Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity
Optimus Prime did a lot of things to help shape the IDW Generation 1 continuity!
IDW Generation 1 comics
Orion Pax: Supercop
Before the war, Optimus was known as Orion Pax. In intellectual pursuits he excelled, graduating from the Institute for Higher Programming and enrolling in the Academy of Science and Technology, while in the religious quarter he proved a skeptic, doubting the existence of the Knights of Cybertron. Chaos Theory Part 2 Post Hoc He went on to become a rising star in Cybertron's police force who served as an inspiration to his fellow officers, eventually becoming captain of the Rodion police force. Chaos Theory Part 1 He was notably liberal in his duties, even convincing his old Academy friend Ratchet to run a free clinic in the city's Dead End. Post Hoc
When the manual class miner Megatron was arrested for assault, Orion was intrigued by his treatise on non-violent resistance. After doing some investigation and discovering he wasn't guilty, Orion had Megatron released and told him that he had read his work and to keep working for change. Chaos Theory Part 1 In addition, Orion had his officer Whirl locked up for abusing Megatron while he was in jail—an action that made the Senate very unhappy, as they had actually orchestrated Megatron's arrest in order to silence his voice of dissent. A gang of Senate thugs tried to coerce Orion into releasing Whirl, and when he refused, they returned to break Whirl out and kill Orion. Convinced now that Megatron's belief in the corruption of the Senate was true, Orion took his attackers down with a mix of righteous fury and tactical skills, and then forced his way into the Grand Imperium. There, he made a defiant speech to the Senate, saying his eyes had been opened by Megatron, only to be forcibly removed from the building. But Orion's speech had succeeded in reaching one of the Senate's members: Senator Shockwave, who had for some time been searching for prospective new candidates to help free Cybertron from the Senate's corrupt stranglehold. Arranging for Orion's release, Shockwave had his injuries repairs and a cavity for the Matrix of Leadership added to his body, and the pair began working together in secret. Chaos Theory Part 2
In the dark times that followed, as the Senate initiated the Clampdown, and the Decepticon movement inspired by Megatron's writings grew in strength, Orion continued to do his duties the best he could. After saving the derelict Drift from some thugs and delivering him to Ratchet's clinic, Pax witnessed a news report on the death of the current Matrix bearer Nominus Prime, allegedly the victim a rust infection. Calling a meeting with Shockwave, Orion learned from him that the Senate were truly responsible for Nominus's death, and that a plan involving the Decepticons was currently in motion. Post Hoc With Decepticon sympathizer Senator Sherma having recently been murdered, Shockwave feared that fellow sympathizer Momus was in danger, and Pax rushed into action. Unfortunately, he arrived too late, and found Momus dead and officers Prowl and Tumbler fighting his murderer. Pax took out the killer, and upon discovering that he had been using a borrowed body from a Relinquishment Clinic, sent the other two officers to follow the lead. Pax himself, meanwhile, responded to a summons from Garrus-1, where an imprisoned Whirl, seeking revenge against the Senate that had abandoned him, informed Orion of a bombing plot Senator Proteus was masterminding. Regrouping with Prowl and Tumbler—who had discovered the Institute that the Senate was using to brainwash troublemakers—Pax and his allies realised that the Senate had planted a bomb inside Nominus Prime's corpse, intending to blame the destruction on the Decepticons, thereby allowing the Senate to send them all to The Institute to be corrected. Patternism
Recruiting some super-powered "Outliers" from Shockwave's Academy of Advanced Technology to lend their powers to the effort, Pax led his team in removing the bomb—hidden in the form of a fake Matrix—from Nominus's body as it lay in state, though Pax had to defer to Ratchet in the actual bomb removal, which was wired in with complex locks. The theft successfully completed, the team departed, but, having not been contacted by Roller at the appointed time, Pax sped on ahead to investigate, returning just in time to find that Senate thugs Kroma, Macabre and the Heavies had attacked their safehouse to capture Shockwave. Pax took out one of the Heavies, but Shockwave agreed to surrender when Kroma threatened Roller's life. The remaining Heavy, Anvil, stayed behind to finish off Pax, but Pax used the Matrix-bomb to destroy his attacker. Believing that Shockwave would have been taken to the Institute, Pax had Tumbler lead him there, but they discovered the facility deserted: merely one of many Institutes, with no way of knowing in which Shockwave was being held. An Intimate Beheading When next Orion saw Shockwave, he had undergone not only empurata, but a complex form of Shadowplay that stripped him of his emotions. Though Pax believed that Shockwave could overcome what had been done to him, the "new" Shockwave told him that he was not the same 'bot who had befriend him, and to give up on him. It would take some time for the truth to sink in that Shockwave really didn't care any more. Shockwaves
You're working for the clampdown!
After the deaths of Nominus's Senate-appointed successor Sentinel Prime and his senator masters at the Decepticons' hands, Zeta Prime rose to lead the battle against the growing Decepticon threat, and Orion Pax stood by him as a friend and loyal soldier: he believed things were slowly changing for the better under Zeta. Together, they reformed the former senate's security forces into an army to combat the Decepticon insurgency; Orion named them the "Autobots", having previously decided to "reclaim" this pejorative term that other alien races used refer to Cybertronians. Omega's Conundrum Chaos Theory Part 2 While reviewing new recruits gathered for the Autobot forces by Kup, Orion was called out by an ornery veteran civil militia soldier named Ironhide, who didn't believe that a highly-decorated police officer knew anything of real warfare, and had no business leading an army. Pax invited the old warhorse to teach him. Old Ways
When Ratchet was captured by the Decepticons, Zeta had Orion upgraded into a new body so that he could carry out a prisoner exchange, though he lamented the loss of his lucky faceplate. Guided to the exchange point in the Rust Spot by Alpha Trion, Pax and hostage negoiator Nightbeat fended off an attack by the Slicers; the battle broke Pax's trailer open, revealing that the hostages they were carrying were two grunts named Rack and Ruin, who Orion encouraged to abandon the Decepticon cause. Proceeding to the Decepticon base, the team discovered that the whole exchange had been a ruse by Bludgeon to capture Alpha Trion. Pax fought back long enough for to allow the others to escape, and as punishment, Bludgeon strapped him to a shuttle and launched it at the nearest population center. Orion improvised by using an "instantaneous transformation" trick picked up from Rack and Ruin to break his bonds, allowing him to take control of the shuttle and crash it into an unpopulated area. Omega's Conundrum
Some time later, still in his upgraded form, Orion Pax, Kup, Ironhide and their team were on a mission to thwart an assassination attempt on Zeta Prime. Disenchanted racer Blurr stumbled into the midst of a firefight between the two units; as the Decepticon unit pulled out to continue its mission, Orion petitioned Blurr for help, asking him to use his speed to get word to Zeta before it was too late. The former celebrity balked, but ultimately the young soldier helped Blurr find what really drove him to race, and thus recruited him to the Autobot cause. Curiously, Kup was heard to refer to Orion as "Optimus" during this adventure. Spotlight: Blurr
Becoming Prime
Eventually, back in his original body once again, Orion became the commander of his own six-bot counter-insurgency unit working directly under Zeta Prime, though he had grown angry and detached from his experiences. During a mission to arrest the arms dealer Swindle in Nyon, he lost his temper and almost beat the Decepticon to death in front of horrified onlookers. Law and Disorder He later admitted to Ultra Magnus that he was frustrated with his own failures and uncertain if they were really on the right side, since so many civilians seemed to hate them and the government. Parasites Dispatched by Zeta Prime to hunt down the spy Soundwave, Orion succeeded in defeating the Decepticon in spite of Frenzy's attempts to turn the fear and paranoia of bystanders against him. Before he could capture him, however, several other Decepticons arrived, taking his subordinate Bumblebee hostage and telling him Megatron wanted an audience with him. The Hunt for Soundwave Brought to a bar in Kaon, Orion listened as Megatron tried to talk him into siding with the Decepticons, claiming that Zeta was planning to drain energon from civilians, and had only sent Orion's team into Nyon in the hopes that they would die, giving him an official reason to attack the city. Orion stalled the conversation long enough that his allies could break in and rescue him and Bumblebee, then returned to Iacon and confronted Zeta with Megatron's claims. Zeta only told him not to question his motives before sending him on his next mission to capture the insurgent Hot Rod. Cause and Effect
Tracking Hot Rod to the Acropolex in Nyon, Orion Pax and his men followed him into the depths of the building, where they discovered tanks of energon drained from the city's population by Zeta Prime, just as Megatron had claimed. Having seen the truth with his own eyes, Orion decided to turn on the corrupt government just as Zeta began attacking Nyon with his Omega Destructors. Ruins Leaving Hot Rod to evacuate the city, he and his unit tried and failed to defeat one of the Destructors. As they tried to escape, Nyon began to explode, and Orion realized that Zeta had set everything up to force Hot Rod's insurgents into self-destructing their own city. As Zeta arrived in person, Orion tried to fight him but was quickly dispatched by his vamparc ribbon. Purge Before Zeta could execute them, Orion and his team were saved by none other than Megatron and his Decepticons, who brought them back to Kaon for repairs. Though he still didn't trust Megatron, Orion Pax now knew he had told the truth about Zeta and agreed to join forces against him. Choices
As their soldiers invaded Zeta Prime's Citadel, Orion Pax and Megatron were air-dropped into his chamber and confronted him in person. Though Orion lost an arm in the battle, he managed to destroy Zeta's weapon, and the corrupt Prime was finally killed by Megatron. As soon as everything was over, however, Megatron betrayed the Autobots and shot Orion in the back, casting him into the Undergrid beneath the citadel. Overthrown Left for dead, Orion was drawn towards a distant light which turned out to be the hiding place of the long-missing Matrix of Leadership. As a voice called out for him to take the artifact, he did so and was suddenly overcome with the pain, fear, and loneliness felt by all living Cybertronians. Imbued with new clarity and wisdom, he realized that the Autobots were not ment to fight for unity—since in the eyes of the Matrix, all were one—but rather for the freedom of all sapient beings. As the Matrix repaired his body, Orion Pax declared that he was giving up his identity for his people: he was now Optimus Prime. Transformation Guided by the Matrix back to the ruins of Nyon, Optimus reunited with his allies amidst the wreckage. Revealing the Matrix and his new goals and desires to his friends, he then used talisman to awaken an ancient, slumbering life force he could sense beneath the city: Metroplex. Rise
To raise the army he needed to defeat Megatron—who had seized control of Cybertron in his absence—Optimus recruited the aid of news broadcaster Blaster, who put out a rallying call for aid across Iaconian Newsfeed Service. Joined by thousands of freedom-seeking Transformers, Prime marched on Iacon. Broadcast While Metroplex handled Megatron's "vamparc annihilator" weapon, Optimus engaged Megatron himself in a duel and emerged victorious with some timely aid from Hot Rod, though Megatron escaped with the vow that the war was just beginning. Vowing not to make the same mistakes as Zeta, Prime ordered a cache of illegal weapons discovered in the Undergrid destroyed, and thanked Hot Rod for his help. The younger 'bot was unsure if he deserved the gratitude, given his destruction of Nyon, but Prime assured him of his heroism, speculating that even he could bear the Matrix one day. Endgame
In the wake of the Decepticons' defeat, Optimus Prime inaugurated the Grand Convocation, calling on representatives of all the planet's various guilds and groups to work together toward peace. Former senator Dai Atlas loudly objected to his leadership based on his past as a combatant, and a weary Optimus conferred with Alpha Trion on how best to proceed. Derelicts Pax called Dai Atlas to a private meeting to hash out their differences, Faces of Darkness but news of an attack on the Toraxxis mega-refinery interrupted their discussion, and both 'bots responded to the alarm. At the refinery, they discovered Grimlock's Dinobots facing off against the Decepticons, now under the command of Scorponok. Losing control of his monstrous alternate mode, Grimlock was ready to blow the entire refinery to destroy himself and all present, but Optimus was able to talk him down, only for Scorponok to trigger the explosion instead. Rage
Though Prime and his men survived the refinery explosion, thousands died in the blast. Prime delivered a eulogy for the fallen, but the catastrophe was a turning point for Cybertron, as, under Dai Atlas's leadership, huge portions of the planet's population evacuated to seek new worlds. Optimus refused to abandoned his homeworld, and sent a science team to explore the refinery blast crater in hopes of finding a new energon source. Fallout Prime himself then called Kup in for information on the Dynobots, reviewing classified files that revealed that, on their last missions, they had adopted monstrous new alternate modes based on creatures they discovered in the caverns beneath Toraxxis. Underworld The science team soon returned to report their own meeting with these beasts, along with a reservoir of tainted energon and a colossal reptilian Transformer guarding it. Prey Prime presented these findings to the Grand Convocation upon their next meeting, they were not enough to sway Dai Atlas from his course. To make matters worse, a riot erupted amongst the evacuating civilians at Starsreach Spaceport that Prime had to quell in person; no sooner had he done so, and the exodus resumed, than the Decepticons launched an attack. Massacre The attack caused Grimlock, who had come to turn himself to Prime, to loose control and adopt his feral beast form; after he drove the Decepticons back, Optimus calmed the Dinobot down and got him under control. The Dinobots were impressed with Optimus, but despite his pleas, they still insisted on leaving the planet. Unleashed
Returning to his quarters to vent some of his anger, Optimus was soon summoned by Bumblebee with more bad news: the Decepticons had activated the giant beast from Toraxxis. Prime asked Metroplex for his aid, but the city-bot had become so long on energy that he could not transform, and could merely offer Prime information, such as the beast's name: Trypticon. Prime organized a heavy weapons assault against Trypticon, The Illusion of Control but the barrage failed, and when Prime tried to intimidate the giant with the sight of the Matrix itself, it simply stomped on him. As Prime watched, however, the Dynobots came dropping out of the sky to join the battle, followed quickly by Megatron, returning from a recent off-planet escapade of his own. Prime passed out before he could see Megatron and Grimlock be swallowed by Trypticon, Annihilation and so did not witness them deactivating it from within. During the battle, Bumblebee and Ultra Magnus went to Prime's aid, replacing the Matrix—knocked from him by Trypticon's attack—in his chest. Belly of the Beast
War without end
Megatron would later incorrectly claim that his and Prime's first meeting took place during the Rorsha Campaign, when they battled on Sherma Bridge. Prime's side lost 5000 men but he sliced off the tyrant's cannon arm with his energon axe before he lost and got thrown off the bridge. Every Autobot and Decepticon stopped fighting to witness their duel. Chaos Theory Part 1
As the war bore on, Optimus and Ironhide's student-and-teacher relationship evolved. Prime grew willing to go against Ironhide's counsel, once doing so to save the Autobots from Trypticon waiting in ambush, while also learning the benefit of sticking to your guns like the stubborn old soldier did, once insisting on saving Ironhide's life after a booby-trap left them badly damaging and hanging over a cliff-edge. Down the years, Ironhide developed a respect and awe for his protege, Old Ways eventually taking on the position of his official bodyguard. It was in this capacity, four million years ago, that Ironhide saved Optimus when he was ambushed by Soundwave and his cassettes while attempting to stop a Decepticon energon convoy. With Ironhide covering him from afar, Prime then proceeded to talk the convoy into surrendering without having to fire a single shot. During a party to celebrate this win, Prime declined Prowl's request to address the troops, and went out to converse with Kup and Ironhide, privately confiding in them that he foresaw the war going on without end. As the party continued, Decepticon assassin Axer made an attempt on Prime's life, but Ironhide saved him, throwing himself in the path of the blast. The Iron Age
Prime's actions during the long course of the war were many. As the conflict spread across the galaxy, he commanded the Autobot armed forced from the Autobot Orbital Command Hub. Stormbringer He was part of the 113th Battalion when they battled Black Shadow. Rules of Disengagement During the Simanzi Massacre, he prevented over a thousand Autobots and neutrals from falling into The Crucible. Pyro's Autopedia entry He was also involved in preventing the Black Epoch. Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4 Optimus battled Megatron many times, on multiple worlds: he lost half his face to Megatron's energon mace during the Battle for Hell's Point and retaliated by using Tremorcons' Geo-Scoop to drop a city block on his opponent, and he was nearly destroyed during the Siege of Massunstrad when Megatron trapped him in an anti-matter chamber. Optimus would get in his licks too, however; during the Vorsk Offensive, he nearly sliced Megatron in half; at Rada Mor, Prime nearly destroyed Megatron while defending some "sentient explosives". Chaos Theory Part 1 At the war's zenith, Optimus sealed himself in an Omniglobe to absorb the relentless flood of data coming in from countless fronts. Rules of Disengagement
700 stellar cycles ago, Prime and Megatron joined forces to battle Thunderwing. Driven by his belief that the already badly-degenerated Cybertron would soon become completely uninhabitable, Thunderwing had, through polydermal grafting, inadvertently turned himself into a monster whose subsequent rampage only accelerated the planet's collapse. In a final, futile stand at Thunderhead Pass, Optimus could only watch as Cybertron itself swallowed Thunderwing. Stormbringer #1 Although this ultimately brought the planet to a point of no return, forcing all the Transformers to leave their world behind, Prime refused to allow Megatron to go through with his plan to destroy Cybertron itself to ensure Thunderwing was no more. Stormbringer #2
In 2005, while on the Orbital Command Hub, Prime received a communication from Ironhide, presently stationed on the planet Earth as part of a unit led by Prowl. Ironhide's message warned the local Decepticon infiltration cell under Starscream had broken their infiltration methods and enacted siege mode prematurely, and Prime ordered the situation to be monitored. Infiltration #3Stormbringer #1 Soon afterward, when the Autobot science vessel Calabi-Yau sent a distress signal from above Thunderhead Pass, Prime decided to investigate personally, upgrading himself additional armor and armaments and ordering the Wreckers to meet him on Cybertron. Stormbringer #2 Venturing into the planet's depths, Prime's team discovered that Thunderwing had been restored by Bludgeon and his followers. Stormbringer #3 Faced with the planet-ravaging monster once again, Prime found himself willing to succumb to Megatron's way of thinking this time, and considered destroying Cybertron to remove the threat. Fortunately, it did not come to that: studying Bludgeon's files, Jetfire discovered that he had reanimated Thunderwing with an exceptionally powerful "Ultra-Energon" that would burn out in short order. His conscience still guilty over the past, Prime took on Thunderwing personally for the final exchange of the battle, unleashing massive amounts of firepower at monster, forcing it to exhaust its power reserves and ultimately, its life. Stormbringer #4
Objective: Earth
Jetfire discovered information in Bludgeon's files about the mysterious new form of Energon found on Earth. Linking it to the pulsewave transmission from Ironhide, Prime diverted his spacecraft to Earth and called Nightbeat in to assist him. Spotlight: Nightbeat. Shortly after arrival, and having undergone alteration so that he could disguise himself as an Earth truck, he slowly began to realize how unusual the situation Prowl's unit had found itself in was. Infiltration #6 Wheeljack alerted Optimus Prime to Decepticon activity in Latveria, so Optimus Prime ordered everyone except Wheeljack to roll out. They arrived and the humans assembled There they discovered a heavily shielded "array" that the Decepticons were using as a base.Man and Machine #1 They skirmished with the humans that were assembled outside who were under the influence of the Decepticons' mind-altering Psycho-Prism. Optimus Prime ordered his troops to use standard human containment techniques, and to not kill any of them.
After a while, Ratchet was able to attach an inhibitor device to Captain America which nullified the effects of the Psycho-Prism. He gave Captain America enough devices for everyone on his team. Now calmed down, Optimus Prime was able to explain about their struggle against the Decepticons, and they teamed up to shut down the Psycho-Prism. They began attacking the array's defenses which caused the Decepticons—whose powers were augmented by Spider-Man's super powers—to attack. Optimus Prime got blasted and injured by Thundercracker. Man and Machine #2 As they fought, Optimus Prime told Ratchet to get inside the array. He then made a point to coordinate better with the leader of the humans. Then Bumblebee, Jazz, and Prime gave a power-boost to Iron Man in his Transformer-sized armor. This allowed them to beat the Decepticons back.
After the battle quieted down, Megatron communicated via hologram from inside the array with his new ally Doctor Doom. They showed their captives, Ratchet, Prowl, Luke Cage, and Spider-Man. Megatron ordered their surrender or the captives would die. Optimus Prime ordered the quick destruction of the array. After a brief discussion, they all attacked the array. Megatron turned on Doctor Doom for being incorrect about them surrendering. Megatron didn't go through with his threat to kill his captives, instead he went outside to face his opponents and carrying Luke Cage. Man and Machine #3
While Megatron was attacking, Bumblebee, Jazz, and Wolverine orbital bounced into the array. They found that Doctor Doom switched sides and freed Spider-Man. Prowl and Ratchet augmented their power with Wolverine's blood, and orbital bounced with Spider-Man outside to join the battle. With their help they defeated Megatron while Wolverine destroyed the Psycho-Prism. Megatron and the Decepticons retreated. Man and Machine #4
Not only had the Decepticons broken their own infiltration protocols over what Starscream had dubbed Ore-13, but after attempting to recover what appeared to be Sunstreaker's remains, it was also evident that some of the planet's native sentient lifeforms—humans—posed a threat possibly equal to that of their old enemies. Escalation #2
Optimus Prime, now fully filled-in on Earth's happenings, decided that they needed reinforcements. He called Nightbeat, Hot Rod, and Hardhead to come when they could. When Prowl pointed out that Megatron, in his new gun-based Earth mode, was in the breakaway Soviet state of Brasnya stirring up trouble, Prime ordered them into action. Blitzwing almost got the drop on Prime, but Roller was right behind him and took out Blitzwing with a single shot. Megatron returned to his full-size robot mode and disagreed with the quality of Prime's tea and crumpets. At last, the two rivals were going to go at it. The fight went well at first, with Prime blowing Megatron's fusion cannon clean off. Megatron, however, tireless thanks to Ore-13, prevailed, almost beating Prime into stasis lock. Escalation #5
However, Prime transferred his consciousness into his trailer, leading Megatron to believe him dead. Realizing that Ore-13 was the same as Ultra-Energon, Prime returned to his body in time to save his forces from the relentless Megatron, blasting him point blank in the face and dealing enough damage to the Decepticon leader to drain his power reserves, just as he did against Thunderwing. The victory was narrow, however, leaving Optimus with the daunting task of fending off an increasing enemy force without his last ace in the hole. Escalation #6
This near-death experience had left Prime somewhat unsettled. While his consciousness was in infraspace downloading to his trailer, he sensed a presence of dread—the visage of his long-missing predecessor, Nova Prime. Looking for answers, Optimus Prime left Earth temporarily to seek an audience with Omega Supreme for answers. Once there, he found out about Nova's beliefs of how Transformers were a superior race and should remake the universe in their image, and he faced down the rampaging Monstructor, a legacy of Nova's tenure locked away by Omega Supreme. Then he gave his "you shouldn't have done that" speech to Omega, handed Monstructor's limbs over to Jetfire's team, and went on to have angst-ridden introspection about himself and the tarnished legacy of the Prime lineage. Spotlight: Optimus Prime
After returning to Earth, Nightbeat discovered that a human group was aware of the base's location and recommended to Prime that they move the Ark-19. As preparations were underway, Prime received a message from Hound saying that Thunderwing had been stolen. Sideswipe, eager to search for Sunstreaker, suggested that they be reassigned to Earth, and Prime agreed. However, the thrashing that Prime gave Megatron had so embarrassed the Decepticon leader that he ordered in the Decepticons' living weapon, Sixshot. While moving the Ark-19, Prime and the others came under fire by Sixshot, who severely damaged their ship. Devastation #1
Ordering Ratchet to get Jimmy Pink and Verity Carlo to safety, Optimus then instructed Nightbeat to upload all of Ark-19's data to Ark-32 and for Prowl to activate the self-destruct sequence. Devastation #2 When Ark-19 exploded, it was assumed that Optimus was on board, but all was good at the end when he appeared with Bumblebee and the others, ready to take on Sixshot. Devastation #3 Optimus and the Autobots held Sixshot at bay, but the U.S. military ordered an air strike to destroy the alien robots. The battle was a stalemate, as Sixshot had to return to the Decepticons while the Autobots orbital jumped just in time to avoid destruction. Devastation #4 On Ark-32, after a conversation with Jetfire, Prime informed Prowl that they needed to retrieve Wheeljack, Hot Rod and Ironhide, and leave Earth to see to another crisis. The secure facility on Garrus-9 had been breached, and Prime and company needed to make sure that some of the "recent inmates" there didn't end up "in enemy hands". Devastation #5 Before leaving Earth, Optimus Prime redirected Hound's unit to rendezvous with Ark-32 at Garrus-9, and he told Hound to impress upon Sideswipe the importance of their mission and how he didn't leave Earth or Sunstreaker behind lightly. Devastation #6
Optimus Prime and Prowl met with Fortress Maximus and Jetfire on Garrus-9 and discussed the prisoners' breakout and how a surviving Decepticon had been tortured. Maximus and Jetfire gave each other a guilty glance. Prime left Maximus in charge and returned with Prowl to the Ark-32. Meanwhile, Dead Universe resident Cyclonus attacked Hound's crew, but they received help from Ultra Magnus and drove Cyclonus to escape to Corata-Vaz. There, he activated the Nega-Core and fought with Magnus and Hound's crew, who had followed him. In desperation, Cyclonus activated the Nega-Core's guardian—Thunderwing. Using the distraction, Cyclonus escaped, but Magnus sent another tracker after him. All this was reported to Optimus Prime on the Ark-32, who recognized that this had something to do with his infraspace encounter in Brasnya. Prime ordered Jetfire to summon the Wreckers to find out what Thunderwing was guarding. Spotlight: Cyclonus
The prison soon came under attack from Nova Prime. Rather than watch his soldiers be slaughtered by the undead monster, Optimus Prime ordered a retreat and faced Nova alone. Announcing his new title of Nemesis Prime, Optimus's predecessor explained the nature of the Darkness before unleashing a portion on the Autobot leader. Shattered, Prime collapsed onto his hands and knees as Nemesis loomed. Spotlight: Doubledealer
Unexpectedly for Nemesis Prime, the Darkness seemed to be more interested in the younger Prime and sought to be passed onto Optimus. Nemesis wasn't about to let go of the power he commanded, and he savagely attacked Optimus Prime, whose attempts at reason fell on deaf ears. Just as Nemesis Prime seemed victorious, Galvatron attacked the fallen Prime from behind, killing him. Nemesis's death allowed the Darkness finally to enter Optimus, who tried to fight against its evil to no avail. Galvatron offered the Autobot a choice: kill himself by plunging into the Solar pool, or pass on the Darkness to Galvatron, who had coveted it for so long. Optimus seemed to do so willingly, but just as he passed on the Darkness, he threw the surprised Galvatron into the solar pool. As Optimus gazed upon the dead body of Nemesis, he told himself he could not mourn the elder Prime's death, as Nova had truly died long ago. Spotlight: Sideswipe
A year later, Optimus Prime combined his Autobot squad with another squad. Having received word of a supposed Decepticon power struggle, Prime led the Autobots to a location where Starscream's "group" was, only to be ambushed by a unified Decepticon force. Though they managed to turn the tide briefly, Devastator's appearance made the difference, enabling Megatron to rip the Matrix of Leadership from Prime's chest. Prime was dealt another blow (mentally) when the Autobots were told that they'd been sold out by a traitor in their ranks (who was later revealed to be Sunstreaker). All Hail Megatron #8 The Autobots were led to a space bridge, where Prime, who was the last to go, used his remaining energy to destroy the machine. Unfortunately, this heroic act left Prime in critical condition. All Hail Megatron #7 With this defeat, the Autobots were forced to leave Earth to the Decepticons. All Hail Megatron #1
After Prime's unit met up with Kup's unit, and after dealing with the Swarm and Sunstreaker's sacrifice to save them, Ratchet and Wheeljack managed to use energon from the Trion to bring Prime back online in time to smooth over an Autobot argument. As the others excitedly welcomed him back, Prime made a speech about how he was proud of them and that he wanted to win the war. All Hail Megatron #9. After the Autobots recovered and prepared for a final stand against the Swarm, Prime had a brief chat with Ironhide (during which Ironhide admitted to hating him secretly at first sight at the start of the Great War), then prepared for the Swarm's onslaught. When they came, the Autobots fought back, but they were quickly outnumbered by the thousands. Thankfully, Omega Supreme arrived and saved them from certain doom. After Omega briefly told them about his arrival, Prime ordered him to transform and transport the Autobots back to Earth. All Hail Megatron #10
Arriving at New York City while the Decepticons were fending off attacks by a European air squad, Optimus and the Autobots began to engage the Decepticons again. After a bit of fighting, and with the threat of Devastator, Optimus ordered Omega Supreme to take Devastator away from the city and fight him elsewhere. Optimus Prime encountered Megatron, and the two engaged in a bit of viewpoint bantering, mostly about the way their war was now changing and the fact that the humans Prime had "sworn to protect" were about to drop a nuclear bomb on the city. All Hail Megatron #11
After that, they engaged in a fierce battle while trading more banter. At first, Megatron took the advantage, but just as he was about to leave with the Decepticons and take the Matrix with him, a shot from an experimental weapon made from a Transformer fired by a brave human hit him it the face. Seizing the opportunity, Optimus grabbed Megatron's fusion cannon and slammed it against Megatron's head, bringing him down in defeat. Before Optimus could truly finish him off, however, Starscream intervened and, after exchanging words, took off with Megatron and the Matrix. Prime's decision to go after them or save New York from nuclear devastation was rendered moot when Thundercracker, who had grown disenchanted with the way the Decepticons went after the humans, blew up the bomb at the cost of his own life (thanks to an angry Skywarp). The war over for the moment, Prime met with Spike Witwicky, thanked him for helping the Autobots out, and asked if there was some way to help the humans in return. However, Spike responded that they had brought their war to Earth, so any chance of human-Transformer relations was now long gone. All Hail Megatron #12
Later, in an abandoned cave supposedly somewhere within NY's ruins, Optimus heard Ironhide's resignation from the Autobot forces. Respecting Ironhide too much, he did not argue, but after some energon and a little flashback, Optimus convinced Ironhide to stay. Old Ways
Three years later, Prime was still insisting the Autobots remain on Earth despite minimal Decepticon activity and the development of human technology capable of fending off Cybertronian. Hot Rod, already frustrated by the capture of Prowl, snapped and accused Prime of allowing both his guilt at the events of three years ago and his need to protect something to trap the Autobots on a world that didn't want them anymore. Optimus was left nearly speechless, forcing him to allow Hot Rod to lead a risky mission to free Prowl. In order to put some of his fears to rest, Ironhide went along to keep the more emotional 'bots in check. This mission ended with the freeing of Prowl, at the cost of Ironhide's life.
The loss of Ironhide forced Optimus to re-examine his actions of the past years. Concluding he had been the wrong, leading the Autobots down a self-destructive path, Prime resigned his post as Autobot leader and handed himself over to the humans. ...For All Mankind Optimus was brought inside the Skywatch base and put into transformation stasis. However, he was shortly freed (but not released) as Spike Witwicky decided they needed to talk. New Arrivals, Old Encounters Spike attempted to have a conversation with Optimus and get him some help, but Optimus stonewalled him, saying that he was captured, at their mercy and therefore not allowed to be treated nicely. He refused to talk any further and was moved into a holding cell. Later, Hoist, Tracks and Beachcomber were brought into Skywatch captivity. Spike explained that although Prime didn't want any help, he'd want to help his troops, and so should talk with Spike. A Rude Awakening
Optimus told Spike that he believed that he was an ineffective leader since the Decepticons left. Prime hoped that without his overwhelming presence, his men would learn to evolve and move beyond his mistakes. Enemies of the System Spike later convinced Optimus to help the Autobots and Skywatch prevent the loss of innocent lives threatened by the new combiner, Menasor. Optimus heroically battled Menasor, but after the combiner was defeated, Red Alert asked Prime what to do next and Optimus responded that he was not in charge anymore and would return in Skywatch custody. Earthworks Optimus later thanked Spike for the human contributions to defeating the Decepticons. All His Engines
Soon, the Combaticons appeared in North Korea, and Spike recruited Optimus and the Autobots to fight against them. The Land Ironclads Optimus later saw Spike complaining of the lack of brains his unit was displaying and stated that such a flaw is reflected on its commander. The Autobots were forced to fight in vehicle mode after the President called them "weapons of mass destruction". Ranks of Bronze During the battle, Prime smashed into Vortex and managed to bring the Combaticons' leader Onslaught to his knees. All was going well until the arrival of the Predacons, representing the People's Republic of China. Hawk among the Sparrows Optimus Prime tried to get the Predacons to stand down, and they agreed to move no moves against the other warriors so long as China's borders were not breached. At least, until Onslaught shot Rampage in the back. This caused a brawl between the Autobots, Combaticons, and Predacons. Optimus took control of the situation by having Thundercracker attack Dandong and Pyongyang to cut off China and North Korea's energon production capacity and their involvements with the Cybertronians for good. All My Sins Remembered
After the assassination attempt on Bumblebee while Prime's forces were still overseas, Optimus Prime tried to figure out how a mere human weapon used by the protester could have damaged Bumblebee. Smokescreen jumped to the conclusion that it was Skywatch weaponry but Spike insisted Skywatch didn't want the weapons out in the public as much as the Autobots. Just then, Jazz ordered everyone to don their crash suits right before the jet exploded. The Demolished Man Optimus Prime and the others survived the plane crash, making their way underwater for several hours in vehicle mode (with Spike and the Skywatch agents inside) until reaching the Panama Canal. Woken Furies
Megatron revealed his involvement in recent events, and told Optimus Prime he knew Prime would survive the plane crash. Megatron said he did not want kill Optimus, but to destroy him, and the Autobots would soon know the difference. Optimus met up with Megatron and Soundwave as the Decepticon leader explained the guns made from his previous body were scattered around the world and nobody could stop him. Optimus insisted those humans using the guns are renegades and admitted he didn't trust all humans, but he trusted Spike. Megatron pushed the situation by dumping several wounded Autobots onto a school playground where some Megatron-gun holders prepared to destroy them. Optimus charged up his ion blaster and Megatron laughed because the weapon would not harm him in his current state. Optimus said he's right and blasted Soundwave through the head, ending the communication to the Megatron-guns. Furious, Megatron stated he has lost one soldier, but Prime would lose everything. He departed, leaving Prime to clean up the mess. Burning Chrome
Back at Omega Supreme, Optimus learned that Ultra Magnus put a tracking chip on Soundwave earlier and Optimus Prime prepared to track him down. Before the assault, Prime told Jetfire and Cosmos to meet him in Earth's orbit. Optimus jumped from a plane, dropping onto an abandoned laboratory where Megatron had Shockwave working to save Soundwave. He told Megatron to bring the fight outside if he didn't want to lose more troops. With Jetfire's help, Optimus arranged for a Kinetic Harpoon to blast down on Megatron's position, but the massive devastation kicked up by the impact still didn't drop the repowered Decepticon leader. He started beating on Megatron asking why he never dies. Megatron beat Prime and brought him back to Skywatch where he surprised everyone by surrendering. After receiving repairs, Optimus told a heavily restrained Megatron that Omega Supreme will transform if he sensed Megatron trying to escape. Megatron responded by telling Prime he was exactly where he wanted to be. Megatron then claimed one of the Autobots' human allies killed Scrapper and Prime told Prowl to investigate this claim. Prime reviewed their current situation and contemplated the coming chaos. Enemy Mine Optimus Prime later learned, from a sudden appearance of Hot Rod, Sunstreaker, and Ironhide, that Cybertron was habitable but had been taken over by Galvatron. Optimus and most of the Autobots left aboard Omega Supreme's rocket part to liberate their homeworld Orphans of Helix, after giving Prowl "five minutes" to question Megatron Police Action: Prologue On the way, Optimus questioned a captive Megatron why he surrendered but never got an answer. Optimus then resorted to using the VVH and, if Omega Supreme hadn't had cut the power, Megatron would have perished. Chaos Theory Part 1
Optimus Prime arrived on Cybertron and did battle with Galvatron's forces. Galvatron warned Optimus of a threat that could destroy them all but did not elaborate more afterwards. Lamentations Optimus later realized the Kimia facility preparing to fire on Cybertron. Rodimus and Trailbreaker headed for the facility's target and Silverbolt and all fliers headed to battle the facility. The Kimia facility opened fire on the planet and blew a crater on the surface. Optimus ordered the remaining Autobots to plow through the Sweeps. It turned out Lightspeed and Afterburner were aboard the Kimia facility. Lightspeed activated explosives and the facility exploded. Megatron was freed from Omega Supreme and declared Cybertron was his. Numbers Optimus Prime, Rodimus, Ironhide, and Drift pursued Galvatron and Jhiaxus to the crater on Cybertron. Galvatron hypnotized the newly arrived Decepticons and Sweeps into forming a huge monster, Deceptigod. Deceptigod smashed Omega Supreme, preventing the Autobots' escape. Megatron arrived and Optimus Prime pursued Galvatron while Megatron faces Deceptigod. Kings Galvatron infused Vector Sigma with his Heart of Darkness, expecting that D-Void would cease his assault. Instead, it brought the Darkness to Cybertron and began swallowing Vector Sigma. Rodimus explained to Optimus he somehow knew that the Matrix would defeat the Darkness. Optimus's doubt allowed Galvatron to shoot him in the back. Cyclonus just then came and fought against Galvatron, believing himself to be tricked into doing Galvatron's work. Optimus opened the Matrix and a huge light came out. After the light, Optimus was left kneeling in a new crater with two empty halves of the Matrix at his feet. Genesis
Optimus woke up on a Cybertron convulsing with primordial energies and missing some recognizable features. He ran into Rodimus and Bumblebee and learned that Cybertron had new arrivals called NAILs who had left the planet during the Great War and hated the Autobots because they were symbols of that war. Prime learned also that the Decepticons that formed Deceptigod were captured and controlled with I/D chips. Optimus then addressed to the entire population of Cybertron that he will hope for Cybertron to be rebuilt without him as he's leaving. As Optimus Prime left the planet, he suddenly felt free and no longer responsible for anyone's life or death. Optimus Prime was dead. Orion Pax was reborn. The Death of Optimus Prime
After voyaging through space for some time, Orion was contacted by Hardhead with some strange news: a distress signal from the planet Arduria had awoken Hardhead's formerly-catatonic prisoner, Jhiaxus, who began screaming Orion's name. Investigating the Ardurian signal, Orion and Hardhead found that they had been lured into a Decepticon trap when they were attacked by Monstructor. His knowledge of the combiner from their past fight availed Orion little, as the monster's weak spot had been removed, and Monstructor was able to keep them busy long enough for his new master Bludgeon to free Jhiaxus. Realizing that Jhiaxus and Bludgeon were intending to hunt down all the planets that had been targeted by Shockwave's Regenesis program, Orion and Hardhead set course for the Lenocinium Velnero System and gave chase. Syndromica (1)
Fifteen million years later, Ironhide looked back at the war and wondered if Optimus Prime was still out there, and Alpha Trion assured him that he was. Pax Cybertronia This may or may not just have been a vision Ironhide had. A Better Tomorrow
Spotlight: Mirage
Optimus Prime commanded one of the last remaining pockets of Autobot resistance, hiding out in the Pegasus Star Cluster. While awaiting the arrival of Bumblebee's team, he and Hound tried to work out how to convert the Zodiac Energy for their consumption. "Bumblebee's" arrival proved to be their downfall, as it was really the self-serving mercenary Mirage, who destroyed the bunker security systems, allowing the Decepticons inside. Optimus Prime refused to surrender during the ensuing struggle, until Mirage used the critically injured Jetfire as a hostage, forcing Prime to back down. When Megatron betrayed Mirage's word and ordered the execution of the Autobots, Optimus Prime tried to reason with the mercenary, appealing to his former friendship with Hound...until Mirage killed Hound in defiance. Furious, Optimus Prime broke free of his captors and tackled Mirage into the Zodiac Energy chamber. Spotlight: Mirage
Notes
- Simon Furman's original intent for IDW Optimus Prime was that he did not carry the Matrix of Leadership, as the Matrix would have "been gone from the IDW/TF-verse for a long time".[1] Instead, Nova Prime was to have taken it to the Dead Universe (as Galvatron appears to note in his titular Spotlight), where it would have become corrupted with the rechristened "Nemesis Prime," and its' return would "not necessarily be a thing of celebration"[1] This changed as a result of Shane McCarthy being hired as lead writer and promptly establishing the war was "all about the Matrix", which Optimus had always carried, resulting in the creation of the Darkness to fill the same role in Furman's truncated Revelation.
- Multiple writers have contributed details to Prime's backstory. This has led to a few glaring clashes, like Ironhide and Optimus meeting for the first time and the young Prime learning from him in Old Ways, while Autocracy has Ironhide as his happy subordinate in the pre-Prime days. But if you're not used to that by now, you've not read a comic.
- According to E. J. Su, Optimus Prime's Holomatter avatar is modeled after Ulysses S. Grant.[2]
- As of All Hail Megatron #13, Optimus has a mouth underneath that faceplate of his.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Simon Furman, Dec 2007: Well, we’ve yet to actually meet the Matrix in the IDW/TF-verse. So we may be getting ahead of ourselves here. What do we know about it so far? Well, according to Spotlight Galvatron, the Matrix was (and maybe is) “carried” by Nova Prime, and he (Nova Prime) disappeared into the Dead Universe (along with the Matrix, we assume). Nova describes a bottomless well and a resonant tug on the Matrix. What happened next we don’t know (yet). But what is the Matrix (hm, that sounds familiar somehow)? Not telling. Not yet. But ’08 holds the answers: what it is, where it came from, what is does (then and now!). The Matrix (and what it’s become) will figure large in all that happens post-Devastation. The Matrix has been gone from the IDW/TF-verse for a long time, and its return will not necessarily be a thing of celebration.
- ↑ Idea: Holomatter Projection
