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Megatron (G1)

2011-04-09T21:18:10Z

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:''Megatron is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Megatronguido.jpg|right|350px|thumb|Baby, why you make me gotta hurt you?]]
'''Megatron''' is the founder of the Decepticon uprising, and their most well-known and feared [[Decepticon leader|leader]].and the Main Antagonist. As a young, charismatic leader forged in battle and the heritage of war, he began to believe in a grand purpose for his race—it is the [[Transformer|Transformers]]' glorious destiny to rule an [[Decepticon Empire|empire]] which will span the universe. The opposite of his mortal enemy [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], he feels great contempt for other Transformers who, he feels, betray their proud heritage by demanding peace and cooperation with weaker life forms. It is the destiny of the Decepticons to bring order to the universe through conquest, though in the millions of years since coining this purpose it remains to be seen how much of his mission statement is altruistic... and how much of it is mere words built to fuel warriors to further his desire for personal power.

Megatron will attempt almost anything to achieve his goals, but his schemes are rarely in any way subtle. This is perhaps due to his arrogance, but his pride is not so strong as to dissuade him from abandoning a battle he is losing. Some would question his sanity, though these few are mostly now dead by his hands... or his [[fusion cannon]], depending on his mood. Sometimes he uses his [[energon mace]] to strike them down. It does not matter how they die. Death by the hands of Megatron is an honor.

His Earth [[Alternate mode]] is usually a modified [[wikipedia:Walther P38|Walther P38]]. His [[fusion cannon]] becomes the scope.

Sometimes, Megatron is later [[Renaming|reborn as]] [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]].

{{quote|You destroy everything you touch, Megatron!}} {{quote|That's because everything I touch is food for my hunger. My hunger for ''power''!|Optimus Prime and Megatron, "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2]]"}}

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
{{main|Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity}}

[[Image:Megatrong1marvelhumiliation.jpg|left|300px|thumb|And so it begins...]]

Megatron was a [[gladiatorial combat|gladiator]] from [[Tarn]], who sought to turn Cybertron into a cosmic dreadnaught. To win his war for conquest, Megatron's Decepticons developed the art of transformation. Reawakening on Earth in [[1984]], Megatron was ousted from command by [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], and their power struggle continued for sometime until Optimus Prime killed himself in a video game duel. Refusing to believe his nemesis was dead, Megatron committed suicide by blowing himself up on a [[space bridge]]. However, the explosion had merely deposited him in [[Dead End (place)|the Dead End]] region of Cybertron, where he wandered as an [[empties|empty]], with no recollection of who he was.

After regaining his memories, Megatron forced [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] to turn [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] into a [[Pretender]], but the ploy failed and the two were grotesquely fused in a [[Trans-Time Dimensional Portal|trans-time dimensional portal]] explosion. [[Fixit (G1)|Fixit]] separated their bodies but the two remained in stasis aboard the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]. They reawoke when [[Galvatron II|Galvatron]], a future version of Megatron, attacked, and Ratchet crash landed the ship.

In [[Generation 2 (Marvel Comics)|one universe]], [[Cobra]] rebuilt Megatron into a tank, and he allied with Optimus against [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]], his [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronian Empire]], and the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]]. In [[Classics (2006)|another]], fifteen years of peace passed before Megatron rose again.
{{-}}

===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
{{main|Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity}}

[[Image:Mtmte1 megatron throne.jpg|right|thumb|250px|FOOL! Pass me the TP!]]

Megatron was responsible for bringing Cybertron out of its [[Golden Age]] when he re-started the Autobot/Decepticon civil war nine million years ago. Among his first actions was the fatal wounding of a young dock worker named Orion Pax, who was rebuilt to become Megatron's mortal enemy, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]].

Megatron's forces boarded the Autobots' spacecraft when it was on a mission to search for new sources of energy on other planets, and was knocked offline like all the other Transformers when the craft crashed on prehistoric Earth. When both factions reawakened in 1984, Megatron made it his mission to pillage all of Earth's natural resources and enslave its populace, with the goal of revitalizing Cybertron and dominating the entire universe. His plans were by turns cunning, wicked, outrageous, and often, utterly, utterly ludicrous.

In 2005, Megatron faced off with Optimus Prime in a battle at [[Autobot City]], during which he fatally wounded the Autobot leader, but not without taking severe damage himself. Cast adrift into space, Megatron was found by the planet-eater, [[Unicron]], and recreated as [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]].

In other timelines which branch out of this one, Megatron became a [[Transmetal]], ordered the [[murdered puppy|murder of a puppy]], and years after his transformation into Galvatron, became Megatron once again, in various powered-up forms.
{{--}}

===Kid Stuff Talking Story Books continuity===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Earl Hammond]] (English)
Tricking thousands of humans into digging a large cavern in [[Africa]], Megatron detonated them with the largest explosion the world had ever seen, transforming the coal and humans into the world's largest diamond. Transporting it to a satellite launch base in [[Brazil]], Megatron gloated the satellite would use the diamond as a lens to melt the [[Rocky Mountains]]. Prime countered the attack by constructing a square mile of polished metal, which the Autobots placed below the satellite, deflecting its beam and destroying it. Megatron and Soundwave escaped underground in a [[turbine mole machine]]. {{storylink|Satellite of Doom}}

The duo stole an enormous hovering fuel transport, but [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] destroyed it, forcing Megatron to come up with a new scheme: to drill the [[Prudhoe Bay oil reservoir]]. Their drill was so powerful, it caused volcanic eruptions and [[Siberia]] to approach the US, accelerating tensions between the US and USSR. Optimus had [[razon gas]] pumped into the resevoir, returning the oil below the sea floor and rising the Decepticon device. Boarding it, the Autobots once again found Megatron had fled. {{storylink|When Continents Collide}} He now intended to raise the oil from Brazil, unwittingly destroying the city of [[Macchu Picchu]] and much of the [[Andes]], as well as wreacking havoc with the weather. The Autobots stopped them again, and once more Megatron and Soundwave fled. {{storylink|Storms of Destruction}}

With all these failures, Megatron grew jealous of Shockwave's success in getting oil to the Decepticon soldiers. Tracking [[Slag (G1)|Slag]], Megatron found the Autobot oil supplies in the [[Antarctic]]. Using the [[Crusher]] Megatron sliced icebergs off the Antarctic, causing sea levels to rise. Unwittingly, his actions revived hundreds of dormant Dinobots trapped in the tar beneath the ice, forcing him to flee once more. {{storylink|Jaws of Terror}} Enslaving oil workers in the Pacific, Megatron tried to drill the oil of [[Buru]], but his transport overloaded and he took flight. {{storylink|Slaves of the Insecticons}} From his submersible near [[Madagascar]], Megatron sank six oil tankers. Attacking another, Megatron's submersible was completely wrecked when it emerged the oil he drained was tainted by the Autobots with corossive acid. He escaped during the subsequent Autobot attack. {{storylink|Attack of the Decepticons}}

Megatron's relationship with Soundwave was very abusive; he dubbed him a "blundering tape-filled idiot". {{storylink|When Continents Collide}}

===Big Looker Storybook continuity===
[[Image:KidsCliff1.jpg|right|250px|thumb|MTV pimps Megatron's ride.]]
As Decepticon leader, Megatron was part of the forces that attacked the Autobot Ark while it was trying to eliminate asteroids that threated to smash [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to pieces. The Ark crashed on [[Earth]], and four million years later, the Decepticons were first to be woken by the ship's computer. Leaving the ship, they attempted to destroy it, but their energy levels were too low, and Megatron announced they'd have to find new sources of energy. After raiding the nuclear plant at nearby [[Kimball]], they returned to the Ark, only to find it empty. He ordered his men to split up and go in two different directions, and hence they were able to outflank the Autobots. The battle was short-lived, as the Autobots proved too much for them, and the Decepticons retreated. {{storylink|Battle for Cybertron}}

A bunch of humans set up a race for charity, and the victor would receive a year's supply of oil and gasoline. Well, the Decepticons desperately wanted that bounty, so rather than just steal it, they decided to sneak into the race. [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] was one of the Autobots driving in the rally and was unaware that the scary black Cadillac was actually being driven by Megatron! Megatron dogged Cliffjumper for quite a while but ended up losing to the Minibot. Cliffjumper won the race and everybody smiled, even Optimus Prime. {{storylink|The Great Car Rally}}

After a particularly damaging battle, Megatron sent the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]s to distract the Autobots while he took a small squad to capture a broken-down oil truck nearby, claiming it would allow them to defeat the Autobots once and for all. While he and his men were implementing the plan, somehow [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] sneaked up and got the truck working again. Megatron furiously pursued the truck and managed to seize it from behind. Suddenly [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] appeared overhead and Megatron proved unable to shoot him down. The [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]] dropped a bomb on the group of Decepticons, reducing them to a pile of metal scrap. An automated signal summoned a [[Decepticon rescue squadron|rescue squadron]], who arrived a short time later to retrieve the remains of Megatron and his men. {{storylink|Decepticon Hijack}}

Megatron set his sights on raiding a power plant, and promised his men that whoever came up with a fool-proof plan would be made Decepticon [[second-in-command]]. He was pleased when [[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] informed him that [[Grapple]] had been captured, and even more so when [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] arrived back at base with the [[cerebro-shell]]ed Autobot. Megatron instructed Grapple to come up with a plan to steal the energy in the power plant. When the rest of the Autobots turned up to rescue their friend, Megatron took the opportunity to gloat before battle commenced. He ordered Grapple to help them fight, however Grapple, who had been de-cerebro-shelled, called him a "big coffee pot" and threw him on [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] and [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]. {{Storylink|Insecticon Attack!}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers PD Type'' comic===
[[Image:PDtype-Matrixattack.jpg|left|thumb|250px|This is how the movie ''should've'' gone.]]

With the discovery of a new super energy source known as the [[Blackball]]s, Megatron found himself joined by numerous Decepticons from all across the timestream, all hoping to obtain the ebony spheres. Naturally, oposing him were a team of Autobots, also gathered from all across the timestream.

In one confrontation with his eternal foe, Optimus Prime, Megatron got to relive their battle at Autobot City. Except this time around, Megatron was defeated when Prime launched his "Matrix Attack" (''literally'' launching the Matrix from his chest, bonking Megatron on the noggin). {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##1 "You're Great! Optimus Prime!"|You're Great! Optimus Prime!}}

Later, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] managed to find what he ''thought'' was a Blackball. He presented it to Megatron and received much praise...until the Blackball turned out to be a cartoon bomb which exloded in their faces. As the Autobots stood astonished that their crude strategy succeeded, a badly singed Megatron was left in a smoking crater, strangling Starscream. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##3 "Don't Cry! Megatron!!"|Don't Cry! Megatron!!}}

During battle with [[Victory Leo]], Megatron found himself horribly outmatched. Thinking quickly, he launched a special weapon from his fusion cannon: a ball of yarn. The giant robot kitty immediately began playing with the yarn, giving Megatron the distraction he needed to escape. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##6 "Tough as Nails! Victory Leo!"|Tough as Nails! Victory Leo!}}

After that, he had to snap a pensive [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] out of a trance and order him to return to a battle he had walked away from in order to look at clouds. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##9 "Oh, Overlord."|Oh, Overlord.}}

Some time later, Starscream located yet another Blackball. This time, though, he decided to keep it's power for himself and use it to overthrow Megatron. Then it exploded in his hands because it was ''another'' cartoon bomb. Megatron watched the explosion from a distance, unaware of what was going on. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##10 "Good Luck! Starscream!!"|Good Luck! Starscream!!}}

===''Comic Bom Bom G-2'' comic===
In the year [[199X]], the Decepticons had learned of a powerful new energy source known as [[forestonite]] which just happened to be located (surprise surprise) on [[Earth]]. Megatron sent his trio of [[Cyberjet|Cyberjets]] to Earth first to draw out the enemy Autobots. The Cyberjets made quick work of [[Electro]] but were soon halted by the appearance of Optimus Prime.

Megatron then entered the fray and fired his Black Hole Burn attack from his fusion cannon, narrowly missing Optimus Prime but vaporizing [[Hooligan (G2)|Hooligan]] in the process. Prime fought fiercely but Megatron began to take the upper hand in battle.

However, Prime was encouraged to keep fighting by the cheers of a human boy named [[Junpei]]. Megatron, surprised at Prime's resilience, attempted to finish his foe off with his Tornado Axe attack. Prime countered with his Double Wheel-Torque Mega-Ton, which trumped Megatron's attack and injured the Decepticon badly. Megatron teleported back to his ship and left Earth's atmosphere, vowing to return. {{storylink|The New Battle!!}}

===''Beast Wars'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Garry Chalk]] (English)

[[Image:G1Megatron MasterBlaster stasislock.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Sure, we all need our beauty sleep, but 4 million years, now that's taking the piss.]]
After the Autobot/Decepticon war moved to Earth, Megatron hunted down the [[Voyager probe]] as it traveled through the [[Solar System]] and encoded a message on its disc. Should his efforts fail, he left detailed instructions to any Decepticon descendants who recovered the disc, instructions which apparently condoned use of [[transwarp]] technology to alter history in his favor by locating the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] before it was reactivated, with access codes to the Ark stored in the disk, and killing Optimus Prime before the Autobots and Decepticons reawaken. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}}

[[Image:G1Megatron Disc Agenda part2.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Now that's what we call a smile.]]
The disk (dubbed the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]]) eventually fell into Cybertronian hands and was stolen by a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] who shared Megatron's name. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} This new [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], later stranded in Earth's past, was able to use a recording of the original Megatron to sway one of the original Megatron's most loyal troops, [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], to his cause. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}}

[[Image:G1Megs Nemesis part2 deletedclip.jpg|left|150px|thumb|I was cut out?! This is Starscream's doing!]]
The original Megatron himself was stranded in Earth's past on board the Ark, offline. Before long, Predacon Megatron was able to approach the comatose body of his namesake and steal his [[spark]], integrating it into his own system. Almost immediately, however, during Predacon Megatron's painful reaction to this integration, he was thrown into a pool of lava by his treacherous underlings. In spite of—or perhaps because of—this, Predacon Megatron emerged from the lava, with a new body that could now transform into a fire-breathing dragon. It is unknown how much influence the original Megatron's Spark had in this metamorphosis. {{storylink|Master Blaster}} At the end of the Beast Wars, after Predacon Megatron was overcome, the original Megatron's Spark was returned to his body, restoring the flow of history.<ref>This scene was cut out of "[[Nemesis Part 2]]" for air-time reasons, but its occurrence is still implied by [[Optimus Primal]]'s note that all was as it should be. The clip was added as a special feature to [[Kid Rhino]]'s and [[Madman Entertainment]]'s ''Beast Wars'' season 3 DVD box sets.</ref>

A [[Megatron (myth)|Megatron]] is mentioned in the [[Covenant of Primus]], an ancient sacred text which claims to prophesize future events, including the Beast Wars. It is implied that both Megatrons took their name from here. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}

{{-}}
===Dreamwave comics continuity===
[[Image:Megatrong1gladiator.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Gladiators can afford extra paint applications.]]
Young Megatron was a rising star in gladiatorial combat in the depths of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. As victory upon victory mounted, he began to realize that the games were nothing more than an elaborate conspiracy by the [[Council of Ancients]] to divert the attentions of the masses from the dangerous truth of Cybertron’s history. When Megatron began to show interest in Cybertron's buried past through exploration and research, the Council of Ancients attempted to have him assassinated—a plan that only resulted in stirring up even more discontent among Cybertronians, allowing Megatron to begin recruiting for the Decepticon movement.

First his "inner circle", then many of the gladiators, and then finally disgruntled civilians answered his call to action. The Decepticons were born. {{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}

[[Image:Fledglingcause.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Megatron is so grass-roots.]]
In search of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Autobot Matrix]], Megatron personally killed [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]], only to find that the Autobot leader was not even carrying the Matrix of Leadership. He then sent an assassination squad to the inauguration of the new [[Prime (rank)|Prime]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus]], only for the whole squad to be killed. {{storylink|The War Within issue 1|The War Within #1}} Refusing to give up, Megatron paid a visit to one of the huge planetary engines which the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s were reactivating, using it to orchestrate a disaster in the destruction of the [[Forum of Enlightenment]], all in order to lure Optimus underground. Megatron sent [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] and the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] to kill Prime and bring him the Matrix {{storylink|The War Within issue 2|The War Within #2}} As Megatron explained to [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] his plan to transform [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] into a massive warworld that would cut a swathe of destruction through the galaxy, Optimus again defeated the Decepticons sent against him.

Megatron finally opted to confront the new Prime personally, but Starscream blasted the bridge they were standing on, plunging them both into an abyss. {{storylink|The War Within issue 3|The War Within #3}} Megatron continued to press his attack, explaining to Optimus exactly why he needed the Matrix and urging Prime to join him. When Megatron drove his fist into his opponent's chest, the Matrix enveloped them both in light, and they found themselves on [[Earth|an alien world]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 4|The War Within #4}} Visions of the future, spawned by the Matrix, played out before the two warriors, even as they continued to fight. Finally they were returned to subterranean Cybertron, but were quickly separated. {{storylink|The War Within issue 5|The War Within #5}} Optimus returned with [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]'s sword and a new resolve, defeating Megatron. Meanwhile, Starscream had activated the planet mechaforming process too soon, resulting in the destruction of the machinery. Some time later, Megatron, his memory of the battle and Matrix visions erased, found Soundwave while stumbling through the Cybertron underground. {{storylink|The War Within issue 6|The War Within #6}}

Roughly 7.4 million years BCE, Megatron and Optimus Prime disappeared in an early test of the then-unstable [[Space Bridge]] matter-transport system. {{storylink|Fragmentation}} Spending an undisclosed time on the planet [[Quintessa]], Megatron returned with an overwhelming army of lifeless [[Air Warrior|seeker clones]], arriving as the planet was on the verge of peace. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath issue 1|The Age of Wrath #1}} He quickly subjugated the planet, though he kept secret the fact that he was working with the Quintessons. He took great delight in sealing Starscream in a tank of [[Piranacon (Quintesson)|Piranacons]] and placing the Autobots in internment camps, while working on a plan to access Cybertron's core. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath issue 2|The Age of Wrath #2}}

{{note|This story was never finished due to the closure of Dreamwave, though the seekers and presumably Megatron as well were eventually defeated.}}

Four million years BCE, Cybertron was threatened by a massive approaching asteroid, so Optimus Prime led a contingent of Autobots aboard the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] to blow the rock to fragments, which were transported away by an orbital Space Bridge network. When this task was completed, Megatron chose this moment to strike, attacking the Ark with his troops. Crippled, the craft flew through one of the Space Bridge portals, and was transported to prehistoric Earth, where it crashed, entombing the occupants in stasis for four million years.

The Autobots and Decepticons were reactivated in 1984, but specific details of their battles in the 1980s and 1990s are unrecorded. In 1999, a Autobot/Human military alliance succeeded in capturing and deactivating the Decepticons. However, the [[Ark II]] spaceship carrying them back to Cybertron exploded shortly after liftoff, and the Transformers were believed destroyed. In actuality, they had been scattered back to Earth, where they lay in [[stasis lock]] across the globe for three years.

This slumber was brought to an end when [[Lazarus|Adam Rook]] (aka Lazarus), a rogue military scientist who had devised a method of controlling Transformers, salvaged many of the fallen Cybertronians and reprogrammed them as mass killing machines, which he then attempted to sell on the black market. Megatron was used to attack and destroy a rebel encampment in South America. Lazarus later demonstrated his voice control of Megatron to a prospective client, however though Megatron obeyed the lesser commands, he would not move when commanded to kneel. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 1|Prime Directive #1}}

Having sufficiently raised interest, Lazarus held an auction, beginning with Megatron. He was unprepared when the Decepticon leader demonstrated his autonomy, blasting his way out of the bunker. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 2|Prime Directive #2}} Megatron swiftly put into action a plan to use a [[cyber-virus]] to reformat Earth into a new Cybertron, with Lazarus as its first casualty. As the Autobots arrived, Megatron outlined his plan to Optimus, suggesting that the Autobot leader simply let it happen. Prime declined, however as the two factions fought, the US Military decided to enact [[Operation Clean-Up]] and dropped a bomb on them. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 3|Prime Directive #3}}

The bomb's energy absorbed by the virus, the Decepticons left the area before the Autobots could recover. Megatron unleashed [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] on [[San Francisco]], resulting in mass slaughter and the devastation of the city. The Autobots arrived and engaged the Decepticons in battle, but [[Superion (G1)|Superion]]'s defeat turned the course of the battle towards Autobot defeat. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 4|Prime Directive #4}} Although Prime took down Devastator, he still fell before Megatron, who took the time to point out how worthless the humans around them were. He again suggested that Optimus join him. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 5|Prime Directive #5}} The actions of a group of humans, including ramming Megatron with fire engines, inspired the Autobots to fight back. Optimus slammed Megatron to the ground and delivered a beating, but Soundwave's news that the humans had launched a nuke at their battleground in a virtual repeat of the events in Canada, provoked a peal of laughter from Megatron. Though the nuke was stopped by [[Superion (G1)|Superion]], the Decepticons escaped in the ensuing chaos. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 6|Prime Directive #6}}

[[Image:Shockwavedwwarandpeace.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Megatron's a bottom.]]
Several months later. Megatron was subliminally summoned to a remote area in Alaska along with the other Earthbound Transformers. There they battled until Megatron's former second-in-command, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], arrived and revealed that in their absence the war on Cybertron had ended. He arrested Megatron, Prime, and their troops as war criminals. Megatron, weakened by battle, was quickly defeated by Shockwave and loaded aboard a shuttle for return to Cybertron, only to have Starscream seize the opportunity to jettison him into space on the return trip. {{storylink|New World Order}} Megatron used the time floating in space to contemplate his existence and the Decepticon goal. Realizing that he had wasted millennia in his feud with Prime, Megatron resolved to once again conquer Cybertron as a means of enhancing the Transformer race and strengthening it from outside threats. It seemed as through he would not live to accomplish this goal, however, as death closed in on him... only for him to be retrieved by the [[Junkion (species)|Junkion]] [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]]. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}} Wreck-Gar took Megatron to the planet [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]] and repaired and re-armed him, as well as digging up and reactivating a number of seeker clones that had wound up there after being dumped through space bridge portals. {{storylink|Generation One issue 0|Generation One #0}} Megatron returned the favor by stabbing him in the back with an energy dagger. {{storylink|Runnin' with the Devil}}

Traveling to the Planet [[Beast (planet) | Beest]], Megatron defeated the exiled Decepticon warlords, the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]], and rebuilt them into the mightiest of all combiners, [[Predaking]], to serve as his ace in the hole in his quest to reclaim leadership of the Decepticons. {{storylink|Welcome to the Jungle}} Moving in stealth on Cybertron, Megatron defeated Shockwave, severing his laser arm and forcing him into servitude. {{storylink|Lost and Found (issue)|Lost and Found}} He then returned to Earth to collect the remaining Decepticons under Starscream's command. With Soundwave's help, he blasted a good-sized hole through Starscream himself, before the Air Commander revealed the recent activities of [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]], a figure Megatron believed was connected to the [[Covenant of Primus]]. {{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}

{{note|While it was alluded that Megatron had a grand goal in mind that also included the subjugation of the [[Quintesson]]s, the remainder of the story has yet to be told due to the closure of [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]. However it has been stated by representatives of [[IDW Publishing]], the current holders of the Transformer comic license, that once Dreamwave has exited bankruptcy court, they intend to finish the story.}}

===''Transformers Legends'' anthology===
His spark within the body of [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], Megatron was able to talk the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] leader into a new plan. Once they had broken into the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] and implanted a fragment of Megatron's spark into Starscream, he was able to use the air warrior to attempt to return his spark to its rightful place. Unfortunately the beast Megatron resisted and overcame Megatron in a war of wills, subsuming the older Megatron. After the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] ended, the [[Maximal]]s returned Megatron's spark to his body. {{storylink|A Meeting of Minds}}

Following yet another fight between Megatron and Starscream, the latter went missing. The discovery that Starscream appeared to be working with the Autobots drove Megatron into a rage, and he unsuccessfully tried to extract the Seeker from the clutches of his foes, only to be beaten off by the Autobots. Starscream later returned of his own accord, claiming to have been feigning amnesia in order to gain access to the Autobot base. The story appeared to placate the Decepticon leader. {{storylink|Redemption Center}}

Megatron was furious when Soundwave told him that [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] was selling Decepticon weapons on the black market. After chewing out [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]], he commanded Skywarp to bring Swindle in, and he wasn't fussy about how many pieces the Combaticon was in. {{storylink|Two for the Price of One}}

Megatron, along with [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] and two [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]s, was waiting [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]] when [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] emerged from a meeting with [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] and two [[Optimus Primal]]s. {{storylink|Prime Spark}}

During the gladiatorial matches in the depths of Cybertron, Megatron encountered [[Geosensus]], and mistook him for a potential recruit. When Geosensus revealed he had no offensive capability, Megatron concluded he was a worthless idiot. Megatron prepared to terminate Geosensus, but was interrupted by Shockwave's warning that security forces were incoming. The two Decepticons left to plan their attack on Kaon. {{storylink|Parts}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
[[Image:Megatronddjoe.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Joey Slick > Cobra Commander]]
When [[Cobra]], a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world, found a crashed spaceship full of Transformers in [[stasis lock]], Megatron proved to them that the machines weren't piloted vehicles when he briefly awoke and groaned that he still functioned. Cobra rebuilt the aliens into new vehicles and reprogrammed them to serve Cobra, with the exception of Megatron, who was rebuilt to transform into a Walther P38 handgun, but was only locked in this mode and not reprogrammed. Holstered by [[Cobra Commander]] at all times, the Decepticon mocked Cobra's decisions, such as deciding that [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], Megatron's traitorous lieutenant, would serve as the Commander's choice of transport. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 1|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #1}}

Regardless of his complaints, Megatron's only chance to be released from his state was to follow Cobra Commander's orders, such as providing instructions on how to create [[Energon (fuel)|energon]]. Things weren't all bad, though, as he still got some enjoyment out of seeing his nemesis [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] being forced to steal and destroy. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 2|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #2}} Megatron was also pleased when [[Destro]] showed up and started bossing Cobra Commander around. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 3|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #3}}

When the Transformers were cleared of their reprogramming thanks to [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]], Cobra Commander found himself face to face with a very stern Optimus Prime, and tried to use Megatron to shoot the Autobot. However, Megatron was still had some control of his body and strictly refused to fire, instead bargaining with Cobra Commander to return him to normal. The human gave in, and Megatron transformed and clashed with his old enemy. With Prime low on energon, Megatron came out on top, but before he could finish Prime off, Starscream attacked him and tried to take leadership of the Decepticons. Megatron got rid of him, but the distraction had allowed several Autobots to come to Optimus Prime's rescue. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 4|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4}}

Ignoring Prime to focus on some more long-term plans, Megatron made [[Doctor Mindbender]] use the [[SPS Satellite]] to create large amounts of energon. However, his party was soon crashed when Optimus Prime attacked the facility and used the energon to power up. Finding the situation unsalvageable, Megatron tried to escape while Prime was busy with [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] and [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 5|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #5}} He ran right into [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]], but was unimpressed with their firepower and fought back with his [[energon mace]], possibly killing [[Mercer]]. Things quickly turned for the worse for Megatron; his arm was heavily damaged by a stray beam from the malfunctioning SPS Satellite, he was pounded by G.I. Joe's rockets, and Optimus Prime caught up to him and beat him to a pulp. Prime then stole his [[fusion cannon]] and used it to destroy the satellite and smack Megatron across the jaw, defeating him and ending the battle. The Decepticon was disassembled, but unbeknownst to the victors, his remains were seized and experimented upon by the United States government. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 6|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #6}}

[[Image:The Art of War 1 Martin vs Megatron.jpg|left|250px|thumb|]]
A few years later, the human scientists had used Megatron's technology to create the [[Serpentor|Serpent Organic Robot]], a synthetic creature that combined the personalities of several of [[Earth]]'s most famous warmongers and Megatron. After being prematurely activated by Cobra Commander, Serpent O.R. flashbacked to a memory of Megatron's imprisonment and attacked the Cobra leader. He then plugged himself into Soundwave's deactivated head and learned the history of the Transformers, subsequently considering himself the son of Megatron. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 1|The Art of War #1}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers/G.I. Joe''===
Megatron and his underlings lay buried and deactivated under a temple on the [[Fera Islands]] for some three million years, until one day in [[1938]] when they were somehow reactivated by [[Major Bludd]] touching the [[Matrix of Leadership]]. After learning that [[Cobra]], like the Decepticons, were ruthless conquerors in search of power, Megatron allied himself with the humans. However, this was merely a ruse so that he could get his hands on the Matrix, which proved hard as [[Cobra Commander]] kept on his person at all times. Megatron and his troops spent the following year helping Cobra ransack various European nations, stealing energy for themselves while leaving the useless "[[Gold|yellow metal]] and painted paper" for Cobra. In the summer of [[1939]], he took out the aerial defense of the English Channel alongside [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], clearing the way for an invasion of the [[United Kingdom]]. {{storylink|The Line}}

Hours later at the Fera Islands, Megatron was in the process of beating up Starscream for leaving his post when he spotted an Autobot [[Sky Spy|repair drone]] in the process of reactivating [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and his troops. This angered him slightly more than [[Destro]] eyeing his [[energon cube]]s. {{storylink|Transformed}} Deciding that he needed a safer place to store the energy, Megatron commandeered a submarine and forced Cobra troops to move the cubes into it, which did not please Cobra Commander. However, Megatron had decided their alliance had outlived its usefulness anyway, and prepared to squish the fleshling, only to learn the hard way that Cobra Commander could use the Matrix to cause him great pain. As Megatron collapsed, the Cobra leader warned him against ever rebelling again. {{storylink|Trial by Fire (issue)|Trial by Fire}}

The Decepticon commander decided to bide his time, and stood calmly by Cobra Commander's side as their enemies closed in on the Terrordrome. When [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] refused to follow Cobra Commander's orders, Megatron admonished him in order to further trick the commander that he had learned his lesson. {{storylink|Trenches}} As Cobra Commander's orders led to Shockwave breaking apart, Megatron suggested that he be given the Matrix so he could repair his underling. Unfortunately for him, Cobra Commander did not fall for it, but Megatron at least got to taunt him for wasting valuable troops like that. Shortly afterwards, [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]] was unleashed, causing a rockslide that crushed Cobra Commander's legs, despite his orders for Megatron to shield him. Instead, Megatron "humbly" suggested that the commander use his gun mode as a means of ending his life. Cobra Commander could not go through with it, but Megatron was simply picked up by the [[Baroness]], who executed her former leader. Free at last, the Decepticon leader went after the Matrix, only to find it had been stolen by [[Snake-Eyes]]. Before he could kill the ninja, [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] arrived and attacked him, keeping him at bay while Snake-Eyes destroyed the Matrix in an attempt to destroy Bruticus, killing all the Transformers in the process. {{storylink|The Iron Fist}}

===IDW comics continuity===
{{ongoing}}
{{quote|I don't care why you fight to protect these people, this place, the old way. It must change. ''I will make it change.''|Megatron to Sentinel Prime|[[Megatron Origin issue 4|''Megatron Origin'' #4]]}}

[[Image:Apexthrone.JPG|right|250px|thumb|You should have gone to IKEA.]]
Long ago, before the war, Megatron was an [[Energon (fuel)|energon]] miner, a member of the lower class, in [[Mining Outpost C-12]]. One day [[Decimus|Senator Decimus]] arrived at the mine to announce that the mine was being closed immediately and the workers would be relocated. However, one of the Senator's guards killed a worker for insubordination and claims of Senate corruption, which spurred Megatron into action. He attacked Senator Decimus and killed the guard in self-defense, and was shocked to find he had done so. He and the other miners were en route to imprisonment when [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] broke free and started a riot aboard [[Longshot|their ship]]. They quickly overpowered their guards, damaged Decimus' ship to ward off pursuit, as the authorities would focus on his rescue, and made their way to [[Kaon]]. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 1|Megatron Origin #1}}

After evading law enforcement, Megatron joined a team of underworld gladiators under the tutelage of [[Clench (G1)|Clench]]. Initially repulsed by killing his opponents, the games eventually turned him more brutal and excessive, and he took control of the entire operation from Clench. The opportunistic Senator [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]], after seeing how much money there was in the underworld matches, sent his agent [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] to offer Megatron weaponry and technology to upgrade himself and his comrades. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 2|Megatron Origin #2}} [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]'s Autobots were sent to investigate the gladiatorial games, but when two Autobots were personally killed by Megatron, Prime's forces stepped up their pursuit. Megatron used the gladiatorial games to drum up an army of violent malcontents and spread chaos throughout Cybertron. He then deliberately allowed Sentinel Prime's forces to capture his burgeoning army, {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}} so that [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (pretending to defect) and Soundwave and his hidden cassette army could exterminate the Kaon Senate and then free every last prisoner. Megatron led the army of prisoners against the Autobots, beat Sentinel Prime nearly to death, and took control of Kaon. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 4|Megatron Origin #4}}

Megatron's infamy spread and his message of rising up against the ruling classes struck a chord with many disenfranchised Cybertronians. One such fellow was [[Drift (G1)|Drift]], who attended a Decepticon rally and was personally asked by Megatron to fight at his side. Megatron rechristened Drift as "Deadlock" and welcomed him into the Decepticon fold. When Deadlock eventually deserted the cause, Megatron sent the bounty hunter [[Lockdown (G1)|Lockdown]] to bring him back. {{storylink|Drift issue 2|Drift #2}}

[[Image:Megatrong1idwpreearth.jpg|left|150px|thumb|450 years ago, his helmet was black, but now it's gray. The difference time makes, huh?]]
Over time, the war between Megatron's Decepticon army and [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'s Autobots covered the entire planet and soon beyond to the rest of the galaxy. Optimus grew to respect and fear Megatron as a calm, calculating and measured opponent, while Megatron himself respected Prime's sheer power and his skill as a tactician and as a leader. {{storylink|Escalation issue 5|Escalation #5}} Megatron also constructed [[Sixshot]], a living weapon with frightening amounts of power that only he had the "off-switch" for. {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}} Megatron would then go on to develop a six-stage [[infiltration protocol]] to be used for conquering targeted planets, and selected Sixshot and the similarly ultra-powerful Overlord and [[Black Shadow]] to be the agents who would strike the final blow in each battle. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 2|Last Stand of the Wreckers #2}} As the Autobot/Decepticon war progressed, the conflict became so great that it created an impending energy crisis and threatened the stability of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] itself. When [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] left Cybertron, secretly pursuing alternate energy sources, Megatron ordered [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] to investigate his files, secretly assigning Soundwave to investigate Bludgeon. {{storylink|Spotlight: Shockwave}}

Later, a Decepticon scientist, [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]], came to Megatron with a revolutionary, controversial plan to stave off this energy death by [[Pretender|polydermal grafting]], a process where they encased themselves in "symbiotic carapaces", or shells created from living tissue. When Megatron dismissed him angrily and cut him down, Thunderwing did not abandon his research, but instead experimented on himself. As a result, Thunderwing became so powerful that Megatron had to join forces with Optimus Prime to stop him. This battle at [[Thunderhead Pass]] accelerated the apocalypse destined to befall Cybertron, leaving it an uninhabitable, radioactive husk and forcing both armies to continue their war on other worlds. Megatron advocated that they simply destroy Cybertron to ensure that Thunderwing was destroyed, but Prime refused, and threatened to stop Megatron if he tried. Megatron agreed not to destroy the planet, but warned Prime that whatever happened was on his head. Shortly after the last big push by the Decepticons, Cybertron was abandoned by both factions.

[[Image:Infiltration6 takeyourpunishment.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Those librarians are getting really strict on late returns.]]
Seven hundred [[Units of time|stellar cycles]] later, in current times, it was discovered that as a result of digging through Shockwave's files, Bludgeon had resurrected Thunderwing's dangerous project, as well as Thunderwing himself. After being informed of Thunderwing's attack on [[Nebulos]], Megatron dispatched the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]] in the ''[[Thanatos]]'' to Cybertron, authorizing [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] to do whatever was necessary to destroy Thunderwing, including the destruction of Cybertron. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 3|Stormbringer #3}} However, Optimus Prime and the [[Wrecker]]s were able to thwart both Bludgeon and Thunderwing, and so destruction of the planet was averted. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 4|Stormbringer #4}}

{{quote|You will stand down. If you fight, you ''die''. There is no room anymore for mercy. In the end, you are ''all'' expendable. Choose.|Megatron's ultimatum to Starscream's troops|"[[Infiltration issue 6]]"}}

Megatron, meanwhile, was on Earth, investigating Starscream's infiltration team. He discovered that Starscream had stumbled across [[Ore-13]], an incredible energy source which had been [[Spotlight: Shockwave|mysteriously seeded there]], and that the [[Air Commander]] was planning to use it to usurp Megatron's command—this annoyed him, as he had thought they were beyond such power games. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 4|Infiltration #4}} After seriously damaging the hesitantly rebellious [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] and [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]], {{storylink|Infiltration issue 5|Infiltration #5}} Megatron ordered the AWOL team to stand down and then took on a super-powered Starscream. Though the Ore-13 made Starscream a formidable adversary, Megatron was still more deadly than he, and Starscream was destroyed. All throughout, he acted eerily calm & measured and made both Autobot and Decepticon wet themselves in fear. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}}

Megatron took stock of Starscream's progress on Earth in light of the discovery of Ore-13 and called a meeting to make Starscream's former troops aware, in no uncertain terms, that any further insurrections would be met with deadly force. {{storylink|Escalation issue 1|Escalation #1}} Initiating phase two of infiltration protocol, Megatron stole a prototype [[Psycho-Prism]] from [[Doctor Doom]]'s laboratory. He created an "array" structure in [[Latveria]] as a base of operations. He sent Skywarp and Thundercracker to the nearby country of [[Symkaria]] in hopes they will blame Latveria and start a war. He activated the Psycho-Prism which produced an aggression wave that made nearby humans more aggressive in order to further increase international tensions. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part One}} Doctor Doom, not appreciating the Decepticons' setting up shop in his country, tried to remove their base with an army of [[Doombot]]s. Megatron had no problem repelling them. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Two}}

The [[Avengers]] arrived and Megatron let them enter his facility where he scanned them looking for a suitable sample to leech power from as part of their [[mirror response mode]]. He selected [[Spider-Man]] and captured him. The remaining Avengers retreated and Megatron energized the facilities energy shield. The Autobots arrived and were attacked by the Avengers thanks to their heightened aggression. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part One}}

Megatron energized himself and all of his troops except Ramjet, who he didn't trust. Outside, the Autobots were able to nullify the aggression wave amongst the Avengers and they teamed up and started attacking the array. Megatron sent out his energized troops to repel the invaders. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Two}} Ratchet, Prowl, and [[Luke Cage]] were able to breech the array's defenses. Megatron captured Ratchet and Luke Cage while Ramjet and Megatron's new ally, Doctor Doom captured Prowl. When his forces outside were defeated, Megatron—on the advice of Doctor Doom—sent a holographic message to those outside that he would kill his captives if they did not surrender. They did not surrender and instead renewed their attack. Megatron blamed Doctor Doom for the failure and turned on him.

[[Image:Megsandspidy.jpg|left|200px|thumb|]]

Megatron did not go through with his threat of killing the hostages. Instead he went out to face his attackers himself, holding Luke Cage. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Three}} He was beating the opposition until Prowl, Ratchet, and Spider-Man [[orbital jump|orbital bounced]] out of the facility. They had been freed by Doctor Doom and the two Autobots used the Decepticon equipment to energize themselves with [[Wolverine (superhero)|Wolverine]]'s super power. This added firepower led to his defeat. His Psycho-Prism was destroyed so there was no point in continuing the fight and ordered his troops to retreat using an [[emergency warp-out]]. Megatron himself stuck around awhile hoping to beat someone up, but Spider-Man wrapped him up in webbing, Luke Cage knocked him over, and the Autobots opened fire on him while he was down. He finally warped-out taunting Optimus Prime on the way out. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Four}}

[[Image:Megatrong1idwgunbody.jpg|right|150px|thumb|I also wonder.]]
After getting the infiltration protocols back on track, Megatron stayed instead of leaving Earth in the hands of a new commander. He decided to try out his new [[Size changing|mass-displacing]] handgun [[Alternate mode|altmode]] and the Ore-13 power. {{storylink|Escalation issue 2|Escalation #2}} He personally took charge of the Decepticon subterfuge in [[Brasnya]], guiding the facsimile of [[Georgi Koska]] in an attempt to escalate an international incident into a full polarizing war, and acting as Koska's personal weapon. (His alt-mode only works when a human is holding and firing him, which left him at a disadvantage against the Autobots, who could simply pin him down in that form. Maybe Megatron just wants to be held.) {{storylink|Escalation issue 3|Escalation #3}}

When Optimus Prime arrived, Megatron transformed and started a full-blown to-the-death melee with his longtime foe for all the nuts and bolts—this surprised Optimus, who accused Megatron of letting the Ore-13 power go to his head and causing him to be "some raging braggart". Even with his fusion cannon disabled almost right away, Megatron gained the upper hand due to his Ore-13 high. Beating his foe down, he squeezed Prime's spark casing and seemingly killed him; {{storylink|Escalation issue 5|Escalation #5}} aghast, the Autobots moved into a full but ineffective counterattack, their only edge being that Megatron had no long-range guns left. However, Prime's death was a desperate ruse, and the Autobot leader countered with a surprise attack on Megatron, able to exploit Ore-13's weakness—the more it's used, the faster it burns itself out. Megatron almost collapsed from power loss and was forced to have Skywarp take him to safety before the Autobots could kill him.

Upon returning to base and being refueled and repaired, Megatron was hopping mad. Mad enough to prematurely call in his ultimate living weapon—[[Sixshot]]—despite [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]]'s panic attack on hearing that. {{storylink|Escalation issue 6|Escalation #6}}

During this time, he discovered a plot by [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] to overthrow him. Without saying a word, he beat the living [[Slag (slang)|slag]] out of the attempted traitor. {{storylink|Spotlight: Ramjet}}

Upon Sixshot's arrival, Megatron ordered him to utterly destroy the Autobots, throwing out the methodical "Phase" strategy. The other Decepticons were worried that Megatron was losing his grip—and since they were too scared to tell him that, they decided to revive Starscream to do it for them. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1|Devastation #1}} Before Sixshot could obliterate the Autobots, Megatron recalled him to deal with a new threat—the [[Reaper|Reapers]]. {{storylink|Devastation issue 4|Devastation #4}} Megatron deduced that the other Decepticons betrayed him by awakening Starscream, but decided not to punish them '''yet''', due to the present task of destroying the Reapers. {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}} After these foes were dead, Megatron was forced to accept Starscream and the others when it became clear the humans were aware of them now. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6|Devastation #6}}

[[Image:Bringingthehousedown.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Megatron's urban renewal program was off to a flying start.]]
Some time later, the Autobots were led into a trap; false information was planted by an [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Autobot traitor]], and they were badly smashed up by the 'Cons, who had created [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. After personally ripping the [[Matrix of Leadership]] out of Optimus Prime's chest, Megatron planned to drop the Autobots into the midst of [[Insecticon swarm|three thousand horrendous things he had created]] on Cybertron. When all but Prime had gone through the space bridge, Prime grabbed Blitzwing's gun and somehow saved the other Autobots from certain death, closing the portal. Optimus was critically injured by the space bridge, which fried his circuits. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}} This caused Starscream's status among the Decepticons and their concern about Megatron to go ''way'' down, with former dissenters like [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] becoming Megatron fanboys. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1|All Hail Megatron #1}} By use of Sunstreaker's input with Starscream and Bombshell's experimentation on [[Hunter O'Nion]], Megatron was able to defeat [[Omega Supreme (G1)|almost]] all the Autobots in the galaxy...

A year after the defeat of Optimus, Megatron decided to take Earth and make it the new Decepticon homeworld. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}} Using Sunstreaker, he led the Autobots into an ambush, defeating Optimus' squad and banishing them to Cybertron to be food for the Swarm {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}}, three thousand failed experiments, born during an attempt to create the Insecticons. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}} He arrived on the front lines as the Decepticons attacked [[New York City]], humiliating Starscream by outdoing him in destroying things with just one shot from his fusion cannon. When the US Air Force responded with an F-22 squad, as a show of force Megatron had Soundwave disable the human's missile targeting, followed by the Decepticons just standing there shrugging off bullets before making their attack. After one jet was damaged by Skywarp, [[DJ (G1)|its pilot]] attempted to take out Megatron with a suicide run, but the Decepticon leader calmly swatted the incoming plane, causing it to explode. As flames rose from the wreckage, Megatron emerged, completely undamaged, laughing maniacally. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1|All Hail Megatron #1}} Megatron continued to direct the Decepticon assault on New York, dispatching [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] to mop up the U.S. Army's ground forces and ordering the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] to combine into [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] and destroy the underwater tunnels leading out of the city. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 2|All Hail Megatron #2}}

His plan executed flawlessly, the Decepticons continued their assault on the major cities of the United States, disabling or nullifying any attempt by the army or navy to counterattack. As he surveyed his handiwork in New York, he ordered Hook and the Constructicons to begin building ''something'' in the once-great human city and appreciated their "sacrifice" in using "substandard" building materials. Soon thereafter he was joined by Starscream, with whom he had a heart to heart and revealed he believed Starscream to be the embodiment of the Decepticon cause, but that Starscream was blind to realizing this. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 3|All Hail Megatron #3}}

When the humans had fallen, Megatron made a propaganda speech to his men in the ruins of New York. He heaped great praise on their efforts, both on Earth and across the galaxy, announcing they had finally crushed the Autobots for good. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 4|All Hail Megatron #4}} After making this speech (and dispatching Ratbat to attack a small group of mercenaries led by [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Commander Witwicky]]), Megatron entered one of the "buildings" to gaze at his newly prized possession... the Autobot Matrix of Leadership that he stole from Optimus. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 5|All Hail Megatron #5}}

[[Image:AHM6MegatronVsIsrael.jpg|right|200px|thumb|]]

That praise turned out to be empty, as Starscream started noticing that Megatron didn't have a plan now victory had been achieved, and the smashy-smash fun on Earth was him trying to distract the troops—because now he had an army of evil sociopathic murderers with nothing to murder and a doctrine of taking power. Not even smashing up [[Israel]] made him feel better. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}} Eventually, Starscream made his move, revealing to Megatron that he had swayed the Insecticons to his side. Megatron easily swatted the insects aside, however, and explained to Starscream that he had known about his plans all along. Unfortunately, he hadn't anticipated Starscream to have rallied the Constructicons backing him up, and found himself having to fight the mighty Devastator. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}}

As the battle was interrupted by an attack from human jets, Megatron and Starscream put their differences aside momentarily to organize a defense. Megatron was not at all surprised by the attack, as he had planned the invasion—nay, the ''war''—down to the smallest detail. He explained to Starscream that while the Decepticon forces may have no real goal at the moment, he planned to remodel them into something greater after the war was done. Then he was suddenly interrupted by something he ''hadn't'' planned for: the return of the Autobots. After assuring Starscream that he'd be leader someday (just not right now), Megatron confronted Optimus Prime again, accusing the Autobot of coming for his Matrix rather than truly caring about Earth. He also revealed that Prime's supposedly "innocent" humans were planning to nuke New York, killing millions of their own just to get rid of the Decepticons. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11|All Hail Megatron #11}}

Prime retorted that it wasn't about the humans, it was about the difference between him and Megatron—the difference between Autobots and Decepticons. The two came to blows, and Megatron eventually came out on top by throwing Prime into a building. He ordered the Decepticons to leave Earth, leaving the Autobots to be killed by the humans' nuke... only to be shot in the face by [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], wielding a powerful weapon reverse-engineered from Cybertronian technology. Injured and disoriented by the blast, Megatron was finished off when Optimus Prime got back up and smashed his face in with his own fusion cannon. As he wanted to ''take'' leadership rather than just have it fall in his hands, Starscream picked up his damaged leader and took him off the planet. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 12|All Hail Megatron #12}}

On board Astrotrain, Megatron was put on life support and was tended to by Soundwave and his cassettes. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 13|Uneasy Lies the Head}}

The Decepticons eventually settled on a desolate asteroid and Megatron spent the next three years in a [[CR chamber|CR tank]]. He was somehow conscious and aware of current events during his recovery. Megatron was forced to simply watch as most of the Decepticon army languished in inactivity and slowly began to unravel under Starscream's leadership. {{storylink|The Transformers issue 7|The Transformers #7}} But despite Megatron's mental health and awareness, Soundwave eventually realized that his body was beyond repair. He convinced Shockwave, who had been given access to plenty of resources for his space bridge project, to help him build a brand new body for Megatron's consciousness to inhabit. They were successful, and even included space bridge technology in Megatron himself, allowing him to create warp portals to Earth.

Back in action, Megatron devised a plan to destabilize the relationship between the humans and Autobots on Earth. Together with Soundwave and Shockwave, he chopped up his old body and used it to create human-scaled replicas of his former gun mode, containing small pieces of his own consciousness. Starscream caught them in the act, but wasn't too shocked to learn of Megatron's return, as he knew it had been inevitable. Megatron was unable to take back leadership of the Decepticons at the moment, however, as Starscream was in possession of the Matrix of Leadership, an object which Megatron considered a threat due to its mysterious nature. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon}}

[[Image:Ongoing Issue 13 - Megatron.jpg|left|160px|thumb|"Ever see the movie ''Tron''?"]]

When [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]] infiltrated the Decepticons' asteroid base and recovered the Matrix from Starscream, Megatron stepped in to intercept the Autobot. Rodimus panicked when coming upon the reborn Decepticon commander and held up the Matrix to try and ward him off. But Megatron simply shot Rodimus at point-blank range, blasting him out into space, Matrix and all. Intent on reestablishing his authority, Megatron then informed Soundwave to gather the other Decepticons so he could address them. {{storylink|Heart Like a Wheel}}

Megatron and Shockwave then sent a box full of Megatron guns (and his old head) through a space bridge to Earth, where it landed in [[Quetzaltenango]], [[Mexico]]. Without the knowledge of any human government, the powerful weapons were then smuggled into the United States by gun enthusiasts and civilians looking for anti-Transformer weaponry. This allowed Megatron's consciousness to spread throughout the land, until it was focused enough to contact one particular owner of a Megatron gun: [[Joe Gladki]]. He deceived and manipulated the paranoid human, and eventually convinced him to perform an assassination attempt on [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], the new Autobot leader. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon}} In their ignorance, the Autobots then mistook Gladki's gun for Megatron himself and held it captive. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 1: The Demolished Man}}

With the Autobots in chaos, Megatron started the next phase of his plan and returned to Earth personally, where he used his new stealth bomber mode to shoot down a plane carrying Optimus Prime and several other Autobots. He then hunted down [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], who was in charge following the loss of both Bumblebee and Prime, and killed some Mexicans attacking Magnus's troops with Megatron guns just because. With his powerful new body, he effortlessly defeated the entire Autobot team and killed some of their [[Skywatch]] allies. Ultra Magnus tried to stop him, telling Megatron that he was back for the Autobots and not the humans, but Megatron assured him that humanity was his real target. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 3: Woken Furies}}

{{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 4: Burning Chrome}}
{{charstubfiction}}

{{note|The events of ''Spotlight: Mirage'' possibly take place in an alternate/unknown continuity.}}

With most of the Autobots in the galaxy defeated, Megatron chafed to end the war quickly. He demanded [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] track the last pocket of Autobot resistance down for the Decepticons. The mercenary demanded a majority share in all energon mining operations, a deal which outraged Megatron, until Mirage pointed out it was a small price to pay to end the war. After Optimus Prime surrendered, Megatron demanded the prisoners be executed despite Mirage's promise to spare Autobot lives. Seeing Mirage's hesitation, Megatron appealed to his greed. {{storylink|Spotlight: Mirage}}

===''Hearts of Steel''===
Megatron was referred to as a leader [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] wanted to replace. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 2|Hearts of Steel #2}}
{{note|Unused concept art for ''Hearts of Steel'' depicts Megatron with a variety of proposed alternate modes: a giant cannon (with big studded wheels that become shoulder-shields), a 19th-century Colt revolver, possibly a [[wikipedia:Colt 1851 Navy Revolver|Colt 1851 Navy]], and another very similar revolver, with an anachronistic scope and a bulkier muzzle.}}

===''Henkei! Henkei!'' pack-in comics===
In the 21st century, Megatron attacked [[Tokyo]], planning to steal its energy and enslave the population. He retreated once the Autobots arrived and a fight with Optimus ensued. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 1}} Sending [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] to distract his nemesis, Megatron quietly gathered a large amount of energon cubes before being attacked by [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]]. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 2}} Megatron escaped, {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 3}} with enough energon to transform himself into Galvatron. He nearly killed Prime and Ironhide before apparently overloading and exploding, transforming him back into Megatron. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 7}}

===''Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun'' comics===

[[Image:Henkei1 enter megatron.jpg|left|thumb|220px|At last, I have returned in a-- wait, am I a NERF pistol now?! CURSE YOU STARSCREAM!!!]]

When the legendary [[Energon Cube]] was lost to the reaches of space, Megatron led a small team of Decepticons across the galaxy in pursuit. The cube crashed on Earth, in the Japanese town of [[Hoshinochō]], where it shattered into innumerable fragments that were scattered far and wide. To search for the cube shards, Megatron and his Decepticons took on the forms of local vehicles and devices, so they could operate in secret. [[Optimus Prime (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Optimus Prime]] and his Autobots had also followed the Cube to Earth, and so the Transformers' war continued in secret on this new world. {{storylink|Kingdom of Giants}}

Ten years later, Megatron discovered that the humans had a "secret weapon" of sorts in their quest: They had allied themselves with the human boy [[Akira Kihara]], who possessed the incredible powers of a "[[Booster]]", one of a small number of beings in the universe born with the power to detect and manipulate the energies of the Energon Cube. Seeking the boy's power for his own, Megatron struck, but was repelled when Akira used his powers to their fullest. Alas, Akira overloaded his body and died in the process, and Prime was consumed with guilt. {{storylink|Time of Resurrection}}

One year after the battle for Akira, Megatron received word from [[Astrotrain (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Astrotrain]] that [[Starscream (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Starscream]] and [[Ramjet (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Ramjet]] were battling Prime's Autobots at the human structure known as the [[Star Dome]]. {{storylink|Enter! The Transformers}} Joining the conflict, he berating Starscream for his failures, using the fallen Air Commander as a shield to protect himself from Optimus Prime's shots. Chastizing Prime for not going all-out in his attack, Megatron turned his Fusion Cannon on [[Bumblebee (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Bumblebee]] and the Autobots' newest human ally [[Wataru Hoshinoumi]]. At the last moment, Prime appeared to deflect Megatron's blast with a shot of his, and Megatron elected to retreat, transforming to gun mode and collapsing a large chunk of the Star Dome to cover the Decepticons' withdrawal. {{storylink|The Emperor of Destruction Appears!}} Starscream claimed Megatron's advanced age was making him weak, but Megatron suggested that he had another reason for calling retreat... {{storylink|Kingdom of Giants}}

[[Image:Henkei6_megatron_mace.jpg|right|thumb|Even if the mace's end is only a few feet from my head, it shall never hurt me!]]

When Starscream struck out on his own, attacking a power plant with the aid of the brainwashed Autobot [[Jetfire (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Skyfire]], Megatron observed the battle via a recording made by his spy, [[Ravage (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Ravage]]. The events that unfolded during the conflict confirmed Megatron's suspicions: Wataru was also a Booster! {{storylink|Wataru's Power}} Once again seeking to take the power of a Booster for himself, Megatron tracked Prime and Wataru when they went on a mission to investigate a local relic (in actuality, a cube shard), then struck hard. Taunting Prime with the memory of the last Booster that he had allowed to die, Megatron goaded the Autobot leader into a ferocious battle with their energon-axe and flail. Throughout the duel, Megatron challenged Prime's philosophy and beliefs, eventually striking home with the claim that Prime had hoped to use Wataru's power to defeat him. With Prime's focus broken by this sadly-true accusation, Megatron was able to lay Prime low and seize Wataru, informing the boy that he would not allow him to die like Akira had if he came with him willingly. Naturally, Wataru refused, and activated his powers, forcing Megatron back with a barrier shield; this, Megatron realized, was what had deflected his shot during his first encounter with Wataru, rather than Prime's blast. Wataru used his powers to heal Optimus and power-up his energon axe into a mighty sword, which Prime used to tear a massive gash in Megatron's armor. The explosion that resulted decimated the surrounding countryside, and when Prime and Wataru awoke, Megatron was gone. {{storylink|Optimus Prime's Secret}}

[[Image:Henkei8_megatron_energon_bath.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Now that my bubble bath is ready, I shall go get my [[Rubber Ducky|little rubber bathtime plaything]].]]

The injured Megatron had been spirited away by [[Cyclonus (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Cyclonus]], who took him to a network of caves beneath a volcano and placed him in a "bath" of molten [[energon cube]]s to heal him. {{storylink|Time of Resurrection}} While Megatron was recuperating, however, Starscream led Optimus Prime and Bumblebee to his location, in hopes that they would destroy him so that he could take his throne. As Starscream and Cyclonus battled in the air, Prime approached Megatron, and without hesitation, plunged his energon sword into the Decepticon leader's chest and broke the blade off within his body. Megatron howled in pain and fury, and the energon cubes around him began to react, rising to whirl around him and surround his body with their glow. The maddened Megatron seized one of the cubes and bit into it deeply, causing a huge energon explosion. As the light from the blast faded, Megatron stood restored, renewed and reformatted... now, he was [[Galvatron (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Galvatron]]! {{storylink|Creation! The New Emperor of Destruction!!}}
{{-}}

===''Alternity''===
[[Image:Alternity megatron auto avatars.jpg|right|thumb|250px]]

Numerous incarnations of Megatron from throughout the [[multiverse]] were gathered together as the "[[Megatron Aggregate]]" under the leadership of [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity#Alternity|one particular incarnation]] who hailed from a universe where the Autobots had evolved into the hyperdimensional race known as the [[Alternity (species)|Alternity]]. Shackling the power of the trans-time god-beast [[Hytherion]], this Megatron conveyed time-and-space-manipulating powers similar to those of the Alternity upon himself as his different iterations, forging them into one cross-dimensional gestalt-consciousness entity. To battle the Alternity across time and space, the Megatrons copied their methods, projecting their consciousnesses into [[auto-avatar]]s. The Megatron responsible for the scheme took control of a "Premium Le Mans Blue" style auto-avatar, while his first known ally (from an unidentified dimension) possessed a "Silver Blade" body. {{storylink|To Mega Therion}}

The third identified member of the Megatron Aggregate hailed from [[universal stream]] [[Transformers: Mystery of Convoy|Primax 1286:3 Kappa]]. In a "Diamond Black" auto-avatar body, he engaged in battle with "Ultimate Silver" Optimus Prime across two [[universal stream]]s, striking at him from the year 2009. This Megatron was amused when Prime deduced that he had an ulterior motive for operating in that year, and so made him a wager: if he could defeat him in a game of his own choosing, he would answer a question honestly. Megatron proposed manipulating the inhabitants of his home universe in a "game full of death and suffering", and infused a portion of his power through a legion of Decepticons (including his own past self) to be pitted against Prime's lone chosen champion, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]. {{storylink|To Die Game!}}
{{note|Alternity beings are both individuals and a collective of separate entities. More fiction about Megatron's Alternity collective can be found [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity#Alternity|here]].}}
{{-}}

===''Universe'' cartoon===
[[Image:FfE Megatron.JPG|left|thumb|250px|Cyclonus, if you would please fetch the nail clipper.]]
During the war, Megatron rose up to become leader of the Decepticons. Pursuing Optimus on his quest for more Energon, he shot down his ship. Landing, he, Starscream and Soundwave saw Optimus and his Autobots had survived, and taken disguises. Megatron's eyes turned red as he prepared to scan an alternate mode... {{storylink|Action Blast 1}}

Megatron and [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] set up a mining operation near an abandoned [[Rock-It Fuel|gas station]] to extract Earth's natural resources and convert them to [[Energon (fuel)|Energon]]. They were discovered by [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] and [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], who created a diversion and knocked Cyclonus out. Megatron then blew the mining operation up with his double-barreled arm cannon and retreated with Cyclonus. {{storylink|Fight for Energon}}
{{--}}

==Commercial appearances==
Megatron featured in quite a few [[commercial]]s, mostly advertising other toys:

* He appears in the very first Transformers animation, a commercial announcing the upcoming 1984 comic book. He lands amid a battle on Earth and fires his cannon at incoming Autobots. This appearance uses his pre-cartoon design, with the black helmet and triggered cannon.

* Footage from that commercial, as well as the show's opening credits, was recycled into an early ad for the toyline.

* In the ad for [[Coleco]]'s [[Power Cycle]], Megatron and the Decepticons are raiding a <s>jungle gym</s> power plant. This footage is recycled from the advertisement for the first issue of the comic, and features Megatron's early "black helmet" model.

* The footage from the first issue of the comic was recycled again for the [[rubsign]] ad.

* Megatron attempts to hijack a load of shoes in a South American ad for [[Bata]]'s licensed ''Transformers'' footwear. He is stopped when a pair of said shoes deflect his fusion cannon blast right back at him. No, really.

* In the middle of a desert battle, Megatron summons Thrust and Dirge, in response to Optimus Prime bringing in like half a dozen new guys.

* Megatron, in his Action Master body, is seen in a base futilely trying to grab a pair of [[Micromaster Combiner]]s.

Megatron's voice, provided by [[Frank Welker]], has narrated numerous commercials, including:
* The Constructicons
* Rubsigns
* Sharkticons (strange!)
* Wreck-Gar (stranger!)
* Galvatron (stranger still!)
* Stunticons
* Combaticons
* Trypticon
* Predacons
* Battlechargers

==Games==
===Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons===
When Optimus embarked on his mission to rescue the Autobots' [[Mini Vehicle|Minicar]] troops from the Decepticons, Megatron could hinder Optimus Prime's progress by blasting him with fusion cannons. {{storylink|Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons|Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons packaging blurb and game}}

===''The Transformers'' (Commodore 64)===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|The Transformers (Commodore 64)}}

===''Transformers: Mystery of Convoy''===

As [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] searched for the truth behind [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'s death, he was taunted by Megatron about the truth. Soon, Megatron and Ultra Magnus battled in a game of death and suffering. {{storylink|Transformers: Mystery of Convoy}}

===''Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals''===
After defeating both the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] on ancient Earth, [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] entered the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' and used a prototype [[transreplication]] device to create clones of the dormant Decepticons within. The Megatron clone, equipped with all the memories and personality functions of the original, then followed Ravage back to his future in order to conquer it. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals (N64)|Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals}}

===''DreamMix TV World Fighters''===
:''Voice actor'': [[Seizō Katō]] (Japanese)

As part of [[DreamMix TV]]'s attempt to pull in more ratings, Megatron and his eternal rival Optimus Prime were invited to battle bunches of other beings on the television show ''[[World Fighters]]''. {{storylink|DreamMix TV World Fighters}}

===''The Transformers'' (PS2)===
[[Image:TF PS2 Megatron.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
:''Voice actor'': [[Jeff Manning]]
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|The Transformers (PS2)|The Transformers}}

===''Revenge of the Fallen'' - The Game (Xbox 360/Sony PS3/PC)===
[[Image:ROTF_360PS3PC_G1Megatron_DLC.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
:''Voice actor:'' [[Frank Welker]]

{{Note|On [[August 27]], [[2009]], Megatron was one of a handful of downloadable characters in a DLC pack for Xbox 360 and Sony Playstation 3.}}
{{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
{{-}}

===Transformers Battle Universe===
{{storylink|Transformers Battle Universe}}
{{charstubfiction}}

===Transformers G1: Awakening===
{{storylink|Transformers G1: Awakening}}
{{charstubfiction}}

{{-}}

==Toys==
{{main|Megatron (G1)/toys}}

==Notes==
[[Image:Earlymegatron.jpg|thumb|250px|The [[fusion cannon]]'s got that handle because... well, we're not sure.]] [[Image:P-Megatron.jpg|thumb|250px|Microman Megatron's concept model. Back then, he was a little less happy to see you.]]
* Early in the ''Transformers'' series preproduction, Megatron's look was based not on the toy, but on concept art for an unproduced prototype version. This early version, sporting a different, black head, a very different scope/fusion cannon, and the gun's barrel on his back, managed to make its way into not only early [[commercial]] animation and licensed material, but into the art of the early Marvel Comics. Though the model was altered before the animated series was produced, elements from the first model were perpetuated such as the back-mounted barrel in both the comic and the cartoon. The Marvel Comics continued to color Megatron's helmet black (well, blue) until the end of its run.

* The name "Megatron" was originally used by Marvel Comics for ''another'' robot that appeared long before the Transformers toyline came about, in issue 18 of the ''Shogun Warriors'' series (written by Doug Moench, art by Herb Trimpe, released in July 1980)<ref>[http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix2/droneracecharter.htm#Megatron Megatron and the "Drones" from Marvel's ''Shogun Warriors'' comic at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe]</ref>. [[Bob Budiansky]] stated in an interview that the name "Megatron" is a portmanteau derived from "Megaton" and "Electronic".<ref>[http://www.alteredstatesmag.com/features/qanda/bbudiansky_2.php ASM - Your Future Nostalgia. Today]</ref> He suggested the name "Megatron" for the Transformers line (it's unclear if he was aware of the existing Marvel character, though as an editor it seems likely that he at least had a subconscious memory of it) but [[Hasbro]] initially rejected it, claiming that "mega" conjured images of nuclear bombs. Budiansky reminded them that the name was supposed to sound evil, because he's the leader of the bad guys. Hasbro responded, "Oh, right", and then approved the name.<ref>[http://www.alteredstatesmag.com/features/qanda/bbudiansky_2.php ASM: A Little Q&A with... Bob Budiansky]</ref>

*When Megatron transforms into gun mode, he most often [[Size changing|shrinks]] to a size where he can be held by either a human or fellow Transformer and has someone else aim and fire him. The exceptions are in the episodes "[[S.O.S. Dinobots]]" and "[[The Ultimate Doom, Part 3]]". In the former, Megatron does not shrink and instead attaches himself to Starscream's jet-mode undercarriage. In the latter, he floats in the air and takes a shot at Skyfire unassisted. Regardless, the reasons Megatron chooses to Transform instead of simply using his fusion cannon are not entirely clear, but one could assume his gun-mode firepower is more concentrated or in some other way more powerful.

*On the 1985 [[Universal Studios Tour]], a giant statue of Megatron was available for children to clamber over and have their picture taken on. It wasn't especially dignified.

*Megatron [[Gone but Not Forgotten!|once]] crushed [[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]]'s head with his bare hands!

* After his fight with Optimus Prime in the [[The Transformers: The Movie|1986 animated movie]], Megatron appears to have energon leaking from his eyes and mouth. Either that or he's been crying, which seems unlikely.

* In the UK comics, [[Dreadwind (G1)|Dreadwind]] explains that Megatron is the equivalent of a 'blueblood,' possessing some royal lineage. {{storylink|Letters page (Marvel UK)|Dread Tidings #227}}

* In "[[Megatron Origin issue 2|Megatron Origin #2]]", we see that Megatron's helmet is, in fact, [[:Image:MegatronOrigin2 Megs hair.jpg|a helmet and not part of his head]] (at least in this continuity). Upon removing his helmet, Megatron then briefly unfurls a crest. The significance of this moment is not explained, nor is it ever revisited. Thankfully.

*Some [[Canada|Québecquers]] loved his shiny body so much they named a communications company after him.<ref>[http://www.megatron.net/quebec/ Megatron Dot Net Forward Slash Quebec.]</ref>
{{--}}

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Megatron''' (メガトロン ''Megatoron'')
*''Cantonese:'' '''Megaton''' (麥加登 ''Mak Gaa Dang'', "Wheat Garden")
*''French:'' '''Mégatron'''
*''Hebrew:'' '''Megatron''' (מגהטרון ''Mghjrwn'')
*''Portugese:'' '''Megatrão''' (Portugal comics)
*''Mandarin:'' '''Měi-jīa Wáng''' (Taiwan, 美加王, "King Mega"), '''Jǜ Wú Bà''' (Taiwan, 巨無霸, "Extremely Gigantic"), '''Wēi Zhèn Tīan''' (China, 威震天, "Extremely Prestigious", literally "Heaven-shaking Might")
*''Russian, Serbian & Ukrainian:'' '''Megatron''' (Мегатрон)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://tfu.info/1984/Decepticon/Megatron/megatron.htm Megatron at TFU.info]
* [http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Megatron Megatron's Universe profile at NTFA.net]
* [http://www.transformers-universe.com/popup.php?img=content/images/galerie/pics/44/4417_Megatron_DreamwaveProfile1.jpg Page 1,] [http://www.transformers-universe.com/popup.php?img=content/images/galerie/pics/44/4418_Megatron_DreamwaveProfile2.jpg 2 and] [http://www.transformers-universe.com/popup.php?img=content/images/galerie/pics/44/4419_Megatron_DreamwaveProfile3.jpg 3 of Megatron's MTMTE profile at Transformers-universe.com]
*[http://www.allspark.com/content/view/4539/37/|e-HOBBY Megatron Black Version Manga and Profile Translation at the Allspark / TF Pulp]
* [http://transfans.co.uk/comics_guide_detail.php?id=269&page=13 Transformers #227 Letters Page on Transfans.co.uk]

[[Category:Action Masters]]
[[Category:Alternators Decepticons]]
[[Category:Alternity Decepticons]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Decepticons]]
[[Category:Classics Decepticons]]
[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:DreamMix TV World Fighters characters]]
[[Category:Emperors]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generation 2 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Gladiators]]
[[Category:Go-Bots]]
[[Category:Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei! Decepticons]]
[[Category:Machine Wars Decepticons]]
[[Category:Return of Convoy Decepticons]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen Decepticons]]
[[Category:Robo-Capers characters]]
[[Category:Robot Masters Decepticons]]
[[Category:Rulers of Cybertron]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]
[[Category:United Decepticons]]

Optimus Prime (G1)

2011-04-09T21:11:47Z

67.142.177.26:

{{factions|autobot|autobotg2|hofsilver}}
{{disambig3|Optimus Prime}}
{{suite}}
:''Optimus Prime is the leader of the [[Autobot]]s from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[Image:Optimusg1.jpg|right|350px|thumb|I'm that guy everyone remembers. No, not the [[Soundwave (G1)|tape guy]], the ''other'' guy.]]
'''Optimus Prime''' is the awe-inspiring [[Prime (rank)|leader]] of the [[Autobot]] forces.and one of the Main Protagonists. Originally a mere civilian, he was chosen by the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] to command, the first in a number of heavy burdens he has been forced to bear. Another is his bringing of the [[Transformer]]s' conflict to Earth. The complete opposite of his mortal enemy [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], every casualty, [[human]] or [[Transformer|Cybertronian]], weighs heavily on his [[spark]]. He does not show this side to his soldiers, and he never succumbs to despair. The Autobots need a decisive, charismatic leader, and that is what he gives them. It was that leadership which turned the tide of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]].

On the battlefield, there are few who rival Optimus Prime's prowess. He is easily the strongest of any Autobot his [[Scale|size]], and his [[ion blaster]] and his [[energon-axe]] are deadly weapons. He would sacrifice his life to protect his fellow Autobots or those under their care, and [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|does so on a regular basis]]. His compassion for other sentient beings is his only real weakness, and one the Decepticons have taken advantage of time and again... though it's also the source of his strength!

Prime carries within him the [[Matrix of Leadership]].

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

*A sentient robot module, the [[Brain Center]].
*A wheeled drone module known as [[Roller (G1)|Roller]].
*A [[Combat Deck]].

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

{{bigquote|Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.|Optimus Prime's most common [[bio]] quote}}

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
{{main|Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity}}
[[Image:CommandPerformances-Autobotsattack.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Don't worry, the multiple crises of conscience come soon enough.]]

Optimus Prime was a gladiator champion for [[Iacon (city-state)|Iacon]] before quickly working his way up the Autobot ranks once [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] started the war. Four million years ago, when Decepticons attacked the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], he personally chose to crash it onto [[Earth]], a decision that caused him much remorse when the war restarted on Earth in the modern day.

Though Optimus allowed himself to be destroyed when he betrayed his own moral code while playing a video game, a copy of his mind survived on a [[floppy disk]]. Years later, he was restored as a [[Powermaster]], binary bonded to the [[Nebulan]], [[Hi-Q]]. Optimus Prime slowly earned the respect of Decepticon leader [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], mourned the loss of his friend [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], and ultimately sacrificed everything to defeat [[Unicron]]. Though Optimus died again, his mind persisted in Hi-Q, and the [[Last Autobot]] was able to restore him as an [[Action Master]] in time to bring a temporary end to the war.

In [[Generation 2 (Marvel Comics)|one universe]], Optimus Prime went on to battle [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]], his [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronian Empire]], and the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]]. In [[Classics (2006)|another]], fifteen years of peace passed before Megatron rose again.

{{-}}
===S.T.A.R.S. pack-in flyers===
[[Image:PackIn RodimusPrimeRemembers Inside2.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The fury of the "Road Warriors"... and Cosmos.]]
The Autobots were outnumbered and outgunned on Earth from the start, though Optimus was confident (and correct) that reinforcements from Cybertron would arrive. {{storylink|Reinforcements from Cybertron!}}

However, the situation was still so desperate that Optimus not only decided to recruit human allies {{storylink|The battle is far from over!}}, but aggressively tried to recruit and ''deputise'' human children, including giving them the power to co-ordinate Autobot teams in battles. He wouldn't even make a final move on the Decepticons until he had enough child soldiers on his side. {{storylink|Earthlings: THE S.T.A.R.S. need your help now!}} {{storylink|Have the Decepticons defeated us once and for all?}} In at least one case, this likely led to the ''death'' of a small boy at Decepticon hands. {{storylink|Can one boy, alone, hold back the evil Decepticons?}}

Optimus later led a convoy in search for a building site for [[Autobot City]], which ran into a Decepticon ambush. {{storylink|Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.}} He sent off several Autobots to get help, knowing this was the only chance of victory. {{storylink|Transformers Combat Data}} Those several Autobots were seen again, but Prime... wasn't.

{{--}}
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
{{main|Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity}}

[[Image:Mtmte2_shermandam.jpg|left|250px|thumb|He had this ax once. It was very memorable.]]

Before the war, Optimus Prime was originally '''Orion Pax''', a young dock worker with a girlfriend named [[Elita One|Ariel]]. But as the war began, Megatron destroyed them both, and [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] rebuilt them into more powerful warriors.

Four million years ago, Optimus Prime ended a Decepticon attack on the Ark by directing it towards prehistoric Earth. When both factions reawakened in [[1984]], Optimus Prime and the Autobots fought the Decepticons on numerous occasions until [[2005]]. During an attack on [[Autobot City]] on Earth, Prime fell in battle against Megatron and passed the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]].

Optimus Prime eventually returned, once as a [[zombie]], and again when he was rebuilt by the [[Quintesson]]s to stop the spread of the [[Hate Plague]].

The details between these events differ between universes. Sometimes Optimus Prime merged with [[Vector Sigma]] soon after defeating the Hate Plague, and returned much, much later as Star Convoy. Sometimes Optimus Prime partnered up with [[Marissa Faireborn]] to receive upgrades through mutual [[kiss]]ing. Sometimes... look, he did a lot of weird stuff, okay?

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===Kid Stuff Talking Story Books===
:''Voice actor:'' Unknown
Optimus and Prowl received message from [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] of a coal transport in [[Africa]], and discovered Megatron was using human slaves. Megatron detonated his coal mines with the world's largest explosion, killing the humans and forging the world's largest diamond — that he would use to as a lens for a satellite to focus the Sun's beams, melting the [[Rocky Mountains]]! Prime ordered Skyfire to attack the satellite, and [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] to build a square mile panel of metal to deflect the beam, blowing the satellite up. {{storylink|Satellite of Doom}} The Decepticons attempted to drain the [[Prudhoe Bay oil reservoir]], causing volcanic eruptions and Russia to approach America, accelerating tensions between the countries. Optimus ordered [[razon gas]] to be pumped into the resevoir, returning the oil below and raising the Decepticons' aquatic drill. {{storylink|When Continents Collide}}

Accompanied by Prowl, Optimus went to [[Sumatra]] and discovered much of the jungle had been destroyed. The Decepticons tried to destroy the [[Brazil]]ian jungle and take its oil, but once again the Autobots stopped them. {{storylink|Storms of Destruction}} Following a battle between the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s and the Decepticons, Optimus ordered [[Slag (G1)|Slag]] be repaired by Ratchet at their [[Antarctic]] oil supply. Tracking Slag, Megatron attempted to destroy the base with [[the Crusher]], slicing icebergs off the continent. Optimus ordered [[Autobot superjet]]s to counterattack, but the battle was won when Megatron unwittingly reawakened hundreds of dormant Dinobots beneath the ice. {{storylink|Jaws of Terror}} Optimus and Prowl were baffled by Megatron's next strategy, a series of hit-and-run attacks in the Pacific rim. It emerged it was a distraction from the enslavement of the population of [[Buru]]. Optimus, Prowl and the Dinobots arrived and fought off the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s, foiling the scheme to drain the island's oil. {{storylink|Slaves of the Insecticons}} When Megatron planned to drain the world's largest supertanker, Optimus had the oil tainted with a corrosive acid, sabotaging the Decepticon submersible. The Autobots flew the tanker to [[New York City]], and ordered the few witnesses' memory to be wiped. Wow. {{storylink|Attack of the Decepticons}}

===Big Looker Story Books===
[[Image:KidsPrime1.jpg|right|250px|thumb|And the fluffy kitten played with that yarn all gosh-darn night.]]
After a thousand years of war on Cybertron, the planet was shaken from its orbit and risked being smashed to pieces by an asteroid field. Optimus decided to take a group of Autobots in the Ark and destroy the asteroids, but they were attacked by the Decepticons, and Optimus crashed the ship on Earth. Four million years later, the Ark repaired them, and they encountered [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]] and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]]. Sparkplug suggested to Prime that the Autobots tap the volcano they'd crashed into for power. The two humans also warned the Autobots of an impending Decepticon attack, and Optimus laid a trap. Unfortunately the Decepticon forces attacked from all directions, and [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]'s [[null-ray]] put Optimus out of commission. Luckily Sparkplug easily fixed him, and his fast recovery inspired the Autobots to chase the Decepticons off. Optimus vowed to protect this new world. {{storylink|Battle for Cybertron}}

When a two-part race was being held with a massive supply of oil and gasoline as the prize, both the Decepticons and the Autobots badly wanted to win it. Megatron entered the race by hiding himself inside a hollowed-out car and harassed [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] all throughout the contest. When Prime discovered the car was being driven by his arch foe, he swiftly pulled a telephone pole out from the ground and used it to bash the mortal hell out of the cheating Decepticon. Thanks to Prime's violent intervention, Cliffjumper was able to win the race. Afterward, Optimus Prime celebrated the Minibot's victory with a gargantuan smile as all the Decepticons starved to death. {{storylink|The Great Car Rally}}

The morning after a particularly vicious battle, Optimus listened to birdsong and pondered life as a giant robot, before asking [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] and [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] for a damage report. The Autobots were puzzled when the Decepticon [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]s (and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]]) did a flyby on their camp, as the Decepticons were similarly damaged after the battle, but [[Shooting Star]] reported that the Decepticons were trying to distract them while an attempt was made to secure a broken-down oil truck a few miles away. Optimus took a small group to investigate, and successfully aided the [[Abe Walters|humans]] in getting their truck moving. [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] was instrumental in stopping the Decepticon attack, and Optimus commended the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]] for his valor. {{storylink|Decepticon Hijack}}

On another beautiful day, Optimus sat under a tree with [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] and [[Hound (G1)|Hound]], discussing the Decepticons. A while later, [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] reported that [[Grapple]] had shot at him. Optimus smelled a Decepticon plot and led an assault on their headquarters, only to find that Grapple had been injected with a [[cerebro-shell]], placing him in Decepticon control. Battle commenced, during which Grapple was freed and helped them defeat the Decepticon. Afterward Optimus said it all had been worth it to get Grapple back. {{storylink|Insecticon Attack!}}

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===Ladybird Books continuity===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Marinker]] (English)

[[Image: Ladybird_prime_transforms.jpg|left|thumb|250px|The ghost of Optimus Prime possesses...himself?]]
Upon witnessing the incredible power of a lightning storm for the first time, Optimus Prime had Sparkplug Witwicky explain the phenomenon to him. Intrigued by the potential of lightning, Prime put [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] and [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] to work finding a way to harness its energy, so they could use it to aid in the rebuilding of their spaceship. Huffer constructed a giant lightning rod, and Optimus Prime and the Autobots gathered to watch its first test. They were shocked, however, when a fleet of battered, damaged Decepticons flew out of the mountain housing the antenna and off into the night. The evil robots had attempted to discover the device's secrets and been seriously electrocuted! Once the lightning rod had been checked, Prime vowed to make the lightning-harnessing technology the Autobots' gift to Earth once they had left the planet. {{storylink|Autobots' Lightning Strike}}

When the Decepticons tried to take control of a solar energy station, Prime sent Roller in to investigate. {{storylink|Megatron's Fight for Power}} Later, Prime sent [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] to spy on the Decepticons' latest misdeeds, and the Autobots discovered that they were having trouble with the ion drive of their starship. Prime led the Autobots in an attack on the mine the Decepticons were using to test their propulsion system and routed Megatron's force. {{storylink|Autobots Fight Back}}

Optimus Prime grew concerned when [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] picked up a communication from [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] that indicated the Decepticons had grown interested in a mysterious structure near a human village. Prime and a team of Autobots headed out to investigate, and they battled the Decepticons over the structure, which turned out to be a harmless windmill. {{storylink|Laserbeak's Fury}}

[[Image:Ladybird_powermaster_prime.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Invisible keyboard solo!]]

At some point, Optimus Prime disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] arrived from Cybertron to take his place as Autobot commander. {{storylink|Galvatron's Air Attack}} Prime eventually returned many centuries later, now sporting a [[Powermaster]] body, and rejoined the Transformers' war after it had moved from Earth to the alien planet of [[Nebulos]].

When [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] was captured by the Decepticon leader [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], Optimus Prime agreed to surrender himself to ensure his fellow Autobot's safety. Naturally, though, Prime did not expect Scorponok to hold up his end of the bargain, and he had [[Hosehead]] and [[Fizzle]] rescue Highbrow while he allowed himself to be imprisoned. Their mission successful, Hosehead and Fizzle then sprang Prime from his cell, and the team beat a hasty retreat. {{storylink|Autobot Hostage}}

After weeks of Decepticon silence, Optimus Prime decided to get proactive and sent out patrols all over the planet to try and flush the villains out. None of the patrols reported back with any success, however, and Prime realized that there was one area of the planet that his troops had deliberately ignored: the mysterious "[[Nebulos Triangle]]". [[Quickswitch]], [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]] and [[Quickmix (G1)|Quickmix]] were sent into the Triangle, and they did indeed discover and foil the Decepticon plot going on in the area. {{storylink|Decepticons Underground}}
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===''Transformers in 3-D''===
Not long after his resurrection, Optimus was alerted by [[Monitorus]] to an attack on [[Tau-Ursa]]. Optimus's impending speech was interrupted by a Decepticon attack led by [[Sixshot]]. Prime soon discovered that the attack was a diversion, while Galvatron tried out his [[Nullification Cannon]] on Cybertron's Energon supplies. Optimus rushed to the Energon plant, but, after clouting [[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] so hard that the Decepticon was left dangling over a precipice, Prime's morals forced him to rescue the Decepticon instead of stopping Galvatron from getting away.

Although Cybertron's Energon stocks were destroyed, the Autobots discovered a recording pointing to the [[Logicon]] planet [[Metascan Alpha]], which had Energon in abundance. Optimus ordered Hot Rod and Ultra Magnus to take a team each to find the planet. The Autobots discovered they were being spied on by the Decepticon [[Clone (subgroup)|Clone]]s, and Optimus swore that Galvatron could pay. He led a team to the derelict space destroyer which the Decepticons were using for a base and fought their leader one-on-one. As he was about to destroy the Nullification Cannon, [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] took a swing at him which connected instead with the Cannon, obliterating it. Optimus was helped away from the destruction by [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] and [[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]]. {{storylink|The War Against the Destructons, Chapter 1 of 3}}

===''Transformers PD Type'' comic===
[[Image:PDtype-Matrixattack.jpg|left|thumb|250px|This is the highlight of this entire page.]]

When a horde of time-displaced Decepticons joined forces to hunt down the five [[Blackball]]s, a super energy source, Optimus Prime gathered a team of time-displaced Autobots to help stop them.

In one encounter with his arch-foe [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], they reenacted their epic struggle from the [[Battle of Autobot City]]. However, this time around, Prime avoided dying by launching his "Matrix Attack"...''literally'' launching the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] from his chest, bonking Megatron on the head. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##1 "You're Great! Optimus Prime!"|You're Great! Optimus Prime!}}

Later, Optimus Prime and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] concocted a cunning strategy. They disguised a round, black cartoon explosive as a Blackball and gave it to [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]. Starscream promptly brought it to Megatron, where it blew both of them up. Optimus and Magnus were astounded their plan actually worked. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##3 "Don't Cry! Megatron!!"|Don't Cry! Megatron!!}}

In one of his less impressive moments, after running out of ammo during a battle with [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]], Optimus Prime ordered his fellow Autobots to improvise and hurl everything that wasn't nailed down at their enemy. This included the Blackball, unfortunately. Catching it, Deathsaurus began to fantasize about his inevitable galactic conquest, all the while being pelted with rocks and litter. Frustrated, Deathsaurus accidentally hurled the Blackball back to the Autobots in a fit of rage. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##4 "Good Job! Deathsaurus!!"|Good Job! Deathsaurus!!}}
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===''Comic Bom Bom G-2'' comic===
[[Image:G2Hero.jpg|right|200px|thumb|GAH, HE'S LOOKING AT ME!]]
In the year 199X, the Decepticons had learned of a powerful new energy source known as [[forestonite]] which just happened to be located (surprise surprise) on [[Earth]]. Megatron sent his trio of [[Cyberjet]]s to Earth first to draw out the enemy Autobots. The Cyberjets made quick work of [[Electro]] but were soon halted by the appearance of Optimus Prime.

Megatron then entered the fray and fired his Black Hole Burn attack from his fusion cannon, narrowly missing Optimus Prime but vaporizing [[Hooligan (G2)|Hooligan]] in the process. Prime fought fiercely but Megatron began to take the upper-hand in battle.

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

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

===''Beast Wars'' cartoon continuity===
====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
[[Image:G1Prime BWMegs.jpg|left|180px|thumb|You have to get up preeeeetty early in the timestream to beat Optimus Prime!]]

The [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] raged on prehistoric Earth, eventually leading to the discovery of the buried Ark sometime after its crash on prehistoric Earth. [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], following [[Megatron (G1)|his namesake's]] instructions in a desperate gambit, decided to attempt to change history by killing Prime, who was still lying in the Ark in [[stasis lock]]. Megatron hoped that this would result in the Decepticons winning the Great War and eventually [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] control of Cybertron. Megatron unleashed a full-power weapon blast at Optimus Prime's face, near-fatally injuring him. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}} However, [[Optimus Primal]] proceeded to take Prime's spark into his body to protect it from surgical trauma while his injuries were repaired. The subsequent power increase caused by Prime's spark's connection to the Matrix mutated Primal into a large, [[Transmetal]] "Optimal Optimus" form. Then, with the repairs complete, Prime's spark was restored, and he briefly activated before sinking back into normal stasis. {{storylink|Optimal Situation}}

Sometime after the Autobots and Decepticons awoke in the 1980s, the original Megatron gained access to one of Earth's ''Voyager'' spacecraft and inscribed a message on the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|disk]] on board. In the event that he lost the War, Megatron left instructions for the descendants of the Decepticons to use [[transwarp]] technology to travel to Prehistoric Earth, locate the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], and change history by killing Optimus Prime. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}}

====''Beast Machines'' cartoon====
[[Image:Sparkwar2_Optimus_hologram_primal.jpg|right|200px|thumb|]]
:''Voice actor'': [[Garry Chalk]] (English), [[Tilo Schmitz]] (German)

Optimus appears to have fallen in "the final battle" against the Decepticons. {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search}}

An enormous [[Optimus Prime memorial|statue]] of Optimus Prime, bearing two [[Golden Disk (disambiguation)|Golden Disks]], could be seen on Cybertron in front of the Hall of Archives. The statue was subsequently blown to pieces by the [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon forces]]. {{storylink|Fires of the Past}} Later, Megatron beamed a hologram of Optimus Prime down to the ruins of [[Iacon (city-state)|Iacon]] to confront [[Optimus Primal]], claiming to contain the "essence" of the real Prime that had been stored here since the Final Battle. Primal was conned by this and was tricked by the hologram into accessing the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]]. Megatron seized control of the Oracle code and quickly revealed his ruse. Primal explained to his Maximals that he knew the image was fake, but he needed the location of the missing [[spark]]s from Megatron's mind. {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search}}

{{note|Writer [[Bob Skir]] claims that neither the statue nor the golden disks in its hands were mentioned in the script. However, he suggested that they were either the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|disks]] from the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes, or that Optimus won them in the 2,395,989th Annual Cybertronian spelling bee.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20080614012630/http://bigbot.com/beast-machines-transformers-bob-skir/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Tue_12_Oct_1999.html Q&A from Bigbot's "bobskir.com"] (archive copy)</ref> We're betting on the latter.}}

====3H comics====
[[Image:Sparkholderprimevaldawn.jpg|left|190px|thumb|"Oh, I also have this in me now, too."]]

After the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], Optimus Prime disappeared with other legends into the mysterious location on Cybertron dubbed [[J'nwan]]. When the warlord [[Shokaract]], powered by [[Unicron]]'s [[Dark Essence]], traveled into the past to secure his own future, a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] named [[Sandstorm (BW)|Sandstorm]] traversed the confusing mists of J'nwan to seek out its occupants to help. Sandstorm prevailed and brought Optimus, Megatron, Soundwave, and Grimlock with him to prehistoric Earth during the time of the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] where a battle with Shokaract had already begun. When Sandstorm (secretly Scorpius) and the rest of the [[Covenant]] arrived to vanquish the Dark Essence and defeat Shokaract, Optimus Prime and the others escaped through portals as that timeline was paradoxed from existence. {{storylink|Terminus}}

After the Beast Wars had ended and the Maximals and Predacons that survived it had headed home, the Vok entered the Ark and removed the Matrix of Leadership from an unconscious Optimus Prime. They used it to create [[Primal Prime]], and then gave the Matrix to their new creation. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 1}}

{{note|In the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon, Prime's spark was shown to be contained in a Matrix-like vessel. In [[Universe (2003 comic)|Primeval Dawn]], that vessel was shown to be merely a container for his spark, and the actual Matrix was hidden underneath. ''Primeval Dawn'' was never completed, but presumably the Matrix was returned to Optimus Prime's body before Primal Prime returned to Cybertron.}}

As the [[Universe war|Universe conflict]] began, [[Optimus Primal]] was shown a myriad of Transformers from across all timelines that he could choose to recruit into his [[Child of Primus|Children of Primus]] in the battle against the [[Minion of Unicron|Minions of Unicron]]. One such possibility was a Transformer who was either [[Thunder Clash]] or Optimus Prime, but, regardless, Primal chose [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]] and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox instead]].

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===''Beast Wars Metals'' comic===
[[Image:CheetasManga1.jpg|right|100px|thumb|Cheetor, that's Prime's Spark, not a toy.]]
Optimus Prime was blasted into pieces by Dragon Megatron. Fortunately, his spark remained perfectly intact—in the remains of his [[Optimal Situation|Matrix-shaped spark chamber]]. Megatron was going to destroy Prime's spark, but [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (now in his Transmetal body) saved it. Prime's spark was eventually swallowed by Optimus Primal, who was upgraded into Optimal Optimus by doing so.

After Megatron was killed by Optimal Optimus, Primal and his crew said it would be troublesome to fix Optimus Prime's body.
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{{cleanup|November 2009|Needs storylinks to relevant issues or whatever these came from.}}

===''Transformers Legends'' anthology===
When Bumblebee, Hound and Spike brought a badly-damaged Starscream back to the Ark, Optimus struggled with the ethical implications of allowing Wheeljack and Ratchet to mess with the Decepticon's logic circuits, but gave them the go ahead. Starscream proved to be amnesic, and Optimus was able to take the opportunity to help him as much as possible, even physically preventing Megatron from retrieving his former lieutenant when Starscream opted to stay with the Autobots. Though Starscream left as soon as he regained his memory, Prime reflected that they'd learned that maybe it was possible to reason with a Decepticon. {{storylink|Redemption Center}}

After passing the Matrix to Ultra Magnus and expiring in the aftermath of the [[battle of Autobot City]], Optimus Prime found himself in [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]]. There he encountered Optimus Primal and another [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] from a [[Unicron Trilogy|different universe]]. Together, the four of them overcame the other Optimus Prime's doubts about his leadership, before returning to their respective time lines. {{storylink|Prime Spark}}

{{note|The following takes place in a version of Dreamwave comic continuity}}
While the Autobots were boarding the Ark, Optimus voiced his lack of confidence in his leadership, before welcoming aboard [[Geosensus]], who was incapable of transforming to robot mode. Four million years later, Prime and [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] found the Ark was under attack and defended it with deadly force. In examining the wreckage of the attackers, they realised that the robot Optimus had destroyed was not a Decepticon but Geosensus, who had forced himself to transform in an attempt to fight off the Decepticons. Though Prime was willing to take the rap, Prowl insisted on covering up the mistake to protect Optimus's image as a leader. {{storylink|Parts}}

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===Dreamwave comics continuity===
{{notekeepers}}
[[Image:Optronix optimus.jpg|left|180px|thumb|What? OPTRONIX is evolving!]]
Optimus Prime started life as '''Optronix''' ''('''Orion''' to his friends)'', {{storylink|Hardwired}} a data archivist at the [[Vaults]]. After taking note of a battle in which the Autobot leader [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] had been defeated by Megatron, he was summoned to the [[Council of Ancients]] and informed that the Matrix had chosen him to be the next leader of the Autobots. He received the Matrix of Leadership shortly thereafter, gaining a powerful new body in the process. After dispatching a Decepticon assassination squad sent to, well, assassinate him, he ordered the Autobots to prepare to evacuate Cybertron, intending to leave the Decepticons to their own devices. {{storylink|The War Within issue 1|The War Within #1}}

As he and Prowl discussed the wisdom of evacuating, a huge explosion obliterated the [[Forum of Enlightenment]]. Optimus led a team there, realising that the destruction was a message from Megatron. Leaving his team, he ventured underground, encountering [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]], who blasted him into a pit. {{storylink|The War Within issue 2|The War Within #2}} Exploring the underground, Prime had a strange vision of a transparent version of himself, which warned that he must grasp Cybertron's significance. Then he was attacked by [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] and the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s, whom he was able to easily best. As Optimus encountered [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] in person for the first time, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] blasted the bridge they were standing on, plunging them into yet another chasm. {{storylink|The War Within issue 3|The War Within #3}} Recovering, Prime heard another disembodied voice telling him about Cybertron. Before he could look for a way out, Megatron found him, and informed him about the true nature of the Matrix. This spurred Optimus to fight back, but before long, Megatron took control of the battle, smashing his fist into Prime's chest to get at the Matrix. A blaze of light enveloped the pair, who found themselves abruptly on 20th century [[Earth]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 4|The War Within #4}}

As Megatron explained that the Matrix was giving them a vision of the future, they witnessed themselves battling on [[Sherman Dam]]. The nature of their surroundings established, Megatron resumed the scheduled beating, but a series of setting shifts ended with Optimus reunited with [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]. Grimlock handed Prime a sword and suggested he finish Megatron for good. {{storylink|The War Within issue 5|The War Within #5}} Optimus found Megatron again, engaging him in combat and announcing that he was playing the game by Megatron's rules now — without mercy. A short time later, he joined the other Autobots in attacking the Decepticons who were trying to use Cybertron's giant engines. Grimlock was finally impressed with Prime. They arrived back at [[Iacon (city-state)|Iacon]] to find it destroyed, but Optimus announced they were no longer evacuating the planet and threw away the [[Golden Disk (council)|Golden Disk]] full of the knowledge of his predecessors which the council had given him, saying he would choose his own course. {{storylink|The War Within issue 6|The War Within #6}}

Some time into his role as leader, Optimus Prime disappeared in a [[space bridge]] explosion along with Megatron, {{storylink|Fragmentation}} but returned some time later, having spent a period of time on [[Quintessa]].

{{note|Due to the closure of Dreamwave, Optimus's return to Cybertron was never depicted.}}

[[Image:DWPrimeDirective1 Sparkplug newspaper.jpg|250px|thumb|]]

Following the awakening of the Transformers on Earth, the Autobots protected the planet from the Decepticons. Over the next fifteen years, the Autobots befriended the humans, particularly the [[Witwicky|Witwicky family]]. The Autobots finally allied with humankind and eventually defeated the Decepticons at the turn of the century. They planned to return to Cybertron aboard the newly constructed ''[[Ark II]]'', along with [[Magnificent Seven|seven humans]], including Witwicky patriarch [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]]. Before the ship departed, Prime gave a piece of the Matrix to [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], Sparkplug's son and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]'s closest human friend. But the ship was destroyed as part of a military conspiracy to take control of the Transformers.

Optimus Prime's body was hauled out of the Arctic Ocean by the US military. While a terrorist organization run by the enigmatic [[Lazarus]] was able to seize control of several of the other Transformers that fell back to Earth, the military worked unsuccessfully to reactivate Prime. They eventually called in Spike Witwicky. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 1|Prime Directive #1}} Spike was forced by the project chief, General [[Robert Hallo]], to use the piece of the Matrix to reactivate Prime. Functional again, Prime used the Matrix to reactivate more of his fallen comrades. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 2|Prime Directive #2}}

The Autobots helped repair a [[Smitco Oil Refinery]] site which the Lazarus-controlled Transformers had attacked. Optimus had no answer for Spikes accusation that the Transformers' presence on Earth was responsible for the destruction. When Megatron's activities at Lazarus's base were spotted by the military, Optimus insisted on the Autobots going in without backup. They discovered Megatron in the middle of a plan to reformat Earth into a new Cybertron using a [[cyber-virus]]. Optimus rejected Megatron's suggestion he should just let it happen, but while the two factions fought, the human military unleashed [[Operation Clean-Up]], dropping a bomb on them. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 3|Prime Directive #3}}

The energy of the explosion absorbed by the virus, the Autobots dug themselves out and set about recovering their fellows whom Megatron had used to power the cyber-virus in its early stages. [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] passed on a message from Megatron — there was a surprise in store for the Autobot leader. Optimus and some Autobots including [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] sped to [[San Francisco]], where Megatron had unleashed [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. As Prime battled Megatron, he took time to save three humans who were threatened by falling debris, only for the humans to turn on him. The defeat of Superion turned the tide of the battle against the Autobots. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 4|Prime Directive #4}}

[[Image:DWPrimeDirective6 Autobots wanttheirheads.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Optimus sets a [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|trend]].]]

Never one to give up, Optimus managed to down Devastator in return, only to find himself at Megatron's mercy. The Decepticon leader pointed out to him the humans' self-obsessed behavior in the face of the devastation, suggesting the fleshlings were worthless, and the Autobots should join the Decepticons in wiping them out. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 5|Prime Directive #5}} The heroic actions of a team of firefighters and other humans proved to Optimus that the humans were worth saving, and the Autobots delivered a smackdown on the Decepticons. The fight was interrupted by the news that a nuclear missile was inbound, and despite Prime's protests, Superion sacrificed himself intercepting it. Prime recovered from the shock wave to find that the Decepticons had fled. He appealed to Grimlock to return to the Autobot ranks, an offer turned down by the Dinobot. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 6|Prime Directive #6}}

Following this, Prime began to experience subconscious urgings, leading both the Autobots and the Decepticons to the Arctic Circle, where Shockwave arrived to greet them—and arrest them as war criminals. Shockwave had succeeded in ending the war on Cybertron, and brought a team of [[Triple Changer]]s to apprehend them. As Optimus stared down [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]'s cannon barrel, he was saved by Grimlock, though he subsequently had to order a retreat. Prowl convinced him to let a small team stay as recon while the others returned to the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] and discussed the change in situation. {{storylink|New World Order}} Though Optimus was puzzled by [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] having fallen in with Shockwave, he had little other choice, and surrendered to Magnus. Despite being bound, he took the first opportunity he got to make his feelings clear. Prime and those of his Autobots who had also surrendered were put on a shuttle back to Cybertron, where Shockwave planned to have them deactivated. {{storylink|Brothers' Burden}}

Stewing in a cell, Optimus blamed himself for their predicament, but he and the Autobots were soon rescued by [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] and [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]]. Sandstorm and Optimus traveled through Cybertron's [[Old Slave Trails]], only to find themselves ambushed by [[Runabout]], who swiftly killed Sandstorm, and then the Decepticon was attacked by a [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticon]], which lunged at Prime. {{storylink|Cold War (issue)|Cold War}} Prime recovered to find himself in the care of a group of Autobot rebels including [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] and [[Kup (G1)|Kup]]. They revealed to Optimus that Shockwave had been transmitting subliminal signals to increase Transformer aggression. {{storylink|Passive Aggression}}

Optimus was able to rally Autobot factions from across Cybertron to the cause and launch an all-out attack on Shockwave's fortress. Shown the image of Shockwave blasting Ultra Magnus, Optimus charged in to confront the Decepticon, only to be overpowered and the Matrix ripped from his chest in order to activate Vector Sigma. {{storylink|Countdown to Extinction (issue)|Countdown to Extinction}} Stalling, Prime listened as Shockwave recounted the history of Cybertron, and eventually Ultra Magnus arrived, having recovered, to attack and defeat Shockwave. Prime and Grimlock helped him escape from the fortress as it crumbled to the ground. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}} The injuries Prime took in this conflict necessitated a prolonged restoration period in stasis. {{storylink|Black Sunshine}}

{{note|...which turned out to be the remainder of Dreamwave's existence. Bummer.}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
[[Image:GIJoevsTFcobraprime.jpg|right|275px|thumb|G.1. Joe—the real universal hero!]]
In the early stages of the war, Optimus Prime was an archivist, watching the battles from afar and keeping records of them. This all changed when the [[Matrix of Leadership]] chose him to lead the Autobots in battle. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 2|The Art of War #2}} Shortly after he ascended to Primehood, [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] tried to kill him, but failed. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2|Black Horizon, Part 1}}

Several Autobots and Decepticons, including Optimus Prime, were reformatted into will-less war machines under the control of [[Cobra]]. During an initial attack on a human peace conference, Cobra's remote control of Optimus (whom they had nicknamed "HISS-14") mysteriously failed. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 1|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue #1}} Later at Cobra's [[Cobra Island|island headquarters]] in the Caribbean, Cobra scientists pulled Optimus apart to find out what was impeding their commands. As this analysis took place, Optimus reverse hacked into Cobra computers until they shut him down in a panic. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 2|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #2}} Despite this, Prime sent a viral message out to hundreds of email addresses that included the coordinates of Cobra's base. The message was intercepted by [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] who teamed up with Wheeljack and Bumblebee. After Wheeljack broke the remote control over the Transformers, Prime went after [[Cobra Commander]]. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 3|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #3}} More than a bit frightened of a giant robot gunning for him, the human released Megatron, who was trapped in gun model. Megatron transformed and fought Prime to a standstill until other Autobots came to back him up. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 4|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4}}

Although he was weak and low on [[Energon (fuel)|energon]], Prime made a last-ditch effort to save the day when he rammed through the wall of Megatron's energon-producing lab. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 5|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #5}} After a quick recharge, Optimus single-handedly smashed the Decepticons, pounded Megatron to the ground, and ripped his [[fusion cannon]] off his arm. Prime then teamed up with the Joes and used Megatron's cannon to shoot down the [[SPS Satellite]] that had gone rogue and was destroying the island.

With the battle over, Prime and the Autobots boarded a new ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' ship built by G.I. Joe and returned to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 6|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #6}}

[[Image:GIJoevstfIIprime1930s.jpg|left|275px|thumb|Retro Convoy: TRANSFORM!!!]]
On a Cybertron dominated by [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] and the Decepticons, Optimus Prime and the Autobots took on the roles of resistance fighters. Cobra experimentation transported a contingent of Cobras and G.I. Joes to Cybertron and destabilized [[Teletran 3]], which led to the computer sending several Transformers to [[Earth]] across different time periods. When Optimus Prime saw Jazz get zapped by Teletran 3, he leapt to rescue his soldier, only to be transported away as well. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 1|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1}} A team made up of Joes and Cobra agents were sent back and found Optimus Prime and the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] in 1930s-era Chicago, disguised as period cars and trucks. The Stunticons chased Prime and the Joes around the city until everything was wrapped up with bullets, a collapsed bridge and some dynamite. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 2|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #2}}

After the Transformers and humans were returned to present-day Cybertron and the Decepticons were vanquished by the recently-arrived [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], Prime made an agreement with the Joes to destroy the technology that started the whole mess in order to protect Earth. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 4|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #4}}

On Cybertron, Optimus Prime kicked back to do a little bit of paperwork and reminisce. With Shockwave defeated, Cybertron was enjoying a new era of peace. He was interrupted by Hot Rod, who reported that a group of "pesky humans with their peashooters" were giving an Autobot team on Earth a hard time. Prime suspected Cobra's involvement and counseled Hot Rod not to be so dismissive of the humans. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 1|The Art of War #1}} When the team returned to Cybertron and mysteriously vanished in the [[Gladiator Zone]], Prime was prepared to go search for them, but was convinced by Hot Rod to stay behind and organize a peace ceremony. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 2|The Art of War #2}}

Later, at the peace celebration, Prime was watching a procession of Autobots when Decepticons attacked. Optimus ordered [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] into action but the huge Autobot was quickly overcome by [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]], [[Piranacon (G1)|Piranacon]] and [[Predaking]]. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 3|The Art of War #3}} Prime hopped into the fray, saved a [[Optimus Prime's rescuees|civilian]] from getting smushed by the falling Omega, rode [[Sixshot]] into Piranacon's face, smashed [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] into the ground, and carried a [[Optimus Prime's rescuees|wounded civilian]] out of danger.

[[Image:Primevsserpentor.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Serpent O.R. soon realized that "This I command!" doesn't work on Optimus Prime.]]
Menasor cut off Prime's escape and handed him the [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] trio, who confronted Prime with a hologram of [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]] The new Decepticon leader carried Megatron's memories and information downloaded from Soundwave, from which he learned of the Matrix of Leadership. Serpent O.R. offered Optimus a trade: hostages and peace if he handed over the Matrix. Optimus agreed.

In his stronghold, Serpent O.R. questioned Prime about his own worthiness to carry the Matrix, but Optimus broke free of his chains and aggressively ordered him to surrender. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 4|The Art of War #4}} A group of Decepticons broke in and nearly took Prime apart, but not before Serpent O.R. took the Matrix for himself and changed into the massive Serpentor Prime. The Matrix showed Serpentor Prime the error of his ways but as he was about to commit suicide Cobra Commander tripped a device and took over Serpentor Prime's body. Moments before he crushed Arcee, a severely damaged Optimus Prime threw Hawk toward the Matrix but warned the human not to touch the artifact. Hawk did so anyway and through a quasi-mystical transfer of power Serpentor Prime was vanquished.

Later repaired by a [[Paradron Medic|female nursebot]], Optimus went back to finishing his paperwork. A leader's job is never done. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 5|The Art of War #5}}

Sensing a new, yet old, danger to planet Earth, Prime elected to send himself to earth on an investigation, and gave Hot Rod a glare when the young Autobot accused his leader of taking an unnecessary risk to atone for the death of a [[Bumblebee (G1)|close friend]].

Optimus Prime landed in the Himalayan Mountains with G.I. Joes [[Flint (G.I. Joe)|Flint]] and [[Hawk (G.I. Joe)|Hawk]]. As they searched the area, the trio was attacked by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] in his [[Pretender]] shell. Prime whacked him with his [[energon-axe]] and in return Bludgeon bearhugged him and coated him in metal-eating slime. Hawk, still carrying power from the Matrix, helped Prime break free. Optimus then shot his way into the hidden kingdom of [[Cobra-La]].

While they wandered through the tunnels, the Joes and Prime found cave paintings that described the last visit to Earth by the planet-eating god [[Unicron]]. They were attacked again by Bludgeon and Cobra-La minions, but were led away by a ragged [[Joe Colton]], prisoner of Cobra-La for the last 25 years. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2|Black Horizon, Part 1}} Bludgeon managed to find them again and during a second battle Prime tore open the Pretender's shell, revealing Bludgeon's robot form inside. Bludgeon tripped and dangled dangerously over a chasm, but rather than let Optimus Prime save him, Bludgeon forced Prime to drop him to his death laughing all the way down.

The Joes discovered a cavern where the people of Cobra-La were growing [[metal-eating spore]]s as a last defense against Unicron. Flint and [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] took a load of the spores into space just as Unicron appeared in Earth orbit. Prime, Hawk and Colton headed deeper into Cobra-La to rescue [[Firewall]] and kick butt. Prime was tackled and pinned by a giant bug creature, but made a dramatic recovery and tossed the bug aside. He then took the machine-hating Cobra-La leader [[Golobulus]] to task with a single punch. Flint and Cosmos released the spores, which devoured Unicron from the inside and defeated the giant Transformer before he could harm [[Earth]].

With the threat of Unicron gone, Prime relaxed with [[Eject]] and Firewall by watching some reality TV, and sighed at the banality. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 2 of 2|Black Horizon, Part 2}}

===''Transformers/G.I. Joe''===
Optimus Prime and his troops lay deactivated on the [[Fera Islands]] for three million years until [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] stumbled upon them one day in [[1939]]. {{storylink|The Line}} The Autobots were reactivated by a [[Sky Spy|repair drone]] and given new disguises, with Optimus Prime being reformatted into an unknown [[World War II]]-era human vehicle. He explained to [[Duke (G.I. Joe)|Duke]] who they were, and learned that [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s Decepticons had been reactivated a year prior, and were currently wreaking havoc on [[Europe]] along with [[Cobra]]. While hesitant at first, Optimus Prime soon joined G.I. Joe in their mission to destroy Cobra and the Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformed}} After commanding the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] to get the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] out of the way, Prime advanced across the Fera Islands, but met resistance in the form of [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]]. {{storylink|Trial by Fire (issue)|Trial by Fire}}

As the Autobots were having trouble with Rumble, Optimus Prime told them try to use his earthquakes to their advantage, which led to the end of the Decepticon. Prime subsequently ordered the Aerialbots to [[Superion (G1)|combine]] and save Grimlock and [[Roadblock (G.I. Joe)|Roadblock]] from falling off a cliff. {{storylink|Wolves}} As they got closer to the Cobra [[Terrordrome]], however, Prime started regretting getting the Autobots involved with the humans' war. He offered to carry G.I. Joe across the water separating them from the Terrordrome, but told them that Autobots only fight if they have no choice, and they had no reason to fight anymore. Moments later, he saw that Cobra were using innocent prisoners as human shields, and Duke added that anyone who Cobra ''didn't'' enslave, they murdered. Filled with righteous anger, Optimus Prime ordered his troops to roll out. {{storylink|Trenches}}

Shortly after reaching the other shore and taking out [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]], Prime witnessed the gigantic [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]] bust out of the Terrordrome and attack everything around him. With Superion gone, Prime knew that there was only one way to stop this rampaging monster, and ordered his Autobots to evacuate the humans while he went looking for the [[Matrix of Leadership]]. He soon found that [[Snake-Eyes]] was in possession of the artifact, but was under attack from Megatron. Prime attacked Megatron, keeping him at bay while telling Snake-Eyes that destroying the Matrix would kill Bruticus. The ninja complied, only to learn that Optimus had left something out of the story: smashing the Matrix would kill ''all'' the Transformers, including Prime himself. Looking at the Autobot leader's body, the Joes knew that Prime had been aware of this, and had deemed it a necessary sacrifice to save the humans. {{storylink|The Iron Fist}}

Decades later, in 1986, Duke showed [[Flint (G.I. Joe)|Flint]] and [[Spirit]] footage from the battle of the Fera Islands, including Optimus Prime's fight with Megatron. {{storylink|Targets of Opportunity}}

=== IDW comics continuity ===
{{ongoing}}
[[Image:MO3 EOOPAT funeral.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Helloooo cameo.]]
In the very beginnings of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s civil war, Optimus was one of several Transformers who gathered for the funeral of the slain [[Fastback (G1)|Fastback]] and [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]]. He stood solemnly with his arm around his [[Elita One|girlfriend]], next to his [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|white clone]] and [[Alpha Trion (G1)|a guy with a beard]]. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3}}

[[Image:SpotlightBlurr-Optimus.jpg|left|thumb|200px|There's something missing...]]

Galvanized by the death of Sentinel Prime, Optimus joined the Autobot forces under Sentinel's successor, [[Zeta Prime]], and was assigned to a unit commanded by the veteran [[Kup (G1)|Kup]]. During his tour of duty, his unit intercepted a message reporting a planned attempt on the Prime's life. He approached former racer [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] as a reliable means of getting the news to Zeta Prime in a hurry. The former celebrity balked, but ultimately the young soldier helped Blurr find what really drove him to race, and thus recruited him to the Autobot cause. {{storylink|Spotlight: Blurr}}

An undisclosed amount of time later, Optimus became Optimus Prime. While reviewing his new troops, he came upon a defiant old veteran called Ironhide, who thought of Prime as a wet-behind-the-audio-receptors upstart. Optimus was intrigued by this old coot and asked Ironhide to teach him about the ways of war—and Ironhide did just that. Everything he threw at Optimus, Optimus took and learnt. All his hard comments were taken in. But one day, Optimus, having gained much wisdom since meeting Ironhide, decided to go against Ironhide's counsel, heading east instead of west. This turned out to be a good idea, as [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] had been waiting in the west to ambush the Autobot forces. Later still, Ironhide and Optimus got a bit unlucky and ended up dangling off a cliff with Ironhide missing a leg. They were eventually rescued. As time went on, Ironhide developed a respect and awe for his protege. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 13}}

Four million years ago, Optimus Prime led a strike team to prevent the Decepticons from overtaking the latest in a series of Cybertronian cities. Leaving Prowl to hold the line, Optimus and Ironhide went after a convoy of Decepticons bring fresh energon to the enemy troops. Fighting their way through [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]], [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] and the Mini-Cassettes, the Autobot duo held [[Octane|Tankor]] and his soldiers at gunpoint, threatening to blow them and their energon cargo to kingdom come unless they surrendered. Tankor chose the better part of valor, and Optimus captured five Decepticons without firing a single shot.

At a party celebrating their win, Optimus Prime politely declined Prowl's request for him to address the troops, reasoning that the Autobots needed some R&R, not the usual "destiny and honor" speech. He conversed quietly with [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] and Ironhide afterwards, privately confiding in them that he foresaw the war going on without end. The Decepticons were a philosophy, an idea...and you cannot beat an idea, only change it somehow. Despite his sad reservations, Optimus took the time to mingle among his soldiers, and listen to their tales of glory. He was saved from an assassination attempt by Ironhide, his ever vigilant bodyguard, whose devotion to his leader led him to throw himself in the path of [[Axer|the assassin]]'s blast. {{storylink|The Iron Age}}

[[Image:IDWOptimus.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Freedom is the right of all sentient and heavily-armed beings.]]

Over the course of the war, Optimus Prime commanded the Autobot armed forces spread across the galaxy from the [[Autobot Orbital Command Hub]]. He was directly involved in the cataclysm ([[IDW timeline|just under 450 years ago]]) that reduced [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to a dead husk, fighting alongside [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] in an attempt to stop [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]]'s rampage. Their efforts were futile, and they only survived due to Cybertron itself swallowing Thunderwing at [[Thunderhead Pass]]. Megatron was unconvinced that Thunderwing was dead, and he advocated that Cybertron be destroyed to better insure that the mad Decepticon was forever destroyed. Optimus Prime refused and threatened to stop any effort that Megatron attempted. Megatron agreed to spare the planet, but warned Prime that anything which happened afterward was on his head.

In the present, Prime received a pulsewave from [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], who was stationed under [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]'s team on Earth, saying that the Decepticon infiltration cell under [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] had broken their infiltration methods and enacted [[Infiltration protocol|siege mode]] prematurely. Soon afterward, the Autobot science vessel ''[[Calabi-Yau]]'' sent a distress signal from above Thunderhead Pass, and he ordered the [[Wrecker]]s to withdraw from [[Varas Centralus]] and meet him on Cybertron. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 2|Stormbringer #2}} Thunderwing had been restored by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and his followers, and though the Wreckers made short work of them, the real fight would be met with Thunderwing. After the Wreckers, [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]] and [[Centurion droid]]s were unable to destroy the monster, Prime took to the field, firing massive amounts of energy at Thunderwing, forcing it to exhaust its last reserves of [[Ultra-Energon]] and, ultimately, its life. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 4|Stormbringer #4}}

[[Image:IDWPrime Earth.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Don't crush the cameraman!]]
[[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] discovered information in Bludgeon's files about the mysterious new form of Energon found on [[Earth]]. Linking it to the pulsewave transmission from Ironhide, Prime diverted his spacecraft to Earth and called [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] in to assist him. {{storylink|Spotlight: Nightbeat}}. Shortly after arrival, and having undergone alteration so that he could disguise himself as an Earth truck, he slowly began to realize how unusual the situation Prowl's unit had found itself in was. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}} [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] alerted Optimus Prime to Decepticon activity in [[Latveria]], so Optimus Prime ordered everyone except Wheeljack to [[roll out]]. They arrived and the humans assembled There they discovered a heavily shielded "array" that the Decepticons were using as a base.{{storylink|Man and Machine, Part One}} They skirmished with the humans that were assembled outside who were under the influence of the Decepticons' mind-altering [[Psycho-Prism]]. Optimus Prime ordered his troops to use standard human containment techniques, and to not kill any of them.

After a while, Ratchet was able to attach an inhibitor device to [[Captain America]] which nullified the effects of the Psycho-Prism. He gave Captain America enough devices for everyone on his team. Now calmed down, Optimus Prime was able to explain about their struggle against the Decepticons, and they teamed up to shut down the Psycho-Prism. They began attacking the array's defenses which caused the Decepticons—whose powers were augmented by [[Spider-Man]]'s super powers—to attack. Optimus Prime got blasted and injured by Thundercraker. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Two}} As they fought, Optimus Prime told Ratchet to get inside the array. He then made a point to coordinate better with the leader of the humans. Then Bumblebee, Jazz, and Prime gave a power-boost to [[Iron Man]] in his Transformer-sized armor. This allowed them to beat the Decepticons back.

After the battle quited down, Megatron communicated via hologram from inside the array with his new ally [[Doctor Doom]]. They showed their captives, Ratchet, Prowl, Luke Cage, and [[Spider-Man]]. Megatron ordered their surrender or the captives would die. Optimus Prime ordered the quick destruction of the array. After a brief discussion, they all attacked the array. Megatron turned on Doctor Doom for being incorrect about them surrendering. Megatron didn't go through with his threat to kill his captives, instead he went outside to face his opponents and carrying Luke Cage. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Three}}

While Megatron was attacking, Bumblebee, Jazz, and [[Wolverine (superhero)|Wolverine]] [[orbital jump|orbital bounced]] into the array. They found that Doctor Doom switched sides and freed Spider-Man. Prowl and Ratchet augmented their power with Wolverine's blood, and oribital bounced with Spider-Man outside to join the battle. With their help they defeated Megatron while Wolverine destroyed the Psycho-Prism. Megatron and the Decepticons retreated. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Four}}

Not only had the Decepticons broken their own infiltration protocols over what Starscream had dubbed [[Ultra-Energon|Ore-13]], but after attempting to recover what appeared to be [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]'s remains, it was also evident that some of the planet's native sentient lifeforms—[[human]]s—posed a threat possibly equal to that of their old enemies. {{storylink|Escalation issue 2|Escalation #2}}

Optimus Prime, now fully filled-in on Earth's happenings, decided that they needed reinforcements. He called Nightbeat, [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], and [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] to come when they could. When Prowl pointed out that Megatron, in his new gun-based Earth mode, was in the breakaway Soviet state of [[Brasnya]] stirring up trouble, Prime ordered them into action.

[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] almost got the drop on Prime, but [[Roller (G1)|Roller]] was right behind him and took out Blitzwing with a single shot. Megatron returned to his full-size robot mode and disagreed with the quality of Prime's tea and crumpets. At last, the two rivals were going to go at it.

[[Image:Escalation5 Primedies enlightning.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Rule of thumb, Megs—if he don't turn gray, he's A-OK.]]
The fight went well at first, with Prime blowing Megatron's [[fusion cannon]] clean off. Megatron, however, tireless thanks to Ore-13, prevailed, almost beating Prime into [[stasis lock]]. {{storylink|Escalation issue 5|Escalation #5}}

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

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

After returning to Earth, Nightbeat discovered that a human group was aware of the base's location and recommended to Prime that they move the ''[[Ark-19]]''. As preparations were underway, Prime received a message from [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] saying that Thunderwing had been stolen. [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]], eager to search for Sunstreaker, suggested that they be reassigned to Earth, and Prime agreed. However, the thrashing that Prime gave Megatron had so embarrassed the Decepticon leader that he ordered in the Decepticons' living weapon, [[Sixshot]]. While moving the ''Ark-19'', Prime and the others came under fire by Sixshot, who severely damaged their ship. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1|Devastation #1}}

[[Image:Devastation4 PrimeSixshot hyperbole.jpg|left|180px|thumb|"And THAT'S for killing my brother in another timeline!"]]
Ordering [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] to get [[Jimmy Pink]] and [[Verity Carlo]] to safety, Optimus then instructed Nightbeat to upload all of ''Ark-19''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s data to ''[[Ark-32]]'' and for Prowl to activate the self-destruct sequence. {{storylink|Devastation issue 2|Devastation #2}} When ''Ark-19'' exploded, it was assumed that Optimus was on board, but all was good at the end when he appeared with [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] and the others, ready to take on Sixshot. {{storylink|Devastation issue 3|Devastation #3}} Optimus and the Autobots held Sixshot at bay, but the U.S. military ordered an air strike to destroy the alien robots. The battle was a stalemate, as Sixshot had to return to the Decepticons while the Autobots [[orbital jump]]ed just in time to avoid destruction. {{storylink|Devastation issue 4|Devastation #4}} On ''Ark-32'', after a conversation with Jetfire, Prime informed Prowl that they needed to retrieve Wheeljack, Hot Rod and Ironhide, and leave Earth to see to another crisis. The secure facility on [[Garrus-9]] had been breached, and Prime and company needed to make sure that some of the "recent inmates" there didn't end up "in enemy hands". {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}} Before leaving Earth, Optimus Prime redirected Hound's unit to rendezvous with ''Ark-32'' at Garrus-9, and he told Hound to impress upon Sideswipe the importance of their mission and how he didn't leave Earth or Sunstreaker behind lightly. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6|Devastation #6}}

[[Image:DarknessPrimes.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Think he can go one series without having a near-death experience?]]
Optimus Prime and Prowl met with [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] and Jetfire on Garrus-9 and discussed the prisoners' breakout and how a surviving Decepticon had been tortured. Maximus and Jetfire gave each other a guilty glance. Prime left Maximus in charge and returned with Prowl to the ''Ark-32''. Meanwhile, [[Dead Universe]] resident [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] attacked Hound's crew, but they received help from Ultra Magnus and drove Cyclonus to escape to [[Corata-Vaz]]. There, he activated the [[Nega-Core]] and fought with Magnus and Hound's crew, who had followed him. In desperation, Cyclonus activated the Nega-Core's guardian—Thunderwing. Using the distraction, Cyclonus escaped, but Magnus sent another tracker after him. All this was reported to Optimus Prime on the ''Ark-32'', who recognized that this had something to do with his infraspace encounter in Brasnya. Prime ordered Jetfire to summon the Wreckers to find out what Thunderwing was guarding. {{storylink|Spotlight: Cyclonus}}

The prison soon came under attack from Nova Prime. Rather than watch his soldiers be slaughtered by the undead monster, Optimus Prime ordered a retreat and faced Nova alone. Announcing his new title of Nemesis Prime, Optimus's predecessor explained the nature of the [[Darkness (G1)|Darkness]] before unleashing a portion on the Autobot leader. Shattered, Prime collapsed onto his hands and knees as Nemesis loomed. {{storylink|Spotlight: Doubledealer}}

[[Image:OptimusdeadNemesis.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"Optimus! I've come to help y—oh. Sorted, then?"]]

Unexpectedly for Nemesis Prime, the Darkness seemed to be more interested in the younger Prime and sought to be passed onto Optimus. Nemesis wasn't about to let go of the power he commanded, and he savagely attacked Optimus Prime, whose attempts at reason fell on deaf ears. Just as Nemesis Prime seemed victorious, [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] attacked the fallen Prime from behind, killing him. Nemesis's death allowed the Darkness finally to enter Optimus, who tried to fight against its evil to no avail. Galvatron offered the Autobot a choice: kill himself by plunging into the [[Solar pool]], or pass on the Darkness to Galvatron, who had coveted it for so long. Optimus seemed to do so willingly, but just as he passed on the Darkness, he threw the surprised Galvatron into the solar pool. As Optimus gazed upon the dead body of Nemesis, he told himself he could not mourn the elder Prime's death, as Nova had truly died long ago. {{storylink|Spotlight: Sideswipe}}

[[Image:AHMPrimecritical.jpg|right|250px|thumb|So he's dying. [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|This shouldn't be a problem by now]].]]
A year later, Optimus Prime combined his Autobot squad with another squad. Having received word of a supposed Decepticon power struggle, Prime led the Autobots to a location where Starscream's "group" was, only to be ambushed by a unified Decepticon force. Though they managed to turn the tide briefly, Devastator's appearance made the difference, enabling Megatron to rip the Matrix of Leadership from Prime's chest. Prime was dealt another blow (mentally) when the Autobots were told that they'd been sold out by a traitor in their ranks (who was later revealed to be [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]). {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}} The Autobots were led to a space bridge, where Prime, who was the last to go, used his remaining energy to destroy the machine. Unfortunately, this heroic act left Prime in critical condition. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}} With this defeat, the Autobots were forced to leave Earth to the Decepticons. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1|All Hail Megatron #1}}

After Prime's unit met up with Kup's unit, and after dealing with the Swarm and Sideswipe's sacrifice to save them, Ratchet and Wheeljack managed to use energon from the ''Trion'' to bring Prime back online in time to smooth over an Autobot argument. As the others excitedly welcomed him back, Prime made a speech about how he was proud of them and that he wanted to win the war. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 9|All Hail Megatron #9}}. After the Autobots recovered and prepared for a final stand against the Swarm, Prime had a brief chat with Ironhide (during which Ironhide admitted to hating him secretly at first sight at the start of the Great War), then prepared for the Swarm's onslaught. When they came, the Autobots fought back, but they were quickly outnumbered by the thousands. Thankfully, Omega Supreme arrived and saved them from certain doom. After Omega briefly told them about his arrival, Prime ordered him to transform and transport the Autobots back to Earth. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}}

Arriving at [[New York City]] while the Decepticons were fending off attacks by a European air squad, Optimus and the Autobots began to engage the Decepticons again. After a bit of fighting, and with the threat of Devasator, Optimus ordered Omega Supreme to take Devastator away from the city and fight him elsewhere. Optimus Prime encountered Megatron, and the two engaged in a bit of viewpoint bantering, mostly about the way their war was now changing and the fact that the humans Prime had "sworn to protect" were about to drop a nuclear bomb on the city. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11|All Hail Megatron #11}}

[[Image:AHM-13 Prime mouth.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Optimus will overenergize on this stuff, then wake up the next morning in a CR chamber full of ice with his robo-kidneys missing.]]

After that, they engaged in a fierce battle while trading more banter. At first, Megatron took the advantage, but just as he was about to leave with the Decepticons and take the Matrix with him, a shot from [[Shockwave (G1)|an experimental weapon made from a Transformer]] fired by [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|a brave human]] hit him it the face. Seizing the opportunity, Optimus grabbed Megatron's fusion cannon and slammed it against Megatron's head, bringing him down in defeat. Before Optimus could truly finish him off, however, Starscream intervened and, after exchanging words, took off with Megatron and the Matrix. Prime's decision to go after them or save New York from nuclear devastation was rendered moot when Thundercracker, who had grown disenchanted with the way the Decepticons went after the humans, blew up the bomb at the cost of his own life (thanks to an angry Skywarp). The war over for the moment, Prime met with Spike Witwicky, thanked him for helping the Autobots out, and asked if there was some way to help the humans in return. However, Spike responded that they had brought their war to Earth, so any chance of human-Transformer relations was now long gone. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 12|All Hail Megatron #12}}

Later, in an abandoned cave supposedly somewhere within NY's ruins, Optimus heard Ironhide's resignation from the Autobot forces. Respecting Ironhide too much, he did not argue, but after some energon and a little flashback, Optimus convinced Ironhide to stay. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 13}}

[[Image:Ongoing Issue 1-Optimus Surrenders.jpg|right|thumb|200px|His attempt to start the wave was not going down well.]]

Three years later, Prime was still insisting the Autobots remain on Earth despite minimal Decepticon activity and the development of human technology capable of fending off Cybertronian. Hot Rod, already frustrated by the capture of Prowl, snapped and accused Prime of allowing both his guilt at the events of three years ago and his need to protect something to trap the Autobots on a world that didn't want them anymore. Optimus was left nearly speechless, forcing him to allow Hot Rod to lead a risky mission to free Prowl. In order to put some of his fears to rest, Ironhide went along to keep the more emotional 'bots in check. This mission ended with the freeing of Prowl, at the cost of Ironhide's life.

The loss of Ironhide forced Optimus to re-examine his actions of the past years. Concluding he had been the wrong, leading the Autobots down a self-destructive path, Prime resigned his post as Autobot leader and handed himself into the humans. {{storylink|...For All Mankind}}

Optimus was brought to the Skywatch base and put into transformation stasis. However, he was shortly freed as Spike Witwicky decided they needed to talk. {{storylink|New Arrivals, Old Encounters}} Spike attempted to have a conversation with Optimus and get him some help, but Optimus stonewalled him, saying that he was captured, at their mercy and therefore not allowed to be treated nicely. He refused to talk any further and was moved into a holding cell. Later, [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] and [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] were brought into Skywatch captivity. Spike explained that although Prime didn't want any help, he'd want to help his troops, and so should talk with Spike. {{storylink|A Rude Awakening}}

{{charstubfiction}}
{{Storylink|Enemies of the System}} {{storylink|Earthworks}}

{{note|The events of ''Spotlight: Mirage'' possibly take place in an alternate/unknown continuity.}}

Optimus Prime commanded one of the last remaining pockets of Autobot resistance, hiding out in the [[Pegasus Star Cluster]]. While awaiting the arrival of Bumblebee's team, he and Hound tried to work out how to convert the [[Zodiac|Zodiac Energy]] for their consumption. "Bumblebee's" arrival proved to be their downfall, as it was really the self-serving mercenary [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]], who destroyed the bunker security systems, allowing the Decepticons inside. Optimus Prime refused to surrender during the ensuing struggle, until Mirage used the critically injured Jetfire as a hostage, forcing Prime to back down. When Megatron betrayed Mirage's word and ordered the execution of the Autobots, Optimus Prime tried to reason with the mercenary, appealing to his former friendship with Hound...until Mirage killed Hound in defiance. Furious, Optimus Prime broke free of his captors and tackled Mirage into the Zodiac Energy chamber. {{storylink|Spotlight: Mirage}}

{{-}}
===''Hearts of Steel''===
[[Image:HeartsofSteel_1_Prime_Bumblebee.jpg|thumb|left|200px|"I keep telling you Bumblebee, the Dinobots will never accept you into their clique!"]]

The Autobots and the Decepticons came to [[Earth|a distant world]] in the grip of an ice age. Assuming alternate modes based upon the [[Dinosaur|dominant (though doomed) indigenous creatures]] of this planet, they continued their ancient, unending war. However, the Autobots, with their energy levels dangerously low, withdrew from combat as the world grew colder. They sought refuge in a deep cavern and entered [[stasis lock]], awaiting the day when surface conditions changed to better suit their operation. Millions of years later, Bumblebee was awoken by the hammering of humans working on a rail line. He briefly considered awakening Optimus Prime, but thought better of it. After discovering the world had changed significantly, Ratchet thought there was no reason to awaken Prime. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 1}} When Bumblebee discovered the Decepticons were once again active on this world, Ratchet and Prowl agreed that the Autobots must intervene, but again decided out of rousing Optimus from his slumber. {{Storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 2|Hearts of Steel #2}}

{{Note|Optimus Prime appears very briefly in the first few pages, in his "Ice Age Wars" body (we only see him in robot mode, but his altmode is a brachiosaurus.<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?s=d5d311674e796c81d010d26ac751389b&showtopic=10074&st=20&p=266183&#entry266183 Allspark forums post] by [[Guido Guidi]], August 15th, 2006</ref> He spends most of the story in stasis lock. [[:Image:Opthos.jpg|Unused concept art]] depicts him as transforming into a locomotive engine.}}

{{-}}
===''Music Label''===
In the year 2007, the Autobots discovered that the Decepticon communications officer [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] was attempting to control the minds of humans through hypnotic music broadcast through a series of tiny clones of himself. Optimus Prime upgraded his trailer with a huge pair of speakers, and proceeded to drive around, broadcasting a counter-frequency that undid the villain's brainwashing. {{storylink|Music Label}}

{{note|The [[Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)|2007 Takara timeline]] placed the events of the ''[[Music Label]]'' storyline in the [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Generation 1 cartoon continuity]], but Optimus Prime's role in the story is therefore made impossible, as he was dead in that universe in 2007. However, given the way the timeline is unhelpfully laid out, it's not impossible that this adventure may take place not in the mainstream timeline, but in the branched-off parallel dimension of the ''[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity#Binaltech|Binaltech]]'' storyline, where Optimus did not die.}}

===''Henkei! Henkei!'' pack-in comics===
Optimus foiled Megatron's attack on 21st century [[Tokyo]]. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 1}} He and Bumblebee had to stop [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]]'s attack on [[Shinjuku Station]], but it was actually a distraction from Megatron's gathering of energon cubes. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 2}} {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 3}} Megatron used one to transform into Galvatron, and would have killed Prime were it not for Ironhide's timely intervention, transforming him back into Megatron. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 7}}

===''Henkei! Henkei!'' Bun Bun manga===
When the legendary [[Energon Cube]] was lost to the reaches of space, Optimus Prime led a small team of Autobots in pursuit of it. The giant energy source crashed on Earth in the Japanese town of [[Hoshinochō]], where it shattered into fragments that were scattered far and wide. Prime and the other Autobots set up a subterranean base below the Cube's impact crater and began their search for the shards, taking the forms of local vehicles to hide their activities. Despite their attempts at remaining unseen, glimpses of the Autobots only magnified the reputation the crash of the Cube (believed by humans to be a meteor) had given Hoshinochō: that of a hotbed of rumored alien and UFO activity, Japan's answer to [[United States of America|America]]'s Roswell. {{storylink|Kingdom of Giants}}

The Autobots gained a human ally in their quest when they befriended Doctor [[Osamu Kihara]] of the Governmental Special Diplomatic Agency, who provided more assistance than they could have imagined when his son, [[Akira Kihara|Akira]], was discovered to be a "[[Booster]]", one of many legendary beings born with the ability to control and detect the energies of the Energon Cube. Alas, the Decepticons had followed Prime's Autobots to Earth, and [[Megatron (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Megatron]] sought the boy's powers for his own. To protect Optimus Prime and himself, Akira unleashed the full extent of his powers, driving Megatron back, but causing his body to burn out and disintegrate. Prime was wracked with guilt over what had occurred, and it would haunt him afterward. {{storylink|Time of Resurrection}}

Eleven years after their arrival on Earth, Prime and the Autobots made a new human ally in [[Wataru Hoshinoumi]] when he stumbled into the midst of a battle between Prime's team and [[Starscream (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Starscream]] and [[Ramjet (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Ramjet]]. {{storylink|Enter! The Transformers}} When Megatron joined the fight soon after, he held [[Bumblebee (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Bumblebee]] and Wataru hostage, daring Prime to make a move against him. Prime opened fire, but Megatron merely used the defeated Starscream for a shield, then turned his cannon on the younger duo. Prime unleashed his [[ion blaster]] and apparently deflected the blast with a shot of his own, saving Bumblebee and Wataru and prompting the Decepticons to retreat. {{storylink|The Emperor of Destruction Appears!}}

Prime invited Wataru to visit the Autobots' subterranean base, and he gave the boy a personal tour as he carried the injured Bumblebee to the infirmary. Telling him the story of the Energon Cube and the Autobots' coming to Earth, Prime showed Wataru the large chunk of the cube that they had managed to recover. He then turned his attention to repairing Bumblebee's wounds, and as such, did not notice Wataru reaching out to touch the cube sliver. A bizarre energy discharge resulted that not only showed the Autobots images of [[Generation 1 (franchise)|another time and place]], but also healed both Autobots' wounds. Prime dived at Wataru and hauled him away from the shard, returning things to normal, but leaving Prime with grave concerns over what the strange occurrence might mean. {{storylink|Kingdom of Giants}}

When Starscream attacked a power plant with the aid of his brainwashed ally, [[Jetfire (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Skyfire]], Prime carried [[Grimlock (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Grimlock]] to the scene of the battle on the back of his truck mode. {{storylink|The Enemy from the Arctic}} During the conflict that followed, Prime's suspicions about Wataru were confirmed when the boy manifested a barrier to protect himself and Bumblebee and to help Skyfire overcome the influence of Starscream's mind-controlling helmet. Wataru was a Booster as well! {{storylink|Wataru's Power}} His past experiences naturally made Prime hesitant to put Wataru's power to use, but Osamu Kihara made the point that Wataru's power was invaluable for hunting down shards of the Energon Cube. Prime and Wataru headed out to investigate a local relic that Kihara suspected was a cube shard, and Wataru's powers soon confirmed the doctor's findings. Just as Prime was about to report back to Kihara, however, Megatron struck, demanding that Prime hand over both the shard and Wataru. Prime attempted to feign ignorance of Wataru's powers, but Megatron ignored his bluff and encouraged him to hand the boy over, lest he cost ''another'' Booster their life. Driven into a rage by the stinging barb, Prime violently attacked Megatron with his energon-axe, but as the duel raged, Megatron continued to question Prime's beliefs and his attitude. Unable to deny Megatron's accusation that he had hoped to use Wataru's power to defeat him, Prime lost his concentration and was taken down by the Decepticon leader. Despite what he had learned about a previous Booster dying, Wataru stayed true to Optimus and activated his powers, healing the Autobot's wounds and powering up his energon-axe into a huge sword. Summoning all his energy, Prime took down Megatron with one almighty slash, then collapsed into [[stasis lock]]. {{storylink|Optimus Prime's Secret}}

Prime was brought back to the Autobot base for treatment, but the Decepticons exploited the Autobots' lack of manpower and struck again before Prime recovered. With his men taking a pummeling, the unconscious Prime had a vision of Akira, who spurred him on to awaken and rejoin the battle. With another power boost from Wataru, Prime unleashed a super-charged shot from his ion blaster that took down the fleeing Decepticons. {{storylink|Time of Resurrection}}
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Creation! The New Emperor of Destruction!!}} {{storylink|The Threat of Galvatron}} {{storylink|Revenge (issue)|Revenge}} {{storylink|A Nightmare, Once Again}} {{storylink|To the Sea of Stars}}

===Alternity===
[[Image:Alternity_convoy_boxart.jpg|right|thumb|220px|This might take some getting used to. Hand me the instructions again!]]
In 2007, the Optimus Prime of [[universal stream]] Primax 109.0 Beta encountered a mysterious messenger from another world: [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity#Alternity|another incarnation of himself]] from a parallel dimension who left him with a warning. Two years hence, Megatron would bring the terrifying super-dimensional lifeform known as the "Beast of Time", [[Hytherion]], into their dimension to destroy Earth. The only thing that could battle Hytherion was the power of the super-evolved multi-dimensional race of Cybertronians known as the [[Alternity (species)|Alternity]]. Prime agreed that when the danger appeared, he would join the Alternity in the fight.

Sure enough, in 2009, when Hytherion's colossal claw-marks appeared on planets throughout the solar system, Prime's other-dimensional incarnation returned, bringing with him a "Vibrant Red" Vector 109 [[auto-avatar]] with which Prime fused. In that instant, he was reborn as part of the Alternity, a manifold being who encompassed all the different incarnations of Optimus Prime through the multiverse at once. Prime reached his hands heavenward and peeled back the layers of reality, exposing the gargantuan fanged maw of Hytherion looming above the Autobots. {{storylink|From Here to Alternity}}

Optimus battled alongside the Alternity to fend off the beast, when unexpectedly, [[Megatron (G1)#Alternity|Megatron]] overwrote the beast's higher functions with his own. At first, it seemed that Hytherion had been killed, but a newly empowered Megatron (in two bodies) appeared and declared that, now possessing a power that rivaled the Alternity's, he challenged his opponents to take him on or see the multiverse itself burn. {{storylink|To Mega Therion}}

As battles between numerous different Primes and Megatrons erupted quite literally all across time and space, another member of the Convoy Corps was later seen battling [[Starscream (G1)#Alternity|Starscream]], who had been empowered by Megatron to serve as leader of his [[Questor]]s. This Prime was so surprised by Starscream's uncharacteristic sports car alternate mode that he left himself open for a blast from Starscream's Retroactive Nullifer cannon, which erased him from the timestream. As he faded out of existence, Prime responded to Starscream's taunts about the death of the Alternity by telling him that they were already well aware of their prophesied end and were well prepared. {{storylink|Foreshadows}}
{{note|Alternity beings are both individuals and a collective of separate entities. More fiction about Optimus Prime's Alternity collective can be found [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity#Alternity|here]].}}
{{--}}

===''Robot Heroes'' comic===
[[Image:IDW I am Optimus Prime battle.jpg|left|thumb|300px]]
Optimus Prime was given the Matrix by [[Primus]] himself, and used to be friends with Megatron. Prowl is his closest friend and Ratchet is his oldest. Searching for Energon, the Autobots landed on Earth, but were followed by the Decepticons. With the help of their human allies, they bested off their foes, and knowing they would return, decided to stay and wait to defend the planet once more. Optimus Prime was proud to be an Autobot. {{storylink|I Am Optimus Prime (Robot Heroes)|I Am Optimus Prime}}
{{-}}

===''Universe'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Ron Hayden]] (English)
[[Image:Actionblast1matrix.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Anyone with a history of seizures should leave the room now.]]
Optimus Prime narrated the events of what happened before the Ark crashed on Earth. He became the new leader of a long line of Autobot leaders via the discovery of the Matrix. On their quest for more Energon, the Autobots were chased by Decepticons to the planet known as Earth and crashed on it. When they emerged from the Ark, Optimus Prime scanned his truck altmode, stating that the war would not end on Earth. {{Storylink|Action Blast 1}}

[[Image:FfE Optimus Prime Cyclonus.JPG|right|thumb|250px|Don't get distracted by your own fist Cyclonus! Do you WANT to lose your face?]]
Both Optimus Prime and Bumblebee raced down a street in an unknown desert while having an argument about Energon. He ordered Bumblebee to scan the surroundings to find the location where the Decepticons were hiding, and to be careful for possible scouts. When Bumblebee noted what the Decepticons were doing, Prime speculated that they might be planning to convert the energy into Energon, and ordered Bumblebee to create a diversion. While Bumblebee and Cyclonus fought, Prime made a surprise attack and took out Cyclonus with his Ion-axe, before turning his attention to Megatron. When both Decepticons fled, Prime told Bumblebee they'd done a good job (in front of a burning Gas station), and both Autobots got back on the move. {{storylink|Fight for Energon}}
{{--}}

===Wings of Honor===
[[Image:BattleLines1-DionOrionAriel.jpg|left|thumb|200px|We demand more frolicking!]]
Nine million years ago, the dockworker Orion Pax and his coworkers and friends [[Elita One|Ariel]] and [[Dion]] were murdered by [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and his new [[Decepticon]] army. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 1}}

Orion Pax was rebuilt into Optimus Prime as part of [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]'s "[[Prime (rank)|Prime]] Initiative," a proposed alternative to the [[Elite Guard]]. {{storylink|The Coming Storm: Part 2}} However, after most of the Elite Guard were destroyed by the turncoat Guardsmen [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]], the [[Autobot High Council]] was prepared to give Optimus Prime command of the new Autobot military. This transferal of power was carried out at the [[Autobot High Council Citadel|Citadel]], with Prime standing with his best warriors. Prime promised to match the Decepticons' ferocity in order to preserve their way of life. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 1}}

[[Image:BattleLines1-Optimusspeech.jpg|right|thumb|200px|[[Magnum]] was always more of a Rodimus guy.]]

In [[1993]], Optimus Prime and the Autobots worked with their allies in [[Earth Defense Command]] to create a stronger link between their two peoples. A [[Cyberfactory]] was created on Earth to manufacture new Transformers with all the rights and status of citizens of Earth. Many years later, one of these Cybertronians named [[Rapido]] saved Optimus Prime from the [[Concurrence]] in 2006 by marshalling his Earthborn comrades into an effective fighting force. Out of respect for his abilities, Optimus gave Rapido emergency command powers on Earth, letting him assume leadership of any group of Autobots whenever the situation required it.

Following the rebirth of Cybertron's Golden Age that same year, [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] and [[Lord Zarak]] abandoned Earth and Cybertron to seek new sources of energon deeper in space. Optimus Prime assembled the majority of the Autobot army to pursue them, leaving behind only a small group of Autobots at [[Autobot City]] on Earth. Unfortunately, over the next few years several Earthborn Cybertronians from the Cyberfactories turned to crime, assembling as a new [[Decepticon Syndicate]]. Once he received word of the troubles on Earth, Prime sent [[Scorch (G1)|Scorch]] the [[Turbomaster]] to assess the situation. {{storylink|Generation 2: Redux}}

{{note|The Wings of Honor timeline is a close approximation of the original cartoon. Rapido's rescue of Optimus Prime presumably took place between ''[[The Return of Optimus Prime]]'' and ''[[The Rebirth]]''.}}

==Commercial appearances==
Optimus Prime has appeared in more [[Commercial|television commercials]] than any other Transformer... just as with everything else. He has been voiced by [[Peter Cullen]] in every animation segment in which he's had a speaking role.

[[Image:Toycommercial-firstPrime.jpg|right|thumb|My wheels don't disappear!]]

* He was one of the featured characters in the first ever appearance of the Transformers anywhere, an advertisement for the first issue of [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|the Generation 1 comic]]. He arrives in the midst of a desert battle as the Decepticons attacked a power plant on Earth, driving to back up his troops in defending it. He strikes a rather iconic pose as he transforms and fires, which would be replicated and copied numerous times in the early years of the franchise. This first commercial used nonfinal versions of the characters' [[character model]]s; Optimus Prime, for example, still had wheels on his legs. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9-7RjhFzpM]

* In a commercial for the [[Triple Changer]]s, Optimus confronts Astrotrain on a desert battlefield, but the Triple-Changer escapes under fire from other Autobots. Shortly afterward, Prime uses Perceptor's microscope mode to examine a fragment of Decepticon battle armor. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WssZjIsUIU]

* Prime and Jazz are shown fighting Megatron in the desert in an ad for the 1985 cars, whom he summons to help out with the battle. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WssZjIsUIU]

* Prime narrates two commercials around the time of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', describing the action as [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] battles [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]], and [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] and [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] take on the [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]]. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X-10pud7DY]

[[Image:Toycommercial-PowermasterOptimusPrime.jpg|right|thumb|An integral part of Powermaster Prime's transformation is Joyride shooting lightning bolts through his pointed finger.]]

* Prime was prominently featured in the ad for the first comic issue featuring the [[Powermaster]]s. On the rocky plains where practically every Transformer battle ever seems to happen, Prime arrives in his Powermaster body to back up three of his troops against Dreadwind and Darkwing. He's shown combining with [[Hi-Q]] and transforming, attacking with his trailer's battle station mode, then combining with the trailer to continue the attack. Who wins? Find out in [[People Power!|Marvel Comics]]! [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voX_KNNxNCI]

[[Image:OptimusQuickswitchCommercial.jpg|right|thumb|Optimus Prime is so giving, he even gives other Transformers time in his commercials.]]

* Prime also features briefly in [[Quickswitch]]'s ad; in a battle on the moon, Quickswitch transforms to gun mode and is wielded by Powermaster Optimus Prime.

* An abbreviated ad for Powermaster Prime uses footage from both the Marvel Comic and Quickswitch commercials.

* Prime's Powermaster body shows up yet again in the [[Classic Pretender|Pretender Classic]]s ad. He comes under attack in the darkened streets of the city, prompting the narrator to explain that he needs the greatest Transformers ever! Prime then welcomes back Bumblebee and Jazz in their Pretender forms. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mahbq-FnSPY]

* Powermaster Prime and [[Piranacon (G1)|Piranacon]] are the representatives from each faction that [[Doubledealer]] doublecrosses! Everyone wonders who that guy is that Prime's talking to... He looks kinda suspicious!

* Optimus features prominently in the first [[Action Master]] commercial; he's shown surrounded by a circle of his troops, and challenges them to give up their transforming powers to become faster, stronger, more alive! [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeNf3jQ1zdw]

* A stock intro was used for several Micromaster commercials, with Optimus opening his fist to reveal a Micromaster city within.

[[Image:Hotrodpatrolcommercial.jpg|right|thumb|Prime wants to know if they can transform, because he sure can't!]]

* A similar sequence in another Micromaster ad has Prime opening his fist to find the [[Hot Rod Patrol]] inside. He and Jazz check them out, and Optimus wonders if they can transform.

* In an ad for the Micromaster micro bases, a battle rages outside an Autobot base, and Prime watches impassively as Bumblebee and Jazz pull two [[Interstellar shuttle|captured]] [[Attack Copter|vehicles]] into the base. Prime is the first to notice that the vehicles are transforming and shooting things.

* Prime and [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] are the stars of the first ''[[Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]'' commercial, animated with [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]]. Prime is shown driving down a road in his ''Generation 2'' colored truck mode. He rocket-launches up into the air to transform, then has a brutal fight with Ramjet. Despite getting a hole blasted in his chest, he wins the fight and fires his gun into the air in triumph. Non-speaking.

* Prime also is shown briefly in a commercial for the new Megatron tank toy. He transforms and finds his head in a target crosshairs. In the subsequent toy segment, Prime's toy is shown getting completely trashed by that of Megatron. Non-speaking.

* And finally, Prime got his own rap segment. He's shown in his Combat toy body, waiting for Megatron as he attacks a human subdivision. Prime converts to robot form, blows up Megatron's weapon at point blank range, and slugs it out with him. Apparently emerging victorious, is next shown sitting next to an identical truck, which the live-action kid mistakes for the real thing. The real Prime then transforms and picks up the kid, inspecting the human with his cold, lifeless, flashing red optics. Prime is once again voiced by Peter Cullen in this commercial.

Prime also appeared in commercials for ''Transformers'' products other than the toys themselves...

* In the ad for [[Coleco]]'s [[Power Cycle]], Optimus Prime shoots ''at'' a child riding the title cycle, but misses. This footage is recycled from the advertisement for the comic.

* Prime delivers a load of shoes to schoolchildren in a South American ad for [[Bata]]'s licensed ''Transformers'' footwear.
{{-}}

==Games==
===Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons===
When Megatron and his Decepticons allies held captive the Autobot's [[Mini Vehicle|Minicar]] troops, Optimus Prime entered the Decepticon's maze-like base in order to rescue his friends.{{storylink|Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons|Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons packaging blurb and game}}
===''The Transformers'' (1985)===
Optimus Prime was among the few remaining Autobots in the wake of the Decepticon creation of ROBO-CLONING technology. With his energy-starved comrades, he desperately sought pieces of the Autobot Energon Cube before the Decepticons could get their hands on them. {{storylink|The Transformers (Commodore 64)|The Transformers}}

===Transformers: Mystery of Convoy===

When a mysterious force killed Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus rose as Autobot Commander in his place, and went forth to find out what killed Optimus. {{storylink|Transformers: Mystery of Convoy}}

{{note|For an alternate interpretation of these events, see ''[[To Die Game!]]''}}

===''DreamMix TV World Fighters'' video game===
:''Voice actor'': [[Tesshō Genda]]

As part of [[DreamMix TV]]'s attempt to pull in more ratings, Optimus Prime and his eternal rival Megatron were invited to battle bunches of other beings on the television show ''[[World Fighters]]''. {{storylink|DreamMix TV World Fighters}}

===''The Transformers'' (PS2)===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Robert Belgrade]]
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|The Transformers (PS2)|The Transformers}}

===''Revenge of the Fallen'' - The Game (Xbox 360/Sony PS3/PC)===
[[Image:ROTF_360PS3_PC_G1OptimusPrime_DLC.jpg|thumb|200px|]]
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]]

{{Note|On [[August 27]], [[2009]], Optimus Prime was one of a handful of downloadable characters in a DLC pack for Xbox 360 and Sony Playstation 3.}}
{{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
{{-}}

===Transformers G1: Awakening===
{{storylink|Transformers G1: Awakening}}
{{charstubfiction}}

===Transformers Battle Universe===
At the edge of time, when the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] needed a new host, Optimus Prime was among several warriors (and [[Optimus Prime|Prime]]s) summoned from the multiverse to battle for control of the prize. {{storylink|Transformers Battle Universe}}

==Toys==
{{main|Optimus Prime (G1)/toys}}

==Merchandise==
:''Main article: [[Optimus Prime (G1)/merchandise]]''

==Notes==
* According to [[Bob Budiansky]], longtime comics writer [[Denny O'Neil]] named Optimus Prime prior to Budiansky being brought on to the ''Transformers'' project.

* Optimus Prime's Japanese name is "Convoy", which is named after his original name "Battle Convoy" in the ''[[Diaclone]]'' toyline, because the name "Optimus Prime" is difficult for Japanese kids to remember and pronounce.<ref>''[[Figure Ō]]'' No. 114</ref>

*According to an early ''[[Transformers Universe (Marvel comic)|Universe]]''-style profile published in ''[[The Transformers Comic Magazine]]'', Optimus Prime's "official" nicknames were at one point considered to be "Autobot Commander", "Chief", "Big Boss" and "Roller". As far as it is known, no piece of fiction has ever purposely addressed him using these nicknames, though it's a fair bet he's been called "chief" at least once or twice anyway. And technically ''part'' of him is called "[[Roller (G1)|Roller]]" with some frequency.

* Optimus Prime has fictionally shown a dislike of certain kinds of music and dance. For the Marvel continuity, a [[Letters page (Marvel UK)|letters pages]] mentions he hates the music of [[wikipedia:Mötley_Crüe|Mötley Crüe]].{{fact}} In the cartoon continuity, "[[Blaster Blues]]" and "[[Quest for Survival]]" have Optimus react noticeably more passive-aggressively to Blaster's choice of music than the other Autobots. And in the Dreamwave continuity, "[[Hardwired]]" features an uncalled for negative remark about Jazz's dance skills.

* According to the staff of ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'', Optimus Prime became a space explorer in the [[Beast Era]].<ref>[[Beast Wars Universe]] ISBN 978-4766938005</ref>

[[Image:Optimusprime-mom.jpg|right|125px|thumb|Prime's mom knows how to write in cursive.]]
* By the time Optimus Prime appeared in ''[[Beast Machines (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'', his 3D model from ''Beast Wars'' had apparently been lost, leading the animators to use a faceplated Optimus Primal head as a quick replacement to save time and budget.

* Aside from occasionally having Alpha Trion as a father figure, Optimus Prime may have a mother! In an advertisement for [[Pepsi Convoy]] that shows him in a refrigerator (along with [[Destron Pizza]]), a note attached to a nearby piece of Tupperware reads:

:''Dear Convoy''
:''Warm it before you eat''
:''Mom''

:Although the ad itself is for Pepsi Convoy, he is a separate character, and it can be assumed that the note was left for Convoy/Optimus Prime himself.

* The first wave of Dreamwave posters in 2001 identified Optimus Prime as [http://www.comicden.com/merch/posters.htm "Captimus Primus"], which is tantalizingly close to making some sort of sense.

* According to EJ Su, Optimus Prime's [[Holomatter|Holomatter avatar]] is modeled after [[wikipedia:Ulysses_S._Grant|Ulysses S. Grant]].<ref>[http://www.protodepot.com/archive/2007_11_01_archive.html Idea: Holomatter Projection]</ref>

* As of [[All Hail Megatron issue 13|All Hail Megatron #13]], Optimus has a mouth underneath that [[faceplate]] of his.

* This Optimus Prime, along with the original [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]], and [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] makes a cameo appearance as one of the four elders who began the [[Space Bridge]] project in the ''[[Cybertron (cartoon)|Cybertron]]'' episode "[[Balance]]".

* As noted on [http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=74382 this thread here], Optimus Prime made a surprising (and somewhat awkward) cameo in the [[January]] [[2009]] issue of "P.S.: The Preventive Maintenance Monthly" (#674), a monthly magazine issued by the [[United States Army]] that discusses issues in regards to equipment maintenance (scan included in thread; look for post #5).

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Convoy''' (コンボイ ''Konboi''), '''Battle Convoy''' (Laser Optimus Prime, バトルコンボイ ''Batoru Konboi'')
*''Cantonese:'' '''O Baak Man''' (Hong Kong, 柯柏文)
*''Czech:'' '''Optimus Primus'''
*''French:'' '''Optimus Prime''', '''Optimus Primus''' (Canada)
*''Hebrew:'' '''Optimus Prime''' (אופטימוס פריים ''Awpjimws Priim'')
*''Hungarian:'' '''Optimusz Fővezér''', '''Optimusz Prájm''' ("Optimus Chief")
*''Italian:'' '''Commander'''
*''Mandarin:'' '''Jr-tsūn''' (Taiwan, 至尊, "Prime"), '''Qíng Tīan Zhù''' (China, 擎天柱, "Pillar that Supports the Sky")
*''Portuguese:'' '''Optimus Supremo''' (Portugal comics, "Optimus Supreme"), '''Líder Optimus''' (Brazil cartoon, "Leader Optimus"), '''Supremus Absolutus''' (Brazil comic)
*''Russian:'' '''Optimus Prime''' (Оптимус Прайм ''Optimus Prajm'')
*''Serbian:'' '''Optimus Prime''' (Оптимус Прајм ''Optimus Prajm'')
*''Taiwanese:'' '''Tīh-ghŭ''' (鐵牛, "Iron Ox")
*''Ukrainian:'' '''Optimus Najkrashchiy''' (Оптимус Найкращий, "Optimus the Best"), '''Optimus Prime''' (''The Movie'', Оптимус Прайм)

==External links==
* [http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Optimus_Prime Optimus Prime's Universe profile at NTFA.net]
* [http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Optimus_Prime_PM Powermaster Optimus Prime's Universe profile at NTFA.net]

== Footnotes ==
<references />

[[Category:Action Masters]]
[[Category:Alternators Autobots]]
[[Category:Alternity Autobots]]
[[Category:Autobot leaders]]
[[Category:Beast Machines Autobots]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Autobots]]
[[Category:Classics Autobots]]
[[Category:Combiners]]
[[Category:DreamMix TV World Fighters characters]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 2 Autobots]]
[[Category:Ghosts]]
[[Category:Gladiators]]
[[Category:Go-Bots]]
[[Category:Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei! Autobots]]
[[Category:Kiss Players Autobots]]
[[Category:Machine Wars Autobots]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen Autobots]]
[[Category:Matrix bearers]]
[[Category:Multi-component Transformers]]
[[Category:Powermasters]]
[[Category:Return of Convoy Autobots]]
[[Category:Robot Masters Autobots]]
[[Category:Rulers of Cybertron]]
[[Category:The Headmasters Autobots]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]
[[Category:United Autobots]]
[[Category:Zombies]]