Monday, Feb. 23 2009 @ 5:04AM
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Good old, noble Optimus Prime is certainly the most important character in Transformers history, as not only the leader of the Autobots, but also having appeared in every version of the story in some form. Unfortunately, he's also the unluckiest Transformer, as writers have unmercifully killed him in virtually all those series, meaning the heroic truck/monkey/robot has been murdered on-screen just a bit less than Kenny on South Park. Some of these death scenes have been riveting and emotional, have shown Optimus at his noble, sacrificing best. Others, well... others have been plain embarrassing -- not just for Optimus, but all the writers and artists involved. Here are ten times Prime has kicked the rust bucket (although there's sure to be more), ranked from worst to best.
10) Marvel's Transformers #24, "Afterdeath!"
Marvel's Transformers comics were edgy, weird and sometimes brilliant, but they were marred by a few moments bad enough to drive you to set fire to your ultra-expensive Fort Max figure. The worst moment was the first of several deaths of Optimus Prime seen in the comics. The hare-brained plot had a computer programmer convince Optimus Prime and Megatron to wage battle within a video game, with each combatant wired to explosives that would result in the death of the loser, in order to prevent the collateral damage that would have occurred otherwise. Megatron of course found a way to cheat, and Optimus only won by taking out Megatron along with a bunch of blob-people who resided in the virtual world. So upset that his desire to defeat Megatron had resulted in the death of those he had sworn to protect, Optimus ordered the computer programmer to blow him to high heaven. Yes, Optimus Prime basically committed suicide over the death of innocent computer pixels. A lamer death for such a great hero as Optimus Prime is hardly more imaginable. However, the computer programmer assured Prime's return by copying his mind... to a five-and-quarter-inch floppy disk. *sigh*
9) Transformers Animated, "Transform and Roll Out"
The Transformers Animated version of Optimus Prime made a great first impression. Not only was he inexperienced and an outcast, but he managed to get killed in only the third episode of the series (and the first story, for that matter) when his battle with Starscream high in the sky ended with Optimus going splat on the pavement. Promptly, he turned gray and died. But thankfully, a little girl and her magic key were there to save him. Dying this quickly in the series made Prime seem weak and fragile, and detracted from the dramatic impact of any death of his that was bound to come later.
8) Transformers Armada, "Crisis"
Transformers Armada was such a bad show. It was a festering example of the worst clichés of English-dubbed anime. If you despise characters that constantly make gasping noises, say "Huh?" and yell; an obsessive focus on power moves and the tiresome announcement of each one; annoying kids; and robots that act like they're 12 years old, then avoid this show at all costs. The Optimus Prime in this universe managed to die while heroically saving Earth by jumping in front of Megatron's super-cannon, then niftily shattered to bits (later to be rebuilt by those stupid Mini-Cons). While it could have been a cool scene, every bit of it is marred by the awful traits described above.
7) Transformers Headmasters, "A Dream is Born, Double Prime"
The Japanese Generation 1 Transformers cartoons are an odd parallel universe. They look a lot like the American G1 cartoons, but continued the story in a way uniquely Japanese and depressing after the American seasons ended. The Japanese writers wasted no time in killing off Optimus Prime again, apparently seeing his revival in the American Season 3 finale "The Return of Optimus Prime" as an annoying roadblock to Hot Rod being leader. In the third episode of Headmasters, the first Japan-exclusive Transformers cartoon, Hot Rod got his grubby hands on the Matrix again and turned back into Rodimus Prime. Briefly, he fought side-by-side with Optimus Prime against Galvatron and the Decepticons on Cybertron. Then Vector Sigma, a huge power source, began to malfunction and threaten the planet. Optimus leapt at it, merging his spark with Vector Sigma to save his home planet, and unceremoniously dropped dead in the process. This noble sacrifice was mostly worthless, as Cybertron was blown up by the Decepticons a few episodes later. What a cheery place the Japanese Generation 1 universe was! Powermaster Optimus Prime showed up later, but was actually a human controlling a lifeless body that looked like Prime. By the time the real Optimus came back to life, it was within the pages of manga since the Japanese cartoons had been canceled by that time.
6) Beast Wars, "Other Voices"
With an alien space weapon about to destroy the planet, Optimus Primal heroically piloted a pod up into the sky to destroy it. But the nefarious Megatron had rigged the pod so that Optimus couldn't escape, making him go kablooey along with the alien weapon. Taunting Primal over the vidscreen, Megatron even commented on the frequent fatalities of characters named Optimus. "Oh, you Optimuses do love to sacrifice yourself, don't you?" he said with a cackle. This "GOTCHA!" Moment underscored what a delightfully scheming villain Beast Wars Megatron was. Optimus would return, of course, his spark reunited with a spiffy new body.
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27 comments
Comments
davelog said:
While certainly not an official Transformers presentation, my favorite Optimus Prime death was from Robot Chicken, when he died of colon cancer. Upon his last breath, he transformed into a casket.
ryan said:
Yeah, even as a kid I thought that the death by computer game was a real slap in the face. Megatron was blown up a few issues later if I recall correctly. I think that these deaths were driven less for storytelling puproses and moreso to make way to showcase more toys. I love the fact that an alien intelligence can be stored on a floppy diskette. awesome.
Zach Oat said:
What are you, crazy? You can't lump Optimus Primal in with Optimus Prime! The Transfans will kill you! He's not some alternate-reality Prime, he's a totally different character, who chose his name in honor of-- oh, my God, they're here. The Transfans are here! Run! RUUUUNNNNN!!!!
Joe said:
you should all watch The Rude Awakening of Optimus Prime on Youtube, tis a fan dub of what we all wanted to hear when Optimus came back, he chews out Roddimus.
Kevin said:
Zach, he may be a different character with a similar name, but Optimus Primal is still a Prime in rank and spirit. Animated Prime and Unicron Trilogy Prime are different characters, too, but share the same traits of being great Autobot leaders. Perhaps I should have indicated within the article that, yes, I know these are different characters, but I've found that many Transfans tend to talk about all the various Optimi in discussions like these. And if I just included G1 Prime, the list would have been too short. ;-)
Kevin said:
The Rude Awakening of Optimus Prime is the perhaps the best moment of Transformers ever, even if it's non-official:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq1_6D9QS9Y
chad said:
i agree with the whole list. and glad to see transformers the movie ranked so high though though it would be number one. as for the beast wars machine deaths avoided the cartoon as much as possible. and the rude awakening of prime agree that was the most creepiest episode of the g1 cartoon. besides a warrior like Optimus-prime deserves a good death
Bill said:
I once wrote a blog about my being traumatized about Transformers: The Movie all those years ago. Prime (and all the others) dying was a big deal back in the day and Duke from G.I. Joe has that movie to thank for his staying alive in the Joe universe!
JOE said:
Michael Bay's death of Optimus is sure to be awesome just like the great death he gave Jazz, remember, huh, anyone?
Sean said:
This list isn't quite complete. It's missing the time my buddy's little brother couldn't get Optimus to transform back into truck form. He got pissed off and started breaking parts off, which pissed him off even more so he got a hammer and smashed Prime. It was really a tragic death, and one my buddy has mourned for years.
(Sorry I missed the "The Worst Thing You Ever Did To A Toy" contest this last weekend.)
Gkjohnson said:
Watching Optimus fly the ship to his doom was probably the most traumatic cartoon based experience of my life.
LBD "Nytetrayn" said:
Good list, though the "Dark Awakening" summary was slightly off, and as already noted, Primal is another character, and not in the "alternate reality" sense that the rest of the OPs are.
--LBD "Nytetrayn"
Jeremy said:
I'm assuming that the only reason Optimus Prime getting his face blow off by Megatron in "Beast Wars" didn't make the list is because Optimus Primal held onto his spark so Prime didn't fully die. Because that was the best "death" scene for Prime ever with the most on the line. Still, it was so badass that it should have gotten a spot anyway.
Photoboy said:
What are you talking about? Optimus Prime doesn't die in Transformers The Movie. The entire film is about 15 minutes long and ends right after Prime beats Megatron. He certainly doesn't die after Hot Rod interfered. No sir.
Also, notice how Hot Rod doesn't bother to jump back into the fight after Megatron tosses him away? The worthless little coward only comes back after Prime has beaten Megatron and it's safe for him to come out from shitting himself. Hot Rod needs to remember his fucking tech-specs. Optimus Prime? Strength: 10. Megatron? Strength: 10. Hot Rod? Strength: 6. Loser.
Now if you will excuse me, I have an appointment with my shrink. He's still trying to convince me I'm in denial about something.
LittleBigSteve said:
Killing off Optimus was always a bad idea. He's the heart and the star of the Transformers. It's as dumb as, oh, I dunno -- killing off Batman?
Oh.
Wait...
LBD "Nytetrayn" said:
I don't know, I kind of find the concept of there being OTHER leaders, like they used to do in Japan, rather interesting.
--LBD "Nytetrayn"
Skeletor said:
Great list. Glad to see Zombimus Prime is listed on here. I cried when I saw the movie in the theater, and when they brought him back in that episode, I was ecstatic (but still a little creeped out, and knew even at an early age that I shouldn't be trusting this new development...). Then, the writers/animators skullfucked us all.
And great death story, Sean!
Fesifisky said:
regarding #1:did you realize that the resulting new prime(hi-q) was the action master prime toy, much like the action master grimlock was a result of the loss of transformation ability towards the end of the first line of Marvel comics?
Figured I'd throw it out there. Feel free to catch it or just... let it fall to the ground. Ashamed.
Fesifisky said:
By the way, the two weren't forged together as a new prime. Hi-Q was basically turning into prime(as you mentioned merging with his soul). The Last Frikken Autobot turned hi-q into a new robot prime. How could you miss that? A frikken robot CALLED the Last Autobot, AND it's face looks like the fucking autobot symbol?
Were you drunk when you did this? Or just still got your Tformers training wheels on?
Sunstreaker said:
Beast wars sucked. This list fails.
Jeremy said:
Sunstreaker said:
Beast wars sucked. This list fails.
Posted 02/24/2009 at 01:45:06 AM
Yeah, don't you hate how they had a limited cast of characters which allowed them to give each, individual transformer a personality? It's so much better when each side has 100 guys and they all basically act the same.
...
Beast Wars was awesome. Are you one of those original purists who thinks that anything that isn't G1 must suck? Because character and storyline wise Beast Wars is easily the best series ever.
Uncle Soaky said:
The only reason Beast Wars was so unwatchable was because the whole series looked like shit. I was watching the clip posted and thought I was looking at a screen covered in multi-colored baby puke. Is there any worse cartoon than early 90's 3D?
Kevin said:
Fesifisky, I was just trying to explain it as simply as possible without going into every convoluted plot point of the latter G1 Transformers issues.
SteveFox said:
I actualy have that issue where Prime blows up.
It always angered me as a child.
Always.
jonathan nieves said:
I watched transformers revenge of the fallen and optimus prime died because megatron stabbed him with his sharp hand. Optimus said no and his chest blew up. I was so sad to see that part of the movie.
TheRealTFfan said:
UUUMM THIS IS CRAP WHO CARES ABOUT THE DAMN COMICS, THOSE COMICS DONT MEAN ANYTHING THEY WERE DONE BY MARVEL AND IT WAS ALL SCREWED UP THIS IS A STUPID LIST AND WHOEVER MADE IT IS A IDIOT, AND YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO PUT TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED UP THERE THAT SHOW DOESNT DESERVE AIR TIME ITS THE WORST SERIES SINCE BEAST WARS/MACHINES, HOW ABOUT HIS DEATH IN VICTORY WHEN HE TRIES TO PROTECT STAR SABER, HIS "REAL FINAL DEATH" I GUESS THERE'S STILL IDIOTS OUT THERE WHO STILL THINK GOD GINRAI IS NOT OPTIMUS PRIME HOW STUPID COULD YOU BE, HE WAS ONLY GINRAI IN MASTERFORCE CAUSE THAT WAS THE HUMAN'S NAME BUT HE WAS STILL OPTIMUS PRIME WHEN HE TRANSFORMED AND COMBINED WITH THE TRAILER AND GODBOMBER AT THE END OF THE SERIES THE HUMANS LOSE THE BRACELETS AND GINRAI SEPERATES FROM PRIME'S BODY WHICH ALLOWS HIM TO BECOME OPTIMUS PRIME AGAIN AND IN VICTORY HE'S OPTIMUS PRIME ALL THE WAY STAR SABER EVEN SAYS "WE WILL NEVER FORGET EVERYTHING YOU DID FOR US OVER THE DECADES" AS PRIME IS ABOUT TO DIE BUT HE DOESNT REALLY DIE HE BECOMES VICTORY LEO THAT IS THE REAL FINAL DEATH OF OPTIMUS PRIME, THEY EXPLAIN IT AFTER HEADMASTERS FINISHED AND PRIME DIED AT THE BEGINNING DEVIL Z TOOK HIS LIFELESS TRANSECTOR AND HID IT ON EARTH WHICH LEAD "GINRAI" TO DISCOVER HIM AND BRING HIM BACK TO LIFE AND THEY CLEARLY EXPLAIN THAT HE DIED IN VICTORY BECAUSE OF ALL THE PREVIOUS DEATHS AS IN G1, THE MOVIE IN THE SERIES, HE DIED A BUNCH OF TIMES HIS BODY WAS WEAK THATS WHY HE NEEDED TO BECOME A POWERMASTER, AND PLEASE DONT COUNT ARMADA CYBERTRON BEAST WARS OR BEAST MACHINES AS TRANSFORMERS, THEY WERE CRAPPY ASS SHOWS WITH SCREWED UP STORYLINES AND FACTS AND NO TRUE TF FANS RESPECT THOSE SHOWS, EVEN WHEN I WENT TO BOTCON EVERYONE WAS TALKING ABOUT HOW THOSE SHOWS DONT COUNT SO STOP PLEASE, TRANSFORMERS ENDED WITH TRANSFORMERS ZONE(WHICH WAS ALSO A DISAPPOINTMENT)AND THAT'S THAT
notarealTFfan said:
*a single tear drops onto the keyboard*
That wall of text. It is beautiful.
