Optimus Prime (Movie)
| 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 Autobot leader from the live-action film continuity family. He has sometimes used the codename 10-22.
Optimus Prime is the leader of the Autobots. Long ago, he was the humble leader of Cybertron's science division, which studied the AllSpark, and were protected by Lord High Protector Megatron's military. When Megatron was corrupted by The Fallen, Optimus discovered that he was the last of the Dynasty of Primes, hidden away when The Fallen destroyed their lineage. In response to Megatron's attempts to seize the AllSpark and conquer other worlds, Optimus assumed his proper title and rallied the Autobots to stand against the Decepticons.
As obsessively as Megatron strives to achieve his objective, Optimus is equally as dedicated to stopping him, even at the cost of his life, his world, and—if necessary—his own people. It was on his order that the AllSpark was jettisoned into space, dooming Cybertron to a slow death and his people to a nomadic life. The sacrifices he has made weigh heavily on his spark, but they must be done, for there is no other choice. He knows the ambitions that lurk in Megatron's spark, and they must never see the light of day. Lives must be kept free from the threat of Megatron's tyranny, no matter the cost. This obsession with the defeat of Megatron has robbed Optimus of some of his early idealism. This has created a certain ruthlessness beneath his otherwise honest and caring personality. Prime is not one for second chances and is willing to consider any action that might lead to victory, short of directly sacrificing those he cares about.
| “ | Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing. | ” |
—Optimus Prime stealing a quote from Sentinel Prime, Revenge of the Fallen | ||
Fiction
IDW Transformers movie prequel comics
It was Optimus Prime's ancestor who finally vanquished the Fallen to another dimension in the battle for the Matrix of Leadership, Tales of the Fallen #4 but his orphaned descendant who was hidden away from the Fallen grew up with no knowledge of what he was. Revenge of the Fallen #3
Eons after the Dynasty of Primes were vanquished, Cybertron fell into dark times. The AllSpark had been buried somewhere within Cybertron and been dismissed as a legend, and the planet itself lacked a star to orbit. As energy became more and more scarce, Cybertronians segregated into tribes. Sentinel Prime, a being who claimed to be descended from Primus himself, found Optimus and recruited him into his cause. Foundation #1 Optimus and Megatron helped Sentinel Prime locate the AllSpark and harness a star for Cybertron to orbit, and these fantastic acts united Cybertron for the first time in known history. But Sentinel Prime had grown old and weary and refused to lead the Cybertronians, and, in confidence, he revealed to Optimus that he was a Prime, and that he ought to succeed him as leader. But Optimus could not believe he was a Prime. However, he believed by investigating Cybertron's history he could bring some of the good the Primes created back to the world. Sentinel redrew his plans for Cybertron, having Optimus lead the archaeological Science Division, while placing Megatron in charge of Cybertron's Defense Force. Foundation #2 Little did they know that Megatron had been eavesdropping, and Optimus's brother came to a jealousy-inspired conclusion. He didn't believe Optimus Prime had the ability to competently lead Cybertron, and that this series of events would one day pit the two against each other, until one was dead. Megatron vowed that it would not be him. Foundation #1
For two generations, Optimus and Megatron ruled Cybertron together. The two personalities created a balance; Prime was fair while Megatron was firm. Movie Prequel #1 After an increase in Malcontents disrupting Sentinel's order, Megatron intimidated Optimus into giving him supreme power in defense of the planet. Foundation #2 When Lord Protector Megatron toured the excavation site near the AllSpark temple at Simfur, he and Optimus clashed over several issues. While Optimus wanted to take the investigation slowly, all Megatron cared about was whether the site contained power similar to the AllSpark. Optimus nettled Megatron when he reminded the Protector that the science sector was in charge of scientific and archaeological discoveries, and that the defense forces had a tendency to treat such discoveries as hostile, to which Megatron responded that if and when he was leader, he could make such decisions. When a mysterious relic was uncovered, Optimus disagreed with Megatron's order for it to be removed from the ground. Just as the two were about to launch into yet another argument, aliens previously encountered by Commander Starscream attacked Cybertron. Megatron blackmailed Optimus into moving the relic into his personal quarters by reminding the science leader that the science division would like to protect the only intact relic from harm. Defiance #1
Optimus ordered his science teams to help the survivors on both sides, in the hopes of finding out who was responsible and why they attacked. While he went off to find Megatron, he ordered the others to continue searching for survivors while Arcee examined the alien remains. Optimus was shocked and appalled when Megatron ordered him to marshal his forces for war. Optimus objected, as his science division was not trained for combat, but Megatron retorted that the scientists should have known that aliens were after the AllSpark. He endured Megatron's insane fury when he accused the Protector of betraying that upon which their society was built. Later, Optimus called upon a meeting with his science division to ask them to stay by his side and continue on with their mission of peaceful research, as they were protectors, not soldiers. While the aerial-based Cybertronians followed Megatron into space, Optimus confided in Prowl and Jazz that Megatron sought to divide their planet, and he asked the former for help breaking into the High Protector's personal quarters. Defiance #2
After noting that Megatron had restored the artifact to pristine condition, Optimus had to leave the military leader's quarters just before he returned. Back at Burthov, he came upon Ratchet, Arcee, and Elita-One scanning the pieces of the other artifacts. Arcee then discovered that the pieces all contained the same symbol on them, and that the same symbol was on Optimus' head. Ratchet declared that the symbol was proof of the Dynasty of Primes, and it indicated Optimus himself was a Prime. Ratchet and the other Autobots began to dub him "Optimus Prime", although a humble Optimus noted they did not know what it meant and for all they knew, he could just be from a line of record clerks. As they discussed the revelations, Prowl was forced by Megatron to arrest Optimus, but this turned out to be a trap to kill him. Optimus bested Starscream and blew up Metrotitan, while Megatron formed his new faction, the Decepticons. Defiance #3 Optimus found Sentinel, Elita-One and Wheeljack under attack at the excavation site. He and Chromia rescued them and escaped through a tunnel. Optimus also informed Sentinel of the marking on his head that proved he was right all along: he was a Prime too. Foundation #3
Retreating to Burthov with his fellow scientists and Prowl's security officers, Optimus was acknowledged as the leader of the group, with Prowl serving as his lieutenant. He and Prowl were discussing sites for a new base when Jazz informed them that Captain Ironhide of the Defense Force wanted to see Optimus. Learning of Megatron's new starship, the Nemesis, Optimus Prime was convinced by his advisers that their side needed a ship of their own to prepare for any eventualities. The Autobots found themselves at an advantage when the Nemesis left Cybertron with the balance of the Decepticon forces, and Optimus himself took the fight to their enemies. However, years of bloody war devastated the planet, and Optimus saw no end in sight. Defiance #4
Sentinel came up with a solution: a "torch" that would end the war without requiring the mass murder of the Decepticons. It required the AllSpark to activate, so Ironhide led the Autobots to Simfur Temple. Foundation #3 Elita-One successfully activated the torch, while Optimus fought off Megatron so she could deliver it to Sentinel. Sentinel boarded the Ark and arrived at Simfur, but to Optimus and Megatron's disbelief, Starscream blew the ship up. The Autobots fell back. With the Decepticons exhausted, Optimus ordered Wheeljack to pilot the second Ark to take the AllSpark from Simfur. To Elita-One's concern, Optimus declared he would be going on a suicide mission to kill Megatron. Foundation #4
Optimus, Ironhide and Elita-One made their way through Megatron's soldiers guarding his citadel. Optimus demanded Megatron face him, but the Decepticon leader responded by dropping the smelting pool on him. Ironhide pushed Optimus out of the way, but Optimus's face was heavily damaged. Optimus entered Megatron's chamber alone as Ironhide was attacked by Starscream and Shockwave. Optimus found Megatron surrounded by hungry hatchlings, gloating that Optimus was too weak to do what was necessary to win the war. Wheeljack then messaged Optimus, asking if they would go forward with removing the AllSpark. Optimus responded affirmatively, and Chromia and Arcee removed the Cube, darkening the skies of Cybertron. Optimus escaped, leaving Megatron to fend off his ravenous hatchlings, and rescued Ironhide. Returning to oversee the AllSpark's transportation, Optimus recognized his relationship with Elita-One had been forever scarred, and observed he still had a long way to go to being a great leader. Foundation #1-4
The AllSpark was successfully ejected into space at Tyger Pax, where Bumblebee distracted Megatron. Prime and the Autobots were held up in Simfur during the launch. Movie Prequel #1 As they prepared to leave Cybertron on board the Ark to go after the AllSpark, Optimus Prime had some doubts about his decision, feeling that in buying them some time in the war, he had sentenced their world to death. Prowl disagreed, pointing out that had Megatron been able to claim the Cube, all those that opposed him would have been destroyed, and that Prime had turned death into a fighting chance for the Autobots. Bolstered by Prowl's words, Prime resolved to rebuild their shattered home once they retrieved the AllSpark. The Reign of Starscream #1
Transformers: Beginnings
- Voice actor: Peter Cullen
Bumblebee remembered Optimus Prime's orders that they must launch the AllSpark into space, for it was better to lose it to the depths of space than allow Lord Megatron to corrupt it with his evil. For wherever there is hope, there is life. Transformers: Beginnings
Titan Magazines Transformers movie comics
When war broke out, Optimus studied the entire history of intergalactic warfare from any datatrack he could find—he studied whole campaigns to desperate last stands, gaining a focused "playbook" of warfare strategy. He understands warfare on a practical and psychological level, and in desperate battles knows to show no mercy to opponents beyond a swift death. [1]
Optimus was the focus of constant attacks by assassin drones and killed them all. In the aftermath of one, he witnessed a prophetic vision of the Mission City battle and realised the AllSpark's ejection could spread war to other planets—but too late to stop the launch... Prelude: Optimus Prime
Almost immediately after the final battle against Megatron, Optimus Prime had to lead the Autobots against a horde of zombie Decepticons. Despite having no idea how they could be stopped and having had his power drained by fighting Megatron, Optimus continued to fight the monsters rather than let them run amok. Ratchet worked out a solution just in time before Optimus fell. Starscream's Militia
In the alternate reality, Megatron defeated Optimus and took the AllSpark at Mission City. Prime's body was now partially frozen and in Decepticon hands. He was the last and only hope of the Earth resistance, and so Bumblebee and Mikaela Banes were not happy to find him offline. Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 1
She thawed him out while Bumblebee distracted Megatron, and the revived Prime challenged Megatron to a solo duel... Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 4 Unfortunately, Megatron's link to the AllSpark meant Optimus could not do any lasting damage and was never going to win. Luckily, Bumblebee and Mikaela saved the day, hitting the distracted Megatron with an old Sector Seven nanovirus. (Which means they were the last and only hope, but oh well.) Despite Megatron dying as a result and the AllSpark being destroyed elsewhere, Prime could take no satisfaction in victory: this battle was won, but the war remained... Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 5
He became resigned to the fact that Humanity, battered by Decepticon occupation, would view both Autobot and Decepticon as hostile invaders. When NATO was manipulated into attacking the Autobots, Optimus refused to allow his men to return fire, and after the crisis passed, he was sure that the Decepticons' unknown new commander was up to something bigger. Optimus also placed the last AllSpark fragment in the care of Ratchet, though he was worried exposure to Megatron might have corrupted it. Aftermath Part 1 Aftermath Part 2 He was not happy when Ratchet "took care" of the fragment by bringing Jazz back with it, who was left corrupted and amoral by it. Dark Spark
Optimus Prime soon worked out that while the AllSpark's transformation of Earth had been halted, the damage had been done: the organic Earth and the technological transformation were now fighting for supremacy, killing the planet in the process. He called in a specialist team to investigate and limit the damage, while working with President Allen. In secret, he organised for Nucleon to be retrieved from the dead Cybertron and brought to Earth, as there was a long shot it could save the planet. He didn't tell the humans out of concern that if they knew about the plan and it failed, their hopes would be raised and dashed. Return to Cybertron: Part 1 It was bad enough that Nucleon was so unstable it could turn destructive... Return to Cybertron: Part 2
When the team on Cybertron sent a distress signal and reported Stockade's Decepticons had captured the Nucleon, Optimus led the entirety of the Earth-bound Autobots (save Camshaft's team) to Cybertron as back-up. He was then surprised to see Cybertron coming to them, looking a lot meaner these days. Return to Cybertron: Part 3 The planet's possessor, Unicron, shot down the Straxus and the Autobots survived only by evacuating it in time in protoform modes.
Optimus landed next to Stockade's old equipment and, after being filled in by Arcee, he effortlessly formed an alliance with Stockade against Unicron. His plan was to drain the Nucleon away so Unicron couldn't use it as a power source, while the bulk of the Transformers provided a distraction, which turned out to be going underground and shooting up Unicron's body. The plan worked, Nucleon was secured for Earth, and Optimus extended an offer for Stockade to join them on Earth whenever he wished. Optimus was left optimistic that Autobots and Decepticons had come together in a common cause. Return to Cybertron: Part 4
On returning to Earth, he found the Decepticons had seized the Autobot base and six hundred square miles around it; he made the decision to withdraw to Washington, D.C., knowing that this meant leaving Mikaela in Decepticon hands. Upon landing at an air base, the Decepticon-controlled President Allen lured him into a trap, and he found himself fighting Jazz, now a Decepticon hired gun. Optimus lured him away from humans and prepared to engage him, but when a second assassin named Kullt turned up, Jazz gunned it down out of annoyance. Optimus had viewed Jazz as a lost cause but now stated there was still some Autobot in him: he could have let Kullt do the work for him and then killed him, but he saved Prime instead.
The battle made it clear to Optimus that Allen was under Decepticon mental control. Hard Target
As he'd promised Bumblebee, Optimus took the Autobots to get Mikaela back; he himself went first, launching himself in protoform mode to land in Savannah like a bomb and tearing his way through drone hordes. He was quickly gunned down by aerial units and about to be killed by Starscream, but this whole flashy attack had been a diversion—allowing other Autobots a chance to hit the distracted air forces and nab Mikaela. After the battle, Optimus remarked Starscream was no Megatron. The Decepticon Who Haunted Himself
Optimus seemed to quickly bond with General Seward, his military liaison at Andrews Air Base, but that didn't help when the mind-controlled President Allen had the government order the Autobots out of America. Revolution Part One However, Prime had anticipated this. Almost two weeks before, he'd had Ironhide task Tom Banachek to identify all the Decepticon puppets for him. With Allen making the expected move, he dispatched Ironhide and Bumblebee to set things up so that the following day, when the Autobots all departed, Allen would try to nuke them out of the sky and be fooled by a decoy ship into thinking he'd killed them. Revolution Part Three
To protect the Earth while they were undercover on Cybertron, Optimus had made a deal with Stockade to start a Decepticon Civil War. Optimus didn't trust Stockade to not renege on the deal and just take control of Earth for himself, Revolution Part Two but he ensured the Decepticons were set up for the Autobot's final strike: forcibly teleporting all of the enemy to Cybertron via Unicron's leftover teleportational engines, then stranding Cybertron in a remote solar system. Optimus led the troops to Earth and witnessed Megatron's return from the dead... only to thwack him flying. The next minute, both Megatron and Stockade (why wait for him to renege?) were teleported away, along with their forces.
This left the Autobots stranded on Earth and with a lot of clean-up to do. But Optimus had finally brought about the end of the war... Revolution Part Three
Ghosts of Yesterday
Optimus Prime led the search for the AllSpark in the Ark, a transport vessel. When they came across an abandoned solar system, they located a vessel of strangely Cybertronian design, seemingly of Decepticon make. When the vessel fled to the surface of a planet, Prime dispatched Bumblebee to investigate while he and the other Autobots battled Decepticons from the Nemesis. Prime managed to defeat Blackout, Scorponok, and Frenzy all on his own. After losing touch with Bumblebee, Prime went down to locate him on the planet, where they were attacked by Starscream and the alien ship. They fell into a cavern network, where they were further attacked by indigenous worms.
During their flight from the creatures, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee came across the alien vessel. Prime realized that they were trying to surrender, so the Autobots communicated with its crew. Optimus explained that they came in peace, "freedom is the right of all sentient beings," Starscream tricks everyone, and so on. However, the creatures, who called themselves "humans", explained that they held Megatron, whom they called the Ice Man, on their home world, Earth. Realizing the destruction Megatron would wreak upon the humans if he escaped, and that the humans would be unable to defend themselves effectively, Prime vowed to see them return to their world to warn it. Prime was able to blast an opening in the cavern, and the group escaped. As they returned to the Ark, Prime began to speculate that the AllSpark was what drew Megatron to Earth.
In the ensuing battle with the Decepticons, Prime was in the difficult position of fighting Starscream and protecting the human ship. His distractions allowed Bonecrusher to spear him with his tail. The difficult state nearly gave Starscream the chance to kill him, but the humans saved Prime's life by damaging Starscream, who destroyed them. Optimus Prime was inspired by their courage and sacrifice, and resolved to locate Earth before the Decepticons did—and hopefully before Megatron came back online. Ghosts of Yesterday
Transformers film
- Voice actor: Peter Cullen (English), Tesshō Genda (Japanese), Guilherme Briggs (Brazil), Guy Nadon (French-Canadian), Reiner Schöne (German), Alessandro Rossi (Italian), Andrei Yaroslavtsev (Russian), Blas Garcia (Latin-American Spanish), Jordi Boixaderas (Spain-Spanish)
| “ | A necessary sacrifice to bring peace to this planet. We cannot let the humans pay for our mistakes. | ” |
—Optimus Prime on sacrificing his life to destroy the AllSpark | ||
The leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime, came to Earth shortly after Bumblebee sent his comrades a beacon. Upon atmospheric reentry, Prime managed to land outside of Tranquility's inhabited areas. While Sam and Mikaela watched, Optimus transformed and left his landing place. From atop a hill, he quickly scanned the form of an Earth truck, thus configuring his body to transform into it. Prime, Jazz, Ratchet, and Ironhide met up with Bumblebee and his human friends, Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes in an alley. Prime assumed his robotic form before the stunned humans. After confirming Sam's identity, Prime introduced himself and his team. When Sam asked how they could speak English, Prime told them that they scanned Earth's languages on the world wide web. When Mikaela asked of the Autobots' intentions, Prime explained the search for the AllSpark, the betrayal of Megatron, and why Sam was important to their search.
Glasses that belonged to Sam's ancestor, Captain Archibald Witwicky, contained the location of the AllSpark encoded across its lenses, so Optimus Prime ordered his troops to wait outside Sam's house while Sam and Mikaela searched inside for the glasses. Much to Sam's exasperation, Optimus Prime, in his impatience, clumsily ruined his parents' garden using some very expressive apologies, and the Autobots' heavy footsteps convinced them there was an earthquake. Prime's attempts to hide, such as having the Autobots transform into vehicle mode right in the backyard, were also less than satisfactory. Ultimately, Sam came so close to a panic attack that Prime was forced to order the Autobots to fall back. As Prime lectured his team on their supposed inability to remain quiet, Ratchet got himself shocked by walking into some powerlines, causing further problems. When the parents came to investigate, Prime's attempt to avoid discovery caused the house to shake, though this was to their benefit, as the father assumed that the damage to the yard was the result of an earthquake. Ironhide suggested that they kill the parents, but Optimus scolded his old friend. Despite all this, their presence remained undetected until Sector Seven arrived (in a convoy of GMC Yukons) and abducted Sam, Mikaela, and Sam's parents.
Optimus Prime sent the Autobots in pursuit of the SUV that contained Sam, Mikaela, and Sector Seven's director, Agent Simmons. Prime intercepted the vehicle carrying their young human friends, ripping the roof of the vehicle off, with the other Autobots disarming the agents, and made it perfectly clear to Simmons how pissed off he was at him for trying to apprehend the two children, regarding this as a bad move on Simmons' behalf. Optimus then ordered his comrades to relieve the agents of their weapons, and attempted to interrogate Simmons. The agents' lack of surprise at their appearance indicated that they had seen Cybertronians before, but Simmons refused to reveal any information. With a Sector Seven backup team en route, Prime ordered the Autobots to scatter, while he took Sam and Mikaela. While hiding under a bridge, Mikaela and Sam slipped and fell off Prime's shoulder. Bumblebee managed to catch them before impact, but was captured, and Sam and Mikaela recaptured, by the organization after their retreat. Now in possession of the glasses which could tell him the location of the AllSpark, Optimus regretfully left Bumblebee in Sector Seven's hands, knowing that if they went after him, they would have to use deadly force.
After regrouping the next day, Prime used the glasses to locate the AllSpark. Jazz again raised objections to leaving Bumblebee behind, but Prime remained firm in his belief of not harming the humans. Ironhide seemed okay with using deadly force, stating the humans were too violent, but Prime countered that when their time had come, the Cybertronians had been little different. Going on to explain the potential he saw in the humans, as well as reminding them that "freedom is the right of all sentient beings", Prime revealed to the Autobots his real plan for the AllSpark: if they could not defeat the Decepticons, Prime intended to merge the Cube with his spark. Though this would destroy the AllSpark, Ratchet cautioned Prime against this, as it would also kill him. Prime believed that this was acceptable, vowing not to let another race suffer the mistakes of the Transformers. The glasses placed the AllSpark at Hoover Dam where, luckily, Bumblebee and the young humans were taken.
Optimus Prime's team met up with Sector Seven, Bumblebee, Sam, and Mikaela en route, who had planned to hide the AllSpark in nearby Mission City. While on the highway, he was attacked by Bonecrusher, who managed to tackle Optimus and drag him over the edge of a freeway overpass. During the battle, Optimus struck the rage-filled Transformer so hard his optic popped out. As the Decepticon swung his claw wildly, Optimus drew his sword from his right arm and sliced off one of Bonecrusher's arms, before brutally finishing off his enemy by driving the blade through Bonecrusher's neck, severing his head.
Optimus arrived at Mission City just in time to observe Megatron discarding the remains of Jazz, and challenged him. Millennia in the ice had done nothing to lessen Megatron's hatred of his brother, and he launched himself in jet mode at the Autobot leader. Optimus leaped and grabbed hold of the wings, which was a really bad idea, as Megatron drove himself and Prime through an office block. As they flew out of the building onto the street below, Megatron transformed and leapt on top of Prime, declaring the humans undeserving of life. Prime rejected his claims, saying that they deserved to choose for themselves. Megatron threw Prime across the street, declaring that if he wished to defend the humans, Prime could die with them. He then formed his fusion cannon from his forearms. The power up time allowed Prime to draw his ion blaster and fire, hitting Megatron. The Decepticon used the momentum to spin around, then used the fusion cannon to blast Prime across the street into another building. Megatron then resumed the hunt for Sam and the AllSpark.
Tracking Megatron to the deserted building, Prime barely managed to catch Sam after Megatron knocked him off the roof. Telling the boy to hold onto the Cube, Prime attempted to scale down the building, but Megatron jumped on Prime, causing them both to fall down hard onto the street below. Sam survived, however, and Optimus told the boy that if he could not defeat Megatron, Sam must put the AllSpark into his chest which would destroy it. As Sam sought cover, Optimus faced down Megatron, and informed him that, "At the end of this day, one shall stand, one shall fall". Unfortunately, Megatron, even after years of stasis, proved to be far too powerful for Prime to defeat alone. The unit led by Lennox and the Raptor squadron laid down suppressing fire as Megatron reached for the AllSpark, until Optimus finally took him down by sweeping his legs. Still, Megatron continued, crawling toward the cube. Believing he had lost, Optimus implored Sam to put the AllSpark into his chest. Sam instead thrust it into Megatron's chest, killing the Decepticon leader and destroying the AllSpark.
As Optimus watched his brother die, he regretfully said there was little other choice. He also told Sam he owed him a debt of gratitude for saving his life, but was then informed that Jazz had not survived (Jazz was flapping around disrespectfully like a ragdoll during this sequence). Prime briefly eulogized his comrade, then commented that they had gained new comrades in the humans, and was honored by their bravery. Bumblebee, who had finally regained his voice, requested permission to remain with Sam Witwicky, to which the young human eagerly agreed, and Optimus approved. He noticed a fragment of the AllSpark in Megatron's chest cavity and removed it, then permitted the humans to dispose of the Decepticon corpses by dumping them into the deepest part of the ocean.
Though Megatron was killed and his Decepticons were defeated, the AllSpark was destroyed, leaving the Autobots unable to restore Cybertron. The Autobots elected to remain on Earth, and Prime sent a message into deep space to any surviving Autobots in the Galaxy to come to their new home on Earth, their long years of searching having finally having come to an end. As the other Autobots rested (and watched Sam and Mikaela make out on Bumblebee's hood) Optimus Prime looked to the sky, hoping his message had been heard. Transformers
Toy bios
That truck he transcanned was the coolest thing he ever saw. Robo-Vision Optimus Prime
When the AllSpark was destroyed, Optimus was bathed in its power and became a living receptacle: he could destroy or heal with the merest thought. He still remained dedicated to peace, and altered his exterior decorations to match the ones he bore as a young leader, before the beginning of the war. First Strike Optimus Prime
When the war turned out to not be over though, and with more Decepticons appearing on Earth, he was forced to alter himself to be used for stealth missions—something he finds dishonourable but knows has to be done. He is now sensor transparent and silent. Nightwatch Optimus Prime In this form, he came under surprise attack by an equally stealth-modified Starscream, leader of the new Decepticons! Nightwatch Optimus Prime vs. Stealth Starscream
Once the Decepticons were beaten on Earth, Optimus was provided with intelligence by Sector Seven about Decepticon bases on Mars. After assuming new colors, he headed to the red planet. Fire Blast Optimus Prime
Beast Wars Diorama Story
On Earth in the past and in another universe, a contingent of Maximals, led by Optimus Primal, battled a group of Predacons in a forest. Optimus Primal Chapter
Some time into the battle, a warp opened, bringing with it Jazz, Ironhide, Starscream, Optimus Prime, and Ratchet. Optimus Prime made fast friends with Optimus Primal; they joined their forces and double-teamed the injured Starscream, who had just taken a blast to the face from Tigatron. Starscream then joined the Predacons. The two Optimuses commemorated their accomplishment of teamwork by shaking hands. The Maximals and Ratchet looked up with approval. Tigatron Chapter Blackout later appeared and joined the Predacons. As the battled raged, the Megatron from Prime's universe came in through the warp. Gimlet Chapter
The Decepticon Megatron brought along Brawl, and the two Megatrons combined their troops into a fearsome force against the Autobots and Maximals. Fortuantely for the Autobots and Maximals, Motorarm arrived to assist. The two factions then took formation against each other with the intention of combining their energies to attack the opposing side. With Motorarm leading the charge, the Maximals and the Autobots attacked first. Motorarm Chapter
IDW Revenge of the Fallen comics
Following the battle of Mission City, and the destruction of Megatron and the AllSpark, Optimus Prime was left to ferry the body of his first lieutenant Jazz out of the city in an abandoned trailer. Trusting Captain Lennox and his men, Prime asked the human soldiers to help the Autobots escape from the city, before Sector Seven and other untrustworthy humans could arrive. A month later, Agent Simmons managed to convince Lennox and Sergeant Epps to call upon the assistance of Optimus Prime and the Autobots to escort the Decepticon remains, thereby hopefully reactivating the Decepticon Wreckage somehow. Alliance #1
Optimus, Ironhide, Ratchet and Bumblebee arrived at Sector Seven's Nevada desert base to escort to a naval base at San Diego, California. Optimus insisted on escorting Jazz's remains personally, and thanked Lennox for arranging a proper burial-at-sea for his fallen lieutenant. When he noticed the AllSpark shard seemingly reacting to the Decepticon bodies, he handed the fragment to Professor Vine for safekeeping until he returned. Shortly after leaving the base, Optimus had second thoughts about leaving the fragment in Sector Seven's possession, and ordered Bumblebee and Ironhide to turn around and retrieve the only remaining piece of the AllSpark. Alliance #2
"Prime, are you trying to get onto me?"
"No dude, I just want to show you my collection of faces and heads!"
The convoy returned to the Sector Seven base after learning of Wreckage and Starscream's attacks. Salani retrieved the AllSpark shard and returned it to Optimus Prime, who felt the last piece of their heritage should stay with him. Weeks later, the Autobots and the soldiers with whom they served traveled aboard a US Navy carrier for Jazz's burial-at-sea and to observe the disposal of the Decepticons. Optimus deeply appreciated the humans' paying last respects to their fallen comrade, though he was concerned that even the great depths of the Laurentian Abyss were not enough to keep the Decepticon bodies hidden. Below deck, Optimus and Lennox agreed to a formal alliance between the Autobots and humans as the first line of offense and defense against the Decepticons. During training on the island of Diego Garcia, Optimus Prime reminded the Autobots that they must work together with the humans as a team, never forgetting that division was what caused the war on Cybertron in the first place. When they were alone, Optimus Prime and Major Lennox complimented each other's leadership and the dedication of their respective troops. When Lennox commented that it was because of the Autobots that he and his soldiers were alive today, Optimus refuted this, saying it was because of humans such as Lennox and Sam, and that the Autobots were only part of the problem. Soon, both NEST leaders learned that the Decepticons had returned to Earth. Alliance #3
By November 2008, Sideswipe had arrived on Earth, but was recklessly pursuing the Decepticon Demolishor in South America. Optimus was chastised by Admiral Morshower for this "grey area" in the Autobot ranks, but the Autobot leader assured Morshower he would settle it. Human relations were so strained the exasperated Optimus decided to forcibly bring Sideswipe in to end his rampage; however, Ironhide requested he go calm his former student down. Optimus agreed, but made his position clear: if Sideswipe could not be negotiated with... he would be dealt with. Ironhide eventually was able to calm his student, but not before Demolishor was let loose upon human civilians, AND the authorities were attacking Cybertronians on sight. Luckily, Optimus and a strike team had already arrived and had the authorities stand down, and Sideswipe joined the Autobot ranks. Tales of the Fallen #2
NEST was deployed to San Francisco, where the Decepticons Swindle and Dead End were wreaking havoc. Flushed out of hiding, the Decepticons managed to evade the other Autobots, but Optimus Prime quickly put down Dead End by ramming him head-on. When asked by Prime, he commented that he was fine, but he wasn't sure if Dead End was. On the way back to base, Lennox and Optimus Prime discussed Swindle's last words and were concerned that this was just the first wave of Decepticons coming to Earth, and that they were after Sam Witwicky. Optimus convinced Lennox that no matter what, it was Sam's destiny to become involved in this conflict, and they agreed to send Bumblebee back to the States to resume his role as the boy's guardian. Later, when Optimus observed the distrust for the Autobots held by Lennox's superiors, he suggested that they must work harder and that continued success would satisfy those above them. During the subsequent hunt for Decepticons around the world, Optimus Prime personally destroyed Jetstorm, Dropkick and Incinerator. As NEST's ranks grew, together they celebrated their victories and mourned those who made the ultimate sacrifice. One event brought joy and hope to the team: The arrival of Autobot refugees who were eager to protect their new homeworld. This joy was tempered by the fact more and more Decepticons were being sighted on Earth, and Optimus believed that there was some unknown that threatened their new home, their species and their alliance with the humans. Alliance #4
The Veiled Threat
| “ | I know Megatron. I know all of you. You would not have taken the AllSpark and left this world in peace. You would have subdued it and made slaves of its people. Even in the absence of the AllSpark, my conscience and that of my friends could not have allowed that. | ” |
—Optimus Prime to Macerator | ||
Optimus attended an initial NEST briefing about sightings of Starscream in Zambia, and was placed in joint command with Lennox of a team to go there to investigate. He also advised some new Autobot arrivals about how best to fit in on Earth. In Zambia, they quickly tracked down three Decepticons, Payload, Macerator and Dropkick waiting at the Zambezi River. Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet waded in to face their opponents, unaware that it was a trap — as they fought, they were dragged downriver towards Victoria Falls. Although the other two Autobots escaped the trap, Optimus was held fast by Macerator and plunged off the falls. While Macerator was caught mid-air by Starscream, Optimus managed to cling to an outcropping. He was rescued by the other Autobots present, utilizing Beachbreak's tow line. Enraged by the rescue, Starscream killed Beachbreak, something Optimus regarded as a result of his own failure to lead. The team tracked Payload, Macerator and Dropkick downriver to the Kariba dam, where Optimus rammed two of the Decepticons and then fought with Macerator at length. He eventually triumphed, decapitating the Decepticon. As Dropkick retreated, Optimus stopped Ironhide from firing as he might have hit some of the humans nearby. They instead went to look for Payload, who had been swept away by raging waters from the dam emergency release.
Back at Diego Garcia, two more Decepticon contacts were made in Australia and Peru. Optimus opted to lead the team checking Australia. After exploring the Outback for a number of days, the team discussed whether the Decepticons might be hunting for energy to resurrect Megatron, but Optimus doubted there was an energy source on the planet that could do so. They eventually encountered Kickback, Trample and Tread, three Constructicons mining for minerals. Optimus found Kickback's sonic charge weapon to be a challenge, but with some help from Lennox, killed the Decepticon.
After they returned to base, Optimus's input into the conversation on how the Decepticons might revive Megatron was for the most part unhelpful. The subsequent appearance of Deadend and Swindle in Rome led the Autobots to take another trip, but Optimus found Rome's narrow streets frustrating as he was unable to navigate them in his truck form. After Knockout dealt to the two Decepticons, a furious Starscream challenged Optimus to one-on-one combat in the nearby Colosseum. Naturally it was a trap — Starscream had allied himself with a human, Bruno Carrera, and together they trapped Optimus in a pit and set Barricade on him. With the help of four humans, Optimus broke free, threw Barricade into the pit and sealed him there. He then had only to show his face outside to where Starscream was fighting Ironhide, Ratchet and Salvage, and the would-be Decepticon leader fled. The Veiled Threat
Titan Magazines Revenge of the Fallen comics
Since coming to Earth, Optimus has had to strive daily to gain credibility with the human powers-that-be. Reversal of Fortune
Even Optimus doesn't believe Skids and Mudflap's stories anymore! When those same twins arrived, Optimus was absent on a 'need to know' mission Learning Curve in Australia with Arcee. When Sideways landed on the continent, the two Autobots interrupted their mission to bring the bot in. It proved far more difficult than you'd expect, with the Decepticon able to outdistance them in the long run and better suited to the terrain. Optimus was knocked offroad when Sideways blasted him with exhaust, and Arcee reported her alt mode was too out of its comfort zone to keep up... which gave Optimus an idea.
That idea was to take away the terrain, blasting Sideways off the road and into the grass with projectile weaponry. Violence works!
Optimus took the prisoner to Diego Garcia, and on arrival was greeted with the sight of the twins brawling on the runway. He bawled them out over improper conduct, but before he could go further Scorponok made an attack. Taking fire, Optimus began barking out orders... only to be tripped up by Skids. Once he was up, Scorponok and Sideways had both done a runner. Knowing that the enemy could not have got this close without NEST security being compromised, Optimus was convinced by Sideswipe's argument that the twins had turned traitor and had them taken away for questions. Reversal of Fortune
When the twins were sprung by Decepticons, Prime agreed with Theodore Galloway that the Autobots would make finding the twins a number one priority. However, Optimus was left suspicious when a mysterious "friend" tipped the Autobots off about the twins. Outlaw Blues Soon, it came out that the twins were being framed and by tracking the two, Optimus and his men found out about a Decepticon base near Mars. Optimus led a raid on it, taking down the drone army stationed there. Back-to-Back
Revenge of the Fallen film
- Voice actor: Peter Cullen (English), Tesshō Genda (Japanese), Guilherme Briggs (Brazil), Guy Nadon (French-Canadian), Reiner Schöne (German), Alessandro Rossi (Italian), Andrei Yaroslavtsev (Russian), Blas Garcia (Latin-American Spanish), Jordi Boixaderas (Spain-Spanish)
After the events in Mission City two years ago, Optimus Prime and the Autobots became part of a Transformer/human military group called NEST, which hunted down the remaining Decepticons across the world. When Demolishor and Sideways were detected in Shanghai, NEST was deployed there, including the Autobots Sideswipe, Ironhide, Arcee, Skids and Mudflap. Once Demolishor made himself known by transforming into robot mode and crushing dozens of cars along the highway, Sergeant Epps radioed an overhead C-17 to release the Autobot leader. Optimus Prime parachuted out of a NEST cargo plane and landed in vehicle mode. He leapt off a bridge onto the Decepticon's head as he plowed through it. When the massive Constructicon refused his order to pull over, Optimus unleashed several blasts of his ion blaster into Demolishor's head. These shots, coupled with Ironhide destroying his tires, sent the titan crashing to the ground and into a warehouse. As he and Ironhide approached the dying Decepticon, Optimus asked if he had any last words. With his dying breath, the Constructicon stated that The Fallen would rise again. Optimus responded in the negative and unceremoniously executed him.
Returning to Diego Garcia, Prime entered a briefing with Theodore Galloway, the National Security Adviser who had been appointed liaison by the President, and General Morshower, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was watching by satellite feed. Prime relayed the warning of The Fallen to them, but Galloway made no effort to conceal his hostility toward the Autobots. He noted that while they had given them intelligence and the sole remaining AllSpark fragment, Galloway took issue with their refusal to share weapons technology and their continued sending of transmissions into space. Prime told Galloway that the Autobots were aware of humanity's history of warfare, and Morshower said that all the transmissions had been vetted by NEST officers. Galloway also pointed out that despite Megatron's death and burial in the Laurentian Abyss and the destruction of the AllSpark, the Decepticons had not left Earth as Optimus had hoped, leading him to conclude that the Autobots were the ones who the Decepticons were after. When asked if the Autobots would leave Earth peacefully if told to, Optimus replied that they would honor their request, but warned Galloway to consider what would happen if the Autobots left but the Decepticons did not.
Unknown to Prime, the Decepticon Soundwave had been monitoring transmissions and spied on the briefing. Dispatching Ravage to the island, he had his agent steal the remaining AllSpark fragment, killing several soldiers in the process. The incident left the Autobots with rather chilly relations with the United States. Seeking outside help, Optimus dispatched Bumblebee to retrieve Sam Witwicky from college in an effort to secure his testimony on the Autobots' behalf. Meeting Sam at an abandoned cemetery near his college, Optimus explained the situation. Sam was not receptive; in fact, he was quite hostile, saying that he had just started college and was trying to have a normal life. Knowing that fate often called at inconvenient times, Optimus impressed upon Sam the importance of what was going on, but Sam reiterated that the Cybertronian War was not his, and that they didn't need him. Optimus relayed his fear that it soon would be, and silently said that they needed him more than he realized.
Prime's fear soon came to pass, but in the last way he could imagine: the Decepticons had used the AllSpark shard to resurrect Megatron, who had learned that the knowledge of the AllSpark had been passed to Sam by a fragment Sam had touched, and soon captured him, Mikaela, and Sam's college roommate Leo Spitz. Heading to rescue the three humans, Optimus and Bumblebee ambushed the Decepticons in the abandoned industrial complex where the teens were being held, just as Scalpel was about to perform fatal neurosurgery on Sam. Knocking Megatron and Starscream out of the building, Optimus managed to whisk Sam away from the plant. Optimus made it as far as the nearby forest when Megatron arrived. Going one-on-one with the Decepticon leader, Prime managed to hold his own, all the while trash-talking Megatron. Megatron then called for Starscream and Grindor, who quickly arrived. Prime was forced to run interference between Megatron and Starscream, who pursued Sam.
Rumble is blue,
this poem doesn't rhyme,
NOW GIVE ME YOUR FACE !
As the battle raged, Megatron told Prime that the boy was the key to finding another energon source, then shattered his mouthplate and sent him flying back with a point blank shot from his fusion cannon. Megatron asked if the boy's life was greater than the future of their race, but Prime knew that he would never stop with a single life. Declaring that he'd take them all on, Optimus Prime unsheathed his Dual Energon Swords and fought a three-on-one fight against the Decepticons. Surprisingly, not only did he manage to hold his own, he was actually winning, managing to stab Megatron multiple times, slice off Starscream's arm and use it as a club, and rip apart Grindor's head. However, Megatron managed to stab his own sword through Optimus Prime's chest, following with a point blank shot through his injured back. Critically injured, Optimus implored the still-observing Sam to run. Although the rest of the Autobots soon arrived and drove off Megatron and Starscream, Optimus Prime was dead.
"Then why have I spent this whole fight kicking your a—"*BOOM*
Soon after, The Fallen made his presence known and demanded Sam Witwicky be turned over to him or the world would be destroyed. Galloway used this as a reason to shut down NEST and ordered the Autobots returned to Diego Garcia under guard, along with Prime's corpse (which Galloway callously denounced as a piece of scrap metal). Fortunately, Bumblebee, and the Twins managed to spirit Sam, Mikaela, and Leo away before The Fallen made his announcement. With help from their former enemy Seymour Simmons and the Decepticon-turned-Autobot Wheelie, the group discovered that Sam's mind contained the Language of the Primes, to which group The Fallen had once belonged. The human/Autobot group managed to locate the Seeker Jetfire, who told them of how the Dynasty of Primes forged a Star Harvester to use a star's energy to replenish the AllSpark, and the Matrix of Leadership, needed to activate the harvester, until they were betrayed by The Fallen, who tried to harvest Sol in defiance of the Primes' rule of the sanctity of life. Sam hit upon the idea to use the Matrix to restore Optimus to life, similar to how the Decepticons had used the AllSpark fragment to resurrect Megatron. Having been teleported to Egypt by Jetfire, the group managed to relay the information to Major Lennox and Sergeant Epps, who faked engine trouble over Petra, where the Tomb of the Primes was located. Unfortunately, the Matrix had turned to dust in the thousands of years since its entombment, but Sam still believed that it could be used to revive Optimus.
However, the Decepticons were still looking for the Harvester and the Matrix needed to activate it. Sam was technically killed in the battle, during which he communed with the six Primes from the tomb, who restored the Matrix. Jamming it in the fallen Autobot's chest, Sam used the Matrix to restore Optimus Prime to life. Unfortunately, The Fallen soon arrived. He stole the Matrix, and stomped on Optimus, sending him back to the ground. Having been fatally injured by Scorponok, Jetfire offered his parts to Optimus, as only a Prime could defeat The Fallen, and snuffed out his own spark. After Ratchet and Jolt finished attaching Jetfire's wings and thrusters to Prime's body, Optimus hurried to the Great Pyramid of Giza, which had been constructed around the harvester, and damaged the machine before it could destroy Earth's sun.
Optimus Prime then faced Megatron and the Fallen on the ground. This against the odds battle went far better for Optimus, as he used Megatron's own fusion cannon to shoot off half his face and his afterburners to send him through some ruins. Optimus then battled the Fallen, using his Energon Sword to slice through his face. The Fallen countered by ripping off his left wing and striking him with it, but Optimus managed to grab the Fallen's own spear and impale him with it. Telling the traitorous Prime he had picked the wrong planet, Optimus used the spear to rip off The Fallen's face plate. As The Fallen tried to flee, Optimus Prime punched through his abdomen and crushed his spark core, killing The Fallen and forcing Megatron and Starscream to retreat.
"Okay, I'll tell you."*cuts to credits*
On the return voyage home, Optimus thanked Sam for saving his life, as the boy thanked the Autobot leader for believing in him. Following this, Optimus Prime sent another transmission into space, detailing recent events so that the pasts of both races would be remembered, and also declaring that Humanity and the Autobots would face the future together. Revenge of the Fallen
Titan Magazines post-Revenge of the Fallen comics
Following the later Fallen incident, Optimus continued operations against the Decepticons. Jolt's over-enthusiasm began to muck that up, causing damage and getting NEST into trouble, despite Optimus' attempts to point this out to him. Optimus had to confine him to base. Culture Shock
Soon after that, he was drawn out into a trap by Trophy White and the Free Men, who wanted to take his head as a trophy. Optimus worked out their plan and allowed himself to be captured by the deranged hunter, in order to keep the fight away from civilians. He pretended to be securely chained down and listened to White's sociopathic ravings, before (at the moment he considered funniest) breaking free and taking White prisoner. Shockingly, he found keeping the severed heads of animals as trophies to be bad, and destroyed Trophy's trophies. Bring Me the Head of Optimus Prime
When there was a Decepticon breakout in South Africa, Optimus ordered his men to let the prisoners flee: a battle outside a major sports event would cause unacceptable civilian casualties. Inside Out! This led to a major collapse in Autobot popularity, and open battles with Decepticons in cities were just risking further alienation. In response, Prime created of a secret covert unit (even under NEST's radar) that would monitor the Decepticons, wait for windows of opportunity out of the public eye, and then hit hard and fast. While this worked, Optimus was left disquieted: the tactics he was using were too akin to the Decepticons, and a fine line was being walked. Shadow War
The Decepticon base was soon tracked to Russia and Optimus led a strike-team in. Unknown to him, Wheelie had sold them all out to Bludgeon and the team was ambushed, getting killed one by one... Divided Loyalties but luckily Megatron arrived to beat up Bludgeon for running a rival faction, and he flew away again after leaving an ominous threat to Optimus. So Prime didn't need to do any work saving his team or stopping Bludgeon at all! The end! A Short, Sharp Lesson!
Cyber Missions
- Voice actor: Eric Edwards (English), Blas Garcia (Latin-American Spanish)
Optimus Prime recorded some information on the Autobot-Decepticon war for preservation in Vector Sigma. Bumblebee and Ironhide were reviewing it when Bludgeon and Soundwave launched their attack. Cyber Missions 1 The next morning, Optimus had been informed of the attack and Soundwave's capture, and he ordered Ironhide to wait for reinforcements to assist in pursuing Bludgeon. Bludgeon made that difficult for Ironhide. Cyber Missions 2 Later, Optimus contacted Ratchet to inform him that Lockdown was causing chaos in Mission City, and he reminded the Autobot medic to be careful. Cyber Missions 3
He and Sideswipe tracked Megatron to a disused factory, only to lose the scent. Megatron, having cloaked his spark signature, jumped out of hiding to attack them, and Optimus used his swords to attack the Decepticon. An appeal for Megatron to surrender was answered by a blast from Megatron's cannon bringing the roof down on the two Autobots, and the Decepticon escaped. Optimus promised that Megatron would no longer be able to hide. Cyber Missions 4
When Ironhide went missing after the incident with Bludgeon, Optimus searched for him, and Bumblebee revealed he was last near a cave with a load of Energon. That same cave happened to be where Mindwipe was hiding. As Optimus went to rescue his friend, Mindwipe tried to hypnotize the Autobot leader, but Optimus was able to resist the hypnosis and defeat Mindwipe, leaving a confused Ironhide to wonder what was going on. Cyber Missions 5
Reports of Smolder attacking a building in Scramble City resulted in Optimus dispatching Bumblebee and Ratchet to investigate. He filled them in on the situation en route. Cyber Missions 9 During another mission, Optimus warned Sideswipe and Ratchet that they were being tracked, moments before the pair were attacked by Starscream and Mindwipe. Cyber Missions 10
Bumblebee reported to Optimus that he'd managed to pinpoint the location where Megatron and Starscream were meeting, leading Optimus to confront the two Decepticons in an Arctic region. When Megatron expressed surprise that he'd come to fight them without backup, Optimus assured him that the Autobots were never far from their leader's side. While Starscream went to attack the others, Optimus and Megatron continued to fight, with Optimus emerging the eventual victor. As Megatron tried to goad him into finishing the fight, Optimus announced that the Autobots protected all sentient life, and that included the Decepticons. He subsequently allowed Megatron to flee. Cyber Missions 12
Prime set up an elaborate trap involving a hologram of Soundwave to lure the Decepticons to a spot in the wilderness. The ploy worked, and Optimus attacked Megatron while his men attacked Megatron's troops. At one point during the battle, Megatron threw a train car at him, and he simply somersaulted along its length. Though Megatron boasted that the Decepticons would win through sheer determination, Optimus knocked him to the ground and gave a speech about building alliances, which was the cue for the humans to turn up in force and surround the Decepticons. Optimus informed Megatron that he could either leave the planet peacefully or be destroyed. Once the rest of the Decepticons fled, Megatron delivered a final threat before taking off. Prime celebrated with another speech, before admiring the huge Autobot insignia Bumblebee had stomped into the ground. Decepticons Attack
Transformers Annual 2011
An alert of Decepticon activity in Tokyo sent Optimus, Ironhide, Ratchet and Sideswipe to investigate. He intervened in Sideswipe and Barricade's battle to lift the Decepticon into the air, only to find himself under attack by Grindor. Ordering Sideswipe and Ratchet to cover him, Optimus scaled the side of a nearby office block so he could punch the helicopter out of the air. Standing over the two Decepticons, Optimus was surprised when they informed him that they were simply providing a diversion. Optimus realised that Sam was in danger, and rushed back to America in time to find Starscream attempting to abduct the boy. He jumped on Starscream's back, causing the Decepticon to flee and saving Sam from a kidnapping. Sam in Danger
Classified novels
During the war on Cybertron, Optimus Prime fought in several battles in Polyhex.
Optimus and Ironhide turned up to an attack on Nevada Test and Training Range by three Decepticons. Though he tried to talk them into abandoning the Decepticon cause, he was forced to kill them, especially when Bombshock threatened to blow up some humans. Optimus took part in a meeting of some generals at the base, though he had to talk his way into doing so, as they were initially reluctant to include the aliens. Optimus disagreed that the Decepticons' target was Area 51 and correctly deduced it to be Hawthorne Army Depot. When he arrived there with Ironhide, Bumblebee and Ratchet were already engaged in a battle with Reverb, however the Decepticon's personal force field made him impossible to hit and he did substantial damage to Prime. Once the shield was eliminated, Optimus defeated Reverb. Though Reverb asked Optimus to finish him off, Optimus instead took him prisoner. He also talked General Marcus into allowing Kevin Bowman to join NEST. Switching Gears
After supervising a test of a prototype Hyperdynamix tank, Optimus returned to the NEST Rapid Response Base for a briefing on a new Cybertronian storehouse detected at Battle Mountain. Before they had a chance to investigate, Optimus was forced to go defend Hyperdynamix against Decepticon attackers and was kept busy there trying to find the three aggressors. Battle Mountain
IDW Post Revenge of the Fallen comics
Lennox reported to Optimus via videolink on the halting of Alice's rampage. Optimus mentioned that they should be more aggressive in tracking down Decepticons, but Lennox reminded him that NEST was low on resources. They decided on some "improvisations" in the form of newly-arrived Autobots. Nefarious #1 Optimus was witness to Galloway balling out Lennox over the battle at Kingdom Petrochemicals, but kept quiet. Afterwards, Lennox and Optimus discussed the mysterious humans who had been seen at the petrochemical plant. When Ironhide and Sideswipe came under attack from Soundwave, Optimus parachuted in and bested Soundwave. Soundwave attempted to persuade Prime to let him go, but Prime decided that instead they would take him into NEST custody for interrogation. Nefarious #2
Optimus oversaw the preparations of the facilities for holding Soundwave, rather than face having to tell Major Lennox what they'd done. He was only delaying the inevitable, and Lennox was even more annoyed when the plane carrying Soundwave was shot down. Nefarious #3 When NEST received a distress call from Galloway, who was under attack from Ransack, Optimus sent Skids and Mudflap to assist. He also reminded Ironhide that just because the man was a "pain in the aft" didn't mean they could avoid helping him. Nefarious #4
Soundwave led the Autobots to the location of the Initiative base in California, but the base was gone. Despite this, Optimus still trusted Soundwave as he believe the organization they faced had access to Cybertronian technology. Soundwave pinpointed the mobile base as being in Utah, so the Autobots headed there. Part way, Optimus felt the power of something very like the AllSpark being used and began to realize what they were up against. They reached Utah and began an assault on the Initiative base, only to find themselves facing brainwashed Transformers. Nefarious #5
As the battle continued, Optimus tried to call out for their foe to surrender the AllSpark they possessed, however Carter Newell, head of the Initiative, responded by trying to use the artifact to terminate all Cybertronian life. An injury courtesy of Reedman aborted the attempt, and Newell tried to flee. Optimus was forced to ram the truck he was in to obtain the AllSpark, but realized the only way to halt the rapidly-destabilizing Cube was to feed it his own spark. Luckily that turned out to be unnecessary, as Fortress took the AllSpark from him and carried it into space, where it exploded. Optimus later noted that the Initiative data banks had been picked clean and wondered if anyone else could make an attempt to recreate the AllSpark. Nefarious #6
At NEST headquarters on Diego Garcia, Optimus Prime tries to convince the Autobot refugees rescued from the clutches of the Initiative that they need more time to recuperate before returning to the battlefield. Armorhide attempts to refute this, but only winds up proving Optimus's point when he accidentally calls him "Sentinel Prime", and has to stop mid-flow to remind himself they are no longer on Cybertron. The exchange punctuates how important it is that the Autobots stop any more humans from exploiting Cybertronian technology, that being the purpose of the mission currently that very moment under way in eastern California.
When Elita-1 returned to base after the mission, she shared a quiet moment with Optimus, losing herself in the sensations she could feel from the sisters whose spark she shared: The pain of Arcee's wounds, and the feel of Chromia's sword blade as she tested it against her fingertip. Prime quietly told her that she had never told him these things before, and she simply replied that he had never asked. Rising Storm #1
When the Decepticons attacked Philadelphia, Sam contacts NEST for aid, and the Autobots quickly mobilize, because of Arcee injuries, he wanted her to stay on base, but allowed her to go anyway. Rising Storm #2
During the flight, Optimus tried once more to have Arcee sit out of the mission. Elita reminded Optimus that is was Arcee's decision, and her desire for revenge was as strong as Elita's. Optimus tried to explain to her that victory at any price comes at a high cost, recalling the time on Cybertron when Prime let such an emotion overcome him. Elita's anger boils over and she chastises him for leaving her behind on Cybertron, only to witness Chromia's death and die herself, and she came back to life only to fight and kill more Decepticons. Optimus reminds Elita that he too had experienced death, but Elita explained that when he died, the Autobots actually cared. Rising Storm #3
After he arrived to Philadelphia, Jolt tries to radio Prime to let him know that Shockwave has attacked the base, freed Fearswoop and slaughtered all the personnel, both human and Autobot, but his transmission breaks up before Prime can comprehend his meaning, a battered Elita crests the horizon, fresh from victory over Astrotrain, and screaming a warning that it all a trap. Alas, no sooner has the word "Shockwave" crossed her lips, than the cyclopean Decepticon himself rockets down out the air, landing with ballistic force square on top of Elita and crushing the life out of her, Enraged by the death of Elita-One and the other Autobots. Optimus Prime battled Shockwave destroying half of his face and body, Prime was about to kill Shockwave, till Shockwave's pet Driller came to save his master. Rising Storm #4
Titan Magazines Dark of the Moon prequel strips
When a relic of an unknown UFO was discovered in Fiesole, Italy, Optimus led a NEST team to secure the find. Starscream launched a surprise attack to claim it: Optimus ordered the human archaeologist to keep digging and fought the Decepticon, taking two blows before overpowering and thrashing him. But Starscream kept fighting, asking Optimus if there were things worth dying for. Optimus agreed and said he was willing to die to save Earth from Decepticons... at which point Starscream suckerpunched him and stole the artifact.
Optimus was left concerned about what the 'cons were up to Transformers Comic issue 3.1 but found himself distract by two minor plots of Soundwave's, first fighting him to stop him crashing the Earth's economy Blood And Gold and then in Spain after he'd drawn Robert Epps and Bumblebee into an ambush. With Bumblebee near death, Optimus agreed to fight Soundwave without weapons if it would mean his comrade's survived, and he nearly died in the resulting fight. However, he managed to use Soundwave's sonic blasts and the local environment against his foe and emerged victorious. Dealing with the Devil
When Ratchet contacted NEST to let them know there was trouble at the Tech Museum of Innovation, Optimus himself turned out to help chase off Starscream and Barricade. He later tried to convince the anti-Cybertronian protesters that the Autobots were here to help, but Ratchet and Ironhide's actions during the fight had already convinced them of that, and their leader, Marcus Castor, was already producing anti-Decepticon T-shirts. Automatic for the People
Dark of the Moon film
- Voice actor: Peter Cullen (English), Tesshō Genda (Japanese), Reiner Schöne (German), Andrei Yaroslavtsev (Russian), Blas Garcia (Latin American-Spanish), Alfredo Martínez (Spain-Spanish)
Sometime before the AllSpark was jettisoned into space, Optimus Prime personally witnessed the attack on Sentinel Prime's ship, the Ark and assumed that the ship was destroyed.
Before all of the Transformer race was forced into exodus of the planet, Optimus lead the final battle against Megatron and the Decepticons. Though he never thought he did a good enough job and sometimes wondered if the result would of been different, had Sentinel been leading.
Three years after Operation: Firestorm and the demise of the Fallen, the Autobots and NEST took to dealing with human conflicts in the absence of the Decepticons. After receiving a tip from Alexi Voskhod he and Ratchet arrived with NEST operatives in Chernobyl to investigate a report about the presence of Cybertronian technology on site. However, this investigation was interrupted by Shockwave and his tamed Driller, attempting to steal the component. After driving them off and cutting one of the Driller's tentacles off, Shockwave revealed himself before retreating. Optimus became disturbed to see Shockwave on Earth but was more horrified to see that the piece of technology, to his disbelief, was a fuel cell from the Ark.
Optimus returned to NEST headquarters and refused to transform or speak to anyone until National Intelligence Director Charlotte Mearing arrived. It wasn't until Ironhide hit him on the roof that he transformed very violently and demanded an explanation from Mearing, which she offered along with the corroborating testimony from Buzz Aldrin that the information had been known by a select few. Optimus explained that the Ark carried important technology that would have given the Autobots a clear victory in the Cybertronian Civil War, and was piloted by his predecessor and mentor, Sentinel Prime. Optimus mounted an expedition to the Moon aboard the Xantium with Ratchet to explore what was left of the Ark.
The two Autobots explored the ship and opened the crash vault in which Sentinel Prime had locked himself. Optimus pulled Sentinel from the vault and brought his former mentor back to Earth where he used the Matrix of Leadership to revive Sentinel. The former Prime awoke and attacked in confusion. After calming his mentor down, Optimus explained that they recovered five pieces of his technology, but Sentinel was disturbed by this news, explaining that purpose of the "pillars" was to form a space bridge. Optimus declared their peaceful uses to the humans, but Director Mearing objected, citing possible uses like transporting weapons and troops to the planet. The pillars were placed in human custody.
After this meeting, Optimus took Sentinel for a tour on the countryside at sunset, during which Sentinel commented on the peace and beauty of Earth. Optimus bowed and offered the Matrix of Leadership to him, declaring him the rightful Autobot leader. Sentinel refused, saying that while he was Optimus's master on Cybertron, here on Earth, Optimus was the more experienced of the two. After learning from Sam that the Decepticons were targeting Sentinel because he alone could control the pillars, the Autobots were ordered to protect him. Running behind the group, Optimus returned to the NEST base only to find that Sentinel had betrayed the Autobots and NEST, killed Ironhide, and escaped with the pillars. Mearing declared the subterfuge and defeat as the fault of the Autobot leader. Optimus voiced no defense at this accusation.
Optimus subsequently tracked his mentor to the National Mall reflecting pool and attempted to stop him from bringing an invasion force to Earth after learning of his deal with Megatron. Sentinel fought and bested Optimus but spared his life, commenting that Optimus would come around to his way of thinking. Optimus refused to be part of Sentinel's plan.
Later, Sentinel denounced Prime and his Autobots as rebels, and demanded that human beings exile them. Fearing an attack from at least 200 hidden and entrenched Decepticon troops, human leaders ordered the Autobots off the planet. Prime complied with the order and gathered his troops to leave Earth immediately in the Xantium. Despite Sam's pleadings to reveal his plan to fight back (and inform the Decepticons who had bugged him), Optimus replied they had no plan. He reminded Sam that the human was his friend and the fight against the Decepticons would now be his own. As he boarded the ship he told Bumblebee to make his farewell with Sam short. Shortly after takeoff, Starscream attacked and destroyed the ship. Optimus and the Autobots were presumed dead.
However, the Autobots had hid themselves in one of the disengaged boosters and survived, thanks to the Xantium's builders, the Wreckers. Optimus and the other Autobots headed for Decepticon-controlled Chicago and arrived there just in time to rescue Sam, Epps, and a team of former NEST soldiers from a Decepticon fighter. Optimus explained that the Decepticons would never leave Earth in peace, and that Earth's leaders needed to believe they had gone so that they could see the truth. As the other Autobots arrived on-scene, Optimus announced that they were going to take the battle to the Decepticons in the name of freedom. The Autobots then transformed and drove into the city as Sam and Bumblebee using the Assault Carrier went to rescue Sam's girlfriend Carly Spencer. They arrived after the Carrier crashed and told Sam to get ready for battle.
En route to Sentinel's location and that of the control pillar, Optimus and the Autobots were ambushed from below by Shockwave and his Driller. The Driller disengaged Optimus's trailer, but the Wreckers distracted the Decepticon assassin. Optimus managed to recover the flight tech from his trailer and attack the Driller from the air just as it prepared to eliminate Sam, Carly, Epps and his soldiers. Optimus swooped through a building and punched a fatal blow through the Driller. Shockwave, angered by the destruction of his pet, shot at Optimus from the street. Optimus fell through a nearby unfinished building and was caught up in the wires of a construction crane. While the Wreckers tried to get him loose, Sentinel engaged the pillars and started to transport Cybertron into Earth's orbit.
The Wreckers managed to free their leader, who swooped into the main battlefield and killed eleven Decepticons single-handed. Charging toward Shockwave, who had already been damaged by NEST soldiers, Optimus then ran his spiked fist through his side and tore out his eye. He then used his enemy's cannon to blast the control pillar, temporarily stalling the transportation of Cybertron.
Optimus demanded his former master to come down and confront him. Sentinel complied, but when Optimus started to get the upper hand, Sentinel called upon Decepticon fighters to fire at his former pupil. Pinned down by the enemy fire, Optimus was prevented from attacking until the fighters were destroyed. Optimus engaged Sentinel again, but this time he cut off Optimus's right arm after a lengthy sword fight. As Sentinel prepared to deliver the final blow, Megatron charged up, shot Sentinel in the back and proceeded to heavily damage the older Prime. Megatron then proposed a truce to Optimus on the condition that he would be in charge again. After all, as Megatron put it, "who would you be without me, Prime?" Realizing that Megatron could not be trusted, Optimus replied that it was "time to find out." He swung his axe at Megatron, disarmed him and took the axe to Megatron's head and ripped it out, taking Megatron's spine with it, killing his eternal foe.
The damaged and helpless Sentinel explained that Optimus had to see why he had betrayed his own side, for their race's survival in the long run. Optimus refused and told Sentinel he had betrayed himself and the values he was thought to have upheld as a Prime. Despite his former master's plea for mercy, Optimus fired two shots from Megatron's fusion shotgun, executing Sentinel. With Cybertron now (presumably) destroyed, Prime, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Dino, Sideswipe, and the Wreckers finally accepted Earth as their new home, and Optimus declared that the Autobots would never forsake the defense of Earth or its people. Dark of the Moon
Age of Extinction film
- Voice actor: Peter Cullen (English)
Further information in this article is coming soon - it just needs someone like you to write it up. |
Games
Commercial appearances
- As part of the hype buildup to the first movie's release, Optimus Prime made a brief cameo at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards, interacting with host Sarah Silverman. The scene spliced Silverman into pre-existing movie footage, but featured new dialogue recorded for the event by Peter Cullen. Prime heavily hinted that he wanted to present an award, but was rejected for a regular MTV fan.
- According to a tie-in advertisement for Burger King, Prime likes his Whoppers with no onions, no cheese, extra pickles, with a side of ????. However, due to a cruel twist of fate, he can never enjoy the sweet taste of beefy victory (and all because he needed a driver for him to receive his order). He saved the world from the Decepticons, and still he can't even have it his way? Where's the justice?
- Optimus Prime (in truck mode) made an appearance at BotCon 2007, alongside the Sector Seven Mobile Command Unit. He was available for pictures all weekend. He made a second appearance at BotCon 2009.
- Optimus threw a trailer during his appearance on an M&M's commercial.
- During the 2009 NBA Finals, a commercial aired where Optimus made a slam dunk and shattered the backboard.
- On July 6th 2009, Optimus appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman to declare the "Top Ten Things That Sound Cool When Said By A Giant Robot". Optimus said it was nice to be there, although David was clearly concerned by having an 28-feet tall robot in the studio because of a bad history of robots messing up the place, and during the presentation Letterman decided there was something about Prime he didn't like. Anyway, the top ten was:
- "Jergens lotion leaves my hands silky smooth."
- "Do you have these khakis in size 114?"
- "My perfect night involves a pint of Haagen-Dazs and season three of Sex and the City."
- "Man do I love me some 'taters."
- "It was so hot in Central Park, I saw a squirrel rubbing sunblock on his nuts."
- "You seemed a little pitchy, dawg."
- "Brody Jenner has added you as a friend on Facebook."
- "Live from New York, it's Saturday night."
- "My parents wanted me to be a Rabbi."
- "All the slammin' shorties in the house say 'Yeah'."[2]
- To promote the DVD and Blu-ray release of Revenge of the Fallen, Paramount set up a website where US fans could request Optimus call up their friends, warning them of Starscream's attempts to recruit human civilian allies.
- In the Discovery Channel promo, "The World Is Just Awesome," Optimus made a brief cameo, singing the words "boom-de-ya-da, boom-de-ya-da."[3]
- Prime (voiced by Cullen, but not animated by ILM) appeared to promote a NASA competition to vote for videos made by children about NASA's impact on commonplace technology.[4]
- Optimus appeared in truck mode at Toy Fair 2011. He got a $115 parking ticket.[5]
- Optimus was seen firing a basketball from his blaster in an ESPN commercial with Mark Cuban.[6]
Toys
Merchandise
- Main article: Optimus Prime (Movie)/merchandise
Notes
- When Optimus' design was first revealed, many fans of the Generation 1 series objected to the flames seen on Prime's body. When asked in an interview why he put the flames on, Michael Bay claimed he liked them because it was "cool". It was later revealed on a special featurette on the DVD that the flames were added because, apparently, red is not very good to film on camera, so Bay chose a blue truck but used the flames so that when Optimus transformed, the layout would result in maintaining his iconic red chest.
- In the director's commentary of the 2007 Transformers DVD, Michael Bay said that he had told the animators to seek inspiration from Liam Neeson in creating Optimus Prime's body language. Awesome
- Optimus Prime's Rise of the Chevy Autobots codename, "10-22", is CB radio slang for "report in person to." As in "Bumblebee, 10-22 to 10-22." Cute, huh?
- TakaraTomy officially recognizes Optimus Prime's vehicle mode as a Kenworth W900 truck, even though the vehicle used for filming was a modified Peterbilt 379, a different model from a different brand, although both are made by the PACCAR company.[7]
I
- Optimus Prime's truck mode is apparently intended to haul a flatbed trailer, based on the presence of the large silver "headache rack", a piece of optional equipment that protects the driver in case a flatbed load breaks free during braking. It is generally not installed on trucks hauling enclosed container trailers.
- When Optimus Prime scans a truck for his new body, the passing truck has what appears to be an Autobot sigil on its grill, but the actual truck that Prime turns into at the end of the scene has a much wider, flatter symbol on the grill, which looks rather more like that of Peterbilt. Then, Prime has an Autobot sigil on his grill while driving to meet the other Autobots.
- According to the free trading cards from the Boston Globe, Optimus is 28 feet tall, weighs 4.3 metric tons, and his primary weapon is an ion blaster. (Considering Optimus's height, however, this weight would seem implausible.)
- The Milton Bradley Transformers Battling Card Game depicts Prime with a unique a magnetic grapple attack, fired from the side of his arm. It also declares his forearm gun to be a chain gun (it's an ion blaster in other sources), and has him using a "judo kick", which... while it may not be out of the realm of plausibility for Prime to have learned an Earth martial art, judo does not actually use kicks, being focused on throwing moves. Oops.
- The Optimus Prime computer generated model consisted of 10,108 individual parts, 1,830,898 polygons, 27,744 rig nodes, and 2336 texture maps. The volume of all pieces combined came to 5445 cubic feet.[8]
- In Dark of the Moon, Optimus has Faux-parts, when he transforms in NEST base facing Mearing and Lennox, is noticeable that the Optimus robot truck parts are not the same that the actual truck mode body parts (or at least not all of them), notice the chest red panels are in fact hidden under the truck nose panels and his arms appears (God knows from where) already with its red/blue flames parts meanwhile the rest of the front of the vehicle fragments and hides into the robot, that is the only Optimus transformation that occurs like this way, in the other in-movie conversions some of his alternate mode's appearances seem to be absorbed into his body or outright disappear, this presumably is a reference to this feature in some toys, but this is not confirmed officially.
- It said in the Autobots game in the DS, Prime's father was killed by Megatron. However, since it is also widely known that Prime and Megatron were brothers, Megatron killed his own dad. Not that this is surprising, though.
- Optimus was supposed to combine with a trailer for Revenge of the Fallen, something for which Ben Procter and Josh Nizzi drew up designs. In the end, Nizzi designed the combination with Jetfire. However, the idea of Optimus combining with his trailer was not forgotten, and showed up on screen in Dark of the Moon.
- According to TakaraTomy marketing director Masahiko Yamazaki, for the Japanese dub of Transformers Animated, the Optimus featured in that show would become a young version of this one. Ultimately, this didn't make it into the end product as the show went largely unchanged.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Optimus Prime (オプティマスプライム Oputimasu Puraimu)
- Cantonese: O Baak Man (Hong Kong, 柯柏文)
- Hungarian: Optimusz Fővezér ("Prime Leader Optimus")
- Indonesian: Optimus Prime (옾티뭇 패리므"Op-ti-mus Pri-me", different from Optimus Prime), sometimes also Sang Ketujuh (상 크투줗"The Seventh") (In Indonesian Optimus is known as the seventh Prime) or Pemimpin Para Autobot (프밈핀 파라 아우토붙"The Leader of the Autobots")
- Mandarin: Kē Bó Wén (Taiwan, 柯博文), Qíng Tīan Zhù (China, 擎天柱, "Pillar that Supports the Sky")
- Ukrainian: Optimus Naikrashchiy (Оптимус Наiкращий, "Optimus the Best")
References
- ↑ Autobot VS Decepticon Smackdown! - Megatron V. Optimus Prime, #4
- ↑ Lateshow CBS archive video of Optimus's guest spot.
- ↑ Discovery commercial on YouTube.
- ↑ NASA Optimus Prime
- ↑ Daily Mail article on Prime's fine.
- ↑ Mark Cuban looking for Optimus Prime to be his new "big man." Transformers 3 ESPN
- ↑ Article at Edmunds.com on some of the vehicles used in the movie
- ↑ Robertson, Barbara (2007). Heavy Metal. Computer Graphics, 30(7), 12-17.
External links
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