most common bio quote


Nicknames: Autobot commander / Chief / Big Boss / Roller[1]
Pre-Prime name (cartoon): Orion Pax
Pre-Prime name (Dreamwave): Optronix
Japanese name: Convoy
Japanese name (Return of Convoy): Star Convoy
Japanese name (Combat Hero): Convoy Missile Trailer
Japanese name (Laser Rod): Battle Convoy
French-Canadian & Czech name: Optimus Primus
Greek name: Όπτιμους Πράιμ
Hebrew name: אופטימוס פריים
Hungarian name (The Movie): Optimusz Fővezér / Optimusz Prájm (pronounced: prīm)
Italian name: Commander
Portuguese name (Portugal comics): Optimus Supremo ("Optimus Supreme")
Portuguese name (Brazil cartoon): Líder Optimus ("Leader Optimus")
Portuguese name (Brazil comics): Supremus Absolutus
Russian TV dub name (6th channel): Оптимус Прайм
Serbian name: Optimus Prajm
Taiwanese name: Tīh-ghŭ (鐵牛, literally "Iron Ox" or "Iron Bull", a kind of vehicle in early days and rural area)
Chinese name (Taiwan): Jr-tsūn (至尊, "Prime")
Cantonese name: O Baak Man (柯柏文)
Chinese name (China): Qing Tian Zhu (擎天柱, "Pillar Propping the Sky")


Fiction[]

Marvel Comics continuity[]

Generation One[]

Note: Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.
Optimusprimeg1preearthmarvel2

Optimus Prime's Cybertronian truck mode, along with a Cybertronian Grumman X-29, a Cybertronian Earth motorcycle and a Cybertronian Porsche 962.

Before the Great War broke out on Cybertron, Optimus Prime was a Transformer of note, displaying his skills in the Infraformers Sharp-shooting Competition. Subsequently, when the war began, Optimus quickly made a name for himself as a combat leader. On a mission with the Triggerbots to stop Megatron from claiming the Underbase, Optimus was forced to jettison the massive databank into space to prevent anyone acquiring its power, but with this action, proved his wisdom and skill to the Autobot Council of Elders. The outbreak of the Great War saw Autobot territories falling under Decepticon dominion, one City-State at a time. The last City-State to be taken was the Autobot capital of Iacon. As Decepticons besieged Iacon, the Council of Elders prepared to surrender. Councilor Xaaron suggested that High Councilor Traachon step down and allow a military officer to assume Autobot leadership. Traachon then used his powers of veto and effectively elected himself out of office, allowing Optimus Prime to assume supreme command of the Autobots, becoming the first soldier to ever hold the mantle of Autobot leadership. And There Shall Come...A Leader!

Optimusprimeg1marvelfirst

Optimus had to go through an experimental "box with a gun on top" phase before he could commit to the truck thing.

Four million years ago, Cybertron - shaken from its orbit and drifting through space - came under threat when it floated into the path of a massive asteroid swarm that could potentially devastate the planet. Optimus led a group of his most powerful Autobot warriors on the Autobot starship, the Ark, on a mission to destroy the asteroids, and although successful, in the aftermath of this mission the Ark was attacked by Decepticons, hoping to overcome their weakened foes. Intent on keeping the secrets of the Ark's computer, Auntie, from the Decepticons, Optimus set the craft on a suicide course, crashing it into the prehistoric planet Earth. The Transformers

In 1984 A. D., a volcanic eruption reactivated Auntie, which in turn brought the Transformers back on-line. Optimus led the Autobots in their opening battles to prevent the Decepticons from plundering Earth's resources, but following their initial victory, the Autobots were all deactivated by Shockwave. The Last Stand Optimus was decapitated by Shockwave, who planned on using the energy of the Creation Matrix to give life to his evil creations. Before Shockwave could give life to his first Decepticon, Optimus managed to transfer the Matrix energy into the mind of Buster Witwicky. The Worse of Two Evils! Enough residual energy existed to allow Shockwave to bring his Constructicons to life The Next Best Thing to Being There!, but he realized something was wrong when Optimus failed to give life to his next creation, Jetfire. Deducing what had happened, Shockwave sent Jetfire (who was still little more than a drone) out to capture Buster. Brainstorm! The human turned the tables on Shockwave, however, and used the Matrix energy to turn Jetfire on Shockwave, allowing Optimus to reclaim his body and retake leadership of the Autobots, giving Jetfire life as a reward. Prime Time!

During the arrival of the Decepticons from the future, Optimus, Ratchet and Prowl were mass-displaced into Limbo. Target 2006 Upon his return, Optimus observed the records of how poorly the Autobots performed in his absence, going so far as to seek leadership from Megatron out of sheer desperation. Optimus Prime began to consider whether he was too important to the Autobots, and if they could carry on should he fall. To alleviate his doubts, he and a reluctant Wheeljack plotted to fake Optimus's death to teach the Autobots how to fend for themselves. While Optimus was setting up an imposter version of himself to leave behind destroyed for the Autobots to find, Megatron sent the Predacons to attack Optimus. Prey!

After a period of effective leadership, Optimus engaged Megatron in a video game duel for possession of a super fuel. Optimus was victorious, but Megatron implemented a cheat, allowing him to re-enter the game. Optimus was able to defeat him yet again, but in doing so, also destroyed several of the game sprites, and refused to accept his victory, as he had performed an action that compromised his beliefs about the preservation of life, which he would never have done, had the duel been real. In accordance with the rules of the game, Optimus's body exploded and he died, leaving the Autobots without a leader to fight against Megatron and his Decepticons. Afterdeath! Autobot surgeon Ratchet's subsequent efforts to restore him were unsuccessful, and his body was launched into space. Funeral for a Friend! The funeral barge eventually crashed on a giant moon where it lay for untold time. At one stage, an alien ship crashed near the barge. The dying alien reached out toward the Matrix, with the Matrix choosing to revive the being as Death Bringer. Much later, the Matrix would revive a small predatory animal which would prove instrumental to the conclusion of the Matrix Quest.

Optimus's personality had been copied onto a floppy disk by the technician running the game, Ethan Zachary, who employed him in various video game scenarios he developed. Optimus's damaged mind led him to believe that he himself was a video game character, even after he was reunited with his fellow Autobots. Pretender to the Throne! In an attempt to bring him back to life, Goldbug, Joyride, Slapdash, and Getaway took the disk to the planet Nebulos, where a new body was constructed for Optimus. They built a new body for Optimus Optimus, and even upgraded it with the ability to combine with the trailer to form a larger robot. In an effort to keep Transformers off their planet, however, the Nebulans had poisoned their fuel, and the sensation of dying convinced Optimus that he was truly alive, and not a game character. To save his life, the Nebulan scientist Hi-Q bonded with him, creating Powermaster Optimus Prime (Note: not the same character from the Japanese continuity God Ginrai). People Power!

Optimus quickly proved himself to be a fool, for he dared to ignore Rorza, the Rocket-cycle Racer from Rigel III. The Cosmic Carnival!

Powermaster Optimus and his Autobots later battled Deathbringer. Optimus Prime immediately sensed Matrix energies emanating from Death Bringer, and realized that the undead reaper was a creation of the Matrix. Although Death Bringer proved to be invulnerable, Optimus Prime was finally able to defeat it by convincing it to self-destruct in concordance with its primary function. The battle with Death Bringer alerted Optimus Prime to the fact that his old body was still out there somewhere in space, and more importantly, that the Matrix that it carried was also with it. With a war to win, the location of the Matrix was not a high priority. Deathbringer

Pmoptimusprimedeath

"I'll have a #5, medium, no cheese."
"Rarf ur rarff rarf."
"...What?"

But with the subsequent threat of Unicron looming, priorities quickly changed and Optimus began a quest to locate his old body and the physical Matrix object within it. When the Matrix was successfully reacquired, Optimus sacrificed his life one more time to destroy Unicron by plunging the Matrix into his maw. However, the Powermaster process had been working to fully bond Optimus and Hi-Q, and with Optimus now destroyed, the process completed itself in Hi-Q's body, and the two minds and souls became one. Hi-Q's biomechanical body was stripped down and reconstructed by the Last Autobot, creating a brand new Optimus Prime. End of the Road!

Marvel UK future timelines[]

In an alternate timeline, Optimus Prime still maintained his Powermaster body in 1995. When a feminist group on Earth raised complaints that all the Autobots seemed to fit male archetypes, Optimus tried to appease them in the name of public relations. Unfortunately, his "appeasement" came in the form of a powder pink token Autobot female named Arcee. That...didn't go over well. Prime's Rib!

Years later, in 2004, Optimus was back in his original Earthen appearance. While attending the grand opening of Autobot City on Earth, the Autobots came under fire from Shockwave and his Decepticons. Optimus Prime and the Autobots bravely used their bodies as shields to protect their human guests until the Decepticons were driven off. Aspects of Evil!

Earthforce[]
Note: These stories do not fit into the normal Marvel continuity. See Earthforce for details.

While dealing with the oncoming threat of Unicron, Optimus Prime came under a great deal of stress and began actively berating Grimlock and his newly reactivated Dinobots for their more brutal methods of combating the enemy. Two Steps Back! This reprimand prompted Grimlock to offer his resignation from the Autobot army. Tempers got heated, and the Autobots actually started brawling with one another in the conference room. After a few minutes of furious fighting, however, Optimus and Grimlock effectively beat some sense into each other. Optimus Prime decided to take the Ark and its crew out into space, leaving Grimlock behind to command a "Earthforce" of Autobots, dedicated to protecting the planet in his absence. Break-Away!

Optimus Prime returned briefly for an inspection after the Autobot Earthbase was completed, and the Dinobots barely managed to keep him from learning about the berserker rages which plague Slag every few million years. The 4,000,000 Year Itch! He also oversaw the reconstruction of Tracks in Wheeljack's repair bay, leaving the vain Autobot under Grimlock's command before returning to space. Makin' Tracks!

Another Time and Place[]
Note: This text story was later retconned away by the events of Generation 2.

After Klo, the Autobots returned to Cybertron in an effort to rebuild the planetary government and resources. Optimus Prime naturally took the lead in these endeavors, but matters weighed heavily on his spark. The Nucleon-soaked Hi-Q at the core of his new body was one thing, reducing Optimus to a non-transforming "Actionmaster" like many of his fellow Autobots. But more importantly, Optimus Prime feared that the newfound peace on Cybertron would not last. He desperately wanted his soldiers to stop being soldiers, yet was petrified that something might come along and disturb their inactivity. This trepidation kept Optimus from stopping Grimlock from jetting off on an ill-advised mission to Hydrus Four in search of a way to reverse the Nucleon process, and he even refused to listen to Prowl when he reported that Grimlock took off to Hydrus Four anyway. Prowl struck a chord, however, when he pointed out that if he could track Grimlock's destination, so could the Decepticons. Shamed by Prowl's rebuke, Optimus Prime soon pushed aside his recalcitrance and assembled a strike team to go after the Dinobots.

On Hydrus Four, the Autobots discovered the Decepticons had taken over the medical facility with the Nucleon supply, and taken the Dinobots hostage. It seemed Bludgeon had a plan for the Nucleon, using it to recreate Megatron himself. With a surgical strike, however, they managed to free the Dinobots and take the fight to the enemy. Optimus confronted Bludgeon himself in battle, but was saved when Grimlock suddenly charged through and struck the Decepticon leader in dino-mode. It turned out the Nucleon process could be reversed after all! After that, all Optimus and Grimlock had to do was tear apart the zombie-like, half-revived Megatron. Piece o' cake. Another Time and Place


Generation 2[]

As time passed, with the Decepticons in supposed exile, the Autobots functionally disbanded. They scattered across the galaxies, with many retiring in peace while others continued to fight for peace among other civilizations they came across. The time came when Optimus Prime was called back into the skirmish, alongside his honor guard of Kup and Hot Rod, when Grimlock and his combat unit discovered a greater Cybertronian Empire that had somehow sprouted up without their noticing it. These next generation Decepticons, led by the Liege Centuro Jhiaxus, would conquer world after world using terraforming and exo-structuring processes to remake raw materials into a new Cybertron for their use. Optimus Prime, Grimlock and their "Dirty Dozen" of Autobots began a small resistance movement against Jhiaxus and his people, but realized they were out of their depth. As the call went out to reassemble the Autobot army en masse, Optimus worried that they were still missing some greater threat -- he had begun experiencing visions of an unknown peril that was heading their way, and wasn't sure if even the united Autobots would be enough to deal with it. War Without End!

Until he could identify this secondary threat, Optimus ordered the Autobots to remain inactive at an Autobase built into a small asteroid belt. Unfortunately, Grimlock was having none of that. He grabbed a percentage of their displaced warriors who had already arrived and headed out after Jhiaxus and his flagship, Twilight. Naturally, they got in over their heads. Optimus grabbed some of his personal soldiers (Hot Rod, Kup, Prowl, Hound) and hijacked a strike ship to get close enough to Twilight for a rescue mission. Once Grimlock and his men were sent out on a prison vessel, Optimus blasted the ship just enough to cause chaos, and give Grimlock enough time to overtake the crew. Devices and Desires!

Optimusprime-g2

More apocalyptic visions than you can shake a covenant at.

Surprisingly enough, he gave Grimlock no rebuke once they met up again -- in fact, Optimus put the Dinobot commander in charge of the entire army! In order to fully understand the visions of impending doom he was receiving, Optimus Prime decided he needed to return to Cybertron itself, to help "cut through the static" that was garbling whatever message the Matrix was trying to send him. Engaging in a quasi-mystical ritual to expand his psychic boundaries, Optimus cast himself mentally back through time to witness the birth of the first Transformers, Prima, as he rose from the living structure of Cybertron itself. What he saw next, however, was astonishing -- Cybertronians birthing new Cybertronians themselves, causing living metal to burst forth from them in a bio-morphic reproduction process called "budding". Primus had apparently allowed this only up till a point, allowing the race to evolve in stages before discontinuing the ability and the memory of it from his progeny. Jhiaxus and his new Cybertronians, however, were the end result of some Decepticons somehow relearning the budding process. They were stronger, yes, and perhaps more evolved physically, but their souls, their sparks, were distilled too many times over. Optimus Prime awoke from his trance, believing he had come to understand the threat he sensed: the fractioning of his species. Little did he know that the threat was far less philosophical, and far more tangible, than he realized. The Power and the Glory

When word reached Optimus that Megatron had resurfaced on Earth, he jumped at the idea of joining forces with the original Decepticons to face off against the Cybertronian Empire. Traveling to Earth alone, Optimus approached Megatron with the intent to talk. Instead, Megatron blasted him from behind, beat him to a pulp, ionized his every circuit, and then ripped out his chest and siphoned away the power of the Matrix. So no, the talking didn't go too well. Optimus only survived due to Grimlock's talent for insubordination, as the Dinobot leader brought a massive strike team down to save their fallen leader before Megatron finished him off. Still, as the Autobots dragged Optimus away to receive repair treatment, he knew Megatron would be back -- Optimus had stuttered out enough information about "new Decepticons" to pique his old foe's interest, and once Megatron went after them and bit off more than he could chew, they'd meet again. The Gathering Darkness

In this, at least, Optimus Prime knew Megatron all too well. Only days later a heavily battered and bruised Megatron wandered into Autobase: Earth, looking for that alliance Optimus had offered. Escalation! With new allies, things were looking up for Optimus until the unthinkable happened. His visions of death and apocalypse finally came true as the Autobots came across a devastated world looking almost identical to the images he had been experiencing. Optimus now realized his visions were not metaphorical in nature, and almost drew the conclusion himself before Perceptor's science team completed their analysis of the genocide -- it was their fault. More specifically, some by-product of the Cybertronian race had been formed by the budding process which created Jhiaxus and the Cybertronian Empire, an animate entity that scoured the cosmos of its own design. Before more data and analysis could be had, however, Jhiaxus and his troops arrived on Earth seeking to end their ancestors once and for all. Swarm

Once again seeking compromise, Optimus Prime took Megatron in an attempt to reacquire the Decepticon Warworld and use it to force Jhiaxus to see reason, that they faced a common and perhaps unbeatable foe in this "Swarm". His efforts were more than a little delayed, however, by the ever-treacherous Starscream. That Decepticon schemer had sold them out to Jhiaxus in the first place, but then came aboard Warworld and merged with it and the power of the Creation Matrix Megatron had been housing there. Total War! Still, Optimus Prime managed to reach a communications console, and begged Jhiaxus for an audience to discuss the impending threat which was bearing down on them all. As badly as Optimus's last attempt to "just talk" with an enemy went, this time it went much worse, as Jhiaxus responded by ordering the orbital bombardment and destruction of the human city of San Francisco. Millions of lives wiped out in an instant. And before Optimus could even attempt to respond or try again, the Swarm itself arrived in orbit. Dark Shadows!

As bad as things were, a silver lining did develop -- Starscream proved too much of a "pedestrian villain" to actually corrupt the Matrix as had happened in the past. Instead, it was actually turning him more heroic, giving him selfless and self-sacrificing urges! Not wanting to be a hero, much less a dead hero, Starscream willingly relinquished the Matrix to Optimus Prime. In yet another effort at unity and compromise, Optimus took a skysled over to Jhiaxus's flagship, Twilight, in order to talk the Liege Centuro into working with the Autobots and Decepticons to commune with the Swarm.

Instead, Jhiaxus tore off his face.

The formerly icy Cybertronian had been driven completely off his rocker by the extended conflict with his ancestors, and was now little more than a mad dog pounding away at Optimus Prime. The brutality only ended when the Swarm entered Twilight and consumed Jhiaxus utterly. At this point, Optimus had reasoned that the Swarm was merely a void, searching for something to complete the emptiness inside it. With desperate reasoning, Optimus allowed the Swarm to assail him, hoping that he (and the Matrix inside him) would prove to BE what it was searching for. His body ravaged to the point of total discorporation, Optimus Prime still managed to make mental contact with the Swarm as it consumed him, and expose it to the will of Primus. In the end, Optimus Prime successfully purified the Swarm, and was reborn in a new, more powerful body. In the aftermath, Optimus suggested they all move on to a new era of enlightenment. A Rage in Heaven!

Fun Publications Classics comics[]

Note: The Classics comic takes place after the end of the original Marvel Comic, but in a new timeline that does not include the events of the Marvel UK-exclusive stories or Generation 2.


Classicscomicautobots

"All right, do-over. This time I'll skip the visions of doom, and you won't get yourself tangled up with Cobra. Deal?"

Optimus Prime had returned to Earth commanding Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Grimlock, Jetfire, Mirage and Rodimus (formerly Hot Rod) to counter the return of Megatron. When Transformers from another reality, Skyfall and Landquake, arrived on Earth unexpectedly, Megatron stumbled upon them, only to find himself under attack by Optimus and his Autobots. Crossing Over, Part 1 Overwhelmed, Megatron managed to escape with Landquake, while the Autobots returned to Autobot headquarters with Skyfall. Crossing Over, Part 2

Optimus Prime took his Autobots and Skyfall to South America, where the Decepticons were investigating a mysterious energy source that was similar to the radiation readings of their new dimension-traveling companions. After Optimus left Jetfire in mid-transit to help RUNT fight the Seekers, he and the remaining Autobots arrived at their destination and battled the rest of Megatron's forces on the ground. Crossing Over, Part 3

Shortly after the events of this battle, Optimus regrouped, seemingly having lost Skyfall and Cliffjumper (along with Landquake). He was pleased to be visited (seemingly very quickly, if really at all) by Ultra Magnus when their paths crossed while the latter was hunting Bug Bite. Games of Deception

American cartoon continuity[]

Voice actors: Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime, English), Laurie Faso (Orion Pax, English), Tesshō Genda (Japanese), Edgar Wald (Spanish), Francis Lax (French), Willi Röbke (German), Thomas Rau (German G2 Redub), Jan Nygren, Per Sandborgh, Peter Harryson (Swedish) Gunnar Ernblad (Swedish G2 Redub), Darcy Pedrosa (Brazilian),Costas Triantafilopoulos (Greece), Vlastimir Đuza Stojiljković (Serbia)

Madman Transformers comic[]

Madman comic PrimeHotrod

-Mentor/Student Relationship.

In 2001, Optimus Prime led the Autobot evacuation from the Decepticons' successful conquest of Cybertron, standing as the unflinching rearguard for his fleeing Autobots. Before he left, he secretly met with Ultra Magnus at the site of the future Autobot City to discuss hiding the Matrix of Leadership, against the possibility of Optimus's capture or death. Unfortunately, Soundwave had secretly recorded this clandestine meeting and moved to capture the powerful Autobot relic. To the surprise of all, the young Hot Rod managed to defeat Soundwave and secure the Matrix. When the Autobots arrived back on Earth, Optimus Prime learned of Hot Rod's deeds, and as he was handed the Matrix, a mysterious energy from the artifact passed through both Autobots. However, Optimus only cryptically stated that perhaps Hot Rod's destiny was greater than the young 'bot himself knew. Madman Transformers Comic

Japanese cartoon continuity[]

Note: The events of the American animated series occur in Japanese continuity as noted above, except that the events of Season 3, which took place in 2006 in America, were moved back to 2010, and "The Rebirth" and subsequent events do not occur. Japanese animated continuity inserts a large number of additional storylines, told through various different media, into the timeline (in particular, between Season 2 and the movie, and between the movie and Season 3), as detailed below.


Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformer manga[]

When the Decepticons turned their attention to pillaging the energies of Japan in the late 1980s, Convoy (Optimus Prime's name in the Japanese continuity) and the Cybertrons (Autobots' name in the Japanese continuity) met up with a young Japanese boy named Kenji, whose inventive mind helped them to defeat Menasor during an energy raid on Tokyo. As a token of thanks, Optimus Prime granted Kenji a special communications helmet and made him an official Autobot ally. F!SRLF #1

While showing Kenji around the Autobots' new Tokyo base, Optimus Prime lamented that he wished his "kid brother" Ultra Magnus would hurry up and arrive with his trailer upgrade. As he pondered the whereabouts of his sibling, the Decepticons attacked Yokohama. The Autobots hurried to the scene only to encounter an over-powered Megatron in his newest form: the Super Megatron Gun. The Autobots' defeat seemed assured until Magnus arrived with Optimus's trailer upgrade, the Scramble Power Buster. The Scramble Power Buster trumped the might of the Super Megatron Gun, leaving Optimus and Magnus to vanquish the Decepticon forces with their combined attack: the Double Cross Kick (basically, them jump-kicking the Decepticons in the spine at the same time). F!SRLF #4

Optimus and Magnus teamed up again to battle the Stunticons and Combaticons when the two Decepticons teams posed as Autobots and besmirched the two commanders' good names. Although Menasor and Onslaught's Decepticon Great Wheel attack proved a challenge, Optimus and Magnus's "Finish Double" attack (suspiciously similar to their Double Cross Kick) soon won the day. F!SRLF #7

Full Throttle Scramble Power![]

MegatronMangaEnergonMace1

This is why you have that axe, Optimus, remember?

After Megatron and the Decepticons threaten humanity with their latest death ray, the Omega Whip, Optimus Prime dispatched Hound and his human partners, Toru and Jenny to follow the electromagnetic trail and find the Decepticons' hidden base. Hound, Toru and Jenny were then swiftly captured.

Contemplating what to do next, Optimus reluctantly dispatched the still-wet-behind-the-ears Aerialbots to deal with the Stunticons, who were trashing a power plant. The burning justice of Superion ensured his victory.

Optimus and a small unit of Autobots then stormed the Decepticon base to rescue their friends. As Hound, Toru and Jenny destroyed the Omega Whip and escaped, Optimus and Megatron squared off yet again (with Megatron unleashing his seldom seen energon mace). Megatron quickly gained the upper hand in battle...until Metroplex and every single Autobot soldier arrived as back-up. Megatron and the Decepticons immediately fled.

Toru and Jenny celebrated their success with a public display of affection. Curious, Optimus began to ask them embarrassing questions, swatting Toru in the bottom with his mighty robot finger. Full Throttle Scramble Power!

Scramble City[]

As the 1980s rolled on, the Autobots began an initiative to construct a new battle fortress known as Scramble City. The facility to construct the fortress was concealed within a cavern and overseen by Ultra Magnus, but when it was discovered by Decepticon spy Ratbat, Megatron unleashed a horde of Decepticon combiners to destroy the project before it could be completed. Optimus Prime lead a counter-offensive of Autobot combiners to the front lines. Things looked grim, as the Decepticon combiners thrashed the Autobots. As a last resort, Ultra Magnus activated Scramble City, which transformed into its robot mode of Metroplex and arrived in time to fight off the Decepticons. However, Megatron unleashed his trump card, the Decepticon City: Trypticon. Scramble City

Note: This storyline was never concluded, as a second installment of Scramble City was never produced.


Star Gate War[]

Continued Autobot and human interaction led to a joint project to create an interstellar transport system in the late 1990s. When Starscream fused with the mechanism and attempted a coup, Optimus and Megatron were forced to team up to stop him, and went missing following the battle that ensued. Star Gate War

Note: This manga's cliffhanger was never resolved, but was retroactively exploited to insert the Robots in Disguise animated series into the Japanese Generation One continuity, by claiming that its events took place when Optimus and Megatron were absent and most of the Autobots and Decepticons were injured and off-planet.

Binaltech[]

In 2003, the Decepticons attacked the Autobots on Earth with a plague of Cosmic Rust, leaving many of them injured, and the planet's defense force significantly depleted when Megatron made his big push to fully take over Cybertron in 2004. With Optimus leading the Autobots in battling the Decepticons on their homeworld, no troops could be spared to bolster the defense of Earth, leading to the creation of new "Binaltech" bodies for various damaged Autobot warriors on the planet.

In the midst of the Binaltech conflict, the time-traveling Predacon Ravage attempted to alter history by using the Kronosphere to teleport Megatron and the Decepticon armada outside of time during a turning-point battle with Optimus and the Autobots. This left the Autobots to face the looming threat of Unicron alone, but as Optimus and Ultra Magnus coordinated a last-chance attack against the chaos bringer, Optimus dispatched Skids into the past to undo the change made to the timeline.

Although the restoration of the original timeline was accomplished, the intervention of a mysterious entity known as "the Protector" preserved the "Binal-Time" timeline as an alternate universe. Optimus was injured in the final battle with Unicron and gave the Matrix to Ultra Magnus, who used it to destroy the planet-eater, but ultimately, Optimus survived and continued to lead the Autobots.

Robot Masters[]

Also in 2004, the Scramble City project was expanded through the use of the newly-discovered element Solitarium to involve the construction of the fully-fledged Autobot City on Earth. This coincided with the opening of a dimensional fissure known as the Blasty Zone, which transported the Predacon Megatron through time to the present day. This "Beast Megatron" seized control of the Decepticons, left leaderless by the mysterious absence of Megatron, and went up against Optimus Prime and the Autobots for control of the world's solitarium, but Optimus was able to fend off the villains with the help of several Autobots and Maximals from throughout time and space who came through the Blasty Zone - Star Saber, Victory Leo, Lio Convoy and Optimus Primal. Through interaction with these heroes, Optimus gains the power of and Energon Matrix.

Beast Megatron would not relent, and eventually discovered a massive deposit of solitarium beneath New York City. The Decepticons razed the city in search of the element until Optimus and his forces arrived to save the day, this time aided by the enigmatic Autobot Reverse Convoy. Things were going smoothly until Reverse Convoy revealed himself to actually be the real Megatron, inhabiting the body of a Transformer from the planet Vehicon through use of his black hole interlink system. Now going by the name Rebirth Megatron, Optimus

s nemesis teamed with Beast Megatron to conquer their mutual foes. Optimus managed to defeat the duo by combining his power with Lio Convoy's and Optimus Primal's.

Eventually, Optimus returned all the displaced Autobots, Maximals, Decepticons and Predacons to their rightful place in time using the power of solitarium, and rid the Earth of Decepticons.

15 Go! Go! comics[]

TGGStarConvoy

"Hot Rod?! Did you shrink in the wash?"

TGGLaserPrime

"How do you think I'd look in black?"

Shortly before the Unicron War of 2005, an unknown saboteur badly damaged Teletraan I's databanks. Optimus Prime notified his Autobots of the attack and issued a command that the information be recovered as soon as possible. "Black Panther Man," stationed on the artificial Earth satellite Nana, volunteered for the important task and assigned Teletraan 15 to the case.

Teletraan 15 later traveled to the future, where Micromaster Hot Rod saved her from a Novaroid. As Dark Nova and Ultra Megatron prepared to merge, Star Convoy arrived and asked Hot Rod to aid him in the coming fight. But before they could start the battle, an interruption came from an unexpected source: Galvatron emerged from a Transwarp portal and attacked!

On another mission into the future, Teletraan 15 and her companion Steeljaw were aboard Jetfire as he was attacked by the Decepticon jets Smokescreen and Dreadwing on his way to his commander. Fortunately for them, Battle Convoy (a.k.a. Laser Optimus Prime) appeared and severed Dreadwing's wing with a single mighty slash of his sword. Teletraan 15 thought that he looked sad and wondered if he had learned his sword skills during his Kiss Player days.

Kiss Players[]

Note: Kiss Players takes place between The Transformers: The Movie and the third season of the animated series. While there is no particularly large time-gap between these stories in American animated continuity, in Japan, since the third season was moved to 2010 but the movie remained set in 2005, there was a five-year milieu that made room for plenty of new stories to be told.


Illust

Optimus is the one on the left. With the dignity.

Following Optimus Prime's death in the Battle of Autobot City, Tokyo was devastated when Galvatron crash-landed into the city after being hurled out of Unicron's body by Rodimus Prime. The death and destruction that resulted caused a massive anti-Transformer sentiment to spring up, epitomized by the formation of the government organization known as the Earth Defense Command, who forced any remaining Transformers on Earth off the planet. Dissatisfaction with the E.D.C.'s extreme actions resulted in the formation of an underground resistance group led by the young Marissa Faireborn, a girl who had been rescued from danger by Optimus Prime in 1996, with the deceased Optimus forming a rallying point for these commandos.

Marissa convoy stack

She prefers the Japanese version's longer stacks.

When Optimus's corpse was covertly flown to Japan by the E.D.C., Marissa's commandos attacked the convoy transporting the Autobot leader's body. Believing that they had secured Optimus's body, the commandos were taken by surprise and slaughtered by the Ne squad Kiss Player Ringo and her Autrooper partner, who burst out of the torso of the decoy Optimus body that had been atop the flatbed truck. As the sole surviving member of the squad, Marissa discovered that the true body was being transported within Optimus's own trailer nearby. Slicing the trailer open, she was too late to prevent an E.D.C. Autrooper from partially fusing with Optimus. Reflecting on her childhood memories of playing with the kindly Autobot leader, Marissa lovingly kissed his faceplate. In an explosion of energy that destroyed the trailer, the two fused and Optimus was reborn in a new, living body. The pair had become Kiss Players!

As fugitives from the E.D.C., Optimus and Marissa spent their days on the run and their nights hanging out at the beach. He longed for the day when he would be able to see her bathing in the sun, rather than the moonlight, although he also thought that all the soft-serve ice cream she was eating was making her a little fat. One night while Marissa was surfing, she had a squid latch onto her. Then a Legion that had infused itself with both an octopus and shipwreck attacked her. With tentacles. Optimus fought it off and saved Marissa, but the E.D.C. Autroopers were soon dispatched to the scene, and the two had to beat a hasty retreat.

PrimeKP

"And THIS is for TRAILBREAKER, who DESERVED to have GOTTEN this MOLD INSTEAD!"

Over the months that followed, Optimus and Marissa battled Legions, led Legions (due to the Galvatron-infused cells inside Optimus's new body, which sometimes overcame him with nightmares about his old enemy Megatron), fled from Hot Rod, who believed Optimus to be an impersonator of his dead commander, and both fought and fled from the E.D.C.

Finally, teaming up with Hot Rod and his Kiss Player partner Shaoshao Li (who had adored Marissa since childhood and hated Optimus for stealing her friend's affections), and the E.D.C. Kiss Player Atari Hitotonari with her Autrooper partner, Optimus and Marissa entered the secret experimental facility beneath the Tokyo headquarters of the E.D.C. and discovered the sinister truth behind the shadowy organization. Everything that had occurred was part of an attempt by E.D.C. commander Amao to resurrect her daughter, who had been killed in the 2005 catastrophe. Finding Galvatron's headless corpse imprisoned in the facility, the Kiss Players realized that the only way to repair things was to return the Unicron-created Decepticon's cells. Galvatron's body absorbed the Legions, the Autroopers, and the cells inside Optimus and Hot Rod, who were returned to their former forms... which meant that Optimus was once again dead.

Marissa did get a few chances to see her friend again - in 2007, she and her friends were transported back through time to 1984 where they witnessed Optimus's battle with Megatron atop Sherman Dam, and then later, forward in time, to 2010, where Optimus (and Goldbug) helped her once more by rescuing her and her friends from the Sharkticon pit on Quintessa.

The Headmasters cartoon[]

At an unknown time, Optimus had an Autobot called Pointblank under his command but Blank went rogue and Optimus expelled him from his squad. Duel on the Asteroid

One year after Optimus's resurrection, in 2011, the Autobots had entered into an even closer relationship with Earth and began the colonization of other worlds, the first of which was the planet Athenia, where Optimus Prime was stationed. It soon became apparent, however, that when Optimus had released the energy of the Matrix to cure the Hate Plague, the consequences were more far-reaching than he had anticipated - without the energy of the Matrix to act as a balancing factor, Vector Sigma had become destabilized, and the Decepticons suddenly returned to exploit this, assaulting Cybertron in order to seize control of the mega-computer. Four Warriors Come Out Of The Sky

Optimus took a squad of troops to aid in the battle on the planet, and when the arrival of the Autobot Headmasters tipped the battle in their favor, Optimus broke off from the main attack and headed down into the depths of the planet, planning on stabilizing Vector Sigma at any cost. The Mystery of Planet Master

Guided through the dangers of the planet's catacombs by the spirit of Alpha Trion while the other Autobots searched for the Matrix on Earth, Optimus eventually arrived at the computer, only to find his way barred by Cyclonus and Scourge. Hot Rod then arrived with the Matrix, with which Alpha Trion merged, re-energizing it and transforming Hot Rod back into Rodimus Prime; for the first time, the two Primes fought side-by-side and defeated Galvatron. Before Rodimus could implement the Matrix to stabilize Vector Sigma, however, Optimus Prime sacrificed himself to perform the task, merging with the computer and restoring its balance to save the planet. A Dream is Born, Double Prime

The Battlestars[]

Starconvoy magami

"Occasionally you meet a nice one—Star Convoy, E.T. ... but usually they just turn out to be some kind of big lizard!"

In a sinister plot to destroy the Autobots, Dark Nova duplicated Optimus Prime's sparkless body to create the evil False Convoy. False Convoy battled the Autobots but was defeated. Optimus Prime's body was retrieved from Planet Lucifer and brought back online and upgraded into Star Convoy. He was then reunited with Hot Rod, who became his Micromaster partner.

With the likes of Sky Garry, Grandus and Sixliner, Star Convoy formed the Battlestars and did battle with the Decepticons and Dark Nova's horde of Great Galaman drone warriors. Getting nowhere fast, Dark Nova then resurrected Galvatron (last seen buried in ice) as Super Megatron to counter Star Convoy. This didn't work all that well, and after defeating Super Megatron with the Triple Combination Battlestar Attack, his foe was resurrected again by Dark Nova as Ultra Megatron. After disposing of him yet again, Dark Nova merged with Ultra Megatron into Star Giant.

Star Giant proved to be virtually indestructible from the outside until Star Convoy got the bright idea of giving the villain the worst case of indigestion he'd ever had. Holding Star Giant's massive mouth open, he ordered Sky Garry and Grandus to move in. After all three were swallowed, they began taking Star Giant down from the inside while simultaneously fighting off his various defensive systems. As soon as the trio escaped from Star Giant's interior, the monster exploded, leaving only his head slightly intact. As it happens, Megatron was housed inside Star Giant's noggin and survived the attack.

Nucleon Quest Convoy bio[]

Following the defeat of Star Giant, the restoration of Cybertron (following its devastation in 2011) began, but the planet was in the throes of a chronic energy shortage. In order to re-energize the struggling planet, Optimus Prime upgraded himself into a Powermaster by fusing with the Nebulan scientist Hi-Q. Protecting his body with a Phase Modulation Shield, Optimus ventured into a black hole to obtain the super-energy Nucleon, which was used to restore Cybertron to its former glory.

Generation 2 story pages and mini-comics[]

G2PrimeJustice

Sith Lord Optimus Prime.

With Cybertron restored, Optimus Prime upgraded himself into a new Action Master body. Megatron eventually recovered from his defeat and turned over a new leaf, joining with Optimus to form the Cybertron Alliance. Things were good for a little while, as Megatron's attempts at peace were genuinely sincere, and the alliance ushered in what would be called the Second Generation of the Transformers. However, after human soldiers killed one of his dearest comrades, Megatron adopted a new body and started the war anew.

To counter Megatron, Optimus Prime upgraded his body into a new Missile Trailer mode. Rallying a new wave of Autobot warriors, Optimus diligently repelled Megatron and the Decepticons. Megatron eventually wore Optimus down in battle, though, blowing him away with a barrage of devastating attacks. Megatron finally succeeded in delivering a fatal blow to Optimus, shooting him at point blank with his cannon. Optimus would have been done for, except that the sparks of the previous Autobot Supreme Commanders within the Matrix of Leadership activated the Reconfiguration Matrix to forge him a new body. Optimus Prime became Battle Convoy and easily trumped Megatron's power. After a lengthy and costly war, Battle Convoy managed to drive the Decepticon forces to retreat into deep space. Optimus was last seen wounded, being aided off the battlefield by his fellow Autobots.

E-Hobby Generation 2 storyline[]

When the universe came under threat from an alternate-reality incarnation of Galvatron, Optimus used his Reconfiguration Matrix to once again transform his body into a form resembling his original. Armed with powerful solar-powered missile launchers created by the Decepticons that were so energy-consumptive that Optimus required a sunlight-absorbing black body coating to operate them at full power, Optimus put his new body to use rescuing Laser Ultra Magnus from Galvatron's clutches.

Generation 2 manga[]

G2Hero

GAH, HE'S LOOKING AT ME!

In the year 199X, the Decepticons had learned of a powerful new energy source known as forestonite which just happened to be located (surprise surprise) on Earth. Megatron sent his trio of Cyberjets to Earth first to draw out the enemy Autobots. The Cyberjets made quick work of Electro but were soon halted by the appearance of Optimus Prime.

Megatron then entered the fray and fired his Black Hole Burn attack from his fusion cannon, narrowly missing Optimus Prime but vaporizing Hooligan in the process. Optimus fought fiercely but Megatron began to take the upper-hand in battle.

However, Optimus was encouraged to keep fighting by the cheers of a human boy named Junpei. Megatron, surprised at Optimus's resilience, attempted to finish his foe off with his Tornado Axe attack. Optimus countered with his Double Wheel-Torque Mega-Ton, which trumped Megatron's attack and injured the Decepticon badly. Megatron teleported back to his ship and left Earth's atmosphere, vowing to return with an even longer named attack.

Optimus Prime addressed Junpei, asking if the boy was injured. Junpei revealed he was alright but presented concern about the Decepticons returning to Earth. Optimus Prime swore that the Autobots would remain on Earth until the threat of the Decepticons was finished and asked for Junpei's help in making that future a reality. The Earth is in Danger!

Beast Era[]

Beast Wars[]

G1Prime BWMegs

Why the heck a lightsaber? Just use teeth or something!

Optimus Prime (Beast Wars)

The Beast Wars raged on prehistoric Earth, eventually leading to the discovery of the buried Ark sometime after its crash on prehistoric Earth. Megatron, following his namesake's instructions in a desperate gambit, decided to attempt to change history by killing Optimus Prime, who was still lying in the Ark in stasis lock. Megatron hoped that this would result in the Decepticons winning the Great War and eventually Predacon control of Cybertron. Megatron unleashed a full-power weapon blast at Optimus Prime's face, near-fatally injuring him. The Agenda (Part III) However, Optimus Primal proceeded to take Optimus Prime's spark into his body to protect it from surgical trauma while his injuries were repaired. The subsequent power increase caused by Optimus Prime's spark's connection to the Matrix mutated Primal into a large, Transmetal "Optimal Optimus" form. Then, with the repairs complete, Optimus Prime's spark was restored, and he briefly activated before sinking back into normal stasis. Optimal Situation

Sometime after the Autobots and Decepticons awoke in the 1980s, the original Megatron gained access to one of Earth's Voyager spacecraft and inscribed a message on the disk on board. In the event that he lost the War, Megatron left instructions for the descendants of the Decepticons to use Transwarp technology to travel to Prehistoric Earth, locate the Ark, and change history by killing Optimus Prime. The Agenda (Part 2)

Beast Wars Metals manga[]

CheetasManga1

Cheetor, it is Optimus's Spark, not a toy.

Optimus Prime was blasted into pieces by Transmetal 2 Megatron. Fortunately, his Spark remain perfectly intact — in the remains of his Matrix-shaped Spark Chamber. Megatron was going to destroy Optimus's Spark, but Cheetor (in his Transmetal body) saved it. Optimus Prime's Spark was eventually swallowed by Optimus Primal, who was upgraded into Optimal Optimus by doing so.

After Megatron was killed by Optimal Optimus, Primal and his crew said it would be troublesome to fix Optimus Prime's body.

Beast Machines[]

Voice actor: Gary Chalk (English), Tilo Schmitz (German)

An enormous statue of Optimus Prime, bearing two Golden Disks, could be seen on Cybertron in front of the Hall of Archives. The statue was subsequently blown to pieces by the Vehicon forces. Fires of the Past Later, Megatron beamed a hologram of Optimus Prime down to the ruins of Iacon to confront Optimus Primal. Primal mistook the hologram for the real thing and shared with it the code for the Oracle. Megatron quickly revealed his ruse. Primal explained to his Maximals that he knew the image was fake, but he needed the location of the missing sparks from Megatron's mind. Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search


Note: Writer Bob Skir claims that neither the statue nor the golden disks in its hands were mentioned in the script. However, he suggested that they were either the disks from the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes, or that Optimus won them in the 2,395,989th Annual Cybertronian spelling bee.[2] We're betting on the latter.

Universe: Primeval Dawn[]

Sparkholderprimevaldawn

"Oh, I also have this in me now, too."

The Vok took the Matrix of Leadership from an unconscious Optimus Prime, used it to create Primal Prime, then gave the Matrix to their new creation.


Note: In the Beast Wars cartoon, Optimus's spark was shown to be contained in a Matrix-like vessel. In Primeval Dawn, that vessel was shown to be merely a container for his spark, and the actual Matrix was hidden underneath.

Kid Stuff Talking Story Books[]

Voice actor: Unknown

Optimus Prime is a "metallic nemesis." Megatron said so.

Big Looker Story Books[]

KidsPrime1

And the fluffy kitten played with that yarn all gosh-darn night.

A 2-part race was being held with a massive supply of oil and gasoline as the prize. The Decepticons wanted it badly, but so did the Autobots. Megatron entered the race by hiding himself inside a hollowed-out car, but ended up losing to Cliffjumper after Optimus Prime ripped out a telegraph pole and hit Megatron for a home run. Optimus Prime celebrated the Minibot's victory with a big smile as all the Decepticons starved to death. The Great Car Rally

Dreamwave comics continuity[]

Optronix optimus

What? OPTRONIX is evolving!

Optimus Prime started life as Optronix (Orion to his friends[3]), a data archivist. After taking note of a battle in which the Autobot leader Sentinel Prime had been defeated by Megatron, he was summoned to the council of elders and informed that the Matrix had chosen him to be the next leader of the Autobots. He received the Matrix of Leadership shortly thereafter, gaining a powerful new body in the process, and almost arranged for the Autobot evacuation of Cybertron, intending to leave the Decepticons to their own devices, until a battle with Megatron beneath the planet's surface, accompanied by visions from the Matrix, stirred him on to fight for the safety of his homeworld. Some time into his role as leader, Optimus disappeared in a space bridge explosion along with Megatron, but returned some time later, having spent a period of time on Quintessa. The War Within

Following the awakening of the Transformers on Earth, the Autobots protected the planet from the Decepticons. Over the next fifteen years, the Autobots befriended the humans, particularly the Witwicky family. The Autobots finally allied with humankind and eventually defeated the Decepticons at the turn of the century. They planned to return to Cybertron aboard the newly constructed Ark II, along with seven humans, including Witwicky patriarch Sparkplug. Before the ship departed, Optimus gave a piece of the Matrix to Spike Witwicky, Sparkplug's son and Bumblebee's closest human friend. But the ship was destroyed as part of a military conspiracy to take control of the Transformers. However, a terrorist organization run by the enigmatic Lazarus was able to seize control of several of the Transformers that fell back to Earth, while the U.S. military located Optimus's body. Spike was forced by the product chief, General Robert Hallo, to use the piece of the Matrix to reactivate Optimus. Functional again, Optimus used the Matrix to reactivate more of his fallen comrades, and then faced off against Megatron in San Francisco. Prime Directive

Following this, Optimus began to experience subconscious urgings, leading both the Autobots and the Decepticons to the Arctic Circle, where Shockwave arrived to greet them - and arrest them as war criminals. Shockwave had succeeded in ending the war on Cybertron, but Optimus soon fell in with a rebel Autobot group that had discovered Shockwave had a greater agenda. Rallying Autobots across Cybertron to the cause, Optimus faced Shockwave in battle but was defeated and had the Matrix ripped from him and used to activate Vector Sigma. Before Shockwave could make full use of the mega-computer's data, however, Ultra Magnus arrived and bested him. The injuries Optimus took in this conflict necessitated a prolonged restoration period in stasis... War and Peace

Note: ...which turned out to be the remainder of Dreamwave's existence. Bummer.

Devil's Due G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers comics continuity[]

GIJoevsTFcobraprime

Several Autobots and Decepticons, including Optimus Prime, were reformatted into will-less war machines under the control of Cobra. During an initial attack on a human peace conference, Cobra's remote control of Optimus mysteriously failed. Later at Cobra's island headquarters in the Caribbean, Cobra scientists pulled Optimus apart to find out what was impeding their commands. As this analysis took place, Optimus reverse hacked into Cobra computers until they shut him down in a panic. Despite this, Optimus sent a viral message out to hundreds of email addresses that included the coordinates of Cobra's base. The message was intercepted by G.I. Joe who teamed up with Wheeljack and Bumblebee.

After Wheeljack broke the remote control over the Transformers, Optimus went after Cobra Commander. More than a bit frightened of a giant robot gunning for him, the human released Megatron, who was trapped in gun model. Megatron transformed and fought Optimus to a standstill until other Autobots came to back him up.

Although he was weak and low on energon, Optimus made a last-ditch effort to save the day when he rammed through the wall of Megatron's energon-producing lab. After a quick recharge, Optimus single-handedly smashed the Decepticons, pounded Megatron to the ground, and ripped his fusion cannon off his arm. Optimus then teamed up with the Joes and used Megatron's cannon to shoot down the SPS satellite that had gone rogue and was destroying the island.

With the battle over, Optimus and the Autobots boarded a new Ark ship built by G.I. Joe and returned to Cybertron. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers

GIJoevstfIIprime1930s

On a Cybertron dominated by Shockwave and the Decepticons, Optimus Prime and the Autobots took on the roles of resistance fighters. Cobra experimentation transported a contingent of Cobras and G.I. Joes to Cybertron and destabilized Teletran 3. The computer then sent several Transformers to Earth across different time periods. A team made up of Joes and Cobra agents were sent back and found Optimus Prime and the Stunticons in 1930s-era Chicago, disguised as period cars and trucks. The Stunticons chased Optimus and the Joes around the city until everything was wrapped up with bullets, a collapsed bridge and some dynamite.

After the Transformers and humans were returned to present-day Cybertron and the Decepticons were vanquished by the recently-arrived Dinobots, Optimus made an agreement with the Joes to destroy the technology that started the whole mess in order to protect Earth. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II

On Cybertron, Optimus kicked back to do a little bit of paperwork and reminisce. With Shockwave defeated, Cybertron was enjoying a new era of peace. He was interrupted by Hot Rod, who reported that a group of “pesky humans with their peashooters” were giving an Autobot team on Earth a hard time. Optimus suspected Cobra’s involvement and counseled Hot Rod not to be so dismissive of the humans.

Later, at a peace celebration, Optimus was watching a procession of Autobots when Decepticons attacked. Optimus ordered Omega Supreme into action but the huge Autobot was quickly overcome by Menasor, Piranacon and Predaking. Optimus hopped into the fray, saved a female Autobot from getting smushed by the falling Omega, rode a flying Decepticon into Piranacon’s face, smashed another Decepticon into the ground, and carried a wounded Autobot out of danger.

Primevsserpentor

Menasor cut off Optimus’s escape and confronted him with a hologram of Serpent O.R. The new Decepticon leader carried Megatron’s memories and information downloaded from Soundwave, from which he learned of the Matrix of Leadership. Serpent O.R. offered Optimus a trade: hostages and peace if he handed over the Matrix. Optimus agreed.

In his stronghold, Serpent O.R. questioned Optimus about his own worthiness to carry the Matrix, but Optimus broke free of his chains and aggressively ordered him to surrender. A group of Decepticons broke in and nearly took Optimus apart, but not before Serpent O.R. took the Matrix for himself and changed into the massive Serpentor Prime. The Matrix showed Serpentor Prime the error of his ways but as he was about to commit suicide Cobra Commander tripped a device and took over Serpentor Prime’s body. Moments before he crushed Arcee, a severely damaged Optimus Prime threw Hawk toward the Matrix but warned the human not to touch the artifact. Hawk did so anyway and through a quasi-mystical transfer of power Serpentor Prime was vanquished.

Later repaired by a female nursebot, Optimus went back to finishing his paperwork. A leader’s job is never done. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers: The Art of War

Sensing a new, yet old, danger to planet Earth, Optimus elected to send himself to earth on an investigation, and gave Hot Rod a glare when the young Autobot accused his leader of taking an unnecessary risk to atone for the death of a close friend.

Optimus Prime landed in the Himalayan Mountains with G.I. Joes Flint and Hawk. As they searched the area, the trio was attacked by Bludgeon in his Pretender shell. Optimus whacked him with his energon ax and in return Bludgeon bearhugged him and coated him in metal-eating slime. Hawk, still carrying power from the Matrix, helped Optimus break free. Optimus then shot his way into the hidden kingdom of Cobra-La.

While they wandered through the tunnels, the Joes and Optimus found cave paintings that described the last visit to Earth by the planet-eating god Unicron. They were attacked again by Bludgeon and Cobra-La minions, but were led away by a ragged Joe Colton, prisoner of Cobra-La for the last 25 years. Bludgeon managed to find them again and during a second battle Optimus tore open the Pretender's shell, revealing Bludgeon's robot form inside. Bludgeon tripped and dangled dangerously over a chasm, but rather than let Optimus Prime save him, Bludgeon forced Optimus to drop him to his death laughing all the way down.

PrimeCobraLa

The Joes discovered a cavern where the people of Cobra-La were growing metal-eating spores as a last defense against Unicron. Flint and Cosmos took a load of the spores into space just as Unicron appeared in Earth orbit. Optimus, Hawk and Colton headed deeper into Cobra-La to rescue Firewall and kick butt. Optimus was tackled and pinned by a giant bug creature, but made a dramatic recovery and tossed the bug aside. He then took the machine-hating Cobra-La leader Golobulus to task with a single punch. Flint and Cosmos released the spores, which devoured Unicron from the inside and defeated the giant Transformer before he could harm Earth.

With the threat of Unicron gone, Optimus relaxed with Eject and Firewall by watching some reality TV, and sighed at the banality. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers: Black Horizon

IDW comics continuity[]

This section covers fiction that is ongoing. It will be added to as the story progresses. If it isn't current, you can help by updating it.
Note: Megatron Origin depicted that before the war, a robot that's a hybrid of the "Orion Pax" and "Optronix" designs appears listening to Sentinel Prime's speech at the funeral of Bumper and Fastback. He is standing with Elita One, Alpha Trion, and a white version of himself (presumably Ultra Magnus, possibly even Dion). Whether this is truly the IDW continuity's version of pre-Prime Optimus or not remains unrevealed.


IDWOptimus

Freedom is the right of all sentient and heavily-armed beings.

An Orion Pax/Optronix-appearance Optimus is fighting a small Decepticon group, trying to get word to Zeta Prime. He meets Blurr, and gives him a pep-talk, taking the speedster out of his denial and resulting in his joining of the Autobot cause. Spotlight: Blurr Optimus does not have a faceplate - these faceplates probably seem to be a sign of Prime status, because Sentinel Prime and Nova Prime both have them.

Optimus Prime commands the Autobot armed forces spread across the galaxy from the Autobot Orbital Command Hub. He was directly involved in the cataclysm (just under 450 years ago) that reduced Cybertron to a dead husk, fighting alongside Megatron in an attempt to stop Thunderwing's rampage. Their efforts were futile, and they only survived due to Cybertron itself swallowing Thunderwing at Thunderhead Pass. Megatron was unconvinced that Thunderwing was dead, and advocated that Cybertron be destroyed to better insure that the mad Decepticon was forever destroyed. Optimus refused, and threatened to stop any effort that Megatron attempted. Megatron agreed to spare the planet, but warned Optimus that anything which happened afterward was on his head.

In the present, Optimus received a pulsewave from Ironhide, who was stationed under Prowl's team on Earth, saying that the Decepticon infiltration cell under Starscream had broken their infiltration methods and enacted siege mode prematurely. Soon afterward, the Autobot science vessel Calabi-Yau sent a distress signal from above Thunderhead Pass, and he ordered the Wreckers to withdraw from Varas Centralus and meet him on Cybertron. Stormbringer issue 2 Thunderwing had been restored by Bludgeon and his followers, and though the Wreckers made short work of them, the real fight would be met with Thunderwing. After the Wreckers, Predacons and Centurion drones were unable to destroy the monster, Optimus took to the field, firing massive amounts of energy at Thunderwing, forcing it to exhaust its last reserves of Ultra-Energon and, ultimately, its life. Stormbringer issue 4

IDWPrime Earth

Jetfire discovered information in Bludgeon's files about the mysterious new form of Energon found on Earth. Linking it to the pulsewave transmission from Ironhide, Optimus diverted his spacecraft to Earth and called Nightbeat in to assist him. Spotlight: Nightbeat. Shortly after arrival, and having undergone alteration so that he could disguise himself as an Earth truck, he slowly began to realize how unusual the situation Prowl's unit had found itself in was. Infiltration issue 6 Not only had the Decepticons broken their own infiltration protocols over what Starscream had dubbed Ore-13, but after attempting to recover what appeared to be Sunstreaker's remains, it was also evident that some of the planet's native sentient lifeforms—humans—posed a threat possibly equal to that of their old enemies. Escalation issue 2

Optimus Prime, now fully filled-in on Earth's happenings, decided that they needed reinforcements. He called Nightbeat, Hot Rod, and Hardhead to come when they could. When Prowl pointed out that Megatron, in his new gun-based Earth mode, was in the breakaway Soviet state of Brasnya stirring up trouble, Optimus ordered them into action.

Blitzwing almost got the drop on Optimus, but Roller was right behind him and took out Blitzwing with a single shot. Megatron returned to his full-size robot mode and disagreed with the quality of Optimus's tea and crumpets. At last, the two rivals were going to go at it.

Escalation5 Primedies enlightning

The fight went well at first, with Optimus blowing Megatron's fusion cannon clean off. Megatron, however, tireless thanks to Ore-13, prevailed, almost beating Optimus into stasis lock. Escalation issue 5

However, Optimus transferred his consciousness into his trailer, leading Megatron to believe him dead. Realizing that Ore-13 was the same as Ultra-Energon, Optimus returned to his body in time to save his forces from the relentless Megatron, blasting him point blank in the face and dealing enough damage to the Decepticon leader to drain his power reserves, just as he did against Thunderwing. The victory was narrow, however, leaving Optimus with the daunting task of fending off an increasing enemy force without his last ace in the hole. Escalation issue 6

This near-death experience had left Optimus somewhat unsettled. While his consciousness was in infraspace downloading to his trailer, he sensed a presence of dread—the visage of his long-missing predecessor, Nova Prime. Looking for answers, Optimus Prime left Earth temporarily to seek an audience with Omega Supreme for answers. Once there, he found out about Nova's beliefs of how Transformers were a superior race and should remake the universe in their image, and faced down the rampaging Monstructor, a legacy of Nova's tenure locked away by Omega Supreme. Then he gave his "you shouldn't have done that" speech to Omega, handed Monstructor's limbs over to Jetfire's team, and went on to do what comic G1 Primes do best: have angst-ridden introspection about himself and the tarnished legacy of the Prime lineage. Spotlight: Optimus Prime

After returning to Earth, Nightbeat discovered that a human group was aware of the base's location and recommended to Optimus that they move the Ark-19. As preparations were underway, Optimus received a message from Hound saying that Thunderwing had been stolen. Sideswipe, eager to search for Sunstreaker, suggested that they be reassigned to Earth, and Optimus agreed. However, the thrashing that Optimus gave Megatron had so embarrassed the Decepticon leader that he ordered in the Decepticons' living weapon, Sixshot. While moving the Ark-19, Optimus and the others came under fire by Sixshot, who severely damaged their ship. Devastation issue 1

Devastation4 PrimeSixshot hyperbole

Ordering Ratchet to get Jimmy Pink and Verity Carlo to safety, Optimus then instructed Nightbeat to upload all of Ark-19's data to Ark-32 and for Prowl to activate the self-destruct sequence. Devastation issue 2 When Ark-19 exploded, it was assumed that Optimus was on board, but all was good at the end when he appeared with Bumblebee and the others—ready to take on Sixshot. Devastation issue 3 Optimus and the Autobots held Sixshot at bay, but the U.S. military ordered an air strike to destroy the alien robots. The battle was a stalemate, as Sixshot had to return to the Decepticons while the Autobots orbital jumped just in time to avoid destruction. Devastation issue 4 On Ark-32, after a conversation with Jetfire, Optimus informed Prowl that they needed to retrieve Wheeljack, Hot Rod and Ironhide, and leave Earth to see to another crisis. The secure facility on Garrus-9 had been breached, and Optimus and company needed to make sure that some of the "recent inmates" there didn't end up "in enemy hands." Devastation issue 5 Before leaving Earth, Optimus Prime redirected Hound's unit to rendezvous with Ark-32 at Garrus-9, and told Hound to impress upon Sideswipe the importance of their mission and how he didn't leave Earth or Sunstreaker behind lightly. Devastation issue 6

Optimus Prime and Prowl met with Fortress Maximus and Jetfire on Garrus-9 and discussed the prisoners' breakout, and that a surviving Decepticon had been tortured. Maximus and Jetfire gave each other a guilty glance. Optimus left Maximus in charge and returned with Prowl to the Ark-32. Meanwhile, Dead Universe resident Cyclonus attacked Hound's crew, but they received help from Ultra Magnus and drove Cyclonus to escape to Corata-Vaz. There, he activated the Nega-Core and fought with Magnus and Hound's crew, whom had followed him. In desperation, Cyclonus activated the Nega-Core's guardian — Thunderwing. Using the distraction, Cyclonus escaped but Magnus sent another tracker after him. All this was reported to Optimus Prime on the Ark-32, who recognized that this had something to do with his infraspace encounter in Brasnya. Optimus ordered Jetfire to summon the Wreckers to find out what Thunderwing is guarding. Spotlight: Cyclonus

DarknessPrimes

Think he can go one series without having a near death experience?

The prison soon came under attack from Nova Prime. Rather then watch his soldiers get slaughtered by the undead monster, Optimus ordered a retreat and faced Nova alone. Announcing his new title of Nemesis Prime, Optimus' predecessor explained the nature of The Darkness before unleashing a portion on the Autobot leader. Shattered, Optimus collapsed onto his hands and knees as Nemesis loomed. Spotlight: Doubledealer

AHMPrimecritical

At some point in the next year, Optimus and Megatron would face off on Earth. Optimus would be left in a critical condition after the battle, and the Autobots would be forced to leave Earth to the Decepticons. All Hail Megatron issue 1

IDW Hearts of Steel continuity[]

He appears very briefly in the first few pages, in his "Ice Age Wars" body (we only see him in robot mode, but his altmode is a brachiosaurus[4]). Hearts of Steel issue 1 He spends most of the story in stasis lock.

IDW Hearts of Steel Concept Art micro-continuity[]

Opthos

Optimus is depicted as turning into the front half of a fanciful red-and-blue locomotive. The rear half of the locomotive turns into a battle station. Since this altmode has no place in the story, these sketches constitute a micro-continuity in which Optimus Prime and Megatron are active in the late 19th century.

Energon Universe[]

Optimus fought in the war against the Decepticons and their leader Megatron, until him and his Autobots escaped through the Ark. Transformers #2 However, the decepticons followed them and caused the ark to crash, in the ensuing crash the last thing Optimus saw before going into Stasis lock lock was the planet Earth as Megatron choked him out. Transformers #2 Optimus and his comrades were eventually awoken via another of their allies Jetfire collecting enough Energon to revive them with, Optimus upon waking up saw Starscream attempting to kill his comrades and scolding the Seeker for killing downed bots. Transformers #1 While fighting Starscream with the help of Ratchet, Optimus noticed 2 small humans in the form of Spike Witwicky and Carly, Spike reluctantly with the help of his girlfriend Carly decided to help Optimus stop Starscream by pushing his Ion blaster towards him allowing Optimus to shoot and incapacitate Ravage who was released by a recently revived Soundwave. Transformers #1

Optimus reluctantly (to prevent the decepticons from using him for their own selfish means) shot Teletraan I before escaping with Spike and Carly. Starscream angered ordered the decepticons to follow after him but Jetfire interrupted and with the decepticons already not having much energon left retreated. Transformers #1 Meanwhile, Spike and Carly took Optimus and the others autobots to an abandoned mine, there a dying Jetfire apologized to Optimus, Optimus considered using the Matrix of Leadership to revive him but was advised not to do so by Ratchet as it could drain all his energon. Transformers #1

Later, Optimus would explore this new world and be amazed by it until he accidentally killed a deer by stepping on it in the process, this left Optimus feeling immensely guilty. Transformers #2 Spike told Optimus not to worry and the 2 told them the tales of their world, Optimus told Spike how his world was very different from Optimus' and how he had been named Optimus through tradition via the Matrix. Transformers #2 A recently revived Cliffjumper then freaked out upon meeting Spike and Carly causing an annoyed Carly to scold him for acting like they could cause any harm to him. Transformers #2 Suddenly the decepticons were spotted attacking somewhere nearby causing Optimus to run off to go stop them. Transformers #2

Notes[]

  • According to Bob Budiansky, longtime comics writer Denny O'Neil named Optimus Prime prior to Budiansky being brought on to the Transformers project.
  • According to the staff of Beast Wars, Optimus Prime became a space explorer in the Beast Era.[5]
  • Optimus Prime will be the grounder of the decepticons.


Optimusprime-mom
  • By the time Optimus Prime appeared in Beast Machines, his 3D model from Beast Wars had apparently been lost, leading the animators to use a faceplated Optimus Primal head as a quick replacement to save time and budget.
  • Aside from occasionally having Alpha Trion as a father figure, Optimus Prime may have a mother! In an advertisement for Pepsi Convoy that shows him in a refrigerator (along with Destron Pizza), a note attached to a nearby piece of Tupperware reads:
Dear Convoy
Warm it before you eat
Mom
Although the ad itself is for Pepsi Convoy, he is a separate character, and it can be assumed that the note was left for Convoy/Optimus Prime himself.
  • "Prime" is not his actual name, but his title, much like a general or a captain. There are many Primes in the history of the Autobots (i.e. Rodimus Prime).
  • The first wave of Dreamwave posters in 2001 identified Optimus Prime as "Captimus Primus", which is tantalizingly close to making some sort of sense.
  • Optimus Prime's Japanese name is "Convoy", which is named after his original name "Battle Convoy" in the Diaclone toyline, because the name "Optimus Prime" is difficult for Japanese kids to remember and pronounce. [6]
  • He is available in a download pack for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen game. His primary weapon is an energy beam machine gun. His secondary weapon is a charged energy ball. His vehicle mode weapon are twin slow-rate machine guns. His vehicle mode is his standard flat-nose truck. His special ability coats his in gold, absorbs damage, and increases melee damage.
Assassinscreed-optimusprime
  • In the game Assassin's Creed, a window that resembles Optimus's vehicle mode is seen on buildings in multiple places.
  • In a MAD episode, Optimus Prime is spoofed as advertising a barbeque grill called The Transformin' Grill. He resembles his Generation One self, but is incorrectly said to be in the live-action films. He even said the phrase, "fate has yielded its own reward" in this episode. Megatron, Soundwave, and Jazz also appear in the episode.
  • "Orion Pax" is Latin for "Peace Hunter". Again, it's very descriptive.
  • Optimus Prime's original toy was released, a lot.
SeveralG1Convoy

External links[]


Footnotes[]

  1. Nicknames found in early Universe-style profiles published in The Transformers Comics Magazine.
  2. Q&A from Bigbot's "bobskir.com"
  3. The Keepers Trilogy novels set in Dreamwave continuity
  4. Allspark forums post by Guido Guidi, August 15th, 2006
  5. Beast Wars Universe ISBN 978-4766938005
  6. Figure-Oh No. 114
  7. Idea: Holomatter Projection

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