Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity
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What did Optimus Prime do? Find out in Marrrrrrrrvel Comics!
Hint: Heavy is the head... and heavier the heart.
Contents |
Marvel The Transformers comics
Before the Great War broke out on Cybertron, Optimus Prime was a Transformer of note, displaying his skills in the IntraFormers Sharpshooting Competition. Sureshot's Transformers Universe entry As a serious-minded individual, he also spoke out against Needlenose's faddish "Chic Chips" line of hardware accessories. Needlenose's Transformers Universe entry
At some point pre-war, State Games[1] the Matrix was passed to him by Sentinel Prime. The Legacy of Unicron! Dark Creation
Gladiatorial Games were commissioned between the city-states to increase good will as the planet's population outpaced its resources. Optimus Prime was the gladiator champion of Iacon, and he shared a sporting rivalry with a young champion from Tarn called Megatron. During a match in Tarn, Optimus intervened to stop Megatron killing his opponent, Sunstreaker. But sabotage plunged Tarn and Vos into an inter-city war that night. An Autobot Overlord was damaged while trying to sort it out, so Optimus Prime left to get help. However, the Overlord 'mysteriously' perished while under the care of Megatron and Overlord's bodyguard, Ravage. State Games Following the destruction of Tarn and Vos, Prime had planned to become a medical officer, but enrolled in the Autobot army as soon as the Decepticons declared war. He was immediately put in charge of the Elite Flying Corps. Datafile: Optimus Prime
The Autobots were completely unprepared for Megatron's initial strike, and many fell in battle. Optimus was barely able to organize his troops to fight back in time to save his kind from a total genocide. Once upon a Time...
Optimus Prime saved the life of an Autobot named Divebomb from another flying Decepticon who had previously beaten him and taken his name. "Divebomb" hated Prime with a passion, and was humiliated by his rescue, and so he kept this to himself. What's in a Name?
Lieutenant Commander Optimus Prime of the Autobot Fourth Computerized Division quickly made a name for himself as a combat leader. He decided the neutral Boltax could help the Autobots win the war and, ignoring the risk to the neutral and Override's concern this could escalate the war, went with the Triggerbots to recruit him. This not only violated a neutrality agreement, and thus meant Megatron could claim Boltax's Underbase databank himself, but also allowed the Decepticons how to get past Boltax's defences. The circuit sect were butchered and Prime was forced to jettison the massive databank into space to prevent anyone acquiring its power. This 'victory' helped make his career but he knew he'd been driven by pride and glory-seeking. The shame of what he'd done always remained with him. The Flames of Boltax! Afterwards, Prime would learn that the Underbase was linked to Cybertron's core, and thus the power of Primus himself. The Magnificent Six!
As a general, he proved to be the only one capable of rallying the rag-tag forces into a proper army. The Transformers As his reputation became known, he was promoted to field commander of the entire Autobot army but regrettably, the Council of Autobot Elders still pulled the strings. Unknown to the Elders, Optimus Prime began orchestrating unsanctioned military actions. Optimus Prime datafile As the Great War intensified, Autobot territories began falling under Decepticon dominion, one City-State at a time. The last City-State to be taken was the Autobot capital of Iacon.And There Shall Come...a Leader! The Decepticons almost overpowered the Autobot defensive line at Jan-Ja but Optimus fired up his troops and made an unexpected charge, repulsing the superior Decepticon forces. Surrender!
On 1st Cycle 820, Datafile:Optimus Prime as Decepticons besieged Iacon, the Council of Elders prepared to surrender. Councillor Xaaron suggested that High Councillor Traachon step down and allow a military officer to assume Autobot leadership. Traachon then used his powers of veto and effectively elected himself out of office, allowing Optimus Prime to assume supreme command of the Autobots, becoming the first soldier to ever hold the mantle of Autobot leadership. This came when Optimus had already set in motion a plan behind their back: using shatter bombs to collapse the bridge into Iacon after the Decepticons had 'triumphantly' begun crossing it. To ensure this worked, Optimus fought Megatron personally to keep his attention away from advancing: their first meeting since the Vos-Tarn war. And There Shall Come...a Leader! After one battle during which thousands of Autobots and Decepticons alike were killed, Prime came across Longtooth mourning his fallen comrade and gave him a fragment of the Matrix. Whose Lifeforce Is It Anyway?
After over a thousand years of war, Cybertron—shaken from its orbit and drifting through space—came under threat when it floated into the path of a massive asteroid swarm that could potentially devastate the planet. Prime led a group of his most powerful Autobot warriors on the Autobot starship, the Ark, on a mission to destroy the asteroids. Although the Autobots were successful, in the aftermath of this mission the Ark was attacked by Decepticons, hoping to overcome their weakened foes. Intent on keeping the secrets of the Ark's computer, Aunty, from the Decepticons, Prime set the craft on a suicide course, crashing it into the prehistoric planet Earth. After lying dormant for four million years, the Ark was awakened by the eruption of Mount St. Hilary in 1984, and Optimus Prime was rebuilt so that he could reconfigure his body into a semi truck. As the Decepticons fled, Optimus Prime called for a roll call of his own troops. Suspecting that after all this time, Cybertron probably no longer existed, Optimus Prime began studying the planet upon which they had landed; he was startled to realize that this planet did have sentient life! He swore that the Autobots would hide themselves from Earth's natives, so that they would be spared the horrors of the Transformers' war. The Transformers
Optimus Prime and the other Autobots were all dangerously low on fuel, but thankfully Bumblebee had befriended some humans who could help—Sparkplug Witwicky and his son, Buster Witwicky. Leading the Autobots to Sparkplug's auto shop, Optimus Prime introduced himself to the humans. Unfortunately, the Decepticons had the same idea, and the warring factions met in battle. But while Prime was busy shooting Decepticons out of the air, Megatron grabbed Sparkplug, and so Prime was forced to face his nemesis one-on-one. Despite Prime's apparent victory, Sparkplug was snatched away by Starscream, and the Decepticons retreated. Optimus Prime acknowledged Buster's sorrow at the kidnapping of his father, but noted that without fuel, retrieving him would be impossible. Power Play! Carrying Sideswipe and Hound in his trailer, Optimus Prime and the other Autobots returned to the Ark, where Ratchet awaited. Optimus and a handful of his soldiers were refueled, and left to confront the Decepticons at their cliffside fortress. With the mysterious Spider-Man's help, Sparkplug was rescued, but not before Sparkplug had converted fuel for the Decepticons! Prisoner of War! Unfortunately, Optimus Prime couldn't stop the Autobots from overreacting to this bad news, and their actions caused Sparkplug Witwicky to suffer a heart attack. The Last Stand
When the Ark alerted Optimus Prime of a power surge at Sherman Dam, he and his Autobots weren't surprised to find the Decepticons behind it. Afraid of the dam crumbling under the stress of the Decepticons' manipulations, he faced off against Megatron on the top of the dam, brandishing his energy ax. As he trash-talked Megatron, Prime was suddenly distracted by Hound's defeat. Megatron used this moment to his advantage, knocking Prime off the dam and firing his cannon into the dam itself. Prime quickly assembled his troops, directing them to divert the waves by digging trenches and elevating the neighboring humans. Mirage was angered when the humans still vilified them, despite their hard work, but Prime calmed him. Decepticon Dam-Busters!
Meanwhile, Optimus Prime sent a team of Autobots to investigate the Man of Iron, a local legend in the United Kingdom. After befriending Sammy Harker, and tangling with the Decepticons over the remains of the Man of Iron's ship, Optimus Prime and Jazz were forced to destroy the ship and its inhabitants, not realizing that its Navigator knew the location of Cybertron. Man of Iron Back at the Ark, after Brawn suffered a psychotic break and ran off, Optimus Prime ordered the Autobots to hunt him down before he could harm any humans! After Brawn was cornered, he threatened the Autobots with death, but was quickly overwhelmed, and Optimus Prime carried Brawn's defeated body back to the Ark. Another electrical shock returned Brawn to his senes, but in order to prove Brawn's loyalty, a Trial by Combat was orchestrated between him and the traitorous Decepticon, Starscream. With the help of Mirage's holograms, Brawn's death was faked once he had proved himself, and the two factions returned to their respective bases. The Enemy Within! The Decepticons did not stay there for long, and suddenly a full-scale attack was launched on the Ark! Mid-clash, the Ark's computer systems, "Aunty", went berserk, and it fell to Optimus and Megatron to team up against the malfunctioning program to save both armies. Megatron used his ability to tap into the power of a black hole, in a bid to free them, only for Ravage and Windcharger to burst in and destroy Aunty themselves. Seeing little reason to put the cosmic energies he had gathered to waste, Megatron turned to finish off Optimus Prime. Thankfully, Windcharger used his magnetic abilities to propel Megatron from the Ark, and the rest of the Decepticons retreated in the absence of their leader. Raiders of the Last Ark
Huffer alerted Optimus Prime to information that Ratchet had uncovered from the Ark's databanks: millions of years ago, the Dinobots battled Shockwave to a standstill. This raised some questions, but there was little Optimus Prime could do with this knowledge now. With a Decepticon attack imminent, and the Autobots dangerously low on fuel, Optimus Prime had a desperate gamble. Using the Tubes of Transference, the combined remaining fuel was compiled into five of the strongest Autobots, himself, Ironhide, Huffer, Bluestreak, and Mirage. Sure enough, the Decepticons descended quickly upon them, but even though Prime was still low on fuel, he was still quick enough to grab Starscream out of the air! It was not enough to defeat Megatron, however, and his nemesis hoisted Prime's body over his head in complete victory. ...That is, until Megatron and the other Decepticons doubled over in pain. Sparkplug had poisoned the Decepticons' fuel! Unfortunately, Optimus Prime's subsequent speech was short as he and the other Autobots were blasted into pieces. Shockwave had awakened and returned. The Last Stand
Though the Decepticons had taken over the Ark, Ratchet was able to sneak Buster Witwicky inside, and the young human was startled to find Optimus Prime's decapitated head attached to machinery. The New Order Optimus Prime, in this weakened state, pleaded with Buster to detach two power cords and attach them to either side of the human's head. This released a tremendous amount of energy, transferring Optimus Prime's Creation Matrix to the human, and Buster blacked out. After Buster awoke, he returned to Ratchet to tell him of Optimus Prime's defeat. The Worse of Two Evils! Ratchet had to see this for himself, and he was saddened to find out that Buster was correct. The Autobots were defeated, even including the mighty Optimus Prime! But Optimus would not let Ratchet give up or despair. He pushed Ratchet to action, telling him that even though Ratchet was nothing more than a doctor, now was the time for him to learn to be a warrior. Warrior School! Since Shockwave's return, he had wrested leadership of the Decepticons from Megatron, and so the former Decepticon leader was ordered by Shockwave to prepare to move Optimus Prime's head from the Ark to the Decepticons' base of operations within Blackrock Aerospace Assembly Plant Number One. Repeat Performance!
Shockwave planned to use the Creation Matrix energies within Optimus Prime's head to give life to a new Decepticon army, despite Optimus Prime's obvious objections. Shockwave didn't know that he had transferred most of the energy to Buster Witwicky, so Optimus Prime took quiet solace in the fact that the last of his remaining energies would be used on only six new warriors. The Wrath of Guardian! DIS-Integrated Circuits! Meanwhile back at the Ark, Ratchet and Wheeljack remotely controlled Prime's headless body to prevent Grimlock from setting off Guardian's nuclear arsenal. The Wrath of Grimlock!
Optimus Prime's head watched helplessly as Shockwave brought his Constructicons to life using the rest of Prime's stored Creation Matrix energies. But Shockwave realized something was wrong when Prime failed to give life to his next creation, Jetfire. The Next Best Thing to Being There! Shockwave deduced what had happened, and so he sent Jetfire (who was still little more than a drone) out to capture Buster. Optimus Prime realized he had put Buster in tremendous danger, but thankfully Buster prevailed in thwarting his would-be-captors through applied use of the Creation Matrix on them. However, with the Matrix energy within Prime spent, the Autobot leader was useless to Shockwave, and so the Decepticon made plans to dispose of the head. Brainstorm! In actuality, the head Shockwave disposed of was an impostor. Shockwave had learned that his headquarters were bugged, and so when the Autobots came to retrieve the head from a nearby swamp, the impostor head took control of Prime's body and turned on the Autobots. The day was saved only by the efforts of Buster, who was able to wrest control of Jetfire so that he could deliver the real head to its body. Once again whole, Prime retaliated against the Decepticons battling at the swamp, and one by one, they were destroyed. Shockwave himself arrived to battle Prime, but after they grappled, Shockwave was thrown into the swamps and disappeared. Instead of delivering a final blow, Optimus Prime rushed back to the plant to assure Buster's safety. The nightmare over, Prime transferred the Creation Matrix energies from Buster back into himself. Prime Time!
His dignity restored with his head once again reunited with his body, Prime afterwards dressed as Santa Claus to appease Buster's strong sense of Christmas spirit. Christmas Breaker!
Optimus Prime questioned his ability to lead after his recent series of trials when a fight broke out amongst the Autobots on whether to use the Creation Matrix to create an army of unstoppable robot monsters. His introspection was interrupted by the intrusion of Ravage. The spy was captured, but it was not known by the Autobots that this was part of a larger Decepticon plot. Ravage escaped easily, and when Bumblebee gave chase, the Autobot was captured by the Decepticons. His disembodied arm was dropped in front of the Ark by Laserbeak, a gauntlet cast. Prime decided to go alone to Decepticon headquarters to rescue Bumblebee, despite the other Autobots' objections. Indeed, Prime bested the Decepticons one-by-one, felling them all, until he arrived, heavily damaged, in the chamber where Bumblebee was held. After making short work of Soundwave, Optimus Prime returned to the Autobots, determined to do things right from then on. Crisis of Command!
After Optimus Prime visited Bumblebee in the repair bay, the Autobots were surprised to be attacked by the Dinobot Swoop, who was thought to be dead. After Swoop's mind was reclaimed from Professor Morris, Swoop went berserk and left once more. After learning that the Dinobots all would suffer the same involuntary rage, Optimus Prime called for a Dinobot Hunt! The Icarus Theory Optimus Prime briefed the Autobots on the Dinobots and their nature and sent them to find the Dinobots in groups. Later, Optimus Prime traveled via Ark shuttlecraft to put a stop to a fight between Grimlock and Sludge that had claimed several Autobot and human injuries. Prime neutralized the rampaging Dinobots, but was saddened to hear that the Decepticons had seized the opportunity to steal large quantities of energy from the humans while the Autobots were kept busy. With the Dinobots in ruin and the Decepticons fueled, Optimus Prime's Autobots had suffered a major defeat. Dinobot Hunt! Optimus Prime later checked in with Ratchet, who was monitoring the comatose Dinobots. He implored Ratchet to find a way to save them from their constant nightmares. Victory!
With the Autobot ranks drastically depleted, Optimus Prime gave life to Jetfire using the Creation Matrix, and performed on him the Rite of the Autobrand. He guided Jetfire through the Ark; first into Ratchet's repair bay, and next into Wheeljack's lab, where additional troops were being assembled. Optimus Prime assigned Bumblebee to train these new recruits, but ordered them not to engage the enemy. When the group stumbled onto a Decepticon plot to siphon energy from a Brick Springhorn concert, Optimus gathered every able Autobot to assist. However, Bumblebee had disobeyed orders and his rookies had successfully thwarted the Decepticons. Rock and Roll-Out!
When a human named Robot-Master appeared on television, claiming he controlled all Transformers, Optimus Prime led a team of Autobots into the Powder River Basin to prevent the human from getting hurt. Megatron, who had frozen, deactivated, at the bottom of the basin, was subsequently re-energized by Soundwave and his minions, and the combined might of their firepower and the human military's drove away Optimus and the Autobots in defeat. I, Robot-Master! Afterward, Bumblebee felt he had failed Optimus Prime due to his relative lack of size and strength, and so he ran away. When Optimus discovered that Bumblebee had become a target of interest for the Decepticons, Optimus hurriedly led another team of Autobots to the rescue, an act that helped prove Bumblebee's worth to himself. Plight of the Bumblebee!
Optimus Prime was absolutely appalled to discover that Wheeljack and Ratchet had built Buster Witwicky a battlesuit to aid him in the battle against the Decepticons, asking them outright if they had lost their minds. Though Buster protested, noting that since he was trusted with holding the Creation Matrix he should be trusted with the suit as well, Optimus Prime ordered the armored suit destroyed. But Buster stole the armored suit under cover of night and attacked the Decepticon headquarters, where he defeated Frenzy. The victory was a fluke however, one not to be repeated against Shockwave. Shockwave bested the human, but the arrival of Optimus Prime and the Autobots convinced Shockwave to spare his life. Robot Buster! Following this incident, Buster began having strange nightmares, and Optimus Prime suspected that these nightmares were induced by the Creation Matrix. Devastation Derby! Optimus himself featured prominently in Buster's visions, appearing in battle against Shockwave, only to be destroyed. Wanting to investigate these Creation Matrix-induced dreams, Optimus Prime and Buster were hooked up to machinery so that the human could share them. Optimus Prime and Buster witnessed strange five-robot combiners from each faction named Special Teams fighting at the Pullen Power Plant, and awoke shouting their name. They had seen a vision of the next generation of Transformers... The Special Teams Have Arrived Second Generation!
Meanwhile, on Cybertron, a group of Autobots were happy to learn that Optimus Prime and his Autobots still lived. The Smelting Pool!
Optimus sent Tracks out on a scouting mission to Greater Portland, only for his soldier to fail to report back afterwards. Despite others among the Autobot ranks assuming that Tracks's vain streak had gotten the better of him once more, and he was too busy showing off to resume contact, Optimus sent out Jazz to check up on him. Jazz failed to find his fellow Autobots, and as a week passed, Optimus dispatched more soldiers to seek him out, but soon lost hope that they would ever retrieve their teammate. His optimism returned when Cosmos reported a possible lead placing Tracks in New York City. Optimus once more sent out troops to retrieve him, this time tasking the mission to Inferno, Grapple, and Hoist. The trio succeeded in their mission, and Optimus debriefed Tracks upon his return. Missing in Action
While on a mission to build friendly relations with the people of Pinewoodsville, Optimus and the other Autobots were hit with a strange blast of energy that temporarily reversed their personalities. The group rampaged through the town, ruining months of goodwill work. Tracking the source of the blast to England, the Autobots flew overseas to put an end to what they assumed was a Decepticon plot. But the Decepticons had also been affected by the blast, and were likewise tracking its origin. Starscream happened upon Optimus and drove him off the road, sending the Autobot crashing into a tree, just as another energy blast muddled up the circuitry of all those present. Starscream became friendly, while Optimus's troops turned on him violently and tried to overthrow him. The personality reversal ended before Jazz could execute Optimus, but the latter was nonetheless left banged up from the ordeal. With his weapons non-responsive, Optimus was forced to hide inside a nearby tunnel while his troops carried on the mission. The culprit turned out to be a human invention, the "PARD." It was destroyed, along with a spy trying to steal it, after Starscream battled Jazz over both. With the threat neutralized, the Autobots carried Optimus back to their UK Base, where Ratchet was waiting to fix him up. To a Power Unknown!
In front of all the active Autobots, Optimus Prime and Grapple unveiled their secret project: Omega Supreme! Designed to be their last line of defense, Prime planned to leave Omega Supreme to guard the Ark while Prime led the Autobots to the Decepticon river basin headquarters to steal combiner technology from Devastator and promptly leave. The Dinobots scoffed at this plan, refusing to start a battle they were required to run away from, and so Grimlock and his Dinobots seceded from the Autobots. Though Skids raised concerns, Optimus Prime maintained that he had allowed for this. In fact, he allowed for everything save the interference of the humans, and after the mission was successfully pulled off, one human came after Skids; revenge for an earlier fender-bender with the Autobot. Skids was forced to pause, giving the Decepticons the opening they needed to blast him. Optimus Prime regretfully had to leave Skids behind, having to keep the safety of the rest of his troops in mind. Command Performances!
Learning of the Dinobots' disastrous solo adventures, Optimus Prime wanted to disown them, but reluctantly acknowledged that they were necessary muscle for the team. Tragically, while speaking to the Autobots about their war thus far on Earth, he, Prowl, and Ratchet mysteriously vanished in a flash of light! Target: 2006 They found themselves in a strange dimension called Limbo, where they joined a conflict between two factions of creatures whose warring behavior seemed rather familiar. Though Prime agreed to help one tribe in staving off an invading army, he refused to take any life in doing so. The opposing tribe proposed to give Optimus access to a device that would allow the Autobots to return to their world should they eliminate the enemy tribe, but Optimus once more refused to take part in wholesale slaughter. The Autobots soon allied with Shockwave, Thundercracker, and Frenzy, who were also shunted into this dimension. Though Shockwave was more willing to use violence to escape this world, they found out the whole alien war was just an illusion created by native parasites, who fed on their emotions. Distant Thunder! Upon his return, Optimus learned that they had been displaced by Autobots and Decepticons traveling from the future. Target: 2006
As Ratchet sealed up one of Prime's wounds, the Autobot commander was delighted to see Skids was alive, having returned to him along with Donny Finkleberg (previously the Robot-Master). They had news for him regarding the arrival of Autobot reinforcements from Cybertron, but they were interrupted by a news bulletin. Hoover Dam was being attacked by Decepticons, so Optimus Prime leapt from the repair bay despite Ratchet's objections to call the new Aerialbots into service. Aerialbots over America! Later Ratchet was able to finish sealing Prime's wound, but not before the Insecticon Bombshell was able to implant a cerebro-shell within Prime's body. Through this link, the Decepticons would be able to share use of the Creation Matrix to give life to new troops! The Aerialbots hadn't done well on their first outing, so as Optimus Prime reformatted them, Megatron gave life to the Stunticons! Shortly afterwards, Prime sent the Aerialbots out to assist Skids but they were thwarted by the Stunticons and all the Autobots present fell into the hands of RAAT. Heavy Traffic! When Circuit Breaker experimented on the captive Skids's brain module, she was able to access many images of Optimus Prime in his memory chips. Decepticon Graffiti! When Prowl tried to apprehend the Battlechargers, Prime intercepted and rebuked him for causing too much destruction. ...Perchance to Dream
When it dawned on Optimus that he had gone back on his word to not create a generation of "Ultimate Autobots" with the Matrix upon bringing the Aerialbots to life, a great unease befell him. Worse yet, he was troubled to consider that the Aerialbots' various neuroses and weaknesses might outwheigh their value in the field. The Autobot commander called upon Jetfire to lead the Aerialbots in an investigative mission, and to undermine them throughout to test them while pushing them to their psychological limits. Upon hearing Jetfire's report, he would decide if the Aerialbots' worth.
After the mission, wherein the Aerialbots fought against a group led by Starscream for control of a power plant, Jetfire informed Prime that the Aerialbots performed valiantly, despite their hang-ups, putting the debate at rest. The Return of the Transformers
Prior to the Christmas of 1986, Prime gave the go-ahead to Prowl and Trailbreaker's mission to intercept Decepticon activity at a NASA facility and asked Jetfire to go along as support. The Gift
Optimus Prime observed the records of how poorly the Autobots performed in his absence in Limbo, specifically how they went so far as to seek leadership from Megatron out of sheer desperation. Optimus Prime began to consider whether he was too important to the Autobots, and if they could carry on should he fall. To alleviate his doubts, he and a reluctant Wheeljack plotted to fake Prime's death to teach the Autobots how to fend for themselves. While Prime was setting up an impostor version of himself to leave behind destroyed for the Autobots to find, Megatron sent the Predacons to attack Prime. Prey!
During the scuffle, Optimus and Megatron were transported to Cybertron, while Prime's counterfeit body, torn apart, was found by the Autobots. Optimus Prime surveyed Cybertron for the first time in four million years, and he couldn't believe how terribly it had fallen. Cities and buildings were cut to the ground, and even his beloved Iacon was in shambles. After Prime saved Outback from a roving Decepticon, the tiny Autobot followed him despite Prime's wishes to be alone. Unfortunately, Megatron (in league with Straxus) had spread rumors that an imposter Optimus Prime had infiltrated Cybertron, which were readily believed due to Prime's four-million-year absence. Before too long, Prime was surrounded and shackled with energy restraints by Ultra Magnus and the Wreckers! ...The Harder They Die! With Outback's help in distracting the Wreckers with a gas particle bomb, Prime was able to escape and the two set out to clear Optimus's name. Unfortunately, a couple of Guardian units caught up to them and though Prime defeated them, he was only able to do so after Outback had suffered mortal wounds. Under Fire! As Outback began to die in his arms, Prime told Outback of the time he, Prowl, and Ratchet were stuck in Limbo. His story was overheard by the Wreckers, but hearing Prime's words convinced Emirate Xaaron that this was in fact the real Optimus Prime! Distant Thunder!
The return of Optimus Prime was a welcome boost to the Autobot underground resistance. Not only did Autobot morale increase, but Decepticons were spooked at his very appearance! But after a few strategic victories, Prime knew he had to return to Earth. Prime and Ultra Magnus planned one last raid—they would besiege the Decepticon stronghold in Polyhex and destroy Megatron! But Megatron's "eccentricities" had become too much for Cybertron's Decepticons to handle, and in the middle of their battle, all three were whisked away to Earth by the space bridge. Optimus Prime appeared before the Autobots just as they had finished their Earth-inspired burial of the impostor body he had left behind. Resurrection!
The Autobots had been monitoring the humans' creation of Power Station Alpha, and Optimus Prime, sensing its completion would need closer inspection, sent Bumblebee to its unveiling. Blood on the Tracks Optimus Prime met an anticlimactic end in a gambit for Energy Futures Industries' Hydrothermocline. He and the Protectobots agreed to fight Megatron and the Combaticons in a simulated, virtual world named Multi-World. They agreed whichever leader lost in the virtual world would be blown up in the real world. Originally virtual Megatron was killed. But when Megatron cheated using the game's "Afterdeath" code, Prime resorted to killing virtual beings to gain the upper hand, and despite his victory, Prime believed he had truly lost. Before their eyes, the human Ethan Zachary detonated Optimus Prime's body, as was previously agreed. In secret, Ethan secured away a floppy disk that held a copy of Optimus Prime's mind. Afterdeath! Meanwhile, Superion had been sent to investigate Bumblebee's destruction at the hands of G.I. Joe, but he was recalled in the middle of this altercation when it was discovered that Optimus Prime had been "assassinated". Power Struggle
Optimus Prime's death unhinged Megatron further. The Decepticon leader simply couldn't believe that his eternal foe was truly dead, and he began blowing up random trucks. Megatron's paranoia grew so much that he blew up the space bridge with himself on it. Gone but Not Forgotten! Ratchet's subsequent efforts to restore Optimus Prime were unsuccessful, and after much grieving, Optimus Prime's body was launched into space as per Cybertronian custom. Omega Supreme presided over his funeral, and both he and Blaster gave eulogies. Funeral for a Friend! Ashes, Ashes...
In front of a holographic image of Optimus Prime's head, the surviving Autobots tried to choose a new leader. Optimus Prime's replacement would be like him: a great warrior, wise, compassionate, kind, and courageous. As luck would have it, Grimlock chose exactly that moment to show all of those qualities for the first and only time in his life. King of the Hill!
When Shockwave and Snap Trap experimented on a clone of Megatron using a psycho-probe, it experienced visions of being defeated by Optimus Prime and Straxus. Salvage! Around the same time, Springer thought back over the mistakes he had made as leader of the Wreckers, including nearly executing Prime as a Decepticon spy. Legion of the Lost!
Optimus Prime's funeral barge eventually crashed on a giant moon of VsQs, where it lay for an untold time. Dark Creation
Years passed as Ethan Zachary, who still possessed the floppy disk that contained a copy of Optimus Prime's mind, tried to coax it into full sentience. This copy of Optimus Prime believed he was a video game character and nothing more, despite Ethan Zachary's constant prodding. Ethan thought he finally had a chance to jolt Prime back to his old self when he was investigated by Goldbug. The two put Optimus Prime in charge of a real team of Autobots, the Pretenders, and the disk copy Prime led them in battle against Decepticon Pretenders. Prime's delusions were unshaken. Pretender to the Throne! Goldbug took the disk with him, but all attempts to rebuild Optimus Prime ended in failure. An argument over supreme Autobot leadership erupted between Grimlock's earthbound Autobots and a group of Autobots who had just arrived from Nebulos under the leadership of Fortress Maximus. Ultimately, Fortress Maximus realized that Optimus Prime was the true leader of the Autobots, not anyone else, and so he sent Goldbug, Joyride, Slapdash, and Getaway back to Nebulos where the technology existed to fully restore Optimus Prime to life. Totaled!
It wasn't quite so simple, however. Fortress Maximus's Autobots had left Nebulos in ruin, and the planet poisoned its fuel supply so that robots could never return and wage war. A loophole was found, however, in the Powermaster process, created by the scientist Hi-Q. As luck would have it, Hi-Q was the exact person Goldbug was searching for to rebuild Optimus Prime, but the scientist refused on the grounds that he would be reintroducing the war to his planet—and he didn't believe the Transformers were any more than clever yet unsentient machines. Optimus Prime was rebuilt anyway, even though he wouldn't live very long at all without unpoisoned fuel. Hi-Q changed his mind on the sentience of Transformers when he saw the rebuilt Optimus Prime (shocked out of his video game persona delusions) interact with Goldbug. Hi-Q underwent the Powermaster process himself to save Optimus Prime's life, and Powermaster Optimus Prime was able to defeat two Powermaster-enhanced Decepticons, Dreadwind and Darkwing. Optimus Prime and his crew left Nebulos with their new Nebulon partners. People Power!
As they traveled through the void of space, Optimus taught his Nebulon companions about the Cybertronian civil war, only for his history lesson to be interrupted by a transmission advertising the "Cosmic Carnival," an intergalactic traveling show housing acts from many worlds. Optimus was ready to ignore the broadcast and push forward, only to notice that the Autobot Sky Lynx was part of the carnival's line-up. He changed course, and investigated alongside Goldbug. As they poked around, the two Autobots took note of four human children being kept as sideshow attractions. Outraged to see them held against their will, Prime confronted Berko, another human acting as their keeper, and demanded to see his manager. Unfortunately, the head honcho, Big Top, produced an ironclad contract signed by all four children as well as Sky Lynx. They had agreed to work to pay off a debt to the carnival, and were being legally held until they had done so. A conversation with Sky Lynx later, the Autobots decided to disregard any legalese and bust out both him and the children anyways; it was apparent that the carnival would never consider their debts payed, no matter how long they worked. Optimus further learned that Berko was also a prisoner of sorts, and offered him his freedom and safe passage to Earth if he helped them. Touched by the Autobot's show of genuine concern, Berko agreed. Goldbug and Berko went off to liberate the children while Optimus focused on freeing Sky Lynx. During Sky Lynx's next act, Optimus leaped into the circus ring with him, and helped his fellow Autobot ram through any opposition. Many of the other performers tried to stop them, including Rorza, the Rocket-cycle Racer from Rigel III, who vowed to cleave Optimus in half for, allegedly, daring to ignore him. After the Autobots defeated all who stood in their way, the crowd broke into a cheer, and Optimus took a bow at Sky Lynx's suggestion. He reconvened with Goldbug on the Steelhaven, who had been equally successful in his task. The Cosmic Carnival
Before reuniting with the other Earthbound Autobots, Optimus Prime and the other Powermasters took a shuttle to Earth on Christmas Day. Optimus Prime, seeing Earth's frozen wasteland, wondered why he even cared about the Earth in the first place, much less fought desperately to defend it. But after recalling the events that first brought him there, he remembered that it was his fault that the Ark crashed there four million years ago, and so any pain and suffering caused by the Transformers' war was his burden. His compassion for Earth renewed, he sought out his troops and announced that henceforth, the Autobots would make greater attempts at bringing more than just violence to the humans. Cold Comfort and Joy!
Returning to the Ark, Optimus easily assumed command of the Autobots there; while the Dinobots were initially unhappy, Prime quickly and effortlessly sweet-talked them into going along with it. The Quest! That done, he learned via television about the Decepticons' baffling island vacation resort, Club Con. Optimus Prime sent Blaster to investigate. Club Con!
Despite a mysterious disruption in time and space that threatened all reality, due to Galvatron's adventures in his own past (which was Prime's present), Optimus Prime halted a conference on the matter to rescue Highbrow. While Highbrow apologized for interrupting more important matters, he, Optimus Prime, and a few other Autobots were displaced to Limbo once again, allowing Rodimus Prime and other Autobots from the future to investigate the mysterious disruption. The other present-day Autobots thought Optimus Prime and the others had been disintegrated, and so attacked the "impostor" Autobots under Rodimus Prime's command, but Optimus spoke to them through Rodimus Prime's Matrix and calmed them down. A crazed yet seemingly unbeatable Galvatron attacked them, and Optimus Prime debated whether he should leave Limbo and team up with Rodimus against him, even though two Matrix-bearers coexisting at the same time would accelerate the timestorm's destruction of reality. Eventually, Optimus decided to ignore the dangers, and he materialized through Rodimus Prime's Matrix and engaged Galvatron one-on-one. Finally, Galvatron himself was eaten by the timestorm, and Scourge and the body of Cyclonus were also fed to it, which caused the timestorm to subside temporarily. Rodimus Prime promised to Optimus Prime that he would destroy all time machines when he returned to the future. Time Wars
When an battle between Getaway and Quake resulted in a human getting critically injured, a life-support system was assembled to keep the injured party alive. Saving the man's life became a race against time when Throttle stole the power cell needed to power said system, forcing the Autobots to chase after him. The Aerialbots botched their task in forcing the Dreadwing, Throttle's vehicle, to double back, and the jet wound up on the ocean floor along with the thief's loot. A team headed by Optimus took on the arduous task of heading underwater to retrieve the battery, with only a thirty minute window to do so before their Nebulan partners drowned. As Prime's team approached their objective, they were met by the Seacons. Badly outclassed by the enemy's superior underwater maneuverability and running out of time, Optimus ordered the Nebulans to see the power cell's retrieval through while the Autobots carried on the fight. Though odds were stacked against them, the Autobots emerged victorious when the Dreadwing's cockpit was breached by Hi-Q; with their own Nebulan allies now at risk of drowning, the Seacons saw to their rescue instead of remaining on the offensive. Dreadwing Down!
Optimus Prime and Fortress Maximus accompanied Blaster to where Club Con was last situated, but it had been relocated by then. Despite this setback, Prime assured Spike Witwicky that the search for his brother Buster, who had been kidnapped by the Decepticons, would continue. Cold War! Sure enough, a distress signal in the Arctic led the Autobots to Buster, but also to a Decepticon ambush! After several Autobots were incapacitated, the battle stopped as it was discovered that this had all been arranged by Starscream, who had launched into space to seize the powers of the long lost Underbase. As the Autobots and Decepticons formed a loose alliance to stop Starscream, Optimus Prime warned that he had learned in his youth that fully possessing the Underbase led to madness or death. Starscream was stopped before he could absorb all of the Underbase, but he had absorbed enough of it to be able to destroy the Decepticons' island spacecraft in which the two factions were traveling. Thankfully, Optimus Prime had thought ahead and had the Ark follow them there in case of an emergency.
Several teams of allied Autobots and Decepticons followed Starscream to Earth to stop him, but Optimus Prime insisted that he stay behind on the Ark to work on a plan on his own. Scorponok and Ratbat had growing suspicions that the Autobot leader was really trying to claim the rest of the Underbase for himself, and they snuck on board as the Transformers on Earth were being shut down en masse by Starscream. Unfortunately for Optimus, they caught him while Hi-Q was disconnected from him, and so he was drastically overpowered. Optimus revealed to Scorponok that he was not trying to possess the Underbase... rather, he had been working on a rocket to deflect the Underbase towards Earth. He knew Starscream would try to absorb the rest, and sure enough, Starscream did—growing in size and power before their eyes. But possession of the Underbase resulted in madness and death, and Starscream's massive body exploded. Scorponok apologized for his bad appraisal of Optimus Prime's intentions, and the two commanders resolved to cease fighting so that they could gather their wounded and resume the fight another day. Dark Star
Now that Buster had been reclaimed from the Decepticons, Spike told Optimus Prime that he felt his obligation to the Autobots was over. Prime reluctantly let Spike go, but told him that he was more attached to Fortress Maximus than he knew. The Man in the Machine! Not only was Fortress Maximus now out of commission, but the Autobots had suffered incredible losses at the hands of the Underbase-powered Starscream. Optimus Prime assigned Cloudburst and Landmine to purchase microchips on the black market at Grand Central Space Station, knowing their Pretender shells would allow them to hide their robotic forms from the robophobic aliens there. Guess Who the Mecannibals Are Having for Dinner? Cloudburst and Landmine reached an ethical impasse involving the microchips, and so Optimus Prime reached out to Cybertron for reinforcements. He called upon the Micromasters, specifically the Race Car Patrol and Off Road Patrol, to investigate some Decepticon-originated weather problems in New York City. Hi-Q worried that the Micromasters were unreliable punks, but they were able to prove themselves against the Decepticons in the end, though they refused to join the Autobots proper. King Con!
The Race Car Patrol accompanied Prime on a more rural mission: receiving Autobot resistance plans couriered by Chainclaw. But a Decepticon, Dealer, abducted Chainclaw before he could deliver them, and offered the plans back to Prime as a ransom. Optimus Prime accepted, and a new Autobot named Double offered to deliver the Energon payment himself. Upon his return with Chainclaw's unconscious form, Dealer claimed to have been "ransacked" by the Decepticons, who had taken both the energon and the plans. With Chainclaw safe, Optimus vowed to deal with the Decepticons himself, and led the Race Car Patrol against Scorponok's troops while "Double" hung back to rest. (Double) Deal of the Century!
The Mayhem Attack Squad trained against solid light simulations of Optimus Prime and other high-ranking Autobots in Slaughter City. The Hunting Party
Optimus Prime lamented that he could no longer use the Creation Matrix to heal his fallen troops, as the Matrix was inside his old body which had been shot into space; the Autobots had not known that the Matrix was in Optimus Prime's chest to remove at the time. On cue, a being who called himself Deathbringer appeared on Earth, and it was seemingly powered by a piece of the Creation Matrix! Deathbringer proved to be invulnerable, but Optimus Prime couldn't bring himself to harm something that held the essence of the Matrix anyhow. But after enough destruction, Optimus Prime was finally able to defeat it with help from Nightbeat, who convinced it to self-destruct in concordance with its primary function. Deathbringer Dark Creation
Thunderwing led a seemingly suicidal assault on the Ark, entirely for the purpose of seeking revenge against his defeat at the hands of Nightbeat, Siren, and Hosehead. Optimus Prime took Thunderwing on, berating him for having more courage than sense. True to Prime's words, Thunderwing's own troops dragged him away. Assault on the Ark!
Optimus Prime ordered Ratchet to get some downtime, fearing his overworked medic (and friend) was losing his grip on sanity. Soon after, Optimus Prime saw news reports of the Micromaster Air Strike Patrol holding MacDill Air Force Base hostage, so he took the largest ensemble of troops down to Earth he could muster, given the Autobots' depleted ranks. Back from the Dead
Since Optimus Prime knew the battle was staged, he scaled back his troops accordingly, and ordered them to return to the Ark and leave him behind. Hot Rod refused and remained at Optimus's side, helping him fend off the hordes of Decepticons who had attacked him. But Optimus Prime stopped Hot Rod short of firing on Lord Zarak, as Prime had begun to appeal to his sense of logic. An unknown party was pulling the strings! Scorponok hesitated, but before an agreement could be reached, they were confronted by an old enemy thought defeated—Starscream! All the Familiar Faces!
Though Starscream's performance started out impressively, he soon began to show his true cowardly colors, and Optimus was able to rouse Scorponok from his stunned stupor. Optimus convinced him to order a coordinated strike against Starscream, ending with the Pretender begging Scorponok to retake him under his command. The conflict brought to an end, both factions again parted ways. Once again Optimus Prime turned his thoughts towards Ratchet... Skin Deep
...but it was too late! Ratchet had sacrificed himself to destroy Megatron, the orchestrator behind the events at MacDill Air Force Base. Optimus Prime was overcome with grief, and he decided to stop fighting altogether. After parking the Ark on Earth's moon, he walked out on its surface, apparently never to return again. This, of course, caused the Autobots to worry about the future of their cause, and Hot Rod quickly threw together a risky plan to win Prime back. He plotted a "rampage" by an "out-of-control" Mark V Guardian droid to whisk Prime back into fighting shape, but when the droid truly went out of control, the plan worked just a little too well. Prime came to his senses, returned to the Ark, and destroyed the droid, but not before several Autobots suffered genuine injury. Yesterday's Heroes!
Around the same time, Prime sent Cloudburst, Chainclaw and Getaway to check up on the resurrected Starscream. This also resulted in them suffering genuine injury. Fallen Star!
Out of nostalgia, Optimus kept a spare copy of his mind stored in an Alternate Reality, Inc. warehouse, seeing it as his last link to all those he had met in Ethan Zachary's virtual world. Unfortunately, this made the installation a target for Decepticons, who could put the floppy disk to malicious use. The Protectobots were stationed at the warehouse, but when the Combaticons were spotted near the Rutter U.S. Military Base, Optimus dispatched the Autobot Powermasters to relieve Hot Spot's team, allowing them to battle their old rivals.
Both the Powermasters and the Protectobots failed in their respective tasks. As a result, Scorponok was able to build a smart missile, one able to track Prime down wherever he went, and dodge any interference that came its way. After being briefly held captive by the Decepticons, Getaway learned of Scorponok's plan, and forewarned Prime of the deadly projectile. Prime insisted that he deal with the situation alone, blaming himself for allowing such a weapon to be created; had he not been so sentimental, the disk integral to its conception could have been destroyed long ago. He and Hi-Q drove out to an uninhabited area, and awaited the missile's approach. Their first attempt at disabling it had them go into a tunnel and collapse its entrance before the missile followed. When this failed to provoke a harmless detonation, Optimus Prime next used his battle station mode to attempt blasting the missile out of the sky. It managed to evade the entirety of his salvo, leaving Prime depleted of ammo. He next attempted to simply outpace the missile, pushing Hi-Q to his limit to afford him the necessary speed. The pair managed to dive into a nearby lake before the missile reached them, though the exertion damaged Hi-Q's armor, allowing water to seep inside. Optimus was forced to re-emerge to prevent the Nebulan from drowning.
After setting Hi-Q down out of harm's way, Optimus turned to the missile as it changed its course to meet him once more. Realizing that he couldn't evade it for much longer, Prime resolved to take the hit, and punched the missile down. No explosion followed, as the missile was revealed to be a dud! It turned out that Getaway had managed to convince the Decepticons' computer of Optimus's nobility, and it had disarmed the missile in order to spare the Autobot leader. Though Prime was saddened that the AI would likely meet its end at Scorponok's hand for its betrayal, Getaway tried to cheer him up; he pointed out that at the very least, it had been his honorable qualities which had inspired Earth's first fully-independent AI to make a decision for itself. Prime Bomb!
Meanwhile, their creator, Primus had awakened within Cybertron, alerting his enemy Unicron to its location. Since the only thing that could stop Unicron was the Creation Matrix, and the Creation Matrix had been shot into space inside Optimus Prime's funeral barge, Prime and Emirate Xaaron assembled several teams of Autobots to scour a specific star system in which the funeral barge likely would have landed. Bird of Prey! On Cybertron, Longtooth learned of the quest for the Matrix and, feeling guilty, sent back the fragment that Optimus had given him. Whose Lifeforce Is It Anyway? Prime deliberated about which Autobot he should revive with the fragment but after witnessing the environmental damage caused by the Autobots' pursuit of the Air Strike Patrol he decided to use its power to restore the Earth itself. The Greatest Gift of All! Though Optimus Prime was never very comfortable with the mystical side of the Creation Matrix, he approached an altar aboard the Ark and was given a vision of a Matrix corrupted by evil and imminent oblivion! Kings of the Wild Frontier. After several dead ends, the Prime's funeral barge and the Creation Matrix were found on the barren moon of VsQs. Optimus Prime and Hot Rod went together to meet the All-Terrain Turbo-Transport as it landed, but were shocked to realize that Autobots were not delivering the Matrix at all! No, they were face to face with Lord Thunderwing, the Creation Matrix's next vessel! Dark Creation
Powered by the corrupted energies of the Matrix, Thunderwing was unstoppable. Even so, Optimus Prime pleaded for his troops to avoid trying to damage Thunderwing, for the Matrix was their only chance to destroy Unicron! After numerous losses were incurred, however, Optimus Prime decided to forgo the soft touch, and the Autobot leader let loose his full fury on the possessed Decepticon leader. More and more, the Matrix assumed control of Thunderwing, even taking possession of his mind, but Prime could not make Thunderwing notice this development. Thunderwing was not stopped by Prime's strength or by logic or reason, but by the cunning of Nightbeat. Nightbeat harpooned Thunderwing to the All-Terrain Turbo-Transport, shut off the artificial gravity systems, and Thunderwing and the transport were flung out into space. Thunderwing and the Matrix were presumed destroyed when the transport's self-destruct activated. Despite this seemingly catastrophic loss, Optimus Prime vowed to never give hope or give in to evil. With good on their side, they would ultimately prevail! All Fall Down
Optimus Prime was still hung up on Ratchet's death, and assigned Nightbeat to investigate any chance that his friend still lived. Nightbeat suggested that Ratchet and Megatron might still be alive in Unspace, the dimension that serves as a middleman between transdimensional portal openings. Though Optimus didn't understand most of the details in Nightbeat's plan to retrieve the lost Autobot, the morsel of hope his subordinate gave him steeled Optimus for his next task. With the Matrix out of the picture, Optimus Prime had turned to another prophecy, one that claimed that Unicron could be destroyed if all Transformers worked together as one. That would be impossible so long as the war continued, so Prime announced his intentions to surrender the Autobots to the Decepticons on Earth. Unsurprisingly, this was met with hostility. Soon after concluding his announcement, Optimus learned that Nightbeat had been correct in his assumption that Ratchet still existed... but there were complications in his retrieval: Ratchet had been fused molecularly with Megatron into one frightening creature! Eye of the Storm Optimus Prime refused to let anyone harm the creature. This caused even more complications when the creature, unchecked, began to tear apart the Ark's engine systems. Kup, Prime's security officer, warned him that if he didn't put the creature down, he would personally remove Prime from command. Optimus Prime reluctantly approached the creature, intending to kill it, but when the half that was Ratchet put the barrel of Prime's gun to its own head, begging Prime to kill it, Optimus Prime had second thoughts. He ordered Fixit to separate the two, even though Megatron would survive. Worse, one could not survive without the other. This did not please Kup and the others. The Pri¢e of Life! A Savage Circle
True to his word, Optimus Prime surrendered his Autobots to Scorponok's Decepticons, stationed in the New Jersey swamps. The Decepticons were enjoying this turn of events a little too much, which drew an outburst from Kup. Optimus Prime tried to tell Kup to have patience, but Kup reminded him that the Optimus Prime he knew would never back down, never surrender, no matter what the cost! But no matter, the deed was done, and Optimus Prime and the Autobots were escorted into cells. After a while, Optimus Prime began to suspect that Scorponok didn't really want to talk about an alliance against Unicron at all, and was ignoring the long term to satisfy his short-term problems with commanding respect amongst his troops. Optimus Prime knocked aside Soundwave, his guard, and found Kup and Hot Rod. Unfortunately, Kup wouldn't be so easily rounded up, citing Prime's recent problems. But Prime pleaded to him at length, noting that for a warrior race, perhaps surrender took the most courage of all! Kup quietly admitted Prime was right, and the three Autobots burst into Scorponok's quarters, where Scorponok's body had been stowed, leaving Lord Zarak and Bludgeon mostly vulnerable. Zarak and Hot Rod grabbed a hostage each, but Prime ordered both sides to stand down. They had to begin trusting each other, if they were to team up against Unicron. Optimus Prime and Scorponok were once again about to reach an agreement when they were once again interrupted! A splinter team of Decepticons, led by Shockwave and Starscream, attacked the Decepticons' underground base, causing it to implode. Surrender!
Optimus Prime's immediate concern was damage control—and not just towards the humans in nearby New York City, but to the fragile alliance that was nearly formed! He and Nightbeat left to keep Scorponok and Shockwave's feud from reaching New York, but the fight was accelerated with the arrival of G.B. Blackrock's new superhuman team, the Neo-Knights! ...All This and Civil War 2 Their best chance at securing the alliance was keeping Scorponok alive, but Circuit Breaker was making it very difficult. Upon approaching her, Optimus fell into Circuit-Breaker's sights, and she began to fry his circuits. Thanks to Blackrock pointing out to her that Shockwave, the robot who had initially crippled her, was present, Optimus was spared from going to the junkheap. Once Shockwave was out of the picture, Circuit-Breaker drained from her efforts in bringing him down, Optimus Prime and Scorponok once again (again) went to shake hands... Out of Time! when all Earthbound Transformers were whisked away by Primus to Cybertron. Primus spoke to them through the glowing body of Emirate Xaaron, telling them of the eternal conflict between himself and Unicron, and their part in defeated his eternal nemesis. Optimus began to grow concerned over Primus's apparent lack of concern over the well-being of his creation, and began to fear that their god saw them only as disposable chess pieces. Primus also selected Optimus Prime to be the Transformers' leader, which caught the attention of a hidden sect of Unicron cultists. While Scorponok confided in Prime that he was scared of dying in the upcoming battle, the two were jumped by the cultists. Scorponok, the Autobots, and even the rest of the Decepticon army came to Prime's rescue, and it seemed the alliance was finally forged. ...Till, at least, Kup pointed out that Unicron himself was hovering over the planet, ready for attack. This coincided with Optimus Prime doubling over in debilitating pain, a condition he had been hiding from the Autobots for some time. The Void!
Kup and Getaway tried to push Prime along, but the force of Unicron's claws punching into the surface of Cybertron sent them reeling. Just the sheer, impossible size of Unicron paralyzed Optimus Prime and Scorponok with fear and awe. With both leaders' factions unable to rally their troops, Primus tried to intervene and battle Unicron himself. His efforts amounted to little however, and his avatar was destroyed. Optimus Prime was not shaken into action until a brave, unidentified soldier attacked Unicron singlehandedly and was swatted away. Given new resolve by this act, Optimus charged alongside the remaining Autobots and Decepticons. But even as a united army, the Transformers seemed capable of little more than annoying their opponent. Casualties continued to mount, Scorponok among them. Having martyred himself, Scorponok asked Optimus Prime if he "did good" as he succumbed to his death throes. Optimus Prime nodded, called him his friend, and finally Scorponok passed away. Then, a Matrix-possessed Thunderwing suddenly returned. Although Thunderwing's body was completely disintegrated by Unicron, the Matrix itself persisted. As the artifact plummeted down planet-side, Prime ejected Hi-Q from his chest, knowing this next act would kill him. He seized the Matrix, fought its corruption, and plunged himself into Unicron's maw while holding it aloft. The Matrix's goodness came to the forefront once more thanks to Prime's influence, and its power was unleashed to destroy Unicron. On the Edge of Extinction!
The Transformers' ultimate battle was won, but the cost was high! What was left of Optimus Prime's body was found, and he was amazingly still holding on to life, thanks to the Matrix energy that he'd absorbed. But he hadn't much longer, so he pulled Prowl close to him and told him that Grimlock would lead the Autobots. Prime died (again), and Prowl screamed in agony. But before too long, after the Powermaster absorbed Nucleon energy from Grimlock, Hi-Q announced that he was Optimus Prime! Still Life! Since Cybertron was threatening to break apart after the stress of Unicron's attack, Hi-Q and the other Neo-Knights were packed up on a ship meant to escape the planet. But Hi-Q had other ideas. Exodus! He persuaded the Neo-Knights to stay on the dying planet and search for the Last Autobot, explaining that the pains Optimus Prime were feeling before he died were the start of a larger metamorphosis. If Prime had lived, the Powermaster process would have eventually merged the two into one, but it continued on even with Prime dead. Thankfully for the Neo-Knights, Hi-Q was not crazy, and they stumbled across the storage chamber for the Last Autobot. The Last Autobot?
The Last Autobot set in motion the planet's healing process and took an interest in Hi-Q. A new robotic body was forged around Hi-Q's, and he and Optimus Prime were truly combined into one being! Optimus Prime, fully reborn as an Action Master, took the Neo-Knights and the Last Autobot to Klo, where the final battle was taking place. The Autobots had dwindled to just five of their number, and the Decepticons were approaching total victory, when Optimus Prime miraculously returned. Optimus Prime ushered in a new age of peace and harmony by shoving his fists through the Decepticons' heads and torsos, and with some resurrection help from the Last Autobot, the dead Autobots were restored and the Decepticons were forced to flee. The war finally over, Optimus Prime told his fellow Autobots that they'd help Klo rebuild... and then they'd finally go home! End of the Road!
Transformers Annual 1985
Realizing that their mission on Earth would be infinitely more difficult without capable human allies, Optimus attempted to open a dialogue with the American government. Planning the meeting in utmost secrecy, Optimus, Warpath, and Prowl managed to secure an audience with the President of the United States. The three Autobots drove to the White House, where they were warmly received by their host... only for their talk to be interrupted by the Insecticons. The Autobots did their best to take down the trio, only for Bombshell to loudly proclaim that Optimus was his leader, and he was off to attack the city as per his orders. Unfortunately, the President's soldier escorts were quick to turn on the Autobots, having assumed that Bombshell had revealed the robots' true intent.
Optimus sent Prowl and Warpath to deal with the Insecticons, while he went off on his own to "cut them off at their source"; Optimus had noticed that the Insecticons were sluggish and restrained during their initial strike, at odds with their sleek, efficient designs. He reasoned that they were not acting under their own free will, but were rather being remote-controlled by someone else. His assumption proved correct: Ravage was operating all three Insecticons using a nearby control module. While he tracked the cat down, Optimus split his concentration in two, sending his Roller drone to help his soldiers on the battlefront. But upon being found, Ravage commanded Bombshell to double back and help him deal with Optimus, sending out a mental signal for his minion to infect the Autobot with a cerebro-shell, and take control of his mind. But just as Bombshell was about to do so, Optimus's Roller drone was destroyed, and the Autobot keeled over in pain. The cerebro-shell missed its intended target, and implanted itself in Ravage, putting him under Bombshell's control. Since Bombshell himself was already under Ravage's control, the result was two mindless and immobile Decepticons. With the battle over, Optimus and his troops fled the scene; they felt that the humans would not believe them should they try and explain the situation, and that the Decepticon had already sullied their reputation beyond repair. Plague of the Insecticons!
Optimus took a the bulk of the Autobot forces on a later mission, leaving only a handful behind and instructing them to purvey news broadcasts for Decepticon activity in his absence. Hunted!
Robo-Capers
Optimus Prime says it's rude to stare at someone while they're changing. Robo-Capers issue 63 On one occasion, Prime introduced to his readers four Transformers that, for various comical reasons, never made "the cut"; Bozo, Busby, Lamphead, and Gogglebox. Robo-Capers issue 88
Trigger-Happy!
The Autobots intercepted a message from Crankcase and Ruckus to Megatron, detailing how the pair were planning to deliver battle plans to their leader. Optimus led a sting operation to seize the plans in transit, only for his lookout, Backstreet, to botch the whole mission by firing his weapon during the Decepticons' approach, despite being under strict orders not to do so. The resulting firefight imperiled the residents of Rivers' Town, and Optimus sent Override to fetch Backstreet from his post so he could explain himself. Override wound up exaggerating Optimus's frustration over the situation, and Backstreet was led to believe that he would be terminated for his lapse in judgement! Panicked, Backstreet fled the scene.
Optimus ordered his troops to track down and bring in Backstreet before he did further harm, either to himself or to innocent bystanders. Though still willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, Optimus had no choice but to tell his troops that Backstreet's termination might be necessary upon hearing that the fugitive had attacked a human military convoy unprovoked. This announcement prompted Override to come clean about the exchange that had preceded Backstreet going on the run. Optimus was outraged that such crucial information had been kept from him, but relieved to learn that Backstreet hadn't gone rogue without reason. Right on cue, Dogfight then contacted Prime and told him that Backstreet had finally been sighted. Unfortunately, Megatron had already gotten to him, and was in the process of recruiting Backstreet over to his side! Optimus ordered all other units to stand back, lest their swarming give off the wrong impression, and resolved to rescue Backstreet on his own.
Crashing through a perimeter made up of Megatron's goons, Optimus tackled down his nemesis just as he was about to strike Backstreet down, the former having already refused to defect. Megatron ordered all of his soldiers to stand back, declaring the honour of killing Prime to be his alone, and the two leaders clashed. Though paralyzed by his anxiety at first, Backstreet eventually snapped back to his senses upon hearing that Prime was still willing to take him back, despite recent events. He intervened just as Optimus was about to get his head blown off, knocking Megatron out cold in the process. The Decepticons rushed forward in response, but Optimus provided enough cover fire for both he and Backstreet to slip away safely.
Back at Autobot Headquarters, Backstreet pled guilty to the charges of desertion and insubordination levelled against him, and told Optimus that he was ready to accept whatever punishment awaited him. Instead reprimanding him, Optimus declared that Backstreet would henceforth always be accompanied by another Autobot while acting as lookout to prevent similar incidents from happening again. Trigger-Happy!
Marvel UK future timelines
In an alternate timeline, Optimus Prime still maintained his Powermaster body in 1995. When a feminist group on Earth raised complaints that all the Autobots seemed to fit male archetypes, Optimus tried to appease them in the name of public relations. When explanations that, as living machines, Transformers didn't have genders failed, Optimus opted to give in to their demands and construct a new warrior, fitting their specifications. The unveiling of a powder pink and curvaceous Autobot, Arcee, did little to improve the humans' mood. A group of Decepticons led by Shockwave then crashed the unveiling, under the impression that the Autobots had constructed some sort of secret weapon. They were proved partially right, as after Optimus fell in combat, Arcee easily sent the Decepticons packing. Prime's Rib!
Years later, in 2004, Prime was back in his original Earthly appearance. While attending the grand opening of Autobot City on Earth, the Autobots came under fire from Shockwave and his Decepticons. Optimus Prime and the Autobots bravely used their bodies as shields to protect their human guests until the Decepticons were driven off. Aspects of Evil!
By the year 2005, the Decepticons had conquered all of Cybertron, relegating the Autobots to its two moons and Autobot City on Earth. In anticipation for an offensive strike against Megatron's army, Optimus sent Ironhide to Earth to fetch the Energon cubes necessary for this endeavor. Little did Optimus know that Laserbeak had been spying on them the whole time; Megatron ambushed the shuttle and slew everyone on board.
The Decepticons next moved to attack Autobot City. Perceptor informed Optimus of the attack, and Optimus too traveled to Earth, bringing the Dinobots as reinforcements. As they battled Devastator, Optimus vowed to stop Megatron himself, no matter the cost. He barreled through Megatron's soldiers, and went toe-to-toe with his long-time foe. In the brutal confrontation, Megatron was able to get the drop on Optimus by feigning surrender, only to pull a pistol and deal a fatal blow to the Autobot. Optimus nonetheless managed to impart severe injuries on his nemesis, forcing the Decepticons to flee.
As Optimus lay dying, he passed on the Matrix of Leadership to Ultra Magnus, telling him that one day an Autobot would use its power to light their darkest hour. Telling those present to follow Ultra Magnus as their new leader, Optimus then expired. The Planet-Eater!
In another timeline, Optimus was similarly responsible for beating Megatron to near-death in the year 2005. Unicron reformatting this version of the Decepticon leader yielded the crazed Galvatron II. A Savage Circle
A time traveler from the distant future, Dicet Alpha-zero, would one day traverse the time-stream to observe several key moments in the Transformers' war. Among the many events he witnessed were Optimus's decision to crash the Ark on Earth; his time as a disembodied head in Shockwave's possession; his first death following his duel within Ethan Zachary's computer game world; his subsequent resurrection as a Powermaster; his confrontation against Grimlock upon his return to Earth and his battle against Galvatron at the end of the Time Wars. The Quest!
Earthforce
After a group of Autobots were revived following an unsuccessful attempt on Galvatron's part to brainwash them, Optimus sent out two of them, Wheeljack and Prowl, to investigate Decepticon activity in Arizona. Starting Over!
While dealing with the oncoming threat of Unicron, Optimus Prime came under a great deal of stress and began actively berating Grimlock and his newly reactivated Dinobots for their more brutal methods of combating the enemy. Two Steps Back! This reprimand prompted Grimlock to offer his resignation from the Autobot army. Tempers got heated, and the two Autobots actually started brawling with one another in the conference room. After a few minutes of furious fighting, however, Prime and Grimlock effectively beat some sense into each other. Optimus Prime decided to take the Ark and its crew out into space, leaving Grimlock behind to command an "Earthforce" of Autobots, dedicated to protecting the planet in his absence. Break-Away!
Optimus Prime returned briefly for an inspection after the Autobot Earthbase was completed, and the Dinobots barely managed to keep him from learning about the berserker rages which plagued Slag every few million years. The 4,000,000 Year Itch! He also oversaw the reconstruction of Tracks in Wheeljack's Body Shop, only to be left disconcerted when a saboteur kept on impeding Wheeljack's efforts to return the damaged Autobot to life. Optimus tasked Grimlock with uncovering whoever was behind delaying Wheeljack's efforts, unaware that the culprit was Grimlock himself. Tracks was nonetheless reactivated, and Optimus decided to leave the vain Autobot under Grimlock's command before returning to space, still unaware of Grimlock's hatred towards his newest underling. Makin' Tracks!
While assigning Silverbolt, Prowl, Inferno, Wheeljack, Sunstreaker, and Jazz a mission to the Acid Wastes, Optimus found the latter five uncharacteristically lost in thought during his briefing. After regaining their attention, Optimus explained that he was sending them off to seek out the Underbase's remains, hoping to use its connection to Primus as a substitute for the Creation Matrix in their impending battle against Unicron. He was further bewildered to find his troops making ridiculous excuses to avoid the mission. He sent them off despite this apparent show of cowardice.
Afterwards, Optimus accessed the Ark's archives for any clues as to why some of his finest were acting so strangely. He uncovered reports stating that Prowl and the others had been to the region before, and been tortured there by the sadistic Megadeath. Though puzzled over why they had kept this chapter of their lives a secret from him, the mission allowed the group to face the ghosts of their past, and they eventually succeeded in reaching their goal anyway. The Magnificent Six!
Another Time & Place
After Klo, the Autobots returned to Cybertron in an effort to rebuild the planetary government and resources. Optimus Prime naturally took the lead in these endeavours, but matters weighed heavily on his spark. The Nucleon-soaked Hi-Q at the core of his new body was one thing, reducing Prime to a non-transforming "Actionmaster" like many of his fellow Autobots. But more importantly, Optimus Prime feared that the newfound peace on Cybertron would not last. He desperately wanted his soldiers to stop being soldiers, yet was petrified that something might come along and disturb their inactivity. This trepidation kept Optimus from stopping Grimlock from jetting off on an ill-advised mission to Hydrus Four in search of a way to reverse the Nucleon process, and he even refused to listen to Prowl when he reported that Grimlock had taken off anyway. Prowl struck a chord, however, when he pointed out that if he could track Grimlock's destination, so could the Decepticons. Shamed by Prowl's rebuke, Optimus Prime soon pushed aside his recalcitrance and assembled a strike team to go after the Dinobots.
On Hydrus Four, the Autobots discovered the Decepticons had taken over the medical facility with the Nucleon supply, and taken the Dinobots hostage. It seemed Bludgeon had a plan for the Nucleon, using it to recreate Megatron himself. With a surgical strike, however, they managed to free the Dinobots and take the fight to the enemy. Optimus confronted Bludgeon himself in battle, but was saved when Grimlock suddenly charged through and struck the Decepticon leader in dino-mode. It turned out the Nucleon process could be reversed after all! After that, all Prime and Grimlock had to do was tear apart the zombie-like, half-revived Megatron. Piece o' cake.
Eons later, Prime reminisced on this adventure, relishing the sense of closure it had brought him. But since that time, Autobot probes had uncovered a new breed of Decepticons amassing in deep space. Steeling himself after his reverie, Prime walked off to warn his fellows that a new battle awaited them, and it was time to take up arms once more. Another Time & Place
Transformers Comic-Magazin
Powermaster Optimus Prime led the Autobots when the joint Decepticon leaders Shockwave and Megatron tried to hijack the oil reserves of Alaska. The Autobots drove off the Decepticons, but not before Quickmix shot a minibot because he turned off his targeting computer. Optimus then sat his troops down and explained to them the differences between Autobots and Decepticons. Attack at Dawn
He was monitoring the Decepticons from a distance when Megatron made peaceful gestures to humanity in New York City. The Autobots returned to the Ark and discovered that a statue of Snaptrap that the Decepticons had gifted to New York was actually Snaptrap in disguise. Snaptrap went on a rampage and the Decepticons used this distraction to attack various other targets. Prime led the Autobots to narrowly defeat this menace. The Troy Principle Those events were recorded on a videotape that was later found and watched by Autobots on Cybertron after a nuclear disaster in Kalis. In Memory of Earth
In 1973, Powermaster Optimus Prime - A Robot, a Hero Optimus Prime held a meeting in which he discussed with his fellow Autobots the importance of defending Earth's oil supply from the Decepticons in case they had forgotten, and applauded Slapdash's call for a one-world Autobot government. The Decepticons then attacked an oil tanker. Prime put Crossblades in charge of the rescue mission, while he coordinated stopping the other raids that the Decepticons were systematically carrying out. At the end of a long night full of battles, he treats the Autobots to a stash of Energon. A Big Day for Powermaster Optimus Prime Those events would later be observed via log recording by Autobots in the year 2008. Powermaster Optimus Prime - A Robot, a Hero
Optimus Prime requested that the Micromasters take on Earth modes and join him on Earth. The Race Car Patrol, Off Road Patrol, Rescue Patrol and Sports Car Patrol emerged from hyperspace at several hundred mach into the Ark. A day later, a huge battle took place in New York as the Autobots battled the Decepticons. The Decepticons unleashed a robotic hell-beast known as 'King Con', however Optimus Prime rented a helicopter to fly a banner announcing huge raw oil deposit finds in the Rocky Mountains. After a short hesitation, the Decepticons retreated to pursue these findings. New York — A City Sinking in Terror
When the Decepticons stole three nuclear missiles from the United State Federation to hold the world to ransom, Optimus Prime put the entire burden of discovering their whereabouts on the shoulders of the Double Targetmasters. Once the Decepticon base was located, he ordered that Bumblebee, Jazz and Grimlock be given the power and abilities of Pretenders and sent to defeat the Decepticons (and they did, hurrah!). Megatron's Ultimatum
Optimus Prime was part of a wayward simulation watched by Goldbug that mashed up previous adventures of the Autobots. It prominently ended with Optimus reviewing the characteristics of various Autobots and Decepticons. Memories of Bumblebee
Marvel Generation 2 comic
As time passed, with the Decepticons supposed in exile and Cybertron at peace, the Autobots functionally disbanded. They scattered across the galaxies, with many retiring in peace while others continued to fight for peace among other civilizations they came across. Optimus Prime was still based out of Cybertron for a time, when he was alerted to Megatron's resurgence on Earth by the Joe team. Goin' South He also had at least one encounter with Bludgeon's forces after Klo, (which ended with both sides fleeing from the planet's Guardian) Ghosts but eventually was no longer in direct command of all Autobots as they scattered across the galaxy.
The time came when Optimus Prime was called back into the skirmish, alongside his honor guard of Kup and Hot Rod, when Grimlock and his combat unit discovered a greater Cybertronian Empire that had sprouted up without their noticing it. These next generation Decepticons, led by the Liege Centuro Jhiaxus, would conquer world after world using terraforming and exo-structuring processes to remake raw materials into a new Cybertron for their use. Optimus Prime, Grimlock and their "Dirty Dozen" of Autobots began a small resistance movement against Jhiaxus and his people, but realized they were out of their depth. As the call went out to reassemble the Autobot army en masse, Prime worried that they were still missing some greater threat—he had begun experiencing visions of an unknown peril that was heading their way, and wasn't sure if even the united Autobots would be enough to deal with it. War Without End!
A temporary cease fire with the Cybertronian Empire in the K'tord Nebula after encountering psychic parasites that fed off of aggression did nothing to forestall the greater conflict between them. Primal Fear!
Until he could identify this secondary threat, Prime ordered the Autobots to remain inactive at an Autobase built into a small asteroid belt. But certainly Grimlock was having none of that. He grabbed a sizeable percentage of their displaced warriors who had already arrived and headed out after Jhiaxus and his flagship, Twilight. Naturally, they got in over their heads. Prime grabbed some of his personal soldiers (Hot Rod, Kup, Prowl, Hound) and hijacked a strike ship to get close enough to Twilight for a rescue mission. Once Grimlock and his men were sent out on a prison vessel, Optimus blasted the ship just enough to cause chaos, and give Grimlock enough time to overtake the crew. Devices and Desires!
Surprisingly enough, he gave Grimlock no rebuke once they met up again—in fact, Prime put the Dinobot commander in charge of the entire army! In order to fully understand the visions of impending doom he was receiving, Optimus Prime decided he needed to return to Cybertron itself, to help "cut through the static" that was garbling whatever message the Matrix was trying to send him. Engaging in a quasi-mystical ritual to expand his psychic boundaries, Optimus cast himself mentally back through time to witness the birth of the first Transformer, Prima, as he rose from the living structure of Cybertron itself. What he saw next, however, was astonishing—Cybertronians birthing new Cybertronians themselves, causing living metal to burst forth from them in a bio-morphic reproduction process called "budding". Primus had apparently allowed this only up till a point, allowing the race to evolve in stages before discontinuing the ability and the memory of it from his progeny. Jhiaxus and his new Cybertronians, however, were the result of some Decepticons somehow relearning the budding process. They were stronger, yes, and perhaps more evolved physically, but their souls, their sparks, were distilled too many times over. Optimus Prime awoke from his trance, believing he had come to understand the threat he sensed: the fractioning of his species. Little did he know that the threat was far less philosophical, and far more tangible, than he realized. The Power and the Glory
Megatron led an attacked on Washington D.C., prompting Skydive to seek out Optimus for reinforcements. Tales of Earth Parth Three Prime jumped at the idea of joining forces with the original Decepticons to face off against the Cybertronians. Traveling to Earth alone, Optimus approached Megatron with the intent to talk. Instead, Megatron blasted him from behind, beat him to a pulp, ionized his every circuit, and then ripped out his chest and siphoned away the power of the Matrix. So no, the talking didn't go too well. Prime only survived due to Grimlock's talent for insubordination, as the Dinobot leader brought a massive strike team down to save their fallen leader before Megatron finished him off. Still, as the Autobots dragged Prime away to receive repair treatment, he knew Megatron would be back—Optimus had stuttered out enough information about "new Decepticons" to pique his old foe's interest, and once Megatron went after them and bit off more than he could chew, they'd meet again. The Gathering Darkness
In this, at least, Optimus Prime knew Megatron all too well. Only days later a heavily battered and bruised Megatron wandered into Autobase: Earth, looking for that alliance Prime had offered. Tales of Earth Part Four Prime accepted, but when news reached him that the planet Ethos was under attack, Megatron refused to involve himself; he considered the endangered world to be beneath his notice. Making it clear that their alliance would only work if the Decepticons accepted to work under Autobot terms, Optimus left to fight Ethos's invaders. Tales of Earth Part Five The culprit turned out to be once more Jhiaxus's army, who appalled Optimus with the complete amorality with which they dealt out genocide. Engaging them proved to be a losing battle, until Megatron and his troops turned up after all. The Autobot/Decepticon alliance was cemented through combat, and though Ethos lay in shambles, its last few survivors gained a reprieved from obliteration. Escalation!
With new allies, things were looking up for Prime until the unthinkable happened. His visions of death and apocalypse finally came true as the Autobots came across a devastated world looking almost identical to the images he had been experiencing. Swarm Optimus now realized his visions were not metaphorical in nature, and almost drew the conclusion himself before Perceptor's science team completed their analysis of the genocide—it was their fault. More specifically, some by-product of the Cybertronian race had been formed by the budding process which created Jhiaxus and the Cybertronians, an animate entity that scoured the cosmos of its own design. Before more data and analysis could be had, however, Jhiaxus and his troops arrived on Earth seeking to end their ancestors once and for all. Tales of Earth Part Six
Optimus and Megatron fought shoulder-to-shoulder as the enemy forces descended en-masse, and though the first wave was destroyed, subsequent ones threatened to overwhelm the alliance utterly. Knowing that Jhiaxus's acquisition of the Matrix would signal their defeat, Optimus Prime asked Megatron if he had the means of reaching it, aboard the Warworld in orbit. His old foe answered in the affirmative; he had stashed a small vessel nearby in case the need for a quick getaway ever presented itself. Total War! The pair made their way out of Earth's atmosphere, but found the Warworld gunning down the Cybertronian fleet, despite reports that the enemy had already overrun it. Sneaking aboard, they found the Warworld's interior transformed into a living, squirming mass. The reason for this change was soon made evident; Starscream after having already betrayed the alliance to Jhiaxus, had in turn betrayed his new ally, taken the Matrix for himself, and used it to merge with Warworld! Tales of Earth Part Seven Starscream tried to force Optimus and Megatron into the Warworld's plasma core, though Megatron prevented their fall by grabbing hold of a cable. Megatron then flung Optimus to safety and kept Starscream's attention on himself so that Prime could progress unimpeded. As Optimus made his way through the ship, he found it strangely responsive to his needs, as though Starscream was, for some reason, out to help him. Upon reaching a communications console, Optimus begged Jhiaxus for an audience to discuss the impending threat which was bearing down on them all. As badly as Prime's last attempt to "just talk" with an enemy had gone, this time it went much worse, as Jhiaxus responded by ordering the orbital bombardment and destruction of the human city of San Francisco. Millions of lives were wiped out in an instant. Dark Shadows!
As bad as things were, a silver lining did develop—Starscream proved too much of a "pedestrian villain" to actually corrupt the Matrix as had happened in the past. Instead, it was actually turning him more heroic, giving him selfless and self-sacrificing urges! The Warworld began blasting at Jhiaxus's ship in an attempt to forestall further attacks on Earth. But before Prime could even respond to this development, the Swarm itself arrived in orbit. Tales of Earth Part Eight Not wanting to be a hero, much less a dead hero, Starscream willingly relinquished the Matrix to Optimus Prime. In yet another effort at unity and compromise, Prime took a skysled over to Jhiaxus's flagship, Twilight, in order to talk the Liege Centuro into working with the Autobots and Decepticons to commune with the Swarm.
Instead, Jhiaxus tore off his face.
The formerly icy Cybertronian had been driven completely off his rocker by the extended conflict with his ancestors, and was now little more than a mad dog pounding away at Optimus Prime. The brutality only ended when the Swarm entered Twilight and consumed Jhiaxus utterly. At this point, Optimus had reasoned that the Swarm was merely a void, searching for something to complete the emptiness inside it. With desperate reasoning, Prime allowed the Swarm to assail him, hoping that he (and the Matrix inside him) would prove to be what it was searching for. His body ravaged to the point of total disintegration, Optimus Prime still managed to make mental contact with the Swarm as it consumed him, and expose it to the will of Primus. Having successfully purified the Swarm, Optimus Prime rematerialized in a new, more powerful body. In the aftermath, in front of the cheering masses, Prime declared a new age of peace and enlightenment.
Privately, however, Prime knew that it never ends... A Rage in Heaven!
Fleetway Generation 2 comic
When the diabolical Bludgeon launched an all-out attack on London, Grimlock called in Optimus Prime who traveled to Earth with a small squad comprising Jazz, Sideswipe and Skram. On their arrival, Grimlock was nowhere to be found, having been incapacitated by Megatron in a new body. Sending his troops to deal with the other Decepticons, Optimus sought out and confronted Bludgeon, blasting Tornado and Dirge out of the way and soundly beating the Decepticon leader in one-on-one combat. It was only then that the real threat revealed himself — Megatron! War Without End
Still weary from his battle with Bludgeon, Prime wasn't sure if he could beat Megatron and he was quickly proved correct as the Decepticon showed off the features of his new body, including the powerful particle accelerator cannon. Fortunately for the Autobot leader, Rage ordered his Stormtroopers to attack Megatron, then Grimlock and his Dinobots intervened and finally Jazz and the others arrived. Outnumbered, Megatron summoned Starscream and retreated.
Later at Autobase, Grimlock filled Prime in on what had happened in his absence. Thousands, perhaps millions of new Decepticons had shown up and were eco-structuring worlds into new Cybertrons all over the galaxy and Grimlock had even tussled with these Decepticons' leader, Jhiaxus. However disturbing this news, Optimus's visions had warned him that there was something much worse out there... War Zone
Prime was still having apocalyptic visions when Grimlock went against orders and attempted to destroy the Cybertronian flagship Twilight. The mission went badly, leading to the deaths of Mirage and Red Alert, until Prime showed up to save the day aboard the captured Cybertronian ship Sabre. Afterwards, Optimus left Grimlock in charge of the Autobots as he went to investigate the source of his visions. Devices and Desires!
Deep beneath the surface of Cybertron, Prime was shown the creation of the Transformer race and learned of a previously unknown method of reproduction, that of budding. He also saw how the Cybertronian Empire had rediscovered this process to massively bolster their numbers. The Power and the Glory
Cybertron comic
While reminiscing about some events throughout multiverse, Vector Prime remembered the time Shockwave taunted Optimus Prime's disembodied head. Vector Prime: In the Beginning
Classics
After the war ended on Klo, Optimus Prime returned to Cybertron exhausted. Optimus Prime's profile in Club magazine #18 Several of his most powerful warriors, uneasy with peacetime, left Cybertron to pursue whatever Decepticon stragglers remained in outer space. Though Optimus objected to their departure, he made no effort to actually stop them. Grimlock's profile in Club magazine #13 Since the war had gone on for so long, Prime had all along resigned himself to an inevitable death, and so finding the war at an end, Prime simply withdrew from society. No civilian job satisfied him. Now that peace was finally here, he had no idea what to do! Optimus Prime's profile in Club magazine #18 In his attempts to keep busy, he helped some of his soldiers adjust to the new status quo. Among these was Hot Rod, who he set up with an administrative job, Rodimus's profile in Club magazine #15 and Nightbeat and Muzzle, to whom he offered a place as his personal investigative agents. Muzzle's profile in Club magazine #22 He also helped Lug in acquiring a ship to take him back to Nebulos, Lug's profile in Club magazine #22 and organized a project to restore the data destroyed from Cybertron's archives during the war. Quig's profile in Club magazine #22 As the years passed, Optimus became more and more of a recluse, spending deca-cycles within the Last Autobot's orbital watchtower. What the two legendary figures discussed in isolation is a mystery to all others. Optimus Prime's profile in Club magazine #18
Fifteen years later, Optimus was somewhat relieved that Megatron had resurfaced on Earth. Though it shamed him, he once again had a purpose. Optimus Prime's profile in Club magazine #18 He sent out messages to his off-world troops, key among them Grimlock Grimlock's profile in Club magazine #13 and Rodimus (formerly Hot Rod) Rodimus's profile in Club magazine #15 to rejoin the battle alongside him on Earth.
The team Optimus Prime returned to Earth commanding wound up including some of his best warriors, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Grimlock, Jetfire, Mirage, and Rodimus, united to counter the return of Megatron. When Transformers from another reality, Skyfall and Landquake, arrived on Earth unexpectedly, Megatron stumbled upon them, only to find himself under attack by Prime and his Autobots. Crossing Over, Part 1 Overwhelmed, Megatron managed to escape with Landquake, while the Autobots returned to Autobot headquarters with Skyfall. Crossing Over, Part 2
Optimus Prime took his Autobots and Skyfall to South America, where the Decepticons were investigating a mysterious energy source that was similar to the radiation readings of their new dimension-traveling companions. After Prime left Jetfire in mid-transit to help RUNT fight the Seekers, he and the remaining Autobots arrived at their destination and battled the rest of Megatron's forces on the ground. Crossing Over: Part 3 As the battle raged, Optimus Prime took on Megatron in a one-on-one battle. Megatron tried repeatedly to escape Prime so that he could discover the location of the energy readings, but Prime prevented him from doing so. Crossing Over: Part 4 Megatron tried intimidation tactics, boasting that his troops outnumbered Prime's, assuring him the victory. Optimus was nearly felled, but Grimlock intervened in the duel by tossing Bonecrusher into Megatron, giving Optimus the respite he needed to continue keeping Megatron at bay. Crossing Over: Part 5 As Megatron's troops were eliminated from the fight, the Decepticon leader realized his gambit was up. He swore the next time he and Prime met, it would be different! Optimus Prime told him to leave before he lost his patience, and the Decepticons withdrew. Crossing Over: Part 6
The battle won, but the energy source still a mystery, Prime and his Autobots returned to their headquarters heavily damaged, and seemingly having lost Skyfall and Cliffjumper (along with Landquake). Later, he was pleased to have been visited (seemingly very quickly, if really at all) by Ultra Magnus when their paths crossed while the latter was hunting Bug Bite. Games of Deception
At another time, Optimus Prime fought alongside Jetfire, Sunstreaker, and Ironhide to protect some humans from Dirge, Thrust, and Ramjet. Later still, after Ratchet had been rescued from Megatron, Optimus overlooked the medic as he recovered from his trauma, and welcomed him back to the Autobots. At Fight's End
Regeneration One
In the twenty-one years since defeating Bludgeon on Klo and returning to Cybertron, Optimus Prime had grown more distant, sequestering himself to Nova Point, where he was mentoring Hot Rod. Ultra Magnus and Kup, catching wind of some dissident Decepticon activity, visited Prime to ask him to send the Wreckers in to stop a potential uprising before it began. Prime, believing that such an action would only galvanize the Decepticons, forbade it. However, shortly thereafter, Soundwave was able to hijack a defense satellite and use it to destroy the Last Autobot where it stood in Iacon. Counterpoint
Kup defied the stand-down order and activated the Wreckers to stop a Neo-Decepticon raid on a weapons decommissioning facility in Kalis, preventing the detonation of reclaimed warheads. Prime reluctantly conceded that the Wreckers' actions saved countless lives and chose not to punish Kup at this time, much to Magnus' concern due to the influence the Wreckers' war-hero status had had on his cadets. Prime didn't hear Magnus' concerns, however, as he was overcome with a vision of Unicron, threatening to return and kill him again. Frustrated with Prime's lack of action, Kup decided to take a more proactive approach, and left with the Wreckers for Earth. Loose Ends, Part 1
Kup's mission proved disastrous, as Megatron had devastated the planet, and had been waiting for Prime to return for one more showdown—a fact he revealed to Kup when the Wrecker leader was captured. Loose Ends, Part 2 Springer's distress signal was received on Cybertron, at which time the Autobots discovered a repeating message from Megatron, calling for Prime and taunting him. Ultra Magnus and Trailbreaker took these messages to Optimus. With the revelation of Megatron's survival, Prime had no choice but to mobilize the Autobots to Earth, though he ordered Hot Rod to stay behind to watch over Cybertron. Loose Ends, Part 3
Optimus arrived on Earth to find Megatron, along with an army of zombie Decepticons that he had revived and lobotomized, in the remains of Washington, D.C., about to destroy Springer. The insane Decepticon was thrilled to see that his nemesis had finally come. Loose Ends, Part 4 Prime realized that his inaction had resulted in Megatron's devastation of the planet, but did his best to contain himself as he ordered Megatron to let Springer go. Megatron proceeded to shoot Springer in the head with his fusion cannon, and then sarcastically suggested that he misinterpreted Prime's meaning. This was enough to make the Autobot leader snap, and as the other Autobots engaged Megatron's zombie army, Prime and Megatron went head-to-head.
As the battle commenced, Megatron revealed his dark designs — he had set this confrontation up to be their final battle. Being linked with Auntie, the Ark's computer, he had programmed her to launch all of Earth's remaining nuclear weapons should he be terminated; should Megatron prevail over Prime, or should the two find themselves in a stalemate, he intended to fire the missiles anyway, ensuring that both would be destroyed, along with every remaining living thing on the planet!
During the battle, Kup destroyed Ratchet, sending Megatron into agony and providing Prime with the opening he needed to rip Megatron's spark from his chest, ending his old foe once and for all. Fortunately for Optimus, at about the same time, the group of Wreckers led by Circuit Smasher had reached the Ark, and Circuit Smasher was able to disable Auntie, not only preventing the nuclear launch, but deactivating the zombie Decepticons as well. Loose Ends, Part 5
Prime mournfully watched as the bodies of the fallen zombie army—which had even included Autobots that had been left in stasis on the Ark—were gathered up to be destroyed by orbital bombardment. He refused First Aid's offer of repairs, choosing to wear his battle scars in memory of the fallen. Prime offered an apology to Kup, who wasn't quick to forgive. He was then tersely confronted by Circuit Smasher, who informed Prime that he and his human allies had unanimously voted for the Autobots to leave Earth immediately. Prime tried to ask his former ally to reconsider, believing that the Autobots could help humanity rebuild, but Spike rebuffed him, stating that they were far beyond "rebuilding" and had to start from scratch. Not wishing to bring further conflict upon the humans, Prime reluctantly chose to abide by their decision. Natural Selection, Part One
At least, he would ensure the other Autobots abide by the humans' wishes, as he surprised Ultra Magnus with the revelation that he was staying behind to help rebuild. Prime also revealed to Magnus that he believed his own resurrection at the hands of the Last Autobot had been a mistake, that his own time had passed, and that it was time for Hot Rod to assume the mantle of leadership. Natural Selection, Part Two Optimus proceeded to drive to the Yukon, with the intent of destroying the Ark and its Cybertronian technology once and for all, though he was unable to decide whether this was out of altruism, or atonement. Natural Selection, Part Four However, when Optimus arrived at the Ark, he was surprised to find it taking off... and with a Transformer aboard who Prime recognized as Megatron. Natural Selection, Part Five
Later, Optimus sent a message to the Autobots on Cybertron telling them of the Megatron-like character's presence on the Ark. Hearing about the state of shock Scorponok left the people of Nebulos in, Prime reasoned the two damaged worlds of Earth and Nebulos could help each other. Destiny, Part One Despite Circuit Smasher's electrified reception, Optimus Prime presented his plan to Blackrock and the humans, and they accepted. Destiny, Part Two Circuit Smasher remained recalcitrant, however, and even threatened to blow up the space bridge while Prime was constructing it. The War to End All Wars, Part 1 Nevertheless, work on Earth and Nebulos neared completion. The War to End All Wars, Part 2
When the space bridge was activated, Fortress Maximus came through, defeated the already wounded Prime and captured Spike. Optimus had to be hurriedly ushered in for repairs. The War to End All Wars, Part 3 He was being treated by G.B. Blackrock when his body suddenly vanished. The War to End All Wars, Part 4
When Rodimus was journeying to Zero Space, the Dark Matrix creature called on three different versions of Optimus from different points in this timeline. Of them was the wounded-'current'-Prime. The Dark Matrix creature commanded the Primes to attack Rodimus Prime who was carrying the Sword of Primus. Rodimus couldn't handle even one Prime and three Primes were too much for him. It was then that he called multiple Rodimuses from across the multiverse. They managed to hold off Optimus long enough for him to shake off the entity's control. Optimus Prime counseled Rodimus on how to defeat the Anti-Matrix, and the beast was cut off from the rest of the multiverse. Optimus and Rodimus reverted to Cybertron, where Optimus finally expired from his accumulated injuries. He was at peace, though, believing the Last Autobot made a mistake reviving him years ago, and the Autobots were now in the hands of a worthy successor. The War to End All Wars, Part 5
Transformers '84
With the earliest battles of the Great War all being in favour of the Decepticons, it was thought that they had all but won the conflict. Optimus Prime emerging as Autobot leader however led to the disorganized resistance rallying together into meaningful opposition against the Decepticons, stalling the aggressors' advance. Indeed, Megatron became so obsessed with defeating this "upstart" that he all but forgot his original ambition of Project Dreadnought. Secrets & Lies #1
After so many eons of war, Optimus Prime became convinced that Megatron represented not only the greatest threat to Cybertron's future, greater even than the Stellae Cimeterium, but the lynchpin of the Decepticon army. As Cybertron drifted towards an asteroid belt, Optimus saw a chance to remove Megatron from the combat theatre through the Ark, a ship which Optimus would crewed with the entirety of Autobot High Command to tempt Decepticon High Command into following, ordering Punch to inform Megatron of the ship's construction. After dodging questions from both the Council of Autobot Elders and Ultra Magnus about his plan, Optimus met with Punch in the Badlands, praising the spy for his performance and informing him of his true plan. After taking a moment to reflect on the trusts he was betraying, Optimus ordered Punch to ensure that no one would ever find the Ark and that Megatron never be allowed to return to Cybertron. When the time for launch came, Optimus led his troops in destroying the rocks before, as he predicted, Megatron attacked the ship. Without missing a beat, Optimus set the Ark on a collision course with the nearby Earth, crashing it and cutting off everyone from Cybertron. '84 #0
Royal Mail stamp bio
Orion Pax, once a dock worker, police officer, gladiator, and field commander, gathered together Autobot forces to repulse the Decepticon uprising. Once he gained the Matrix, he was later called Optimus Prime and swore to defeat the Decepticons and bring about peace.
Notes
- In an alternate ending to The Last Stand (printed in The Transformers: The Complete Works Part 2) Optimus gets to finish up his speech as Shockwave's attack never comes. Optimus Prime declares that the Decepticons have been defeated once and for all instead.
References
- ↑ This almost certainly wasn't the intention but later stories establish "Prime in name" = "has Matrix"
- ↑ "Plague of the Insecticons!" was later designated as universal stream Primax 1285.0 Gamma by Vector Prime.
- Character stubs missing fiction
- Action Masters
- Autobot leaders
- Classics Autobots
- Combiners
- Multi-component Transformers
- Marvel Generation 1 Autobots
- Marvel Generation 2 Autobots
- Gladiators
- Matrix bearers
- Powermasters
- Primes
- Regeneration One Autobots
- Robo-Capers characters
- Rulers of Cybertron
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