Optimus Prime

The first generation Optimus Prime transforms into a Freightliner FL86 cab over semi truck.[4] Within his chest is a mystic talisman, known as the Autobot Matrix of Leadership or the "Creation Matrix", carried by all Autobot leaders.[5] When Optimus transforms, his tractor cab disconnects to become a sentient robot, and his trailer opens to reveal an ion blaster, forming a combat deck.[6] The combat deck supports a mobile battle-station and command headquarters armed with assorted artillery and beam weapons that fire automatically. The combat deck can also serve as a radio antenna for battlefield communications between the Autobots. The combat deck also included "Roller", a mobile scout buggy meant to scout behind enemy lines. When Roller is deployed, Optimus can see and hear what Roller sees and hears.[7] Injury to one component is felt by each of the others. If the combat deck or Roller were to be destroyed, Prime could survive. However, despite the slight degree of autonomy they possess, the combat deck and Roller would not be able to survive without Optimus.

In the animated series, Optimus is able to fire short-range optic blasts, project holographic maps, and deploy hydro-foils, designed by Wheeljack, to traverse bodies of water with ease. In the animated series, Optimus was also given the ability to retract his right-hand unit and replace it with a glowing axe.[8] Across the assorted continuities of the original Transformers universe, there have been various interpretations of Optimus Prime. One of Prime's most notable characteristics over all continuities his unswaying commitment to leadership by example. The animated series' version of Optimus Prime is depicted as a straightforward, wise, and upbeat battlefield general. Additionally, the animated series' version of Optimus dislikes rap music, putting him at odds with music-loving characters like Jazz and Blaster. In the Marvel Comics series, in addition to these characteristics, Prime is secretly plagued by self-doubt and a conflicted sense of pacifism that often makes him an extremely reluctant warrior.

The original specification of the Generation 1 Optimus Prime specifies that Optimus Prime consists of three components: the humanoid "Brain Center" (which transforms to the truck cab), the "Combat Deck" (which transforms to the truck trailer) and the "Scout Car", a non-transforming six-wheeled buggy called Roller, which can ride inside the truck trailer. All three components can function independently, but injury to one is felt by the other two. However, in by far the most of the fiction, the humanoid robot actually is Optimus Prime, with the other two components treated as mere accessories that disappear off the scene when Optimus Prime transforms from truck to robot mode.

Originally, Optimus Prime was created as the leader of the Autobots, though it is unknown how he was created or his origins. In a possible future, Megatron was threatened by the existence of the Aerialbots and had Shockwave build a time machine to send them back in time to get rid of them. However, he only ended up changing history for the better. In the revised timeline, Optimus Prime began his life as a robot named Orion Pax, a mostly defenseless dock worker during the Golden Age of Cybertron nine million years ago, with a girlfriend named Ariel and a best friend named Dion. During this time, a new breed of robot with new flight capabilities appeared on the planet that Orion idolized. When Megatron, the leader of the new group of robots, approached him with inquiries about using one of the dock warehouses, Orion was swayed by Megatron. Both Orion and Ariel were severely wounded when Megatron and his forces attacked in order to claim the energy stored there. Searching for someone to help them, the time-displaced Aerialbots took Orion and Ariel to the ancient Autobot, Alpha Trion, who used them as the first subjects for the new reconstruction process he had developed involving rebuilding the frail Autobot frames into more battle-hardy configurations.

With this reconstruction, Orion Pax became Optimus Prime, the first of the Autobot warriors. Optimus took the mantle of leadership as the civil war against the Decepticons erupted, and would remain in that position for the next nine million years. Ariel was rebuilt into Elita One, the commander of the Autobot resistance on Cybertron. The fate of Dion is left unrevealed. It has been speculated by fans that Dion might have become Ironhide or Ultra Magnus just as Orion and Ariel became Optimus and Elita, but this remains fan speculation only, and, his close friendship with Optimus notwithstanding, there is no evidence to support the idea.

As the leader of the Autobots, Prime headed up their mission to search for new sources of energy to revitalize the depleted Cybertron. Optimus vowed to Elita that he would return from his mission for her, but just before the launch of the Ark, Optimus was mistakenly led to believe that Elita was killed. Shortly after its launch, the Autobots' craft was attacked by the Decepticons' space cruiser, the Nemesis, and boarded by Megatron and the Decepticons. In the ensuing struggle, the G-forces of a nearby planet pulled both craft down, and the Autobots' ship crashed into a volcano, thrusting all the occupants into emergency stasis. Four million years later, in the Earth year 1984, a volcanic eruption jarred the ship's computer, Teletraan I, back to life. The computer reactivated the Decepticons, programming them with new Earth-based disguise modes. As a parting gesture, Starscream fired upon the Autobot ship, creating a landslide. The vibrations from that landslide knocked Prime into the path of the computer's restoration beam, restoring him to life, thus beginning the war anew on Earth.

Over the course of the next twenty years, the Decepticons succeeded in seizing control of all of Cybertron, forcing the Autobots to operate from their new city on Earth and two bases on Cybertron's moons. In the Earth year 2005, Prime, stationed on Moonbase One, dispatched troops to Earth to acquire energy for an upcoming strike on Cybertron. The Decepticons, however, got wind of the plan and used the shuttle run to attack Autobot City. A distress call summoned Prime and support troops to Earth. In the fearsome, ensuing, epic battle with Megatron, Optimus Prime sustained fatal wounds, but not before turning the tide of battle and forcing the Decepticons to flee. Despite the efforts of Perceptor, Optimus Prime went offline after passing the Matrix and role of leader to Ultra Magnus, despite protestations. His last words were "Until that day... 'till all are one." The Matrix later fell into the hands of Galvatron, a recreated Megatron, and was finally taken back by the young Autobot Hot Rod, who became Rodimus Prime after bearing the Matrix. Instead of giving the Matrix back to Ultra Magnus, Rodimus decided to take the duty of leadership, with Magnus as his second-in-command.

Later, during one of those times when Rodimus was in command, a small group of Autobots and human allies Spike and Daniel Witwicky fled to the Autobot Mausoleum from Decepticon attack. There, they discover that Optimus Prime was somehow resurrected. Rodimus then returns the Matrix to Optimus, reverting to his old self. However, Optimus does not act the same as before. He also appears to be mind-controlled, causing him to go insane and commit violent acts, such as attempting to kill the group of Autobots and to trick the other Autobots on Cybertron to fly into a trap set by the Quintessons. Hot Rod realizes that Optimus is mentally deranged and confronts him. As Prime and Hot Rod fight each other, the former easily overpowers the latter before having a flashback of his resurrection at the hands of the Quintessons, who reprogrammed him in order to lead the Autobots into the trap. Fortunately, the influence of the Matrix allows Prime to overcome the programming. He stops attacking Hot Rod, and returns the Matrix. Afterward, Optimus orders the Autobot fleet to move away from the trap. He pilots the Autobot flagship to the asteroid where the trap is set, triggering an explosion that kills him once again.

It was later revealed that a group of humans had actually managed to retrieve Optimus's body prior to the destruction of the ship, but he was now contaminated by strange particles released in the explosion. An anti-Cybertron scientist attempted to attack the Autobots with these particles, only to release a 'hate plague' that turned all those infected with it against others. With the plague spreading rapidly, even Rodimus Prime was soon infected, requiring the Autobot Skylinx to rescue a Quintesson in the hope that it would be able to bring Optimus back to life to lead the remaining uninfected against the plague victims. After this plan was a success, Optimus was eventually able to reclaim the Matrix of Leadership from Rodimus Prime and learn that the plague could be countered with wisdom, prompting him to sacrifice the accumulated knowledge of the Matrix to restore all those victims of the plague to normal. With the Matrix now empty, Optimus mused that all would be a little wiser now from the knowledge it had given them, and it was up to them all to refill it.

While the Transformers animated series came to an end in America in 1987 after The Rebirth, production was continued in Japan with three new, exclusive animated series spin-offs to continue the story. The first of these series, Transformers: The Headmasters, supplanted the events of The Rebirth. With the Decepticons defeated, the Autobots entered into an even closer relationship with Earth. The Autobots also 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 the consequences of releasing the energy of the Matrix to cure the Hate Plague were more far-reaching than Optimus had anticipated. Without the energy of the Matrix to act as a balancing factor, Vector Sigma had become destabilized. The Decepticons suddenly returned to exploit this, assaulting Cybertron in order to seize control of the mega-computer. Prime took a squad of troops to aid in the battle on the planet. When the arrival of the Autobot Headmasters tipped the battle in their favor, Prime broke off from the main attack and headed down into the depths of the planet, planning on stabilizing Vector Sigma at any cost.

While the other Autobots searched for the Matrix on Earth, Optimus Prime searched for Vector Sigma, guided through the dangers of the planet's catacombs by the spirit of Alpha Trion. Prime eventually arrived at the computer, only to find his way barred by Cyclonus and Scourge. At that moment, Hot Rod arrived with the Matrix, the same with which Alpha Trion merged, re-energizing it. The Matrix transformed Hot Rod back into Rodimus Prime and, 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 merged himself with the computer, restoring its balance to save the planet. Optimus Prime sacrificed himself, dying again only a few short episodes after his rebirth. Later, Prime would make a final and permanent return in the Japanese Transformers continuity, Battlestars: Return of Convoy. This entry was only available in print, appearing in the TV Magazine, a Japanese publication. Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Spike Witwicky are the only main characters to appear in all of the seasons of The Transformers Animated series and survived throughout the show. Optimus reappears in Generation 2: Redux, a Botcon magazine which is set after the events of the final episode as a flashback where he led the first generation of Autobots to pursue Galvatron and Zarak in deep space.

Optimus Primal, leader of the Maximal faction in the Beast Wars animated series, and toy line, is not Optimus Prime. Primal is one of the Maximal descendants of the Autobots, who took the name to honor Optimus Prime. The same applies to the Megatron of this era. Before the animated series began, Hasbro envisioned Prime and Megatron as their beast counterparts, but once the animated series began, this had already been changed. Design elements, such as Prime's mouth-plate slit to add an actual mouth for the animated series and the first mini-comic that came packaged with the toys, suggest this. Nonetheless, Optimus Prime and Megatron were a major reason the Beast Wars began, as Megatron's Predacon namesake traveled back in time seeking to alter history and insure that the Decepticons triumphed over the Autobots.

This agenda led the Predacon Megatron to attack the comatose Optimus Prime in stasis on prehistoric Earth, forcing Primal to take Prime's Spark into his body in order to preserve his life while his body underwent repairs. Primal was subsequently mutated into the massive "Optimal Optimus" form, which shared elements of Prime's form, prior to returning the Spark to its rightful place. The Maximals were occupied throughout the remainder of the series protecting Prime and the other Transformers aboard the crashed Ark until the Predacons were defeated. Various monuments to Optimus Prime appeared on Cybertron in Beast Machines, one of them a holographic statue in Iacon that Megatron took control of in order to trick Primal.

Optimus Prime is the fictional protagonist of the Transformers: Robots in Disguise (Fire Convoy in the original Japanese version) branch of the Transformers universe.[9] Based on the character of the same name, Prime once again leads the Autobots against the Decepticons. His voice actor, Neil Kaplan, does his voice in a style reminiscent of that of Peter Cullen, the voice of the original Optimus Prime. Wired Magazine nominated Fire Convoy as one 12 most ridiculous Transformers ideas of all time.[10]

Hidden 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 various energy sources.

In this universe, Optimus Prime transforms into a fire engine. This is also the very first incarnation of Optimus Prime to transform into a Fire Engine. The front section of the vehicle detaches and becomes Prime himself, armed with "Blaze Blaster" cannons. To attack, he is able to use his headlights, known as the "Fire Flash" attack, and leg wheels, known as the "Gyro-Strike". The rest of the vehicle transforms into a mobile battle station/refueling port/communications array and can combine with Prime as additional weapons and armor, forming his super mode referred to as "Super Fire Convoy". The ladder/hose section houses Prime's Power Stream water cannon, capable of shooting freezing streams of water, called his Blizzard Storm attack. It also contains a quartet of rocket launchers. In super mode, his feet contain missile launchers than can mount to the shoulders of his regular robot mode. In this mode, he can fire his fists for his "Flying Fist" attack.

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 ignored 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, although Prime blamed himself for Koji's father's abduction. 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, when Megatron targeted a tanker truck to scan as the alternate mode of the final protoform, Optimus Prime leaped into action in order to save the truck's human driver and, as a result, the tanker, Prime and the human were all scanned. With an infusion of Megatron's spark energy to complete the concoction, Scourge was born, emerging from his pod as a dark twin of Optimus Prime. 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 the Matrix, which he believed was rightfully his, at all costs. Prime, who refused to fight back, was seriously injured by Magnus. Magnus tracked Optimus to a desert island, where he pretended to offer him the hand of friendship, only to attempt to absorb the Matrix for himself. During the struggle, the brothers combined into the form of Omega Prime, also known as the 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 colored forms. Prime went on to battle the Decepticons on many other occasions. Although Magnus remained a free agent, refusing to take orders from his brother, over time, his animosity dwindled, and he frequently helped the Autobots by combining with Prime to battle the Predacons and Decepticons. During the final battle with Megatron's new form, Galvatron, the two brothers finally reconciled. Together, they faced Galvatron at the Earth's core and 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 supercharges the Autobot Brothers.

Optimus Prime
Transformers character
Optimus Prime in as he appears in Transformers: Armada
Voiced by (English)	Garry Chalk
Voiced by (Japanese)	Toru Ohkawa (Micron Legend) Katsuyuki Konishi (Superlink) Taiten Kusunoki (Galaxy Force)
In-universe information
Affiliation	Autobot
Japanese name	Convoy (Micron Legend), Grand Convoy (Superlink), Galaxy Convoy (Galaxy Force)
Sub-group	Super Vehicles, Deluxe Vehicles, Deluxe Beasts
Function	Autobot Leader, Supreme Commander/Ultimate Supreme Commander/Super Ultimate Supreme Commander/High-speed Mobile Supreme Commander
Rank	10
Partner	Sparkplug, Jetfire and Overload (Armada) Primus, Wing Saber and Leobreaker (Cybertron)
Motto	"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings." (Armada) "Those who threaten peace will fall in pieces." (Energon) "All hands to combat! I will lead all to freedom with intelligence!" (Galaxy Force)
Alternate modes	Semi truck, Fire engine/aircraft, mechanical gorilla

The "Unicron Trilogy" version of Optimus Prime is a fictional character of this branch of Transformers lore. Appearing in Transformers: Armada, Transformers: Energon and Transformers: Cybertron (known as the aforementioned trilogy), Optimus is the leader of the heroic Autobots. He often converted to his super combat mode. In all three series, Optimus' English voice actor is Garry Chalk, who previously voiced Optimus Primal in Beast Wars and Beast Machines.

In Transformers: Armada and Transformers: Energon, Optimus Prime shares the role of main protagonist with Rad, Alexis, Carlos, Starscream and Hot Shot. The Optimus of this universe shares many similarities with his parallel universe versions, including nobility of spirit and a strong desire to protect all humans on Earth. In this continuity, the two sides are not looking for Energon, but a small race of power-enhancing Transformers known as Mini-Cons. Optimus led his small band of Autobots to stop Megatron from acquiring their power for himself.

In his first appearance in the series, Optimus looks similar to the original G1 Optimus Prime until he copies himself with a semi-truck and his design in robot mode changes. Soon after, he retrieves his Mini-Con partner, Sparkplug. The cab of his truck mode detaches to form Optimus himself, while the trailer transforms into a battle station mode operable by Optimus and several Mini-Cons. Optimus can also combine with his trailer to form a "Super Mode" robot that, when combined with Sparkplug, can fire a series of powerful lasers. Additionally, Optimus can combine with Jetfire and/or Overload in his Super Mode for additional power.[11]

Although the original Japanese incarnation of Transformers: Cybertron, known as Transformers: Galaxy Force, was produced apart from Armada and Energon, the series, as originally conceived by Hasbro, was as the third part of the trilogy. The English language dub of the series treats it as such.[12] Consequently, inconsistencies arise between Cybertron and the other two series, but have been explained by the Cybertron comic book, available exclusively through the Official Transformers Collectors Club, as the result of fluctuations in the fabric of reality caused by the Unicron-induced black hole.

In this incarnation, Optimus Prime is the main protagonist and shows a near-xenophobic reluctance with interacting with other cultures, believing that such interaction would cause more harm than good. Consequently, he prohibits his team from mingling with the locals of Earth, Velocitron, and the Jungle Planet during their search for the Cyber Planet Keys. This attitude was drastically changed when Prime realized that the only way to acquire the Cyber Planet Keys from Velocitron and Animatros was to play by their laws.

Early in this new series of encounters with Megatron, Red Alert contacted the Autobots on Earth and asked for Optimus Prime to join then on Velocitron. Ransack and Crumplezone tricked Hot Shot and Dirt Boss into believing that a race between them would determine which of them would be allowed to race Override for the Planet Cup. During the race, Ransack and Crumplezone caused a rockslide that buried Hot Shot. Hot Shot was saved when Optimus Prime, Vector Prime, and Landmine arrived, but Optimus was upset that Hot Shot had become involved with the locals. Clocker and Brakedown were eager to help the Autobots. After being unable to obtain the Planet Cup from Override herself, Optimus Prime endorsed Hot Shot's plan to win the cup in a race with the aide of the other Autobots. Ransack and Crumplezone were contacted by Megatron and were told to keep on eye on things. They also decided to enter the race, either to win the cup and cause as much damage as they could to the other racers. Override, Dirt Boss, Ransack, Crumplezone, Optimus Prime, Hot Shot, Red Alert, Landmine, Clocker, and Brakedown participated in the qualification round. In the final episode, Optimus Prime proposed a new Space Bridge project using the power of the four Cyber Planet Keys and the four great Cybertronian ships. Many Autobots and former Decepticons joined in the project. Jetfire was left in charge of Cybertron as Optimus Prime led the Atlantis with the Earth Cyber Planet Key, joined by Red Alert, Safeguard, Scattershot, Leobreaker, Menasor, and Heavy Load.

In the online CGI cartoon Cyber Missions produced by TG Studios for Hasbro's website, Optimus is once again seen fighting Megatron, this time with some help from Sideswipe. Optimus also helps Ironhide against Mindwipe.

Optimus Prime
Transformers character
Optimus Prime in the Transformers Animated series
Voiced by (English)	David Kaye
Voiced by (Japanese)	Hiroki Takahashi
In-universe information
Affiliation	Autobot
Sub-group	Activators, Bumper Battlers, Deluxe Vehicles, Micro Vehicles, Voyagers, Supreme Vehicles
Function	Autobot Leader, Team Commander
Rank	8
Partner	Bumblebee, Rodimus Minor, Ratchet, Bulkhead, and Prowl
Motto	"Freedom is the Right of All Sentient beings". "As a team we can accomplish anything." (Deluxe Figure) "While I function, Earth is under my protection." (Voyager Figure) "Bring it on, Decepticons!" (Bumper Battlers)
Alternate modes	Cybertronian Cab-Over Truck futuristic Semi-trailer truck/Fire Truck

Optimus Prime appears in the Transformers Animated series in 2008 as a red semi-trailer truck, able to be fitted with many "trailer" attachments, most notably one that effectively makes him a fire truck. Unlike the other Optimus Primes, this one is much younger.[13]

Optimus has the ability to change any part of his robotic body into a tool or gadget. He has swing lines in his wrists. His wrists can also fire capture bolas. His arsenal includes a grappler, fire extinguisher and a negative friction spray. Unlike in all the previous series, his face can almost always be seen, because his mouthplate is retractable like in the 2007 live-action film.

Animated Optimus Prime, in an Earth-based fire truck mode, appears as a hidden character in the Transformers Netjet video game by Hasbro. Instead of being the leader of the Autobots, Prime was actually a washout from the Elite Guard. Despite no longer being a member, he maintains his military ranking of "Prime". The scale chart released for the series indicates Optimus Prime stands about 22 feet tall.[14]

In the lead up to the premiere of the Japanese translation of this series, TakaraTomy marketing director Masahiko Yamazaki indicated changes would be made to place it as a prequel to the 2007 Transformers live-action film. This would have made this version of Optimus Prime an earlier version of the film character. In practice, however, the only changes that were made consisted of trimming for time to allow additional promotional material to be added to the start and end, and the name change of Bulkhead into "Ironhide" (with Ironhide becoming "Armorhide"). The future 22nd century Detroit setting and characterizations of the cast remain as they were in the original production.

In the animated series, Optimus Prime was originally in the Autobot Academy and friends with Sentinel Prime and Elita One. When Elita is lost on a planet dominated by a giant spider-like aliens, he blames himself for leaving her behind, where she supposedly dies in the explosion of a wrecked Decepticon warship loaded with Energon. Sentinel doesn't forgive him for losing her and Optimus takes full responsibility for Elita's demise. This caused Optimus Prime to wash out of the Autobot Academy. However, Ultra Magnus pulls some strings so that Optimus Prime could be captain of a strange Space Bridge repair crew composed of a war vet named Ratchet, a fledgling cadet named Bumblebee, and his fellow cadet Bulkhead. Optimus is given command of the starship which is the vehicle mode of Omega Supreme.

The series begins when Optimus and his crew, after picking up a disillusioned ninja named Prowl, are sent to clear rubble from a space bridge passage. There, the Autobots stumbled upon the Allspark and are immediately attacked by Megatron's battlecruiser, the Nemesis. Through treachery by Megatron's second-in-command, Starscream, Megatron was fragged and the Autobots crashed on Earth in the early 21st century. After being in stasis under Lake Erie for 50 years, the Autobots awaken in Detroit of the near future, where they immediately discovered humans in need and became heroes of the city after stopping a Sumdac Industries experiment gone wrong. During the battle for the possession of the Allspark, Optimus goes offline after defeating Starscream, only to be revived by Sari Sumdac and her Allspark-infused key.

In "Endgame" 2-parter, Ratchet builds Optimus a jetpack attachment to help in the coming battle against the Decepticons. After some initial difficulty, Optimus is able to get the hang of the device, only to be shot down by Starscream's female clone, Slipstream. Though Ratchet urges Optimus to use the Magnus Hammer, he is reluctant to do so, given his past with Ultra Magnus. In the end, he wields the weapon as the Lugnut-controlled Omega Supreme clones land on Earth. During the fight, Optimus manages to master the Magus Hammer's power in order t overwhelms Megatron to the point of being acknowledged by name. After a devastating battle, the last remaining Omega clones self-destruct due to Starscream's intervention. With Prowl's sacrifice, the Allspark is rebuilt into one as it forms a barrier around the Omega clone, along with Optimus and Megatron. Prowl's spirit pulls Optimus from the bubble just as the clone self-destructs with Megatron still trapped inside. Prime laments Prowl's passing before defeating a heavily damaged Megatron and sparing him the deathblow, saying that Megatron does not deserve the "easy way out". He and his team return to Cybertron with Omega Supreme, the captured Decepticons, and Prowl's body and are greeted as the hero he had wished to be so long ago. The reconstructed Allspark, having a structure similar to the G1 incarnation of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, is hung around his neck.

Optimus Prime appears among the characters in Re-Unification, the 2010 TFCon voice actor play prelude comic.[15]

Optimus Prime is the leader of the main group of Autobots in the iteration of the Transformers franchise primarily marked by the 2010 computer-animated series Transformers: Prime on The Hub.[16] Optimus Prime was created as the last of the Thirteen Primes, the first generation of Transformers, each created directly by Primus as a band of unique warriors to combat and defeat Unicron. Upon his creation, Optimus united the Thirteen by his greeting All are one. While all of the other members of the Thirteen each possessed unique abilities and artifacts, Optimus wielded no special powers or weapons. It was only his vision and courage that allowed the Thirteen to finally defeat Unicron. Reborn through the Well of All Sparks, Orion Pax became Optimus Prime, a veteran military commander and second in command who wields an ion blaster and a double-bladed Energon axe. He became the leader of the Autobots after Sentinel Zeta Prime fell in battle, but is not certain he wants the responsibility.

In the Transformers: Prime series, he can form bladed weapons or blasters from his hands. He has a telescopic vision and turns into a long-nose semi-trailer truck. Before the Great War, Optimus Prime was originally known as Orion Pax; a young data clerk who worked in Iacon, under the wing of Alpha Trion. Orion was chosen by the High Council and became "Optimus Prime", upon being entrusted with the Matrix of Leadership by Primus himself. Years of war against his old friend/rival, Megatron, have brought Optimus and his team to Earth. After Optimus and his team first met humans on Earth, they allied with them. During their fight against the Decepticons on the planet, Optimus and the other Autobots were subject to many disadvantages, managing to pull through every time in their various mission to stop Megatron's exploitations of Earth's vast Energon resources.

When Unicron threatened Earth, Optimus Prime had no choice but to surrender the Matrix of Leadership in order to stop Unicron. However, due to the loss of the Matrix of Leadership, Optimus not only lost the collective wisdom of the Primes but also lost his memory of events following his conversion from Orion Pax. As he and Megatron had formed a temporary alliance, to stop Unicron, Megatron was the first to notice Optimus' amnesia. He, therefore, took advantage of this and brought "Orion" along when Soundwave opened a ground bridge to the Decepticons' warship. Megatron then told Orion half-truths about the Decepticons and the Autobots, thus tricking Orion into serving the Decepticons' cause.

Orion Pax was put to work on Project Iacon, a project to decode the coordinates of, and then recover, several Cybertronian relics hidden on Earth. Orion was able to decode some of the coordinates before Starscream—who was unaware of Optimus' amnesia—called him Optimus Prime to his face. This led Orion to question Megatron, hack the Decepticon files on Optimus Prime, and relearn his true identity.

Orion's hacking did not go unnoticed by Megatron, who knew he would learn the truth sooner or later. Since Orion would no longer cooperate with the Decepticons, Megatron forced him to finish Project Iacon. Orion escaped the warship, feeling that even if he wasn't a Prime, he definitely wasn't a Decepticon. Thanks to his human friend Jack, Optimus was able to get his memory back, minus the memories of his time on the warship. Optimus was assured by Ratchet that deep down he knew he was an Autobot and couldn't hide his true self whether he was Orion or Optimus.

Despite having his memory back—including his surrender of the Matrix of Leadership, Optimus still did not remember how much information he had supplied to Megatron during his time on the warship. Following a near-death experience and an upgrade by the Forge of Solus Prime, he gained a jetpack, a larger size, and an all-terrain expeditionary fighting vehicle for an alternate mode. During this time he was shown to be capable of flight and seemed to have increased his strength as he was seen taking down a whole group of Insecticons easily.

After restoring Cybertron to life at the end of the third season, the series's finale movie, Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising, saw his recovery of the AllSpark and subsequent sacrifice to save it from Unicron and return it to Cybertron's core.

The sequel series, Transformers: Robots in Disguise saw Optimus contacting Bumblebee to warn him of danger on Earth—a prison ship's complement of Decepticon prisoners escaping upon the ship crashing and appearing briefly in physical form to help Bumblebee's unlikely new team defeat the Decepticon Underbite. Optimus appeared throughout the first season as a vision to Bumblebee, though he was only allowed to do so when the latter's need was dire. Residing in the "Realm of the Primes", Optimus Prime began training to combat an "ultimate evil" where his first part of the training was overseen by Micronus Prime.

At the conclusion of the first season, Optimus was upgraded by the Thirteen Primes when the Fallen arrived on Earth, during which he gained a body that closely resembles his Beast Hunters form. After the Fallen was seemingly destroyed, Optimus Prime remained with Bumblebee's group, though he stated he would only do so as Bumblebee's "equal", rather than his leader. However, the Thirteen subsequently reclaimed the additional power they granted him, leaving him weakened but still determined to aid the team.

Optimus Prime also appeared in Transformers: Rescue Bots, stated to take place in the same universe as Prime, as the leader of the Autobots who transformed into a semi-trailer truck, though unlike his Prime appearance, it was flatnosed like his G1 counterpart. He gave the Rescue Bots their mission and mainly appeared via a view-screen, appearing physically in the first episode and then in the first-season finale, where his truck mode was seen for the first time on screen. He then returned, with or without Bumblebee, many times throughout the second and third seasons as a recurring character. In the episode "Land Before Prime", Optimus Prime arrived on Wayward Island to help the Rescue Bots. He scanned Trex as a secondary form where gained a Tyrannosaurus form, making him a Triple Changer, though he stated that scanning anything techno-organic might have unpredictable results. While he lost control of this "Primal Mode" at first, the Rescue Bots determined that his loss of control was due to low Energon reserves, and were able to replenish his energies and restore him to normal using an Energon patch. At the conclusion of the third season, Optimus helped his old friend, High Tide, along with the new recruits, Blurr and Salvage, save Griffin Rock and subsequently sent Heatwave and his team on a new mission to use the island as "testing place" to reveal their true identities as aliens.

Optimus Prime is primarily voiced by Peter Cullen in most of his incarnations, who voiced him in the original series. Following the production of the 2007 film, Cullen reprised his role for the sequels and supporting media and would even voice Optimus in later series such as Transformers: Prime. Optimus has been voiced by a number of other voice actors in other series such as Neil Kaplan, Garry Chalk, and David Kaye in the series Transformers: Robots in Disguise, the Unicron Trilogy, and Transformers Animated, respectively.

In the series released by Marvel Comics, before the Great War broke out on Cybertron, the robot who would be Optimus Prime, before he received the Matrix of Leadership from Sentinel Prime, was a Transformer of note, displaying his skills in the Infraformers Sharpshooting Competition. When the war began, Prime quickly made a name for himself as a combat leader of the Autobots. On a mission with the Triggerbots to stop Megatron from claiming the Underbase, Prime was forced to jettison the massive databank into space to prevent anyone from acquiring its power. With this action, he proved his wisdom and skill to the Autobot Council of Elders. He continued to move up in rank, eventually becoming the field command over the Autobot armies.

Four million years ago, Cybertron, shaken from its orbit and drifting through space, became threatened when it floated into the path of an asteroid field. Prime led a group of elite Autobot warriors on the Ark, the Autobot starship, on a mission to destroy the asteroids. Although the mission was successful, during the aftermath of this mission, the Ark was attacked by Decepticons hoping to overpower their weakened foes. Intent on keeping the secrets of the Ark from the Decepticons, Prime set the craft on a suicide course, crashing it into the then prehistoric planet Earth.

Later, the Transformers were all transported to Cybertron by Primus to battle Unicron. Although Unicron had tainted the Matrix after killing Thunderwing, Prime managed to reacquire and purify the Matrix. Prime then sacrificed his life one more time to destroy Unicron by plunging the Matrix into his maw. The Powermaster process, however, had been working to fully bond Prime and Hi-Q. Prime's death completed the process, and the two minds and souls became one. Hi-Q's biomechanical body was stripped down and reconstructed by the Last Autobot, resurrecting Optimus Prime once more with the two minds now one. Prime rejoined the other Transformers on the planet Klo and routed Bludgeon's Decepticons.

The sequel series, Transformers: Generation 2, began an undisclosed period of time later. At the beginning of the series, Prime was restored to a form resembling his original body. He and the Transformers found themselves caught in the schemes of a new generation of Cybertronians, led by the icy Jhiaxus, who were colonizing and cyber-forming other worlds. Plagued by nightmarish visions of a life-destroying entity called "the Swarm", Prime looked into Cybertron's past and discovered that Jhiaxus and his kind were the result of an unintentional Transformer reproduction. Their nature and intent, he found, was distilled to the purest, most unemotional form of conquest and that the Swarm was the by-product of this process. To fight this new enemy, Prime and the Autobots entered into an alliance with the recreated Megatron's Decepticons. Though Prime was eventually consumed by the abomination and destroyed, he was able to unleash the energies of the Matrix into the Swarm, purifying it. In parting, the Swarm recreated Prime in a new form, and he and Megatron set out to lead the united Autobots and Decepticons into a new age.

Simon Furman's "Alignment", a text story available through Transforce, a British Transformers convention, mentions Prime falling during what was intended to be the final conflict with the Decepticons at Pinea Omicron, long after the events of the Generation 2 comic book. He managed to defeat Galvatron II, but in doing so, was damaged such that Grimlock had to engage a stasis field around him to save his flickering Spark, making Prime a living war monument.

Though Prime's ultimate fate is unknown, in a story entitled "The Last Days of Optimus Prime", also from Transforce, Prime laments the new Transformers age without war and passes on to a Transformers afterlife, referred to as "J'nwan". The story is vague, however, and may be a metaphor for Prime rejoining the Matrix, as his time had come. In this realm, he was approached by the Predacon Sandstorm, who tried to plead for the help of Prime and the other legendary Transformers in dealing with a Unicron/Predacon hybrid named Shokaract. Prime refused, but later led a group of Transformers, including Megatron, Grimlock, and Soundwave), to distract the creature while Primus dealt the final blow.

In the 21st century reimagining of the original continuity by Dreamwave Productions, Optimus Prime started life as a data archivist known as Optronix or Orion to his friends. After taking note of a battle where the Autobot leader Sentinel Prime had been killed by Megatron, he was summoned to the Council of Elders and informed that the Matrix had chosen him to be the next leader of the Autobots. He received the Matrix of Leadership shortly thereafter and arranged for the Autobot evacuation of Cybertron. He intended to leave the Decepticons to their own devices, but a battle with Megatron beneath the planet's surface, accompanied by visions from the Matrix, stirred him on to fight for the safety of his homeworld.

Some time into his role as a leader, Prime disappeared with Megatron in a spacebridge experiment, spending a period of time on Quintessa, but returned sometime later. Events during this period have gone unrecorded as a result of Dreamwave's closure.

The actual events of the Autobots and Decepticon coming to Earth were never printed by Dreamwave comics, but flashbacks of the events are printed later. These flashbacks suggest that the Autobots allied with humankind and defeated the Decepticons at the turn of the century. They planned to return to Cybertron aboard the newly constructed Ark II, but the ship was destroyed as part of a military conspiracy to take control of the Transformers. A terrorist organization, run by the enigmatic Lazarus, was able to seize control of several of the Transformers that fell back to Earth while the U.S. military was occupied with locating Prime's body. Before his departure, Prime had entrusted a small portion of the Matrix to Spike Witwicky, who was forced by the product chief, General Hallo, to use it to reactivate Prime. Functional again, Prime used the Matrix to reactivate more of his fallen comrades, and then faced off against Megatron in San Francisco.

Following the battle, Prime began to experience subconscious urgings, leading both the Autobots and the Decepticons to the Arctic Circle. When they arrived, Shockwave was there to arrest them as war criminals. Shockwave had succeeded in ending the war on Cybertron, but Prime soon fell in with a rebel Autobot group that had discovered Shockwave had greater agenda. Rallying Transformers across Cybertron to the cause, Prime faced Shockwave, but was defeated and had the Matrix ripped from him and used to activate Vector Sigma. Before Shockwave could make full use of the mega computers data, however, Ultra Magnus, Prime's brother, arrived and bested him. The injuries Prime took during this conflict necessitated a prolonged restoration period in stasis, but Dreamwave's closure meant that Prime never appeared in their pages again.

Art from unreleased issues later showed Optimus Prime awakening from the cryo regeneration chamber and freeing Alpha Trion from Shockwave's lab.

Prime would make one further surprise appearance in Dreamwave's Transformers: Armada comic series, although it would not be the Prime of Dreamwave's first series. When the Optimus Prime of the Armada universe disappeared, pulled into another dimension by the power of Unicron, the Chaos-Bringer sent something back in his stead: a nearly dead Optimus Prime from that universe, who warned the Transformers of Unicron's coming into their universe before dying.

When IDW Publishing received the rights to the series, author Simon Furman was hired to oversee the line. Furman decided that the Generation 1 continuity "was in need of ... a contemporary restart"[17] so that the comic could retain a modern audience. Furman's revised continuity establishes Optimus Prime as the present-day leader of an Autobot army spread across the galaxy in small units, waging a covert war against teams of Decepticon infiltrators over resource-rich worlds. The Stormbringer miniseries explains that the Transformer homeworld of Cybertron is a dead planet, ravaged by an ancient cataclysm caused by the Autobot-Decepticon War. Prime had been forced to ally with his arch-rival Megatron to end the destruction. In the series, the interference of Jetfire and the Technobots, in a plot organized by the Decepticon Bludgeon, alerts Prime to the possibility that the Cybertronian cataclysm might be re-ignited and spread to other planets. Prime calls in the Wreckers, meeting them on the surface of Cybertron in time to witness the return of the being called Thunderwing, the focal point of the apocalypse. The combined efforts of Prime, the Wreckers, Jetfire, the Predacon-led Decepticons, and a unit of aging Centurion drones are barely enough to render Thunderwing inert.

Bludgeon's recovered files bring Optimus Prime to Earth, where an Autobot detachment led by Prowl has discovered that a Decepticon infiltration unit led by Starscream has broken standard protocol after discovering a new form of Energon. This Ore-13 appears to be the same "Ultra-Energon" that Bludgeon used to revive Thunderwing, who had been dormant for millennia after the apocalypse. Starscream had already used it to fuel a failed attempt to usurp Megatron's leadership, as detailed in the Infiltration miniseries.

In the Escalation miniseries, Megatron engages Prime and, boosted by Ore-13, overcomes him. Believing their leader dead, the rest of the Autobots attempt to buy the newly arrived Hot Rod the time to collect the clone. Prime, who had transferred his consciousness to a backup memory in his trailer command post, advised them to exploit Ore-13's weakness and assault Megatron all-out, catalyzing the Decepticon leader's Energon supply and crippling him.

Bumblebee, Jazz, Optimus Prime, Prowl, and Ratchet appeared in a New Avengers/Transformers crossover by Marvel Comics and IDW Publishing in 2007.[18]

Optimus Prime leads Bumblebee, Drift, Kup, Prowl, Ratchet, and Wheeljack in Las Vegas when a Cybertronian ship crashes, containing Galvatron, Cyclonus, Scourge, and an infestation of zombies from another universe. Galvatron attempts to take command of the Autobots and, after fighting them, explains his mission to stop an undead infestation. Wheeljack sets up an energy shield around the city to keep the infestation contained, but it only last for 24 hours. Despite the containment effort, Kup realizes that Bayonet, a Decepticon in Galvatron's command, is not all she seems. She turns out to be the extradimensional vampire Britt.[19]

Optimus Prime is among the three Autobot figures available to play in the Monopoly Transformers Collectors Edition game.[31] As the figurehead of the entire Transformers franchise, Optimus Prime has been on more pieces of merchandise than can be stated here. Several statues and busts of Optimus Prime as well as Optimus Prime themed objects have been released by various companies since the return of Transformers to prominence, such as the "Optimus Prime Oral Care Station". Other figures released include various PVCs as part of Takara's "Super Collection Figure" line, which were later imported as part of Hasbro's "Heroes of Cybertron" series. Larger "Mega Collection Figure" PVCs were articulated and came with energy axe and gun figures. As part of the merchandising wave for the first Transformers film in 2007, Hasbro's Playskool line released a Transformers-themed version of Mr. Potato Head based on Optimus Prime. To keep with the potato theme, the toy was labeled "Optimash Prime" and the packaging included the slogan "More than meets the fry", a potato-oriented version of the Transformers slogan "More than meets the eye".

The 2000s film series incarnation of Optimus Prime was met with warm reception. It was named the 30th greatest movie superhero of all time by "Total Film Magazine".[33]

A Peterbilt 379 used in Transformers to portray Optimus Prime's alternate mode.

A Western Star Truck used in Transformers to portray Optimus Prime's alternate mode.

The character of Optimus Prime first appears in the 2007 Transformers film as the leader of the Autobots in the search for the AllSpark. He intends to destroy it, even if it means sacrificing himself, before the Decepticons can use it to create a new army to conquer the universe. After arriving and scanning a Peterbilt truck, Optimus greets Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes, introducing his men and explaining why they have come to Earth. During the final battle, Optimus slays the hate-filled Decepticon Bonecrusher and faces his ancient enemy, Megatron. Unable to match Megatron in combat, Optimus urges Sam to push the AllSpark into his chest, which will destroy them both. Instead, Sam rams the AllSpark into Megatron's chest, destroying it and killing the Decepticon leader. The film ends with Optimus sending out a deep-space signal, inviting other Autobots to join them on Earth.

Optimus Prime returns in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. He leads the Autobots as part of NEST in hunting down the remaining Decepticons on Earth. He later engages in a battle with Starscream, Grindor, and a resurrected Megatron. Although Optimus manages to injure Starscream and kill Grindor, he is eventually impaled and killed by Megatron. However, Optimus is resurrected during the battle in Egypt by Sam using the Matrix of Leadership. He is then fused with the dead body of Jetfire, giving him an extremely powerful upgraded mode. After severely maiming Megatron, he kills The Fallen, forcing Megatron and Starscream to retreat. At the end of the film, Optimus thanks Sam for reviving him and again transmits a message to space, hoping to find more Autobots.

Optimus appears again in the 2011 film Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Optimus receives his own armory consisting of weapons and flight tech that transforms into a trailer for him to carry in vehicular form. After assisting NEST operatives in fighting Shockwave at Chernobyl, Optimus learns that the humans have concealed the discovery of an ancient Cybertronian ship on the moon. He revives his old mentor, Sentinel Prime, with the Matrix of Leadership. However, Sentinel Prime later betrays the Autobots, murders Ironhide, wipes out most of NEST, and brings an army of Decepticons to Earth with Space Bridge Pillars. During the battle of Chicago, Optimus kills Shockwave, the Driller, and many Decepticon Protoforms. Finally, Optimus challenges the traitorous Sentinel Prime and they engage in a fierce duel. At first, Optimus appears to have the upper hand, but Sentinel eventually overpowers him and severs his right arm. However, before Sentinel can deliver the killing blow, Megatron attacks and severely injures him, having realized that he will never be able to remain leader of the Decepticons as long as Sentinel is at large. Megatron attempts to make a false truce with Optimus, but Optimus doesn't fall for it and attacks Megatron, decapitating him with his battle-axe. Optimus then bitterly executes the wounded Sentinel with Megatron's shotgun. With the Decepticons defeated and the war finally over, Optimus and the Autobots accept Earth as their new home.

For Transformers: Age of Extinction, Optimus Prime initially transforms into a rusty 1973 Marmon semi cab-over truck and later on a new alternate mode in a blue and red Western Star 5700 Custom semi-truck.[34][35] After humanity turns on all Transformers, regardless of faction, Optimus and the other Autobots go into hiding. Eventually, they find themselves being hunted by a rogue organization called Cemetery Wind. Optimus is severely injured in a trap set by the group, while many of the other Autobots, including Ratchet and Leadfoot, are slain. An inventor, Cade Yeager, comes to Prime's aid and helps restore his health. After uniting with a small band of Autobots, Optimus faces Lockdown, a ruthless bounty hunter allied with the humans, and KSI, an organization that produces man-made Transformers. Optimus is captured by Lockdown but the Autobots rescue him. Optimus is quickly losing faith in humanity, but at the urging of Cade, chooses to stay and fight a resurrected Megatron and his new army. Prime awakens the ancient Dinobots, and rides a newly tamed Grimlock into battle through Hong Kong. He kills Lockdown and Harold Attinger at the film's climax as revenge for killing many of his friends, including Ratchet and Leadfoot. At the end of the film, he leaves Earth and flies off into deep space, seeking to find out the truth about his mysterious Creators.[36][37]

Optimus Prime returns in Transformers: The Last Knight, which is set three years after the events of the previous film. Having been frozen in the vacuum of space, Optimus has been drifting on the far reaches of Earth's solar system for some time. However, he later crash-lands on Cybertron, its atmosphere reviving him. He then confronts the being currently in control of the planet, a powerful sorceress named Quintessa, who professes to be the maker he is searching for. Optimus is easily subdued by Quintessa, who convinces him that he destroyed Cybertron and reveals that the Earth is actually Cybertron's "ancient enemy" Unicron. Redubbing him "Nemesis Prime", Quintessa brain-washes Optimus and tasks him with retrieving her stolen staff, with which she plans to drain Earth/Unicron's life force so that Cybertron can be restored. Nemesis succeeds in retrieving the staff, but is hindered by Bumblebee, whom he engages in a fierce duel. Nemesis nearly kills Bumblebee, but when the normally mute Bumblebee suddenly speaks, urging Prime to remember who he is, the sound of his oldest friend's voice is enough for Optimus to return. However, Megatron, revealed to be in league with Quintessa, swoops in and steals the staff from Optimus. Prime is then attacked and sentenced to death by the Guardian Knights for aiding Quintessa, but he is saved by Cade Yeager, who convinces Optimus to correct his mistake. Optimus leads the Autobots in the attack on Quintessa's lair, during which he slays the Infernocons and defeats Megatron. Optimus then attacks Quintessa, distracting her long enough for Bumblebee to shoot and seemingly vaporize her. At the end of the film, Optimus and the other Autobots return to Cybertron, unaware that Quintessa is actually still alive.

Optimus Prime returns in the prequel film, Bumblebee.

During the promotion of the Transformers films, Optimus Prime appeared in several commercials. Optimus Prime, along with other Transformers, were featured in several commercials for General Motors. Scenes with Optimus Prime were used in several General Motors commercials.[51] A commercial for the Discovery Channel featured Optimus Prime singing part of a promotional song.[52]

Optimus also appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, giving "The Top Ten Things That Sound Cool When Spoken by a Giant Robot".[53]

At BotCon 2010, Hasbro named Optimus Prime as one of the first five robot inductees in the Transformers Hall of Fame.[54]