What Went Wrong With Rodimus Prime

[@JIMISPIER]

Optimus wasn't just a father figure to the Autobots, there were kids like me that didn't have a father figure nor a decent moral compass to align to. I'm grateful to the writers who crafted Optimus to be who he was.

[@dildoswaggins2907]

Can confirm truth ( was in the same boat) 👊

[@ggt47]

You think if boys had more role models we would feel better in themselves. They have sooo many Disney Princesses. Not a good new prince?

[@robinthrush9672]

I wonder how much of that dialogue came about due to how Cullen portrayed him. Could you imagine how he'd be if the same lines were delivered in a cocky manner?

[@tooslow4065]

so you needed a cartoon character to keep you on the right path?

[@ggt47]

@@tooslow4065 No me specifically although I do feel lost in life. While you dozen of fictional female characters who are role models for girls but I do not see a lot for boys.

[@rocketshipevan]

Both Rodimus Prime and Galvatron were poor replacements. Megatron was smart, cunning, and despite being evil, an incredibly good leader. He also had all of Cybertron backing him up. Galvatron was insane and all of the Decepticons were homeless, they no longer felt like a threat.

[@houseofno]

Galvatron was mostly just an unstable, bumbling nutjob. Megatron's devious scheming was part of his appeal as a villain. That and even though both characters were voiced by Frank Welker in the G1 series, Megatron always sounded more menacing than Galvatron.

[@Bcilloz]

Yep Galveston was a freaking nut!

[@zemox2534]

Sorry but what cunning? 80s Megatron was a fool who kept an obvious traitor like Starscream around because reasons! If we are talking about Animated Megatron I would agree. And Rodimus is not poor anything he was just poorly written by the writers!

[@rocketshipevan]

@@zemox2534 He kept Starscream around because Starscream was a badass and had his uses. I will agree, Rodimus was terribly written. Great character in the movie, they didnt know where to go from there though.

[@DarkMatterX1]

​@@zemox2534 Because despite his narcissistic conceit, and perpetual scheming to wrest Megatron's crown from him, Starscream did, in fact, kick ass. If Starscream was as loyal as Skywarp, he would have undoubtedly replaced Soundwave as Megatron's right hand.

[@Scaash]

Optimus was Father figure. Rodimus was the Uncle that was not very much older than you so came off as a older brother. As for Ultra Magnus he was more of the Step Dad, the type you like and knows he not going to replace dad but will protect you anyway they can

[@marcuslouissaint1836]

And starscream was the cousin that was annoying to everyone 😂😂

[@mechajay3358]

That is a more accurate way to describe Rodimus role.

[@concretejungle8916]

Bumble Bee is the new Rodimus Prime nowadays

[@rickdavis32]

That wasn't the point of rodimus was toung and an upstart trying to fill of an adult role and become a man. He was a young teen trying to fill his pops shoes. He's not a child but he's not a grown man he's finding his way.

[@Scaash]

@@rickdavis32 I was mainly putting in how I felt at the time since this was my childhood I am a Gen Xer that grow up on Transformers and I cried when Primed died.

[@bigj1905]

Unfortunately, Rodimus suffers from the severe medical condition of “Not Being Optimus” A tragedy, really. He had such a life ahead of him.

[@shauntempley9757]

Not really. We are talking about a Prime that was so devastating that Galvatron once said to Cyclonus that he wished Megatron had failed to kill Optimus Prime. This was after Rodimus destroyed Velocitron, because he reasoned Galvatron would recruit the inhabitants. All he did was make the Velocitronians hate the Autobots so much they became Decepticons. Hence, Galvatron's comment.

[@coachmikesfilmroom3111]

Hit the nail on the head. Was like me hating Herchel Walker for replacing Tony Dorsett.

[@rodneytatum2634]

I've always said that Rodimus was doom from the start because like myself many people hated that he got Optimus blasted by Megatron when he jumped in the way as Hot Rod after being told to stay away because that's primes fight.

[@damonwashington]

“Oh no you don’t Megatron!”

[@hardride4you263]

😂 I like it

[@robertashley2714]

Two things went wrong. 1. Optimus Prime was a beloved, iconic character from the start. I remember my mom crying in the theater when he died, along with all the kids, because she watched the show with me and he appealed to her. Hasbro simply did not realize the value of what they already had. As it turned out, they could keep selling Optimus Prime figures to new generations of kids. The franchise did need a refresh in 1986, but Optimus Prime was not one of the stale parts. Furthermore, his place nearly impossible to fill. 2. I appreciate the complex story arc they tried to give Rodimus, but it was exactly the wrong thing to replace Optimus with. Optimus Prime's self confidence and acceptance of the personal sacrifices he has to make for his duty are what make him so beloved. Ultra Magnus is the new embodiment of these traits, and he spends all of Season 3 propping Rodimus up until Optimus returns. As much as I like Rodimus's story arc as an adult, I didn't care for him as a kid, though I couldn't put my finger on why back then. I think now that he was simply lacking as a hero in my youthful eyes, and he ended up in the shadow of both Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus. Peter Cullen was essentially correct in saying that Optimus Prime was the father figure and it would be a mistake to get rid of him. I do give Hasbro credit for bringing him back.

[@bigshorty4855]

Wow even your mom cried? I think I was one of the few kids that actually liked finally seeing transformers die when getting shot. We were all cheering with each death. Sadly we did not realize what kind of a bitch Rodimus was and how he would ruin the show. That being said, starscream and prime dying were deaths that I could have done without. The rest, good riddance, even if I liked them. The reason why I enjoyed Macross/Robotech the most as a kid was cause actions had consequences, you could die. I hated jijoe but loved tf, even when I got annoyed when they didn't die when they should have. The first 15 minutes of the tf movie is still by far the best tf you can get on a screen.

[@GamingMafia_id]

@@bigshorty4855 the deaths that leads to G1 downfall. Sure death is cool, but the abrupt change from saturday morning cartoon to almost Gundam like everybody-dies still bothers me. To many unnecessary deaths. Sure you can bring back Optimus, but I care for the whole gang too and it damn sure affect the series. The rest of Season 3 felt like a shallow copy of previous season because of that, it felt empty. Imagine going from 77 Star Wars gang to prequel/sequel in a mere day, it won't feel the same. That's what killed G1 Transformers imo. Of course the actual reason is Hasbro need to sell new toys lol, but still. My two cents👍

[@bigshorty4855]

@@GamingMafia_id personally I thoroughly enjoyed it, as did my little brothers. The only death that sucked was prime and starscream, but it was still done very nicely.

[@robertashley2714]

@@bigshorty4855 GI Joe annoyed me for the same reason. I didn't need Transformers to die in the series, but I did like that they got injured in combat. I don't mind the deaths in the movie, but they were handled callously. Besides Optimus Prime and Starscream, only Ironhide gets a good death. Prowl, Ratchet, and Brawn get cut to pieces like some extra in Saving Private Ryan. Wheeljack and Windcharger are just shown dead in the background, with no explanation of what happened to them. If you loved any of those characters, their ends were shocking and unsatisfying. Transformers: The Movie did change my outlook on a lot of things. I did like the deaths after I got over the shock. It ruined a lot of other series for me where the heroes never got a scratch. I still hold that the 1986 movie is the best Transformers movie, far superior to the more recent ones.

[@theempiredidnothingwrong3227]

Rodimus’s story arc would have been much better in a spin-off series that begins on that premise as opposed to finishing a series. They shouldn’t have tried to close out G1 in the way they did and then they shouldn’t have ended G1 in America when they did. The conflict between Optimus and Megatron should have been the focus of the whole series and it should have ended with a final clash between the two. And then a spin-off series could have covered the emergence of a new Prime.

[@fawziekefli2273]

Part of Optimus' appeal was Peter Cullen's voice acting. He made Optimus sound like a hero.

[@GPS_DS]

And while Judd Nelson did a good job making Hot Rod sound like a hero in the movie, the actor in the cartoon…. Did not. It was just a bland action cartoon voice.

[@jlowe8059]

Peter Cullen was the perfect voice for optimus prime. Judd Nelson and nimoy were great in the movie, but the season 3 cartoon voices were awful.

[@carlnorris2392]

He had a war weary yet comfortable tone to his voice, like his brother Larry told him. Very fatherly

[@Bacondude77]

The thing about Optimus is that unlike Rodimus he was the leader the autobots looked up to even in other shows Prime, Armada, Animated, etc. the autobots look up at him as not only a signal of the cause but also the father of the group he helped and inspired both the audience and the characters in the show.

[@Bulldog_Trader]

I prefered Rodimus to Optimus honestly.

[@gene081976]

Well the problem there is writer’s preference. They wrote and gave Optimus that storyline. They could have written Rodimus the same or better. Rodimus could have been Alexandra to Phillip II (Optimus). But the writers botched it. I blame the writers. Today, the Rodimus’ current toy models is pretty good. Anyway, Rodimus is my favorite Autobot. When [writers] they botched him, I stop watching Transformers since then; I thought Optimus is pretty boring and single dimension character.

[@davfree9732]

Aye. It's a shame because the original storyline of Rodimus has led to many interpretations of Rodimus... While Optimus has always been the leader who makes the sacrifice play. There is no definitive Rodimus in Transformers, the same way there is a definitive Starscream. Only his Hot Rod persona. It's like he's two people where Rodimus can't win out against Hot Rod.

[@moeomoton520]

He had a nobility about him, he wasn't perfect but he was willing to be deep in the trenches as well. Not to mention his sense of self sacrifice. Peter Cullen's voice made him legendary!

[@Jeezes718]

The issue was they focused too much on his uncertainty, naturally a part of his character would be wondering if he was filling in for prime well enough, but they focused too much on that, they had whole episodes of rodimus doubting himself and needing to learn how to believe in himself, just to go back to moping. I like rodimus but the writers did him dirty and I don't think he's recovered yet.

[@mattmc9812]

No wonder kids cried when Optimus died. Thankfully he came back to life

[@ghostoferlock]

optimus Prime said many things, and he didn't talk down to anyone, including his young viewers. 'Just remember hotshot, there's a thin line between being a hero, and being a memory', also the one you mention is your video, and countless others. Many of us remember Optimus, and for some good reasons. He was shown as being wise, strong, and big, but he never used his qualities badly. With the Dinobots he admitted that 'Even the wisest of man and machine can be an error.' As wise as he was, he never made himself to know all the answers, and shows that it's okay to make a mistake. Even in the first episodes we learn of compassion, when the mine explodes, he yells for Roller. Even in 'the secret of omega supreme' Optimus Prime listens to his friend, and appreciates what Omega is saying. Omega shares a story of his feelings and pain, and Optimus takes the time to hear it all. Optimus Prime might be a toy, but he is a character, through a cartoon, that influenced many of us when we were younger. I would say that is a pretty amazing gift, and Peter Cullen is the voice of that wisdom, friendship, and influence that many of us will remember, for decades.

[@bigshorty4855]

That's true 👍 💯

[@Dark.Shingo]

This comment is the distilled essence of what makes Optimus Prime the greatest of them all.

[@DaDitka]

You said it so well that I'm not going to add anything to it. Thank you.

[@daniellang4190]

This is amazing man well said

[@themadmurse5212]

Optimus was BOTH big and small. He was bigger than a lot of autobots, but he was smaller than Megatron. So he was large and gentle with his own, and the smaller underdog with his opposition.

[@tylerdude1982]

Rodimus was not Optimus reborn. Rodimus saying “transform and roll out” in no way suggested that. That was nothing more than Rodimus taking charge and honouring Optimus.

[@willdavis3802]

After getting him killed.

[@tylerdude1982]

@@willdavis3802sure

[@powermasterjazz]

Right. Pipes also said it. Dosen't mean OP possessed him.

[@tylerdude1982]

@@powermasterjazz​​⁠is that the Autobot who said “as Optimus Prime used to say, transform and roll out!” I vaguely remember that from Five Faces of Darkness

[@dragon_ninja_2186]

It’s pretty telling that the tv shows or even the movies since then never tried to replace Optimus with Rodimus. I think in the comics they tried something similar. But you’re right that Hot Rod’s story has potential, it just needs better writing.

[@basedtruther1020]

Hot rod got replaced by bumblebee

[@chrisedwards3214]

Rg1 did but

[@XenoJehuty84]

Rodimus's story had potential and even as a kid I NEVER hated Rodimus. Was I miffed at him, a little but even then I just saw he tried to help, but made a mistake. You saw if you'll pardon the pun a 'spark' of what Rodimus could have become if the writing for season 3 was better, and if Hasbro didn't overreact to the backlash over killing Optimus. Now I am GLAD they revived Optimus, but they did so at the cost of Rodimus's development.

[@clogs4956]

IDW. But… he broke the Matrix 😂

[@DerethAC]

In the Marvel comics, they initially replaced Optimus Prime with Grimlock, and then later with Fortress Maximus. Optimus always ended up returning eventually, first as a Powermaster and then as an Action Master.

[@childrenofprimus]

Good synopsis. We had a discussion about the parallels of Rodimus Prime and Lion-O. In both instances, these young characters were suddenly thrown into leadership, and leading adults, while still mentally being a child/teenager. Hot Rod became Rodimus within a minute from The Matrix, during a battle, and having to lead older "adult" team members. Rodimus has Magnus, Springer, and Kup as his older guides in decision making. Lion-O left Thundera as a child, and through a stasis pod accident, woke up as an adult, and leader of the ThunderCats. Lion-O had to go through trials to show that he could lead, while leaning on the guidance of Tigra, Panthro, and Cheetara as older team members. As a child, Rodimus wasn't cool like Optimus, but as an adult, there's a much greater appreciation towards his character, and towards the season that really tried to present mature content to children, like diving inside of Galvatrons mind.

[@katherineberger6329]

TV in the mid-80s was not mature enough, as a medium, to have a hero character who chafed under the mantle of leadership.

[@LordProteus]

The backlash towards the killing of beloved characters in Transformers the movie was actually a very important lesson for companies of all kinds. it showed that consumers do indeed have emotional investments in product media, and that they are not soley fixated on the product itself. It is like an experiment, where the result set in stone an important lesson of what to not do and why. You see, the suits at Hasbro were completely disconnected, blinded by greed. They just assumed that Children(and anyone else who may have been viewing) were literally mindless, emotionless machines who are somehow unthinkingly obedient and have no emotional investment in anything at all, and will just buy a product because they are ordered to.(through the cartoon) People do not like something because they are ordered to(which is even more true today than back then) and they will not forget a beloved thing because they were told to. Hasbro completely underestimated the viewers, the consumers and the characters, being so blinded by greed that they saw everything as mere cogs in a machine that generates money. There is a psychological science behind consumerism and marketing.

[@clownplayer7265]

I second that. The main issue is that Hasbro had the same trail of thought critics of Hasbro and Mattel series have: they think they're just toys, and the next moment something new comes in people will forget. This works in a production with exchangeable characters with no interesting quirks, but Optimus, if not the first or the only one, was the one who finally brought into the headlights the debunking of that idea in 1986.

[@GamingMafia_id]

@@clownplayer7265 it applies not only to Optimus too, sweeping the whole Gang like they're nothing was also their worst decision. The whole series shifted in tone drastically resulting in interest went low, backlash & leads to mediocre season AND the death of G1 Transformers. I recall I never like any of the new bots, I mean kid in me be like earth mode bots is still way cooler than futuristic-earth-concept-whatever car bots and it's even more relevant in my age now lol

[@clownplayer7265]

@@GamingMafia_id I know. Roster members like Wheeljack, Brawn or Ironhide, who might had not always the biggest limelight but were pretty colorful in their interactions and personalities were not gonna be easily forgotten. The decepticons suffered a similar case, a lot of the nemesis crew stopped being relevant and while they have much less named characters killed or sidelined, some of them like Starscream or Shockwave were big names and their departures certainly were not unnoticed (and you could include Megatron if you think Galvatron is too much of a departure despite technically speaking being the same guy). I think the tone shift for darker stories were made to cater on older fanbase but that thing is always a double edged sword if you don't give the audience enough to root for. Plus...a lot of the deaths in the movie were pretty traumatizing. You could say Hasbro couldn't see that their characters were much more meaningful than they thought until angry letters from parents struck them in the butt.

[@GamingMafia_id]

@@clownplayer7265 spot on 100%, Imagine some poor kid who can only afford Windcharger or Wheeljack as toys and grew to love them & seeing their dead bodies like it was nothing. Even if you can afford Optimus it still didn't matter, he died too lol

[@clownplayer7265]

@@GamingMafia_id And keep on mind I was born on 1995 and ergo didn't even saw the movie with the fresh reactions, and yet when I was looking for g1 transformers as a kid in youtube around 2007 I only remember I watched on my own accord the Starscream's ghost arch and Optimus revival. I can only imagine how kids felt in 1986, and it does get more sad when you rewatch with patience and note the loveable goofballs the autobots and decepticons were before the movie. Again, darker shifts can work, but only if you give the audience enough to root for.

[@Apollos2023]

Prime’s death was Hot Rod’s fault. Dude has guns on his arms. He could have destroyed the weapon from a distance and bolted but wanted to tackle Megatron instead. That was stupid.

[@FAITHandLOGIC]

Well if Optimus didn't stall and put the blaster into Megatron's head right away, Hot Rod wouldn't have had the opportunity to screw it up.

[@rajeev-t6l]

@@FAITHandLOGICi feel like as soon as megatron would try to shoot the blaster, prime would immediately see it and shoot first.

[@NaturalxGains]

I agree with you Rajeev. If Megatron would try to use that blaster Optimus would instantly see it and shoot. People forget that Optimus Prime is a sharpshooter. Prime was put in a disadvantage position by Hot Rod that he was unable to shoot Megatron. Even if he would try he could have killed Hot Rod so the risk was too high.

[@rajeev-t6l]

@ let’s also not forget, i dint remember which episode, but prime was able to twist the barrel of his iron blaster to be more focused, he even said out of the way hotrod.

[@fbomb7184]

It didn’t help the case for Rodimus that the quality of the cartoon took a serious nose dive after the movie. The art style, the writing and losing characters like OP, Megs and Screamer. It’s like taking the stars off your team and then expecting them to win the Super Bowl again.

[@GamingMafia_id]

THIS 100%

[@zeddeka]

It's really interesting how the movie marked an end for transformers in the 80s. They really did take a nosedive after that.

[@jimdigitalvideo]

I agree. I know the people who made the cartoon were given ridiculous deadlines to meet because the toys were popular, but they compromised too much on quality when they did so. It was obvious that quality was great at the start, and steadily decreased through the seasons. Errors in animation couldn't be fixed once they were found because there was no time. Imagine how much more popular Transformers would be if the producers had decided to keep concentrating on quality instead of quantity.

[@brianparksdesign]

The voice actors changed too

[@CloudWalkBeta]

Losing the decepticons secondary commanders, Starscream and Shockwave, Galvatron now being mentally handicapped, and the Decepticons getting booted off Cybertron by Unicron... ALL of this doesn't make Rodimus leading the Autobots look good either, its like their wins were getting handed to them.

[@RyanYewell]

I was 9, saw the movie, was devastated, and it pretty much killed my enthusiasm (and toy requests) for Transformers.

[@koolsmoothfan]

bingo

[@yoreverend]

Ive wondered if Rodimus might have been more popular if Hot Rod had been introduced earlier as a character. Like if he'd been there during season 2...

[@Deadxman616]

yeah if was in bumble bee's spot....it could of worked

[@joshdeen6730]

I really like Hot Rod when he was introduced in the movie. He was a great guardian to Daniel and also very brave in the movie. The fact that people blame him for optimus prime death is crazy. Blame Hasbro lol they made it happen.

[@LeeONardo]

@@joshdeen6730 His plot in the film is essentially: A hot shot, can do anything teenage/early twenties Autobot. Makes a massive mistake being the cause of Prime's death. Goes through a journey of redemption, saving Kup's life (obviously in a mirror to what happened earlier) and then does what he can to stop the Transformers biggest ever threat. Manages to reclaim the matrix and Prime personally forgives him, bestowing him the leadership of the Autobots. For fans who hate Hot Rod because he killed Prime: Optimus Prime forgives Hot Rod! Besides it's Hasbro with their script at the end of the day lol.

[@Cretaceous158]

Probably. He felt like a character we should have already been familiar with in the movie. When I first watched the movie, I assumed that I didn’t recognize the new characters because I hadn’t seen season 2 yet, as I only watched some reruns in the 2010s, and some episodes on Netflix at the time.

[@divius98]

​@@joshdeen6730"out of the way Hot Rod" All im gonna say

[@DemoNinja79]

I like the fact that he lived in the shadow of a great leader and that he was young and immature.

[@CrashHeadroom]

It was actually more Japan that swayed the series putting Ultra Magnus at the front. They absolutely ADORED him, from their own depictions of him to the toys as an aged veteran. It's why he took an even bigger front roll in the head masters series, they really do love him.

[@RetrospectGreg]

Didn’t they kill him off?

[@CrashHeadroom]

@@RetrospectGreg yeah but a hell of a long way in to the series, and im pretty sure like most transformers that died in the head masters series he came back with a new name / paint scheme lol. You think the movie had a high kill count? Headmasters took that as a personal challenge XD.

[@ianbrewster8934]

@@CrashHeadroom you're right and as I understand when Ultra Magnus died the Japanese don't mind their heroes dying as long as they do so in some honorable way and he did so saving the world and going up against probably the most badass decepticon six shot.... You're 100% right if people freak out over the kill count in the Transformers movie they're not ready for the Japanese Transformers

[@Dark.Shingo]

@@CrashHeadroom >You think the movie had a high kill count? Headmasters took that as a personal challenge XD. I lol'd too hard at this.

[@Hektols]

@@CrashHeadroom Ultramagnus was revived in the Japanese Continuity when they released his Combiner Wars figure, instead of having IDW's Minimus Ambus he had Alpha Trion.

[@TheEarthGerm]

Killing Optimus Prime is still one of the all-time worst corporate blunders, up there with New Coke. Optimus Prime was every kids second Dad during that time. My sister and I both cried when he died in the movie.

[@aaronerickson9453]

hell i rememeber my mother writing a letter to hasbro about the death. i was told alot of mothers did the same thimg

[@MILDMONSTER1234]

Hasbro created a cultural icon in Optimus and they had NO idea

[@Bobsheaux]

It'd be great if they had Optimus show up as a vision from the Matrix whenever Rodimus was having doubts about himself. The point of the Matrix is that it passes the knowledge and wisdom of the previous Prime to the CURRENT Prime, and with Optimus constantly being there to help Rodimus along the way, he gets to be every bit as awesome as his predecessor, the audience still gets their Optimus fix, and it pushes the point that as long as we remember our loved ones, no one's ever really gone.

[@RetrospectGreg]

I think Optimus did appear as a former Matrix holder in one episode

[@scakuto]

Too advanced wrinting for a 80's cartoon, maybe?

[@speelshare]

​@@RetrospectGreg he did, early in season 3.

[@angeliquaserenity5009]

LOVE THAT IDEA!!!

[@powermanlukecage4864]

Excellent! I agree 100% if they wanted to push Rodimus as their new prime by not giving him access to the matrix of leadership for advice was their downfall.

[@Hypershell]

Optimus's death aside, the movie otherwise showed Hot Rod to be resourceful, determined, passionate, and basically an unsung leader already. He really took charge as soon as he was separated from Ultra Magnus, and maintained that after they reunited. The show, on the other hand, made him out to be a piece of cardboard.

[@MatthewTheWolf2029]

In the show, he was a joke. The movie treated him like a character.

[@dreal500]

That's true.

[@spoogledoodle4933]

Hot Rod always appeared uncomfortable, or that he wasn't used to being the leader quite yet. You even see him quickly give the matrix to the fake/dead Optimus unknowingly. I didn't finish the last season, or two but I always got the idea rodimus was mildly tragic because he went from a quick upstart to the stagnant leader of the autobots.

[@MatthewTheWolf2029]

He wasn't written well in the show. The 1986 movie did him better justice as a character.

[@spoogledoodle4933]

@@MatthewTheWolf2029 for sure

[@seangray6131]

My main issue with Rodimus Prime wasn’t his self doubt as the leader it was the fact he never grew from it it was like his whole character arc for all of season 3 it was something he never grew up from.

[@davidm4566]

He also came across sometimes as dismissive and didn't seem to care.

[@seangray6131]

@@davidm4566 Agreed.

[@seangray6131]

@@metal_fusion Yeah pretty much

[@Xalerdane]

What arc?

[@ursidae97]

A lot of people issue was that Rodimus is not Optimus, they're different people.

[@c55411]

I think the voice also played a part. Optimus’s voice sounded like a leader

[@Dhampir101980]

Rodimus is the bright reflection to Starscream now that I think about it. Starscream is over eager to replace Megatron as the leader, and that makes him cocky, arrogant and reckless. He thinks that he knows everything. Rodimus is the exact opposite. Leadership was handed to him and he doesn’t want it, so that made him lack confidence in himself.He doesn’t believe that he’s knowledgeable enough to be qualified to Lead. The show should have played up the contrast between the two characters, it might have helped endear fans to Rodimus and flesh him out more.

[@CloudWalkBeta]

that could have helped, what didnt help is the sorry state of the decepticons in season 3. kicked offa cybertron, galvatron became mentally handicapped after a plasma bath. and the death of starscream and shockwave made the decepticons feel like they didnt have a leader besides galvatron who could organise them. the result does reflect poorly on the autobots as their opponents now just SUCK.

[@CIorox_BIeach]

Optimus earned his post, and won our respect every time he lifted a finger, or said a word. Rodimus was just in the way at the right moment.

[@FillBar]

What I do appreciate about Rodimus is that he still had Ultra Magnus and Kup at his side; between the three of them they felt like one collective leader. Maybe I'm looking too deep into it, but that's what I saw and made me appreciate it.

[@SudrianTales]

Perhaps it was meant to be a star trek like thing?

[@radicalrikki-oh4323]

I thought Ultra Magnus was going to be the new leader because on the toy packaging he was named Autobot Commander. Kup was the wise old military man but we never saw him in the previous episodes. I did like Hot Rod, to me he was the relatable quick to act kid, and the chosen one born to lead. I didn't totaly like the movie first because Prime dies, It was my older cousins that convinced me to like the movie because the action was awesome.

[@libertubey2199]

@@SudrianTales I was just going to say. They could have had a Kirk, Spock & McCoy type dynamic, with Rodimus Prime the Kirk of the Autobots, Ultra Magnus their Spock, and Kup their McCoy. It's ironic, considering that Leonard Nimoy was Galvatron in Transformers: The Movie.

[@ShaneJoshua1980]

Robert Stack as Magnus was so great especially during Optimus Prime's death.

[@PrimeG1984]

When you look back on it Ultra Magnus wasn't a very good "leader" throughout the '86 movie see the infamous "I can't deal with that now" line he gives. Then in season 3 of the show his character pulls a complete 180 and now all of a sudden he's showing that he should be the rightful leader instead of Hot Rod/Rodimus.

[@blissfairchild7194]

What went wrong was that Rodimus Prime looked stupid, Optimus looked cool.

[@LowellLucasJr.]

One word...Confidence. Its hard to believe a leader who constantly doubts himself. Rodimus has what it takes. He just needs to believe it himself...more!!!

[@Songodel77]

Optimus Prime we saw in first G1 built his confidence off screen. During seasons we discover he was Autobt leader since Cybertron Golden Age more than 4 million years ago and he fought alot of battle before crashing on Earth. It's only natural he had all this confidence from episode 1. Hot Rod suddenly became a Prime, so we saw him begin his duty with no experience, how could he have no doubts about?

[@CKN215]

I agree! Young boys don't have the patience or maturity to watch the growth of a young leader after seeing their father-figure die. If a child loses a parent in real-life, the best case scenario is that a step-parent understands children. Rodimus, in contrast, still needed to learn leadership.

[@godcentricimagery1581]

They can bring him back as leader of off shoot of automots or completely different line of transformers like they're doing terrorcons. Connect him to Primus since Primus face design was based off him. Better writing and see him becoming more confident and bad ass and you redeem the character while having optimus

[@DCMarvelMultiverse]

I liked Honest Trailers when the episode on TF: The Movie mentioned how Springer seemed like the coolest choice for the new leader. He had a sword and became a cool looking car.

[@colorcommentary5987]

A couple things that I would say that you might have missed. 1. I'm surprised that you didn't mention the problem with what Rodimus transforms into. He transforms into a futuristic Winnebago. With flames. Who the heck wanted to play with that? A. Futuristic Winnebago with flames and somehow a spoiler that's underneath the camper section. What the heck is that? Especially when compared to the ultimate symbol of the American driving experience, experience the 18-wheeler truck and trailer.

[@Defx10]

Yeah, as a kid I was never interested in the futuristic/cybertronian vehicle designs. The original line that transformed into identifiable existing vehicle models was one of the things that made them great. That was what made Matchbox Cars great. And they also switched from metal toys to cheap plastic toys.

[@HappyDuude]

Spaceballs inspired

[@LeeONardo]

@@Defx10 I think the problem vehicle wise was Hot Rod's car mode is actual perfection. Rodimus is ... what it is lol. It's okay though, certainly different!

[@harlannguyen4048]

I liked how Enegon Rodimus turned into a truck

[@MirrorPete]

Fair assessment, nicely done. I’d add that Rodimus’ car form was very uninspiring. A hot rod, but kind of souped up like a big rig? It ended up looking more like a Winnebago. Contrast that with Optimus as a semi truck and Megatron as a gun. Much cooler.

[@landscaping3716]

Rodimus was thrust into the leadership role but obviously preferred to be just normal character. He was jsut always second guessing his responsibilities as a prime and never embraced it.

[@echoplanet2000]

His arc was very similar to Orion Pax. Difference was, like you say, Orion accepted his responsibilities after he became optimus prime. They needed to write his transition better.

[@Vernonu9]

I will NEVER forgive them for killing off Optimus. It broke my heart as a kid.

[@warlordsquerk5338]

Same for me, as much as I liked the movie, the killing of Prime and so many other Autobots was terrible. And what makes it even worse is the Hasbro execs DIDN'T EVEN KNOW Optimus was popular! They didn't do it for any sort of story reason, just getting rid of a toy. Goodness they sucked.

[@heavy5013]

Optimus was just a better written leader.

[@gurvmlk]

My biggest issue with the deaths in that movie wasn't even that characters were killed. In a way, it gave the movie a lot more impact than the show, and accentuated its darker themes introduced by the film's main antagonist being a destroyer of literal worlds. My issue with the deaths was how they were handled, by which I mean how easily many of the characters were killed off. With everything they'd been through and endured not only throughout the series, but any battles prior to crash landing on Earth, their deaths felt incredibly forced and inconsistent with the world built around them. If they felt the need to kill off some characters for marketing then that's fine, but what I think they failed to do most was accomplish that in a believable way.

[@werefrogofassyria6609]

Also, in the Japanese Headmaster season, Rodimus just quits. He decides to stop fighting, so he, Blur, and Kup just left. Arcee wanted to go, too, but Rodimus told her he couldn't let all the soldiers quit. However, he didn't leave the Matrix of Leadership behind. That's right, he quit fighting and took the Matrix of Leadership with him. That's why he has all the leadership qualifications of a used tea bag.

[@RetrospectGreg]

From what I understand, that’s not necessarily how things are done in Japanese G1, also, Arcee not being allowed to go… was just Japan being sexist

[@tartatovsky]

@@RetrospectGreg that's a reach

[@RetrospectGreg]

@j0sh believe me, as someone whose most popular video series is Naruto, I know that all too well

[@mlo009]

I think in Headmasters, Rodimus went to explore the universe with a few friends. Fortress Maximus as the new leader is able to steamroll everything, so they're fine.

[@werefrogofassyria6609]

@@mlo009 yet he takes the matrix of leadership with him.

[@XiaoFury]

What went wrong is that NOBODY asked for Optimus Prime to be bumped off. Secondly, it would have been nice if they introduced Hot Rod in the series before the movie. The movie was filled with characters that nobody knew. Many of them are legends now, but...so few of us were ready for this sudden (and violent) change in cast.

[@davidmitchell005]

The usual point of being the “chosen one” was supposed to imply an innate potential that would show through. Yes the character was rather wasted in the later seasons as the writers couldn’t reconcile the immaturity with growing up, which is a real shame as the character could have been used to show development into maturity for the kids watching. Hot Rod did show some potential in the movie when he wrangled the uncooperative Dinobots onto the shuttle and when he fought through underwater enemies to reach and repair Kup. But they didn’t use him properly, reverting to Optimus Prime in “The Return of Optimus Prime”, or “OK, we get it, you want Optimus back.” I also think they had similar problems with Galvatron, who went mad and lost all interest in the war, leaving Cyclonus and Scourge to run things.

[@Redrally]

I was going to point this out. It's not just Rodimus Prime that lost focus in S3, Galvatron was a non-entity in most episodes. Cyclonus did all the work and Scourge was the Decepticon with the most agency...

[@VengeDracul]

The biggest mistake is rather simple Optimus was at his Peak in popularity in the mid 80s, then Transformers The Movie came. Seeing Prime die, damaged the fandom of that Character and seeing Rodimus Prime at the end bothered a lot of kids at the time. Cause most kids like myself loved Optimus Prime, and to some kids he was looked at as a father figure, just how he reacts to many of his Autobots. Due to the backlash, it was the soul reason Return of Optimus Prime was made with 2 Parts. I stll remember that day seeing the first kind of hint of the two part series come on tv letting kids all over the world know Prime was coming back. I even remember recording it. As a kid I was super excited. I think if Optimus Prime was alive and stepped down and gave Hot Rod the Matrix it would not have had such a backlash.

[@JohnWilliams-cr2sz]

I always really liked the idea of Rodimus Prime, to this day I am still bummed his story was not handled better.

[@soyevquirsefron990]

Even at 9 years old in 1986 I remember thinking “what the hell is a Rodimus? That’s not a name.” I wasn’t allowed to see the movie so I didn’t know what happened but My one friend had the toy and was trying to convince me his toy was the new leader and I’m like, that’s not even a word. Sure Optimus isn’t a word but it’s word-adjacent. WTF is a Rodimus? Whichever kid had the best toy got to be in charge of the play session, because they could take their toy and go home, and I totally did not buy into this kid telling me that his “Rodimus” overruled all my guys. That’s not a cool toy and that’s not a cool name. I also remember how me and a friend (idk if it was the same guy) were both saving money to get the Ultra Magnus toy and talking about what battles we’d have when one of us got it. And then we thought, what if we BOTH get it, who’s the leader? And my friend said, your guy will be Ultra and my guy will be Magnus and they’ll both be leader. I don’t remember that kid’s name but I bet he went far in life 😂 Edit: yes I did eventually save up to buy the ultra magnus toy and it was exactly a white Optimus Prime truck cab with a plastic car-carrier trailer that the cab could attach to make a bigger robot. The bottom level of the trailer was the body and legs and didn’t move, and the upper deck were suitably larger arms and there was a helmet that went over the tiny Optimus Prime head. At the time, it was totally worth the effort to get it!

[@ButterBeerChugger]

It's simple: He's not a Prime despite what Hasbro wanted you to think

[@Piano218-zzz]

6:29, you will own nothing and be happy. The age of owning any toys is about to end I guess.

[@macrosense]

He keeps forgetting he can fire lasers out of those things on his forearms.

[@mr.exclusive9499]

Lol. He blazed Galvatron azz.

[@_urahara_]

Optimus Prime was hands down the most loved character at the time. Kids, teens, and even adults looked up to him. Killing Optimus and just replacing him with a seemingly random character without giving the audience time to warm up to him was a disaster.

[@kamuireina9868]

"The return of Optimus Prime" episode brought me and I'm sure everyone here to tears to see they're hero was back.

[@skytyme7721]

Rodimus wasn’t Optimus. That’s what happened.

[@mfsusanoo7238]

In terms of shows i think superlink handled rodimus the best, very reminiscent of the comics and japanese g1 continuity where he goes off to space and becomes a high ranking commander thats actually really competent

[@WolfeSaber]

In a fanwork of mine, Rodimus is a Combiner, made up of Hotrod, Bumblebee, Mirage, Smokescreen, and, still haven't figured it out between Whirl and Jolt. They became Rodimus after they made contact with the Star Saber.

[@omt4293]

We learned one thing from this. Optimus Prime is irreplaceable. Hasbro found out the hard way in 1986. You kind of feel bad for Rodimus because he’s following in the footsteps of arguably the most beloved animated character of that generation. When Hot Rod showed up in The Last Knight, the theater I was in….he was mercilessly booed! Goes to show how hated he really is.

[@shauntempley9757]

In my theatre, everyone that knew these characters groaned in despair when Hot Rod fully appeared. Because, even all these years later, he is a signal that Optimus is gone for good. It was not the same feeling in Revenge Of The Fallen, when Optimus died there.

[@omt4293]

@@shauntempley9757 yea it was definitely different but he did return in the series in season 3 though. Revenge of the fallen was a mess lol but still enjoyed him getting resurrected.

[@LeeONardo]

I didn't, I just groaned. Why they had to screw him up like most in Bay's films ... Last Knight was a hot mess (hilarious though).

[@mlo009]

@@LeeONardo Anthony Hopkins was so funny.

[@williamstone1536]

Hot Rod/ Rodimus Prime had the perfect coming of age story in the '86 film, and it was a fantastic albiet speedy rendition of Joeseph Campbell's classic 'Heroe's Journey' as well. I couldn't agree more that it was really the writing that did him in; he definitely deserved a dedicated sub-plot through the following season to show him growing into the role, but alas that's not where they went with it. Was 'killing' off Optimus a mistake? I was a young-mid teenager at the time, and while it certainly struck me, I wasn't anywhere near traumatized in the same way as younger kids were. In fact, my friends (who were still into Tfs) and I thought the film was awesome and loved the no-holds barred and high-stakes drama that all those character deaths added to the story. I can see both sides to it, but imo now, Optimus's 'death' in the film is part of what made it such a classic and to this day; I don't think anyone now or since would take such a chance with a kids show, and I do believe there's some wisdom, even in a kids show, that war isn't all fun and games, even if it's giant alien robots.

[@biggdoggc2490]

As a kid I wanted Ultra Magnus to be the new leader instead of Rodiums since Optimus Prime passed the matrix to Magnus anyway. Plus I believe that most fans would've accepted Magnus as the leader instead of Rodiums Prime, I know this for a fact cause a lot of my friends and other kids all said Magnus was the real leader. We all never accepted Rodiums and yes we blamed him for causing Optimus Prime's death so this why Rodiums was disliked.

[@briandixon4931]

I agree magnus makes a perfect leader to replace optimus and lead autobots . They surely mess that up

[@odieonekaraoke]

Well said. Me in 1986.....first Transformer I asked for and got for Christmas after Optimus' death. Ultra Magnus.

[@incisor78]

Exactly, Rodimus is shit

[@optimusprime595]

I get blaming Hot Rod for Optimus’ death but you also have to remember Optimus is as much to blame. He had Megatron dead to rights and could have quickly and easily finished Megatron with a few shots but hesitated in doing so.

[@Jamatustra]

It's quite sad to read this, it's proof that people never choose to "grow up".

[@VeritechGirl]

❤❤❤ the artwork in the thumbnail!

[@warmachine9316]

Rodimus has room to grow and has the potential to be a good Leader like Optimus was he just as to try and not doubt him self tho it wasn't Hot Rods fault he was just trying to protect Optimus either way the results would be the same with out Hot Rod there Megatron would still went for the gun under the rock and shoot Optimus multiple times like he did

[@brownpapi2634]

In what world?

[@XenoJehuty84]

Actually a what-if comic showed Optimus probably could have reacted to avoid getting more than a graze and then finished off Megatron. Ultimately though, we'll never know. Megatron may have still got the drop on Prime, or Optimus would take him out first. It could have gone either way. That said Hot Rod didn't deserve all the hate he got for trying to be helpful.

[@shauntempley9757]

@@XenoJehuty84 Yes, Optimus would escape dying without Hot Rod's presence. We saw that all the time in the show before that. All it needed for Optimus to end Megatron was the right circumstances, where Megatron did not have an escape strategy in place before launching his attacks, like every other time they fought. The animated film was the only time that Optimus had the right moments to end him. The death of Optimus is entirely Hot Rod's fault, because Optimus would have done to Megatron what he did to Sentinel in the films at that point, because Megatron killed too many of his warriors during the fight, and when he killed Ironhide, wheeljack and Red Alert during the capture of the ship.

[@TheHeadNinjainComics]

@@XenoJehuty84 yeah I read that garbage comic. The comic adaptation of the film showed Optimus dying at Megatron's hand without Hot Rod attempting to run interference. And from what I recall of it, it didn't read like some moron's fanfic like the Deviation comic did.

[@janepatton8100]

Honestly, as a super fan of Transformers as a child, I must say that Rodimus was a super disappointment... for no other reason than aesthetically he looked horrible with fruity colors. Not only that, but Optimus had a wickedly cool voice. Rodimus on the other hand sounded like my girlscout troop leader. Also, most Transformer fans were also huge Hot Wheels fans... what the heck was Rodimus supposed to be? He looked like a clunky moon vehicle whose design was inspired by an old style ambulance. How's that cool? Hasbro design team didn't know what they were doing. This switch ruined me at 10... Lol.

[@massmurdertron51]

I loved his colors tho

[@TheCucuyo9779]

It's the classic case of tearing down to build up. Had the show included hot rod from the outset, shown him admiring optimus and hinting at his own potential to be a leader, then given the torch with grace, Rodimus would have rightly earned his position as successor. Instead, he's introduced in the same movie Optimus dies in. We have hardly any time to get to know him, but we are expected to love and respect him just like Optimus. That's not how it works. There is a distinct impression he was just given the title of Prime's successor, which always feels cheap and unsatisfying versus organically developing him as a character. TL;DR, he didn't earn the title of Optimus' successor, it was just handed to him by the writers in the absolute worst way possible.

[@XiaoFury]

And for the kids to be given such an ugly toy of Rodimus was also insulting, since the reason for destroying the fan favorite Autobots and Optimus was for new toys!

[@MrKevlar83]

Let's say what went wrong is, we grew up with Optimus Prime. He became the literal John Wayne figure to us. Hot Rod wasn't introduced until the movie so there wasn't that attachment built up. If he would have been introduced in the second season I think it would have gone better

[@mdolinski4926]

I was always confused by Rodimus' vehicle mode. Was he supposed to be a Winnebago? Was he a dump truck?

[@Fenris30]

Futuristic Semi-trailer. Remember it was the Far off year of 2005 LOL.

[@djhaynes99]

It was based on a futuristic Citeron van, that was shown at a car show.

[@mdolinski4926]

@@djhaynes99 I had to Google it. Looks like that's correct! Cool looking vehicle lol

[@Xalerdane]

According to the Transformers Wiki, Rodimus is based on GM’s Bison Concept prototype turbine-powered semi from the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

[@ronin7997]

My biggest hang up over Rodimus is his vehicle form. The hybrid RV/minivan was just super-lame compared to his Lamborghini form as Hot Rod, and definitely paled in gravitas against Optimus' semitruck and Ultra Magnus' armored transport modes.

[@christophercameron2141]

I love Rodimus! He is a relatable character, in his first campaign, he got way more done as leader. Very underrated character?

[@RetrospectGreg]

Perfectly fair.

[@shawnwarrynn8609]

@@RetrospectGreg And aside from causing Optimus' death, Rodimus/Hot Rod was still a new character with no prior history to the series and toyline. To most fans and loyal customers they be thinking "Who the Hell is this Joke?! And Where's Optimus?! We Want Optimus! What the Hell That New Guy caused Optimus' Death but still ends up becoming Leader of the Autobots of all things?!!! This be some BS?!!!" Or something along those lines.

[@RetrospectGreg]

@@shawnwarrynn8609 imagine if the internet existed back then

[@shawnwarrynn8609]

@@RetrospectGreg Honestly, when the Character of Hot Shot appeared in Transformers Armada, it was like they were trying to fix the Problems they had with Hot Rod/Rodimus and it actually worked. Firstly they made sure to make Hot Shot a part of the Main Autobots early on, and they made sure to develop his character way before making him a leader. In many ways Armada Hot Shot is who Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime was supposed to be.

[@RetrospectGreg]

@@shawnwarrynn8609 yes nowadays they use Bumblebee in that role

[@Adarkane325xi]

Optimus Prime is Coca-Cola, Rodimus Prime is RC Cola.

[@trence5]

@4:33 I suspected that long ago. I also wonder if the ones who developed the Galvatron, toy and character, had any idea he was to be Megatron 2.0 🤔 And yeah Magnus did lead more missions than Rodimus. Oh and @5:32 don't forget what Rodimus says to Spike and Daniel in Dark Awakening, when Spike is concerned about running out of oxygen on that escape shuttle. Optimus would never say something like that, but I have grown to like Rodimus' sarcasm.

[@RetrospectGreg]

Sure, but in the case of Fight or Flee, it was really callous of him to say that

[@angryhd2976]

Rodimus never had potential. I said it as a kid and now i’m saying it again.

[@WestCoastTrojan1995]

As a kid I just couldn't understand the atrocious decision not to make Ultra Magnus Optimus' successor. Just made NO sense...

[@OM9012-j7y]

Prime transforms into a trailer truck, Rodimus transforms into a.... camper van

[@Shintigercurl]

it also didn't help that when optimus was brought back as a zombie, rodimus went really hard trying to push the matrix back to him, even when other character said it was a bad idea. even zombie optimus himself said not to give him the matrix.

[@Beastmode-hk3fj]

3:19 Simp-a-size?

[@Backtothehat]

The idea behind Rodimus was that he was a reluctant leader. A young boy who was chosen to be the one. It’s a good concept. However, it might have been a bit much for American kids in the 80’s. Back then, all our heroes were strong and all but flawless. Dare I say the Rodimus arc was ahead of it’s time? I think that concept would work better today.

[@Fenris30]

What destroyed Rodimus was the Cartoon, the writers for it did the guy No favors. Kids were willing to give Rodimus a Chance but the way he was depicted in the Cartoon killed any chance of a Cool factor he could have had. First they transferred Arcee's affections to Springer thereby making him lose his Girl to a "lesser" dude (not good for popularity, kids actually pick up on that stuff) then they made him kind of a Jerk and Emo on top of it and had him not want the Job of being Leader (Something kids also don't like cause they want to see strong leader type characters). That killed my love of the character as a kid. This was actually done on purpose cause the plans for Optimus's revival were already in place so the "Fix" was in and they actively Sabotaged the guy cause they didn't want kids to get too attached to him. I had loved Hot Rod in the movie and I wanted him to do well as the new leader and the fact that he was never really given a chance irkes me.

[@thethomasj1795]

Of course, Hot Rod was DIRECTLY responsible for Optimus getting killed.

[@jamesmaybrick2001]

But Optimus didnt go anywhere. At All. He was in the comic for years and years and years. He just came back with a new model, engine master (or some such). I had that one. Rodimus IIRC became Hot Rod again and a Target Master. I never really understood how the headmasters were supposed to work, that hurt my child brain. Film/Comic kills a bunch of characters (jeez the Underbase saga still traumatizes me). Hasbro is happy. Some time later all the important guys come back in whatever shiny form hasbro has envisiged for them. Marvel US was mostly just an advert. Marvel Uk was MUCH better as they had (for some reason) much more latitude and had the freedom to create (and kill) so many cool characters. Deaths Head ring a bell? Even to the point that some characters were autobots in uk Marvel but decepticons in America (because of actual character development. Turns out im a 50 year old transformers nerd, i didnt even know until now, lol. One fun point further. Uk comic, Rodimus hires Deaths Head (freelance peace keeping agent, dont call him bounty hunter) to Off Shockwave, Cyclonus and Scourge. He kills shockwave, and i think at least one of the other two. Fuck me, i havnt read the comic for around 40 years, but somehow i still remember the price on Shockwaves head was 10000 shanix. Why do i rememeber that?

[@TheStarshipdriver]

Not sure I agree with the argument that Hoteod/ Rodimus was accountable for prime passing away. The automotive were at war...and in war bad things happen...often without being planned etc. Ask me Hotrod acted wisely in that he didn't allow Megatron a.clear shot at primes back. He deserves more respect.

[@thethomasj1795]

@@TheStarshipdriver He disobeyed orders from his superior and Prime died. Hot Rod should have been smelted!

[@terryxperry]

People need to get over that. If hot rod would have save prime he a hero. Prime should have been ready to blast mags sooner. Prime got killed because he let mags beg for mercy and do the villains things of talking to the enemy instead of shooting them. The idea of a transfomer dieing is a dumb one. If u back up there program aka memory. The combat con hade the memory removed. In rebirth the headmaster download there memory in there body.

[@KaygeeFromNanotrasen]

​@@terryxperrycant argue with geewunners

[@rev.jonathanwint6038]

Optimus was a DAD and Rodimus was a child.

[@docsavage4921]

Simon Furman himself admitted to a fan he never liked Rodimus, and intentionally stuck it to him in his writing. James Roberts wrote the only decent Rodimus, because he was entirely unlike Rodimus. He was like an eccentric larger than life rock star who was completely ridiculous, yet made things happen.

[@RetrospectGreg]

That seems odd since Regeneration One had him passing the torch from Optimus to Rodimus

[@docsavage4921]

@@RetrospectGreg That was necessary to his narrative though, you don't need to like a character to write something like that. And Rodimus did need moral support from a dead Optimus (Rodimus also spent quite some time off screen while Grimlock got to look cool, one of Furman's admitted favorites). The fan letter was from the 1980's "Time Wars" era. The fan complaining how every time Rodimus tried to fight Galvatron or Deaths Head, he was beaten like a red headed step child, while Ultra Magnus at least had his moments. Furman chalked it up to not really liking the character and even joked he'd probably stick it to him again if he could do it over.

[@RetrospectGreg]

@@docsavage4921 As I mentioned in this video, Ultra Magnus was Galvatron's true rival.

[@docsavage4921]

@@RetrospectGreg Understood. I gathered from the letter Furman was doing his own thing though. Target 2006/Time Wars iterations in general were different from their animated counterparts, such as Cyclonus and Scourge being less... respectable. As in, Deaths Head turned them into whipping boys. Panicky goons essentially.

[@RetrospectGreg]

@@docsavage4921 not much different than what Headmasters did

[@kingp791]

Loved Rodimus Prime as a kid. Optimus was just the GOAT. Liked Galvatron but original Megatron was my ish

[@pierreblain1424]

That's right, Ultra Magnus was the REAL leader of season 3.

[@happycube]

Ironically there was a solution in the toys... Ultra Magnus's cab is a recolored Optimus Prime. Could've been worked into the movie as an upgrade (ala Godbomber in Masterforce) or life support.

[@joetz1]

I have a different take on “what went wrong” What went wrong is that it’s very hard to replace the cast of everybody loves. Dukes of hazard tried to replace Bo and Luke Duke with Coy and Vance and the ratings went in the toilet. Three’s company also tried to replace Suzanne Sommers and that was another disaster. For me, I just grew up with the 1984/1985 line and refused to accept any replacements. Those characters were my heros and I saw the whole season 3 cast as a bunch of imposters Now as an adult I have a new appreciation for season 3 and the more sophisticated story lines, but 11 year old me just wasn’t having it.

[@jeffwilliams7669]

Optimus Prime is not selling.-Hasbro........33 Years later.....Yeah, I am looking at the 30+ Various Optimus Prime...From Original Gen 1 in Box to LEGO OPTIMUS PRIME!

[@BigNoseDog]

The main problem with Rodimus was that his elevation to leader felt unearned. He wasn’t next in line in the chain of command, he wasn’t the surviving team member with the most experience, and he wasn’t the one everyone else turned to for guidance. He basically got the job because of luck. The matrix chose him and everyone else was expected to just go along with it. This is why people dislike royalty. Someone becomes king or queen not because they were chosen by the people, but because they were lucky enough to be born to the right parents.

[@spriggylotus4476]

Monarchs are trained from birth to lead. The ones who mess up end up dead, so they have a vested interest to do the best they can. They can't just lie to win an election and bail after four years. There's a reason it was the default state of government for thousands upon thousands of years.

[@quinnimon]

A lot of extreme circumstances were precipitated by Optimus dying: Unicron finally advancing on Cybertron. Megatron being revived into Galvatron. The Matrix being pursued across the galaxy by Galvatron. Hot Rod making contact with and dismantling a Quintesson stronghold and stealing one of their ships. An autobot Junkion alliance that brought Magnus back to life. The matrix ending up inside Unicron, and Hot Rod deciding to continue fighting even after Galvatron had taken the Matrix. I’m shorthanding the movie plot, but Hot Rods character was always game to continue the fight and his fighting the Quintessons was first evidence he could handle being on the universal stage.

[@radicalrikki-oh4323]

TRANFORMERS: THE MOVIE IS A MASTERPIECE. This movie changed my life. I loved Optimus Prime, but he received a Hero's Death!! Yes I was sad, but it forced me to grow up. Dealing with death and change is a part of life. Oh the Music and Japanese Animation were mind-blowing for 80's kids!

[@Hektols]

It would have worked better if at the beginning of the movie they revealed that Optimus was preparing Hot Rod to be his successor, then taking the burden of the Matrix when Optimus dies, having character development during the movie and then reviving Optimus as Power Master Optimus (or as Ultramagnus) for the final battle and defeating Unicron together. Then the cartoon would have continued with Rodimus acting as field commander while Optimus remains as the Autobot Leader (similar to Duke and Hawk in Gi Joe)

[@SixshotRevan]

The "Rodimus doubts himself but learns to accept his role in the end" plotline might have worked... I've they only did it for one episode. A two-parter at most. The episodic nature of the series meant that everyone had to have their characters "reset to baseline" at the start of their next episode. It's unfortunate that they decided Rodimus's baseline was "doubts himself". Rodimus doubting himself throughout season 3 made him seem like he had chronic depression, and that's NOT something kids want to see in a leader. Maybe in a side character who learns to overcome it, but not the leader.

[@MoonjumperReviews]

Good breakdown, Greg. Personally, I thought Rodimus LOOKED cool. I was actually excited by the new futuristic setting of the post-movie Transformers series. As a child who loved all things sci-fi and “space opera,” I actually liked the new direction, despite missing some of the characters who had died. The problem with Rodimus, as you pointed out, was his unending self-doubt and ineffectiveness as a leader. It’s one thing to have doubt (in the beginning), but then rise to the occasion and become a true leader. People respect that. Boys, in particular, respect that. Boys do not respect CONSTANT self-pity and holding back as Ultra-Magnus basically does your job. If you constantly tell everyone, “I suck,” people will start to agree with you.

[@LainK1978]

The unending self-doubt is the only reasonable thing about his character. The problem was that he was effectively a new character being made the leader.

[@itchyisvegeta]

I don't care what people say. I loved Rodimus Prime in the show. I think the point about his toy not being as good is the most valid point.

[@ivantheterrible2594]

I did notice in the 3rd series characters like Springer actually called Rodimus' leadership into question, not afraid to make snide comments behind his back on occasion. This is something that was never seen when Optimus was in command.

[@RetrospectGreg]

“Yes sir, Mr. leader sir!”

[@edr3158]

Actually Grimlock always talked about Optimus Prime in a negative way and how he would be a better leader than Optimus. Grimlock also challenged Optimus Prime on a few occasions. Even after all those fights they had against each other, Grimlock for a while only followed Optimus Prime's commands begrudgingly.

[@GamingMafia_id]

@@edr3158 that's because Grimlock & Dinobots never had any experience in Cybertron with Optimus, unlike the rest of the Autobot. I mean, I like that they make them that way, seems understandable lol

[@DC-eq4yh]

I wouldn't have even remembered rodimus or galvatron if I didn't re-watch the movie recently. That movie killed transformers for me. What a bad decision killing Optimus was.

[@AlphaProto]

I never liked that Rodimus Prime transformed into a station wagon😐

[@burnout3722]

They not only jumped the shark, they shot the shark, murdered the shark, ate the shark, and then shat the shark out.

[@RHR199X]

I believe that if you want someone to replace Optimus prime then you need to show him actively mentoring them. If Optimus is a father figure of the autobots then he needs a pupil. Their training and lessons will prepare them for the day when it’s all on the line and they must become Prime, with us the audience and the rest of the autobots as witnesses,who would know it would happen one day. Since Rodimus was a new character for the 1986 movie, G1 never necessitated this and so later iterations didn’t either, but this is one way to reinvent Rodimus and make him the leader he was meant to be, along with any other prime past or present, you could tie it into the lore. Have it custom that a Prime takes a protege under his wing to prepare him for leadership.

[@Andriy_Doc]

But they kinda tried to do just that - retroactively though. The whole Five Faces of Darkness episode sequence is exactly about that -- about Rodimus learning from the previous autobot leaders. And not just that -- the Dark Awakening episode also showcases Optimus turning from Qunitesson zombie to a sort of fallen mentor for Rodimus - speaking some advice and truth about what a Prime should do for his people and so on. Same when he comes back as a white-alloyed fighter of Hate Plague in Return of Optimus Prime. So, in a sence, the devs did try to establish a Mentor-Pupil relationship between them, although barely and quite retroactively :)

[@RHR199X]

@@Andriy_Doc yes, essentially what I’m calling for is for a story to have with this established from the beginning

[@quinnimon]

In a career dedicated to containing Megatron and the Decepticons, there probably was not much time for developing a pupil, or maybe someone had not appeared that was a viable candidate, though I suppose Magnus was a realistic alternate if Optimus bit it. That said, that by twist of fate Optimus and Megatron were out the picture for 4 million years on earth while Cybertron was locked in stalemate between Autobot and Decepticon trenches must have meant so many plans went up in smoke, exacerbated by the energy shortages.

[@stormhawk3319]

Rodimus Prime would have worked 20 years later had the cartoon had continued for that long. Too much change too soon in the series history.

[@I_Am_The_Paulrus]

The potential of Rodimus that you mentioned, was fulfilled (I felt) in the Marvel UK comics. So successfully that he became my favourite character in that series It dealt with his imposter syndrome in the early days of his leadership and how he overcame it through different challenges like defeating Unicron fir a second time and losing/regaining the Matrix from the Quintessons

[@j3zhott]

You cant replace Optimus with a mere no body....BumbleBee getting an a power upgrade be better suited vs some new booty hot rod

[@slickchick5811]

One of the issues was that we never saw Optimus in his salad days, but only as a seasoned commander. So he was blown to mythic proportions by Rodimus. All things have a beginning. Rodimus worshiped an ideal more than reality. Magnus knew something of this and tried to tell him to trust himself.

[@quinnimon]

That’s why we want to see Transformers One.

[@pikminguy55]

As a kid I didn't blame Hot Rod...ok maybe I did but not right away as at the tiem I was more shocked at what happened with Prime. My main concern is his character during the movie after Prime's death. From what I heard in the original scripts; Hot Rod would spend the movie feeling guilty for getting his leader killed despite no one blaming him for it but envetually he would forgive himself and acccept his new role as the leaer. But in the final product this is never shown, like as if he got over it waaaay too quickly. Making it look like he didn't really learn anything which made him unlikeable in my eyes. My mindest was "This guy got Prime killed and he's still being cocky and everything like nothing happened."

[@canopyfields]

In season 3, both galvatron and rodimus were "new" leaders that needed guidance and advice. Galvatron was too crazy and needed cyclonus.

[@emp0rizzle]

Having him directly responsible for Optimus' death didn't help at all.

[@LainK1978]

Hot Rod was effectively an OC that got introduced to most people in the movie, was shown to have been immature and not ready for anything at the start of the movie, and push into the leadership because he was in the right place at the right time. Had Hot Rod have been in the series since the start and was shown as growing over the time from the first season until the movie, then people might have actually been ok with him. But just having him show up like that and wasn't the way to go. The person who should have gotten the Matrix was Bumblebee.

[@cameram-guy8684]

Man, Bumblebee already faces megatron once, i mean They wanted a young character and Bee was right there

[@SensiofRabbitude]

If Bumblebee is to get the matrix I really want Ironhide to survive to be the bot that temporarily gets the matrix first. It makes sense for Optimus to want to pass it on to Ironhide, his old friend and right hand and I buy Ironhide being humbled and feeling unworthy over the new guy in Ultra Magnus whom we know nothing about. Plus it'd be cool seeing Ironhide pass the matrix on to Bumblebee.

[@cameram-guy8684]

@@SensiofRabbitude truuuu

[@DavidChanu]

Crazy as the Hot Rod toy was so much better than the Rodimus one.