Optimus Prime (G1)

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This article is about the original version of Optimus Prime. If you were looking for other versions, see Optimus Prime (disambiguation)

Hero Overview Gallery

Do-Gooder
Full Name	Orion Pax (Formerly) Optimus Prime
Alias(es)	Optimus Prime Leader of the Autobots Orion Pax
Origin	Transformers
Occupation	Leader of the Autobots Defender of humanity
Powers / Skills	Superhuman Physical Characteristics Large Size (Type 0) Transformation (Into a White Freightliner truck) Weapon Mastery Experienced Hand-To-Hand-Combatant Energy Weapon Creation Energy Manipulation (With the Ion Blaster) Existence Erasure (The Matrix of Leadership was able to erase the galaxy-spanning hate plague) Energy Projection (Optimus is capable of firing beams of energy from his eyes) Invulnerability (When exposed to electrum) Longevity, possible Immortality (Type 1) Life Manipulation (Through the Matrix of Leadership) Self-Sustenance Explosion Manipulation (With armaments) Vehicular Mastery Flight (With a jetpack) Resistance to extreme heat, fire, and explosions (While already seriously injured, Optimus was able to withstand fire from Laserbeak) Mind Manipulation (During his brief resurrection, Optimus was controlled by the Quintessons. However, the Matrix of Leadership purified his mind, and he was able to regain control of his own body) intelligence
Hobby	Leading the Autobots battling the Decepticons defending humanity guarding the Matrix of Leadership
Goals	Save Cybertron and Earth from Megatron and the Decepticons Protect life wherever he finds it.
Family	Optimus Primal (Descendant)
Friends / Allies	Elita-One (love interest) Bumblebee Jazz Ironhide Ratchet Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime Wheeljack Grimlock Sideswipe the Autobots
Enemies	Megatron Starscream Soundwave Shockwave Devastator the Decepticons
Type of Hero	Big Good Giant Robot Wise Leader Gentle Giant The Hero

“	Autobots, transform and roll out!	„
	~ Optimus Prime's most famous quote - commanding the Autobots

“	Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.	„
	~ Another famous quote by Optimus Prime

“	One shall stand, one shall fall.	„
	~ Optimus facing Megatron, The Transformers: The Movie

“	I have the manifolds to stand up for those who cannot stand for themselves.	„
	~ Optimus to Megatron, Transformers: Devastation

Optimus Prime, originally known as Orion Pax, is the main protagonist of the Transformers franchise.

He is the leader of the heroic Autobots, sworn protectors of humanity and Cybertron, and battles against the menace of the Decepticons and their evil ruler Megatron. Optimus Prime's main disguise has tended to be a large truck and he is generally seen as one of the most powerful Autobots on Earth.

Optimus Prime is the titular ultimate main protagonist of the popular Transformers Generation 1.

Optimus Prime is voiced by Peter Cullen who also voiced the character in the live-action film series and the character in the Transformers: Prime animated series. He has also been voiced by Garry Chalk and David Kaye in other incarnations.

History

• Cartoon
• Marvel Comics

Any stories written after the original franchise, but designed to fit into the cartoon in some way are in italics.

Backstory

As seen in War Dawn, Optimus Prime was originally Orion Pax, a young dock worker dueing the Golden Age, nine million years ago. He had a girlfriend named Ariel, and a best friend in Dion. He admired the Decepticons for their abilities to fly. One day, a new group of robots, the Aerialbots, arrived on the docks, and Orion introduced himself and his friends. A group of Decepticons arrived, and Orion was shocked when he was approached by Megatron, who claimed to be looking for a place to store his wares. Orion showed Megatron around the warehouses and explained that they were used for storing energy, at which point Megatron ordered his followers to attack and steal it all. When Orion took a shot to the shoulder, Ariel rushed to his defense, but was hit by another blast from Megatron. The enraged Orion lunged at Megatron, but was shot down by him.

While Megatron and his troops set about pillaging the warehouses, the Aerialbots carried his body away in hopes of finding someone to repair him. They came upon Alpha Trion, who decided to subject Orion to a new reconstruction process he had developed, which would strengthen their bodies so that they could battle the Decepticons on even footing. Thus it was that Orion Pax became Optimus Prime, the new leader of the Autobots, and was given the Matrix of Leadership. While Alpha Trion set to work on rebuilding Ariel into "Elita-One" using Prime's schematics as a basis, Prime confronted Megatron, introducing himself as the Decepticon's "worst nightmare".

Battle Lines

This info comes from the Wings Universe, which occurs in a version of the cartoon Orion had been rebuilt as part of Alpha Trion's proposed "Prime Initiative", but after most of the Elite Guard were destroyed by the treacherous Combaticons, the Autobot High Council was prepared to give Optimus Prime command of the new Autobot military. This transfer of power was carried out at the Citadel, with Prime standing with his best warriors. Prime promised to match the Decepticons' ferocity in order to preserve their way of life. He told his team that their primary mission would be to find and stop Megatron, though Ironhide thought they should be going after Deathsaurus and the Combaticons. Optimus reminded him that orders were orders, but broke off his speech when he noticed that Side Burn was missing.

Around a week later, after Side Burn had been located, Optimus gladly accepted an apology from Magnum, who had mistrusted him. Dion ran up with the news that the Decepticons were massing at the walls of Iacon. Though Magnum tried to give the order to assemble the Elite Guard, Optimus received news from Ironhide that it was already too late. They watched as Devastator broke through the city wall. After Dion aided in the dismantling of Devastator, Optimus Prime boasted to Megatron that the Autobots were aided by two capable leaders, and so the Decepticons were doomed to defeat. Megatron responded, perhaps unsurprisingly, by putting a big hole in Magnum. Megatron attempted to do the same to Optimus, but Dion dived between the blast and its target. This horrified Optimus, and he overwhelmed the Decepticons with firepower. As they retreated, Optimus crouched over Dion's crumpled body. As the Autobots' tended to their wounded, Alpha Trion warned over Magnum and Dion's bodies that he could only save one of them, and one of the two was successfully rebuilt as Ultra Magnus.

Season 1

After five million years of war, Cybertron began to run out of energy due to the war of attrition. Optimus Prime gathered his best troops to join him on the Ark, a ship that could find other planets, where more energy could be located. As seen in flashback in The Search for Alpha Trion, Prime was the last to board, but was stopped by a cry from Elita One, who came running up to the launch platform. Prime told her that he would return for her as soon as he could, but Elita was intent on joining Prime on the mission. However, a Decepticon attack on the platform caused an explosion that seemingly destroyed Elita. The crestfallen Prime boarded the spacecraft and ordered a take-off. In the three-parter More then Meets the Eye, after navigating an asteroid field. the Ark was attacked by the Decepticons, and despite Prime's attempts to save the ship, all were knocked into a 4 million year long stasis.

In 1984, the Decepticons were revived by a volcanic eruption, but a tremor caused by a petty shot from Starscream led to Optimus Prime being awakened, and he revived his troops. Prime led the Autobots in pursuing the Decepticons, who were attacking an oil rig. Prime and Megatron faced off, but Prime was promptly set upon by Laserbeak, allowing Megatron to break off the fight and collapse the oil rig. Prime quickly rescued a pair of rig workers, Sparkplug Witwicky and his son Spike, and after introducing himself and the Autobots, the two grateful humans volunteered to help the Autobots learn more about Earth.

When the Decepticons targeted Sherman Dam, Prime led the Autobots in an attempt to stop them, battling Megatron atop the dam with his energon-axe. Distracted by a cry from Spike, Prime was knocked off the dam by Megatron, and the Decepticons escaped to carry out their next raid on the ruby crystal mines of Burma. When the Autobots arrived at the mines, Sparkplug and Bumblebee were sent in to plant an explosive charge that would entomb the Decepticons. When the pair did not return, Prime drove up to the mineshaft and deployed Roller to investigate. No sooner had Roller entered the mine, however, than the charge went off, and Prime was caught in the blast and hurled off the cliff. Prime and Roller both survived the explosion, as did the Decepticons, who freed themselves from the mine.

After the Autobots' attempt to use a holographic rocket base to dupe the Decepticons failed, Megatron prepared to return to Cybertron. Prime called for volunteers for the mission to stop the Decepticons' escape, and all the Autobots stepped forward, including Spike and Sparkplug. With all his soldiers behind him, Prime led the Autobots into battle once more, and once again faced off with Megatron, using the additional firepower of his Combat Deck against his enemy. When the combat shifted to hand-to-hand, however, Prime was blindsided by Ravage, affording Megatron the opportunity to call off the fight and instruct the Decepticons to board the cruiser. As the craft took off, emotion got the better of Prime, and he ordered Sideswipe to hand over his rocket pack. With the pack's additional boost, Prime followed the cruiser into space, but a blast from its artillery hatch sent him plummeting back to Earth. His anger fading to despair, Prime declared that the Decepticons had won. However, Mirage, who had stowed aboard, sabotaged it from within, causing it to crash back into the ocean. Believing the Decepticons destroyed, Prime ordered the Autobots back to the ship, so that they could continue rebuilding it and return to Cybertron.

Months later, in Transport to Oblivion, before rebuilding was complete, Prime and Ironhide stood looking out at the ocean, and Prime confessed he was not entirely convinced that the Decepticons were gone for good. Sure enought, Teletraan I reported an emergency at a solar power plant, and Optimus discovered to his horror that Megatron still lived. Prime led a team of Autobots to drive the villains off, and while they were successful, the Decepticons escaped with a large quantity of energy to send to Cybertron with their new intergalactic "space bridge" transport system. Spike was captured and nearly sent across the bridge with the energy, but at the last moment, Prime blasted him free of the transport pod and then hurled Megatron into the bridge in his place. Megatron would return, and Optimus Prime and the Autobots fought the Decepticons on numerous occasions until 2005.

As seen in Generation 2: Redux, in 1993, Optimus Prime and the Autobots worked with their allies in Earth Defense Command to create a stronger link between their two peoples. A Cyberfactory was created on Earth to manufacture new Transformers with all the rights and status of citizens of Earth. At some point, as seen in flashback in The Return of Optimus Prime, Prime battled Megatron in a laboratory on Earth, causing an explosion that scarred scientist Gregory Swofford.

Transformers Devastation

Transformers Devastation takes place in a version of the cartoon, albeit with some minor differences.

Optimus Prime led the Autobots to stop Megatron's attempt to cyberform Earth. After discovering that Megatron's new weapon was the Proudstar, Optimus initially tried to preserve the Cybertronian history contained on its Ferrotaxis supercomputer. Inside the Proudstar, he received a prophecy of his death from Teletraan Alpha, but he was content to know his friends would survive. After the Plasma Core was damaged and proved to be too great a threat, Optimus reluctantly decided to destroy it and the Ferrotaxis. When Megatron shot shot the Ferrotaxis into space in a effort to stop the Autobots, Prime rode an Insecticon swarm into Earth's orbit for a final showdown with Megatron, ultimately forced to destroy the Ferrotaxis in order to preserve humanity's right to forge their own future. With Megatron's defeat, Optimus called upon the Autobots to stop merely living upon Earth and adopt the planet as their new home. Later, he and Wheeljack discussed plans for the new project.

Madman's The Transformers

This was written years later, but was designed to fit into the cartoon. In 2001, Optimus Prime led the Autobot evacuation from the Decepticons' successful conquest of Cybertron, standing as the unflinching rearguard for his fleeing Autobots. Before he left, he secretly met with Ultra Magnus at the site of the future Autobot City to discuss hiding the Matrix of Leadership, against the possibility of Prime's capture or death. Unfortunately, Soundwave had secretly recorded this clandestine meeting and moved to capture the powerful Autobot relic. To everyone's surprise, the young Hot Rod defeated Soundwave and secured the Matrix. When the Autobots arrived back on Earth, Optimus Prime learned of Hot Rod's deeds, and as he was handed the Matrix, a mysterious energy from the artifact passed through both Autobots. Prime only cryptically noted that Hot Rod's destiny was greater than the young 'bot himself knew.

The Movie

In  2005, Optimus Prime was stationed on Moonbase One, and dispatched troops to Earth to acquire energy for an strike to take back Cybertron. The Decepticons got wind of the plan and attacked the shuttle. They schemed to use the shuttle to stage a surprise attack on Autobot City; however, a distress call summoned Optimus Prime and support troops to Earth. Declaring that Megatron would have to be stopped, Prime fought his way through the Decepticons before confronting Megatron in a duel. Despite a gash being torn in his side, Prime gained the upper hand in the battle and was poised to deliver a killing blast when Hot Rod leapt into the middle of the fight, having spotted that Megatron was reaching for a gun. Megatron overpowered the youth and used him as a shield, preventing Prime from taking his shot, and opened fire with the gun, blasting Prime in his wound. Prime fell, and Megatron stood over him, about to deliver the final blow, but at the last moment, Prime hurled Megatron off the platform on which they battling. With Megatron bested, the Decepticons fled, as the other Autobots flocked to the side of the wounded Prime.

Despite the efforts of Perceptor, Optimus Prime's wounds were fatal. Prime passed the Matrix of Leadership, and with it Autobot leadership, to Ultra Magnus. Muttering "'Til all are one", Optimus died, his lifeforce becoming one with the Matrix. When Hot Rod opened the Matrix within Unicron, Prime's voice was heard once more, dubbing Hot Rod "Rodimus Prime". 

Season 3

As seen in Five Faces of Darkness, Optimus Prime was among the deceased Autobot leaders within the Matrix, who told Rodimus of the Quintesson's origins.

As seen in Dark Awakening, Optimus Prime's body was entombed in a deep-space mausoleum with the many other fallen Autobots, but the Quintessons reanimated his body as part of an attempt to destroy the Autobots. Pursued by the Decepticons through space, a team of Autobots led by Rodimus Prime took refuge in the mausoleum, where they were encountered by the seemingly-reborn Optimus. Optimus dispatched the pursuing Decepticons, and Rodimus, never truly comfortable with leadership, relinquished the Matrix to him. At that point, the reprogrammed Optimus turned on the Autobots, stranding them on the mausoleum and blowing it up. The zombie Prime returned to the main Autobot force and reassumed command, to lure the fleet into a trap. Hot Rod and his Autobots survived the mausoleum explosion, and Hot Rod battled Prime. In the course of the fight, the Matrix overpowered the Quintessons influence, and Optimus returned the talisman to Hot Rod, ordering the rest of the Autobots clear while he piloted his flagship into the Quintessons' trap, setting off the booby-trap detonator, triggering the explosion of a nearby sun, seemingly destroying him.

Before the ship's destruction, Optimus's body was retrieved by two human scientists, Jessica Morgan and Gregory Swofford, who blamed Prime for the explosion that scarred him years ago. Months later, after a Decepticon attempt to steal a heat resistant alloy left Jessica paralysed, her vengeful father, Mark, joined him in reconstructing Prime's body to be used as a delivery system for spores that had been released from the exploding sun, which induced hatred and madness. When they could not reanimate Prime, they used his body as a lure instead, bringing the Autobots to be their lab, to be infected directly. Rodimus Prime managed to escape with Optimus Prime's body, and ordered Sky Lynx to find a Quintesson to restore Prime to life. Sky Lynx succeeded in recovering a Quintesson who finally brought Optimus Prime back to life. 

The resurrected Prime led a team of Autobots to the Decepticons' base on Chaar to recover the heat-resistant alloy they had stolen, so that Prime could coat his body in it and make himself impervious to the Hate Plague. Working with Galvatron, who Optimus recognised as Megatron reborn, they managed to retrieve the alloy, and Optimus escaped as his team was infected. Thus protected, Optimus confronted the infected Rodimus and defeated him in battle, reacquiring the Matrix so that he could consult the ancient Autobots for a way to defeat the Hate Plague. Discovering that the only way to cure the disease was with wisdom, Prime unleashed the concentrated wisdom of the Matrix itself to wipe out the plague. Galvatron made a temporary truce with Optimus, and he assured Hot Rod that, despite the Matrix having been emptied of wisdom, they were all wiser now, and would fill it with the wisdom they would gain in the future.

The Headmasters 

One year after Optimus's resurrection, in 2011, the Autobots had entered into an even closer relationship with Earth and began the colonization of other worlds, the first of which was the planet Athenia, where Optimus Prime was stationed. It soon became apparent, however, that when Optimus had released the energy of the Matrix to cure the Hate Plague, the consequences were more far-reaching than he had anticipated - without the energy of the Matrix to act as a balancing factor, Vector Sigma had become destabilized, and the Decepticons suddenly returned to exploit this, assaulting Cybertron in order to seize control of the mega-computer.

Optimus took a squad of troops to aid in the battle on the planet, and when the arrival of the Autobot Headmasters tipped the battle in their favor, Optimus broke off from the main attack and headed down into the depths of the planet, planning on stabilizing Vector Sigma at any cost.

Guided through the dangers of the planet's catacombs by the spirit of Alpha Trion while the other Autobots searched for the Matrix on Earth, Optimus eventually arrived at the computer, only to find his way barred by Cyclonus and Scourge. Hot Rod then arrived with the Matrix, with which Alpha Trion merged, re-energizing it and transforming Hot Rod back into Rodimus Prime; for the first time, the two Primes fought side-by-side and defeated Galvatron. Before Rodimus could implement the Matrix to stabilize Vector Sigma, however, Optimus Prime sacrificed himself to perform the task, merging with the computer and restoring its balance to save the planet.

UK exclusive stories are in italics

Backstory

Optimus Prime was once a sportsman, who displayed his skills at the IntraFormers Sharpshooting Competition. As a serious-minded individual, he also spoke out against Needlenose's faddish "Chic Chips" line of hardware accessories. At some point during civil unrest, presumably due to Cybertron suffering dwindling resources, the mortally wounded Sentinel Prime passed the Matrix to Optimus. 

As depicted in State Games, Gladiatorial Games were commissioned between the city-states to increase good will, and Optimus Prime was Iacon's chosen champion, and shared a sporting rivalry with Megatron of Tarn. During a match in Tarn, Optimus intervened to stop Megatron killing his opponent, Sunstreaker, but was reprimated by the Overlord, blind to Megatron's bloodust. After sabotage plunged Tarn and Vos into an inter-city war, Optimus Prime, the other athlete's and the frail Overlord were trapped on the frontlines. Optimus and Megatron accompanied the Overlord's bodyguards and tried to return him to Iacon, but the fighting was so intense, Prime had to leave to get help, and Megatron and Ravage, one of the bodyguards, abandoned the Overlord to die.

After Tarn and Vos were levelled, Prime 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.  to be added

Transformers 84

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Marvel's the Transformers

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Early battles on Earth

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Captured by Shockwave

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Return to Cybertron

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Death

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Existing in VR

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Resurrected as a Powermaster

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Time Wars

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Underbase Saga

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Old enemies return

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Alliance against Unicron

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Action Master

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Original future (UK)

The events seen in the UK comics are initially seen as the definitive future of the series, until time travel rewrites the timeline to become a potential future.

Another Time and Place

to be added

Generation 2

to be added

Classics

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Regeneration One

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Personality

Cartoon

Optimus is a very brave and strong leader who fights with equal compassion and power, valuing all life and unwilling to bow down to tyranny or terror. He has an undying commitment to leadership and peace and sees violence only as a last resort. He is straightforward, wise, and upbeat. He believes in the good of everyone, not looking down on humans and other beings as lesser, like Megatron does.

He also dislikes rap music, putting him at odds with other Autobots such as Blaster or Jazz. Optimus is secretly plagued by self-doubt and pacifism that makes him a reluctant warrior.

Comics

Optimus is a brave, and inspirational leader, able to rally others under his leadership. In his youth he was arrogant and reckless, which led to him misjudging the Underbase situation on Cybertron. Optimus would suffer self doubt many times. The strain of the war affected his mental state, even being willing to sacrifice a shipful of Autobots, including himself, to defeat Megatron once and for all. After the plan failed Optimus regretted having stranded the Decepticons on Earth, but channeled that regret into defending his new home. Optimus showed himself as a kind and charismatic figure, always open to offer the hand of friendship to humanity, refusing to use the Creation Matrix to create beings with only the capacity to kill. He could even persuade the likes of Scorponok to ally with him against a greater threat. 

Powers

Being a Transformer, Optimus Prime can transform into a Kenworth K1000 cab over truck. With this, he can go at extremely fast speeds. He usually wields an ion blaster, a rifle that can shoots lethal explosive rounds and/or a barrage cannon, another rifle that shoots warheads filled with 3,000 pounds of TNT. He also has several melee weapons, such as energon axes, dual retracting swords, and hooks. He can also lift over 2,000 tons.In his chest is a mystic talisman, also known as the Autobot matrix of leadership and the creation matrix, carried by all Autobot leaders. When Optimus transforms, his cab turns into an ion blaster and his trailer disconnects, forming a combat deck. This deck supports a mobile battle station and headquarters armed with assorted artillery and beam weapons that fire automatically.

Quotes

“	Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.	„
	~ Optimus Prime expressing his beliefs in freedom and equality.

“	One Shall Stand! One Shall Fall!	„
	~ Optimus Prime before battling Megatron.

“	There's a thin line between being a hero and being a memory.	„
	~ Optimus Prime

“	Sometimes even the wisest of men and machines can be in error.	„
	~ Optimus Prime

“	Until that day… till all are one.	„
	~ Optimus Prime's last words.

“	As the earthlings say Fat chance fathead!	„
	~ Optimus Prime in The Ultimate Doom

Trivia

• Total Film Magazine named Optimus Prime the 30th greatest movie superhero of all time.
• Optimus Prime is approximately 9 million years old, at least.
• Optimus has been mentioned very publicly in global affairs in recent years. A 2008 Canadian Armed Forces operation in Afghanistan was named “Op Timis Preem,” in (an obvious but not publicly admitted) homage to the Autobot leader. It was an extremely successful operation, taking out key Taliban leaders and some Taliban infrastructure. While the Canadian military didn’t directly cite Optimus Prime as a reference for their mission, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was much more blatant about his Optimus love in 2009. After speaking on the radio about toys his children received for Christmas, he said he hoped he could meet Optimus Prime because “he seems to be able to solve most of the problems.”
• There are huge statues of Optimus in China.