Hot Rod (G1)
| The name or term "Rodimus" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Rodimus (disambiguation). |
| The name or term "Hot Rod" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Hot Rod (disambiguation). |
This article is a featured article, and considered to be one of the most informative on this wiki.
- Hot Rod is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family. He has also been known as Rodimus Prime, Rodimus, Rodimus Major, and King Slaying Son Of A Slag
Hot Rod is brash and headstrong, with an overwhelming self-confidence that borders on arrogance. Kup has assumed the role of mentor and advisor to the impetuous young Hot Rod, offering him wisdom and advice when he needs it (though Hot Rod rarely feels that he does, much to Kup's annoyance). Arcee also serves as a calming influence on Hot Rod, and tends to either worry about him when he is not around, or deride and tease him when he is. Their relationship is antagonistic, but friendly. Exactly how deep Hot Rod's feelings for Arcee might run is unknown, whether they be friendly, romantic, or otherwise.
In contrast, his Rodimus Prime persona—while still headstrong and stubborn—seems to suffer from a severe lack of confidence, often doubting his own decisions and expressing distress over his position as an Autobot leader. Of course, much of this comes from comparisons with his former commander Optimus Prime—and let's face it, shoes-to-be-filled just don't get much bigger than that.
One thing that both sides of this Autobot's identity have in common is their impatience—neither Hot Rod nor Rodimus Prime can stand to wait around when they could be doing something instead. He is also very self-reliant, rarely sending others to do anything when he could be doing it himself. His Targetmaster partner is Firebolt. As Rodimus Prime, his vehicle sometimes splits between his robot and Mobile Defense Bay.
| “ | I knew you had potential, lad. | ” |
—Kup on Hot Rod's transformation into Rodimus Prime, The Transformers: The Movie | ||
Fiction
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
At some point before 2005, Hot Rod became stationed at Autobot City and so was present during the Battle of Autobot City. This was a turning point in the life of the turbo-revving young punk, because the Matrix of Leadership chose him as its next bearer following the death of Optimus Prime. As Rodimus Prime, his first accomplishments were the defeat of Unicron and the return of Cybertron to the Autobots.
During his time as Prime, Rodimus not only had to deal with the Decepticons and their new leader, but also the political complexities of the planetary alliance Cybertron joined, the return of the Transformers' cruel masters from long ago, the Quintessons, the possible revival of Unicron and the arrival of Unicron's "little brother" Tornedron.
During the Hate Plague outbreak in 2006, Optimus Prime was brought back to life and Rodimus gave up his rank of Prime, becoming Hot Rod once more. He would live to see the next Cybertronian Golden Age.
Marvel Comics continuity
Initially serving under Fortress Maximus on Cybertron, Hot Rod travelled to Nebulos where he became a Targetmaster and then on to Earth where he joined Optimus Prime's forces aboard the Ark. Returning to Cybertron, he survived the battle against Unicron and formed part of the shaky Autobot-Decepticon alliance under the leadership of Prime's successor Grimlock. Betrayed by Bludgeon's Decepticons, Hot Rod was killed during the ambush on Klo but revived shortly afterwards by the power of the Last Autobot.
In some splinter timelines Hot Rod went on to become Rodimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots, and took part in further battles against Unicron and his minion Galvatron, albeit with mixed results. In others, he has yet to fulfil this part of his destiny.
S.T.A.R.S. pack-in flyers
Unicron just might consume the universe, and the Autobots need to determine who the Chosen One is so that he may rise from their ranks, unlock the Matrix of Power, and save all from Unicron! Unfortunately, not even the Chosen One himself knows his identity, and his discovery may come too late. The Autobots Have a Special Mission for:
There was a legendary conflict between the Autobots and Decepticons when Optimus Prime led Rodimus Prime and a large team of Autobots in a search for the future site of Autobot City. They were ambushed by Megatron and Thundercracker, and this became known as the Transformers' greatest battle on Earth. Rodimus Prime dubbed it "Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction." Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth. Some of the Autobots were forced to retreat due to Thundercracker's "force shield," and Optimus Prime told Rodimus and the others that their only hope was to call in for additional troops. Transformers Combat Data
Later, Rodimus Prime remembered the Transformers' greatest battle on Earth. Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.
Battle Beneath the Ice
Hot Rod had a run in with the Battlechargers when they tried to destroy the golden gate bridge. The altercation was caught on television.
A couple of weeks later, Hot Rod was part of an expedition to the Antarctic along with Slingshot and Skydive to investigate the discovery of a highly advanced underground city. He was parked in the cargo bay of a troop-carrier aero-plane when he met the young human Jeff. Together, they watched Hot Rod’s battle with the Battlechargers on Jeff’s chronovid wristwatch. Some time later, their plane was caught in a blizzard, and shot down by an energy beam. Though many humans perished in the crash, Hot Rod attempted to keep the survivors warm by increasing the current through his temperature control unit to emit heat. Hot Rod and his group of humans were then met by three inhabitants of the subterranean city, who invited them into their futuristic world.
The Watcher, leader of the underground civilization, explained that they possessed technology far surpassing the surface world, save for their weaponry, as they were a peaceful people. The Watcher offered the humans a tour of the city while he and Hot Rod talked. Impressed by the technological wonders The Watcher’s people possessed, Hot Rod became convinced of their altruistic nature. He then met up with Skydive and Slingshot, who had gone on to rendezvous with the drilling team after being unable to locate the downed troop-carrier in the blizzard. The Watcher then showed them an image from the surface: Brawl, Vortex and Blast Off, the Decepticons the Watcher said were responsible for shooting down the troop-carrier. Skydive and Slingshot then took off to battle the Decepticons and draw them away from the city, leaving Hot Rod in charge of protecting the humans.
Hot Rod's group continued their tour of the city. They were shown a hologram chamber, where they encountered Ravage. Hot Rod warned the Decepticon to stay back from the humans, but Ravage assured him he wasn’t here as their enemy. Ravage informed Hot Rod that it wasn’t the Decepticons, but the city-dwellers that had shot down the plane. One of the city-dwellers entered the room with a weapon, intending to attack Ravage. Hot Rod accidentally shot him while aiming for Ravage, who had lept for the city-dweller's throat. Hot Rod was shocked to see the guide fall to the ground, seeing as his weapon only affected other robots. They came to the conclusion that Ravage was telling the truth; the city-dwellers were robots. They were after the warrior-factor encoded in both the Autobots and the Decepticons in order to turn themselves into a powerful army. Hot Rod and Ravage formed a temporary alliance to combat the city-dwellers. Jeff and Ravage then worked together to overwrite the city-dwellers’ programming with the cartoon antics of Gus Gopher that had been recorded by Jeff’s chronovid wristwatch. With the city-dwellers behaving like cartoon characters, Hot Rod made contact with the Aerialbots, and told them to stop fighting with the Combaticons, and to instead return to the city. The Autobots and Decepticons then went their separate ways on peaceful terms… for the moment being, at least. Battle Beneath the Ice
Big Looker Storybook continuity
Kup and Hot Rod traveled to the coliseum to check out a robot car the humans had built that could respond to voice commands. They heard about it on their car radios! But when they arrived at the coliseum, Kup spotted Decepticons flying about. As some entered the back door, Kup shooed Hot Rod away, telling him to warn the others. If Hot Rod stayed, he would just get into trouble!
When Hot Rod returned with the Autobots, Kup had been captured and held prisoner, so the others entered the coliseum in vehicle mode. Meanwhile, Hot Rod snuck up behind Kup and freed him. Yelling "Geronimo!" they jumped from the control room onto the coliseum floor, taking the Decepticons by surprise. Galvatron and the others escaped, but Kup and Hot Rod agreed that they'd be ready for him when he returned. Car Show Blow Up
Later, Kup led Hot Rod, Arcee, and the Dinobots on a special mission to take supplies from Earth to a space station on Cybertron's second moon. Despite Kup's warnings, the Dinobots loaded too many supplies onto the ship, and in the middle of their journey, the ship began to have problems. Hot Rod reassured Arcee that everything would be okay, but the ship was going down! It crashed on a planet which Kup recognized. It was the planet Quintesson! They were interrupted by a tribal scream and a flurry of firestones. However, the boy who made his presence known was not aiming at them, but at the Quintessons behind them. The boy's name was Wheelie, and he had been abandoned on the planet when his ship crashed their earlier.
Wheelie led them through the jungle, battling Quintessons along the way, until they reached Wheelie's crashed ship. Hot Rod was able to fix it, and everyone left the planet Quintesson, Wheelie included! The Story of Wheelie, the Wild Boy of Quintesson
Marvel coloring books
Visiting Oil Valley with Daniel one day, Hot Rod spotted a group of Decepticons lurking nearby. Taking Daniel into his car mode, he headed back to Autobot City to report back to Ultra Magnus. The Decepticons noticed Hot Rod driving away, and gave chase. As Hot Rod neared Autobot City, he ran into Grimlock and the Dinobots. He quickly informed them of the situation before continuing on his way into the city, while the Dinobots stayed back to fend off the Decepticons. Once Hot Rod informed Ultra Magnus of the situation, Hot Rod stayed behind in Autobot City with Daniel while Ultra Magnus assembled a strike team to head out and help the Dinobots fight the Decepticons. Battle at Oil Valley
Hot Rod was returning from a road trip with Daniel, Hound and Kup, Bumblebee, Blurr, Wheelie, Springer and Sunstreaker when the group paused to eat at a rest stop. As the Autobots ingested Energon Cubes, Hot Rod asked Kup to tell a story. Kup told the others the story of how, upon first crash landing in Mt. St. Hillary, the Ark had lost an enormous shipment of Energon Cubes that remained lost to the day. Enthralled by Kup's story, the rest of the group were all eager to go looking for this lost treasure. When they realized that Laserbeak had been spying on them the whole time, and would soon inform Galvatron about the lost Energon shipment, Hot Rod and the others rushed back to Metroplex to inform Ultra Magnus on the situation. Hot Rod made a quick stop first, however, dropping Daniel off at his parents; house. After a brief conference, Ultra Magnus led his troops to the Ark's crash site. Finding the Decepticons there already, the two factions began to fight. When the Energon stash was uncovered, it was completely gobbled up by Starscream who proclaimed himself the most powerful Decepticon. With nothing left to fight over, Hot Rod and the Autobots left Galvatron and Starscream to their squabble. As they headed back for Autobot City, Hot Rod asked Kup for another story. The Lost Treasure of Cybertron
Ladybird Books continuity
Hot Rod was one of several troops stationed on Earth when Ultra Magnus was in charge and the Transformers' war was still a secret one. He got along well with Spike Witwicky, the two spending their downtime looking at car magazines together, and was quite pleased to receive some snazzy gold wheel-trims from the boy. Decepticon Hideout
In the time following this campaign, Hot Rod would mature into a more sensible warrior and even a team leader. During the early stages of the war on Nebulos, Hot Rod was Autobot commander against Cyclonus's Decepticons before the return of Optimus Prime. At one point, he prevented the Decepticons causing Nebulos' destruction via cosmic radiation. Decepticons at the Pole He also orchestrated a search for a new source of lubricant when the Autobots were running dry, and led the construction of a pipeline bringing the oil reservoir's contents to Autobot base.
Autobots Strike Oil
Sticker Adventures books
Out searching for a missing shuttle, Hot Rod and Kup spied it crashed on the Junk planet. They landed to find their friends engaged in battle with the natives, but Kup cautioned Hot Rod not to rashly jump in and join them. Kup's use of the Universal Autobot Greeting resulted in the Junkions abandoning the fight and making friends with the newcomers, and causing Hot Rod to exclaim "Holy cow!" The Junkions helped repair the damaged shuttle before the Autobots left. Battle on the Junk Planet
The Transformers Adventure Game Books
Desert of Danger
Hot Rod had himself delivered by freight to the planet of Nebulos, where he and his Targetmaster partner Professor Sparks suspected the Decepticons were attempting reinforce their position in spite of a treaty in place to limit their numbers. With your help they traced the Decepticons to the Wolf at the Door nightclub, an oil bar for Nebulan miners run by Monzo, and discovered that Weirdwolf, Skullcruncher and Mindwipe were importing Attack Squad robots from Cybertron and awakening them from cryogenic suspension with a catalytic stimulant disguised as Sirian brandy.
After a confrontation with the Decepticons that left Skullcruncher and Mindwipe out of action, Hot Rod faced off against Weirdwolf and Monzo. Weirdwolf was defiant, but Monzo wasn't feeling lucky and surrendered to the Autobot. Though the Headmasters had to be released under the terms of the treaty, the Attack Squad robots were destroyed. Desert of Danger
Transformers PD Type comic
Clutching a Blackball, Rodimus Prime found himself being attacked by Galvatron. As the Decepticon leader attempted to throttle him, a light shone from Rodimus's chest, making Galvatron think it was the power of the Blackball. After Galvatron had fled, Rodimus revealed it was just a flashlight, and reflected on what an idiot his foe was. Take a Stand! Rodimus Prime!
As Fortress Maximus and Mega Zarak clashed violently, Rodimus reminded Optimus that he had said never to let those two fight. Watch Out! Mega Zarak!
Ultra Magnus and Rodimus Prime enjoyed many victories against the Decepticons, but who was that in the background? No One Knows When he's Come or Gone. Greatshot...
Together with Ultra Magnus, Rodimus engaged in battle against Sixshot, but was terrified when the Decepticon ninja unleashed the fury of his "Six Shadow Selves"! Luckily for Rodimus, Sixshot's doppelgangers were actually other Decepticons whom he'd painted black (and weren't very happy about it). The Ninja of Space, Sixshot!!
In a later altercation with Sixshot, Rodimus attempted to use his Photon Eliminator gun to strike down the fleeing ninja. Though he managed to shoot every other Decepticon on the battlefield, he failed to hit his intended target. Rodimus sat pouting in the corner as the other Autobots convened to register their disappointment that Rodimus let Sixshot get away. Photon Eliminator
Joining God Ginrai and Ultra Magnus in an assault on Mega Zarak, Rodimus was terrified when the mammoth Decepticon unleashed his titanic Anti-Gravity Rifle. Fortunately for the Autobots, the gun jammed and Mega Zarak was left fiddling with it while they opened fire. Anti-Gravity Rifle
Transformers in 3-D
As Ultra Magnus left for a mission to find an Energon source, Hot Rod assured him that everything would be fine on Cybertron, and if there was any hint of trouble "Rodimus" would pop up and save the day. When Magnus later checked in, Hot Rod reported that they'd made some process on Headmaster technology. Though Magnus was more concerned about the threat of war, Hot Rod told him not to worry, unaware that Sixshot was planning to throw him a surprise. The Test
Hot Rod was pleased to have Optimus Prime back. Then Monitorus arrived with the news that Tau-Ursa had been attacked and leveled by Decepticons, and Hot Rod got to point out that the Tau-Ursans had refused the Autobots permission to build a defense base there. He shortly took part in an attempt to repel a Decepticon attack on Cybertron, finding himself fighting against Sixshot, who seemed more interested in goading him than fighting. This turned out to be a diversion, while Galvatron used his new Nullification Cannon on the planet's Energon supplies.
Hot Rod and Blurr next visited Tau-Ursa to check for Decepticons, and encountered Ape Face, who had found a Logicon warning beacon. The two Autobots wrestled it from him and returned to Cybertron, where the beacon was found to hold the coordinates to Metascan Alpha, a major Energon storehouse. Prime placed Hot Rod in charge of one of two teams to search for the planet, though the operation was hampered slightly by the discovery of the two Decepticon Clones spying on them. The War Against the Destructons, Chapter 1 of 3
Toy pack-in material
The Decepticons having stolen the Matrix of Creation, Hot Rod was called up by Ultra Magnus to help retrieve it. The Autobots used an army of decoys to distract the Decepticons, while Hot Rod, Blurr, Kup and Ultra Magnus infiltrated their base. Hot Rod told Blurr of all people to hurry up and blast the Matrix out of same sort of crystal structure. The Autobots then made their getaway with the Matrix in hand. Start Your Own Decoy Collection
When Optimus became stranded on Cybertron's hemisphere of darkness with his memory damaged, Hot Rod joined a small strike force of Autobots called H.O.P.E. (Help Optimus Prime Escape) to retrieve him. Optimus Prime Is Back
Find Your Fate Junior
Autobot Alert!
While on a midnight spin, Hot Rod spotted Beachcomber, Springer and Blurr leaving Metroplex on a secret mission. The next day, after coming home from his karate lessons, Hot Rod began pestering Kup in order to glean more information on the nature of his fellow Autobots’ assignment. Before he learned anything of substance, an Autobot Alert sounded across the Autobots’ headquarters. The Autobots learned that the Decepticons were taking over Earth’s communication satellites. Shortly afterwards, Blurr returned prematurely from the aforementioned secret mission to deliver more bad news. The Decepticons had gotten their hands on an important coded message.
If Ultra Magnus decided to prioritize the Decepticons’ orbital attack, Hot Rod became frustrated after once again being overlooked for a mission. Catching him sulking, Bumblebee approached Hot Rod and informed him that he had spotted Astrotrain skulking about nearby the previous night. Deducing that Astrotrain might have something to do with the ongoing Decepticon plot, the two Autobots decided to go on their own clandestine mission to investigate. They brought along a supply of “laser-ignited explosives” and went on their way. Soon happening upon the Decepticons’ control centre, the pair set out to sabotage the Decepticons’ operation. While Bumblebee wanted to sabotage the Decepticons’ communication centre on Earth, Hot Rod was in favour of sneaking aboard Astrotrain before he launched, and sabotage the Decepticons out in space.
If Hot Rod convinced Bumblebee to go along with his plan, the pair snuck aboard Astrotrain by concealing themselves within a trailer filled with bombs. As Astrotrain launched, Hot Rod happened upon a room filled with Decepticon space gear. The two Autobots donned the suits in order to disguise themselves. The disguises proved effective as Thrust and Starscream walked past the pair, none the wiser. As Hot Rod continued to explore Astrotrain, he spotted the giant Decepticon Cyclonus out of a nearby window, as well as the Autobot shuttle obliviously heading into a trap. Hot Rod had to then decide on two options. He could risk commandeering Astrotrain’s military command post, despite the Decepticons guarding the door, and warn the incoming Autobot shuttle about the Decepticons. Alternatively, he could find a hiding place from which he could attack Cyclonus himself.
If Hot Rod decided to commandeer the military commands, his disguise managed to fool the guards, but not Scourge, who happened upon them as Hot Rod was inspecting the commands. Bumblebee urged Hot Rod to go through with his plan quickly as Scourge approached them. Hot Rod succeeded in firing Astrotrain’s weapons at Cyclonus, warning the Autobot shuttle of the Decepticons, but was quickly overpowered by Scourge. Alongside Bumblebee, Hot Rod was flung out into the blackness of space by Scourge, stranded in zero-gravity, waiting for a rescue that might never come.
If instead Hot Rod and Bumblebee decided to find themselves a hiding spot, the pair snuck into a room labelled “Dirty Tricks Department” in order to dodge the incoming Laserbeak. Finding a hatch to the space shuttle’s exterior, Hot Rod trained one of Perceptor’s inventions, a “rapid-fire, high-intensity rifle cannon” towards Cyclonus and fired. Having successfully blown a massive hole into Cyclonus, Hot Rod and Bumblebee hid out for the rest of the mission inside the Dirty Tricks department room, finding a way to escape later when it docked.
If instead of boarding Astrotrain, Hot Rod and Bumblebee decided to infiltrate the Decepticons’ command centre on Earth, the two used Astrotrain’s take-off as cover for sneaking into the facility. The pair soon found themselves overhearing Galvatron’s latest pirate broadcast. As the nearby Decepticons troops were busy bowing the their leader’s image, Bumblebee and Hot Rod managed to find the Decepticons’ main computer room. Now in a position to thoroughly sabotage the Decepticons’ operation, Hot Rod spotted a button labelled “TOP SECURITY/DESTRUCT SYSTEM!” and was eager to press it. Bumblebee suggested instead that they use a code he had learned in Advanced Espionage that would scramble the Decepticons’ computer program.
If Hot Rod allowed Bumblebee to use his code, the Decepticons’ plan fell into disarray, and Bumblebee and Hot Rod made their way back to the Autobots’ base safely as the command centre blew itself apart behind them.
If Hot Rod went ahead and pressed the button, he soon discovered that it was a Decepticon trap, as sirens began blaring across the Decepticon base and iron bars prevented them from escaping. Galvatron’s image appeared on a nearby monitor, explaining that both Hot Rod and Bumblebee would be used as hostages in order to secure a Decepticon victory. Hot Rod could do nothing but cover his face in shame in shame.
In a completely different possible series of events, wherein Ultra Magnus agreed to prioritize theft of the coded message, over the Decepticons’ signal hijacking, Hot Rod was part of the captive audience that listened to Kup divulge information about an ancient Autobot formula. Hot Rod took off towards the Autobots’ desert research centre along with a number of other Autobots. Once there, they learned from Springer that the Cybertite sphere had been discovered by humans during the 16th century. If the Decepticons had decoded Springer's message, they would be searching off the coast of California, where the ship containing the sphere had sunk. If they hadn’t decoded the message, the Decepticons would still be digging in the nearby crater.
If the Autobots decided to head for the crater, Hot Rod raced Blurr to the site, only to find it void of any Decepticon activity. Finding Beachcomber tied to an explosive device, the two Autobots worked together to free their comrade. Once freed, Beachcomber informed the pair that the Decepticons had long ago broken the code and were already en-route to retrieve the cybertite sphere. It would now be much to late to catch up to the Decepticons, and all hope to retrieve the orb before them was lost.
If Ultra Magnus decided to assume that the Decepticons had already decrypted the message, he ordered his forces to split up to more efficiently address the situation. Hot Rod was part of the main Autobot force that headed for the California coast. Arriving at the scene, Ultra Magnus’s troops were informed by Powerglide (who had flown ahead of the land-bound group) that he had discovered the location of the sunken ship containing the cybertite sphere. Simultaneously, Blurr caught up with the group to inform them that the Decepticons were quickly approaching.
In one of the possible plans that Ultra Magnus concocted, Hot Rod was tasked with searching the ship once Sludge had used his titanic strength to haul it from the deep. Hot Rod tore through the wrecked vessel, and found the sphere in a timely fashion. He then hid alongside his fellow Autobots, and ambushed the Decepticons as they arrived on-scene.
If Ultra Magnus decided to execute a different plan, wherein Hot Rod, Bumblebee and Grapple had to work together to fetch the sphere, the Autobots did not find the sphere before the Decepticons reached the coast. While Hot Rod searched the ship, dangling from Grapple’s hook over a nearby cliffside, Galvatron and his troops swooped in and blew both the ship and the sphere to smithereens. With the sphere destroyed and the Autobots being pummelled by the Decepticons’ superior firepower, the Autobots’ only hope rested with Hot Rod, dangling on the coast-side in a literal and figurative cliff-hanger!
In yet another possible scenario, where Hot Rod was not involved at all in the actual retrieval of the sphere, the ancient Autobot formula was safely retrieved and taken back to Metroplex. Hot Rod then watched on as Perceptor produced the first batch of power-booster. Autobot Alert!
Project Brain Drain
In one possible scenario, upon hearing that the Decepticons were planning to use a “Brain Drain device” to syphon the intelligence of nearly 500, 000 concert goers, Ultra Magnus ordered his troops, Hot Rod included, to head for the concert to foil Galvatron’s plot. Rodimus and the other Autobots were told to hide themselves amidst the parked vehicles surrounding the concert, and lie in wait for the Decepticons. Once the Decepticons had shown themselves, Ultra Magnus ordered his troops to transform in unison and open fire on their enemies. But Galvatron had planned to light afire the parking lot in which the Autobots were standing in order to trap the humans. Being drenched from above by Decepticon jets dumping gasoline upon them, Ultra Magnus needed to decide whether the Autobots needed to retreat, or to keep on fighting and hope that they could defeat the Decepticons before the fire consumed them.
If Ultra Magnus decided on a retreat, Hot Rod was more than happy to rush out of the blazing inferno and move in closer to the humans in order to protect them. Hot Rod and the others fended off the airborne Decepticons who swooped down, unaffected by the blazing barrier encircling the concert.
In another possible scenario, wherein the Autobots stayed in the parking lot to battle at close-quarters the Decepticons, both he and Bumblebee noticed Soundwave pass the Brain Drain device to Galvatron after the latter had been able to fling Ultra Magnus away. If Hot Rod attempted to stop Galvatron, he successfully plucked the device out of the Decepticons’ hands and barrelled through the nearby circle of flames to make his escape. Just as he reached the other rim of the ring of fire, all four of his tires burst from the flames. He nonetheless skidded to safety, but found himself temporarily out of commission. Nonetheless, the Autobots managed to destroy the Brain Drain device, and Hot Rod was able to enjoy the concert-goers giving the Autobots a standing ovation as the Decepticons retreated.
In a completely different possible scenario, Hot Rod was out on patrol with Kup and Jazz when the three of them heard nearby commotion and went to investigate. Finding Wreck-Gar and Sparkplug being attacked by Thrust and Laserbeak, the Autobots moved in to rescue them and fended off the Decepticons. Hot Rod, Kup and Jazz were informed of the situation as it were; the Decepticons were going to drain the minds of the concert-goers with their Brain Drain device. The Autobots then decided whether they would launch a counter-attack on the Decepticons’ lab, or if they would send Hot Rod for reinforcements while the rest of them headed directly to the concert.
If the group settled on launching a counter-attack, the lot of them stormed the lab with such ferocity and suddenness that the Decepticons were caught completely unawares. Though most of the Decepticons’ forces scattered with the Autobots’ initial assault, Hot Rod and company still had to beat back a small contingency of Decepticons too afraid of Galvatron to desert their posts. Hot Rod and the others successfully beat them back, until Soundwave attempted to escape with the Brain Drain device in hand.
If Hot Rod attempted to shoot the device out of Soundwave’s hands, Soundwave tripped at the last moment over the fallen body of a Decepticon. Hot Rod’s blast his Soundwave’s shoulder, causing him to fling the Brain Drain device up in the air. Laserbeak then managed to snatch the device in mid-air, and flew off to rendezvous with Galvatron. Unable to follow, the Autobots realized that the concert-goers were doomed to all become incredibly stupid very soon. If Jazz attempted to stop him however, he was successful in doing so and the Autobots successfully destroyed the Brain Drain device.
Alternatively, if Hot Rod agreed to head off to Metroplex while the rest of the Autobots headed for the rock concert, he promised that he was soon meet up with them, backed up by an entire army of Autobots, and then sped off.
Some time later, Hot Rod finally arrived at the concert accompanied by Ultra Magnus and numerous other Autobots.
If Sparkplug was able to signal them, Hot Rod pinpointed the location at which his friends were fending off the Decepticons, and sped to meet them as Galvatron was beginning to active the Brain Drain device. Thanks to Ultra Magnus’s timely interference, the Brain Drain device was destroyed and the Autobots were victorious that day.
Otherwise, Hot Rod and the Autobots arrived just in time to congratulate Wreck-Gar, who had already destroyed the Brain Drain device. Project Brain Drain
The Invisibility Factor
Hot Rod accompanied Kup on a night drive in the desert, when he noticed a spacecraft barreling down from the heavens towards them. As it landed, Hot Rod perceived that it would alternate between being visible and invisible. Curious, he prompted Kup to come with him to investigate.
If Kup agreed to look into the spacecraft right away, the two Autobots were surprised to spot a young woman emerge from the craft. Though Hot Rod startled her at first, the woman was reassured that the Autobots were friendly beings by Kup. Hot Rod learned that her name was Sarah Sanders, and that she was a scientist working to perfect her latest invention, an “Invisibility Device.”
In one possible scenario, Hot Rod, unable to control himself, snatched the device away from Sarah. Despite Sarah’s protests, Hot Rod insisted that the device would be put at its best use in the hands of the Autobots, keeping the world safe from the Decepticons. As Hot Rod daydreamed of glory while driving towards the Autobots’ base, he accidentally triggered the Invisibility Device’s self-destruct mechanism. The ensuing explosion blew him to bits.
If Hot Rod and Kup attempted to politely coax Sarah into giving them the Invisibility Device willingly, Sarah informed the Autobots that she had a strong stance against her invention being used for warfare. As the three of them stood conversing in the open, they soon heard the Decepticons approaching. As the evil robots began to fire upon them, Hot Rod whisked Sarah away to safety. Upon realizing that the Decepticons weren’t pursuing them, and that the Invisibility Device had been left behind, the trio hid behind some nearby rocks to spy upon the Decepticons, who were busy inspecting Sarah’s ship and her Invisibility Device.
If Hot Rod and Kup decided to attack immediately, they were easily defeated and destroyed by the Decepticons.
If Hot Rod and Kup decided to lay low in an attempt to steal the device back from the Decepticons, they first told Sarah to wait for them here, then the pair sneakily followed the Decepticons as they left for their headquarters. As the Decepticons descended into a canyon, Hot Rod was eager to follow them in, but was stopped by Kup. Kup told the young Autobot of how he defeated the Decepticons on Renerian, and the two of them put into action a similar plan. Driving back and forth atop the canyon’s edge, firing from all angles while remaining hidden in the dark, they tricked the Decepticons into thinking a whole team of Autobots had ambushed them. Hot Rod the snuck down into the canyon to retrieve the Invisibility Device. As he crept closer to Shockwave, clutching the device in his robotic arms, Hot Rod noticed that Galvatron was nearby, with his back turned to him.
If Hot Rod forewent attaining the Invisibility Device and attempted to take out Galvatron instead, Starscream spotted him before he could do so, and Hot Rod was promptly dispatched.
If Hot Rod went through with his plan to steal the device back from the Decepticons, he successfully snatched Sarah’s invention from Shockwave’s grasp and took off. Though the Decepticons gave chase, If they were unable to catch him before Kup fired down onto the canyon’s walls, causing it to collapse and burying the Decepticons under an avalanche of earth and rocks. Convinced that Sarah Sanders would now allow the Autobots to use her device now that she had seen how evil the Decepticons were, Hot Rod and Kup drove back to meet up with her.
In a different possible scenario, the Decepticons took off in Sarah’s spaceship upon finding it, forcing Kup and Hot Rod to head back to Metroplex city for reinforcements and a ship of their own. Hot Rod and Kup were joined by Ultra Magnus, Prowl, Jazz and Springer, and blasted off. Once in space, however, they found it difficult to locate the Decepticons. The ship’s crew had to decided where to look next for the Decepticons.
If the Autobots decided to investigate the dark side of the moon, they found themselves unable to see anything on the satellite’s shadowy surface. Hot Rod suggested that they fire down laser blasts, in the hopes of making the Decepticons fire back, making them reveal their position. Jazz dismissed Hot Rod’s plan as being too risky.
If Ultra Magnus decided to go through with Hot Rod’s plan, the Autobots succeeded only in making themselves an easy target for the Decepticons, who blasted their shuttle to bits. Hot Rod and his friends were reduced to space junk.
If Ultra Magnus listened to Jazz’s plan, he ordered his Autobots to remain silent, and to shut off all of the shuttle’s lights and mechanisms. Launching a probe as a decoy, the Autobots successfully tricked the Decepticons into revealing their position when they mistook the probe as their shuttle and opened fire upon it. Firing back, the Autobots began crippling the Decepticons’ ship, until a lucky shot rocked their own shuttle. Though the Decepticons attempted to escape while the Autobots were off-balance, the Autobots were able to deliver the finishing blow, ending the Decepticons’ menace as the evil robots' ship exploded.
In an alternate scenario wherein the Autobots listened to Prowl’s suggested and searched the Asteroid Belt beyond Mars, they soon found themselves struggling to get through the maze of floating rocks. Hot Rod was in favour of retreating from the asteroid field when it proved increasingly difficult to navigate it.
If the Autobots pushed on their search in the Asteroid Belt, they soon found themselves on a collision course with two enormous asteroids. If they only managed to blast one of asteroids, the Autobots were forced to retreat back to Earth after their shuttle took substantial damage. If the Autobots managed to blast neither of the Asteroids, they were all crushed between the giant pieces of space debris.
If they managed to blast away both asteroids, they reached a vast, empty expanse of space within the asteroid belt. Despite no longer being in danger of being crushed, Hot Rod announced that he had a horrible sense of foreboding about their situation. His feelings of being watched were confirmed when the Decepticons, now invisible, began firing upon them. The Autobots considered retreating, but Kup reminded them that Sarah Sanders had not perfected her device yet, and the Decepticons’ invisibility may yet wear off.
If the Autobots attempted to flee from the Decepticons’ attack, they found themselves at too much of a disadvantage to successfully make it out of the Asteroid Belt. They were blown into space junk before they could reach Earth.
If the Autobots held their ground, they were instructed by Ultra Magnus not to open fire upon the Decepticons until ordered to do so. Though things were tense as the Autobots were hit over and over again by their invisible opponents, soon the enemy ship came into view, just as Kup had predicted. The Autobots opened fire on the flimsier vessel, blowing it and the Decepticons within to smithereens. Hot Rod noted that it was a shame the invisibility device had been lost in the process, but Ultra Magnus comforted him, noting that at least the Decepticons had been taken care of, once and for all.
If the Autobots did retreat out of the Asteroid Belt, they convinced one another that the Decepticons most likely perished within it. Then, a few days later, when the invisible Decepticons attacked Metroplex city, Hot Rod and the rest of the Autobots were reduced to scrap metal, unable to fight the unseen enemy.
In a completely different scenario, wherein Hot Rod and Kup returned to Autobot headquarters for reinforcements after seeing the spaceship land, the two of them reported to Ultra Magnus directly, who agreed the situation necessitated further investigation. Hot Rod and Kup returned to the ship’s landing site accompanied by Jazz, Sunstreaker, Prowl and Springer. When they arrived, the ship in question was nowhere to be found, prompting Jazz and Springer to second-guess the veracity of Hot Rod and Kup’s story.
If Jazz and Springer convinced Hot Rod and Kup to return to Metroplex city to make sure they didn’t have a few wires loose, Ratchet found nothing wrong with the pair, but the incident was forgotten nonetheless. That is, until Galvatron returned with a fleet of identical ships, and destroyed both Metroplex and all of its inhabitants.
If Hot Rod and Kup convinced the other Autobots to keep on looking, Hot Rod eventually found trail marks, indicating that a heavy object the size of their spacecraft had indeed landed and had been dragged away. Hot Rod and the others followed the trail to a more rocky terrain, where tracking the ship would become more difficult. The trail seemingly lost, the Autobots then heard someone incoming, and took cover. From their hiding places, they saw the Decepticons Scavenger, a human captive within the grasp of his steam-shovel.
If the Autobots decided to rescue Sarah immediately, Scavenger dropped the woman, and cried for help while attempting to flee.
If the Autobots pursued Scavenger, they found him rejoining a whole squadron of Decepticons. Fighting the Decepticons immediately would cost them their lives. Otherwise, if the Autobots decided on a retreat when faced by the whole squadron of Decepticons, they managed to do so by blinding their enemies by their high beams and then splitting off into different direction. They later regrouped and found Sarah Sanders wandering in the desert.
If the Autobots paused a moment to listen to Sarah, she informed them of her spacecraft and its invisibility capabilities.
If the Autobots asked Sarah to build them their own Invisibility Device, Sarah refused, stating she would not build weapons for war. Running away from the group Sarah was almost killed when Dirge passed overhead and dropped a missile on her position. After rescuing her from the Decepticon attack, Hot Rod and the others brought Sarah to safety within Metroplex. Grateful for the rescue, Sarah showed the Autobots how to create an Invisibility Scrambler to counteract the Decepticons’ Invisibility Device. Anticipating the Decepticons’ attack, the Autobots successfully defeated the evil robots when they came. As Starscream, having been taking prisoner, was being escorted to his cell Hot Rod made a quip about seeing “right through the Decepticons’ plans.”
If instead of asking Sarah to build them an Invisibility Device, Hot Rod and the others attempted once more to retrieve her ship, the whole group snuck over to where the Decepticons were stationed. Once there, Hot Rod and Prowl argued over which plan of action would be the smartest to undertake next.
If the Autobots agreed with Hot Rod to try and take the Decepticons by surprise with a head-on attack, the Autobots manage to stun the Decepticons by dazzling them with their headlights. While the Decepticons were distracted, Hot Rod raced down, snatched the Invisibility Device out of the hands, and retreated while the rest of the group provided cover fire. The Autobots then successfully peeled back, congratulating one another on a job well done.
If the Autobots agreed with Prowl to take a moment to come up with a more detailed plan, Prowl instructed Hot Rod to taunt the Decepticons into following him. The plan worked, and the bulk of the Decepticons took off after the young Autobot. Though Hot Rod encountered a canyon that blocked off his escape route, by keeping his wits about him, he managed to come out on top. In one scenario, Hot Rod even discovered a secret Decepticon base, which the Autobots managed to destroy thanks to him. In another, Hot Rod watched on as Sarah left in her spaceship in order to destroy it, vowing it would never be used to bring destruction.
In an alternate scenario where the Autobots silently trailed Scavenger while the Decepticon held Sarah Sanders captive, Hot Rod and the others followed him all the way to the Decepticons’ secret desert base. Inside, they spied upon Galvatron telling Sarah Sanders that the Decepticons would use Cerebro-Shells to control her mind, so that she would reveal to them to secret of invisibility. At this point, the Autobots decided to step in. A direct attack would only end in the Autobots’ defeat. In order to rescue Sarah, the Autobots would need to employ trickery. Using Jazz’s special abilities, the Autobots could do just that. In this scenario, the Autobots grabbed Sarah while the Decepticons were too dazzled by the illusions that Jazz projected. Sarah directed the Autobots towards where the Decepticons had stored her ship. Upon following her directions, Hot Rod and the others came upon two doors, unable to tell behind which one they would find their means of escape. If the Autobots happened upon Sarah’s ship as they were, they would be destroyed by the droids guarding it. However, if the Autobots first opened the door which lead to a closet filled with Decepticon spare parts, they found a pile of spare Decepticon emblems. Donning them, Hot Rod and the rest of his team were able to fool the Decepticon Droids guarding Sarah’s ship. Escaping in the ship, despite the Decepticons best efforts to stop them, the Autobots returned to Metroplex. Sarah then gave the Autobots the secret to her Invisibility Device, ensuring the Autobots their victory in their war against the Decepticons. The Invisibility Factor
St. Michael The Transformers Sticker Book
Hot Rod served on an alien spacecraft with the Autobots Sandstorm, Springer, and Ratchet under the command of Ultra Magnus. While fighting Decepticons, their spaceship took heavy damage and crash-landed on the planet Barrenikon. There, he met you, having just emerged from the Vortex, a portal through space and time contained within the planet. Together, you went on an adventure, fighting Decepticons, braving Barrenikon's barren desert or its putrid swamp, and trying to find a way to get the Autobots space-bound once more. The Transformers Sticker Book
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
Hot Rod joined an underground Autobot cell led by Kup after Shockwave's takeover of Cybertron. Among the members of the cell was Arcee, whom Hot Rod became attached to. From the Wastelands, Hot Rod, Blurr, and Springer observed an incoming Decepticon shuttle carrying the Dinobots. Cold War Shortly afterward, the cell rescued Optimus Prime from Runamuck and Runabout, and took him to their base. After awakening, Prime attacked Gnaw, Blurr, and Wheelie, forcing Hot Rod (who didn't recognize him) to hold the Autobot leader at gunpoint. After receiving a corrective slap from and being admonished by Kup, Hot Rod apologized. Passive Aggression
After Shockwave unleashed the Guardian robots on Iacon, Prime organized the resistance cell and other Autobot forces on the planet in an assault on Shockwave's citadel. Fighting alongside the Autobot leader, Hot Rod was amazed that the stories Kup had told him about Prime's courage and heroism had all been true. As an injured Prime breached the citadel, Hot Rod, Ironhide and Springer provided cover fire, taking down a number of Guardians in the process. Along with the rest of Iacon, they witnessed the divine light of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership when Shockwave activated it. Countdown to Extinction
As Prime and Ultra Magnus battled Shockwave within the citadel, Hot Rod and Grimlock took down Astrotrain and Blitzwing. Immediately afterward, they were confronted with the looming threat of a remaining Guardian robot—a threat that was soon neutralized by the arrival of the Wreckers, the Autobot High Council, and Defensor. The unified Autobot group soon breached the citadel. Revelation
Some time later, Hot Rod ran a simulation combat scenario against Kup, and won using tactics that, in Kup's opinion, would have killed them both had it been real. Only after his victory did Hot Rod remember that he'd promised to take Arcee to see an Earth-bound shuttle launch—a duty Springer was happy to relieve him of. Lost and Found Soon afterward, he was assigned to perimeter guard duty at Autobase with Gnaw and Wheelie, separating him from Arcee. The Route of All Evil
3H comics
A few months after the destruction of Unicron in 2005, Rodimus Prime spearheaded an effort to establish multiple recon posts to watch for advancing threats... even though some of his scientists said he shouldn't. When only two of the five launched ships were ever heard from again, Rodimus felt like a schmuck. Guy can't catch a break. Betrayal
After the Great Wars ended and the Pax Cybertronia was signed, he changed his name to simply "Rodimus" and decided to check out the new "Maximal Upgrade". His relationship with Arcee effectively ended shortly after, as the latter went through dark gripping emo depression over the death of Daniel Witwicky and vanished.
Rodimus joined the Wreckers at some undetermined point afterward. After Megatron took over Cybertron with his Vehicon drones, Wrecker leader Apelinq got stranded on prehistoric Earth, leaving Rodimus in charge. True to form, he ditched leadership duties to Primal Prime as soon as possible.
After Primal Prime got his marching orders from the Oracle, he met Rodimus deep inside Cybertron's caverns, where an even more gothy-emo Arcee—in a new Maximal body—lurked and stewed in her depression. Realizing he couldn't convince her to give a damn about anything, he left, rejoining the main Wrecker force in battle. Making it onto an ancient Autobot shuttle, the Wreckers blasted off... with late-arrival Arcee. Departure
Rodimus recognized the homing beacon emitting from Archa Nine as one of those missing exploration parties mentioned before. When the shuttle landed, Rodimus stayed behind to help repair the damage the ship had suffered. The entire Wrecker team later gathered in an Akalouthan village, where Rodimus was reunited with Glyph, who took them to see the artifact known as the Divine Light. The Wreckers' analysis of the item was cut short, as it was stolen by the traitor Cyclonus. Rodimus saw the back-in-his-old-body Devcon off, who was sent to chase after Cyclonus, while the Wreckers made for their next destination... even though several of them were now leery of the visions Primal Prime had been getting. Because they'd really done so well by the Wreckers so far. Betrayal
Upon landing on the frozen planet, Rodimus was part of the search party immediately dispatched to look for... something. Primal Prime wasn't too specific. They came across Al-Badur, an exiled Quintesson, who gave them a little history lesson. They were then promptly attacked by a school of Sharkticons, but the Wreckers made short work of them. They made their way back to the ship, with Al-Badur in tow, and made for their next destination... Disclosure
...Cybertron. As Primal Prime took some Wreckers after their true foe, Cryotek, Rodimus tried to get their injured to a safe place. Unfortunately, the planet was under a full scale Quintesson invasion, and some anti-aircraft fire inevitably clipped the ship and sent them plummeting downwards. After they made it to safe ground, Rodimus and the crew hooked up with his fellow Matrix Templar, Cheetor, and followed his insight to the battle. They confronted Cryotek's underling, Cyclonus, and his purloined squad of Sharkticons. With casualties mounting on both sides, Cyclonus beat a safe retreat, collapsing the tunnel behind him to prevent pursuit. Rodimus was quick enough to dive through the falling debris, however, leaving the two old enemies alone to do battle. Centuries of bad blood carried them through the conflict, until both drew their weapons at point blank range, and fired.
Horribly damaged by this last attack, Rodimus struggled to keep up with the other Wreckers and the running conflict between Sentinel Maximus and Cryotek. The fighting came to an end at a Quintesson banishing chamber, where the treacherous Al-Badur had attempted to toss Sentinel and Cryotek into a formless void. The two warriors were trapped behind an energy dome, barely able to fight off the portal's pull using their flight systems. Once Fractyl pointed out that Cryotek was empowered by the Divine Light, a fraction of Primus's own power, Rodimus realized that as Matrix Templars he and Cheetor could drain that power away from the Predacon. They managed to extract most of it before Cryotek cut off their siphoning effect. In the end, Sentinel Maximus sacrificed himself to pull Cryotek into the void with him. Rodimus finally expired from his wounds from fighting Cyclonus, quietly passing on into the Matrix. Wreckers: Finale Part II
G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers continuity
Hot Rod was one of Teletran 3's unfortunate victims when the computer malfunctioned and transported a random number of Transformers to random points in Earth's timeline. Along with Jazz and Bumblebee, Hot Rod ended up in mid-1970's San Francisco, where he was locked into the form of a Ford Mustang muscle car. The dormant Autobot was soon stolen by a car thief, but was chased down by a group of G.I. Joes and Cobra members sent to retrieve the Transformers. Discovering Blitzwing in the process, the humans equipped both vehicles with disruption unit that awakened the Transformers and sent them back to present-day Cybertron seconds after Hot Rod commented about feeling "really weird." G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1 Back on Cybertron, they were stuck waiting inside the force field Ultra Magnus had erected to prevent Shockwave from capturing Teletran 3. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #2
Some time after his time travel adventure, Hot Rod reported to Optimus Prime that Grimlock's team on Earth had been sidetracked by a Cobra attack. The Art of War #2 When said team ended up disappearing in Cybertron's Gladiator Zone, Hot Rod convinced Optimus to stay behind and take care of an Autobot peace ceremony instead of going out and searching for them. Hot Rod then assembled his own search party, but they failed to find the missing Autobots. The Art of War #3 Unfortunately, Serpent O.R.'s forces attacked the peace ceremony and captured Optimus Prime, leading to Hot Rod assembling a new team intent on rescuing him. The Art of War #4 They fought Serpent O.R.'s Decepticon army together with reinforcements from G.I. Joe, and during the battle, Hot Rod paused in horror as he saw the light of the Matrix being opened inside the Decepticon base. The Decepticon army eventually defeated, and by the time Hot Rod reached inside their base, Serpent O.R. had been killed as well. The Art of War #5
A few months later, Hot Rod questioned Optimus Prime's choice to go to Earth again, accusing his leader of feeling guilty about Bumblebee's death at Serpent O.R.'s hands and doing everything by himself just to prevent more people from dying. Prime just looked at him sadly before leaving, causing Ultra Magnus to tell Hot Rod that he really needed to learn when to stop talking. Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2
IDW Generation 1 continuity
Originating from the city-state of Nyon, Hot Rod destroyed it to keep its population from being painfully, fatally drained to fuel the corrupt Zeta Prime's war machines.
Years later, Hot Rod held a fairly high rank in the Autobot army, equivalent to Prowl, and was sent on a mission to Ki-Aleta to retrieve the Magnificence which turned into a only technically-successful disaster, with himself the only apparent survivor. When he found out Dealer had also survived, he rescued him from a Decepticon prison, unaware that he was the traitor who had caused things to go so wrong. Soon after, he was called to Earth to aid Optimus Prime, but briefly returned to retrieve the Magnificence to gain information on the Expansion, during which he discovered Dealer's treachery and killed him. Thereafter, he returned to his information-gathering task on the Machination, and though was badly beaten by Scorponok, he still aided in the Decepticon's defeat.
After surviving the Surge and watching Optimus surrender to Skywatch, he led a group of Autobots to make an alliance with Swindle to get off Earth, with the capitalist Decepticon buttering him up by dubbing him "Rodimus Prime", a name he adopted and continued to use even after Swindle's inevitable betrayal. Flying off in a stolen shuttle to retrieve the Matrix from the Decepticons, he was blasted into space by Megatron after taking it from Starscream, leading to a trip that involved the discovery of Galvatron's army-building. Returning the Matrix and this information to Optimus, he was permanently redubbed Rodimus and joined him in facing Galvatron, convincing Optimus that only the Matrix could undo the Heart of Darkness' contamination of Vector Sigma.
After the Chaos War was done, he was given half of the now-empty Matrix by Optimus, and led a two-hundred strong crew into space aboard the Lost Light to seek the Knights of Cybertron, leaving Cybertron and its returned, hostile, population of neutral Transformers.
Q-Robo Transformer
Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic
While the other Autobots were busy dealing with a rampaging Astrotrain, Rodimus disrupted Megatron and the other Decepticons' attack on a power plant by engaging them solo. Henkei! Henkei! volume 2 Unable to tackle Megatron in hand-to-hand combat, he was able to get Starscream to accidentally blast his leader instead, but this did little more than annoy Megatron, who flattened Rodimus with a fusion cannon blast. With Rodimus defeated, the Decepticons pulled out, but the Autobot cavalier didn't let the defeat get him down, and he sped off to join the other Autobots in battling Astrotrain. Henkei! Henkei! volume 3 Soon after, Rodimus helped defend another power plant against a Decepticon attack, shielding the human workers from Starscream's blasts with his own body. Henkei! Henkei! volume 4
When the mysterious new Decepticon warrior Cyclonus provided Megatron with the means to transform himself into the monstrous Galvatron, Rodimus, Ironhide and Mirage trailed Cyclonus's Targetmaster partner Nightstick to the volcano in which Megatron was carrying out his transformation. Despite resistance from Starscream and Cyclonus, Rodimus and his team were able to collapse the volcano's cone in on itself. They believed they had sealed Megatron within, and were about to focus their attack on Starscream when they were sent scattering by the explosive emergence of Galvatron from the remains of the caldera. Henkei! Henkei! volume 9
Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga
Following the defeat of Galvatron on Earth, Rodimus was among the Autobots that Optimus Prime summoned to the planet. Together with Ironhide, Hound and Skyfire, Rodimus was to protect the planet while Optimus's team set off for Cybertron in pursuit of the fleeing Galvatron. To the Sea of Stars
Cloud
Hot Rodimus is a young knight among the Autobots, the space-time guardians who reside in Cloud World's Metropolis. He's a powerful warrior with a strong sense of justice, but has a rather brash and immature attitude because of his youth. When a close friend of his was injured by Shockwave, the righteous anger burning within Hot Rodimus awakened the power of SARA, granting him a second alternate mode in the form of a helicopter.
Hot Rodimus was one of the Autobots of Metropolis, who maintained order throughout the multiverse from Cloud World. He was dispatched by Wheeljack to deal with an energy surge at the 24-BW Spacetime. Uprising Returning after the appointed time, Hot Rodimus explained to Optimus that a space-time disturbance delayed his return with the energy for SARA. When the Decepticon uprising began, Optimus dispatched Hot Rodimus to prepare their district's defenses. Raid
Transformers vs. G.I. Joe
Polymath warrior prince Rodimus Imhotep was Optimus Prime's chosen successor as Autobot leader. Unfortunately for Rodimus, when Optimus disappeared and Megatron seized control of Cybertron, Dinobot leader Grimlock objected to the "chosen one" taking leadership and defeated him in combat, casting him out of Metroplex. Fallen and dejected, with no fight left in him, the young 'bot became cog in Megatron's great machine, and wound with a lowly job in reactor maintenance, cleaning up vermin droppings and ferrying around the tubular energon containers from which he took his new name: Hot Rod.
On a routine collection of turborat traps, Hot Rod was puzzled to find that one trap contained not the robotic pests he was used to, but small, organic beings: unfortunate members of G.I. Joe, who had recently arrived on the planet. Tossing them in with the rest of his cargo and going on his weary way past the smelting pools, he was suddenly confronted by Autobot revolutionary Blaster, who despised him for his defection and opened fire on him. A G.I. Joe missile bombardment subsequently took Blaster out, but when Decepticons Apeface and Demolisher arrived, they assumed Hot Rod was responsible and congratulated him. Praise from these low-lifes was the last straw for Hot Rod, and he threw the pair into one of the furnaces, loaded up the unconscious Blaster, and roared off back to Metroplex, unintentionally providing the Joes with an escape from their own missiles in the process. Form Follows Function
Transformers: All Spark
Ray of Hope Great Aspirations Conclusion
Transformers Generations 2013
Q-Transformers cartoon
- Voice actor: Kenshō Ono (Japanese)
Games
3D Battle-Card Game
Hot Rod was one of Optimus Primal's many Autobot allies in a fight against Megatron's Decepticon forces. Energon Wars Expansion Set
The Transformers: Battle to Save the Earth
Along with their fellow Autobots, Hotrod[sic] and Rodimus Prime protected Earth from the menace of the Decepticons. Hotrod was ostensibly under the command of Rodimus Prime. The Transformers: Battle to Save the Earth
Transformers: Mystery of Convoy
When Optimus Prime went missing under mysterious circumstances, Ultra Magnus was given the task of battling hordes of Decepticons in order to solve the mystery of his whereabouts. The Decepticons had also stolen a collection of seven energon cubes belonging to Rodimus Prime, which Magnus strove to recover during his fight. When all seven were successfully obtained and the battle was won, a new challenge rose its head, but with his energon cubes back, Rodimus was able to take up the fight! He had a funny habit of looking like an orange Ultra Magnus if you looked at him sideways. Transformers: Mystery of Convoy
Transformers: The Headmasters
Rodimus Prime was kidnapped by the Decepticons and held captive on Cybertron by Galvatron. He was rescued by Chromedome and his other comrades, and in turn helped rescue those who were still imprisoned. Once they had reunited, Rodimus Prime and the others met with Fortress Maximus for the last battle against Scorponok. Transformers: The Headmasters
The Transformers (PS2)
- Voice actor: Peter von Gomm (English)
Autobot story
When Shockwave gained the incredible power of the Zel Quartz in the year 2010 and began cutting a swath of destruction across the galaxy, Rodimus Prime, Kup and Arcee resolved to prevent this devastation by traveling back in time and eliminating the quartz in the past, thereby altering their future. Using a Transwarp-equipped ship supplied by the Quintessons, they traveled to the world of Zel Samine in the year 2003, where they ran across teams of present-day Autobots and Decepticons led by Optimus Prime and Megatron, who were carrying out investigations on their own on the planet.
Making matters worse, Galvatron, Cyclonus, and Scourge also followed them back in time, and the two teams allied themselves with their respective present-day factions in order to locate the Zel Quartz. It wasn't necessarily an easy alliance to make: Rodimus was barely able to keep his cool when Jazz, not believing that he and his team were really Autobots, demanded to know if Rodimus was Autobot leader in the future, what happened to Optimus? Fortunately, Optimus calmed his lieutenant down and welcomed the trio of future Autobots into his forces.
Working with the present day Autobots was not easy for Rodimus, as he was well aware of the fate that awaited them. On a number of occasions, he struggled with his knowledge of the future, knowing he could prevent a great tragedy but could also cause untold damage to the timestream by doing so. He also showed some interest in Arcee when he attempted to give her a precious stone he'd found during a mission to a mine, only for the female Autobot to scold him for taking something that didn't belong to him. Luckily for him, Optimus stepped in and settled things by ordering Rodimus and Arcee to return the stone. That Optimus makes one heck of a wingman.
After several false leads, the quartz was eventually located, serving as the power source of the ELTA power transmission array. After fighting their way through the likes of Cyclonus, Scourge, Starscream and both Soundwave and his future counterpart Soundblaster, Rodimus and Optimus engaged Megatron and Galvatron in a two-on-two battle over ELTA, using the power of their twin Matrices to stop the computer from self-destructing. Once the dust from the fight had settled, Starscream reemerged and snatched up the Zel Quartz, only to promptly take it off-planet, where it disintegrated without Zel Samine's atmosphere and electromagnetic properties to sustain it. With their future thus averted, Rodimus and his Autobots began fading away to rejoin the timestream. Before they disappeared, Rodimus attempted to warn Optimus of the coming dangers in the future, including his Optimus's death (for which Rodimus continued to blame himself), but Optimus silenced him, telling him that he did not need to know what the future held. Rodimus told Optimus that he would always be the greatest leader in Autobot history, but Optimus told him that he was merely a soldier who loved justice, and that that was all Rodimus needed to be too.
Decepticon story
Megatron, Starscream and Soundwave encountered Rodimus Prime while investigating the presence of unknown craft over Zel Samine. Rodimus was stunned to see the Decepticon Emperor of Destruction before reminding himself of the era he was in. For his part, Megatron thought he was facing Hot Rod, but quickly realised his mistake. After a short, sharp fight that saw Rodimus defeated, Megatron was distracted enough by the appearance of Galvatron to allow the future Autobot to escape.
Rodimus would again battle Megatron as well as Galvatron at the ELTA power transmission array, this time alongside his hero Optimus Prime. He was shocked that despite the fact the two Primes were working together, they were still defeated. When Megatron and Galvatron resolved to destroy the ELTA array Rodimus pleaded with them to stop, pointing out that the array generated a massive amount of energy, the same energy the Decepticons so loved. Sadly, the two Emperors of Destruction felt that with the Zel Quartz now in their possession, they no longer needed the array and proceeded to destroy it with their combined power. The wounded Rodimus barely escaped.
He presumably returned to the future alongside all the future Transformers when Starscream unwittingly rendered the Zel Quartz powerless. The Transformers
Transformers: Battle Masters
Rodimus arrived in the city for a decent battle, and though he was defeated by local fighters, he decided not to leave the town. Battle Masters
Transformers Legends
Following Megatron's rebirth as Galvatron, Rodimus led the Autobots to a decisive victory over the Decepticon forces. All Hail Galvatron When Galvatron summoned Trypticon to the battlefield, Rodimus attempted to block the Decepticon advance with Metroplex, though unsuccessfully. The Colossus War
Rodimus and Sergeant Kup were put on trial by the Quintessons. They faced death by Sharkticon until Grimlock organized a well-timed coup. Mockery of Justice The Autobots subsequently found themselves up against Unicron. Rodimus defeated the monster by opening the Matrix of Leadership, saving Cybertron and becoming the new Autobot leader in the process. 'Til All Are One
When Ultra Magnus, Kup and Spike were abducted by Skuxxoids during the Galactic Games, Grimlock and Rodimus Prime traveled to Chaar to see if the Decepticons were responsible. Damaged in an attack, he had a vision revealing the Quintessons were behind the kidnapping. Five Faces of Darkness: Part 1 He almost sacrificed himself on the planet Goo to save the rest of his team. Five Faces of Darkness: Part 2 Rodimus traveled into the Matrix to learn the origin of the Transformer race. Following an attack on Cybertron, Galvatron was only prevented from fighting with Rodimus by Blitzwing. Five Faces of Darkness: Part 3
Following an Decepticon assault led by Galvatron, Rodimus, alongside Spike, Arcee, and Ultra Magnus were forced into taking cover within the Autobot Mausoleum. This did little to improve their situation, however, as the Decepticons continued their advance. Unexpectedly, Optimus Prime rose from his tomb, providing hope that the tide may yet turn in the Autobots' favour. Rodimus returned the Matrix of Leadership to the resurrected Autobot leader, reverting to Hot Rod in the process. Once in possession of the Matrix, however, Optimus fled for Cybertron, leaving the other Autobots stranded. The Matrix was returned to Hot Rod when Optimus regained his senses, who sacrificed himself once more to undo the Quintessons' trap, much to the chagrin of the Autobots. Dark Awakening
Arcee, Rodimus, Ultra Magnus and Springer were trapped in human bodies by Victor Drath and Old Snake, but still managed to foil the pair's plan to destroy Autobot City. They were later successfully returned to their robot bodies. Only Human
Rodimus attempted to defend an expiremental space bridge from Galvatron and his forces, only for a stray shot to hit the space bridge, sending all nearby combatants hurtling back in time. Finding themselves in a time where Primus and Unicron were battling one another, shaking the very cosmos with their blows, Rodimus and his troops allied themselves with their creator, while the mad Galvatron ordered his troops to help the Chaos Bringer. Despite the superior amount of beings that Unicron was able to will into being, the Autobots prevailed. Unicron was sent into a retreat, and the time-displaced Transformers were sent back to their proper place in the timestream by Primus. Battle of the Brothers
Toys
Notes
- Like the rest of the 1986 movie's original characters, Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime had early designs by Floro Dery which the toys were based on, and then final models were drawn from the toys. Both designs had revised heads that made it into the Transformers Universe profile books and subsequent Marvel comic book appearances.
- Rodimus Prime's early model appears to carry the trailer of the truck on his back, plus additional kibble on the back of his forearms. If only there were art of the back of this design. We'd plotz.
- Both Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime's character models suggest that the windshield and roof of their respective vehicles form the pelvic area, including little side windows on their hips. The animation studio AKOM even colored his crotch like his windshield. Unsurprisingly, this has never been duplicated on any toy, although the Masterpiece version makes a nod to it with a transparent groin plate with indentations underneath denoting two seats and a steering wheel.
- Meanwhile, both sets of wheels are on Hot Rod's arms in his character model, as they are intended to span the entire length of the vehicle. His wristcuffs are intended to become the vehicle's taillights. This also has never been duplicated on any toy.
- Much of Hot Rod's early model seemed to form the basis of Rodimus Prime's finished model. (Though given that nearly everybody else from the movie had a totally redrawn finished model, we wouldn't be surprised if there's a more-final-er model out there.)
- According to earliest materials (also the source of the earliest Hot Rod head seen in this section's first image), Rodimus Prime's original name was Hot Rodimus.
- Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime look very similar in fiction, but there are ways to distinguish them by sight.
- Rodimus Prime's character model has extra lines on his face that go from the bottom of his nose and connect to another line forming a triangle shape. Hot Rod's cheeks are more clear and youthful.
- Despite their toys being the same color of red, the cartoon series rendered Hot Rod as magenta, and Rodimus a dark shade of burgundy (the movie, however, made Rodimus the same color as Hot Rod). In addition to repeatedly getting the two character models mixed up, sometimes the animation would depict one model colored as the other.
- In Marvel stories, Hot Rod was also colored almost entirely magenta, with a yellow spoiler and flame deco, but with silver thighs instead of orange. Whoever did the Marvel deco sheet seems to have been looking at the original toy photos and colored the thighs like the toy's silver stickers. While Marvel Hot Rod was stark magenta, Marvel Rodimus was colored in the reds, oranges and yellows of his toy. Future comics and toys would ignore any differences in color between the character's two forms, presenting them both in the original toy colors (see the image at the head of the article for a good example).
- The Japanese The Headmasters cartoon, in addition to featuring the coloration differences of the American Generation 1 cartoon, also added some extra lines around the perimeter of Rodimus's eyes to further distinguish him from Hot Rod. These odd-looking lines appeared only intermittently, thankfully so—they made Rodimus look like he was wearing robo-mascara. The Headmasters Rodimus Prime character model also moved the wheel kibble from the back of the arms to the front, to better approximate their position on the toy.
- Rodimus Prime's toy followed the model set by Optimus Prime before him by having a trailer that disconnected and transformed into a battle station (in this case, called the "Mobile Defense Bay"). Unlike Prime's Combat Deck, however, Rodimus's Defense Bay failed to make the leap to fiction, with the cartoon simply depicting his trailer as somewhat unfeasibly folding up into his legs and body [1] (barring a few animation errors that depicted it as a separate unit). This transformation scheme was realized in toy form with Rodimus's 6" Titanium Series action figure.
- A lot of early secondary material uses Hot Rod and Rodimus in ways that don't fit the main Movie-established dynamic. As with stories from the same era that portrayed Megatron and Galvatron as separate beings, this was likely to avoid spoiling the Movie's ending.
- Hot Rod might be the Transformers character with the most names in the US. From "Hot Rod" to "Rodimus Prime", to "Rodimus Major" to just plain "Rodimus". Varieties of "Rodimus" appear to be how he will be for a while, as Hasbro appears to be unable to secure the trademark on "Hot Rod".
- Side Burn's powered up form has a color scheme which resembles Hot Rod's. The reference came full circle with G1 Side Burn, who was a redeco of a Rodimus toy.
- Aside from the Energon namesake character, Hot Rod has also been homaged twice (or possibly thrice depending on how you look at it) in the Unicron Trilogy. For Armada, the "Powerlinx" upgrade of Hot Shot was given a very Hot-Rod-inspired deco. In Cybertron, Takara made a redeco of Hot Shot (well, "Exillion"), who already had some Hot Rod homage elements in his toy design, with Hot Rod deco as a DVD-pack-in exclusive. Hasbro then took this deco, altered it, and released it in the US line at mass retail as the new character Excellion.
- This Rodimus Prime, along with the original Ultra Magnus, Optimus Prime, and Jazz makes a cameo appearance as one of the four elders who began the space bridge project in the Cybertron episode "Balance".
Foreign names
Hot Rod
- Japanese: Hot Rodimus (ホットロディマス Hotto Rodimasu), Hot Rod (ホットロッド Hotto Roddo)
- English: Roadimus Prime (Omni Productions dub)
- French: Météorite (Canada)
- Hungarian: Nagyágyú ("Hot Shot"), Peca (The Movie, "Fisher")
- Italian: Folgore
- Mandarin: Rod (Taiwan, 羅德 Lúo Dé), Rè Pò (China, 热破, "Hot Break")
- Portuguese: Roda Quente (Portugal comic)
- Russian: Patron (cartoon, Патрон, "Cartridge")
Rodimus Prime
- Japanese: Rodimus Convoy (ロディマスコンボイ Rodimasu Konboi), Rodimus Prime (ロディマスプライム Rodimasu Puraimu)
- French: Rodimus Primo (Canada toy, "Rodimus First"), Rodimus Primus (Canada cartoon)
- Hungarian: Rodimusz Fővezér ("Prime Commander Rodimus")
- Italian: Captain
- Mandarin: Rhodie Jr-tsūn (Taiwan, 羅迪至尊, "Rodimus Prime"), Bǔ Tīan Shì (China, 补天士, "Gentleman Who Repairs the Sky")
- Portuguese: Rodimus Supremo (Portugal comic)
- Russian: Rodimes Prime (cartoon, Родаймес Прайм)
- Ukrainian: Rodimus Najkrashhyj (cartoon, Родімус Найкращий, "Rodimus The Best")
References
External links
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