Matrix of Leadership
| The name or term "Matrix" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Matrix (disambiguation). |
The Matrix of Leadership (not to be confused with the Creation Matrix from the Marvel comic) is an artifact of great power which holds within it the accumulated wisdom of past Autobot Leaders. As such it is traditionally carried by the current Autobot Leader.
The Matrix is the one thing, the only thing, which Unicron fears and seems to be in some way connected to Primacron's Assistant.
Known Matrix Bearers
Generation 1
The only named robots known to have posessed the Matrix of Leadership in the cartoon are: Optimus Prime Rodimus Prime Scourge
More than a dozen more past Autobot Leaders are seen within it at various points, but none of these are ever given names.
Fiction
Animated continuity
In the distant past the scientist Primacron and his assistant created some of the first, primitive Transformers (how exactly this connects to their Quintessonian origin revealed elsewhere in the Cartoon is unrevealed). Primacron eventually created Unicron, who rebeled against his maker. In the ensuing conflict Primacron was badly injured and his robotic-seeming assistant appeared destroyed. His Assistant surrvived however and out of his remains rose what appeared to be the Autobot Matrix of Leadership which then flew off into space. (The exact meaning and import of this flashback is unclear, but it seems to suggest the Matrix began as the essence of Primacron's assistant.)
The Matrix of Leadership first documented appearence in modern times occured when a dying Optimus Prime passed it, and Autobot Leadership to his chosen successor, Ultra Magnus.
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.
Later, 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, (which he ALSO seemed to claim as their "darkest hour"). 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. He claimed they would have to start filling it with wisdom again, from that moment on.
Optimus Prime eventually used the shell of the Matrix as a substitute key to access Vector Sigma.
Japanese Animated Continuity
After it's draining durring the Hate Plague, the matrix 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.
