Optimus Prime (Robots in Disguise)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Transformers character | |
 |
|
| Optimus Prime | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Autobot  |
| Japanese name | Fire Convoy |
| Rank | 10 |
| Function | Autobot Leader |
| Motto | "We will put out the fires of evil!" |
| Alternate Modes | Fire Engine |
| Series | Transformers: Robots in Disguise Transformers: Universe Transformers: Cybertron Transformers: Titanium |
| English voice actor | Neil Kaplan |
| Japanese voice actor | Satoshi Hashimoto |
Optimus Prime is a fictional character in Transformers: Robots in Disguise who leads the Autobots in a secret campaign. Hidden in plain sight on Earth as common, everyday vehicles, the Autobots are forced to emerge when Megatron and his Predacons arrive and wreak havoc in their attempts to attain the power of Earth's varied energy sources.
Contents |
[edit] Transformers: Robots in Disguise
Optimus Prime transforms into a fire engine. The front section of the vehicle detaches and becomes Prime himself, armed with his Blaze Blaster cannons and Gyro-Strike leg wheels, while the rest of the vehicle transforms into a mobile battle station/refuelling port/communications array, and can combine with Prime as additional weapons and armor, forming his super mode. The ladder/hose section houses Prime's "Power Stream" water cannon, capable of shooting freezing streams of water, and also contains a quartet of rocket launchers. His super mode feet contain missile launchers than can mount to the shoulders of his regular robot mode. Prime is also holder of the sacred Matrix.
[edit] Animated series
As a nod to their origins in G1, Optimus Prime and his brother Ultra Magnus were created at the same time by Alpha Trion, but when Prime was chosen to carry the Matrix, Magnus felt passed over, and was left carrying a grudge against his brother.
Later, Optimus pursued Megatron to Earth to stop him from pillaging the planet's energy resources. Prime's loyal team of Autobots clashed with Megatron's Predacons on many occasions, stopping their schemes with the aid of Koji, a human whose father had been abducted by the Predacons. Prime and Koji went on to form a strong friendship, even though Prime saw it as his fault Koji's father had been abducted in the first place. Optimus proved his bravery on many occasions, battling and defeating Sky-Byte in an underwater duel, and personally rescuing Side Burn from a Predacon trap. Later, Prime would gain a clone of sorts in the evil Decepticon Scourge, who had been created when his protoform was given life by some of Megatron's Spark energy and scanned Prime's truck alternate mode. However, Prime's pleas to make Scourge remember his original Autobot loyalties fell on deaf ears.
Prime soon had other things to worry about, as Magnus arrived on Earth with the intention of taking what he believed was rightfully his - by force, if necessary. Severely injuring Prime, who refused to fight back, Magnus tracked him to a desert island, where he pretended to offer him the hand of friendship, only to attempt to absorb the Matrix for himself, forcing the brothers into the combined form of Omega Prime (God Fire Convoy). Through this link, Magnus was also able to channel the power of the Matrix, which he used to supercharge the Autobot Brothers into newly-coloured forms. Prime went on to battle the Decepticons n many other occasions. Although Magnus remained a free agent, refusing to take orders from his brother, his animosity dwindled and he frequently helped the Autobots by combining with Prime to battle the Predacons and Decepticons.During the final battle with Galvatron (Megatron's new form) the two brothers finally reconciled. Together they faced Galvatron together at the Earth's core and successfully defeated him once and for all.
In Car Robots, the original Japanese version of Robots in Disguise there is not one singular Matrix, but multiple ones, each held by a high-ranking Autobot. God Magnus already possesses a Matrix, and simply seeks to steal the power of Fire Convoy's to increase his own (the overspill resulting in the supercharging of the Autobot Brothers).
[edit] Dreamwave Productions
Robots in Disguise's Optimus Prime made one appearance in Dreamwave' Summer Special issue before the company went under, as he and Magnus learned the value of teamwork to stop the Decepticons from stealing a nuclear reactor. There was a contest in the issue as to whether Robots in Disguise or Beast Wars would be the next Dreamwave comic series. Beast Wars won.
Prime would make one further surprise appearance in Dreamwave's Transformers: Armada series. With Optimus Prime having disappeared to an alternate dimension devastated by Unicron, the Autobots attempted to find their leader. As Jetfire attempted to locate him through Spacebridge links to other dimensions, one of these clearly shows RiD Optimus Prime and Prowl.
[edit] Transformers: Universe
A yellow repaint Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime was released for the Transformers: Universe line. This toy was a Sam's Club store exclusive. Alongside a repaint of Ultra Magnus, these characters had no tech specs until they appeared in Transformers Collectors Club comics, where it was revealed they were the same Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus from the Robots in Disguise continuity, who were taken to the Transformers: Universe reality.
According to the bio for this Optimus Prime printed in the Transformers Collectors Club magazine, Optimus Prime is a member of the Cybertron Dimensional Patrol and was adbucted by Unicron. It is unknown if he repainted himself yellow before being abducted, or the recoloration was from the radiation emanating from Unicron, which has a tendency to recolor Cybertronians.
This incarnation of Optimus Prime first appeared in the Transformers: Universe comic series in issue #2 as part of Omega Prime, escaping with various other Transformers from Unicron. He appeared again at the end of issue #3, being brought in to Alpha Trion's lab to aid Optimus Primal. After this both Prime and Magnus became part of Optimus Primal's army of Autobots, battling against Unicron's Decepticons.
Although 3H Enterprises losing the licence would forestall the conclusion to the Universe storyline, an explanation of sorts would be found in issue 8 of the Transformers Collectors Club magazine Cybertron/Robots in Disguise, where Prime told the tale of how Unicron's forces were defeated in one last battle by Optimus Primal's forces, as Unicron disappeared due to the black hole opened in Transformers: Energon. Combined as Omega Prime, they could not escape fast enough, and were sucked into another dimension.
[edit] Transformers: Cybertron
RiD Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus were redecoed again and sold as a set exclusive to Costco stores in the Transformers: Cybertron line in 2005. He was now back in his original red coloration. He would make an extremely surprising appearance in the Cybertron Club Comic.
[edit] IDW Publishing
In the Cybertron universe, Cybertron was under attack by two of the Heralds of Unicron, Nemesis Prime and Ramjet. They had already damaged Alpha Trion, and while Ramjet engaged Vector Prime in a duel high above Cybertron, Nemesis Prime got past Sentinel Maximus and revealed his plan - he was going to use the Dead Matrix, a corrupted version of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, to drain the lifeforce of Primus and use it to revive Unicron (destroyed in a black hole at the conclusion of Transformers: Energon). But he was confronted by the most unexpected foe of all - Omega Prime. Omega then split into Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus, and while Prime attended to Primus, Magnus defeated Nemesis Prime. Informing Sentinel Maximus of what went on, they then stored the Dead Matrix away forever, unaware they were being observed by Soundwave.
Soundwave subsequently stole the Dead Matrix and threw it into the black hole, reviving Unicron, who took a nearby planet as his new body. Unicron attacked Cybertron again in the midst of a Mini-Con civil war, duelling with Sentinel Maximus and Omega Prime. The battle was inconclusive, but Unicron was driven away by Primus himself. The brothers recovered - only to receive Optimus Prime, bearing word of Vector Prime's death in battle. Prime and Magnus were subsequently seen planning the hunt for Unicron with Sentinel Maximus.
[edit] Transformers: Titanium
A 6 inch tall Optimus Prime in Robots in Disguise style for the Transformers: Titanium line was first displayed by Hasbro at the 2006 Sandiego Comic Convention. This version of Optimus Prime seems to only have vehicle and super robot modes.
