Optimus Prime (WFC)

The name or term "Optimus Prime" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Optimus Prime (disambiguation).

Optimus Prime is the leader of the Autobots from the Aligned continuity family.

Megatron awakened within him a secret yearning. The slashfic writes itself.

The robot who would become Optimus Prime was a lowly data clerk, but it wasn't until he heard of a rogue gladiator named Megatron and his call for an upheaval of Cybertron's society that he realized he was unsatisfied with his lot in life. Freedom to make your own choice should be the right of all sentient beings! Little did he realize that his boss, the archivist Alpha Trion, knew of a secret potential within the data clerk, and that Cybertron's history was at a precipice. Once he and Megatron discovered they did not have as much in common as they once believed, the lowly data clerk was promoted by the High Council to be the next Prime.

Over the centuries, loss and war have led Optimus to appear stern and serious to most. But scratch the surface, and you'll find an individual who greatly cares for his fellow living beings, with a warmth and kindness his closet friends can rely on. You'll also find regret over the loss of a comrade to darkness, and the faintest glimmer of hope that he can be saved.

“	We will wage our battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons wherever it may take us. And one day, we will go home.	”
—Optimus Prime, Transformers: Exodus

Fiction

Exodus

Like all Cybertronians, when Orion Pax emerged from the Well of All Sparks, he was taught how to transform, to select a natural alternate mode, and was put in a caste. At the Hall of Records, Orion would read and index information from the Communication Grid, but was forbidden to analyze. That was Jazz's job, and the two became friends. Orion began monitoring Megatron's transmissions, and began a secret correspondence with him because he agreed with his beliefs. They had intense but friendly debates over the nature of free will and the dangerousness of their ideals, and Megatron suggested Orion learn how to fight for his beliefs. Orion began training with Jazz, learning to fire an ion-cannon and to fashion his arms into an axe and a sword.

Orion made his first trip to Kaon to meet Megatron in person at his base. Megatron was the only gladiator who gave Orion a warm welcome. Terrorists began bombings in Megatron's name, and he made his first public announcement on the Grid, stating he was not responsible for the attacks and would bring the perpetrators to justice. Orion followed him up with a speech of his own. Orion trusted Megatron, believing if he were responsible for the attacks, he would have wanted to be associated with them. Later, when Shockwave took him to meet Megatron at an arena beneath the Observatory of Iacon, Orion was shocked to see Jazz in attendance, and that Megatron had heard rumors about the bombings but did nothing to prevent them.

Lookin' awful buff and armored for an insignificant young library clerk. One has to wonder if the Guilds may have dropped the ball on this one.

When "Decepticons" kidnapped Sentinel Prime, Orion requested Alpha Trion arrange an audience with High Council for him and Megatron now that most Cybertronians. During their hearing in the High Council Tower, Orion rigorously defended their ideals, even reviving the ancient philosophical phrase "Autobots" to describe the autonomy his brethren sought. It was then Councilor Halogen declared Orion the new Prime: Optimus Prime. An outraged Megatron accused his brother of treachery, and then murdered Halogen. When Optimus ordered the Elite Guard to not harm Megatron, Megatron declared Optimus had fallen into the trappings of power the High Council had foisted upon him, and those in attendance dispersed, with the planet forever divided into Autobots and Decepticons.

Optimus forgoed the first engagement of the war, allowing the Decepticons to take Fort Scyk so he would gain time to recruit more Autobots. Optimus learned from Jazz after the fall of Scyk that he would have to learn to not mourn every soldier. Optimus fought for the first time during the next battle, the siege of the Hydrax Plateau. The first Cybertronian he ever killed was a former industrial drone named Drixco. Afterwards Optimus confided to Alpha Trion that the act of killing alone made him feel he was on the wrong side. Despite the efforts of Optimus and Ultra Magnus the Decepticons conquered the Hydrax Plateau. It was at the stalemate of Praxus that Optimus gained the indispensable allies Prowl and Ironhide. The first Autobot victory was at Kalis, a vital area due to its fusion reactor that powered Iacon. Optimus, Jazz and Sideswipe worked together to bring down the monstrous Bruticus Maximus, but the battle was mostly won due to the Seekers' absence. As Energon depleted, the war descended into a mere siege of Iacon lasting millions of cycles, and Optimus opted to eject the AllSpark itself into space: during this battle Optimus gained another great friend in Bumblebee.

Following a lull in the war, the Decepticons began using Dark Energon and routed the Autobots, but Optimus wisely predicted it was an inefficient resource that would run out soon. To his horror, Megatron and Starscream infiltrated Teletraan-1 to steal the Plasma Energy Chamber, and although Teletraan-1 awakened the legendary Omega Supreme to ferry the Chamber to safety, the Dark Energon-powered Decepticons overpowered the Autobots and used the Chamber to corrupt the Core of Cybertron and infested the planet with Dark Energon. During the battle, Megatron revealed he had killed Sentinel Prime below the High Council Tower to gain access to the Chamber. Afterwards Prowl picked up a message from Sentinel on the Grid, and Optimus, realizing he had not found Sentinel's body in Iacon, deduced Sentinel was alive. When Optimus, Jazz and Prowl rescued him from Kaon Prison, they found the city strangely deserted. Optimus believed Dark Energon was having a severe effect on Decepticon morale. When they found Sentinel, he was dying. He regretted his overlong reign as Prime, and that the High Council had made the right decision in appointing Optimus Prime. He finally told him he had to go to the Core and purge its corruption of Dark Energon.

After Sentinel's funeral in Iacon, where Optimus was officially appointed Prime after holding the de facto position for so long, he journeyed to the Core with Bumblebee and Jetfire and removed the Plasma Energy Chamber. It was then a voice from the Core told Optimus he was too late, and the Autobots would have to leave Cybertron as the planet healed itself. But it finally bestowed upon him the Matrix of Leadership, the essence of Primus, explaining that while Sentinel lived, he was still Prime, and that he had been unworthy of the Matrix. It told him that when the day came that they would return to Cybertron, the Core and the Matrix would restore the planet and Optimus would lead the Autobots in an "age of unimagined wonders". Afterwards, Optimus launched Project Generation One, to build a ship—that Jazz dubbed the Ark—to take them to the stars, a plan some Autobots objected to.

But before their exodus, Optimus planned to fool Megatron by gathering every spaceworthy vessel and having them rendezvous at what was apparently the last remaining space bridge in orbit. Megatron ordered Trypticon fire on the ships, but Optimus ordered a fallback as he, Jetfire, Jazz, Ironhide, Prowl, Sideswipe and Bumblebee flew the Eight Track to board the monster and knocked him from orbit by blasting his Spark containment field. Optimus's team returned to find the Ark ready at the Well of All Sparks, and bid goodbye to those—including Jetfire, Magnus and Omega—who stayed to fend off Trypticon as he transformed to attack. Optimus also bade farewell to Alpha Trion, who believed Vector Sigma would protect him when the rest of the planet would be unable to sustain life: it was then Optimus realized Alpha Trion was one of the thirteen original Transformers.

Yet as the Ark took off the Decepticons overran Iacon and Megatron and his elite boarded Trypticon, who transformed into a Nemesis-class cruiser and pursued the Autobots. Megatron used his and Orion's old frequency to inform Optimus that he would pursue him across the stars and eventually kill him. The Ark entered the last space bridge and emerged with the Nemesis gone. They were near a spiral galaxy and Prowl detected the AllSpark. Knowing the Matrix within would help them find a way home, Optimus vowed that the Autobots would continue to wage their battle across the stars. Exodus

Exiles

Transformers: Exiles

Prime comic

From Earth, Optimus sent an encrypted message directing the Autobots to their new world. When Cliffjumper and Arcee landed, Optimus and Bumblebee detected them and came to retrieve them. For Optimus to find them under attack from Starscream and Breakdown was no matter, for Optimus crushed the air commander and sent his brawny accomplice running. Optimus picked up the wounded Arcee, and took her through a GroundBridge to his base for Ratchet to repair her, while informing Cliffjumper that while his journey was over, their battle was just beginning. Prime

Prime cartoon

Voice actor: Peter Cullen (English), Alfredo Martínez (Spain-Spanish), Wan-gyeong Seong (Korean), Marco Balzarotti (Italian), Reiner Schöne (German), Blas Garcia (Latin American Spanish)

Plot details for One Shall Rise, Part 3 follow. Spoilers have expired, you may remove this tag

"We'll always be friends forever, won't we?"

In the waning years of the Golden Age of Cybertron, Orion Pax was a clerk in the Iacon Hall of Records. His interests lay with the tales of ancient Cybertron history, but the more he learned about the past, the more he grew concerned about the present. There was a disparity in freedom among the classes of his race, and the ruling class was corrupt and all-powerful. In seeking a solution to this inequity, he found inspiration in the words of a gladiator named Megatronus, and the two joined forces to end corruption and bring equality to the masses. One Shall Rise, Part 3 Optimus and Megatron became close allies, almost like brothers. But soon Megatron's ideals would become corrupted, and the two would become bitter enemies. Masters & Students

If you squint I look sort of like this in Fall of Cybertron. Okay, that's a lie.

Both Megatronus — now "Megatron" — and Orion Pax appeared before the High Council, and Megatron stated it was his intention to overthrow the High Council by force and instate himself as the next Prime. But it was Orion's speech that drew their attention. Jealous, Megatron left angrily and began his conquest, which resulted in countless casualties and left the Core of Cybertron itself poisoned. It was Orion's subsequent search for the Core that completed his transformation into Optimus Prime. The Core, the essence of their creator Primus, relinquished the Matrix of Leadership into his chassis. One Shall Rise, Part 3

During the war, Optimus encountered Skyquake at the Battle of Technar when the Decepticon was sent by Megatron to kill him. Masters & Students After Cybertron was abandoned, Optimus Prime's elite team of Autobots eventually made their way to Earth, where they allied themselves with the United States government. The Autobots were assigned William Fowler as their liaison, and provided an abandoned missile silo as a base in exchange for keeping the Decepticon threat contained. Darkness Rising, Part 2

Do you have your grandfather's glasses — er, wait.

Around three years later, Prime was out on the road when word reached him that Cliffjumper was facing down an entire contingent of Decepticons. Arriving to the battlefield too late, Prime delivered a eulogy for their fallen comrade. Soon after, some humans were caught up in a battle between the Autobots and Decepticons, and Optimus, knowing that they would now be targeted by the Decepticons, had them brought to the Autobot base. There, he told them about the Transformer war and assigned the Autobots to be their individual guardians. Darkness Rising, Part 1 Presently, the apparent reactivation of Cliffjumper's lifesigns was detected by the Autobots, and they tracked it to a Decepticon Energon mine, where they discovered that Megatron had returned to Earth with Dark Energon, used to revive Cliffjumper as a zombie Terrorcon. Darkness Rising, Part 2 Realizing that Megatron's goal was to create an undead army, Optimus and Ratchet headed to the site of an ancient Transformer battleground on Earth, arriving just as Megatron used a sliver of Dark Energon to reanimate the corpses buried there into a Terrorcon legion. Darkness Rising, Part 3 Struggling against the detrimental effects of Dark Energon, the pair cut their way through the Terrorcons, but Megatron escaped before Optimus could get his hands on him.

Pssst, Prime, your barrel openings are just painted detail.

Returning to base, Optimus was disappointed to find that Bulkhead had let the kids go out into battle in his absence, but disturbing intel had been recovered in the process: the Decepticons were planning to use a space bridge to revive the dead of Cybertron with Dark Energon. Darkness Rising, Part 4 GroundBridging to the Decepticon's space bridge in Earth orbit, Optimus faced Megatron down in a one-on-one battle while the other Autobots sabotage the bridge, causing it to explode and destroy the Terrorcons, and apparently, Megatron himself. Darkness Rising, Part 5

Despite the victory, Optimus regretted not having been able to turn Megatron to the path of peace. When Decepticon activity was detected in an area of the desert, Optimus and Bumblebee investigated, discovering that Starscream had located and reactivated Skyquake. Optimus tried to appeal to the Decepticons to consider a truce now that Megatron had gone, but Skyquake was determined to carry out his late master's wishes and terminate Prime. Optimus and Bumblebee found themselves forced to battle and destroy Skyquake, but they respectfully buried their fallen foe, and Prime lamented the circumstances. Masters & Students

"Okay, now I'm ready to call Bulkhead fat."

After Bulkhead and Bumblebee found a pod in the Arctic and brought it back to base, Optimus and Arcee went back to the Arctic to check for clues as to the pod's origin. After some time searching, the temperature sensors Ratchet had given them went off, so Optimus attempted to contact base, only to find the comms were down. The pair sought shelter, but as their temperatures slowly dropped, things looked grim. Just as they were losing hope, the GroundBridge opened and ejected Bulkhead and the swarm of Scraplets that had been causing havoc at base. The three Autobots were subsequently able to return home, and Optimus paid tribute to their human friends who had helped eliminate the Scraplets. Scrapheap

"This here's Rubber Duck and I'm about to put the hammer down."

When Bulkhead's old buddy Wheeljack arrived on Earth, Optimus excused himself from the welcome party and went out on patrol, since "Primes don't party". As such, he missed all the fun when Wheeljack turned out to be a Decepticon spy, but he stuck around for the second part to welcome the real Wheeljack, telling the visiting Autobot that he'd always be welcome on Earth. Con Job Not long after, when the Autobots were contracted by Fowler to help transport the experimental Dynamic Nuclear Generation System, Optimus carried the device in a trailer to the rendezvous point, where it was transferred to a train. Unfortunately, the D.N.G.S. became a target for both the Decepticons and the human terrorist organization MECH, and Prime was forced to have his Autobots break cover to fight Vehicons while he dispatched MECH's leader Silas. A poor loser, Silas took out the train track ahead and Optimus went into maximum overdrive, grabbing the train and physically halting it. Convoy

Ratchet and Ironhide were right, I should've gone for this earlier!

Tracking an Energon Harvester to a museum, Optimus Prime and the Autobots were attacked by new Decepticons arrivals Knock Out and Breakdown, and Prime got the business end of Knock Out's Energon prod, taking him out of the fight long enough for Soundwave to make off with the Harvester. Optimus led the Autobots in following the villains to Greece, and stopped their attempts to harvest an Energon seam there. Deus ex Machina Prime had another clash Knock Out soon after: when he discovered that Arcee and Jack had disobeyed his orders against using powers for personal gain by participating in illegal street races, Optimus intervened, and helped rescued a captive human from Knock Out's clutches by ripping the Decepticon's door off. Speed Metal

I woke up late one morning with a black eye. Why the heck does everyone think I'm sick? I could've just been punched in the face. Really hard.

While investigating a crashed Autobot spacecraft, Optimus Prime's hopes of helping any survivors were dashed when the craft turned out to be a corpse-strewn plague ship from which he contracted Cybonic plague, a pathogen engineered by Megatron himself. Arcee and Bumblebee boarded the Nemesis in search of a cure, and, discovering that Megatron was still alive and in stasis, Bumblebee entered his mind via a cortical psychic patch. In his dreamworld, Megatron was constantly killing imaginary Optimus Primes, and Bumblebee played on Megatron's desire to kill Optimus himself, rather than have him succumb to the plague, to convince him to hand over the cure. Sick Mind After getting back up to full health, Optimus led the Autobots to the Arctic, where Starscream was using a heat ray to melt a glacier in order to access an energon deposit. Prime boldly ploughed through the weapon's beam in order to get close enough to destroy it, but the resultant explosion left him helpless before Starscream—until he was saved at the last moment when the resurrected Megatron arrived to haul Starscream away for punishment. Out of His Head

:D

Optimus Prime led the Autobots in investigating a Dark Energon energy signature, and found Starscream using the substance to resurrect Skyquake. Fortunately, the additional power conveyed upon Starscream by the Dark Energon was not enough to prevent Optimus Prime from blasting his arm clean off. Presently, a GroundBridge accident catapulted Jack, Miko and Raf into an alternate dimension, and when the Autobots opened a portal to bring them back, Prime took the Autobots back to the battlefield to protect them from Starscream. Shadowzone Optimus's inimitable compassion even extended to Breakdown, when he was captured by the forces of MECH and Optimus determined they would rescue him. Operation: Breakdown Later, Optimus was at the Autobot base when Jack and Arcee brought Jack's mom in to introduce her to everyone. Crisscross He was out on a scouting mission with Bumblebee when Ratchet detected a strange magnetic signature that turned out to be a Polarity gauntlet, Metal Attraction and also missed out on an adventure in a collapsed mine, but when he heard that Jack had shown mercy to an immobilized Megatron, he was proud of the boy. Raf's Notes

We've replaced Optimus with a statue. Think anyone will notice?

Exploring the wreck of a crashed Decepticon ship, Optimus Prime and his team fell victim to Airachnid, who paralyzed Prime and Bulkhead with the ship's cargo: an experimental Immobilizer. Prime would have wound up handed over to Megatron and mounted on the bow of the Nemesis if not for Bumblebee, who saw the villainess off, and Ratchet, who repaired the damaged device and unfroze the pair. Partners

Who will join me? Who will become stronger, faster, more insubordinate?

Lost Cybertronian technology continued to cause problems for Prime and the Autobots when a formula for Synthetic Energon was beamed from a Cybertronian data cylinder into Bulkhead's mind, putting his life at risk. Refusing to sacrifice Bulkhead despite the advantage the formula would give the Autobots, Prime petitioned Megatron for the return of the cylinder so they could extract the data. In exchange, he would hand it over to the Decepticons, but Megatron refused and destroyed the device after a battle. The formula was subsequently beamed out of Bulkhead's mind into space, T.M.I. but when Ratchet proceeded to generate a batch of "SynthEn" and was driven mentally unstable after testing it on himself, he and Optimus came to blows, and Optimus confined him to base. Ratchet instead took off to face Megatron, forcing Prime to lead a team into a Decepticon mine to rescue him. Cured of the SynthEn's effects, Optimus reminded Ratchet that he was a vital member of the team. Stronger, Faster

Slap slap.

Believing that a prophecy in the Covenant of Primus was soon to come true and that Megatron could regard it as his destiny, Optimus Prime was finally forced to abandon any illusions of turning his old foe to the path of good after the Decepticon leader grievously wounded Raf during a battle over a power source for the villain's new space bridge. Optimus boarded the Nemesis and called Megatron out for a one-on-one battle that he vowed would be their last. The two ancient enemies fought before a volcano, and Optimus managed to fell Megatron, but just before he could deliver the killing blow, the volcano erupted with Dark Energon. Megatron experienced an increase in power, and turned the tide, One Shall Fall but thankfully, the intervention of the other Autobots saved Optimus's life. Retreating to base to review this new nightmare scenario, Optimus recounting the tale of Primus, Unicron and the Thirteen to the gathered humans and told them he believed that Earth had formed around the slumbering form of Unicron, who was now in the process of awakening. Examining areas of the planet struck by earthquakes at the moment of the eruption, Optimus soon found himself confronted by Unicron himself, in an avatar formed from rock and stone. He prostrated himself before the Chaos Bringer and tried to plead for the lives of the billions of humans who dwelt on Earth, but Unicron considered them parasites and attacked Prime with wave after wave of avatars. One Shall Rise, Part 1

Kiss kiss.

He ordered the other Autobots not to come to his aid, so naturally they came anyway. After fighting increasingly larger Unicrons, they came up against one that was too much for them. Just as it was about to step on Optimus, help came in the unlikely form of Megatron, who offered his services in eliminating Unicron and revealed that only the Matrix of Leadership held by Optimus could achieve that aim. The Autobots returned to base, where the others were horrified that Prime was intending to take up Megatron's offer, but he was resolute that all care would be taken to make sure it was a safe as possible. When Megatron stepped into the base, Optimus and the other Autobots welcomed him appropriately. Before they left on their mission, Optimus presented Jack with the key to the GroundBridge power supply. Optimus, Megatron and the Autobots were soon stepping through the GroundBridge to Earth's core, Unicron himself. One Shall Rise, Part 2

Plot details for One Shall Rise, Part 3 follow. Spoilers have expired, you may remove this tag

As they moved through Unicron's internal structure, they came under attack from antibodies. Optimus and Megatron fought back to back, though Optimus took time out to rescue Bulkhead from falling. When they reach Unicron's spark chamber, Optimus and Megatron went inside, and, though the dark god possessed Megatron, Optimus unleashed the Matrix, apparently extinguishing Unicron's spark. However the price was high—Optimus's memory was lost and he believed himself to be Orion Pax. Megatron played along, and took him back to the Nemesis. One Shall Rise, Part 3

Titan Magazines Prime comics

Spoiler warning: Plot details for Transformers Comic issue 4.1 follow. Please give an expiry date ({{spoiler|(story)|DATE}}) - either the date of the next episode/issue in the series or 30 days after release, whichever is sooner

After Ratchet somewhat apologetically unveiled the Safe, Optimus told him to have more confidence in his work. When Bulkhead managed to uncover a hidden nuclear missile and a scouting party of Vehicons neared the base, Optimus, Arcee and Bumblebee went out to greet the Decepticons. While Bumblebee knocked the Vehicons into the air, Prime and Arcee blasted them. They reentered at the base in time to see Fowler arriving with some scientists, and Optimus had some stern words with their liaison about the mystery bomb and its intended purpose, insisting that Fowler take it with him when he left. The Safe and the Failsafe

Games

Transformers: War for Cybertron (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)

Voice actor: Peter Cullen (English), Marco Balzarotti (Italian), Alfredo Martínez (Spain-Spanish)

Steroids are the right of all sentient beings.

In the waning days of the war for Cybertron, Optimus spotted a little yellow Autobot in trouble, and defeated the surrounding drone forces. Ratchet arrived on the scene, and Optimus helped up the Autobot scout, who revealed his name was Bumblebee. Bumblebee informed Optimus that the Decepticons had taken control of communication relays, so that the only way to contact Optimus was by messenger. He also informed Optimus that their leader, Sentinel Zeta Prime, was dead. Optimus suspected Megatron's hand, and was informed by Bumblebee that the Autobot High Council had gone into hiding because of this. Optimus believed that the Council would emerge during a safer time, and formed a team with Bumblebee and Ratchet.

They drove to the Decagon, where they found Ironhide battling the forces of Starscream. After assisting him in defeating Starscream's army, they confronted Starscream himself within the Decagon. After the trio combated and drove off Starscream, a hologram of Zeta Prime's face appeared in the center of the room, stating that he is being held in the Kaon prison complex. Optimus took Bumblebee and Sideswipe to the Kaon prison, allowing themselves to be captured so that they could infiltrate the facility. The Decepticons prepared to execute them, but Air Raid lent a hand so they could escape, though he himself was captured. While sneaking through the corridors, the three managed to free Air Raid, Arcee, and others. They continued through the hallways, and finally located the room where Zeta is being held, only to face Soundwave. The Decepticon cowered behind a force field, sending Frenzy, Rumble, and Laserbeak out to fight for him, only venturing out to administer needed repairs to his minions. As Soundwave's energy became low, he attempted to drain Zeta Prime, only to be interrupted by Optimus, who took a shot meant for Zeta. Though Soundwave and his minions retreated, the damage was done, and Zeta Prime died before Optimus could free him.

Optimus brought Zeta's corpse to the site of the hiding High Council, where he lay the dead body in the center of the room. Optimus stated that the Autobots craved their guidance, but the Council stated that their mission was to choose the Primes, not to lead them. They then told him that Optimus himself is a Prime, and that he had changed the lives around him. Optimus was then told that Megatron had corrupted the core of Cybertron, and that he was the one that could remove this blight. He took this burden and responsibility, then was told by the Council that he was now Optimus Prime, the last Prime.

Welcome to the Twilight Zone Prime.

For a new mission, Optimus selected Ironhide and Warpath, and the team ventured to the entrance of the core, where a corrupted Omega Supreme was being tortured. After a prolonged battle, the Autobots defeated the torturers and freed Omega Supreme from the Dark Energon influence. Omega Supreme escaped, and the Autobots found some space slugs to use as steeds. One long journey later, they reached the core and defeated a corrupted slug. Unfortunately the core itself had become contaminated, and informed Optimus as much. The only solution was for the core to reboot, which would take millions of years, during which the planet would be unusable, and Optimus realized that the Autobots would have to leave their home. Before shutting down, the core revealed the Matrix of Leadership, which it installed inside Optimus Prime's chest.

Optimus arrived back at Iacon, where he ordered all Autobots to evacuate the planet. Megatron announced that everyone must stay or face destruction, and fired a massive cannon installed in the Dark Energon space station. Optimus Prime ordered his Air Commander Silverbolt to shut down the cannon with his team. They succeeded, and the station crashed into Iacon. Optimus, Bumblebee, and Ironhide discovered that the "space station" wasn't a space station at all: it was the giant Decepticon, Trypticon. They managed to defeat the heavily-armed menace, who plunged into a pool of energon. The Autobots celebrated their victory, but noticed that they have to evacuate as well. Optimus revealed a massive starship they would use called the Ark, a ship still under construction that would allow them to take a part of Cybertron with them across the galaxy. Transformers: War for Cybertron

Transformers: War for Cybertron (DS)

Voice actor: Peter Cullen (English)

Origamimus Prime

Optimus was a dock worker who found himself caught up in the war against the Decepticons. With the Decepticons on the hunt for the Omega Key, Zeta Prime sent Optimus and his team to protect the library, knowing he could count on his old friend. When Zeta Prime was later captured by the Decepticons, he attempted to contact Optimus. The data links keeping him in contact with the Autobots were severed, so Bumblebee tracked down Optimus at an Autobot base. Optimus subsequently rescued an Autobot rookie from Starscream, chasing the Decepticon off before joining up with Jetfire and destroying other intruders at the base. Optimus was felled by a laser guard, but revived with the help of Jetfire and Bumblebee. They completed clearing the base by defeating Dirge, and Optimus announced that the next step was to retake Iacon.

He and his team entered Decepticon-occupied Iacon and destroyed the Dark Energon corruptors, allowing them to get the Decagon's defense systems back online. While they waited for Zeta Prime to make contact again, Optimus reminded Bumblebee that they couldn't let Megatron win just by giving up. Zeta let them know that he was being held in Kaon Prison, and Optimus's team infiltrated the prison in search of him. After an encounter with Onslaught, they ran into Megatron himself, who set more Decepticons on them. When they eventually found Zeta Prime, their leader expired. Optimus returned his body to the High Council, who appointed Optimus the new Prime.

Optimus Prime attempted to solicit Grimlock's help. Grimlock challenged him to a fight to decide whether to join up, but Swoop's capture by Decepticons sent the Autobots off on a rescue mission instead. The Autobots tracked Swoop down to a Dark Energon laboratory on the outskirts of Iacon and freed him from Dark Energon contamination. Swoop's services were subsequently offered to the Autobots by Grimlock, who said he'd follow along to protect Swoop. Analysis of core samples by Jetfire and Ratchet indicated that they would need to disable to corrupters preventing it from repairing itself. To this end, Optimus's team traveled to the core and freed it after defeating Brawl.

Realising that the core needed time to repair itself, Optimus ordered the Autobots to evacuate the planet in Arks. He and his team ascended the space bridge to attack the Trypticon space station and take out its main power core. They escaped during the station's plunge towards Cybertron, but as it fell, it transformed. Optimus rallied his men against this new threat, leading the way to the crash site, where the Autobots confronted Trypticon. After the titan's downfall, Optimus and his men left Cybertron in search of a new source of energy. Transformers: War for Cybertron (DS)

Transformers: Cybertron Adventures

Voice actor: Peter Cullen (English), Marco Balzarotti (Italian)

Transformers: Cybertron Adventures

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (Xbox 360/PS3)

Voice actor: Peter Cullen (English)

"No, not in the chest, you guys! The throat! The throat!"

Fall of Cybertron

Toys

Generations

It's War Within but with fewer chinstraps and handvents.

• Cybertronian Optimus Prime (Deluxe Class, 2010)

• Accessories: "blaster" rifle

Based on his appearance in the video game Transformers: War for Cybertron, Optimus Prime transforms from a red, blue, and silver robot into an "armored truck mode." His rifle transforms as well, folding and plugging into the roof of the vehicle mode. The rifle can also peg into his forearms, and, in its compact configuration, can attach to his shoulders via peg holes on the backs of his front tires. The weapon in its compact configuration can also be stored on his robot mode back. Optimus has a stylized sculpted Autobot insignia on his back, as seen in the game, but it is obscured by kibble.

An undocumented transformation step includes flipping Optimus Prime's knees out in vehicle mode to form a back bumper with tail lights. Oddly, the toy itself and the cardbox art show Optimus Prime with four fingers on each hand, while in the video game Optimus Prime has 5 fingers. The vehicle mode pictured here is minimally mistransformed: The exhaust pipes have not been rotated to hide the indentations against the vehicle body. The instructions show the rifle being plugged in by its shorter peg, but the packaging depicts the rifle stored by its grip, which keeps the weapon higher off Prime's body, but is also more secure.

Optimus Prime is part of the first wave of Generations Deluxes, but he and Cybertronian Bumblebee shipped ahead of their two other wavemates via Toys"R"Us.

This mold was redecoed into United Optimus Prime Cybertron Mode and Darkside Optimus Prime.

• More information on Cybertronian Optimus Prime at TFU.info

Prime

Step 1: Put Optimus Prime toy inside a wearable Matrix.
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Profit!

• Matrix of Leadership SDCC Optimus Prime (Deluxe, 2011)
  • Accessories: Gun, magnet, dignity-removing wearable Matrix packaging

Matrix of Leadership Optimus Prime is an exclusive to San Diego Comic-Con 2011. The toy comes in a packaging shaped like the Matrix of Leadership, which the owner can wear around his neck, preferably at the convention itself, so passers-by can exclaim WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET THAT and then try to get one themselves. The Matrix itself comes packaged in a box that is designed to look like Optimus Prime's chest, and opens accordingly. The chest window doors are sealed with a round magnet.

The toy itself is an early release of the Deluxe Class Optimus Prime toy from the upcoming "Entertainment Pack" set. Depending on how accurate the stock photography of the future EP Optimus Prime toy is, there may be some minor paint differences, such as the Matrix Prime having black chest windows instead of blue and unpainted headlights instead of yellow.

• Optimus Prime (Cyberverse Commander, 2012)
  • Accessories: 2 "battle cannons"

This Cyberverse-scaled Optimus Prime is cast partly in translucent plastic so that the toy can be lit using the electronic lights featured in the larger playsets. He also comes with two translucent "battle cannon" weapons and a pack-in file card.

Can transform from truck mode to movie trailer narrator mode and back!

• "Entertainment Pack" (5 figure gift set, 2011)
  • Accessories: Gun

A Deluxe-sized Optimus Prime comes with a similarly-scaled Megatron and PVC figurines of Miko Nakadai, Jack Darby and Raf Esquivel. Optimus converts from truck mode to his robot mode.

And those side-view mirrors go to where on the truck mode?

• Optimus Prime (Voyager, 2011)

Accessories: Gun, sword

Transformers (2010)

• Rage over Cybertron (Multipack, 2011)

• Accessories: "blaster" rifle

A redeco of Cybertronian Optimus Prime with additional yellow detailing, collected together with redecoes of Cybertronian Megatron and Cybertronian Bumblebee in a three-pack exclusive to Toys"R"Us.

Notes

So, it hasn't got flames. It's still not a flat nose truck.

• Exodus and War for Cybertron are different continuities within the same "continuity family", so their difference on Optimus Prime's pre-Prime name is not a real contradiction in and of itself. However Hasbro's online timeline—meant as prequel to War for Cybertron—refers to Optimus's pre-Prime name as "Orion Pax" like Exodus. To confuse matters even more, in IDW Publishing's War for Cybertron comic, Alex Irvine, in adapting scenes from his novel, still keeps the character's name as "Orion Pax", when it is also meant to occur prior the game's events.
• Optimus is rather forgetful in Exodus. Alpha Trion tells him twice that he had suggested to the High Council that Orion might be the Prime foretold in the Covenant of Primus. Then he tells Jetfire that the Core told him of Project Generation One, when it was a contingency plan Trion told him about, put in place since the Breaking of the Primes. Then again, leading an army for thousands or millions of years may take a strain on the bot's memory servers.
• Optimus's CG model underwent modifications between "Darkness Rising" and the first season proper, with his chest windows lowered somewhat during scenes when he is not in battle.
• Fall of Cybertron's truck mode is described by High Moon Studios principal artist Mike Brown as a "fist with wheels attached to it." [1]