Matrix of Leadership

The Matrix of Leadership

The Matrix of Leadership is an artifact of great power that contains the essence of Primus and acts as a dimensional gateway to the Allspark, through which all living things are connected. It is traditionally carried by the current Autobot Leader.

Not much about the Matrix is common knowledge. Its exact nature remains largely a mystery. The Matrix is, however, widely known to possess "The Wisdom of the Ages." This may be due to its nature as a portal to the Allspark. As a Transformer lives and grows in experience, so does the Transformer's Spark, thus when it returns to the Allspark upon death, the lifetime's worth of knowledge is added to the whole.

It also includes the Creation Matrix, a computer program which can give a Transformer life.

The Matrix is the only thing which Unicron fears.

Known Matrix Bearers

• Primon
• Prima
• Prime Nova
• Sentinel Prime
• Optimus Prime/Convoy
• Rodimus Prime/Rodimus Convoy
• RID Optimus Prime/Fire Convoy
• Armada Optimus Prime/Convoy
• Energon Optimus Prime/Grand Convoy
• Cybertron Optimus Prime/Galaxy Convoy
• Scourge
• Thunderwing
• Starscream

In Japanese continuity, a Matrix is carried by any individual named Convoy (Japan's name for Optimus Prime). Therefore, there are several distinct Matrices, possibly each a piece of the original Matrix of Leadership or its own unique identity.

• Optimus Primal/Beast Convoy
• Lio Convoy
• Big Convoy
• Crow Convoy
• Big Convoy
• Great Convoy
• The Convoy Council

Furthermore, there are individuals who have possessed a piece of the Matrix or integrated a portion of its powers and abilities into their being.

• Buster Witwicky
• Deathbringer
• Spike Witwicky

Animated Series

The Matrix of Leadership first appeared in the animated Transformers universe in Transformers: The Movie, when a dying Optimus Prime passed it to Ultra Magnus. Prime was the seventh holder of the Matrix - after the death of the sixth holder, Alpha Trion briefly kept the Matrix safe before bestowing it upon Optimus.

Before passing away, Prime spoke of a prophecy - that one day, "The Chosen One" would rise from the ranks of the Autobots, and use the power of the Matrix to light the Transformers' darkest hour. That darkest hour soon came upon Cybertron in the form of the world-eater, Unicron, who knew that the Matrix's power was the one thing that could destroy him. Recreating Decepticon leader Megatron as Galvatron, he dispatched him to steal the Matrix, but when Galvatron obtained the talisman, he tried and failed to use its power against Unicron. Ultimately, the Chosen One who could open the Matrix proved to be the youthful Hot Rod, who reclaimed the Matrix and was transformed by its power into Rodimus Prime, before opening it within Unicron and releasing its power, which tore Unicron apart from within.

As the animated series progressed, more was divulged about the nature of the Matrix that had not been explained in the movie. When injured in battle, Rodimus's consciousness briefly entered the Matrix itself, and he discovered that it was more than a mere source of energy - it, in fact, contained the amassed wisdom of deceased Autobot leaders throughout history. Venturing into the Matrix a second time, Rodimus was shown the history of Cybertron by the ancient Autobots whose consciousnesses existed within the Matrix, revealing to him the Quintessons role in the creation of the Transformers. When he was resurrected, Optimus Prime later did the same thing when faced with the Hate Plague, and came to a drastic conclusion - to cure the madness of the plague, he expelled all of the wisdom from within the Matrix, saving the universe, but emptying the Matrix and leaving only a shell.

The Matrix's story subsequently branched off in two directions following this, as America and Japan took the story in their own unique directions. In the US finale, "The Rebirth," Optimus Prime used the shell of the Matrix as a substitute key to access Vector Sigma. Conversely, in Japan - where the Matrix is treated simply as a reservoir of pure energy - the shell was left hidden on Earth to slowly recharge its depleted energy. However, the emptying of the Matrix had destabilised Vector Sigma, leading the Autobots to search for its location before Optimus Prime sacrificed himself to restore the computer's balance. The ghost of Alpha Trion re-energised the Matrix, but Optimus Prime merged with Vector Sigma to stabilise it, and Rodimus Prime was again left in charge of the Autobots.

No origin was ever offered for the Matrix of Leadership in the animated continuity, but it was vaguely hinted that it was in some way connected to the origins of Unicron, perhaps to explain why it was his antithesis. Unicron was created by the insane genius, Primacron, but turned on him. After Unicron's attack against his master, Primacron's assistant was shown to flee, and from his damaged robotic body, an object that appeared to be the Matrix emerged. If this truly was intended to be the Matrix, how the Transformers obtained it was never revealed.

Dreamwave Continuity

Before the Autobots leave for Cybertron on the Ark II, Optimus Prime gives Spike Witwicky a piece of the Matrix to safeguard during their journey. The Ark II crashes, but when Spike and Optimus are reunited, Spike returns the piece to him. Optimus uses the complete Matrix of Leadership to awaken his deactivated troops and call them to him.

Beast Wars

In the 1990s animated series, Beast Wars and Beast Machines series, the nature of the Matrix was explored and evolved.

These series used "The Matrix" as a term that referred not merely to the physical object, but to an actual other-dimensional realm - the Transformer afterlife also called the Allspark, the well of all sparks that are, have been, or ever shall be. From the Allspark springs all Transformer life, and when a Transformer dies, their spark returns to the Allspark, sharing its life experience with the collective, creating a huge store of accumulated wisdom and knowledge. Understanding this, it can be retroactively assumed that the physical Matrix object wielded by Autobot leaders in the cartoon continuity is not simply a storehouse of knowledge itself, but rather, a gateway to this afterlife realm. Similarly, this also explains its ability to bestow life as seen in the comic book continuity - by transferring a spark from the Allspark through its connection to the realm.

The Matrix was also used as a nickname in the Beast Wars series for the facility which produced Maximal protoforms.

Beast Wars II

In the japenese series each maximal comander(known as a "Convoy") carries in thier possesion a less powerful duplicate of the Matrix. When Lio Convoy's Matrix reacted with the Angolmois energy on Gaia, Lio Junior was created. In the BWII Movie, when Beast Convoy(Optimus Primal) was pulled into the conflict his Matrix and the Matrix of Lio Convoy reacted in a way that granted both Convoy's a temperary Power up as Burning Convoy, and Flash Lio Convoy. They then preceded to destroy the ancient Decepticon weapon, Majin Zarak by hitting his third eye with an attack called the "Double Matrix Blast"

Beast Wars Neo

Lio Convoy and Big Convoy both used thier Matricies to upgrade Big Convoy's gun the Big Cannon in to the Matrix Blaster, wich he used to defeat Unicron.

Unicron Trilogy

In Transformers Cybertron, Optimus Prime uses the Matrix of Leadership to widen Vector Prime's transwarp tunnels.

Car Robots

In Transformers Car Robot God Fire Convoy was powered by Fire Convoy's ( personal Matrix, which also augmented itself with the God Sword (forged by Brave Maximus) and used it to defeat Devil Gigatron

Armada

Armada's version of the Matrix

When Optimus Prime died by standing purposefully in the path of the Hydra Cannon built by Megatron from the three Mini-Con weapons. It was the Mini-Cons themselves, who resurrected him, entering the Matrix and reconstructing a new body for him(as well as forging a new trailer known as Overload), Subsequently, Prime was forced to face the dark part of his soul by Unicron, who forced him to face the fact that on some level, he enjoyed the thrill of combat. Following Unicron's defeat, Prime's denial was sorely tested as Galvatron forced him into one final furious battle, that ended when Galvatron sacrificed himself to end the circle of hate that powered Unicron. Prime survieved this battle, but he disgarded the Matrix and exilled himself as he thought that he was un-worthy

From Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki, a Wikia wiki.