Optimus Prime

"And the reason that she loved him was the reason I loved him too. He didn't wonder what was right or wrong. He just knew. He just knew."
--"Hero"David Crosby & Phil Collins

For the inaugural edition of the new spotlight section, I wanted come out the gate running; to make this section a reason to visit every update. (By now I know better than to call this monthly--it takes me so long to update--darn real world. :) So I had to decide which character was worthy to debut the update-ly spotlight. But how does one choose from 15+ years of fascinating characters and toys?

Well, the first thing is the fact that the spotlight is more than one article. The whole site is dedicated to the spotlight character, including the backgrounds and title banners. His or her influence is seen until the next major update. So the first choice has to be the one who arguably made the greatest impact on the Transformers Universe as a whole. Also to be taken into consideration is how those backgrounds are made--using the toys rather than just screen captures or comic scans. Of course, should I use non-toy characters like the humans, that will be a tad difficult. Heh. (By the way, more of that kind of artwork will be part of my GALLERY section.) Therefore, I also had to select a character that I had a toy of. Luckily, there is one character who I not only have the toy of, but may be arguably the icon of the Transformers...

But why do I consider the Autobot commander as the icon of Transformerdom? Is it because he's my favorite character? No, that goes to Bumblebee, for reasons I'll save for his spotlight. No, my fellow Transfans, the reason is that Optimus Prime is the character everyone remembers, whether an old fan who lost interest or the current nostalgiast who never let go of his childhood. Op represents the very ideals of the Autobots. And unlike many characters, he never changes from continuity to continuity. Soundwave, for example is extremely loyal to Megatron, but in the comics he swings to whomever's the most powerful, like Shockwave. In neither continuity does he show much hint of the blackmailing his tech spec says he uses against even fellow Decepticons. But no matter where you look--tech specs, comics, cartoons, kids books--no matter what, Optimus Prime is the exact same character. Compassionate, wise, respected, merciful to a fault, near infallible. This is the Prime we always get, even when he makes the occasional blunder.

Hasbro and Marvel had pretty much revolved Transformers around old Op; his mug showed up on bed sheets, party supplies, and coloring books. The various fiction of the day made him out to be the ultimate hero--an ideal to strive for. Nowadays, it feels like we tend to bring down heroes, forcing their flaws into the spotlight so we feel better about ourselves. However, there was a time when heroes were what we hoped to someday become--a goal to strive for. In the "Transformers Universe", a guidebook to the Transformers' comic produced by Marvel, Optimus is said to have "the personality of an Abraham Lincoln. He can be immensely kind and his compassion extends to...the creatures of Earth. (H)e will battle unceasingly to protect the weak and defend what he believes in." There aren't many people like that, mechanoid or humanoid.

Time and again, he has earned the respect of his fellow Autobots and the humans they have sworn to protect. He'd put his life on the line to save them, and in fact has "died" (or a Cybertron's equivalent), sometimes more than once. And yet he'd do so again. Yet, he asks nothing of his fellow Autobots in return. The best example I can use is this line from The Transformers #14. In the story, Jetfire has just joined the Autobots and pledges that "my services are yours for eternity". Prime's response:

"Understand that only common cause and mutual agreement bind one Autobot to another. By commanding, it is I who serve--for that is what the other Autobots ask of me. If ever they should want me to step down, I will. If ever you want to leave, you may. That is the right of every Autobot." This kind of philosophy--that the leader serves his followers, rather than the other way around--is something that many of Earth's leaders tend to forget on more than one occasion. He's always seen giving positive reenforcement to his troops, even when he punishes them for disobeying orders. (As evidenced later in that issue, or episodes like "Master Builders".) The Autobots would gladly lay down their lives for Op, not because they feared the consequences if they didn't but because they know that he not only would do the same for them, but work to make such sacrifices unnecessary.

Even in death, Prime's legacy lived on. In the cartoon, his successor, Rodimus Prime, would on more than one occasion compare himself to the late leader. In the comics, you can see the emotions in the loss of their leader. (Specifically #26, when they're choosing a new leader, or #76, after he sacrifices himself again to defeat that version of Unicron.)

And his affect on the young Transfans of the day was obvious as well. See at some point everyone who could afford an Optimus Prime toy had one, so Hasbro wanted to concentrate on new toys. Their solution? To kill Optimus Prime! To Hasbro, the show and comic were nothing more than a tool to sell toys, and since they weren't going to make the toy anymore, they wanted to ensure that the kiddies would want the new toys. So in the movie he dies in battle with his arch-nemesis, Megatron, replaced with new leader Rodimus Prime. (I'll get into that another time.) Not a bad choice, since he did have the same heart, though lacking in experience and self-assuredness. Certainly a better choice than Grimlock. Although the comic version was smarter than his counterpart (in the beginning, anyway) in the cartoons (especially the comic relief he became in season 3), the Dinobot commander was a tyrant, more in like with Megatron than Optimus. Of all the original characters, many died, especially in the movie, but It was Optimus Prime's loss that hit fans hardest. They demanded the beloved character back! The cartoon even had the episode Dark Awakening, where Op does return, only to die "once and for all" in a way that makes Rodimus look better. It didn't wash with the kids who still insisted Optimus Prime return. A rather questionable retcon was called for to make The Return of Optimus Prime do just that. Hasbro also responded by incorporating the character into their Powermaster gimmick.

And there you have it, the first character spotlighted here in the Transformation Zone. Younger fans who weren't around for the original series (and even a few that were) may not hold the character in the same high regards as we who grew up with him; but for most of our generation of Transformer fans, there will always be only one character who personifies the Autobots and all they stand for, only one leader, only one who is the icon! The name you know even if you aren't a fan. Wrestling has Hulk Hogan. Boxing has Mohammad Ali. Star Trek has Captain Kirk.