Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity

2012-09-19T04:58:44Z

99.190.67.74: /* IDW Generation 1 comics */

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[[Image:OptimusPrime-OriginalIDWTransformersPromo.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
'''Optimus Prime''' did a lot of things to help shape the IDW Generation 1 continuity!

==IDW Generation 1 comics==
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[[Image:YoumustbeMegaton.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Megaton—tron—whatever.]]

Before the war, Optimus, then known as Orion Pax, was a graduate from the [[Institute for Higher Programming]] and a rising star in Cybertron's police, an inspiration to officers like [[Springarm]]. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 2}} Shortly before [[Nominus Prime]]'s assassination, Pax became captain of the [[Rodion]] Police and a somewhat liberal one at that. When the lowly miner Megatron was arrested for assault, Orion read his treatise on ''non-violent'' resistance, did some investigation, and found he wasn't guilty; he had him released, and told Megatron he'd read his treatise and told him to keep working for change. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1}} In addition, he locked up his officer [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] for abusing the prisoner.

That last part made some high-placed friends of Whirl's ''very'' unhappy, and thugs working for [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel]] were sent to threaten Pax to release him. Orion refused, but the encounter rattled him; Megatron's writings had claimed the Senate was corrupt but he couldn't bring himself to believe that. He believed it when the thugs came back to spring Whirl and murder him, killing Springarm and [[Wheelarch]] in the process. In a mix of righteous fury and tactical skills, Orion took them down, arrested the leader, and then forced his way into the [[Grand Imperium]]: he made a defiant speech against the Senate's corruption and brutality, saying his eyes had been opened by Megatron.

[[Image:MO3 EOOPAT funeral.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Helloooo cameo.]]
Brutal corrupt regimes aren't likely to be guilt tripped and will instead arrest you. However, not every Senator was corrupt: one had Orion freed and repaired in a way that gave him a Matrix cavity. This Senator revealed elements of the Senate were behind Nominus' demise, intending to get the Matrix from him... {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 2}} Some time later, two Autobots named [[Fastback (G1)|Fastback]] and [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]] were killed by Megatron, who had changed and was now trying to overthrow the Senate by force. Orion Pax (with a completely changed appearance) was one of several Transformers who gathered for their funeral, standing 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|Megatron Origin #3}}

[[Image:SpotlightBlurr-Optimus.jpg|left|thumb|200px|There's something missing...]]
After the death of Sentinel Prime, [[Zeta Prime]] rose to lead the battle against the growing Decepticon insurgency. Orion Pax continued upholding the law by changing from police captain to soldier, and was assigned to a unit commanded by the veteran [[Kup (G1)|Kup]]. ''Once again'', during this time, he adopted a completely new robot mode, and was for some reason calling himself "Optimus". During this 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}}

Orion Pax would face Megatron in open combat for the first time at [[Sherma Bridge]], during the [[Rorsha Campaign]]; his side lost 5000 men but he tore off the tyrant's cannon arm before he lost and got thrown off the bridge. Every Autobot and Decepticon stopped fighting to witness their duel. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1}}

Eventually, Orion became the commander of his own counter-insurgency unit working directly under Zeta Prime, though he had grown angry and detached from his experiences. During a mission to arrest the arms dealer [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] in [[Nyon]], he lost his temper and almost beat the Decepticon to death in front of horrified onlookers. {{storylink|Law and Disorder}} He later admitted to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] that he was frustrated with his own failures and uncertain if they were really on the right side, since so many civilians seemed to hate them and the government. {{storylink|Parasites}} Dispatched by Zeta Prime to hunt down the spy [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], Orion succeeded in defeating the Decepticon in spite of [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]]'s attempts to turn the fear and paranoia of bystanders against him. Before he could capture him, however, several other Decepticons arrived, taking his subordinate [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] hostage and telling him Megatron wanted an audience with him. {{storylink|The Hunt for Soundwave}} Brought to a [[Jump Joint|bar]] in [[Kaon]], Orion listened to Megatron compliment him on standing up against the Senate but refused his offer to help the Decepticons overthrow them. In turn, Megatron revealed that Zeta Prime was not only planning on draining energon from civilians for the war effort, but had also sent Orion's unit to Nyon because he had hoped they would die, thus giving him an official reason to attack the city. Orion stalled the conversation long enough that his allies could break in and rescue him and Bumblebee, then returned to Iacon and confronted Zeta with Megatron's claims. Zeta only told him not to question his motives before sending him on his next mission to capture the insurgent [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]]. {{storylink|Cause and Effect}}

Tracking Hot Rod to the [[Acropolex]] in Nyon, Orion Pax and his men were baited followed him into the depths of the building, where they discovered tanks of energon drained from the city's population by Zeta Prime. Having seen the truth with his own eyes, Orion decided to turn on the corrupt government just as Zeta began attacking Nyon with his [[Omega Destructor]]s. {{storylink|Ruins}} Leaving Hot Rod to evacuate the city, he and his unit tried and failed to defeat one of the Destructors. As they tried to escape, Nyon began to explode, and Orion realized that Zeta had set everything up to force Hot Rod's insurgents into self-destructing their own city. As Zeta arrived in person, Orion tried to fight him but was quickly dispatched by his [[vamparc ribbon]]. {{storylink|Purge}} Before Zeta could execute them, Orion and his team were saved by none other than Megatron and his Decepticons, who brought them back to Kaon for repairs. Though he still didn't trust Megatron, Orion Pax now knew he had told the truth about Zeta Prime and accepted his proposal that they join forces against him. After assuring a depressed Hot Rod that destroying Nyon had been the right thing to do, he shook hands with Megatron to cement their alliance. {{storylink|Choices}}

As their soldiers invaded Zeta Prime's [[Citadel]], Orion Pax and Megatron were air-dropped into his [[Primacy Auditorium|chamber]] and confronted him in person. Though Orion lost an arm in the battle, he managed to destroy Zeta's weapon, and the corrupt Prime was finally killed by Megatron. As soon as everything was over, however, Megatron betrayed the Autobots and shot Orion in the back. {{storylink|Overthrown}} Left for dead in the [[Undergrid]] beneath the Citadel, Orion was pulled towards a distant light which turned out to be the hiding place of the Matrix of Leadership. As a voice called out for him to take the artifact, he did so and was suddenly overcome with the pain, fear, and loneliness felt by all living Cybertronians. Imbued with new clarity and wisdom, he realized that Cybertronians don't need to be "united" since in the eyes of the Matrix, [['Til all are one|all were one]], and that Autobots are meant to fight for the freedom of all sapient beings rather than uphold the laws of a long broken system. As the Matrix repaired his body, Orion Pax declared that he was giving up his identity for his people: he was now Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Transformation (issue)|Transformation}} Guided by the Matrix, Optimus Prime returned to the ruins of Nyon, where he called out for a dormant life force beneath the city. He was soon joined by his old allies and Hot Rod, who had now joined the Autobots, and announced to them that he was now Prime and that it was time to fight for justice instead of laws. The life force then revealed itself to be the Acropolex itself, in truth an ancient Transformer, though Optimus renamed him [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]. {{storylink|Rise}}

In order to defeat Megatron, who had declared the Decepticons rulers of Cybertron following the death of Zeta Prime, Optimus Prime needed an army. He recruited the help of [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] in order to hack into the [[Iaconian Newsfeed Service]] and broadcast a rallying call for additional help against the Decepticon tyranny across the entire planet. Joined by thousands of freedom-seeking Transformers in need of a strong leader, he marched on Iacon to fight the Decepticons for control of Cybertron. {{storylink|Broadcast}} When Megatron brought out his massive "vamparc annihilator" weapon, Optimus called on Metroplex to take it out, causing Megatron to fall near him and leading to [[The Transformers: The Movie|familiar duel]]. Though Optimus won, Megatron managed to flee back to Kaon and promised him that the war was only beginning. In the aftermath of the Decepticons' retreat, [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] showed Optimus a stash of illegal weapons kept by Zeta and suggested they use it against the Decepticons. He refused this and ordered them destroyed, trying not to make the same mistakes as Zeta did. Later, he congratulated Hot Rod for saving his life in the battle, and though Hot Rod stated he didn't deserve gratitude due to his destruction of Nyon, Optimus just told him hold his head high like a true hero because someday he might be holding the Matrix. {{storylink|Endgame}}

In his early days of commanding the Autobot army, Optimus Prime was reviewing new recruits when 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 to teach him about the ways of war—and Ironhide did just that. Everything he threw at Optimus, Optimus took and learnt. 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|Old Ways}}

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 (G1)|the assassin]]'s blast. {{storylink|The Iron Age}}

Optimus Prime was later part of the [[113th Battalion]] where the [[Infiltration protocol|phase sixer]] [[Black Shadow (Victory)|Black Shadow]] fought against the 113th Battalion, singlehandedly defeating him and Ultra Magnus and killing 3,003 others. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement}}

[[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]] {{Storylink|The Transformers: Stormbringer|Stormbringer}}, using an [[Omniglobe]] to absorb the data and direct the battle {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement}}. He fought Megatron on multiple worlds, each time either taking and/or dishing out horrific damage. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1}} 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 Thundercracker. {{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 quieted 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 orbital 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}}

[[Image:Escalation5 Primedies enlightning.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Rule of thumb, Megs—if he don't turn gray, he's A-OK.]]
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. 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 Sunstreaker'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 Devastator, 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|Old Ways}}

[[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 over to the humans. {{storylink|...For All Mankind}} Optimus was brought inside the Skywatch base and put into transformation stasis. However, he was shortly freed (but not released) 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}}

Optimus told Spike that he believed that he was an ineffective leader since the Decepticons left. Prime hoped that without his overwhelming presence, his men would learn to evolve and move beyond his mistakes. {{Storylink|Enemies of the System}}Spike later convinced Optimus to help the Autobots and Skywatch prevent the loss of innocent lives threatened by the new combiner, Menasor. Optimus heroically battled Menasor, but after the combiner was defeated, Red Alert asked Prime what to do next and Optimus responded that he was not in charge anymore and would return in Skywatch custody. {{storylink|Earthworks}} Optimus later thanked Spike for the human contributions to defeating the Decepticons. {{storylink|All His Engines}}

Soon, the Combaticons appeared in North Korea, and Spike recruited Optimus and the Autobots to fight against them. {{storylink|International Incident Part 1: "The Land Ironclads"}} Optimus later saw Spike complaining of the lack of brains his unit was displaying and stated that such a flaw is reflected on its commander. The Autobots were forced to fight in vehicle mode after the President called them "weapons of mass destruction". {{storylink|International Incident Part 2: "Ranks of Bronze"}} During the battle, Prime smashed into Vortex and managed to bring the Combaticons' leader Onslaught to his knees. All was going well until the arrival of the Predacons, representing the People's Republic of China. {{storylink|International Incident Part 3: "Hawk Among the Sparrows"}} Optimus Prime tried to get the Predacons to stand down, and they agreed to move no moves against the other warriors so long as China's borders were not breached. At least, until Onslaught shot Rampage in the back. This caused a brawl between the Autobots, Combaticons, and Predacons. Optimus took control of the situation by having Thundercracker attack Dandong and Pyongyang to cut off China and North Korea's energon production capacity and their involvements with the Cybertronians for good. {{storylink|International Incident Part 4: "All My Sins Remembered"}}

After the assassination attempt on Bumblebee while Prime's forces were still overseas, Optimus Prime tried to figure out how a mere human weapon used by the protester could have damaged Bumblebee. Smokescreen jumped to the conclusion that it was Skywatch weaponry but Spike insisted Skywatch didn't want the weapons out in the public as much as the Autobots. Just then, Jazz ordered everyone to don their crash suits right before the jet exploded. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 1: The Demolished Man}} Optimus Prime and the others survived the plane crash, making their way underwater for several hours in vehicle mode (with Spike and the Skywatch agents inside) until reaching the Panama Canal. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 3: Woken Furies}}

Megatron revealed his involvement in recent events, and told Optimus Prime he knew Prime would survive the plane crash. Megatron said he did not want kill Optimus, but to destroy him, and the Autobots would soon know the difference. Optimus met up with Megatron and Soundwave as the Decepticon leader explained the guns made from his previous body were scattered around the world and nobody could stop him. Optimus insisted those humans using the guns are renegades and admitted he didn't trust all humans, but he trusted Spike. Megatron pushed the situation by dumping several wounded Autobots onto a school playground where some Megatron-gun holders prepared to destroy them. Optimus charged up his ion blaster and Megatron laughed because the weapon would not harm him in his current state. Optimus said he's right and blasted Soundwave through the head, ending the communication to the Megatron-guns. Furious, Megatron stated he has lost one soldier, but Prime would lose everything. He departed, leaving Prime to clean up the mess. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 4: Burning Chrome}}

Back at Omega Supreme, Optimus learned that Ultra Magnus put a tracking chip on Soundwave earlier and Optimus Prime prepared to track him down. Before the assault, Prime told Jetfire and Cosmos to meet him in Earth's orbit. Optimus jumped from a plane, dropping onto an abandoned laboratory where Megatron had Shockwave working to save Soundwave. He told Megatron to bring the fight outside if he didn't want to lose more troops. With Jetfire's help, Optimus arranged for a Kinetic Harpoon to blast down on Megatron's position, but the massive devastation kicked up by the impact still didn't drop the repowered Decepticon leader. He started beating on Megatron asking why he never dies. Megatron beat Prime and brought him back to Skywatch where he surprised everyone by surrendering. After receiving repairs, Optimus told a heavily restrained Megatron that Omega Supreme will transform if he sensed Megatron trying to escape. Megatron responded by telling Prime he was exactly where he wanted to be. Megatron then claimed one of the Autobots' human allies killed Scrapper and Prime told Prowl to investigate this claim. Prime reviewed their current situation and contemplated the coming chaos. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 5: Enemy Mine}} Optimus Prime later learned, from a sudden appearance of Hot Rod, Sunstreaker, and Ironhide, that Cybertron was habitable but had been taken over by Galvatron. Optimus and most of the Autobots left aboard Omega Supreme's rocket part to liberate their homeworld {{storylink|Space Opera—Final Tableaux: Orphans of the Helix}}, after giving Prowl "five minutes" to question Megatron {{storylink|Police Action: Prologue}} On the way, Optimus questioned a captive Megatron why he surrendered but never got an answer. Optimus then resorted to using the VVH and, if Omega Supreme hadn't had cut the power, Megatron would have perished. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1}}

Optimus Prime arrived on Cybertron and did battle with Galvatron's forces. Galvatron warned Optimus of a threat that could destroy them all but did not elaborate more afterwards. {{storylink|Chaos Part One: Lamentations}} Optimus later realized the Kimia facility preparing to fire on Cybertron. Rodimus and Trailbreaker headed for the facility's target and Silverbolt and all fliers headed to battle the facility. The Kimia facility opened fire on the planet and blew a crater on the surface. Optimus ordered the remaining Autobots to plow through the Sweeps. It turned out Lightspeed and Afterburner were aboard the Kimia facility. Lightspeed activated explosives and the facility exploded. Megatron was freed from Omega Supreme and declared Cybertron was his. {{storylink|Chaos Part Two: Numbers}} Optimus Prime, Rodimus, Ironhide, and Drift pursued Galvatron and Jhiaxus to the crater on Cybertron. Galvatron hypnotized the newly arrived Decepticons and Sweeps into forming a huge monster, Deceptigod. Deceptigod smashed Omega Supreme, preventing the Autobots' escape. Megatron arrived and Optimus Prime pursued Galvatron while Megatron faces Deceptigod. {{storylink|Chaos Part Three: Kings}} Galvatron infused Vector Sigma with his Heart of Darkness, expecting that D-Void would cease his assault. Instead, it brought the Darkness to Cybertron and began swallowing Vector Sigma. Rodimus explained to Optimus he somehow ''knew'' that the Matrix would defeat the Darkness. Optimus's doubt allowed Galvatron to shoot him in the back. Cyclonus just then came and fought against Galvatron, believing himself to be tricked into doing Galvatron's work. Optimus opened the Matrix and a huge light came out. After the light, Optimus was left kneeling in a new crater with two empty halves of the Matrix at his feet. {{storylink|Chaos Part Four: Genesis}}

Optimus woke up on a Cybertron convulsing with primordial energies and missing some recognizable features. He ran into Rodimus and Bumblebee and learned that Cybertron had new arrivals called [[NAIL]]s who had left the planet during the Great War and hated the Autobots because they were symbols of that war. Prime learned also that the Decepticons that formed Deceptigod were captured and controlled with I/D chips. Optimus then addressed to the entire population of Cybertron that he will hope for Cybertron to be rebuilt without him as he's leaving. As Optimus Prime left the planet, he suddenly felt free and no longer responsible for anyone's life or death. Optimus Prime was dead. Orion Pax was reborn. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime}}

After voyaging through space for some time, Orion was contacted by Hardhead with some strange news: a distress signal from the planet [[Arduria]] had awoken Hardhead's formerly-catatonic prisoner, Jhiaxus, who began screaming Orion's name. Investigating the Ardurian signal, Orion and Hardhead found that they had been lured into a Decepticon trap when they were attacked by Monstructor. His knowledge of the combiner from their past fight availed Orion little, as the monster's weak spot had been removed, and Monstructor was able to keep them busy long enough for his new master Bludgeon to free Jhiaxus. Realizing that Jhiaxus and Bludgeon were intending to hunt down all the planets that had been targeted by Shockwave's [[Regenesis]] program, Orion and Hardhead set course for the [[Lenocinium Velnero System]] and gave chase. {{storylink|Syndromica (1)}}

Fifteen million years later, Ironhide looked back at the war and wondered if Optimus Prime was still out there, and Alpha Trion assured him that he was. {{storylink|Pax Cybertronia (issue)|Pax Cybertronia}} This may or may not just have been a vision Ironhide had. {{storylink|A Better Tomorrow}}

===Spotlight: Mirage===
{{note|The events of ''Spotlight: Mirage'' are presented as a dream sequence of Mirage, and may possibly represent 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}}

==Notes==
*[[Simon Furman]]'s original intent for IDW Optimus Prime was that he did ''not'' carry the [[Matrix of Leadership]], as the Matrix would have "been gone from the IDW/TF-verse for a long time"<ref name="IDWMatrixFurman">[http://simonfurman.wordpress.com/2007/12/12/another-quick-qa/ Simon Furman, Dec 2007:] Well, we’ve yet to actually meet the Matrix in the IDW/TF-verse. So we may be getting ahead of ourselves here. What do we know about it so far? Well, according to Spotlight Galvatron, the Matrix was (and maybe is) “carried” by Nova Prime, and he (Nova Prime) disappeared into the Dead Universe (along with the Matrix, we assume). Nova describes a bottomless well and a resonant tug on the Matrix. What happened next we don’t know (yet). But what is the Matrix (hm, that sounds familiar somehow)? Not telling. Not yet. But ’08 holds the answers: what it is, where it came from, what is does (then and now!). The Matrix (and what it’s become) will figure large in all that happens post-Devastation. The Matrix has been gone from the IDW/TF-verse for a long time, and its return will not necessarily be a thing of celebration. </ref>. Instead, [[Nova Prime]] was to have taken it to the [[Dead Universe]] (as [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] appears to note in [[Spotlight: Galvatron|his titular ''Spotlight'']]), where it would have become corrupted with the rechristened "Nemesis Prime," and its' return would "not necessarily be a thing of celebration"<ref name=IDWMatrixFurman /> This changed as a result of Shane McCarthy being hired as lead writer and promptly establishing the war was "all about the Matrix", which Optimus had always carried, resulting in the creation of the [[Darkness (G1)|Darkness]] to fill the same role in Furman's truncated ''[[Revelation (IDW)|Revelation]]''.
* According to [[E. J. 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 [[Mouthplate|faceplate]] of his.

==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Autobot leaders]]
[[Category:Multi-component Transformers]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Matrix bearers]]
[[Category:Primes]]

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Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity