MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

User talk:Kirby-Force

2014-06-18T23:49:39Z

Kirby-Force:

{{Template:Caption bastard}}
We like 'em fine where they are, good sir.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|Talk]] 23:52, 11 December 2010 (EST)

==Hello again==
Stop moving stuff around on a whim. You'll be blocked as soon as a sysop turns up anyway. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 19:29, 18 June 2014 (EDT)
:What did I do wrong exactly? Also, what's a sysop? [[User:Kirby-Force|Kirby-Force]] ([[User talk:Kirby-Force|talk]]) 00:34, 19 June 2014
::Well for a start, you're ban evading, even if this is a four-year-old account. But even if you weren't, moving articles around like without discussing it is a bad idea. And users with sysops have the ability to ban other users. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 19:38, 18 June 2014 (EDT)
:::Look. I may have made some mistakes in the past, but I promise from now on to not keep replacing any image files unnecessarily again. I've even been helping out by posting some new photos, but then I go and get banned again anyway just because of what I did on one of my previous accounts, and I'm still not forgiven. I'm just trying to help out, that's all, but from now on, I'll only be posting new photos instead of replacing old ones, even though it still doesn't makew sense as to why you prefer user taken images over official stock photos. Can't you at least give me another chance? [[User:Kirby-Force|Kirby-Force]] ([[User talk:Kirby-Force|talk]]) 00:48, 19 June 2014

User talk:Kirby-Force

2014-06-18T23:47:58Z

Kirby-Force: /* Hello again */

{{Template:Caption bastard}}
We like 'em fine where they are, good sir.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|Talk]] 23:52, 11 December 2010 (EST)

==Hello again==
Stop moving stuff around on a whim. You'll be blocked as soon as a sysop turns up anyway. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 19:29, 18 June 2014 (EDT)
:What did I do wrong exactly? Also, what's a sysop? [[User:Kirby-Force|Kirby-Force]] ([[User talk:Kirby-Force|talk]]) 00:34, 19 June 2014
::Well for a start, you're ban evading, even if this is a four-year-old account. But even if you weren't, moving articles around like without discussing it is a bad idea. And users with sysops have the ability to ban other users. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 19:38, 18 June 2014 (EDT)
:::Look. I may have made some mistakes in the past, but I promise from now on to not keep replacing any image files unnecessarily again. I've even been helping out by posting some new photos, but then I go and get banned again just because of what I did on one of my previous accounts, but I'm still not forgiven. I'm just trying to help out, that's all, but from now on, I'll only be posting new photos instead of replacing old ones, even though it still doesn't makew sense as to why you prefer user taken images over official stock photos. [[User:Kirby-Force|Kirby-Force]] ([[User talk:Kirby-Force|talk]]) 00:48, 19 June 2014

Talk:Drift (AOE)

2014-06-18T23:43:37Z

Kirby-Force:

So, he's a toy-only character who had all of his toys canceled... should he be placed in the "Things that don't exist" category, then, or does his inclusion as a cross-sell negate this? [[User:Inkblot|Inkblot]] 00:43, 19 December 2011 (EST)

== Disambig ==

Since his only ROTF appearances were cancelled, is he now Drift (AOE)? Or are we gonna be really strict about this? --[[User:Flicky1991|flicky]][[User talk:Flicky1991|1991]] 04:16, 3 May 2014 (EDT)
:I'm more curious if there are any good promotional renders of him out there yet to replace that mainpic (and caption). --[[User:Detour|Detour]] ([[User talk:Detour|talk]]) 05:23, 3 May 2014 (EDT)
:As far as precedents go, [[Reverb (Movie)]] and [[Gunbarrel (Movie)]] had their 2007 film toys canceled and first came to officially exist in an ROTF comic and they still have the "(Movie)" disambiguation. But they might not be the best example, since it appears their original toys were [http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HAS19131&mode=retail&picture=in actually sold by BBTS] as "Exclusive Unreleased" toys, whatever that means and however official that is. - [[User:Gimmick|Gimmick]] ([[User talk:Gimmick|talk]]) 12:33, 21 May 2014 (EDT)
:Either way you do it leaves confusion. Whichever way is decided upon, we should make sure that the other exists as a redirect. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] ([[User talk:Khajidha|talk]]) 13:46, 21 May 2014 (EDT)

== Separate characters? ==

His ROTF and AoE selves are obviously 2 separate characters, so they should be given their own pages rather than being included together.
[[User:KirbyForce1|KirbyForce1]],23:38, 4th of May 2014
:No. There's nothing stating that they aren't. And besides, they're both ninja Autobot dudes. Pretty much the same. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 18:40, 4 May 2014 (EDT)
::I'm struggling to understand what makes them "obviously" two separate characters.... when one never got characterization to begin with, let alone proper toys released. --[[User:Detour|Detour]] ([[User talk:Detour|talk]]) 19:02, 4 May 2014 (EDT)

== Classification switch? ==

Regardless of if the characters are different or the same, should we rename the page to Drift (Movie) rather than (ROTF) because not only is the AoE version more prominent, but it also means that he is not exclusive to ROTF? --[[User:MrGameAndToy|MrGameAndToy]] ([[User talk:MrGameAndToy|talk]]) 16:50, 26 May 2014 (EDT)
:No. The disambig noted the franchise the character originated from. In this case, ROTF. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 17:19, 26 May 2014 (EDT)

== Not the same character ==

If [[Bonecrusher (ROTF Constructicon)]] and [[Bonecrusher (Movie)]] are considered to be 2 separate characters in the same continuity, why can't the RPM Drift and AoE Drift be considered 2 separate characters also? They're obviously not the same character, and it doesn't make sense as to how you can think otherwise. Same with [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]], [[Crosshairs (Movie)|Crosshairs]], and [[Hound (Movie)|Hound]]. [[User:KirbyForce|Kirby-Force]] ([[User talk:Kirby-Force|talk]]) 00:43, 19 June 2014

User talk:Kirby-Force

2014-06-18T23:35:36Z

Kirby-Force:

Drift (disambiguation)

2014-06-18T23:31:07Z

Kirby-Force:

'''Drift''' can refer to several concepts in ''Transformers'':

{{disamb|y=2002|Drift, the Japanese name of ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'' [[Dirt Boss (Armada)|Dirt Boss]].}}
{{disamb|y=2003|"[[Drift (episode)|Drift]]", an episode of the ''[[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Armada]]'' cartoon.}}
{{disamb|y=2008|[[Drift (G1)|Drift]], the [[Autobot]] swordsman/sportscar from [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]].}}
{{disamb|y=2009|"[[Spotlight: Drift]]", a single-issue story starring the aforementioned Drift.}}
{{disamb|y=2010|''[[The Transformers: Drift]]'', an IDW mini-series starring the aforementioned Drift.}}
{{disamb|y=2010|[[Drift (ROTF)|Drift]], the thrice-canceled Autobot [[Robot Powered Machines|RPM]]/[[Speed Stars|Speed Star]] from the [[live-action film series|live-action film]] [[continuity family]].}}
{{disamb|y=2010|[[Drift (Animated)|Drift]], the Autobot from ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]''.}}
{{disamb|y=2012|[[Drift (SG)|Drift]], the evil Autobot from [[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]].}}
{{disamb|y=2013|''[[The Transformers: Complete Drift]]'', a book collecting "Spotlight: Drift" and ''The Transformers: Drift''.}}
{{disamb|y=2014|[[Drift (AOE)|Drift]], the Decepticon-turned-Autobot from the [[live-action film series|live-action film]] [[continuity family]].}}
{{disamb|y=2014|[[Drift (Kre-O)|Drift]], the Autobot [[Kreon]] from ''[[Kre-O]]''.}}

{{disambig}}

Drift (AOE)

2014-06-18T23:27:20Z

Kirby-Force: Removed any mention of the ROTF RPM since that was a separate character.

{{factions|decepticon|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Drift}}
:''Drift is an [[Decepticon]]-turned-[[Autobot]] from the from the [[Transformers: Age of Extinction (franchise)|Age of Extinction]] portion of the [[live-action film series|live-action film]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:AOEDrift.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|| ''I woke up in a new Bugatti...'']]
A former [[Decepticon]] turned Autobot commando, '''Drift'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s strength lies not only in his mastery of ancient swords, but in his composure in battle.

==Fiction==
===''How to Ride your Dinobot'' cartoon===
[[File:Htryd-chapter-3-drift-random-buttons.jpg|right|400px|thumb]]
Drift and [[Slug (AOE)|Slug]] had cornered [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]] inside a barn, but alas, Drift had to learn how to attack with his Dinobot steed. Due to a lack of accurate instructions, Drift activated pretty much every button on Slug, activating everything but the weaponry. Some time later, Drift finally struck gold and activated the heavy weaponry... only to be immediately fried, much to his and Slug's disappointment.
{{storylink|How to Fight}}

{{-}}

===''Age of Extinction'' (film)===
{{voiceactor|[[Ken Watanabe]] (English)|}}
{{coming soon|when=June 27, 2014}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)}}

==Toys==
===Age of Extinction===
====Robots in Disguise====
=====Flip & Change=====
[[Image:AoE flip and change Drift.jpg|right|350px|thumb]]
*'''Drift''' (Flip & Change, 2014)
{{comingsoontoy}}
{{-}}

=====One Step Changers=====
[[File:AOERIDtoy-OneStepDrift.jpg|thumb|right|300px|]]
*'''Autobot Drift''' (One Step Changers, 2014)
{{-}}

=====Power Battlers=====
[[File:AOE PowerBattlers Drift.jpg|thumb|right|300px|]]
*'''Autobot Drift''' (Power Battlers, 2014)
{{comingsoontoy}}
{{-}}

=====Dino Sparkers=====
[[Image:AoE dino sparker Drift and Slug.jpg|thumb|right||250px|"How do you start a Triceratops?"]]
*'''Autobot Drift & Dinobot Slug''' (Dino Sparkers, 2014)
{{-}}

=====Titan Heroes=====
*'''Autobot Drift''' (Titan Heroes, 2014)
{{-}}

====Generations====
=====Deluxe Class=====
[[File:AOEGenerationstoy-DeluxeDrift.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"You remind me of someone... a man I met in a half-remembered dream. He was possessed of some radical notions."]]
*'''Autobot Drift''' (Deluxe, 2014)
**''Accessories:'' Two daggers, two swords
:Drift is part of the second wave of deluxe generations movie figures. he transforms into a black and blue 2013 Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse.
:The two daggers can store under his roof, and the swords store on the underside of his alt mode. All four of his weapons can store on his back in robot mode.
{{-}}

=====Voyager Class=====
[[File:AoE_voyager_Drift.jpg|thumb|right|300px|To impress a chick, ''helicopter Drift'']]
*'''Autobot Drift''' (Voyager, 2014)
**''Accessories:'' two missile pods, two swords
:Drift is a retool of Voyager [[Skyhammer (DOTM)|Skyhammer]]. He features a new head, and also includes two swords that can combine with each other to form a larger sword. Skyhammer's missile pods are still included.
{{comingsoontoy}}
{{-}}

[[Category: Age of Extinction Autobots]]
[[Category: Turncoats]]

Talk:Drift (AOE)

2014-06-18T23:21:01Z

Kirby-Force: Kirby-Force moved page Talk:Drift (ROTF) to Talk:Drift (AOE)

Drift (AOE)

2014-06-18T23:20:56Z

Kirby-Force: Kirby-Force moved page Drift (ROTF) to Drift (AOE) over redirect

{{factions|decepticon|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Drift}}
:''Drift is an [[Decepticon]]-turned-[[Autobot]] from the from the [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (franchise)|Revenge of the Fallen]] portion of the [[live-action film series|live-action film]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:AOEDrift.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|| ''I woke up in a new Bugatti...'']]
A former [[Decepticon]] turned Autobot commando, '''Drift'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s strength lies not only in his mastery of ancient swords, but in his composure in battle.

==Fiction==
===''How to Ride your Dinobot'' cartoon===
[[File:Htryd-chapter-3-drift-random-buttons.jpg|right|400px|thumb]]
Drift and [[Slug (AOE)|Slug]] had cornered [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]] inside a barn, but alas, Drift had to learn how to attack with his Dinobot steed. Due to a lack of accurate instructions, Drift activated pretty much every button on Slug, activating everything but the weaponry. Some time later, Drift finally struck gold and activated the heavy weaponry... only to be immediately fried, much to his and Slug's disappointment.
{{storylink|How to Fight}}

{{-}}

===''Age of Extinction'' (film)===
{{voiceactor|[[Ken Watanabe]] (English)|}}
{{coming soon|when=June 27, 2014}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)}}

==Toys==
===Age of Extinction===
====Robots in Disguise====
=====Flip & Change=====
[[Image:AoE flip and change Drift.jpg|right|350px|thumb]]
*'''Drift''' (Flip & Change, 2014)
{{comingsoontoy}}
{{-}}

=====One Step Changers=====
[[File:AOERIDtoy-OneStepDrift.jpg|thumb|right|300px|]]
*'''Autobot Drift''' (One Step Changers, 2014)
{{-}}

=====Power Battlers=====
[[File:AOE PowerBattlers Drift.jpg|thumb|right|300px|]]
*'''Autobot Drift''' (Power Battlers, 2014)
{{comingsoontoy}}
{{-}}

=====Dino Sparkers=====
[[Image:AoE dino sparker Drift and Slug.jpg|thumb|right||250px|"How do you start a Triceratops?"]]
*'''Autobot Drift & Dinobot Slug''' (Dino Sparkers, 2014)
{{-}}

=====Titan Heroes=====
*'''Autobot Drift''' (Titan Heroes, 2014)
{{-}}

====Generations====
=====Deluxe Class=====
[[File:AOEGenerationstoy-DeluxeDrift.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"You remind me of someone... a man I met in a half-remembered dream. He was possessed of some radical notions."]]
*'''Autobot Drift''' (Deluxe, 2014)
**''Accessories:'' Two daggers, two swords
:Drift is part of the second wave of deluxe generations movie figures. he transforms into a black and blue 2013 Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse.
:The two daggers can store under his roof, and the swords store on the underside of his alt mode. All four of his weapons can store on his back in robot mode.
{{-}}

=====Voyager Class=====
[[File:AoE_voyager_Drift.jpg|thumb|right|300px|To impress a chick, ''helicopter Drift'']]
*'''Autobot Drift''' (Voyager, 2014)
**''Accessories:'' two missile pods, two swords
:Drift is a retool of Voyager [[Skyhammer (DOTM)|Skyhammer]]. He features a new head, and also includes two swords that can combine with each other to form a larger sword. Skyhammer's missile pods are still included.
{{comingsoontoy}}

==Merchandise==
===Revenge of the Fallen===
====RPMs - Robot Powered Machines====
[[Image:RPMDoubleSidersDrift.jpg|thumb|200px]]
*'''Autobot Drift''' (2010)
**''Series'': '''Double Siders'''
**''Number'': ?

:''[[Robot Powered Machines]]'' Mini-Vehicle Autobot Drift is a small, non-transforming, [[die-cast]] car based on [[Drift (G1)|his mainstream counterpart]]'s vehicle mode. His robot mode is sculpted underneath the vehicle, and his wheels use through-axle construction that lets the toy zip around at high speeds on smooth surfaces. Thanks to his oversized tires, he can slide along rightside-up or upside-down.

:The intended ''RPM'' release of "Double Siders" Drift never came out. Though it was going to be recycled into ''Speed Stars'', the ''RPM'' version had more paint operations, including having his name printed on his hood and bumper. The only image of the toy comes from a downloadable poster that was on the official ''Transformers'' website of Turkey.

: This mold was also used to make ''Speed Stars'' [[Breakdown (Speed Stars)|Breakdown]].

{{canceledrpmspeedstar}}

{{-}}
[[Image:RPMSpeedStarDriftUnknown.jpg|thumb|200px|]]
*'''Autobot Drift''' (2010)
**''Series'': '''Allspark'''
**''Number'': '''04'''

:"Allspark" Drift was presumably a redeco of "Double Siders" Drift. Though listed on the back of the Asian market release of ''RPM'' "Allspark" [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], it has never officially been depicted. However, an otherwise unknown redeco of the Drift mold with blue detailing was displayed at [[Toy Fair 2010]], amongst a mix of cancelled ''RPM'' and planned ''Speed Stars'' vehicles. It is possible that this mystery redeco was the aborted "Allspark" Drift.

{{canceledrpmspeedstar}}

{{-}}
===Speed Stars===
[[Image:SpeedStars_DoubleSiders_Drift.jpg|thumb|200px|]]
*'''Drift''' (Mini-Vehicle, 2011?)
**''Series:'' '''Double Siders'''
**''Number:'' ?

: A redeco of the unreleased ''RPM'' "Double Siders" Drift, ''[[Speed Stars]]'' Drift is a small non-transforming [[die-cast]] car. He features notably fewer paint operations than the ''RPM'' version.

:Like its ''RPM'' predecessor, ''Speed Stars'' Drift was never released.

{{canceledrpmspeedstar}}

[[Category: Age of Extinction Autobots]]
[[Category: Revenge of the Fallen Autobots]]
[[Category: RPMs]]
[[Category: Speed Stars]]
[[Category: Turncoats]]

File:MovieAdvanced-Dispensor.jpg

2014-06-18T23:19:03Z

Kirby-Force:

Photos of [[Movie Advanced]] [[Dispensor]] by [[User:ItsWalky]].
{{AOEstock}}

File:Lost Age AD-01 Optimus Prime.jpg

2014-06-18T23:18:18Z

Kirby-Force:

The [[TakaraTomy]] ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (toyline)|Lost Age:]] [[Transformers: Generations|Movie Advanced]]'' AD01 [[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Leader Class toys 5|Optimus Prime]] toy. Photos by [[User:Inkblot|Inkblot]].
{{AOEstock}}

[[Category: Lost Age toy images]]
[[Category: Generations toy images]]

File:Generationstoy-Crosscut.jpg

2014-06-18T23:11:15Z

Kirby-Force: Kirby-Force uploaded a new version of "File:Generationstoy-Crosscut.jpg"

The ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations:]] [[Thrilling 30]]'' Deluxe Class [[Crosscut (Autobot)#Generations|Crosscut]] toy.

{{C}} [[Hasbro]] 2013.
{{Generationsstock}}

Bumblebee (Movie)

2014-06-18T23:08:08Z

Kirby-Force: /* Dark of the Moon film */

{{factions|autobotfilm|NEST|hofsilver}}
{{disambig3|Bumblebee}}{{suite}}
:''Bumblebee is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Live-action film series|live-action film]] [[continuity family]]. He is also known as '''N.B.E.-02'''.''

[[Image:TF-Alliance03 Cover Nizzi.jpg|right|300px|thumb|SAM, I AM YOUR CAR...]]
'''Bumblebee''' is one of [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]'s most trusted lieutenants. Although he is not the strongest or most powerful of the Autobots, Bumblebee more than makes up for this with a bottomless well of luck, determination and bravery. He would gladly give his life to protect others and stop the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]].

Badly damaged in battle, Bumblebee lost the ability to speak verbally, though he can still communicate over inter-Autobot frequencies (in a fashion that seems somewhat akin to instant messaging, a usable but more distant and less personal means of interaction). He can also communicate with the Autobots' human allies and his friend, [[Sam Witwicky]], by playing audio clips from popular media on his radio.

{{quote|You wanna lay the fate of the world on the kid's Camaro? That's cool.|[[Seymour Simmons|Agent Simmons]]|''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]''}}

==Fiction==
===IDW ''Transformers'' movie comics===
[[Image:Defiance1_Cliffjumper_Bumblebee.jpg|thumb|left|300px|"Tell Hasbro that [[Cliffjumper (disambiguation)|I]] don't want to be a [[repaint]] of [[Bumblebee (disambiguation)|you]] anymore!"]]

Many years in the past, Bumblebee was [[hatchling|hatched]] among the second generation since the rediscovery of the [[AllSpark]] and revival of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|Movie Prequel issue 1|Movie Prequel #1}} He and [[Cliffjumper (Movie)|Cliffjumper]] were guardians of the AllSpark at the [[Simfur Temple|Temple]] of [[Simfur]]. One day, Bumblebee wondered aloud why Optimus and [[Lord High Protector]] [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] were out investigating the nearby excavation site when the AllSpark was "freaking" out with energy spikes. Cliffjumper assured him that whatever Optimus and the others were investigating, it must have been important, then reminded his colleague that they had their duties. When Bumblebee admitted nerves, Cliffjumper said that the two of them could handle anything, and just to let trouble come to them. He would soon regret those words when aliens attacked Simfur. They were seeking cover inside the temple when Lord Megatron swooped in, berated them for not taking the fight to the enemy and destroyed their opponent. He then told commander [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] to keep the lowly security guards out of the way of the military. {{storylink|Defiance issue 1|Defiance #1}}

Bumblebee was concerned this was the start of something ''big'', to which Cliffjumper agreed, but he felt that as little cogs in the great machine, all they needed to do was stand guard. [[Prowl (Movie)|Prowl]] advised them to stay at their posts and report to him of any unusual activity from the AllSpark during the battle. {{Storylink|Defiance issue 2|Defiance #2}}

[[Image:Defiance3_Optimus_Bumblebee_orders.jpg|thumb|300px|Well, that's one way to make a first impression.]]

After [[The Fallen|the relic]] informed Megatron of Optimus' break and enter of his personal quarters, Bumblebee, [[Smokescreen (Movie)|Smokescreen]], Cliffjumper, [[Camshaft (Movie)|Camshaft]], [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]] and Prowl were sent to the ruins near [[Burthov]] to arrest Optimus ''Prime's'' party on trumped-up charges of treason. When Optimus angrily demanded to know just what he had done to be charged with treason, Bumblebee pointed his weapon at the science leader and said they were just following orders, which seemed to satisfy Optimus. What the security officers didn't know was they were being led into a trap, and soldiers loyal to Megatron were under orders to eliminate all but Optimus. After being hit by an explosive round, the group banded together, realising they had all been marked for death. Optimus ordered them to flee to Burthov while he took care of Starscream's group personally. {{storylink|Defiance issue 3|Defiance #3}} Bumblebee hauled [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]] from the wreckage. {{storylink|Foundation issue 3|Foundation #3}}

[[Image:Defiance_Bumblebee_vehiclemodes.jpg|thumb|left|300px|My alt-mode is Pac-Man!]]

While on an apparent scouting mission, Bumblebee and Arcee discovered the ''[[Nemesis (ROTF)|Nemesis]]'' while it was under construction and reported their findings back to Prowl. Then Bumblebee transformed into a ball and Arcee transformed into a hover-bike and they both headed back to base. When the ''Nemesis'' was completed, Bumblebee and Arcee were there once again to witness the majority of the [[Decepticon]] forces board and take off for parts unknown to them.

With the bulk of the war-like Decepticons gone into space, the Autobots were able to hold their own in their resistance to Megatron's rule, but the war was ever-escalating in intensity, leading to increasing casualties and devastation to Cybertron. {{storylink|Defiance issue 4|Defiance #4}} Bumblebee was part of an assault on Simfur Temple to activate [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]]'s "[[pillar|torch]]" that he promised would end the war, {{storylink|Foundation issue 3|Foundation #3}} but when Starscream blew up Sentinel's [[Ark (DOTM)|ship]], Bumblebee retreated with the rest of the Autobots. However, the battle had weakened Decepticon forces to the extent that the Autobots were soon able to steal the AllSpark. {{storylink|Foundation issue 4|Foundation #4}}

[[Image:MovieMegatron Bumblebee torture comic.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Megatron's attempt at a "Give me your arm!" meme didn't really take off...]]

Optimus Prime made the desperate decision to launch the AllSpark into space. This decision took Bumblebee by surprise, but he supported Optimus. {{storylink|Defiance issue 4|Defiance #4}} Bumblebee commanded the Autobot forces at Tyger Pax on Cybertron attempting to hold the Decepticons off while the AllSpark was launched off-planet. He succeeded, but Megatron crushed his voice box, and he lost his ability to speak in the process. [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] has been having trouble fixing it ever since. Bumblebee was declared a hero for his actions, but he feared that all they had done was potentially spread their war to other worlds. {{storylink|Movie Prequel issue 1|Movie Prequel #1}}

Later, he was the first to track the AllSpark to [[Earth]], making planetfall in 2003. Here, he learned to express his emotions by tuning in appropriately emotive music on his car radio. Though the clandestine [[human]] organization [[Sector Seven]] tracked his descent {{storylink|Movie Prequel issue 2|Movie Prequel #2}} and secured the area in [[Virginia]] where he landed, his quick assumption of a local alternate mode disguise allowed him to escape via Interstate 64. Bumblebee's search for the AllSpark began in [[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]], where he used a remote link to a coffee shop computer to search [[Shwiggle]] for any signs of extra-terrestrial sightings. There, he discovered the legend of the [[Ice Man]], and the story of Captain [[Archibald Witwicky]]. {{storylink|Movie Prequel issue 3|Movie Prequel #3}}

Bumblebee's quest took him to [[Baton Rouge]], Louisiana, where Captain Witwicky had been committed. First he visited the ruins of the long-abandoned [[Psychopathic Institute for the Long-Term Insane]], Witwicky's final home. {{storylink|Movie Prequel issue 4|Movie Prequel #4}} From there, Bumblebee headed into downtown, where he scanned the records of Captain Witwicky from an unnamed [[asylum]]. This action unfortunately put Sector Seven onto his trail.

The Baton Rouge clues led Bumblebee to [[Springfield]], Missouri, in search of Witwicky's son [[Clarence Witwicky|Clarence]]. En route, he evaded the first of several attacks by Sector Seven. In Springfield, he found records of Clarence's descendants, and started out to track them down. The oldest son, [[Ben Witwicky|Ben]], had resided in Denver, Colorado, but the trail ended there. En route to his next stop in [[Tucson]], Bumblebee was again attacked by Sector Seven, evading their helicopters by blinding them and rocketing off at high speed. Not long after, he was attacked by [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] in the desert. {{storylink|Interlude}}

Damaged and smoking, Bumblebee stopped by the roadside to rest and recover. Suddenly detecting a burst of AllSpark energy, he continued onwards out of [[Colorado]]. In [[New Mexico]], as he approached the source of the AllSpark energy, he came under attack once again from Barricade. Other Decepticons, meanwhile, attacked the energy source and found it to be a Sector Seven ruse. Bumblebee managed to escape Barricade again, though unbeknownst to him the Decepticons let him go so that they could track him. Eventually, his search took him to [[Tranquility]], [[Nevada]], {{storylink|Movie Prequel issue 4|Movie Prequel #4}} where he would soon encounter [[Sam Witwicky]].

===''Transformers: Beginnings''===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Mark Ryan]]

[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] entrusted Bumblebee with the secret that the AllSpark would be sent into deep space to prevent Lord Megatron from possessing and corrupting it. Just after the launch, Megatron attacked Bumblebee in rage at losing the AllSpark and shattered the Autobot's voice capacitor beyond repair.

Bumblebee arrived on Earth and, sensing the AllSpark was near, took on local camouflage to search for the artifact. He immediately attracted the attention of Sector Seven agents and the Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformers: Beginnings (Movie)|Transformers: Beginnings}}

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

===''Ghosts of Yesterday'' prequel novel===
Between Tyger Pax and his arrival on Earth, Bumblebee and the rest of the [[Ark (Movie)|''Ark'']] crew encountered an alien ship, the ''[[Ghost 1]]'', in an abandoned solar system. After the ship turned tail and headed for one of the planet, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus]] sent Bumblebee down after it. Bumblebee located the ship, and was about to approach it when [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] arrived, and he was forced to retreat under the Decepticon's superior firepower. Shortly after discovering some apparently artificial pillars, the ground gave way, and Bumblebee found himself plunged into a cave system. With his radio damaged, he explored the caves, and encountered giant worm creatures. Though they were only organic, they had managed to back him into a corner by the time Optimus arrived to rescue him.

The pair had a brief encounter with Starscream and the ''Ghost 1'', the crew of which had been persuaded by the Decepticon that the Autobots were the aggressors in the Transformer war. Optimus and Bumblebee retreated back below ground, and later found the ''Ghost 1'' in a battered state, having been abandoned by Starscream. Bumblebee made contact with it, and the earlier misunderstanding was soon cleared up. When more of the worm creatures turned up, Bumblebee acted as a diversion so Optimus could blast a way out of the caves, and everyone escaped intact. They returned to the ''Ark'' in time to fight the Decepticons once more. Bumblebee joined [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] in attacking [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]], though the Decepticon gave them more than enough trouble. {{storylink|Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday|Ghosts of Yesterday}}

===''Transformers'' (2007) film===
{{voiceactor|[[Mark Ryan]] (English), [[Hiroshi Iwasaki]] (Japan radio voice) [[Akio Kato]] (Japan normal voice)|[[Helmut Gauß]] (German), [[Eduardo Borgerth]] (Brazil), [[Omar Soto]] (Latin American-Spanish Radio voice), [[Alfredo Gabriel Basurto]] (Latin American-Spanish normal voice)}}

[[Image:Movie2007 Bumblebee dealership.jpg|left|250px|thumb|The old old and the new old.]]
Bumblebee, having made his way to a second-rate car dealership, became [[Sam Witwicky]]'s first car. Sam's father promised his son a car if Sam paid half of the money and achieved three A's in school. After doing so with the help of his genealogy project, Sam rode with [[Ron Witwicky|his father]] to [[Bolivia's Finest Quality Used Cars and Petting Zoo|a car lot with an exceedingly long name]]. Following them to the lot, Bumblebee quietly placed himself among the other cars. To prevent Sam from having to choose another car, he used a high-frequency sound wave to blow out the windows of every other car in the lot, leaving [[Bobby Bolivia]] with no choice but to sell Bumblebee to the Witwickys.

The next day, Sam and his friend [[Miles Lancaster]] drove Bumblebee down to the lake in a misguided attempt to impress the popular girls at a party. Observing the exchange of thinly veiled insults between Sam and the football jocks, Bumblebee decided to help out Sam when the boy noticed [[Mikaela Banes]] walking home after a falling-out with her now ex-boyfriend. Playing "Drive" on his radio, Bumblebee inspired Sam to kick Miles out and drive Mikaela home. As the two awkwardly chatted, Bumblebee suddenly turned off his engine when they neared a romantic spot overlooking the city, this time playing "Sexual Healing" and "I Feel Good". Not knowing his car has a mind of its own, Sam misinterpreted this as a breakdown. Mikaela attempted to fix Bumblebee with her mechanical know-how, only to leave after Sam asked her why she tolerated jerks like her ex-boyfriend. Trying to help as much as he could, Bumblebee allowed Sam to start up his engine as she walked away, this time playing "Baby, Come Back". Arriving at Mikaela's house, Sam advanced a step towards her by stating that he didn't believe her to be shallow at all, that there was "more than meets the eye" with her. After she left, Sam quietly enthused that he loved his car.

[[Image:Movie2007 Bumblebee firstsighting.jpg|right|250px|thumb|One of the clearer shots in the film.]]
Later that night, Bumblebee drove off by himself with Sam in hot pursuit, believing it to be a car theft. Unwittingly leading his human owner to a junkyard, Bumblebee transformed and activated his communications beacon, requesting assistance from Optimus Prime and the other Autobots. Unknown to him, Sam had seen his robot form and run off, and was now being being pursued by the junkyard's two guard dogs. Bumblebee came to Sam's aid, scaring off the dogs, but had to escape when the police (whom Sam had previously summoned when Bumblebee drove away from his house) arrived to arrest Sam for breaking into the junkyard.

The next day, Bumblebee drove back to the Witwicky house sometime after Sam had been bailed out by his dad. Frightened and confused, Sam rode away from what he dubbed "[[Unicron|Satan]]'s Camaro", ending up in the city and encountering Mikaela in front of a Burger King. Bumblebee followed Sam towards an industrial area, not realizing that the Decepticon [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] was stalking the boy, intent on finding glasses belonging to [[Archibald Witwicky|Sam's ancestor]], which Sam had been auctioning on [[eBay]] Sam ran away from the attacking Decepticon and literally ran into Mikaela after she had followed him. As Barricade bore down on the pair, Bumblebee suddenly appeared, knocking the Decepticon off his feet, then drove the humans away as Barricade gave chase.

[[Image:Movie Bumblebee winner.jpg|left|250px|thumb|YOU BIG WINNER, HAHAHA.]]
Racing through dilapidated factories and warehouses, Bumblebee eventually arrived at a deserted chemical plant on the outskirts of town. There he waited until Barricade's back was turned before dumping Sam and Mikaela out of his passenger side door, then transforming into robot mode to protect his friends. Barricade transformed and attacked, hitting Bumblebee with his tire spikes and knocking the Autobot into a chemical tank. In retaliation, Bumblebee grabbed Barricade and threw him into an electrical substation, but Barricade rolled over and grabbed Bumblebee's head and began to pound him. Eventually, Bee was able to damaging the Decepticon and put him into stasis lock. After Sam and Mikaela took care of [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]], Bumblebee introduced himself to them entirely through the use of his radio, explaining that it was the only way he could communicate, that he was an alien, and that Sam had witnessed him calling to his friends the previous night. Transforming back into vehicle mode, Bumblebee invited his friends to enter (which they did after a brief hesitation) and began to drive them to nearby [[Griffith Observatory]].

[[Image:Movie Bumblebee Mikaela observatory.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Still think I'm a piece of crap, lady?]]
On the way, Mikaela (who had refused to sit in the driver's seat, as Bumblebee was driving), rhetorically asked Sam that if Bumblebee was a super-advanced robot, why did he turn into a piece-of-crap Camaro? Mildly insulted, Bumblebee stopped in the middle of a packed tunnel and forced the humans out, then drove away. As Sam lamented the fact that "four thousand dollars just drove off", Bumblebee passed another car and scanned it, driving back to the pair as a sleek and shiny 2009 Camaro. Amazed and impressed, Sam and Mikaela got back in, and Bumblebee continued their journey to the observatory. Arriving, the humans observed as the other Autobots entered the Earth's atmosphere and crash-landed in various parts of the city.

Bumblebee then took his friends to a secluded alleyway, where Sam and Mikaela met the other Autobots. Introducing themselves, Sam learned that Bumblebee was his guardian and that the Autobot's vocal processors had been damaged in battle. [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] was still working on them as he fired a regenerative plasma beam<ref name="Orci">[http://boards.transformersmovie.com/showthread.php?t=12054 Post-movie Q&A with screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman]</ref> at the damaged area. [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] explained that their mission was to find the [[AllSpark]], and that Sam Witwicky was the key due to his grandfather discovering [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] on an Arctic voyage.

[[Image:Movie BumblebeeCC guardian.jpg|left|250px|thumb|I may be your guardian, but I will not carry you through a crowd to the music of Whitney Houston.]]
Arriving at the Witwicky residence, Bumblebee attempted to convince his comrades to remain out of sight while Sam was talking to his father. When Sam and Mikaela were captured by [[Sector Seven]], Bumblebee helped rescue them. The interrogation of [[Seymour Simmons|Agent Simmons]] went nowhere, however, and Bumblebee became so annoyed with his attitude that he released lubricant onto the agent. Soon, Sector Seven reinforcements arrived, intent on recapturing the kids and any "N.B.E.s" they could get their hands on. Optimus Prime tried to protect Sam and Mikaela as they hid under a bridge, but both almost fell to their deaths when they slipped. Bumblebee raced forward, transforming and catching them in mid-air. Unfortunately, this also gave Sector Seven a clear and obvious target for them to attack. Firing harpoon cables from helicopters, the clandestine human organization dragged Bumblebee to the ground, and its soldiers began to freeze the helpless Autobot, who reached out to Sam. The boy broke free from an agent's grip, pushing the soldiers aside until he was tackled by several agents and taken away. Though [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]] objected to allowing Sector Seven to leave with their friend, Optimus Prime ordered his troops to stand down, as there was no way to save the prisoners without incurring human casualties.

[[Image:Movie2007 Bumblebee AllSpark.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Also available in pocket size.]]
Taken to [[Hoover Dam]], Bumblebee was continually doused with cryoblasts to keep him docile and inert as Sector Seven performed experiments on him. Sam and Mikaela (with some armed persuasion from [[William Lennox|Captain Lennox]]) convinced Sector Seven to release Bumblebee. Upon his release, Bumblebee converted to battle mode and almost lashed out at his human oppressors until Sam calmed him down, informing him of the presence of the AllSpark and Megatron in the facility, and that the Decepticons were coming for both. Following the humans to the AllSpark's chamber, Bumblebee hesitantly reached out to the life source of his people and reformatted it, shrinking the cube until it was a size that the humans could manipulate. Bumblebee and a military escort fled to [[Mission City]], meeting the Autobots en route.

Soon after they arrived at the city, [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] appeared. Recognizing the Decepticon, [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] and Bumblebee lifted up an abandoned truck in order to shield the humans from any collateral damage Starscream's attack would inevitably bring. One of the Decepticon's missiles struck the truck, sending both Autobots flying, with Bumblebee landing in a store front. The attack tore off Bumblebee's legs and left him barely functional, as Sam discovered to his horror when Bumblebee crawled from the wreckage. Soon, the other Decepticons arrived, led by Megatron, and the remaining Autobots were engaged. Mikaela and Sam hoisted Bumblebee onto an abandoned tow truck, but refused to leave his side. The Autobot silently handed his friend the AllSpark, trusting the fate of his people into the boy's hands, and urged him to run while he still could. As Sam ran off, Mikaela drove Bumblebee away from the fighting to relative safety.

[[Image:Movie2007_Sam_Mikaela_makingoutonBumblebee.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Why? Just... why?]]

However, she was soon overcome with guilt for leaving Sam and the battle. With Bumblebee's assent, she turned the truck around and headed back in. As Mikaela drove down the street in reverse, Bumblebee activated his weapon systems, then fired his [[plasma cannon]] and missiles at [[Brawl (Movie)|Devastator]], who was pinning down Captain Lennox and the rest of the combined Ranger/Sector Seven soldiers. His contribution was the deciding factor, confusing Devastator enough for the soldiers to counterattack, and the Decepticon was destroyed at last when Bumblebee's final cannon blast pierced his spark. Bumblebee was rather pleased with himself, and Mikaela complimented his shooting.

After the destruction of Megatron and the AllSpark, Bumblebee (who had regained his voice)<ref name="Orci">[http://boards.transformersmovie.com/showthread.php?t=12054 Post-movie Q&A with screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman]</ref> requested permission to remain with Sam, to which the young man agreed. After his legs were repaired, he allowed Sam and Mikaela to make out on top of him as the other Autobots watched as Optimus sent his message to space for other Autobots. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}}

{{-}}

===Titan Magazines ''Transformers'' movie comics===
{{notetitantlg}}
In an alternate reality, it was the crappiest day ever because Sam failed and was killed, and Megatron went on to conquer much of the Earth. Bumblebee liked to believe that there was a universe out there in which Megatron lost.

[[Image:Titan MikaelaBumblebee.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Why is he apologizing, you ask? Look where his left hand is.]]

Bumblebee and Mikaela went on to become old comrades in guerrilla warfare, and in 2008 went on a mission to rescue Optimus Prime from a Decepticon bunker in Denver. Bumblebee, now with missile launchers in car mode and increased physical strength, took out the bunker guard, [[Swindle (Movie)|Swindle]], (nearly crushing Mikaela by accident—"My bad.") and found Prime...or what was left of him. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 9|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 1}} Now stuck in the base, Bumblebee was being hunted by [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]], {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 10|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 2}} and baited into revealing himself when the tyrant threatened to kill Mikaela. Bumblebee made a desperate attack, only to be beaten aside with ease. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 11|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 3}}

Despite his defeat, he remained defiant to the end and refused to beg for mercy. Luckily the Autobot reinforcements arrived; unluckily, they couldn't stop Megatron; luckily again, Mikaela had revived Optimus Prime to save them {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 12|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 4}} and arrived with Phase Two of their plan, a Sector Seven nanovirus that targeted AllSpark energy. Plugging it to himself, Bumblebee charged at the super-powered Megatron and forcibly uploaded the nano-virus, killing the tyrant once and for all. Not that he patted himself on the back over this, for he knew too well that this just left a [[Starscream (Movie)|power vacuum]]... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 13|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 5}}

Still partnered with Mikaela near the Savannah, Georgia refugee camp post-occupation, Bumblebee appeared frustrated with how the humans were frightened of him and, to be listened to, Mikaela had to do the talking for him. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 14}} They went back into battle again to end a [[NATO]] bombardment of the Autobots in Savannah, running a gauntlet of tanks and [[Thundercracker (Movie)|Thundercrackers]] before freeing the NATO field commander from Decepticon mind control. During the course of the battle he roasted a drone with fiery exhaust. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 15|Aftermath Part 2}}

Following this battle, Bumblebee was involved in many clashes with Decepticons to protect human infrastructure, including leading a small group to protect an oil pipeline in Alaska. [[Armorhide (Movie)|Armorhide]] did not follow orders well. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 16|Dark Spark}}

[[Image:Bumblebeehandlesthis.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Yes, you ''did'' see this happen.]]

Following ''that'', he was sent with Arcee and Armorhide to Cybertron, under Ironhide's command. The mission was to retrieve [[Nucleon]]. Bumblebee was ordered to do recon and discovered a strange satellite dish, but investigating it saw the team jumped by [[Stockade (Movie)|Stockade]]. Then a strange energy anomaly appeared in orbit, and when Bumblebee asked what it was, Stockade babbled "BLBLBLBLBBL!". {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 17|Return to Cybertron: Part 1}} Bumblebee's subsequent attempt at dialogue (after first convincing Ironhide to stop throwing his face at Stockade's fists) was more successful, finding out the anomaly was a living entity the Decepticons had deliberately summoned, believing it would rejuvenate Cybertron.

Not trusting this entity and wanting to stop all the Nucleon being used up, Bumblebee organised the Autobots to create a distraction while he snuck around and turned the Nucleon transfer off. He also intended to send a message to Optimus, and considering [[Unicron|the entity was Unicron the Anti-Life]], it's a good thing he did. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 18|Return to Cybertron: Part 2}} In the resulting chaos, Bumblebee had [[Divebomb (Movie)|Divebomb]] barge past him, had to rescue Ironhide from rubble, and found out the guy wanted to stop Unicron by destroying the world. He wasn't having a good day. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 19|Return to Cybertron: Part 3}}

The day improved when Optimus arrived with a better plan: Cut off the Nucleon that Unicron's body was using for power. Bumblebee and Armorhide were dispatched to drain the Nucleon seam. This took too long, though, so Ratchet came up with a quicker alternative. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 20|Return to Cybertron: Part 4}}

[[Image:Titan MikaelaBumblebeereunion.jpg|left|200px|thumb|OTP!]]

Upon returning to Earth, the Autobots found the Decepticons had pinched their base and all 600 square miles around it. They retreated, leaving Mikaela in Decepticon hands; Bumblebee was distraught over this. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 21|Hard Target}} He would be part of the raid to get her back, knowing and ignoring that it was an obvious trap due to how much they owed Mikaela. The raid was successful and the two were reunited, awwww! {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 22|The Decepticon Who Haunted Himself}}

It didn't last long, with the Decepticon-blackmailed American government ordering the Autobots out; Bumblebee got dispatched with Ironhide on a mission related to this. The next day, Bumblebee got one last hour with Mikaela (and to beat up [[Dropkick]] as an "up yours" gesture) before joining the Autobots in departing... ''and then they got nuked!'' {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 23|Revolution Part 1}}

Optimus had anticipated this though, and the Autobots faked their deaths with a decoy ship. Bumblebee, however, couldn't tell Mikaela this due to a decision to minimise any possible exposure. He was part of the spearhead team on return to Earth, intended to raise the Decepticon Heartland and teleport all the enemy there to the dead Cybertron. Mikaela was ''not'' happy to see him back, feeling they'd kept the plan from her because they didn't fully trust her to not be captured; Bumblebee tried to deny this.

In the final battle, Bumblebee 'tagged' Megatron and so is responsible for the tyrant being exiled forever—third time lucky!

In the aftermath, after it became clear the Autobots had just exiled ''themselves'' to Earth forever—"Hey, there are worse fates," said Bumblebee—Mikaela forgave Bumblebee. Both had a lot of clean-up work to do, but also a brave new world to explore together...! {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 25|Revolution Part 3}}

===Real World===
At some point, Bumblebee let his guard down and the Decepticons took advantage by taking out an Autobot communications hub. He apologized for his lapse. {{storylink|Transformers: Rise of the Chevy Autobots}}

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

Bumblebee and [[Hardtop (Movie)|Hardtop]], as two opposing elite spies, have crossed paths many times across the galaxy in a grueling test of endurance. Lately Hardtop has been taking this rivalry very personally, turning it into a vendetta. It was a crack shot by Hardtop that damaged Bumblebee's vocal processors, causing the Autobot pain when he tries to speak. {{storylink|Hardtop (Movie)#Transformers (2007)|Hardtop}}

During the [[Mission City]] battle, Bumblebee required assistance and had to be towed to safety by [[Longarm (Movie)|Longarm]]. {{storylink|Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#Deluxe Class toys|Towed to Safety}}

With the initial threat over, Bumblebee decided to kick back and relax. Transcanning a rally car, he began hanging around at race tracks, pitting himself against the human racers. {{storylink|Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#Fast Action Battlers|Rally Rocket Bumblebee}}

He would later be sent on a mop-up duty, hunting [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]] across the [[Middle East]]. {{storylink|Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#Legend Class toys|Bumblebee vs. Scorponok}}

Eventually, with pictures of him all over the internet, Bumblebee found to his discomfort that ''everyone'' recognised him... including newly arriving Decepticons, which put Sam and others in danger! With Mikaela's help, Bumblebee recoloured himself to help restore his disguise and make it easier to sneak up on the enemy. {{storylink|Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#Deluxe Class toys|Stealth Bumblebee}}

===Transformers Mix & Match book===
{{Note|Due to the malleable storytelling format of the Mix & Match book, listed here is Bumblebee's story role if all the segments visually featuring him are lined-up. For all the possible iterations of his role in the story, see the [[Transformers Mix & Match]] page.}}
Bumblebee defended Sam and Mikaela from an encroaching Barricade, who sought to capture the humans. {{storylink|Transformers Mix & Match}}
{{-}}

===IDW ''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===
[[Image:Alliance2_Bumblebee_takecove-rrk.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"Why do they always aim for the throat!?"]]

Shortly after the battle in [[Mission City]], Bumblebee's injuries were tended to by Ratchet while Ironhide and Captain Lennox's men searched for the creatures inadvertently created by the AllSpark's energy. After his legs were attached, he rolled out with the Autobots to escape Sector Seven's inquiries. A month later, when asked by Lennox, Optimus Prime informed the human that Bumblebee had resumed his role as Sam Witwicky's protector. {{storylink|Alliance issue 1|Alliance #1}}

[[Image:Alliance3_Ironhide_Bumblebee.jpg|thumb|200px|"I see dead people, I mean it, look there's one right over there."]]

Bumblebee accompanied the other Autobots to escort the convoy transporting the dead Decepticons to a navy base in [[California|San Diego, California]], where they would be taken out to sea and dumped. Optimus Prime gave the surviving AllSpark sliver to [[Vine|Professor Vine]] of Sector Seven, but after deciding this was a bad idea later on, he sent Ironhide and Bumblebee back to the [[Nevada]] facility to retrieve it. Bumblebee raced ahead and arrived to inadvertently save [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s life by disarming the revived [[Wreckage (Movie)|Wreckage]]. A grateful Starscream shot Bumblebee as he was protecting the humans, {{storylink|Alliance issue 2|Alliance #2}} leaving his vocal processor damaged. Though Ironhide praised him for his bravery and selflessness, Bumblebee regretted not being able to save everybody. By the time the Navy and the Autobots were out at sea to bury Jazz and dump the Decepticon corpses, Ratchet had repaired Bumblebee's body (giving him a modified vehicle mode in the process), but was evidently unable to fully restore his vocal processor. In an effort to prevent mistakes of the past occurring again and to protect Earth, the Autobots and the United States Military formed a special unit under Major Lennox and Optimus Prime's command. When the Decepticon [[Swindle (Movie)|Swindle]] was detected in [[San Francisco]], Bumblebee and the others rolled out from [[Diego Garcia]]. {{storylink|Alliance issue 3|Alliance #3}}

After Optimus Prime destroyed a surprised [[Dead End (Movie)|Dead End]], Bumblebee chased Swindle onto the deserted Golden Gate Bridge. Though cornered, the Decepticon was amused that they had sent his old nemesis Bumblebee against him, and quickly set to clobbering the Autobot. Major [[William Lennox|Lennox]] distracted the Decepticon, allowing Bumblebee to pay Swindle back for his inept attempt to torture him thousands of years ago. On the plane trip back to Diego Garcia, Lennox and Optimus agreed that Sam Witwicky would become the target of the Decepticons again, and that he ''must'' be protected. Bumblebee was chosen to act as Sam's guardian again, and before he left, Prime pressed upon him that the protection of the boy was his first priority. {{storylink|Alliance issue 4|Alliance #4}}

Bumblebee's attempts to integrate himself into Sam's life were not as smooth as he had hoped. Without the team structure of the Autobots, Bumblebee tended to act upon instinct, taking revenge on Mikaela's ex-boyfriend [[Trent DeMarco]] for his previous humiliations of Sam by wrecking his truck, smashing a would-be car thief with the door he was attempting to unlock, and inadvertently giving Sam traffic tickets by not observing the rules of the road. When Bumblebee was alone, he attempted to learn as much as he could about human culture, feeling that he owed it to his friend. Soon, Sam came to the question of what Bumblebee would do when Sam went to college after the summer. 'Bee intended to follow Sam wherever he went, but Sam feared that he might not be able to bring his car along with him. Unfortunately, Sam's parents were less than thrilled with the idea of having an alien robot live with them while Sam was away, especially after what the Autobots had done to their beloved yard. [[Ron Witwicky|Sam's father]] decreed that while Bumblebee could stay for the rest of the summer, once Sam has gone to school, the Autobot was out the door. However, unexpectedly, Ron Witwicky came to Bumblebee seeking aid when Mikaela reported that Sam had never made a rendezvous with her. Speeding out of the garage without Ron (and without waiting for the garage door to open), Bumblebee searched for clues to Sam's whereabouts and eventually found a message from his old foe Barricade, who demanded the AllSpark in exchange for the boy. Finding the pair at an car wrecking yard, Bumblebee attacked Barricade, but was considerably outmatched, with the Decepticon gloating that Earth had made the Autobot soft, and their last encounter was down to pure luck. Eventually, with a distraction from Sam, Bumblebee was able to force Barricade into a pool of gasoline. With the Decepticon hardly down for the count, Bumblebee told Sam to run and ignited the gasoline, causing a tremendous explosion that sent both Transformers flying. In the aftermath, Bumblebee told Sam he had a feeling they hadn't seen the last of Barricade. {{storylink|Tales of the Fallen issue 1|Tales of the Fallen #1}}
{{-}}

===''The Veiled Threat'' prequel novel===
{{Note|The events of ''The Veiled Threat'' take place during [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''[[Transformers: Alliance|Alliance]]'' comic.}}

Bumblebee was guarding Sam Witwicky and did not take part in any NEST missions.{{storylink|Transformers: The Veiled Threat|The Veiled Threat}}

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

[[Image:Titan2_BumblebeePOV.jpg|left|thumb|200px|[[Robo-Vision]]!]]

His voice gone again, Bumblebee communicated by playing snippets of Earth songs.

Bumblebee was driven by the Witwickys to [[Princeton University|Sam's college]], where he quietly endured their bickering while scanning everything around him for potential threats. When he picked up radio transmissions from two new Autobots, he drove off into battle, and saved [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]] from being slaughtered by [[Ransack (ROTF)|the Decepticon Ransack]]. But with the villain threatening a long game, Bumblebee knew that here came trouble... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.2|Dogfight!}}

Speaking of trouble, poor Bumblebee ended up as the twins' minder. You can guess how well ''that'' went... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.3|Learning Curve}}

[[Image:Titan2-6_aimedatyourheart.jpg|right|thumb|There's only room for ''one'' kid-appeal character...]]

Some time later, Bumblebee was hanging out in Sam's garage when he received an emergency call from [[Diego Garcia]]: the twins, now dangerous Decepticon turncoats, had abducted Sam! He tore out of the garage, tracked down the twins, and demanded they stop immediately. When they didn't, he launched suppressive fire and began ramming Skids, yelling ''"let my people go-go!"''. He soon had Sam free and the twins at gunpoint, ready to eliminate if necessary. However, partway into Mudflap's claims that they'd been framed and there was a bigger threat coming, [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] got the drop on Bumblebee and gunned him down... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.6|Outlaw Blues}}

Clearly he got better, because he was around for...
{{-}}

===''Revenge of the Fallen'' movie===
{{voiceactor|[[Mark Ryan]] (dialogue cut from final movie)|[[Omar Soto]], [[Enrique Cervantes]] and [[Arturo Acosta]] (Latin American-Spanish radio voice)}}

[[Image:ROTF Bumblebee overkill.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Hey, you're lucky. Back on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], I had to blow up ''whole [[Polities of Cybertron|city-states]]'' to achieve objectives.]]
Bumblebee was dozing in the Witwicky garage the day Sam was packing for [[Princeton University]] when he heard the boy scream out his name. Bumblebee drove through, transformed and started blasting away at [[AllSpark Mutation]]s of the Witwicky kitchen appliances. [[Judy Witwicky]] was horrified that Bumblebee blew up much of their house, but he shrugged her off and went back into the garage. As firefighters and local police arrived, Sam and [[Mikaela Banes]] went inside the garage. Mikaela asked whether Bumblebee was still having voice problems, to which Sam replied the Autobot was just playing it up. Sam revealed he did not want Bumblebee to come to college as he wanted a normal life, and he couldn't do that with Bumblebee watching over him. Bumblebee was heartbroken and began crying, refusing to listen anymore.

[[Image:ROTF Sam Bumblebee cry.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Humanization]] included.]]
However, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] was having difficulties with [[NEST]] director [[Theodore Galloway]], who believed protecting the human race required drawing away the Decepticons from Earth by making the Autobots leave. Optimus believed Sam would be a worthy ambassador to convince the [[President of the United States]] otherwise. Bumblebee picked up Sam from a frat party, only to get an unwanted passenger in [[Alice]]. Bumblebee knew something wasn't right about the girl interested in Sam, smashing her head against his dashboard, and dousing her in liquid to get rid of her. Bumblebee dropped Sam off to meet Optimus at a graveyard, where the boy turned down Optimus' offer.

[[Image:ROTF Bumblebee vs Starscream.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Bring it, bee-yotches!]]
When [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] returned from the dead, Bumblebee was deployed to rescue Sam, Mikaela and [[Leo Spitz]], driving away with the latter two while Optimus drove off with Sam. Optimus died protecting the boy, and Bumblebee took him with [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]] to an abandoned prison where they would be safe. Following Optimus' death, [[The Fallen]] and a new army of Decepticons struck out across Earth and announced their existence, promising to leave if they were given Witwicky. Galloway shut down NEST and had the other Autobots placed under guard with orders to ship them back to [[Diego Garcia]], while a manhunt began for Sam. Bumblebee was now protecting a fugitive.

[[Image:ROTF Bumblebee soar.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Team Autobot's blasting off again!]]
That evening, Sam told Bumblebee he was responsible for Optimus's death, and would understand if Bumblebee hated him, but the little Autobot bore Sam no grudge, and promised that he would help in any way he could. When Sam announced that he would turn himself in, Bumblebee insisted that it would not help matters. Under Leo's suggestion, the group came to [[New York City]] to meet his internet rival, the Robo-Warrior. As it turned out, the Robo-Warrior was none other than Bumblebee's former lubrication post, [[Seymour Simmons]], who elaborated on evidence of the [[Seeker (ROTF)|Seekers]] that came to Earth before Megatron and the AllSpark. Bumblebee watched from the sideline as the humans and [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] awoke [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]], who transported them to [[Egypt]], which unfortunately sent Bumblebee crash landing near Sam. Jetfire explained the origins of the [[Dynasty of Primes|Seven Primes]] and the treasons of [[The Fallen]], mentioning the [[Matrix of Leadership]], which Sam believed could be used to resurrect Optimus Prime.

[[Image:ROTF Bumblebee twin bash.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Respect my authoritah!]]
Bumblebee continued his role as chauffeur, transporting the humans to [[Petra (Earth)|Petra]], the supposed location of the [[Tomb of the Primes]]. However, Petra appeared to be a dead end, and the Twins got into an argument of why they were following Sam around, which, knowing the Twins, got violent. As their brawl threatened to crush the humans in the close quarters, Bumblebee picked his two subordinates up in each hand, slammed them together, and threw them out of the temple. However, the Twins' brawl had managed to unearth the Tomb of the Primes, and Bumblebee further opened the hole with his plasma cannon, where they found the Matrix...which instantly turned to dust. Oops.

[[Image:ROTF movie BumblebeevsRampage.jpg|thumb|200px|Move your body Rampage! Yeah, like that, gymnastics are really easy when you have two legs. Oh wait...]]

While heading back to Egypt, the Autobots came under [[Operation: Firestorm|assault]] by Starscream, and it was decided that Sam and Mikaela would take the Matrix dust to Prime's body while Bumblebee, Simmons, Leo, and the Twins would lead Starscream and the Decepticons away. When it became apparent that Starscream was no longer pursuing them, Bumblebee left to rejoin Sam. Heading to the abandoned town where Sam and Mikaela were, Bumblebee found that [[Ron Witwicky|Ron]] and [[Judy Witwicky]] had been captured by the Decepticons, and were being held by [[Rampage (ROTF)|Rampage]]. Noticing Bumblebee, Sam distracted the [[Constructicon (ROTF)|Constructicon]] long enough for Bumblebee to jump him. While Bumblebee had Rampage on the ropes, [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] jumped Bumblebee, but the plucky Autobot managed to fight off Ravage and ''rip out his spine''. Ouch. With Ravage dispatched, Bumblebee managed to tear off Rampage's arms and distend his head. Bumblebee then tried to escort his charges to NEST's position, but the heavy amount of fire convinced Sam to have Bumblebee to take his parents to safety, while he continued his quest to save Optimus.

However, during Sam's flight to Optimus's body, Megatron caught up and blasted the boy, evidently killing him. Bumblebee returned to the scene with Sam's parents, and broke down in grief. However, the human miraculously survived the attack, and with the reformed Matrix of Leadership, resurrected Optimus Prime. Together, the assembled Autobots and humans watched as Optimus combined with the remains of Jetfire, destroyed the harvester and killed The Fallen. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
{{-}}

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

After the discovery of new Decepticons on Earth, Bumblebee decided to upgrade his arsenal and modified his vehicle mode so he could use weaponry in it, deciding he'd been caught off guard too many times before. {{storylink|Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#Deluxe Class toys 2|Cannon Bumblebee}}

Following this, he volunteered to be Sam's guardian, It was a pretty swank deal: he got to hang with Sam and Mikaela all the time, got lots of [[oil]], and could join Ironhide in killing Decepticons whenever he wanted. {{storylink|Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#Deluxe Class toys 2|Bumblebee}} But when the battle shifted to the deserts, he threw himself into the fray, upgrading himself for desert combat and wielding the mighty ''sand blast''! {{storylink|Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#Fast Action Battlers 2|Sand Attack Bumblebee}}

===Titan Magazines post-''Fallen'' comics===
Post-Fallen, he was sent back into the field. His first new mission was to capture [[Reverb (ROTF)|Reverb]]. When Jolt messed the mission up, Bumblebee saved the day by ''ramming'' the bike head-on. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.9|Culture Shock}}

[[Image:Titan10_Eppsandbee.jpg|left|thumb|210px|]]

Later, with Lennox and his crew searching for [[Seeker (ROTF)|Seekers]], Bumblebee was left with only [[Robert Epps]] to investigate an attack on Malmstrom Air Force Base and the disappearance of Optimus Prime. Epps worked out that Optimus had been victim of an electromagnetic bomb, and Bumblebee tracked his leader to where he was being held. (Poor Epps had to ride in Bumblebee jumping a ravine, and almost spewed up his breakfast) After locating Prime, they found he was a captive of the [[Free Men]] militia. At Epps command, Bumblebee hit the Free Men compound with his full firepower, swiftly defeating the militia. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.10| Bring Me the Head of Optimus Prime}}

He dispatched three raw cadets (Jolt, [[Rollbar (ROTF)|Rollbar]], and [[Dune Runner (ROTF)|Dune Runner]]) to [[Death Valley]] for a survival exercise. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.11|Spare Parts!}} Later, he was summoned as back-up by NEST [[South Africa]] due to a Decepticon jailbreak, but Optimus ordered him to let the Decepticons leave to prevent civilian casualties. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.13|Inside Out!}}

[[Image:Titan18_Bumblethumbsup.jpg|right|thumb|120px|It's true!]]

With the Autobot's reputation in the toilet because of the South Africa failure, and with concerns that public fights risked alienating humans, Bumblebee was tasked to head a covert unit with [[Slap Dash]] and [[Hubcap (TF 2010)|Hubcap]]. They'd operate under NEST's radar, monitoring Decepticons and waiting for windows of opportunity out of the public eye, before hitting hard and fast. In practice, this meant allowing Decepticons like [[Crankstart (TF 2010)|Crankstart]], [[Brimstone (TF 2010)|Brimstone]], and [[Trenchmouth]] to run amok in cities, with Bumblebee restraining his desire to stop them and keeping his men from taking action. After an uncomfortable period of hoping nobody would be killed, the Decepticons went to an isolated stretch of road: now free to act, Bumblebee led his men in a vicious ambush and personally drove ''through'' Crankshaft. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.18|Shadow War}}

{{-}}

===Cyber Missions===
[[Image:CyberMissions9_Bumblebee.JPG|300px|thumb|right|BUUU!]]
{{voiceactor|[[Tom Anderson]], [[David Kledzik]], [[Tony Gialluca II]], [[Bronco D. Jackson]] (English)|[[José Antonio Macías]] (Latin American-Spanish), [[Alexandre Moreno]] (Brazilian Portuguese)}}

Bumblebee and [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] were reviewing some [[data tracks]] that Optimus Prime had made for preservation in [[Vector Sigma]] when they detected an explosion outside their base. Bumblebee remained to lock down the most important data tracks while Ironhide went to investigate [[Bludgeon (ROTF)|the cause]] of the explosion. However, that is what the Decepticons wanted, as moments later, [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] burst into the base, overwhelming Bumblebee with a sonic attack, and mocking Bumblebee for being the smallest Autobot. Bumblebee countered that he wasn't as small as Soundwave thought, but in the battle that followed, Soundwave was able to physically overpower Bumblebee. Bumblebee fired a shot from his shoulder cannon, but Soundwave absorbed the sonic boom and sent the acoustic energy back at him. Bumblebee decided to use a more ingenious method: fire automatic weaponry at Soundwave, giving too many sonic booms for Soundwave to absorb, defeating the Decepticon. Bumblebee then tried to inform Ironhide of what had happened, but he had unfinished business with Bludgeon.{{storylink|Cyber Missions 1}} Following this, Bumblebee placed Soundwave in an electromagnetically sealed bubble, leaving him unable to absorb any sonic booms to escape. {{storylink|Cyber Missions 2}}

After Ironhide went missing in the jungle, Bumblebee reported the problem to Optimus, who was luckily in the area. Prime asked him to conduct a scan of the area in which Ironhide went missing, and Bumblebee discovered that the rocks in the area had an unusually high concentration of [[energon]] deposits. {{storylink|Cyber Missions 5}} Bumblebee took part in a training exercise with Ironhide in the Arctic when his comrade decided that the smaller 'bot was too often a target for the Decepticons. During their sparring, they discovered what appeared to be a sentient plant growing in the snow. {{storylink|Cyber Missions 8}}

Bumblebee and [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] were dispatched to a building in [[Scramble City (city)|Scramble City]] by Optimus, who briefed them that [[Smolder]] and [[Chopster]] were causing trouble. On reaching the building, they encountered Chopster, who screamed and ran away when Bumblebee looked menacing. Bumblebee called after him to bring his friend out, replying to a bemused Ratchet that not every encounter had to be a battle. The pair were almost run down a short time later by Smolder, and Bumblebee was forced to grapple at length with the Decepticon while Ratchet worked on repowering his EMP blaster. Afterward, the two Autobots stood over the disabled Decepticon and cracked jokes. {{storylink|Cyber Missions 9}}

Optimus reported finding Megatron and Starscream in the Arctic regions of Earth, and Bumblebee was summoned to aid his leader in battle with Ironhide, Ratchet and Sideswipe. Starscream broke off from the two on one duel, and attacked all the Autobots at once, only to be defeated in due time. However, Optimus let Megatron go, and Starscream apparently followed suit. {{storylink|Cyber Missions 12}}

Optimus later laid a trap to lure the Decepticons to a final confrontation with a hologram of Soundwave, and Megatron indeed walked right into it. Bumblebee, Ironhide, and Ratchet arrived to join the battle, and in the ensuing fight, Bumblebee took on Mindwipe. The Decepticon tried to hypnotize Bumblebee into not fighting, but he nonchalantly ingnored him, and continued fighting. An army of humans arrived and surrounded the combatants, and the day went to the Autobots. Optimus ''once again'' let Megatron and the Decepticons go at their choice. After Megatron fled, Bumblebee decided to give the Decepticons a reminder of who protected this planet, and stamped out an Autobot symbol in the dirt. {{storylink|Decepticons Attack}}

===''Classified'' novels===
Bumblebee was at [[Edwards Air Force Base]] with Ratchet when they received word that two Cybertronians in transition forms had landed near [[Hurley's Crossing]]. The pair went there by helicopter and encountered [[Reverb (ROTF)|Reverb]], who claimed to be a Decepticon defector hunting down another Decepticon who was after the technology at [[Hawthorne Army Depot]]. Though Bumblebee was highly skeptical, he followed Ratchet's lead, and they took Reverb to the depot. When they reached it, [[Kevin Bowman]] let them know that [[Gears (ROTF)|Gears]] was an Autobot and in reality trying to protect an ancient weapons cache. The warning came too late, as Reverb turned the weapons on Bumblebee and Ratchet, who were unable to penetrate the personal forcefield Reverb had acquired. Despite this, Bumblebee lasted out Reverb's defeat with minimal damage. {{storylink|Transformers Classified: Switching Gears|Switching Gears}}

When Bumblebee and Gears were left at base, they received word from [[Douglas Porter]] that the Decepticon [[Blowback]] was heading up to [[Battle Mountain]] where a storehouse of Cybertronian artifacts had been discovered. The pair were compelled to travel to Battle Mountain with Kevin and Douglas, though Bumblebee made a detour to a [[Kwiki-Burger]] on the way. On arrival, they were attacked by Blowback and his men, and by the time they'd dispatched the four Decepticons, Kevin and Douglas had found the storehouse. They were subsequently picked up by Ironhide and taken back to face Optimus Prime's anger at them having gone off on their own. {{storylink|Transformers Classified: Battle Mountain|Battle Mountain}}

When the Battle Mountain cylinder was in danger of activating, Bumblebee and Gears took part in a convoy to transport the device to a NEST vault near [[Yucca Mountain]]. The trip was cut short when the convoy was ambushed outside [[Beatty]] by Reverb and some stolen [[Hyperdynamix]] autonomous tanks. They caught a break when Reverb was called away to the nearby Hyperdynamix Aerospace facility, and while Gears and Kevin followed the Decepticon, Bumblebee remained to protect the remains of the convoy. {{storylink|Transformers Classified: Satellite of Doom|Satellite of Doom}}

===IDW Post ''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===
[[Image:After fight with Soundwave Nefarious 1.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
Bumblebee was in charge of a team made up of [[Jolt (ROTF)|Jolt]], [[Knock Out (ROTF)|Knock Out]], [[Dune Runner (ROTF)|Dune Runner]] and [[Breakaway (ROTF)|Breakaway]]. When [[NEST]]'s satellite images detected Decepticon activity in [[Florida]], Bumblebee's team was sent to investigate. Though Bumblebee instructed Breakaway not to engage the enemy, Breakaway attacked [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] and was destroyed. Bumblebee and the rest of his team engaged the Decepticons at [[Kingdom Petrochemicals]], but after a group of humans left and the Decepticons fled, Bumblebee was left mystified as to what was going on. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 1|Nefarious #1}} He and his team returned to [[Edwards Air Force Base]], where Galloway was annoyed that he hadn't been notified about the arrival on Earth of some of the members of Bumblebee's team. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 2|Nefarious #2}}

After Optimus managed to capture Soundwave in [[Utah]], Bumblebee's team guarded the Decepticon. They loaded him onto a plane for transport to a NEST base in [[Texas]], however en route the plane was shot down by [[Buzzsaw (ROTF)|Buzzsaw]]. Resolving to deliver Soundwave, Bumblebee took his team on the road. It wasn't long before they ran into Soundwave's "mini-militia". Bumblebee quickly realized that his team was outmatched. Rather than a repeat of the loss of Breakaway, Bumblebee opted to release Soundwave. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 3|Nefarious #3}}

Soundwave eventually located the [[Initiative base]] and led the Autobots to [[Inyokern]]... only to find the base was gone. He traced it to [[Crater Lake]], and the Autobots went on a road trip up to [[Oregon]]. Bumblebee's team was sent to assault the base from the north, however as he broke through the base's outer wall, he was confronted by an [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Initiative-controlled Transformer]]. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 5|Nefarious #5}} Bumblebee was taken down, and his team required reinforcements to break through the resistance to help him. Presumably his damage wasn't [[spark]]-threatening, as he was seen safe and well in the aftermath of the battle. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 6|Nefarious #6}}
{{-}}

===Transformers Annual 2011===
Bumblebee charged to Sam's defense when Starscream tried to abduct the boy, but proved no match for the Decepticon, and was flung around the yard. As Starscream started making off with Sam, Bumblebee made another attempt to stop him, and was brushed aside. Luckily Optimus arrived to help, and Starscream soon fled, but the Witwicky's yard was in ruins. {{storylink|Sam in Danger}}

===IDW ''Dark of the Moon'' movie comics===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Ratchet}}{{storylink|Transformers: Bumblebee}}

[[Brains]] was in a parking lot in [[Philadelphia]], trying to find some help, so he tried asking a car for help. When no response came, Brains kicked the car, angrily, but was shocked when it transformed into Bumblebee. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 1|Rising Storm #1}} Sam and Bumblebee brought Brains back to his college. Suddenly, the college was under attack from Starscream and other Decepticons. [[Sonar (ROTF)|Sonar]] attempted to attack Bumblebee, but was promptly killed by the newly arrived [[Mirage (Movie)|Mirage]] and [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Wheeljack]]. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 2|Rising Storm #2}} [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] reappeared and placed Bumblebee in a headlock, who retaliated by punching Barricade in the jaw when the Decepticon attempted to attack Sam. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 3|Rising Storm #3}} Bumblebee slammed Barricade into a sidewalk, defeating him. Afterwards, Bumblebee bade goodbye to Sam and [[Carly Spencer]] as NEST decided they required him on the field rather than to guard Sam. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 4|Rising Storm #4}}
{{-}}

===''Dark of the Moon'' film===
{{voiceactor|N/A (English)|[[Omar Soto]], [[Ferso Velázquez]] and [[Alfredo Gabriel Basurto]] (Latin American-Spanish radio voice)}}

[[Image:DOTFfilm-BumblebeeStealthForce.jpg|left|thumb|400x|''Stealth'' Force? Right...]]
Three years after Operation Firestorm, Bumblebee continued to live with Sam and [[Carly Spencer]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], although he would frequently go on top secret NEST missions with the rest of the Autobots, mostly to prevent human conflict. He was among a force consisting of himself, [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]], [[Mirage (Movie)|Dino]] and [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que]] which was to investigate an illegal nuclear facility, employing his [[Stealth Force]] mode to destroy it. Meanwhile a mission to the [[Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant]] revealed an engine part to a Cybertronian fuel cell belonging to the long lost ''[[Ark (DOTM)|Ark]]''. Upon returning to the [[NEST]] base, Bumblebee assisted in teaching soldiers how to fight Decpticons, and watched as National Intelligence Director [[Charlotte Mearing]] informed them that the ''Ark'' was on the moon.

[[Image:DOTM-Ironhidecautions.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Yeah, good thing [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que's]] gone.]]
After Sam's encounter with [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]], he went looking for Bumblebee with the information given to him by [[Jerry Wang]], about a conspiracy of humans collaborating with the Decepticons. However the guards outside weren't willing to let him in, and after hearing Sam calling for help on a radio Bumblebee went to warn the guards off. Sam told Bumblebee that he wasn't happy that Bumblebee wasn't visiting him very often now, and [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] accused him of thinking he was too good for them. Bumblebee witnessed the reactivation of [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]], and then went home with Sam, who's offer of help was denied by Mearing. However Sam wasn't ready to let go of the situation, and Bumblebee helped in trying to figure out why Decepticons were killing humans, and took the time to allow [[Bruce Brazos]] to get up close and personal.

[[Image:Dotm-sam&bumblebee-ahhh!-1-.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Here comes another Flight of the Bumblebee joke...]]
After Sam, [[Seymour Simmons|Simmons]] and [[Dutch (DOTM)|Dutch]] learned that the Decepticons had tricked the Autobots into retrieving and reviving Sentinel so that they could use him to work the [[space bridge|Space Bridge]] pillars, Bumblebee, Sideswipe and Dino escorted the humans and Sentinel back to the NEST base. Along the way they were attacked by the [[Dread (DOTM)|Dreads]], and Bumblebee and Sideswipe used their Stealth Force modes to shoot at [[Hatchet]] while Dino held him in place. But when [[Crankcase (DOTM)|Crankcase]] knocked a truck into his path, Bumblebee had to transform over the crash, tossing Sam out and then returning to vehicle mode after grabbing Sam. But upon arriving back at NEST, Sentinel revealed he had made a deal with [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] to restore Cybertron, and Bumblebee was unable to prevent [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] from being killed and the base from being destroyed as Sentinel retrieved his pillars.

[[Image:DOTM-bumblebeesamsfriend.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Bee good.]]
Bumblebee was among the team tracking Sentinel, but was too late to prevent him from transporting a Decepticon army from the moon to Earth, and as they were horribly outnumbered, Optimus ordered a retreat. When Sentinel forced the humans to exile the Autobots on their ship, the ''[[Xantium (DOTM)|Xantium]]'', Bumblebee was allowed by Optimus a short time to say goodbye to Sam, and assured him he was always going to be his friend, before helping the others prepare the ship for launch. However shortly after lift-off, the ''Xantium'' was destroyed by [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], and Bumblebee and the rest of the Autobots were presumed dead.

[[Image:Dotm_Starscream_BOOM.jpg|left|thumb|250px|If someone asks, I killed Starscream, not you Sam.]]
However, they had hidden in a rocket booster that was jettisoned before the Xantium's destruction, and arrived in the Decepticon-occupied [[Chicago]] in time to help Sam, [[Robert Epps|Epps]] and a team of soldiers in finding the kidnapped Carly. Bumblebee piloted one of the downed Decepticon fighters to get Sam into the building [[Dylan Gould]] had Carly, and used it to rescue the pair and blasted off Laserbeak's head. He rejoined his fellow Autobots in attacking the Decepticon forces, and arrived in time to save Sam and [[William Lennox|Lennox]] from falling to their deaths after Sam managed to kill Starscream.

[[Image:830px-Dotm-helluvarun-1-.jpg|right|thumb|250px|He's right behind me, isn't he?]]
However after rejoining the others, Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Dino, Ratchet and Que were rounded up and captured by [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] and his troops. Dylan convinced Soundwave not to take prisoners, and [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] and another Decepticon killed Que, and Bumblebee was upset over the loss of his friend. He had barely a moment to mourn as he was pulled forward and about to be killed by Soundwave himself. He then caught sight of Sam and Carly sadly watching the scene and gave a heartfelt last look at his friend as he prepared for the end, noting they "had a hell of a run". It was then that Wheelie and [[Brains]] caused chaos by dropping Decepticon fighters from a Decepticon warship above, distracting Soundwave. Taking advantage, Bumblebee took Soundwave on, and following a tumultuous battle, killed the Decepticon by throwing an uppercut through his chest and firing his arm cannon upwards, disintegrating his head.

[[Image:830px-Dotm-fought bravely-1-.jpg|left|thumb|250px|(Looking at Ratchet strangely) "''Er, why are you touching me like that?''"]]
Following this, Bumblebee battled his way to the [[Pillar|Control Pillar]] with his fellow Autobots, and helped Optimus in fighting Sentinel. With Ratchet's help, he tackled and destroyed the pillar, stopping Cybertron from appearing in Earth's orbit. After the defeat of the Decepticons and Sentinel Prime, Bumblebee took out some rings inside him as he gave them to Sam, so Sam could propose to Carly, though Sam told him that he needed to slow it down. Ratchet commended Bumblebee for his bravery during the battle, and accepted Earth as his new home with Cybertron now destroyed. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}
{{-}}

===''How to Ride your Dinobot'' cartoon===
[[File:Htryd-chapter-1-bumblebee-yikes.jpg|400px|thumb|right]]
Bumblebee had never ridden a [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobot]] before, and decided to start by trying to mount [[Strafe (AOE)|Strafe]]. Guided by a kind but astonishingly unhelpful narrator, Bumblebee's attempts to mount Strafe left something to be desired. After many failed efforts, Bumblebee simply destroyed the instruction manual to riding Dinobots before storming off in annoyance, much to the narrator's surprise.
{{storylink|Getting on a Dinobot}}

{{-}}

===''Age of Extinction'' film===
[[File:AOEStrafeandBumblebee.jpg|thumb|right|300px|WTF ARE YOU DOING BUMBLEBEE]]
{{comingsoon|when=June 27, 2014}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}}

==Games==
{{main|Bumblebee (Movie)/games}}

==Toys==
{{main|Bumblebee (Movie)/toys}}

==Merchandise==
{{main|Bumblebee (Movie)/merchandise}}

==''Second Life''==
In the online virtual world simulation/game ''Second Life'', there was a full replica of the Sector Seven base which contained a giant discussion room where Michael Bay held a question board. This room contained a giant frozen Megatron replica and free avatars of both Bumblebee and Barricade. Both freebies were non-transforming. Also, the Bumblebee avatar had his battle mask down and it could not be raised.

==Notes==
===Classic Camaro===
* According to an article on [http://web.archive.org/web/20071013122820/http://edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=121138?imw=Y Edmunds.com], the film makers wanted Bumblebee's original Earth form to be the 1976 iteration of the Camaro because it was the worst Camaro possible that also had chrome bumpers.
* The same article indicates that the 1976 Camaros used in the film were all purchased via online auction for under $6000 each, one for less than $2000. That one didn't run.
* One of the 1976 Camaros was sold on eBay. The bidding ended on July 18, 2007; the final price was $40,100.01.

===Modern Camaro===
* The 2008 Concept Camaro used for Bumblebee in the first movie was built by Saleen in 30 days, using a heavily modified 2006 Holden Monaro chassis as the basis. The '08 Camaro was not in production at the time that the first film was being made, hence an identical mock-up was needed to fill the role.<ref>[http://www.saleen.com/transformers.htm Saleen article about the construction of the Barricade and Bumblebee vehicles]</ref>
* In ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]'', Bumblebee scans a working, driveable new generation Camaro — conveniently with the same paint job as his classic Camaro disguise at that time — that wouldn't be released until some time in the year 2009. However, it is possible that the Camaro in question was being road-tested by GM engineers, like they were doing in the real world.
* Although unexplained in the films, Bumblebee's vehicle mode changes appearance subtly between ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''. This is probably because of product placement: Bumblebee's old [[alternate mode]] was an unavailable concept Camaro, while in ''Revenge'' he uses what seems to be the new Z/28 Camaro... whose mass production has since been canceled. Oops. However, it is perfectly reasonable to assume that it is the Camaro ZL1 that uses the same design.
* He changes models again between ''Revenge of the Fallen'' and ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]'' and becomes a production Camaro SS (rather than the previous two movies GTO-Based mock-ups); the movie prop car changes include the addition of a rear spoiler, the black racing stripes now being further apart while at the same time losing the outer pinstripes, the racing stripes now also covering the roof and Autobot badges in the front fenders.

===Robot mode and CG model(s)===
[[Image:MovieBumblebeeStinger.jpg|right|200px|thumb|He uses it once, then dies.]]

* The Bumblebee computer-generated model consisted of 7608 individual parts, 1,511,727 polygons, 19,722 rig nodes, and 8094 texture maps. The volume of all the pieces came to 1069.01 cubic feet.<ref>Robertson, Barbara (2007). Heavy Metal. ''Computer Graphics, 30''(7), 12-17.</ref>
* Bumblebee's character animation is based on the performance of [[wikipedia:Michael_J._Fox|Michael J. Fox]] in the ''[[wikipedia:Back_to_the_Future|Back to the Future]]'' movies.<ref>From ''Cinefex'' magazine, issue number 111, published October 2007.</ref>
[[Image:ROTFBumblebeeAltColorsConcept.jpg|thumb|250px|But will we ever '''get''' an orange Bumblebee? No, we'll just keep getting slightly different yellow ones.]]
* Bumblebee is equipped with a pair of arm-mounted electrical "[[Stinger (weapon)|stingers]]."<ref>Bumblebee's [http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/Battle-Bios.cfm Battle Bio] at Hasbro.com</ref> While designed, the stingers were ultimately not featured in the movies, though they may have influenced [[Bumblebee (Animated)|other media]].
* Speaking of weapons, for someone whose main job is being subtle, Bumblebee is quite well armed, with a cannon powerful enough to rattle [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]] and a ring-shaped light missile launcher in each shoulder. He is also a capable close-combat fighter, as seen in his fights against [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] and [[Rampage (ROTF)|Rampage]].
* Despite this, he has a [[Fireblast]] rating of ''three''.
*According to designer [[Paul Ozzimo]] on his website, at one point there were plans to make Bumblebee into a Z/28 convertible for ''Revenge of the Fallen'', and the possibility of changing his color to orange or black with yellow was also discussed. While none of these alterations happened, concept art for both appeared on the "25 Years of Transformers" feature on the ''Revenge'' DVD... though the black version is only seen from behind.
* Bumblebee stands approximately 16 feet tall, according to the [[Transformers The Game|official game]] strategy guide.
* In 2011, Bumblebee appeared in a Super Bowl XLV-related commercial, parodying car dealers by tossing a squirrel mascot knocking his hood to literally hammer the point of low prices. The TV spot also revealed ILM's modifications to his design for ''Dark of the Moon'', namely more pronounced shoulders and ribs ala his [[Bumblebee (WFC)|''Prime'' counterpart]].<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RttT4jC7_10&feature=player_embedded Chevrolet Super Bowl spot]</ref>
* Despite his Camaro alternate mode used for ''Dark of the Moon'' no longer sporting the outer pinstripes bordering his black racing stripes, the CG robot model still has them. Whoops.
* Similarly, in the first movie, after he gains the modern Camaro alt mode, Bumblebee's robot mode still features the scratches and dirt on his paint job of his original 1976 Camaro alt mode.

===License plates===
Bumblebee sported several different [[license plate]]s between the movies, the video games and the toys:

*'''489 PCE''', registered in [[California]], was the 1976 Camaro's license plate in the first movie, which was kept consistent between the car prop and the CG model for the robot mode. The license plate was later auctioned off in 2008.<ref name="plate1">[http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/movie-bumblebees-license-plate-for-sale/12255/ Movie Bumblebee (1976 Camaro edition) license plate for sale], Seibertron.com, January 2008.</ref>
*'''900 STRA''', without a state-specific registration, was the new license plate for the Concept Camaro car prop, which was kept for the production models used for both subsequent movies. It was also used when the modern Camaro prop cars from the movies were on display at car shows and other events. Finally achieving consistency between both modes, Bumblebee also sported this plate in robot mode in ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]''. Furthermore, Hasbro started to use this license plate number with the Leader Class Bumblebee and Deluxe Class Nitro Bumblebee toys from the [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)|''Dark of the Moon'' toy line]] (both sporting ''sculpted'' license plate inscriptions in both modes), and the [[Activision Blizzard|Activision]] [[Dark of the Moon (video games)|''Dark of the Moon'' video game]] also uses it for the vehicle mode. The license plate used in ''Revenge of the Fallen'' was auctioned off in October 2009.<ref name="2009auct">[http://www.icollector.com/Hero-Bumblebee-license-plate-from-Transformers-Revenge-of-the-Fallen_i8633011 ''Revenge of the Fallen'' Bumblebee license plate auction], icollector.com</ref>
*'''4NZZ454''', registered in California, is probably the most well-known license plate number due to being used on the CG model for the robot mode in the 2007 movie and ''Revenge of the Fallen''.<ref name="proctercg">[http://www.benprocter.com/storage/oldersites/sitev2/html/PROJPAGE_Trans_06.html Official Hasbro promo shots of the finalized CG model for Bumblebee] on Ben Procter's portfolio</ref> This number number was also used for a lot of Hasbro's toys from the first two movies' toy lines (in robot mode and often also in vehicle mode), including the Deluxe Class Classic Camaro.
*'''4NZZZ454''', with a red line indicative of a California registration, was an erroneous version of the above number with an extra "Z", used on some of Hasbro's toys, namely the Deluxe Class Concept Camaro Bumblebee toy from the [[Movie (toyline)|first movie's toy line]] (including several [[redeco]]s and [[retool]]s) and ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Human Alliance]] Bumblebee.
*'''5LKZ213''' can be spotted on some photos of the life-sized robot prop from the Hoover Dam set from the first movie.<ref name="procterprop">[http://www.benprocter.com/storage/oldersites/sitev2/html/ZOOM_Trans/ZOOM_24.html Life-sized Bumblebee prop] on Ben Procter's portfolio</ref><ref name="unicubb">[http://www.unicron.us/tf2007/toypix/ultimate_bumblebee.html Review of Ultimate Bumblebee] at Unicron.com, including a set photo of the life-sized Bumblebee prop used for the movies.</ref>
*'''BUMBLBE''', registered in California, was used for the life-sized robot prop on various exhibits in 2007.<ref name="premiere">[http://www.flickr.com/photos/bob_karol/archives/date-taken/2007/06/27/ Transformers Movie premiere in Westwood Village, California], Flickr photostream of Candid Photos</ref><ref name="18foot">[http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/pictures-18-foot-bumblebee-transformer-invades-la "18 Foot Bumblebee Transformers invade LA"] at Techeblog</ref>
*'''FXPERTS''' (registered in California), a reference to the special effects company that built the life-sized robot prop<ref name="fxperts">[http://www.fxpertsinc.com/trans.html Building the life-sized Bumblebee prop] at Fxperts</ref>, was used on various exhibits in 2008.<ref name="dolby">[http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/ces-2008-giant-bumblebee-transformer-invades-the-dolby-booth "CES 2008: Giant BumbleBee Transformer Invades the Dolby Booth"] at Techeblog</ref><ref name="holloman08">[http://www.flickr.com/photos/61043118@N00/archives/date-taken/2008/09/22/ Transformers on display at Holloman Air Force Base in September 2008], Flickr photostream of snakebite000]</ref>
*'''KDM 0814''', registered in California, was used for the life-sized robot prop on various exhibits from 2009 to at least 2011.<ref name="sydney">[http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/movie-bumblebee-prop-appears-in-sydney-australia/17305/ Life-sized Bumblebee prop in Sydney, Australia] at Seibertron.com</ref><ref name="vegas">[http://www.flickr.com/photos/deltamike/archives/date-taken/2009/03/30/ Transformers on display at the Las Vegas Strip], Flickr photostream of Mike Renlund</ref><ref name="childmuseum">[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=77515 "Bumblebee coming to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis"] at The Allspark, March 2011</ref> A variant of this, "KDM 814" minus the "0", had been previously used as the license plate of [[The Twins]]' combined ice cream truck mode in ''Revenge of the Fallen''.
*'''5BBM2''' (registered in California), mirrored on the other side, is used by Activision for the robot models used in the ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (video games)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' and ''[[Dark of the Moon (video games)|Dark of the Moon]]'' video games. Due to its mirrored nature, this plate wouldn't actually be legal.<ref name="nextgen">[http://www.nextgn.com/2009/05/15/transformers-2-playable-characters-and-soundtrack-revealed/ ''Revenge of the Fallen'' video game models] at Next Gen News</ref><ref name="actidotm">[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/video-games-17/transformers-dark-of-the-moon-the-game-hands-on-171673/ Activision trailer and promo stills for Dark of the Moon video game] at TFW2005.</ref>

===Lack of voice===
* For [[Transformers (film)|the first movie]], [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] had originally preferred the Transformers not to talk ''at all'' throughout the movie, a notion Hasbro heavily contested.<ref name="tfwtour">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/139273-botcon-2007-botcon-2007-hasbro-tour-updated-friday-12-45pm.html BotCon 2007 Hasbro tour report.]</ref> Bumblebee still ended up being mute throughout most of the movie, which, according to Orci and Kurtzman, was inspired by [[Steven Spielberg|Steven Spielberg's]] ''[[Wikipedia:E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial|E.T.]]'' and is supposed to signify that his friendship with Sam transcends words.<ref name="mtv">[http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1554426/20070312/story.jhtml MTV.com interview with Kurtzman and Orci.]</ref>
* According to the [[Movie Prequel issue 1|prequel comic]] by IDW Publishing, Megatron ripped out and crushed Bumblebee's voice capacitor during the battle at [[Tyger Pax]] back on Cybertron. [[Hardtop (Movie)|Hardtop]]'s toy bio claims the damage came from a shot fired by Hardtop. In the film itself, Ratchet only states to Sam that Bumblebee's "vocal processors were damaged in battle" and he was "still working on them" after firing a single plasma beam at Bumblebee's throat; by the end of all the conflict (the climax of the film proper), Bumblebee has regained his ability to speak. Although it was not confirmed on-screen, screenwriter [[Roberto Orci]] did confirm ''off''-screen<ref name="Orci"/> that Ratchet's (regenerative) beam was indeed the reason.
* Just as well, Roberto Orci ''also'' admitted that Bumblebee's brief contact with the AllSpark would be an equally valid (and an even more "in-continuity") explanation.<ref name="Orci"/>
* When asked, Orci admitted there had been plans to have Bumblebee speak in ''Revenge of the Fallen''; however, ultimately they liked his "musical ability" too much, and [[Michael Bay]] wanted to focus more on [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]], since he thought kids would like the two characters.<ref name="orci">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-movie-discussion/180451-welcome-mr-roberto-orci-you-may-ask-him-questions-283.html#post3785383 Q&A with Roberto Orci at TFW2005]</ref>
* When Bumblebee finally did speak, he had a slightly British accent.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Bumblebee''' (バンブルビー ''Banburubī'')
*''Cantonese:'' '''Daai Wong Fung''' (大黃蜂, "Bumblebee")
*''Hungarian:'' '''Űrdongó''' ("Space Bumblebee")
*''Mandarin:'' '''Dà-huáng-fēng''' (大黃蜂, "Bumblebee")
*''Spanish:'' '''Abejorro''' ("Bumblebee")
*''Ukrainian:'' '''Bdzhilka''' (Бджілка, "Bee")

==References==
<references/>

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

[[Category: Age of Extinction Autobots]]
[[Category: Classified Autobots]]
[[Category: Cyber Missions characters]]
[[Category: Dark of the Moon Autobots]]
[[Category: Hall of Fame]]
[[Category: Human Alliance]]
[[Category: Movie Autobots]]
[[Category: NEST]]
[[Category: Revenge of the Fallen Autobots]]

File:AOEBumblebee hanging.jpg

2014-06-18T22:54:46Z

Kirby-Force: {{AOEcap|Bumblebee hanging}}

Ratchet (Movie)/toys

2010-12-17T15:39:01Z

Kirby-Force: /* Voyager Class toys */

{{suite}}

Ratchet's a doctor, dammit! And has a lot of toys!
==Toys==
===Transformers (2007)===
====Legends Class toys====
[[Image:LegendsRatchet.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Hasbro might have fixed the green color, but nobody told them to fix the hue settings for the official promo photos.]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet''' (Legends Class, 2007)
**''Japanese name:'' '''EZ Collection Ratchet'''

:An inexpensive, small-scale version of Ratchet, he remains relatively faithful to his vehicle mode (though highly simplified), but transforms very differently due to his simplicity. In robot mode he has a faux truck-front chest that's more faithful to the CGI design than the Voyager toy's chest, but the rest of his robot mode is (understandably) inaccurate and limited in articulation.

: His spare tire, mounted on the rear end of his roof in vehicle mode, is actually a free-spinning wheel just like the normal four (albeit with a somewhat stiffer joint), and the same size as the front wheels... meaning that, in theory, it could be used as an ''actual'' spare tire.

[[Image:Movie legends ratchet colorvariants.jpg|left|250px|thumb|He's feeling a little green around the manifolds.]]
:The original production run of the toy sported a significantly wrong shade of green. A running change variant that quickly replaced the original version corrected the error, now sporting the same shade of green as the Voyager Class toy.<ref>[http://www.thetf.net/forum_posts-TID-10086-PN-1.htm Comparison images of both color variants of Legends Ratchet]</ref> Still, the color variant was not limited to the US market, as both versions also popped up in Europe. Japan, however, got stuck with the original, off-color version.
{{-}}
[[Image:Movie2007 LegendsRatchet VS Brawl.jpg|right|250px|thumb|The Doctor vs. the Warrior.]]
*'''Rescue Ratchet vs. Decepticon Brawl''' (Legends "Allspark Battles" two-pack, 2007)

:Released as part of the ''[[AllSpark Power|AllSpark Battles]]'' [[subline imprint|refresh]] of the Movie toyline, Legends class Rescue Ratchet is, naturally, a redeco of the previously-released Legends class Ratchet in his white ''Generation 1''-inspired colors. He comes packed with an all-new sculpt Legends class Brawl.
{{-}}

====Voyager Class toys====
[[Image:Movie Voyager Ratchet toy.jpg|right|250px|thumb|This green is both NEON and PLAYSKOOL.]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet''' (Voyager Class, 2007)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MA-02'''
**''Accessories:'' Roof rack/claw

:Voyager ''Movie'' Ratchet transforms into a [[wikipedia:Hummer_H2|AM General Hummer H2]], customised as a fire search and rescue vehicle. Ratchet is also missing significant amounts of paint applications, with unpainted wheels, emergency tools, and light details, as well as an underpainted face, resulting in a rather monochromatic toy.

:During transformation, unfolding his legs will activate his [[Automorph Technology|Automorphing]] feature, which folds out his kneepads and feet, and 'bulges' out two small panels along his inner calves. The only Autobot toy to not feature a ranged weapon, Ratchet's right forearm unfolds into an axe (based upon a weapon concept study), and the removable rollbar/roof rack can either be mounted on his left arm as a shield/claw, or stored on his back.

:Oddly, although Ratchet's thumbs are articulated, space is so restricted that they are all but useless. His left thumb can only move a millimeter due to his wrist armour getting in the way. His right thumb does have more space to move, but pushing it will invariably disengage the fold-out axe from his forearm.
:Ratchet can attach (loosely) a [[Mini-Con]] on the rollbar/roof rack, and can hold a standard weapon via the shield/claw mount.{{-}}

[[Image:Movie Voyager RescueRatchet.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Hasbro proving that anything looks better as a slavish G1 homage.]]
*'''Rescue Ratchet''' (Voyager Class, 2007)
**''Accessories:'' Roof rack/claw

:Rescue Ratchet is an extensive [[redeco]] based in part upon ''Generation 1'' [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet's]] [[Marvel Comics]] appearance. Aside from the deco and name change, the toy is otherwise the same in functionality to the previous Voyager class release.

:Oddly for a deco described as being ''more'' likely for the type of vehicle, Rescue Ratchet's vehicle mode—a fire search and rescue vehicle—is prominently labeled "AMBULANCE" on the doors and the hood.

: This same deco was adapted and used as an alternate for Ratchet in the multiplayer mode for the [[Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)|Revenge of the Fallen]] game.
{{-}}
[[Image:Movie Voyager Premium Ratchet.jpg|right|250px|thumb|And yet they've done nothing to put better coloring on my legs....]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet''' (Best Buy exclusive "Premium Series" Voyager Class, 2007)
**''Accessories:'' Roof rack/claw

:Ratchet was one of the first figures in the ''Premium Series'', released on October 16th, 2007 exclusively at Best Buy for the launch of the ''Transformers'' movie DVD. Ratchet's main plastic has been changed to a metallic yellow, with an additional coat of metallic yellow paint over the top of those parts (and others), resulting in a much more accurate colour scheme in relation to the actual ''Movie'' character and prop vehicle.

:Ratchet was presented in robot mode, within a special display package similar in shape to the packaging for the Hasbro release of ''Generation 1'' ''Masterpiece'' [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]. Even though Hasbro officially considers him as part of the Premium Series, this is not indicated anywhere on the packaging, as the Premium Series wasn't officially announced until ''after'' Ratchet and [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] had already been released to stores.
{{-}}

====Fast Action Battlers====
[[Image:FABRatchet.jpg|right|250px|thumb|An axe that shoots missiles. Seriously.]]
*'''Axe Attack Autobot Ratchet''' (Fast Action Battler, 2007)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''QC-03'''
**''Accessories:'' Missile
:[[Fast Action Battlers]] Ratchet is a small, deluxe-sized figure with limited articulation and a simple transformation. He features a spring-loaded missile-firing axe, a "robot punch" [[gimmick]], and [[Automorph Technology|automorphing]]. To activate the "robot punch", one must twist and release Ratchet's torso. An inner spring will cause it to snap back to (more or less) anatomical position. His front grille can be rotated 180 degrees, which powers the automorphing feature, and causes Ratchet's front fenders, doors, and roof to separate during transformation from vehicle to robot and form his shoulders and arms (and vice versa). Unfortunately, this sacrifices [[Show-accuracy|show accuracy]], as the grille ends up ''right-side up'', while the rest of his [[Alternate mode|alt mode]] cab remains upside-down.

:In vehicle mode the missile stows handily underneath Ratchet's chassis.
{{-}}
[[Image:Mov2007-toy RescueTorchRatchet.JPG|right|250px|thumb|]]
*'''Rescue Torch Ratchet''' (Fast Action Battler, 2008)
**''Accessories:'' Missile

:Rescue Torch Ratchet is a Generation 1 [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]-themed redeco of Axe Attack Ratchet, with a deco similar to Voyager Class Rescue Ratchet.
{{-}}

====Cyber Slammers====
[[Image:CyberSlammersRatchet.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Even the Throttlebots didn't want me.]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet''' (Cyber Slammer, 2007)

:Cyber Slammers Ratchet is a cute little super-deformed Hummer H2 that transforms into a cute little super-deformed Autobot medical officer. 'Slam' his robot mode down into van mode and he rolls along, slowly transforming back up into vehicle mode. Like most Cyber Slammers, Ratchet manages to cram most of his vehicle mode's major details into a compact, super-deformed version of that mode.
{{-}}
===Titanium Series===
[[Image:Movie TitaniumRM Ratchet.jpg|right|140px|thumb|Ratchet rejects your measly attempts to paint his face.]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet''' (3" Robot Masters, 2007)
**''Accessories:'' Movie-style Autobot sigil display stand

:''Titanium'' Ratchet is a die-cast metal and plastic figurine, with an accurate sculpt based on the CG model owing to the fact he doesn't need to transform. Being a figurine, he only has articulation in his shoulders, neck and waist. For some odd reason most of his face is left unpainted. Ratchet comes with a Movie-style Autobot symbol display stand.
{{-}}

===Revenge of the Fallen===
====Legends Class toys====
[[Image:Ratchet ROTF Legends toy.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Just as Don and Andrew foretold!]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet''' (Legends, 2009)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''EZ-07'''

:This Legends class Ratchet is a tan [[redeco]] (sigh) of Ratchet's 2007 Legends class Toy.

{{-}}

====Deluxe Class toys====
[[Image:ROTF_deluxe_Ratchet.jpg|thumb|250px|I have a waist-coat!]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet''' (Deluxe, 2009/2010)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RA-28'''
**''Accessories:'' Gun, projectile

:Deluxe class Ratchet is an all-new mold that is more accurate to Ratchet's final robot mode design when compared to his Voyager class toys. However, his vehicle mode has been changed to something akin to a military Humvee, albeit in Ratchet's distinctive emergency rescue regalia. He also features a new "launching [[Electromagnetic pulse|EMP]] blast missile"-launcher weapon that resembles the arm-mounted machine gun that Ratchet uses in the films. Ratchet's [[Mech Alive]] feature is unlocked when the missile launcher is plugged into his arm, in which gearing moves pieces into place around the weapon as it's locked into place. His chest also has an [[Automorph Technology|Automorph]]-like rearrangement of his chest-mounted headlights into robot mode configuration as his abdomen is pushed down into place. Ratchet's head has the peculiar feature of having two [[ball joint]] sockets stacked one atop the other- there is the shallow socket that his head is set at in the package which allows superior mobility, then a deeper one that limits head movement but conceals his neck joint. The deeper socket can be used by pushing the head down. Sadly, a [[running change]] in his design eliminates one of the ball joints, making his head basically unposeable.

: The missile launcher weapon can also be attached to Deluxe [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]], echoing the interactive features of their ''[[Ratchet (Animated)|Animated]]'' [[Lockdown (Animated)|counterparts']] toys. Likewise, Lockdown's engine can plug into Ratchet's rooftop, but that looks kinda doofy.

{{-}}

====Voyager Class toys====
[[Image:ROTF_Voyager_DesertRatchet_toy.jpg|thumb|250px|What the hell, Hasbro? You couldn't afford the other half of the emergency stripe?]]
*'''Desert Tracker Ratchet''' (Voyager, 2009)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RA-08'''
**''Accessories:'' Roof rack/claw

:Ratchet is a barely redecoed version of the Voyager class Ratchet toy released in 2007, the only new decos being the change of his black plastic to dark grey and a "dirt" wash on his doors and shoulders. In a probable effort to cut costs, Hasbro has removed several decos that existed on the 2007 toy, such as half of the Emergency stripe on the sides of the vehicle, the red paint for the light bar and the turn signal lights.

{{-}}
{{anchor|SurfaceToAirShowdown}}
[[Image:ROTFSurfaceToAirShowdown.jpg|thumb|300px|Oh. So Desert Tracker Ratchet was desert-tracking Grindor? Okay.]]
*'''Surface To Air Showdown''' (Voyager class 2-pack, 2009)
**''Accessories:'' Roof rack/claw

:A [[Costco]]-[[exclusive]] two-pack featuring Ratchet squaring off against [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]], strangely reminiscent of Ratchet's fight with [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] in the [[Transformers Autobots/Decepticons|Transformers: Autobots]] Nintendo DS game. Both toys remain unchanged from their individual retail release.
{{-}}

====Fast Action Battlers====
[[Image:ROTF_FAB_Ratchet_toy.jpg|thumb|250px|Lol @ Voyager, I have more paint apps than you! ]]
*'''Beam Blast Autobot Ratchet''' (Fast Action Battler, 2009)
**''Accessories:'' Missile

:This toy is a redeco of the 2007 Fast Action Battlers Autobot Ratchet, now done in a sort of "impractical army" camouflage colour scheme.

{{-}}

====Robot Replicas====
[[Image:ROTF RobotReplicas Ratchet.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Damn it Prime, I'm a doctor not a gunslinger!]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet''' (Robot Replica, 2009)

[[Robot Replicas]] Ratchet is a non-transforming, highly posable toy intended to be more accurate to Ratchet's CGI robot-mode than transforming toys are capable of. Ratchet is approximately five inches tall and features articulation at his neck, shoulders, elbows, waist, hips, knees and feet.

{{-}}

====Titanium Series====
[[Image:TSRescueRatchet.jpg|thumb|]]
*'''Rescue Ratchet vs. Blackout''' (3-inch Robot Masters multi-pack, 2009)
**''Accessories:'' Movie Autobot sigil display stand

:This [[Toys"R"Us]]-exclusive set features a [[redeco]]ed version of 2007's ''Titanium Series'' Ratchet in white with red detailing and an unchanged version of [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]].
{{-}}

===''Transformers'' (2010)===

====Deluxe Class toys====
[[Image:TF2010toyline_DeluxeRescueRatchet.JPG|thumb|300px|right]]
*'''Rescue Ratchet''' (Deluxe, 2010)
*''Accessories:'' Gun, projectile

:Rescue Ratchet is a white and red [[redeco]] of the ''Revenge of the Fallen'' Deluxe Class Ratchet. Much like the many Rescue Ratchets from the ''2007 Movie'' line, his color scheme is heavily inspired by ''Generation 1'' Ratchet's [[Marvel Comics]] appearance.

====Voyager Class toys====
[[Image:TF2010-toy_NightOpsRatchet.jpg|thumb|righ|300px|Ratchet Performs Medical Operations All Night Now. Good Man!]]
*'''Night Ops Ratchet''' (Voyager, 2010)
*''Accessories:'' Roof rack/claw

:Night Ops Ratchet is a mostly [[black repaint|black redeco]] of Voyager class Ratchet, somewhat similar to the [[#Battle Series|second RPM Ratchet]]. He is somewhat mistransformed in-package and in Hasbro's stock photos, as his windshield pieces remain over his abdomen in robot mode, not rotated around behind.

{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===3D Battle-Card Game===
[[Image:3DBattleCard_Ratchet.jpg|thumb|right|250px|]]
*'''Ratchet''' (3D Battle-Card, 2007)
**''Card number'':

: Ratchet is a 28-point "Rare" piece in the [[3D Battle-Card Game]]. Constructed of punch-out pieces from plastic cards, he can be assembled into his rescue truck mode or robot mode. In vehicle mode, his robot head peeps out behind the truck in a rather hilarious manner. He uses the same construction as the Movie [[Payload (Movie)|Payload]], and Generation 1 [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] cards.

{{-}}
===Transformers (2007)===
[[Image:Movie Ratchet Allsparkblaster.jpg|right|150px|thumb|The irony that the medic gets firearm merchandise, though the weapons specialist doesn't.]]
*'''Ratchet AllSpark Blaster''' (2008)

:The Ratchet AllSpark Blaster is one of several Movie Roleplay toys. The toy consists of a a blaster attached to Ratchet's (hollow) hand which a child can slip their own hand inside like a glove and wield. Pulling the trigger causes the toy to emit transformation sounds, allowing the user to transform the toy weapon from laser blaster mode to battle cannon mode, by pulling the handle on the back. Laser blaster mode features features siren and laser sounds and a "triple laser light", while the battle cannon mode has cannon blasting sounds and a "weapon-blast light".
{{-}}
===Unleashed===
[[Image:Movie UnleashedTurnarounds RatchetJazz.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Their descision to light a campfire in the Ruby Crystal Mines of Burma really pissed Ratchet off......]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet and Autobot Jazz''' (2008)

:The Ratchet and Jazz turnaround is a 3D sculpture of the two characters, both in robot mode, emerging from rubble and explosions, with a movie-accurate sculpt (compared to the various transforming toys). The 'turnaround' aspect of these sculptures simply means one can turn the piece around to display a raised-relief of the movie-style Autobot sigil instead.

:This product's release was cancelled for the US market, but was released in Australia and in Asia.
{{-}}
====Transformers Movie Screen Cleaners====
[[Image:Movie Ratchet screencleaner.jpg|right|105px|thumb|]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet''' (2008)

:Released by Tomy Yujin on January 2008<ref name=TomyYujin">[http://www.gachausa.com/products/transformers.asp Tomy Yujin ''Transformers'' page]</ref>, this Dangler is a faction logo-shaped screen cleaner for your cell phone, with a stock image of Ratchet printed on the other side.
{{-}}
===Revenge of the Fallen===
====RPMs - Robot Powered Machines====
=====Combat Series=====
[[Image:ROTF RPMs Ratchet.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"Did anyone get the number of that hummer that ran me over?"]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet''' (2009)
**''Number:'' '''01 of 04'''

:As an [[Robot Powered Machines|RPM]], Ratchet is a non-transforming ''Hot Wheels''-scale search and rescue vehicle. Sculpted on the underside of the vehicle is Ratchet's robot mode, name and faction insignia. A variant deco featured the search and rescue emblem seen in the movie on Ratchet's doors, instead of the more common Autobot symbol.

{{-}}

=====Battle Series=====
[[Image:Rotf_ratchet_rpms_nightwatch.jpg|right|250px|thumb|For when you need your emergency vehicles stealthy.]]
{{anchor|AutobotRatchetVsMegatron}}
*'''Autobot Ratchet VS Megatron''' (2009)
**''Number:'' '''05 of 08'''

:This redeco of Ratchet essentially reverses his colors, coloring him black with a green bumper and roof rack. He was only available in a two-pack with [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]].

{{-}}

====Figure Collection====
[[Image:ROTF-Merchandise Figure Collection Ratchet.jpg|thumb|right|150px]]
*'''Ratchet''' (2010)
**''Accessories:'' Stand
:The [[Figure Collection]] edition of Ratchet is based on his [[#Fast_Action_Battlers|Fast Action Battlers toy]].

{{-}}

===Robot Heroes===
[[Image:Robot Heroes Ratchet vs Megatron.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Going my way?]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet and Megatron''' (2007)

:''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]]'' Autobot Ratchet is a soft-plastic figurine sculpted in a [[super deformed]] style, with joints at his head and shoulders. He can place one hand on his hip and raise his thumbs-up arm for hitch-hiking fun.
{{-}}

[[Image:Robotheroesfinalbattle.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Infected with herpe-- er, Allspark Power.]]
*'''The Final Battle''' (2008)

:Sold exclusively in Wal-Mart stores, this release of Ratchet is a repaint of the first Robot Heroes toy. Sold with redecoed Autobot Jazz, Blackout, Optimus Prime, and Megatron, no molding was changed on this toy. However, the figure boasts an "Allspark blue" paint job, which swaps out a few of the toy's original decos with the bright blue paint instead.
{{-}}

[[Image:RobotHeroes_BattlefortheAllspark.jpg|250px|thumb|right|]]
*'''Battle for the Allspark''' (2009)

:Packaged in a set depicting the battle in [[Mission City]] with [[Brawl (Movie)|Decepticon Brawl]], [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]], plus new figures of [[Sam Witwicky]], [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] in truck mode, [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] in fighter mode and Bumblebee in vehicle mode, this Ratchet Heroes figurine has the circular saw on his arm that he uses to slice off Brawl's left arm.
{{-}}

[[Image:Ratchet_and_barricade_robot_heroes.jpg|thumb|250px|Oh, look at the time!]]
*'''Ratchet vs Barricade''' (2009)
:Part of the third wave of ''Revenge of the Fallen''-branded ''Robot Heroes'', a new mold of Ratchet brandishing his machine gun is packaged versus a redeco of the original [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] ''Robot Heroes'' figurine.
{{-}}

==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/2007/Autobot/Ratchet/ratchet.htm Ratchet at TFU.info]

[[Category:3D Battle-Cards]]
[[Category:Costco exclusives]]
[[Category:Movie Autobots]]
[[Category:NEST]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen Autobots]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Transformers (2010) Autobots]]

Metroplex (G1)

2010-12-11T21:56:04Z

Kirby-Force: /* The Transformers cartoon */

{{factions|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Metroplex}}

:''Metroplex is an [[Autobot]] [[city-bot]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]]. In city mode, he is also known as '''Scramble City'''.''

[[Image:Metroplex-UK.jpg|right|325px|thumb|We built this city on rock and roll!]]
'''Metroplex'''’s poor, slow, and infrequent efforts to support his brave comrades and forward the Autobot cause are never enough. Sure, he's the Autobots' ultimate weapon, their greatest and final defense. Yes, he's a gigantic, towering warrior, capable of channeling awesome energies. Strong beyond belief, versatile, clever, brave and self-sacrificing, Metroplex is willing to give everything he has to the Autobot cause and defend it to his last [[Astrosecond|astroseconds]] of life. Despite all this he’s wracked to the core of his being with the belief that he could and should be doing more. It’s a self-deprecating attitude that stuns many of his fellow Autobots, most of whom take immeasurable comfort in his very existence and the knowledge that regardless of what evil comes, Metroplex is out there to back them up.

This great modesty about his power and achievements together with a boundless patience necessitated by his size and alternate mode are apparent to anyone who pierces his normally less than talkative demeanor, and in the optics of many, these traits only raise his already high standing.

Metroplex’s might is equaled only by the gargantuan [[Decepticon]], [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], his long-standing nemesis. He has three "normal"-sized components: [[Six-Gun]], [[Slammer]] and [[Scamper]], to help patrol and defend his territory. The extent of that territory is sometimes unclear; sometimes Metroplex is an independent Autobot base, and other times he's part of (or all of) [[Autobot City]].

{{bigquote|Metroplex is my kind of town!|[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] on Metroplex|"[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5]]"}}

:''Japanese name:'' '''Metroflex''' (メトロフレックス ''Metorofurekkusu'')
:''Italian name:'' '''Guardian'''
:''French-Canadian name:'' '''Métroplex'''
:''[[Omni Productions]] dub name:'' '''Philip'''
:''Chinese name (Taiwan):'' '''Dà Dū-hùei''' (大都會, "Grand Metropolis")
:''Chinese name (China):'' '''Mong Dashuai''' (猛大帅, "Fierce Grand Marshal")

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Bud Davis]] (English), [[Osamu Saka]] (Japanese)

[[Image:FFOD5 Metroplex Trypticon.JPG|left|220px|thumb|No Tommy, snap out of it!]]

By the year 2005, Metroplex had been installed as a sub-section of the larger [[Autobot City]], now the main base of operations for the Autobots on [[Earth]]. During the [[Battle of Autobot City|Decepticons' attack on the city]], the [[Transformation cog|transforming cog]] which allowed Metroplex to transform to robot mode was destroyed, preventing him from participating in the battle, although he was manually converted to battle station mode by the Autobots inhabiting him. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

Following the defeat of [[Unicron]] and the Autobots' reclamation of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] built a new transforming cog for Metroplex, and entrusted its delivery to [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]]. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1}} While they were busy suffering numerous setbacks (including nearly getting killed by [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] and being stranded on Jupiter's moon [[Io]]), the immobile Metroplex was attacked by the Decepticons' new mobile battle station, [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], who had been created expressly to serve as Metroplex's opposite number. Metroplex was again manually transformed to battle station mode by his inhabitants in hopes of mounting some form of a defence, but things were not looking hopeful. At the height of the battle, Blurr and Wheelie was safely brought to Earth by [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]], and quickly handed the transforming cog off to [[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]] to install. Pipes carried out the task with all due haste, and Metroplex promptly transformed to robot mode, thrashed Trypticon, and hurled him into the ocean. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}}

[[Image:ThiefNight Metroplex Kremlin.JPG|right|220px|thumb|"Why won't you accept our love?"]]

Although the Autobots figured this to be the end of Trypticon, in actuality, the saurian city survived and started stealing national monuments to pay off [[Octane]]'s debt to [[Abdul Fakkadi (G1)|Abdul Fakkadi]]. When [[dinosaur transform static]] was found at the crime scene, Metroplex and his subordinates questioned all the Autobots with dinosaur electrons in their circuits, but when Trypticon was finally revealed to be the culrpit, Metroplex battled him in Russia over the Kremlin. Unfortunately, Metroplex was then left holding the building, and the [[Soviet Union|Soviets]] blamed the Autobots for the thefts and expelled them from the country. Fakkadi, however, summoned the Autobots to his country of [[Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya|Carbombya]] to help oust the Decepticons that had taken over, and Metroplex delivered another sound defeat to Trypticon, tossing him into the ocean yet again and returning the stolen buildings to their rightful place. {{storylink|Thief in the Night}}

[[Image:Gitm_where_are_my_eyes.jpg|left|220px|thumb|"Help! I Can't See!"]]

As part of his deal with Unicron to ensure their mutual resurrection, the ghost of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] was charged with stealing Metroplex's eyes in order to restore Unicron's sight. Possessing [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], Starscream invaded Metroplex and started removing the giant's optics, only to wind up breaking the first one when he was caught off-guard by [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]. Just as he was successfully removing the second eye, Metroplex detected the presence of intruders within his brain vault and awoke. Scourge came crashing out of Metroplex just as he transformed to robot mode, and beat a hasty retreat as the giant discovered that he was blind and went into a maddened rage, firing upon all the Transformers in the vicinity. Metroplex landed a shot on [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] before his rampage was cut short by the detonation of a [[photon charge]] Scourge had placed in his head, and he fell unconscious, transforming back into city mode. After the villains' plan was foiled, new eyes were constructed for Metroplex. {{storylink|Ghost in the Machine}}

[[Image:Ultimateweapon metroplex hefts trypticon.jpg|right|220px|thumb]]

After coming under attack from a [[Eurythma|Eurythman]] sonic weapon, {{storylink|Carnage in C-Minor}}, transforming cog troubles returned to plague Metroplex when [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] stole the component right out from under [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]]'s nose. With Metroplex trapped in city mode, the Autobots retaliated by stealing Trypticon's cog and using it as a replacement; the Decepticons proceeded to use Metroplex's cog in place of Trypticon's, but the incompatibility of the cogs in each of the giant robots led to an unsteady battle with both combatants partially transforming back and forth constantly. First Aid proceeded to enter Metroplex's body during the fight and aligned the cog properly, allowing Metroplex to fully transform and, yet ''again'', fling Trypticon into a body of water. {{storylink|The Ultimate Weapon}}

When the [[Hate Plague]] swept the universe, [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] realized the danger that an infected Metroplex would pose, and reluctantly decided to deactivate him. Metroplex understood and agreed with his decision—it was not made clear if this action was temporary, or if it would permanently send Metroplex off-line. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}}
{{--}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
{{note|The events of the Generation 1 cartoon occur in Japanese continuity as detailed above, except instead of taking place over 2005/6, the events of season 3, in which Metroplex appears, are moved back to 2010. Japanese continuity inserts many new stories into the gaps in the cartoon timeline, several of which focus on Metroplex and the story of how he was created, which went unexplained in the American cartoon.}}
=====''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' comic=====
[[Image:Trypticon metroplex hologram.jpg|left|thumb]]

Metroplex was constructed in the late 1980s as part of the Autobots' "Scramble City" initiative to develop a powerful battle station. During the early stages of the project, however, when the Autobots were conducting an outdoor test of the unfinished city's transformation to mobile fortress mode, [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] and [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] were able to monitor the process. The information they acquired allowed Megatron to decipher whether or not Metroplex would be able to stand up to Trypticon. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 3}}

Trypticon was ultimately completed before Metroplex, and was successfully activated on a small island. The Autobots went into action to save the island and stop the giant, but without a city-bot of their own, they had to resort to some cunning: Perceptor magnified a hologram of Metroplex projected by [[Hound (G1)|Hound]], creating a huge image of the giant Autobot that Trypticon charged at and passed through, crashing into the ocean below.{{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 6}}
{{-}}

=====''Scramble City'' cartoon=====
[[Image:Metroplexstanding.jpg|right|200px|thumb|As a sensitive new-age guy, Metroplex was one of the few Autobots who did not have issues with the size of his gun.]]
To complete the Scramble City project, the Autobots moved their operation to a secret underground cavern, but the Decepticons' [[Mini-Cassette|spy cassettes]] located the subterranean base, and an all-out Decepticon attack was initiated. [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] and [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]] had [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] outnumbered, but the heroic combiner was able to hold the line long enough until Metroplex's construction was finally completed.

Emerging fom his underground birthplace, Metroplex transformed from city to battle station mode and took off for the battleground. Crushing all in his path, the titanic Autobot transformed to robot mode and took out the Decepticon combiners with one colossal blast. However, as the Autobots celebrated their victory, the ocean nearby parted and Trypticon emerged for his first battle with Metroplex. {{storylink|Scramble City: Mobilization}}

{{note|This battle, uh, never happened, because the second part of ''Scramble City'' never got made.}}
{{-}}
=====Full Throttle Scramble Power!=====
[[Image:Fullthrottle_metroplex_arrives.jpg|left|thumb|Able to leap with tall buildings in a single bound...]]
Crafting a new diabolical scheme, Megatron began to threaten humanity with his latest weapon: the [[Omega Whip]]. After [[Jenny (G1)|Jenny]], [[Toru]] and [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] located the Decepticon base and disabled the super weapon, [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] ordered up reinforcements: ''every single Autobot''. Carrying the entire army in his mobile battle station mode, Metoplex, er, ''hovered'' onto the scene and transformed to robot mode. Accepting defeat, Megatron and the Decepticons scurried off as fast as they could. {{storylink|Full Throttle Scramble Power!}}
{{-}}

=====''The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers'' manga=====
[[Image:Manga_metroplex.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Metroplex struggles against the inexorable pull of the dreaded "page fold".]]
On a bright and sunny day in the year 2010, the [[Autobot|Autobots]] invited a group of [[human]] families to come take a tour of Metroplex. They were all very impressed and everything was going great...until [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] attacked. Preoccupied with keeping everyone inside him from dying, Metroplex was left to take all of Trypticon's attacks on the chin, including his Dual Plasma Cannons and Dino-Head Attack. With [[Scamper]] quickly taken out by [[Full-Tilt]], it looked as though Metroplex would be felled by a blast from the [[Brunt (G1)|Brunt tank]].

Luckily, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] deployed [[Six-Gun]] just in time. Six-Gun took out Full-Tilt and then proceeded to turn the Brunt tank around on Trypticon, blasting the Decepticon with his own drone. The blast destroyed Trypticon's Head Controls, forcing [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] to call a retreat. With the day won, Metroplex returned to City mode. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 3}}

=====''The Great Transformer War'' manga=====
After rescuing the alien scientist [[Doctor Dalton]] from the clutches of the Decepticons, the Autobots brought him to Metroplex for safe-keeping. There, he agreed to help upgrade the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobot]]s so they could counter the upgrades he was forced to install in the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcon]]s. Little did any of them know, Metroplex had been infiltrated by [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]], who observed the entire upgrading process in secret. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 1}}

In 2011, as part of his massive assault to retake [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] unleashed Trypticon on Metroplex, the battle thoroughly occupying the [[Earth]] forces of the Autobots, keeping them from coming to Cybertron's defense. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 3}}
{{--}}

=====''The Headmasters'' cartoon=====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Osamu Saka]] (Japanese)

[[Image:Hm4 metroplex vs madmachine.jpg|left|thumb|220px]]

In 2011, one year after the curing of the Hate Plague, the Decepticons launched a major offensive to take control of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. To prevent Autobot reinforcements reaching the planet, a large garrison of Decepticon troops were deployed to keep the Autobots on Earth occupied. As the battle moved to the vicinity of Autobot City, Metroplex flew into action and aided his comrades by blasting the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] out of the sky. He then transformed into battle station mode and transported the [[Trainbot]]s back to the city itself, where they took the [[space bridge]] to aid their allies on Cybertron. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}} As the battle to control Cybertron continued to rage, Metroplex was among the Autobots deployed to help search Earth for the missing [[Matrix of Leadership]]. {{storylink|Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime}}

Observing Trypticon making his way towards an oil field, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] ordered Metroplex into action. The two city-bots engaged in another round of their endless dance, but Metroplex soon discovered that he had been lured into a trap when the Decepticons' newest invention, the [[Madmachine]], burrowed its way out of the sand nearby. An electromagnetic blast from the Madmachine sent Metroplex's systems into chaos, and he was forced to retreat. {{storylink|The Great Cassette Operation}} Soon after, Metroplex joined the Autobot [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] in traveling to [[United Kingdom|Britain]] and [[New York City|New York]] to investigate attacks by a mysterious blackmailer. {{storylink|Terror! The Six Shadows}}

A little later, the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]] launched from Metroplex to back up a contingent of Autobots on [[Mars (planet)|Mars]], but found their way barred by Trypticon. Metroplex immediately went into action against his perennial foe and kicked him into a mountainside, but then he had to deal with [[Sixshot]]. {{storylink|Explosion on Mars!! Maximus Is in Danger}}

[[Image:Hm24_metroplex_must_watch.jpg|right|thumb|220px|"If only I could reach Ultra Magnus... then I could beat you over the head with him!"]]

When the Autobots and Decepticons left Earth to go on an interplanetary energy quest, Metroplex (logically enough) did not go with them, and so disappeared off the radar for a while. When they returned to Earth, Sixshot launched an attack on Autobot City, leading to a violent battle between him and Ultra Magnus. Metroplex attempted to aid his commander, but was kept busy by Trypticon, and so, Ultra Magnus died by Sixshot's hand. After the Autobot Headmasters disposed of Sixshot, funeral arrangements were made for Magnus, and Metroplex requested that rather than launch his body into space, the Autobots should bury Ultra Magnus on Earth to symbolize the great love he had for the planet. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus Dies!!}}

Decepticon attacks only intensified in the wake of Magnus's death, and Metroplex, seeking revenge for the death of his commander, insisted that he be allowed to join in the fight. [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]] and the Autobot Headmasters encouraged him to remain at Autobot City, pointing out that his databanks contained all their collected information and that he was too valuable to lose, but reports began pouring in from different Autobot installations that only seemed to prove how necessary Metroplex entering the fray was. Fortress explained that all available Autobots had come to help, and Metroplex grudgingly agreed to stand down, with one condition: when Sixshot showed his face, he would be Metroplex's to deal with. This time came quite soon, as Metroplex accompanied the Autobot Headmasters to [[Alaska]] and engaged Sixshot in an aerial battle while the Headmasters dealt with Galvatron. When the young warriors destroyed the Decepticon leader with the power of their [[Head Formation]], Sixshot retreated, depriving Metroplex of his revenge. {{storylink|The Emperor of Destruction Vanishes on an Iceberg}}

[[Image:Hm26_metroplex_vs_sixshot.jpg|left|thumb|220px|"So yer a giant city-bot! Big Whoop! Wanna fight about it?"]]

It wasn't long before Metroplex got another shot at Sixshot when he and Trypticon attacked Autobot City again. Metroplex dealt with Trypticon quickly and focused his fury on Sixshot, but the revenge-hungry Autobot was mistaken in his belief that Trypticon had been defeated. As the saurian titan leapt at Metroplex from behind, Spike Witwicky moved into the open to shout a warning to the giant Autobot, and was hit by a stray laser blast. Seconds later, the Trainbots arrived to help Metroplex overpower Trypticon and send him packing, but Spike had been grievously wounded by the blast and had to be taken to [[Athenia]] for medical attention. {{storylink|I Risk My Life for Earth}}

When the Headmasters departed Earth to follow the Decepticons to planet [[Master (planet)|Master]], Metroplex was left in command on the Autobots on Earth. Some time later, just as the Headmasters were returning to Earth, Decepticons began springing up all over Earth, and Metroplex contacted the approaching Headmasters to let them know of the sudden change in the situation. He greeted them when they arrived on the planet, updated them, and was commended for the good job he had done in their absence. {{storylink|The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 1)}} Metroplex continued to help gather data on the Decepticons' activities on Earth, which involved raising mysterious "[[crysmag metal|Death Towers]]" at strategic points around the globe, helping out where he could. After supervising the transportation of humans injured in a Decepticon attack, Metroplex sped to [[Egypt]] to aid Fortress Maximus after he was wounded battling [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]. Finally, Metroplex participated in the colossal climactic battle between the entire Autobot and Decepticon armies at the [[Arctic|North Pole]], which culminated in the Decepticons' defeat, and the withdrawal of all Transformers from Earth. {{storylink|The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===
[[Image:Spacepirates metroplex emerges.jpg|right|thumb|The prospect of free stickers brings Metroplex to life, and the [[Quintesson]]s are none too happy about it.]]
====Marvel UK future timelines====
Metroplex is the largest Autobot on record at just under 700 feet in height. Entirely too large to wander Earth freely, Metroplex accepted without complaint the role he was assigned: that of the "living core" of Autobot City. Built into the very fabric of the city upon its creation in 2003, Metroplex lay dormant beneath its surface, endowing it with the ability to transform from city mode into a heavily-armed battle station.

In 2008, when the [[Quintesson]]s invaded and took control of Autobot City as a part of a complex, multi-pronged plan to take over Cybertron, only a few Autobots were able to avoid capture. [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]], temporarily reverted back to Hot Rod, was one of the lucky few, and managed to activate Metroplex. The towering Autobot tore his way out from beneath the city and, already in a bad mood over being so rudely awakened, immediately began smashing and blasting the Quintessons that started attacking him. The fight was distinctly one-sided, and before long, Metroplex had successfully driven the invading aliens off. Alas, as Autobot City was largely gutted when Metroplex emerged, it was something of a pyrrhic victory for the Autobots. {{storylink|Space Pirates!}}
{{--}}

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
[[Image:Routeofallevil_metroplex_hologram.jpg|left|thumb|150px|"The lost city of gold! I must not let [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] know about this!"]]

After deposing [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], and leaving the planet in [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus's]] command, [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and a large number of Autobots returned to Earth to begin construction on a vast complex known as [[Autobot City]]. [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] was seen projecting a hologram of Metroplex during construction, presumably as a blueprint. {{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}
{{-}}

===IDW comics continuity===
[[Image:SpotlightMetroplex CoverRI.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"They look like ants from up here Bill" "They are ants, Michael! They are ants!"]]

Metroplex was charged with protecting an unidentified object of great value on the planet [[Salvvatan VIII]]. He remained hidden in plain sight in alternate mode, posing as merely another section of a sprawling mechanical complex on the planet's surface. His proximity to [[Orvus Base]], the Autobot research facility orbiting [[Salvvatan VI]], seems to be too convenient to be a coincidence, but any direct connection between Orvus Base and Metroplex or whatever he was guarding was unknown.

Metroplex's cover was compromised when Orvus Base was attacked by the devastatingly powerful Decepticon known as [[Sixshot]]. Nearly the entire crew was wiped out, except for six [[Throttlebot]]s who escaped to Salvvatan VIII, with Sixshot hot on their heels. Their running battle at the complex led the combatants to Metroplex's hiding spot, and a sharp turn sent [[Rollbar (G1)|Rollbar]] and Sixshot through Metroplex's outermost wall. His defensive perimeter breached, Metroplex transformed to robot mode, taking the opportunity to squash Sixshot under his boot in the process. With his position compromised, Metroplex's first priority was immediate relocation of himself and, presumably, the object he protected. He directed the Throttlebots to where they could find an escape shuttle and medical supplies before transforming into a space-faring mode and rocketing out into the cosmos. {{storylink|Spotlight: Metroplex}}

Metroplex returned to Cybertron, where he served as a base of operations for the ancient Autobot [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] while he began his endeavours to restore the damaged planet to habitability. Despite his prodigious strength and size, Metroplex was of little use in battle against the [[Insecticon swarm]] that had overrun Cybertron (the swarm was simply too great in size, and would eat their way inside his systems before he could destroy them all), so instead, Alpha Trion resurrected the deceased [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] to carry out the task. Once Ironhide had reduced the swarm's numbers to a mere two hundred, Alpha Trion had Metroplex transform to robot mode and crush the remaining Insecticons beneath his massive palms. Subsequently, Alpha Trion and Metroplex left Cybertron for parts unknown, off to put into motion the next move in the great, enigmatic game Alpha Trion was playing. {{storylink|Any Old Iron}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[Image:G1Metroplex toy.jpg|right|400px|thumb|Yeah, I saw ''Big'' and I went against it.]]
*'''Metroplex''' (Autobot City, 1986/2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-70'''
**''Accessories:'' Scamper, Scamper's arms/cannons (x2), Scamper's small laser pistol, Slammer, Slammer's turret, Sixgun's body/tower, Sixgun's chestplate/tower top 2 red cannons/Sixgun's legs, 2 black cannons/Sixgun's arms, Sixgun's laser pistol, double-barreled cannon, rear tower, shoulder antenna, 2 fists, 2 kneecaps, 3 missiles

: Metroplex transforms from a large robot to a multi-leveled "city" mainly for use with the smaller ''Generation 1'' toys. This mode includes a service bay with launching mechanism, a helipad, and "parking" for four vehicles in whatever his legs fold out to be. He also has a third mobile battle station mode; a more compact wheeled form that incorporates his many weapons. Additionally, his weapons are all moulded with universal-sized pegs that allow them to attached in several different configurations and locations (for example, in the otherwise-pointless holes in his kneecaps in city mode). Metroplex came with [[Six-Gun]], [[Slammer]], and [[Scamper]]; the first two formed various parts of Metroplex's alternate modes. Metroplex's kneecaps also connect in various places in slots on his legs, both in mobile mode, and in city mode on the opposite side (near the knee joint).

:Metroplex was apparently designed as part of the aborted [[Diaclone]] line, ''Jizai Gattai'' ("Free Combination"), given the high degree of interactivity he has with other toys confirmed as part of it—namely, the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]], [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]] and [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]. Each of the smaller "limb" robot from these four groups (and those that came after using their basic design, like the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]], [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]] and [[Seacon (G1)|Seacons]]) can plug into ports in Metroplex's shoulders and knees in robot mode, while the base modes of the four leaders—[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]], [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]], [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]], and [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]]—can connect to him in city mode. While the former feature was included in the Hasbro instructions, the latter was omitted. The peg-size of Metroplex's weapons also allows them to be wielded by the leaders and super-robots these teams create.

: As a third-year piece, Metroplex was one of several items to undergo "materials changing". Initial versions of Metroplex used rubber tires, and the fronts of his upper legs were fully-chromed silver. After a time, though, the tires were replaced with single-piece hard-plastic tires, and his legs changed to white plastic with a silver factory-applied sticker at the top. However, the plastic tire version also possessed a waist reinforced with two screw points instead of one, in an effort to prevent Metroplex literally snapping in half as so many of the original versions did due to a weak spot on the waist.

: Metroplex suffers from a large number of weak and breakable points. Apart from the aforementioned waist, the launcher inside his chest, the peg on his back, his extendable shoulder antenna, Scamper's shoulder hinges and Scamper's arm pegs are all very fragile and break or fail in various ways.

: This mold was also used to make [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]], with some retooling for ramps compatible with the various Micromaster/Micro Transformer bases.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/Metroplex/metroplex.htm More information on Metroplex at TFU.info]

===Transform Jr===
[[Image:Metroplex junior.jpg|right|thumb|250px|]]
*'''Metroflex''' (1987)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-70'''
**''Accessories:'' Black gun

:The ''[[Transform Jr]]'' version of Metroplex shrinks and simplifies the original toy, omitting his city mode, all of his partners, his antennae, and his entire armament save for one black rifle. Toy be ''plaaaaain''.
{{--}}
===Encore===
*'''Metroflex''' (2008)
**''Encore number:'' '''12'''

:In September 2008, Metroplex was reissued in Japan in [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s [[Encore]] line. This version features a minor retool to allow Slammer's gun turret to become the top of a building in city mode. The Encore version also has the chrome upper legs and rubber wheels of the initial releases.
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Generation 1 figurines===

* '''Metroflex''' (Decoy, 1986)

[[Image:Metroplex_small_decoy.jpg|right|thumb]]

: A soft rubber figure of Metroplex was release as part of the second series of "[[Decoy]]" figures released by [[Kabaya]] exclusively in [[Japan]]. Like the other figures in this series, Metroplex was sold in a [[blindpacking|blindpacked]] box and was available in multiple colors, including red, blue, green and yellow.
{{-}}
* '''Metroflex''' (Decoy, 1986)

[[Image:Metroplex_decoy.jpg|right|thumb]]

: Metroplex was also part of the small Japanese-exclusive collection of larger Decoy figures, with this version of the characters standing at around twice the height of a regular Decoy. Like the other figures in this wave, Metroplex was packaged in an individual baggie and was available in red, blue, green, yellow.
{{-}}

* '''Metroflex''' (1987)

[[Image:Metroplex_vinyl_figure.jpg|right|thumb]]

:A large, vinyl figurine of Metroplex, packaged with an Autobot [[insignia]] badge.
{{-}}
* '''Water Gun Set''' (1987)
[[Image:Metroplex_water_gun_set.jpg|right|thumb]]

:The large vinyl figure of Metroplex was also avaialble in this Japanese-exclusive "VS" figurine set, along with a Decepticon insignia badge, a water pistol and two peach-colored Autobot [[Decoy]]s (the picture at right shows [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] and [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]], but a set with [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] and [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] is known to exist, so exactly how many variations there are, or if the figures were just included at random, is unknown).
{{--}}

===Collegeville Costumes===
[[Image:Metroplex halloween costume.jpg|right|thumb|Eeeeeiiigh!]]
* '''Metroplex Halloween costume''' (1986)

:Given the small number of ''Transformers'' costumes produced by [[Collegeville Costumes]], it was perhaps an odd choice to base one on a comparatively lesser-known character like Metroplex. Nonetheless, this two-piece costume adhered to the crappy time-worn tradition of consisting of a sculpted thin plastic mask held over the wearer's face with elastic, and a smock with a picture of Metroplex and his name on it.
{{-}}
[[Image:Metroplex_mask.jpg|right|thumb|GIVE ME YOUR FACE.]]
* '''Metroplex mask''' (1986)

: Collegeville evidently liked Metroplex, as they also immortalized him in their line of ''Transformers'' masks. Made from flat styrofoam, the mask featured a hinge that allowed the wearer to lift it up and down, transforming from kid to robot in the blink of an eye!

{{-}}

===Super Collection Figure===
* '''Metroflex''' (2001)
[[Image:HOC Metroplex.jpg|right|250px|thumb|]]

: Metroplex was the "Build-A-Figure" in fourth wave of [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s ''[[Super Collection Figure]]'' line of non-transformable PVC figurines. Available in eight out of every ten cases, Metroplex was divided into six parts, each one packaged mostly with one of the silver metallic "pewter" versions of the other six figurines in the line. His head and guns came with Ultra Magnus, his body with Arcee and Daniel, his left arm with Optimus Prime, his right arm with Megatron, his left leg with [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] and his right leg with Rodimus Prime. Metroplex's parts were available in two versions, at an equal ratio: full-color and clear plastic, making two versions of the figure to collect.

===Heroes of Cybertron===
*'''Metroplex''' (2003)

:''Super Collection Figure'' Metroplex was later made available as part of ''[[Heroes of Cybertron]]'' line, again packaged as a "Build-A-Figure" for the line's fifth wave. As the ''Heroes of Cybertron'' figures did not feature variants and were not blindpacked, it was a lot easier to assemble a Metroplex figure; the head and guns came with Optimus Prime, his body with [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]], his left arm with [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]], his right arm with Megatron and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], his left leg with Starscream and his right leg with [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]].

:Like all of the initial releases of the ''Heroes of Cybertron'' line, Metroplex's parts were cast in a transparent plastic with the colour based upon their faction (blue in Metroplex's case). He was almost completely painted, leaving his eyes and the back of his head unpainted for a [[light-piping]] effect.
{{--}}
===MyClone===
[[Image:Myclone metroplex.jpg|right|100px|thumb]]
*'''Metroplex''' (2003)
**''ID number:'' '''MTF015'''
**''Accessories:'' White display stand
:Released in the third wave of the ''[[MyClone]]'' line of Transformers PVC figures, this adorable little Metroplex comes with a hexagonal white display stand, which can link up with the identical stands included with other MyClone figures. His modular design allows his parts to be mixed and matched with those of any other MyClone figure.
{{-}}

==Notes==
[[Image:G1_Autobot_City.JPG|right|thumb|Of course, if you look closely, he's sort of magically floating ''above'' the city, but hey, points for trying!]]
*Metroplex's relationship to [[Autobot City]] in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' and [[The Transformers (cartoon)|the cartoon series]] is ill-defined at best. He is not actually mentioned by name in the movie, while ''[[Five Faces of Darkness]]'' uses the terms "Autobot City" and "Metroplex" interchangeably, suggesting they are the same thing. The confusion seems to originate with the design history behind Autobot City: designer [[Floro Dery]] has described how he created [http://boltax.blogspot.com/2010/04/ark-addendum-autobot-city-concept-art.html his own concept for the city], but was then instructed to redesign it, adding elements of the Metroplex toy (evidenced in the film itself by the city's shift from orange to white as it transforms and the appearance of a turret that is quite blatantly [[Slammer]]). The series would very rarely show Metroplex and Autobot City onscreen at the same time, using only one or the other as the episode demanded; the closest it would usually come to unifying the two would be to show the occasional leftover orange building remaining at Metroplex's feet when he transforms to robot mode. The episode "[[Thief in the Night]]" offered the best answer to the conundrum, by clearly presenting Metroplex to be a smaller sub-section of the city (see right).
{{-}}
[[Image:Metroplex_character_models.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*''Scramble City'' features a different [[character model]] for Metroplex compared to the one used for his appearances in the Generation 1 cartoon. The ''Scramble City'' model is more [[show-accuracy|toy-accurate]], featuring individual eyes, more robo-wrinkles and "stubble."
*"Fortress Maximus" was likely a considered name for Metroplex. The [[Transformers: The Movie (Marvel Comics)|Marvel Comics adaptation]] of the [[The Transformers: The Movie|1986 Movie]] even refers to [[Autobot City]] as "Fortress Maximus" in a caption.
*The Japanese book [[Transformers Generations]] contains concept art for an unmade [[Action Master]] version of Metroplex.
*In ''[[Transformers The Game]]'', the video game tie-in for the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 movie]], a [[Tranquility Mall|suburban mall]] was called the Metroplex Mall as an homage to the character.
*Unusually for the G1 cartoon, Metroplex retains his red optics. This is in contrast to the cartoon's typical practice of colouring Autobot optics blue and Decepticon optics red.
* No instructions show this, but in a bizarre case of convergent engineering, Grandus in transport mode can combine with Metroplex in transport mode via the pegs on the former's shoulders, and the fist holes on the latter. Jizai Gattai indeed.
* The tower formed with Slammer boasts a peak that is ''very'' similar to the Scramble City connection pieces sported by all smaller limb pieces, but is too large to be used in the same manner.
{{--}}

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

[[Category:Autobot bases]]
[[Category:City Transformers]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 locations]]
[[Category:Multi-component Transformers]]
[[Category:MyClone]]
[[Category:The Headmasters Autobots]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]

Dull surprise

2010-12-11T21:45:49Z

Kirby-Force:

[[Image:Lazarusfrozen.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Imagine going through eternity with this "expression" on your face.]]
"'''Dull surprise'''" has become a popular term in the ''Transformers'' fandom to sum up the (lack of) range of a character's facial expressions when drawn by [[Pat Lee]] (or people who were made to draw in his style, like [[Rob Ruffolo]] or [[Alex Milne]]).

The expression in question is a vapid, empty look where you can just ''hear'' the character in question going "Guuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" while waiting for the next neuron to fire in their puny brain.

==Origin==
The term originated in a skit from [[wikipedia:Mystery_Science_Theater_3000|''Mystery Science Theater 3000'']]'s showing of the movie ''[http://mst3k.wikia.com/wiki/Alien_from_L.A. Alien from L.A.]'', where Mike Nelson was playing the "[[wikipedia:Kathy_Ireland|Kathy Ireland]] Fabulous Range Of Emotions Acting Guessing Game by [[Hasbro]]-bro-bro!", in which he had to guess the emotion the supermodel and attempted-actress was portraying in a scene. The correct answer was invariably "''Dull surprise!!''".

The ''MST3K'' episode that had the skit in question originally aired on [[November 20|November 20th]] of 1993, and there's certainly a sizable ''[[MSTF|Transformers/MST3K]]'' audience/fan crossover (speaking of ''dull surprise!!''). So when the era of [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] comics began in 2002, the fandom realised they had the perfect term for describing Pat Lee's take on expressiveness in the new Transformers comics.

==In the wild==
[[Image:Devastator-dullsurprise.jpg|left|175px|thumb|A range of emotions from horror and despair to fury and triumph is here summed up by a single, slack-jawed facial expression. Hey, even Optimus Prime can do it with his faceplate!]]
A particularly notorious example may be found at the end of [[Prime Directive issue 4|"Prime Directive" #4]]. [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] has been [[Triangle formation|defeated]] and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] looms above all the other combatants, holding one of Superion's components in his fist. Several of the Autobots and Decepticons gaze up at him.

[[Image:Lazarusdurr.jpg|right|175px|thumb|This is supposed to be "shock and horror" as a supposedly-under-control [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] looms menacingly over [[Lazarus]], but in reality it's...'''DULL SURPRISE''']]
The [[Autobot|Autobots]] are supposed to be shocked and horrified, [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] should presumably be elated, and Devastator himself is apparently intended to be roaring in furious triumph. Yet all of the characters, including Devastator, have the ''exact same expression''—staring slack-jawed off into the distance.

The page left quite a few fans wondering if this was some kind of twist ending. Was everybody looking at something? Had [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] or some other towering threat arrived off-panel? To compound the problem, "[[Prime Directive issue 5]]" was weeks late, so fans spent nearly two months arguing over what the nature of the cliffhanger was.
{{-}}

==Universe==
[[Image:Prowl-universe2008-packageart.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Fighting Decepticons to a stand-still.]]
2008's ''[[Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'' toy line brought a resurgence in the popularity of the term in the fandom due to the style of the [[package art|packaging artwork]] used. At the request of Hasbro, artists such as [[Marcelo Matere]] aimed for a stoic, static, neutral facial expression. Unfortunately in the final product, the characters are standing with arms to the side, looking into the distance with their mouths slightly agape. Rows and rows of robots all gaping in vague zombie horror at nothing.

The "guuuuuuh" expressions are made even more noticeable by the artwork's [[Movie (franchise)|live-action-movie]]-inspired touches, mainly making their lower jaws a whole separate piece from the rest of the face. This is in stark contrast to the concurrent ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'' packaging's lively, action-oriented artwork... which was probably the point but it's still ''dull surprise''.

Although later in the line the poses remained largely static, the characters' expressions got more and more... well, expressive. This was mainly in the realm of "snarling", but it was a marked improvement over "Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhh...".

{{-}}

==See also==
[[Image:GuessIronhidesEmotion.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Ironhide demonstrates his emotional range from A to A.]]
* [[Energon (cartoon)#Production_flaws|The ''Energon'' cartoon's ever-so-wonderful CGI]]

==External links==
* [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DullSurprise Dull Surprise on TV Tropes]
* [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/browse_thread/thread/aa0bbeb726edddd/e27a77f1298c43b4?lnk=gst&q=dreamwave+devastator+%22omega+supreme%22#e27a77f1298c43b4 Confusion over the end of "Prime Directive" Part 4 ending] at alt.toys.transformers

[[Category:Fan terminology]]
[[Category:Fandom]]

Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity

2010-12-11T19:28:13Z

Kirby-Force: /* The Transformers cartoon */

{{suite}}
[[Image:G1OptimusPrimeStockFootage.jpg|thumb|right|350px|"Captions are the right of all TFwiki users"]]
Come read the incredibly complex, convoluted, and competing accounts of '''[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s massive amount of appearances in the [[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]!

==''The Transformers'' cartoon==
:''Voice actors:'' [[Peter Cullen]] (Optimus Prime, English), [[Laurie Faso]] (Orion Pax, English), [[Tesshō Genda]] (Japanese), [[Francis Lax]] (French), [[Hubert Gagnon]] (French Canadian), [[Willi Röbke]] (German), [[Thomas Rau]] (German ''Generation 2''), [[Diego Reggente]] (Italian, first season and part of second season), [[Giorgio Melazzi]] (Italian, third season), [[Celso de Vasconcelos]] (Brazil, episodes 4-27), [[Darcy Pedrosa]] (Brazil, episodes 28 onwards), [[Edgar Wald]] (Latin American dub)

[[Image:Orionpax.jpg|right|225px|thumb|Ariel spends a lot of time hanging around the docks.]]

Optimus Prime began his life as an Autobot named '''Orion Pax''' during the [[Golden Age]] of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] nine million years ago. Together with his girlfriend [[Elita One|Ariel]] and his best friend [[Dion]], Orion was a dock-worker at a [[storage yard 67|storage yard]] who had the simple job of unloading and storing shipments of energy that came from a power plant up-river. But the times in which Orion lived were strange ones: a new breed of robot had recently appeared on the planet, with strange robot-mode [[flight]] powers that led Orion and Dion to idolize them. Ariel wasn't so sure, having heard rumors that the flying robots' leader had recently perpetrated an attack on an outer city.

[[Image:Wardawn_orion_dies.jpg|left|210px|thumb|Better get used to [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|dying horribly]], buddy.]]

One day, Orion was going about work as usual when an unfamiliar group of [[Aerialbot (G1)|five robots]] arrived on the docks, and Orion, wondering if they were new workers, introduced himself and his friends. At that moment, all attentions turned skyward as a group of the flying robots soared by overhead. Both Ariel and the newcomers urged caution in dealing with the fliers, but Orion waved off their concerns, and returned to work. Before long, Orion was shocked when he was approached by [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], leader of the flying robots, who claimed to be looking for a place to store his wares. Overcome, Orion showed Megatron around the warehouses and explained that they were used for storing energy... at which point Megatron ordered his followers, the [[Decepticon]]s, to attack and steal it all! When Orion took a shot to the shoulder from the Decepticon leader, Ariel rushed to his defense, but was hit by another blast from Megatron. The enraged Orion lunged at Megatron, but was shot down by yet another blast from the Decepticon's cannon.

[[Image:Sfat prime and elita fb.jpg|right|thumb|"No girls allowed"]]

While Megatron and [[Transport drone|his troops]] set about pillaging the warehouses, the five robots Orion had met earlier carried his body away, in hopes of finding someone to repair him. They came upon the Cybertronian machinesmith [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]], who reluctantly decided to subject Orion to a new reconstruction process he had developed, which would rebuild the Autobots' frail bodies into battle-hardy configurations so that they could battle the Decepticons on even footing. Thus it was that Orion Pax became Optimus Prime, the new leader of the Autobots, and was given the [[Matrix of Leadership]], which Alpha Trion had kept safe since Megatron had killed its [[U-Haul Robot|previous holder]]. While Alpha Trion set to work on rebuilding Ariel into "[[Elita One]]" using Prime's schematics as a basis, Prime confronted Megatron, introducing himself as the Decepticon's "worst nightmare". A mighty battle ensued, which came to an end when the warehouse's fuel stockpiles were blown up by the five enigmatic Autobots, who disappeared. {{storylink|War Dawn}}

Over the following five million years, Optimus Prime led the Autobots in a steady war of attrition that gradually drained Cybertron of almost all of its energy. In order to continue the fight, Prime arranged for an interstellar expedition to search for energy on other planets. Loading his best and brightest aboard a huge [[Ark (G1)|spacecraft]], Prime was the last to board, but was stopped by a cry from Elita One, who came running up to the launch platform. Prime told her that he would return for her as soon as he could, but Elita was intent on joining Prime on the mission. No debate was to be had, however, as a Decepticon attack on the platform caused an explosion that seemingly destroyed Elita. Crestfallen, Prime boarded the spacecraft and ordered a take-off, unaware that Elita had, in fact, survived. {{storylink|The Search for Alpha Trion}}

[[Image:Mtmte1 prime controls.jpg|left|thumb|The Transformers spent four million years in stasis lock because Prime never learned to turn INTO the skid.]]

The Autobots' spacecraft had a troubled flight. After navigating a treacherous asteroid field, the ship was caught in a tractor beam from a [[Nemesis (G1)|Decepticon space cruiser]] that had been shadowing them, under the command of Megatron himself. Megatron's forces swarmed the Autobot ship, and the two leaders grappled until the G-force of the nearby planet [[Earth]] took hold of the craft, and dragged it down. Although Prime tried valiantly to pull the ship up, it collided with a [[Mount St. Hilary|mountain]] so violently that all the Autobots and Decepticons were knocked offline.

[[Image:Mtmte2_witiwickys_saved.jpg|215px|right|thumb|Water-boarding is unconstitutional]]

Four million years later, in 1984, a volcanic eruption jarred the ship's computer, [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]], back online, and it set about reviving the Transformers indiscriminately, beginning with the Decepticons. The evil robots soon departed the Ark, but thanks to a tremor caused by a petty parting shot upon the ship from [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]], the inactive form of Optimus Prime was jostled into the path of Teletraan I's restoration beam. Reconfigured by the computer to transform into a tractor trailer, Prime thanked Teletraan for its efforts with a thumbs-up, and quickly saw to the reactivation of all his fellow Autobots. Wasting no time, Prime led the Autobots in pursuing the Decepticons, who were in the process of attacking an oil rig. Prime and Megatron faced off, but Prime was promptly set upon by [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], allowing Megatron to break off the fight and collapse the oil rig with a few well-placed blasts. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}} Prime quickly rescued a pair of rig workers—[[Sparkplug Witwicky]] and his son [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]]—and introduced himself and the Autobots to the two grateful humans, who volunteered to help the Autobots learn more about Earth.

[[Image:Mtmte2_shermandam.jpg|left|250px|thumb|"Hey, Megatron! Lemme axe you a question!"]]

Next, the Decepticons targeted [[Sherman Dam]], and Prime led the Autobots in an attempt to stop them, battling Megatron atop the dam with his retractable [[energon-axe]]. Distracted by a cry for help from Spike, Prime was knocked off the dam by Megatron, and the Decepticons escaped to carry out their next raid, this time on the [[Ruby Crystal Mines of Burma]]. When the Autobots arrived at the mines, Sparkplug and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] were sent in to plant an explosive charge that would entomb the Decepticons. When the pair did not return, Prime drove up to the mineshaft and deployed [[Roller]] to investigate. No sooner had Roller entered the mine, however, than the charge went off, and Prime was caught in the blast and hurled off the cliff. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 2}} Prime and Roller both survived the explosion, but unfortunately, so did the Decepticons, who blasted their way free of the collapsed mine and took to the air. Prime tried to stop [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] from pursuing the villains, but his old friend would not listen and was shot down. Prime was happy that Ironhide was okay, but reminded him that there was a thin line between being a hero, and being a memory.

[[Image:Mtmte3_prime_combatdeck.jpg|right|225px|thumb|In mere moments, the gun would be destroyed, but the finger would keep right on firing.]]

After the Autobots' attempt to use a phony holographic rocket base to dupe the Decepticons failed, Megatron stood poised to return to Cybertron. Prime called for volunteers for the dangerous mission to stop the Decepticons' blasting off in their new [[Decepticon Headquarters|space cruiser]], and all the Autobots stepped forward, including Spike and Sparkplug. With all his soldiers behind him, Prime led the Autobots into battle once more, and once again faced off with Megatron, this time using the additional firepower of his [[Combat Deck]] against his enemy. When the combat shifted to hand-to-hand, however, Prime was blindsided by [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], affording Megatron the opportunity to call off the fight and instruct the Decepticons to board the cruiser. As the craft took off, emotion got the better of Prime, and in a rare display of short-temperedness and anger, he roared at [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] to hand over his rocket pack. With the pack's additional boost, Prime achieved escape velocity and followed the cruiser into space, but a blast from its artillery hatch sent him plummeting back to Earth. His anger fading to despair, Prime declared that the Decepticons had won... before noticing that [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] was missing. In fact, the invisible Autobot had stowed away aboard the Decepticons' cruiser and sabotaged it from within, causing it to crash back to Earth, into the ocean. Believing the Decepticons aboard destroyed, Prime ordered the Autobots back to the ship, so that they could continue rebuilding it and return to Cybertron themselves. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 3}}

[[Image:Too_prime_truckmode.jpg|left|thumb|225px|The smokestacks were filed down for your safety, kids.]]

One night, months later, before rebuilding was complete, Prime and Ironhide stood looking out at the ocean, and Prime confessed he was not entirely convinced that the Decepticons were gone for good. And he was right: before long, Teletraan I reported an emergency at a solar power plant, and Optimus discovered to his horror that Megatron still lived. Prime led a team of Autobots to drive the villains off, and while they were successful, the Decepticons escaped with a large quantity of energy to send to Cybertron with their new intergalactic "[[space bridge]]" transport system. Spike was captured and nearly sent across the bridge with the energy, but at the last moment, Prime blasted him free of the transport pod and then hurled Megatron into the bridge in his place. {{storylink|Transport to Oblivion}} Megatron was not gone for long, however, and when Prime next faced his eternal enemy, it was for possession of an [[antimatter]] energy formula. {{storylink|Roll for It}}

[[Image:Divide and conquer.jpg|right|225px|thumb|He was recovering nicely until Bumblebee tripped while carrying his dynamite collection.]]

While searching for any trace of where the Decepticons' space bridge would next materialize, Prime received word of a Decepticon attack on a weapons factory and sped to the scene. In the battle that followed, Prime was badly injured by an exploding computer bank when he shielded the human workers with his body, and was taken back to Autobot Headquarters for repair. Alas, Laserbeak followed the Autobots back to their base, and while Prime was lying on a medical table with his internal mechanisms exposed, the crooked cassette struck, destroying Prime's vital [[cosmotron]] component. A team of Autobots were dispatched to Cybertron to recover a replacement cosmotron, but in their absence, the Decepticons initiated an all-out attack on the Autobots. At the last moment, the cosmotron arrived, and the repaired Prime made a dramatic entrance onto the battlefield, challenging Megatron to one-on-one combat and soundly defeating him. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer}}

After leading the Autobots on a mission to the Arctic to stop the Decepticons from draining the energy of the Earth's core, {{storylink|Fire in the Sky}} Optimus Prime okayed [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] and [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]'s project to create robotic dinosaurs to bolster their forces. Unfortunately, when the three "[[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]" turned out to be dangerous, simple-minded monsters, Prime ordered them destroyed. Wheeljack was able to talk him down to merely deactivating the Dinobots and sealing them in a cavern in their volcano headquarters... and a good thing, too, since soon after, when Prime and the Autobots were defeated in battle with the Decepticons at the [[Great Falls]], Wheeljack was able to bring the Dinobots back online to save the day. Realizing that "even the wisest of men and machines can be in error", Prime overruled his previous order, and allowed the Dinobots to remain part of the Autobot ranks. {{storylink|S.O.S. Dinobots}}

[[Image:Grimlockapologize.jpg|left|250px|thumb|"Someday, my large friend, [[Grimlock (G1)/toys#Masterpiece|the tables will be turned]]."]]

Following a mission to Peru, {{storylink|Fire on the Mountain}} Prime was so impressed with the Dinobot trio's improved performance that he ordered the creation of two more. Unfortunately, Prime would soon learn that the Dinobots were not perfect; left alone to guard a [[Meteorini Chipperoni|strange energy-rich meteorite]], the Dinobots were approached by Megatron, who exploited their simple brains to turn them against Optimus Prime. Soon after, when Prime discovered that the meteorite was unstable and set to explode, he rushed out to warn the Dinobots, only to be attacked by them and taken to Megatron. The Decepticons had also stolen the meteorite, unaware of its impending detonation, and when the space-rock finally exploded, Prime dove into action and shoved the Dinobot leader [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] to safety. Realizing that Optimus Prime was on the side of the angels, Grimlock apologized, and he and Prime shook hands. {{storylink|War of the Dinobots}}

[[Image:SurfsUp.jpg|right|225px|thumb|There is no way it could be cooler than this...]]

When the Decepticons constructed a massive "space pyramid" in order to bring Cybertron into Earth's orbit, that they might exploit the energies released in the chaos that would ensue, Prime attempted to stop Megatron from activating the third and final pylon in the system. Megatron merely laughed, and informed Prime that ''he'' would be the one to activate the pylon—for if he did not, Cybertron would be utterly destroyed! {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 1}} Prime was forced to comply and brought the pylon online, but he did not linger on the moral repercussions of his decision, and instead led the Autobots in combatting the environmental terrors that Cybertron's orbit unleashed. On top of all this mayhem, the Decepticons had also used [[hypno-chip]]s to mind-control human slaves into helping them gather energy, including Sparkplug Witwicky. Learning that Sparkplug had been taken to work on Cybertron, Prime felt that it would be best if Spike did not find out, only for the boy to overhear him discussing it. Prime permitted Spike to join a team of Autobots that were heading for Cybertron to investigate the source of the Decepticons' mind-control. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 2}} Prime then led another team of the Autobots on a mission to stop the construction of a Decepticon hydro-electric generator, cruising into battle on Transformer-sized surfboards. Things came to a head in a huge firefight on a tropical island, during which the Autobots returned from Cybertron with a device that undid the effects of the hypno-chips. Megatron cut his losses and fled with the energy he had gathered, but Prime then opened fire on his craft, blowing up the energy within and creating an explosion powerful enough to thrust Cybertron back out of orbit. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 3}}

[[Image:CountdownToExtinction.jpg|left|thumb|... I stand corrected.]]

In the wake of Cybertron's orbit, Optimus Prime and the Autobots set about repairing the damage done to Earth, when an even greater threat emerged: Starscream set an [[Exponential Generator]] to overlord and destroy the planet. For the first time—but not the last—Prime and Megatron were forced to team up for the greater good (or the lesser evil), as Megatron transformed into pistol mode and allowed Prime to wield him so that they could shoot the exponential generator into space and save Earth. {{storylink|Countdown to Extinction (episode)|Countdown to Extinction}}

[[Image:Tanker throw.jpg|right|225px|thumb|Eat your heart out, Superman.]]

Hearing reports of giant robotic insects in Bali, Optimus Prime led a team of Autobots to investigate. The team discovered that the insects in questions were a trio of "[[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]]" who had allied themselves with Megatron, and pursued them to an oil refinery the Decepticons were in the process of plundering. In one of his most impressive feats of strength ever recorded, Optimus Prime hoisted an entire oil tanker over his head and hurled it at Megatron. The Insecticons were so awed by this display of strength that they decided to consume the gathered energon and flee, earning them Megatron's ire. Although he considered the day a victory, Prime worried that the Insecticons would inevitably ally themselves with Megatron again. {{storylink|A Plague of Insecticons}}

[[Image:HeavyMetalWar Primedefeated.jpg|left|thumb|"I... fell on my keys.. ow."]]

When an unarmed Megatron appeared in front of Autobot Headquarters claiming that he had come only to talk, Optimus Prime agreed to hear him out, and found himself challenged to a one-on-one duel in accordance with Cybertron law. The loser of the duel and his troops would be forced to vacate Earth forever, but Prime confidently and honorably accepted the challenge. Little did Prime realize that Megatron had found a way to imbue himself with the different powers of all his Decepticon troops, and when the battle began, Prime was defeated with shocking speed. Believing that he had simply been unaware of the number of powers at Megatron's command, Prime sorrowfully agreed to leave Earth, much to the other Autobots' chagrin. When they returned to Autobot Headquarters to prepare for their departure, they discovered Megatron's newest warriors, the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], in battle with the Dinobots, but Prime refused to get involved, citing the law despite Ironhide's protests. Spike's friend [[Chip Chase]] had his suspicions about the battle and used Teletraan I to scan Prime's injuries, revealing Megatron's deception. As the battle had been unlawfully won, Prime was able to disregard the law and lead the Autobots into the battle raging outside. Prime was able to blast the Constructicons' merged form of [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] apart with his laser rifle, and the Autobots ganged up on the Decepticons and forced them into a lava-filled crevasse. Prime and Megatron faced off once more, and Prime sent Megatron to join his troops in the magma below. Spike asked if the Decepticons were gone forever, prompting Optimus to wonder aloud... in the vast universe, was anything truly forever? {{storylink|Heavy Metal War}}

[[Image:Autobotspike_prime_vs_autobotx.jpg|215px|right|thumb|"Say Hello To My Little Friend Megatron!"]]

As 1985 rolled in, Optimus Prime found himself on the receiving end of the fury of "Autobot Spike", as he struggled to bring the young Witwicky back to his right mind after his consciousness was implanted in a [[Autobot X|robot body]]. {{storylink|Autobot Spike}} Later, when Megatron threatened the stability of the [[sun]] with his [[Solar Needle]], Prime was caught off guard by the Decepticon leader and wound up staring down his fusion cannon. Megatron ordered the other Autobots to lay down their weapons, but Prime told them to leave him to his fate and destroy the needle. Refusing to risk their commander's life, the Autobots complied with Megatron's wishes, but Prime found a way out of the situation by requesting a last wish: he asked [[Gears (G1)|Gears]], who had been rendered totally subservient by the removal of one of his circuit cards, to destroy the Solar Needle for him, and the deed was done before Megatron could do anything about it. {{storylink|Changing Gears}}

[[Image:Cos prime disassembled.jpg|left|225px|thumb|"The seller promised he was mint!"]]

Responding to reports of Decepticon activity in New York City, Optimus Prime was captured by the evil robots and disassembled into his component parts by [[Hook (G1)|Hook]]. The Autobots were able to recover their leader's head, but the other parts of his body had been rebuilt into an [[alligatorcon]] that the Autobots were forced to defeat and disassemble in order to restore him. Even after his body was rebuilt, Prime was still missing his right arm, which had been mounted as a laser turret on the top of the [[Empire State Building]]. Luckily, Prime was able to remote-control his arm, and used it to blast Devastator off the building, after which the Autobots reclaimed and re-attached Prime's errant limb. {{storylink|City of Steel}} The Decepticons were not done trying to manipulate Prime for their own ends, however; for their next evil scheme, they attacked his mind instead of his body, using a [[personality destabilizer]] to turn Prime and his fellow Autobots to the side of evil. Sparkplug was able to rig up [[attitude exchanger]]s to restore the Autobots to normal, but Prime was able to avoid being tagged by the devices by splitting up into his three components and bedeviling the Autobots on three fronts. Finally, Bumblebee took it upon himself to charge into Prime, and succeeded in restoring his leader's mind. {{storylink|Attack of the Autobots}}

[[Image:Dotm_prime_vs_torq3.jpg|right|215px|thumb]]

Numerous crazy gadgets formed the backbone of Prime's next few adventures, as he battled the Decepticons for control of [[electro-cell]]s, {{storylink|Traitor}} had to convince Ironhide to remain with the Autobots when his old friend botched a mission involved Wheeljack's new [[Wheeljack Instant Immobilizer|Immobilizer]], {{storylink|The Immobilizer}} and found himself temporarily trapped in truck mode by the [[Transfixatron]] when he and the other Autobots participated in the "Autobot Run" charity race. {{storylink|The Autobot Run}} Later, when the Decepticons allied themselves with the [[Sub-Atlantica]]ns and attacked [[Washington, D.C.]], Prime was felled by a blast from an anti-Transformer disruptor ray created by the Sub-Atlantican king, [[Nergill]]. Prime's diodes were pulled out of the laser fire by the fortunate arrival of Grimlock and the Dinobots, and the Dinobot leader didn't hesitate to point out that fact. Prime then transported the Dinobots to Sub-Atlantica in his trailer, and unleashed them upon the fish-men with the order to "act prehistoric!" {{storylink|Atlantis, Arise!}}

When Megatron took control of the super computer [[TORQ III]], Prime gave a particularly good account of himself, duping and defeating the addled computer almost single-handedly, besting Megatron in hand-to-hand combat and destroying his remote control device, and saving [[Hound (G1)|Hound]], [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] and Spike from a sinking oil platform. {{storylink|Day of the Machines}} The Decepticons struck back with another plot that involved controlling an Earth machine; even Optimus Prime found himself outmatched by the robotic ninja [[Nightbird (G1)|Nightbird]], and his attempts to reason with the lifeless construct fell on deaf ears. {{storylink|Enter the Nightbird}}

[[Image:Primeproblem prime and clone.jpg|left|215px|thumb|"Oh noes! If only there were some way to tell them apart! [[Matrix of Leadership|Sacred lifeforce]]? What?"]]

As part of a plot to lead the Autobots to their doom in a crevasse of [[korlonium crystal]]s, Megatron created a [[Optimus Prime clone|perfect clone of Optimus Prime]], which he could remote control from a distance. Despite the Prime clone's blatantly odd behavior, the Autobots were unable to tell the difference between the two Primes, so they staged several contests in hopes of identifying the true Prime through his skills. Unfortunately, a sharp-shooting test and a race yielded no results, and the Autobots were forced to table the debate and go into battle against the Decepticons with both Primes. To fully complete the illusion, Megatron proceeded to create a clone of Starscream, which his Prime clone then destroyed, convincing the Autobots that it was the genuine article. Unfortunately, Megatron promptly blew his ruse by dismissing Spike's safety as unimportant, and all of the Autobots immediately turned on the clone and blew it to smithereens. {{storylink|A Prime Problem}}

[[Image:Dinobotisland jetpacks.jpg|right|215px|thumb]]

Next, Prime found himself allying with Megatron on two separate occasions, first to prevent the destruction of the Earth when a Decepticon attempt to drill to the planet's core went awry {{storylink|The Core}}, and then again when the Insecticons drained the [[Nova Power Core|power core]] of the [[Nova Power Plant]] and grew in size and power. In the latter instance, Prime again wielded Megatron in gun mode to shoot capsules of antidote into the Insecticons, shrinking them back to normal before they exploded. {{storylink|The Insecticon Syndrome}}

After another disastrous Dinobot rampage in Autobot Headquarters, Optimus Prime ordered the Dinobots to relocate to [[Dinobot Island (G1)|Dinobot Island]], a strange prehistoric paradise the Autobots had just recently discovered. Unfortunately, the Decepticons followed the Dinobots there and began draining the island's rich sources of energy, disrupting the fabric of space and time and causing humans and other creatures from throughout time to materialize in the present day. {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 1}} Prime put his trailer to use as a holding pen for a herd of woolly mammoths, and after the prehistoric pachyderms were returned to their home time, he donned a jetpack and led a team of Autobots to Dinobot Island to stop the Decepticons' plan. {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 2}}

[[Image:Master builders prime basketball.jpg|left|215px|thumb|Red bots can't jump.]]

In the midst of some basketball lessons from Spike, Prime was approached by [[Grapple]] with a design for a solar power tower, but was forced to forbid its construction on the basis that it had no means of defense against a Decepticon attack. Consumed with a desire to build the tower, Grapple and [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] wound up allying with the Constructicons to construct the tower, only to be promptly turned on and entombed within it once it was complete. Prime and the Autobots rescued them, and while Prime accepted their apologies, he still had them clear up the wreckage of the tower as punishment. {{storylink|The Master Builders}}

Optimus Prime later helped test Wheeljack's new [[Negavator]] weapon and had to deal with a paranoid [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], {{storylink|Auto Berserk}} then found himself faced with a super-powered Megatron when the Decepticon leader boosted his systems with the [[Heart of Cybertron]]. {{storylink|Microbots}}

[[Image:MMP1 Gavel bang.jpg|right|215px|thumb|A collection of G1 Transformers toys, sold to the [[Megatron (G1)|psychotic robotic madman offscreen]].]]

After helping to save [[Central City (G1)|Central City]]'s new solar energy facility from Decepticon attack, Optimus Prime and the Autobots were honored at city hall, but the ceremony turned sour when the mayor's rival, [[Shawn Berger]], framed the Autobots for raiding an oil field using a video tape faked by the Decepticons (which featured a costumed Starscream playing the role of Prime). Prime and the Autobots were called to trial and found guilty of crimes against Earth, and Prime reluctantly accepted the court's ruling that they leave Earth and return to Cybertron aboard a craft supplied by Berger. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1}} Prime soon regretted his decision and ordered [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] to turn the rocket around, only to discover that Megatron had set it to collide with the sun and destroy them all. Thanks to [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]'s force field, Prime and the Autobots survived the explosion of their rocket, and returned to Earth to clear their names. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2}}

When Optimus Prime attended [[Professor Greene]]'s demonstration of his new [[Ultra Plane]], the Decepticons attacked and destroyed the new weapon. In the battle that resulted, the Autobots and Decepticons began to suffer sudden system malfunctions that were quickly deduced to be a result of the [[cybertonium]] in their systems degenerating after four million years on Earth. {{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1}} Spike and his girlfriend [[Carly]] braved a perilous journey to Cybertron, recovering enough cybertonium to repair the Autobots, and were appointed honorary Autobots by Prime for their efforts. {{Storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2}}

[[Image:Goldenlagoon_prime_perceptor.jpg|left|225px|thumb| Rare [[Lucky Draw]] Optimus and Perceptor.]]

Optimus Prime was particularly exasperated with [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] when he broadcast a rock concert back into the Autobot base, partially because of the ungodly noise, but mostly because it meant that the Autobots failed to receive a distress call from [[Professor Haley]], whose [[Voltronic Galaxer]] device had been stolen by the Decepticons. It was with Blaster's help, however, that Prime then bested Megatron in a battle on the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]], and so he allowed Blaster to turn Megatron's moonbase into a radio station that he could broadcast from. {{storylink|Blaster Blues}}

Prime later led the Autobots in battle for control of the [[electrum|golden lagoon]], {{storylink|The Golden Lagoon}} then found himself playing the role of tech-support as he talked [[Talaria]] through the activation of [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]]'s signal beacon via a communications channel when the space-faring Autobot was stranded on [[Titan (moon)|Titan]]. Prime intended to go to Titan and rescue Cosmos himself, but Red Alert urged against it, and [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] wound up going in his place.{{storylink|The God Gambit}} Prime later agreed to help the NYPD bust a carjacking ring headed up by the [[Geddis brothers]], leading to another confrontation with the Geddis's secret allies, the Decepticons. {{storylink|Make Tracks}}

[[Image:Childsplay_aron_and_prime.jpg|right|thumb| Aron just finished his cartoon accurate Optimus kitbash.]]

When the Decepticons attempted to turn a baseball stadium into a new space bridge, the mechanism malfunction, teleporting Prime, Bumblebee, [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]], [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] and a quartet of Decepticons to an alien planet inhabited by giants. Prime took the diplomatic approach, introducing himself and the Autobots to [[Aron]], the alien boy into whose room they had been transported, and Aron then helped his new friends evade capture and dissection by the planet's authorities. Following a riotous sewer-surfing journey back to Aron's house, the Autobots departed the planet in a toy rocket ship Perceptor had rewired. {{storylink|Child's Play (episode)|Child's Play}} On the return journey to Earth, however, the Autobots were captured by the alien gambler [[Bosch]], who brainwashed them all, save Smokescreen, and sold them to [[Lord Gyconi]] on the asteroid resort of [[Monacus]]. Prime was pitted against an [[Animalien]] in a gladiatorial battle for Gyconi's patrons' amusement before Smokescreen and Bosch secured the Autobots' freedom and restored their minds. {{storylink|The Gambler}} Upon his return to Earth, Optimus Prime faced the menace of the [[Morphobot]]s. {{storylink|Quest for Survival}}

When reports came in of the Constructicons mining an asteroid out in space, Optimus Prime requested that Omega Supreme investigate. The asteroid proved to be an egg containing an [[asteroid bird alien|alien bird monster]], which emerged and began attacking [[San Francisco]], but Omega ignored Prime's orders to intervene and shut off his communicator in mid-battle, preferring to seek revenge against the Constructicons. Prime was forced to intervene, getting between Omega and his quarry and finally convincing the giant Autobot to help dispose of the alien, on the basis that there were more important things in life than revenge. {{storylink|The Secret of Omega Supreme}}

Outfitted with a special coating of insulation to protect himself, Prime led a small team of Autobots to Japan to stop Megatron's latest creation, the demented energy imp known as [[Kremzeek]]. When the Autobots finally got the better of the crazy creature, Prime had to regretfully order his destruction. {{storylink|Kremzeek!}}

[[Image:Primetarget_beast_of_borneo.jpg|left|thumb|Bad touch!]]

After receiving a distress signal from the planet of [[Tlalakan]]s, Prime ordered a team of Autobots to investigate, but was unable to go himself as he was too large for Cosmos to carry. {{storylink|Sea Change}} Later, when Megatron, Starscream, [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] and [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] began feuding for Decepticon leadership, Prime was greatly amused by the whole thing, calling it a "domestic squabble" and taunting Megatron by dismissing him so he could fight the "real" leaders of the Decepticons. Prime kept the other Autobots from getting involved in the battle, and sure enough, the Decepticons wound up knocking the fight out of each other. The other Autobots agreed there was only one leader for them, and formed a throne out of their bodies for Prime to sit upon, but Prime said he preferred to roll. {{storylink|Triple Takeover}}

Optimus Prime's fame and prowess soon led him to become the target of the demented big-game hunter, [[Lord Chumley]], who sought Prime's head to go along with his other rare trophies. Chumley captured several Autobots in order to lure Prime to his estate, and of course, the Autobot leader had no choice but to comply. Battling his way through a mock-up of Cybertron itself against all kind of bizarre traps and creatures, from a ferocious [[dragon]]-like beast, to several robotic arachnids, to the interfering Astrotrain and Blitzwing, Prime succeeded in freeing his Autobot comrades, capturing Chumley, and delivering him to the authorities. {{storylink|Prime Target}}

[[Image:G1 Prime Elita energy transfer.JPG|right|220px|thumb|Oh look. Optimus Prime is having robo-sex with his sister. Better get used to seei- whoa, wait a minute.]]

Prime received the shock of his life when Megatron contacted him to inform him that Elita One was still alive, and had been captured by his Decepticons on Cybertron. Prime immediately departed for Cybertron to rescue her, but walked straight into the trap that had been laid for him, and was trussed up by the Decepticons and dangled above a vat of acid. Just as Prime was dropped, Elita used her secret power to stop time, freezing Prime in mid-air and pulling him to safety. Unfortunately, the use of her power drained almost all of her life-force, leaving her on the brink of death, so Prime loaded her aboard his trailer and set out in search of Alpha Trion, in the hope that the ancient Autobot could heal her. In the process, Prime rediscovered his own forgotten connection to his creator, when Alpha Trion shocked him with intimate knowledge of his and Elita's systems by telling him that only his own power supply could properly interface with Elita's. Prime gave Elita the power transfusion necessary to save her life, and the two lovers then joined the other Autobots in fighting off the Decepticons. Prime regretted that they had to part ways again, but Elita knew that she had to continue the fight against the Decepticons on Cybertron. {{storylink|The Search for Alpha Trion}}

[[Image:Ktvs_prime_and_trion.jpg|left|215px|thumb|Optimus was just in time to keep Alpha Trion from falling for the Nigerian e-mail scam.]]

Optimus Prime had little to do in the mission to rescue [[Astoria Carlton-Ritz]] from the Decepticons, merely offering theories and passing along information to Powerglide, {{storylink|The Girl Who Loved Powerglide}} but took to the fore again when Megatron created the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] to combat the Autobots on the roads. Realizing that Megatron would have to use the Cybertronian mega-computer [[Vector Sigma]] to bring the Stunticons to life, Prime took a team of Autobots to Cybertron, where they sought the aid of Alpha Trion in navigating the planet's catacombs to find the way to the computer. {{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1}} Unfortunately, Megatron made it to the computer first and brought the Stunticons online, so Prime proposed the creation of a team of jets known as the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] as a countermeasure. With Vector Sigma's [[Key to Vector Sigma|activation key]] in Megatron's clutches, Alpha Trion proposed that he merge with Vector Sigma to bring the computer back online. Prime refused, knowing it would mean the end of his creator's life, but Alpha Trion insisted that he be allowed to sacrifice himself so that the Aerialbots could live. The Autobots and Aerialbots returned to Earth, where they stopped Megatron from using the key to Vector Sigma to convert the planet into a metal sphere. {{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2}}

[[Image:Cosmicrust_prime_and_perceptor.jpg|right|215px|thumb|"Perceptor, what happened?"
"It's... rust."
"But it looks like..."
"Rust."
"But it smells like..."
"RUST!"]]

When Megatron attempted to send the Aerialbots back to the dawn of time using the [[kronosphere]] time machine, Optimus Prime blasted the device before it could complete its evil work, depositing the Aerialbots nine million years in the past. Prime and the other Autobots fended off a Decepticon attack while Wheeljack rebuilt the kronosphere, and the five airborne Autobots were returned to the present just in time to turn the tide of battle. In the aftermath of the conflict, when the Aerialbots were able to refer to him with his old name of Orion Pax, Prime realized that it had been the time-tossed Aerialbots who have saved him from Megatron and brought him to Alpha Trion to be rebuilt all those millions of years ago. {{storylink|War Dawn}}

When Perceptor was kidnapped by the Decepticons and infected with the contagious [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]] , Prime risked his own safety to single-handedly rescue the scientist, and wound up being infected in the process, just as Megatron had planned. Even infected, Prime met Megatron in battle while the Autobots retrieved the cure to the disease, and the Autobots won the day yet again. {{storylink|Cosmic Rust (episode)|Cosmic Rust}}

[[Image:RevengeofBruticus Primefiringguns.jpg|left|thumb|Being a hero is all about dramatic lighting. And two-fisted violence.]]

When another power struggle between Megatron and Starscream erupted, Prime was once again quite happy to ignore the whole messy affair until Starscream and his newly-built [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]] attacked the unveiling ceremony for a [[Optimus Prime Memorial|memorial]] to Optimus Prime himself (rather oddly being built while he was still alive) and kidnapped Jazz and Cliffjumper. In the midst of a battle between Megatron and Starscream's force, Prime led the Autobots in rescuing their teammates. Starscream and the Combaticons were subsequently defeated and exiled from Earth, {{storylink|Starscream's Brigade}} but that just made matters worse, as they headed for Cybertron, conquered the planet, and used the space bridge to alter Earth's orbit and send it spiralling towards the sun. Both Autobots and Decepticons needed to use the space bridge to travel to Cybertron and stop Starscream's plan, but the Insecticons damaged the control panel, requiring Prime to donate some of his own circuitry to the repair effort, on the condition that Megatron did the same. With the bridge restored, Prime and Megatron led a united team of Autobots and Decepticons to stop Starscream and the Combaticons and save the Earth. Prime was led to believe that he had destroyed the Combaticons at the battle's end, but in reality, he had been duped by a holographic projection so that Megatron could reprogram the new Decepticons to serve him. {{storylink|The Revenge of Bruticus}}

[[Image:Masquerade_prime_vs_mmaster.jpg|right|230px|thumb|You re-enacted this scene countless times as a kid. You know you did.]]

After leading a team of Autobots to save the Aerialbots from a Combaticon attack in the Middle East {{storylink|Aerial Assault}} Prime led another effort to stop the Stunticons from stealing the components Megatron needed for his latest super-weapon. Prime survived a head-on collision with [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]] (although he definitely decided it was something he would prefer not to go through again) and then disguised himself as the Stunticon leader in an effort to learn what Megatron's plan was. Accompanied by a team of four other Autobots disguised as the other Stunticons, Prime was able to infiltrate the Decepticon camp, but had not counted on the real Stunticons escaping Autobot capture and exposing their deception. The Autobots abandoned their disguises when Megatron assembled the components into his new laser weapon, but it turned out that Optimus had sabotaged the device, and it blew up in Megatron's face. {{storylink|Masquerade}}

In his final recorded adventure in the 20th century, Prime dispatched Ironhide, Gears and Bumblebee to investigate a disturbance at [[Benjamin Franklin Pierce High School]], where a group of students had stumbled onto a Decepticon plot to attack the Autobots with a gravity disruptor beam. Prime rallied the Autobots to fight off the Decepticons, and thanked the humans for their help. {{storylink|B.O.T. (episode)|B.O.T.}}

[[Image:Tftm_prime_megs_finalblow.jpg|left|260px|thumb]]

Over the course of the next twenty years, the Decepticons turned their attentions away from Earth, and succeeded in seizing control of all of Cybertron. The Autobots were forced off the planet and founded [[Autobot City]] on Earth, in addition to two staging bases on Cybertron's moons. At some point during this period of time, Prime was known to have battled Megatron in a laboratory on Earth, causing an explosion that scarred scientist [[Gregory Swofford]]. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}}

In the Earth year 2005, Optimus Prime was stationed on [[Moonbase One]], and dispatched troops to Earth to acquire energy for an upcoming strike to take back Cybertron. The Decepticons, however, got wind of the plan and attacked the shuttle, killing its occupants. Their scheme was to use the shuttle to stage a [[Battle of Autobot City|surprise attack on Autobot City]]; an attack which would have succeeded, if not for a distress call which summoned Optimus Prime and support troops to Earth. Declaring that Megatron would have to be stopped, "no matter the cost", Prime bravely plowed through the remaining Decepticon ranks before confronting Megatron in a climactic one-on-one battle. Despite a gash being torn in his side, Prime gained the upper hand in the battle and was poised to deliver a killing blast when the young Autobot [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] leapt into the middle of the fight, having spotted that Megatron was reaching for a gun. Unfortunately, Megatron overpowered the youth and used him as a shield, preventing Prime from taking his shot, and opening fire with the gun, blasting Prime in his wound. Prime fell, and Megatron stood over him, about to deliver the final blow, but at the last moment, Prime summoned up all his strength and hurled Megatron off the platform on which they battling. With Megatron bested, the Decepticons fled, as the other Autobots flocked to the side of the wounded Prime.

[[Image:Optimusg1passingthematrix.jpg|right|thumb|"Oh, hey, I have this in me now, by the way."]]

Despite the efforts of Perceptor, Optimus Prime's wounds were fatal. Knowing his time had come, Prime passed the Matrix of Leadership, and with it leadership of the Autobots, into the hands of his old friend, the city's commander, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]. With his last ounce of energy, he muttered "[['Til all are one]]", then died, his lifeforce becoming one with the ancient wisdom contained in the Matrix, joining the other former bearers within it. Soon after, when Hot Rod opened the Matrix within the body of the planet-eater, [[Unicron]], Prime 's voice was heard once more, dubbing the transformed Hot Rod "Rodimus Prime", new leader of the Autobots. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

When Rodimus Prime voyaged into the Matrix in search of answers to the mysteries of the alien [[Quintesson]]s, Optimus Prime was among the "spirit guides" who appeared to him and led him on his journey through the origin and history of the Transformer race. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}}

[[Image:Optimusg1zombie.jpg|left|215px|thumb|"WHERE IS SARAH CONNOR?"]]
Optimus Prime's body was entombed in a massive deep-space mausoleum with the many other fallen Autobots, but his corpse was desecrated by the [[Quintesson]]s in 2006 when they reanimated it as part of an attempt to destroy the Autobots. Pursued by the Decepticons through space, a team of Autobots led by Rodimus Prime took refuge in the mausoleum, where they were confronted by the seemingly-reborn Optimus Prime. Optimus dispatched the pursuing Decepticons, and Rodimus—never truly comfortable with the burden of leadership—happily relinquished the Matrix to his predecessor. At that point, the reprogrammed Optimus turned on the Autobots, stranding them on the mausoleum and blowing it up. The zombie Prime returned to the main Autobot force and reassumed command, intending to lure the Autobot space fleet into a trap that would destroy them all. Hot Rod's Autobots, however, were revealed to have survived the explosion of the mausoleum, and Hot Rod engaged Prime in battle. In the course of the fight, the Matrix began to overpower the Quintesson influence in Prime's mind, and he returned the talisman to Hot Rod, then ordered the rest of the Autobots clear while he piloted his flagship into the Quintessons' trap. As the Autobots watched from a distance, the flagship collided with the booby-trap detonator the Quintessons had placed on an asteroid, triggering the explosion of a nearby sun that apparently took Optimus Prime from them once more. {{storylink|Dark Awakening}}

Prime's lifeforce returned to the Matrix, and he was among the spectral figures whose ethereal forms emerged from the talisman when it was stolen by [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], warning him to return it to its rightful holder. Galvatron was suitably convinced. {{storylink|The Burden Hardest to Bear}}

[[Image:Roop1_prime_revived.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Optimus Prime was reborn in the electric chair for our sins.]]

While the other Autobots believed that Prime's body had been destroyed in the supernova, in actuality, just before the flagship impacted with the detonator, his remains had been recovered from the craft by two human scientists, [[Jessica Morgan]] and Gregory Swofford, who still blamed Prime for the explosion that scarred him years beforehand. Jessica's father, [[Mark Morgan]], shared Swofford's loathing of the Autobots, and his hatred only grew when, some months later, an attempt by the Decepticons to steal a heat-resistant alloy he had developed resulted in Jessica being paralyzed. Seeking revenge, Swofford and Morgan reconstructed Optimus Prime's body in an attempt to use it as a delivery system for the mysterious spores that had been released from the exploding sun, which induced hatred and madness. However, when they could not reanimate Prime, they used his body as a lure instead, bringing the Autobots to their lab, where they were infected by the spores directly. Rodimus Prime was able to escape infection and made off with Optimus Prime's body, then ordered [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] to find him a Quintesson to fully restore Prime to life. Rodimus succumbed to the "[[Hate Plague]]" before Sky Lynx returned, but the airborne Autobot succeeded in his mission, recovering a Quintesson who finally brought Optimus Prime back to life. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}}

[[Image:Roop2_prime_vs_prime.jpg|left|210px|thumb|Not [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] srsly.]]

The resurrected Prime led a team of Autobots to the Decepticons' base on [[Chaar]] to recover the heat-resistant alloy they had stolen, so that Prime could coat his body in it and make himself impervious to the Hate Plague. Thus protected, Optimus confronted Rodimus and defeated him in battle, reacquiring the Matrix so that he could consult the lifeforces of the ancient Autobots within it for a way to defeat the Hate Plague. Informed by "[[It]]" that the only way to cure the disease was with wisdom, Prime unleashed the concentrated wisdom of the Matrix itself to wipe out the plague. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2}}

In 2007, Optimus Prime began to suffer visions following the release of the Matrix's energy, which foretold a great transformation for Cybertron. Prime realized that the events he had foreseen had begun with the Decepticons' theft of the key to the [[Plasma energy|Plasma Energy Chamber]]. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 1}} Prime was forced to consult the spirit of Alpha Trion within [[Vector Sigma]], who informed him that the mega-computer had set these very events in motion in order to restore Cybertron's Golden Age. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 2}} When the Plasma Energy Chamber was opened and threatened to drive Earth's Sun supernova, Spike Witwicky and the other organic [[Nebulos|Nebulans]] who had become involved in the conflict as a result of these events were able to drain off the excess solar energy and revitalize Cybertron. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}

[[Image:Puppetpmprime.jpg|right|thumb|Prime's legal troubles began after he gave Tommy "the Touch". Strangely, the prosecution never even noticed the double entendre.]]

At an undetermined point in time, through unknown circumstances, Optimus Prime was upgraded into a [[Powermaster]] body, and began associating with a human boy named [[Tommy Kennedy]]. Tommy, apparently a resident of Autobot City, interviewed Prime on a variety of topics related to Cybertronian history and lore, sometimes for school assignments, sometimes for historical reference, and sometimes simply for the heck of it. Prime regaled young Tommy with tales of the Autobots' greatest battles; [[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1|their arrival on Earth]], [[The Transformers: The Movie|Prime's own death and the struggle against Unicron]], [[Five Faces of Darkness|the return of Galvatron and the Quintessons' role in Transformer history]], Prime's [[Dark Awakening|brief revival at the hands of the Quintessons]] as well as his [[The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1|return during the Hate Plague crisis]]. He also recounted [[The Rebirth|the origins of the Headmasters and Targetmasters]] and, inexplicably, a tale of [[Surprise Party|Ultra Magnus's birthday]].

At this point in his career, Prime 's role seemed to be more of a goodwill ambassador, as he spent much of his time aiding fellow Autobots with minor tasks, like helping [[Joyride (Autobot)|Joyride]] repair a space bridge, refueling [[Sky High (Pretender)|Sky High]], and helping [[Cloudburst]] redesign his retro-rockets.

At one point, a problem with Prime's [[Memory chip|memory chip]] left him incapable of recalling specific details of various historical events. This issue was short-lived, as Tommy Kennedy managed to fix it with a small amount of effort and encouragement. Once, before leaving to attend an intergalactic peace conferences, Prime showed Tommy an informational [[The Touch|music video]] depicting the events surrounding the battle with Unicron. {{storylink|The Transformers (cartoon)|Season 5}}
{{-}}

==Madman ''The Transformers'' comic==
[[Image:Madman comic PrimeHotrod.jpg|left|200px|thumb|—Or maybe you're just hepped-up on goofballs, kid.]]
In 2001, Optimus Prime led the Autobot evacuation from the Decepticons' successful conquest of Cybertron, standing as the unflinching rearguard for his fleeing Autobots. Before he left, he secretly met with Ultra Magnus at the site of the future Autobot City to discuss hiding the Matrix of Leadership, against the possibility of Prime's capture or death. Unfortunately, Soundwave had secretly recorded this clandestine meeting and moved to capture the powerful Autobot relic. To the surprise of all, the young Hot Rod managed to defeat Soundwave and secure the Matrix. When the Autobots arrived back on Earth, Optimus Prime learned of Hot Rod's deeds, and as he was handed the Matrix, a mysterious energy from the artifact passed through both Autobots. However, Prime only cryptically stated that perhaps Hot Rod's destiny was greater than the young 'bot himself knew. {{storylink|The Transformers (Madman)|The Transformers}}
{{-}}

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

===e-Hobby pack-in comic===

During an attack on [[Ark (G1)|Autobot Headquarters]], Optimus Prime once again found himself going toe to toe with Megatron. Prime eventually punched Megatron hard enough to send him smashing through a wall, seemingly defeating him. In reality, Prime's punch so was powerful it damaged Megatron's gyrocompass which acted as his internal stability regulators. This allowed Megatron to access a cache of [[Quantum surge|quantum surge]] energy within his circuits, upgrading him into a nigh-invulnerable [[Transmetal]]. Maybe pull your punches next time, Optimus? {{storylink|Decepticon Leader Megatron Black Ver.}}

===''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' comic===

[[Image:FightSuperRobotLifeTransformersManga.JPG|right|275px|thumb|From ''AMERICA!'']]

When the Decepticons turned their attention to pillaging the energies of Japan in the late 1980s, Optimus Prime and the Autobots met up with a young Japanese boy named [[Kenji]], whose inventive mind helped them to defeat [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] during an energy raid on [[Tokyo]]. As a token of thanks, Optimus Prime granted Kenji a special communications helmet and made him an official Autobot ally. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 1|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #1}}

During a Decepticon attack on Autobot Headquarters, Ratchet noticed that Soundwave and his cassettes were nowhere to be seen, so Prime dispatched a unit to Japan to search for them. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 2|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #2}} Not long after, Prime oversaw the early stages of the construction of the Autobots' new transforming battle fortress, [[Metroplex (G1)|Scramble City]]. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 3|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #3}}

While showing Kenji around the Autobots' new Tokyo base, Optimus Prime lamented that he wished his "kid brother" [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] would hurry up and arrive with his trailer upgrade. As he pondered the whereabouts of his sibling, the Decepticons attacked Yokohama. The Autobots hurried to the scene only to encounter an over-powered Megatron in his newest form: the Super Megatron Gun. The Autobots' defeat seemed assured until Magnus arrived with Prime's trailer upgrade, the [[Scramble Power Buster]]. The Scramble Power Buster trumped the might of the Super Megatron Gun, leaving Prime and Magnus to vanquish the Decepticon forces with their combined attack: the Double Cross Kick (basically, them jump-kicking the Decepticons in the spine at the same time). {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 4|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #4}}

When the Decepticons created their own counter to Scramble City, [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], Prime ordered the Aerialbots into battle against the monster on an island utopia. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 6|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #6}} Later, Prime and Magnus teamed up again to battle the Stunticons and [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]] when the two Decepticons teams posed as Autobots and besmirched the two commanders' good names. Although Menasor and [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]]'s [[Decepticon Trailer Brigade|Decepticon Great Wheel]] attack proved a challenge, Prime and Magnus's "Finish Double" attack (suspiciously similar to their Double Cross Kick) soon won the day. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 7|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #7}}

===Scramble City===
[[Image:Prime_magnus_scramblecity.jpg|left|thumb|"I'm a white you under here."]]

As the 1980s rolled on, the Autobots began an initiative to construct a new battle fortress known as [[Metroplex (G1)|Scramble City]]. The facility to construct the fortress was concealed within a cavern and overseen by Ultra Magnus, but when it was discovered by Decepticon spy [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]], Megatron ordered the Decepticons to destroy it. Prime led an Autobot counter-offensive, and helped to blast [[Wildrider]] free when the evil Stunticon managed to link up to Superion in an attempt to disable the Aerialbot combiner, but things were looking bleak for the Autobots until the construction of Scramble City was completed. Ultra Magnus activated the battle fortress, which transformed into its robot mode of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] to send the Decepticons fleeing. As Prime thanked Ultra Magnus for his quick work, however, Megatron unleashed Trypticon upon the assembled Autobots. {{storylink|Scramble City (episode)|Scramble City}}

{{note|This storyline was never concluded, as a second installment of "Scramble City" was never produced.}}
{{-}}

===Full Throttle Scramble Power!===
[[Image:MegatronMangaEnergonMace1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|This is why you have that axe, Prime, remember?]]
After Megatron and the Decepticons threatened humanity with their latest death ray, the [[Omega Whip]], Optimus Prime dispatched [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] and his human partners, [[Toru]] and [[Jenny (G1)|Jenny]] to follow the electromagnetic trail and find the Decepticons' hidden base. Hound, Toru and Jenny were then swiftly captured.

Contemplating what to do next, Prime reluctantly dispatched the still-wet-behind-the-ears [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] to deal with the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]], who were trashing a power plant. The burning justice of [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] ensured his victory.

Prime and a small unit of Autobots then stormed the Decepticon base to rescue their friends. As Hound, Toru and Jenny destroyed the Omega Whip and escaped, Prime and Megatron squared off yet again (with Megatron unleashing his seldom-seen [[energon mace]]). Megatron quickly gained the upper hand in battle...until [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] and ''every single Autobot soldier'' arrived as back-up. Megatron and the Decepticons immediately fled.

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

===''The Stargate Battles''===

[[Image:Stargatebattles_prime_cx_slice.jpg|left|thumb|225px|right]]

In the late 1990s, continued interaction between the Autobots and humankind led to a formal alliance being forged with the American government. Using technology supplied by the Autobots, the government funded the creation of "[[Warp Gate|The Trigger]]", a huge interstellar teleportation system, and Prime participated in a goodwill press conference to announce the creation of the Trigger to the world. Unfortunately, the Trigger soon became a target for the Decepticons, who had allied with a foreign power and used a human agent to gain access to the station. The Autobots were quick to repel the Decepticon attack, but only one member of the Trigger's crew survived. This man, [[Makoto (Stargate Battles)|Makoto]], offered to help the Autobots in any way that he could, and Prime told him that his kind of strength was what the Autobots needed the most. {{storylink|First Contact}}

[[Image:Stargatebattles_prime_megs.jpg|right|225px|thumb|''Rival Fusion!'']]

Three months later, Optimus Prime helped [[Professor Adle]] test his new [[C-X]] drone, which was designed to resemble Prime himself, by sparring with the remote-controlled robot so that the Professor could gather data on its performance. In the midst of the test, however, the C-X ran amok (in actuality, it had been possessed by the time-tossed ghost of Starscream), and Prime was forced to crush it beneath his trailer and sever its head with his energon-axe to stop it. The grisly scene did little to dissuade the mass of anti-Transformer protestors that had sprung up in recent months, but Prime attempted to placate the crowd by telling them that he did not ''want'' the power he wielded—he ''needed'' it, in order to protect those that could not protect themselves. {{storylink|Divided Views}}

When the Decepticons terrorized Japan with a series of powerful earthquakes, Optimus Prime confronted Megatron amidst the chaos caused by the most powerful tremor yet. The battle ended when a blast from Megatron's fusion cannon sent Prime plummeting to the depths of the ocean, apparently destroyed. {{storylink|Activation}} Subsequently, Starscream's ghost fused with the rebuilt Trigger in an attempted coup, and it was during the monumental space battle that resulted that Prime returned from his seeming demise, borne into space on [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]]'s back. After saving Makoto's escape pod from burning up in re-entry, Prime was forced to join with Megatron to defeat the greater threat posed by Starscream, channelling the power of the Matrix through gun-mode Megatron to destroy Starscream and the Trigger in one mighty blast. The Transformers were all caught in the backwash of the explosion, and their flaming bodies were sent tumbling back down to Earth. Although they were not heard from again for many months, Prime and Megatron survived the experience, and their war continued. {{storylink|The Stargate Battles (issue)|The Stargate Battles}}
{{-}}

===''Story of Binaltech''===
In 2003, the Decepticons attacked the Autobots on Earth with a plague of [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]], leaving many of them injured. Consequently, Earth was all but defenseless when Megatron made his big push to fully take over Cybertron in 2004, and Optimus Prime found that he could not spare any troops currently fighting by his side on the Transformers' home planet to send to Earth. To resolve this situation, the Autobots on Earth worked closely with the governments of the world and various car companies on the Binaltech Project, creating advanced new "Binaltech" bodies for the various Autobot warriors damaged by the Cosmic Rust. {{storylink|Story of Binaltech, Chapter 1}}

In the midst of the Binaltech conflict, the time-travelling [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] attempted to alter history by using the [[Kronosphere]] to teleport Megatron and the Decepticon armada outside of time during a turning-point battle with Prime and the Autobots. {{storylink|Changing Lanes}} This left the Autobots to face the looming threat of [[Unicron]] alone, an opponent which Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus bravely faced together. Prime was badly damaged in the attack and passed the Matrix to Ultra Magnus, who was able to use it to destroy Unicron. {{storylink|Binal Time}}

Before departing to battle Unicron, Prime had put into motion a plan to try and undo the changes Ravage had wrought upon the timeline, having ordered [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] to use the time warp on Dinobot Island to send a message into the past. {{storylink|Darkest Hour}} Shortly after the defeat of Unicron, this plan bore fruit, and time began to correct itself. Thanks to the sudden intervention of a mysterious time-travelling entity known as "[[Optimus Primal|the Protector]]", however, the altered, "BT World" timeline was also preserved, and continued to exist as an alternate universe. {{storylink|Binal Time}}

{{Note|At this point, the original timeline was retroactively restored and the events of the ''Story of Binaltech'' diverged into a parallel universe. Skip to "[[#Robot Masters|Robot Masters]]" below to continue reading about the original timeline; exactly how many (if any) of the events related in this section, even prior to the divergence, occurred in the original unaltered timeline are unknown.}}

In this new, parallel world (known as [[universal stream]] Primax 903.0 Beta), the Protector explained that he had acted to preserve the "BT World" because it was the origin point for the ultimate evolution of Cybertronian life, the "[[Alternity (species)|Alternity]]", of whose he was an agent. Optimus Prime soon recovered from his injuries, and with the Decepticons now mostly offline thanks to the activation of the Quintesson's [[large switch|killswitch]], {{storylink|Kill Switch}} the Autobots were able to start conducting experiments under the Protector's direction that would ultimately lead to the future he had spoken of. {{storylink|Unfinished Business, Part 3}} When the Protector's spark was stolen by the new Decepticon leader—an evil clone of Optimus known as [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]]—Prime engaged his evil doppelganger in battle in Australia. During the fight, the Protector's spark fused with Prime—an experience that Prime found [[Optimal Situation|strangely familiar]]—giving him the power to destroy Nemesis Prime. {{storylink|Unfinished Business, Part 4}}

====Alternity====

[[Image:Alternity convoy silver boxart.jpg|left|thumb|225px|Wait...i'm ''not'' red and blue? SOMEONE SHOULD PUNCH THE GUYS WHO MADE ME SILVER!!! Although it does look shiny...]]

Experimentation proceeded apace, and eventually, the Autobots succeeded in synthesizing the substance known as [[Alternium]], which would form the bodies of their new evolved forms, and the space-time transportation system known as the [[Timaeus drive]], which would allow them to travel through the [[multiverse]]. After millennia of experimentation, effort and broadening of his perceptions, Optimus Prime eventually integrated these new technologies into his systems, and 900,000 years later, became a founding member of the Alternity. Now existing outside of time, Prime interacted with the material world through a proxy body known as an [[auto-avatar]] (a "Vector 01" model, code-named "Ultimate Silver"), which he used to travel from world to world, inviting many different incarnations of himself from different dimensions to join the Alternity. Together, they merged into one composite trans-dimensional "Optimus Prime" being, becoming a huge collective consciousness existing outside of reality, while yet retaining their individuality as a cross-time "[[Convoy Corps]]", each one controlling an auto-avatar of their own in the physical world.

Learning that his eternal enemy, Megatron had reawakened, and that he planned to lure the Alternity's natural enemy, the time-eating god-beast known as [[Hytherion]], into universal stream Primax 109.0 Beta, Prime traveled into that universe in 2007. Approaching his [[Optimus Prime (G1)#Alternity|counterpart]] from that world, Prime informed him of this looming danger, and his counterpart agreed to join the Alternity when the time came. Sure enough, in 2009, Hytherion appeared in his dimension, and so Prime returned to that world, with a "Vibrant Red" Vector 109 auto-avatar for his counterpart to inhabit. {{storylink|From Here to Alternity}} Little did the Convoy Corps suspect, however, that Megatron had summoned Hytherion for reasons greater than mere destruction. Shackling the beast's power and overwriting its consciousness with his own, Megatron was able to confer hyperdimensional powers akin to the Alternity's upon himself and many other Megatrons he had gathered from across the multiverse. {{storylink|To Mega Therion}}

[[Image:To die game begins.jpg|right|thumb|220px| Hey, I can see Ultra Magnus's butt from down here! Oh...]]

As battles between numerous different Primes and Megatrons erupted quite literally all across time and space, "Ultimate Silver" Optimus Prime was seen engaging in a cross-dimensional duel with a Megatron who hailed from universal stream [[Transformers: Mystery of Convoy|Primax 1286:3 Kappa]]. Prime lost an arm to Megatron's tesseractal swords, but remained undeterred, observing that Megatron was fighting from the year 2009 and suspecting an ulterior motive for his being in that time period. Amused by Prime's observation, Megatron proposed a wager: if Prime could defeat him in a game of his choosing, he would answer any question he asks him honestly. Megatron's sadistic game involved manipulating the occupants of his home dimension in the year 2005, pitting them against each other in a "game full of death and suffering". While Megatron distributed a portion of his power through legions of this universe's Decepticons, Prime was only allowed to infuse his power into one being to send against them. Prime dismissed the rules as utter nonsense and refused to use another living being like a chess piece, but Megatron forced him to play the game by pointing out that the inhabitants of the dimension would only suffer if he did not. Prime selected Ultra Magnus as his champion, and the game began! {{storylink|To Die Game!}}
{{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)#Alternity|here]].}}
{{--}}

===''Robot Masters''===
[[Image:Robotmasters_four_great_commanders.jpg|left|thumb|275px|If Big Convoy would just hurry the hell up, they could summon Captain Planet.]]

In 2004, the Scramble City project was expanded through the use of the newly-discovered element [[Solitarium]] to involve the construction of a fully-fledged Autobot City on Earth. This coincided with the opening of a dimensional fissure known as the [[Blasty Zone]], which transported the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] through time to the present day. This "Beast Megatron" seized control of the Decepticons, left leaderless by the mysterious absence of the original Megatron, and went up against Optimus Prime and the Autobots for control of the world's solitarium. Uniting with a team of Autobot and Maximal leaders from throughout time and space who also came through the Blasty Zone, Optimus Prime gained the power of an [[Energon Matrix]] and eventually returned all the Transformers to their home time.

{{-}}
{{note|''Robot Masters'' is explicitly placed in the Japanese cartoon continuity by [[Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)|Takara's 2007 Transformers timeline]]. However, none of the three pieces of actual ''Robot Masters'' fiction tells the story of the line in its entirety, and each of them relate certain events in notably different ways. Precisely ''which'' of the three—covered individually below—should be considered the [[canon]] one for the cartoon timeline is unknown.}}

====Pack-in comic====
[[Image:Starsaber robotmasters minicomic.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Gah! What's wrong with Prime's chest? Was he drawn by [http://grotesqueanatomy.blogspot.com/2004/05/now-thats-grotesque-anatomy.html Rob Liefeld?]]]

When a creature that seemed to be a ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' appeared just outside Autobot City, Optimus Prime and Mirage investigated, and were shocked when the dinosaur transformed into a robot mode and introduced itself as "Beast Megatron". Almost immediately, [[Optimus Primal]] appeared through the Blasty Zone, and he and Optimus Prime charged into battle against Megatron side-by-side. {{storylink|The New Battle Begins!}}

Later, the two Optimuses found themselves in battle against the huge Decepticon warrior, [[Gigant Bomb]], but were unable to hurt him because he had supercharged his armor with Solitarium. The two heroes were flattened by a powerful punch from Gigant Bomb, at which point [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]] and [[Victory Leo]] appeared to join the fray. The two future heroes merged into Victory Saber and defeated Gigant Bomb, after which Prime and Primal welcomed him to the fold. {{storylink|The Victory Warriors Enter!!}}

====Online comic====

When a mysterious purple dinosaur led the Decepticons in an attack against the Autobots, Optimus Prime demanded to know the identity of the foe he was facing. The creature transformed into robot mode and introduced itself as "Beast Megatron", but Prime did not falter, and bombarded the new villain with heavy fire. Declaring Prime to be "quite the monkey", Megatron announced that the battle had merely served as a introduction, and promptly departed. {{storylink|Robot Masters (online comic)|Clash! The Two Leaders}}

Optimus Prime, Optimus Primal and [[Road Rocket (G2)|Road Rocket]] were later exploring a large crevasse filled with Solitarium when they were attacked by Megatron and [[Sideways (RID)|Sideways]]. The two villains detonated the crystals around the Autobots, and while Primal was able to shield them with a huge slab of rock, they were unable to stop the Decepticons from escaping with a huge load of Solitarium. {{storylink|Robot Masters (online comic)|Defend the Solitarium!}}

[[Image:Robotmasters_prime_vs_megses.jpg|left|thumb|300px]]

When new arrival [[Lio Convoy]] was tricked into battling Victory Saber by Megatron, it was Optimus Prime who got between the two combatants and convinced Lio Convoy that they were all on the same side by revealing his Energon Matrix, which glowed in tandem with Lio Convoy's own. The four great commanders teamed up to dispose of the Decepticons lurking nearby, and then they all welcomed Lio Convoy to the team. {{storylink|Robot Masters (online comic)|Together, the 4 Great Supreme Commanders}}

Discovering an unconscious robot outside Autobot City, Prime and the Autobots brought the enigmatic newcomer inside for medical attention. The robot introduced himself as [[Reverse Convoy]] of the planet [[Vehicon (planet)|Vehicon]]. {{storylink|Robot Masters (online comic)|Strategic Meeting: The Mysterious New Warrior}} Before long, however, Prime's goodwill proved to be misplaced when "Reverse Convoy" captured him, Mirage and Optimus Primal, and revealed himself to actually be the original Megatron, inhabiting Reverse Convoy's body by means of his black hole interlink system. Although the Autobots were saved from the clutches of "Rebirth Megatron" by Victory Saber and Lio Convoy, Prime's greatest enemy had returned. {{storylink|Robot Masters (online comic)|The Dark Emperor of Destruction, Reborn}}

Prime led Primal, Victory Saber and Lio Convoy in a mighty battle against the two Megatrons, Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker, during which he had much of his right forearm torn off by Beast Megatron. As both Megatron rushed the injured Prime, he summoned his energon-axe to take the place of his lost fist and slashed the two Decepticons, claiming victory. {{storylink|Robot Masters (online comic)|And}}
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====Cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Wataru Hatano]] (Japanese)

[[Image:Robomasters g1convoy.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Check out my taint!]]

Optimus Prime sped into action to help Victory Saber in battle against Starscream and [[Wingstun]], blasting Wingstun with a sneaky shot from below. Prime then transformed into robot mode and opened fire on Starscream, but was shocked when the plummeting form of the Air Commander was snatched out of the sky by a ''tyrannosaurus rex''. Transforming to robot mode, the dinosaur introduced himself as "Beast Megatron", and revealed that he came from a different dimension, causing Optimus Prime to fear for the integrity of the space-time continuum. Before he could fret any more on the subject, Prime came under attack from Gigant Bomb and [[Smokesniper]], but quickly took refuge in a nearby canyon while Victory Saber handled the twin troublemakers. Prime then engaged Megatron in battle, but was quickly laid low by the newcomer, who called for Gigant Bomb and Smokesniper to finish him off. Instead, however, another strange new Transformer descended from the sky: Optimus Primal! Following Primal's lead, Prime united his energy with Primal's own, and together, they created the powerful "Double Convoy Tornado", which sent Megatron flying. In the aftermath of the battle, Prime thanked Primal for his help, and told him that they would definitely need his power when the Decepticons next attacked. {{storylink|Fight! The Group of the Strongest Commanders!}}

Beast Megatron would not relent, and eventually discovered a massive deposit of solitarium beneath [[New York City]]. The Decepticons razed the city in search of the element until Prime and his forces arrived to save the day, this time aided by Lio Convoy and the enigmatic Reverse Convoy. Prime battled Gigant Bomb, Smoke Sniper and Megatron once more, with a little extra firepower courtesy of Victory Saber's V-Lock Cannon, and things were going smoothly until Reverse Convoy revealed himself to actually be the ''real'' Megatron in disguise. Now going by the name Rebirth Megatron, Prime's nemesis teamed with Beast Megatron to conquer their mutual foes. Again, Prime and Primal united their power in the Double Convoy Tornado, but the Megatrons countered it with a tornado of their own. It seemed that the Decepticons' power would overcome the heroes, until Lio Convoy added his energy to the mix, becoming a shining "Lio Typhoon Arrow" that took down the two Megatrons. While the battle was over, however, the war raged on... {{storylink|The Lio Convoy Typhoon Enters (episode)|The Lio Convoy Typhoon Enters}}

===''15 Go! Go!''===
[[Image:TGGStarConvoy.jpg|right|180px|thumb|"Hot Rod?! Did you shrink in the wash?"]]
[[Image:TGGLaserPrime.jpg|left|180px|thumb|"How do you think I'd look in black?"]]
Shortly before the [[Battle of Autobot City]] in 2005, an unknown saboteur badly damaged [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]]'s databanks. Optimus Prime notified his Autobots of the attack and issued a command that the information be recovered as soon as possible. "[[Ravage (G1)|Black Panther Man]]", stationed on the artificial Earth satellite [[Nana]], volunteered for the important task and assigned [[Teletraan 15]] to the case. {{storylink|15 Go! Go!#Chapter 1|15 Go! Go! Chapter 1}}

Teletraan 15 proceeded to travel through time and space on her mission, and encountered future incarnation of Optimus Prime on several occasions. First, she travelled into the future, where [[Micromaster]] [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] saved her from a [[Novaroid]]. {{storylink|15 Go! Go!#Hot Rod|15 Go! Go! Hot Rod's chapter}} As Dark Nova and Ultra Megatron prepared to merge, Prime, in his "Star Convoy" form, arrived and asked Hot Rod to aid him in the coming fight. {{storylink|15 Go! Go!#Star Convoy|15 Go! Go! Star Convoy's chapter}} But before they could start the battle, an interruption came from an unexpected source: [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] emerged from a [[Transwarp]] portal and attacked! {{storylink|15 Go! Go!#Galvatron|15 Go! Go! Galvatron's chapters 1-2}}

On another mission even further into the future, Teletraan 15 and her companion [[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]] were aboard [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] as he was attacked by the [[Decepticon]] jets [[Smokescreen (G2)|Smokescreen]] and [[Dreadwing (G2)|Dreadwing]] on his way to his commander. Fortunately for them, Optimus Prime—now in his [[Laser Rod]] body—appeared and severed Dreadwing's wing with a single mighty slash of his sword. Teletraan 15 thought that he looked sad and wondered if he had learned his sword skills during his [[Kiss Player]] days. {{storylink|15 Go! Go!#Battle Convoy|15 Go! Go! Battle Convoy's chapter}}
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===''Kiss Players''===
{{note|[[Kiss Players (franchise)|Kiss Players]] takes place between ''The Transformers: The Movie'' and the third season of the animated series. While there is no particularly large time-gap between these stories in American animated continuity, in Japan, since the third season was moved to 2010 but the movie remained set in 2005, there was a five-year milieu that made room for plenty of new stories to be told.}}

[[Image:Illust.jpg|left|225px|thumb|Optimus is the one on the left. With the dignity.]]

Following Optimus Prime's death in the Battle of Autobot City, Tokyo was devastated when [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] crash-landed on the city after being hurled out of Unicron's body by Rodimus Prime. The death and destruction that resulted caused a massive anti-Transformer sentiment to spring up, epitomized by the formation of the government organization known as the [[Earth Defense Command]], who forced any remaining Transformers on Earth off the planet. Dissatisfaction with the EDC's extreme actions resulted in the formation of an underground resistance group for whom the death of Optimus Prime was a rallying point. Among these commandos was a young woman [[Marissa Faireborn]], who had been rescued by Optimus Prime back in 1996 when a mission that her [[Flint (G.I. Joe)|soldier father]] had been on had gone bad. Marissa had formed a great friendship with Prime in her childhood, and came to see him as a surrogate father figure, and perhaps a little bit more. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #34}}

[[Image:Kissplayers2 prime marissa.jpg|right|thumb|These x-rays uncover the darnedest things.]]

When Prime's corpse was covertly flown to Japan by the EDC, {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 1|Kiss Players #1}} Marissa's commandos attacked the convoy transporting the Autobot leader's body. Believing that they had secured Prime's body, the commandos were taken by surprise and slaughtered by the [[Ne Squad]] [[Kiss Player]] [[Ringo Chikuma|Ringo]] and her [[Autorooper]] partner, who burst out of the torso of the decoy Prime body that had been atop the flatbed truck. As the sole surviving member of the squad, Marissa discovered that the true body was being transported within Prime's own trailer nearby. Slicing the trailer open, she was too late to prevent an EDC Autorooper from partially fusing with Prime. Reflecting on her childhood memories of playing with the kindly Autobot leader, Marissa lovingly kissed his faceplate. In an explosion of energy that destroyed the trailer, the two [[ParasiTech|fused]] and Prime was reborn in a new, living body. The pair had become Kiss Players! {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 2|Kiss Players #2}}

Marissa and Prime promptly made themselves scarce, and began travelling together, battling the monstrous creatures known as [[Legion]] that Galvatron's dispersed cells had also produced, while also eluding the EDC. Marissa thought of Prime as her boyfriend, {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #1}} and Prime himself certainly cared for the girl, unwilling as he was to put her in harm's way, despite the prodigious knife-wielding skills that she could share with him via their kiss-fusion. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #4}}

[[Image:Marissa convoy stack.jpg|left|150px|thumb|She prefers the Japanese version's longer stacks.]]

Prime had little use for Marissa's other great skill—surfing—given his own [[The Ultimate Doom, Part 3|experience in that area]], {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #7}} so instead, he found a better use for Marissa's surfboard by using his new powers to transform it into a knife so he could make use of the skills Marissa's fusion gave with him. Marissa was not very happy, {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #10}} but took it in stride, and dubbed the new weapon the "[[Surfblade]]". In response, Prime named her shirt "The Three Skull Brothers," after the image on it. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #16}}

Prime and Marissa had a close relationship, as the girl washed Prime in "intimate" spots like his stick shift and gas tank, {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #19}} and they would go on "dates" together, at one point visiting the seaside, only to wind up in battle with a Legion created from the fusion of an octopus and a shipwreck. Prime regretted that these activities had to be carried out under the cover of night, and vowed that he and Marissa would visit the beach under the light of the sun. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#CD_collections_and_special_episodes|Someday, Under the Sun}}

[[Image:PrimeKP.jpg|right|225px|thumb|Unable to take it anymore, Optimus tries to punch his way free of the Kiss Players Universe. Hey, it worked for Superboy-Prime.]]

Soon, Optimus Prime found himself suffering from a recurring nightmare filled with visions of his old enemy, [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. In the grip of one of these hallucinations, Prime lost control of himself and almost crushed Marissa in his fist, but was thankfully able to regain his senses before he hurt her. Marissa and Prime subsequently fused, and were able to corral a legion of Legion for an attack upon the EDC headquarters. They found their way barred by a pair of most unexpected opponents: [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] had returned to Earth and become Kiss Player partners with Marissa's old friend, [[Shaoshao Li]]. Hot Rod believed Prime to be an impostor, and Shaoshao wished to see him dead so that she might "reclaim" Marissa as her friend, having long hated Prime for "stealing" Marissa away from her. Prime and Hot Rod began battling, but EDC Kiss Player [[Atari Hitotonari]] soon entered the fold and broke up the battle. The attack on EDC headquarters was broken off, and Prime and Marissa now found they had to elude Hot Rod and Shaoshao as well as the EDC's forces. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 3|Kiss Players #3}}

[[Image:KPPrimeGoldbug.jpg|left|thumb|You, Sharkticon. Devour the human faster.]]

After viewing a seaside fireworks display for their "last date", {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #34}} Marissa and Prime again launched a Legion-backed attack upon the EDC. This time, however, Marissa, Shaoshao, Atari, Prime and Hot Rod all decided to set their differences aside in order to discover the true, dark secret lurking within the EDC. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #37}} Venturing into the mysterious [[Genital System]] facility hidden beneath the EDC headquarters, the team discovered a mad plot by EDC Commander [[Hitoshizuku Amaō]] to resurrect her daughter, who had died in Galvatron's impact. Thanks to the efforts of Marissa and her friends, the plan was foiled, the [[anti-electron]] field keeping Transformers off Earth was deactivated, and Galvatron's cells were extracted from the Legions and Kiss Players and reconstituted within his body, which was launched off into space. As a result, Marissa lost her Kiss Player powers, and Prime slipped back into death once more. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#CD_collections_and_special_episodes|You, I and the Spinning Earth}}

Marissa did get a few chances to see her friend again, however. In 2007, she, Shaoshao and Atari were transported back through time by the [[Sparkbot]]s to 1984 where they witnessed Prime's battle with Megatron atop [[Sherman Dam]]. Although invisible to residents of the past, Marissa was instructed by the Sparkbots to kiss Prime, and when she did so, a piece of what the Sparkbots claimed was the "[[Allspark]]" emerged from within him. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio play #40}} While travelling on through time to search for more pieces of the Allspark, the girls accidentally crashed in 2010 and wound up in the clutches of the [[Quintesson]]s. Prime (and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]]) helped Marissa once more by rescuing her and her friends from death in the fangs of the [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticon]]s. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Tokyo Toy Festival 2007 live script-reading}} Later still, Shaoshao embarked on a marathon Prime-kissing session (much to her own disgust), quickly jumping through time to kiss Prime in his Star Convoy, "Nucleon Quest," [[Action Master]] and [[Laser Rod]] bodies successively. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio play #44}}
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===''The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers''===

[[Image:2010_manga_primes.jpg|right|thumb|300px|And eat your greens or no dessert!]]

After boarding a Decepticon spaceship, [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] became trapped by the scheming Galvatron. Galvatron quickly bested him in combat and Rodimus, badly injured, was ready to give up. Lucky for him, the spirit of Optimus Prime reached out to him from within the Matrix and encouraged him to get up and keep fighting. Inspired by his predecessor, Rodimus Prime outwitted Galvatron, escaped and destroyed their spaceship. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 1|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers #1}}

When the Quintessons reactivated Optimus Prime as a rampaging zombie {{storylink|Dark Awakening}}, they made it a point to copy his schematics while they had the opportunity. Teaming with the Decepticons, they then obtained the schematics of Megatron. Combining the best aspects of both, they created the Colossal Cannon Soldier [[Guiltaur]]. {{storylink|Transformers 2010 (story page)|Transformers 2010 Part 4}}

Guiltaur was then unleashed upon Rodimus Prime and, eventually, Galvatron. The two enemies teamed up and defeated the powerful warrior, with Rodimus swearing to do it in the name of Optimus Prime's honor. With Guiltaur destroyed, it was revealed the behemoth had been controlled by the ghost of [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] all along. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 4|Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers #4}}

===''The Great Transformer War''===

Following his resurrection, in the year 2011, Optimus Prime and [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] engaged in a battle against [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] and the Decepticons in deep space. Galvatron fled the battle, leaving Hot Rod to request pursuit. Optimus told him not to, and instead to regroup back at [[Athenia]], as he suspected the Decepticons had a much greater scheme in mind. Indeed, Optimus was correct, as Galvatron was preparing for his full-blown invasion of planet [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 3|The Great Transformer War #3}}

===''The Headmasters'' cartoon===
[[Image:Headmasters-primedies.jpg|thumb|250px]]
Some time before the Transformers' war left Cybertron, Optimus Prime engaged the Decepticons with his men. Later, on Earth, a suspiciously similar battle with the Decepticons resulted in, er, Prime's death.

{{note|Optimus Prime appears in two Cybertronian flashback battles within the episode, alongside the same team of Autobots, suggesting that they represent the same fight. He also appears in one further flashback battle on Earth, which depicts his death in a scene that doesn't match up to his ''actual'' death in ''The Transformers: The Movie''. This was a continuity patch-job by the ''Headmasters'' production staff, as the movie hadn't been released in Japan yet. }}

At an unknown time, Optimus had an Autobot called [[Pointblank]] under his command. However, Pointblank went rogue, and Prime expelled him from his squad. {{storylink|Duel on the Asteroid}}

One year after Prime's resurrection, in 2011, the Autobots had entered into an even closer relationship with Earth and began the colonization of other worlds, the first of which was the planet [[Athenia]], where Optimus Prime was stationed. It soon became apparent, however, that when Prime had released the energy of the Matrix to cure the Hate Plague, the consequences were more far-reaching than he had anticipated—without the energy of the Matrix to act as a balancing factor, [[Vector Sigma]] had become destabilized, and the Decepticons suddenly returned to exploit this, assaulting Cybertron in order to seize control of the mega-computer. The intensity of the battle caused [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] to recall the Cybertronian skirmish that Optimus took part in 4 million years ago — or another one very much like it. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}}

[[Image:Headmasters_prime_death.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Rodimus finally receives his Nemesis Prime RealDoll.]]

Prime took a squad of troops to aid in the battle on the planet, and when the arrival of the Autobot [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] tipped the battle in their favor, Prime broke off from the main attack and headed down into the depths of the planet, planning on stabilizing Vector Sigma at any cost. {{storylink|The Mystery of Planet Master}} Guided through the dangers of the planet's catacombs by the spirit of Alpha Trion while the other Autobots searched for the Matrix on Earth, Prime eventually arrived at the computer, only to find his way barred by [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]]. Hot Rod then arrived with the Matrix, with which Alpha Trion merged, re-energizing it and transforming Hot Rod back into Rodimus Prime; for the first time, the two Primes fought side-by-side and defeated Galvatron. Before Rodimus could implement the Matrix to stabilize Vector Sigma, however, Optimus Prime sacrificed himself to perform the task, merging with the computer and restoring its balance to save the planet. {{storylink|Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime}}

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===''The Headmasters'' comic===
Following Prime's death, a great bronze [[Optimus Prime memorial|statue]] was erected on planet [[Athenia]] in order to [[Optimus Prime memorial|memorialize]] him. Oddly, only [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] and the [[Headmasters of Justice]] attended its unveiling. Speaking for all the Headmasters, [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] announced that Optimus Prime was the greatest warrior who ever lived. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 1}}

===''Super-God Masterforce'' and ''Victory'' cartoons===
[[Image:Ginrai_1stapp.jpg|thumb|right|"Well tonight, Matthew, I'm going to be..."]]
Once they had defeated the Decepticons, the Autobots had planned to somehow resurrect their fallen leader, using the technology developed on the planet [[Master (planet)|Master]] to give him a new body. However, shortly after it had been built, the [[Transtector]] intended for Optimus was among those stolen by the self-proclaimed "Decepticon god" [[Devil Z]]. It was then hidden on Earth where it was eventually found by, and [[Godmaster|bonded with]], a human named [[Ginrai]]. {{storylink|Shūta and Grand's Masterforce Super-Secrets!}} The Transtector later gained sentience of its own, which meant that it ultimately could not be used for its intended purpose. {{storylink|A Battle... and Then...}} For whatever reason, the Autobots didn't try to build another one.

Occupying the body of Optimus Prime comes with [[the many deaths of Optimus Prime|its drawbacks]], and it seems that even if the bot in question doesn't actually happen to be Prime, it doesn't mean they should be an exception. After a scuffle with the Decepticons' new [[Emperor of Destruction]] [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]], the sentient Transtector Ginrai accepted his fate and [[death|bought the energon farm]]. {{storylink|Ginrai Dies!!}} Quick to act, the Autobots built him a fresh new body, and Ginrai was reborn as [[Victory Leo]]. {{storylink|Fight!! Victory Leo}} They still didn't build another body for Optimus, though. By then, they'd already moved on and found [[Star Saber (Victory)|someone new]] to settle down with.
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===''The Battlestars'' story pages and comic===
[[Image:PrimeZodiak.jpg|left|225px|thumb|''You got the—'' No, hang on... Nevermind.]]

Over 15 years after his merging with Vector Sigma, Optimus Prime's lifeless body was spirited away in a sinister plot to destroy the Autobots by [[Dark Nova]], the big bad guy du jour. Nova duplicated Prime's body, using the copy to create the evil [[False Convoy]]. {{storylink|The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars story page #3}} The elite Autobot team, the [[Battlestars]], defeated False Convoy and retrieved the real Prime's body from Planet [[Lucifer]], and then used the mysterious energy source known as the [[Zodiac]] to restore Prime to life. Transformed into '''Star Convoy''', Prime was also reunited with [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], who became his [[Micromaster]] partner. {{storylink|The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars story page #4}}

[[Image:Starconvoy magami.jpg|right|thumb|"Occasionally you meet a nice one—Star Convoy, E.T. ... but usually they just turn out to be some kind of big lizard!"]]

After Star Convoy and [[Sixliner]] defeated a swarm of Dark Nova's [[Novaroid|Great Novaroid]] drone warriors, {{storylink|The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars story page #5}} the mysterious creature decided to resurrect Prime's oldest nemesis, and plucked [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] from the icy grave he had been cast into years beforehand by the Autobot Headmasters, recreating him as [[Megatron (G1)|Super Megatron]]. {{storylink|The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars story page #6}} The two old foes clashed in battle at the North Pole, with Star Convoy emerging victorious {{storylink|The Battlestars (manga)|The Battlestars special}} but Super Megatron soon returned with an army of [[Galaman|Great Galaman]] drones to back him up. {{storylink|The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars story page #7}} Defeated by the "[[Triple Combination Battlestar Attack]]" that combined all the power of Star Convoy, [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]] and [[Grandus (ROC)|Grandus]], Super Megatron was again upgraded by Dark Nova into Ultra Megatron. Star Convoy and the Battlestars met him in battle once again, and again, they claimed victory. {{storylink|The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars story page #8}}

His pawn having failed him, Dark Nova absorbed Ultra Megatron into his body, transforming them both into the gargantuan "Star Giant". {{storylink|The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars story page #9}} Star Giant proved to be virtually indestructible from the outside until Star Convoy got the bright idea of giving the villain [[Furmanism|the worst case of indigestion he'd ever had]]. Holding Star Giant's massive mouth open, he ordered Sky Garry and Grandus to move in. After all three were swallowed, they began taking Star Giant down from the inside while simultaneously fighting off his various defensive systems. As soon as the trio escaped from Star Giant's interior, the monster exploded, leaving only his head slightly intact. As it happens, Megatron was housed inside Star Giant's noggin and survived the attack. {{storylink|The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars story page #10}}

===Nucleon Quest Convoy bio===
Following the defeat of Star Giant, the restoration of Cybertron (following its devastation in 2011) began, but the planet was in the throes of a chronic energy shortage. In order to re-energize the struggling planet, Optimus Prime upgraded himself into a Powermaster by fusing with the Nebulan scientist [[Hi-Q]]. Protecting his body with a Phase Modulation Shield, Prime ventured into a black hole to obtain the super-energy [[Nucleon]], which was used to restore Cybertron to its former glory.
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===''G-2'' story pages and pack-in comic===
[[Image:G2AllianceBeginsAndEnds.jpg|left|225px|thumb|The alliance would have lasted if they'd gotten more than one chair.]]
With Cybertron restored, Optimus Prime upgraded himself into a new [[Action Master]] body. Megatron eventually recovered from his defeat and with his sanity circuit fully restored at last, joined with Prime to form the [[Cybertron Alliance]]. Things were good for a little while, as Megatron's attempts at peace were genuinely sincere, and the alliance ushered in what would be called the Second Generation of the Transformers. However, after human soldiers killed one of his dearest comrades, Megatron adopted a new tank body and started the war anew, believing he could bring a more stable peace to the galaxy by ruling it with an iron fist. {{storylink|G-2 (story page)|Autobots vs. Decepticons: Combat Secrets }}

[[Image:G2 manga hero prime.jpg|right|thumb|275px|Uh oh, [[Jolt (G2)|Jolt]]! You've cheesed off Prime so much he's broken through the panel borders!]]
To counter Megatron, Optimus Prime upgraded his body into a new Missile Trailer mode. Rallying a new wave of Autobot warriors, Optimus diligently repelled Megatron and the Decepticons. In one early encounter, Prime managed to rescue [[Electro]] and [[Volt]] from Megatron by firing his "Matrix Saturn" attack. He immediately recommended that Megatron and all his Decepticons leave the area at once. {{storylink|G-2 (pack-in comic)|G-2 #1}} Megatron, of course, refused, and continued his attack. Prime, Electro and Volt combined their firepower, leaving Megatron in a smoke-filled crater. As Electro moved in to administer the killing blow, Megatron emerged from the smoke unscathed, effortlessly plucking Electro up by his head. {{storylink|G-2 (pack-in comic)|G-2 #2}} Against Prime's orders, Volt immediately rushed Megatron from behind to free his captured friend. {{storylink|G-2 (pack-in comic)|G-2 #4}}

At one point, the secrecy of the Autobot field base became a priority, leaving Megatron to order warriors such as [[Jolt (G2)|Jolt]] to tail other Autobots and locate Prime. {{storylink|G-2 (pack-in comic)|G-2 #5}} Prime's location was eventually compromised when [[Skyjack]] slipped past all Autobot radar. Astonished at the Decepticon's stealth, Prime was unable to stop Skyjack from returning to Megatron with his location. {{storylink|G-2 (pack-in comic)|G-2 #7}} Meanwhile, [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]], [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] and [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] began to study the [[Matrix of Leadership]] and discovered a new property within it called the [[Reconfiguration Matrix]] which could grant Autobots new powers. {{storylink|G-2 (story page)|Optimus Prime of the Autobots has Fallen!}}

[[Image:G2PrimeJustice.jpg|left|thumb|225px|"SHALOM!"]]
Prime and Megatron eventually met to do battle, with Prime coming out on top as Megatron slowly ran low on fuel. Prime offered Megatron one last chance to surrender, but was caught off-guard by [[Hooligan (G2)|Hooligan]], who blasted him in the back with his missile attack, destroying Prime's back-mounted weaponry unit. {{storylink|G-2 (pack-in comic)|G-2 #9}} Megatron then ordered [[Dreadwing (G2)|Dreadwing]] and [[Smokescreen (G2)|Smokescreen]] to swoop in and finish Prime off before he could recover. The pair of Decepticons proceeded to bomb Prime mercilessly before turning him over to Megatron for the kill. {{storylink|G-2 (pack-in comic)|G-2 #10}} With a surprising lack of satisfaction, Megatron blasted Prime to pieces, killing his ancient foe at last. Victorious, Megatron offered Prime a final prayer, only to be interrupted by...Prime! The essences of the previous Autobot Supreme Commanders within the Matrix of Leadership activated the Reconfiguration Matrix to forge him a new body. Optimus Prime became '''Battle Convoy''' and easily trumped Megatron's power. {{storylink|G-2 (pack-in comic)|G-2 #13}} {{storylink|G-2 (story page)|Birth of the New Supreme Commander Battle Convoy!}}

Prime and Megatron then agreed to a one-on-one duel following the "Law of Cybertron": total banishment to the defeated and his forces. After a lengthy and painful battle, Prime narrowly managed to best Megatron, forcing him and the Decepticons to retreat into deep space. Prime was last seen wounded, being aided off the battlefield by Volt and Electro. {{storylink|G-2 (story page)|The Autobots Triumph in the Battle of Good Vs. Evil!}}
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===e-Hobby storyline===

[[Image:Black_hybrid_prime_manga.jpg|right|thumb]]

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

To combat the Decepticons' aggressive energy raids, Wheeljack and [[Ga'mede]] put their heads together and duplicated Prime's new black form to create twenty-one battle droids that would play on the Decepticons' subconscious fear of Optimus Prime. These "[[Eldedroid]]s" were placed under the remote control of [[Flip Sides (G1)|Flip Sides]] and sent out onto the battlefield. <ref>''Masterpiece'' Convoy Black Ver.‎ [[bio]]</ref> Later experimentation with the Eldedroids involved placing human minds in control of them; the first successful test subject was a human named [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Dan]]. This Eldedroid, along with [[Diver (Masterforce)|Diver]], [[Splashdown]], [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] and [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]], was dispatched by Optimus Prime to investigate Decepticon involvement in recent attacks on human shipping vessels. Prime was worried about Dan, but Ironhide encouraged him not to be so pessimistic. {{storylink|MP-1B Cybertron Commander / Convoy Black Ver.‎}}

From his command point on [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]], Optimus was convinced by Ironhide and Perceptor that the battle on the ocean floor required more back-up. Prime ordered Broadside to set a course for the undersea research station. On the way there, however, Prime and all the other Autobots within Broadside were suddenly menaced by the towering spectre of Starscream. {{storylink|MP-3G Destron Air Commander / Starscream Ghost Ver.}}

==References==

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Action Masters]]
[[Category:Alternators Autobots]]
[[Category:Autobot leaders]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Autobots]]
[[Category:Combiners]]
[[Category:Multi-component Transformers]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 2 Autobots]]
[[Category:Ghosts]]
[[Category:Kiss Players Autobots]]
[[Category:Matrix bearers]]
[[Category:Powermasters]]
[[Category:Return of Convoy Autobots]]
[[Category:Rulers of Cybertron]]
[[Category:The Headmasters Autobots]]
[[Category:Zombies]]

Hot Rod (G1)

2010-12-11T19:19:25Z

Kirby-Force: /* Transformers: Mystery of Convoy */

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:''Hot Rod is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]]. He has also been known as '''Rodimus Prime''', '''Rodimus''', and '''Rodimus Major'''.''

[[Image:DVDbox3d1.jpg|right|301px|thumb|And yet he still gets carded.]]

'''Hot Rod''' is brash and headstrong, with an overwhelming self-confidence that borders on arrogance. [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] has assumed the role of mentor and advisor to the impetuous young Hot Rod, offering him wisdom and advice when he needs it (though Hot Rod rarely feels that he does, much to Kup's annoyance). [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] also serves as a calming influence on Hot Rod, and tends to either worry about him when he is not around, or deride and tease him when he is. Their relationship is antagonistic, but friendly. Exactly how deep Hot Rod's feelings for Arcee might run is unknown, whether they be friendly, [[Transformer romance|romantic]], or otherwise.

In contrast, his '''Rodimus Prime''' persona—while still headstrong and stubborn—seems to suffer from a severe lack of confidence, often doubting his own decisions and expressing distress over his position as an [[Prime (rank)|Autobot leader]]. Of course, much of this comes from having immediately succeeded [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] as commander—and let's face it, shoes-to-be-filled just don't ''get'' much bigger than that.

One thing that both sides of this Autobot's identity have in common is their impatience—neither Hot Rod nor Rodimus Prime can stand to wait around when they could be doing something instead. He is also very self-reliant, rarely sending others to do anything when he could be doing it himself. His [[Targetmaster]] partner is [[Firebolt]]. As Rodimus Prime, his vehicle sometimes splits between his robot and [[Mobile Defense Bay]].

{{bigquote|I ''knew'' you had potential, lad.|[[Kup (G1)|Kup]] on Hot Rod's transformation into Rodimus Prime|''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''}}

:''Japanese name (Hot Rod):'' '''Hot Rodimus''', except for "The Rebirth"
:''Japanese name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodimus Convoy'''
:''French-Canadian name (Hot Rod):'' '''Météorite''' ("Meteorite")
:''French-Canadian name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodimus Primo''' ("Rodimus First", official toy name)
:''French-Canadian name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodimus Primus''' (official dub name)
:''Italian name:'' '''Folgore''', '''Captain''' 
:''Hungarian name (Hot Rod):'' '''Nagyágyú''' ("Hot Shot")
:''Hungarian name (Hot Rod, The Movie):'' '''Peca''' ("[[:Image:HotRodFishing1.jpg|Fisher]]"?) in the first dub of the film, 'cause he deals with marine life throughout the film, you see.
:''Hungarian name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodimusz Fővezér''' ("Prime Commander Rodimus")
:''Chinese name (Taiwan, Hot Rod):'' '''Rod''' / '''Rhode''' (羅德 ''Lúo Dé'')
:''Chinese name (Taiwan, Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rhodie Jr-tsūn''' (羅迪至尊, "Rodimus Prime")
:''Chinese name (China, Hot Rod):'' '''Re Po''' (热破, "Hot Break")
:''Chinese name (China, Rodimus Prime):'' '''Bu Tian Shi''' (补天士, "Soldier who [[Wikipedia:Nüwa|repairs the sky]]")
:''[[Omni Productions]] Headmasters dub name (Hot Rod):'' '''Roadimus Prime''' (yes. ROAD-imus.)
:''Ukrainian TV dub name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodimus Naikrashyi'''(Родімус Найкращий, Rodimus The Best)
:''Russian TV dub name (Hot Rod):'' '''Patron''' ("Cartridge")
:''Russian TV dub name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodomes Prime'''
:''Portuguese name (Portugal Comic):'' (Hot Rod) '''Roda Quente''' (Rodimus Prime) '''Rodimus Supremo'''

==Fiction==
===Cartoon continuity===
====Madman ''The Transformers'' comic====
[[Image:Madman comic HotRod sigh.jpg|left|150px|thumb|"You're gonna be the death of that guy, you know?"]]

In the year 2001, Hot Rod was on guard duty at the construction site of [[Autobot City]] on [[Earth]] while the main Autobot forces were evacuating from the Decepticon-conquered [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. As he was complaining about his boring assignment to [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], the Decepticon [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] struck, intent on stealing the [[Matrix of Leadership|Autobot Matrix of Leadership]] which Optimus Prime had secreted in a bunker at the building site. When he reclaimed the Matrix, Hot Rod received a vision of the future where he fought [[Galvatron (G1)|a powerful Decepticon]]. After returning the Matrix to Optimus Prime, the Autobot leader considered that perhaps Hot Rod's destiny was greater than any of them realized. Kup thought differently, however. {{storylink|The Transformers (Madman)|The Transformers}}
{{-}}

====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
:''Voice actors:'' [[Judd Nelson]] → [[Ted Schwartz]] → [[Dick Gautier]] (English), [[Hiroya Ishimaru]] (Japanese, ''Transformers 2010''), [[Takase Akimitsu]] (Japanese, ''The Rebirth''), [[Daniel Gall]] (French, Movie)

[[Image:HotRodFishing1.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"I'm tellin' you, Daniel, you HAD to kiss me to activate my fishing rod. STOP crying!"]]
In 2005, Hot Rod was one of the many Autobots based in the completed Autobot City. He was close friends with the young human [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] and seemed to have a reputation for being something of a troublemaker, judging from a few of Kup's comments to him at the time. While out fishing with Daniel one day, he consoled his young human friend over the absence of his father Spike (currently stationed on one of Cybertron's moon bases), then attempted to cheer him up by proposing that they head to [[Lookout Mountain]] to watch the arrival of an Autobot shuttle. This required smashing through a security cordon that Kup and some other Autobots were in the process of setting up, but Hot Rod's breach of security was soon to fade to irrelevance. Observing the shuttle through a viewing scope, Daniel was alarmed to spot a hole in the side, and the concerned Hot Rod used his built-in telescopic visor to discern the horrifying truth of the situation: the shuttle had been hijacked by Decepticons! Hot Rod opened fire on the stolen shuttle and exposed their ruse before [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] could enter the city, though he was nearly blasted by [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] for his troubles and had to be rescued by Kup. Hot Rod's action had given the rest of the Autobots time to begin transforming Autobot City and raising their defenses, but this in turn left Hot Rod trapped outside with Kup and Daniel, until the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] helpfully chewed an opening into the city that the trio were able to use to gain access, swatting the pesky critters as they did so.
[[Image:Tftm hotrod matrix.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Dibs!]]

Fighting continued through the night, culminating with the arrival of a second shuttle commanded by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]. Prime engaged Megatron in a one-on-one battle, but at a pivotal moment, Hot Rod observed that Megatron was feigning defeat in an attempt to reach a fallen weapon. Hot Rod tackled Megatron, but proved no match for the Decepticon leader; Megatron seized him and used him as a human (well, robot) shield while he delivered the fatal blasts that mortally wounded Prime. Although Prime used the last of his strength to dispatch Megatron, he was on the brink of death, and passed the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] just before he passed on, reciting a prophecy that claimed an Autobot would use the Matrix to "light our darkest hour". When the Prime's strength gave out and he dropped the talisman as he was handing it over, Hot Rod caught it before it fell to the floor, and it glowed brightly in his hands.

[[Image:TFTM-HotRodcar.jpg|right|thumb|250px|He's on the run from Barbie's garage.]]

After Prime's death, news reached Autobot City of a [[Unicron|monster planet]] that was advancing on Cybertron. Hot Rod had "this feeling" that the Matrix could stop the creature, but before any plans could be made, Autobot City came under Decepticon attack once again—by [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. The Autobots were able to flee into space aboard twin shuttles, and Hot Rod passed the time sparring with an [[auto-combatant]] before the Decepticons caught up to them. In the ensuing space battle, Hot Rod's shuttle was shot down by [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], and he, Kup and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] found themselves stranded on the planet [[Quintessa]]. Awakening underwater in one of Quintessa's oceans, in the clutches of some mechanical vines and beset by ferocious robotic fish, Hot Rod hacked his way to freedom with his buzzsaw-hand, then saved Kup from the grip of a huge metal squid-creature. Hot Rod took the damaged Kup to shore and pieced him back together, and the pair then set off to search for the Dinobots, only to wind up crossing paths with [[Allicon|more strange inhabitants]]. The [[universal greeting]] and [[energon goodie]]s only temporarily placated the creatures, who captured Hot Rod and Kup and brought them before their masters, the [[Quintesson]]s. They learned from another captive, [[Kranix]], that the monster planet was known as "[[Unicron]]", then attempted to stage an escape when they were brought to trial and thrown to the [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]]. The pair gave a good account of themselves, but were hugely outmatched by the Sharkticon swarm and seemed doomed for certain, until the Dinobots and their new ally [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] arrived to turn the tide. Wheelie provided the team with a ship to leave the planet, and together, they all rendezvoused with Ultra Magnus's team on the planet [[Junkion (planet)|Junk]], where Hot Rod was just in time to stop the native Junkions and their leader [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] from destroying the rest of the Autobot City refugees with a timely—and ''successful''— use of the universal greeting. Together, they all traveled to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to stop Unicron before he could eat more than just its moons.

[[Image:RodimusPrimeMovie1.jpg|left|250px|thumb|"BAM! You've had unsafe sex!"]]

Hot Rod crashed the Quintesson ship through Unicron's eye, and was separated from his comrades as they fell through his giant body. Alone, deep in the bowels of the chaos-bringer, he found himself facing Galvatron in a battle to the death over the Matrix of Leadership, which Galvatron had previously stolen. Overpowered by Galvatron, Hot Rod was throttled by the Decepticon and was moments from death, until he seized the Matrix that hung around Galvatron's neck. Filled with its power, Hot Rod proved to be the "Chosen One" of legend, and was transformed into "Rodimus Prime": an older, larger, and more powerful version of himself. After overpowering Galvatron and hurling him through Unicron's hide into the void of space, he opened the Matrix and destroyed Unicron from within. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

Peace reigned on Cybertron for at least long enough to put up some of the more important buildings, and Rodimus Prime began to ease into his role as the new Autobot leader. He even opened the first [[Galactic Olympics]], although the event was disrupted by mysterious assailants who kidnapped [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], Kup and Spike Witwicky. In an attempt to discover if the Decepticons were responsible, Rodimus took [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] to spy on them, but the pair were discovered and attacked. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1}} The two Autobots were rescued by Arcee and [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], but Rodimus had been injured in the attack, and his spirit entered the Matrix. The experience revealed to him that the Quintessons were behind the kidnapping. With this knowledge, the Autobots rescued their fellows from Quintessa, just as the Quintessons destroyed the planet. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2}}

[[Image:Ffod4_rodimus_in_matrix.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"Rodimus, I Am Your Father."]]

The Autobots were flung through space, eventually crashing down on the planet [[Goo]]. After Springer's dismemberment at the hands of a giant machine, Rodimus faced the machine alone, clogging its intakes and causing it to crash. Their troubles weren't over, as the Quintesson-led Decepticon army soon showed up to renew hostilities. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3}} Rescued by the Junkions, the Autobots were taken to Junk, where Rodimus short-circuited himself in order to consult the Matrix once again. The knowledge of [[Transformer]] history and their creation at the hands of the Quintessons was revealed to him, leading him to realise that Cybertron was in deadly danger. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}}

Returning to Cybertron, Rodimus lead the defence of the planet against Galvatron's strike force. It wasn't until [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]'s warning that the true nature of the threat was revealed: a [[large switch|switch]] deep under the planet's surface which controlled the life force of every Transformer in existence. Although Rodimus headed off the contingent of Sharkticons who aimed to pull the switch, Galvatron himself pulled it, disabling all of the Transformers. Fortunately, Spike was on hand to turn them all back on again. After Galvatron was sent into retreat, Rodimus gave a speech to the Autobots about how they had won...for now. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}}

[[Image:Zombiesmatrixmakesmetoostrong.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Crap, I hope this isn't a popularity contest!]]

Throughout 2006, Rodimus Prime's greatest achievements revolved around his predecessor, Optimus Prime. While fleeing from a Decepticon attack, Rodimus and several other Autobots took refuge in a massive [[Autobot Mausoleum]] and discovered that their former leader seemed to have returned to life. Perhaps a little too trusting of Optimus (and possibly eager to relieve himself of the burden of leadership), Rodimus quickly passed the Matrix back to Optimus and, much to his glee, reverted back into Hot Rod. His happiness was short-lived, however, as Optimus was quickly revealed to be nothing more than a puppet of the Quintessons, sent to trick the Autobots into an ambush from which none of them would escape. With no other choice, Hot Rod was forced to do battle with Optimus Prime for the fate of the Autobots. Although their duel was clearly in the favor of the more powerful Optimus, Hot Rod was able to re-awaken the true spirit of his leader. Returning the Matrix to Rodimus, Optimus then piloted his ship into the heart of the ambush and sacrificed himself to save them all. {{storylink|Dark Awakening}}

Soon after Perceptor left on a standard research mission to a nearby asteroid belt, Rodimus Prime and the Autobots received a distress call from the survey group. They arrived to find the asteroid infested with Quintessons, but managed to drive off the tentacled freaks and their Sharkticon shock troops. Perceptor was near deactivation due to injuries, however, and the rest of the Autobots were nowhere to be seen. The Quintessons attempted to retake the asteroid but, after failing, were soon desperate enough to tell the truth: Their technology on the rock was a [[Time Window]], and leaving it open was risking the fates of all time and space. With the help of the Quintesson scientist and a [[Alpha Trion (G1)|mysterious stranger with a devilish moustache]], Rodimus Prime retrieved his lost Autobots and shut down the time window. {{storylink|Forever Is a Long Time Coming}}

[[Image:Fightorflee Rodimus explosion.jpg|right|thumb|250px|He just needs a cigarette.]]

The Autobots learned of a lost Cybertronian colony known as [[Paradron]] after one of its citizens, [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]], arrived on Cybertron begging for help. It seemed that Galvatron and the Decepticons had seized control over the planet and its vast energon reserves. Rodimus Prime and the Autobots staged a tactical infiltration, but the escalation of violence between the two forces led to total devastation. Rodimus gave the pacifistic Autobots of Paradron his impassioned "Move it or lose it!" speech before hustling them off-world so that Ultra Magnus could blow up their home. As Sandstorm sat there mourning the loss of his world, Rodimus Prime gave him some solemn advice.
{{bigquote|Well, no need to get all mushy. Cybertron's a better place anyway—not so...perfect.|}}
{{storylink|Fight or Flee}}

Rodimus and the Autobots were stumped when someone carried off [[Fort Knox]] in the middle of the night. They detected [[Dinosaur transform static]] at the scene (seriously), found a small pile of [[Energon cube|energon cubes]], and had just been informed by [[Teletraan II]] that Trypticon was still alive. It was a head-scratcher, all right. They eventually figured it out, though, and sieged the occupied nation of [[Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya|Carbombya]] to chase the Decepticons away, then recovered Fort Knox and the other monuments Trypticon had stolen. {{storylink|Thief in the Night}}

[[Image:StarscreamsGhost Rodimus waves goodbye.JPG|left|thumb|250px|[[AKOM]] liked to color my crotch like my windshield (as was [[Hot_Rod_(G1)#Notes|originally intended]]). AKOM did a loooot of episodes.]]

When the freelance agent named [[Octane]] was being kidnapped right off of Cybertron's surface by Cyclonus and the Sweeps, Rodimus Prime and the Autobots stormed out to save their associate. Things were more complicated than they looked, however, as when Rodimus confronted Cyclonus, the Decepticon lieutenant spoke with [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]'s voice! For some reason, learning Starscream was involved made Rodimus willing to let the Decepticons go. Crazy as it sounds, though, it worked—Starscream and Octane managed to lure Galvatron into an Autobot ambush. Rodimus Prime gave a friendly wave to Starscream for a job well done as he departed. ''Zuh''? {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}}

While preparing for the first annual Cybertron peace conference, Rodimus Prime got together with [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] to prepare a surprise party for Danny. They were interrupted by a [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticon]] attack, as the Decepticons wanted to prevent the conference from occurring. The Combaticons were driven off, however, and only minor damage was done. {{storylink|Surprise Party}}

During a diplomatic function, Rodimus Prime was forced to play statesman and deal with Ambassador [[Ynara]] and the other delegates. Curiously, when Daniel Witwicky went missing and Rodimus had an excuse to duck out of the "festivities", he chose to delegate the search mission to Ultra Magnus and Blaster. Perhaps the normally action-hungry Rodimus Prime was actually becoming more accepting of his leadership duties. {{storylink|Madman's Paradise}}

[[Image:NightmarePlanet Rodimus Daniel in bed.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Rodimus really needs to learn how to delegate.]]

When Daniel Witwicky began experiencing recurring nightmares, Rodimus never dreamed he would have to face those nightmares personally. The Quintessons' latest experiment was to turn the young boy's imagination against his Autobot friends. Danny's own subconscious fought against the Quintessons' manipulations, though, and helped the Autobots save themselves. After that experience, Rodimus Prime stayed by Danny's bedside until he conquered his fears and ended the nightmares. {{storylink|Nightmare Planet}}

Cybertron was put on high alert after [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] broke into Metroplex on Earth, stealing his eyes and blowing up a bomb in his brain. Rodimus and the Autobots were eventually able to suss out that Scourge was working with the ghost of Starscream, and they in turn were acquiring those eyes for Unicron. Rodimus put together a strike team and sent Ultra Magnus, Springer, [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] and [[Groove (G1)|Groove]] to Unicron to investigate, but they were repulsed by the Chaos-Bringer's defenses. Their second mission was more successful, detonating a series of explosives underneath Unicron once he came down to Cybertron, intent on connecting himself to the planet and turning it into his new body. After Unicron was successfully blasted back into orbit, Rodimus congratulated his men on a job well done. As a joke, he told Magnus and the others their next mission would be to return to the head of their Living Devil and retrieve his stolen eyes. That Roddy—he's hilarious. {{storylink|Ghost in the Machine}}

[[Image:Quintessonjournal_diplomacy.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Rodimus Prime: diplomat.]]

Rodimus was dutifully overseeing some reconstruction work on Cybertron when [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] and [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] reported odd activity over the planet of Junk and among the Junkions themselves. He assembled a task force aboard [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] to take a look firsthand. [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] managed to neutralize the hypnotic signals influencing the Junkions, but the Autobots were unable to learn the cause of the whole situation. {{storylink|The Big Broadcast of 2006 (episode)|The Big Broadcast of 2006}}

At a galactic peace conference, Rodimus and Ultra Magnus attempted to end the centuries of war between the planets of [[Xetaxxis]] and [[Lanarq]]. They might as well have asked Galvatron, "Why you so ''crazy''?" Every attempt at straight talk and reasonable discourse broke out into a brawl, fist-fighting and eventually laser fire. The two worlds only reached an accord once Blaster and Sky Lynx arrived with a Quintesson journal, detailing how the entire war between the two planets was a "case study" in escalation manipulated by the Quintessons to sell bigger and better armaments to both sides. {{storylink|The Quintesson Journal}}

[[Image:UltimateWeapon-Rodimuspoint.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"I did your mom!"]]

Rodimus Prime began to struggle with the burden of leadership again during a skirmish in Europe, where the Decepticons were working in conjunction with human terrorists. The pacifistic [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] chose to leave the Autobots after his refusal to fight cost Metroplex his transforming cog, and Rodimus chided himself for not having the words to convince the medic to stay. He was also unsettled by Galvatron's crowing about a new "[[Ultimate Weapon]]" which would bring the Autobots to their knees. Regardless of his internal strife, Rodimus continued the fight. He came up with a plan in which Spike and Daniel Witwicky posed as part of the (evil?) human repair crews working on Trypticon and liberated the Decepticon city-bot's transforming cog just as the 'Cons had taken Metroplex's. Rodimus and Ultra Magnus had to fight off Galvatron and the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticon]] in order to stall for time so that the Witwickys could complete their mission. Fortunately, the Stunticons had been off <strike>the shelves</strike> the field for a while by this point, and so were utterly demolished by the two Autobots. Eventually, First Aid returned to the Autobots to finish repair work on the cog, and Rodimus ultimately called Galvatron's bluff and uncovered his "Ultimate Weapon" as the sham it was. These victories renewed Rodimus's confidence in his leadership abilities...until next time. {{storylink|The Ultimate Weapon}}

One day, Rodimus Prime orchestrated the insertion of a new [[power core]] on Cybertron, designed by Perceptor to give the Autobots limitless free energy. Unfortunately, Perceptor also installed an emergency level to jettison the power core into space in the statistically impossible scenario that they would ever need to do such a wild, crazy thing. Sure enough, mere hours later, the power core was floating through space with a [[Trans-Organic]] [[Dweller|monster]] of Lovecraftian proportions latched to the outside of it. Rule of thumb: Installing any form of self-destruct switch increases the likelihood of needing said switch a billion percent. Encasing it behind glass adds another billion. {{storylink|The Dweller in the Depths}}

[[Image:OnlyHuman Rodimus Michelle breakfast.jpg|left|thumb|250px|That's right. He stayed for ''breakfast''.]]

Rodimus Prime and the Autobots joined forces with the human police to help stop a domestic terrorist named [[Victor Drath]]. They grossly underestimated their opponent and were easily captured by Drath after he lured them to his residence with an anonymous phone call. Using some <strike>Cobra</strike> mysterious technology, Drath siphoned the consciousnesses of Rodimus, Ultra Magnus, Springer and Arcee out of their bodies, inadvertently casting them into synthetic human forms. While trying to get back into Drath's headquarters, Rodimus and Springer were separated. Drath's girlfriend [[Michelle]] was intrigued enough by Rodimus's human form that she hid him from Drath's men. At least until after coffee...THEN she handed him over to Drath. Rodimus managed to overpower Drath and his men, and the villain's scheme was undone. Perceptor managed to reverse the process and restore the Autobots to their true forms. With one regretful look cast towards Michelle as she was led away by the police, Rodimus Prime rolled for home with the other Autobots. {{storylink|Only Human}}

[[Image:Grimlocksnewbrain_hotrod_vs_hungrr.jpg|right|250px|thumb]]

At the unveiling of a new power generator, Rodimus Prime got frustrated at Grimlock's gross stupidity. Things only got worse when the Autobots discovered [[Anti-electron|anti-electrons]] being beamed out of the power generator and needed to negotiate the tunnels beneath Cybertron to reach the generator core...and Grimlock broke their only map. Luckily for Rodimus's sanity, Grimlock spontaneously developed super-intelligence after biting through the cables connecting the anti-electrons to the power generator. The Autobots then went on a mission to Unicron's head to prevent the Decepticons from recovering any more anti-electrons to use against them, but once there, they came under attack by the particles again, and Rodimus was affected so badly that he actually briefly transformed him back into Hot Rod. The Autobots were nearly overwhelmed by the animalistic [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]], but Grimlock constructed [[Computron (G1)|Computron]] and the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]] as a counter-force against the bestial Decepticons. Rodimus and the others drove off the remaining Decepticons and restabilized the power generator for Cybertron's use. {{storylink|Grimlock's New Brain}}

On Earth's [[Moon (moon)|Moon]], Rodimus Prime and the Autobots were engaged in trench warfare with the Decepticon for some vague but no doubt important reason. Rodimus demonstrated his keen tactical brilliance when the Decepticons attacked, suggesting the Autobots do the unexpected...and counter-attack. No, really—Galvatron seemed utterly amazed when they did that. However, the non-bestial Transformers on both sides were rendered lifeless when the energy-draining creature known as [[Tornedron]] attacked them while en route to Earth. When the threat was eliminated by Grimlock, Rodimus and the others came back to life without realising that anything had happened. {{storylink|Call of the Primitives}}

[[Image:FaceNijika-Rodimustruck.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Rodimus goes camping in style.]]

Rodimus and the Autobots arrived at the scene of a Quintesson quadrant lock as Galvatron was trying to claim it for himself. The Quintessons attempted to stop further investigation of the quadrant lock by casting the Transformers through a warp. Their encounter with the native [[Zamojin (species)|Zamojin]]s inside the lock was less than cordial, but the Autobots eventually managed to disable the quadrant lock and return starlight to the Zamojin people. {{storylink|The Face of the Nijika}}

[[Image:BurdenHardest Hot Rod retrieves matrix.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"I sure hope Optimus Prime doesn't come back next week or something."]]

After a particularly strenuous series of Decepticon attacks on Japan, Rodimus Prime was in no mood to be chewed out by the Japanese government for "not helping enough". When [[Marissa Faireborn]] stopped by at just the wrong time with yet another problem, Rodimus blew her off and went racing on the back roads to let off some exhaust. Unfortunately, he was spotted by the Stunticons [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] and [[Wildrider]], who knocked him for a loop and (surprisingly) shook the Matrix of Leadership loose from his chest cavity. After the Stunticons made off with the Matrix, Rodimus woke up as Hot Rod. Shockingly to Springer and Ultra Magnus, Roddy was in no hurry to go after the thieves and recover the Matrix. His ''giri'' had become too burdensome, and Hot Rod was hardly interested in reclaiming the burden so soon. He returned to a dojo that had been upset by [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]] during the earlier attacks and observed the sensei and his pupils. After finding his center again, Hot Rod returned to the city, where the huntsman known as Scourge had been misusing the Matrix as a source of raw power to destroy everything around him. After a brief fight, Hot Rod reclaimed the Matrix from Scourge and became Rodimus Prime once more, accepting his path in life. Oh, and Kup was nodding sagely on the sidelines the entire time. Apparently, that helped somehow. {{storylink|The Burden Hardest to Bear}}

[[Image:HotRodReturnOfOptimusPrime1.jpg|left|250px|thumb|"I did his mom, too."]]

As it turned out, far from being destroyed, Optimus Prime had been retrieved by a team of human scientists who were hoping to use him (again) as a weapon against the Autobots—this time as the bearer of a malignant "[[Hate Plague]]" that would cause them to destroy one another. When he learned of this, Rodimus swiftly formed a rescue party and led them to retrieve Optimus's body so that their former leader could rest in peace. When all of the rest of the Autobots with him were exposed to the Hate Plague, only Rodimus was able to escape unharmed—and with the still-uninfected body of Optimus. Returning to Autobot City, Rodimus ordered [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky-Lynx]] to find a Quintesson to repair Optimus, then risked his life to shut down [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] before the Plague could spread to the titanic Autobot. Attacked by Ultra Magnus and Wreck-Gar in the process, he succumbed to the plague and became infected with hate. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}} In order to stop the Plague, the resurrected Optimus had to defeat the crazed Rodimus and forcibly extract the Matrix from him, changing him back into Hot Rod once more. This time, as Optimus had decided to stick around, the change was a permanent one. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2}}

[[Image:Rebirth3 hotrod spins.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Not shown: Firebolt expelling the contents of his stomach shortly afterward.]]

Even after losing his position as Autobot leader, Hot Rod was not the sort to rest on his laurels. In 2007, he was on Cybertron sharpening his skills in a race with Blurr through an obstacle course called "[[Maze|the Maze]]", and won the contest with a little help from Daniel. This provided Autobot scientist [[Brainstorm]] with more fodder to wax lyrical on his theories about Transformer-human partnership, but his lecture was cut short by the sudden arrival on the planet of the full force of the Decepticon army, who were intent on opening the [[Plasma energy|Plasma Energy Chamber]]. Hot Rod and his team were able to steal the key to the chamber from the Decepticons, but not before the chamber was briefly opened, releasing a blast of energy that catapulted their shuttle across the galaxy. They crash-landed on the planet [[Nebulos]], where they were captured by a group of native rebels that mistook them for the mechanical servants of the planet's evil rulers, the [[Hive (G1)|Hive]]. The rebels changed their tune when a team of Decepticons attacked, having tracked the Autobots to the planet, but half the Autobots, including Hot Rod, were taken captive by the villains. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 1}} Hot Rod and his fellows stood up to the Decepticons' torture, and were soon rescued by their team-mates, who had [[binary bonding|bonded]] with the Nebulan rebels to become [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]]. The Decepticons then teamed up with the Hive to create Headmasters of their own, and took the process further by creating [[Targetmaster]]s as well. The Autobots copied the technology, and Hot Rod volunteered for the process, allowing his gun to be reconfigured into an exo-suit for the Nebulan sharpshooter Firebolt. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 2}} Hot Rod and Firebolt went on to aid in the defence of Cybertron as Galvatron attempted to use the Plasma Energy Chamber to destroy it. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}
{{-}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
{{note|The events of the Generation 1 cartoon occur in Japanese animated continuity as described above, except without the events of "The Rebirth". Additionally, this continuity moves the events of 2006 forward to 2010 and inserts several additional events into the newly created intervening years.}}

=====''Kiss Players''=====
:''Voice actors:'' [[Ryōtarō Okiayu]] (Japanese)

[[Image:Kp3_toy_accurate_hotrod.jpg|left|200px|thumb]]

When Rodimus Prime hurled Galvatron into space at the conclusion of their battle within Unicron, he could not have predicted the tragic result of this action. Galvatron crash-landed on Earth, on top of [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]], devastating the city and sparking off a massive anti-Transformer movement spearheaded by the [[Earth Defense Command]]. Horrified by what his actions had wrought, Rodimus gave up the Matrix to Ultra Magnus and reverted to Hot Rod once more, seeking a way to redeem himself for his unintentional misdeeds. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|A Big Catch Tonight?!}}

[[Image:Kissplay3 hot rod tentacled.jpg|right|200px|thumb| Guys, we don't have to settle for this, there's a small girl right over there!]]

Hot Rod returned to Earth in the year 2006, by which stage the planet had been scoured clean of Transformers by the E.D.C.. He was badly damaged by the [[anti-electron]] field that the E.D.C. had set up around the planet, and wound up falling out of the sky and crashing into the E.D.C.'s headquarters, plunging through its levels into the subterranean chamber known as the [[Genital System]]. His explosive arrival interrupted a grotesque experiment involving former E.D.C. operative [[Shaoshao Li]] and the severed heads of several [[Legion]] (monstrous creatures created when Galvatron's cells, scattered by his impact, fused with Earthly creatures and machines). {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 2|Kiss Players #2}} The Legion attacked Hot Rod and began to [[ParasiTech|fuse]] with him, but a [[kiss]] from Shaoshao—one of the E.D.C.'s [[Kiss Player]]s, also given fusing powers by Galvatron's cells—saved him, reformatting him into a Ford GT body. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 3|Kiss Players #3}}

Together with Shaoshao, Hot Rod went on the run, battling the E.D.C. and the Legion, while working to expose the evil intentions behind of Shaoshao's former employers. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #2}} Shaoshao, a longtime robot-hater, was not pleased about the partnership, disgusted by both the fact that she had to kiss Hot Rod {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #5}} and the Autobot's own smug self-confidence in his speed and sharpshooting skills. She insisted that he work hard on his martial arts training, but Rodimus preferred to simply use Shaoshao's own skills by fusing with her. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #8}} As part of his training, he learned to wield his tonfa weapons as guns, and embarked on a long-distance drive as a test of endurance. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #11}}

Drawn to the E.D.C. headquarters by a massive Legion attack on the facility, Hot Rod and Shaoshao were shocked to see Optimus Prime at the head of the Legion swarm! Given that Prime had died the previous year, Hot Rod assumed he was facing an imposter and attacked, unaware that this was actually the genuine article, who had been brought back to life by the Kiss Player powers of Shaoshao's old friend, [[Marissa Faireborn]]. The battle was broken up and the Legions turned away by the E.D.C.'s most powerful Kiss Player, [[Atari Hitotonari]], and Hot Rod and Shaoshao returned to their fugitive lifestyle. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 3|Kiss Players #3}}

[[Image:HotRodKP.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Flames on his arms and a naked girl in his tummy.]]

Despite being on the lam, Hot Rod still had time for a little fishing now and then, (even though Shaoshao hated the fishy stench he would invariably return covered in) {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #17}} and even built himself a fishing pole that could transform into a set of blasters, dubbed the "Exhaust Rod". {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #20}} While Hot Rod was putting his new pole to use on a fishing trip to Tokyo Bay, he and Shaoshao were attacked by a mass of Legion and fused to fight back. It was during this latest fusion that Shaoshao glimpsed Hot Rod's memories and discovered that he was responsible for throwing Galvatron into space, and her fury caused the fusion to end quite violently. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|A Big Catch Tonight?!}} Despite Hot Rod's peace offering of new underwear (actually stolen from Marissa), {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #29}} Shaoshao concluded that she really didn't care about his guilt, and was just using him to win Marissa back from Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #26}}

[[Image:KP002.jpg|right|thumb|200px| [[Chris Ho| Kisses!]]]]

Investigating a large number of Legion that seemed to be converging on Tokyo, Hot Rod and Shaoshao spotted a dark-haired girl riding on the shoulder of one of the creatures. As they watched, she disappeared into the Legion, and they believed she may have been a Kiss Player, until Hot Rod realised that his scanners had not picked up any body heat from the girl. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #32}} As if this haunting experience was not bad enough, Hot Rod then began to suffer from nightmares, filled with images of Megatron, caused by the Galvatron cells that the Legion had added to his system when they had tried to fuse with him. Shaoshao exploited the increase in Rodimus's violent tendencies that these nightmares caused by whispering in the Autobot's ear as he slept, telling him that he had to kill the impostor Optimus Prime so she could have Marissa back. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #35}}

When Marissa and Prime led another army of Legions in another attack on the E.D.C. headquarters, Shaoshao and Hot Rod were again there to face them. The two Autobots were overcome by the destructive impulses of their Galvatron cells and began viciously fighting, but as they did so, Marissa and Shaoshao were able to settle their own differences and bring the battle to an end, vowing to discover the dark secret at the heart of the E.D.C.. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #37}} Together with Atari, the group ventured down into the Genital System, where they discovered a secret plot by E.D.C. commander [[Hitoshizuku Amaō]] to resurrect her dead daughter (the ghost girl Hot Rod and Shaoshao had seen) in Atari's body. Atari thwarted Amaō's fusion process, however, and instead caused all of the scattered Galvatron cells to be re-absorbed into the Decepticon leader's comatose body. Hot Rod destroyed the anti-electron field generator, and was then reverted back to normal as his Galvatron cells were drawn out of him and reconstituted within Galvatron's body, which Atari then flung into space. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|You, I, and the Spinning Earth}}

Hot Rod went on his way, but did not take back the Matrix and leadership of the Autobots until the year 2010. It is unknown whether he ever discovered that the true instigators of the Tokyo incident were Unicron's minions, the [[Sparkbot]]s, who had altered Galvatron's trajectory.

=====''The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers''=====
{{note|The events of this manga occur concurrently with the events of Generation 1 cartoon, as described above.}}

[[Image:Ep14.jpg|left|200px|thumb|He's so dreeeaaaaamyyyy.]]

Rodimus Prime faced numerous bizarre challenges in the year 2010, one of which involved Galvatron attempting to seize spaceships with his ''own'' spaceship that ate ''other'' spaceships. Rodimus infiltrated the toothy craft in order to plant a bomb to destroy it. Unfortunately, Galvatron trapped him inside and beat him senseless. Rodimus was about to give up when the spirit of Optimus Prime spoke to him through the Matrix, urging him to fight on. Rodimus snapped out of it and escaped through a hole created by Galvatron's cannon. Before leaving, though, he dropped the bomb off in Cyclonus' hands, detonating the ship.{{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 1}}

During another adventure, Rodimus and his troops were taken under siege by a horde of Megatron clones calling themselves the [[Megatron Corps]]. The Megatron Corps made short work of Rodimus, leaving him to wonder how he could defeat a whole horde of the baddie, when Optimus Prime could barely deal with ''one''. Rodimus eventually realized that Galvatron was secretly controlling the clones and singled him out. With Galvatron defeated, the Megatron Corps ceased to function. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 2}}

Not long after that, Galvatron attacked [[Autobot City]] on Earth with the power of [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. Though Trypticon was defeated by [[Six-Gun]], of all Autobots, Rodimus did not arrive on the scene until after the battle had ended. Young blonde [[human]] girls squeeled at his hunkiness, though. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 3}}

During another battle, he was forced to team with his arch-nemesis, Galvatron, to defeat the all-powerful [[Guiltaur]]. Guiltaur was a creation built by the [[Quintesson|Quintessons]] utilizing the powers of both Optimus Prime and Megatron. Together, Rodimus and Galvatron defeated their foe (who it turned out was being controlled by the ghost of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]) and called off the truce. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 4}}

After that, Rodimus lead the Autobots to the planet [[Feminia]] to protect it's [[Prime Energy Tower]] from Galvatron and the Decepticons. The Autobots proved ineffectual against the might of [[Predaking]]...at least until the [[Omnibot (G1)|Omnibot]]s showed up to win the day. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 5}}

=====''The Great Transformer War'' comic=====
[[Image:Greattfwar_rodimus.jpg|right|thumb|265px]]
After the [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobot]]s rescued the scientist [[Dalton|Doctor Dalton]] from the clutches of the Decepticons, Rodimus met with him to discuss upgrading the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobot]]s. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 1}}

Rodimus then watched on in horror as the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcon]]s made short work of the upgraded Technobots and nearly turned them into Decepticons with [[Cohesive Control Liquid]]. [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] managed to save the Technobots and send the Decepticons into retreat, swearing vengeance. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 2}}

Early in 2011, after having given up the Matrix of Leadership and reverted back to Hot Rod, he accompanied the newly resurrected Optimus Prime in a space battle against Galvatron and the Decepticons. The Decepticons fled, and though Hot Rod wished to pursue them, Optimus ordered him the return to base, as the entire battle seemed fishy. Indeed, it was all a distraction so that Galvatron could begin his ultimate invasion of Cybertron. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 3}}
{{-}}

=====''The Headmasters'' cartoon=====

:''Voice actor:'' [[Hiroya Ishimaru]] (Japanese)

[[Image:MysteryofPlanetMaster-HotRod.jpg|left|thumb|300px|"And ''you'' better stay close to ''me!''"]]

One year after the Hate Plague affair and the resurrection of Optimus Prime, Hot Rod maintained a high-level position among the Autobots as well as a new sense of duty and responsibility. Hot Rod was stationed on [[Athenia]] when the Decepticons, bolstered with the addition of new Headmaster warriors, attacked Cybertron in an attempt to take control of [[Vector Sigma]], which had become destabilized as a result of the Matrix's energy being released. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}}

When a group of Autobot Headmasters arrived to help, Optimus Prime broke off from the battle and ventured into Cybertron's depths, hoping to find a way to stabilize Vector Sigma. This, however, would require the sacrifice of his own life if attempted without the Matrix, which was hidden somewhere on Earth, recharging. {{storylink|The Mystery of Planet Master}} Hot Rod and the Autobot Headmasters searched the Matrix out and returned to Cybertron with it, where the spirit of [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] recharged its empty shell, transforming Hot Rod back into Rodimus Prime. Optimus and Rodimus defeated the Decepticons together, but Optimus still wound up sacrificing himself to stabilize Vector Sigma, leaving Rodimus Prime in command of the Autobots once again. {{storylink|Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime}}

[[Image:DoubleConvoy1.jpg|right|225px|thumb|"Race ya to the Matrix!" "Yer on!"]]

Rodimus Prime chose to oversee Autobot operations largely from Athenia, leaving Earth as Ultra Magnus and Metroplex's jurisdiction, and maintaining a relatively minor presence on Cybertron itself. One of his actions as returning leader was to oversee the resurrection of [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], who gave his life during the recent search for the Matrix. He had [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]] employ [[Master (planet)|Master]] technology to revive the communications expert in a new body as Twincast. {{storylink|The Great Cassette Operation}} After Fortress and the Headmasters ran into trouble on the planet [[Beast (planet)|Beast]], Rodimus Prime brought the [[Trainbot]]s and [[Monsterbot]]s with him as reinforcements to foil Galvatron's plans. {{storylink|Rebellion on Planet Beast}} He also oversaw the Autobots' efforts to defeat a [[Metamorpho|gravity-warping meteorite]], and encouraged Daniel to be courageous enough to help the Autobots against the metal-sensitive menace. {{storylink|Approach of the Demon Meteorite}}

One day, Rodimus Prime accompanied Ultra Magnus to an energy research laboratory, where a new power source had supposedly been discovered. Upon arrival, however, they discovered the research team had been killed and no new power source existed. Reviewing the tape announcing the discovery, Rodimus realized the broadcasting scientist was actually under the control of [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]], and the whole trip was to get him out of the way so that Scorponok could set a trap for the Headmasters on [[Praum]]. Taking the Trainbots, Rodimus Prime arrived on Praum in time to help the Headmasters chase off Galvatron and their evil counterparts. {{storylink|The Four-Million-Year-Old Veil of Mystery}} Rodimus Prime soon supervised the Autobots during a series of terrorist threats around the globe. He allowed [[Shōki]] and the Trainbots to take first crack at the robot threatening their homeland of Japan. {{storylink|Terror! The Six Shadows}}

[[Image:Hm10 fortress appointed commander.jpg|left|thumb|300px|"Don't worry, all you have to do to be a better leader than me is to ''not get the planet blown up.''"]]

When Vector Sigma created a new kind of super-metal known as [[Cybertonuron]], Rodimus Prime realized it would be a tempting target for the Decepticons. Sure enough, Galvatron soon launched an all-out attack on Cybertron to capture Vector Sigma and the Cybertonuron. Rodimus assembled a massive counterstrike force to transport to Cybertron, but Fortress cautioned that the whole ordeal thus far might be a trap. Rodimus recognized the possibility, but stated the idea of Galvatron controlling the Cybertonuron was too dangerous to risk. Rodimus Prime traveled to Cybertron himself aboard the [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Battleship Maximus]], and engaged Galvatron in hand-to-hand combat. Tragically, Rodimus was soundly defeated by his old foe, and would have been helplessly executed by Galvatron if [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundblaster]] hadn't insisted on giving his leader an office memo Right. That. Minute. TPS reports wait for no 'bot. {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1}} As the fighting continued to escalate, [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] decided it was too dangerous to risk the Autobots keeping control of the Cybertonuron. He had Mindwipe and the Headmasters plant a series of bombs at Cybertron core, resulting in a massive planetary explosion, leaving Cybertron a burnt-out husk. Deciding that his time was over, and that newer, younger Transformers should take over, Rodimus passed leadership of the Autobots to [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]], and departed for space with Kup and [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] to search for a new planet that the Transformers could make their own. Arcee asked if she could go, too, but Rodimus instructed her to stay behind to look after Daniel and Wheelie. {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2}}
{{-}}

=====''The Headmasters'' comic=====

[[Image:RodimusHeadmasterManga08.jpg|thumb|right|250px|]]
{{note|The events of the ''Headmasters'' manga take place concurrently with the ''Headmasters'' cartoon.}}
With Optimus Prime dead yet again, Hot Rod returned to being Rodimus Prime and erected a [[Optimus Prime memorial|statue]] of his fallen commander on Cybertron. During the dedication, the Decepticons were spotted approaching the planet. Rodimus dispatched the [[Headmasters of Justice]] to deal with the threat. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 1}}

Later, the Decepticons made a second attempt to seize planet [[Beast (planet)|Beast]] while the Autobot [[Beastformer]] leader, [[White Leo]], was away. Rodimus Prime sent the Headmasters of Justice to Beast in order to drive back the invading Decepticons. {{storylink|Great Decisive Battle of Planet Beast!}}

During his journey through space in search of a replacement homeworld for the Autobots, Rodimus faced many dangers and hardships, but was supported by the wisdom of the Matrix and the energy of the Earth that now coursed within it. Learning a new admiration for the human race and the planet Earth, he returned to Earth in the wake of the defeat of Scorponok, and reunited with the Autobots. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 8|The Headmasters issue 8}}
{{-}}

=====''The Battlestars''=====
It would be many years before Rodimus resurfaced. He eventually returned at the same time as Optimus Prime was resurrected as [[Optimus Prime (G1)#The Battlestars story pages and comic|Star Convoy]], and was shown to have reverted back into Hot Rod, and been converted into a [[Micromaster]]. As a Micromaster, Hot Rod took up residence in Star Convoy's chest, boosting his Supreme Commander's power.

=====''15 Go! Go!''=====
[[Image:Hotrod-micro.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Well, at least this girl has clothes on.]]
While Star Convoy was occupied battling the reborn Megatron, Hot Rod was busy on Earth dealing with the threat posed by [[Transwarp]] wormwholes that had randomly begun appearing around the planet. During his efforts, he came upon the human computer [[Teletraan 15]], who had traveled forward in time on an information-gathering mission, and saved her from a [[Novaroid]]. Having been familiar with Hot Rod in the past, 15 was a little surprised to see him in a Micromaster form, but he brushed off her comments and accused her of being responsible for the Transwarp disturbances. The appearance of a huge wormwhole overhead, however, prompted Hot Rod to set his concerns aside, transform to vehicle mode and carry 15 away to safety. {{storylink|15 Go! Go!|Hot Rod's chapter}}

Before they got very far, Star Convoy appeared and requested Hot Rod's assistance, telling him that Megatron was fusing with [[Dark Nova]]. Hot Rod said his farewells to 15, preparing to depart with his leader, {{storylink|15 Go! Go!|Star Convoy's chapter}} but before he could leave, he was suddenly struck by an immense blast from the wormhole overhead. The shadowy form of [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] descended from the rip in the sky, and 15 leaped in front of Hot Rod to protect him, but was rewarded for her heroism by having her right arm torn off by the insane Decepticon. {{storylink|15 Go! Go!|Galvatron's chapter}} Rescued by [[Safety]] and [[Fly-Up]] of the [[Guard City]] team, the last thing Teletraan 15 saw before passing out was Galvatron throttling Hot Rod. {{storylink|15 Go! Go!|Galvatron's chapter 2}} The outcome of the battle and the fate of Hot Rod were left unknown, but he had obviously left his mark on 15, whose severed arm was replaced with a convertible buzz-saw blade, just like Hot Rod's own. {{storylink|15 Go! Go!|Galvatron's chapter 3}}
{{-}}
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Generation 1====
{{noteukonly}}
''Several hundred years ago, [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] dispatched Hot Rod and [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] to search for habitable worlds. During this mission, the pair ran afoul of the [[Tyroxian]]s—unpleasant [[alien]]s who captured Blurr and pursued Hot Rod through space. While fleeing, Hot Rod crossed paths with the Autobot war veteran, Kup, living a nomadic existence wandering through space at the time, and the youth's bravado in attacking [[Tyroxia]] single-handed re-ignited Kup's fighting spirit. After saving Hot Rod and helping him to rescue Blurr, Kup joined the pair in returning to Cybertron.'' {{storylink|Kup's Story!}}

[[Image:BrothersinArmor-Targetmasters.jpg|right|thumb|350px|I'm important! Just not right now.]]

Hot Rod was among the contingent of Transformers who ultimately accompanied Fortress Maximus in abandoning the war on Cybertron for a new world, [[Nebulos]]. The Autobots' arrival on the planet immediately stirred civil unrest, however, which led to the Decepticons being brought to the planet, and the war continuing on a smaller scale. Technological advancements developed during the conflict saw Nebulans being bio-engineered into [[Binary bonding|partnerships]] with the Transformers. Hot Rod became a Targetmaster, and was bonded to the Nebulan sharpshooter, Firebolt (aka Sparks), who transformed into his gun. Eventually, the Autobots determined to move their war away from Nebulos, and followed a signal sent by [[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]], received by Hot Rod, to the planet [[Earth]]. {{storylink|Brothers in Armor!!}}

Hot Rod and the other Autobots of Nebulos were soon incorporated into the larger Autobot force on Earth, under the command of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]]. On one occasion, Hot Rod and several Autobots accompanied Prime on what appeared to be a simple mission to stop some Decepticon [[Micromaster]]s from attacking MacDill Air Force Base. {{storylink|Back from the Dead}} In fact, the attack was part of a much larger scheme by the deposed Decepticon leader [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], luring Prime and his forces away from the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] and setting them against his rival for Decepticon leadership, the mighty [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]. Once Prime realized the greater threat at issue, he ordered his troops to immediately take the [[Ark shuttlecraft|shuttle]] back to the Ark, but Hot Rod recklessly chose to stay behind at Optimus's side to face the Decepticons. {{storylink|All the Familiar Faces!}} He was therefore on-hand when the newly resurrected [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] arrived, and began tearing through all Transformers present, in the name of Megatron. He managed to take a shot at Starscream's new [[Pretender]] shell, causing enough neural feedback to temporarily weaken the Decepticon, and give Scorponok time to strike and end the threat. {{storylink|Skin Deep}}

[[Image:YesterdaysHeroes-HotRod.jpg|left|thumb|200px|I, Hot Rod, have entered the main US cast so that I may hatch hilariously hairbrained sitcom schemes!]]

The cost was still high, though, as Optimus Prime returned to the Ark and learned that his good friend, [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], had sacrificed himself to help stop Megatron's schemes. This sent the Autobot leader into a depression, and Hot Rod took it upon himself to snap Optimus out of it. He had the crazy scheme of creating a mock threat with a [[Guardian (Marvel)|Guardian Mark V battle droid]], with predictable results. The robot proceeded to ''actually'' malfunction and endanger the Autobots, but Hot Rod's plan worked when Prime eventually snapped out of his funk and defeated the droid to save the day. Hot Rod needed to find a replacement hand after the Guardian snapped it off, but hey, all's well that ends well. {{storylink|Yesterday's Heroes!}}

[[Image:Hoverscooter.jpg|right|thumb|250px|whoopeee]]

Hot Rod continued to operate with Earth's Autobot forces aboard the Ark, and was present during [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]]'s rampage through the shuttle bay. He took some damage, but remained functional enough to continue on, and was later seen speeding into the battle with Unicron himself on a [[Sky-sled|hoverscooter]], {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} He was also one of many Autobots destroyed by the Decepticons on [[Klo]], only to be revived by the [[Last Autobot]]. {{storylink|End of the Road! (US)|End of the Road!}}

In an alternate future of 2005, Hot Rod was one of the many Autobots based in the completed Autobot City. He was close friends with the young human [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]]. Realizing that the Decepticons were invading in a stolen shuttle, Hot Rod and Daniel tried to outpace them before they reached the city. [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] fell in battle against [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], and Hot Rod stood with a handful of others as Optimus died and passed the [[Matrix of Leadership|Autobot Leadership Matrix]] to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]. {{storylink|The Planet-Eater!}}

[[Image:FinalBattle-Rodimus.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Galvatron can shoot at Rodimus until he's blue in the face, but he'll never surrender his coconut.]]

After Prime's death, Autobot City got word from [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] that a "monster planet" was devouring Cybertron's moons. En route, Hot Rod and Kup (and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]) were separated from the rest of the Autobots during a Decepticon attack and crashed on the planet [[Quintessa]]. After escaping the sadistic trial of the [[Quintesson]]s and attempted execution (as well as meeting [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]]), {{storylink| Judgment Day!}} Hot Rod went on to the planet [[Junkion (planet)|Junk]], where he was just in time to stop [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] from fighting another group of stranded Autobots with a timely use of the [[Universal greeting]]. Together, they all traveled to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to stop [[Unicron]] before he could eat more than just its moons.

Hot Rod plunged his ship through Unicron's eye and was separated from the rest of his team. Alone, he found himself facing Galvatron in a battle to the death over the Autobot Leadership Matrix. Claiming the Matrix, Hot Rod [[Renaming|evolved into]] "Rodimus Prime", an older, larger, and more powerful version of himself. After overpowering Galvatron and hurling him through Unicron's hide into the void of space, he opened the Matrix and destroyed Unicron from within. {{storylink|The Final Battle!}}

In 2006, Rodimus Prime's Autobots had taken control of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] reported suspicious activity on [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]], so Rodimus sent the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbot]]s to investigate. [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] was defeated in battle but was able to send back an SOS before going offline. Sky Lynx was dispatched to retrieve him, and Rodimus decided to investigate himself. He took [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] and [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] in [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]].

Once there, the Autobots discovered a chaotic scene where aliens from many worlds, including the Decepticons, had arrived and were all engaged in a deadly battle with one another. Rodimus was immediately attacked by a hypnotized [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], and the two battled to a standstill. The other Autobots were able to disrupt a hypnotic signal that was causing everyone to fight one another. The [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]] then added their strength against the Decepticons, causing the latter to retreat. Rodimus didn't care where the hypnosis signal had been coming from, as long as it was off for good. He never discovered that it was the work of the [[Quintesson]]s. {{storylink|The Big Broadcast of 2006 (issue)|The Big Broadcast of 2006 (US)}}

{{note|In the UK version of the story, the events of "The Big Broadcast of 2006" are a fabrication invented by [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]].}}

[[Image:GalvatrondeadrodimusUS67.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Do you expect me to talk?" "No, Mr Prime, I expect you to die!"]]
In an another alternate future timeline, Hot Rod arose to become Rodimus Prime. However, the planet-eater known as Unicron managed to destroy Cybertron, leaving Rodimus to lead a failed Autobot/human defense of Earth when [[Galvatron II|that timeline's Galvatron]] attacked and eventually conquered it. Rodimus perished during the conflict, and his body was strung up between the ruined towers of the World Trade Center. In the year 2009, Galvatron returned to Manhattan to survey its devastated landscape, and fired upon Rodimus's corpse, demanding to know how many times he would have to kill him to erase his legacy. {{storylink|Rhythms of Darkness!}}

{{-}}
=====Marvel UK future timelines=====
[[Image:Hot rod ark duty.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"Really, by assigning ''me'' to Ark duty, they're practically demanding me to go be irresponsible!"]]
''Hot Rod rose to greater prominence in the alternate future timeline of [[Earth-120185]]. In 1990, he, Kup and Blurr were captured by Megatron; although rescued by a double-agent named [[Warmonger]], Hot Rod was recaptured and bore witness first hand to Megatron's mercilessness when he executed Warmonger. Then, in 1991, he was part of a unit that escorted the captive [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], only to lose the Decepticon leader when forced to defend a human settlement against an attack by the [[Air Strike Patrol]].'' {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}} ''On another occasion in 1995, Hot Rod was present when Optimus Prime first unveiled the female Autobot, Arcee, to [[Feminist mob|a dubious crowd of human feminists]]. Hot Rod was more than a little flustered by Arcee's presence on the battlefield.'' {{storylink|Prime's Rib!}} ''In 2003, he and Blurr were given "Ark duty," assigned to stand guard over the [[Ark (G1)|Autobots' spaceship]] while construction on [[Autobot City]] began. Kup was apparently instructed to deliver the plans of the city to the American government, and when Hot Rod saw him being jumped by the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]], he disobeyed orders and sped out to the rescue. The Stunticons brutally beat on Hot Rod and took the plans, but Hot Rod learned a hard lesson when Kup informed him that it was meant to happen that way because the plans were a fake.'' {{storylink|Ark Duty}} ''When the city was completed in 2004, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] attacked it on its opening day, and Hot Rod repelled him by attacking in a wildly illogical manner, tackling him down a mountain repeatedly.'' {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}} ''Also, at some unknown point in the past, Hot Rod's Targetmaster partner Firebolt was killed in action.'' {{storylink|Headhunt}}

[[Image:FallenAngel-Unicron.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Since this is a comic book, Rodimus has to hum "[[The Touch]]" to himself.]]

''In the year 2006, when the new Decepticon leader [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] travelled back in time to 1986 as part of a plan to free himself from the control of Unicron, the chaos-bringer used his mental powers to plant knowledge of Galvatron's plan into the minds of Hot Rod, Kup and Blurr and transported them to Cybertron, where they used Galvatron's equipment to follow him into the past. There, with help from the present-day incarnation of Ultra Magnus, they were able to convince Galvatron that he had, in fact, traveled back in time to a parallel universe, where his actions would have no effect on the future. Believing this, Galvatron returned to his own time, and after setting any remaining wrongs to rights, the trio of Autobots also returned to 2006.'' {{storylink|Target: 2006}} ''Back in his native timeline, Hot Rod was subsequently involved in a battle with Galvatron inside Unicron's body, during which he opened the sacred Autobot talisman, the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]], and was transformed into Rodimus Prime. With this new strength, he hurled Galvatron through Unicron's hide and opened the Matrix, destroying the planet-eater.'' {{storylink|The Final Battle!}}

''It's believed that [[Primus]] ''deliberately'' caused Hot Rod's Prime form to resemble him. What an ego!'' {{storylink|Salvage!|#160's Grim Grams}}

[[Image:Rodimusprimerequestdenied.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Rodimus learned the wrong lesson from Optimus's death.]]

''As the new Autobot leader, Rodimus became paranoid about Galvatron's eventual return, since no body was ever recovered from space. He led the Autobot forces high and low searching the universe for the Decepticon leader, neglecting Cybertron in the process. As a result, Shockwave arose as the new Decepticon leader, and total war broke out on Cybertron once again. Unable to take the time to find Galvatron himself anymore, Rodimus rashly placed a bounty on the Decepticon's head. What Rodimus did not realize, however, was that Galvatron had time-jumped again, traveling back to 1987.'' {{storylink|Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive!}} ''In 2007, when the freelance peace-keeping agent [[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]] pursued Galvatron back to the '80s, Rodimus was informed of this fact by an Autobot double-agent named [[Nautilus]], and, dismayed at the danger he had unleashed on the past, promptly headed back in time himself to stop the dual threats.'' {{storylink|Burning Sky!}} ''Once again teaming up with the present-day Ultra Magnus, Rodimus and his team of Kup, Blurr and [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] tracked Galvatron down to [[Mount Verona]], where he was attempting to harness the volcano's molten energy. While arguing with Death's Head, Rodimus and the bounty hunter were both attacked, but when Ultra Magnus opened fire on his [[power siphon]], Galvatron was distracted long enough for Rodimus to escape.'' {{storylink|Hunters}} ''Rodimus then arranged a plan that saw the Autobots capture Galvatron's time-jump mechanism, in order to have Wreck-Gar re-engineer it to return all the time-travelers to their point of origin. Rodimus engaged Galvatron in a protracted battle to buy Wreck-Gar time, but when the device was activated, Rodimus, Death's Head and the other Autobots were returned to 2007. Galvatron was left behind.'' {{storylink|Fire on High!}}

[[Image:Headhunt-Rodimus.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Rodimus discovers a depressing third option to "fight and die" or "live with the knowledge that I ran."]]

''Some time later, a disgruntled Death's Head accepted a contract from the Decepticons on Rodimus Prime's head, and ambushed him while he was inspecting Autobot lines. Their battle subsequently went underground, where [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] intervened, downing Death's Head in hopes of being the ones to defeat Rodimus, in order to reclaim their lost standing in the Decepticons' ranks. Rodimus was able to lead Death's Head through the underground tunnels, right into the heart of the Autobot camp, where he offered him advance payment for a different contract—on Cyclonus and Scourge.'' {{storylink|Headhunt}} ''Death's Head proceeded to track the two Decepticons for the remainder of the year, until the three of them fell under the mental control of Unicron when they discovered his disembodied head on the planet of [[Junkion (planet)|Junk]] in the early days of 2008. Under his control, they assassinated Decepticon leader Shockwave and reignited the stalemated Cybertronian civil war in order to keep the Autobots busy while Unicron worked on rebuilding his body. Rodimus, however, learned of the situation thanks to [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]], and led a small Autobot force to Junk, where Death's Head fought against Unicron's control long enough to project Rodimus's mind into a battle with the demi-god on the astral plane. During the battle, explosives planted by Wreck-Gar destroyed Unicron's head, and his mind was sealed within the Matrix.'' {{storylink|The Legacy of Unicron!}}

[[Image:Arceehotrodspacepirates.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Hasbro slips Rodimus a few [[Shanix]] under the table to "lose" the Matrix ever so often. They's got Hot Rod toys to sell.]]

''Later in 2008, the alien Quintessons targeted Cybertron for colonization, and attacked the Autobots with a two-pronged assault on both Cybertron and Earth. When [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] shirked her guard duty at Autobot City, the Quintessons were given an opening that allowed them to take over the city, and when she returned, they gunned her down as bait for a trap for Rodimus Prime. Arriving at the city, Rodimus discovered the injured Arcee and opened his chest compartment to heal her with the Matrix, only to have it yanked from his grasp by the Quintesson general, [[General Ghyrik|Ghyrik]], causing him to revert to Hot Rod. Liberating [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]'s cassettes for back-up, Hot Rod and Arcee proceeded to fight their way through the Quintessons to Autobot City's control room, where Hot Rod activated [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] to smash the alien threat. In battle with Ghyrik, Hot Rod duped the Quintessons with a bit of amateur ventriloquism and reclaimed the Matrix; transformed back into Rodimus Prime again, he routed the Quintessons.'' {{storylink|Space Pirates!}}

[[Image:TimeWars-OptimusPrimeentersthefray.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Rodimus traveled 20 years into the past just to be upstaged by That Guy again.]]

''Unbeknownst to Rodimus, the Quintessons had sought to colonize Cybertron because their own homeworld was being destroyed by a rift in space and time caused by the Transformers' repeated time-travel. The rift continued to grow in size until it threatened both Earth and Cybertron at the beginning of both 2009 and 1989. To put an end to the threat, Rodimus and a squad of Autobots traveled back to 1989, only to wind up mass-displacing Optimus Prime (since the Matrix could not exist in two time periods at once) and a group of other Autobots to [[limbo]], leading to a brief but violent misunderstanding with the present-day Autobots. Optimus Prime was able to stabilize the situation by communicating with all involved through the power of the Matrix. Subsequently, Autobots and Decepticons from both the present and future teamed up to battle Galvatron and [[Straxus (G1)|Megatron]], but one by one they fell, until Optimus Prime used the Matrix to return himself to reality for a final showdown. After absorbing Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge, however, the rift was sealed by Shockwave, and Rodimus and the other future Autobots returned to 2009, vowing to destroy their time machines to prevent this from ever happening again.'' {{storylink|Time Wars}}

''As it transpired, however, things would not be that easy. In the wake of the massive chronal damage caused by the rift, time had attempted to heal its wounds, but reality was no longer as it had been. The future that Rodimus and the other Autobots came from no longer existed—in its place was a world where Galvatron had never traveled back in time, and had conquered Cybertron after Unicron's destruction. Rodimus quickly established a rebellion, but when Galvatron tracked down their headquarters, he killed Blurr and all others present, goading Rodimus into a ferocious battle in hopes of corrupting the Matrix within him. Rodimus realized what he was doing, however, and ended the fight before more damage could be done.'' {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}}

[[Image:EdgeofImpact-EvilRodimus.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Tonight the part of Rodimus Prime will be played by the Green Goblin.]]

''Rodimus and the Autobots escaped to Earth via hyperspace, only to find that their craft's guidance systems had been damaged. During the flight, Rodimus Prime vanished'' {{storylink|The Void! (UK)|The Void!}}, ''and Kup discovered that he was the saboteur,'' {{storylink|Edge of Impact}} ''deducing that he had been corrupted by an evil force from within the Matrix.'' {{storylink|Shadow of Evil}} ''Inside the Matrix, Rodimus battled with the essence of Unicron, trapped there since the events of 2008, until Kup wrenched the Matrix from his chest, freeing him from the chaos-bringer's influence. But now, Rodimus knew that the evil of Unicron would be waiting for him within it...'' {{storylink|White Fire}} ''...and in 2010, Unicron's essence succeeded in taking over Rodimus's body, transforming it into a duplicate of his own and attacking Cybertron once more, until Rodimus was able to defeat him from within and re-seal him within the Matrix.'' {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}}

''Centuries later, in the year 2356, Rodimus, his body withered and weakened from the continuous harmful influence of Unicron from within the Matrix, lectured a young Autobot [[student]] on the nature of evil, unwittingly setting the youth on the path towards villainy himself.'' {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}}

''In an unidentified timeline in the year 2510, a healthy Rodimus Prime was overjoyed to announce that the Cybertronian war was finally over, and planned to step down as leader to allow [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] to take over. The sole remaining Decepticon, a double-agent named [[Triton]], spoke out against the decision to cause dissension, and succeeded—as Rodimus could only watch in dismay, arguments escalated into conflict, and the war was born again as [[Technobot (G1)|Technobot]] fought [[Wrecker]], and the Autobot Civil War began.'' {{storylink|Peace}}

{{-}}

====Generation 2====
[[Image:HotrodG2Marvelcomic.jpg|100px|thumb|left|Try purple! It's the new maroon!]]
After the defeat of the Decepticons on [[Klo]], the Autobots' forces scattered throughout the galaxy as virtually independent splinter cells. A small group under Optimus Prime's command encountered Bludgeon and his soldiers on a desolate world, both sides looking for new weapons or technology, and were in danger of being overrun. Prime sent Hot Rod into a nearby mausoleum building in the hopes that he could conjure up some form of "graven image" to distract the superstitious Decepticon leader. Hot Rod emerged empty-handed from the ruins, only to find that just [[Guardian (G2)|such a graven image]] had conjured ''itself'', chased off the trespassing Decepticons, and was now prepared to do the same to the Autobots. They managed a dignified, if rushed, scramble to safety. {{storylink|All or Nothing!|Ghosts}}

[[Image:G2kupwonderspowerandglory.jpg|right|thumb|300px|No?]]

When Grimlock sent out a message summoning Optimus Prime, Hot Rod and Kup accompanied him. Hot Rod was quick to remark the sorry state of the planet they were on, and pondered exactly why they were here. As Prime continued his lengthy internal monolog, they were ambushed by a second-generation Cybertronian patrol. Hot Rod pretended to flee, but quickly came back as he and Prime caught the squad in a crossfire, annihilating the lot of them. Grimlock made his presence known afterwards and took them to his ship, where Hot Rod casually fiddled with a panel while Grimlock exposited. [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] attacked soon after, crippling the Autobots's ship and capturing them. They later managed to escape Jhiaxus's flagship. {{storylink|War Without End!}} When Grimlock and a team of Autobots were captured once again by the Liege Centuro, Hot Rod was part of Optimus's rescue team. {{storylink|Devices and Desires! (Marvel)|Devices and Desires!}} While Optimus Prime went on a vision quest back on Cybertron, some Autobots set up camp on a deserted asteroid, where Kup set up some war games for training. Hot Rod managed to lure the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] and [[Groove (G1)|Groove]] into a false sense of confidence and into a trap consisting of Dinobots. When the exercise was over, Hot Rod expressed frustration at the fact that they were stuck playing games while Jhiaxus and his Cybertronians were still out there.{{storylink|The Power and the Glory}} Megatron's resurfacing on Earth made Optimus Prime decide to confront him alone. Fortunately, Grimlock had different ideas and mounted up a rescue, which Hot Rod participated in. He tried to engage [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] in vehicle mode, but the small Decepticon used his piledrivers to send Hot Rod tumbling away. Hot Rod crashed just behind Megatron, prompting the Decepticon leader to order a full retreat. {{storylink|The Gathering Darkness}}

[[Image:Arageinheaven-electro.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Hot Rod is the honorary fifth [[Laser Rod]] member.]]

Hot Rod was amongst the Autobots deployed to the planet [[Ethos]] where they fought hard to counter a Cybertronian offensive, but quickly found themselves overwhelmed and had to be saved by their newfound Decepticon allies. {{storylink|Escalation!}} After Starscream sold out the location of the Autobots' [[Autobase]] on Earth, Jhiaxus organized a full-scale assault. Hot Rod was part of the counter-offensive, and as the Cybertronians were being eradicated by the Autobot-Decepticon alliance, he was quick to report Prime his new finding: Jhiaxus had a ''second wave'' waiting in the wings. {{storylink|Total War!}} When the Cybertronian threat was overshadowed by the oncoming [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]], Hot Rod and [[Electro]] went scouting out for its position. Thanks to Murphy's law, he had the misfortune of reporting its arrival just as Grimlock pondered just how things could get worse. Unlike many of his fellow Autobots, Hot Rod was saved from being devoured by the Swarm thanks to Megatron's timely arrival, carrying cannisters of [[Rheanimum]]. Soon afterwards, Hot Rod and company witnessed Optimus Prime's return to life in a shiny new body, and cheered at his speech for unity and a higher purpose than war. {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}
{{-}}

====''Classics''====
{{note|The Classics comic takes place after the end of the original Marvel Comic, but in a [[splinter timeline]] that does not include the events of the Marvel UK-exclusive stories or Generation 2.}}

[[Image:CrossingOver5-RodimusMirage.jpg|right|thumb|250px|We got to buy... more time!]]

Once peace was restored on [[Klo]], Hot Rod followed Optimus Prime back to Cybertron, where the young Autobot fell back into the racing scene. After countless years of fighting for his life, this quickly bored Hot Rod, who went to Optimus to ask advice. Hot Rod was put in charge of the rehabilitation of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and the integration of the millions of Transformers who had fled the planet during the war. To keep the returning Transformers entertained, Hot Rod devised the [[Cybertron Grand Challenge]], a cross-factional racing event of an epic scale. Following his cultural triumph, Hot Rod changed his name to Rodimus, both to reflect his growing maturity and in homage to Optimus Prime, the leader he still adored. Rodimus became one of Optimus Prime's closest officers, and when [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] reared his head again on [[Earth]], Rodimus was one of the first recruited to accompany Optimus to hunt him down. {{storylink|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 15|''Classics'' Rodimus profile}}

After the Autobots discovered the mysterious Autobot, [[Skyfall (Cybertron)|Skyfall]], they flew to [[South America]] to investigate a mysterious power source. Rodimus led them there with a tracking device, muttering that he wished [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] were around to help him use it. Clearly they arrived at the correct location, however, because the Decepticons were there looking for it as well! {{storylink|Crossing Over: Part 3}} As the battle raged, [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] and Rodimus cornered Soundwave, but the two worried that they were being overwhelmed by numbers. {{storylink|Crossing Over: Part 5}} Rodimus tried contacting [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], but the Autobot scout wasn't responding, and so Rodimus grew even more frustrated when Mirage went invisible and left him. Mirage's gambit helped win the battle, and the Decepticons withdrew. {{storylink|Crossing Over: Part 6}}

Rodimus was damaged severely, and so after the battle in South America, Optimus Prime carried him all the way home. Bumblebee was asked to put him in a [[CR chamber]]. {{storylink|Games of Deception}}
{{-}}

===S.T.A.R.S. pack-in flyers===
[[Image:PackIn RodimusPrimeRemembers Front.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Just like he remembers Woodstock.]]

Unicron just might consume the universe, and the Autobots need to determine who the Chosen One is so that he may rise from their ranks, unlock the Matrix of Power, and save all from Unicron! Unfortunately, not even the Chosen One himself knows his identity, and his discovery may come too late.
{{storylink|The Autobots Have a Special Mission for:}}

There was a legendary conflict between the Autobots and Decepticons when Optimus Prime led Rodimus Prime and a large team of Autobots in a search for the future site of [[Autobot City]]. They were ambushed by Megatron and [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]], and this became known as the Transformers' greatest battle on Earth. Rodimus Prime dubbed it "[[Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction]]." {{storylink|Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.|Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.}} Some of the Autobots were forced to retreat due to Thundercracker's "force shield," and Optimus Prime told Rodimus and the others that their only hope was to call in for additional troops. {{storylink|Transformers Combat Data}}

Later, Rodimus Prime remembered the Transformers' greatest battle on Earth. {{storylink|Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.|Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.}}
{{-}}

===Big Looker Storybook continuity===
[[Image:CarShowBlowup-AutobotCity.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Hot Rod clearly does not pass emissions standards.]]

Kup and Hot Rod traveled to the coliseum to check out a robot car the [[human]]s had built that could respond to voice commands. They heard about it on their car radios! But when they arrived at the coliseum, Kup spotted Decepticons flying about. As some entered the back door, Kup shooed Hot Rod away, telling him to warn the others. If Hot Rod stayed, he would just get into trouble!

[[Image:Wildboyofquintessonbattle.jpg|right|200px|thumb|This is the genocide referred to [[:Image:EdgeofImpact-EvilRodimus.jpg|above]].]]

When Hot Rod returned with the Autobots, Kup had been captured and held prisoner, so the others entered the coliseum in vehicle mode. Meanwhile, Hot Rod snuck up behind Kup and freed him. Yelling "Geronimo!" they jumped from the control room onto the coliseum floor, taking the Decepticons by surprise. Galvatron and the others escaped, but Kup and Hot Rod agreed that they'd be ready for him when he returned. {{storylink|Car Show Blow Up}}

Later, Kup led Hot Rod, [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] on a special mission to take supplies from Earth to a space station on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s second moon. Despite Kup's warnings, the Dinobots loaded too many supplies onto the ship, and in the middle of their journey, the ship began to have problems. Hot Rod reassured Arcee that everything would be okay, but the ship was going down! It crashed on a planet which Kup recognized. It was the planet [[Quintessa|Quintesson]]! They were interrupted by a tribal scream and a flurry of firestones. However, the boy who made his presence known was not aiming at them, but at the Quintessons behind them. The boy's name was [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]], and he had been abandoned on the planet when his ship crashed their earlier.

Wheelie led them through the jungle, battling Quintessons along the way, until they reached Wheelie's crashed ship. Hot Rod was able to fix it, and everyone left the planet Quintesson, Wheelie included! {{storylink|The Story of Wheelie, the Wild Boy of Quintesson}}
{{--}}

===Ladybird Books continuity===
[[Image:DecepticonsatthePole-HotRodSparks.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Say I'm badly drawn to my face, pal!]]
Hot Rod was one of several troops stationed on Earth when [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] was in charge and the Transformers' war was still a secret one. He got along well with [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], the two spending their downtime looking at car magazines together, and was quite pleased to receive some snazzy gold wheel-trims from the boy. {{storylink|Decepticon Hideout|Decepticon Hideout}}

In the time following this campaign, Hot Rod would mature into a more sensible warrior and even a team leader. During the early stages of the war on [[Nebulos]], Hot Rod was Autobot commander against [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus']] Decepticons before the return of Optimus Prime. At one point, he prevented the Decepticons causing Nebulos' destruction via cosmic radiation. {{storylink|Decepticons at the Pole|Decepticons at the Pole}}

===Sticker Adventures===
Out searching for a missing shuttle, Hot Rod and Kup spied it crashed on the Junk planet. They landed to find their friends engaged in battle with the natives, but Kup cautioned Hot Rod not to rashly jump in and join them. Kup's use of the Universal Autobot Greeting resulted in the Junkions abandoning the fight and making friends with the newcomers, and causing Hot Rod to exclaim "Holy cow!" The Junkions helped repair the damaged shuttle before the Autobots left. {{storylink|Battle on the Junk Planet}}
{{-}}
===Young Corgi Adventure books===

[[Image:Wolf at the door desert of danger.jpg|thumb|right|200px|When you're weary, feelin' small...]]
Hot Rod had himself delivered by freight to the planet of Nebulos, where he and his Targetmaster partner Professor Sparks suspected the Decepticons were attempting reinforce their position in spite of a treaty in place to limit their numbers. With [[You|your]] help they traced the Decepticons to the [[Wolf at the Door]] nightclub, an [[oil]] bar for Nebulan miners run by [[Monzo]], and discovered that [[Weirdwolf]], [[Skullcruncher]] and [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]] were importing [[Attack Squad robot]]s from Cybertron and awakening them from cryogenic suspension with a catalytic stimulant disguised as [[Sirian brandy]].

After a confrontation with the Decepticons that left Skullcruncher and Mindwipe out of action, Hot Rod faced off against Weirdwolf and Monzo. Weirdwolf was defiant, but Monzo wasn't feeling lucky and surrendered to the Autobot. Though the Headmasters had to be released under the terms of the treaty, the Attack Squad robots were destroyed. {{storylink|Desert of Danger}}

{{note|"Desert of Danger" is a [[multipath adventure]] and the above only applies to the optimum path through the book. If you make the wrong decision, the Decepticons may well triumph instead.}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers PD Type'' comic===
[[Image:Pdtype_rodimus_manga.jpg|left|250px|thumb|]]

Clutching a [[Blackball]], Rodimus Prime found himself being attacked by Galvatron. As the Decepticon leader attempted to throttle him, a light shone from Rodimus's chest, making Galvatron think it was the power of the Blackball. After Galvatron had fled, Rodimus revealed it was just a torch, and reflected on what an idiot his foe was. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##11 "Take a Stand! Rodimus Prime!"|Take a Stand! Rodimus Prime!}}

As Fortress Maximus and Mega Zarak clashed violently, Rodimus reminded Optimus that he had said never to let those two fight. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##14 "Watch Out! Mega Zarak!"|Watch Out! Mega Zarak!}}

Ultra Magnus and Rodimus Prime enjoyed many victories against the Decepticons, but [[Greatshot|who was that in the background?]] {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##15 "No One Knows When he's Come or Gone. Greatshot..."|No One Knows When he's Come or Gone. Greatshot...}}

Together with Ultra Magnus, Rodimus engaged in battle against [[Sixshot]], but was terrified when the Decepticon ninja unleashed the fury of his "Six Shadow Selves"! Luckily for Rodimus, Sixshot's doppelgangers were actually other Decepticons whom he'd painted black (and weren't very happy about it).{{storylink|Transformers PD Type##18|The Ninja of Space, Sixshot!!}}

In a later altercation with Sixshot, Rodimus attempted to use his Photon Eliminator gun to strike down the fleeing ninja. Though he managed to shoot ''every other'' Decepticon on the battlefield, he failed to hit his intended target. Rodimus sat pouting in the corner as the other Autobots convened to register their disappointment that Rodimus let Sixshot get away.{{storylink|Transformers PD Type##21|Photon Eliminator}}

Joining [[Ginrai|God Ginrai]] and Ultra Magnus in an assault on Mega Zarak, Rodimus was terrified when the mammoth Decepticon unleashed his titanic Anti-Gravity Rifle. Fortunately for the Autobots, the gun jammed and Mega Zarak was left fiddling with it while they opened fire. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##24|Anti-Gravity Rifle}}

{{-}}

===''Transformers in 3-D''===
[[Image:WarAgainstDestructions-HotRodApeface.jpg|right|thumb|300px|GRONK yourself!]]
As Ultra Magnus left for a mission to find an Energon source, Hot Rod assured him that everything would be fine on Cybertron, and if there was any hint of trouble "Rodimus" would pop up and save the day. When Magnus later checked in, Hot Rod reported that they'd made some process on Headmaster technology. Though Magnus was more concerned about the threat of war, Hot Rod told him not to worry, unaware that [[Sixshot]] was planning to throw him a surprise. {{storylink|The Test (issue)|The Test}}

Hot Rod was pleased to have [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] back. Then [[Monitorus]] arrived with the news that [[Tau-Ursa]] had been attacked and leveled by Decepticons, and Hot Rod got to point out that the Tau-Ursans had refused the Autobots permission to build a defense base there. He shortly took part in an attempt to repel a Decepticon attack on Cybertron, finding himself fighting against Sixshot, who seemed more interested in goading him than fighting. This turned out to be a diversion, while [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] used his new [[Nullification Cannon]] on the planet's Energon supplies.

Hot Rod and Blurr next visited Tau-Ursa to check for Decepticons, and encountered [[Apeface|Ape Face]], who had found a [[Logicon]] warning beacon. The two Autobots wrestled it from him and returned to Cybertron, where the beacon was found to hold the coordinates to [[Metascan Alpha]], a major Energon storehouse. Prime placed Hot Rod in charge of one of two teams to search for the planet, though the operation was hampered slightly by the discovery of the two Decepticon [[Clone (subgroup)|Clone]]s spying on them. {{storylink|The War Against the Destructons, Chapter 1 of 3}}

{{Note|At this point [[Blackthorne Publishing]] went bankrupt and the storyline was never completed}}
{{-}}

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
[[Image:Hotroddreamwave.jpg|left|thumb|]]Hot Rod joined an underground Autobot cell led by [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] after [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave's]] takeover of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Among the members of the cell was [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], who Hot Rod became attached to. From the [[Wastelands]], Hot Rod, [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]], and [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] observed an incoming Decepticon shuttle carrying the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. {{storylink|Cold War|Cold War}} Shortly afterward, the cell rescued [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] from [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] and [[Runabout]], and took him to their base. After awakening, Prime attacked [[Gnaw]], Blurr, and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]], forcing Hot Rod (who didn't recognize him) to hold the Autobot leader at gunpoint. After being <strike>bitch slapped</strike> admonished by Kup, Hot Rod apologized. {{storylink|Passive Aggression}}

After Shockwave unleashed the [[Guardian robot]]s on [[Iacon (city-state)|Iacon]], Prime organized the resistance cell and other Autobot forces on the planet in an assault on Shockwave's citadel. Fighting alongside the Autobot leader, Hot Rod was amazed that the stories Kup had told him about Prime's courage and heroism had all been true. As an injured Prime breached the citadel, Hot Rod, Ironhide and [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] provided cover fire, taking down a number of Guardians in the process. Along with the rest of Iacon, they witnessed the divine light of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Autobot Matrix of Leadership]] when Shockwave activated it. {{storylink|Countdown to Extinction (issue)|Countdown to Extinction}}

As Prime and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] battled Shockwave within the citadel, Hot Rod and [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] took down [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] and [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]. Immediately afterward, they were confronted with the looming threat of a remaining Guardian robot—a threat that was soon neutralized by the arrival of the [[Wrecker|Wreckers]], the [[Autobot High Council]], and [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]]. The unified Autobot group soon breached the citadel. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}}

Some time later, Hot Rod ran a simulation combat scenario against Kup, and won using tactics that, in Kup's opinion, would have killed them both had it been real. Only after his victory did Hot Rod remember that he'd promised to take Arcee to see an [[Earth]]-bound shuttle launch—a duty Springer was happy to relieve him of. {{storylink|Lost and Found (issue)|Lost and Found}} Soon afterward, he was assigned to perimeter guard duty at [[Autobase]] with Gnaw and Wheelie, separating him from Arcee. {{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}
{{-}}

===''Universe: Featuring the Wreckers''===
[[Image:Skidswreckers2.jpg|right|250px|thumb|It's funny because Rodimus sucked at everything.]]

A few months after the destruction of [[Unicron]] in 2005, Rodimus Prime spearheaded an effort to establish multiple recon posts to watch for advancing threats... even though some of his scientists said he shouldn't. When only two of the five launched ships were ever heard from again, Rodimus felt like a schmuck. Guy can't catch a break. {{storylink|Betrayal}}

After the Great Wars ended and the [[Pax Cybertronia]] was signed, he changed his name to simply "Rodimus" and decided to check out the new "[[Great Upgrade|Maximal Upgrade]]". His relationship with [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] effectively ended shortly after, as the latter went through dark gripping emo depression over the death of [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] and vanished.

Rodimus joined the [[Wrecker|Wreckers]] at some undetermined point afterward. After [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] took over Cybertron with his [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon drones]], Wrecker leader [[Apelinq]] got stranded on prehistoric [[Earth]], leaving Rodimus in charge. True to form, he ditched leadership duties to [[Primal Prime]] as soon as possible.

After Primal Prime got his marching orders from the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]], he met Rodimus deep inside Cybertron's caverns, where an even more gothy-emo Arcee—in a new Maximal body—lurked and stewed in her depression. Realizing he couldn't convince her to give a damn about anything, he left, rejoining the main Wrecker force in battle. Making it onto an ancient Autobot shuttle, the Wreckers blasted off... with late-arrival Arcee. {{storylink|Departure}}

[[Image:Arceedisclosure.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Except you're the size of my arm now.]]

Rodimus recognized the homing beacon emitting from [[Akalo|Archa Nine]] as one of those missing exploration parties mentioned before. When the shuttle landed, Rodimus stayed behind to help repair the damage the ship had suffered. The entire Wrecker team later gathered in an [[Akalouthan]] village, where Rodimus was reunited with [[Glyph (G1)|Glyph]], who took them to see the artifact known as the [[Divine Light]]. The Wreckers' analysis of the item was cut short, as it was stolen by the traitor [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]]. Rodimus saw the back-in-his-old-body [[Devcon (G1)|Devcon]] off, who was sent to chase after Cyclonus, while the Wreckers made for their next destination... even though several of them were now leery of the visions Primal Prime had been getting. Because they'd really done ''so well'' by the Wreckers so far. {{storylink|Betrayal}}

Upon landing on the frozen planet, Rodimus was part of the search party immediately dispatched to look for... something. Primal Prime wasn't too specific. They came across [[Al-Badur]], an exiled [[Quintesson]], who gave them a little history lesson. They were then promptly attacked by a school of [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]], but the Wreckers made short work of them. They made their way back to the ship, with Al-Badur in tow, and made for their next destination... {{storylink|Disclosure}}

[[Image:Sentinelcryotekwreckersfinale.jpg|right|thumb|300px|If Optimus can die, so can I!]]

...Cybertron. As Primal Prime took some Wreckers after their true foe, [[Cryotek (RID)|Cryotek]], Rodimus tried to get their injured to a safe place. Unfortunately, the planet was under a full scale Quintesson invasion, and some anti-aircraft fire inevitably clipped the ship and sent them plummeting downwards. After they made it to safe ground, Rodimus and the crew hooked up with his fellow [[Matrix Templar]], [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], and followed his insight to the battle. They confronted Cryotek's underling, Cyclonus, and his purloined squad of [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticon]]s. With casualties mounting on both sides, Cyclonus beat a safe retreat, collapsing the tunnel behind him to prevent pursuit. Rodimus was quick enough to dive through the falling debris, however, leaving the two old enemies alone to do battle. Centuries of bad blood carried them through the conflict, until both drew their weapons at point blank range, and fired.

Horribly damaged by this last attack, Rodimus struggled to keep up with the other Wreckers and the running conflict between [[Sentinel Maximus]] and Cryotek. The fighting came to an end at a Quintesson banishing chamber, where the treacherous Al-Badur had attempted to toss Sentinel and Cryotek into a formless void. The two warriors were trapped behind an energy dome, barely able to fight off the portal's pull using their flight systems. Once [[Fractyl]] pointed out that Cryotek was empowered by the Divine Light, a fraction of Primus's own power, Rodimus realized that as Matrix Templars he and Cheetor could drain that power away from the Predacon. They managed to extract most of it before Cryotek cut off their siphoning effect. In the end, Sentinel Maximus sacrificed himself to pull Cryotek into the void with him. Rodimus finally expired from his wounds from fighting Cyclonus, quietly passing on into the Matrix. {{storylink|Wreckers: Finale Part II}}
{{-}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
[[Image:GIJoeTFHotRod70s.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"That bumperchest really doesn't feel right. How do Prowl and Jazz live with it?"]]
Hot Rod was one of [[Teletran 3]]'s unfortunate victims when the computer malfunctioned and transported a random number of Transformers to random points in Earth's timeline. Along with [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], Hot Rod ended up in mid-1970's [[San Francisco]], where he was locked into the form of a Ford Mustang muscle car. The dormant Autobot was soon stolen by a car thief, but was chased down by a group of [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joes]] and [[Cobra]] members sent to retrieve the Transformers. Discovering [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] in the process, the humans equipped both vehicles with [[disruption unit]] that awakened the Transformers and sent them back to present-day Cybertron seconds after Hot Rod commented about feeling "really weird." {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 1|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1}} Back on Cybertron, they were stuck waiting inside the force field Ultra Magnus had erected to prevent [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] from capturing Teletran 3. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 2|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #2}}

Some time after his time travel adventure, Hot Rod reported to Optimus Prime that [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]'s team on Earth had been sidetracked by a Cobra attack. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 2|The Art of War #2}} When said team ended up disappearing in Cybertron's [[Gladiator Zone]], Hot Rod convinced Optimus to stay behind and take care of an Autobot peace ceremony instead of going out and searching for them. Hot Rod then assembled his own search party, but they failed to find the missing Autobots. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 3|The Art of War #3}} Unfortunately, [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]]'s forces attacked the peace ceremony and captured Optimus Prime, leading to Hot Rod assembling a new team intent on rescuing him. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 4|The Art of War #4}} They fought Serpent O.R.'s Decepticon army together with reinforcements from G.I. Joe, and during the battle, Hot Rod paused in horror as he saw the light of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] being opened inside the Decepticon base. The Decepticon army eventually defeated, and by the time Hot Rod reached inside their base, Serpent O.R. had been killed as well. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 5|The Art of War #6}}

A few months later, Hot Rod questioned Optimus Prime's choice to go to Earth again, accusing his leader of feeling guilty about [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]'s death at Serpent O.R.'s hands and doing everything by himself just to prevent more people from dying. Prime just looked at him sadly before leaving, causing Ultra Magnus to tell Hot Rod that he really needed to learn when to stop talking. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2|Black Horizon, Part 1}}

{{-}}

===IDW comics continuity===
{{ongoing}}
[[Image:SpotlightHotRod rush.jpg|right|180px|thumb|WHEEEEEEE! AWESOME! TUBULAR! COWABUNGA! REAGANOMICS!]]
Years ago, Hot Rod was put in charge of a mission to the planet Ki-Aleta to obtain a powerful artifact named the [[Magnificence]] so as to keep it out of the hands of the Decepticons. The mission started off smoothly enough, with [[Gizmo]] using a [[holomatter]] generator to distract the defense systems while the rest of the team went after the Magnificence. Unfortunately, after that everything that could go wrong did go wrong. First, the generator malfunctioned, then [[Download]] tripped the security lasers around the Magnificence itself. Gizmo, Download, and [[Backbeat]] were destroyed by the security systems while Hot Rod and [[Doubledealer|Dealer]] fled. Hot Rod, nearing the exit tunnels they had previously drilled, got a call from Dealer—he had been ambushed by a Decepticon attack squad and needed help. Unfortunately, Hot Rod had been given his own, top secret orders: the Magnificence was to be the top priority of the mission, and placed before all else. With a heavy heart, Hot Rod abandoned Dealer to his fate as he left Ki-Aleta with the Magnificence.

Years later, Hot Rod learned that Dealer had not died that day; he was being held prisoner at the Decepticon penal colony known as [[Styx]]. Hot Rod stealthily infiltrated the prison complex, using a holomatter generator to disguise himself as a guard and then short-circuiting the power grid to cause all the cell doors to unlock. During the chaos he snuck in, extracted Dealer, and took off while the Decepticons were busy getting the prisoners under control. {{storylink|Spotlight: Hot Rod}}

[[Image:Escalation6 HotRod Koska.jpg|left|170px|thumb|Mine!]]
Recently, Hot Rod was called to [[Earth]] to aid the crew of the ''[[Ark-19]]'' in procuring a Decepticon [[facsimile construct]] from [[Brasnya]], a former Soviet state in eastern Europe. {{storylink|Escalation issue 3|Escalation #3}} He and [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] went down to Earth from the ''[[Ark-32]]'' against [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]]'s wishes, and proceeded to join the battle unannounced. As Hardhead went to support the main battle, Hot Rod went after the facsimile... which led to him colliding with [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] as they both tried to stop the [[Georgi Koska]] facsimile from letting himself get gunned down by Soviet soldiers. {{storylink|Escalation issue 4|Escalation #4}} Prowl and Hot Rod managed to defuse the situation and secure the facsimile in the end {{storylink|Escalation issue 5|Escalation #5}}, but before he could return to his ship he was attacked by [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] and [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]], unable to defend himself because he had to keep the facsimile alive. After returning to the ''Ark-32'', he had to be put in a [[CR chamber]] to recover. His injuries were for nothing, as the facsimile melted during the bounce. {{storylink|Escalation issue 6|Escalation #6}}

[[Image:Devastation6 HotRod Hardhead.jpg|right|170px|thumb|Hardhead, I'm with Arcee now. Let it go.]]
After Hot Rod was repaired and reformatted into a Dodge Viper, his "friend" Dealer tried to convince him to pull some strings to get him to Earth, but Hot Rod and [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] had the more important task of rescuing [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1|Devastation #1}} They ran into a bit of trouble with the [[Machination]]'s [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]]. {{storylink|Devastation issue 2|Devastation #2}} They managed to escape temporarily, but were found and Wheeljack was incapacitated. Hot Rod easily held his own with the Headmasters {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}}, and noted that for [[Sunstreaker (G1)|some]] [[Hunter O'Nion|reason]] they had lost their "edge". He received a little help from Hardhead, who was mainly there to take Hot Rod and the others back to the ''Ark-32'' for evacuation to [[Garrus-9]]. Hot Rod refused to go, wanting to see the Headmaster mystery through to the end. Hardhead reluctantly let him go. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6|Devastation #6}}

[[Image:SPDHotRodM.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Oh, Magic 8-Ball, will I ever be Prime in this continuity?]]
Hot Rod's search was interrupted by Dealer's arrival on Earth, with orders for Hot Rod: find the Magnificence and use it to learn what they could about the Expansion. Hot Rod took Dealer to his hiding spot, which turned out to be the planet where they first found the device. As Dealer and Hot Rod closed on the Magnificence, he went over his first visit to the planet in his mind, and how things could have gone so wrong. Eventually he began to have suspicions, and upon locating the Magnificence, asked it the question that haunted him: had Dealer betrayed him? Sadly, it revealed the truth, and Hot Rod was forced to kill Dealer as the traitor attacked. Looking down on his remains, Hot Rod realized the truth had been staring him in the face, he just hadn't wanted to accept it. He then used the Magnificence to find out all he could about the Expansion, and relayed the information to the Autobots. {{storylink|Spotlight: Doubledealer}}

[[Image:HotRodMaxDino02.jpg|right|200px|thumb|You're not fooling anyone, [[Judd Nelson| Bender]]. The next screw that falls out will be YOU.]]

Returning to Earth to continue his search, Hot Rod arrived at the gates of the Machination's complex, and Scorponok prepared himself to deal with the intruder. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 1|Maximum Dinobots #1}} Unfortunately, Hot Rod found himself fighting well out of his weight class as he was man handled by Scorponok, who cheerfully bashed his face in, put out one of his optics and snapped his leg. The Headmasters dragged him into Scorponok's control room where, with absolutely no prompting, the big man explained his entire plan for the Dynobots, Skywatch and the Machination. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 2|Maximum Dinobots #2}}

Hot Rod seemed less than impressed with this rather mundane approach, which ticked Scorponok off enough for him to point out that it was obviously just the first stage in his master plan. He was also warned to remained awed or he'd be of no further interest. When the Dynobots and newly-arrived [[Monsterbot]]s seemed to turn Scorponok's plan on its head, Hot Rod burst out laughing, at which point, Scorponok ordered him taken out and shot. In the lift to the surface, Hot Rod suddenly erupted in flames, killing his captors, but draining his power supply. Weakened and with a crippled leg, he collapsed on the floor. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 3|Maximum Dinobots #3}}

He made it out of the building and ran into the real Sunstreaker, who blasted the 2 clones following Hot Rod. Sunstreaker ignored Hot Rod's warning about Scorponok's army and stormed into the building so Hot Rod painfully wired himself to send a distress signal. When Sunstreaker's real head was later disabled by Hunter, the Headmaster clones shut down, which Hot Rod explained to [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]. The group was surprised by the arrival of [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], but [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] had heard Hot Rod's distress call and was on his way to Earth. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 4|Maximum Dinobots #4}}

After Scorponok knocked out [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] and Grimlock tended to him, the remaining Dynobots offered Hot Rod a lift aboard the Monsterbots' ship. He refused though, and made it back into Machination HQ to take care of something "personal". He eventually found Scorponok's real head (and remarked how ugly it was). Hunter also showed up and let Hot Rod know how to disable it, but before he could do so, Scorponok grabbed him. Before Scorponok could crush Hot Rod's head, the Dynobots showed up and began to battle Scorponok. Hot Rod told [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] which wires to sever, and he did just that, reducing Scorponok to a catatonic state. Ultra Magnus arrived took everyone back aboard his ship, which later docked with the ''Ark-32''. Within 3 days, Hot Rod was fully repaired, with a new body form design. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 5|Maximum Dinobots #5}}

Some time later, while traveling through space by himself, Hot Rod found himself under attack by the ''[[Torment]]'', a Decepticon warship crewed by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and the [[Pretender Monster]]s. He was shot down, but managed to transmit a distress call to the Autobot starship ''[[Trion]]'', which came to his rescue. After the Decepticons were chased off, Hot Rod joined the crew of the ''Trion''. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 15|Lost & Found}}

[[Image:Ironhide punches Hot Rod.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Ironhide has waited twenty-two years to pay Hot Rod back for [[The Transformers: The Movie|shooting down his shuttle]].]]
When the Decepticons' galaxy-wide assault hit, the ''Trion'' was shot down over Cybertron. Hot Rod sent out a distress signal and was ecstatic when he ran into some other Autobots. They must've come specifically to save his team and... wait, why do you all look surprised about my signal and appear beaten up and resourceless and... ''oh arsebiscuits''! {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 4|All Hail Megatron #4}}

Hot Rod was taken back to base and relayed the story of how he and his other crew-mates from the ''Trion'' arrived on Cybertron, having been diverted there by Decepticon ships and forced to crash land. Once on the surface, Hot Rod sent out his distress signal and was ''so'' sure someone heard it. Kup arrived with the rest of the ''Trion'''s crew at that point, just in time to tell Hot Rod ''of course'' no one heard his message. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 5|All Hail Megatron #5}}

After the Autobots narrowly avoided the [[Insecticon swarm]] and Sunstreaker sacrificed himself, Hot Rod jumped to [[Drift (G1)|Drift]]'s defense when he was being insulted by [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 9|All Hail Megatron #9}} When the Autobots were later rescued by [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]], Hot Rod was glad that he sent out the distress call. He was then ferried to Earth with the other Autobots aboard Omega. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}}

[[Image:Ongoing issue 1-Hot Rod has had enough.jpg|right|thumb|150px|"Don't talk to me about stuck, Hot Rod, you're the one with that horrible sneer stuck on your face!"]]
For the next two years, the Autobots would remain on Earth as Prime feared the return of the Decepticons. Unfortunately, this lead to the capture of a number of Autobots by Skywatch, including [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]], [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] and Prowl. Hot Rod, already frustrated, lashed out at Optimus, accusing him of keeping the Autobots on the planet because he needed someone to protect and demanding he be allowed lead a team to rescue Prowl. An admonished Prime agreed to a covert operation, but with Ironhide along to watch over things. While Prowl was freed, it turned out the humans had used him as bait to draw the other Autobots in. However Wheeljack's new shielding protected Hot Rod's team from Skywatch's inhibitors and in a panic the soldiers switched to lethal measures. Hot Rod was targeted and Ironhide was killed protecting him. An enraged Hot Rod turned on the humans, damaging their equipment and machinery.

After returning with Ironhide's body, Hot Rod was shocked as Optimus Prime resigned his position as leader. {{storylink|...For All Mankind}} Disgusted with Prime's decision and unimpressed with the indecisiveness of the others, Hot Rod decided to make his own way. He announced his intention to leave planet Earth behind, and invited any of his fellow Autobots to follow him in pursuit of that goal. After leaving the Autobot caves with a half-dozen recruits, Hot Rod went looking for Omega Supreme, in the hopes of convincing the massive Autobot to use his interstellar rocket mode to get them all off-planet. Omega remained resolutely loyal to Optimus Prime, however, and refused to abandon the Earth. At that moment, a small squad of Decepticon stragglers led by [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] staged an attack on Omega Supreme. After some fast and smooth-talking, Swindle convinced Hot Rod that they all wanted the same thing...to go home. The Autobots put it to a vote, and the majority decided to work with the Decepticons to get off of Earth. {{storylink|New Arrivals, Old Encounters}}

The first thing Swindle asked of Hot Rod was help in reviving their incapacitated "brothers"...several Decepticons mode-locked by the humans. Hot Rod convinced [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] to work on the problem, as there "were no sides anymore", and these other Decepticons were brought back on-line to help with the construction of a new space cruiser. {{storylink|A Rude Awakening}}

[[Image:SeasonsInFlight-RodimusMagnus.jpg|left|thumb|300px|No, don't shoot Swindle! He had some cheap electronics equipment in his van he wanted to sell me!]]

Hot Rod wasn't completely foolish -- when Swindle started suggesting they find and revive all the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s, he remembered how deadly [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] could be, and rejected the idea. Ever the smooth-talker, though, Swindle convinced Hot Rod to let the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] go after [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]], the last missing member of their unit. He did so by lavishing a ridiculous amount of praise on Hot Rod, calling him Rodimus Prime, the herald of a new age.

The alliance was soon tested when [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] arrived on the scene, attempting to investigate the death of Ironhide for Autobot Command. When he saw Hot...saw ''Rodimus'' working with Decepticons, and Swindle of all mechs, he freaked out and tried to take the Decepticon ringleader into custody. Rodimus and the other Autobots stood up for Swindle, though, and told Magnus he had to be prepared to fight ''all'' of them if he wanted to take ''one'' of them. Stunned that they did not respect his authoritay, Magnus retreated and work continued on the star cruiser. {{storylink|Seasons in Flight}}

What everyone failed to realize, even Ultra Magnus, was that Swindle was not only trading in combiner technology, he knew how to make it work. By the time Magnus came back for Swindle with a posse of Autobots, the Decepticon was prepared to end his alliance with Rodimus. He had forged the Stunticons into [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]], and turned the giant loose on the assembled Autobots. {{storylink|Enemies of the System}}

Rodimus fought alongside Ultra Magnus, Bumblebee, Optimus Prime and the others against the renewed Decepticon threat. They finally managed to bring down the titan, but the alliance was finished and Rodimus's own comrades turned against him for his poor judgment. Looking to escape his own bad decisions, Rodimus hijacked Ultra Magnus's ship and fled out into space. {{storylink|Earthworks}}

[[Image:Ongoing 13 Rodimus drifting.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Why must you hurt the one you love, [[Nick Roche|Nick]]??]]
Since trying to talk and reason with people had only led to betrayal Rodimus decided that it was best to simply act on his own. He had a plan to regain the respect he had lost by taking back the Autobot [[Matrix of Leadership]], stolen by [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] years earlier. Using the ship's advanced tracking equipment, Rodimus found the Decepticons' asteroid base and hid in one of Ultra Magnus's thickly armored weapons lockers. When the ship was shot down, he emerged from the wreckage unscathed, took out several Decepticon guards and even put [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] under his control by improvising with one of [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]]'s [[cerebro-shell]]s. Rodimus first sent Razorclaw to attack Starscream, but after that failed, he confronted the self-appointed Decepticon leader himself.

Starscream himself was nigh-impervious to damage, but Rodimus improvised again and fired at the Matrix around his neck, having no idea what would happen. He was in luck, as the blast caused energy to burst from the Matrix and knock Starscream unconscious. Triumphant, Rodimus took the artifact and went looking for an escape craft... only to run straight into [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] himself. He panicked and waved the Matrix threateningly at the massive Decepticon while warning him to "stay back!", but Megatron was unphased and shot him at point blank range, blowing a huge hole in Rodimus's torso and sending him flying into space. With the Matrix still around his neck, Rodimus's lifeless body could only drift through the void... {{storylink|Heart Like a Wheel}}

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===''Henkei! Henkei!'' pack-in comic===
[[Image:Henkei_manga_rodimus.jpg|right|thumb|155px]]
While the other Autobots were busy dealing with a rampaging [[Astrotrain (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic|Astrotrain]], Rodimus disrupted [[Megatron (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic|Megatron]] and the other Decepticons' attack on a power plant by engaging them solo. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 2}} Unable to tackle Megatron in hand-to-hand combat, he was able to get [[Starscream (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic|Starscream]] to accidentally blast his leader instead, but this did little more than annoy Megatron, who flattened Rodimus with a [[fusion cannon]] blast. With Rodimus defeated, the Decepticons pulled out, but the Autobot cavalier didn't let the defeat get him down, and he sped off to join the other Autobots in battling Astrotrain. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 3}} Soon after, Rodimus helped defend another power plant against a Decepticon attack, shielding the human workers from Starscream's blasts with his own body. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 4}}

When the mysterious new Decepticon warrior [[Cyclonus (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic|Cyclonus]] provided Megatron with the means to transform himself into the monstrous [[Galvatron (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic|Galvatron]], Rodimus, [[Ironhide (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic|Ironhide]] and [[Mirage (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic|Mirage]] trailed Cyclonus's Targetmaster partner [[Nightstick (Cyclonus)|Nightstick]] to the volcano in which Megatron was carrying out his transformation. Despite resistance from Starscream and Cyclonus, Rodimus and his team were able to collapse the volcano's cone in on itself. They believed they had sealed Megatron within, and were about to focus their attack on Starscream when they were sent scattering by the explosive emergence of Galvatron from the remains of the caldera. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 9}}

===''Henkei! Henkei!'' Bun Bun manga===

Following the defeat of [[Galvatron (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Galvatron]] on [[Earth]], Rodimus was among the Autobots that [[Optimus Prime (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Optimus Prime]] summoned to the planet. Together with [[Ironhide (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Ironhide]], [[Hound (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Hound]] and [[Jetfire (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Skyfire]], Rodimus was to protect the planet while Optimus's team set off for Cybertron in pursuit of the fleeing Galvatron. {{storylink|To the Sea of Stars}}

===3D Battle-Card Game===
Hot Rod was one of [[Optimus Primal]]'s many Autobot allies in a fight against [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s Decepticon forces. {{storylink|3D Battle-Card Game#Energon Wars expansion|Energon Wars Expansion Set}}
{{-}}

==Games==
===''The Transformers: Battle to Save the Earth''===
[[Image:C64RodimusPrimeAndHotRod.jpg|right|thumb|250px|]]

Along with their fellow Autobots, Hotrod{{sic}} and Rodimus Prime protected Earth from the menace of the Decepticons. Hotrod was ostensibly under the command of Rodimus Prime. {{storylink|The Transformers: Battle to Save the Earth}}

{{note|In this game, "Hotrod" and Rodimus Prime are separate characters who can be in the same place at the same time. Don't try to think about this too hard.}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Mystery of Convoy''===
[[Image:Mysteryofconvoy_rodimus.jpg|left|thumb|225px|This Is What Will Happen If Rodimus And Ultra Magnus Ever Have Kids.]]
When Optimus Prime went missing under mysterious circumstances, Ultra Magnus was given the task of battling hordes of Decepticons in order to solve the mystery of his whereabouts. The Decepticons had also stolen a collection of seven energon cubes belonging to Rodimus Prime, which Magnus strove to recover during his fight. When all seven were successfully obtained and the battle was won, a new challenge rose its head, but with his energon cubes back, Rodimus was able to take up the fight! He had a funny habit of looking like an orange Ultra Magnus if you looked at him sideways. {{storylink|Transformers: Mystery of Convoy}}
{{-}}

===''The Transformers'' (PS2)===
[[Image:Callofthefuture_rodimus.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"I am from the future and know a lot about history!"]]

:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter von Gomm]]

When [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] gained the incredible power of the [[Zel Quartz]] in the year 2010 and began cutting a swath of destruction across the galaxy, Rodimus Prime, [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] and [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] resolved to prevent this devastation by traveling back in time and eliminating the quartz in the past, thereby altering their future. Using a [[Transwarp]]-equipped ship supplied by the [[Quintesson]]s, they traveled to the world of [[Zel Samine]] in the year 2003, where they ran across teams of present-day Autobots and Decepticons led by [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], who were carrying out investigations on their own on the planet. Making matters worse, [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], and [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] also followed them back in time, and the two teams allied themselves with their respective present-day factions in order to locate the Zel Quartz.

After several false leads, the quartz was eventually located, serving as the power source of the [[ELTA]] power transmission array. Rodimus and Optimus engaged Megatron and Galvatron in a two-on-two battle over ELTA, using the power of their twin Matrices to stop the computer from self-destructing. Once the dust from the fight had settled, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] snatched up the Zel Quartz, only to promptly take it off-planet, where it disintegrated without Zel Samine's atmosphere and electromagnetic properties to sustain it. With their future thus averted, Rodimus and his Autobots began fading away to rejoin the timestream. Before they disappeared, Rodimus attempted to warn Optimus of the coming dangers in the future, including his Optimus's death (for which Rodimus continued to blame himself), but Optimus silenced him, telling him that he did not need to know what the future held. Rodimus told Optimus that he would always be the greatest leader in Autobot history, but Optimus told him that he was merely a soldier who loved justice, and that that was all Rodimus needed to be too. {{storylink|The Transformers (PS2)|The Transformers}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
{{main|Hot Rod (G1)/toys}}

==Notes==
[[Image:RodimusPrime-earlymodel.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"Hey, ladies. Look at your G1 Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime toys, now back to us, now back at your toys, now back to us."]]
* Like the rest of the 1986 movie's original characters, Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime had early designs by [[Floro Dery]] which the toys were based on, and then final models were drawn from the toys. Both designs had revised heads that made it into the ''[[Transformers Universe (Marvel comic)|Transformers Universe]]'' profile books and subsequent Marvel comic book appearances.
** Rodimus Prime's early model appears to carry the trailer of the truck on his back, plus additional [[kibble]] on the back of his forearms. If only there were art of the back of this design. We'd plotz.
**Both Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime's character models suggest that the windshield and roof of their respective vehicles form the pelvic area, including little side windows on their hips. The animation studio [[AKOM]] even colored his crotch like his windshield. Unsurprisingly, this has never been duplicated on any toy.
**Meanwhile, both sets of wheels are on Hot Rod's arms in his character model, as they are intended to span the entire length of the vehicle. His wristcuffs are intended to become the vehicle's taillights. This also has never been duplicated on any toy.
**Much of Hot Rod's early model seemed to form the basis of Rodimus Prime's finished model. (Though given that nearly everybody else from the movie had a totally redrawn finished model, we wouldn't be surprised if there's a more-final-er model out there.)
**According to earliest materials (also the source of the earliest Hot Rod head seen in this section's first image), Rodimus Prime's original name was '''Hot Rodimus'''.

[[Image:Hotrodrodimuscharactermodels.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Rodimus is always embarrassed by his yearbook photos.]]
*Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime look very similar in fiction, but there are ways to distinguish them by sight.
**Rodimus Prime's character model has extra lines on his face that go from the bottom of his nose and connect to another line forming a triangle shape. Hot Rod's cheeks are more clear and youthful.
**Despite their toys being the same color of red, the cartoon series rendered Hot Rod as magenta, and Rodimus a dark shade of burgundy (the movie, however, made Rodimus the same color as Hot Rod). In addition to repeatedly getting the two character models mixed up, sometimes the animation would depict one model colored as the other.
**In Marvel stories, Hot Rod was also colored almost entirely magenta, with a yellow spoiler and flame deco, but with silver thighs instead of orange. Whoever did the Marvel deco sheet seems to have been looking at the [[:Image:Pinkrod.jpg|original toy photos]] and colored the thighs like the toy's silver stickers. While Marvel Hot Rod was stark magenta, Marvel Rodimus was colored in the reds, oranges and yellows of his toy. Future comics and toys would ignore any differences in color between the character's two forms, presenting them both in the original toy colors (see the image at the head of the article for a good example).
**The Japanese ''[[The Headmasters (cartoon)|The Headmasters]]'' cartoon, in addition to featuring the coloration differences of the Generation 1 cartoon, also added some extra lines around the perimeter of Rodimus's eyes to further distinguish him from Hot Rod. These odd-looking lines appeared only intermittently, thankfully so—they made Rodimus look like he was wearing robo-mascara. The ''Headmasters'' Rodimus Prime character model also moved the wheel kibble from the back of the arms to the front, to better approximate their position on the toy.

* In ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', Hot Rod does not transform the same way twice.

[[Image:RodimusPrimeG1-trailermanagement.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Maybe his Mobile Defense Bay is just an extra set of legs!]]

* Rodimus Prime's toy followed the model set by Optimus Prime before him by having a trailer that disconnected and transformed into a battle station (in this case, called the "[[Mobile Defense Bay]]"). Unlike Prime's [[Combat Deck]], however, Rodimus's Defense Bay failed to make the leap to fiction, with the cartoon simply depicting his trailer as somewhat unfeasibly folding up into his legs and body <ref>[http://www.allspark.com/content/stories/tfpulp/8704TVM/k.gif Image of Rodimus Prime's animated transformation scheme from TV Magazine]</ref> (barring a few animation errors that depicted it as a separate unit). This transformation scheme was realized in toy form with Rodimus's 6" ''[[Titanium Series]]'' action figure.

*Voice actor Ted Schwartz was originally cast to succeed Judd Nelson as the voice of Rodimus Prime for the third season of the animated series, but was subsequently replaced by [[Dick Gautier]]. Before his replacement, however, Schwartz recorded Rodimus's lines for several episodes (most likely all five parts of "[[Five Faces of Darkness]]"), and although Gautier re-recorded the dialogue, technical oversight led to some of Schwartz's readings making it into the finished episodes. He can be heard delivering all of Rodimus's lines in the recap for [[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1|part 1]] that plays at the beginning of [[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2|part 2]], and speaking one line during the scene on [[Goo]] in [[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3|part 3]].

* Hot Rod might be the ''Transformers'' character with the most names in the US. From "Hot Rod" to "Rodimus Prime", to "Rodimus Major" to just plain "Rodimus". Varieties of "Rodimus" appear to be how he will be for a while, as Hasbro appears to be unable to secure the [[trademark]] on "Hot Rod".

* [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]]'s powered up form has a color scheme which resembles Hot Rod's.

* Aside from the ''[[Energon (franchise)|Energon]]'' [[Rodimus (Energon)|namesake character]], Hot Rod has also been [[Homage|homaged]] twice (or possibly thrice depending on how you look at it) in the [[Unicron Trilogy]]. For ''[[Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'', the "[[Powerlinx]]" upgrade of [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] was given a very Hot-Rod-inspired deco. In ''[[Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'', [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] made a redeco of Hot Shot (well, "Exillion"), who already had some Hot Rod homage elements in his toy design, with Hot Rod deco as a DVD-pack-in [[exclusive]]. [[Hasbro]] then took this deco, altered it, and released it in the US line at mass retail as the new character [[Excellion]].

* At [[BotCon 2002]], Dick Gautier "confirmed", jokingly, that Rodimus Prime is gay.

* This Rodimus Prime, along with the original [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus 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]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/HotRod/hotrod.htm Hot Rod at TFU.info]

* [http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Hot_Rod Hot Rod's Universe profile at NTFA.net]

* [http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Rodimus_Prime Rodimus Prime's profile at NTFA.net]

[[Category:Autobot leaders]]
[[Category:Beast Machines Autobots]]
[[Category:Classics Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 2 Autobots]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei! Autobots]]
[[Category:Kiss Players Autobots]]
[[Category:Matrix bearers]]
[[Category:Micromasters]]
[[Category:Return of Convoy Autobots]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Rulers of Cybertron]]
[[Category:Targetmasters]]
[[Category:The Headmasters Autobots]]
[[Category:Universe Autobots]]
[[Category:Wreckers]]

Hot Rod (G1)

2010-12-11T19:18:36Z

Kirby-Force: /* Transformers: Mystery of Convoy */

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{{disambig3|Hot Rod}}
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:''Hot Rod is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]]. He has also been known as '''Rodimus Prime''', '''Rodimus''', and '''Rodimus Major'''.''

[[Image:DVDbox3d1.jpg|right|301px|thumb|And yet he still gets carded.]]

'''Hot Rod''' is brash and headstrong, with an overwhelming self-confidence that borders on arrogance. [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] has assumed the role of mentor and advisor to the impetuous young Hot Rod, offering him wisdom and advice when he needs it (though Hot Rod rarely feels that he does, much to Kup's annoyance). [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] also serves as a calming influence on Hot Rod, and tends to either worry about him when he is not around, or deride and tease him when he is. Their relationship is antagonistic, but friendly. Exactly how deep Hot Rod's feelings for Arcee might run is unknown, whether they be friendly, [[Transformer romance|romantic]], or otherwise.

In contrast, his '''Rodimus Prime''' persona—while still headstrong and stubborn—seems to suffer from a severe lack of confidence, often doubting his own decisions and expressing distress over his position as an [[Prime (rank)|Autobot leader]]. Of course, much of this comes from having immediately succeeded [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] as commander—and let's face it, shoes-to-be-filled just don't ''get'' much bigger than that.

One thing that both sides of this Autobot's identity have in common is their impatience—neither Hot Rod nor Rodimus Prime can stand to wait around when they could be doing something instead. He is also very self-reliant, rarely sending others to do anything when he could be doing it himself. His [[Targetmaster]] partner is [[Firebolt]]. As Rodimus Prime, his vehicle sometimes splits between his robot and [[Mobile Defense Bay]].

{{bigquote|I ''knew'' you had potential, lad.|[[Kup (G1)|Kup]] on Hot Rod's transformation into Rodimus Prime|''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''}}

:''Japanese name (Hot Rod):'' '''Hot Rodimus''', except for "The Rebirth"
:''Japanese name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodimus Convoy'''
:''French-Canadian name (Hot Rod):'' '''Météorite''' ("Meteorite")
:''French-Canadian name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodimus Primo''' ("Rodimus First", official toy name)
:''French-Canadian name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodimus Primus''' (official dub name)
:''Italian name:'' '''Folgore''', '''Captain''' 
:''Hungarian name (Hot Rod):'' '''Nagyágyú''' ("Hot Shot")
:''Hungarian name (Hot Rod, The Movie):'' '''Peca''' ("[[:Image:HotRodFishing1.jpg|Fisher]]"?) in the first dub of the film, 'cause he deals with marine life throughout the film, you see.
:''Hungarian name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodimusz Fővezér''' ("Prime Commander Rodimus")
:''Chinese name (Taiwan, Hot Rod):'' '''Rod''' / '''Rhode''' (羅德 ''Lúo Dé'')
:''Chinese name (Taiwan, Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rhodie Jr-tsūn''' (羅迪至尊, "Rodimus Prime")
:''Chinese name (China, Hot Rod):'' '''Re Po''' (热破, "Hot Break")
:''Chinese name (China, Rodimus Prime):'' '''Bu Tian Shi''' (补天士, "Soldier who [[Wikipedia:Nüwa|repairs the sky]]")
:''[[Omni Productions]] Headmasters dub name (Hot Rod):'' '''Roadimus Prime''' (yes. ROAD-imus.)
:''Ukrainian TV dub name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodimus Naikrashyi'''(Родімус Найкращий, Rodimus The Best)
:''Russian TV dub name (Hot Rod):'' '''Patron''' ("Cartridge")
:''Russian TV dub name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodomes Prime'''
:''Portuguese name (Portugal Comic):'' (Hot Rod) '''Roda Quente''' (Rodimus Prime) '''Rodimus Supremo'''

==Fiction==
===Cartoon continuity===
====Madman ''The Transformers'' comic====
[[Image:Madman comic HotRod sigh.jpg|left|150px|thumb|"You're gonna be the death of that guy, you know?"]]

In the year 2001, Hot Rod was on guard duty at the construction site of [[Autobot City]] on [[Earth]] while the main Autobot forces were evacuating from the Decepticon-conquered [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. As he was complaining about his boring assignment to [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], the Decepticon [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] struck, intent on stealing the [[Matrix of Leadership|Autobot Matrix of Leadership]] which Optimus Prime had secreted in a bunker at the building site. When he reclaimed the Matrix, Hot Rod received a vision of the future where he fought [[Galvatron (G1)|a powerful Decepticon]]. After returning the Matrix to Optimus Prime, the Autobot leader considered that perhaps Hot Rod's destiny was greater than any of them realized. Kup thought differently, however. {{storylink|The Transformers (Madman)|The Transformers}}
{{-}}

====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
:''Voice actors:'' [[Judd Nelson]] → [[Ted Schwartz]] → [[Dick Gautier]] (English), [[Hiroya Ishimaru]] (Japanese, ''Transformers 2010''), [[Takase Akimitsu]] (Japanese, ''The Rebirth''), [[Daniel Gall]] (French, Movie)

[[Image:HotRodFishing1.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"I'm tellin' you, Daniel, you HAD to kiss me to activate my fishing rod. STOP crying!"]]
In 2005, Hot Rod was one of the many Autobots based in the completed Autobot City. He was close friends with the young human [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] and seemed to have a reputation for being something of a troublemaker, judging from a few of Kup's comments to him at the time. While out fishing with Daniel one day, he consoled his young human friend over the absence of his father Spike (currently stationed on one of Cybertron's moon bases), then attempted to cheer him up by proposing that they head to [[Lookout Mountain]] to watch the arrival of an Autobot shuttle. This required smashing through a security cordon that Kup and some other Autobots were in the process of setting up, but Hot Rod's breach of security was soon to fade to irrelevance. Observing the shuttle through a viewing scope, Daniel was alarmed to spot a hole in the side, and the concerned Hot Rod used his built-in telescopic visor to discern the horrifying truth of the situation: the shuttle had been hijacked by Decepticons! Hot Rod opened fire on the stolen shuttle and exposed their ruse before [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] could enter the city, though he was nearly blasted by [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] for his troubles and had to be rescued by Kup. Hot Rod's action had given the rest of the Autobots time to begin transforming Autobot City and raising their defenses, but this in turn left Hot Rod trapped outside with Kup and Daniel, until the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] helpfully chewed an opening into the city that the trio were able to use to gain access, swatting the pesky critters as they did so.
[[Image:Tftm hotrod matrix.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Dibs!]]

Fighting continued through the night, culminating with the arrival of a second shuttle commanded by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]. Prime engaged Megatron in a one-on-one battle, but at a pivotal moment, Hot Rod observed that Megatron was feigning defeat in an attempt to reach a fallen weapon. Hot Rod tackled Megatron, but proved no match for the Decepticon leader; Megatron seized him and used him as a human (well, robot) shield while he delivered the fatal blasts that mortally wounded Prime. Although Prime used the last of his strength to dispatch Megatron, he was on the brink of death, and passed the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] just before he passed on, reciting a prophecy that claimed an Autobot would use the Matrix to "light our darkest hour". When the Prime's strength gave out and he dropped the talisman as he was handing it over, Hot Rod caught it before it fell to the floor, and it glowed brightly in his hands.

[[Image:TFTM-HotRodcar.jpg|right|thumb|250px|He's on the run from Barbie's garage.]]

After Prime's death, news reached Autobot City of a [[Unicron|monster planet]] that was advancing on Cybertron. Hot Rod had "this feeling" that the Matrix could stop the creature, but before any plans could be made, Autobot City came under Decepticon attack once again—by [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. The Autobots were able to flee into space aboard twin shuttles, and Hot Rod passed the time sparring with an [[auto-combatant]] before the Decepticons caught up to them. In the ensuing space battle, Hot Rod's shuttle was shot down by [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], and he, Kup and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] found themselves stranded on the planet [[Quintessa]]. Awakening underwater in one of Quintessa's oceans, in the clutches of some mechanical vines and beset by ferocious robotic fish, Hot Rod hacked his way to freedom with his buzzsaw-hand, then saved Kup from the grip of a huge metal squid-creature. Hot Rod took the damaged Kup to shore and pieced him back together, and the pair then set off to search for the Dinobots, only to wind up crossing paths with [[Allicon|more strange inhabitants]]. The [[universal greeting]] and [[energon goodie]]s only temporarily placated the creatures, who captured Hot Rod and Kup and brought them before their masters, the [[Quintesson]]s. They learned from another captive, [[Kranix]], that the monster planet was known as "[[Unicron]]", then attempted to stage an escape when they were brought to trial and thrown to the [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]]. The pair gave a good account of themselves, but were hugely outmatched by the Sharkticon swarm and seemed doomed for certain, until the Dinobots and their new ally [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] arrived to turn the tide. Wheelie provided the team with a ship to leave the planet, and together, they all rendezvoused with Ultra Magnus's team on the planet [[Junkion (planet)|Junk]], where Hot Rod was just in time to stop the native Junkions and their leader [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] from destroying the rest of the Autobot City refugees with a timely—and ''successful''— use of the universal greeting. Together, they all traveled to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to stop Unicron before he could eat more than just its moons.

[[Image:RodimusPrimeMovie1.jpg|left|250px|thumb|"BAM! You've had unsafe sex!"]]

Hot Rod crashed the Quintesson ship through Unicron's eye, and was separated from his comrades as they fell through his giant body. Alone, deep in the bowels of the chaos-bringer, he found himself facing Galvatron in a battle to the death over the Matrix of Leadership, which Galvatron had previously stolen. Overpowered by Galvatron, Hot Rod was throttled by the Decepticon and was moments from death, until he seized the Matrix that hung around Galvatron's neck. Filled with its power, Hot Rod proved to be the "Chosen One" of legend, and was transformed into "Rodimus Prime": an older, larger, and more powerful version of himself. After overpowering Galvatron and hurling him through Unicron's hide into the void of space, he opened the Matrix and destroyed Unicron from within. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

Peace reigned on Cybertron for at least long enough to put up some of the more important buildings, and Rodimus Prime began to ease into his role as the new Autobot leader. He even opened the first [[Galactic Olympics]], although the event was disrupted by mysterious assailants who kidnapped [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], Kup and Spike Witwicky. In an attempt to discover if the Decepticons were responsible, Rodimus took [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] to spy on them, but the pair were discovered and attacked. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1}} The two Autobots were rescued by Arcee and [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], but Rodimus had been injured in the attack, and his spirit entered the Matrix. The experience revealed to him that the Quintessons were behind the kidnapping. With this knowledge, the Autobots rescued their fellows from Quintessa, just as the Quintessons destroyed the planet. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2}}

[[Image:Ffod4_rodimus_in_matrix.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"Rodimus, I Am Your Father."]]

The Autobots were flung through space, eventually crashing down on the planet [[Goo]]. After Springer's dismemberment at the hands of a giant machine, Rodimus faced the machine alone, clogging its intakes and causing it to crash. Their troubles weren't over, as the Quintesson-led Decepticon army soon showed up to renew hostilities. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3}} Rescued by the Junkions, the Autobots were taken to Junk, where Rodimus short-circuited himself in order to consult the Matrix once again. The knowledge of [[Transformer]] history and their creation at the hands of the Quintessons was revealed to him, leading him to realise that Cybertron was in deadly danger. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}}

Returning to Cybertron, Rodimus lead the defence of the planet against Galvatron's strike force. It wasn't until [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]'s warning that the true nature of the threat was revealed: a [[large switch|switch]] deep under the planet's surface which controlled the life force of every Transformer in existence. Although Rodimus headed off the contingent of Sharkticons who aimed to pull the switch, Galvatron himself pulled it, disabling all of the Transformers. Fortunately, Spike was on hand to turn them all back on again. After Galvatron was sent into retreat, Rodimus gave a speech to the Autobots about how they had won...for now. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}}

[[Image:Zombiesmatrixmakesmetoostrong.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Crap, I hope this isn't a popularity contest!]]

Throughout 2006, Rodimus Prime's greatest achievements revolved around his predecessor, Optimus Prime. While fleeing from a Decepticon attack, Rodimus and several other Autobots took refuge in a massive [[Autobot Mausoleum]] and discovered that their former leader seemed to have returned to life. Perhaps a little too trusting of Optimus (and possibly eager to relieve himself of the burden of leadership), Rodimus quickly passed the Matrix back to Optimus and, much to his glee, reverted back into Hot Rod. His happiness was short-lived, however, as Optimus was quickly revealed to be nothing more than a puppet of the Quintessons, sent to trick the Autobots into an ambush from which none of them would escape. With no other choice, Hot Rod was forced to do battle with Optimus Prime for the fate of the Autobots. Although their duel was clearly in the favor of the more powerful Optimus, Hot Rod was able to re-awaken the true spirit of his leader. Returning the Matrix to Rodimus, Optimus then piloted his ship into the heart of the ambush and sacrificed himself to save them all. {{storylink|Dark Awakening}}

Soon after Perceptor left on a standard research mission to a nearby asteroid belt, Rodimus Prime and the Autobots received a distress call from the survey group. They arrived to find the asteroid infested with Quintessons, but managed to drive off the tentacled freaks and their Sharkticon shock troops. Perceptor was near deactivation due to injuries, however, and the rest of the Autobots were nowhere to be seen. The Quintessons attempted to retake the asteroid but, after failing, were soon desperate enough to tell the truth: Their technology on the rock was a [[Time Window]], and leaving it open was risking the fates of all time and space. With the help of the Quintesson scientist and a [[Alpha Trion (G1)|mysterious stranger with a devilish moustache]], Rodimus Prime retrieved his lost Autobots and shut down the time window. {{storylink|Forever Is a Long Time Coming}}

[[Image:Fightorflee Rodimus explosion.jpg|right|thumb|250px|He just needs a cigarette.]]

The Autobots learned of a lost Cybertronian colony known as [[Paradron]] after one of its citizens, [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]], arrived on Cybertron begging for help. It seemed that Galvatron and the Decepticons had seized control over the planet and its vast energon reserves. Rodimus Prime and the Autobots staged a tactical infiltration, but the escalation of violence between the two forces led to total devastation. Rodimus gave the pacifistic Autobots of Paradron his impassioned "Move it or lose it!" speech before hustling them off-world so that Ultra Magnus could blow up their home. As Sandstorm sat there mourning the loss of his world, Rodimus Prime gave him some solemn advice.
{{bigquote|Well, no need to get all mushy. Cybertron's a better place anyway—not so...perfect.|}}
{{storylink|Fight or Flee}}

Rodimus and the Autobots were stumped when someone carried off [[Fort Knox]] in the middle of the night. They detected [[Dinosaur transform static]] at the scene (seriously), found a small pile of [[Energon cube|energon cubes]], and had just been informed by [[Teletraan II]] that Trypticon was still alive. It was a head-scratcher, all right. They eventually figured it out, though, and sieged the occupied nation of [[Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya|Carbombya]] to chase the Decepticons away, then recovered Fort Knox and the other monuments Trypticon had stolen. {{storylink|Thief in the Night}}

[[Image:StarscreamsGhost Rodimus waves goodbye.JPG|left|thumb|250px|[[AKOM]] liked to color my crotch like my windshield (as was [[Hot_Rod_(G1)#Notes|originally intended]]). AKOM did a loooot of episodes.]]

When the freelance agent named [[Octane]] was being kidnapped right off of Cybertron's surface by Cyclonus and the Sweeps, Rodimus Prime and the Autobots stormed out to save their associate. Things were more complicated than they looked, however, as when Rodimus confronted Cyclonus, the Decepticon lieutenant spoke with [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]'s voice! For some reason, learning Starscream was involved made Rodimus willing to let the Decepticons go. Crazy as it sounds, though, it worked—Starscream and Octane managed to lure Galvatron into an Autobot ambush. Rodimus Prime gave a friendly wave to Starscream for a job well done as he departed. ''Zuh''? {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}}

While preparing for the first annual Cybertron peace conference, Rodimus Prime got together with [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] to prepare a surprise party for Danny. They were interrupted by a [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticon]] attack, as the Decepticons wanted to prevent the conference from occurring. The Combaticons were driven off, however, and only minor damage was done. {{storylink|Surprise Party}}

During a diplomatic function, Rodimus Prime was forced to play statesman and deal with Ambassador [[Ynara]] and the other delegates. Curiously, when Daniel Witwicky went missing and Rodimus had an excuse to duck out of the "festivities", he chose to delegate the search mission to Ultra Magnus and Blaster. Perhaps the normally action-hungry Rodimus Prime was actually becoming more accepting of his leadership duties. {{storylink|Madman's Paradise}}

[[Image:NightmarePlanet Rodimus Daniel in bed.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Rodimus really needs to learn how to delegate.]]

When Daniel Witwicky began experiencing recurring nightmares, Rodimus never dreamed he would have to face those nightmares personally. The Quintessons' latest experiment was to turn the young boy's imagination against his Autobot friends. Danny's own subconscious fought against the Quintessons' manipulations, though, and helped the Autobots save themselves. After that experience, Rodimus Prime stayed by Danny's bedside until he conquered his fears and ended the nightmares. {{storylink|Nightmare Planet}}

Cybertron was put on high alert after [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] broke into Metroplex on Earth, stealing his eyes and blowing up a bomb in his brain. Rodimus and the Autobots were eventually able to suss out that Scourge was working with the ghost of Starscream, and they in turn were acquiring those eyes for Unicron. Rodimus put together a strike team and sent Ultra Magnus, Springer, [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] and [[Groove (G1)|Groove]] to Unicron to investigate, but they were repulsed by the Chaos-Bringer's defenses. Their second mission was more successful, detonating a series of explosives underneath Unicron once he came down to Cybertron, intent on connecting himself to the planet and turning it into his new body. After Unicron was successfully blasted back into orbit, Rodimus congratulated his men on a job well done. As a joke, he told Magnus and the others their next mission would be to return to the head of their Living Devil and retrieve his stolen eyes. That Roddy—he's hilarious. {{storylink|Ghost in the Machine}}

[[Image:Quintessonjournal_diplomacy.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Rodimus Prime: diplomat.]]

Rodimus was dutifully overseeing some reconstruction work on Cybertron when [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] and [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] reported odd activity over the planet of Junk and among the Junkions themselves. He assembled a task force aboard [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] to take a look firsthand. [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] managed to neutralize the hypnotic signals influencing the Junkions, but the Autobots were unable to learn the cause of the whole situation. {{storylink|The Big Broadcast of 2006 (episode)|The Big Broadcast of 2006}}

At a galactic peace conference, Rodimus and Ultra Magnus attempted to end the centuries of war between the planets of [[Xetaxxis]] and [[Lanarq]]. They might as well have asked Galvatron, "Why you so ''crazy''?" Every attempt at straight talk and reasonable discourse broke out into a brawl, fist-fighting and eventually laser fire. The two worlds only reached an accord once Blaster and Sky Lynx arrived with a Quintesson journal, detailing how the entire war between the two planets was a "case study" in escalation manipulated by the Quintessons to sell bigger and better armaments to both sides. {{storylink|The Quintesson Journal}}

[[Image:UltimateWeapon-Rodimuspoint.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"I did your mom!"]]

Rodimus Prime began to struggle with the burden of leadership again during a skirmish in Europe, where the Decepticons were working in conjunction with human terrorists. The pacifistic [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] chose to leave the Autobots after his refusal to fight cost Metroplex his transforming cog, and Rodimus chided himself for not having the words to convince the medic to stay. He was also unsettled by Galvatron's crowing about a new "[[Ultimate Weapon]]" which would bring the Autobots to their knees. Regardless of his internal strife, Rodimus continued the fight. He came up with a plan in which Spike and Daniel Witwicky posed as part of the (evil?) human repair crews working on Trypticon and liberated the Decepticon city-bot's transforming cog just as the 'Cons had taken Metroplex's. Rodimus and Ultra Magnus had to fight off Galvatron and the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticon]] in order to stall for time so that the Witwickys could complete their mission. Fortunately, the Stunticons had been off <strike>the shelves</strike> the field for a while by this point, and so were utterly demolished by the two Autobots. Eventually, First Aid returned to the Autobots to finish repair work on the cog, and Rodimus ultimately called Galvatron's bluff and uncovered his "Ultimate Weapon" as the sham it was. These victories renewed Rodimus's confidence in his leadership abilities...until next time. {{storylink|The Ultimate Weapon}}

One day, Rodimus Prime orchestrated the insertion of a new [[power core]] on Cybertron, designed by Perceptor to give the Autobots limitless free energy. Unfortunately, Perceptor also installed an emergency level to jettison the power core into space in the statistically impossible scenario that they would ever need to do such a wild, crazy thing. Sure enough, mere hours later, the power core was floating through space with a [[Trans-Organic]] [[Dweller|monster]] of Lovecraftian proportions latched to the outside of it. Rule of thumb: Installing any form of self-destruct switch increases the likelihood of needing said switch a billion percent. Encasing it behind glass adds another billion. {{storylink|The Dweller in the Depths}}

[[Image:OnlyHuman Rodimus Michelle breakfast.jpg|left|thumb|250px|That's right. He stayed for ''breakfast''.]]

Rodimus Prime and the Autobots joined forces with the human police to help stop a domestic terrorist named [[Victor Drath]]. They grossly underestimated their opponent and were easily captured by Drath after he lured them to his residence with an anonymous phone call. Using some <strike>Cobra</strike> mysterious technology, Drath siphoned the consciousnesses of Rodimus, Ultra Magnus, Springer and Arcee out of their bodies, inadvertently casting them into synthetic human forms. While trying to get back into Drath's headquarters, Rodimus and Springer were separated. Drath's girlfriend [[Michelle]] was intrigued enough by Rodimus's human form that she hid him from Drath's men. At least until after coffee...THEN she handed him over to Drath. Rodimus managed to overpower Drath and his men, and the villain's scheme was undone. Perceptor managed to reverse the process and restore the Autobots to their true forms. With one regretful look cast towards Michelle as she was led away by the police, Rodimus Prime rolled for home with the other Autobots. {{storylink|Only Human}}

[[Image:Grimlocksnewbrain_hotrod_vs_hungrr.jpg|right|250px|thumb]]

At the unveiling of a new power generator, Rodimus Prime got frustrated at Grimlock's gross stupidity. Things only got worse when the Autobots discovered [[Anti-electron|anti-electrons]] being beamed out of the power generator and needed to negotiate the tunnels beneath Cybertron to reach the generator core...and Grimlock broke their only map. Luckily for Rodimus's sanity, Grimlock spontaneously developed super-intelligence after biting through the cables connecting the anti-electrons to the power generator. The Autobots then went on a mission to Unicron's head to prevent the Decepticons from recovering any more anti-electrons to use against them, but once there, they came under attack by the particles again, and Rodimus was affected so badly that he actually briefly transformed him back into Hot Rod. The Autobots were nearly overwhelmed by the animalistic [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]], but Grimlock constructed [[Computron (G1)|Computron]] and the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]] as a counter-force against the bestial Decepticons. Rodimus and the others drove off the remaining Decepticons and restabilized the power generator for Cybertron's use. {{storylink|Grimlock's New Brain}}

On Earth's [[Moon (moon)|Moon]], Rodimus Prime and the Autobots were engaged in trench warfare with the Decepticon for some vague but no doubt important reason. Rodimus demonstrated his keen tactical brilliance when the Decepticons attacked, suggesting the Autobots do the unexpected...and counter-attack. No, really—Galvatron seemed utterly amazed when they did that. However, the non-bestial Transformers on both sides were rendered lifeless when the energy-draining creature known as [[Tornedron]] attacked them while en route to Earth. When the threat was eliminated by Grimlock, Rodimus and the others came back to life without realising that anything had happened. {{storylink|Call of the Primitives}}

[[Image:FaceNijika-Rodimustruck.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Rodimus goes camping in style.]]

Rodimus and the Autobots arrived at the scene of a Quintesson quadrant lock as Galvatron was trying to claim it for himself. The Quintessons attempted to stop further investigation of the quadrant lock by casting the Transformers through a warp. Their encounter with the native [[Zamojin (species)|Zamojin]]s inside the lock was less than cordial, but the Autobots eventually managed to disable the quadrant lock and return starlight to the Zamojin people. {{storylink|The Face of the Nijika}}

[[Image:BurdenHardest Hot Rod retrieves matrix.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"I sure hope Optimus Prime doesn't come back next week or something."]]

After a particularly strenuous series of Decepticon attacks on Japan, Rodimus Prime was in no mood to be chewed out by the Japanese government for "not helping enough". When [[Marissa Faireborn]] stopped by at just the wrong time with yet another problem, Rodimus blew her off and went racing on the back roads to let off some exhaust. Unfortunately, he was spotted by the Stunticons [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] and [[Wildrider]], who knocked him for a loop and (surprisingly) shook the Matrix of Leadership loose from his chest cavity. After the Stunticons made off with the Matrix, Rodimus woke up as Hot Rod. Shockingly to Springer and Ultra Magnus, Roddy was in no hurry to go after the thieves and recover the Matrix. His ''giri'' had become too burdensome, and Hot Rod was hardly interested in reclaiming the burden so soon. He returned to a dojo that had been upset by [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]] during the earlier attacks and observed the sensei and his pupils. After finding his center again, Hot Rod returned to the city, where the huntsman known as Scourge had been misusing the Matrix as a source of raw power to destroy everything around him. After a brief fight, Hot Rod reclaimed the Matrix from Scourge and became Rodimus Prime once more, accepting his path in life. Oh, and Kup was nodding sagely on the sidelines the entire time. Apparently, that helped somehow. {{storylink|The Burden Hardest to Bear}}

[[Image:HotRodReturnOfOptimusPrime1.jpg|left|250px|thumb|"I did his mom, too."]]

As it turned out, far from being destroyed, Optimus Prime had been retrieved by a team of human scientists who were hoping to use him (again) as a weapon against the Autobots—this time as the bearer of a malignant "[[Hate Plague]]" that would cause them to destroy one another. When he learned of this, Rodimus swiftly formed a rescue party and led them to retrieve Optimus's body so that their former leader could rest in peace. When all of the rest of the Autobots with him were exposed to the Hate Plague, only Rodimus was able to escape unharmed—and with the still-uninfected body of Optimus. Returning to Autobot City, Rodimus ordered [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky-Lynx]] to find a Quintesson to repair Optimus, then risked his life to shut down [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] before the Plague could spread to the titanic Autobot. Attacked by Ultra Magnus and Wreck-Gar in the process, he succumbed to the plague and became infected with hate. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}} In order to stop the Plague, the resurrected Optimus had to defeat the crazed Rodimus and forcibly extract the Matrix from him, changing him back into Hot Rod once more. This time, as Optimus had decided to stick around, the change was a permanent one. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2}}

[[Image:Rebirth3 hotrod spins.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Not shown: Firebolt expelling the contents of his stomach shortly afterward.]]

Even after losing his position as Autobot leader, Hot Rod was not the sort to rest on his laurels. In 2007, he was on Cybertron sharpening his skills in a race with Blurr through an obstacle course called "[[Maze|the Maze]]", and won the contest with a little help from Daniel. This provided Autobot scientist [[Brainstorm]] with more fodder to wax lyrical on his theories about Transformer-human partnership, but his lecture was cut short by the sudden arrival on the planet of the full force of the Decepticon army, who were intent on opening the [[Plasma energy|Plasma Energy Chamber]]. Hot Rod and his team were able to steal the key to the chamber from the Decepticons, but not before the chamber was briefly opened, releasing a blast of energy that catapulted their shuttle across the galaxy. They crash-landed on the planet [[Nebulos]], where they were captured by a group of native rebels that mistook them for the mechanical servants of the planet's evil rulers, the [[Hive (G1)|Hive]]. The rebels changed their tune when a team of Decepticons attacked, having tracked the Autobots to the planet, but half the Autobots, including Hot Rod, were taken captive by the villains. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 1}} Hot Rod and his fellows stood up to the Decepticons' torture, and were soon rescued by their team-mates, who had [[binary bonding|bonded]] with the Nebulan rebels to become [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]]. The Decepticons then teamed up with the Hive to create Headmasters of their own, and took the process further by creating [[Targetmaster]]s as well. The Autobots copied the technology, and Hot Rod volunteered for the process, allowing his gun to be reconfigured into an exo-suit for the Nebulan sharpshooter Firebolt. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 2}} Hot Rod and Firebolt went on to aid in the defence of Cybertron as Galvatron attempted to use the Plasma Energy Chamber to destroy it. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}
{{-}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
{{note|The events of the Generation 1 cartoon occur in Japanese animated continuity as described above, except without the events of "The Rebirth". Additionally, this continuity moves the events of 2006 forward to 2010 and inserts several additional events into the newly created intervening years.}}

=====''Kiss Players''=====
:''Voice actors:'' [[Ryōtarō Okiayu]] (Japanese)

[[Image:Kp3_toy_accurate_hotrod.jpg|left|200px|thumb]]

When Rodimus Prime hurled Galvatron into space at the conclusion of their battle within Unicron, he could not have predicted the tragic result of this action. Galvatron crash-landed on Earth, on top of [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]], devastating the city and sparking off a massive anti-Transformer movement spearheaded by the [[Earth Defense Command]]. Horrified by what his actions had wrought, Rodimus gave up the Matrix to Ultra Magnus and reverted to Hot Rod once more, seeking a way to redeem himself for his unintentional misdeeds. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|A Big Catch Tonight?!}}

[[Image:Kissplay3 hot rod tentacled.jpg|right|200px|thumb| Guys, we don't have to settle for this, there's a small girl right over there!]]

Hot Rod returned to Earth in the year 2006, by which stage the planet had been scoured clean of Transformers by the E.D.C.. He was badly damaged by the [[anti-electron]] field that the E.D.C. had set up around the planet, and wound up falling out of the sky and crashing into the E.D.C.'s headquarters, plunging through its levels into the subterranean chamber known as the [[Genital System]]. His explosive arrival interrupted a grotesque experiment involving former E.D.C. operative [[Shaoshao Li]] and the severed heads of several [[Legion]] (monstrous creatures created when Galvatron's cells, scattered by his impact, fused with Earthly creatures and machines). {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 2|Kiss Players #2}} The Legion attacked Hot Rod and began to [[ParasiTech|fuse]] with him, but a [[kiss]] from Shaoshao—one of the E.D.C.'s [[Kiss Player]]s, also given fusing powers by Galvatron's cells—saved him, reformatting him into a Ford GT body. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 3|Kiss Players #3}}

Together with Shaoshao, Hot Rod went on the run, battling the E.D.C. and the Legion, while working to expose the evil intentions behind of Shaoshao's former employers. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #2}} Shaoshao, a longtime robot-hater, was not pleased about the partnership, disgusted by both the fact that she had to kiss Hot Rod {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #5}} and the Autobot's own smug self-confidence in his speed and sharpshooting skills. She insisted that he work hard on his martial arts training, but Rodimus preferred to simply use Shaoshao's own skills by fusing with her. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #8}} As part of his training, he learned to wield his tonfa weapons as guns, and embarked on a long-distance drive as a test of endurance. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #11}}

Drawn to the E.D.C. headquarters by a massive Legion attack on the facility, Hot Rod and Shaoshao were shocked to see Optimus Prime at the head of the Legion swarm! Given that Prime had died the previous year, Hot Rod assumed he was facing an imposter and attacked, unaware that this was actually the genuine article, who had been brought back to life by the Kiss Player powers of Shaoshao's old friend, [[Marissa Faireborn]]. The battle was broken up and the Legions turned away by the E.D.C.'s most powerful Kiss Player, [[Atari Hitotonari]], and Hot Rod and Shaoshao returned to their fugitive lifestyle. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 3|Kiss Players #3}}

[[Image:HotRodKP.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Flames on his arms and a naked girl in his tummy.]]

Despite being on the lam, Hot Rod still had time for a little fishing now and then, (even though Shaoshao hated the fishy stench he would invariably return covered in) {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #17}} and even built himself a fishing pole that could transform into a set of blasters, dubbed the "Exhaust Rod". {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #20}} While Hot Rod was putting his new pole to use on a fishing trip to Tokyo Bay, he and Shaoshao were attacked by a mass of Legion and fused to fight back. It was during this latest fusion that Shaoshao glimpsed Hot Rod's memories and discovered that he was responsible for throwing Galvatron into space, and her fury caused the fusion to end quite violently. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|A Big Catch Tonight?!}} Despite Hot Rod's peace offering of new underwear (actually stolen from Marissa), {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #29}} Shaoshao concluded that she really didn't care about his guilt, and was just using him to win Marissa back from Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #26}}

[[Image:KP002.jpg|right|thumb|200px| [[Chris Ho| Kisses!]]]]

Investigating a large number of Legion that seemed to be converging on Tokyo, Hot Rod and Shaoshao spotted a dark-haired girl riding on the shoulder of one of the creatures. As they watched, she disappeared into the Legion, and they believed she may have been a Kiss Player, until Hot Rod realised that his scanners had not picked up any body heat from the girl. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #32}} As if this haunting experience was not bad enough, Hot Rod then began to suffer from nightmares, filled with images of Megatron, caused by the Galvatron cells that the Legion had added to his system when they had tried to fuse with him. Shaoshao exploited the increase in Rodimus's violent tendencies that these nightmares caused by whispering in the Autobot's ear as he slept, telling him that he had to kill the impostor Optimus Prime so she could have Marissa back. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #35}}

When Marissa and Prime led another army of Legions in another attack on the E.D.C. headquarters, Shaoshao and Hot Rod were again there to face them. The two Autobots were overcome by the destructive impulses of their Galvatron cells and began viciously fighting, but as they did so, Marissa and Shaoshao were able to settle their own differences and bring the battle to an end, vowing to discover the dark secret at the heart of the E.D.C.. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #37}} Together with Atari, the group ventured down into the Genital System, where they discovered a secret plot by E.D.C. commander [[Hitoshizuku Amaō]] to resurrect her dead daughter (the ghost girl Hot Rod and Shaoshao had seen) in Atari's body. Atari thwarted Amaō's fusion process, however, and instead caused all of the scattered Galvatron cells to be re-absorbed into the Decepticon leader's comatose body. Hot Rod destroyed the anti-electron field generator, and was then reverted back to normal as his Galvatron cells were drawn out of him and reconstituted within Galvatron's body, which Atari then flung into space. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|You, I, and the Spinning Earth}}

Hot Rod went on his way, but did not take back the Matrix and leadership of the Autobots until the year 2010. It is unknown whether he ever discovered that the true instigators of the Tokyo incident were Unicron's minions, the [[Sparkbot]]s, who had altered Galvatron's trajectory.

=====''The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers''=====
{{note|The events of this manga occur concurrently with the events of Generation 1 cartoon, as described above.}}

[[Image:Ep14.jpg|left|200px|thumb|He's so dreeeaaaaamyyyy.]]

Rodimus Prime faced numerous bizarre challenges in the year 2010, one of which involved Galvatron attempting to seize spaceships with his ''own'' spaceship that ate ''other'' spaceships. Rodimus infiltrated the toothy craft in order to plant a bomb to destroy it. Unfortunately, Galvatron trapped him inside and beat him senseless. Rodimus was about to give up when the spirit of Optimus Prime spoke to him through the Matrix, urging him to fight on. Rodimus snapped out of it and escaped through a hole created by Galvatron's cannon. Before leaving, though, he dropped the bomb off in Cyclonus' hands, detonating the ship.{{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 1}}

During another adventure, Rodimus and his troops were taken under siege by a horde of Megatron clones calling themselves the [[Megatron Corps]]. The Megatron Corps made short work of Rodimus, leaving him to wonder how he could defeat a whole horde of the baddie, when Optimus Prime could barely deal with ''one''. Rodimus eventually realized that Galvatron was secretly controlling the clones and singled him out. With Galvatron defeated, the Megatron Corps ceased to function. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 2}}

Not long after that, Galvatron attacked [[Autobot City]] on Earth with the power of [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. Though Trypticon was defeated by [[Six-Gun]], of all Autobots, Rodimus did not arrive on the scene until after the battle had ended. Young blonde [[human]] girls squeeled at his hunkiness, though. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 3}}

During another battle, he was forced to team with his arch-nemesis, Galvatron, to defeat the all-powerful [[Guiltaur]]. Guiltaur was a creation built by the [[Quintesson|Quintessons]] utilizing the powers of both Optimus Prime and Megatron. Together, Rodimus and Galvatron defeated their foe (who it turned out was being controlled by the ghost of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]) and called off the truce. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 4}}

After that, Rodimus lead the Autobots to the planet [[Feminia]] to protect it's [[Prime Energy Tower]] from Galvatron and the Decepticons. The Autobots proved ineffectual against the might of [[Predaking]]...at least until the [[Omnibot (G1)|Omnibot]]s showed up to win the day. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 5}}

=====''The Great Transformer War'' comic=====
[[Image:Greattfwar_rodimus.jpg|right|thumb|265px]]
After the [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobot]]s rescued the scientist [[Dalton|Doctor Dalton]] from the clutches of the Decepticons, Rodimus met with him to discuss upgrading the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobot]]s. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 1}}

Rodimus then watched on in horror as the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcon]]s made short work of the upgraded Technobots and nearly turned them into Decepticons with [[Cohesive Control Liquid]]. [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] managed to save the Technobots and send the Decepticons into retreat, swearing vengeance. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 2}}

Early in 2011, after having given up the Matrix of Leadership and reverted back to Hot Rod, he accompanied the newly resurrected Optimus Prime in a space battle against Galvatron and the Decepticons. The Decepticons fled, and though Hot Rod wished to pursue them, Optimus ordered him the return to base, as the entire battle seemed fishy. Indeed, it was all a distraction so that Galvatron could begin his ultimate invasion of Cybertron. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 3}}
{{-}}

=====''The Headmasters'' cartoon=====

:''Voice actor:'' [[Hiroya Ishimaru]] (Japanese)

[[Image:MysteryofPlanetMaster-HotRod.jpg|left|thumb|300px|"And ''you'' better stay close to ''me!''"]]

One year after the Hate Plague affair and the resurrection of Optimus Prime, Hot Rod maintained a high-level position among the Autobots as well as a new sense of duty and responsibility. Hot Rod was stationed on [[Athenia]] when the Decepticons, bolstered with the addition of new Headmaster warriors, attacked Cybertron in an attempt to take control of [[Vector Sigma]], which had become destabilized as a result of the Matrix's energy being released. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}}

When a group of Autobot Headmasters arrived to help, Optimus Prime broke off from the battle and ventured into Cybertron's depths, hoping to find a way to stabilize Vector Sigma. This, however, would require the sacrifice of his own life if attempted without the Matrix, which was hidden somewhere on Earth, recharging. {{storylink|The Mystery of Planet Master}} Hot Rod and the Autobot Headmasters searched the Matrix out and returned to Cybertron with it, where the spirit of [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] recharged its empty shell, transforming Hot Rod back into Rodimus Prime. Optimus and Rodimus defeated the Decepticons together, but Optimus still wound up sacrificing himself to stabilize Vector Sigma, leaving Rodimus Prime in command of the Autobots once again. {{storylink|Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime}}

[[Image:DoubleConvoy1.jpg|right|225px|thumb|"Race ya to the Matrix!" "Yer on!"]]

Rodimus Prime chose to oversee Autobot operations largely from Athenia, leaving Earth as Ultra Magnus and Metroplex's jurisdiction, and maintaining a relatively minor presence on Cybertron itself. One of his actions as returning leader was to oversee the resurrection of [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], who gave his life during the recent search for the Matrix. He had [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]] employ [[Master (planet)|Master]] technology to revive the communications expert in a new body as Twincast. {{storylink|The Great Cassette Operation}} After Fortress and the Headmasters ran into trouble on the planet [[Beast (planet)|Beast]], Rodimus Prime brought the [[Trainbot]]s and [[Monsterbot]]s with him as reinforcements to foil Galvatron's plans. {{storylink|Rebellion on Planet Beast}} He also oversaw the Autobots' efforts to defeat a [[Metamorpho|gravity-warping meteorite]], and encouraged Daniel to be courageous enough to help the Autobots against the metal-sensitive menace. {{storylink|Approach of the Demon Meteorite}}

One day, Rodimus Prime accompanied Ultra Magnus to an energy research laboratory, where a new power source had supposedly been discovered. Upon arrival, however, they discovered the research team had been killed and no new power source existed. Reviewing the tape announcing the discovery, Rodimus realized the broadcasting scientist was actually under the control of [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]], and the whole trip was to get him out of the way so that Scorponok could set a trap for the Headmasters on [[Praum]]. Taking the Trainbots, Rodimus Prime arrived on Praum in time to help the Headmasters chase off Galvatron and their evil counterparts. {{storylink|The Four-Million-Year-Old Veil of Mystery}} Rodimus Prime soon supervised the Autobots during a series of terrorist threats around the globe. He allowed [[Shōki]] and the Trainbots to take first crack at the robot threatening their homeland of Japan. {{storylink|Terror! The Six Shadows}}

[[Image:Hm10 fortress appointed commander.jpg|left|thumb|300px|"Don't worry, all you have to do to be a better leader than me is to ''not get the planet blown up.''"]]

When Vector Sigma created a new kind of super-metal known as [[Cybertonuron]], Rodimus Prime realized it would be a tempting target for the Decepticons. Sure enough, Galvatron soon launched an all-out attack on Cybertron to capture Vector Sigma and the Cybertonuron. Rodimus assembled a massive counterstrike force to transport to Cybertron, but Fortress cautioned that the whole ordeal thus far might be a trap. Rodimus recognized the possibility, but stated the idea of Galvatron controlling the Cybertonuron was too dangerous to risk. Rodimus Prime traveled to Cybertron himself aboard the [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Battleship Maximus]], and engaged Galvatron in hand-to-hand combat. Tragically, Rodimus was soundly defeated by his old foe, and would have been helplessly executed by Galvatron if [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundblaster]] hadn't insisted on giving his leader an office memo Right. That. Minute. TPS reports wait for no 'bot. {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1}} As the fighting continued to escalate, [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] decided it was too dangerous to risk the Autobots keeping control of the Cybertonuron. He had Mindwipe and the Headmasters plant a series of bombs at Cybertron core, resulting in a massive planetary explosion, leaving Cybertron a burnt-out husk. Deciding that his time was over, and that newer, younger Transformers should take over, Rodimus passed leadership of the Autobots to [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]], and departed for space with Kup and [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] to search for a new planet that the Transformers could make their own. Arcee asked if she could go, too, but Rodimus instructed her to stay behind to look after Daniel and Wheelie. {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2}}
{{-}}

=====''The Headmasters'' comic=====

[[Image:RodimusHeadmasterManga08.jpg|thumb|right|250px|]]
{{note|The events of the ''Headmasters'' manga take place concurrently with the ''Headmasters'' cartoon.}}
With Optimus Prime dead yet again, Hot Rod returned to being Rodimus Prime and erected a [[Optimus Prime memorial|statue]] of his fallen commander on Cybertron. During the dedication, the Decepticons were spotted approaching the planet. Rodimus dispatched the [[Headmasters of Justice]] to deal with the threat. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 1}}

Later, the Decepticons made a second attempt to seize planet [[Beast (planet)|Beast]] while the Autobot [[Beastformer]] leader, [[White Leo]], was away. Rodimus Prime sent the Headmasters of Justice to Beast in order to drive back the invading Decepticons. {{storylink|Great Decisive Battle of Planet Beast!}}

During his journey through space in search of a replacement homeworld for the Autobots, Rodimus faced many dangers and hardships, but was supported by the wisdom of the Matrix and the energy of the Earth that now coursed within it. Learning a new admiration for the human race and the planet Earth, he returned to Earth in the wake of the defeat of Scorponok, and reunited with the Autobots. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 8|The Headmasters issue 8}}
{{-}}

=====''The Battlestars''=====
It would be many years before Rodimus resurfaced. He eventually returned at the same time as Optimus Prime was resurrected as [[Optimus Prime (G1)#The Battlestars story pages and comic|Star Convoy]], and was shown to have reverted back into Hot Rod, and been converted into a [[Micromaster]]. As a Micromaster, Hot Rod took up residence in Star Convoy's chest, boosting his Supreme Commander's power.

=====''15 Go! Go!''=====
[[Image:Hotrod-micro.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Well, at least this girl has clothes on.]]
While Star Convoy was occupied battling the reborn Megatron, Hot Rod was busy on Earth dealing with the threat posed by [[Transwarp]] wormwholes that had randomly begun appearing around the planet. During his efforts, he came upon the human computer [[Teletraan 15]], who had traveled forward in time on an information-gathering mission, and saved her from a [[Novaroid]]. Having been familiar with Hot Rod in the past, 15 was a little surprised to see him in a Micromaster form, but he brushed off her comments and accused her of being responsible for the Transwarp disturbances. The appearance of a huge wormwhole overhead, however, prompted Hot Rod to set his concerns aside, transform to vehicle mode and carry 15 away to safety. {{storylink|15 Go! Go!|Hot Rod's chapter}}

Before they got very far, Star Convoy appeared and requested Hot Rod's assistance, telling him that Megatron was fusing with [[Dark Nova]]. Hot Rod said his farewells to 15, preparing to depart with his leader, {{storylink|15 Go! Go!|Star Convoy's chapter}} but before he could leave, he was suddenly struck by an immense blast from the wormhole overhead. The shadowy form of [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] descended from the rip in the sky, and 15 leaped in front of Hot Rod to protect him, but was rewarded for her heroism by having her right arm torn off by the insane Decepticon. {{storylink|15 Go! Go!|Galvatron's chapter}} Rescued by [[Safety]] and [[Fly-Up]] of the [[Guard City]] team, the last thing Teletraan 15 saw before passing out was Galvatron throttling Hot Rod. {{storylink|15 Go! Go!|Galvatron's chapter 2}} The outcome of the battle and the fate of Hot Rod were left unknown, but he had obviously left his mark on 15, whose severed arm was replaced with a convertible buzz-saw blade, just like Hot Rod's own. {{storylink|15 Go! Go!|Galvatron's chapter 3}}
{{-}}
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Generation 1====
{{noteukonly}}
''Several hundred years ago, [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] dispatched Hot Rod and [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] to search for habitable worlds. During this mission, the pair ran afoul of the [[Tyroxian]]s—unpleasant [[alien]]s who captured Blurr and pursued Hot Rod through space. While fleeing, Hot Rod crossed paths with the Autobot war veteran, Kup, living a nomadic existence wandering through space at the time, and the youth's bravado in attacking [[Tyroxia]] single-handed re-ignited Kup's fighting spirit. After saving Hot Rod and helping him to rescue Blurr, Kup joined the pair in returning to Cybertron.'' {{storylink|Kup's Story!}}

[[Image:BrothersinArmor-Targetmasters.jpg|right|thumb|350px|I'm important! Just not right now.]]

Hot Rod was among the contingent of Transformers who ultimately accompanied Fortress Maximus in abandoning the war on Cybertron for a new world, [[Nebulos]]. The Autobots' arrival on the planet immediately stirred civil unrest, however, which led to the Decepticons being brought to the planet, and the war continuing on a smaller scale. Technological advancements developed during the conflict saw Nebulans being bio-engineered into [[Binary bonding|partnerships]] with the Transformers. Hot Rod became a Targetmaster, and was bonded to the Nebulan sharpshooter, Firebolt (aka Sparks), who transformed into his gun. Eventually, the Autobots determined to move their war away from Nebulos, and followed a signal sent by [[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]], received by Hot Rod, to the planet [[Earth]]. {{storylink|Brothers in Armor!!}}

Hot Rod and the other Autobots of Nebulos were soon incorporated into the larger Autobot force on Earth, under the command of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]]. On one occasion, Hot Rod and several Autobots accompanied Prime on what appeared to be a simple mission to stop some Decepticon [[Micromaster]]s from attacking MacDill Air Force Base. {{storylink|Back from the Dead}} In fact, the attack was part of a much larger scheme by the deposed Decepticon leader [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], luring Prime and his forces away from the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] and setting them against his rival for Decepticon leadership, the mighty [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]. Once Prime realized the greater threat at issue, he ordered his troops to immediately take the [[Ark shuttlecraft|shuttle]] back to the Ark, but Hot Rod recklessly chose to stay behind at Optimus's side to face the Decepticons. {{storylink|All the Familiar Faces!}} He was therefore on-hand when the newly resurrected [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] arrived, and began tearing through all Transformers present, in the name of Megatron. He managed to take a shot at Starscream's new [[Pretender]] shell, causing enough neural feedback to temporarily weaken the Decepticon, and give Scorponok time to strike and end the threat. {{storylink|Skin Deep}}

[[Image:YesterdaysHeroes-HotRod.jpg|left|thumb|200px|I, Hot Rod, have entered the main US cast so that I may hatch hilariously hairbrained sitcom schemes!]]

The cost was still high, though, as Optimus Prime returned to the Ark and learned that his good friend, [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], had sacrificed himself to help stop Megatron's schemes. This sent the Autobot leader into a depression, and Hot Rod took it upon himself to snap Optimus out of it. He had the crazy scheme of creating a mock threat with a [[Guardian (Marvel)|Guardian Mark V battle droid]], with predictable results. The robot proceeded to ''actually'' malfunction and endanger the Autobots, but Hot Rod's plan worked when Prime eventually snapped out of his funk and defeated the droid to save the day. Hot Rod needed to find a replacement hand after the Guardian snapped it off, but hey, all's well that ends well. {{storylink|Yesterday's Heroes!}}

[[Image:Hoverscooter.jpg|right|thumb|250px|whoopeee]]

Hot Rod continued to operate with Earth's Autobot forces aboard the Ark, and was present during [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]]'s rampage through the shuttle bay. He took some damage, but remained functional enough to continue on, and was later seen speeding into the battle with Unicron himself on a [[Sky-sled|hoverscooter]], {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} He was also one of many Autobots destroyed by the Decepticons on [[Klo]], only to be revived by the [[Last Autobot]]. {{storylink|End of the Road! (US)|End of the Road!}}

In an alternate future of 2005, Hot Rod was one of the many Autobots based in the completed Autobot City. He was close friends with the young human [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]]. Realizing that the Decepticons were invading in a stolen shuttle, Hot Rod and Daniel tried to outpace them before they reached the city. [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] fell in battle against [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], and Hot Rod stood with a handful of others as Optimus died and passed the [[Matrix of Leadership|Autobot Leadership Matrix]] to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]. {{storylink|The Planet-Eater!}}

[[Image:FinalBattle-Rodimus.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Galvatron can shoot at Rodimus until he's blue in the face, but he'll never surrender his coconut.]]

After Prime's death, Autobot City got word from [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] that a "monster planet" was devouring Cybertron's moons. En route, Hot Rod and Kup (and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]) were separated from the rest of the Autobots during a Decepticon attack and crashed on the planet [[Quintessa]]. After escaping the sadistic trial of the [[Quintesson]]s and attempted execution (as well as meeting [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]]), {{storylink| Judgment Day!}} Hot Rod went on to the planet [[Junkion (planet)|Junk]], where he was just in time to stop [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] from fighting another group of stranded Autobots with a timely use of the [[Universal greeting]]. Together, they all traveled to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to stop [[Unicron]] before he could eat more than just its moons.

Hot Rod plunged his ship through Unicron's eye and was separated from the rest of his team. Alone, he found himself facing Galvatron in a battle to the death over the Autobot Leadership Matrix. Claiming the Matrix, Hot Rod [[Renaming|evolved into]] "Rodimus Prime", an older, larger, and more powerful version of himself. After overpowering Galvatron and hurling him through Unicron's hide into the void of space, he opened the Matrix and destroyed Unicron from within. {{storylink|The Final Battle!}}

In 2006, Rodimus Prime's Autobots had taken control of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] reported suspicious activity on [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]], so Rodimus sent the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbot]]s to investigate. [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] was defeated in battle but was able to send back an SOS before going offline. Sky Lynx was dispatched to retrieve him, and Rodimus decided to investigate himself. He took [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] and [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] in [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]].

Once there, the Autobots discovered a chaotic scene where aliens from many worlds, including the Decepticons, had arrived and were all engaged in a deadly battle with one another. Rodimus was immediately attacked by a hypnotized [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], and the two battled to a standstill. The other Autobots were able to disrupt a hypnotic signal that was causing everyone to fight one another. The [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]] then added their strength against the Decepticons, causing the latter to retreat. Rodimus didn't care where the hypnosis signal had been coming from, as long as it was off for good. He never discovered that it was the work of the [[Quintesson]]s. {{storylink|The Big Broadcast of 2006 (issue)|The Big Broadcast of 2006 (US)}}

{{note|In the UK version of the story, the events of "The Big Broadcast of 2006" are a fabrication invented by [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]].}}

[[Image:GalvatrondeadrodimusUS67.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Do you expect me to talk?" "No, Mr Prime, I expect you to die!"]]
In an another alternate future timeline, Hot Rod arose to become Rodimus Prime. However, the planet-eater known as Unicron managed to destroy Cybertron, leaving Rodimus to lead a failed Autobot/human defense of Earth when [[Galvatron II|that timeline's Galvatron]] attacked and eventually conquered it. Rodimus perished during the conflict, and his body was strung up between the ruined towers of the World Trade Center. In the year 2009, Galvatron returned to Manhattan to survey its devastated landscape, and fired upon Rodimus's corpse, demanding to know how many times he would have to kill him to erase his legacy. {{storylink|Rhythms of Darkness!}}

{{-}}
=====Marvel UK future timelines=====
[[Image:Hot rod ark duty.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"Really, by assigning ''me'' to Ark duty, they're practically demanding me to go be irresponsible!"]]
''Hot Rod rose to greater prominence in the alternate future timeline of [[Earth-120185]]. In 1990, he, Kup and Blurr were captured by Megatron; although rescued by a double-agent named [[Warmonger]], Hot Rod was recaptured and bore witness first hand to Megatron's mercilessness when he executed Warmonger. Then, in 1991, he was part of a unit that escorted the captive [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], only to lose the Decepticon leader when forced to defend a human settlement against an attack by the [[Air Strike Patrol]].'' {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}} ''On another occasion in 1995, Hot Rod was present when Optimus Prime first unveiled the female Autobot, Arcee, to [[Feminist mob|a dubious crowd of human feminists]]. Hot Rod was more than a little flustered by Arcee's presence on the battlefield.'' {{storylink|Prime's Rib!}} ''In 2003, he and Blurr were given "Ark duty," assigned to stand guard over the [[Ark (G1)|Autobots' spaceship]] while construction on [[Autobot City]] began. Kup was apparently instructed to deliver the plans of the city to the American government, and when Hot Rod saw him being jumped by the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]], he disobeyed orders and sped out to the rescue. The Stunticons brutally beat on Hot Rod and took the plans, but Hot Rod learned a hard lesson when Kup informed him that it was meant to happen that way because the plans were a fake.'' {{storylink|Ark Duty}} ''When the city was completed in 2004, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] attacked it on its opening day, and Hot Rod repelled him by attacking in a wildly illogical manner, tackling him down a mountain repeatedly.'' {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}} ''Also, at some unknown point in the past, Hot Rod's Targetmaster partner Firebolt was killed in action.'' {{storylink|Headhunt}}

[[Image:FallenAngel-Unicron.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Since this is a comic book, Rodimus has to hum "[[The Touch]]" to himself.]]

''In the year 2006, when the new Decepticon leader [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] travelled back in time to 1986 as part of a plan to free himself from the control of Unicron, the chaos-bringer used his mental powers to plant knowledge of Galvatron's plan into the minds of Hot Rod, Kup and Blurr and transported them to Cybertron, where they used Galvatron's equipment to follow him into the past. There, with help from the present-day incarnation of Ultra Magnus, they were able to convince Galvatron that he had, in fact, traveled back in time to a parallel universe, where his actions would have no effect on the future. Believing this, Galvatron returned to his own time, and after setting any remaining wrongs to rights, the trio of Autobots also returned to 2006.'' {{storylink|Target: 2006}} ''Back in his native timeline, Hot Rod was subsequently involved in a battle with Galvatron inside Unicron's body, during which he opened the sacred Autobot talisman, the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]], and was transformed into Rodimus Prime. With this new strength, he hurled Galvatron through Unicron's hide and opened the Matrix, destroying the planet-eater.'' {{storylink|The Final Battle!}}

''It's believed that [[Primus]] ''deliberately'' caused Hot Rod's Prime form to resemble him. What an ego!'' {{storylink|Salvage!|#160's Grim Grams}}

[[Image:Rodimusprimerequestdenied.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Rodimus learned the wrong lesson from Optimus's death.]]

''As the new Autobot leader, Rodimus became paranoid about Galvatron's eventual return, since no body was ever recovered from space. He led the Autobot forces high and low searching the universe for the Decepticon leader, neglecting Cybertron in the process. As a result, Shockwave arose as the new Decepticon leader, and total war broke out on Cybertron once again. Unable to take the time to find Galvatron himself anymore, Rodimus rashly placed a bounty on the Decepticon's head. What Rodimus did not realize, however, was that Galvatron had time-jumped again, traveling back to 1987.'' {{storylink|Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive!}} ''In 2007, when the freelance peace-keeping agent [[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]] pursued Galvatron back to the '80s, Rodimus was informed of this fact by an Autobot double-agent named [[Nautilus]], and, dismayed at the danger he had unleashed on the past, promptly headed back in time himself to stop the dual threats.'' {{storylink|Burning Sky!}} ''Once again teaming up with the present-day Ultra Magnus, Rodimus and his team of Kup, Blurr and [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] tracked Galvatron down to [[Mount Verona]], where he was attempting to harness the volcano's molten energy. While arguing with Death's Head, Rodimus and the bounty hunter were both attacked, but when Ultra Magnus opened fire on his [[power siphon]], Galvatron was distracted long enough for Rodimus to escape.'' {{storylink|Hunters}} ''Rodimus then arranged a plan that saw the Autobots capture Galvatron's time-jump mechanism, in order to have Wreck-Gar re-engineer it to return all the time-travelers to their point of origin. Rodimus engaged Galvatron in a protracted battle to buy Wreck-Gar time, but when the device was activated, Rodimus, Death's Head and the other Autobots were returned to 2007. Galvatron was left behind.'' {{storylink|Fire on High!}}

[[Image:Headhunt-Rodimus.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Rodimus discovers a depressing third option to "fight and die" or "live with the knowledge that I ran."]]

''Some time later, a disgruntled Death's Head accepted a contract from the Decepticons on Rodimus Prime's head, and ambushed him while he was inspecting Autobot lines. Their battle subsequently went underground, where [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] intervened, downing Death's Head in hopes of being the ones to defeat Rodimus, in order to reclaim their lost standing in the Decepticons' ranks. Rodimus was able to lead Death's Head through the underground tunnels, right into the heart of the Autobot camp, where he offered him advance payment for a different contract—on Cyclonus and Scourge.'' {{storylink|Headhunt}} ''Death's Head proceeded to track the two Decepticons for the remainder of the year, until the three of them fell under the mental control of Unicron when they discovered his disembodied head on the planet of [[Junkion (planet)|Junk]] in the early days of 2008. Under his control, they assassinated Decepticon leader Shockwave and reignited the stalemated Cybertronian civil war in order to keep the Autobots busy while Unicron worked on rebuilding his body. Rodimus, however, learned of the situation thanks to [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]], and led a small Autobot force to Junk, where Death's Head fought against Unicron's control long enough to project Rodimus's mind into a battle with the demi-god on the astral plane. During the battle, explosives planted by Wreck-Gar destroyed Unicron's head, and his mind was sealed within the Matrix.'' {{storylink|The Legacy of Unicron!}}

[[Image:Arceehotrodspacepirates.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Hasbro slips Rodimus a few [[Shanix]] under the table to "lose" the Matrix ever so often. They's got Hot Rod toys to sell.]]

''Later in 2008, the alien Quintessons targeted Cybertron for colonization, and attacked the Autobots with a two-pronged assault on both Cybertron and Earth. When [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] shirked her guard duty at Autobot City, the Quintessons were given an opening that allowed them to take over the city, and when she returned, they gunned her down as bait for a trap for Rodimus Prime. Arriving at the city, Rodimus discovered the injured Arcee and opened his chest compartment to heal her with the Matrix, only to have it yanked from his grasp by the Quintesson general, [[General Ghyrik|Ghyrik]], causing him to revert to Hot Rod. Liberating [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]'s cassettes for back-up, Hot Rod and Arcee proceeded to fight their way through the Quintessons to Autobot City's control room, where Hot Rod activated [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] to smash the alien threat. In battle with Ghyrik, Hot Rod duped the Quintessons with a bit of amateur ventriloquism and reclaimed the Matrix; transformed back into Rodimus Prime again, he routed the Quintessons.'' {{storylink|Space Pirates!}}

[[Image:TimeWars-OptimusPrimeentersthefray.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Rodimus traveled 20 years into the past just to be upstaged by That Guy again.]]

''Unbeknownst to Rodimus, the Quintessons had sought to colonize Cybertron because their own homeworld was being destroyed by a rift in space and time caused by the Transformers' repeated time-travel. The rift continued to grow in size until it threatened both Earth and Cybertron at the beginning of both 2009 and 1989. To put an end to the threat, Rodimus and a squad of Autobots traveled back to 1989, only to wind up mass-displacing Optimus Prime (since the Matrix could not exist in two time periods at once) and a group of other Autobots to [[limbo]], leading to a brief but violent misunderstanding with the present-day Autobots. Optimus Prime was able to stabilize the situation by communicating with all involved through the power of the Matrix. Subsequently, Autobots and Decepticons from both the present and future teamed up to battle Galvatron and [[Straxus (G1)|Megatron]], but one by one they fell, until Optimus Prime used the Matrix to return himself to reality for a final showdown. After absorbing Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge, however, the rift was sealed by Shockwave, and Rodimus and the other future Autobots returned to 2009, vowing to destroy their time machines to prevent this from ever happening again.'' {{storylink|Time Wars}}

''As it transpired, however, things would not be that easy. In the wake of the massive chronal damage caused by the rift, time had attempted to heal its wounds, but reality was no longer as it had been. The future that Rodimus and the other Autobots came from no longer existed—in its place was a world where Galvatron had never traveled back in time, and had conquered Cybertron after Unicron's destruction. Rodimus quickly established a rebellion, but when Galvatron tracked down their headquarters, he killed Blurr and all others present, goading Rodimus into a ferocious battle in hopes of corrupting the Matrix within him. Rodimus realized what he was doing, however, and ended the fight before more damage could be done.'' {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}}

[[Image:EdgeofImpact-EvilRodimus.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Tonight the part of Rodimus Prime will be played by the Green Goblin.]]

''Rodimus and the Autobots escaped to Earth via hyperspace, only to find that their craft's guidance systems had been damaged. During the flight, Rodimus Prime vanished'' {{storylink|The Void! (UK)|The Void!}}, ''and Kup discovered that he was the saboteur,'' {{storylink|Edge of Impact}} ''deducing that he had been corrupted by an evil force from within the Matrix.'' {{storylink|Shadow of Evil}} ''Inside the Matrix, Rodimus battled with the essence of Unicron, trapped there since the events of 2008, until Kup wrenched the Matrix from his chest, freeing him from the chaos-bringer's influence. But now, Rodimus knew that the evil of Unicron would be waiting for him within it...'' {{storylink|White Fire}} ''...and in 2010, Unicron's essence succeeded in taking over Rodimus's body, transforming it into a duplicate of his own and attacking Cybertron once more, until Rodimus was able to defeat him from within and re-seal him within the Matrix.'' {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}}

''Centuries later, in the year 2356, Rodimus, his body withered and weakened from the continuous harmful influence of Unicron from within the Matrix, lectured a young Autobot [[student]] on the nature of evil, unwittingly setting the youth on the path towards villainy himself.'' {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}}

''In an unidentified timeline in the year 2510, a healthy Rodimus Prime was overjoyed to announce that the Cybertronian war was finally over, and planned to step down as leader to allow [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] to take over. The sole remaining Decepticon, a double-agent named [[Triton]], spoke out against the decision to cause dissension, and succeeded—as Rodimus could only watch in dismay, arguments escalated into conflict, and the war was born again as [[Technobot (G1)|Technobot]] fought [[Wrecker]], and the Autobot Civil War began.'' {{storylink|Peace}}

{{-}}

====Generation 2====
[[Image:HotrodG2Marvelcomic.jpg|100px|thumb|left|Try purple! It's the new maroon!]]
After the defeat of the Decepticons on [[Klo]], the Autobots' forces scattered throughout the galaxy as virtually independent splinter cells. A small group under Optimus Prime's command encountered Bludgeon and his soldiers on a desolate world, both sides looking for new weapons or technology, and were in danger of being overrun. Prime sent Hot Rod into a nearby mausoleum building in the hopes that he could conjure up some form of "graven image" to distract the superstitious Decepticon leader. Hot Rod emerged empty-handed from the ruins, only to find that just [[Guardian (G2)|such a graven image]] had conjured ''itself'', chased off the trespassing Decepticons, and was now prepared to do the same to the Autobots. They managed a dignified, if rushed, scramble to safety. {{storylink|All or Nothing!|Ghosts}}

[[Image:G2kupwonderspowerandglory.jpg|right|thumb|300px|No?]]

When Grimlock sent out a message summoning Optimus Prime, Hot Rod and Kup accompanied him. Hot Rod was quick to remark the sorry state of the planet they were on, and pondered exactly why they were here. As Prime continued his lengthy internal monolog, they were ambushed by a second-generation Cybertronian patrol. Hot Rod pretended to flee, but quickly came back as he and Prime caught the squad in a crossfire, annihilating the lot of them. Grimlock made his presence known afterwards and took them to his ship, where Hot Rod casually fiddled with a panel while Grimlock exposited. [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] attacked soon after, crippling the Autobots's ship and capturing them. They later managed to escape Jhiaxus's flagship. {{storylink|War Without End!}} When Grimlock and a team of Autobots were captured once again by the Liege Centuro, Hot Rod was part of Optimus's rescue team. {{storylink|Devices and Desires! (Marvel)|Devices and Desires!}} While Optimus Prime went on a vision quest back on Cybertron, some Autobots set up camp on a deserted asteroid, where Kup set up some war games for training. Hot Rod managed to lure the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] and [[Groove (G1)|Groove]] into a false sense of confidence and into a trap consisting of Dinobots. When the exercise was over, Hot Rod expressed frustration at the fact that they were stuck playing games while Jhiaxus and his Cybertronians were still out there.{{storylink|The Power and the Glory}} Megatron's resurfacing on Earth made Optimus Prime decide to confront him alone. Fortunately, Grimlock had different ideas and mounted up a rescue, which Hot Rod participated in. He tried to engage [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] in vehicle mode, but the small Decepticon used his piledrivers to send Hot Rod tumbling away. Hot Rod crashed just behind Megatron, prompting the Decepticon leader to order a full retreat. {{storylink|The Gathering Darkness}}

[[Image:Arageinheaven-electro.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Hot Rod is the honorary fifth [[Laser Rod]] member.]]

Hot Rod was amongst the Autobots deployed to the planet [[Ethos]] where they fought hard to counter a Cybertronian offensive, but quickly found themselves overwhelmed and had to be saved by their newfound Decepticon allies. {{storylink|Escalation!}} After Starscream sold out the location of the Autobots' [[Autobase]] on Earth, Jhiaxus organized a full-scale assault. Hot Rod was part of the counter-offensive, and as the Cybertronians were being eradicated by the Autobot-Decepticon alliance, he was quick to report Prime his new finding: Jhiaxus had a ''second wave'' waiting in the wings. {{storylink|Total War!}} When the Cybertronian threat was overshadowed by the oncoming [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]], Hot Rod and [[Electro]] went scouting out for its position. Thanks to Murphy's law, he had the misfortune of reporting its arrival just as Grimlock pondered just how things could get worse. Unlike many of his fellow Autobots, Hot Rod was saved from being devoured by the Swarm thanks to Megatron's timely arrival, carrying cannisters of [[Rheanimum]]. Soon afterwards, Hot Rod and company witnessed Optimus Prime's return to life in a shiny new body, and cheered at his speech for unity and a higher purpose than war. {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}
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====''Classics''====
{{note|The Classics comic takes place after the end of the original Marvel Comic, but in a [[splinter timeline]] that does not include the events of the Marvel UK-exclusive stories or Generation 2.}}

[[Image:CrossingOver5-RodimusMirage.jpg|right|thumb|250px|We got to buy... more time!]]

Once peace was restored on [[Klo]], Hot Rod followed Optimus Prime back to Cybertron, where the young Autobot fell back into the racing scene. After countless years of fighting for his life, this quickly bored Hot Rod, who went to Optimus to ask advice. Hot Rod was put in charge of the rehabilitation of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and the integration of the millions of Transformers who had fled the planet during the war. To keep the returning Transformers entertained, Hot Rod devised the [[Cybertron Grand Challenge]], a cross-factional racing event of an epic scale. Following his cultural triumph, Hot Rod changed his name to Rodimus, both to reflect his growing maturity and in homage to Optimus Prime, the leader he still adored. Rodimus became one of Optimus Prime's closest officers, and when [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] reared his head again on [[Earth]], Rodimus was one of the first recruited to accompany Optimus to hunt him down. {{storylink|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 15|''Classics'' Rodimus profile}}

After the Autobots discovered the mysterious Autobot, [[Skyfall (Cybertron)|Skyfall]], they flew to [[South America]] to investigate a mysterious power source. Rodimus led them there with a tracking device, muttering that he wished [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] were around to help him use it. Clearly they arrived at the correct location, however, because the Decepticons were there looking for it as well! {{storylink|Crossing Over: Part 3}} As the battle raged, [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] and Rodimus cornered Soundwave, but the two worried that they were being overwhelmed by numbers. {{storylink|Crossing Over: Part 5}} Rodimus tried contacting [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], but the Autobot scout wasn't responding, and so Rodimus grew even more frustrated when Mirage went invisible and left him. Mirage's gambit helped win the battle, and the Decepticons withdrew. {{storylink|Crossing Over: Part 6}}

Rodimus was damaged severely, and so after the battle in South America, Optimus Prime carried him all the way home. Bumblebee was asked to put him in a [[CR chamber]]. {{storylink|Games of Deception}}
{{-}}

===S.T.A.R.S. pack-in flyers===
[[Image:PackIn RodimusPrimeRemembers Front.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Just like he remembers Woodstock.]]

Unicron just might consume the universe, and the Autobots need to determine who the Chosen One is so that he may rise from their ranks, unlock the Matrix of Power, and save all from Unicron! Unfortunately, not even the Chosen One himself knows his identity, and his discovery may come too late.
{{storylink|The Autobots Have a Special Mission for:}}

There was a legendary conflict between the Autobots and Decepticons when Optimus Prime led Rodimus Prime and a large team of Autobots in a search for the future site of [[Autobot City]]. They were ambushed by Megatron and [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]], and this became known as the Transformers' greatest battle on Earth. Rodimus Prime dubbed it "[[Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction]]." {{storylink|Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.|Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.}} Some of the Autobots were forced to retreat due to Thundercracker's "force shield," and Optimus Prime told Rodimus and the others that their only hope was to call in for additional troops. {{storylink|Transformers Combat Data}}

Later, Rodimus Prime remembered the Transformers' greatest battle on Earth. {{storylink|Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.|Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.}}
{{-}}

===Big Looker Storybook continuity===
[[Image:CarShowBlowup-AutobotCity.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Hot Rod clearly does not pass emissions standards.]]

Kup and Hot Rod traveled to the coliseum to check out a robot car the [[human]]s had built that could respond to voice commands. They heard about it on their car radios! But when they arrived at the coliseum, Kup spotted Decepticons flying about. As some entered the back door, Kup shooed Hot Rod away, telling him to warn the others. If Hot Rod stayed, he would just get into trouble!

[[Image:Wildboyofquintessonbattle.jpg|right|200px|thumb|This is the genocide referred to [[:Image:EdgeofImpact-EvilRodimus.jpg|above]].]]

When Hot Rod returned with the Autobots, Kup had been captured and held prisoner, so the others entered the coliseum in vehicle mode. Meanwhile, Hot Rod snuck up behind Kup and freed him. Yelling "Geronimo!" they jumped from the control room onto the coliseum floor, taking the Decepticons by surprise. Galvatron and the others escaped, but Kup and Hot Rod agreed that they'd be ready for him when he returned. {{storylink|Car Show Blow Up}}

Later, Kup led Hot Rod, [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] on a special mission to take supplies from Earth to a space station on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s second moon. Despite Kup's warnings, the Dinobots loaded too many supplies onto the ship, and in the middle of their journey, the ship began to have problems. Hot Rod reassured Arcee that everything would be okay, but the ship was going down! It crashed on a planet which Kup recognized. It was the planet [[Quintessa|Quintesson]]! They were interrupted by a tribal scream and a flurry of firestones. However, the boy who made his presence known was not aiming at them, but at the Quintessons behind them. The boy's name was [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]], and he had been abandoned on the planet when his ship crashed their earlier.

Wheelie led them through the jungle, battling Quintessons along the way, until they reached Wheelie's crashed ship. Hot Rod was able to fix it, and everyone left the planet Quintesson, Wheelie included! {{storylink|The Story of Wheelie, the Wild Boy of Quintesson}}
{{--}}

===Ladybird Books continuity===
[[Image:DecepticonsatthePole-HotRodSparks.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Say I'm badly drawn to my face, pal!]]
Hot Rod was one of several troops stationed on Earth when [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] was in charge and the Transformers' war was still a secret one. He got along well with [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], the two spending their downtime looking at car magazines together, and was quite pleased to receive some snazzy gold wheel-trims from the boy. {{storylink|Decepticon Hideout|Decepticon Hideout}}

In the time following this campaign, Hot Rod would mature into a more sensible warrior and even a team leader. During the early stages of the war on [[Nebulos]], Hot Rod was Autobot commander against [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus']] Decepticons before the return of Optimus Prime. At one point, he prevented the Decepticons causing Nebulos' destruction via cosmic radiation. {{storylink|Decepticons at the Pole|Decepticons at the Pole}}

===Sticker Adventures===
Out searching for a missing shuttle, Hot Rod and Kup spied it crashed on the Junk planet. They landed to find their friends engaged in battle with the natives, but Kup cautioned Hot Rod not to rashly jump in and join them. Kup's use of the Universal Autobot Greeting resulted in the Junkions abandoning the fight and making friends with the newcomers, and causing Hot Rod to exclaim "Holy cow!" The Junkions helped repair the damaged shuttle before the Autobots left. {{storylink|Battle on the Junk Planet}}
{{-}}
===Young Corgi Adventure books===

[[Image:Wolf at the door desert of danger.jpg|thumb|right|200px|When you're weary, feelin' small...]]
Hot Rod had himself delivered by freight to the planet of Nebulos, where he and his Targetmaster partner Professor Sparks suspected the Decepticons were attempting reinforce their position in spite of a treaty in place to limit their numbers. With [[You|your]] help they traced the Decepticons to the [[Wolf at the Door]] nightclub, an [[oil]] bar for Nebulan miners run by [[Monzo]], and discovered that [[Weirdwolf]], [[Skullcruncher]] and [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]] were importing [[Attack Squad robot]]s from Cybertron and awakening them from cryogenic suspension with a catalytic stimulant disguised as [[Sirian brandy]].

After a confrontation with the Decepticons that left Skullcruncher and Mindwipe out of action, Hot Rod faced off against Weirdwolf and Monzo. Weirdwolf was defiant, but Monzo wasn't feeling lucky and surrendered to the Autobot. Though the Headmasters had to be released under the terms of the treaty, the Attack Squad robots were destroyed. {{storylink|Desert of Danger}}

{{note|"Desert of Danger" is a [[multipath adventure]] and the above only applies to the optimum path through the book. If you make the wrong decision, the Decepticons may well triumph instead.}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers PD Type'' comic===
[[Image:Pdtype_rodimus_manga.jpg|left|250px|thumb|]]

Clutching a [[Blackball]], Rodimus Prime found himself being attacked by Galvatron. As the Decepticon leader attempted to throttle him, a light shone from Rodimus's chest, making Galvatron think it was the power of the Blackball. After Galvatron had fled, Rodimus revealed it was just a torch, and reflected on what an idiot his foe was. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##11 "Take a Stand! Rodimus Prime!"|Take a Stand! Rodimus Prime!}}

As Fortress Maximus and Mega Zarak clashed violently, Rodimus reminded Optimus that he had said never to let those two fight. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##14 "Watch Out! Mega Zarak!"|Watch Out! Mega Zarak!}}

Ultra Magnus and Rodimus Prime enjoyed many victories against the Decepticons, but [[Greatshot|who was that in the background?]] {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##15 "No One Knows When he's Come or Gone. Greatshot..."|No One Knows When he's Come or Gone. Greatshot...}}

Together with Ultra Magnus, Rodimus engaged in battle against [[Sixshot]], but was terrified when the Decepticon ninja unleashed the fury of his "Six Shadow Selves"! Luckily for Rodimus, Sixshot's doppelgangers were actually other Decepticons whom he'd painted black (and weren't very happy about it).{{storylink|Transformers PD Type##18|The Ninja of Space, Sixshot!!}}

In a later altercation with Sixshot, Rodimus attempted to use his Photon Eliminator gun to strike down the fleeing ninja. Though he managed to shoot ''every other'' Decepticon on the battlefield, he failed to hit his intended target. Rodimus sat pouting in the corner as the other Autobots convened to register their disappointment that Rodimus let Sixshot get away.{{storylink|Transformers PD Type##21|Photon Eliminator}}

Joining [[Ginrai|God Ginrai]] and Ultra Magnus in an assault on Mega Zarak, Rodimus was terrified when the mammoth Decepticon unleashed his titanic Anti-Gravity Rifle. Fortunately for the Autobots, the gun jammed and Mega Zarak was left fiddling with it while they opened fire. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##24|Anti-Gravity Rifle}}

{{-}}

===''Transformers in 3-D''===
[[Image:WarAgainstDestructions-HotRodApeface.jpg|right|thumb|300px|GRONK yourself!]]
As Ultra Magnus left for a mission to find an Energon source, Hot Rod assured him that everything would be fine on Cybertron, and if there was any hint of trouble "Rodimus" would pop up and save the day. When Magnus later checked in, Hot Rod reported that they'd made some process on Headmaster technology. Though Magnus was more concerned about the threat of war, Hot Rod told him not to worry, unaware that [[Sixshot]] was planning to throw him a surprise. {{storylink|The Test (issue)|The Test}}

Hot Rod was pleased to have [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] back. Then [[Monitorus]] arrived with the news that [[Tau-Ursa]] had been attacked and leveled by Decepticons, and Hot Rod got to point out that the Tau-Ursans had refused the Autobots permission to build a defense base there. He shortly took part in an attempt to repel a Decepticon attack on Cybertron, finding himself fighting against Sixshot, who seemed more interested in goading him than fighting. This turned out to be a diversion, while [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] used his new [[Nullification Cannon]] on the planet's Energon supplies.

Hot Rod and Blurr next visited Tau-Ursa to check for Decepticons, and encountered [[Apeface|Ape Face]], who had found a [[Logicon]] warning beacon. The two Autobots wrestled it from him and returned to Cybertron, where the beacon was found to hold the coordinates to [[Metascan Alpha]], a major Energon storehouse. Prime placed Hot Rod in charge of one of two teams to search for the planet, though the operation was hampered slightly by the discovery of the two Decepticon [[Clone (subgroup)|Clone]]s spying on them. {{storylink|The War Against the Destructons, Chapter 1 of 3}}

{{Note|At this point [[Blackthorne Publishing]] went bankrupt and the storyline was never completed}}
{{-}}

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
[[Image:Hotroddreamwave.jpg|left|thumb|]]Hot Rod joined an underground Autobot cell led by [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] after [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave's]] takeover of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Among the members of the cell was [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], who Hot Rod became attached to. From the [[Wastelands]], Hot Rod, [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]], and [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] observed an incoming Decepticon shuttle carrying the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. {{storylink|Cold War|Cold War}} Shortly afterward, the cell rescued [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] from [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] and [[Runabout]], and took him to their base. After awakening, Prime attacked [[Gnaw]], Blurr, and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]], forcing Hot Rod (who didn't recognize him) to hold the Autobot leader at gunpoint. After being <strike>bitch slapped</strike> admonished by Kup, Hot Rod apologized. {{storylink|Passive Aggression}}

After Shockwave unleashed the [[Guardian robot]]s on [[Iacon (city-state)|Iacon]], Prime organized the resistance cell and other Autobot forces on the planet in an assault on Shockwave's citadel. Fighting alongside the Autobot leader, Hot Rod was amazed that the stories Kup had told him about Prime's courage and heroism had all been true. As an injured Prime breached the citadel, Hot Rod, Ironhide and [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] provided cover fire, taking down a number of Guardians in the process. Along with the rest of Iacon, they witnessed the divine light of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Autobot Matrix of Leadership]] when Shockwave activated it. {{storylink|Countdown to Extinction (issue)|Countdown to Extinction}}

As Prime and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] battled Shockwave within the citadel, Hot Rod and [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] took down [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] and [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]. Immediately afterward, they were confronted with the looming threat of a remaining Guardian robot—a threat that was soon neutralized by the arrival of the [[Wrecker|Wreckers]], the [[Autobot High Council]], and [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]]. The unified Autobot group soon breached the citadel. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}}

Some time later, Hot Rod ran a simulation combat scenario against Kup, and won using tactics that, in Kup's opinion, would have killed them both had it been real. Only after his victory did Hot Rod remember that he'd promised to take Arcee to see an [[Earth]]-bound shuttle launch—a duty Springer was happy to relieve him of. {{storylink|Lost and Found (issue)|Lost and Found}} Soon afterward, he was assigned to perimeter guard duty at [[Autobase]] with Gnaw and Wheelie, separating him from Arcee. {{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}
{{-}}

===''Universe: Featuring the Wreckers''===
[[Image:Skidswreckers2.jpg|right|250px|thumb|It's funny because Rodimus sucked at everything.]]

A few months after the destruction of [[Unicron]] in 2005, Rodimus Prime spearheaded an effort to establish multiple recon posts to watch for advancing threats... even though some of his scientists said he shouldn't. When only two of the five launched ships were ever heard from again, Rodimus felt like a schmuck. Guy can't catch a break. {{storylink|Betrayal}}

After the Great Wars ended and the [[Pax Cybertronia]] was signed, he changed his name to simply "Rodimus" and decided to check out the new "[[Great Upgrade|Maximal Upgrade]]". His relationship with [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] effectively ended shortly after, as the latter went through dark gripping emo depression over the death of [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] and vanished.

Rodimus joined the [[Wrecker|Wreckers]] at some undetermined point afterward. After [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] took over Cybertron with his [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon drones]], Wrecker leader [[Apelinq]] got stranded on prehistoric [[Earth]], leaving Rodimus in charge. True to form, he ditched leadership duties to [[Primal Prime]] as soon as possible.

After Primal Prime got his marching orders from the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]], he met Rodimus deep inside Cybertron's caverns, where an even more gothy-emo Arcee—in a new Maximal body—lurked and stewed in her depression. Realizing he couldn't convince her to give a damn about anything, he left, rejoining the main Wrecker force in battle. Making it onto an ancient Autobot shuttle, the Wreckers blasted off... with late-arrival Arcee. {{storylink|Departure}}

[[Image:Arceedisclosure.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Except you're the size of my arm now.]]

Rodimus recognized the homing beacon emitting from [[Akalo|Archa Nine]] as one of those missing exploration parties mentioned before. When the shuttle landed, Rodimus stayed behind to help repair the damage the ship had suffered. The entire Wrecker team later gathered in an [[Akalouthan]] village, where Rodimus was reunited with [[Glyph (G1)|Glyph]], who took them to see the artifact known as the [[Divine Light]]. The Wreckers' analysis of the item was cut short, as it was stolen by the traitor [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]]. Rodimus saw the back-in-his-old-body [[Devcon (G1)|Devcon]] off, who was sent to chase after Cyclonus, while the Wreckers made for their next destination... even though several of them were now leery of the visions Primal Prime had been getting. Because they'd really done ''so well'' by the Wreckers so far. {{storylink|Betrayal}}

Upon landing on the frozen planet, Rodimus was part of the search party immediately dispatched to look for... something. Primal Prime wasn't too specific. They came across [[Al-Badur]], an exiled [[Quintesson]], who gave them a little history lesson. They were then promptly attacked by a school of [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]], but the Wreckers made short work of them. They made their way back to the ship, with Al-Badur in tow, and made for their next destination... {{storylink|Disclosure}}

[[Image:Sentinelcryotekwreckersfinale.jpg|right|thumb|300px|If Optimus can die, so can I!]]

...Cybertron. As Primal Prime took some Wreckers after their true foe, [[Cryotek (RID)|Cryotek]], Rodimus tried to get their injured to a safe place. Unfortunately, the planet was under a full scale Quintesson invasion, and some anti-aircraft fire inevitably clipped the ship and sent them plummeting downwards. After they made it to safe ground, Rodimus and the crew hooked up with his fellow [[Matrix Templar]], [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], and followed his insight to the battle. They confronted Cryotek's underling, Cyclonus, and his purloined squad of [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticon]]s. With casualties mounting on both sides, Cyclonus beat a safe retreat, collapsing the tunnel behind him to prevent pursuit. Rodimus was quick enough to dive through the falling debris, however, leaving the two old enemies alone to do battle. Centuries of bad blood carried them through the conflict, until both drew their weapons at point blank range, and fired.

Horribly damaged by this last attack, Rodimus struggled to keep up with the other Wreckers and the running conflict between [[Sentinel Maximus]] and Cryotek. The fighting came to an end at a Quintesson banishing chamber, where the treacherous Al-Badur had attempted to toss Sentinel and Cryotek into a formless void. The two warriors were trapped behind an energy dome, barely able to fight off the portal's pull using their flight systems. Once [[Fractyl]] pointed out that Cryotek was empowered by the Divine Light, a fraction of Primus's own power, Rodimus realized that as Matrix Templars he and Cheetor could drain that power away from the Predacon. They managed to extract most of it before Cryotek cut off their siphoning effect. In the end, Sentinel Maximus sacrificed himself to pull Cryotek into the void with him. Rodimus finally expired from his wounds from fighting Cyclonus, quietly passing on into the Matrix. {{storylink|Wreckers: Finale Part II}}
{{-}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
[[Image:GIJoeTFHotRod70s.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"That bumperchest really doesn't feel right. How do Prowl and Jazz live with it?"]]
Hot Rod was one of [[Teletran 3]]'s unfortunate victims when the computer malfunctioned and transported a random number of Transformers to random points in Earth's timeline. Along with [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], Hot Rod ended up in mid-1970's [[San Francisco]], where he was locked into the form of a Ford Mustang muscle car. The dormant Autobot was soon stolen by a car thief, but was chased down by a group of [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joes]] and [[Cobra]] members sent to retrieve the Transformers. Discovering [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] in the process, the humans equipped both vehicles with [[disruption unit]] that awakened the Transformers and sent them back to present-day Cybertron seconds after Hot Rod commented about feeling "really weird." {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 1|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1}} Back on Cybertron, they were stuck waiting inside the force field Ultra Magnus had erected to prevent [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] from capturing Teletran 3. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 2|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #2}}

Some time after his time travel adventure, Hot Rod reported to Optimus Prime that [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]'s team on Earth had been sidetracked by a Cobra attack. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 2|The Art of War #2}} When said team ended up disappearing in Cybertron's [[Gladiator Zone]], Hot Rod convinced Optimus to stay behind and take care of an Autobot peace ceremony instead of going out and searching for them. Hot Rod then assembled his own search party, but they failed to find the missing Autobots. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 3|The Art of War #3}} Unfortunately, [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]]'s forces attacked the peace ceremony and captured Optimus Prime, leading to Hot Rod assembling a new team intent on rescuing him. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 4|The Art of War #4}} They fought Serpent O.R.'s Decepticon army together with reinforcements from G.I. Joe, and during the battle, Hot Rod paused in horror as he saw the light of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] being opened inside the Decepticon base. The Decepticon army eventually defeated, and by the time Hot Rod reached inside their base, Serpent O.R. had been killed as well. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 5|The Art of War #6}}

A few months later, Hot Rod questioned Optimus Prime's choice to go to Earth again, accusing his leader of feeling guilty about [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]'s death at Serpent O.R.'s hands and doing everything by himself just to prevent more people from dying. Prime just looked at him sadly before leaving, causing Ultra Magnus to tell Hot Rod that he really needed to learn when to stop talking. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2|Black Horizon, Part 1}}

{{-}}

===IDW comics continuity===
{{ongoing}}
[[Image:SpotlightHotRod rush.jpg|right|180px|thumb|WHEEEEEEE! AWESOME! TUBULAR! COWABUNGA! REAGANOMICS!]]
Years ago, Hot Rod was put in charge of a mission to the planet Ki-Aleta to obtain a powerful artifact named the [[Magnificence]] so as to keep it out of the hands of the Decepticons. The mission started off smoothly enough, with [[Gizmo]] using a [[holomatter]] generator to distract the defense systems while the rest of the team went after the Magnificence. Unfortunately, after that everything that could go wrong did go wrong. First, the generator malfunctioned, then [[Download]] tripped the security lasers around the Magnificence itself. Gizmo, Download, and [[Backbeat]] were destroyed by the security systems while Hot Rod and [[Doubledealer|Dealer]] fled. Hot Rod, nearing the exit tunnels they had previously drilled, got a call from Dealer—he had been ambushed by a Decepticon attack squad and needed help. Unfortunately, Hot Rod had been given his own, top secret orders: the Magnificence was to be the top priority of the mission, and placed before all else. With a heavy heart, Hot Rod abandoned Dealer to his fate as he left Ki-Aleta with the Magnificence.

Years later, Hot Rod learned that Dealer had not died that day; he was being held prisoner at the Decepticon penal colony known as [[Styx]]. Hot Rod stealthily infiltrated the prison complex, using a holomatter generator to disguise himself as a guard and then short-circuiting the power grid to cause all the cell doors to unlock. During the chaos he snuck in, extracted Dealer, and took off while the Decepticons were busy getting the prisoners under control. {{storylink|Spotlight: Hot Rod}}

[[Image:Escalation6 HotRod Koska.jpg|left|170px|thumb|Mine!]]
Recently, Hot Rod was called to [[Earth]] to aid the crew of the ''[[Ark-19]]'' in procuring a Decepticon [[facsimile construct]] from [[Brasnya]], a former Soviet state in eastern Europe. {{storylink|Escalation issue 3|Escalation #3}} He and [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] went down to Earth from the ''[[Ark-32]]'' against [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]]'s wishes, and proceeded to join the battle unannounced. As Hardhead went to support the main battle, Hot Rod went after the facsimile... which led to him colliding with [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] as they both tried to stop the [[Georgi Koska]] facsimile from letting himself get gunned down by Soviet soldiers. {{storylink|Escalation issue 4|Escalation #4}} Prowl and Hot Rod managed to defuse the situation and secure the facsimile in the end {{storylink|Escalation issue 5|Escalation #5}}, but before he could return to his ship he was attacked by [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] and [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]], unable to defend himself because he had to keep the facsimile alive. After returning to the ''Ark-32'', he had to be put in a [[CR chamber]] to recover. His injuries were for nothing, as the facsimile melted during the bounce. {{storylink|Escalation issue 6|Escalation #6}}

[[Image:Devastation6 HotRod Hardhead.jpg|right|170px|thumb|Hardhead, I'm with Arcee now. Let it go.]]
After Hot Rod was repaired and reformatted into a Dodge Viper, his "friend" Dealer tried to convince him to pull some strings to get him to Earth, but Hot Rod and [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] had the more important task of rescuing [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1|Devastation #1}} They ran into a bit of trouble with the [[Machination]]'s [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]]. {{storylink|Devastation issue 2|Devastation #2}} They managed to escape temporarily, but were found and Wheeljack was incapacitated. Hot Rod easily held his own with the Headmasters {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}}, and noted that for [[Sunstreaker (G1)|some]] [[Hunter O'Nion|reason]] they had lost their "edge". He received a little help from Hardhead, who was mainly there to take Hot Rod and the others back to the ''Ark-32'' for evacuation to [[Garrus-9]]. Hot Rod refused to go, wanting to see the Headmaster mystery through to the end. Hardhead reluctantly let him go. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6|Devastation #6}}

[[Image:SPDHotRodM.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Oh, Magic 8-Ball, will I ever be Prime in this continuity?]]
Hot Rod's search was interrupted by Dealer's arrival on Earth, with orders for Hot Rod: find the Magnificence and use it to learn what they could about the Expansion. Hot Rod took Dealer to his hiding spot, which turned out to be the planet where they first found the device. As Dealer and Hot Rod closed on the Magnificence, he went over his first visit to the planet in his mind, and how things could have gone so wrong. Eventually he began to have suspicions, and upon locating the Magnificence, asked it the question that haunted him: had Dealer betrayed him? Sadly, it revealed the truth, and Hot Rod was forced to kill Dealer as the traitor attacked. Looking down on his remains, Hot Rod realized the truth had been staring him in the face, he just hadn't wanted to accept it. He then used the Magnificence to find out all he could about the Expansion, and relayed the information to the Autobots. {{storylink|Spotlight: Doubledealer}}

[[Image:HotRodMaxDino02.jpg|right|200px|thumb|You're not fooling anyone, [[Judd Nelson| Bender]]. The next screw that falls out will be YOU.]]

Returning to Earth to continue his search, Hot Rod arrived at the gates of the Machination's complex, and Scorponok prepared himself to deal with the intruder. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 1|Maximum Dinobots #1}} Unfortunately, Hot Rod found himself fighting well out of his weight class as he was man handled by Scorponok, who cheerfully bashed his face in, put out one of his optics and snapped his leg. The Headmasters dragged him into Scorponok's control room where, with absolutely no prompting, the big man explained his entire plan for the Dynobots, Skywatch and the Machination. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 2|Maximum Dinobots #2}}

Hot Rod seemed less than impressed with this rather mundane approach, which ticked Scorponok off enough for him to point out that it was obviously just the first stage in his master plan. He was also warned to remained awed or he'd be of no further interest. When the Dynobots and newly-arrived [[Monsterbot]]s seemed to turn Scorponok's plan on its head, Hot Rod burst out laughing, at which point, Scorponok ordered him taken out and shot. In the lift to the surface, Hot Rod suddenly erupted in flames, killing his captors, but draining his power supply. Weakened and with a crippled leg, he collapsed on the floor. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 3|Maximum Dinobots #3}}

He made it out of the building and ran into the real Sunstreaker, who blasted the 2 clones following Hot Rod. Sunstreaker ignored Hot Rod's warning about Scorponok's army and stormed into the building so Hot Rod painfully wired himself to send a distress signal. When Sunstreaker's real head was later disabled by Hunter, the Headmaster clones shut down, which Hot Rod explained to [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]. The group was surprised by the arrival of [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], but [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] had heard Hot Rod's distress call and was on his way to Earth. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 4|Maximum Dinobots #4}}

After Scorponok knocked out [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] and Grimlock tended to him, the remaining Dynobots offered Hot Rod a lift aboard the Monsterbots' ship. He refused though, and made it back into Machination HQ to take care of something "personal". He eventually found Scorponok's real head (and remarked how ugly it was). Hunter also showed up and let Hot Rod know how to disable it, but before he could do so, Scorponok grabbed him. Before Scorponok could crush Hot Rod's head, the Dynobots showed up and began to battle Scorponok. Hot Rod told [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] which wires to sever, and he did just that, reducing Scorponok to a catatonic state. Ultra Magnus arrived took everyone back aboard his ship, which later docked with the ''Ark-32''. Within 3 days, Hot Rod was fully repaired, with a new body form design. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 5|Maximum Dinobots #5}}

Some time later, while traveling through space by himself, Hot Rod found himself under attack by the ''[[Torment]]'', a Decepticon warship crewed by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and the [[Pretender Monster]]s. He was shot down, but managed to transmit a distress call to the Autobot starship ''[[Trion]]'', which came to his rescue. After the Decepticons were chased off, Hot Rod joined the crew of the ''Trion''. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 15|Lost & Found}}

[[Image:Ironhide punches Hot Rod.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Ironhide has waited twenty-two years to pay Hot Rod back for [[The Transformers: The Movie|shooting down his shuttle]].]]
When the Decepticons' galaxy-wide assault hit, the ''Trion'' was shot down over Cybertron. Hot Rod sent out a distress signal and was ecstatic when he ran into some other Autobots. They must've come specifically to save his team and... wait, why do you all look surprised about my signal and appear beaten up and resourceless and... ''oh arsebiscuits''! {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 4|All Hail Megatron #4}}

Hot Rod was taken back to base and relayed the story of how he and his other crew-mates from the ''Trion'' arrived on Cybertron, having been diverted there by Decepticon ships and forced to crash land. Once on the surface, Hot Rod sent out his distress signal and was ''so'' sure someone heard it. Kup arrived with the rest of the ''Trion'''s crew at that point, just in time to tell Hot Rod ''of course'' no one heard his message. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 5|All Hail Megatron #5}}

After the Autobots narrowly avoided the [[Insecticon swarm]] and Sunstreaker sacrificed himself, Hot Rod jumped to [[Drift (G1)|Drift]]'s defense when he was being insulted by [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 9|All Hail Megatron #9}} When the Autobots were later rescued by [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]], Hot Rod was glad that he sent out the distress call. He was then ferried to Earth with the other Autobots aboard Omega. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}}

[[Image:Ongoing issue 1-Hot Rod has had enough.jpg|right|thumb|150px|"Don't talk to me about stuck, Hot Rod, you're the one with that horrible sneer stuck on your face!"]]
For the next two years, the Autobots would remain on Earth as Prime feared the return of the Decepticons. Unfortunately, this lead to the capture of a number of Autobots by Skywatch, including [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]], [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] and Prowl. Hot Rod, already frustrated, lashed out at Optimus, accusing him of keeping the Autobots on the planet because he needed someone to protect and demanding he be allowed lead a team to rescue Prowl. An admonished Prime agreed to a covert operation, but with Ironhide along to watch over things. While Prowl was freed, it turned out the humans had used him as bait to draw the other Autobots in. However Wheeljack's new shielding protected Hot Rod's team from Skywatch's inhibitors and in a panic the soldiers switched to lethal measures. Hot Rod was targeted and Ironhide was killed protecting him. An enraged Hot Rod turned on the humans, damaging their equipment and machinery.

After returning with Ironhide's body, Hot Rod was shocked as Optimus Prime resigned his position as leader. {{storylink|...For All Mankind}} Disgusted with Prime's decision and unimpressed with the indecisiveness of the others, Hot Rod decided to make his own way. He announced his intention to leave planet Earth behind, and invited any of his fellow Autobots to follow him in pursuit of that goal. After leaving the Autobot caves with a half-dozen recruits, Hot Rod went looking for Omega Supreme, in the hopes of convincing the massive Autobot to use his interstellar rocket mode to get them all off-planet. Omega remained resolutely loyal to Optimus Prime, however, and refused to abandon the Earth. At that moment, a small squad of Decepticon stragglers led by [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] staged an attack on Omega Supreme. After some fast and smooth-talking, Swindle convinced Hot Rod that they all wanted the same thing...to go home. The Autobots put it to a vote, and the majority decided to work with the Decepticons to get off of Earth. {{storylink|New Arrivals, Old Encounters}}

The first thing Swindle asked of Hot Rod was help in reviving their incapacitated "brothers"...several Decepticons mode-locked by the humans. Hot Rod convinced [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] to work on the problem, as there "were no sides anymore", and these other Decepticons were brought back on-line to help with the construction of a new space cruiser. {{storylink|A Rude Awakening}}

[[Image:SeasonsInFlight-RodimusMagnus.jpg|left|thumb|300px|No, don't shoot Swindle! He had some cheap electronics equipment in his van he wanted to sell me!]]

Hot Rod wasn't completely foolish -- when Swindle started suggesting they find and revive all the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s, he remembered how deadly [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] could be, and rejected the idea. Ever the smooth-talker, though, Swindle convinced Hot Rod to let the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] go after [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]], the last missing member of their unit. He did so by lavishing a ridiculous amount of praise on Hot Rod, calling him Rodimus Prime, the herald of a new age.

The alliance was soon tested when [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] arrived on the scene, attempting to investigate the death of Ironhide for Autobot Command. When he saw Hot...saw ''Rodimus'' working with Decepticons, and Swindle of all mechs, he freaked out and tried to take the Decepticon ringleader into custody. Rodimus and the other Autobots stood up for Swindle, though, and told Magnus he had to be prepared to fight ''all'' of them if he wanted to take ''one'' of them. Stunned that they did not respect his authoritay, Magnus retreated and work continued on the star cruiser. {{storylink|Seasons in Flight}}

What everyone failed to realize, even Ultra Magnus, was that Swindle was not only trading in combiner technology, he knew how to make it work. By the time Magnus came back for Swindle with a posse of Autobots, the Decepticon was prepared to end his alliance with Rodimus. He had forged the Stunticons into [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]], and turned the giant loose on the assembled Autobots. {{storylink|Enemies of the System}}

Rodimus fought alongside Ultra Magnus, Bumblebee, Optimus Prime and the others against the renewed Decepticon threat. They finally managed to bring down the titan, but the alliance was finished and Rodimus's own comrades turned against him for his poor judgment. Looking to escape his own bad decisions, Rodimus hijacked Ultra Magnus's ship and fled out into space. {{storylink|Earthworks}}

[[Image:Ongoing 13 Rodimus drifting.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Why must you hurt the one you love, [[Nick Roche|Nick]]??]]
Since trying to talk and reason with people had only led to betrayal Rodimus decided that it was best to simply act on his own. He had a plan to regain the respect he had lost by taking back the Autobot [[Matrix of Leadership]], stolen by [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] years earlier. Using the ship's advanced tracking equipment, Rodimus found the Decepticons' asteroid base and hid in one of Ultra Magnus's thickly armored weapons lockers. When the ship was shot down, he emerged from the wreckage unscathed, took out several Decepticon guards and even put [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] under his control by improvising with one of [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]]'s [[cerebro-shell]]s. Rodimus first sent Razorclaw to attack Starscream, but after that failed, he confronted the self-appointed Decepticon leader himself.

Starscream himself was nigh-impervious to damage, but Rodimus improvised again and fired at the Matrix around his neck, having no idea what would happen. He was in luck, as the blast caused energy to burst from the Matrix and knock Starscream unconscious. Triumphant, Rodimus took the artifact and went looking for an escape craft... only to run straight into [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] himself. He panicked and waved the Matrix threateningly at the massive Decepticon while warning him to "stay back!", but Megatron was unphased and shot him at point blank range, blowing a huge hole in Rodimus's torso and sending him flying into space. With the Matrix still around his neck, Rodimus's lifeless body could only drift through the void... {{storylink|Heart Like a Wheel}}

{{-}}

===''Henkei! Henkei!'' pack-in comic===
[[Image:Henkei_manga_rodimus.jpg|right|thumb|155px]]
While the other Autobots were busy dealing with a rampaging [[Astrotrain (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic|Astrotrain]], Rodimus disrupted [[Megatron (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic|Megatron]] and the other Decepticons' attack on a power plant by engaging them solo. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 2}} Unable to tackle Megatron in hand-to-hand combat, he was able to get [[Starscream (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic|Starscream]] to accidentally blast his leader instead, but this did little more than annoy Megatron, who flattened Rodimus with a [[fusion cannon]] blast. With Rodimus defeated, the Decepticons pulled out, but the Autobot cavalier didn't let the defeat get him down, and he sped off to join the other Autobots in battling Astrotrain. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 3}} Soon after, Rodimus helped defend another power plant against a Decepticon attack, shielding the human workers from Starscream's blasts with his own body. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 4}}

When the mysterious new Decepticon warrior [[Cyclonus (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic|Cyclonus]] provided Megatron with the means to transform himself into the monstrous [[Galvatron (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic|Galvatron]], Rodimus, [[Ironhide (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic|Ironhide]] and [[Mirage (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic|Mirage]] trailed Cyclonus's Targetmaster partner [[Nightstick (Cyclonus)|Nightstick]] to the volcano in which Megatron was carrying out his transformation. Despite resistance from Starscream and Cyclonus, Rodimus and his team were able to collapse the volcano's cone in on itself. They believed they had sealed Megatron within, and were about to focus their attack on Starscream when they were sent scattering by the explosive emergence of Galvatron from the remains of the caldera. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 9}}

===''Henkei! Henkei!'' Bun Bun manga===

Following the defeat of [[Galvatron (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Galvatron]] on [[Earth]], Rodimus was among the Autobots that [[Optimus Prime (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Optimus Prime]] summoned to the planet. Together with [[Ironhide (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Ironhide]], [[Hound (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Hound]] and [[Jetfire (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Skyfire]], Rodimus was to protect the planet while Optimus's team set off for Cybertron in pursuit of the fleeing Galvatron. {{storylink|To the Sea of Stars}}

===3D Battle-Card Game===
Hot Rod was one of [[Optimus Primal]]'s many Autobot allies in a fight against [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s Decepticon forces. {{storylink|3D Battle-Card Game#Energon Wars expansion|Energon Wars Expansion Set}}
{{-}}

==Games==
===''The Transformers: Battle to Save the Earth''===
[[Image:C64RodimusPrimeAndHotRod.jpg|right|thumb|250px|]]

Along with their fellow Autobots, Hotrod{{sic}} and Rodimus Prime protected Earth from the menace of the Decepticons. Hotrod was ostensibly under the command of Rodimus Prime. {{storylink|The Transformers: Battle to Save the Earth}}

{{note|In this game, "Hotrod" and Rodimus Prime are separate characters who can be in the same place at the same time. Don't try to think about this too hard.}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Mystery of Convoy''===
[[Image:Mysteryofconvoy_rodimus.jpg|left|thumb|225px|This Is What Will Happen If Rodimus And Ultra Magnus Ever Have Kids]]
When Optimus Prime went missing under mysterious circumstances, Ultra Magnus was given the task of battling hordes of Decepticons in order to solve the mystery of his whereabouts. The Decepticons had also stolen a collection of seven energon cubes belonging to Rodimus Prime, which Magnus strove to recover during his fight. When all seven were successfully obtained and the battle was won, a new challenge rose its head, but with his energon cubes back, Rodimus was able to take up the fight! He had a funny habit of looking like an orange Ultra Magnus if you looked at him sideways. {{storylink|Transformers: Mystery of Convoy}}
{{-}}

===''The Transformers'' (PS2)===
[[Image:Callofthefuture_rodimus.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"I am from the future and know a lot about history!"]]

:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter von Gomm]]

When [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] gained the incredible power of the [[Zel Quartz]] in the year 2010 and began cutting a swath of destruction across the galaxy, Rodimus Prime, [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] and [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] resolved to prevent this devastation by traveling back in time and eliminating the quartz in the past, thereby altering their future. Using a [[Transwarp]]-equipped ship supplied by the [[Quintesson]]s, they traveled to the world of [[Zel Samine]] in the year 2003, where they ran across teams of present-day Autobots and Decepticons led by [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], who were carrying out investigations on their own on the planet. Making matters worse, [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], and [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] also followed them back in time, and the two teams allied themselves with their respective present-day factions in order to locate the Zel Quartz.

After several false leads, the quartz was eventually located, serving as the power source of the [[ELTA]] power transmission array. Rodimus and Optimus engaged Megatron and Galvatron in a two-on-two battle over ELTA, using the power of their twin Matrices to stop the computer from self-destructing. Once the dust from the fight had settled, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] snatched up the Zel Quartz, only to promptly take it off-planet, where it disintegrated without Zel Samine's atmosphere and electromagnetic properties to sustain it. With their future thus averted, Rodimus and his Autobots began fading away to rejoin the timestream. Before they disappeared, Rodimus attempted to warn Optimus of the coming dangers in the future, including his Optimus's death (for which Rodimus continued to blame himself), but Optimus silenced him, telling him that he did not need to know what the future held. Rodimus told Optimus that he would always be the greatest leader in Autobot history, but Optimus told him that he was merely a soldier who loved justice, and that that was all Rodimus needed to be too. {{storylink|The Transformers (PS2)|The Transformers}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
{{main|Hot Rod (G1)/toys}}

==Notes==
[[Image:RodimusPrime-earlymodel.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"Hey, ladies. Look at your G1 Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime toys, now back to us, now back at your toys, now back to us."]]
* Like the rest of the 1986 movie's original characters, Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime had early designs by [[Floro Dery]] which the toys were based on, and then final models were drawn from the toys. Both designs had revised heads that made it into the ''[[Transformers Universe (Marvel comic)|Transformers Universe]]'' profile books and subsequent Marvel comic book appearances.
** Rodimus Prime's early model appears to carry the trailer of the truck on his back, plus additional [[kibble]] on the back of his forearms. If only there were art of the back of this design. We'd plotz.
**Both Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime's character models suggest that the windshield and roof of their respective vehicles form the pelvic area, including little side windows on their hips. The animation studio [[AKOM]] even colored his crotch like his windshield. Unsurprisingly, this has never been duplicated on any toy.
**Meanwhile, both sets of wheels are on Hot Rod's arms in his character model, as they are intended to span the entire length of the vehicle. His wristcuffs are intended to become the vehicle's taillights. This also has never been duplicated on any toy.
**Much of Hot Rod's early model seemed to form the basis of Rodimus Prime's finished model. (Though given that nearly everybody else from the movie had a totally redrawn finished model, we wouldn't be surprised if there's a more-final-er model out there.)
**According to earliest materials (also the source of the earliest Hot Rod head seen in this section's first image), Rodimus Prime's original name was '''Hot Rodimus'''.

[[Image:Hotrodrodimuscharactermodels.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Rodimus is always embarrassed by his yearbook photos.]]
*Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime look very similar in fiction, but there are ways to distinguish them by sight.
**Rodimus Prime's character model has extra lines on his face that go from the bottom of his nose and connect to another line forming a triangle shape. Hot Rod's cheeks are more clear and youthful.
**Despite their toys being the same color of red, the cartoon series rendered Hot Rod as magenta, and Rodimus a dark shade of burgundy (the movie, however, made Rodimus the same color as Hot Rod). In addition to repeatedly getting the two character models mixed up, sometimes the animation would depict one model colored as the other.
**In Marvel stories, Hot Rod was also colored almost entirely magenta, with a yellow spoiler and flame deco, but with silver thighs instead of orange. Whoever did the Marvel deco sheet seems to have been looking at the [[:Image:Pinkrod.jpg|original toy photos]] and colored the thighs like the toy's silver stickers. While Marvel Hot Rod was stark magenta, Marvel Rodimus was colored in the reds, oranges and yellows of his toy. Future comics and toys would ignore any differences in color between the character's two forms, presenting them both in the original toy colors (see the image at the head of the article for a good example).
**The Japanese ''[[The Headmasters (cartoon)|The Headmasters]]'' cartoon, in addition to featuring the coloration differences of the Generation 1 cartoon, also added some extra lines around the perimeter of Rodimus's eyes to further distinguish him from Hot Rod. These odd-looking lines appeared only intermittently, thankfully so—they made Rodimus look like he was wearing robo-mascara. The ''Headmasters'' Rodimus Prime character model also moved the wheel kibble from the back of the arms to the front, to better approximate their position on the toy.

* In ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', Hot Rod does not transform the same way twice.

[[Image:RodimusPrimeG1-trailermanagement.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Maybe his Mobile Defense Bay is just an extra set of legs!]]

* Rodimus Prime's toy followed the model set by Optimus Prime before him by having a trailer that disconnected and transformed into a battle station (in this case, called the "[[Mobile Defense Bay]]"). Unlike Prime's [[Combat Deck]], however, Rodimus's Defense Bay failed to make the leap to fiction, with the cartoon simply depicting his trailer as somewhat unfeasibly folding up into his legs and body <ref>[http://www.allspark.com/content/stories/tfpulp/8704TVM/k.gif Image of Rodimus Prime's animated transformation scheme from TV Magazine]</ref> (barring a few animation errors that depicted it as a separate unit). This transformation scheme was realized in toy form with Rodimus's 6" ''[[Titanium Series]]'' action figure.

*Voice actor Ted Schwartz was originally cast to succeed Judd Nelson as the voice of Rodimus Prime for the third season of the animated series, but was subsequently replaced by [[Dick Gautier]]. Before his replacement, however, Schwartz recorded Rodimus's lines for several episodes (most likely all five parts of "[[Five Faces of Darkness]]"), and although Gautier re-recorded the dialogue, technical oversight led to some of Schwartz's readings making it into the finished episodes. He can be heard delivering all of Rodimus's lines in the recap for [[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1|part 1]] that plays at the beginning of [[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2|part 2]], and speaking one line during the scene on [[Goo]] in [[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3|part 3]].

* Hot Rod might be the ''Transformers'' character with the most names in the US. From "Hot Rod" to "Rodimus Prime", to "Rodimus Major" to just plain "Rodimus". Varieties of "Rodimus" appear to be how he will be for a while, as Hasbro appears to be unable to secure the [[trademark]] on "Hot Rod".

* [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]]'s powered up form has a color scheme which resembles Hot Rod's.

* Aside from the ''[[Energon (franchise)|Energon]]'' [[Rodimus (Energon)|namesake character]], Hot Rod has also been [[Homage|homaged]] twice (or possibly thrice depending on how you look at it) in the [[Unicron Trilogy]]. For ''[[Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'', the "[[Powerlinx]]" upgrade of [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] was given a very Hot-Rod-inspired deco. In ''[[Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'', [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] made a redeco of Hot Shot (well, "Exillion"), who already had some Hot Rod homage elements in his toy design, with Hot Rod deco as a DVD-pack-in [[exclusive]]. [[Hasbro]] then took this deco, altered it, and released it in the US line at mass retail as the new character [[Excellion]].

* At [[BotCon 2002]], Dick Gautier "confirmed", jokingly, that Rodimus Prime is gay.

* This Rodimus Prime, along with the original [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus 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]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/HotRod/hotrod.htm Hot Rod at TFU.info]

* [http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Hot_Rod Hot Rod's Universe profile at NTFA.net]

* [http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Rodimus_Prime Rodimus Prime's profile at NTFA.net]

[[Category:Autobot leaders]]
[[Category:Beast Machines Autobots]]
[[Category:Classics Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 2 Autobots]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei! Autobots]]
[[Category:Kiss Players Autobots]]
[[Category:Matrix bearers]]
[[Category:Micromasters]]
[[Category:Return of Convoy Autobots]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Rulers of Cybertron]]
[[Category:Targetmasters]]
[[Category:The Headmasters Autobots]]
[[Category:Universe Autobots]]
[[Category:Wreckers]]

Hot Rod (G1)

2010-12-11T19:14:18Z

Kirby-Force: /* The Transformers cartoon */

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:''Hot Rod is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]]. He has also been known as '''Rodimus Prime''', '''Rodimus''', and '''Rodimus Major'''.''

[[Image:DVDbox3d1.jpg|right|301px|thumb|And yet he still gets carded.]]

'''Hot Rod''' is brash and headstrong, with an overwhelming self-confidence that borders on arrogance. [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] has assumed the role of mentor and advisor to the impetuous young Hot Rod, offering him wisdom and advice when he needs it (though Hot Rod rarely feels that he does, much to Kup's annoyance). [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] also serves as a calming influence on Hot Rod, and tends to either worry about him when he is not around, or deride and tease him when he is. Their relationship is antagonistic, but friendly. Exactly how deep Hot Rod's feelings for Arcee might run is unknown, whether they be friendly, [[Transformer romance|romantic]], or otherwise.

In contrast, his '''Rodimus Prime''' persona—while still headstrong and stubborn—seems to suffer from a severe lack of confidence, often doubting his own decisions and expressing distress over his position as an [[Prime (rank)|Autobot leader]]. Of course, much of this comes from having immediately succeeded [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] as commander—and let's face it, shoes-to-be-filled just don't ''get'' much bigger than that.

One thing that both sides of this Autobot's identity have in common is their impatience—neither Hot Rod nor Rodimus Prime can stand to wait around when they could be doing something instead. He is also very self-reliant, rarely sending others to do anything when he could be doing it himself. His [[Targetmaster]] partner is [[Firebolt]]. As Rodimus Prime, his vehicle sometimes splits between his robot and [[Mobile Defense Bay]].

{{bigquote|I ''knew'' you had potential, lad.|[[Kup (G1)|Kup]] on Hot Rod's transformation into Rodimus Prime|''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''}}

:''Japanese name (Hot Rod):'' '''Hot Rodimus''', except for "The Rebirth"
:''Japanese name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodimus Convoy'''
:''French-Canadian name (Hot Rod):'' '''Météorite''' ("Meteorite")
:''French-Canadian name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodimus Primo''' ("Rodimus First", official toy name)
:''French-Canadian name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodimus Primus''' (official dub name)
:''Italian name:'' '''Folgore''', '''Captain''' 
:''Hungarian name (Hot Rod):'' '''Nagyágyú''' ("Hot Shot")
:''Hungarian name (Hot Rod, The Movie):'' '''Peca''' ("[[:Image:HotRodFishing1.jpg|Fisher]]"?) in the first dub of the film, 'cause he deals with marine life throughout the film, you see.
:''Hungarian name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodimusz Fővezér''' ("Prime Commander Rodimus")
:''Chinese name (Taiwan, Hot Rod):'' '''Rod''' / '''Rhode''' (羅德 ''Lúo Dé'')
:''Chinese name (Taiwan, Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rhodie Jr-tsūn''' (羅迪至尊, "Rodimus Prime")
:''Chinese name (China, Hot Rod):'' '''Re Po''' (热破, "Hot Break")
:''Chinese name (China, Rodimus Prime):'' '''Bu Tian Shi''' (补天士, "Soldier who [[Wikipedia:Nüwa|repairs the sky]]")
:''[[Omni Productions]] Headmasters dub name (Hot Rod):'' '''Roadimus Prime''' (yes. ROAD-imus.)
:''Ukrainian TV dub name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodimus Naikrashyi'''(Родімус Найкращий, Rodimus The Best)
:''Russian TV dub name (Hot Rod):'' '''Patron''' ("Cartridge")
:''Russian TV dub name (Rodimus Prime):'' '''Rodomes Prime'''
:''Portuguese name (Portugal Comic):'' (Hot Rod) '''Roda Quente''' (Rodimus Prime) '''Rodimus Supremo'''

==Fiction==
===Cartoon continuity===
====Madman ''The Transformers'' comic====
[[Image:Madman comic HotRod sigh.jpg|left|150px|thumb|"You're gonna be the death of that guy, you know?"]]

In the year 2001, Hot Rod was on guard duty at the construction site of [[Autobot City]] on [[Earth]] while the main Autobot forces were evacuating from the Decepticon-conquered [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. As he was complaining about his boring assignment to [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], the Decepticon [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] struck, intent on stealing the [[Matrix of Leadership|Autobot Matrix of Leadership]] which Optimus Prime had secreted in a bunker at the building site. When he reclaimed the Matrix, Hot Rod received a vision of the future where he fought [[Galvatron (G1)|a powerful Decepticon]]. After returning the Matrix to Optimus Prime, the Autobot leader considered that perhaps Hot Rod's destiny was greater than any of them realized. Kup thought differently, however. {{storylink|The Transformers (Madman)|The Transformers}}
{{-}}

====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
:''Voice actors:'' [[Judd Nelson]] → [[Ted Schwartz]] → [[Dick Gautier]] (English), [[Hiroya Ishimaru]] (Japanese, ''Transformers 2010''), [[Takase Akimitsu]] (Japanese, ''The Rebirth''), [[Daniel Gall]] (French, Movie)

[[Image:HotRodFishing1.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"I'm tellin' you, Daniel, you HAD to kiss me to activate my fishing rod. STOP crying!"]]
In 2005, Hot Rod was one of the many Autobots based in the completed Autobot City. He was close friends with the young human [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] and seemed to have a reputation for being something of a troublemaker, judging from a few of Kup's comments to him at the time. While out fishing with Daniel one day, he consoled his young human friend over the absence of his father Spike (currently stationed on one of Cybertron's moon bases), then attempted to cheer him up by proposing that they head to [[Lookout Mountain]] to watch the arrival of an Autobot shuttle. This required smashing through a security cordon that Kup and some other Autobots were in the process of setting up, but Hot Rod's breach of security was soon to fade to irrelevance. Observing the shuttle through a viewing scope, Daniel was alarmed to spot a hole in the side, and the concerned Hot Rod used his built-in telescopic visor to discern the horrifying truth of the situation: the shuttle had been hijacked by Decepticons! Hot Rod opened fire on the stolen shuttle and exposed their ruse before [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] could enter the city, though he was nearly blasted by [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] for his troubles and had to be rescued by Kup. Hot Rod's action had given the rest of the Autobots time to begin transforming Autobot City and raising their defenses, but this in turn left Hot Rod trapped outside with Kup and Daniel, until the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] helpfully chewed an opening into the city that the trio were able to use to gain access, swatting the pesky critters as they did so.
[[Image:Tftm hotrod matrix.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Dibs!]]

Fighting continued through the night, culminating with the arrival of a second shuttle commanded by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]. Prime engaged Megatron in a one-on-one battle, but at a pivotal moment, Hot Rod observed that Megatron was feigning defeat in an attempt to reach a fallen weapon. Hot Rod tackled Megatron, but proved no match for the Decepticon leader; Megatron seized him and used him as a human (well, robot) shield while he delivered the fatal blasts that mortally wounded Prime. Although Prime used the last of his strength to dispatch Megatron, he was on the brink of death, and passed the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] just before he passed on, reciting a prophecy that claimed an Autobot would use the Matrix to "light our darkest hour". When the Prime's strength gave out and he dropped the talisman as he was handing it over, Hot Rod caught it before it fell to the floor, and it glowed brightly in his hands.

[[Image:TFTM-HotRodcar.jpg|right|thumb|250px|He's on the run from Barbie's garage.]]

After Prime's death, news reached Autobot City of a [[Unicron|monster planet]] that was advancing on Cybertron. Hot Rod had "this feeling" that the Matrix could stop the creature, but before any plans could be made, Autobot City came under Decepticon attack once again—by [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. The Autobots were able to flee into space aboard twin shuttles, and Hot Rod passed the time sparring with an [[auto-combatant]] before the Decepticons caught up to them. In the ensuing space battle, Hot Rod's shuttle was shot down by [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], and he, Kup and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] found themselves stranded on the planet [[Quintessa]]. Awakening underwater in one of Quintessa's oceans, in the clutches of some mechanical vines and beset by ferocious robotic fish, Hot Rod hacked his way to freedom with his buzzsaw-hand, then saved Kup from the grip of a huge metal squid-creature. Hot Rod took the damaged Kup to shore and pieced him back together, and the pair then set off to search for the Dinobots, only to wind up crossing paths with [[Allicon|more strange inhabitants]]. The [[universal greeting]] and [[energon goodie]]s only temporarily placated the creatures, who captured Hot Rod and Kup and brought them before their masters, the [[Quintesson]]s. They learned from another captive, [[Kranix]], that the monster planet was known as "[[Unicron]]", then attempted to stage an escape when they were brought to trial and thrown to the [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]]. The pair gave a good account of themselves, but were hugely outmatched by the Sharkticon swarm and seemed doomed for certain, until the Dinobots and their new ally [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] arrived to turn the tide. Wheelie provided the team with a ship to leave the planet, and together, they all rendezvoused with Ultra Magnus's team on the planet [[Junkion (planet)|Junk]], where Hot Rod was just in time to stop the native Junkions and their leader [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] from destroying the rest of the Autobot City refugees with a timely—and ''successful''— use of the universal greeting. Together, they all traveled to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to stop Unicron before he could eat more than just its moons.

[[Image:RodimusPrimeMovie1.jpg|left|250px|thumb|"BAM! You've had unsafe sex!"]]

Hot Rod crashed the Quintesson ship through Unicron's eye, and was separated from his comrades as they fell through his giant body. Alone, deep in the bowels of the chaos-bringer, he found himself facing Galvatron in a battle to the death over the Matrix of Leadership, which Galvatron had previously stolen. Overpowered by Galvatron, Hot Rod was throttled by the Decepticon and was moments from death, until he seized the Matrix that hung around Galvatron's neck. Filled with its power, Hot Rod proved to be the "Chosen One" of legend, and was transformed into "Rodimus Prime": an older, larger, and more powerful version of himself. After overpowering Galvatron and hurling him through Unicron's hide into the void of space, he opened the Matrix and destroyed Unicron from within. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

Peace reigned on Cybertron for at least long enough to put up some of the more important buildings, and Rodimus Prime began to ease into his role as the new Autobot leader. He even opened the first [[Galactic Olympics]], although the event was disrupted by mysterious assailants who kidnapped [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], Kup and Spike Witwicky. In an attempt to discover if the Decepticons were responsible, Rodimus took [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] to spy on them, but the pair were discovered and attacked. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1}} The two Autobots were rescued by Arcee and [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], but Rodimus had been injured in the attack, and his spirit entered the Matrix. The experience revealed to him that the Quintessons were behind the kidnapping. With this knowledge, the Autobots rescued their fellows from Quintessa, just as the Quintessons destroyed the planet. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2}}

[[Image:Ffod4_rodimus_in_matrix.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"Rodimus, I Am Your Father."]]

The Autobots were flung through space, eventually crashing down on the planet [[Goo]]. After Springer's dismemberment at the hands of a giant machine, Rodimus faced the machine alone, clogging its intakes and causing it to crash. Their troubles weren't over, as the Quintesson-led Decepticon army soon showed up to renew hostilities. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3}} Rescued by the Junkions, the Autobots were taken to Junk, where Rodimus short-circuited himself in order to consult the Matrix once again. The knowledge of [[Transformer]] history and their creation at the hands of the Quintessons was revealed to him, leading him to realise that Cybertron was in deadly danger. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}}

Returning to Cybertron, Rodimus lead the defence of the planet against Galvatron's strike force. It wasn't until [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]'s warning that the true nature of the threat was revealed: a [[large switch|switch]] deep under the planet's surface which controlled the life force of every Transformer in existence. Although Rodimus headed off the contingent of Sharkticons who aimed to pull the switch, Galvatron himself pulled it, disabling all of the Transformers. Fortunately, Spike was on hand to turn them all back on again. After Galvatron was sent into retreat, Rodimus gave a speech to the Autobots about how they had won...for now. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}}

[[Image:Zombiesmatrixmakesmetoostrong.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Crap, I hope this isn't a popularity contest!]]

Throughout 2006, Rodimus Prime's greatest achievements revolved around his predecessor, Optimus Prime. While fleeing from a Decepticon attack, Rodimus and several other Autobots took refuge in a massive [[Autobot Mausoleum]] and discovered that their former leader seemed to have returned to life. Perhaps a little too trusting of Optimus (and possibly eager to relieve himself of the burden of leadership), Rodimus quickly passed the Matrix back to Optimus and, much to his glee, reverted back into Hot Rod. His happiness was short-lived, however, as Optimus was quickly revealed to be nothing more than a puppet of the Quintessons, sent to trick the Autobots into an ambush from which none of them would escape. With no other choice, Hot Rod was forced to do battle with Optimus Prime for the fate of the Autobots. Although their duel was clearly in the favor of the more powerful Optimus, Hot Rod was able to re-awaken the true spirit of his leader. Returning the Matrix to Rodimus, Optimus then piloted his ship into the heart of the ambush and sacrificed himself to save them all. {{storylink|Dark Awakening}}

Soon after Perceptor left on a standard research mission to a nearby asteroid belt, Rodimus Prime and the Autobots received a distress call from the survey group. They arrived to find the asteroid infested with Quintessons, but managed to drive off the tentacled freaks and their Sharkticon shock troops. Perceptor was near deactivation due to injuries, however, and the rest of the Autobots were nowhere to be seen. The Quintessons attempted to retake the asteroid but, after failing, were soon desperate enough to tell the truth: Their technology on the rock was a [[Time Window]], and leaving it open was risking the fates of all time and space. With the help of the Quintesson scientist and a [[Alpha Trion (G1)|mysterious stranger with a devilish moustache]], Rodimus Prime retrieved his lost Autobots and shut down the time window. {{storylink|Forever Is a Long Time Coming}}

[[Image:Fightorflee Rodimus explosion.jpg|right|thumb|250px|He just needs a cigarette.]]

The Autobots learned of a lost Cybertronian colony known as [[Paradron]] after one of its citizens, [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]], arrived on Cybertron begging for help. It seemed that Galvatron and the Decepticons had seized control over the planet and its vast energon reserves. Rodimus Prime and the Autobots staged a tactical infiltration, but the escalation of violence between the two forces led to total devastation. Rodimus gave the pacifistic Autobots of Paradron his impassioned "Move it or lose it!" speech before hustling them off-world so that Ultra Magnus could blow up their home. As Sandstorm sat there mourning the loss of his world, Rodimus Prime gave him some solemn advice.
{{bigquote|Well, no need to get all mushy. Cybertron's a better place anyway—not so...perfect.|}}
{{storylink|Fight or Flee}}

Rodimus and the Autobots were stumped when someone carried off [[Fort Knox]] in the middle of the night. They detected [[Dinosaur transform static]] at the scene (seriously), found a small pile of [[Energon cube|energon cubes]], and had just been informed by [[Teletraan II]] that Trypticon was still alive. It was a head-scratcher, all right. They eventually figured it out, though, and sieged the occupied nation of [[Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya|Carbombya]] to chase the Decepticons away, then recovered Fort Knox and the other monuments Trypticon had stolen. {{storylink|Thief in the Night}}

[[Image:StarscreamsGhost Rodimus waves goodbye.JPG|left|thumb|250px|[[AKOM]] liked to color my crotch like my windshield (as was [[Hot_Rod_(G1)#Notes|originally intended]]). AKOM did a loooot of episodes.]]

When the freelance agent named [[Octane]] was being kidnapped right off of Cybertron's surface by Cyclonus and the Sweeps, Rodimus Prime and the Autobots stormed out to save their associate. Things were more complicated than they looked, however, as when Rodimus confronted Cyclonus, the Decepticon lieutenant spoke with [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]'s voice! For some reason, learning Starscream was involved made Rodimus willing to let the Decepticons go. Crazy as it sounds, though, it worked—Starscream and Octane managed to lure Galvatron into an Autobot ambush. Rodimus Prime gave a friendly wave to Starscream for a job well done as he departed. ''Zuh''? {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}}

While preparing for the first annual Cybertron peace conference, Rodimus Prime got together with [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] to prepare a surprise party for Danny. They were interrupted by a [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticon]] attack, as the Decepticons wanted to prevent the conference from occurring. The Combaticons were driven off, however, and only minor damage was done. {{storylink|Surprise Party}}

During a diplomatic function, Rodimus Prime was forced to play statesman and deal with Ambassador [[Ynara]] and the other delegates. Curiously, when Daniel Witwicky went missing and Rodimus had an excuse to duck out of the "festivities", he chose to delegate the search mission to Ultra Magnus and Blaster. Perhaps the normally action-hungry Rodimus Prime was actually becoming more accepting of his leadership duties. {{storylink|Madman's Paradise}}

[[Image:NightmarePlanet Rodimus Daniel in bed.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Rodimus really needs to learn how to delegate.]]

When Daniel Witwicky began experiencing recurring nightmares, Rodimus never dreamed he would have to face those nightmares personally. The Quintessons' latest experiment was to turn the young boy's imagination against his Autobot friends. Danny's own subconscious fought against the Quintessons' manipulations, though, and helped the Autobots save themselves. After that experience, Rodimus Prime stayed by Danny's bedside until he conquered his fears and ended the nightmares. {{storylink|Nightmare Planet}}

Cybertron was put on high alert after [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] broke into Metroplex on Earth, stealing his eyes and blowing up a bomb in his brain. Rodimus and the Autobots were eventually able to suss out that Scourge was working with the ghost of Starscream, and they in turn were acquiring those eyes for Unicron. Rodimus put together a strike team and sent Ultra Magnus, Springer, [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] and [[Groove (G1)|Groove]] to Unicron to investigate, but they were repulsed by the Chaos-Bringer's defenses. Their second mission was more successful, detonating a series of explosives underneath Unicron once he came down to Cybertron, intent on connecting himself to the planet and turning it into his new body. After Unicron was successfully blasted back into orbit, Rodimus congratulated his men on a job well done. As a joke, he told Magnus and the others their next mission would be to return to the head of their Living Devil and retrieve his stolen eyes. That Roddy—he's hilarious. {{storylink|Ghost in the Machine}}

[[Image:Quintessonjournal_diplomacy.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Rodimus Prime: diplomat.]]

Rodimus was dutifully overseeing some reconstruction work on Cybertron when [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] and [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] reported odd activity over the planet of Junk and among the Junkions themselves. He assembled a task force aboard [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] to take a look firsthand. [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] managed to neutralize the hypnotic signals influencing the Junkions, but the Autobots were unable to learn the cause of the whole situation. {{storylink|The Big Broadcast of 2006 (episode)|The Big Broadcast of 2006}}

At a galactic peace conference, Rodimus and Ultra Magnus attempted to end the centuries of war between the planets of [[Xetaxxis]] and [[Lanarq]]. They might as well have asked Galvatron, "Why you so ''crazy''?" Every attempt at straight talk and reasonable discourse broke out into a brawl, fist-fighting and eventually laser fire. The two worlds only reached an accord once Blaster and Sky Lynx arrived with a Quintesson journal, detailing how the entire war between the two planets was a "case study" in escalation manipulated by the Quintessons to sell bigger and better armaments to both sides. {{storylink|The Quintesson Journal}}

[[Image:UltimateWeapon-Rodimuspoint.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"I did your mom!"]]

Rodimus Prime began to struggle with the burden of leadership again during a skirmish in Europe, where the Decepticons were working in conjunction with human terrorists. The pacifistic [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] chose to leave the Autobots after his refusal to fight cost Metroplex his transforming cog, and Rodimus chided himself for not having the words to convince the medic to stay. He was also unsettled by Galvatron's crowing about a new "[[Ultimate Weapon]]" which would bring the Autobots to their knees. Regardless of his internal strife, Rodimus continued the fight. He came up with a plan in which Spike and Daniel Witwicky posed as part of the (evil?) human repair crews working on Trypticon and liberated the Decepticon city-bot's transforming cog just as the 'Cons had taken Metroplex's. Rodimus and Ultra Magnus had to fight off Galvatron and the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticon]] in order to stall for time so that the Witwickys could complete their mission. Fortunately, the Stunticons had been off <strike>the shelves</strike> the field for a while by this point, and so were utterly demolished by the two Autobots. Eventually, First Aid returned to the Autobots to finish repair work on the cog, and Rodimus ultimately called Galvatron's bluff and uncovered his "Ultimate Weapon" as the sham it was. These victories renewed Rodimus's confidence in his leadership abilities...until next time. {{storylink|The Ultimate Weapon}}

One day, Rodimus Prime orchestrated the insertion of a new [[power core]] on Cybertron, designed by Perceptor to give the Autobots limitless free energy. Unfortunately, Perceptor also installed an emergency level to jettison the power core into space in the statistically impossible scenario that they would ever need to do such a wild, crazy thing. Sure enough, mere hours later, the power core was floating through space with a [[Trans-Organic]] [[Dweller|monster]] of Lovecraftian proportions latched to the outside of it. Rule of thumb: Installing any form of self-destruct switch increases the likelihood of needing said switch a billion percent. Encasing it behind glass adds another billion. {{storylink|The Dweller in the Depths}}

[[Image:OnlyHuman Rodimus Michelle breakfast.jpg|left|thumb|250px|That's right. He stayed for ''breakfast''.]]

Rodimus Prime and the Autobots joined forces with the human police to help stop a domestic terrorist named [[Victor Drath]]. They grossly underestimated their opponent and were easily captured by Drath after he lured them to his residence with an anonymous phone call. Using some <strike>Cobra</strike> mysterious technology, Drath siphoned the consciousnesses of Rodimus, Ultra Magnus, Springer and Arcee out of their bodies, inadvertently casting them into synthetic human forms. While trying to get back into Drath's headquarters, Rodimus and Springer were separated. Drath's girlfriend [[Michelle]] was intrigued enough by Rodimus's human form that she hid him from Drath's men. At least until after coffee...THEN she handed him over to Drath. Rodimus managed to overpower Drath and his men, and the villain's scheme was undone. Perceptor managed to reverse the process and restore the Autobots to their true forms. With one regretful look cast towards Michelle as she was led away by the police, Rodimus Prime rolled for home with the other Autobots. {{storylink|Only Human}}

[[Image:Grimlocksnewbrain_hotrod_vs_hungrr.jpg|right|250px|thumb]]

At the unveiling of a new power generator, Rodimus Prime got frustrated at Grimlock's gross stupidity. Things only got worse when the Autobots discovered [[Anti-electron|anti-electrons]] being beamed out of the power generator and needed to negotiate the tunnels beneath Cybertron to reach the generator core...and Grimlock broke their only map. Luckily for Rodimus's sanity, Grimlock spontaneously developed super-intelligence after biting through the cables connecting the anti-electrons to the power generator. The Autobots then went on a mission to Unicron's head to prevent the Decepticons from recovering any more anti-electrons to use against them, but once there, they came under attack by the particles again, and Rodimus was affected so badly that he actually briefly transformed him back into Hot Rod. The Autobots were nearly overwhelmed by the animalistic [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]], but Grimlock constructed [[Computron (G1)|Computron]] and the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]] as a counter-force against the bestial Decepticons. Rodimus and the others drove off the remaining Decepticons and restabilized the power generator for Cybertron's use. {{storylink|Grimlock's New Brain}}

On Earth's [[Moon (moon)|Moon]], Rodimus Prime and the Autobots were engaged in trench warfare with the Decepticon for some vague but no doubt important reason. Rodimus demonstrated his keen tactical brilliance when the Decepticons attacked, suggesting the Autobots do the unexpected...and counter-attack. No, really—Galvatron seemed utterly amazed when they did that. However, the non-bestial Transformers on both sides were rendered lifeless when the energy-draining creature known as [[Tornedron]] attacked them while en route to Earth. When the threat was eliminated by Grimlock, Rodimus and the others came back to life without realising that anything had happened. {{storylink|Call of the Primitives}}

[[Image:FaceNijika-Rodimustruck.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Rodimus goes camping in style.]]

Rodimus and the Autobots arrived at the scene of a Quintesson quadrant lock as Galvatron was trying to claim it for himself. The Quintessons attempted to stop further investigation of the quadrant lock by casting the Transformers through a warp. Their encounter with the native [[Zamojin (species)|Zamojin]]s inside the lock was less than cordial, but the Autobots eventually managed to disable the quadrant lock and return starlight to the Zamojin people. {{storylink|The Face of the Nijika}}

[[Image:BurdenHardest Hot Rod retrieves matrix.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"I sure hope Optimus Prime doesn't come back next week or something."]]

After a particularly strenuous series of Decepticon attacks on Japan, Rodimus Prime was in no mood to be chewed out by the Japanese government for "not helping enough". When [[Marissa Faireborn]] stopped by at just the wrong time with yet another problem, Rodimus blew her off and went racing on the back roads to let off some exhaust. Unfortunately, he was spotted by the Stunticons [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] and [[Wildrider]], who knocked him for a loop and (surprisingly) shook the Matrix of Leadership loose from his chest cavity. After the Stunticons made off with the Matrix, Rodimus woke up as Hot Rod. Shockingly to Springer and Ultra Magnus, Roddy was in no hurry to go after the thieves and recover the Matrix. His ''giri'' had become too burdensome, and Hot Rod was hardly interested in reclaiming the burden so soon. He returned to a dojo that had been upset by [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]] during the earlier attacks and observed the sensei and his pupils. After finding his center again, Hot Rod returned to the city, where the huntsman known as Scourge had been misusing the Matrix as a source of raw power to destroy everything around him. After a brief fight, Hot Rod reclaimed the Matrix from Scourge and became Rodimus Prime once more, accepting his path in life. Oh, and Kup was nodding sagely on the sidelines the entire time. Apparently, that helped somehow. {{storylink|The Burden Hardest to Bear}}

[[Image:HotRodReturnOfOptimusPrime1.jpg|left|250px|thumb|"I did his mom, too."]]

As it turned out, far from being destroyed, Optimus Prime had been retrieved by a team of human scientists who were hoping to use him (again) as a weapon against the Autobots—this time as the bearer of a malignant "[[Hate Plague]]" that would cause them to destroy one another. When he learned of this, Rodimus swiftly formed a rescue party and led them to retrieve Optimus's body so that their former leader could rest in peace. When all of the rest of the Autobots with him were exposed to the Hate Plague, only Rodimus was able to escape unharmed—and with the still-uninfected body of Optimus. Returning to Autobot City, Rodimus ordered [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky-Lynx]] to find a Quintesson to repair Optimus, then risked his life to shut down [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] before the Plague could spread to the titanic Autobot. Attacked by Ultra Magnus and Wreck-Gar in the process, he succumbed to the plague and became infected with hate. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}} In order to stop the Plague, the resurrected Optimus had to defeat the crazed Rodimus and forcibly extract the Matrix from him, changing him back into Hot Rod once more. This time, as Optimus had decided to stick around, the change was a permanent one. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2}}

[[Image:Rebirth3 hotrod spins.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Not shown: Firebolt expelling the contents of his stomach shortly afterward.]]

Even after losing his position as Autobot leader, Hot Rod was not the sort to rest on his laurels. In 2007, he was on Cybertron sharpening his skills in a race with Blurr through an obstacle course called "[[Maze|the Maze]]", and won the contest with a little help from Daniel. This provided Autobot scientist [[Brainstorm]] with more fodder to wax lyrical on his theories about Transformer-human partnership, but his lecture was cut short by the sudden arrival on the planet of the full force of the Decepticon army, who were intent on opening the [[Plasma energy|Plasma Energy Chamber]]. Hot Rod and his team were able to steal the key to the chamber from the Decepticons, but not before the chamber was briefly opened, releasing a blast of energy that catapulted their shuttle across the galaxy. They crash-landed on the planet [[Nebulos]], where they were captured by a group of native rebels that mistook them for the mechanical servants of the planet's evil rulers, the [[Hive (G1)|Hive]]. The rebels changed their tune when a team of Decepticons attacked, having tracked the Autobots to the planet, but half the Autobots, including Hot Rod, were taken captive by the villains. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 1}} Hot Rod and his fellows stood up to the Decepticons' torture, and were soon rescued by their team-mates, who had [[binary bonding|bonded]] with the Nebulan rebels to become [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]]. The Decepticons then teamed up with the Hive to create Headmasters of their own, and took the process further by creating [[Targetmaster]]s as well. The Autobots copied the technology, and Hot Rod volunteered for the process, allowing his gun to be reconfigured into an exo-suit for the Nebulan sharpshooter Firebolt. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 2}} Hot Rod and Firebolt went on to aid in the defence of Cybertron as Galvatron attempted to use the Plasma Energy Chamber to destroy it. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}
{{-}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
{{note|The events of the Generation 1 cartoon occur in Japanese animated continuity as described above, except without the events of "The Rebirth". Additionally, this continuity moves the events of 2006 forward to 2010 and inserts several additional events into the newly created intervening years.}}

=====''Kiss Players''=====
:''Voice actors:'' [[Ryōtarō Okiayu]] (Japanese)

[[Image:Kp3_toy_accurate_hotrod.jpg|left|200px|thumb]]

When Rodimus Prime hurled Galvatron into space at the conclusion of their battle within Unicron, he could not have predicted the tragic result of this action. Galvatron crash-landed on Earth, on top of [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]], devastating the city and sparking off a massive anti-Transformer movement spearheaded by the [[Earth Defense Command]]. Horrified by what his actions had wrought, Rodimus gave up the Matrix to Ultra Magnus and reverted to Hot Rod once more, seeking a way to redeem himself for his unintentional misdeeds. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|A Big Catch Tonight?!}}

[[Image:Kissplay3 hot rod tentacled.jpg|right|200px|thumb| Guys, we don't have to settle for this, there's a small girl right over there!]]

Hot Rod returned to Earth in the year 2006, by which stage the planet had been scoured clean of Transformers by the E.D.C.. He was badly damaged by the [[anti-electron]] field that the E.D.C. had set up around the planet, and wound up falling out of the sky and crashing into the E.D.C.'s headquarters, plunging through its levels into the subterranean chamber known as the [[Genital System]]. His explosive arrival interrupted a grotesque experiment involving former E.D.C. operative [[Shaoshao Li]] and the severed heads of several [[Legion]] (monstrous creatures created when Galvatron's cells, scattered by his impact, fused with Earthly creatures and machines). {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 2|Kiss Players #2}} The Legion attacked Hot Rod and began to [[ParasiTech|fuse]] with him, but a [[kiss]] from Shaoshao—one of the E.D.C.'s [[Kiss Player]]s, also given fusing powers by Galvatron's cells—saved him, reformatting him into a Ford GT body. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 3|Kiss Players #3}}

Together with Shaoshao, Hot Rod went on the run, battling the E.D.C. and the Legion, while working to expose the evil intentions behind of Shaoshao's former employers. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #2}} Shaoshao, a longtime robot-hater, was not pleased about the partnership, disgusted by both the fact that she had to kiss Hot Rod {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #5}} and the Autobot's own smug self-confidence in his speed and sharpshooting skills. She insisted that he work hard on his martial arts training, but Rodimus preferred to simply use Shaoshao's own skills by fusing with her. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #8}} As part of his training, he learned to wield his tonfa weapons as guns, and embarked on a long-distance drive as a test of endurance. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #11}}

Drawn to the E.D.C. headquarters by a massive Legion attack on the facility, Hot Rod and Shaoshao were shocked to see Optimus Prime at the head of the Legion swarm! Given that Prime had died the previous year, Hot Rod assumed he was facing an imposter and attacked, unaware that this was actually the genuine article, who had been brought back to life by the Kiss Player powers of Shaoshao's old friend, [[Marissa Faireborn]]. The battle was broken up and the Legions turned away by the E.D.C.'s most powerful Kiss Player, [[Atari Hitotonari]], and Hot Rod and Shaoshao returned to their fugitive lifestyle. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 3|Kiss Players #3}}

[[Image:HotRodKP.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Flames on his arms and a naked girl in his tummy.]]

Despite being on the lam, Hot Rod still had time for a little fishing now and then, (even though Shaoshao hated the fishy stench he would invariably return covered in) {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #17}} and even built himself a fishing pole that could transform into a set of blasters, dubbed the "Exhaust Rod". {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #20}} While Hot Rod was putting his new pole to use on a fishing trip to Tokyo Bay, he and Shaoshao were attacked by a mass of Legion and fused to fight back. It was during this latest fusion that Shaoshao glimpsed Hot Rod's memories and discovered that he was responsible for throwing Galvatron into space, and her fury caused the fusion to end quite violently. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|A Big Catch Tonight?!}} Despite Hot Rod's peace offering of new underwear (actually stolen from Marissa), {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #29}} Shaoshao concluded that she really didn't care about his guilt, and was just using him to win Marissa back from Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #26}}

[[Image:KP002.jpg|right|thumb|200px| [[Chris Ho| Kisses!]]]]

Investigating a large number of Legion that seemed to be converging on Tokyo, Hot Rod and Shaoshao spotted a dark-haired girl riding on the shoulder of one of the creatures. As they watched, she disappeared into the Legion, and they believed she may have been a Kiss Player, until Hot Rod realised that his scanners had not picked up any body heat from the girl. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #32}} As if this haunting experience was not bad enough, Hot Rod then began to suffer from nightmares, filled with images of Megatron, caused by the Galvatron cells that the Legion had added to his system when they had tried to fuse with him. Shaoshao exploited the increase in Rodimus's violent tendencies that these nightmares caused by whispering in the Autobot's ear as he slept, telling him that he had to kill the impostor Optimus Prime so she could have Marissa back. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #35}}

When Marissa and Prime led another army of Legions in another attack on the E.D.C. headquarters, Shaoshao and Hot Rod were again there to face them. The two Autobots were overcome by the destructive impulses of their Galvatron cells and began viciously fighting, but as they did so, Marissa and Shaoshao were able to settle their own differences and bring the battle to an end, vowing to discover the dark secret at the heart of the E.D.C.. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #37}} Together with Atari, the group ventured down into the Genital System, where they discovered a secret plot by E.D.C. commander [[Hitoshizuku Amaō]] to resurrect her dead daughter (the ghost girl Hot Rod and Shaoshao had seen) in Atari's body. Atari thwarted Amaō's fusion process, however, and instead caused all of the scattered Galvatron cells to be re-absorbed into the Decepticon leader's comatose body. Hot Rod destroyed the anti-electron field generator, and was then reverted back to normal as his Galvatron cells were drawn out of him and reconstituted within Galvatron's body, which Atari then flung into space. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|You, I, and the Spinning Earth}}

Hot Rod went on his way, but did not take back the Matrix and leadership of the Autobots until the year 2010. It is unknown whether he ever discovered that the true instigators of the Tokyo incident were Unicron's minions, the [[Sparkbot]]s, who had altered Galvatron's trajectory.

=====''The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers''=====
{{note|The events of this manga occur concurrently with the events of Generation 1 cartoon, as described above.}}

[[Image:Ep14.jpg|left|200px|thumb|He's so dreeeaaaaamyyyy.]]

Rodimus Prime faced numerous bizarre challenges in the year 2010, one of which involved Galvatron attempting to seize spaceships with his ''own'' spaceship that ate ''other'' spaceships. Rodimus infiltrated the toothy craft in order to plant a bomb to destroy it. Unfortunately, Galvatron trapped him inside and beat him senseless. Rodimus was about to give up when the spirit of Optimus Prime spoke to him through the Matrix, urging him to fight on. Rodimus snapped out of it and escaped through a hole created by Galvatron's cannon. Before leaving, though, he dropped the bomb off in Cyclonus' hands, detonating the ship.{{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 1}}

During another adventure, Rodimus and his troops were taken under siege by a horde of Megatron clones calling themselves the [[Megatron Corps]]. The Megatron Corps made short work of Rodimus, leaving him to wonder how he could defeat a whole horde of the baddie, when Optimus Prime could barely deal with ''one''. Rodimus eventually realized that Galvatron was secretly controlling the clones and singled him out. With Galvatron defeated, the Megatron Corps ceased to function. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 2}}

Not long after that, Galvatron attacked [[Autobot City]] on Earth with the power of [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. Though Trypticon was defeated by [[Six-Gun]], of all Autobots, Rodimus did not arrive on the scene until after the battle had ended. Young blonde [[human]] girls squeeled at his hunkiness, though. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 3}}

During another battle, he was forced to team with his arch-nemesis, Galvatron, to defeat the all-powerful [[Guiltaur]]. Guiltaur was a creation built by the [[Quintesson|Quintessons]] utilizing the powers of both Optimus Prime and Megatron. Together, Rodimus and Galvatron defeated their foe (who it turned out was being controlled by the ghost of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]) and called off the truce. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 4}}

After that, Rodimus lead the Autobots to the planet [[Feminia]] to protect it's [[Prime Energy Tower]] from Galvatron and the Decepticons. The Autobots proved ineffectual against the might of [[Predaking]]...at least until the [[Omnibot (G1)|Omnibot]]s showed up to win the day. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 5}}

=====''The Great Transformer War'' comic=====
[[Image:Greattfwar_rodimus.jpg|right|thumb|265px]]
After the [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobot]]s rescued the scientist [[Dalton|Doctor Dalton]] from the clutches of the Decepticons, Rodimus met with him to discuss upgrading the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobot]]s. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 1}}

Rodimus then watched on in horror as the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcon]]s made short work of the upgraded Technobots and nearly turned them into Decepticons with [[Cohesive Control Liquid]]. [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] managed to save the Technobots and send the Decepticons into retreat, swearing vengeance. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 2}}

Early in 2011, after having given up the Matrix of Leadership and reverted back to Hot Rod, he accompanied the newly resurrected Optimus Prime in a space battle against Galvatron and the Decepticons. The Decepticons fled, and though Hot Rod wished to pursue them, Optimus ordered him the return to base, as the entire battle seemed fishy. Indeed, it was all a distraction so that Galvatron could begin his ultimate invasion of Cybertron. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 3}}
{{-}}

=====''The Headmasters'' cartoon=====

:''Voice actor:'' [[Hiroya Ishimaru]] (Japanese)

[[Image:MysteryofPlanetMaster-HotRod.jpg|left|thumb|300px|"And ''you'' better stay close to ''me!''"]]

One year after the Hate Plague affair and the resurrection of Optimus Prime, Hot Rod maintained a high-level position among the Autobots as well as a new sense of duty and responsibility. Hot Rod was stationed on [[Athenia]] when the Decepticons, bolstered with the addition of new Headmaster warriors, attacked Cybertron in an attempt to take control of [[Vector Sigma]], which had become destabilized as a result of the Matrix's energy being released. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}}

When a group of Autobot Headmasters arrived to help, Optimus Prime broke off from the battle and ventured into Cybertron's depths, hoping to find a way to stabilize Vector Sigma. This, however, would require the sacrifice of his own life if attempted without the Matrix, which was hidden somewhere on Earth, recharging. {{storylink|The Mystery of Planet Master}} Hot Rod and the Autobot Headmasters searched the Matrix out and returned to Cybertron with it, where the spirit of [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] recharged its empty shell, transforming Hot Rod back into Rodimus Prime. Optimus and Rodimus defeated the Decepticons together, but Optimus still wound up sacrificing himself to stabilize Vector Sigma, leaving Rodimus Prime in command of the Autobots once again. {{storylink|Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime}}

[[Image:DoubleConvoy1.jpg|right|225px|thumb|"Race ya to the Matrix!" "Yer on!"]]

Rodimus Prime chose to oversee Autobot operations largely from Athenia, leaving Earth as Ultra Magnus and Metroplex's jurisdiction, and maintaining a relatively minor presence on Cybertron itself. One of his actions as returning leader was to oversee the resurrection of [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], who gave his life during the recent search for the Matrix. He had [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]] employ [[Master (planet)|Master]] technology to revive the communications expert in a new body as Twincast. {{storylink|The Great Cassette Operation}} After Fortress and the Headmasters ran into trouble on the planet [[Beast (planet)|Beast]], Rodimus Prime brought the [[Trainbot]]s and [[Monsterbot]]s with him as reinforcements to foil Galvatron's plans. {{storylink|Rebellion on Planet Beast}} He also oversaw the Autobots' efforts to defeat a [[Metamorpho|gravity-warping meteorite]], and encouraged Daniel to be courageous enough to help the Autobots against the metal-sensitive menace. {{storylink|Approach of the Demon Meteorite}}

One day, Rodimus Prime accompanied Ultra Magnus to an energy research laboratory, where a new power source had supposedly been discovered. Upon arrival, however, they discovered the research team had been killed and no new power source existed. Reviewing the tape announcing the discovery, Rodimus realized the broadcasting scientist was actually under the control of [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]], and the whole trip was to get him out of the way so that Scorponok could set a trap for the Headmasters on [[Praum]]. Taking the Trainbots, Rodimus Prime arrived on Praum in time to help the Headmasters chase off Galvatron and their evil counterparts. {{storylink|The Four-Million-Year-Old Veil of Mystery}} Rodimus Prime soon supervised the Autobots during a series of terrorist threats around the globe. He allowed [[Shōki]] and the Trainbots to take first crack at the robot threatening their homeland of Japan. {{storylink|Terror! The Six Shadows}}

[[Image:Hm10 fortress appointed commander.jpg|left|thumb|300px|"Don't worry, all you have to do to be a better leader than me is to ''not get the planet blown up.''"]]

When Vector Sigma created a new kind of super-metal known as [[Cybertonuron]], Rodimus Prime realized it would be a tempting target for the Decepticons. Sure enough, Galvatron soon launched an all-out attack on Cybertron to capture Vector Sigma and the Cybertonuron. Rodimus assembled a massive counterstrike force to transport to Cybertron, but Fortress cautioned that the whole ordeal thus far might be a trap. Rodimus recognized the possibility, but stated the idea of Galvatron controlling the Cybertonuron was too dangerous to risk. Rodimus Prime traveled to Cybertron himself aboard the [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Battleship Maximus]], and engaged Galvatron in hand-to-hand combat. Tragically, Rodimus was soundly defeated by his old foe, and would have been helplessly executed by Galvatron if [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundblaster]] hadn't insisted on giving his leader an office memo Right. That. Minute. TPS reports wait for no 'bot. {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1}} As the fighting continued to escalate, [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] decided it was too dangerous to risk the Autobots keeping control of the Cybertonuron. He had Mindwipe and the Headmasters plant a series of bombs at Cybertron core, resulting in a massive planetary explosion, leaving Cybertron a burnt-out husk. Deciding that his time was over, and that newer, younger Transformers should take over, Rodimus passed leadership of the Autobots to [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]], and departed for space with Kup and [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] to search for a new planet that the Transformers could make their own. Arcee asked if she could go, too, but Rodimus instructed her to stay behind to look after Daniel and Wheelie. {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2}}
{{-}}

=====''The Headmasters'' comic=====

[[Image:RodimusHeadmasterManga08.jpg|thumb|right|250px|]]
{{note|The events of the ''Headmasters'' manga take place concurrently with the ''Headmasters'' cartoon.}}
With Optimus Prime dead yet again, Hot Rod returned to being Rodimus Prime and erected a [[Optimus Prime memorial|statue]] of his fallen commander on Cybertron. During the dedication, the Decepticons were spotted approaching the planet. Rodimus dispatched the [[Headmasters of Justice]] to deal with the threat. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 1}}

Later, the Decepticons made a second attempt to seize planet [[Beast (planet)|Beast]] while the Autobot [[Beastformer]] leader, [[White Leo]], was away. Rodimus Prime sent the Headmasters of Justice to Beast in order to drive back the invading Decepticons. {{storylink|Great Decisive Battle of Planet Beast!}}

During his journey through space in search of a replacement homeworld for the Autobots, Rodimus faced many dangers and hardships, but was supported by the wisdom of the Matrix and the energy of the Earth that now coursed within it. Learning a new admiration for the human race and the planet Earth, he returned to Earth in the wake of the defeat of Scorponok, and reunited with the Autobots. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 8|The Headmasters issue 8}}
{{-}}

=====''The Battlestars''=====
It would be many years before Rodimus resurfaced. He eventually returned at the same time as Optimus Prime was resurrected as [[Optimus Prime (G1)#The Battlestars story pages and comic|Star Convoy]], and was shown to have reverted back into Hot Rod, and been converted into a [[Micromaster]]. As a Micromaster, Hot Rod took up residence in Star Convoy's chest, boosting his Supreme Commander's power.

=====''15 Go! Go!''=====
[[Image:Hotrod-micro.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Well, at least this girl has clothes on.]]
While Star Convoy was occupied battling the reborn Megatron, Hot Rod was busy on Earth dealing with the threat posed by [[Transwarp]] wormwholes that had randomly begun appearing around the planet. During his efforts, he came upon the human computer [[Teletraan 15]], who had traveled forward in time on an information-gathering mission, and saved her from a [[Novaroid]]. Having been familiar with Hot Rod in the past, 15 was a little surprised to see him in a Micromaster form, but he brushed off her comments and accused her of being responsible for the Transwarp disturbances. The appearance of a huge wormwhole overhead, however, prompted Hot Rod to set his concerns aside, transform to vehicle mode and carry 15 away to safety. {{storylink|15 Go! Go!|Hot Rod's chapter}}

Before they got very far, Star Convoy appeared and requested Hot Rod's assistance, telling him that Megatron was fusing with [[Dark Nova]]. Hot Rod said his farewells to 15, preparing to depart with his leader, {{storylink|15 Go! Go!|Star Convoy's chapter}} but before he could leave, he was suddenly struck by an immense blast from the wormhole overhead. The shadowy form of [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] descended from the rip in the sky, and 15 leaped in front of Hot Rod to protect him, but was rewarded for her heroism by having her right arm torn off by the insane Decepticon. {{storylink|15 Go! Go!|Galvatron's chapter}} Rescued by [[Safety]] and [[Fly-Up]] of the [[Guard City]] team, the last thing Teletraan 15 saw before passing out was Galvatron throttling Hot Rod. {{storylink|15 Go! Go!|Galvatron's chapter 2}} The outcome of the battle and the fate of Hot Rod were left unknown, but he had obviously left his mark on 15, whose severed arm was replaced with a convertible buzz-saw blade, just like Hot Rod's own. {{storylink|15 Go! Go!|Galvatron's chapter 3}}
{{-}}
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Generation 1====
{{noteukonly}}
''Several hundred years ago, [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] dispatched Hot Rod and [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] to search for habitable worlds. During this mission, the pair ran afoul of the [[Tyroxian]]s—unpleasant [[alien]]s who captured Blurr and pursued Hot Rod through space. While fleeing, Hot Rod crossed paths with the Autobot war veteran, Kup, living a nomadic existence wandering through space at the time, and the youth's bravado in attacking [[Tyroxia]] single-handed re-ignited Kup's fighting spirit. After saving Hot Rod and helping him to rescue Blurr, Kup joined the pair in returning to Cybertron.'' {{storylink|Kup's Story!}}

[[Image:BrothersinArmor-Targetmasters.jpg|right|thumb|350px|I'm important! Just not right now.]]

Hot Rod was among the contingent of Transformers who ultimately accompanied Fortress Maximus in abandoning the war on Cybertron for a new world, [[Nebulos]]. The Autobots' arrival on the planet immediately stirred civil unrest, however, which led to the Decepticons being brought to the planet, and the war continuing on a smaller scale. Technological advancements developed during the conflict saw Nebulans being bio-engineered into [[Binary bonding|partnerships]] with the Transformers. Hot Rod became a Targetmaster, and was bonded to the Nebulan sharpshooter, Firebolt (aka Sparks), who transformed into his gun. Eventually, the Autobots determined to move their war away from Nebulos, and followed a signal sent by [[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]], received by Hot Rod, to the planet [[Earth]]. {{storylink|Brothers in Armor!!}}

Hot Rod and the other Autobots of Nebulos were soon incorporated into the larger Autobot force on Earth, under the command of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]]. On one occasion, Hot Rod and several Autobots accompanied Prime on what appeared to be a simple mission to stop some Decepticon [[Micromaster]]s from attacking MacDill Air Force Base. {{storylink|Back from the Dead}} In fact, the attack was part of a much larger scheme by the deposed Decepticon leader [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], luring Prime and his forces away from the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] and setting them against his rival for Decepticon leadership, the mighty [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]. Once Prime realized the greater threat at issue, he ordered his troops to immediately take the [[Ark shuttlecraft|shuttle]] back to the Ark, but Hot Rod recklessly chose to stay behind at Optimus's side to face the Decepticons. {{storylink|All the Familiar Faces!}} He was therefore on-hand when the newly resurrected [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] arrived, and began tearing through all Transformers present, in the name of Megatron. He managed to take a shot at Starscream's new [[Pretender]] shell, causing enough neural feedback to temporarily weaken the Decepticon, and give Scorponok time to strike and end the threat. {{storylink|Skin Deep}}

[[Image:YesterdaysHeroes-HotRod.jpg|left|thumb|200px|I, Hot Rod, have entered the main US cast so that I may hatch hilariously hairbrained sitcom schemes!]]

The cost was still high, though, as Optimus Prime returned to the Ark and learned that his good friend, [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], had sacrificed himself to help stop Megatron's schemes. This sent the Autobot leader into a depression, and Hot Rod took it upon himself to snap Optimus out of it. He had the crazy scheme of creating a mock threat with a [[Guardian (Marvel)|Guardian Mark V battle droid]], with predictable results. The robot proceeded to ''actually'' malfunction and endanger the Autobots, but Hot Rod's plan worked when Prime eventually snapped out of his funk and defeated the droid to save the day. Hot Rod needed to find a replacement hand after the Guardian snapped it off, but hey, all's well that ends well. {{storylink|Yesterday's Heroes!}}

[[Image:Hoverscooter.jpg|right|thumb|250px|whoopeee]]

Hot Rod continued to operate with Earth's Autobot forces aboard the Ark, and was present during [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]]'s rampage through the shuttle bay. He took some damage, but remained functional enough to continue on, and was later seen speeding into the battle with Unicron himself on a [[Sky-sled|hoverscooter]], {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} He was also one of many Autobots destroyed by the Decepticons on [[Klo]], only to be revived by the [[Last Autobot]]. {{storylink|End of the Road! (US)|End of the Road!}}

In an alternate future of 2005, Hot Rod was one of the many Autobots based in the completed Autobot City. He was close friends with the young human [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]]. Realizing that the Decepticons were invading in a stolen shuttle, Hot Rod and Daniel tried to outpace them before they reached the city. [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] fell in battle against [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], and Hot Rod stood with a handful of others as Optimus died and passed the [[Matrix of Leadership|Autobot Leadership Matrix]] to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]. {{storylink|The Planet-Eater!}}

[[Image:FinalBattle-Rodimus.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Galvatron can shoot at Rodimus until he's blue in the face, but he'll never surrender his coconut.]]

After Prime's death, Autobot City got word from [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] that a "monster planet" was devouring Cybertron's moons. En route, Hot Rod and Kup (and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]) were separated from the rest of the Autobots during a Decepticon attack and crashed on the planet [[Quintessa]]. After escaping the sadistic trial of the [[Quintesson]]s and attempted execution (as well as meeting [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]]), {{storylink| Judgment Day!}} Hot Rod went on to the planet [[Junkion (planet)|Junk]], where he was just in time to stop [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] from fighting another group of stranded Autobots with a timely use of the [[Universal greeting]]. Together, they all traveled to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to stop [[Unicron]] before he could eat more than just its moons.

Hot Rod plunged his ship through Unicron's eye and was separated from the rest of his team. Alone, he found himself facing Galvatron in a battle to the death over the Autobot Leadership Matrix. Claiming the Matrix, Hot Rod [[Renaming|evolved into]] "Rodimus Prime", an older, larger, and more powerful version of himself. After overpowering Galvatron and hurling him through Unicron's hide into the void of space, he opened the Matrix and destroyed Unicron from within. {{storylink|The Final Battle!}}

In 2006, Rodimus Prime's Autobots had taken control of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] reported suspicious activity on [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]], so Rodimus sent the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbot]]s to investigate. [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] was defeated in battle but was able to send back an SOS before going offline. Sky Lynx was dispatched to retrieve him, and Rodimus decided to investigate himself. He took [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] and [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] in [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]].

Once there, the Autobots discovered a chaotic scene where aliens from many worlds, including the Decepticons, had arrived and were all engaged in a deadly battle with one another. Rodimus was immediately attacked by a hypnotized [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], and the two battled to a standstill. The other Autobots were able to disrupt a hypnotic signal that was causing everyone to fight one another. The [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]] then added their strength against the Decepticons, causing the latter to retreat. Rodimus didn't care where the hypnosis signal had been coming from, as long as it was off for good. He never discovered that it was the work of the [[Quintesson]]s. {{storylink|The Big Broadcast of 2006 (issue)|The Big Broadcast of 2006 (US)}}

{{note|In the UK version of the story, the events of "The Big Broadcast of 2006" are a fabrication invented by [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]].}}

[[Image:GalvatrondeadrodimusUS67.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Do you expect me to talk?" "No, Mr Prime, I expect you to die!"]]
In an another alternate future timeline, Hot Rod arose to become Rodimus Prime. However, the planet-eater known as Unicron managed to destroy Cybertron, leaving Rodimus to lead a failed Autobot/human defense of Earth when [[Galvatron II|that timeline's Galvatron]] attacked and eventually conquered it. Rodimus perished during the conflict, and his body was strung up between the ruined towers of the World Trade Center. In the year 2009, Galvatron returned to Manhattan to survey its devastated landscape, and fired upon Rodimus's corpse, demanding to know how many times he would have to kill him to erase his legacy. {{storylink|Rhythms of Darkness!}}

{{-}}
=====Marvel UK future timelines=====
[[Image:Hot rod ark duty.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"Really, by assigning ''me'' to Ark duty, they're practically demanding me to go be irresponsible!"]]
''Hot Rod rose to greater prominence in the alternate future timeline of [[Earth-120185]]. In 1990, he, Kup and Blurr were captured by Megatron; although rescued by a double-agent named [[Warmonger]], Hot Rod was recaptured and bore witness first hand to Megatron's mercilessness when he executed Warmonger. Then, in 1991, he was part of a unit that escorted the captive [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], only to lose the Decepticon leader when forced to defend a human settlement against an attack by the [[Air Strike Patrol]].'' {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}} ''On another occasion in 1995, Hot Rod was present when Optimus Prime first unveiled the female Autobot, Arcee, to [[Feminist mob|a dubious crowd of human feminists]]. Hot Rod was more than a little flustered by Arcee's presence on the battlefield.'' {{storylink|Prime's Rib!}} ''In 2003, he and Blurr were given "Ark duty," assigned to stand guard over the [[Ark (G1)|Autobots' spaceship]] while construction on [[Autobot City]] began. Kup was apparently instructed to deliver the plans of the city to the American government, and when Hot Rod saw him being jumped by the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]], he disobeyed orders and sped out to the rescue. The Stunticons brutally beat on Hot Rod and took the plans, but Hot Rod learned a hard lesson when Kup informed him that it was meant to happen that way because the plans were a fake.'' {{storylink|Ark Duty}} ''When the city was completed in 2004, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] attacked it on its opening day, and Hot Rod repelled him by attacking in a wildly illogical manner, tackling him down a mountain repeatedly.'' {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}} ''Also, at some unknown point in the past, Hot Rod's Targetmaster partner Firebolt was killed in action.'' {{storylink|Headhunt}}

[[Image:FallenAngel-Unicron.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Since this is a comic book, Rodimus has to hum "[[The Touch]]" to himself.]]

''In the year 2006, when the new Decepticon leader [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] travelled back in time to 1986 as part of a plan to free himself from the control of Unicron, the chaos-bringer used his mental powers to plant knowledge of Galvatron's plan into the minds of Hot Rod, Kup and Blurr and transported them to Cybertron, where they used Galvatron's equipment to follow him into the past. There, with help from the present-day incarnation of Ultra Magnus, they were able to convince Galvatron that he had, in fact, traveled back in time to a parallel universe, where his actions would have no effect on the future. Believing this, Galvatron returned to his own time, and after setting any remaining wrongs to rights, the trio of Autobots also returned to 2006.'' {{storylink|Target: 2006}} ''Back in his native timeline, Hot Rod was subsequently involved in a battle with Galvatron inside Unicron's body, during which he opened the sacred Autobot talisman, the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]], and was transformed into Rodimus Prime. With this new strength, he hurled Galvatron through Unicron's hide and opened the Matrix, destroying the planet-eater.'' {{storylink|The Final Battle!}}

''It's believed that [[Primus]] ''deliberately'' caused Hot Rod's Prime form to resemble him. What an ego!'' {{storylink|Salvage!|#160's Grim Grams}}

[[Image:Rodimusprimerequestdenied.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Rodimus learned the wrong lesson from Optimus's death.]]

''As the new Autobot leader, Rodimus became paranoid about Galvatron's eventual return, since no body was ever recovered from space. He led the Autobot forces high and low searching the universe for the Decepticon leader, neglecting Cybertron in the process. As a result, Shockwave arose as the new Decepticon leader, and total war broke out on Cybertron once again. Unable to take the time to find Galvatron himself anymore, Rodimus rashly placed a bounty on the Decepticon's head. What Rodimus did not realize, however, was that Galvatron had time-jumped again, traveling back to 1987.'' {{storylink|Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive!}} ''In 2007, when the freelance peace-keeping agent [[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]] pursued Galvatron back to the '80s, Rodimus was informed of this fact by an Autobot double-agent named [[Nautilus]], and, dismayed at the danger he had unleashed on the past, promptly headed back in time himself to stop the dual threats.'' {{storylink|Burning Sky!}} ''Once again teaming up with the present-day Ultra Magnus, Rodimus and his team of Kup, Blurr and [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] tracked Galvatron down to [[Mount Verona]], where he was attempting to harness the volcano's molten energy. While arguing with Death's Head, Rodimus and the bounty hunter were both attacked, but when Ultra Magnus opened fire on his [[power siphon]], Galvatron was distracted long enough for Rodimus to escape.'' {{storylink|Hunters}} ''Rodimus then arranged a plan that saw the Autobots capture Galvatron's time-jump mechanism, in order to have Wreck-Gar re-engineer it to return all the time-travelers to their point of origin. Rodimus engaged Galvatron in a protracted battle to buy Wreck-Gar time, but when the device was activated, Rodimus, Death's Head and the other Autobots were returned to 2007. Galvatron was left behind.'' {{storylink|Fire on High!}}

[[Image:Headhunt-Rodimus.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Rodimus discovers a depressing third option to "fight and die" or "live with the knowledge that I ran."]]

''Some time later, a disgruntled Death's Head accepted a contract from the Decepticons on Rodimus Prime's head, and ambushed him while he was inspecting Autobot lines. Their battle subsequently went underground, where [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] intervened, downing Death's Head in hopes of being the ones to defeat Rodimus, in order to reclaim their lost standing in the Decepticons' ranks. Rodimus was able to lead Death's Head through the underground tunnels, right into the heart of the Autobot camp, where he offered him advance payment for a different contract—on Cyclonus and Scourge.'' {{storylink|Headhunt}} ''Death's Head proceeded to track the two Decepticons for the remainder of the year, until the three of them fell under the mental control of Unicron when they discovered his disembodied head on the planet of [[Junkion (planet)|Junk]] in the early days of 2008. Under his control, they assassinated Decepticon leader Shockwave and reignited the stalemated Cybertronian civil war in order to keep the Autobots busy while Unicron worked on rebuilding his body. Rodimus, however, learned of the situation thanks to [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]], and led a small Autobot force to Junk, where Death's Head fought against Unicron's control long enough to project Rodimus's mind into a battle with the demi-god on the astral plane. During the battle, explosives planted by Wreck-Gar destroyed Unicron's head, and his mind was sealed within the Matrix.'' {{storylink|The Legacy of Unicron!}}

[[Image:Arceehotrodspacepirates.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Hasbro slips Rodimus a few [[Shanix]] under the table to "lose" the Matrix ever so often. They's got Hot Rod toys to sell.]]

''Later in 2008, the alien Quintessons targeted Cybertron for colonization, and attacked the Autobots with a two-pronged assault on both Cybertron and Earth. When [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] shirked her guard duty at Autobot City, the Quintessons were given an opening that allowed them to take over the city, and when she returned, they gunned her down as bait for a trap for Rodimus Prime. Arriving at the city, Rodimus discovered the injured Arcee and opened his chest compartment to heal her with the Matrix, only to have it yanked from his grasp by the Quintesson general, [[General Ghyrik|Ghyrik]], causing him to revert to Hot Rod. Liberating [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]'s cassettes for back-up, Hot Rod and Arcee proceeded to fight their way through the Quintessons to Autobot City's control room, where Hot Rod activated [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] to smash the alien threat. In battle with Ghyrik, Hot Rod duped the Quintessons with a bit of amateur ventriloquism and reclaimed the Matrix; transformed back into Rodimus Prime again, he routed the Quintessons.'' {{storylink|Space Pirates!}}

[[Image:TimeWars-OptimusPrimeentersthefray.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Rodimus traveled 20 years into the past just to be upstaged by That Guy again.]]

''Unbeknownst to Rodimus, the Quintessons had sought to colonize Cybertron because their own homeworld was being destroyed by a rift in space and time caused by the Transformers' repeated time-travel. The rift continued to grow in size until it threatened both Earth and Cybertron at the beginning of both 2009 and 1989. To put an end to the threat, Rodimus and a squad of Autobots traveled back to 1989, only to wind up mass-displacing Optimus Prime (since the Matrix could not exist in two time periods at once) and a group of other Autobots to [[limbo]], leading to a brief but violent misunderstanding with the present-day Autobots. Optimus Prime was able to stabilize the situation by communicating with all involved through the power of the Matrix. Subsequently, Autobots and Decepticons from both the present and future teamed up to battle Galvatron and [[Straxus (G1)|Megatron]], but one by one they fell, until Optimus Prime used the Matrix to return himself to reality for a final showdown. After absorbing Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge, however, the rift was sealed by Shockwave, and Rodimus and the other future Autobots returned to 2009, vowing to destroy their time machines to prevent this from ever happening again.'' {{storylink|Time Wars}}

''As it transpired, however, things would not be that easy. In the wake of the massive chronal damage caused by the rift, time had attempted to heal its wounds, but reality was no longer as it had been. The future that Rodimus and the other Autobots came from no longer existed—in its place was a world where Galvatron had never traveled back in time, and had conquered Cybertron after Unicron's destruction. Rodimus quickly established a rebellion, but when Galvatron tracked down their headquarters, he killed Blurr and all others present, goading Rodimus into a ferocious battle in hopes of corrupting the Matrix within him. Rodimus realized what he was doing, however, and ended the fight before more damage could be done.'' {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}}

[[Image:EdgeofImpact-EvilRodimus.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Tonight the part of Rodimus Prime will be played by the Green Goblin.]]

''Rodimus and the Autobots escaped to Earth via hyperspace, only to find that their craft's guidance systems had been damaged. During the flight, Rodimus Prime vanished'' {{storylink|The Void! (UK)|The Void!}}, ''and Kup discovered that he was the saboteur,'' {{storylink|Edge of Impact}} ''deducing that he had been corrupted by an evil force from within the Matrix.'' {{storylink|Shadow of Evil}} ''Inside the Matrix, Rodimus battled with the essence of Unicron, trapped there since the events of 2008, until Kup wrenched the Matrix from his chest, freeing him from the chaos-bringer's influence. But now, Rodimus knew that the evil of Unicron would be waiting for him within it...'' {{storylink|White Fire}} ''...and in 2010, Unicron's essence succeeded in taking over Rodimus's body, transforming it into a duplicate of his own and attacking Cybertron once more, until Rodimus was able to defeat him from within and re-seal him within the Matrix.'' {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}}

''Centuries later, in the year 2356, Rodimus, his body withered and weakened from the continuous harmful influence of Unicron from within the Matrix, lectured a young Autobot [[student]] on the nature of evil, unwittingly setting the youth on the path towards villainy himself.'' {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}}

''In an unidentified timeline in the year 2510, a healthy Rodimus Prime was overjoyed to announce that the Cybertronian war was finally over, and planned to step down as leader to allow [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] to take over. The sole remaining Decepticon, a double-agent named [[Triton]], spoke out against the decision to cause dissension, and succeeded—as Rodimus could only watch in dismay, arguments escalated into conflict, and the war was born again as [[Technobot (G1)|Technobot]] fought [[Wrecker]], and the Autobot Civil War began.'' {{storylink|Peace}}

{{-}}

====Generation 2====
[[Image:HotrodG2Marvelcomic.jpg|100px|thumb|left|Try purple! It's the new maroon!]]
After the defeat of the Decepticons on [[Klo]], the Autobots' forces scattered throughout the galaxy as virtually independent splinter cells. A small group under Optimus Prime's command encountered Bludgeon and his soldiers on a desolate world, both sides looking for new weapons or technology, and were in danger of being overrun. Prime sent Hot Rod into a nearby mausoleum building in the hopes that he could conjure up some form of "graven image" to distract the superstitious Decepticon leader. Hot Rod emerged empty-handed from the ruins, only to find that just [[Guardian (G2)|such a graven image]] had conjured ''itself'', chased off the trespassing Decepticons, and was now prepared to do the same to the Autobots. They managed a dignified, if rushed, scramble to safety. {{storylink|All or Nothing!|Ghosts}}

[[Image:G2kupwonderspowerandglory.jpg|right|thumb|300px|No?]]

When Grimlock sent out a message summoning Optimus Prime, Hot Rod and Kup accompanied him. Hot Rod was quick to remark the sorry state of the planet they were on, and pondered exactly why they were here. As Prime continued his lengthy internal monolog, they were ambushed by a second-generation Cybertronian patrol. Hot Rod pretended to flee, but quickly came back as he and Prime caught the squad in a crossfire, annihilating the lot of them. Grimlock made his presence known afterwards and took them to his ship, where Hot Rod casually fiddled with a panel while Grimlock exposited. [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] attacked soon after, crippling the Autobots's ship and capturing them. They later managed to escape Jhiaxus's flagship. {{storylink|War Without End!}} When Grimlock and a team of Autobots were captured once again by the Liege Centuro, Hot Rod was part of Optimus's rescue team. {{storylink|Devices and Desires! (Marvel)|Devices and Desires!}} While Optimus Prime went on a vision quest back on Cybertron, some Autobots set up camp on a deserted asteroid, where Kup set up some war games for training. Hot Rod managed to lure the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] and [[Groove (G1)|Groove]] into a false sense of confidence and into a trap consisting of Dinobots. When the exercise was over, Hot Rod expressed frustration at the fact that they were stuck playing games while Jhiaxus and his Cybertronians were still out there.{{storylink|The Power and the Glory}} Megatron's resurfacing on Earth made Optimus Prime decide to confront him alone. Fortunately, Grimlock had different ideas and mounted up a rescue, which Hot Rod participated in. He tried to engage [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] in vehicle mode, but the small Decepticon used his piledrivers to send Hot Rod tumbling away. Hot Rod crashed just behind Megatron, prompting the Decepticon leader to order a full retreat. {{storylink|The Gathering Darkness}}

[[Image:Arageinheaven-electro.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Hot Rod is the honorary fifth [[Laser Rod]] member.]]

Hot Rod was amongst the Autobots deployed to the planet [[Ethos]] where they fought hard to counter a Cybertronian offensive, but quickly found themselves overwhelmed and had to be saved by their newfound Decepticon allies. {{storylink|Escalation!}} After Starscream sold out the location of the Autobots' [[Autobase]] on Earth, Jhiaxus organized a full-scale assault. Hot Rod was part of the counter-offensive, and as the Cybertronians were being eradicated by the Autobot-Decepticon alliance, he was quick to report Prime his new finding: Jhiaxus had a ''second wave'' waiting in the wings. {{storylink|Total War!}} When the Cybertronian threat was overshadowed by the oncoming [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]], Hot Rod and [[Electro]] went scouting out for its position. Thanks to Murphy's law, he had the misfortune of reporting its arrival just as Grimlock pondered just how things could get worse. Unlike many of his fellow Autobots, Hot Rod was saved from being devoured by the Swarm thanks to Megatron's timely arrival, carrying cannisters of [[Rheanimum]]. Soon afterwards, Hot Rod and company witnessed Optimus Prime's return to life in a shiny new body, and cheered at his speech for unity and a higher purpose than war. {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}
{{-}}

====''Classics''====
{{note|The Classics comic takes place after the end of the original Marvel Comic, but in a [[splinter timeline]] that does not include the events of the Marvel UK-exclusive stories or Generation 2.}}

[[Image:CrossingOver5-RodimusMirage.jpg|right|thumb|250px|We got to buy... more time!]]

Once peace was restored on [[Klo]], Hot Rod followed Optimus Prime back to Cybertron, where the young Autobot fell back into the racing scene. After countless years of fighting for his life, this quickly bored Hot Rod, who went to Optimus to ask advice. Hot Rod was put in charge of the rehabilitation of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and the integration of the millions of Transformers who had fled the planet during the war. To keep the returning Transformers entertained, Hot Rod devised the [[Cybertron Grand Challenge]], a cross-factional racing event of an epic scale. Following his cultural triumph, Hot Rod changed his name to Rodimus, both to reflect his growing maturity and in homage to Optimus Prime, the leader he still adored. Rodimus became one of Optimus Prime's closest officers, and when [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] reared his head again on [[Earth]], Rodimus was one of the first recruited to accompany Optimus to hunt him down. {{storylink|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 15|''Classics'' Rodimus profile}}

After the Autobots discovered the mysterious Autobot, [[Skyfall (Cybertron)|Skyfall]], they flew to [[South America]] to investigate a mysterious power source. Rodimus led them there with a tracking device, muttering that he wished [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] were around to help him use it. Clearly they arrived at the correct location, however, because the Decepticons were there looking for it as well! {{storylink|Crossing Over: Part 3}} As the battle raged, [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] and Rodimus cornered Soundwave, but the two worried that they were being overwhelmed by numbers. {{storylink|Crossing Over: Part 5}} Rodimus tried contacting [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], but the Autobot scout wasn't responding, and so Rodimus grew even more frustrated when Mirage went invisible and left him. Mirage's gambit helped win the battle, and the Decepticons withdrew. {{storylink|Crossing Over: Part 6}}

Rodimus was damaged severely, and so after the battle in South America, Optimus Prime carried him all the way home. Bumblebee was asked to put him in a [[CR chamber]]. {{storylink|Games of Deception}}
{{-}}

===S.T.A.R.S. pack-in flyers===
[[Image:PackIn RodimusPrimeRemembers Front.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Just like he remembers Woodstock.]]

Unicron just might consume the universe, and the Autobots need to determine who the Chosen One is so that he may rise from their ranks, unlock the Matrix of Power, and save all from Unicron! Unfortunately, not even the Chosen One himself knows his identity, and his discovery may come too late.
{{storylink|The Autobots Have a Special Mission for:}}

There was a legendary conflict between the Autobots and Decepticons when Optimus Prime led Rodimus Prime and a large team of Autobots in a search for the future site of [[Autobot City]]. They were ambushed by Megatron and [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]], and this became known as the Transformers' greatest battle on Earth. Rodimus Prime dubbed it "[[Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction]]." {{storylink|Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.|Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.}} Some of the Autobots were forced to retreat due to Thundercracker's "force shield," and Optimus Prime told Rodimus and the others that their only hope was to call in for additional troops. {{storylink|Transformers Combat Data}}

Later, Rodimus Prime remembered the Transformers' greatest battle on Earth. {{storylink|Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.|Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.}}
{{-}}

===Big Looker Storybook continuity===
[[Image:CarShowBlowup-AutobotCity.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Hot Rod clearly does not pass emissions standards.]]

Kup and Hot Rod traveled to the coliseum to check out a robot car the [[human]]s had built that could respond to voice commands. They heard about it on their car radios! But when they arrived at the coliseum, Kup spotted Decepticons flying about. As some entered the back door, Kup shooed Hot Rod away, telling him to warn the others. If Hot Rod stayed, he would just get into trouble!

[[Image:Wildboyofquintessonbattle.jpg|right|200px|thumb|This is the genocide referred to [[:Image:EdgeofImpact-EvilRodimus.jpg|above]].]]

When Hot Rod returned with the Autobots, Kup had been captured and held prisoner, so the others entered the coliseum in vehicle mode. Meanwhile, Hot Rod snuck up behind Kup and freed him. Yelling "Geronimo!" they jumped from the control room onto the coliseum floor, taking the Decepticons by surprise. Galvatron and the others escaped, but Kup and Hot Rod agreed that they'd be ready for him when he returned. {{storylink|Car Show Blow Up}}

Later, Kup led Hot Rod, [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] on a special mission to take supplies from Earth to a space station on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s second moon. Despite Kup's warnings, the Dinobots loaded too many supplies onto the ship, and in the middle of their journey, the ship began to have problems. Hot Rod reassured Arcee that everything would be okay, but the ship was going down! It crashed on a planet which Kup recognized. It was the planet [[Quintessa|Quintesson]]! They were interrupted by a tribal scream and a flurry of firestones. However, the boy who made his presence known was not aiming at them, but at the Quintessons behind them. The boy's name was [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]], and he had been abandoned on the planet when his ship crashed their earlier.

Wheelie led them through the jungle, battling Quintessons along the way, until they reached Wheelie's crashed ship. Hot Rod was able to fix it, and everyone left the planet Quintesson, Wheelie included! {{storylink|The Story of Wheelie, the Wild Boy of Quintesson}}
{{--}}

===Ladybird Books continuity===
[[Image:DecepticonsatthePole-HotRodSparks.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Say I'm badly drawn to my face, pal!]]
Hot Rod was one of several troops stationed on Earth when [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] was in charge and the Transformers' war was still a secret one. He got along well with [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], the two spending their downtime looking at car magazines together, and was quite pleased to receive some snazzy gold wheel-trims from the boy. {{storylink|Decepticon Hideout|Decepticon Hideout}}

In the time following this campaign, Hot Rod would mature into a more sensible warrior and even a team leader. During the early stages of the war on [[Nebulos]], Hot Rod was Autobot commander against [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus']] Decepticons before the return of Optimus Prime. At one point, he prevented the Decepticons causing Nebulos' destruction via cosmic radiation. {{storylink|Decepticons at the Pole|Decepticons at the Pole}}

===Sticker Adventures===
Out searching for a missing shuttle, Hot Rod and Kup spied it crashed on the Junk planet. They landed to find their friends engaged in battle with the natives, but Kup cautioned Hot Rod not to rashly jump in and join them. Kup's use of the Universal Autobot Greeting resulted in the Junkions abandoning the fight and making friends with the newcomers, and causing Hot Rod to exclaim "Holy cow!" The Junkions helped repair the damaged shuttle before the Autobots left. {{storylink|Battle on the Junk Planet}}
{{-}}
===Young Corgi Adventure books===

[[Image:Wolf at the door desert of danger.jpg|thumb|right|200px|When you're weary, feelin' small...]]
Hot Rod had himself delivered by freight to the planet of Nebulos, where he and his Targetmaster partner Professor Sparks suspected the Decepticons were attempting reinforce their position in spite of a treaty in place to limit their numbers. With [[You|your]] help they traced the Decepticons to the [[Wolf at the Door]] nightclub, an [[oil]] bar for Nebulan miners run by [[Monzo]], and discovered that [[Weirdwolf]], [[Skullcruncher]] and [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]] were importing [[Attack Squad robot]]s from Cybertron and awakening them from cryogenic suspension with a catalytic stimulant disguised as [[Sirian brandy]].

After a confrontation with the Decepticons that left Skullcruncher and Mindwipe out of action, Hot Rod faced off against Weirdwolf and Monzo. Weirdwolf was defiant, but Monzo wasn't feeling lucky and surrendered to the Autobot. Though the Headmasters had to be released under the terms of the treaty, the Attack Squad robots were destroyed. {{storylink|Desert of Danger}}

{{note|"Desert of Danger" is a [[multipath adventure]] and the above only applies to the optimum path through the book. If you make the wrong decision, the Decepticons may well triumph instead.}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers PD Type'' comic===
[[Image:Pdtype_rodimus_manga.jpg|left|250px|thumb|]]

Clutching a [[Blackball]], Rodimus Prime found himself being attacked by Galvatron. As the Decepticon leader attempted to throttle him, a light shone from Rodimus's chest, making Galvatron think it was the power of the Blackball. After Galvatron had fled, Rodimus revealed it was just a torch, and reflected on what an idiot his foe was. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##11 "Take a Stand! Rodimus Prime!"|Take a Stand! Rodimus Prime!}}

As Fortress Maximus and Mega Zarak clashed violently, Rodimus reminded Optimus that he had said never to let those two fight. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##14 "Watch Out! Mega Zarak!"|Watch Out! Mega Zarak!}}

Ultra Magnus and Rodimus Prime enjoyed many victories against the Decepticons, but [[Greatshot|who was that in the background?]] {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##15 "No One Knows When he's Come or Gone. Greatshot..."|No One Knows When he's Come or Gone. Greatshot...}}

Together with Ultra Magnus, Rodimus engaged in battle against [[Sixshot]], but was terrified when the Decepticon ninja unleashed the fury of his "Six Shadow Selves"! Luckily for Rodimus, Sixshot's doppelgangers were actually other Decepticons whom he'd painted black (and weren't very happy about it).{{storylink|Transformers PD Type##18|The Ninja of Space, Sixshot!!}}

In a later altercation with Sixshot, Rodimus attempted to use his Photon Eliminator gun to strike down the fleeing ninja. Though he managed to shoot ''every other'' Decepticon on the battlefield, he failed to hit his intended target. Rodimus sat pouting in the corner as the other Autobots convened to register their disappointment that Rodimus let Sixshot get away.{{storylink|Transformers PD Type##21|Photon Eliminator}}

Joining [[Ginrai|God Ginrai]] and Ultra Magnus in an assault on Mega Zarak, Rodimus was terrified when the mammoth Decepticon unleashed his titanic Anti-Gravity Rifle. Fortunately for the Autobots, the gun jammed and Mega Zarak was left fiddling with it while they opened fire. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##24|Anti-Gravity Rifle}}

{{-}}

===''Transformers in 3-D''===
[[Image:WarAgainstDestructions-HotRodApeface.jpg|right|thumb|300px|GRONK yourself!]]
As Ultra Magnus left for a mission to find an Energon source, Hot Rod assured him that everything would be fine on Cybertron, and if there was any hint of trouble "Rodimus" would pop up and save the day. When Magnus later checked in, Hot Rod reported that they'd made some process on Headmaster technology. Though Magnus was more concerned about the threat of war, Hot Rod told him not to worry, unaware that [[Sixshot]] was planning to throw him a surprise. {{storylink|The Test (issue)|The Test}}

Hot Rod was pleased to have [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] back. Then [[Monitorus]] arrived with the news that [[Tau-Ursa]] had been attacked and leveled by Decepticons, and Hot Rod got to point out that the Tau-Ursans had refused the Autobots permission to build a defense base there. He shortly took part in an attempt to repel a Decepticon attack on Cybertron, finding himself fighting against Sixshot, who seemed more interested in goading him than fighting. This turned out to be a diversion, while [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] used his new [[Nullification Cannon]] on the planet's Energon supplies.

Hot Rod and Blurr next visited Tau-Ursa to check for Decepticons, and encountered [[Apeface|Ape Face]], who had found a [[Logicon]] warning beacon. The two Autobots wrestled it from him and returned to Cybertron, where the beacon was found to hold the coordinates to [[Metascan Alpha]], a major Energon storehouse. Prime placed Hot Rod in charge of one of two teams to search for the planet, though the operation was hampered slightly by the discovery of the two Decepticon [[Clone (subgroup)|Clone]]s spying on them. {{storylink|The War Against the Destructons, Chapter 1 of 3}}

{{Note|At this point [[Blackthorne Publishing]] went bankrupt and the storyline was never completed}}
{{-}}

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
[[Image:Hotroddreamwave.jpg|left|thumb|]]Hot Rod joined an underground Autobot cell led by [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] after [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave's]] takeover of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Among the members of the cell was [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], who Hot Rod became attached to. From the [[Wastelands]], Hot Rod, [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]], and [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] observed an incoming Decepticon shuttle carrying the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. {{storylink|Cold War|Cold War}} Shortly afterward, the cell rescued [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] from [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] and [[Runabout]], and took him to their base. After awakening, Prime attacked [[Gnaw]], Blurr, and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]], forcing Hot Rod (who didn't recognize him) to hold the Autobot leader at gunpoint. After being <strike>bitch slapped</strike> admonished by Kup, Hot Rod apologized. {{storylink|Passive Aggression}}

After Shockwave unleashed the [[Guardian robot]]s on [[Iacon (city-state)|Iacon]], Prime organized the resistance cell and other Autobot forces on the planet in an assault on Shockwave's citadel. Fighting alongside the Autobot leader, Hot Rod was amazed that the stories Kup had told him about Prime's courage and heroism had all been true. As an injured Prime breached the citadel, Hot Rod, Ironhide and [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] provided cover fire, taking down a number of Guardians in the process. Along with the rest of Iacon, they witnessed the divine light of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Autobot Matrix of Leadership]] when Shockwave activated it. {{storylink|Countdown to Extinction (issue)|Countdown to Extinction}}

As Prime and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] battled Shockwave within the citadel, Hot Rod and [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] took down [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] and [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]. Immediately afterward, they were confronted with the looming threat of a remaining Guardian robot—a threat that was soon neutralized by the arrival of the [[Wrecker|Wreckers]], the [[Autobot High Council]], and [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]]. The unified Autobot group soon breached the citadel. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}}

Some time later, Hot Rod ran a simulation combat scenario against Kup, and won using tactics that, in Kup's opinion, would have killed them both had it been real. Only after his victory did Hot Rod remember that he'd promised to take Arcee to see an [[Earth]]-bound shuttle launch—a duty Springer was happy to relieve him of. {{storylink|Lost and Found (issue)|Lost and Found}} Soon afterward, he was assigned to perimeter guard duty at [[Autobase]] with Gnaw and Wheelie, separating him from Arcee. {{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}
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===''Universe: Featuring the Wreckers''===
[[Image:Skidswreckers2.jpg|right|250px|thumb|It's funny because Rodimus sucked at everything.]]

A few months after the destruction of [[Unicron]] in 2005, Rodimus Prime spearheaded an effort to establish multiple recon posts to watch for advancing threats... even though some of his scientists said he shouldn't. When only two of the five launched ships were ever heard from again, Rodimus felt like a schmuck. Guy can't catch a break. {{storylink|Betrayal}}

After the Great Wars ended and the [[Pax Cybertronia]] was signed, he changed his name to simply "Rodimus" and decided to check out the new "[[Great Upgrade|Maximal Upgrade]]". His relationship with [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] effectively ended shortly after, as the latter went through dark gripping emo depression over the death of [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] and vanished.

Rodimus joined the [[Wrecker|Wreckers]] at some undetermined point afterward. After [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] took over Cybertron with his [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon drones]], Wrecker leader [[Apelinq]] got stranded on prehistoric [[Earth]], leaving Rodimus in charge. True to form, he ditched leadership duties to [[Primal Prime]] as soon as possible.

After Primal Prime got his marching orders from the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]], he met Rodimus deep inside Cybertron's caverns, where an even more gothy-emo Arcee—in a new Maximal body—lurked and stewed in her depression. Realizing he couldn't convince her to give a damn about anything, he left, rejoining the main Wrecker force in battle. Making it onto an ancient Autobot shuttle, the Wreckers blasted off... with late-arrival Arcee. {{storylink|Departure}}

[[Image:Arceedisclosure.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Except you're the size of my arm now.]]

Rodimus recognized the homing beacon emitting from [[Akalo|Archa Nine]] as one of those missing exploration parties mentioned before. When the shuttle landed, Rodimus stayed behind to help repair the damage the ship had suffered. The entire Wrecker team later gathered in an [[Akalouthan]] village, where Rodimus was reunited with [[Glyph (G1)|Glyph]], who took them to see the artifact known as the [[Divine Light]]. The Wreckers' analysis of the item was cut short, as it was stolen by the traitor [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]]. Rodimus saw the back-in-his-old-body [[Devcon (G1)|Devcon]] off, who was sent to chase after Cyclonus, while the Wreckers made for their next destination... even though several of them were now leery of the visions Primal Prime had been getting. Because they'd really done ''so well'' by the Wreckers so far. {{storylink|Betrayal}}

Upon landing on the frozen planet, Rodimus was part of the search party immediately dispatched to look for... something. Primal Prime wasn't too specific. They came across [[Al-Badur]], an exiled [[Quintesson]], who gave them a little history lesson. They were then promptly attacked by a school of [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]], but the Wreckers made short work of them. They made their way back to the ship, with Al-Badur in tow, and made for their next destination... {{storylink|Disclosure}}

[[Image:Sentinelcryotekwreckersfinale.jpg|right|thumb|300px|If Optimus can die, so can I!]]

...Cybertron. As Primal Prime took some Wreckers after their true foe, [[Cryotek (RID)|Cryotek]], Rodimus tried to get their injured to a safe place. Unfortunately, the planet was under a full scale Quintesson invasion, and some anti-aircraft fire inevitably clipped the ship and sent them plummeting downwards. After they made it to safe ground, Rodimus and the crew hooked up with his fellow [[Matrix Templar]], [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], and followed his insight to the battle. They confronted Cryotek's underling, Cyclonus, and his purloined squad of [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticon]]s. With casualties mounting on both sides, Cyclonus beat a safe retreat, collapsing the tunnel behind him to prevent pursuit. Rodimus was quick enough to dive through the falling debris, however, leaving the two old enemies alone to do battle. Centuries of bad blood carried them through the conflict, until both drew their weapons at point blank range, and fired.

Horribly damaged by this last attack, Rodimus struggled to keep up with the other Wreckers and the running conflict between [[Sentinel Maximus]] and Cryotek. The fighting came to an end at a Quintesson banishing chamber, where the treacherous Al-Badur had attempted to toss Sentinel and Cryotek into a formless void. The two warriors were trapped behind an energy dome, barely able to fight off the portal's pull using their flight systems. Once [[Fractyl]] pointed out that Cryotek was empowered by the Divine Light, a fraction of Primus's own power, Rodimus realized that as Matrix Templars he and Cheetor could drain that power away from the Predacon. They managed to extract most of it before Cryotek cut off their siphoning effect. In the end, Sentinel Maximus sacrificed himself to pull Cryotek into the void with him. Rodimus finally expired from his wounds from fighting Cyclonus, quietly passing on into the Matrix. {{storylink|Wreckers: Finale Part II}}
{{-}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
[[Image:GIJoeTFHotRod70s.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"That bumperchest really doesn't feel right. How do Prowl and Jazz live with it?"]]
Hot Rod was one of [[Teletran 3]]'s unfortunate victims when the computer malfunctioned and transported a random number of Transformers to random points in Earth's timeline. Along with [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], Hot Rod ended up in mid-1970's [[San Francisco]], where he was locked into the form of a Ford Mustang muscle car. The dormant Autobot was soon stolen by a car thief, but was chased down by a group of [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joes]] and [[Cobra]] members sent to retrieve the Transformers. Discovering [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] in the process, the humans equipped both vehicles with [[disruption unit]] that awakened the Transformers and sent them back to present-day Cybertron seconds after Hot Rod commented about feeling "really weird." {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 1|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1}} Back on Cybertron, they were stuck waiting inside the force field Ultra Magnus had erected to prevent [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] from capturing Teletran 3. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 2|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #2}}

Some time after his time travel adventure, Hot Rod reported to Optimus Prime that [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]'s team on Earth had been sidetracked by a Cobra attack. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 2|The Art of War #2}} When said team ended up disappearing in Cybertron's [[Gladiator Zone]], Hot Rod convinced Optimus to stay behind and take care of an Autobot peace ceremony instead of going out and searching for them. Hot Rod then assembled his own search party, but they failed to find the missing Autobots. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 3|The Art of War #3}} Unfortunately, [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]]'s forces attacked the peace ceremony and captured Optimus Prime, leading to Hot Rod assembling a new team intent on rescuing him. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 4|The Art of War #4}} They fought Serpent O.R.'s Decepticon army together with reinforcements from G.I. Joe, and during the battle, Hot Rod paused in horror as he saw the light of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] being opened inside the Decepticon base. The Decepticon army eventually defeated, and by the time Hot Rod reached inside their base, Serpent O.R. had been killed as well. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 5|The Art of War #6}}

A few months later, Hot Rod questioned Optimus Prime's choice to go to Earth again, accusing his leader of feeling guilty about [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]'s death at Serpent O.R.'s hands and doing everything by himself just to prevent more people from dying. Prime just looked at him sadly before leaving, causing Ultra Magnus to tell Hot Rod that he really needed to learn when to stop talking. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2|Black Horizon, Part 1}}

{{-}}

===IDW comics continuity===
{{ongoing}}
[[Image:SpotlightHotRod rush.jpg|right|180px|thumb|WHEEEEEEE! AWESOME! TUBULAR! COWABUNGA! REAGANOMICS!]]
Years ago, Hot Rod was put in charge of a mission to the planet Ki-Aleta to obtain a powerful artifact named the [[Magnificence]] so as to keep it out of the hands of the Decepticons. The mission started off smoothly enough, with [[Gizmo]] using a [[holomatter]] generator to distract the defense systems while the rest of the team went after the Magnificence. Unfortunately, after that everything that could go wrong did go wrong. First, the generator malfunctioned, then [[Download]] tripped the security lasers around the Magnificence itself. Gizmo, Download, and [[Backbeat]] were destroyed by the security systems while Hot Rod and [[Doubledealer|Dealer]] fled. Hot Rod, nearing the exit tunnels they had previously drilled, got a call from Dealer—he had been ambushed by a Decepticon attack squad and needed help. Unfortunately, Hot Rod had been given his own, top secret orders: the Magnificence was to be the top priority of the mission, and placed before all else. With a heavy heart, Hot Rod abandoned Dealer to his fate as he left Ki-Aleta with the Magnificence.

Years later, Hot Rod learned that Dealer had not died that day; he was being held prisoner at the Decepticon penal colony known as [[Styx]]. Hot Rod stealthily infiltrated the prison complex, using a holomatter generator to disguise himself as a guard and then short-circuiting the power grid to cause all the cell doors to unlock. During the chaos he snuck in, extracted Dealer, and took off while the Decepticons were busy getting the prisoners under control. {{storylink|Spotlight: Hot Rod}}

[[Image:Escalation6 HotRod Koska.jpg|left|170px|thumb|Mine!]]
Recently, Hot Rod was called to [[Earth]] to aid the crew of the ''[[Ark-19]]'' in procuring a Decepticon [[facsimile construct]] from [[Brasnya]], a former Soviet state in eastern Europe. {{storylink|Escalation issue 3|Escalation #3}} He and [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] went down to Earth from the ''[[Ark-32]]'' against [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]]'s wishes, and proceeded to join the battle unannounced. As Hardhead went to support the main battle, Hot Rod went after the facsimile... which led to him colliding with [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] as they both tried to stop the [[Georgi Koska]] facsimile from letting himself get gunned down by Soviet soldiers. {{storylink|Escalation issue 4|Escalation #4}} Prowl and Hot Rod managed to defuse the situation and secure the facsimile in the end {{storylink|Escalation issue 5|Escalation #5}}, but before he could return to his ship he was attacked by [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] and [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]], unable to defend himself because he had to keep the facsimile alive. After returning to the ''Ark-32'', he had to be put in a [[CR chamber]] to recover. His injuries were for nothing, as the facsimile melted during the bounce. {{storylink|Escalation issue 6|Escalation #6}}

[[Image:Devastation6 HotRod Hardhead.jpg|right|170px|thumb|Hardhead, I'm with Arcee now. Let it go.]]
After Hot Rod was repaired and reformatted into a Dodge Viper, his "friend" Dealer tried to convince him to pull some strings to get him to Earth, but Hot Rod and [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] had the more important task of rescuing [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1|Devastation #1}} They ran into a bit of trouble with the [[Machination]]'s [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]]. {{storylink|Devastation issue 2|Devastation #2}} They managed to escape temporarily, but were found and Wheeljack was incapacitated. Hot Rod easily held his own with the Headmasters {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}}, and noted that for [[Sunstreaker (G1)|some]] [[Hunter O'Nion|reason]] they had lost their "edge". He received a little help from Hardhead, who was mainly there to take Hot Rod and the others back to the ''Ark-32'' for evacuation to [[Garrus-9]]. Hot Rod refused to go, wanting to see the Headmaster mystery through to the end. Hardhead reluctantly let him go. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6|Devastation #6}}

[[Image:SPDHotRodM.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Oh, Magic 8-Ball, will I ever be Prime in this continuity?]]
Hot Rod's search was interrupted by Dealer's arrival on Earth, with orders for Hot Rod: find the Magnificence and use it to learn what they could about the Expansion. Hot Rod took Dealer to his hiding spot, which turned out to be the planet where they first found the device. As Dealer and Hot Rod closed on the Magnificence, he went over his first visit to the planet in his mind, and how things could have gone so wrong. Eventually he began to have suspicions, and upon locating the Magnificence, asked it the question that haunted him: had Dealer betrayed him? Sadly, it revealed the truth, and Hot Rod was forced to kill Dealer as the traitor attacked. Looking down on his remains, Hot Rod realized the truth had been staring him in the face, he just hadn't wanted to accept it. He then used the Magnificence to find out all he could about the Expansion, and relayed the information to the Autobots. {{storylink|Spotlight: Doubledealer}}

[[Image:HotRodMaxDino02.jpg|right|200px|thumb|You're not fooling anyone, [[Judd Nelson| Bender]]. The next screw that falls out will be YOU.]]

Returning to Earth to continue his search, Hot Rod arrived at the gates of the Machination's complex, and Scorponok prepared himself to deal with the intruder. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 1|Maximum Dinobots #1}} Unfortunately, Hot Rod found himself fighting well out of his weight class as he was man handled by Scorponok, who cheerfully bashed his face in, put out one of his optics and snapped his leg. The Headmasters dragged him into Scorponok's control room where, with absolutely no prompting, the big man explained his entire plan for the Dynobots, Skywatch and the Machination. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 2|Maximum Dinobots #2}}

Hot Rod seemed less than impressed with this rather mundane approach, which ticked Scorponok off enough for him to point out that it was obviously just the first stage in his master plan. He was also warned to remained awed or he'd be of no further interest. When the Dynobots and newly-arrived [[Monsterbot]]s seemed to turn Scorponok's plan on its head, Hot Rod burst out laughing, at which point, Scorponok ordered him taken out and shot. In the lift to the surface, Hot Rod suddenly erupted in flames, killing his captors, but draining his power supply. Weakened and with a crippled leg, he collapsed on the floor. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 3|Maximum Dinobots #3}}

He made it out of the building and ran into the real Sunstreaker, who blasted the 2 clones following Hot Rod. Sunstreaker ignored Hot Rod's warning about Scorponok's army and stormed into the building so Hot Rod painfully wired himself to send a distress signal. When Sunstreaker's real head was later disabled by Hunter, the Headmaster clones shut down, which Hot Rod explained to [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]. The group was surprised by the arrival of [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], but [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] had heard Hot Rod's distress call and was on his way to Earth. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 4|Maximum Dinobots #4}}

After Scorponok knocked out [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] and Grimlock tended to him, the remaining Dynobots offered Hot Rod a lift aboard the Monsterbots' ship. He refused though, and made it back into Machination HQ to take care of something "personal". He eventually found Scorponok's real head (and remarked how ugly it was). Hunter also showed up and let Hot Rod know how to disable it, but before he could do so, Scorponok grabbed him. Before Scorponok could crush Hot Rod's head, the Dynobots showed up and began to battle Scorponok. Hot Rod told [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] which wires to sever, and he did just that, reducing Scorponok to a catatonic state. Ultra Magnus arrived took everyone back aboard his ship, which later docked with the ''Ark-32''. Within 3 days, Hot Rod was fully repaired, with a new body form design. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 5|Maximum Dinobots #5}}

Some time later, while traveling through space by himself, Hot Rod found himself under attack by the ''[[Torment]]'', a Decepticon warship crewed by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and the [[Pretender Monster]]s. He was shot down, but managed to transmit a distress call to the Autobot starship ''[[Trion]]'', which came to his rescue. After the Decepticons were chased off, Hot Rod joined the crew of the ''Trion''. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 15|Lost & Found}}

[[Image:Ironhide punches Hot Rod.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Ironhide has waited twenty-two years to pay Hot Rod back for [[The Transformers: The Movie|shooting down his shuttle]].]]
When the Decepticons' galaxy-wide assault hit, the ''Trion'' was shot down over Cybertron. Hot Rod sent out a distress signal and was ecstatic when he ran into some other Autobots. They must've come specifically to save his team and... wait, why do you all look surprised about my signal and appear beaten up and resourceless and... ''oh arsebiscuits''! {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 4|All Hail Megatron #4}}

Hot Rod was taken back to base and relayed the story of how he and his other crew-mates from the ''Trion'' arrived on Cybertron, having been diverted there by Decepticon ships and forced to crash land. Once on the surface, Hot Rod sent out his distress signal and was ''so'' sure someone heard it. Kup arrived with the rest of the ''Trion'''s crew at that point, just in time to tell Hot Rod ''of course'' no one heard his message. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 5|All Hail Megatron #5}}

After the Autobots narrowly avoided the [[Insecticon swarm]] and Sunstreaker sacrificed himself, Hot Rod jumped to [[Drift (G1)|Drift]]'s defense when he was being insulted by [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 9|All Hail Megatron #9}} When the Autobots were later rescued by [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]], Hot Rod was glad that he sent out the distress call. He was then ferried to Earth with the other Autobots aboard Omega. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}}

[[Image:Ongoing issue 1-Hot Rod has had enough.jpg|right|thumb|150px|"Don't talk to me about stuck, Hot Rod, you're the one with that horrible sneer stuck on your face!"]]
For the next two years, the Autobots would remain on Earth as Prime feared the return of the Decepticons. Unfortunately, this lead to the capture of a number of Autobots by Skywatch, including [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]], [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] and Prowl. Hot Rod, already frustrated, lashed out at Optimus, accusing him of keeping the Autobots on the planet because he needed someone to protect and demanding he be allowed lead a team to rescue Prowl. An admonished Prime agreed to a covert operation, but with Ironhide along to watch over things. While Prowl was freed, it turned out the humans had used him as bait to draw the other Autobots in. However Wheeljack's new shielding protected Hot Rod's team from Skywatch's inhibitors and in a panic the soldiers switched to lethal measures. Hot Rod was targeted and Ironhide was killed protecting him. An enraged Hot Rod turned on the humans, damaging their equipment and machinery.

After returning with Ironhide's body, Hot Rod was shocked as Optimus Prime resigned his position as leader. {{storylink|...For All Mankind}} Disgusted with Prime's decision and unimpressed with the indecisiveness of the others, Hot Rod decided to make his own way. He announced his intention to leave planet Earth behind, and invited any of his fellow Autobots to follow him in pursuit of that goal. After leaving the Autobot caves with a half-dozen recruits, Hot Rod went looking for Omega Supreme, in the hopes of convincing the massive Autobot to use his interstellar rocket mode to get them all off-planet. Omega remained resolutely loyal to Optimus Prime, however, and refused to abandon the Earth. At that moment, a small squad of Decepticon stragglers led by [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] staged an attack on Omega Supreme. After some fast and smooth-talking, Swindle convinced Hot Rod that they all wanted the same thing...to go home. The Autobots put it to a vote, and the majority decided to work with the Decepticons to get off of Earth. {{storylink|New Arrivals, Old Encounters}}

The first thing Swindle asked of Hot Rod was help in reviving their incapacitated "brothers"...several Decepticons mode-locked by the humans. Hot Rod convinced [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] to work on the problem, as there "were no sides anymore", and these other Decepticons were brought back on-line to help with the construction of a new space cruiser. {{storylink|A Rude Awakening}}

[[Image:SeasonsInFlight-RodimusMagnus.jpg|left|thumb|300px|No, don't shoot Swindle! He had some cheap electronics equipment in his van he wanted to sell me!]]

Hot Rod wasn't completely foolish -- when Swindle started suggesting they find and revive all the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s, he remembered how deadly [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] could be, and rejected the idea. Ever the smooth-talker, though, Swindle convinced Hot Rod to let the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] go after [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]], the last missing member of their unit. He did so by lavishing a ridiculous amount of praise on Hot Rod, calling him Rodimus Prime, the herald of a new age.

The alliance was soon tested when [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] arrived on the scene, attempting to investigate the death of Ironhide for Autobot Command. When he saw Hot...saw ''Rodimus'' working with Decepticons, and Swindle of all mechs, he freaked out and tried to take the Decepticon ringleader into custody. Rodimus and the other Autobots stood up for Swindle, though, and told Magnus he had to be prepared to fight ''all'' of them if he wanted to take ''one'' of them. Stunned that they did not respect his authoritay, Magnus retreated and work continued on the star cruiser. {{storylink|Seasons in Flight}}

What everyone failed to realize, even Ultra Magnus, was that Swindle was not only trading in combiner technology, he knew how to make it work. By the time Magnus came back for Swindle with a posse of Autobots, the Decepticon was prepared to end his alliance with Rodimus. He had forged the Stunticons into [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]], and turned the giant loose on the assembled Autobots. {{storylink|Enemies of the System}}

Rodimus fought alongside Ultra Magnus, Bumblebee, Optimus Prime and the others against the renewed Decepticon threat. They finally managed to bring down the titan, but the alliance was finished and Rodimus's own comrades turned against him for his poor judgment. Looking to escape his own bad decisions, Rodimus hijacked Ultra Magnus's ship and fled out into space. {{storylink|Earthworks}}

[[Image:Ongoing 13 Rodimus drifting.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Why must you hurt the one you love, [[Nick Roche|Nick]]??]]
Since trying to talk and reason with people had only led to betrayal Rodimus decided that it was best to simply act on his own. He had a plan to regain the respect he had lost by taking back the Autobot [[Matrix of Leadership]], stolen by [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] years earlier. Using the ship's advanced tracking equipment, Rodimus found the Decepticons' asteroid base and hid in one of Ultra Magnus's thickly armored weapons lockers. When the ship was shot down, he emerged from the wreckage unscathed, took out several Decepticon guards and even put [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] under his control by improvising with one of [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]]'s [[cerebro-shell]]s. Rodimus first sent Razorclaw to attack Starscream, but after that failed, he confronted the self-appointed Decepticon leader himself.

Starscream himself was nigh-impervious to damage, but Rodimus improvised again and fired at the Matrix around his neck, having no idea what would happen. He was in luck, as the blast caused energy to burst from the Matrix and knock Starscream unconscious. Triumphant, Rodimus took the artifact and went looking for an escape craft... only to run straight into [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] himself. He panicked and waved the Matrix threateningly at the massive Decepticon while warning him to "stay back!", but Megatron was unphased and shot him at point blank range, blowing a huge hole in Rodimus's torso and sending him flying into space. With the Matrix still around his neck, Rodimus's lifeless body could only drift through the void... {{storylink|Heart Like a Wheel}}

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===''Henkei! Henkei!'' pack-in comic===
[[Image:Henkei_manga_rodimus.jpg|right|thumb|155px]]
While the other Autobots were busy dealing with a rampaging [[Astrotrain (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic|Astrotrain]], Rodimus disrupted [[Megatron (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic|Megatron]] and the other Decepticons' attack on a power plant by engaging them solo. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 2}} Unable to tackle Megatron in hand-to-hand combat, he was able to get [[Starscream (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic|Starscream]] to accidentally blast his leader instead, but this did little more than annoy Megatron, who flattened Rodimus with a [[fusion cannon]] blast. With Rodimus defeated, the Decepticons pulled out, but the Autobot cavalier didn't let the defeat get him down, and he sped off to join the other Autobots in battling Astrotrain. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 3}} Soon after, Rodimus helped defend another power plant against a Decepticon attack, shielding the human workers from Starscream's blasts with his own body. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 4}}

When the mysterious new Decepticon warrior [[Cyclonus (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic|Cyclonus]] provided Megatron with the means to transform himself into the monstrous [[Galvatron (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic|Galvatron]], Rodimus, [[Ironhide (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic|Ironhide]] and [[Mirage (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic|Mirage]] trailed Cyclonus's Targetmaster partner [[Nightstick (Cyclonus)|Nightstick]] to the volcano in which Megatron was carrying out his transformation. Despite resistance from Starscream and Cyclonus, Rodimus and his team were able to collapse the volcano's cone in on itself. They believed they had sealed Megatron within, and were about to focus their attack on Starscream when they were sent scattering by the explosive emergence of Galvatron from the remains of the caldera. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 9}}

===''Henkei! Henkei!'' Bun Bun manga===

Following the defeat of [[Galvatron (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Galvatron]] on [[Earth]], Rodimus was among the Autobots that [[Optimus Prime (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Optimus Prime]] summoned to the planet. Together with [[Ironhide (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Ironhide]], [[Hound (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Hound]] and [[Jetfire (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Skyfire]], Rodimus was to protect the planet while Optimus's team set off for Cybertron in pursuit of the fleeing Galvatron. {{storylink|To the Sea of Stars}}

===3D Battle-Card Game===
Hot Rod was one of [[Optimus Primal]]'s many Autobot allies in a fight against [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s Decepticon forces. {{storylink|3D Battle-Card Game#Energon Wars expansion|Energon Wars Expansion Set}}
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==Games==
===''The Transformers: Battle to Save the Earth''===
[[Image:C64RodimusPrimeAndHotRod.jpg|right|thumb|250px|]]

Along with their fellow Autobots, Hotrod{{sic}} and Rodimus Prime protected Earth from the menace of the Decepticons. Hotrod was ostensibly under the command of Rodimus Prime. {{storylink|The Transformers: Battle to Save the Earth}}

{{note|In this game, "Hotrod" and Rodimus Prime are separate characters who can be in the same place at the same time. Don't try to think about this too hard.}}
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===''Transformers: Mystery of Convoy''===
[[Image:Mysteryofconvoy_rodimus.jpg|left|thumb|225px]]
When Optimus Prime went missing under mysterious circumstances, Ultra Magnus was given the task of battling hordes of Decepticons in order to solve the mystery of his whereabouts. The Decepticons had also stolen a collection of seven energon cubes belonging to Rodimus Prime, which Magnus strove to recover during his fight. When all seven were successfully obtained and the battle was won, a new challenge rose its head, but with his energon cubes back, Rodimus was able to take up the fight! He had a funny habit of looking like an orange Ultra Magnus if you looked at him sideways. {{storylink|Transformers: Mystery of Convoy}}
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===''The Transformers'' (PS2)===
[[Image:Callofthefuture_rodimus.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"I am from the future and know a lot about history!"]]

:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter von Gomm]]

When [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] gained the incredible power of the [[Zel Quartz]] in the year 2010 and began cutting a swath of destruction across the galaxy, Rodimus Prime, [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] and [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] resolved to prevent this devastation by traveling back in time and eliminating the quartz in the past, thereby altering their future. Using a [[Transwarp]]-equipped ship supplied by the [[Quintesson]]s, they traveled to the world of [[Zel Samine]] in the year 2003, where they ran across teams of present-day Autobots and Decepticons led by [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], who were carrying out investigations on their own on the planet. Making matters worse, [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], and [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] also followed them back in time, and the two teams allied themselves with their respective present-day factions in order to locate the Zel Quartz.

After several false leads, the quartz was eventually located, serving as the power source of the [[ELTA]] power transmission array. Rodimus and Optimus engaged Megatron and Galvatron in a two-on-two battle over ELTA, using the power of their twin Matrices to stop the computer from self-destructing. Once the dust from the fight had settled, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] snatched up the Zel Quartz, only to promptly take it off-planet, where it disintegrated without Zel Samine's atmosphere and electromagnetic properties to sustain it. With their future thus averted, Rodimus and his Autobots began fading away to rejoin the timestream. Before they disappeared, Rodimus attempted to warn Optimus of the coming dangers in the future, including his Optimus's death (for which Rodimus continued to blame himself), but Optimus silenced him, telling him that he did not need to know what the future held. Rodimus told Optimus that he would always be the greatest leader in Autobot history, but Optimus told him that he was merely a soldier who loved justice, and that that was all Rodimus needed to be too. {{storylink|The Transformers (PS2)|The Transformers}}
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==Toys==
{{main|Hot Rod (G1)/toys}}

==Notes==
[[Image:RodimusPrime-earlymodel.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"Hey, ladies. Look at your G1 Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime toys, now back to us, now back at your toys, now back to us."]]
* Like the rest of the 1986 movie's original characters, Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime had early designs by [[Floro Dery]] which the toys were based on, and then final models were drawn from the toys. Both designs had revised heads that made it into the ''[[Transformers Universe (Marvel comic)|Transformers Universe]]'' profile books and subsequent Marvel comic book appearances.
** Rodimus Prime's early model appears to carry the trailer of the truck on his back, plus additional [[kibble]] on the back of his forearms. If only there were art of the back of this design. We'd plotz.
**Both Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime's character models suggest that the windshield and roof of their respective vehicles form the pelvic area, including little side windows on their hips. The animation studio [[AKOM]] even colored his crotch like his windshield. Unsurprisingly, this has never been duplicated on any toy.
**Meanwhile, both sets of wheels are on Hot Rod's arms in his character model, as they are intended to span the entire length of the vehicle. His wristcuffs are intended to become the vehicle's taillights. This also has never been duplicated on any toy.
**Much of Hot Rod's early model seemed to form the basis of Rodimus Prime's finished model. (Though given that nearly everybody else from the movie had a totally redrawn finished model, we wouldn't be surprised if there's a more-final-er model out there.)
**According to earliest materials (also the source of the earliest Hot Rod head seen in this section's first image), Rodimus Prime's original name was '''Hot Rodimus'''.

[[Image:Hotrodrodimuscharactermodels.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Rodimus is always embarrassed by his yearbook photos.]]
*Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime look very similar in fiction, but there are ways to distinguish them by sight.
**Rodimus Prime's character model has extra lines on his face that go from the bottom of his nose and connect to another line forming a triangle shape. Hot Rod's cheeks are more clear and youthful.
**Despite their toys being the same color of red, the cartoon series rendered Hot Rod as magenta, and Rodimus a dark shade of burgundy (the movie, however, made Rodimus the same color as Hot Rod). In addition to repeatedly getting the two character models mixed up, sometimes the animation would depict one model colored as the other.
**In Marvel stories, Hot Rod was also colored almost entirely magenta, with a yellow spoiler and flame deco, but with silver thighs instead of orange. Whoever did the Marvel deco sheet seems to have been looking at the [[:Image:Pinkrod.jpg|original toy photos]] and colored the thighs like the toy's silver stickers. While Marvel Hot Rod was stark magenta, Marvel Rodimus was colored in the reds, oranges and yellows of his toy. Future comics and toys would ignore any differences in color between the character's two forms, presenting them both in the original toy colors (see the image at the head of the article for a good example).
**The Japanese ''[[The Headmasters (cartoon)|The Headmasters]]'' cartoon, in addition to featuring the coloration differences of the Generation 1 cartoon, also added some extra lines around the perimeter of Rodimus's eyes to further distinguish him from Hot Rod. These odd-looking lines appeared only intermittently, thankfully so—they made Rodimus look like he was wearing robo-mascara. The ''Headmasters'' Rodimus Prime character model also moved the wheel kibble from the back of the arms to the front, to better approximate their position on the toy.

* In ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', Hot Rod does not transform the same way twice.

[[Image:RodimusPrimeG1-trailermanagement.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Maybe his Mobile Defense Bay is just an extra set of legs!]]

* Rodimus Prime's toy followed the model set by Optimus Prime before him by having a trailer that disconnected and transformed into a battle station (in this case, called the "[[Mobile Defense Bay]]"). Unlike Prime's [[Combat Deck]], however, Rodimus's Defense Bay failed to make the leap to fiction, with the cartoon simply depicting his trailer as somewhat unfeasibly folding up into his legs and body <ref>[http://www.allspark.com/content/stories/tfpulp/8704TVM/k.gif Image of Rodimus Prime's animated transformation scheme from TV Magazine]</ref> (barring a few animation errors that depicted it as a separate unit). This transformation scheme was realized in toy form with Rodimus's 6" ''[[Titanium Series]]'' action figure.

*Voice actor Ted Schwartz was originally cast to succeed Judd Nelson as the voice of Rodimus Prime for the third season of the animated series, but was subsequently replaced by [[Dick Gautier]]. Before his replacement, however, Schwartz recorded Rodimus's lines for several episodes (most likely all five parts of "[[Five Faces of Darkness]]"), and although Gautier re-recorded the dialogue, technical oversight led to some of Schwartz's readings making it into the finished episodes. He can be heard delivering all of Rodimus's lines in the recap for [[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1|part 1]] that plays at the beginning of [[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2|part 2]], and speaking one line during the scene on [[Goo]] in [[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3|part 3]].

* Hot Rod might be the ''Transformers'' character with the most names in the US. From "Hot Rod" to "Rodimus Prime", to "Rodimus Major" to just plain "Rodimus". Varieties of "Rodimus" appear to be how he will be for a while, as Hasbro appears to be unable to secure the [[trademark]] on "Hot Rod".

* [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]]'s powered up form has a color scheme which resembles Hot Rod's.

* Aside from the ''[[Energon (franchise)|Energon]]'' [[Rodimus (Energon)|namesake character]], Hot Rod has also been [[Homage|homaged]] twice (or possibly thrice depending on how you look at it) in the [[Unicron Trilogy]]. For ''[[Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'', the "[[Powerlinx]]" upgrade of [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] was given a very Hot-Rod-inspired deco. In ''[[Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'', [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] made a redeco of Hot Shot (well, "Exillion"), who already had some Hot Rod homage elements in his toy design, with Hot Rod deco as a DVD-pack-in [[exclusive]]. [[Hasbro]] then took this deco, altered it, and released it in the US line at mass retail as the new character [[Excellion]].

* At [[BotCon 2002]], Dick Gautier "confirmed", jokingly, that Rodimus Prime is gay.

* This Rodimus Prime, along with the original [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus 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]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/HotRod/hotrod.htm Hot Rod at TFU.info]

* [http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Hot_Rod Hot Rod's Universe profile at NTFA.net]

* [http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Rodimus_Prime Rodimus Prime's profile at NTFA.net]

[[Category:Autobot leaders]]
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[[Category:The Headmasters Autobots]]
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