Editing Matrix of Leadership

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{{disambig3.5|the lore object|the titular cartoon episode|Matrix of Leadership (episode)|Matrix}}
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[[File:Matrix.jpg|375px|thumb|You put the life in the coconut.]]
The '''Autobot Matrix of Leadership''' (also known as the '''Creation Matrix''' or rarely, the '''Leadership Matrix''',<ref>[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2]]</ref> the '''Autobot Matrix of Power''',<ref>[[The Autobots Have a Special Mission for:]]</ref> or the '''Matrix of Light'''<ref>For the majority of the ''Transformers: The Movie'' sticker book (see right), though it is also referred to as the "Matrix of Leadership" once or twice.</ref>) is an [[sacred treasure|artifact of great power]], traditionally carried by the [[Prime (rank)|leader]] of the [[Autobot]]s. Although its appearance differs slightly from [[universal stream]] to universal stream, it generally appears as a glowing crystal sphere encased within a [[Matrix holder|hollow metal shell]], with a handle on either side.

By most accounts, the Matrix is a conduit for the power of [[Primus]], the creator-god of the [[Transformer]]s, serving as a means of access to the [[Transformer afterlife]], through which it can either bestow new Transformer life, or provide its wielder with a means of communicating with the deceased leaders who have come before them. These divine powers put it at the centre of much Autobot [[religion]], spirituality, and prophecy; while many [[Decepticon]]s are less inclined to believe in its divinity, they certainly covet the increased physical power it is known to convey upon its holders, and several have made obtaining the Matrix one of their primary goals. As one of the embodiments of the power of Primus, the Matrix is antithesis to [[Unicron]], and one of the very few things the chaos-bringer fears.

{{bigquote|But one day... an Autobot shall rise from our ranks... and use the power of the Matrix... to light... our [[darkest hour]].|A [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|dying Optimus Prime]]|''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''}}

==Conceptual history==
[[File:SecondGeneration prime gives buster matrix.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|The Matrix made its fictional debut when [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] transferred it to [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]], an event recounted in this scene from "[[Second Generation!]]".]]
The Matrix and the concepts associated with it have continuously evolved over the history of the brand, with different pieces of ''Transformers'' fiction creating new ideas centred on it, which have in turn influenced its representation in ''other'' fiction, and so on. The current nature of the Matrix as it is understood is beholden to quite a few different sources, and its development is described here to minimize confusion. For the specifics on the different interpretations of the Matrix in various continuities, see the "Fiction" section below.

The concept of the Matrix originates from the brain of [[Marvel Comics]] writer [[Bob Budiansky]] and is a result of the "no girls"/"no gender" policy enforced by [[Hasbro]] regarding their then-new robot brand. Because there were no female robots/the robots had no gender, Budiansky came up with an asexual method of reproduction in the form of the Creation Matrix, a "[[Primal Program]]" housed within the [[Prime (rank)|Autobot leader]] that could bring new Transformers to life, which would also prove a helpful plot device when he was required to introduce new characters to the series.<ref>[http://www.bwtf.com/interviews/bb204/ Bob Budiansky Interview at BWTF.com]</ref><ref>[http://www.metalmachine.net/blog/2009/11/21/todds-take-with-bob-budiansky-the-architect-of-the-transformers/ Metal Machine interview with Bob]</ref><ref>[http://rustingcarcass.yuku.com/topic/954 Rusting Carcass interview]</ref>

The appearance of the Matrix in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 animated series]] originated with early script drafts of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', which introduced the idea of "Life Sparks", very similar to the [[spark]]s that would later be introduced with ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]''. The Matrix was not present in the earliest known incarnation of the movie; instead, upon his death, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] transferred his own Life Spark to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]], with the implication that this was standard practise among Autobot leaders. This idea was eventually discarded, replaced with a physical object known as the "Matrix of Leadership", which evidently derived its name from the Creation Matrix of the comic book. The episode "[[Cosmic Rust (episode)|Cosmic Rust]]" attempted to introduce the concept of the Matrix to the animated universe before the movie, but the dialogue containing the reference was deleted during production. The line, which dated the creation of the Matrix to 4.5 million years ago, would ultimately have conflicted greatly with what would be learned of the Matrix in the future.

[[File:FFOD4 passing the matrix.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|[[Zeta Prime (G1)|Zeta Prime]] inherits the Matrix from [[Guardian Prime]] in the first recounting of the Prime lineage from "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4]].]]
Virtually nothing of the Matrix's nature was actually divulged in the finished film, where it was treated as simply a magic talisman of prophecy that was the antithesis of [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]. The idea that had originated with the Life Spark concept—that of dying Autobot leaders merging their lifeforces with others—remained, albeit in a vague way, as Optimus Prime intoned upon his deathbed that he would soon be "one with the Matrix". The mini-series "[[Five Faces of Darkness]]" fully expanded on the meaning of his line, revealing that the Matrix contained the lifeforces of all the deceased [[ancient Autobots|Autobot leaders]] who had previously held it, collectively known as the "Wisdom of the Ages," which could be consulted for aid in moments of need.

[[File:Sentinel prime lou.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|The dying [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] passes the Matrix to Optimus Prime in this flashback scene from "[[The Legacy of Unicron!]]".]]
Having already cannibalized many of the movie's best elements for use in his comic book stories, writer [[Simon Furman]] contradicted Bob Budiansky's US comic book stories by presenting the Matrix as it had appeared in the film, as a physical object, in his own UK storylines, and carried this over to the US comic when he later began writing it. This alteration was also reflected in a ''[[The Transformers Universe|Universe]]'' profile written for Powermaster Optimus Prime around the time, where Budiansky's "program" concept and the cartoon's "physical object" idea were merged with the explanation that the program was encoded in light patterns in the Matrix's crystal core. As Furman's run progressed, the "lifeforces of previous holders" concept was also adapted into the comics, with the Matrix possessing a genetic memory of those that had held it. Most notably, in both UK and US books, Furman crafted a [[The Legacy of Unicron!|story]] to explain the origins of the Matrix, why Unicron was vulnerable to it, and how it could create new life, ultimately revealing it to be the essence of the Transformers' creator-god, [[Primus]].

It was the ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' and ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'' animated series that made the next big addition to the growing mythology of the Matrix when they introduced the [[Transformer afterlife]], the extradimensional source of all Transformers sparks living or dead, which was also named "the Matrix." While not explicitly related to the Matrix seen in the Generation 1 cartoons or comics, the implication was obvious—rather than ''contain'' anything, the physical Matrix object from those continuities was a ''gateway'' to the Matrix dimension. Where the animated "Matrix of Leadership" and the comic book "Creation Matrix" had previously seemed incompatible, this revelation united them conceptually—the lifeforces of the dead from the cartoon and the ability to bring new life from the comics could now both be tied to the features of the Matrix dimension. [[Dreamwave Productions]]' comics proceeded to cement this concept, depicting a Matrix of Leadership that possessed both these traits, and explicitly identifying it not as a holder of Primus's power, but a ''conduit'' for it.

The Matrix took something of a back seat in major fiction in the latter years of the 2000s, effectively replaced in the worlds of the [[live-action film series|live-action movies]] and ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'' by the [[AllSpark]]—a mystical object that, while physically distinct from the Matrix, possessed its life-giving powers and record of Transformer history. Before long, however, both these continuities reintroduced the idea of the Matrix: In both universes, the AllSpark was destroyed and its knowledge and power was reincarnated in an object either specifically named, or designed to look like, the Matrix, thereby bringing the whole concept full-circle.

Finally, the more recent revelation (implied in the movies, confirmed by [[Fun Publications]]' "[[Crossing Over]]", and reiterated in ''[[Transformers: Exodus]]'') that the energy that is the basis of Transformer life is actually the rarefied form of the Transformers' fuel, [[energon]] itself, suggests that the energy of the Matrix is also (a form of) energon. This had actually been portrayed as the case in some formerly-questionable pieces of fiction such as ''[[The Transformers Trilogy]]'' novels, which retroactively make sense now.
{{--}}

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 continuity family===
====Marvel Comics continuity====
=====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics=====
{{noteukonly}}
[[File:Prima.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Intel Inside!]]

When Primus created the Transformer race, before entering voluntary systems shutdown, he bestowed upon them a genetic matrix containing his essence and the majority of his power, which could be used to give life to more Transformers so that the race might grow without his direct involvement. {{storylink|The Primal Scream}} Later named the "Creation Matrix", this divine gift took the form of a "[[Primal Program]]" encoded in intricate patterns of light within a crystal,<ref>[http://ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Optimus_Prime_PM Powermaster Optimus Prime's Marvel comic profile]</ref> which was passed from leader to leader down through the millennia. The first holder of the Creation Matrix was the first Transformer, [[Prima]], then subsequently [[Prime Nova]], [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] and in the modern era, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|Dark Creation}} The Autobot leaders evidently elected to keep the true nature of the Matrix a secret, since most other Transformers were shown to believe it was a program stored within the mind of Optimus Prime himself, rather than housed within a separate physical object. This mistaken belief gave rise to a legend that claimed that the Program was encoded into a new Autobot leader once every ten millennia. {{storylink|The New Order}}

[[File:WhoseLifeforce prime and longtooth.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb]]
''At one point during his tenure as Autobot leader, Optimus Prime came across [[Longtooth]] struggling to save the life of [[Clockwise|a fallen comrade]] on the battlefield after a particularly ferocious conflict. Mistakenly believing he was witnessing a great show of Autobot spirit (when in actuality, Longtooth was simply terrified of being the last one left alive), Prime extracted a tiny portion of the Creation Matrix's energy and gave it to Longtooth, telling him to use it wisely. Once Prime had left, however, Longtooth gave into his fear and kept the Matrix energy for himself, to serve as a "spare life" that allowed him to be daring and brave on the battlefield without fearing death.'' {{storylink|Whose Lifeforce Is It Anyway?}}

[[File:DisintegratedCircuits buster uses matrix.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]
When the Transformers' war moved to [[Earth]] in [[1984]], current Decepticon leader [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] elected to increase his forces by creating new Transformers with the power of the Creation Matrix. Capturing the [[Autobot]]s and decapitating Optimus Prime, Shockwave tapped the energies of the Matrix and brought the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] to life. {{storylink|The Next Best Thing to Being There!}} Prime was able to transfer the Matrix into the mind of the Autobots' human ally, [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]], {{storylink|The Worse of Two Evils!}} thereby preventing Shockwave from animating his newest construct, [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]], but the presence of the Matrix within Buster's mind gave the boy incredible powers over machinery. {{storylink|DIS-Integrated Circuits!}} {{storylink|Brainstorm!}} Deducing that Buster possessed the Matrix, Shockwave programmed the unliving Jetfire to capture the boy, but Buster used the Matrix to bring Jetfire under his control and used him to thwart Shockwave's plan and save Optimus Prime. With Prime and the Autobots rescued, Buster transferred the Creation Matrix back to the Autobot leader, {{storylink|Prime Time!}} and Prime subsequently used the Matrix to give Jetfire true life. {{storylink|Rock and Roll-Out!}}

''Residual energy from the Matrix that lingered in Buster's brain soon began to give the youth nightmarish visions, causing him to black out and create strange images of previously-unheard of Transformers.'' {{storylink|Devastation Derby!}} ''Seeking to help Buster, the Autobots hooked him up to equipment that would allow them to monitor his dreams, and discovered that the Matrix was showing them all them a vision of the future, and the creation of the [[Special Teams]].'' {{storylink|Second Generation!}}

[[File:Matrixflame.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.5|If the Autobots were Jewish, it would have burned another six days.]]
''The Matrix was also known to have an analog on Cybertron, the [[Matrix Flame]], which burned constantly as long as the Matrix still existed, no matter where in the universe it was. It could also be used to channel the energy of the Matrix, which the Autobots on Cybertron did to bring life to their new warrior, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]].<ref>Ultra Magnus profile page in Marvel UK [[Target: 2006#Defeat!|#81]]</ref> Not long after, however, the Matrix Flame flickered out when Optimus Prime was shunted into [[limbo]] by time-travelling Decepticons, leading the Autobots on Cybertron to send Magnus to Earth to investigate. Prime was returned in due time, and the Matrix Flame re-ignited.'' {{storylink|Target: 2006}}

''Following the earlier vision from the Matrix,'' the Autobots created the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], and Optimus Prime used the Matrix to bring them to life. Little did the Autobots realise, however, that [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] had deduced a way to usurp the Matrix's power, using a [[cerebro-shell]] previously planted in Prime's body by [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] to siphon off some of the life-giving energy, which he employed it to animate his own new creations, the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]]. {{storylink|Heavy Traffic!}}

[[File:DarkCreation we would know more.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]
When Optimus Prime died following a video-game duel with Megatron a short time later, {{storylink|Afterdeath!}}, the Autobots loaded his body into a funeral bier and launched it into space in accordance with Cybertronian tradition. {{storylink|Funeral for a Friend!}} Unfortunately, having been unaware of the existence of the physical Creation Matrix crystal within the corpse's chest, this meant that they unwittingly set the sacred lifeforce of their race adrift in the sea of stars. After some time, the craft eventually crashed on the distant moon of [[VsQs]], where it lay undisturbed for a time. Left in solitude, the rudimentary consciousness of the Matrix formed from the genetic memory of its past holders began to desire new sensations. {{storylink|Dark Creation}} 

It got its chance when a [[Deathbringer (Marvel)|Deathbringer]], a medical mechanoid created to painlessly end the life of the terminally ill, crashed on VsQs. Critically wounded, the dying robot reached out to touch the Matrix, and in its hunger for new experiences, the talisman used its powers of creation to disassemble and rebuild the Deathbringer, inadvertently warping its programming and transforming it into a powerful being who sought to destroy ''all'' life. A trace of its energy remaining in its body, the Matrix revelled in its first experience of "evil" as the Deathbringer cut a swathe of destruction across the galaxy, ultimately finding its way to Earth. ''Sensing the Matrix's power within the creature, Optimus Prime—since resurrected by the technology of [[Nebulos]]—was hesitant to destroy the only link they had discovered to the lost Matrix, but [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] solved the problem by convincing the Deathbringer that since the Matrix's power was eating away at it, it should destroy itself.'' {{storylink|Deathbringer (issue)|Deathbringer}}

[[File:Creation Matrix 65.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.15|The Creation Matrix was the Leader-1's-head of the Marvel comic. Can't be drawn the same way twice.]]
Back on VsQs, the Matrix's curiosity found new expression when an insectoid creature crawled into Prime's corpse's chest cavity and became the next recipient of the Matrix's power. Dissecting and studying the beast, the Matrix was fascinated that the creature seemed to be meant to do nothing but destroy, so it re-created the thing into a [[Matrixspawn|larger, more powerful predator]]. {{storylink|Dark Creation}} The monster attacked a team of astronauts that had set up a research station on VsQs, killing nearly all of them, but at least one escaped and crashed in the seas of the nearby planet [[Pequod]]. His body infused with Matrix energy from the beast that had attacked him, the astronaut was swallowed by a [[klud]], which ingested the energy. {{storylink|Deadly Obsession}}

Meanwhile, Optimus Prime became aware of the threat of Unicron, and, realizing that the Matrix would be necessary to defeat the Chaos-Bringer, arranged for search parties to scour the cosmos for any trace of it. ''Longtooth was among the Autobots recruited for the search mission, and was forced for the first time to truly confront the selfishness of what he had done with the Matrix energy Prime had given him millennia before. In hopes of redemption, he loaded the energy fragment into a pod and sent it back to Optimus Prime.'' {{storylink|Whose Lifeforce Is It Anyway?}} [[File:Thunderwing with matrix.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Primus says it's my turn on the Matrix.]] ''Prime agonized over how to best use the Matrix energy, knowing that it had the power to revive only one of the deactivated Autobots on the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], and ultimately, elected to disperse it into the Earth's atmosphere to rejuvenate damage done to the ecosystem by the Transformers' warring on the planet.'' {{storylink|The Greatest Gift of All!}} 

In the meantime, the search parties seeking the Matrix had piqued the curiosity of new Decepticon leader [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]], who possessed an affinity with the Matrix and a desire to possess its power for his own. As the opposing teams dodged each other, they eventually set their sights on Pequod, where the klud had been attracting attention because its species was supposed to have been extinct. Thunderwing used his Matrix affinity to psychically link with the Matrix-infused beast and see the memory of swallowing the dying scientist. Recognizing the "VsQs" stamp on his equipment, Thunderwing set out for that moon. {{storylink|Deadly Obsession}} Once there, both sides battled the creature the Matrix had created, which had grown to enormous size, with Thunderwing ultimately killing the beast and taking the Matrix. {{storylink|Dark Creation}} The Decepticon immediately attacked the spaceborne Ark, manifesting the Matrix power in the form of a giant, vaguely humanoid energy field around himself. Soon, however, the Matrix began to speak through Thunderwing, delighting in the firsthand experience of evil, and the Decepticon realized he was being possessed. Thunderwing tried to mentally battle the Matrix, to no avail, but the Autobots exploited his erratic behaviour to impale him with a [[harpoon]] and blow him out the Ark's airlock into space. {{storylink|All Fall Down}}

[[File:EdgeofExtinction-sothatallmaylive.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.5|It cures what ails ya.]]
Thunderwing's body came to rest on the surface of a planet, where the Matrix began to heal his battered frame. {{storylink|Out of Time!}} Repairs took time, but once completed, the Matrix set out for Cybertron, {{storylink|The Void! (US)|The Void!}} coincidentally arriving just as Unicron was trying to destroy the planet. The Matrix-creature fought Unicron, but Unicron soon realized that the Matrix had been tainted with evil, and that it was no longer a threat to him, given the infinitely greater magnitude of his own evil nature. Thunderwing was destroyed by Unicron's attack and Optimus Prime was able to recover the Matrix, cleansing it of the taint of evil and restoring its purity. Rocketing into Unicron's gaping maw, Prime released the Matrix's energy within the planet-eater's body, destroying him. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} The explosion should have killed Prime as well, but his devastated body was saturated with Matrix energy, keeping it alive long enough for the suffering Prime to pass on leadership of the Autobots to [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]]. {{storylink|Still Life!}}
{{--}}

======Marvel UK future timelines======
[[File:MatrixCoconut1.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|"Will I become a great Autobot leader?"<br/> "All signs point to no."]]
In an alternate future timeline, a dying Optimus Prime passed the Matrix to Ultra Magnus in [[2006]]. {{storylink|The Planet-Eater!}} It was then used by [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Hot Rod]] to destroy Unicron, in the process transforming the young Autobot into Rodimus Prime. {{storylink|The Final Battle!}}

In the year [[2008]], Unicron attempted to engineer his resurrection by mentally controlling the [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]] into building him a new body. Drawn into the conflict by [[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]], Rodimus Prime used the power of the Matrix to battle Unicron on his own mindscape, while [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] set explosives to destroy the portion of Unicron's body that had been constructed. The explosion tore Unicron's body apart, but did not destroy him; instead, with no physical shell to inhabit, his essence wound up trapped within the Matrix. {{storylink|The Legacy of Unicron!}}

[[File:MarvelUK-187.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Later in 2008, the [[Quintesson]]s invaded and conquered [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] while Rodimus Prime was absent, and set a trap for the Autobot leader by leaving the wounded [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] at the city entrance. Arriving to find the one-time object of his affections in dire straits, Rodimus opened his chest cavity in order to heal Arcee with the energy of the Creation Matrix, only to be blindsided by the Quintessons and have the Matrix plucked from him, transforming him back into Hot Rod. The Matrix wound up the hands of Quintesson [[Ghyrik|General Ghyrik]], who was able to harness its power and boost his strength for a throwdown with Hot Rod. A bout of impromptu ventriloquism from the young Autobot distracted Ghyrik, allowing Hot Rod to rip the Matrix from his body and transform back into Rodimus Prime, handing Ghyrik an ignominious defeat. {{storylink|Space Pirates!}}

When disruption to the fabric of space and time forced Rodimus and several other Autobots to travel back in time from [[2009]] to [[1989]] in order to discover the source of the disturbance, the presence of the Matrix within his body required that Optimus Prime once again be shunted into limbo in order to maintain balance. Rodimus was able to use the power of the Matrix they shared to allow Optimus to communicate with the other Autobots, and when Rodimus was then defeated in battle, Optimus risked the security of the space-time continuum by using the Matrix as a stepping stone to return to reality for a final battle with [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. {{storylink|Time Wars}}

[[File:WhiteFire kup yanks matrix.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|I honestly can't tell if it's the Matrix, or a weird kind of saucepan...]]
Returning to Cybertron after their time-travel adventure, Rodimus and the Autobots found that the disruption of space and time had altered their future, and that Galvatron was waiting for them. Galvatron attempted to force Rodimus Prime into a savage battle, hoping to force him to unleash his basest, most violent impulses, and by extension, lead them to corrupt the Matrix. Fortunately, Rodimus realized his plan and stopped. {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}} However, it soon became apparent that the Matrix required no external corruption; Unicron's essence, still trapped within the talisman following the events of 2008, slowly began to take hold of Rodimus Prime's mind, forcing him to sabotage the guidance systems of the Autobots' craft when they were on a hyperspace trip to Earth in [[2010]]. {{storylink|The Void! (UK)|The Void!}} {{storylink|Edge of Impact}} Rodimus battled within Unicron inside the Matrix in an attempt to win back control of his mind and body, but it took [[Kup (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Kup]] deducing what was going on and wrenching the Matrix from Rodimus's chest to free him from the chaos-bringer's influence. But now, Rodimus knew that the evil of Unicron would be waiting for him within it... {{storylink|Shadow of Evil}} {{storylink|White Fire}} 

Alas, later 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!}}

When last seen, in the far future of [[2356]], Unicron's essence remained sealed within the Matrix, causing Rodimus's body to steadily wither and weaken. {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}}
{{--}}

=====Marvel ''Generation 2'' comic=====
[[File:G210 starscream warworld.jpg|left|thumb|Don't do Matrix, kids. Not even once.]]
When Optimus Prime was recreated by the [[Last Autobot]], the Matrix was also restored. {{storylink|End of the Road! (US)|End of the Road!}} {{storylink|Escalation!|Generation 2 #8 letters page}} Years later, it became a target for Megatron, who required it to bring to life an army of new warriors created by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]. Besting Prime in battle, Megatron tore the Matrix from his body with an energy siphon, {{storylink|The Gathering Darkness}} and used it to give life to the [[Laser Rod]]s and [[Rotor Force]]. {{storylink|New Dawn}}

Subsequently, Prime and Megatron were forced into an uneasy alliance against the massed forces of the [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronian Empire]], and [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] exploited the chaos of the huge battle to take the power of the Matrix for himself. Using it, he merged his mind and body with the Decepticons' [[Warworld]], becoming a colossal living weapon able to reshape himself at will. {{storylink|Total War!|Tales of Earth, Part Seven}} However, unlike with Thunderwing, Starscream found his own evil being subverted by the Matrix's goodness, {{storylink|Dark Shadows!|Tales of Earth, Part Eight}} and he returned the Matrix to Prime, for fear of being changed beyond recognition.

Soon after, when Prime was consumed by the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]], he channelled the Matrix's energy into the dark force, enlightening and completing it with the purity of Primus's vision. Suddenly transformed from a destructive force into a force for life, the Swarm re-created Prime and departed into space. {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}
{{--}}

=====''Regeneration One''=====
{{NoteRG1}}
With the Creation Matrix lost following the destruction of Unicron, the last reservoir of Matrix energy the Autobots had access to consisted of what traces still clung to the remains of Thunderwing, stored within the high-security [[Hall of Silence]]. When [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] was able to penetrate the Hall in [[2012]], acting commander [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Hot Rod]] anguished over whether or not to follow protocol and destroy the Hall, and the last of the Matrix's energy with it. He was convinced it was necessary by [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]], but Soundwave was able to teleport out with Thunderwing just before the building blew. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part One}} He delivered the remains to Bludgeon, who used the Matrix energy within them to animate his new army of self-regenerating [[Blitz Engine]]s. {{storylink|Destiny, Part One}}

After Primus revealed to Hot Rod that he still existed, and sent Hot Rod through a portal into [[Zero Space]], {{storylink|Destiny, Part Four}} the young Autobot found himself tumbling through time and space. He observed the battle with the Deathbringer, only to discover that the fragment of corrupted Matrix energy survived the battle. After observing two more time periods, Hot Rod found himself on a [[Junkion (planet)|planet of junk]], witnessing the final confrontation between [[Galvatron II|Galvatron]] and "Rodimus Prime"—an alternate version of himself! As Rodimus fell at the hands of Galvatron, the Matrix landed at the feet of Hot Rod, who reached for it...

... only to find himself back in his own time and place, on the deck of Bludgeon's ''[[Warworld]]'', having himself been transformed into Rodimus Prime! {{storylink|Less Than Zero}}

=====''Classics''=====
The Matrix was destroyed along with Unicron. Decades later, while displaced in another universe, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]] briefly confused the [[Origin Matrix]] for the Creation Matrix while speaking with [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]]. {{storylink|Shattered Paths}}

=====''Unite Warriors''=====
[[File:Baldigus Chapter Galvatron II.jpg|thumb|100px]]
[[Galvatron II]] stole the Creation Matrix in his native universe and carried it with him to another reality, where its power allowed him to endure as a ghost when his body was destroyed. Unfortunately, it also made him a target of [[Grand Scourge]], who, as a Matrix Hunter, could manhandle even ghosts if they were in possession of a Matrix. While Scourge was fighting Galvatron for the Creation Matrix, both of them were knocked into a rift in space-time by [[Megaempress]], and the Matrix disappeared along with them to places unknown. {{storylink|Ruination Chapter, Part Two}}
{{--}}

====Generation 1 cartoon continuity====
=====''The Transformers'' cartoon=====
[[File:OracleMatrix.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|"This Ming... is a psy-cho."]]
The origins of the Matrix of Leadership are almost entirely unknown. The only hint of its beginnings was given in an account from near the dawn of time, soon after the ancient genius [[Primacron]] and [[Oracle (G1)|his assistant]] created the colossal robot, Unicron. Unicron turned on his creators and destroyed the assistant's body, but seen to rise from his remains and disappear into space was an object that appeared identical to the Matrix. If this was truly the Matrix, it is wholly unknown how it came to be held by the Autobots and how it was elevated to the position of power it became known for. {{storylink|Call of the Primitives}}

However it came to be in Autobot hands, the Matrix came to be at the centre of the robots' belief system and was safeguarded by each successive generation of Autobot leaders. Upon the passing of its holder, the Matrix became a receptacle for the deceased Autobot's lifeforce, which cumulatively became known as the "Wisdom of the Ages", a storehouse of knowledge and experience stretching back to the dawn of Cybertronian history (and potentially beyond) that could be consulted by the Matrix's living wielders in times of need. The spirits of many Autobots have been seen within the Matrix, but the names of only a select few are known: The oldest entity within the Matrix is known only as "[[It]]" {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2}}; [[File:Matrix 5faces4 7.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|My preciousssss!]] following this entity, the next oldest known was [[Primon]], who possessed the Matrix in the early days of the Cybertronian race around twelve million years ago; [[Prima]] bore it at the height of their oppression by the [[Quintesson]]s about a million years later; [[Prime Nova]] was its wielder during the eventual rebellion against the five-faced aliens; [[Guardian Prime]] and his successor [[Zeta Prime (G1)|Zeta Prime]] carried it during the first war between the Autobots and Decepticons, before it was passed to Sentinel Prime, under whose leadership the war came to an end. 

Around nine million years ago, the Autobot/Decepticon war was reignited by the creation of [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]], who killed Sentinel Prime as one of his first actions. In his death throes, Sentinel entrusted the Matrix to the ancient Autobot [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]], who kept it hidden until a damaged young robot was brought to his workshop, another victim of Megatron's wrath. Trion recreated him as [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], new leader of the Autobots, and gave him the Matrix. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}} 

[[File:Optimusg1passingthematrix.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Fatally wounded by Megatron in the year [[2005]], Optimus Prime passed the Matrix and leadership of the Autobots to his chosen successor, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]]. Before passing away, Prime spoke of a prophecy—that one day, a "Chosen One" would rise from the ranks of the Autobots, and use the power of the Matrix to light the Transformers' darkest hour. When Prime's strength faltered at the last moment and he dropped the Matrix, the young Autobot [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] stooped to catch it before it hit the floor. The Matrix glowed brightly in response to his touch, signifying what none of the Autobots present would realize until later: that Hot Rod was the Chosen One.

[[File:Tftm1986e.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]
When word of Unicron's approach on Cybertron reached the Autobots on Earth, Ultra Magnus believed (and Hot Rod agreed, based on nothing more than a feeling) that the Matrix might be able to stop the world-eater. Knowing that this was indeed the case, Unicron recreated Megatron as [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] and dispatched him to steal the Matrix, leading to a confrontation on the [[Junkion (planet)|Planet of Junk]] in which Ultra Magnus tried in vain to open the Matrix and use it to fend off the attacking Decepticons. Galvatron bested him and took the Matrix, believing he could use it to subjugate Unicron himself, but he had no more luck opening it than Magnus did. Unicron swallowed Galvatron whole as punishment, and it was within Unicron's body that the Decepticon leader engaged Hot Rod in the battle that saw the young Autobot claim his destiny. Seizing the Matrix from around Galvatron's neck, Hot Rod was transformed by its power into Rodimus Prime, then proceeded to fulfil the prophecy by opening the talisman and releasing its power, which tore Unicron apart from within. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

Later, when injured in battle, Rodimus's consciousness briefly entered the Matrix itself and witnessed a vision that led him to believe that the answer to the mystery of the alien Quintessons currently plaguing the Autobots was held within it. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2}} To find his answer, Rodimus deliberately short-circuited himself and entered the Matrix a second time. Guided by the ancient Autobots within, Rodimus was shown the history of Cybertron and discovered the Quintessons' role in the creation of the Transformers. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}}

[[File:Darkawakening matrix pain.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The zombified Optimus Prime reacts in pain from the light of the Matrix.]]
The burden of leadership weighed heavily upon Rodimus, and he was all too eager to return the Matrix to Optimus Prime when it seemed that the Autobot leader had returned from the dead in [[2006]]. It soon transpired, however, that Optimus had been reanimated by the Quintessons as "a robotic [[zombie]]" so he would lure the [[Autobot fleet]] into a fatal trap. When Rodimus went to confront his mentor on the Autobot flagship, the Matrix's energy made Optimus too powerful to defeat in single combat but also overrode the malicious coding that the Quintessons had installed within him, properly restoring Optimus to life. His mind cleared, Optimus returned the Matrix to Rodimus before apparently sacrificing himself again to trigger the Quintessons' trap alone. {{storylink|Dark Awakening (episode)|Dark Awakening}}

[[File:BurdenHardest Hot Rod retrieves matrix.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Still struggling with leadership, Rodimus tried to forget his woes with a bout of drag-racing in the hills of [[Japan]], only to be ambushed by [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] and [[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]]. The two Stunticons stole the Matrix and brought it back to Galvatron, but when the Decepticon leader attempted to use its energy to power his cannon, he was instead tormented by the spirits of the Autobots within it. The terrified Galvatron instructed [[Scourge (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Scourge]] to dispose of the Matrix, but Scourge grasped the true nature of its power where his leader could not, and instead placed it within his own chest. The Matrix's energies warped his body into a powerful, misshapen hulk, increasing his power to the point that he was able to oust Galvatron and take control of the Decepticons himself. Scourge proceeded to lead the Decepticons in an attack on Earth, only to be bested by Hot Rod, who had since learned the importance of "the burden hardest to bear", and reclaimed the Matrix once more. {{storylink|The Burden Hardest to Bear}}

[[File:ReturnOptimusPrime2 Matrix open.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2]]
When Optimus Prime was at last truly resurrected, he was forced to battle the [[Hate Plague]]-infected Rodimus in order to reclaim the Matrix from him, in hopes of consulting the Wisdom of the Ages to find a cure for the disease. Communicating with the mysterious It, he learned that the only way combat the madness of the plague was with wisdom, and opened the Matrix, expelling all of the wisdom within it to extinguish the disease (in the process claiming that this was also the Autobots' "darkest hour"). Although the Matrix was emptied, leaving only a shell, Optimus claimed they would have to start filling it with wisdom again, from that moment on. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2}}

In [[2007]], Optimus Prime used the shell of the Matrix as a substitute key to access [[Vector Sigma]], where he consulted Alpha Trion on the mystery of the [[Plasma Energy Chamber]]. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 2}}
{{--}}

=====Madman ''The Transformers'' comic=====
[[File:Madman comic PrimeHotrod.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb|Optimus's proposal to Hot Rod.]] 
The significance of the Matrix to the Autobots was such that when Optimus Prime prepared to lead the Autobots in an evacuation of Cybertron in the year 2001, he hid the Matrix in a bunker at the construction site of the future Autobot City. Unfortunately, [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] had monitored the Autobot leader's meeting with Ultra Magnus, and moved to steal the Matrix for the Decepticons. Fate intervened in the form of Hot Rod, who defeated the Decepticons and took back the ancient Autobot relic, and at the same time received a vision of his future as the Autobot who would light Cybertron's darkest hour. {{storylink|The Transformers (Madman)|The Transformers}}

=====Rodimus vs. Cyclonus=====
After their adventure on [[Quintessa (planet)|Quintessa]], while Hot Rod, [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]] and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s were searching space for Ultra Magnus's team, they were attacked by [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]]. A flash of ancient knowledge he had received from the Matrix upon catching it when Optimus Prime had passed it to Magnus inspired Hot Rod to invoke the [[Challenge of Aria-Bellum]]. {{storylink|Rodimus vs. Cyclonus}}
{{--}}

=====''Wings Universe''=====
{{Wingsnote}}
Nine million years ago, the Matrix of Leadership was being transported aboard the Autobot cargo hauler ''[[Van De Graaff]]'' when the ship was attacked by the Quintessons and crash-landed on the planet [[Beta-Nine]]. All aboard perished, but the Matrix was soon recovered by the crew of the ''[[Eight Track (G1)|Eight Track]]'', who safely delivered it back to Cybertron. There, the Matrix was passed into the care of Alpha Trion, who granted it to his new choice for Autobot leader, Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Wings of Honor}}

=====''Deviations''=====
After viewing the massive death toll at [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]], [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] claimed all the deceased had found peace in the Matrix. [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]] slapped him upside the head for speaking blasphemy about the Matrix. When [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] arrived at Cybertron, he made a baragin with [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] that the newly minted Decepticon leader would destroy the Matrix in exchange for upgrades. ''En route'' to Cybertron, Hot Rod confessed to [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel]] that whenever he came near Optimus, he saw visions of the Prime dying as if the Matrix was trying to tell him something. Starscream, now "Megascream", then attacked but withdrew when Unicron devoured [[Moonbase One]]. The Autobots regrouped on [[Moonbase Two]] when Unicron began attacking Cybertron directly where Optimus Prime took a shuttle to the Chaos Bringer's shell, believing the Matrix could stop him. Still haunted by visions, Hot Rod secretly climbed aboard. Megascream was waiting for Optimus and combined with several of his troops to steal the Matrix. Hot Rod saved Prime from certain death and teleported him away before he opened the Matrix, destroying Unicron at the cost his own life and the talisman. In the aftermath, Optimus Prime saw a vision of [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] and the newest addition to the rank of great Autobots within the Matrix: Rodimus Prime. {{storylink|Transformers: Deviations}}

=====Japanese cartoon continuity=====
{{note|The events of the Generation 1 cartoon occur in Japanese animated continuity as described above, except that the events of 2006 are moved forward to 2010, and "The Rebirth" does not occur. A 2007 [[retcon]] built upon the original cartoon's confusing hints to create a full origin for the Matrix in this continuity.}}

{{stub|{{storylink|Generations Selects Special Comic Finale Part 2}}}}

What would become known as the Matrix was a device created by Primacron to convert its wielders' accumulated experiences and wisdom into a powerful all-purpose energy. It was originally built into his assistant (also known as the "Oracle") who was then targeted and destroyed by Unicron when he realized the power of the Matrix was a threat to him. However, the Oracle's lifeforce persisted within the Matrix and fled to a dead world at the centre of the galaxy, which he used his powers to transform into a lush, green world. In time, however, the alien Quintessons came to the Oracle's world and were able to bring him under their power, transforming him into the mega-computer, Vector Sigma. Using the [[Key to Vector Sigma]], the Quintessons cyber-formed the Oracle's world into [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], and the Oracle's life-giving powers were harnessed to produce a race of robotic slaves. They also found and held onto the now empty shell of the Matrix, which absorbed their malevolent brand of wisdom and filled up with corrupted, evil energy. When the Quintessons were kicked off the planet by the robots that would become the Autobots, they claimed the Matrix and, repulsed by its contents, emptied it out again. The discarded energy would one day grow sentient and become [[Devil Z]]. {{storylink|Japanese Generation 1 cartoon timeline|2007 TakaraTomy Transformers timeline}} {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Grand Maximus)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}}

======''The Battle of the Star Gate''======
[[File:StargateBattles matrix powered megatron.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Ka-me-ha-me-ha~!]]
In the mid-1990s, Optimus Prime put the power of the Matrix to an unconventional use when a battle in space forced him to team up with Megatron in order to stop the rampage of [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]], who had fused himself with the space station known as the ''[[Trigger]]''. With Megatron in gun mode clutched in his arms, Prime summoned up the Matrix's energy and channelled it through his body, into the Decepticon leader, who unleashed it all in one colossal shot of cosmic proportions. The blast obliterated Starscream's new ''Trigger''-body, but the backwash of the explosion was so great that it sent Prime, Megatron, and all the Transformers observing the battle on a fiery plummet into Earth's atmosphere. {{storylink|The Battle of the Star Gate}}

======''Story of Binaltech''======
In a parallel timeline that diverged off from this one thanks to the flow of history being altered by the time-tossed [[Ravage (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ravage]], Optimus Prime did not die in [[2005]], and was prepared to confront Unicron himself. However, after sustaining serious injuries in the opening salvo of the battle with the chaos-bringer, Prime passed the Matrix to Ultra Magnus. Despite knowing he was not the Chosen One, Magnus bravely petitioned the Matrix to allow him to wield its power anyway, as otherwise, the Autobots' destruction was assured. The Matrix granted Magnus his wish, and its energy was used to destroy Unicron. {{storylink|Binal Time}}
{{--}}

======''Kiss Players''======
After inheriting the Matrix in 2005, Rodimus Prime was horrified to discover that when he threw Galvatron out of Unicron, the Decepticon leader had wound up crash-landing on Earth, destroying [[Tokyo]]. Seeking to atone for his sins, Rodimus returned the Matrix to Ultra Magnus and became Hot Rod again, leaving both the talisman and the role of leadership in Magnus's hands {{storylink|Tonight's Big Catch!?}} for five years until he returned to his post in [[2010]].

======''The Headmasters'' cartoon======
After emptying the Matrix to cure the Hate Plague, Optimus Prime sought to restore the lifeforce that had been lost by filling it with energy drawn from the lifeforce of [[Earth]] itself. To this end, the Matrix was secreted away in the lower levels of one of many Autobot energy-gathering facilities on Earth, where Prime hoped it would steadily recharge. Whether or not this odd-sounding plan would have ''worked'' is an area of some debate, but ultimately, a different set of circumstances soon came into play...

[[File:DoublePrime matrix recharged.jpg|left|upright=1.45|thumb|Alpha Trion's spirit re-enters the Matrix, recharging it.]]
In the year [[2011]], a catastrophic side-effect of the Matrix's energy being released became apparent—without the Matrix to act as a controlling force, Vector Sigma began to destabilize, putting all of Cybertron in great danger. The Decepticons took this opportunity to invade the planet, hoping to take control of the unstable computer and by extension, the planet itself. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}} During the battle that followed, Optimus Prime headed for Vector Sigma's chamber to try and bring the computer back under control, but without the Matrix—which remained hidden on Earth, its location known only to Prime himself—the only recourse would be to give up his own life. To stop Prime from making this sacrifice, Hot Rod led the Autobot [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] in a methodical search across Earth, checking every Autobot energy facility. {{storylink|The Mystery of Planet Master}} After successfully locating the Matrix in the last possible hiding place and evading his pursuers, Hot Rod returned to Cybertron, arriving in Vector Sigma's chamber just as Optimus Prime was facing off against the Decepticons. The ghost of Alpha Trion, who had survived the emptying of the Matrix and who had led Prime safely to the computer chamber, merged with the Matrix, restoring its lost lifeforce and giving it the power to once again transform Hot Rod into Rodimus Prime. The two Primes dispatched the Decepticons, but before Rodimus could use the Matrix to stabilize Vector Sigma, Optimus Prime sacrificed himself by merging with the computer to bring it back under control. {{storylink|Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime}}

Some time later, when Cybertron was subsequently devastated thanks to the machinations of Decepticon Headmaster leader [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], Rodimus Prime voyaged into space to search for a new homeworld for the Transformers, taking the Matrix with him. {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2}}
{{--}}

======''The Headmasters'' comic======
On his many travels through space, the Matrix gave Rodimus Prime courage to face every challenge that presented itself. In addition to the teachings of the ancient Autobots, the energy of Earth's lifeforce that now dwelled within the Matrix as well truly opened Rodimus's eyes to the beauty of Earth and humanity. Believing that Transformers should aspire to be more like human beings, he returned to Earth and announced his desire for humans and Transformers to live and work together to move forward and evolve. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 8|The Headmasters #8}}

======''G-2'' story pages and pack-in manga======
[[File:G2StoryPageReconfigurationMatrix1.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb]]
Presumably, Rodimus Prime must have returned the Matrix to Optimus Prime when he was restored to life as Star Convoy, since Prime had the talisman back in his chest when he adopted his "Hero" body at the beginning of the renewed war against Megatron some number of years after 2025. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (story page)|G-2 Part 1}} A research team led by [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]], [[Wheeljack (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Wheeljack]], and [[Perceptor (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Perceptor]] later discovered new properties of the Matrix, which prompted Megatron to duel Optimus Prime in the [[Mirtonian constellation]] in order to steal the Matrix for himself. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (story page)|G-2 Part 4}} Megatron fatally wounded Prime, but the ancient Autobots within the Matrix were able to restore him thanks to the newly discovered power Jetfire's team had learned of: the [[Reconfiguration Matrix]], which repaired and restored Prime in a new Laser Rod body. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (story page)|G-2 Part 5}}

======e-HOBBY storyline======
Having briefly held the Matrix, Ultra Magnus's spark was among the chosen few which retained autonomy within the Allspark. Sensing the threat [[Galvatron II]] posed to the universe with his fleet of [[Warworld]]s, Magnus used the powers of the Reconfiguration Matrix to resurrect himself in a new body based on Prime's Laser Rod form so that he could battle the Decepticon leader. It didn't go very well. {{storylink|Hybrid Style Convoy Black Version}}
{{--}}

======''Legends'' comic======
Alpha Trion and the Matrix played a role in Hot Rod's conversion to a [[Micromaster]]. {{storylink|Transformers 2015 Tailgate/G1 Mini-Con Chapter|Tailgate/G1 Mini-Con Chapter}} During the rise of Galvatron II, Optimus Prime contacted the spirit of Alpha Trion within the Matrix and asked him to locate and bring back Ultra Magnus's spark. The process of resurrecting Magnus also brought Trion himself back in a diminutive body connected to the powers of the Matrix. {{storylink|LG14 Ultra Magnus Prologue#Resurrection Chapter|Resurrection Chapter}} Scourge later captured Alpha Trion to draw upon the Matrix's energy, but it ended up overloading his [[transtector]], which exploded. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 26|Bonus Edition Vol. 26}}

====Start Your Own Decoy Collection====
[[File:Decoy comic matrix.jpg|left|thumb]]
Through unknown means, the Decepticons were able to steal the Creation Matrix and holed it up in their headquarters. In order to stage a recovery, the Autobots created an army of [[Decoy]]s to distract the Decepticon forces, while Ultra Magnus, Hot Rod, Kup and [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] secretly penetrated the base. Fighting their way through a slew of [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]], the team discovered the Matrix in a transparent case. Blurr blasted it open at Hot Rod's direction, and the Autobots successfully escaped with the talisman back in their possession. {{storylink|Start Your Own Decoy Collection|The Decepticon Deception}}
{{--}}

====Beast Era====
=====''Beast Wars'' cartoon=====
[[File:OptimalSituation spark holder.jpg|thumb|The similarity between Prime's "spark holder" and the Matrix was a source of some confusion.]]
Several enigmatic references were made to the Matrix by the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Warriors]] at various points, though it is never precisely clear if they are referring to the Matrix of Leadership, the Allspark dimension, [[Matrix (facility)|the protoform production facility on Cybertron]] that also goes by that name, or some theoretical conglomeration of any of the above that they only speak of out of misconception.

When the body of Optimus Prime was fatally wounded by [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]], [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] opened Prime's chest compartment in order to take the Autobot leader's spark into his own body for safety. Prime's spark was shown to be contained within a holder shaped just like the Matrix of Leadership, and Rhinox remarked that Prime's spark had "the Matrix with it". {{storylink|Optimal Situation}}
{{--}}

=====3H comics=====
While experiencing a swirl of visions from throughout history, the [[Covenant (group)|Covenant]] witnessed the Matrix being torn by the [[Liege Maximo]] from the body of the enigmatic [[Primon]], its first holder. {{storylink|Covenant (story)|Covenant}}

[[File:Sparkholderprimevaldawn.jpg|left|upright=1.66|thumb|The Matrix, beneath Prime's "spark holder".]]
The confusion surrounding the Matrix-like "spark holder" in Prime's chest and its relation to the actual Matrix of Leadership was clarified when it was revealed that the Matrix was actually concealed in a compartment beneath Prime's own spark, a deception specifically designed to protect the Matrix and keep it from those who would misuse its power.

[[File:Primevaldawn2 tarantulas matrix.jpg|215px|I'm not sure how I'll get this in my chest. Maybe I'll carry it with a sheath of some sort?|thumb]]
Following the end of the Beast Wars, the deceased [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] was resurrected, having harnessed the powers of the alien [[Vok]] with the intention of stealing the Matrix and delivering it to his master, Unicron. Seeking to keep the Matrix out of Tarantulas's hands, the Vok took the talisman from the sleeping Optimus Prime and used its power to transform the discarded control suit the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] had previously used to manipulate Optimus Primal into [[Primal Prime]]. Primal Prime was made guardian of the Matrix, and filled with all the wisdom of the past leaders within it. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 1}} Unfortunately, the Vok had miscalculated: While it was within Optimus Prime, the Matrix had been safe, but once they had broken the forces that had bound it to Prime in order to transfer it to their creation, it had become vulnerable. This was proven in drastic fashion when, in the following battle, Tarantulas was able to overpower Primal Prime and rip the Matrix from his body. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 2}} The shock threw Primal Prime into a comatose state, while Tarantulas took the Matrix back to his lab to await the completion of the [[unspace|transwarp]] portal that would take him and his prize to Unicron. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 3}}

{{note|"Primeval Dawn" was never finished as a result of [[3H Productions]] losing the Transformers license. Obviously enough, its finale would have seen our heroes recover the Matrix from Tarantulas and replace it in Optimus Prime's chest.}}
{{--}}

====Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity====
[[File:Ancients.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|The Matrix-shaped platform above the Oracle Tank.]]
Most modern Cybertronians eschew the mythology of the Matrix as set out by the [[Council of Ancients]], which claims that it is a conduit for the energies of Primus, choosing instead to believe in [[atechnogenesis]]. Despite this, Transformer society still holds the Matrix itself in great reverence, as, product of a deity or not, it is indisputably the most effective source of new Transformer life. Many conflicting stories and rumors swirl about the Matrix's true nature, born of claims that the Council actively prevented Alpha Trion from telling the general public more about it, but what ''is'' known about the talisman is that it is a virtually limitless source of energy. Only those with an affinity for the Matrix can wield its power; these Transformers are typically those chosen to be the next Prime, who often receive physical augmentation when the Matrix is taken into their bodies. {{storylink|Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More Than Meets The Eye #8}} The Ancients claim that the Matrix contains the wisdom of all sparks that return to it after death, though they do keep a more tangible version of that sort of thing in the form of a [[Golden Disk (council)|golden disk]] that holds the knowledge of past Primes. {{storylink|The War Within issue 6|The War Within #6}}
[[File:TWW1 prime gets matrix.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|150 points to Gryffindor!]]

The earliest known bearer of the Matrix was [[Primon|Alpha Prime]], who was succeeded by Guardian Prime, and then Sentinel Prime. {{storylink|Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More Than Meets The Eye #8}} Around 8.2 million years ago, seeking to use the Matrix to power the planetary turbine engines he had discovered beneath Cybertron's surface, Megatron attacked and killed Sentinel Prime, only to discover upon tearing his victim open that the Matrix was gone, having already been given by Sentinel Prime to the Council of Ancients for unknown reasons (perhaps having foreseen his own death). The Council subsequently chose a data archivist named Optronix to be the new bearer of the Matrix, and brought him to the [[Oracle Tank]], in which both he and the Matrix were immersed. Optronix was enlarged and strengthened by the Matrix, and transformed into Optimus Prime. {{storylink|The War Within issue 1|The War Within #1}}

Soon after, Megatron attacked Prime in the catacombs beneath Cybertron and cracked open his form, exposing the Matrix. A blinding flash burst from the Matrix, showing Prime and Megatron visions of future conflicts on Earth and [[Nebulos]], but it was implied that Optimus somehow used the Matrix to force Megatron to forget these visions. How much knowledge he himself retained is unknown. {{storylink|The War Within issue 5|The War Within #5}}
[[File:PrimeDirective2 spike replaces matrix.jpg|left|upright=1.66|thumb]]

Millions of years later, after their war on Earth, the Transformers were set to return to Cybertron aboard the [[Ark II]] in 1999, at which point Optimus Prime gave [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] a piece of the Matrix as a promise that he would be back. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 2|Prime Directive #2}} The Ark II proved to have been sabotaged, however, and exploded in mid-flight, leaving the world to believe that the Transformers were dead until 2002, when the terrorist [[Lazarus]] recovered several of their bodies and reprogrammed them for use as weapons that he would sell on the black market. The American military recovered the body of Optimus Prime and [[Robert Hallo|General Hallo]] drafted Spike to help in bringing him back to life, {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 1|Prime Directive #1}} which Spike accomplished by returning the portion of the Matrix Prime had given him. Thus restored, Prime revived the other surviving Autobots by casting the light of the Matrix across the Arctic landscape where their bodies lay, melting away the ice that held them and bringing them back online. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 2|Prime Directive #2}}
[[File:G1 Vol.2 Issue6 2.jpg|thumb]]
When the Autobots and Decepticons were finally able to return to Cybertron, a chain of events ultimately led Optimus Prime into a confrontation with Shockwave in Vector Sigma's chamber. Knocking Prime out and blasting his chest open, Shockwave harnessed the energy of the Matrix and used it to access Vector Sigma's databanks in an attempt to learn all of the dark secrets at the heart of Cybertron. {{storylink|Countdown to Extinction (issue)|Countdown to Extinction}} Before Shockwave could complete his dark experiments, enemy forces converged on his lab, so the Decepticon logician tore the Matrix from Prime's body, intending to flee, only to be stopped and defeated by [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]. Grimlock recovered the Matrix and returned it to Prime, {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}} but the trauma of its forceful removal necessitated that Prime spend an extended session in a [[CR chamber]] to recover. {{storylink|Black Sunshine}}

=====''The Transformers Trilogy'' novels=====
Captured by the enigmatic aliens known as the [[Keeper (species)|Keepers]] and imprisoned inside their giant techno-organic bodies, Optimus Prime found himself forced into a suicide ploy, using a torrent of energon from the Matrix to destroy the creatures from within, willing to take himself with it. The gateway back to Earth was opened by Spike at the last moment, allowing Prime to hold off on his sacrifice, but unfortunately, the Keepers came through the portal as well. {{storylink|Transformers: Hardwired|Hardwired}} During the battle that ensued against the Keepers in [[Las Vegas]], a pool of pure energon was uncovered beneath the city, which Prime combined with the energon of the Matrix to temporarily imbue himself with incredible power. Simultaneously, the American government launched a nuclear missile at Las Vegas in order to destroy both the Transformers and the Keepers, but the super-charged Prime was able to capture the missile's explosion in a net of Matrix energy, hurling it at the Keepers and blasting them through their portal. {{storylink|Transformers: Annihilation|Annihilation}}

Following the Keepers' apparent defeat, Megatron called Prime in on a favour he had extracted from him in order to ensure his co-operation when they had been captives of the Keepers: Prime was to hand over the Matrix itself. Prime complied, partially out of honor, and partially due to the fact that he knew Megatron, as a Decepticon, would be unable to use the Matrix's power. Unfortunately, Prime had not reckoned with Megatron's giant soldier, [[Omega Sentinel (G1)|Omega Sentinel]], who was actually a reprogrammed Autobot whose non-Decepticon circuitry could interface with the Matrix to some extent. Omega Sentinel used his new Matrix-powered strength to destroy the White House, but the talisman's effect on his systems was immediately apparent by the fact that no life was lost in the attack. When the Sentinel refused to kill the Keeper-controlled [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] and Starscream on Megatron's orders, the Decepticon leader realized that the Matrix was influencing the giant and had him remove it from his body. The Matrix was recovered by the Keepers' agent [[Franklin Townsend]] and brought to the pocket-dimension into which the aliens had been transported, but Optimus Prime pursued Townsend and recovered the Matrix, once again intending to use it to destroy his alien enemies by collapsing the pocket dimension, at the cost of his own life. And once again the portal opened, leaving Prime content to force the Keepers back with the Matrix's light while he himself returned to Earth. However, Prime was unable to shut the portal off, required as he was to devote his attention to using the Matrix to keep the creatures from passing through the gateway. Salvation came in the form of the Omega Sentinel, the Matrix's effect on his systems persisting even after its removal: the giant threw himself and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] into the portal just as Prime shut off the Matrix, collapsing the gate and sealing the Keepers away forever. {{storylink|Transformers: Fusion|Fusion}}

====''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''====
[[File:ArtofWar1 matrix.jpg|left|thumb]]
Optimus Prime was formerly a simple data archivist until the Matrix chose him to be the new leader of the Autobots. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 2|The Art of War #2}}

Renegade military artificial intelligence [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]] learned about the Matrix whilst downloading information on the history of Cybertron from Soundwave, and ''really'' liked the bit about "bestowing great power". {{storylink|The Art of War issue 1|The Art of War #1}} He subsequently captured Optimus Prime and tried to convince him to give up the Matrix peacefully. From Serpent O.R.'s point of view, he was a great and respected leader too, so surely the Matrix would deem him a worthy bearer. In addition, he was sure the ancient relic would provide him with a spark so he could finally understand what life and death really meant. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 4|The Art of War #4}}
[[File:ArtofWar5 hawk serpentor matrix.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|My God... the Matrix has given us eye lasers!]]
Unfortunately, Prime disagreed, so Serpent O.R. ended up having to take the Matrix by force. As he had planned, the Matrix did deem him worthy and did give him a soul, all while transforming him into a new form to boot. However, with his newfound wisdom, "Serpentor Prime" quickly saw the error of his ways, and would've committed suicide if it weren't for [[Cobra Commander]] hijacking his body. In order to stop the commander, [[Hawk (G.I. Joe)|Hawk]] tried to take the Matrix away from him, and was deemed worthy of it as well. This caused a power feedback that destroyed Serpent O.R., fried Cobra Commander's mind, and imbued Hawk with all the knowledge of the Matrix. While the artifact was unharmed and was returned to Optimus Prime when everything was over, the knowledge that now filled Hawk's mind gave him visions of future conflicts to come. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 5|The Art of War #5}}

In addition to vision, the Matrix also gave Hawk the ability to control machinery with his mind, converse with Transformers telepathically, and force enough information into Transformers to incapacitate them with a single touch. Unfortunately, it also gave him recurring nightmares about an [[Unicron/Generation 1|angry god]]. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2}}
{{--}}

====''Transformers/G.I. Joe''====
[[File:DWTFJoe3 cobra commander matrix.jpg|left|thumb|125px]]
As the Autobots and Decepticons on Earth lay deactivated among the [[Fera Islands]], the Matrix was discovered by local [[human]]s, and became the sacred relic of a group of monks, who built it into the chest of a statue. Unfortunately, a rumour spread that the glowing blue orb possessed by the monks was an "ultimate weapon", and in 1938, [[Cobra]] massacred the monks and stole the Matrix. When [[Major Bludd]] touched the relic, the Decepticons who laid dormant on the island were reactivated. {{storylink|The Line}}

The Matrix subsequently came into the possession of [[Cobra Commander]], who learned that he could use it to hurt and weaken [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. Using this method, he blackmailed the Decepticons into serving him. {{storylink|Trial by Fire}} In the end, Cobra Commander was killed, and [[Snake-Eyes]] grabbed the Matrix. By this time, the Autobots and [[G.I. Joe (team)|Joes]] were under attack by the unstoppable [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]], so [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] urged Snake-Eyes to smash the Matrix, in hopes that the destruction of the life-giving artifact would take away Bruticus's lifeforce. Snake-Eyes complied and let Bruticus crush the Matrix with his wildly swinging fists, causing a flash of blue light that killed all Transformers present. {{storylink|The Iron Fist}}
{{--}}

====2005 IDW continuity====
[[File:MTMTEannual solomus matrix.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67]]
According to religious legend, the core of the Matrix was created from [[Solomus]], the god of wisdom, trapped in the form of a crystal by [[Mortilus]], the god of death. Following the defeat of Mortilus, Solomus managed to transform his crystal prison into the Matrix—a conduit for the energies of [[Primus]], who had himself transformed into the life-giving computer Vector Sigma. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}} {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (2): The God War|The God War}}

In actuality, the Matrix was created by [[Rung (G1)|Primus]], {{storylink|Crucible (Part 5): The Unremembering|The Unremembering}} and passed onto the [[Knights of Cybertron]] when they left to explore new worlds. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (3): You Are Here|You Are Here}} Legend says that they called it the "Creation Matrix" for the life-giving abilities they believed its connection to Vector Sigma granted it. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 2}} When the Knights landed on the medical hub of [[Mederi]], the moon's telepathic field, intended to induce happiness in euthanasia patients so they could die in peace, inadvertently convinced them they had discovered a perfect mechanical world, which they dubbed "[[Cyberutopia]]." To share this discovery with their homeworld, they inscribed a map to Mederi inside the Matrix's crystal core, and sent it back to Cybertron (via currently-unknown means), hoping the rest of their kind would follow it and join them in eternal happiness. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (3): You Are Here|You Are Here}}

It was, perhaps, fortunate that this roadmap to a peaceful death was never discovered by contemporary Cybertronians; upon its return to Cybertron, the Matrix was used by [[Solus Prime]] in the construction of the mighty [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]] sword, becoming the jewel on the hilt of the blade, which came to be wielded by [[Prima]]. {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}} The Matrix's integration into the Saber survived in the folklore of both Cybertron and [[Caminus (planet)|Caminus]], {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 1: To Walk Among the Chosen|To Walk Among the Chosen}} with the latter culture regarding it as the "Matrix of Light". {{storylink|The Sum and Its Parts}} {{storylink|Conquerors Part 2: Lagrange|Lagrange}} {{storylink|O Ship of State|Victorion profile in Revolution #3}} In [[Velocitron]]ian culture, the device remained known as the Creation Matrix. {{storylink|Primeless, Part 2}}

[[File:Tyrest and the matrix.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]
Those capable of bearing the Matrix within them are marked by certain [[Signs of Affinity|signs of affinity]]: having optics the same shade of "liberty blue" as the [[Matrix Flame]], finding ''[[Living metal#2005 IDW continuity|sentio metallico]]'' wet to the touch, becoming giddy when standing on a [[hot spot (phenomenon)|hot spot]], and the ability to make a [[photonic crystal]] "snap" when placed in their chest. {{storylink|The Plotters' Club (Part 3): Journey's End|Journey's End}}

The cruel supremacist [[Nova Prime]], a former lieutenant of Prima's, is the earliest known bearer of the Matrix in recent history, though exactly how he came to carry it after Prima's death is unknown. Nova observed that the pulsewaves from Vector Sigma which generated new sparks from the substance of Cybertron and its moon were lessening in regularity, and, fearing (correctly) that they would one day stop entirely, tasked his scientists with studying the Matrix, hoping that the life-giving power the legends said it possessed could be tapped into. A team led by [[Solomus|Tyrest]] set to the task, and succeeded in finding a way to generate sparks from the Matrix in abundance, producing a vast reservoir of them which were stockpiled and steadily rolled out into society as new bodies were constructed for them. The true origin of these "Matrixed" sparks was hidden from the general public, and a cover story was put into place that claimed they were created via "spark splicing", using the energy of an existing spark to ignite a new one. Transformers created in this manner were described as "constructed cold", while those born naturally were "forged". {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}}

Eventually, the Matrix would yield no more sparks, causing Tyrest and his team to believe it had run dry. In reality, one of the scientists had had an attack of conscience and stolen the Matrix, replacing it with a facsimile and hiding the real one away in the subterranean labyrinth of the [[Undergrid]]. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} Once Nova Prime left the planet aboard the [[Ark (G1)|Ark-1]] and vanished into the [[Benzuli Expanse]],<ref>Author Simon Furman implied in a [http://simonfurman.wordpress.com/2007/12/12/another-quick-qa/ December 2007 Q&A on his blog] and in the narration of ''[[Spotlight: Galvatron]]'' that in his original plans for this story, Nova ''did'' take the Matrix into the Dead Universe (Optimus Prime is never shown to carry it in Furman's stories), where it would have "become" something. Presumably, it was his intention for it to become the Darkness itself, which would not have been the separate entity it was in the finished story. These plans were cut short and wrapped up when Furman left the series, and subsequent writers established that Optimus had indeed been carrying the Matrix all along.</ref> the fake Matrix was protected by the presumably-unwitting [[Primal Vanguard]], carried by its leader [[Delta Magnus]] during a period known as the [[Interregnum]] until a new bearer was chosen. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}} [[Nominus Prime]] is the earliest recorded Matrix-bearer after Nova, but whether he was his direct successor or not is unknown. It's also unclear whether Nominus Prime was aware that the Matrix was a fake. It's likely he did, since Nominus presumably falsified an "affinity for the Matrix" somehow in order to be named Prime.

Many Transformers embraced the religion surrounding the Matrix during the time of Nominus's reign, though with exceptions, such as police captain [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Orion Pax]], who remained sceptical of its touted divinity. Some Transformers would even [[tattoo]] an image of the Matrix on their bodies as evidence of their faith, such Orion's co-worker [[Springarm]] {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 2}} and the trainee theoretician [[Skids (G1)|Skids]]. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}} Nominus's reign was a time of great civil unrest, however; a senator named [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]] hoped that a new Matrix-bearer might steer the planet off the path to self-destruction the corrupt [[Senate]] had placed it upon, and so began selecting promising young Cybertronians like [[Zeta Prime (G1)|Zeta]] and Orion Pax, befriending and rebuilding them with Matrix chambers in their chests. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 2}} {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}} 

[[File:Autocracy9 pax finds matrix.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
In order to take control of the Matrix's life-giving powers, the corrupt forces within the Senate arranged for an attack upon Nominus Prime, moving him into hiding so they could gain unfettered access to the talisman. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 2}} Upon opening Nominus's chest, however, the Senate at last discovered that the Matrix had been replaced with a fake. Furious, they had Nominus killed, establishing a cover story that he had died of a rust infection, and announcing that their security head [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel]] was showing signs of Matrix affinity, paving the way for him to become Sentinel Prime. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} The fake Matrix was then transformed into a bomb as part of a plot to incriminate and round up the burgeoning Decepticon faction, {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} but a team led by Orion Pax uncovered the scheme, broke into the [[Primal Basilica]] and removed the Matrix-bomb, which Orion then detonated to win a battle with the [[Heavies]]. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}} It was not long after this that tensions exploded in the outbreak of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]; {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} {{storylink|The Transformers: Megatron Origin|Megatron Origin}} when reflecting back on this time, [[Kup (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Kup]] distilled the reasons behind the outbreak of the conflict down to blaming the Matrix as the root cause. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}} 

[[File:AHM7 megs rips out matrix.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Megatron, [[Ratchet (WFC)|I needed that]]!]]
Sentinel was succeeded by Zeta Prime, who much like his predecessor used a new fake Matrix (with lights installed!) to claim the title, and only those involved with Sentinel's scheme were aware of the truth. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 1: To Walk Among the Chosen|To Walk Among the Chosen}} {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 4: Dance Among the Shadows|Dance Among the Shadows}} Zeta was subsequently killed by [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]], who then hurled Orion Pax into the Undergrid, where Orion found the hiding place of the true Matrix. The damaged Pax was called out to by the Matrix, which asked him to take hold of it. Upon doing so, he was linked to the sparks of every single Cybertronian alive and was overcome by the pain, fear and loneliness his people were experiencing. As power of the Matrix repaired his body, he realized that it was not only a symbol of leadership or creation, but a "Matrix of our sparks" in which [['Til all are one|all were one]]. With his newfound clarity and the Matrix in his chest, Orion declared his name to be Optimus Prime and set out to bring freedom to Cybertron. {{storylink|Transformation (issue)|Transformation}} Just thereafter, the Matrix guided him to the ruins of [[Nyon]] and allowed him to sense and awaken the dormant lifeforce of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], who was in deep slumber below the city. {{storylink|Rise}}

Optimus Prime would later try to unleash the power of the Matrix in an attempt to vanquish the ancient monster [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], but was for some reason unable to open it. {{storylink|Annihilation}} He revealed his possession of the Matrix to [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] as proof of his Primehood, {{storylink|Primacy issue 1|Primacy #1}} and later used its cleansing powers to purge the influence of [[Pentius]]'s spark from Megatron's body. {{storylink|Primacy issue 4|Primacy #4}} At some point Prime took a sabbatical and left the Matrix in the care of [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]], whom it took to so well legend says it had to be surgically removed from his chest. {{storylink|Little Victories}}

After the Transformers' conflict moved to Earth in the present day, Megatron determined to separate Optimus Prime from the Matrix. He was unaware of what the Matrix was actually capable of, but viewed any unknown element as a potential threat, and reasoned that even if he could not use it himself, it would still be safer in his hands than in those of his enemies. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}} To this end, Megatron staged a trap for the Autobots with the aid of the traitorous [[Sunstreaker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sunstreaker]], catching them off-guard with his newly created gestalt [[Devastator (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Devastator]]. Defeated, the Autobots were dumped via space bridge in the ruins of Cybertron, but not before Megatron tore the Matrix from Prime's chest himself. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}} 

[[File:TFvol1 13hotrod starscream matrix.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|This seems familiar...]]
When Megatron was defeated a year later and his forces were routed off of Earth, [[Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Starscream]] took up the role of leader and "inherited" the captive Matrix. Frustrated by his failure to find any "ultimate power" within it after several cycles of study, he decided to throw it away, only to be caught by [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] just before blowing it out an airlock. Scrabbling for an explanation as to why he had the Matrix and reminded by the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]] of its massive symbolic importance to the Autobots, Starscream claimed he had been "chosen" by the talisman and now wielded its power. He went on to make this declaration before all the Decepticons, boosting morale and rallying them beneath him, but immediately regretted the decision. {{storylink|Uneasy Lies the Head}} And rightfully so: with the Matrix hung around his neck on a chain, its subtle influence on his mind over the next three years made the Decepticon air commander subdued and withdrawn, lost in contemplation of its mysteries, lashing out violently at any Decepticons who tried to touch it. This left him open to a brash attack by [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hot Rod]], who infiltrated the Decepticons' asteroid base in order to recover the Matrix. Hot Rod actually ''shot'' the Matrix to cause a discharge of energy that knocked Starscream out, then attempted to escape with the Matrix in hand, but was confronted by the newly repaired Megatron. He proceeded to blast both the Matrix and Hot Rod through the base wall, setting them adrift in the void of space. {{storylink|Heart Like a Wheel}} Starscream's possession of the "potentially threatening" Matrix had previously made Megatron hesitant to take back leadership of the Decepticons, but with the artifact lost in space, he had nothing to fear and quickly reclaimed his position. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}}

[[File:IDW19 matrix in chest.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.67]]
As they drifted through space together, the Matrix fused itself to Hot Rod's chest, keeping him alive and healing the damage Megatron had done. Eventually, Hot Rod crash-landed on the planet [[LV-118]], where he was taken captive by the [[Ilxian]] "[[Admiral]]", a stranded alien who sought to use the Matrix as a power source for his ship. With help from [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]], another Autobot stranded on the planet, Hot Rod was able to seize control of the Admiral's ship, and allowed Wheelie to tap the energy of the Matrix to get them off the planet. {{storylink|Space Opera Part 1: The Stars My Destination|The Stars My Destination}} Knocked unconscious by the process, Hot Rod awoke some time later to find that Wheelie had been able to remove the Matrix from his chest, and had piloted the ship to Cybertron. Knowing that the planet was overrun by the [[Insecticon swarm]], Hot Rod tried to convince Wheelie that they needed to leave right away, but that proved impossible, as the Matrix had ceased providing power to the ship. Things on Cybertron turned out to be better than Hot Rod had thought, though, as they met up with [[Ironhide (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ironhide]] and Sunstreaker, who provided a fuel cell for their ship. {{storylink|Space Opera Act 2: Out of the Silent Planet|Out of the Silent Planet}} The entire group returned to Earth, where Hot Rod made his first duty the return of the Matrix to Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Space Opera—Final Tableaux: Orphans of the Helix|Orphans of the Helix}}

Departing for Cybertron aboard [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] with Megatron a captive, Prime removed the Matrix from his chest in order to prove to himself that even without its wisdom, he still had the ability to make rational judgements under his own power. [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] watched over the talisman while Prime deliberated on Megatron's fate, and was holding it while he examined the damaged Sunstreaker, whose ability to walk was suddenly restored by its power. Although Prime ultimately concluded that Megatron's fate should be left for Megatron himself to decide, he did experience one disquieting revelation: Hot Rod revealed that when the Matrix had bonded with him, he had experienced not pain, as Optimus had felt, but unbridled elation. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 2}}

[[File:DoOP split matrix.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Where'd you get the Matrix?"<br>"We found it."<br>"Found it? In Altihex? The Matrix is tropical!"]]
Upon the Autobots' return to Cybertron, they were faced with the threat of [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]], latest carrier of the [[Darkness (G1)|Heart of Darkness]], who combined it with Vector Sigma in order to allow [[D-Void]] to emerge into the universe through Cybertron. To prevent this, Optimus Prime opened the Matrix, which succeeded in stopping D-Void, but also left the Matrix spent, its crystal core darkened and split in two. {{storylink|Chaos Part Four: Genesis|Genesis}} With unrest growing between the Autobots and the unaligned Transformers in the process of returning to the planet, Prime brought the two halves of the Matrix to [[Perceptor (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Perceptor]] for study, and the scientist discovered that the crystal was artificial, designed to [[photonic crystal|split in two]], and contained a map of the stars. [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] believed the map would lead the way to the long-lost [[Knights of Cybertron]], and Rodimus elected to gather a crew and follow the path it charted, much to acting leader [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]]'s consternation. Optimus Prime gave each of them one of the Matrix-halves, before departing Cybertron himself in hopes of ending the civil unrest. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}} Optimus kept the shell of the Matrix and returned it to within his chest cavity. {{storylink|First Contact (IDW)|First Contact}}

When Rodimus set foot on [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], a billion sparks suddenly lit up on the moon's surface, something he credited to the Matrix half he was carrying. {{storylink|Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|The Fecund Moon}} Having developed a belief that Cybertronians born from the Matrix were inherently evil, Tyrest used his knowledge of the talisman to construct the [[universal killswitch]]—a device capable of killing all cold constructed Transformers in existence by scrambling their unique sparkcode. Rodimus was able to put a stop to the process by hooking himself up to the machine and using his Matrix half to reinstate the code, but the crystal was shattered in the process. {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}} He later scattered the dust of the Matrix on Luna 1 in honor of the sparks that were lost before they could be harvested. {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}} Optimus was...displeased when he learned of this. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}}

[[File:ForeverIsALongTimeComing-MatrixofLeadership.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67]]
The other half of the Matrix remained in Bumblebee's care until his death, after which it fell back into the hands of Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 2: Detonation Boulevard|Detonation Boulevard}} On his anniversary of becoming Prime, he returned to where he had found it all those years ago, hoping to find some of the same hope to press forward. {{storylink|Forever Is a Long Time Coming (issue)|Forever Is a Long Time Coming}} He later spoke with [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] about the Matrix where she said if the Matrix chose him, it had a good reason. {{storylink|First Contact (IDW)|First Contact}} When contact with [[Caminus (planet)|Caminus]] was established, Optimus was unwilling to let Starscream exploit it and all the other colonies. With Windblade at his side he passed through [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]'s [[Space bridge|spacebridge]] to the chamber of the [[Forgefire Parliament]] where Windblade proclaimed him to be a Prime. The [[Mistress of Flame]] demanded proof of this and Optimus revealed the glowing Matrix to all. The natives of the planet bowed in his presence and revered him as a god, equal to [[Primus]] and the [[Thirteen]] Primes. {{storylink|The Sum and Its Parts}} After being immobilized by [[Victorion]], Optimus recounted the history of the Matrix but stated he believed it to simply be a piece of advanced technology not a mystical artifact while also expressing confusion over why it had flared on Caminus. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 2: Lagrange|Lagrange}} 

[[File:ToWalkAmongTheChosen-Ore13Matrix.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67]]
When Optimus had his chest ripped open by a mutated [[Baron Karza]], the Matrix shone through the damages. {{storylink|Valley Forge}}

Atop the [[Matterhorn]], waiting for [[Quintesson Cruiser|an alien spacecraft]], Optimus regarded the Matrix only for it to suddenly glow. An unimpressed [[Pyra Magna]] simply revealed that the Matrix was simply reacting to the nearby [[Ore-13]]. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 1: To Walk Among the Chosen|To Walk Among the Chosen}} When talking to [[Aileron]], Optimus again expressed that he did not believe the Matrix to be a divine artifact, calling it a "pulsewave generator". He noted however that could he use its symbolic importance to do good. Pyra Magna overheard his comment and was... displeased. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 4: Dance Among the Shadows|Dance Among the Shadows}} After the Autobots and Junkions had gone to war, Optimus realized the precariousness of the situation and revealed the Matrix to all, allowing the assembled species to begin a peaceful resolution to the conflict. {{storylink|New Cybertron End: Feel Safe Without Regrets|Feel Safe Without Regrets}}

When Optimus Prime was thrown into the [[Crystal City]] [[black hole]], Starscream watched with amusement as the Matrix was ripped apart by the gravitational forces. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|The Hallowing}} Though the physical object had been destroyed, the powerful idea that the Matrix represented survived with Optimus when he found himself in [[infraspace]]. Realizing the symbolism that the artifact carried could represent a means to escape the realm of pure information, Optimus began to channel its power, {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 5: Endless Forever|Endless Forever}} expanding the black hole and allowing his and Bumblebee's minds to escape infraspace. This came at the heavy cost of disintegrating the Matrix's avatar, destroying the talisman once and for all. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable|Unforgivable}} {{storylink|Last Stand (Unicron)|Last Stand}}

[[File:LL24 Matrix Opening Pt2.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.45|They've got the power!!! Yeah!]]
Though the original Matrix was no more, Primus—now going by the name Rung—would rediscover his ancient memories and his alternate mode's ability to manufacture more Matrices. Though the [[Omega Guardian]]s pushed for him to forge three duplicates as part of their evil plan to blow up the Functionist Council's false Primus avatar, [[Team Rodimus (G1)|Team Rodimus]] hit on the plan to use twelve duplicates to overload [[Vector Sigma]] via the [[hot spot (phenomenon)|hot spot]]s. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 5): The Unremembering|The Unremembering}} Though Rung managed to produce the Matrices, doing so claimed his life. His sacrifice would not be in vain, however, as all twelve were opened and used to free Cybertron from the council's tyranny. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers|A Spark Among Embers}}

In Megatron's [[Galactic Council]] presided trial, Rodimus would falsely testify that Megatron had opened one of the duplicate Matrices, swaying some of the more religious races on the jury. {{storylink|How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2}}

=====The Functionist Universe=====
[[File:ModesOfProduction-SixOfTwelveAndMatrix.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67]]
When the [[Functionist Council]] overthrew the [[Senate]], [[Twelve-of-Twelve]] obtained the false Matrix from Nominus and gave it to [[Six-of-Twelve]]. After obsessively studying the artifact, Six-of-Twelve came to believe Primus was speaking to him through it and integrated it into his head casing. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 3: A World Misplaced|A World Misplaced}}

When the council discovered Rung's ability to produce [[photonic crystal]]s, Six-of-Twelve tried to tap the Matrix to reignite Nova Prime's old cold construction program, but discovered that the Matrix was a useless fake. Undaunted, he turned the Matrix into a weapon that was able to suspend Cybertronians in a field of agonizing energy. When Rodimus was caught in this field, he immediately knew that Six-of-Twelve's Matrix was a false due to being familiar with the energies of the genuine article. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 5: Modes of Production|Modes of Production}}
{{--}}

====''Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun'' manga====
[[File:Henkei11 matrix.jpg|thumb|left|IT BURNS!!]]
When the demented [[Galvatron (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Galvatron]] went on a rampage in [[Hoshinochō]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Optimus Prime]] and his Autobots were forced to abandoned the secrecy with which they had been operating on Earth in order to confront the villain and save the human lives he was threatening. Just as Galvatron targeted the Autobots' human ally [[Wataru Hoshinoumi]], Optimus Prime threw himself into the path of the villain's attack, and was knocked unconscious by the force of the attack. In addition to rendering Prime insensate, however, Galvatron's blow had also shattered his chest, exposing the Matrix of Leadership that was kept within. Responding to Wataru's ability to manipulate [[energon]], the Matrix surged to life, restoring Prime and boosting his strength. The light of the Matrix also revealed an unexpected deception: the Autobots were not merely fighting Galvatron, but [[Cyclonus (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Cyclonus]], possessed by Galvatron's disembodied spark! {{storylink|A Nightmare, Once Again}} Summoning up the Matrix's energy, Prime struck Cyclonus with one almighty Matrix-powered punch, utterly obliterating his body and causing Galvatron's spark to dissipate. {{storylink|To the Sea of Stars}}
{{--}}

====''Robot Heroes''====
[[File:Robotheroes primus and matrix.jpg|thumb|By the power of Grayskull! I AM OPTIMUS PRIME!]]
The Matrix is a glowing crystal that gives the Autobots knowledge. It was created by the first Transformer, Primus, who gave it to Optimus Prime. {{storylink|I Am Optimus Prime (Robot Heroes)|I Am Optimus Prime}}

====''Transformers vs. G.I. Joe''====
The Matrix was passed down to [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] by [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] before his death. {{storylink|Everybody Hates Metroplex}} [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] later defeated Prime and stole the Matrix, which he bonded with his [[black hole]] spark and used to subjugate [[Primus]] himself, allowing him to shape Cybertron according to his wishes. {{storylink|Pax Megatronus}} 

Atop the Dyson Sphere above the Sun, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] managed to rip the Matrix from Megatron before a reborn Optimus Prime hurled Megatron into the sun. The Decepticon managed to hold onto the Matrix however, taking it with him only for [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] to seize the Matrix for himself. It was then snatched by [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] beginning a game of "hot potato" before [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] managed to return it to Optimus. {{storylink|The War Never Ends}}

====''Beast Wars: Uprising''====
To save Earth from the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]], Optimus Prime sacrificed himself and the Matrix. {{storylink|Book of Logos}} With the talisman lost to the Transformers, [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] was instead felled by the [[Point One Percenter]]s, prompting [[Deluge (G2)|Deluge]] to genetically engineer more of them. {{storylink|The Inexorable March}}

====''Of Masters and Mayhem''====
During the Great War, the Decepticon scientists made attempts to recreate the power of the Creation Matrix, using a reasonable facsimile, or the genuine article to create Jetfire. [[Toxitron (G1)|Toxitron]] was an attempt to grow a Matrix shell, an experiment which eventually led to the creation of the [[Matrix of Malice]]. {{storylink|Foundation and Wreckage Part 1: Deadly Aim|Deadly Aim}}

====''Prime Wars Trilogy'' cartoons====
In the aftermath of the [[Combiner Wars (event)|Combiner Wars]], [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] no longer felt worthy to carry the Matrix of Leadership and instead decided to return it to the [[Chorus of the Primes]], reverting to Hot Rod. {{storylink|Aftermath and Rebirth}} The [[Mistress of Flame]] criticized his decision, claiming they would need the Matrix to stop [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]'s rampage. {{storylink|Our Heroes Respond}} The Matrix projected a message to Optimus Prime, granting him a vision of future events, including the role the Matrix itself would play, prompting Optimus to head back towards the battlefield. {{storylink|The Fight Begins}} Learning from [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] that Rodimus had given up the Matrix, Optimus entered the Chorus chamber in the [[Primal Basilica]] and asked to take back the Matrix, which the Chorus obliged. {{storylink|Desperate Actions}} Guiding Perceptor to a secret exit below the Basilica, Optimus asked him to take the Matrix and get as far away as possible, lest Trypticon obtain it and use its power to become unstoppable. {{storylink|Run for Our Lives}}

After running only a short while, the Matrix spoke to Perceptor and detailed its own plan; despite his apprehension, Perceptor did as it asked and tricked Trypticon into swallowing both himself and the Matrix. {{storylink|Consumed}} However, because the Matrix could only be used by its chosen wielder, Trypticon could not contain its power and ejected it and Perceptor from his body, along with the previously swallowed [[Victorion]] and the [[Enigma of Combination]] and the ghost of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] possessing the Titan. Before Victorion could reclaim the Matrix and Enigma, they were surrounded by a barrier of flame as [[The Fallen|Megatronus]] revealed himself. After killing Optimus and issuing a series of vague threats, Megatronus grabbed the Matrix and the Enigma for himself and blasted off into the sky. {{storylink|All Things Must Pass}}

Megatronus later removed the Matrix from its storage and installed it and the Enigma into an unknown device in the [[Well of All Sparks|Well of Sparks]]. {{storylink|Without Warning}} Megatron eventually realized that Megatronus planned to use the Enigma to merge the Matrix's energy with the [[Requiem Blaster (Megatronus)|Requiem Blaster]], creating a weapon capable of killing every Transformer in the universe. Learning of Megatronus's use of the Matrix, the Unicron-controlled Rodimus Cron turned on him, declaring the Matrix must be destroyed. {{storylink|Consequences}} Megatronus returned to the [[Well of All Sparks|Well of Sparks]] and installed the Blaster into his doomsday weapon, beginning siphoning the life force from every Transformer's spark. Perceptor attempted to remove the Matrix and the other relics, but his efforts proved unsuccessful as Solus Prime began to return. {{storylink|Collision Course}} Unicron appeared, now fully in possession of Rodimus, and attempted to take the Matrix while Megatronus attempted to stop him. [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]], [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] and [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] resumed attacking the machine until it finally released the relics, and the Matrix interfaced with Primal, creating a shield protecting them from Megatronus. Having been chosen by the Matrix as its new bearer, Primal placed it in his chest, transforming him into Optimal Optimus. {{storylink|Megatronus Unleashed}}

In the aftermath of Megatronus's and Unicron's defeats, Optimus Prime was resurrected thanks to his connection to the Matrix. He praised the Matrix's choice of Optimal as the new Prime, and agreed to guide him in his newfound role as the leader of Cybertron. {{storylink|Saga's End}}

====''Star Trek vs. Transformers''====
While mind-melded with Optimus Prime, [[Spock]] glimpsed a memory of the Matrix. {{storylink|Prime's Directive, Part Two}}

====2019 IDW continuity====
Perhaps the greatest of the [[Artifacts of the Primes]], the Matrix of Leadership was forged by [[Solus Prime]] in an act that was said to be guided by [[Primus]]. It was a manifestation of the [[Transformer afterlife|Allspark]] given form, with all the [[spark]]s of the deceased returning to the Matrix and bringing with them their experiences. When the Age of Primes came to end, the other artifacts disappeared from Cybertronian society but the Matrix persisted. Several Cybertronians would go on to carry the talisman, earning the title of [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] when they did so, but they were only stewards until the Matrix found its true bearer, the [[Thirteenth Prime]]. {{storylink|War World: Prime|Prime}}

In the modern era, the Matrix of Leadership had come to be held by the founder of the Autobots. Subsequently, holding the Matrix would denote the bearer as the Autobot leader. {{storylink|War World: Titans|Titans}} Upon his death, Nominus Prime had passed it to Sentinel Prime. When Sentinel felt that Orion Pax was overstepping his authority, he gave his subordinate a verbal slap and reminded him who carried the Matrix as well as promising to pass it onto Ultra Magnus, not Orion. {{storylink|Rise of the Decepticons: All Fall Down|All Fall Down}}

Not long afterwards, when Sentinel Prime met his end at the hand of the [[Rainmaker]]s, the Matrix ejected itself from him to begin the search for its next bearer. Though Orion Pax sought to bring it to Ultra Magnus, the talisman reacted to and bonded with Orion. Greeting him in the form of his mentor [[Codexa]], the Matrix's [[Mediator]] software educated Orion on its power and offered him the choice to not bear it. Accepting the burden, the Matrix sealed itself within the Senator, renaming him as Optimus Prime. {{storylink|War World: Prime|Prime}}

Following the unleashing of the [[rust worm]]s, the Matrix's Mediator software summoned Optimus into it, offering him a warning of the future. {{storylink|Radical Time}} Not long afterwards, Megatron demanded that Optimus surrender the Matrix to him. When the Prime refused, Megatron lashed out at him, attempting to physically remove the talisman from the Prime, yielding only when he was confronted with [[Computron (G1)|Computron]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Fate of Cybertron|Fate of Cybertron}}

====''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' continuity====
=====''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' cartoon=====
Alpha Trion was the first known Cybertronian to hold the Matrix of Leadership. Eons ago, he was confronted by [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] who arrogantly demanded the Matrix. When it became clear that Sky Lynx would not back down from this request, Trion was forced to use the [[Staff of Solus]] to banish the draconian to the [[Dead Universe]]. {{storylink|Earthrise episode 5}}

[[File:WFC-Kingdom-Ep1-Matrix-on-Megatrons-chest.jpg|thumb|300px|left]]
After Megatron had murdered Alpha Trion, the Matrix of Leadership was "thrusted" onto Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Siege episode 6}} Agreeing that holding it and the [[Alpha Trion Protocols]] would give Optimus too much power, the program was instead given to Ultra Magnus. {{storylink|Siege episode 4}}

[[File:WFC-Kingdom-Ep4-Optimus-surrenders-Matrix.jpg|thumb|300px]]
When the [[Ark (G1)|''Ark'']] found itself in the Dead Universe, Sky Lynx, humbled by his exile, mentored Optimus in how to properly connect with the Matrix and channel its power. At the same time, the [[Nemesis (G1)|''Nemesis'']] was boarded by [[Galvatron (G1)|a new Decepticon]] who instructed Megatron to claim the Matrix at all costs. When the ''Nemesis'' caught up with the ''Ark'', Optimus used the Matrix to open a rift back to normal space. {{storylink|Earthrise episode 5}}

When both ships emerged back in their universe, the Decepticons boarded the ''Ark'' where Megatron managed to fulfill his guide's directive and claim the Matrix from Optimus. {{storylink|Earthrise episode 6}}
{{stub|''Kingdom''}}

=====''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' marketing material=====
In a possible destiny recorded on the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|''Voyager'' Golden Disk]], Megatron became Galvatron and wore the Matrix of Leadership chained around his neck. {{storylink|Source:Golden Disk destinies|''Kingdom'' Golden Disk cards}}

====Energon Universe====
{{spoiler|Transformers (2023) issue 4|February 14, 2024}}
[[File:TF2023 4 – Prime Uses the Matrix.jpg|thumb|Using the Matrix's light at a dark hour and emptying it in the fourth issue of a new continuity? It's ''[[The many deaths of Optimus Prime#Animated|another]]'' new record, Primey!|right]]

The Matrix was a source of energy that channels the spirit of its host, capable of repairing the injuries of its host and others, {{storylink|Transformers (2023) issue 1|Transformers #1}} as well as activating electronics cut off from their power sources. {{storylink|Transformers (2023) issue 4|Transformers #4}} However, while the Matrix can heal, if a Cybertronian is too injured, it cannot prevent their death. In addition, as its power is also directly connected with its bearer's life force, using the Matrix risks the host's death. {{storylink|Transformers (2023) issue 2|Transformers #2}} 

It was gifted to [[Optimus Prime (G1)#Energon Universe|Optimus Prime]] many years ago. {{storylink|Transformers (2023) issue 4|Transformers #4}} After being reactivated on [[Earth]], he quickly thought to use the Matrix to heal the mortally wounded [[Jetfire (G1)#Energon Universe|Jetfire]], only for [[Ratchet (G1)#Energon Universe|Ratchet]] to inform the Prime that while the Matrix could heal, it cannot stop the inevitable. Shortly after, Jetfire's succumbed to his wounds. {{storylink|Transformers (2023) issue 1|Transformers #1}} 

When informed by Ratchet that there wasn't enough Energon to reactivate every Autobot, and pooling what remaining Energon is left in his and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper's]] bodies could maybe activate someone else for an hour, Optimus considered using the Matrix to help replenish their Energon reserves. Once again, its use was immediately vetoed by Ratchet due to the risk of Prime depleting his own life force when using it, and Ratchet considered Optimus himself was too valuable for the Autobots to lose. {{storylink|Transformers (2023) issue 2|Transformers #2}} 

Ratchet's warnings ultimately were ignored, however, when [[Starscream (G1)#Energon Universe|Starscream]] attacked the local hospital and damaged the power generator. After learning the injured [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] and many other patients who needed breathing machines would die without power, Optimus emptied the Matrix over Ratchet's protests, using it to power the hospital and prevent more deaths. {{storylink|Transformers (2023) issue 4|Transformers #4}}

With the power restored, Spike was stabilized and able to breathe again, however he was still in a coma. [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparky]] asked if the Prime was able to use the Matrix again to bring his son back all the way. Unfortunately, when he powered the hospital, Optimus used every bit of what was in the Matrix, leaving nothing left. Later, when inspecting the hospital's now-repaired generator, Ratchet brought up the subject of the Matrix again. While Optimus initially dismissed him, saying the Matrix will be fine, Ratchet instead berated him for using the Matrix at the risk of his own life to save the humans rather than repairing himself. Optimus defended his actions as he ultimately saved innocent lives, even if it was at the cost of the Matrix. {{storylink|Transformers (2023) issue 4|Transformers #4}}

{{ongoing}}
{{--}}

===2001 ''Robots in Disguise'' continuity family===
====2001 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon====
[[File:PowerToBurn prime matrix.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|My chestplate glows for you, Hotrod]]
Simply known as just 'the Matrix',<ref>The Matrix is never once called the 'Matrix of Leadership' in the ''Robots in Disguise'' 2001 cartoon. Though, it was initially called Optimus's 'Cyber Matrix' in "[[The Test (episode)|The Test]]", it was never again referred to as such afterward. It would not be until Optimus's profile published in [[The Official Transformers Collectors' Club Magazine issue 1|The OTFCC Magazine issue 1]] that this Matrix would be formally referred to as the "Matrix of Leadership".</ref> [[Optimus Prime (RID)|Optimus Prime]] was chosen by Vector Sigma to be its bearer and lead the Autobots as Commander-in-Chief of Cybertron. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus: Forced Fusion!}} Less a physical object and more an energy that suffused his form, Prime could call on the power of the Matrix in moments of great emotion, at which point his body would glow with its green light. {{storylink|The Test (episode)|The Test}}
[[File:TwoFaces magnus matrix.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|I set my chestplate from studly to kill. Go nipple blasters!]]
Unfortunately for Prime, his brother [[Ultra Magnus (RID)|Ultra Magnus]] was furious at being passed over for the leadership role, and about halfway through Prime's campaign against [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]] on Earth, Magnus arrived on the planet with the intent to take the Matrix for himself. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus (episode)|Ultra Magnus}} When he attempted to absorb the energy of the Matrix from Prime's body, however, a bizarre fusion occurred instead, merging the two brothers into [[Omega Prime]] and revealing that the intention had always been for them to ''share'' the energy of the Matrix between them. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus: Forced Fusion!}} Magnus later inadvertently used this link to channel the energy of the Matrix into the [[Autobot Brothers]], supercharging them. {{storylink|The Two Faces of Ultra Magnus}}

In the final battle against Megatron—now Galvatron—at the [[Earth's core]], [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] channeled all his energy into Omega Prime to give his leader the power boost that he hoped would ensure triumph. The extra energy combined with that of the Matrix and it burst forth, coalescing into the colossal [[Matrix Blade]], which Omega Prime used to claim victory. {{storylink|The Final Battle (RID)|The Final Battle}}
{{note|In ''Car Robots'', the original Japanese version of ''Robots in Disguise'', Prime does not possess a version of the Matrix of Leadership, instead carrying an [[Energon Matrix]].}}
{{--}}

=====''Cybertron'' comic=====
[[File:OptimusPrimeRIDprimuschamber.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"Oops! Sorry, that's never happened to me before..."]]
Teleported into the midst of a battle in another universe, Prime and Magnus found themselves on Cybertron, where the evil [[Nemesis Prime (Universe)|Nemesis Prime]] was attempting to use his [[Dead Matrix]] to destroy Primus. The brothers took him down, then separated so that Optimus could use his own Matrix to negate the evil energies released by the Dead Matrix. Opening the chamber in his Super Mode chest, he projected a beam of the Matrix's pure light into the Dead Matrix's swirling darkness, eliminating it. {{storylink|Revelations Part 1}}
{{note|This was the first fictional use of the detail sculpted into the ''Robots in Disguise'' Prime toy's Super Mode chest as the Matrix, as the ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon only implied it to be such but never actually made explicit use of it in this manner.}}
{{--}}

====Shell Game====
After the [[Optimus Prime (RID)|Optimus Prime]] of [[Viron 704.31 Epsilon]] was killed by [[Megazarak (Universe)|Megazarak]], once-leader of the [[Protection Team]] [[Defensor (OTFCC)|Hot Spot]] was passed the Matrix of Leadership by [[Ultra Trion]], becoming his team's combined form [[Defensor (OTFCC)|Defensor]] himself. {{storylink|Source:Ask Vector Prime/Facebook#September 9, 2015|Ask Vector Prime, 07/09/2015}} Megazarak sought the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]], believing that it would yield the location of [[Base Sigma]], the last outpost of Autobot resistance and the hiding place of the Matrix-bearer. He failed, being slightly delayed by Ultra Trion's final gambit. {{storylink|Shell Game}} Defensor would eventually triumph over Megazarak and begin to rebuild his world. However, the Matrix gave him visions of another Megazarak, one who had succeeded in conquering [[Viron 403.0 Beta|his own universe]] and was spreading out to other universes. Defensor felt the duty to seek out this Megazarak and stop him as well. {{storylink|Source:Ask Vector Prime/Facebook#September 7, 2015|Ask Vector Prime, 07/09/2015}}

===Unicron Trilogy continuity family===
{{note|Plot points derived only from the original Japanese versions of the Unicron Trilogy cartoons, lost to the slipshod dubbing that plagued the series, are in italics.}}
====''Armada'' cartoon====
[[File:Crisis Hot Shot Matrix.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|Optimus said that I could drive this up somewhere....]]
When [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] threatened to destroy the Earth with the [[Hydra Cannon]], [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], not expecting to survive the battle ahead, tried to pass the Matrix on to [[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] before entering the conflict. Hot Shot refused, not feeling himself worthy, and Prime subsequently died throwing himself into the path of the Hydra Cannon blast meant for Earth. Prime's body was reduced to ashes, and the Matrix was all that remained, clung onto by his [[Mini-Con]] partner [[Sparkplug (Armada)|Sparkplug]], floating helplessly until rescued. {{storylink|Crisis (Armada)|Crisis}}

[[File:Miracle sparkplug and matrix.jpg‎|thumb|''in your eyes, the light, the heat<br>
''in your eyes, I am complete]]

Not long thereafter, as the Autobots and Decepticons battled in space on their way back to Cybertron, Sparkplug and [[Perceptor (Armada)|Perceptor]] presented the Matrix to the large armada of Mini-Cons who had joined the Autobots on their journey. Many Mini-Cons plunged themselves into the Matrix, using their powers to recreate Prime's body and restore him to life. {{storylink|Miracle (episode)|Miracle}}

Some time later, in the midst of the Transformers' battle with Unicron, Optimus Prime was confronted by the evil demi-god with the suggestion that, on some level, he enjoyed the thrill of combat as much as Megatron did, ''and that the only difference between the two leaders was the Matrix in Prime's chest.'' {{storylink|Origin}} Following Unicron's defeat, when Megatron (now Galvatron) challenged Optimus to one final battle, these words led Prime to discard the Matrix, that he might battle Galvatron not as the leader of the Autobots, ''but as an individual, and the equal of his foe''.

[[File:ArmadaMatrix.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|A unicorn designed this. (See the pretty rainbows?)]]
Prime flung the Matrix through Unicron's hide, out into space, where it later drifted by the two combatants as their fight moved to Unicron's surface. Soon, however, it became apparent that Prime and Galvatron's fight was sustaining and re-energizing Unicron, and Galvatron allowed himself to die into order to destroy the chaos-bringer. As the battered Prime hung in space afterwards, the Matrix floated past him. Prime turned to look at it, but, having revelled in his battle with Galvatron and in a way proven Unicron correct, shifted his glance away, pronouncing himself unworthy to carry it.

Prime did not return to his fellow Autobots immediately, as Cybertron was now at peace. Instead, he apparently embarked on some sort of soul-searching space voyage, seeking to find worthiness once again. {{storylink|Mortal Combat}} 
{{--}}

====''Energon'' cartoon====
[[File:MysteriousMercenary matrix generates blaster.jpg‎|thumb|Also, it does not go anywhere in the robot mode. Get outta here, blaster. No one likes your style.]]
Prime returned to reclaim the Matrix and leadership of the Autobots at some point over the next ten years. ''Despite the talisman being back in his hands once more, its power was employed but once during the war for [[energon]] of 2020, when Prime was badly injured by [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] during a battle on Earth's Moon and fell unconscious. When Prime was infused with a massive jolt of Energon in an attempt by the [[Omnicon]] [[Skyblast (Energon)|Skyblast]] to revive him, the interaction of the element with the Matrix brought forth the [[Energon Blaster]], which coalesced out of a sphere of light that burst out of Prime's chest. Prime considered the weapon a gift from the previous commanders within the Matrix and fended off the Decepticons with it, then proceeded to never use or even mention it again.'' {{storylink|Starscream the Mysterious Mercenary}}
{{--}}

====''Cybertron'' cartoon====
[[File:Cybertron matrix of leadership.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|Good grief, Prime! There are KIDS present!]]
A further ten years later, during the quest to stop the [[Unicron Singularity]] in [[2030]], Optimus Prime used the Matrix of Leadership in concert with [[Vector Prime]]'s [[Rhisling|sword]] to open dimension gates to the various colony worlds that held the [[Cyber Planet Key]]s. It was only through the stabilizing powers of both objects that safe transit through the gates was made possible. {{storylink|Landmine (episode)|Landmine}} The Matrix influenced Optimus Prime's [[Cyber Key]], giving it a unique shape that mimicked the Matrix's own as opposed to the standard design shared by the other Autobots. {{storylink|Savage}}

[[File:Unfinished matrix glow prime.jpg‎|thumb|upright=1.2|The Matrix is made up of [[burning spirit]]!]]
After the Autobots had obtained the Cyber Planet Keys from [[Velocitron]], [[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]] and Earth and placed them in the [[Omega Lock]] on Cybertron, Optimus Prime substituted the energy of the Matrix for the still-missing fourth key. This proved enough to initiate Cybertron's transformation into the body of Primus, but without the key from [[Gigantion]], the god's power remained at an ebb, unable to close the black hole. {{storylink|Cybertron (episode)|Cybertron}} Before departing for Gigantion to obtain the final key, the Autobots were able to develop a method that allowed Primus to use the energy of the three keys and the Matrix to at least halt the singularity's growth, giving them the time they needed to complete their mission. {{storylink|Titans}} In order for the Autobots to safely traverse the tunnel in space-time that led to Gigantion, [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] created a "vaccine" program based on the stabilizing properties of the Matrix and Vector Prime's sword. {{storylink|Family}}

The Matrix would often glow with energy when Prime poised himself to unleash powerful combat moves; during his final battle with Galvatron, the golden glow of the Matrix surrounded Prime's entire body. {{storylink|Unfinished}}
{{--}}

====Ask Vector Prime====
In [[Aurex 404.11 Kappa]], Vector Prime held the Matrix during Cybertron's [[Golden Age]]. He led the Autobots for many years until he received a higher calling from the [[Chronarchitect]] to lead the [[Time Warrior (AVP)|Time Warrior]]s in protecting space and time. Vector passed the Matrix on to his trusty lieutenant, [[Guardian Major]]. {{storylink|Source:Ask Vector Prime/Facebook#July 12, 2015|Ask Vector Prime, 12/07/2015}}

====''Galaxy Force'' manga====
[[File:GFmanga matrix.jpg|left|thumb|RESPECT MAH AUTHORITAH!]]
With the Earth besieged by the [[Ancient Decepticon]]s under the command of [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]], and the treacherous air commander himself transformed into a skyscraper-sized giant by the power of Primus, things were looking grim for the Autobots. Taking a direct hit from the giant Starscream, [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]]'s chest was smashed open, exposing the Matrix within. Reviving after only a few moments of unconsciousness to find that [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] had arrived on the planet with news that Primus had reawakened, Prime doubted how important he was to the battle if their god was now restored. Wing Saber pointed to his open chest, telling him that the Matrix within him signified him as the true leader of the Autobots, and Prime, his resolve restored, plucked the talisman from within himself and called upon its power to initiate his and Wing Saber's combination into Sonic Wing Mode for the first time. {{storylink|Galaxy Force Mission.9}}
{{--}}

====''Hot Shot's Bot Thoughts''====
During an interview with [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], Hot Shot proved it was easy to get hold of a Matrix by telling Optimus Prime that his shoes were untied, and then yonking the Matrix right out of his chest while he was distracted. The Matrix upgraded Hot Shot into Shotimus Prime. During a later interview with [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]], the exasperated interviewee grabbed the Matrix, reverting Shotimus back to Hot Shot, and then beat him with it. {{storylink|Hot Shot's Bot Thoughts}}

===Live-action film series===
[[File:Tf2009 mol.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Now...how do you open this thing, dammit?]]
Created by the [[Dynasty of Primes]], the '''Matrix of Leadership''' is required to operate the [[Star Harvester]]. It can only be properly utilized by one who shares the lineage of the Primes.

====Sector Seven ARG====
The Matrix was mentioned in passing.{{fact}} {{storylink|Sector Seven (game)|Sector Seven}}

====Titan movie comic====
According to [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] carries the Matrix of Leadership. Not quite yet, he doesn't, Screamer! {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 8|Star Screams #2}}

====''Revenge of the Fallen'' film====
[[File:ROTF Matrix crumbles.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|And Unicron breathed a sigh of relief.]]
The [[Dynasty of Primes#Revenge of the Fallen movie|Seven Primes]] had agreed never to use a [[Star Harvester]] on a [[Sun]] that fed intelligent life. But in 17,000 BC, [[the Fallen]] chose to activate it on [[Earth]], for he hated [[human]]s, so the other Primes fought him and stole the Matrix. They sealed it away in a [[Tomb of the Primes|tomb]] made of their own bodies in a secret location. In 2009 AD, following the death of [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]], the last Prime, the Fallen had returned to Earth and was seeking the Matrix to finish what he'd started. 

[[File:TheFallen-ROTFMatrix.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Hot Rod's gonna have trouble gettin' his fingers in this one.]]
[[Sam Witwicky]], having deciphered the only clue to the tomb's location, found the Matrix in [[Petra]], but it crumbled to dust. He stuffed its remains into a sock and took it to the [[Pyramid]]s of [[Egypt]], where he still hoped it could resurrect Optimus, who was being protected by the human-Autobot alliance [[NEST]]. The Fallen's pupil, [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]], shot and killed Sam, but the [[spark]]s of the Primes came and revived him. They also revealed the Matrix could not be found but only earned, and they restored its shape. Sam then used the Matrix to resurrect Optimus by shoving its sharp end into his chest. Almost immediately afterward, the Fallen teleported in and stole the Matrix, then used it to activate the Harvester. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

{{Note|The [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (novel)|novelization]] reveals the Matrix was created by the AllSpark to help the Primes in their search for energon. After Sam Witwicky conversed with the Dynasty of Primes in the afterlife, the intent was that the power and knowledge of the AllSpark moved from his mind into the remains of the Matrix, reconstituting it; ''this'', then, was why it was able to bring Prime back to life. In turn, this essentially transforms this universe's version of the Matrix (initially entirely distinct from the other depictions of the object seen in this article) into the same life-giving, knowledge-holding object from other Transformers fiction. Additionally, Prime was to recover the Matrix from the sun harvester and carry it within himself in traditional Matrix fashion. While none of these events were seen to play out explicitly on-screen, the Matrix's continued presence in ''Dark of the Moon'', within Prime's body, and the reverence it receives suggests that these events still "happened" within the continuity of the films, even if they didn't explicitly talk about them.}}

====''Dark of the Moon'' film====
[[File:DOTM-SentinelOptimusMatrix.jpg|left|upright=1.66|thumb|You thought they forgot about it already, didn't you?]]
After the dormant body of [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] was retrieved from the [[Moon (moon)|moon]], the Autobots' former leader was brought to [[NEST]] headquarters on Earth. Optimus Prime removed the Matrix of Leadership from his chest (which he was able to manipulate as it hovered through the air) and inserted it into Sentinel Prime's chest, similarly to how Sam Witwicky used it to resurrect Optimus three years prior. 

Optimus later offered it to Sentinel, as he felt that Sentinel was the rightful leader of the Autobots. Sentinel refused it, citing that he was the wiser on their own homeworld, but on this strange new planet, Optimus was the more experienced. 

Megatron later explained to Starscream that he wanted Prime to use the Matrix on Sentinel as he was vital to Megatron's plan for invasion. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}

{{--}}

===''Animated'' cartoon===
[[File:Tfanimated matrix.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Check out my necklace!|left]]
Following [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] and [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]]'s successful reconstruction of a substantial portion of the shattered [[AllSpark#Animated|AllSpark]], [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] used the [[Magnus Hammer]] to forge a new containment vessel for the crystal sphere. He termed the resultant holder the "[[AllSpark Matrix]]", and wore it on a chain around his neck upon the Autobots' return to Cybertron. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}} {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}}
{{--}}

===Aligned continuity family===
====''The Covenant of Primus''====
The Matrix was created by the Primes sometime after Unicron's defeat and before the War of the Primes, though according to [[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]] it was a very different device at its creation than in the present day. It formed the hilt of the [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]] but [[Prima]] surrendered it to [[Primus]] in the [[Core]] after the Primes fought.

During the [[Age of Rust]], Alpha Trion went to [[Vector Sigma]] to try and retrieve the Matrix in hopes that it could reignite the fire of Cybertronian society. The supercomputer denied his request saying the time was not right, but it gave him the [[Badge of Vector Prime]].

When [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] had poisoned the core of Cybertron with [[Dark Energon]], Primus inserted a portion of his Spark into the Matrix and gave it to [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] to carry and guard. This had the effect of restoring Optimus' memories of his earlier life among the [[Thirteen]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}}

====Aligned novels====
[[File:TransformersVault-Prima.jpg|thumb|Prime lucked out. Feel bad for the guy who has to carry that blade around in his chest.]]
Originally the jewel in the hilt of [[Prima]]'s [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]] sword in the distant past of Cybertron, the Matrix had been missing for billions of cycles by the time data clerk [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Orion Pax]] met the charismatic gladiator named [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]]. Unbeknownst to Orion, Megatron plotted revolution, and, desiring the Matrix's power to fuel his ambition, had [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] send [[Rumble (WFC)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (WFC)|Frenzy]] to search for the Matrix in [[Crystal City]] to no avail.

Later, when the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]] appointed Orion as Cybertron's leader, Optimus Prime, they ordered him to find the Matrix, and Megatron's true motives stood revealed as he also declared it would be his. War erupted across Cybertron and raged for millions of years, until, during the conflict's dying days, Optimus purged Cybertron's [[core]] of a [[Dark Energon]] infection that Megatron had wrought upon it. Speaking directly into Prime's mind, the core explained that Prime's predecessor, [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Sentinel Prime]], had been unworthy of the Matrix, but as long as he had survived in [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]]'s prisons, Optimus was technically not [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] and could not receive it. With Sentinel's death and the core's purification, however, the time had at last come: the Matrix emerged from the core, and Optimus accepted it into his body. Subsequently, the Autobots left Cybertron on the ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]'', but Optimus knew that the Matrix would guide them home one day, where it would act in concert with the core to fully restore their ravaged homeworld. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}
{{stub|{{storylink|Transformers: Exiles}}}}
{{--}}

====''Prime'' cartoon====
[[File:OneShallRise3-unleash.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Care Bear Stare!|left]]
During the Great War, the core of Cybertron, which contained the Spark of the Transformers' creator Primus, became poisoned with [[Dark Energon]]. Orion Pax journeyed there hoping to cure the god, but instead was given the Matrix of Leadership by Primus himself, becoming [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus]], the last of the Primes. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}}

When the Autobots discovered that [[Unicron/Aligned|Unicron]] dwelt at the center of the Earth, Optimus Prime gambled that the Matrix held the power to destroy the dark god. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 2}} Led to the core of the planet by [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]], Prime emptied the full power of the Matrix into Unicron's spark. [[File:OrionPax3 Matrix of Leadership.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]] The chaos-bringer responded by possessing Megatron in an attempt to stop him, but the Matrix generated a shield to protect Prime so that the mission could be completed, and Unicron was successfully returned to stasis. Unfortunately, in draining the Matrix of its energy, Optimus lost not merely the wisdom of the Primes, but all of his own memories since becoming a Prime. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}} Anticipating this, Optimus had left a solution to this problem in the hands of the Autobot's human ally [[Jack Darby]]: the [[Key to Vector Sigma]], which would allow the Matrix to be refilled, and Optimus's memory restored, via the mega-computer Vector Sigma on Cybertron. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 1}} Jack and [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]] travelled to Cybertron to load the key, then returned to Earth in the midst of a battle between Orion and Megatron. Though the archivist was hesitant at first, Jack convinced him that he was in fact worthy and used the key to restore the Matrix's power and Optimus's memories. {{Storylink|Orion Pax, Part 3}}

When Optimus Prime lay dying after the destruction of the Autobot base, he told [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] that the Matrix would choose someone else to be leader, whom he believed to be Smokescreen. When Optimus did die, his chest ejected the Matrix as it began to search for a successor, only for Smokescreen simply to place the [[Forge of Solus Prime]] in Optimus's hand which, combined with the Matrix, revived and reformatted Optimus, though at the cost of draining the Forge of all its power. {{storylink|Rebellion (Prime)|Rebellion}}

When the Great War ended and Cybertron was restored, Optimus used the Matrix of Leadership to guide him to the location of the [[AllSpark]], in the hazardous system of [[Theta Scorpii]]. To safeguard the AllSpark from Unicron, Optimus merged it with the Matrix. In doing so however, he rendered his own [[spark]] inseparable from all those within the AllSpark, ultimately sacrificing himself and the Matrix to the [[Core]] to reignite it, ending the age of Primes. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Prime)|Predacons Rising}}
{{--}}

====''Rescue Bots'' cartoon====
[[File:OddBotOut Optimus Matrix.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left]]
When Optimus located the [[Liquefier]], its energies out of control and threatening [[Griffin Rock]], he used the Matrix to shut it down. {{storylink|Odd Bot Out}}
{{--}}

===''Knights of Unicron''===
[[File:Dark Side of the Matrix album cover.jpg|thumb]]
The Matrix of Leadership served as inspiration for the legendary rock band the [[Knights of Unicron (band)|Knights of Unicron]], immortalized on the cover of their studio album "Dark Side of the Matrix". {{storylink|Knights of Unicron (band)|Knights of Unicron}}
{{--}}

===''Cyberverse'' cartoon===
[[File:MatrixOfLeadership-OPglows.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|left]]
The Matrix of Leadership was an artifact of the [[Thirteen]]. Within, it held the accumulated wisdom of not only the original Primes, but all those who'd borne it, allowing for its current bearer to access this wisdom in times of crisis. Conversely, these spirits could bring the bearer before them through the Matrix. {{storylink|Dweller In The Depths (Cyberverse)|Dweller In The Depths}}

In the modern era, the Matrix was safeguarded by [[Alpha Trion (Cyberverse)|Alpha Trion]]. In the early days of the [[Great War (Cyberverse)|Great War]], [[Megatron (Cyberverse)|Megatron]] murdered all of the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]] save Trion who had been mortally wounded by the attack. When [[Optimus Prime (Cyberverse)|Optimus]] was brought before his ailing mentor, Trion bestowed the Matrix onto his protege. Despite Optimus's hesitations, he accepted the talisman and became Optimus Prime, the last sight Trion witnessed before he passed. The power of the Matrix allowed Optimus to manifest a powerful blue shield in the likeness of the Autobot insignia. {{storylink|Matrix of Leadership (episode)|Matrix of Leadership}}

After claiming that one of his [[scraplet]]s was a reborn Alpha Trion, [[Starscream (Cyberverse)|Starscream]] had others reveal the Matrix for him to claim. Before he could, [[Cheetor (Cyberverse)|Cheetor]] pounced on the Seeker and disabled his scarplet horde. {{storylink|Starscream's Children}} Prime would later get his own back on Starscream by separating the treacherous Seeker from the AllSpark with a blast from the Matrix, the energies sending both into [[stasis lock]]. {{storylink|I Am The Allspark}} Starscream awoke in a prison cell while Prime remained in coma with a vision of the Matrix. It closed on him and he later woke up as a turbolaser barrage from the [[Nemesis (Cyberverse)|''Nemesis'']] was ripping the [[Ark (Cyberverse)|''Ark'']] apart. {{storylink|Escape From Earth}}

When the [[Quintesson]]s invaded Cybertron, Optimus combined the power of the Matrix with one from another reality, stolen by Megatron, to overwhelm the now [[Judge (Cyberverse)|Judge]] Starscream, finally killing him and ending the invasion. {{storylink|The End Of The Universe IV}}

Not long afterwards, Cybertron was invaded by Megatron X, the owner of Megatron's stolen Matrix, whom Optimus engaged in a duel of Matrices. When Windblade sabotaged the alternate Megatron's Matrix, Optimus' beam prevailed, its energy short-circuiting the tyrant. {{storylink|The Other One}}

====Alternate universe====
In another world, upon realizing that Optimus would forever oppose him, [[Megatron X (Cyberverse)|Megatron]] killed Optimus outright before he stole his Matrix. {{storylink|Megatron Is My Hero}} {{storylink|The Other One}}

Untold years later, Megatron's universe was visited by an alternate version of himself who managed to steal his Matrix and flee. Knowing that his counterpart would eventually track him down, the alternate Megatron tried to access the Matrix's wisdom but the Primes refused to speak to him. {{storylink|Silent Strike}} The Primes of this reality imparted onto their Optimus a directive to destroy this otherwordly Matrix. {{storylink|Dweller In The Depths (Cyberverse)|Dweller In The Depths}}

A psychic shard of the native [[Windblade (Cyberverse)|Windblade]] wound up lodged in the Matrix, being met by Optimus' spirit who told her to destroy the Matrix. Eventually, Megatron located the reality and reclaimed his property only to be engaged in a Matrix duel by the native Optimus. Though Megatron initially held the advantage, Windblade followed Optimus' orders and destroyed the psychic pillars of the Primes, short-circuiting the Matrix. {{storylink|The Other One}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals'' (N64)===
In one of several possible timelines, the Matrix was destroyed millions of years in the past, along with Optimus Prime, by the time-travelling [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]. Unfortunately, its destruction meant the Decepticons had no surefire way of defeating Unicron when he attacked Cybertron in 2005. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals (N64)}}

===''The Transformers'' (PS2)===
[[File:TFPS2 matrix.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1]]
The quest for the [[Zel Quartz]], a powerful crystal upon which the fate of the future hinged, led groups of Autobots and Decepticons from both the present day and time-travellers from the near-future to converge on the planet Zel Samine, culminating in a two-way showdown between Optimus Prime, Rodimus Prime, Megatron and Galvatron in the complex housing the planetary power generator [[ELTA]]. When the battle threatened to cause the computer to overload, it appeared that all four Transformers were doomed, until the twin Primes opened both their Matrices, using their power to bring the computer under control and win the day. {{storylink|The Transformers (PS2)|The Transformers}}
{{--}}

===''Transformers Battle Universe''===
[[File:Netjetmatrix.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
The Matrix would appear following the successful defeat of an opponent. Picking it up would initiate the next round of combat, accompanied by a burst of music from ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]''. {{storylink|Transformers Battle Universe}}
{{--}}

===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)===
[[File:WFC Matrix of Leadership.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|How are you supposed to hold it up and release its cleansing flame if the handles aren't even attached to the sphere?]]
Though [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] and his Autobots helped purge the [[Core|Core of Cybertron]] of the [[Dark Energon]] infection, its spark had been corrupted and had to shut itself down completely if it was to survive. For the millions of years that this process would take, Cybertron would be left cold and barren, meaning the Transformers would be forced to take to the stars. However, the Core bestowed a portion of its spark within the Matrix of Leadership to Optimus Prime, leader of the free Autobots. For as long as the Matrix survived, Cybertron's spark would remain. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}
{{--}}

===''Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark'' (console)===
Among the many rumours that circled the origins of the [[Dark Spark]] was that it was the natural antithesis to the Matrix of Leadership.

In the midst of the [[Great Exodus]], Megatron managed to acquire the Dark Spark and bond it to himself, forcing Optimus to personally confront him in the labs of [[Kolkular]]. After fighting a horde of Autobot [[Terrorcon (Prime)|Terrorcons]], Optimus unleashed the power of the Matrix against the Dark Spark, his superior experience in wielding the artefact granting him victory and blasting the Dark Spark off of Cybertron. {{storylink|Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (console)|Rise of the Dark Spark}} 

===''Angry Birds Transformers''===
[[File:AngryBirdsMatrix.jpg|left|thumb|200px]]
The Matrix can be unlocked as an accessory that when equipped; grants an effect to several characters.
<center>
{|class="wikitable" border="5" style="width:75%" align="center"
|-
! scope="col" width="20%" | '''Accessory'''
! scope="col" width="10%" | '''Body Part'''
! scope="col" width="10%" | '''Rarity'''
! scope="col" width="10%" | '''[[Gem]] Cost'''
! scope="col" width="20%" | '''Base Effect'''
! scope="col" width="30%" | '''Notes'''
|-
|[[Red (AB)|Red]] as [[Red (AB)#As Optimus Prime|Optimus Prime]]
|Chest
|Epic
|<s>325</s> Free
| Incendiary Rounds
|Became a free Accessory in June 2017
|-
|Red as [[Red (AB)#As Ultra Magnus|Ultra Magnus]]
|Chest
|Legendary
|900
| +10% Fire Rate
|
|-
|Red as [[Red (AB)#Energon Optimus Prime|Energon Optimus Prime]]
|Chest
|Epic
|650
| +10% Fire Rate
|
|-
|Red as [[Red (AB)#Ultimate Optimus Prime|Ultimate Optimus Prime]]
|Chest
|Uncommon
|100
| +10% Defense
|
|-
|}
</center>
{{storylink|Angry Birds Transformers (mobile game)|Angry Birds Transformers}}
{{--}}

===''Transformers: Devastation''===
In the past, [[Nova Prime]] bore the Matrix of Leadership but parted with the artifact when he left Cybertron aboard the ''[[Proudstar]]''. When Optimus Prime explored the scuttled ''Proudstar'' millions of years later, the Matrix reacted to [[Unicron/Generation 1|a dark presence]] in the ship, shutting down for a second. As the Autobots ventured deeper into the ship, [[Teletraan Alpha]] used the Matrix to see their future. As the Autobots neared the ship's core and discovered the same dark presence, the Matrix allowed Optimus to learn that the entity responsible for corrupting Nova was searching and destroying its way to Cybertron. {{storylink|Transformers: Devastation}}

==Commercial appearances==
[[File:BBOptimusMatrixSM.jpeg|thumb]] 
*On a battlefield on [[Cybertron (planet)#Live-action film series|Cybertron]], [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] sported the Matrix of Leadership in his chest. {{storylink|Official stop motion videos#Masterpiece|MPM-12 Optimus Prime stop motion video}}
[[File:Optimus summons Rodimus stopmotion.jpg|thumb|Get used to this sculpt, you'll be seeing it a lot.]]
*During a battle with [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] summoned [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] holding the Matrix of Leadership (along with [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] and  [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]) using a [[Magic: The Gathering]] card. Subsequently, the summoned Rodimus used the Matrix to power Optimus up. 
{{storylink|Official stop motion videos#Miscellaneous|Secret Lair stop motion video}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
{{main|Matrix of Leadership/toys}}

==Notes==
[[File:G1toon matrix strings.jpg|thumb|Strings connect the Matrix's core to its holder in the Generation 1 cartoon.]]
*Bob Budiansky's original pitch for the Transformers comic book included an event known as the "[[Ceremony of the Unending Circuit]]", held by the Autobots every ten millennia to commemorate the passing of the Creation Matrix from one Autobot leader to the next, according to Autobot Law. If an Autobot is not brave, strong, or wise enough, the program would either drive him insane or lobotomise him.<ref name="BC10">[http://www.toycollectors.com.au/bc10/bc10bb.html griffin's 2010 BotCon report]</ref> Although the "ten millennia" bit made it into the comic, the rest of it was never realized. (Budiansky also left a note that the Matrix isn't the only way of making new Transformers, which was never touched on until ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]''.)
*When asked about the visual design of the Matrix in an interview, [[Floro Dery]]'s reply was, "The inspiration for the Matrix of Leadership is a thermonuclear bomb."<ref>[http://transformersph.blogspot.com/2007/06/interview-with-floro-dery.html TransFormers Philippines: Interview With Floro Dery]</ref> "Light our darkest hour", indeed.
*Blink and you'll miss it—the crystal core of the original Generation 1 cartoon incarnation of the Matrix is connected to the two halves of its holder by a string! This oddity of design is visible during the two instances the Matrix is opened in the cartoon, in ''The Transformers: The Movie'' and "The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2".
*By pure coincidence, the [[retcon]] made in ''[[Primeval Dawn]]'' (and technically ''Beast Wars'') that created the idea of there being two Matrix-shaped objects in Optimus Prime's chest also fits with an [[animation error]] in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' where—on his deathbed—Prime is seen removing the Matrix, while an uncolored "empty" Matrix is shown still inside his chest just before his colors fade.
*The dub of ''[[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Armada]]'' refers to the artifact as the Matrix of Leadership when it's first introduced and for a few episodes after, but then switches to calling it the Matrix of The Commander for the rest of the series afterward. It's currently unknown why this change was made, but is likely related to many of the other inconsistencies with the English language scripts of the series.
*The body-mod shop "[[Swindle, Swindle and Swindle]]" has empty Generation 1 Matrix containers for sale, as seen in an illustration from the prose story "[[I, Lowtech]]".
*The Matrix of Leadership [[:File:The Arrival 4 Lockdown's cabinet.jpg|makes a cameo]] as one of ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]'' [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]]'s possessions in "[[The Arrival issue 4|A Few Loose Strands]]".
*In [[Simon Furman|Simon Furman's]] earlier drafts of [[Revelation (IDW)|''Revelation'']], the Matrix would have been corrupted by its time in the [[Dead Universe]] (possibly similar to the [[Dark Matrix]] entity), but [[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|developments]] led to its role being filled by the [[Darkness (G1)|Darkness]].<ref name="IDWMatrixFurman">[http://simonfurman.wordpress.com/2007/12/12/another-quick-qa/ Simon Furman, Dec 2007:] Well, we’ve yet to actually meet the Matrix in the IDW/TF-verse. So we may be getting ahead of ourselves here. What do we know about it so far? Well, according to Spotlight Galvatron, the Matrix was (and maybe is) “carried” by Nova Prime, and he (Nova Prime) disappeared into the Dead Universe (along with the Matrix, we assume). Nova describes a bottomless well and a resonant tug on the Matrix. What happened next we don’t know (yet). But what is the Matrix (hm, that sounds familiar somehow)? Not telling. Not yet. But ’08 holds the answers: what it is, where it came from, what is does (then and now!). The Matrix (and what it’s become) will figure large in all that happens post-Devastation. The Matrix has been gone from the IDW/TF-verse for a long time, and its return will not necessarily be a thing of celebration.</ref>
* In ''[[My Little Pony]]: The Manga'' volume 3, the Matrix was included as part of a scavenger hunt that [[Fluttershy]] had organized.
* In the Hungarian sub of ''Kingdom'' it was referred with the Creation Matrix's name.
* A lighting fixture resembling the G1 Matrix can be seen at [[Swerve's|Swerve's Lounge]] at Universal Studios Beijing's [[Transformers Metrobase]]

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Matrix''' (マトリクス ''Matorikusu''), '''Leader no Matrix''' (''Revenge'', リーダーのマトリクス, "Matrix of Leader"), '''Matrix of Leadership''' (マトリックスオブリーダーシップ ''Matorikkusu obu Rīdāshippu''), '''Creation Matrix''' (クリエーションマトリクス ''Kuriēshon matorikusu'')
*''Arabic:'' '''Masfufat Alqiada''' (مصفوفة القيادة, "Command Matrix")
*''English:'' '''Power Pack''' ([[Omni Productions]] dub)
*''Hungarian:'' '''Teremtő Mátrix''' ("Creator Matrix"), '''Vezetés Mátrixa''' ("Matrix of Leadership"), '''Irányítás Mátrixa''' ("Matrix of Control", ''Revenge of the Fallen''), '''Vezéri Mátrix''' ("Leader Matrix", ''The Movie'' 1st dub), '''Mátrix''' ("Matrix", ''The Movie'' 2nd dub)
*''French:'' '''Matrice de Commandement''' ("Command Matrix"), '''Matrice de Création''' (''EarthSpark'', "Matrix of Creation")
*''German:'' '''Hauptprogramm''' ("Core Program", used once in fiction), '''Matrix der Führerschaft''' ("Matrix of Leadership")
*''Indonesian:'' '''Matriks Kepemimpinan''' ( "Matrix of Leadership")
*''Italian:'' '''Matrice''' ("Matrix"), '''Scettro del Comando''' (first ''The Transformers'' dub, "Scepter of Command"), '''Matrix''' (second ''The Transformers'' dub), '''Matrice del Comando''' (''Generations'', "Matrix of Command")
*''Mandarin:'' '''Mǔtǐ''' (Taiwan, 母體, "Matrix" or "Mother Body"), '''Jǔzhèn''' (China Mainland, 矩阵, "Matrix"), '''Lǐngdǎo Mókuài''' (China Mainland, 领导模块, "Module of Leader")
*''Polish:'' '''Matryca Przywództwa''', '''Matryca Przywódcy''' (''War for Cybertron'', "Matrix of Leadership")
*''Portuguese:'' '''Matriz da Liderança''' ("Matrix of Leadership")
*''Russian:'' '''Matritsa Liderstva''' (Матрица Лидерства, "Matrix of Leadership")
*''Spanish:'' '''Matriz de Liderazgo''' ("Matrix of Leadership")
*''Ukrainian:'' '''Enerhoblok''' (ICTV, Енергоблок, "Power unit")
*''Turkish:'' '''Liderlik Matriksi''' ("Matrix of Leadership")

==References==
[[File:DiamondStickerbookMatrixOfLight.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Not shown: Anything in the caption.]]
<references />
[[Category:Animated]]
[[Category:Armada]]
[[Category:Artifacts of the Primes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars objects]]
[[Category:Classics]]
[[Category:Crystals]]
[[Category:Cybertron franchise]]
[[Category:Cyberverse (2018)]]
[[Category:Energon franchise]]
[[Category:Generation 1 objects]]
[[Category:Generation 2]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei!]]
[[Category:Interjections]]
[[Category:Legends franchise]]
[[Category:Matrices]]
[[Category:Movie]]
[[Category:Prime]]
[[Category:Primus]]
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen]]
[[Category:Robots in Disguise (2001)]]
[[Category:Transformers (2010)]]
[[Category:Universe (2003)]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron Trilogy]]
[[Category:Wings Universe]]