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Optimus Prime (Movie)

2010-03-10T17:35:03Z

204.109.64.2: /* Notes */

{{factions|autobotfilm|{{factions/icons|custom=Cyberglyphics Prime Symbol.png|cLink=Dynasty of Primes|cPretty=Prime}}|NEST}}
{{disambig3|Optimus Prime}}

:''Optimus Prime is the [[Autobot]] leader from the [[Live-action film series|live-action film]] [[Continuity family|continuity family]]. He has [[Transformers: Rise of the Chevy Autobots|sometimes]] used the codename '''10-22'''.''

[[Image:Movieprime meettheautobots.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Hello, pretty bird. GIVE ME YOUR FACE.]]

'''Optimus Prime''' is the leader of the [[Autobot]]s. Long ago, he was the humble leader of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s science division, which studied the [[AllSpark (Movie)|AllSpark]], and were protected by [[Lord High Protector]] [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'s military. When Megatron was corrupted by [[The Fallen]], Optimus discovered that he was the last of the [[Dynasty of Primes]], hidden away when The Fallen destroyed their lineage. In response to Megatron's attempts to seize the AllSpark and conquer other worlds, Optimus assumed his proper [[Prime (rank)|title]] and rallied the Autobots to stand against the [[Decepticon]]s.

As obsessively as Megatron strives to achieve his objective, Optimus is equally as dedicated to stopping him, even at the cost of his life, his world, and—if necessary—his own people. It was on his order that the AllSpark was jettisoned into space, dooming Cybertron to a slow death and his people to a nomadic life. The sacrifices he has made weigh heavily on his [[spark]], but they must be done, for there is no other choice. He knows the ambitions that lurk in Megatron's spark, and they must never see the light of day. Lives must be kept free from the threat of Megatron's tyranny, no matter the cost.

{{bigquote|Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing.|Optimus Prime reflecting on his past|''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''}}

:''Hungarian name'': '''Optimusz Fővezér''' ("Prime Leader Optimus")
:''Chinese name:'' '''Kē Bó Wén''' (柯博文, Taiwan), '''O Baak Man''' (柯柏文, Hong Kong), '''Qing Tian Zhu''' (擎天柱, "Pillar that Supports the Sky", China)
:''Ukrainian name'': '''Optimus Naikrashchiy''' (Оптимус Наiкращий, "Optimus the Best")
==Fiction==
===IDW ''Transformers'' movie comics===
[[Image:Defiance1 Megs Prime argument.jpg|left|350px|thumb|"Hey, I wanted a mouthplate!"]]

It was [[Optimus Prime's ancestor]] who finally vanquished [[the Fallen]] to another [[sarcophagus|dimension]] in the battle for the [[Matrix of Leadership]], {{storylink|Tales of the Fallen issue 4}} but his orphaned descendant who was hidden away from the Fallen grew up with no knowledge of what he was. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen issue 3}} For two generations, Optimus helped govern [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] under [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]], and was in charge of the [[Science Division]] and the protectors of the [[AllSpark (Movie)|AllSpark]]. The two personalities created a balance; Prime was fair while Megatron was firm. {{storylink|Movie Prequel issue 1|Movie Prequel #1}} When Protector Megatron toured the excavation site near the temple at [[Simfur]], he and Optimus clashed over several issues. While Optimus wanted to take the investigation slowly, all Megatron cared about was whether the site contained power similar to the AllSpark. Optimus nettled Megatron when he reminded the Protector that the science sector was in charge of scientific and archaeological discoveries, and that the defense forces had a tendency to treat such discoveries as hostile, to which Megatron responded that if and when he was leader, he could make such decisions. When a [[The Fallen|mysterious relic]] was uncovered, Optimus disagreed with Megatron's order for it to be removed from the ground. Just as the two were about to launch into yet another argument, aliens previously encountered by Commander [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] attacked Cybertron. Megatron blackmailed Optimus into moving the relic into his personal quarters by reminding the science leader that the science division would like to protect the only intact relic from harm. {{storylink|Defiance issue 1|Defiance #1}}

Optimus ordered his science teams to help the survivors on both sides, in the hopes of finding out who was responsible and why they attacked. While he went off to find Megatron, he ordered the others to continue searching for survivors while [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]] examined the alien remains. Optimus was shocked and appalled when Megatron ordered him to marshal his forces for war. Optimus objected, as his science division was not trained for combat, but Megatron retorted that the scientists should have known that aliens were after the AllSpark. He endured Megatron's insane fury when he accused the Protector of betraying that upon which their society was built. Later, Optimus called upon a meeting with his science division to ask them to stay by his side and continue on with their mission of peaceful research, as they were protectors, not soldiers. While the aerial-based Cybertronians followed Megatron into space, Optimus confided in [[Prowl (Movie)|Prowl]] and [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]] that Megatron sought to divide their planet, and he asked the former for help breaking into the High Protector's personal quarters. {{storylink|Defiance issue 2|Defiance #2}}

[[Image:Defiance3_OptimusPrime_battle.jpg|thumb|300px|Man...Prime ain't foolin' around.]]

After noting that Megatron had restored the artifact to pristine condition, Optimus had to leave the military leader's quarters just before he returned. Back at Burthov, he came upon [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]], Arcee, and [[Elita-One (Movie)|Elita-One]] scanning the pieces of the other artifacts. Arcee then discovered that the pieces all contained the same symbol on them, and that the same symbol was on Optimus' head. Ratchet declared that the symbol was proof of the [[Dynasty of Primes]], and it indicated Optimus himself was a [[Dynasty of Primes|Prime]]. Ratchet and the other Autobots began to dub him "Optimus Prime", although a humble Optimus noted they did not know what it meant and for all they knew, he could just be from a line of record clerks. As they discussed the revelations, Prowl was forced by Megatron to arrest Optimus, but this turned out to be a trap to kill him. Optimus bested Starscream, while Megatron formed his new faction, the [[Decepticon]]s. {{storylink|Defiance issue 3|Defiance #3}}

Retreating to Burthov with his fellow scientists and Prowl's security officers, Optimus was acknowledged as the leader of the group, with Prowl serving as his lieutenant. He and Prowl were discussing sites for a new base when Jazz informed them that Captain Ironhide of the [[Defense Force]] wanted to see Optimus. Learning of Megatron's new starship, the ''[[Nemesis (ROTF)|Nemesis]]'', Optimus Prime was convinced by his advisers that their side needed a [[Ark (Movie)|ship of their own]] to prepare for any eventualities. The Autobots found themselves at an advantage when the ''Nemesis'' left Cybertron with the balance of the Decepticon forces, and Optimus himself took the fight to their enemies. However, years of bloody war devastated the planet, and Optimus saw no end in sight, unless the main reason for fighting was removed from the conflict. He revealed his plan to capture the AllSpark, and most assumed the Autobots would somehow take it aboard their ship. But Optimus's real plan was to blast the Cube into deep space, away from Cybertron and away from Megatron. {{storylink|Defiance issue 4|Defiance #4}}

{{note|In line with ''Revenge of the Fallen'', ''[[Defiance]]'' changes the past relationship between Megatron and Optimus Prime as previously seen in IDW's [[Movie Prequel issue 1|first movie prequel]], where they ruled side by side as equals. This was because, like several other pieces of tie-in fiction, the first movie prequel comic was based upon an earlier draft of the 2007 movie, where Prime and Megatron were referred to as "brothers", a reference that only survived in one line of dialogue in the final movie, which, according to writer [[Roberto Orci]], was intended to be open to interpretation.}}

[[Image:Optimusprimemovieprequel.jpg|left|200px|thumb|All Primes are required to have window boobs.]]

The AllSpark was successfully ejected into space at [[Tyger Pax]], where [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] distracted Megatron. Prime and the Autobots were held up in [[Simfur]] during the launch. {{storylink|Movie Prequel issue 1|Movie Prequel #1}} As they prepared to leave Cybertron on board the ''[[Ark (Movie)|Ark]]'' to go after the AllSpark, Optimus Prime had some doubts about his decision, feeling that in buying them some time in the war, he had sentenced their world to death. [[Prowl (Movie)|Prowl]] disagreed, pointing out that had Megatron been able to claim the Cube, all those that opposed him would have been destroyed, and that Prime had turned death into a fighting chance for the Autobots. Bolstered by Prowl's words, Prime resolved to rebuild their shattered home once they retrieved the AllSpark. {{storylink|The Reign of Starscream Issue Number One|The Reign of Starscream #1}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Beginnings''===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]]

Bumblebee remembered Optimus Prime's orders that they must launch the AllSpark into space, for it was better to lose it to the depths of space than allow Lord Megatron to corrupt it with his evil. For wherever there is hope, there is life. {{storylink|Transformers: Beginnings}}

{{note|Transformers: Beginnings is a condensed, flash-animated retelling of the [[IDW Publishing|IDW]] [[Prime Directive (IDW)|Prime Directive]] Movie Prequel that is detailed above this section.}}

===Titan Magazines ''Transformers'' movie comics===
[[Image:OptimusMovie_GeoffSenior.JPG|250px|thumb|Starting as he means to go on.]]

When war broke out, Optimus studied the entire history of intergalactic warfare from any datatrack he could find—he studied whole campaigns to desperate last stands, gaining a focused "playbook" of warfare strategy. He understands warfare on a practical and psychological level, and in desperate battles knows to show no mercy to opponents beyond a swift death. <ref>''Autobot VS Decepticon Smackdown! - Megatron V. Optimus Prime'', #4</ref>

Optimus was the focus of constant attacks by assassin drones and killed them all. In the aftermath of one, he witnessed a prophetic vision of the [[Mission City]] battle and realised the AllSpark's ejection could spread war to other planets—but too late to stop the launch... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 1|Prelude: Optimus Prime}}

{{note|The following event is unique to the Titan Magazines comics continuity, and thus does not occur anywhere else.}}

Almost immediately after the final battle against Megatron, Optimus Prime had to lead the Autobots against a horde of [[Zombie|zombie]] Decepticons. Despite having no idea how they could be stopped and having had his power drained by fighting Megatron, Optimus continued to fight the monsters rather than let them run amok. Ratchet worked out a solution just in time before Optimus fell. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 7|Starscream's Militia}}

{{notetitantlg}}

In the alternate reality, Megatron defeated Optimus and took the AllSpark at [[Mission City]]. Prime's body was now partially frozen and in Decepticon hands. He was the last and only hope of the Earth resistance, and so Bumblebee and [[Mikaela Banes]] were not happy to find him offline. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 9|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 1}}

She thawed him out while Bumblebee distracted Megatron, and the revived Prime challenged Megatron to a solo duel... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 12|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 4}} Unfortunately, Megatron's link to the AllSpark meant Optimus could not do any lasting damage and was never going to win. Luckily, Bumblebee and Mikaela saved the day, hitting the distracted Megatron with an old [[Sector Seven]] nanovirus. (Which means ''they'' were the last and only hope, but oh well.) Despite Megatron dying as a result and the AllSpark being destroyed elsewhere, Prime could take no satisfaction in victory: this battle was won, but the war remained... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 13|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 5}}

[[Image:Optimus_Titan12.JPG|left|250px|thumb|"Megatron's face must be cut off...no MATTER THE COST!"]]

He became resigned to the fact that Humanity, battered by Decepticon occupation, would view both Autobot and Decepticon as hostile invaders. When [[NATO]] was manipulated into attacking the Autobots, Optimus refused to allow his men to return fire, and after the crisis passed, he was sure that [[Starscream (Movie)|the Decepticons' unknown new commander]] was up to something bigger. Optimus also placed the last AllSpark fragment in the care of Ratchet, though he was worried exposure to Megatron might have corrupted it. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 14|Aftermath Part 1}} {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 15|Aftermath Part 2}} He was ''not'' happy when Ratchet "took care" of the fragment by bringing [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]] back with it, who was left corrupted and amoral by it. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 16|Dark Spark}}

Optimus Prime soon worked out that while the AllSpark's transformation of Earth had been halted, the damage had been done: the organic Earth and the technological transformation were now fighting for supremacy, killing the planet in the process. He called in a specialist team to investigate and limit the damage, while working with [[President of the United States|President Allen]]. In secret, he organised for [[Nucleon]] to be retrieved from the dead Cybertron and brought to Earth, as there was a long shot it could save the planet. He didn't tell the humans out of concern that if they knew about the plan and it failed, their hopes would be raised and dashed. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 17|Return to Cybertron: Part 1}} It was bad enough that Nucleon was so unstable it could turn destructive... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 18|Return to Cybertron: Part 2}}

When the team on Cybertron sent a distress signal and reported [[Stockade (Movie)|Stockade's]] Decepticons had captured the Nucleon, Optimus led the entirety of the Earth-bound Autobots (save Camshaft's team) to Cybertron as back-up. He was then surprised to see Cybertron coming to ''them'', looking [[Unicron|a lot meaner these days]]. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 19|Return to Cybertron: Part 3}} The planet's possessor, Unicron, shot down the Straxus and the Autobots survived only by evacuating it in time in [[protoform]] modes.

Optimus landed next to Stockade's old equipment and, after being filled in by [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]], he effortlessly formed an alliance with Stockade against Unicron. His plan was to drain the Nucleon away so Unicron couldn't use it as a power source, while the bulk of the Transformers provided a distraction, which turned out to be going underground and shooting up Unicron's body. The plan worked, Nucleon was secured for Earth, and Optimus extended an offer for Stockade to join them on Earth whenever he wished. Optimus was left optimistic that Autobots and Decepticons had come together in a common cause. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 20|Return to Cybertron: Part 4}}

On returning to Earth, he found the Decepticons had seized the Autobot base and six hundred square miles around it; he made the decision to withdraw to [[Washington, D.C.]], knowing that this meant leaving Mikaela in Decepticon hands. Upon landing at an air base, the Decepticon-controlled President Allen lured him into a trap, and he found himself fighting Jazz, now a Decepticon hired gun. Optimus lured him away from humans and prepared to engage him, but when a second assassin named [[Kullt]] turned up, Jazz gunned it down out of annoyance. Optimus had viewed Jazz as a lost cause but now stated there was still some Autobot in him: he ''could'' have let Kullt do the work for him and then killed him, but he saved Prime instead.

The battle made it clear to Optimus that Allen was under Decepticon mental control. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 21|Hard Target}}

[[Image:Optimus Titan22.JPG|200px|thumb|Freedom is not dispensed here, sentient fools, only DEATH!]]

As he'd promised Bumblebee, Optimus took the Autobots to get Mikaela back; he himself went first, launching himself in [[Protoform|protoform]] mode to land in Savannah like a bomb and tearing his way through [[Swindle (Movie)|drone hordes]]. He was quickly gunned down by aerial units and about to be killed by Starscream, but this whole flashy attack had been a diversion—allowing other Autobots a chance to hit the distracted air forces and nab Mikaela. After the battle, Optimus remarked Starscream was no Megatron. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 22|The Decepticon Who Haunted Himself}}

Optimus seemed to quickly bond with [[General Seward]], his military liaison at Andrews Air Base, but that didn't help when the mind-controlled President Allen had the government order the Autobots out of America. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 23|Revolution Part One}} However, Prime had anticipated this. Almost two weeks before, he'd had Ironhide task [[Tom Banachek]] to identify all the Decepticon puppets for him. With Allen making the expected move, he dispatched Ironhide and Bumblebee to set things up so that the following day, when the Autobots all departed, Allen would try to nuke them out of the sky and be fooled by a decoy ship into thinking he'd killed them. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 25|Revolution Part Three}}

To protect the Earth while they were undercover on Cybertron, Optimus had made a deal with Stockade to start a [[Decepticon Civil War]]. Optimus didn't trust Stockade to not renege on the deal and just take control of Earth for himself, {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 24|Revolution Part Two}} but he ensured the Decepticons were set up for the Autobot's final strike: forcibly teleporting all of the enemy to Cybertron via Unicron's leftover teleportational engines, then stranding Cybertron in a remote solar system. Optimus led the troops to Earth and witnessed Megatron's return from the dead... only to ''thwack'' him flying. The next minute, both Megatron ''and'' Stockade (why wait for him to renege?) were teleported away, along with their forces.

This left the Autobots stranded on Earth and with a lot of clean-up to do. But Optimus had ''finally'' brought about the end of the war... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 25|Revolution Part Three}}
{{-}}

===''Ghosts of Yesterday''===
Optimus Prime led the search for the AllSpark in the ''[[Ark (Movie)|Ark]]'', a transport vessel. When they came across an abandoned solar system, they located [[Ghost 1|a vessel]] of strangely Cybertronian design, seemingly of Decepticon make. When the vessel fled to the surface of a planet, Prime dispatched Bumblebee to investigate while he and the other Autobots battled Decepticons from the ''[[Nemesis (Movie)|Nemesis]]''. Prime managed to defeat [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]], [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]], and [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]] all on his own. After losing touch with Bumblebee, Prime went down to locate him on the planet, where they were attacked by [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] and the alien ship. They fell into a cavern network, where they were further attacked by [[Worm-thing|indigenous worms]].

During their flight from the creatures, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee came across the alien vessel. Prime realized that they were trying to surrender, so the Autobots communicated with its crew. Optimus explained that they came in peace, "freedom is the right of all sentient beings," Starscream tricks everyone, and so on. However, the creatures, who called themselves "[[Human|humans]]", explained that they held Megatron, whom they called the Ice Man, on their home world, [[Earth]]. Realizing the destruction Megatron would wreak upon the humans if he escaped, and that the humans would be unable to defend themselves effectively, Prime vowed to see them return to their world to warn it. Prime was able to blast an opening in the cavern, and the group escaped. As they returned to the ''Ark'', Prime began to speculate that the AllSpark was what drew Megatron to Earth.

In the ensuing battle with the Decepticons, Prime was in the difficult position of fighting Starscream and protecting the human ship. His distractions allowed Bonecrusher to spear him with his tail. The difficult state nearly gave Starscream the chance to kill him, but the humans saved Prime's life by damaging Starscream, who destroyed them. Optimus Prime was inspired by their courage and sacrifice, and resolved to locate Earth before the Decepticons did—and hopefully before Megatron came back online. {{storylink|Ghosts of Yesterday}}

===''Transformers'' (2007) film===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]] (English), [[Tesshō Genda]] (Japanese), [[Guilherme Briggs]] (Brazil), [[Reiner Schöne]] (German), [[Alessandro Rossi]] (Italian)

{{bigquote|A necessary sacrifice to bring peace to this planet. We cannot let the humans pay for our mistakes.|Optimus Prime on sacrificing his life to destroy the [[AllSpark (Movie)|AllSpark]]}}

[[Image:Movie OptimusPrime protoform.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Having overenergized the previous night, Prime woke up abandoned in a field, with his wallet and clothes stolen.]]
The leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime, came to Earth shortly after [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] sent his comrades a beacon. Upon atmospheric reentry, Prime managed to land outside of [[Tranquility]]'s inhabited areas. While Sam and Mikaela watched, Optimus transformed and fled his landing place. From atop a hill, he quickly scanned the form of an Earth truck, thus configuring his body to transform into it. Prime, [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]], [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]], and [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] met up with Bumblebee and his human friends, [[Sam Witwicky]] and [[Mikaela Banes]] in an alley. In one of the most extended [[Transformation|transformations]] in the multiverse, Prime assumed his robotic form before the stunned humans. After confirming Sam's identity, Prime introduced himself and his team. When Mikaela asked of the Autobots' intentions, Prime explained the search for the AllSpark, the betrayal of Megatron, and why Sam was important to their search.

[[Image:Movie PrimeSam parentsfreakout.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Optimus Prime will watch you fornicate. And there is nothing you can do about it.]]
Glasses that belonged to Sam's ancestor, [[Archibald Witwicky|Captain Archibald Witwicky]], contained the location of the AllSpark encoded across its lenses, so Optimus Prime ordered his troops to wait outside Sam's house while Sam and Mikaela searched inside for the glasses. Much to Sam's exasperation, Optimus Prime, in his impatience, clumsily ruined his parents' garden, and the Autobots' heavy footsteps convinced them there was an earthquake. Prime's attempts to hide, such as having the Autobots transform into vehicle mode right in the backyard, were also less than satisfactory. Ultimately, Sam came so close to a panic attack that Prime was forced to order the Autobots to fall back. As Prime lectured his team on their supposed inability to remain quiet, Ratchet got himself shocked by walking into some powerlines, causing further problems. When [[Ron Witwicky|the]] [[Judy Witwicky|parents]] came to investigate, Prime's attempt to avoid discovery caused the house to shake, though this was to their benefit, as the father assumed that the damage to the yard was the result of an earthquake. Ironhide suggested that they kill the parents, but Optimus scolded his old friend. Despite all this, their presence remained undetected until [[Sector Seven]] arrived (in a convoy of GMC Yukons) and abducted Sam, Mikaela, and Sam's parents.

[[Image:Movie Optimus Prime S7 mad.JPG|right|300px|thumb|Get out of the car...what's left of it anyway!]]
Optimus Prime sent the Autobots in pursuit of the SUV that contained Sam, Mikaela, and Sector Seven's director, [[Seymour Simmons|Agent Simmons]]. Prime intercepted the vehicle carrying their young human friends, ripping the roof of the vehicle off, with the other Autobots disarming the agents, and made it perfectly clear to Simmons how pissed off he was at him for trying to apprehend the two children, regarding this as a bad move on Simmons' behalf. Optimus then ordered his comrades to relieve the agents of their weapons, and attempted to interrogate Simmons. The agents' lack of surprise at their appearance indicated that they had seen Cybertronians before, but Simmons refused to reveal any information. With a Sector Seven backup team en route, Prime ordered the Autobots to scatter, while he took Sam and Mikaela. While hiding under a bridge, Mikaela and Sam slipped and fell off Prime's shoulder. Bumblebee managed to catch them before impact, but was captured, and Sam and Mikaela recaptured, by the organization after their retreat. Now in possession of the glasses which could tell him the location of the AllSpark, Optimus regretfully left Bumblebee in Sector Seven's hands, knowing that if they went after him, they would have to use deadly force.

After regrouping the next day, Prime used the glasses to locate the AllSpark. Jazz again raised objections to leaving Bumblebee behind, but Prime remained firm in his belief of not harming the humans. Ironhide seemed okay with using deadly force, stating the humans were too violent, but Prime countered that when their time had come, the Cybertronians had been [[Cybertronian Civil Wars|little different]]. Going on to explain the potential he saw in the humans, as well as reminding them that "freedom is the right of all sentient beings", Prime revealed to the Autobots his real plan for the AllSpark: if they could not defeat the Decepticons, Prime intended to merge the Cube with his [[Spark|spark]]. Though this would destroy the AllSpark, Ratchet cautioned Prime against this, as it would also kill him. Prime believed that this was acceptable, vowing not to let another race suffer the mistakes of the Transformers. The glasses placed the AllSpark at [[Hoover Dam]] where, luckily, Bumblebee and the young humans were taken.

[[Image:Movie2007 Prime sword.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Swiss army Prime.]]
Optimus Prime's team met up with Sector Seven, Bumblebee, Sam, and Mikaela en route, who had planned to hide the AllSpark in nearby [[Mission City]]. While on the highway, he was attacked by [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]], who managed to tackle Optimus and drag him over the edge of a freeway overpass. During the battle, Optimus struck the rage-filled Transformer so hard his [[Optic|optic]] popped out. As the Decepticon swung his claw wildly, Optimus drew his sword from his right arm and sliced off one of Bonecrusher's arms, before brutally finishing off his enemy by [[Decapitation|driving the blade through]] Bonecrusher's neck, severing his head.

Optimus arrived at Mission City just in time to observe Megatron discarding the remains of Jazz, and challenged him. Millennia in the ice had done nothing to lessen Megatron's hatred of his brother, and he launched himself in jet mode at the Autobot leader. Optimus leaped and grabbed hold of the wings, which was a really bad idea, as Megatron drove himself and Prime through an office block. As they flew out of the building onto the street below, Megatron transformed and leapt on top of Prime, declaring the humans undeserving of life. Prime rejected his claims, saying that they deserved to choose for themselves. Megatron threw Prime across the street, declaring that if he wished to defend the humans, Prime could die with them. He then formed his [[Fusion cannon|fusion cannon]] from his forearms. The power up time allowed Prime to draw his [[Ion blaster|ion blaster]] and fire, hitting Megatron. The Decepticon used the momentum to spin around, then used the fusion cannon to blast Prime across the street into another building. Megatron then resumed the hunt for Sam and the AllSpark.

[[Image:Movie2007 Prime truck.jpg|right|300px|thumb|He knows he's a sexy truck.]]
Tracking Megatron to the deserted building, Prime barely managed to catch Sam after Megatron knocked him off the roof. Telling the boy to hold onto the Cube, Prime attempted to scale down the building, but Megatron jumped on Prime, causing them both to fall down hard onto the street below. Sam survived, however, and Optimus told the boy that if he could not defeat Megatron, Sam must put the AllSpark into his chest which would destroy it. As Sam sought cover, Optimus faced down Megatron, and informed him that, "At the end of this day, one shall stand, one shall fall". Unfortunately, Megatron, even after years of stasis, proved to be far too powerful for Prime to defeat alone. The unit led by Lennox and the Raptor squadron laid down suppressing fire as Megatron reached for the AllSpark, until Optimus finally took him down by sweeping his legs. Still, Megatron continued, crawling toward the cube. Believing he had lost, Optimus implored Sam to put the AllSpark into his chest. Sam instead thrust it into Megatron's chest, killing the Decepticon leader and destroying the AllSpark.

[[Image:Movie2007 Prime AllSpark shard.jpg|left|300px|thumb|The Autobot [[Matrix of Leadership|Dorito of leadership]]]]
As Optimus watched his brother die, he regretfully said there was little other choice. He also told Sam he owed him a debt of gratitude for saving his life, but was then informed that Jazz had not survived (Jazz was flapping around disrespectfully like a ragdoll during this sequence). Prime briefly eulogized his comrade, then commented that they had gained new comrades in the humans, and was honored by their bravery. Bumblebee, who had finally regained his voice, requested permission to remain with Sam Witwicky, to which the young human eagerly agreed, and Optimus approved. He noticed a fragment of the AllSpark in Megatron's chest cavity and removed it, then permitted the humans to dispose of the Decepticon corpses by dumping them into the deepest part of the ocean.

[[Image:Movie Optimus ending.JPG|right|300px|thumb|[['Til all are one]]!]]
Though Megatron was killed and his Decepticons were defeated, the AllSpark was destroyed, leaving the Autobots unable to restore Cybertron. The Autobots elected to remain on Earth, and Prime sent a message into deep space to any surviving Autobots in the Galaxy to come to their new home on Earth, their long years of searching having finally having come to an end. As the other Autobots rested (and watched Sam and Mikaela make out on Bumblebee's hood) Optimus Prime looked to the sky, hoping his message had been heard. {{storylink|Transformers (2007)}}
{{-}}

{{note|The [[Movie Adaptation Issue Number Four|comic book adaptation]] depicts Optimus Prime also defeating [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] during the highway altercation with Bonecrusher. However, the later comic [[The Reign of Starscream Issue Number One|''The Reign of Starscream'' #1]] depicts Ironhide doing the deed.}}
{{-}}

===Toy bios===
{{notemoviebio}}

That truck he transcanned was ''the coolest thing he ever saw''. {{storylink|Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Voyager Class toys|Robo-Vision Optimus Prime}}

When the AllSpark was destroyed, Optimus was ''bathed'' in its power and became a living receptacle: he could destroy or heal with the merest thought. He still remained dedicated to peace, and altered his exterior decorations to match the ones he bore as a young leader, before the beginning of the war. {{storylink|Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Voyager Class toys|First Strike Optimus Prime}}

When the war turned out to ''not'' be over though, and with more Decepticons appearing on Earth, he was forced to alter himself to be used for stealth missions—something he finds dishonourable but knows has to be done. He is now sensor transparent and silent. {{storylink|Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Leader Class toys|Nightwatch Optimus Prime}} In this form, he came under surprise attack by an equally stealth-modified Starscream, leader of the new Decepticons! {{storylink|Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Legends Class toys|Nightwatch Optimus Prime vs. Stealth Starscream}}

Once the Decepticons were beaten on Earth, Optimus was given intelligence by [[Sector Seven]] on Decepticon activity on Mars. He immediately altered his form to blend in to Mars, and headed off to ''personally'' hunt the enemy down. {{storylink|Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Fast Action Brawlers|Fire Blast Optimus Prime}}

===Beast Wars Diorama Story===
[[Beast Wars (event)|On Earth in the past and in another universe]], a contingent of [[Maximal]]s, led by [[Optimus Primal]], battled a group of [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] in a forest. {{storylink|Beast Wars Diorama Story|Convoy Chapter}}

Some time into the battle, a warp opened, bringing with it [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]], [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]], [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], Optimus Prime, and [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]. Optimus Prime made fast friends with [[Optimus Primal]]; they joined their forces and double-teamed the injured [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], who had just taken a blast to the face from [[Tigatron]]. Starscream then joined the Predacons. The two Optimuses commemorated their accomplishment of teamwork by shaking hands. The Maximals and Ratchet looked up with approval. {{storylink|Beast Wars Diorama Story|Tigatron Chapter}} [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] later appeared and joined the Predacons. As the battled raged, the [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] from Prime's universe came in through the warp. {{storylink|Beast Wars Diorama Story|Gimlet Chapter}}

The Decepticon Megatron brought along [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]], and the two Megatrons combined their troops into a fearsome force against the Autobots and Maximals. Fortuantely for the Autobots and Maximals, [[Motorarm (BWII)|Motorarm]] arrived to assist. The two factions then took formation against each other with the intention of combining their energies to attack the opposing side. With [[Motorarm (BWII)|Motorarm]] leading the charge, the Maximals and the Autobots attacked first. {{storylink|Beast Wars Diorama Story|Motorarm Chapter}}

===IDW ''Transformers'' movie comics===
[[Image:AllianceOptimusHoloDriver.jpg|right|250px|thumb|[[Peter Cullen|Optimus Prime]] driving Optimus Prime! Sheer awesomeness!]]

Following the battle of [[Mission City]], and the destruction of Megatron and the AllSpark, Optimus Prime was left to ferry the body of his first lieutenant [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]] out of the city in an abandoned trailer. Trusting [[William Lennox|Captain Lennox]] and his men, Prime asked the human soldiers to help the Autobots escape from the city, before [[Sector Seven]] and other untrustworthy humans could arrive. A month later, [[Seymour Simmons|Agent Simmons]] managed to convince Lennox and [[Robert Epps|Sergeant Epps]] to call upon the assistance of Optimus Prime and the Autobots to escort the Decepticon remains, thereby hopefully reactivating the Decepticon [[Wreckage (Movie)|Wreckage]] somehow. {{storylink|Alliance issue 1|Alliance #1}}

Optimus, Ironhide, Ratchet and Bumblebee arrived at Sector Seven's Nevada desert base to escort to a naval base at [[California|San Diego, California]]. Optimus insisted on escorting Jazz's remains personally, and thanked Lennox for arranging a proper burial-at-sea for his fallen lieutenant. When he noticed the AllSpark shard seemingly reacting to the Decepticon bodies, he handed the fragment to [[Professor Vine]] for safekeeping until he returned. Shortly after leaving the base, Optimus had second thoughts about leaving the fragment in Sector Seven's possession, and ordered Bumblebee and Ironhide to turn around and retrieve the only remaining piece of the AllSpark. {{storylink|Alliance issue 2|Alliance #2}}

[[Image:Alliance3_OptimusPrime_Lennox.jpg|thumb|left|300px|"So erm, want to go back to my place?" "Prime, are you trying to get onto me?" "No dude, I just want to show you my collection of faces and heads!"]]

The convoy returned to the Sector Seven base after learning of Wreckage and Starscream's attacks. [[Salani]] retrieved the AllSpark shard and returned it to Optimus Prime, who felt the last piece of their heritage should stay with him. Weeks later, the Autobots and the soldiers with whom they served traveled aboard a [[United States Navy|US Navy]] carrier for Jazz's burial-at-sea and to observe the disposal of the Decepticons. Optimus deeply appreciated the humans' paying last respects to their fallen comrade, though he was concerned that even the great depths of the [[Laurentian Abyss]] were not enough to keep the Decepticon bodies hidden. Below deck, Optimus and Lennox agreed to a formal [[NEST|alliance between the Autobots and humans]] as the first line of offense and defense against the Decepticons. During training on the island of [[Diego Garcia]], Optimus Prime reminded the Autobots that they must work together with the humans as a team, never forgetting that division was what caused the war on Cybertron in the first place. When they were alone, Optimus Prime and Major Lennox complimented each other's leadership and the dedication of their respective troops. When Lennox commented that it was because of the Autobots that he and his soldiers were alive today, Optimus refuted this, saying it was because of humans such as Lennox and Sam, and that the Autobots were only part of the problem. Soon, both [[NEST]] leaders learned that the Decepticons had returned to Earth. {{storylink|Alliance issue 3|Alliance #3}}

{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Tales of the Fallen issue 2}}

[[Image:Alliance4_Prime_killingspree.jpg|thumb|300px|Freedom is the right of all '''non-Decepticon''' sentient beings.]]

NEST was deployed to [[San Francisco]], where the Decepticons [[Swindle (Movie)|Swindle]] and [[Dead End (Movie)|Dead End]] were wreaking havoc. Flushed out of hiding, the Decepticons managed to evade the other Autobots, but Optimus Prime quickly put down Dead End by ramming him head-on. When asked by Prime, he commented that he was fine, but he wasn't sure if Dead End was. On the way back to base, Lennox and Optimus Prime discussed Swindle's last words and were concerned that this was just the first wave of Decepticons coming to Earth, and that they were after [[Sam Witwicky]]. Optimus convinced Lennox that no matter what, it was Sam's destiny to become involved in this conflict, and they agreed to send Bumblebee back to the States to resume his role as the boy's guardian. Later, when Optimus observed the distrust for the Autobots held by Lennox's superiors, he suggested that they must work harder and that continued success would satisfy those above them. During the subsequent hunt for Decepticons around the world, Optimus Prime personally destroyed [[Jetstorm (Movie)|Jetstorm]], [[Dropkick]] and [[Incinerator (Movie)|Incinerator]]. As NEST's ranks grew, together they celebrated their victories and mourned those who made the ultimate sacrifice. One event brought joy and hope to the team: The arrival of Autobot refugees who were eager to protect their new homeworld. This joy was tempered by the fact more and more Decepticons were being sighted on Earth, and Optimus believed that there was some unknown that threatened their new home, their species and their alliance with the humans. {{storylink|Alliance issue 4|Alliance #4}}
{{-}}

===''The Veiled Threat''===
{{Note|The events of ''The Veiled Threat'' take place during [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''[[Alliance (comic)|Alliance]]'' comic.}}

{{bigquote|I know Megatron. I know all of you. You would not have taken the AllSpark and left this world in peace. You would have subdued it and made slaves of its people. Even in the absence of the AllSpark, my conscience and that of my friends could not have allowed that.|Optimus Prime to [[Macerator]]}}

{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|The Veiled Threat}}

===Titan Magazines ''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===

[[Image:Titan5_Optimustwins.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"Your slang is bad and you should ''feel'' bad!"]]

Since coming to Earth, Optimus has had to strive daily to gain credibility with the human powers-that-be. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.5|Reversal of Fortune}}

Even Optimus doesn't believe [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap's]] stories anymore! When those same twins arrived, Optimus was absent on a 'need to know' mission {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.3|Learning Curve}} in [[Australia]] with [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]]. When [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] landed on the continent, the two Autobots interrupted their mission to bring the bot in. It proved far more difficult than you'd expect, with the Decepticon able to outdistance them in the long run and better suited to the terrain. Optimus was knocked offroad when Sideways blasted him with exhaust, and Arcee reported her alt mode was too out of its comfort zone to keep up... which gave Optimus an idea.

That idea was to take ''away'' the terrain, blasting Sideways off the road and into the grass with projectile weaponry. Violence works!

Optimus took the prisoner to Diego Garcia, and on arrival was greeted with the sight of the twins brawling on the runway. He bawled them out over improper conduct, but before he could go further [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]] made an attack. Taking fire, Optimus began barking out orders... only to be tripped up by Skids. Once he was up, Scorponok and Sideways had both done a runner. Knowing that the enemy could ''not'' have got this close without NEST security being compromised, Optimus was convinced by [[Sideswipe (ROTF)|Sideswipe's]] argument that the twins had turned traitor and had them taken away for questions. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.5|Reversal of Fortune}}

When the twins were sprung by Decepticons, Prime agreed with [[Theodore Galloway]] that the Autobots would make finding the twins a number one priority. However, Optimus was left suspicious when a [[Soundwave (ROTF)|mysterious "friend"]] tipped the Autobots off about the twins. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.6|Outlaw Blues}} Soon, it came out that the twins were being framed and by tracking the two, Optimus and his men found out about a Decepticon base near [[Mars]]. Optimus led a raid on it, taking down the [[Purple generic drones|drone army]] stationed there. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.8|Back-to-Back}}
{{-}}

===''Revenge of the Fallen'' film===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]] (English), [[Tesshō Genda]] (Japanese), [[Guilherme Briggs]] (Brazil), [[Reiner Schöne]] (German), [[Alessandro Rossi]] (Italian)

[[Image:ROTF-DemolishorPrime.jpg|thumb|right|250px|With the Legends and Voyager toys, this scene is ''just'' possible.]]
After the events in [[Mission City]] two years ago, Optimus Prime and the Autobots became part of a Transformer/human military group called [[NEST]], which hunted down the remaining Decepticons across the world. When [[Demolishor (ROTF)|Demolishor]] and [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] were detected in [[Shanghai]], NEST was deployed there, including the Autobots [[Sideswipe (ROTF)|Sideswipe]], [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]], [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]], [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]]. Once Demolishor made himself known by transforming into robot mode and crushing dozens of cars along the highway, [[Robert Epps|Sergeant Epps]] radioed an overhead C-17 to release the Autobot leader. Optimus Prime parachuted out of a NEST cargo plane and landed in vehicle mode. He leapt off a bridge onto the Decepticon's head as he plowed through it. When the massive Constructicon refused his order to pull over, Optimus unleashed several blasts of his [[ion blaster]] into Demolishor's head. These shots, coupled with Ironhide destroying his tires, sent the titan crashing to the ground and into a warehouse. As he and Ironhide approached the dying Decepticon, Optimus asked if he had any last words. With his dying breath, the Constructicon stated that [[The Fallen]] would rise again. Optimus responded in the negative and unceremoniously executed him.

Returning to [[Diego Garcia]], Prime entered a briefing with [[Theodore Galloway]], the National Security Adviser who had been appointed liaison by the [[President of the United States|President]], and [[Morshower|General Morshower]], the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was watching by satellite feed. Prime relayed the warning of The Fallen to them, but Galloway made no effort to conceal his hostility toward the Autobots. He noted that while they had given them intelligence and the sole remaining AllSpark fragment, Galloway took issue with their refusal to share weapons technology and their continued sending of transmissions into space. Prime told Galloway that the Autobots were aware of humanity's history of warfare, and Morshower said that all the transmissions had been vetted by NEST officers. Galloway also pointed out that despite Megatron's death and burial in the Laurentian Abyss and the destruction of the AllSpark, the Decepticons had not left Earth as Optimus had hoped, leading him to conclude that the Autobots were the ones who the Decepticons were after. When asked if the Autobots would leave Earth peacefully if told to, Optimus replied that they would honor their request, but warned Galloway to consider what would happen if the Autobots left but the Decepticons did not.

Unknown to Prime, the Decepticon [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] had been monitoring transmissions and spied on the briefing. Dispatching [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] to the island, he had his agent steal the remaining AllSpark fragment, killing several soldiers in the process. The incident left the Autobots with rather chilly relations with the United States. Seeking outside help, Optimus dispatched Bumblebee to retrieve Sam Witwicky from college in an effort to secure his testimony on the Autobots' behalf. Meeting Sam at an abandoned cemetery near his college, Optimus explained the situation. Sam was not receptive; in fact, he was quite hostile, saying that he had just started college and was trying to have a normal life. Knowing that fate often called at inconvenient times, Optimus impressed upon Sam the importance of what was going on, but Sam reiterated that the Cybertronian War was not his, and that they didn't need him. Optimus relayed his fear that it soon would be, and silently said that they needed him more than he realized.

[[Image:ROTFPrimevsMegsandScreamer.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Stick em' up!]]
Prime's fear soon came to pass, but in the last way he could imagine: the Decepticons had used the AllSpark shard to resurrect Megatron, who had learned that the knowledge of the AllSpark had been passed to Sam by a fragment Sam had touched, and soon captured him, Mikaela, and Sam's college roommate [[Leo Spitz]]. Heading to rescue the three humans, Optimus and Bumblebee ambushed the Decepticons in the [[Broadwater Metal Works|abandoned industrial complex]] where the teens were being held, just as [[Scalpel]] was about to perform fatal neurosurgery on Sam. Knocking Megatron and [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] out of the building, Optimus managed to whisk Sam away from the plant. Optimus made it as far as the nearby forest when Megatron arrived. Going one-on-one with the Decepticon leader, Prime managed to hold his own, all the while trashing talking Megatron. Megatron then called for Starscream and [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]], who quickly arrived. Prime was forced to run interference between Megatron and Starscream, who pursued Sam.

[[Image:ROTF Optimus vs Grindor.jpg|thumb|right||250px|''Frenzy is red,'' '' Rumble is blue,'' ''this poem doesn't rhyme,'' ''NOW GIVE ME YOUR FACE !'' ]]
As the battle raged, Megatron told Prime that the boy was the key to finding another energon source, then shattered his [[mouthplate]] and sent him flying back with a point blank shot from his [[fusion cannon]]. Megatron asked if the boy's life was greater than the future of their race, but Prime knew that he would never stop with a single life. Declaring that he'd take them all on, Optimus Prime unsheathed his [[Dual Energon Swords]] and fought a three-on-one fight against the Decepticons. Surprisingly, not only did he manage to hold his own, he was actually winning, managing to stab Megatron multiple times, slice off Starscream's arm and use it as a club, and rip apart Grindor's head. However, Megatron managed to stab his own sword through Optimus Prime's chest, following with a point blank shot through his injured back. Critically injured, Optimus implored the still-observing Sam to run. Although the rest of the Autobots soon arrived and drove off Megatron and Starscream, Optimus Prime was [[The_many_deaths_of_Optimus_Prime|dead]].

[[Image:ROTF Optimus death.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"You're so weak!" "Then why have I spent this whole fight kicking your a--"*BOOM*]]
Soon after, The Fallen made his presence known and demanded Sam Witwicky be turned over to him or the world would be destroyed. Galloway used this as a reason to shut down NEST and ordered the Autobots returned to Diego Garcia under guard, along with Prime's corpse (which Galloway callously denounced as a piece of scrap metal). Fortunately, Bumblebee, and [[Skids (ROTF)|the]] [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Twins]] managed to spirit Sam, Mikaela, and Leo away before The Fallen made his announcement. With help from their former enemy Seymour Simmons and the Decepticon-turned-Autobot [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]], the group discovered that Sam's mind contained the Language of the Primes, to which group The Fallen had once belonged. The human/Autobot group managed to locate the Seeker [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]], who told them of how the [[Dynasty of Primes]] forged a [[solar harvester]] to use a star's energy to replenish the AllSpark, and the [[Matrix of Leadership]], needed to activate the harvester, until they were betrayed by The Fallen, who tried to harvest [[Sun|Sol]] in defiance of the Primes' rule of the sanctity of life. Sam hit upon the idea to use the Matrix to restore Optimus to life, similar to how the Decepticons had used the AllSpark fragment to resurrect Megatron. Having been teleported to [[Egypt]] by Jetfire, the group managed to relay the information to Major Lennox and Sergeant Epps, who faked engine trouble over Petra, where the [[Tomb of the Primes]] was located. Unfortunately, the Matrix had turned to dust in the thousands of years since its entombment, but Sam still believed that it could be used to revive Optimus.

[[Image:ROTF movie Powered-Up Optimus Prime.jpg|thumb|right|250px|I'm bringing sexy back.]]
However, the Decepticons were still looking for the harvester and the Matrix needed to activate it. Sam was technically killed in the [[Operation: Firestorm|battle]], during which he communed with the six Primes from the tomb, who restored the Matrix. Jamming it in the fallen Autobot's chest, Sam used the Matrix to restore Optimus Prime to life. Unfortunately, The Fallen soon arrived and stole the Matrix. Having been fatally injured by [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]], Jetfire offered his parts to Optimus, as only a Prime could defeat The Fallen, and snuffed out his own spark. After Ratchet and [[Jolt (ROTF)|Jolt]] finished attaching Jetfire's wings and thrusters to Prime's body, Optimus hurried to the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]], which had been constructed around the harvester, and damaged the machine before it could destroy Earth's sun.

[[Image:TheFallen-ROTFfacegotten.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Your face is insufficient. GIVE ME YOUR SPARK!]]
Optimus Prime then faced Megatron and the Fallen. This against the odds battle went far better for Optimus, as he used Megatron's own fusion cannon to shoot off half his face and his afterburners to send him through some ruins. Optimus then battled the Fallen, using his Energon Sword to slice through his face. The Fallen countered by ripping off his left wing and striking him with it, but Optimus managed to grab the Fallen's own spear and impale him with it. Telling the traitorous Prime he had picked the wrong planet, Optimus used the spear to rip off The Fallen's face plate. As The Fallen tried to flee, Optimus Prime punched through his abdomen and crushed his spark core, killing The Fallen and forcing Megatron and Starscream to retreat.

[[Image:ROTF Optimus Sam ship.JPG|thumb|right|250px|"So why did you want his face?" "Okay, I'll tell you."*cuts to credits*]]
On the return voyage home, Optimus thanked Sam for saving his life, as the boy thanked the Autobot leader for believing in him. Following this, Optimus Prime sent another transmission into space, detailing recent events so that the pasts of both races would be remembered, and also declaring that Humanity and the Autobots would face the future together. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

{{note|The film's official adaptations note Optimus is an orphan, implying he is the son of one of the [[Seven Primes]] (although their number was [[Thirteen original Transformers|thirteen]] since these were based on early drafts of the script). }}
{{--}}

===Cyber Missions===
:''Voice actor:'' ?

{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Cyber Missions 1}} {{storylink|Cyber Missions 2}}

==Games==
===''Transformers'' The Game (console)===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]]

====Autobot campaign====
Optimus Prime provided intelligence and missions to Bumblebee in his search for the AllSpark. Eventually, the clues led the Autobot to Sam Witwicky. After saving Sam from Barricade, Bumblebee finally completed preparations for the Autobots to arrive on Earth.

Once on Earth, and having informed the two teenagers of their mission, Prime and the Autobots were discovered by Sector Seven. Optimus sent Jazz on a high-speed <strike>destruction</strike> distraction mission, then sent Ironhide to rescue Jazz from a double-threat posed by the government agents and various Decepticon scouts.

When Bumblebee was captured, Optimus Prime transformed and chased the helicopter which from which the small Autobot was tied. After a lengthy pursuit, Optimus managed to catch the net, only to be thrown off by another Cybertronian [[transition form|meteor]]. As Bumblebee was carried away, Optimus promised he would not fail him again. Jazz informed him that the meteor was not an Autobot and Optimus confronted the new threat, who turned out to be the Decepticon triplechanger [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]]. The two battled it out across [[Tranquility]] before Optimus finally destroyed him, and in doing so, overheard [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s transmission revealing the location of the AllSpark.

Optimus then returned to an intel role as he guided Bumblebee in his mission to retrieve the AllSpark from Hoover Dam. Unfortunately, the Decepticons managed to free Megatron, leading to the final battle in Mission City.

As the Autobots engaged in an all-out urban war with the Decepticons to protect Sam and the AllSpark, things seemed to take a turn for the worse as Megatron finally arrived. But before the Decepticon leader could claim the Cube, Optimus Prime attacked.

The two leaders duked it out until Megatron was finally on the ground, seemingly devoid of life. Optimus knelt to take the AllSpark as Sam handed it to him, but Megatron suddenly awoke, leaping at the Autobot with his chain-flail out, and making one last attempt at defeating his adversary. Optimus grabbed the chain, pulling Megatron in closer, and with the AllSpark clutched in his fist, delivered a punch through Megatron's spark. As Megatron died Optimus reflected on the losses and rewards of this battle, as the Autobots have a new home. Optimus planned to guard the humans in secret, "For freedom is the right of all sentient beings." {{storylink|Transformers The Game (console)}}

====Decepticon campaign====

{{charstubfiction}}

In the final battle, Optimus Prime was beaten to the ground, and as he desperately crawled for the AllSpark, Megatron smashed his head with his flail, before using the Cube to destroy humanity. {{storylink|Transformers The Game (console)}}

===''Transformers: Autobots''===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]]

Arriving late on Earth, Optimus meets up with the other Autobots to give further commands to his troops. [[Create-A-Bot (Autobot)|Create-A-Bot]], the new rookie, is eager to help in the cause, but Optimus tells him to sit back while the grown-ups take care of business. Getting fed up with the bureaucracy, Create-A-Bot finally defies orders and completes a mission against Optimus's counsel. After nearly getting himself and the other Autobots killed, Create-A-Bot apologizes to Optimus personally. Taking pity on the newcomer, Optimus lets him off with a stern warning, and they move out together to face Megatron. During the fight, Create-A-Bot sacrifices himself to save his commander. Megatron defeated, Optimus commends the young Autobot as a war hero, and sends out an interstellar message to any Cybertronians living among the stars. {{storylink|Transformers Autobots/Decepticons|Transformers: Autobots}}

===''Transformers: Decepticons''===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]]

Landing on Earth, Optimus Prime quickly joins the other Autobots to attempt to stop the Decepticons. Prime didn't appear on the battlefield until Megatron himself was released and Starscream escaped with the AllSpark. He stepped in to thwart the maniacal leader of the Decepticons, but alas, was struck down, left in the streets while Megatron gave chase to his traitorous second-in-command. {{storylink|Transformers Autobots/Decepticons|Transformers: Decepticons}}

===''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - The Game''===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]] (English) [[Dariusz Odija]] (Polish)
====Xbox 360/Sony PS3/PC====
=====Autobot campaign=====
[[Image:ROTF game Optimus Prime.jpg|thumb|right|300px|One shall stand, one sha--oh, you know the drill.]]
Optimus Prime served as the Autobots all around fighter. Weapons wise, he possessed dual laser rifles and dual shell cannons. In melee combat, he possessed [[Dual Energon Swords|Dual Energy Swords]] in each hand. Finally, with his valiant leader ability, he could generate a shield around himself which would prevent his energy from dropping past 1%.

After overseeing Ironhide's defeat of [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] and Ratchet's rescue of Ironhide, Optimus Prime took to the field when a previously unknown Decepticon named [[Demolishor (ROTF)|Demolishor]] began attacking the [[Shanghai]] waterfront. Optimus was finally able to defeat him, but Demolishor gave a single warning before he was killed: "The Fallen shall rise again". Optimus and the Autobots were at a loss as to what he meant. Back in the United States, Sam Witwicky gave Mikaela Banes a fragment of the AllSpark that he had discovered, which the Decepticons soon sought. Prime dispatched Bumblebee to rescue her. Following this, the Decepticons launched a raid on the city's oil refinery, where Ratchet rescued several engineers. Finally, Ironhide escorted a NEST team to safety in the city's canals.

Their victories were short lived. The Decepticons soon learned about the AllSpark shard on Diego Garcia, stealing it to revive Megatron. Although [[Breakaway (ROTF)|Breakaway]] managed to save the fleet, Megatron was reborn. He soon made an attack on Sam, trying to access information in his mind downloaded from the AllSpark. Bumblebee managed to rescue him. In light of these attacks, Optimus decided to give NEST the [[Axiom Gun]] to better defend themselves against the Decepticons. The escort came under Decepticon assault, but Prime was able to beat back the attackers and deliver the Axiom Gun to NEST. Soon afterwards, Bumblebee escorted Sam to meet with [[Seymour Simmons]], who told him of Jetfire, who then took the boy to Egypt.

While there, Jetfire explained what was going on: Eons ago, Optimus's ancestors, the [[Thirteen original Transformers|13 founders]] of the [[Dynasty of Primes]], built a solar harvester to convert the energy of the sun into [[Energon (fuel)|Energon]]. When they discovered the humans, they upheld their rule of the sanctity of life, but one of the Primes defied the rule and murdered his twelve brothers. This Prime was known as The Fallen, but the solar harvester was hidden from him. While Sam made inquires to the [[Tomb of the Primes|Tomb of the Twelve]], Megatron and Starscream arrived in an attempt to learn the harvester's location and kill Sam. Optimus Prime was able to defeat both Decepticons with Jetfire's help, but Jetfire was stabbed in the back by Megatron. Dying, Jetfire offered his parts to Optimus, as only a Prime could defeat The Fallen.

Finding the harvester at the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]], Optimus challenged The Fallen. Despite The Fallen's powerful command of telekinesis and pyrokinesis, Optimus Prime was able to get past his defenses and kill The Fallen by stabbing through the face. On the return trip home, Sam expressed gratitude at seeing the sunrise, and told Optimus he would have to trust him on it. Optimus Prime replied that he had always trusted Sam, and always would. {{Storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)}}

=====Decepticon campaign=====
When the revenant Megatron and the Decepticons rampaged across the United States of America, Optimus Prime faced him in a major city on the East Coast. The two leaders engaged in a titanic struggle that shook the city, but despite being aided by many Autobot drone units, Optimus was seemingly destroyed. However, much later, Optimus Prime reappeared when Megatron's master, The Fallen, activated the Solar Harvester to drain Earth's Sun. The Autobot leader revealed that The Fallen's promise to make Megatron a Prime was a lie, as Primes were born, not made. When Megatron demanded his reward, The Fallen reneged on his promise. As the master and disciple of evil began to fight, Optimus left to find a way to disable the Harvester. {{Storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)}}

==Commercial appearances==

* As part of the hype buildup to the movie's release, Optimus Prime made a brief cameo at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards, interacting with host Sarah Silverman. The scene spliced Silverman into pre-existing movie footage, but featured new dialogue recorded for the event by Peter Cullen. Prime heavily hinted that he wanted to present an award, but was rejected for a regular MTV fan.

* According to a tie-in advertisement for [[Burger King]], Prime likes his Whoppers with no onions, no cheese, extra pickles, with a side of ????. However, due to a cruel twist of fate, he can never enjoy the sweet taste of beefy victory (and all because he needed a driver for him to receive his order). He saved the world from the Decepticons, and still he can't even have it his way? Where's the justice?

* Optimus Prime (in truck mode) made an appearance at [[BotCon 2007]], alongside the [[Sector Seven Mobile Command Unit]]. He was available for pictures all weekend. He made a second appearance at [[BotCon 2009]].

* Optimus threw a trailer during his appearance on an [[M&M's]] commercial.

* On [[July 6]]th 2009, Optimus appeared on ''The Late Show With David Letterman'' to declare the "Top Ten Things That Sound Cool When Said By A Giant Robot". Optimus said it was nice to be there, although David was ''clearly'' concerned by having an 28-feet tall robot in the studio because of a bad history of robots messing up the place, and during the presentation Letterman decided there was something about Prime he didn't like. Anyway, the top ten was:
<ol>
<li value="10">"Jergens lotion leaves my hands silky smooth."</li>
<li value="9">"Do you have these khakis in size 114?"</li>
<li value="8">"My perfect night involves a pint of Haagen-Dazs and season three of ''Sex and the City''."</li>
<li value="7">"Man do I love me some 'taters."</li>
<li value="6">"It was so hot in Central Park, I saw a squirrel rubbing sunblock on his nuts."</li>
<li value="5">"You seemed a little pitchy, dawg."</li>
<li value="4">"Brody Jenner has added you as a friend on Facebook."</li>
<li value="3">"Live from New York, it's Saturday night."</li>
<li value="2">"My parents wanted me to be a Rabbi."</li>
<li value="1">"All the slammin' shorties in the house say 'Yeah'."<ref>[http://lateshow.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/video_player/index/php/991507.phtml Lateshow CBS archive video of Optimus's guest spot.]</ref></li>
</ol>

* To promote the DVD and Blu-ray release of ''Revenge of the Fallen'', Paramount set up a website where US fans could request Optimus call up their friends, warning them of Starscream's attempts to recruit human civilian allies.

*In the Discovery Channel promo, "The World Is Just Awesome," Optimus made a brief cameo, singing the words "boom-de-yatta, boom-de-yatta."

==Toys==
{{main|Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys}}

==Merchandise==
:''Main article: [[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Merchandise|Merchandise]]''

==Notes==
[[Image:moviecullen.jpg|right|150px|thumb|GIVE ME MY FACE]]

[[Image:Movie Primetruck before.jpg|right|150px|thumb|8:30 pm: "Trick My Truck". Tonight's guest: [[Alpha Trion (disambiguation)|Alpha Trion]].]]
* When Optimus' design was first revealed, many fans of the Generation 1 series objected to the flames seen on Prime's body. When asked in an interview why he put the flames on, [[Michael Bay]] claimed he liked them because it was "cool". It was later revealed on a special featurette on the DVD that the flames were added because, apparently, red is not very good to film on camera, so Bay chose a blue truck but used the flames so that when Optimus transformed, the layout would result in maintaining his iconic red chest.

* The announcement of [[Peter Cullen]] as Prime's voice actor in the movie is credited by some fans as alleviating many fan tensions about the movie. Not all tensions, mind you, as there are some who just will never be satisfied, but it put the fans in a good mood.

* Prime's ''Rise of the Chevy Autobots'' codename, "10-22", is [http://www.truckercountry.com/cb-terminology.html#10c CB radio slang] for "report in person to." As in "Bumblebee, 10-22 to 10-22." Cute, huh?

* [[TakaraTomy]] officially recognizes Optimus Prime's vehicle mode as a [http://www.kenworth.com/2100_vir_w900.asp Kenworth W900 truck], even though the vehicle used for filming was a modified [http://www.peterbilt.com/index_gal_mod_desc.asp?model=model379 Peterbilt 379], a different model from a different brand, although both are made by the PACCAR company.<ref>[http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=121424?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..2.* Article at Edmunds.com on some of the vehicles used in the movie]</ref>
[[Image:Movie OptimusPrime truckrear.jpg|right|150px|thumb|No container for you!]]

* Prime's truck mode is apparently intended to haul a flatbed trailer, based on the presence of the large silver "headache rack", a piece of optional equipment that protects the driver in case a flatbed load breaks free during braking. It is generally not installed on trucks hauling enclosed container trailers.

* Despite this, the one time that Prime has been seen with a trailer, it's an enclosed trailer (with a design based on Generation 1 Optimus Prime's [[Combat Deck]]), commandeered by the Autobots for use as Jazz's coffin after the battle of [[Mission City]] in [[IDW Publishing]]'s [[Alliance (comic)|Alliance]] comic book series.

[[Image:Movie Prime Trucklogomistake.jpg|right|150px|thumb|In the darkness, a PA will misread "Truck A" as "Truck B", and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth — Revelation 11:7.]]

* When Optimus Prime scans a truck for his new body, the passing truck has what appears to be an Autobot sigil on its grill, but the actual truck that Prime turns into at the end of the scene has a much wider, flatter symbol on the grill, which looks rather more like that of Peterbilt. Then, Prime has an Autobot sigil on his grill while driving to meet the other Autobots.

* According to the free trading cards from the Boston Globe, Optimus is 28 feet tall, weighs 4.3 metric tons, and his primary weapon is an [[Ion blaster|ion blaster]]. (Considering Optimus's height, however, this weight would seem implausible.)

* In the Japanese dub of the movie, he is given his original western name of Optimus Prime rather than the Japanese equivalent, Convoy. Just as Peter Cullen voiced Prime in the English version of the film, Tesshō Genda (the voice of G1 Convoy) reprised his role for the Japanese dub.

[[Image:MBMovieOptimusAttacks.jpg|thumb|250px|Maybe it's, uh, [[jet judo]].]]

*The [[Milton Bradley]] [[Transformers Battling Card Game]] depicts Prime with a unique a magnetic grapple attack, fired from the side of his arm. It also declares his forearm gun to be a chain gun (it's an ion blaster in other sources), and has him using a "judo kick", which... while it may not be out of the realm of plausibility for Prime to have learned an Earth martial art, judo does not actually '''use''' kicks, being focused on throwing moves. Oops.

* The Optimus Prime computer generated model consisted of 10,108 individual parts, 1,830,898 polygons, 27,744 rig nodes, and 2336 texture maps. The volume of all pieces combined came to 5445 cubic feet.<ref>Robertson, Barbara (2007). Heavy Metal. ''Computer Graphics, 30''(7), 12-17.</ref>

* It said in the Autobots game in the DS, Prime's father was killed by Megatron. However, since it is also widely known that Prime and Megatron were brothers, Megatron killed his own dad. Not that this is surprising, though.

* In Titan Magazines ''Transformers'' comics, Optimus's Cybertronian robot mode is exactly like his Earth mode, but with different weapons, yet his Cybertronian mode is a mostly silver protoform—with no truck windows. Odd.

[[Image:ROTF Optimus trailer super mode.jpg|thumb|right|250px|BUFF Prime!]]
* Optimus was supposed to combine with a trailer for ''Revenge of the Fallen'', something for which [[Ben Procter]] and [[Josh Nizzi]] drew up designs. In the end, Nizzi designed the combination with Jetfire.

* This incarnation of Optimus Prime doesn't do the best burials in the world, either—giving what can at best be described as a half-hearted goodbye to his [[Jazz (Movie)|first lieutenant]] at the end of the first movie, and unceremoniously dumping the parts of [[Jetfire (ROTF)|the converted Decepticon who had given him the power to defeat the Fallen]] at the conclusion of the second film. This is offset by how he's treated by humans when ''he'' dies.

* Of the Optimus Primes in all the existing continuities, this one is probably the most aggressive incarnation. Additionally, he seems obsessed with destroying the heads of his opponents. In ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]'', Prime [[Decapitation|decapitates]] [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]] and tries pulling off [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'s head. In ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of The Fallen]]'', Optimus severely damages [[Demolishor (ROTF)|Demolishor]]'s head before putting the lethal bullet in it, he tries pulling off [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream's]] head with his foot, ''rips apart'' [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor's]] head with hooks, shoots off part of Megatron's face, and ''rips off'' [[The Fallen]]'s face before killing him. (He also slices or tears off Megatron, Starscream and Grindor's arms in the second film, but this was not immortalized with a classic one liner.) Maybe he took Jazz's death hard after all?

{{--}}

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/2007/Autobot/ProtoformOptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm Optimus Prime at TFU.info]
* [http://www.seibertron.com/toys/index.php?f_series=40&f_name=optimus&f_type=exact&Submit=Search Galleries of various different Optimus Prime toys from the Movie]

[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Autobot leaders]]
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[[Category:Convention guests]]
[[Category:Exclusives]]
[[Category:Live-action film ARG characters]]
[[Category:Movie characters]]
[[Category:NEST]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen characters]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
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[[Category:Transformers 2010 toyline characters]]

Bulkhead (Animated)

2010-02-02T14:53:06Z

204.109.64.2: /* Animated cartoon */

{{factions|autobot}}
{{picsneeded|Cartoon and comic 'caps}}
{{disambig3|Bulkhead}}
:''Bulkhead is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:AniBulkheadPromoModel.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] called; he wants his head back.]]
The biggest and strongest of [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]'s crew, '''Bulkhead''' appears to be little more than a big, dumb lummox at first glance. The second and third glances don't do much to improve that impression. Raised on a backwater [[Energon (fuel)|energon]] farm, he joined the Autobot academy to achieve the lofty goal of becoming a lowly [[space bridge]] technician rather than a warrior. He also has an unfortunate tendency to break stuff by accident due to his sheer strength and natural clumsiness. He's wrecked major thoroughfares and toppled skyscrapers in his zeal to be ''helpful''; when he gets angry, he's capable of berserker charges that even the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]] have learned to respect and fear. His penchant for being a little too eager to please others and getting a little too emotional at times further leads him to act without thinking. Add in a seeming lack of skills beyond "destruction", and it does not paint a pretty picture.

But despite all these shortcomings, one is hard-pressed to find a bot with a bigger heart, and he has astounding (if sometimes well-hidden) depths. He hates being thought of as the clumsy brute of the team, which has bred a certain amount of careful forethought and cautiousness. He's endlessly loyal to and protective of his friends, especially his best buddy [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and the [[human]] girl [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]], even if their impulsive behavior is sometimes annoying. Since coming to [[Earth]], he has discovered a love of art and the urge to express his true feelings through it. He's not very good at it, but he keeps trying anyways. Perhaps most surprising of all is that he is [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s foremost expert in space bridge technology, even though he may not be able to build one himself without accidentally breaking at least half the components.

{{quote|You guys got it easy. All people want me to do is break stuff. I've got a sensitive side too, you know... but breaking stuff '''is''' kinda fun.|Bulkhead meditates on his lot in life|"[[Home Is Where the Spark Is]]"}}

:''Japanese name'': '''Ironhide'''
:''Russian name'': '''Tverdoloby''' ('''Твердолобый''', "Hard Head")

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Bill Fagerbakke]] (English), [[Tilo Schmitz]] (German), [[Ireneusz Załóg]] (Polish), [[Lorenzo Scattorin]] (Italian)

[[Image:Autobot Cadets.jpg|thumb|left|250px-Autobot Cadets.jpg|Auditions for the new Transformers series are now closed...]]
Bulkhead was originally an energon farmer and attended [[Autobot boot camp]] in order to qualify as a space bridge engineer. It was there that he first met Bumblebee and their trainer, [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Minor]]. To begin with, Bumblebee had no interest in being friends with the gentle giant, insulting him with the nickname "mudflap". A friendship blossomed after Bulkhead saved Bumblebee from some "malfunctioning" turrets, dropping a building on Sentinel in the process. In order to prevent Bulkhead from being expelled, 'Bee took the blame, and they both ended up on space bridge detail. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}}

[[Image:Ani crew.JPG|250px|thumb|right|Star Trekkin' across the universe! On the starship Enterprise under Captain Kurk!]]
Eventually, they were placed under [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime's]] command. While repairing a space bridge, the team discovered the long-lost [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]]. However, the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]] soon arrived, prompting Bulkhead to mention that he had never seen a Decepticon ship up close. (No one had and lived, as [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] pointed out.) Bulkhead did his best to hang on while the Autobots drove their ship through the space bridge. Coming out of warp, they went headlong toward [[Earth]], and he joined his fellow 'bots in heading into stasis to avoid the impact shock of an unpleasant landing.

After emerging from stasis and his [[reformatting]] into a terrestrial six-wheeled APC, Bulkhead accompanied the other Autobots to investigate a large, cybernetic creature that was menacing the local lifeforms (which they assumed were robots like themselves). Bulkhead requested help from a group of local drones, then noticed [[Sari Sumdac]] trying to take her keycard away from her robot dog, [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]]. Assuming Sari was the pet, Bulkhead greeted her—which promptly sent her running and screaming. Way to make first contact there, big guy.

[[Image:Bulkh alt.JPG|200px|thumb|left|Let's see [[wikipedia:Grave Digger (truck)|Grave Digger]] beat this!]]
After [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] arrived to take the AllSpark, the Autobots engaged him in a fierce game of "Keep-away". At one point, Bulkhead tried to catch the AllSpark, shouting "I got it." Starscream snagged the AllSpark instead, but Bulkhead knocked the [[Seeker (body-type)|Decepticon flier]] out of the air with his wrecking ball, causing him to drop the AllSpark. It's not nice to contradict Bulkhead. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}

Later, in Autobot HQ, he said he had some problems, because all humans wanted from him was to break stuff. After all, he had his sensitive side as well (even if breaking stuff was fun). When [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] attacked the Autobots' base, Bulkhead got in touch with his inner breaker, confirming that smashing stuff IS fun! Megatron had different plans for him, though, and Bulkhead discovered it's not as much fun to BE smashed. After Bulkhead was saved, he tried to catch a [[Pocketbot|tiny machine]] that looked like it might be the culprit. Prime hoped to study it and find out where it came from, but Bulkhead smashed the little critter to pieces when he grabbed it. {{storylink|Home Is Where the Spark Is}}

[[Image:TFA Blast Past Bulkhead Tutor Bot.JPG|250px|thumb|right|The pizza's ready!]]
After that [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] tried to train Bulkhead to be more subtle in his actions, to assess a situation, choose the right move, then execute it with grace and precision. This didn't meet with any real success, as Bulkhead's antics damaged the base and caused him to fall on Prowl. Moving to an island in Lake Erie, Bulkhead tried again. He knocked down some trees which fell on Prowl. Things actually got worse when Bulkhead tried to use Prowl's methods against the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]], a trio of animatronics run amok. Prowl wisely advised Bulkhead to stop doing what Prowl would do and instead do what Bulkhead himself would do. Bulkhead quickly discovered that his blunt, powerhouse approach had its place and time for proper use, charging and knocking down [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]], hitting [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] out of the air, and throwing [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] into a pit of molten tar. Afterward, the Dinobots were due to be melted down. However, Prowl suspected the Dinobots were actually alive, not mere machines, so he enlisted Bulkhead's help in secretly transporting them from their prison to the deserted island on Lake Erie. There they could live undisturbed and perhaps get themselves under control. Prowl had realized that just because something was big and lumbering and destructive was no reason to give up on it, and Bulkhead knew just what he meant. {{storylink|Blast from the Past}}

When Bumblebee had his bout with [[Colossus Rhodes]] that escalated into a parking lot brawl, Bulkhead arrived with the others to stop the mad giant and tease Bumblebee about his size. Bulkhead's size proved a liability when he got caught in an opening in [[Sumdac Tower]]'s defense shield, making him a sitting (but not defenseless) duck for an upgraded Rhodes, using his wrecking ball to send the brute flying. When the shield was deactivated he was the first into the tower, scooping up [[Meltdown (Animated)|Meltdown]] in his fist... a very bad mistake, since the villain was made of acid. His action gave the other Autobots time to defeat Meltdown, so it turned out okay. {{storylink|Total Meltdown}}

On a shopping trip for Sari's birthday present, Bulkhead worked with Sari to rein in the pesky [[Professor Princess]]. The next day, Sari's birthday party began poorly, as the guests were all children of Sumdac Industries employees, who found Sari too weird for their tastes. The Autobots' arrival made things a little more interesting, but klutzy Bulkhead soon found himself ignored, alongside Sari, as the kids went for rides with the other Autobots (even Ratchet). Bulkhead wanted to give Sari her gift, a xylophone, but was too embarrassed to do so when he saw Dr. Sumdac's gift, a musical robot named [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]]. For the next several days, Sari's attention was drawn away from her friend as she spent her free time plugging her key into the toy to upgrade it. Bulkhead realized that there was something off about Soundwave, but his attempts to prove it just forced a wedge between Sari and himself. Megatron's machinations to increase the split between them didn't help. It turned out the big guy was right on the money, however, as Soundwave was a creation of Megatron's that gained sentience through the key. Soundwave took control of the machines of Detroit and captured Sari. When Bulkhead came to her rescue, Soundwave attempted to convince Bulkhead of the inferiority of humans. For a few minutes, it seemed Bulkhead was on his side, but with a wink to Sari, he punched Soundwave so hard that the Decepticon shattered into his component parts. Sari apologized, and the pair played with Bulkhead's gift, albeit after Sari nearly broke her hand punching Bulkhead's fist. {{storylink|Sound and Fury}}

Soon afterwards, trouble arrived in the form of [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] and [[Lugnut]]. Answering their challenge, the Autobots confronted the pair in a construction yard. Bulkhead charged Lugnut and the two engaged in a grapple, but even Bulkhead's power wasn't enough against the massive Decepticon, who threw him aside. The second round didn't go too well either, as Lugnut never had a chance to fight before the Decepticons were defeated by the Autobot ship's main cannon. {{storylink|Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found}}

After Sari was abducted by the Dinobots, Prowl and Bulkhead went to [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]] to investigate. What they found was Meltdown, who damaged Bulkhead to the point of unconsciousness and trapped Prowl and [[Captain Fanzone]] (who had been tailing them) underground. Bulkhead spent the rest of the episode out cold until Sari was able to restore him. On the boat ride home, Sari showed she could take care of herself by kicking Bulkhead, who pretended to be hurt and accidentally fell into the ship's hold. {{storylink|Survival of the Fittest}}

[[Image:Caged bulkhead.jpg|200px|thumb|left|And now we know how the caged Bulkhead sings...]]
After destroying a good portion of a city block trying to stop a missile impact, Sari suggested to Bulkhead that he explore his more creative talents to show the citizens of Detroit that he wasn't [[Sixshot|an engine of destruction]]. Bulkhead had difficulty making his creations (his paint brushes kept snapping between his fingers) and panicked when he learned that Sari had arranged an art show for him. (Girl has connections.) While lamenting his lot in life, he was knocked out cold by a sudden electrical surge. When he came back online, he found that his body had been stolen. As Bumblebee attempted to help him finish his art pieces in time for the show, the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] used Bulkhead's body to take control of a solar fusion plant, intending to detonate it unless he was paid a hefty ransom. Optimus used the ransom delivery to sneak the Autobots into the plant, where they defeated the Headmaster and reattached Bulkhead to his body...backwards. As the reactor reached critical, Bulkhead came up with a drone that would set the rods back, but the drone melted in the process. Not to be daunted, Bulkhead added it to his art collection, showing the citizens of Detroit his [[Slogism|warzone art]] without them even knowing it. {{storylink|Headmaster (episode)|Headmaster}}

When Decepticon energy signals were detected, the Autobots quickly realized that they were outnumbered. Bulkhead mentioned that the Dinobots might be able to help, not aware that Prowl hadn't told Optimus they had moved them to Dinobot Island. Prime was furious and ordered the two to take him there at once. After searching the island, the Autobots found the Dinobots. They were unwilling to help, so the Autobots left, unsure of their next move. When Bumblebee contacted Prime, saying that Starscream was at Sumdac Tower, he ordered him to stand down. When they arrived at the tower, they saw Bumblebee fighting Starscream. Prime dryly noted that disobeying orders was becoming a habit, but Bulkhead wasn't too insulted. He was too busy being shocked by [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] bursting through Sumdac Tower. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 1}}

Quickly regaining his composure, Bulkhead charged Megatron, only to have his wrecking ball severed and be thrown into a building. After the short battle, Sumdac told them how he had rebuilt Megatron. Bulkhead sounded as if he was about to crush the professor, but Prime told him that it was unimportant. Using excess key energy in Sumdac's equipment, the Autobots repaired themselves, and Prime apologized for his harsh words. Ratchet and Sari came by in the ship, picking up the Autobots, but they were shot down over Dinobot Island. During the subsequent battle, Bulkhead brought down [[Lugnut]]. The zealous Decepticon was stronger than Bulkhead, but as he activated [[Punch of Kill Everything|his punch]], Bulkhead used his wrecking ball to detonate it, sending Lugnut flying. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

While repairing a damaged overpass, Bulkhead became stuck in some cement, but hid it to avoid being embarrassed. He was nearly destroyed when he used outdated, unstable fixative, but was saved by two newly sentient machines named [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] and [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]]. Once they helped him finish the repair work he'd been doing, Bulkhead reluctantly went with them for an oil break, though he wasn't sure it was okay to take it straight from a tanker ship. He WAS sure the rest of the Autobots would like his new friends. The crass construction workers did not impress the other Autobots, however, and things only got worse when a game of flattened-oil-can frisbee severed Sari's pigtails (and nearly her head), leading Prime to evict the two. The next day, Bulkhead went looking for his friends, discovering that they had stolen parts for something Megatron was building. When Bulkhead told them that the Decepticons were [[wikipedia:Men in Black (film)|the scum of the universe]], the two went to challenge the Decepticons, without telling Bulkhead where to find them. The other Autobots were concerned that Scrapper and Mixmaster would sell them out, but Bulkhead still defended them. Unfortunately, the newly dubbed [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicons]] ''did'' side with the Decepticons, taking Bumblebee hostage and demanding the AllSpark fragments the Autobots had. Bulkhead gave them the fragments and a cup of oil for the road, but he had spiked the oil with the outdated fixative from the other day. The subsequent explosion scrambled their memory circuits, and Bulkhead drove the amnesiac Transformers away, admitting that he had been wrong to trust them. {{storylink|Rise of the Constructicons}}

After [[Wasp]] escaped, Bulkhead tagged along with Bumblebee in an attempt to track a leaked signal, but 'Bee's attitude became unbearable, and Bulkhead stormed off. The kindhearted bot couldn't stay away, however, and helped Bumblebee out of a minor scrape. Bumblebee apologised, but Bulkhead shook it off; their friendship had rock-solid foundations. Reconciled, the two headed back to base, having missed a rather conspicuous mine shaft entrance. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}}

Bulkhead later made an abstract painting of Sari in the style of Picasso, but the other Autobots' suggestions ended up ruining the painting. He and Sari took a walk to clear his head, and Bumblebee came and genuinely tried to apologize. This went rather poorly, and got even worse when Megatron arrived. He kidnapped Bulkhead and took him to his base. Megatron revealed that [[Shockwave (Animated)|his double agent]] had learned that Bulkhead was Cybertron's top space bridge technician, and forced Bulkhead to help the Decepticons repair a space bridge they had reverse engineered. If Bulkhead refused, Megatron would use a Headmaster unit to steal his body and kill all of Bulkhead's friends, starting with Professor Sumdac. Bulkhead agreed to help, but Professor Sumdac believed that Bulkhead was trying to sabotage the device, and told Bulkhead to let him give the instructions to avoid sounding preposterous. Furious at everyone doubting his skill, Bulkhead actually ''fixed'' the space bridge, allowing Megatron to teleport the Decepticons to an underdefended Cybertron. See Bulkhead, this is why people don't take you seriously. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I}}

During a three-way battle between the Autobots, the Decepticons, and Starscream's [[Starscream clone|clones]], Bulkhead tried to shut down the space bridge, but was locked with [[stasis cuffs]] by a [[Slipstream (Animated)|female clone]]. After Megatron explained his plans and how Bulkhead had helped. the other Autobots expressed confusion at his skills, and Bulkhead explained that he had read all the space bridge schematics on the energon farm. Unfortunately, power problems arose, which Megatron tried to fix with by adding Starscream's AllSpark powered head into the power core. Unfortunately, this caused an overload which Bulkhead theorized would suck up all of Michigan. Fortunately, [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] arrived and allowed himself to be sucked into the portal. When the Autobots escaped, Bulkhead theorized that Omega was merely transported to another section of space, and had hope that he was still alive. Unfortunately, any effort to locate Omega was put on hold when Sari noticed that the skin of her arm had been torn...revealing robotic circuitry underneath! {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}

While Bumblebee and Bulkhead were surprised and concerned about Sari's revealed techno-organic nature, they remained focused on the more imminent problem; namely that their old friend Longarm was really a Decepticon spy. However, because Omega Supreme was transwarped to another part of the galaxy, they no longer had Teletran-1 and thus had no way to contact Cybertron. A suggestion from Optimus gave Bulkhead the idea of building their own Space Bridge, seeing as Bulkhead was the Space Bridge genius (a title Bumblebee claimed he'd never get used to). Bulkhead theorized that he might be able to put something together if they salvaged enough parts. The two of them quickly left to dig any useful parts out of the ruins of the mine, namely the [[plasmadynamic thruster]] (the component that generates the transwarp field) and the recon beacon generator (the component that allows one to lock on a specific area to transwarp to). Bulkhead found the recon beacon generator (after Bumblebee nearly tossed it away) and Bumblebee was about to give him the plasma dynamic thruster when it caught a stray transwarp signal (presumably from Omega Supreme's earlier transwarp) and was sent to another part of the galaxy. When Bulkhead turned around, Bumblebee was gone. Hearing a noise, he investigated, thinking it was his little buddy. But it was actually Henry Masterson who had found both his lost [[Headmaster unit]] and Starscream's discarded body (definitely not little and not Bulkhead's buddy). Masterson then soundly trashed Bulkhead and left him buried under a pile of rocks.

Later, Ratchet found him and brought him back to the plant. Ratchet was about to work on repairing Bulkhead when Sari beat him to it, much to Ratchet's annoyance. When Bumblebee's energy signature could not be found on Earth, Bulkhead realized that he wasn't on Earth. The plasmadynamic thruster must have caught a stray transwarp field and sent Bumblebee to another part of the galaxy. In theory, Bulkhead could retrieve him with the recon beacon generator, provided he could get it working. Ratchet was about to attempt to do so when Sari beat him to the punch again. A little while later, Bulkhead detected a stray transwarp field. Using the recon beacon generator, Bulkhead managed to reel Bumblebee back to Earth, inside the belly of a [[rock creature|giant rock alien]]. The alien, noticeably ticked about being exposed to the bright light of the [[sun]], went on a rampage in Detroit. Of course, Bulkhead couldn't just smash the alien with his wrecking balls since Bumblebee was inside it. However, Sari once again provided assistance with her new upgraded form and neatly disposed of the rock alien and rescued Bumblebee. But then her body became overloaded with Allspark energy and she started going on an uncontrollable rampage, causing every electronic device she touched to explode. When Bumblebee was stabbed by Sari in an attempt to stop her, Bulkhead, Prowl, and Optimus worked together to remove the Key from her system. However, its energy had been completely drained into Sari, making both the Key useless and Sari still unable to control herself. Bulkhead suggested that she tried to hold it in like when she had to go to the 'sleep-room'. Sari attempted this, but this only caused the initiation of a self-destruct sequence. Fortunately, Ratchet was able to temporarily shut her down with his EMP generator.

Later, the group was at the plant, mulling over the events of the day, including Optimus revealing the Autobots' secret base to Professor Sumdac. When Bumblebee threatened to transwarp again, Bulkhead took the plasmadynamic thruster from Bumblebee's backpack and turned it off. But then Omega Supreme appeared, under the control of Megatron. The group headed for the river to keep Megatron from damaging more of the city. Bulkhead and Bumblebee acted as decoys while Prowl and Optimus worked on freeing Omega from Megatron's control. Their plan worked, only for Starscream's head, which Megatron was using as a battery, to take over Omega's body and toss out Prowl and Optimus. With them unable to get back in and Starscream threatening to transwarp to Cybertron and use Omega to take it over, Bumblebee and Bulkead got the idea of using the plasma dynamic thruster on Omega Supreme. With a little teamwork from them and Optimus Prime, they attached the plasma dynamic thruster to Omega Supreme, causing him to go on an endless and random transwarp cycle throughout the galaxy. However, they still needed to find a way to contact Cybertron about Shockwave. {{storylink|TransWarped}}

Soon afterwards, Bulkhead teamed with Prof. Sumdac to build a space bridge at Sumdac Tower. Sumdac was willing to make up to the Autobots for unwillingly helping the Decepticons during his long captivity, though he kept slowing down work by continuously mentioning Megatron and insisting the confiscated Headmaster Unit was staring at him. Eventually, the two of them got the power core assembled and loaded on a green and purple forklift. Bulkhead inserted an Allspark fragment into the power core for a source of energy. Prof. Sumdac warned Bulkhead that it might [[A Bridge Too Close, Part II|overload it]]. Bulkhead reassured the Professor that he knew what he was doing when it comes to space bridges. Unfortunately, his leaning on the forklift caused too much pressure and the floor gave out. Bulkhead managed to save the Professor, but the forklift, the power core, and the Headmaster Unit fell down through three floors. While Sumdac went to rest from his near brush with death, Bulkhead went to find some structural experts. Fortunately, he knew just the bots for the job.

Bulkhead found Mixmaster and Scrapper at an automobile disassembly factory, drinking motor oil and hooting at the stripping vehicles. The two Constructicons were less than pleased to see Bulkhead, evidenced when Scrapper pinned him against the wall. (Apparently, Scrapper's a lot stronger than he looks.) Bulkhead managed to talk them into helping them, seeing as how the other Decepticons weren't going to turn up for them any time soon. The two construction bots agreed since wasn't any rule against moonlighting, but Megatron can never know about this. Bulkhead reassured them Megatron will never hear of it. I mean, it's like the two of them will be talking any time soon.

When they returned to Sumdac Tower, the Constructicons went to work, mentioning this is going to cost some serious overtime. Bulkhead told them to take all the time they needed. He was almost able to persuade them to switch to the Autobots when Scrapper pulled up the forklift from before, surprisingly in good condition despite it's crashing through three floors. But it turned out the materials that fell down before have been fused together by the Allspark, creating a grumpy new Constructicon named [[Dirt Boss (Animated)|Dirt Boss]]. Dirt Boss quickly took command and cowled Scrapper and Mixmaster into submission by forcing Scrapper to hit himself using a cerebro-shell. Bulkhead tried to contact Prime about this new problem, but he and the other Autobots were busy with Lugnut. Prof. Sumdac came into the lab, wondering what was causing all the commotion and saw the Constructicons. Due to his unhappy dealings with them, Sumdac demanded that they leaved at once. Dirt Boss didn't take too kindly to that and was about to squish the Professor when Bulkhead quickly told Dirt Boss that Sumdac worked for him. Bulkhead then 'angrily' demanded Sumdac to build the plasmadynamic thruster before he got a face full of wrecking ball. However, Sumdac didn't notice Bulkhead's winks and thought it was real.

Dirt Boss then took Mixmaster and Scrapper out into the city where they started stealing oil so they can hold the city for ransom. Bulkhead tried to talk Mixmaster and Scrapper out of following Dirt Boss, but the two of them were too interested in gaining oil to listen to Bulkhead. Mixmaster even stuck Bulkhead's feet to the ground with his cement. Later, Captain Fanzone inquired whether the 'rude, 30-foot robots' were friends of Bulkhead. Bulkhead tried to convince the Captain that Mix and Scrap were good bots, just misprogramed. However, Fanzone was only conscerned about machines acting up his town.

Bulkhead followed the Constructicons back to the disassembly factory, where Dirt Boss was chewing the first two Constructicons about 'drinking the profits'. Prof. Sumdac found Bulkhead and had brought the plasmadynamic thruster that 'he wanted it done yesterday'. Bulkhead told the Professor that he was just acting so the other bots wouldn't hurt him. When said bots appeared behind him, Bulkhead put on his act once again, only with the Professor knowing it this time. Dirt Boss then told of his plan to destroy the fossil-feul refinery so they would have the only source of oil in Detroit. Bulkhead finally decided this had gone too far and tried to stop them. Unfortunately, his plan wasn't very well thought out and he got his right wrecking ball stuck in Mixmaster's left 'cement-cannon'. The Constructicons simply dragged Bulkhead along, with Bulkhead protesting all the way.

When the Constructicons got to the refinery, Bulkhead nearly won Mixmaster and Scrapper over by reminding them that if they destroyed the refinery, they wouldn't be able to get more oil. But Dirt Boss, who has had enough of Bulkhead's mouth, used a cerebro-shell to order Mixmaster to take Bulkhead offline. This lead to a rather interesting battle between the two of them, seeing as how they were stuck together. Bulkhead managed to open his com-link so the other Autobots would hear him in trouble. When Scrapper noticed this, he took the cerebro-shell off of Mixmaster and plugged into Bulkhead. Dirt Boss then ordered Bulkhead to light the oil tank and blow up the refinery, something that would have also destroyed Mixmaster since he was stuck to Bulkhead. But when the other Autobots came, Dirt Boss changed his orders for Bulkhead to attack the Autobots, using Mixmaster as a wrecking ball. Eventually, Ratchet was able to remove the cerebro-shell. Bulkhead then separated himself from Mixmaster by using the spilled oil as it's supposed to be used, as a lubricant. One swing from his wrecking ball sent Mixmaster flying, but he fell onto Scrapper and the sparks from their collision lit the oil. When the fire proved impossible to contain, Prof. Sumdac came up with the idea to transport it with the plasmadynamic thruster. Bulkhead reprogrammed the thruster for a shorter distance and tossed it on top of the oil tank. The tank, as well as the Constructicons who were on top of it, were transwarped over Lake Erie near Dinobot Island where the tank exploded harmlessly. However, the Autobots still needed to cart away Lugnut, only to find that he had been freed by [[Ramjet (Animated)|Ramjet]]. {{storylink|Three's a Crowd}}

When Wasp came to Earth, he attack Bumblebee and switched identities with him, via an [[electronic paint job]] concealed in the switched helmets that also altered their voice synthesizers. Even Bulkhead was confused by the clever disguising and nearly smashed Bumblebee with his wrecking ball, presumably to get even for Wasp's bullying at boot camp. Fortunately, Bumblebee was able to make Bulkhead realize who he really was by reminding how he took the fall for knocking that building on top of Sentinel Prime. Bulkhead realized the truth at the last second and bounced (yes, you read that right, ''bounced'', accompanied with squeaky footsteps too) over and hugged Bumblebee. But then they were attacked by a [[Jetfire (Animated)|new]] [[Jetstorm (Animated)|pair]] of flying Autobots, who thought that Bumblebee was Wasp and, since they also thought Wasp was a traitor, Bulkhead and Prowl were too. The minor misunderstanding was quickly settled when Optimus Prime, Jazz, Ratchet, and Sentinel Prime appeared and Bulkhead explained how he knew Wasp is really Bumblebee (with a squeaky bouncing dance thrown in too). When they went back to the plant, Wasp had already boned up on everything regarding Bumblebee on the computer files and thus an information quiz was therefore useless. However, Bulkhead knew one way to prove who was the real Bumblebee: a death match of [[Ninja Gladiator]] between the two suspected Autobots, on account that Bumblebee is "the best player around". Wasp, not knowing any fighting moves from his long time in the Stockades, panicked and threatened to slag Bumblebee. When Wasp claimed he used to be a good bot before Bumblebee ruined him, Bulkhead countered that he was always mean to him and Bumblebee, thus while not being a traitor, Wasp was never a good bot. Wasp then shot the lights out and made a break for it. Bulkhead found him outside lying on the ground and jumped on top of him, punching him repeatedly. Only to find that Wasp had switched identities again and Bulkhead had pounded Bumblebee. Oops. {{storylink|Where Is Thy Sting?}}

{{storylink|Predacons Rising}}
{{storylink|Human Error, Part I}}
{{storylink|Human Error, Part II}}
{{storylink|Decepticon Air}}

Bulkhead went to the moon with Bumblebee, Sari, and Ratchet in order to take back Omega Supreme. Following the destruction of the Starscream Supremes and Megatron's defeat, Bulkhead returned back to Cybertron with the team and was holding Prowl's body with Ratchet, Jazz, and Bumblebee.
{{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}{{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}

{{charstubfiction}}

===Titan Magazines===
[[Hasbro|Toy companies]] have made an action figure of him! {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 3|Crossroads!}}

The Dinobots saved him and the others from [[Starscream clone]]s, which was good. They then didn't leave and Bulkhead's sleeping space was taken up by Grimlock, which was not good. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 17|Dino-MIGHT!}}

Later, the Autobots were buried by the villain [[Quake-Maker]]. Bulkhead's great strength freed them from the ground, and then he ''vanished completely'' from the battle. {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 1|Burnout}}

On his day off, Bulkhead was dragged to a basketball game by Sari, Prowl and [[Afterburn]]. Bulkhead didn't see the point of the game and was being mistaken for a litter bin by the humans. Luckily a demented supervillain attacked Detroit and they had to leave the game—but as a diversionary tactic, the evil [[Crossroads]] blackmailed Detroit into trying to destroy the Autobots! The Autobots saw through this and intercepted the villain at [[Sumdac Tower]], with Bulkhead taking down reprogrammed security drones. After beating the villain, Bulkhead now enjoyed basketball and happily watched the game ''for no reason''. {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 3|Crossroads!}}

When the Decepticons raided the Autobot base, Bulkhead joined the gang in successfully driving them back out. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 24|Megatron's Revenge}}

When Prowl and Bumblebee decided to have a race to see who was fastest, Bulkhead was eager to join in, much to Bumblebee's mockery. Nevertheless, off Bulkhead went... and, thanks to the other two being distracted by Decepticons, he ''won'' and was officially King of Speed. Optimus and Ratchet lifted him up in a display of victory (their shoulders hurt!). {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 25|The Race}}

==Toys==
===Animated===
[[Image:TFAnimated Voyager Bulkhead toy.jpg|300px|thumb|right|And the world wants his kibble to turn into a chair.]]
* '''Bulkhead''' (Voyager, 2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TA-03'''
:Bulkhead transforms from an armored, six-wheeled military-type van into a robot mode that is a bit on the short side for a Voyager, due to the stout, stocky nature of the character. The toy features two "[[automorph]]"-style gimmicks in its transformation: after flipping down the back doors, pulling down on them retracts a pair of black tabs holding his arms into pace, allowing them to spring forward into position; and moving his chest into place automatically causes a panel to flip over, exposing his head.

:The figure's left arm contains the character's signature gimmick, his wrecking ball. A concealed lever activates a pressure-launch system that fires the ball, which is attached to Bulkhead's arm by a sturdy string. Bulkhead's right arm, meanwhile, features a rather strange gimmick: after straightening the arm at the elbow, pressing the black lever on the upper arm causes Bulkhead's forearm to flip upwards. It ''might'' be an uppercut or some other sort of punch attack, but whatever this feature is supposed to be, it is not mentioned in either the toy's instructions, or on its packaging.

:No, his kibble can't transform into a chair. ''Aww''.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/Bulkhead/bulkhead.htm More information on Voyager Bulkhead at TFU.info]

{{-}}{{anchor|Activator}}
[[Image:TFAnimated Activators Bulkhead.jpg|300px|thumb|right|"Whoa, I thought I was super-deformed ''before''..."]]
* '''Bulkhead''' (Activator, 2008)

: [[Activators]] Bulkhead can autotransform from a compressed version of a SWAT military van into his robot form when the middle siren bar is pressed. The vehicle mode lacks the back section's doors and bumper to better accommodate the gimmick, which leaves his robot mode's hands sticking out.

: His kibble is unable to become a chair as well. '''''Awww'''''. Unless you take the back-piece and switch it round and have him sit on it in a kind of... warped way.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/ActBulkhead/bulkhead.htm More information on Activators Bulkhead at TFU.info]

{{-}}{{anchor|Leader}}
[[Image:TFAnimated Leader Bulkhead toy.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Tired of being known as "the big guy with a gentle heart", Bulkhead became more trigger happy than [[Triggerhappy]].]]
* '''Bulkhead''' (Leader, 2008)
**''Accessories'': 4 "air torpedoes"

: This version of Bulkhead is decidedly more heavily armed than others, with the most distinctive additions to his arsenal coming in the form of a double-barreled turret for his vehicle mode, two missile racks (one per arm, each holding two removable "air torpedoes"), and a buzzsaw in his right hand, which spins when a black tab on his forearm is pressed. He ''doesn't'' have a wrecking ball, but his other hand does feature a "grabby" action, allowing you to clench and open his fingers by sliding a tab in his arm.

:Bulkhead is outfitted with a significant array of electronic light and sound gimmicks. Pressing the Autobot insignia on his chest in robot mode causes his head to turn, his mouth to open , as he speaks one of three sound clips—"Sorry, my bad," "You can do it, buddy!", and "Time for the big guns!"—accompanied by flashing yellow lights in his chest, shoulders and eyes. During transformation, when the vehicle mode turret is snapped into or out of place, the classic transformation sound effect plays as his lights flash. In vehicle mode, pressing the Autobot insignia activates a siren noise, which lasts as long as the button is held down and is accompanied by flashing red LEDs that illuminate his vehicle's light bar. Bulkhead also comes packaged with the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] unit, which can fit over the figure's head, altering his sound and changing his yellow lights to red. Once in place, the Headmaster will scream "Ownage! Total ownage!", and all of Bulkhead's lights flash, illuminating the villain's translucent horns. This is the Headmaster's only phrase; pressing Bulkhead's insignia repeats the effects. The Headmaster accessory fits over all other Leader class figures.

: The packaging photography and lineart indicate that Bulkhead's electronic lights shine a more [[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]] blue (well, accurate for his eyes, anyway). The final produced toy has yellow lights instead, because blue LEDs are apparently really expensive.

: ''This'' version of Bulkhead ''can'' transform his kibble into a chair! Hooray!

{{note|[[Derrick J. Wyatt]] has remarked that the additional weaponry this toy possesses is supposed to represent the alterations the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] would have made if he had possessed the body longer.}}

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/LeaderBulkhead/bulkhead.htm More information on Leader Bulkhead at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|BumperBattler}}
[[Image:BumperBattlers Bulkhead toy.JPG|250px|thumb|right|Bulkhead now knows how [[Han Solo]] feels.]]

* '''Bulkhead''' (Bumper Battler, 2008)

: Bulkhead is part of the second wave of [[Bumper Battlers]]. Pressing on the vehicle mode's front bumper activates electronic noises and pops up the roof, revealing a relief of Bulkhead's robot form. Pressing on the Autobot [[faction symbol]] on the hood activates a randomly-assembled collection of sound effects and voice samples.

: His face is disturbingly goofy.

* '''Workzone Bulkhead''' (Bumper Battler)

: A [[redeco]] of Bumper Battlers Bulkhead.

{{comingsoontoy}}

==Notes==
* Out of the five main Autobot characters, Bulkhead is the only one who doesn't have a Generation 1 counterpart. However, his color and star symbols make him visually somewhat reminiscent of [[Hound (G1)|Hound]].

[[Image:RedBulkhead.jpg|thumb|right|Bulkred. Redhead? [[Big Red]]! Wyatt totally got paid for this.]]

* Bulkhead's design and demeanor likely owe themselves to Crunch from ''[[wikipedia:Mighty Orbots|Mighty Orbots]]'', a series [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] has admitted as being an inspiration.

* [[wikipedia:Patrick Star|Another]] big lug with a [[Bill Fagerbakke|similar]] voice, Bulkhead is best friends with a [[wikipedia:SpongeBob SquarePants (character)|little]] [[Bumblebee (Animated)|yellow guy]]. Obviously this analogy [[Tom Kenny|only goes]] [[Starscream (Animated)|so far]].

* Upon seeing a red [[Prototype|test shot]] of Bulkhead's ''Voyager''-class toy, Derrick J. Wyatt recolored a Bulkhead character model in the test shot's colors—on company time!<ref>http://derrickjwyatt.blogspot.com/2007/09/bulkhead-toy.html</ref>

* While Bulkhead's Earth form features no continuous tracks, he still has them on his feet, like in his Cybertron form. This is probably an animation error that stayed in the show. The toy's legs are more developed, as the front wheels form the backs of the feet. The leader class toy, though, is show-accurate in the sense that flipping out his feet will reveal the tracks.

* After his reformatting into his APC mode, Bulkhead's robot mode [[kibble]] changes from the ''front'' of his vehicle mode (where it forms the scoop of the bulldozer) to the ''back'', where it forms the doors of the truck.
[[Image:Bulkheadchair.jpg|250px|thumb|right|The next step in Transformers evolution is here!]]

* Bulkhead can form his [[kibble]] into a chair. This is awesome.

* Bulkhead has a storage place in his chest which opens in at least two ways, like a drawer and/or like a door.

* Bulkhead's eyes can extend from his face and act as a microscope, as shown in "[[Rise of the Constructicons]]". This is slightly strange, but also awesome.

* In spite of the visual differences, it would appear that rather than simply swapping out his hands for his signature wrecking balls, Bulkhead's hands actually transform to ''become'' the wrecking balls. Although most episodes show his hand simply retract and then be replaced by the ball, a few instances show it actually stay in place, blur and change into the ball. Furthermore, in cases where Bulkhead has had the tether-line of his wrecking ball severed, he remains conspicuously handless until the ball is re-attached, such as in "[[Transform and Roll Out]]" and "[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]".

* Bulkhead's vehicle mode design was used as the basis for [[Blurr (G1)|Generation 1 Blurr]]'s personal transport in [[Spotlight: Blurr]].

* Of all the vehicles that Teletran 1 scanned, the SWAT vehicle Bulkhead was reformatted into was the only one that didn't match his color scheme.

*[http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e379/Sprocketman/SDKeychains.jpg According to a Japanese keychain advertisement], Bulkhead is going to be renamed "Ironhide" for the Japanese release of the series, presumably to keep the names of the primary ''Animated'' Autobots consistent with the names of the primary ''[[Transformers (2007)|Movie]]'' Autobots. Exactly what this will entail for ''Animated'' [[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] is anyone's guess.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Artists]]
[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Animated characters]]
[[Category:Engineers]]

Bulkhead (Animated)

2010-02-02T14:52:10Z

204.109.64.2: /* Animated cartoon */

{{factions|autobot}}
{{picsneeded|Cartoon and comic 'caps}}
{{disambig3|Bulkhead}}
:''Bulkhead is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:AniBulkheadPromoModel.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] called; he wants his head back.]]
The biggest and strongest of [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]'s crew, '''Bulkhead''' appears to be little more than a big, dumb lummox at first glance. The second and third glances don't do much to improve that impression. Raised on a backwater [[Energon (fuel)|energon]] farm, he joined the Autobot academy to achieve the lofty goal of becoming a lowly [[space bridge]] technician rather than a warrior. He also has an unfortunate tendency to break stuff by accident due to his sheer strength and natural clumsiness. He's wrecked major thoroughfares and toppled skyscrapers in his zeal to be ''helpful''; when he gets angry, he's capable of berserker charges that even the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]] have learned to respect and fear. His penchant for being a little too eager to please others and getting a little too emotional at times further leads him to act without thinking. Add in a seeming lack of skills beyond "destruction", and it does not paint a pretty picture.

But despite all these shortcomings, one is hard-pressed to find a bot with a bigger heart, and he has astounding (if sometimes well-hidden) depths. He hates being thought of as the clumsy brute of the team, which has bred a certain amount of careful forethought and cautiousness. He's endlessly loyal to and protective of his friends, especially his best buddy [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and the [[human]] girl [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]], even if their impulsive behavior is sometimes annoying. Since coming to [[Earth]], he has discovered a love of art and the urge to express his true feelings through it. He's not very good at it, but he keeps trying anyways. Perhaps most surprising of all is that he is [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s foremost expert in space bridge technology, even though he may not be able to build one himself without accidentally breaking at least half the components.

{{quote|You guys got it easy. All people want me to do is break stuff. I've got a sensitive side too, you know... but breaking stuff '''is''' kinda fun.|Bulkhead meditates on his lot in life|"[[Home Is Where the Spark Is]]"}}

:''Japanese name'': '''Ironhide'''
:''Russian name'': '''Tverdoloby''' ('''Твердолобый''', "Hard Head")

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Bill Fagerbakke]] (English), [[Tilo Schmitz]] (German), [[Ireneusz Załóg]] (Polish), [[Lorenzo Scattorin]] (Italian)

[[Image:Autobot Cadets.jpg|thumb|left|250px-Autobot Cadets.jpg|Auditions for the new Transformers series are now closed...]]
Bulkhead was originally an energon farmer and attended [[Autobot boot camp]] in order to qualify as a space bridge engineer. It was there that he first met Bumblebee and their trainer, [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Minor]]. To begin with, Bumblebee had no interest in being friends with the gentle giant, insulting him with the nickname "mudflap". A friendship blossomed after Bulkhead saved Bumblebee from some "malfunctioning" turrets, dropping a building on Sentinel in the process. In order to prevent Bulkhead from being expelled, 'Bee took the blame, and they both ended up on space bridge detail. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}}

[[Image:Ani crew.JPG|250px|thumb|right|Star Trekkin' across the universe! On the starship Enterpise under Captain Kurk!]]
Eventually, they were placed under [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime's]] command. While repairing a space bridge, the team discovered the long-lost [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]]. However, the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]] soon arrived, prompting Bulkhead to mention that he had never seen a Decepticon ship up close. (No one had and lived, as [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] pointed out.) Bulkhead did his best to hang on while the Autobots drove their ship through the space bridge. Coming out of warp, they went headlong toward [[Earth]], and he joined his fellow 'bots in heading into stasis to avoid the impact shock of an unpleasant landing.

After emerging from stasis and his [[reformatting]] into a terrestrial six-wheeled APC, Bulkhead accompanied the other Autobots to investigate a large, cybernetic creature that was menacing the local lifeforms (which they assumed were robots like themselves). Bulkhead requested help from a group of local drones, then noticed [[Sari Sumdac]] trying to take her keycard away from her robot dog, [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]]. Assuming Sari was the pet, Bulkhead greeted her—which promptly sent her running and screaming. Way to make first contact there, big guy.

[[Image:Bulkh alt.JPG|200px|thumb|left|Let's see [[wikipedia:Grave Digger (truck)|Grave Digger]] beat this!]]
After [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] arrived to take the AllSpark, the Autobots engaged him in a fierce game of "Keep-away". At one point, Bulkhead tried to catch the AllSpark, shouting "I got it." Starscream snagged the AllSpark instead, but Bulkhead knocked the [[Seeker (body-type)|Decepticon flier]] out of the air with his wrecking ball, causing him to drop the AllSpark. It's not nice to contradict Bulkhead. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}

Later, in Autobot HQ, he said he had some problems, because all humans wanted from him was to break stuff. After all, he had his sensitive side as well (even if breaking stuff was fun). When [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] attacked the Autobots' base, Bulkhead got in touch with his inner breaker, confirming that smashing stuff IS fun! Megatron had different plans for him, though, and Bulkhead discovered it's not as much fun to BE smashed. After Bulkhead was saved, he tried to catch a [[Pocketbot|tiny machine]] that looked like it might be the culprit. Prime hoped to study it and find out where it came from, but Bulkhead smashed the little critter to pieces when he grabbed it. {{storylink|Home Is Where the Spark Is}}

[[Image:TFA Blast Past Bulkhead Tutor Bot.JPG|250px|thumb|right|The pizza's ready!]]
After that [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] tried to train Bulkhead to be more subtle in his actions, to assess a situation, choose the right move, then execute it with grace and precision. This didn't meet with any real success, as Bulkhead's antics damaged the base and caused him to fall on Prowl. Moving to an island in Lake Erie, Bulkhead tried again. He knocked down some trees which fell on Prowl. Things actually got worse when Bulkhead tried to use Prowl's methods against the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]], a trio of animatronics run amok. Prowl wisely advised Bulkhead to stop doing what Prowl would do and instead do what Bulkhead himself would do. Bulkhead quickly discovered that his blunt, powerhouse approach had its place and time for proper use, charging and knocking down [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]], hitting [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] out of the air, and throwing [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] into a pit of molten tar. Afterward, the Dinobots were due to be melted down. However, Prowl suspected the Dinobots were actually alive, not mere machines, so he enlisted Bulkhead's help in secretly transporting them from their prison to the deserted island on Lake Erie. There they could live undisturbed and perhaps get themselves under control. Prowl had realized that just because something was big and lumbering and destructive was no reason to give up on it, and Bulkhead knew just what he meant. {{storylink|Blast from the Past}}

When Bumblebee had his bout with [[Colossus Rhodes]] that escalated into a parking lot brawl, Bulkhead arrived with the others to stop the mad giant and tease Bumblebee about his size. Bulkhead's size proved a liability when he got caught in an opening in [[Sumdac Tower]]'s defense shield, making him a sitting (but not defenseless) duck for an upgraded Rhodes, using his wrecking ball to send the brute flying. When the shield was deactivated he was the first into the tower, scooping up [[Meltdown (Animated)|Meltdown]] in his fist... a very bad mistake, since the villain was made of acid. His action gave the other Autobots time to defeat Meltdown, so it turned out okay. {{storylink|Total Meltdown}}

On a shopping trip for Sari's birthday present, Bulkhead worked with Sari to rein in the pesky [[Professor Princess]]. The next day, Sari's birthday party began poorly, as the guests were all children of Sumdac Industries employees, who found Sari too weird for their tastes. The Autobots' arrival made things a little more interesting, but klutzy Bulkhead soon found himself ignored, alongside Sari, as the kids went for rides with the other Autobots (even Ratchet). Bulkhead wanted to give Sari her gift, a xylophone, but was too embarrassed to do so when he saw Dr. Sumdac's gift, a musical robot named [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]]. For the next several days, Sari's attention was drawn away from her friend as she spent her free time plugging her key into the toy to upgrade it. Bulkhead realized that there was something off about Soundwave, but his attempts to prove it just forced a wedge between Sari and himself. Megatron's machinations to increase the split between them didn't help. It turned out the big guy was right on the money, however, as Soundwave was a creation of Megatron's that gained sentience through the key. Soundwave took control of the machines of Detroit and captured Sari. When Bulkhead came to her rescue, Soundwave attempted to convince Bulkhead of the inferiority of humans. For a few minutes, it seemed Bulkhead was on his side, but with a wink to Sari, he punched Soundwave so hard that the Decepticon shattered into his component parts. Sari apologized, and the pair played with Bulkhead's gift, albeit after Sari nearly broke her hand punching Bulkhead's fist. {{storylink|Sound and Fury}}

Soon afterwards, trouble arrived in the form of [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] and [[Lugnut]]. Answering their challenge, the Autobots confronted the pair in a construction yard. Bulkhead charged Lugnut and the two engaged in a grapple, but even Bulkhead's power wasn't enough against the massive Decepticon, who threw him aside. The second round didn't go too well either, as Lugnut never had a chance to fight before the Decepticons were defeated by the Autobot ship's main cannon. {{storylink|Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found}}

After Sari was abducted by the Dinobots, Prowl and Bulkhead went to [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]] to investigate. What they found was Meltdown, who damaged Bulkhead to the point of unconsciousness and trapped Prowl and [[Captain Fanzone]] (who had been tailing them) underground. Bulkhead spent the rest of the episode out cold until Sari was able to restore him. On the boat ride home, Sari showed she could take care of herself by kicking Bulkhead, who pretended to be hurt and accidentally fell into the ship's hold. {{storylink|Survival of the Fittest}}

[[Image:Caged bulkhead.jpg|200px|thumb|left|And now we know how the caged Bulkhead sings...]]
After destroying a good portion of a city block trying to stop a missile impact, Sari suggested to Bulkhead that he explore his more creative talents to show the citizens of Detroit that he wasn't [[Sixshot|an engine of destruction]]. Bulkhead had difficulty making his creations (his paint brushes kept snapping between his fingers) and panicked when he learned that Sari had arranged an art show for him. (Girl has connections.) While lamenting his lot in life, he was knocked out cold by a sudden electrical surge. When he came back online, he found that his body had been stolen. As Bumblebee attempted to help him finish his art pieces in time for the show, the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] used Bulkhead's body to take control of a solar fusion plant, intending to detonate it unless he was paid a hefty ransom. Optimus used the ransom delivery to sneak the Autobots into the plant, where they defeated the Headmaster and reattached Bulkhead to his body...backwards. As the reactor reached critical, Bulkhead came up with a drone that would set the rods back, but the drone melted in the process. Not to be daunted, Bulkhead added it to his art collection, showing the citizens of Detroit his [[Slogism|warzone art]] without them even knowing it. {{storylink|Headmaster (episode)|Headmaster}}

When Decepticon energy signals were detected, the Autobots quickly realized that they were outnumbered. Bulkhead mentioned that the Dinobots might be able to help, not aware that Prowl hadn't told Optimus they had moved them to Dinobot Island. Prime was furious and ordered the two to take him there at once. After searching the island, the Autobots found the Dinobots. They were unwilling to help, so the Autobots left, unsure of their next move. When Bumblebee contacted Prime, saying that Starscream was at Sumdac Tower, he ordered him to stand down. When they arrived at the tower, they saw Bumblebee fighting Starscream. Prime dryly noted that disobeying orders was becoming a habit, but Bulkhead wasn't too insulted. He was too busy being shocked by [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] bursting through Sumdac Tower. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 1}}

Quickly regaining his composure, Bulkhead charged Megatron, only to have his wrecking ball severed and be thrown into a building. After the short battle, Sumdac told them how he had rebuilt Megatron. Bulkhead sounded as if he was about to crush the professor, but Prime told him that it was unimportant. Using excess key energy in Sumdac's equipment, the Autobots repaired themselves, and Prime apologized for his harsh words. Ratchet and Sari came by in the ship, picking up the Autobots, but they were shot down over Dinobot Island. During the subsequent battle, Bulkhead brought down [[Lugnut]]. The zealous Decepticon was stronger than Bulkhead, but as he activated [[Punch of Kill Everything|his punch]], Bulkhead used his wrecking ball to detonate it, sending Lugnut flying. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

While repairing a damaged overpass, Bulkhead became stuck in some cement, but hid it to avoid being embarrassed. He was nearly destroyed when he used outdated, unstable fixative, but was saved by two newly sentient machines named [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] and [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]]. Once they helped him finish the repair work he'd been doing, Bulkhead reluctantly went with them for an oil break, though he wasn't sure it was okay to take it straight from a tanker ship. He WAS sure the rest of the Autobots would like his new friends. The crass construction workers did not impress the other Autobots, however, and things only got worse when a game of flattened-oil-can frisbee severed Sari's pigtails (and nearly her head), leading Prime to evict the two. The next day, Bulkhead went looking for his friends, discovering that they had stolen parts for something Megatron was building. When Bulkhead told them that the Decepticons were [[wikipedia:Men in Black (film)|the scum of the universe]], the two went to challenge the Decepticons, without telling Bulkhead where to find them. The other Autobots were concerned that Scrapper and Mixmaster would sell them out, but Bulkhead still defended them. Unfortunately, the newly dubbed [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicons]] ''did'' side with the Decepticons, taking Bumblebee hostage and demanding the AllSpark fragments the Autobots had. Bulkhead gave them the fragments and a cup of oil for the road, but he had spiked the oil with the outdated fixative from the other day. The subsequent explosion scrambled their memory circuits, and Bulkhead drove the amnesiac Transformers away, admitting that he had been wrong to trust them. {{storylink|Rise of the Constructicons}}

After [[Wasp]] escaped, Bulkhead tagged along with Bumblebee in an attempt to track a leaked signal, but 'Bee's attitude became unbearable, and Bulkhead stormed off. The kindhearted bot couldn't stay away, however, and helped Bumblebee out of a minor scrape. Bumblebee apologised, but Bulkhead shook it off; their friendship had rock-solid foundations. Reconciled, the two headed back to base, having missed a rather conspicuous mine shaft entrance. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}}

Bulkhead later made an abstract painting of Sari in the style of Picasso, but the other Autobots' suggestions ended up ruining the painting. He and Sari took a walk to clear his head, and Bumblebee came and genuinely tried to apologize. This went rather poorly, and got even worse when Megatron arrived. He kidnapped Bulkhead and took him to his base. Megatron revealed that [[Shockwave (Animated)|his double agent]] had learned that Bulkhead was Cybertron's top space bridge technician, and forced Bulkhead to help the Decepticons repair a space bridge they had reverse engineered. If Bulkhead refused, Megatron would use a Headmaster unit to steal his body and kill all of Bulkhead's friends, starting with Professor Sumdac. Bulkhead agreed to help, but Professor Sumdac believed that Bulkhead was trying to sabotage the device, and told Bulkhead to let him give the instructions to avoid sounding preposterous. Furious at everyone doubting his skill, Bulkhead actually ''fixed'' the space bridge, allowing Megatron to teleport the Decepticons to an underdefended Cybertron. See Bulkhead, this is why people don't take you seriously. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I}}

During a three-way battle between the Autobots, the Decepticons, and Starscream's [[Starscream clone|clones]], Bulkhead tried to shut down the space bridge, but was locked with [[stasis cuffs]] by a [[Slipstream (Animated)|female clone]]. After Megatron explained his plans and how Bulkhead had helped. the other Autobots expressed confusion at his skills, and Bulkhead explained that he had read all the space bridge schematics on the energon farm. Unfortunately, power problems arose, which Megatron tried to fix with by adding Starscream's AllSpark powered head into the power core. Unfortunately, this caused an overload which Bulkhead theorized would suck up all of Michigan. Fortunately, [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] arrived and allowed himself to be sucked into the portal. When the Autobots escaped, Bulkhead theorized that Omega was merely transported to another section of space, and had hope that he was still alive. Unfortunately, any effort to locate Omega was put on hold when Sari noticed that the skin of her arm had been torn...revealing robotic circuitry underneath! {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}

While Bumblebee and Bulkhead were surprised and concerned about Sari's revealed techno-organic nature, they remained focused on the more imminent problem; namely that their old friend Longarm was really a Decepticon spy. However, because Omega Supreme was transwarped to another part of the galaxy, they no longer had Teletran-1 and thus had no way to contact Cybertron. A suggestion from Optimus gave Bulkhead the idea of building their own Space Bridge, seeing as Bulkhead was the Space Bridge genius (a title Bumblebee claimed he'd never get used to). Bulkhead theorized that he might be able to put something together if they salvaged enough parts. The two of them quickly left to dig any useful parts out of the ruins of the mine, namely the [[plasmadynamic thruster]] (the component that generates the transwarp field) and the recon beacon generator (the component that allows one to lock on a specific area to transwarp to). Bulkhead found the recon beacon generator (after Bumblebee nearly tossed it away) and Bumblebee was about to give him the plasma dynamic thruster when it caught a stray transwarp signal (presumably from Omega Supreme's earlier transwarp) and was sent to another part of the galaxy. When Bulkhead turned around, Bumblebee was gone. Hearing a noise, he investigated, thinking it was his little buddy. But it was actually Henry Masterson who had found both his lost [[Headmaster unit]] and Starscream's discarded body (definitely not little and not Bulkhead's buddy). Masterson then soundly trashed Bulkhead and left him buried under a pile of rocks.

Later, Ratchet found him and brought him back to the plant. Ratchet was about to work on repairing Bulkhead when Sari beat him to it, much to Ratchet's annoyance. When Bumblebee's energy signature could not be found on Earth, Bulkhead realized that he wasn't on Earth. The plasmadynamic thruster must have caught a stray transwarp field and sent Bumblebee to another part of the galaxy. In theory, Bulkhead could retrieve him with the recon beacon generator, provided he could get it working. Ratchet was about to attempt to do so when Sari beat him to the punch again. A little while later, Bulkhead detected a stray transwarp field. Using the recon beacon generator, Bulkhead managed to reel Bumblebee back to Earth, inside the belly of a [[rock creature|giant rock alien]]. The alien, noticeably ticked about being exposed to the bright light of the [[sun]], went on a rampage in Detroit. Of course, Bulkhead couldn't just smash the alien with his wrecking balls since Bumblebee was inside it. However, Sari once again provided assistance with her new upgraded form and neatly disposed of the rock alien and rescued Bumblebee. But then her body became overloaded with Allspark energy and she started going on an uncontrollable rampage, causing every electronic device she touched to explode. When Bumblebee was stabbed by Sari in an attempt to stop her, Bulkhead, Prowl, and Optimus worked together to remove the Key from her system. However, its energy had been completely drained into Sari, making both the Key useless and Sari still unable to control herself. Bulkhead suggested that she tried to hold it in like when she had to go to the 'sleep-room'. Sari attempted this, but this only caused the initiation of a self-destruct sequence. Fortunately, Ratchet was able to temporarily shut her down with his EMP generator.

Later, the group was at the plant, mulling over the events of the day, including Optimus revealing the Autobots' secret base to Professor Sumdac. When Bumblebee threatened to transwarp again, Bulkhead took the plasmadynamic thruster from Bumblebee's backpack and turned it off. But then Omega Supreme appeared, under the control of Megatron. The group headed for the river to keep Megatron from damaging more of the city. Bulkhead and Bumblebee acted as decoys while Prowl and Optimus worked on freeing Omega from Megatron's control. Their plan worked, only for Starscream's head, which Megatron was using as a battery, to take over Omega's body and toss out Prowl and Optimus. With them unable to get back in and Starscream threatening to transwarp to Cybertron and use Omega to take it over, Bumblebee and Bulkead got the idea of using the plasma dynamic thruster on Omega Supreme. With a little teamwork from them and Optimus Prime, they attached the plasma dynamic thruster to Omega Supreme, causing him to go on an endless and random transwarp cycle throughout the galaxy. However, they still needed to find a way to contact Cybertron about Shockwave. {{storylink|TransWarped}}

Soon afterwards, Bulkhead teamed with Prof. Sumdac to build a space bridge at Sumdac Tower. Sumdac was willing to make up to the Autobots for unwillingly helping the Decepticons during his long captivity, though he kept slowing down work by continuously mentioning Megatron and insisting the confiscated Headmaster Unit was staring at him. Eventually, the two of them got the power core assembled and loaded on a green and purple forklift. Bulkhead inserted an Allspark fragment into the power core for a source of energy. Prof. Sumdac warned Bulkhead that it might [[A Bridge Too Close, Part II|overload it]]. Bulkhead reassured the Professor that he knew what he was doing when it comes to space bridges. Unfortunately, his leaning on the forklift caused too much pressure and the floor gave out. Bulkhead managed to save the Professor, but the forklift, the power core, and the Headmaster Unit fell down through three floors. While Sumdac went to rest from his near brush with death, Bulkhead went to find some structural experts. Fortunately, he knew just the bots for the job.

Bulkhead found Mixmaster and Scrapper at an automobile disassembly factory, drinking motor oil and hooting at the stripping vehicles. The two Constructicons were less than pleased to see Bulkhead, evidenced when Scrapper pinned him against the wall. (Apparently, Scrapper's a lot stronger than he looks.) Bulkhead managed to talk them into helping them, seeing as how the other Decepticons weren't going to turn up for them any time soon. The two construction bots agreed since wasn't any rule against moonlighting, but Megatron can never know about this. Bulkhead reassured them Megatron will never hear of it. I mean, it's like the two of them will be talking any time soon.

When they returned to Sumdac Tower, the Constructicons went to work, mentioning this is going to cost some serious overtime. Bulkhead told them to take all the time they needed. He was almost able to persuade them to switch to the Autobots when Scrapper pulled up the forklift from before, surprisingly in good condition despite it's crashing through three floors. But it turned out the materials that fell down before have been fused together by the Allspark, creating a grumpy new Constructicon named [[Dirt Boss (Animated)|Dirt Boss]]. Dirt Boss quickly took command and cowled Scrapper and Mixmaster into submission by forcing Scrapper to hit himself using a cerebro-shell. Bulkhead tried to contact Prime about this new problem, but he and the other Autobots were busy with Lugnut. Prof. Sumdac came into the lab, wondering what was causing all the commotion and saw the Constructicons. Due to his unhappy dealings with them, Sumdac demanded that they leaved at once. Dirt Boss didn't take too kindly to that and was about to squish the Professor when Bulkhead quickly told Dirt Boss that Sumdac worked for him. Bulkhead then 'angrily' demanded Sumdac to build the plasmadynamic thruster before he got a face full of wrecking ball. However, Sumdac didn't notice Bulkhead's winks and thought it was real.

Dirt Boss then took Mixmaster and Scrapper out into the city where they started stealing oil so they can hold the city for ransom. Bulkhead tried to talk Mixmaster and Scrapper out of following Dirt Boss, but the two of them were too interested in gaining oil to listen to Bulkhead. Mixmaster even stuck Bulkhead's feet to the ground with his cement. Later, Captain Fanzone inquired whether the 'rude, 30-foot robots' were friends of Bulkhead. Bulkhead tried to convince the Captain that Mix and Scrap were good bots, just misprogramed. However, Fanzone was only conscerned about machines acting up his town.

Bulkhead followed the Constructicons back to the disassembly factory, where Dirt Boss was chewing the first two Constructicons about 'drinking the profits'. Prof. Sumdac found Bulkhead and had brought the plasmadynamic thruster that 'he wanted it done yesterday'. Bulkhead told the Professor that he was just acting so the other bots wouldn't hurt him. When said bots appeared behind him, Bulkhead put on his act once again, only with the Professor knowing it this time. Dirt Boss then told of his plan to destroy the fossil-feul refinery so they would have the only source of oil in Detroit. Bulkhead finally decided this had gone too far and tried to stop them. Unfortunately, his plan wasn't very well thought out and he got his right wrecking ball stuck in Mixmaster's left 'cement-cannon'. The Constructicons simply dragged Bulkhead along, with Bulkhead protesting all the way.

When the Constructicons got to the refinery, Bulkhead nearly won Mixmaster and Scrapper over by reminding them that if they destroyed the refinery, they wouldn't be able to get more oil. But Dirt Boss, who has had enough of Bulkhead's mouth, used a cerebro-shell to order Mixmaster to take Bulkhead offline. This lead to a rather interesting battle between the two of them, seeing as how they were stuck together. Bulkhead managed to open his com-link so the other Autobots would hear him in trouble. When Scrapper noticed this, he took the cerebro-shell off of Mixmaster and plugged into Bulkhead. Dirt Boss then ordered Bulkhead to light the oil tank and blow up the refinery, something that would have also destroyed Mixmaster since he was stuck to Bulkhead. But when the other Autobots came, Dirt Boss changed his orders for Bulkhead to attack the Autobots, using Mixmaster as a wrecking ball. Eventually, Ratchet was able to remove the cerebro-shell. Bulkhead then separated himself from Mixmaster by using the spilled oil as it's supposed to be used, as a lubricant. One swing from his wrecking ball sent Mixmaster flying, but he fell onto Scrapper and the sparks from their collision lit the oil. When the fire proved impossible to contain, Prof. Sumdac came up with the idea to transport it with the plasmadynamic thruster. Bulkhead reprogrammed the thruster for a shorter distance and tossed it on top of the oil tank. The tank, as well as the Constructicons who were on top of it, were transwarped over Lake Erie near Dinobot Island where the tank exploded harmlessly. However, the Autobots still needed to cart away Lugnut, only to find that he had been freed by [[Ramjet (Animated)|Ramjet]]. {{storylink|Three's a Crowd}}

When Wasp came to Earth, he attack Bumblebee and switched identities with him, via an [[electronic paint job]] concealed in the switched helmets that also altered their voice synthesizers. Even Bulkhead was confused by the clever disguising and nearly smashed Bumblebee with his wrecking ball, presumably to get even for Wasp's bullying at boot camp. Fortunately, Bumblebee was able to make Bulkhead realize who he really was by reminding how he took the fall for knocking that building on top of Sentinel Prime. Bulkhead realized the truth at the last second and bounced (yes, you read that right, ''bounced'', accompanied with squeaky footsteps too) over and hugged Bumblebee. But then they were attacked by a [[Jetfire (Animated)|new]] [[Jetstorm (Animated)|pair]] of flying Autobots, who thought that Bumblebee was Wasp and, since they also thought Wasp was a traitor, Bulkhead and Prowl were too. The minor misunderstanding was quickly settled when Optimus Prime, Jazz, Ratchet, and Sentinel Prime appeared and Bulkhead explained how he knew Wasp is really Bumblebee (with a squeaky bouncing dance thrown in too). When they went back to the plant, Wasp had already boned up on everything regarding Bumblebee on the computer files and thus an information quiz was therefore useless. However, Bulkhead knew one way to prove who was the real Bumblebee: a death match of [[Ninja Gladiator]] between the two suspected Autobots, on account that Bumblebee is "the best player around". Wasp, not knowing any fighting moves from his long time in the Stockades, panicked and threatened to slag Bumblebee. When Wasp claimed he used to be a good bot before Bumblebee ruined him, Bulkhead countered that he was always mean to him and Bumblebee, thus while not being a traitor, Wasp was never a good bot. Wasp then shot the lights out and made a break for it. Bulkhead found him outside lying on the ground and jumped on top of him, punching him repeatedly. Only to find that Wasp had switched identities again and Bulkhead had pounded Bumblebee. Oops. {{storylink|Where Is Thy Sting?}}

{{storylink|Predacons Rising}}
{{storylink|Human Error, Part I}}
{{storylink|Human Error, Part II}}
{{storylink|Decepticon Air}}

Bulkhead went to the moon with Bumblebee, Sari, and Ratchet in order to take back Omega Supreme. Following the destruction of the Starscream Supremes and Megatron's defeat, Bulkhead returned back to Cybertron with the team and was holding Prowl's body with Ratchet, Jazz, and Bumblebee.
{{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}{{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}

{{charstubfiction}}

===Titan Magazines===
[[Hasbro|Toy companies]] have made an action figure of him! {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 3|Crossroads!}}

The Dinobots saved him and the others from [[Starscream clone]]s, which was good. They then didn't leave and Bulkhead's sleeping space was taken up by Grimlock, which was not good. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 17|Dino-MIGHT!}}

Later, the Autobots were buried by the villain [[Quake-Maker]]. Bulkhead's great strength freed them from the ground, and then he ''vanished completely'' from the battle. {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 1|Burnout}}

On his day off, Bulkhead was dragged to a basketball game by Sari, Prowl and [[Afterburn]]. Bulkhead didn't see the point of the game and was being mistaken for a litter bin by the humans. Luckily a demented supervillain attacked Detroit and they had to leave the game—but as a diversionary tactic, the evil [[Crossroads]] blackmailed Detroit into trying to destroy the Autobots! The Autobots saw through this and intercepted the villain at [[Sumdac Tower]], with Bulkhead taking down reprogrammed security drones. After beating the villain, Bulkhead now enjoyed basketball and happily watched the game ''for no reason''. {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 3|Crossroads!}}

When the Decepticons raided the Autobot base, Bulkhead joined the gang in successfully driving them back out. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 24|Megatron's Revenge}}

When Prowl and Bumblebee decided to have a race to see who was fastest, Bulkhead was eager to join in, much to Bumblebee's mockery. Nevertheless, off Bulkhead went... and, thanks to the other two being distracted by Decepticons, he ''won'' and was officially King of Speed. Optimus and Ratchet lifted him up in a display of victory (their shoulders hurt!). {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 25|The Race}}

==Toys==
===Animated===
[[Image:TFAnimated Voyager Bulkhead toy.jpg|300px|thumb|right|And the world wants his kibble to turn into a chair.]]
* '''Bulkhead''' (Voyager, 2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TA-03'''
:Bulkhead transforms from an armored, six-wheeled military-type van into a robot mode that is a bit on the short side for a Voyager, due to the stout, stocky nature of the character. The toy features two "[[automorph]]"-style gimmicks in its transformation: after flipping down the back doors, pulling down on them retracts a pair of black tabs holding his arms into pace, allowing them to spring forward into position; and moving his chest into place automatically causes a panel to flip over, exposing his head.

:The figure's left arm contains the character's signature gimmick, his wrecking ball. A concealed lever activates a pressure-launch system that fires the ball, which is attached to Bulkhead's arm by a sturdy string. Bulkhead's right arm, meanwhile, features a rather strange gimmick: after straightening the arm at the elbow, pressing the black lever on the upper arm causes Bulkhead's forearm to flip upwards. It ''might'' be an uppercut or some other sort of punch attack, but whatever this feature is supposed to be, it is not mentioned in either the toy's instructions, or on its packaging.

:No, his kibble can't transform into a chair. ''Aww''.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/Bulkhead/bulkhead.htm More information on Voyager Bulkhead at TFU.info]

{{-}}{{anchor|Activator}}
[[Image:TFAnimated Activators Bulkhead.jpg|300px|thumb|right|"Whoa, I thought I was super-deformed ''before''..."]]
* '''Bulkhead''' (Activator, 2008)

: [[Activators]] Bulkhead can autotransform from a compressed version of a SWAT military van into his robot form when the middle siren bar is pressed. The vehicle mode lacks the back section's doors and bumper to better accommodate the gimmick, which leaves his robot mode's hands sticking out.

: His kibble is unable to become a chair as well. '''''Awww'''''. Unless you take the back-piece and switch it round and have him sit on it in a kind of... warped way.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/ActBulkhead/bulkhead.htm More information on Activators Bulkhead at TFU.info]

{{-}}{{anchor|Leader}}
[[Image:TFAnimated Leader Bulkhead toy.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Tired of being known as "the big guy with a gentle heart", Bulkhead became more trigger happy than [[Triggerhappy]].]]
* '''Bulkhead''' (Leader, 2008)
**''Accessories'': 4 "air torpedoes"

: This version of Bulkhead is decidedly more heavily armed than others, with the most distinctive additions to his arsenal coming in the form of a double-barreled turret for his vehicle mode, two missile racks (one per arm, each holding two removable "air torpedoes"), and a buzzsaw in his right hand, which spins when a black tab on his forearm is pressed. He ''doesn't'' have a wrecking ball, but his other hand does feature a "grabby" action, allowing you to clench and open his fingers by sliding a tab in his arm.

:Bulkhead is outfitted with a significant array of electronic light and sound gimmicks. Pressing the Autobot insignia on his chest in robot mode causes his head to turn, his mouth to open , as he speaks one of three sound clips—"Sorry, my bad," "You can do it, buddy!", and "Time for the big guns!"—accompanied by flashing yellow lights in his chest, shoulders and eyes. During transformation, when the vehicle mode turret is snapped into or out of place, the classic transformation sound effect plays as his lights flash. In vehicle mode, pressing the Autobot insignia activates a siren noise, which lasts as long as the button is held down and is accompanied by flashing red LEDs that illuminate his vehicle's light bar. Bulkhead also comes packaged with the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] unit, which can fit over the figure's head, altering his sound and changing his yellow lights to red. Once in place, the Headmaster will scream "Ownage! Total ownage!", and all of Bulkhead's lights flash, illuminating the villain's translucent horns. This is the Headmaster's only phrase; pressing Bulkhead's insignia repeats the effects. The Headmaster accessory fits over all other Leader class figures.

: The packaging photography and lineart indicate that Bulkhead's electronic lights shine a more [[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]] blue (well, accurate for his eyes, anyway). The final produced toy has yellow lights instead, because blue LEDs are apparently really expensive.

: ''This'' version of Bulkhead ''can'' transform his kibble into a chair! Hooray!

{{note|[[Derrick J. Wyatt]] has remarked that the additional weaponry this toy possesses is supposed to represent the alterations the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] would have made if he had possessed the body longer.}}

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/LeaderBulkhead/bulkhead.htm More information on Leader Bulkhead at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|BumperBattler}}
[[Image:BumperBattlers Bulkhead toy.JPG|250px|thumb|right|Bulkhead now knows how [[Han Solo]] feels.]]

* '''Bulkhead''' (Bumper Battler, 2008)

: Bulkhead is part of the second wave of [[Bumper Battlers]]. Pressing on the vehicle mode's front bumper activates electronic noises and pops up the roof, revealing a relief of Bulkhead's robot form. Pressing on the Autobot [[faction symbol]] on the hood activates a randomly-assembled collection of sound effects and voice samples.

: His face is disturbingly goofy.

* '''Workzone Bulkhead''' (Bumper Battler)

: A [[redeco]] of Bumper Battlers Bulkhead.

{{comingsoontoy}}

==Notes==
* Out of the five main Autobot characters, Bulkhead is the only one who doesn't have a Generation 1 counterpart. However, his color and star symbols make him visually somewhat reminiscent of [[Hound (G1)|Hound]].

[[Image:RedBulkhead.jpg|thumb|right|Bulkred. Redhead? [[Big Red]]! Wyatt totally got paid for this.]]

* Bulkhead's design and demeanor likely owe themselves to Crunch from ''[[wikipedia:Mighty Orbots|Mighty Orbots]]'', a series [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] has admitted as being an inspiration.

* [[wikipedia:Patrick Star|Another]] big lug with a [[Bill Fagerbakke|similar]] voice, Bulkhead is best friends with a [[wikipedia:SpongeBob SquarePants (character)|little]] [[Bumblebee (Animated)|yellow guy]]. Obviously this analogy [[Tom Kenny|only goes]] [[Starscream (Animated)|so far]].

* Upon seeing a red [[Prototype|test shot]] of Bulkhead's ''Voyager''-class toy, Derrick J. Wyatt recolored a Bulkhead character model in the test shot's colors—on company time!<ref>http://derrickjwyatt.blogspot.com/2007/09/bulkhead-toy.html</ref>

* While Bulkhead's Earth form features no continuous tracks, he still has them on his feet, like in his Cybertron form. This is probably an animation error that stayed in the show. The toy's legs are more developed, as the front wheels form the backs of the feet. The leader class toy, though, is show-accurate in the sense that flipping out his feet will reveal the tracks.

* After his reformatting into his APC mode, Bulkhead's robot mode [[kibble]] changes from the ''front'' of his vehicle mode (where it forms the scoop of the bulldozer) to the ''back'', where it forms the doors of the truck.
[[Image:Bulkheadchair.jpg|250px|thumb|right|The next step in Transformers evolution is here!]]

* Bulkhead can form his [[kibble]] into a chair. This is awesome.

* Bulkhead has a storage place in his chest which opens in at least two ways, like a drawer and/or like a door.

* Bulkhead's eyes can extend from his face and act as a microscope, as shown in "[[Rise of the Constructicons]]". This is slightly strange, but also awesome.

* In spite of the visual differences, it would appear that rather than simply swapping out his hands for his signature wrecking balls, Bulkhead's hands actually transform to ''become'' the wrecking balls. Although most episodes show his hand simply retract and then be replaced by the ball, a few instances show it actually stay in place, blur and change into the ball. Furthermore, in cases where Bulkhead has had the tether-line of his wrecking ball severed, he remains conspicuously handless until the ball is re-attached, such as in "[[Transform and Roll Out]]" and "[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]".

* Bulkhead's vehicle mode design was used as the basis for [[Blurr (G1)|Generation 1 Blurr]]'s personal transport in [[Spotlight: Blurr]].

* Of all the vehicles that Teletran 1 scanned, the SWAT vehicle Bulkhead was reformatted into was the only one that didn't match his color scheme.

*[http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e379/Sprocketman/SDKeychains.jpg According to a Japanese keychain advertisement], Bulkhead is going to be renamed "Ironhide" for the Japanese release of the series, presumably to keep the names of the primary ''Animated'' Autobots consistent with the names of the primary ''[[Transformers (2007)|Movie]]'' Autobots. Exactly what this will entail for ''Animated'' [[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] is anyone's guess.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Artists]]
[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Animated characters]]
[[Category:Engineers]]