Optimus Primal

This article is a stub. You can help WikiAlpha by expanding it. Optimus Primal is a fictional character from the Transformers series, usually associated with the Beast Wars and Beast Machines lines.

History

Generation 1

Beast Wars

As commander of the Axalon, Optimus Primal led his crew in embarking on an exploration voyage that doubled as a means of transporting the violent criminal Protoform X off-planet to be exiled in some remote location. However, when the Predacon renegade Megatron stole the Golden Disk and fled in the stolen ship Darkside, Optimus directed his vessel to pursue the criminal. Their transwarp journey eventually landed them on a seemingly unknown planet, where the two ships crashed after sustaining immense damage. The Axalon was also forced to release its cargo of stasis pods, containing Protoform X and much of the ship's crew, into space where they fell into orbit around the planet. Due to the high level of Energon radiation on the planet, both crews were forced to adopt alternate forms based on local lifeforms, with Optimus taking the form of a gorilla.

The two forces soon met in conflict, with Optimus having to deal with the impetuousness of young crewmate Cheetor and the insubordinate attitude of Rattrap. The unlikely crew was also joined by Dinobot, a member of Megatron's Predacons who had been betrayed by his leader and sought revenge, initially through attempting to eliminate Optimus and take his place as leader. However, the group of five-the final member being science officer Rhinox-eventually managed to come together to stop Megatron and his remaining minions from seizing a huge Energon crystal. Stranded on the planet and still forced to contend with Megatron, Primal dedicated himself and his crew to fighting the would-be tyrant, and dubbed this new conflict "Beast Wars!"

Optimus would continue to deal with both the Predacons and the conflicting personalities of his own crewmates, particularly the often disrespectful Rattrap and the oil-thirsty Dinobot, who often clashed with each other more often than the enemy. The Maximals would also be forced to contend with a mysterious side to the world on which they fought, such as an alien arrangement of standing stones and a probe that briefly drew Optimus into its interior. New combatants also entered the Beast Wars as stasis pods fell to the planet-though the Maximals recovered the first and were joined by the nature-loving Tigatron, the Predacons retrieved a second and reprogrammed the protoform within to become Blackarachnia. Sadly, they also suffered losses in their attempts to return home, as when Megatron prevented them from contacting a Maximal probe that arrived searching for the missing ships. A second attempt to depart the planet using the Darkside's space-drive parts to repair the Axalon ended in both ships being permanently grounded after the Predacons' seeming demise was revealed to be a ruse.

The Maximals were eventually joined by a new recruit named Airazor, prior to encountering another sign of alien presence: a massive floating island that was eventually destroyed in battle against the Predacons, though not before sending off a message to parts unknown. The Predacons were then able to reprogram another fallen stasis pod to create Inferno, and then employed a scheme to turn the Maximals' beast modes against them; fortunately this plan was thwarted thanks to Tigatron. The conflict was then briefly joined by the Decepticon Starscream, whose Spark possessed the body of the Predacon Waspinator and seized the Axalon before being driven out by an Energon explosion. A much greater threat soon arrived in the form of the Vok, the alien race behind the Energon and strange structures they had encountered on on the planet, who soon set out to "sterilize" the planet. Optimus managed to take advantage of a scheme of Blackarachnia and Tarantulas' to save the planet, only to find himself unable to escape the explosion that destroyed the Vok weapon.

Optimus' sacrifice resulted in a quantum surge that washed over the planet and mutated several of the combatants and the now fallen stasis pods on the planet's surface, and the changes to the planet unveiled its true identity as prehistoric Earth. Megatron soon recruited two new minions, Silverbolt and Quickstrike, and the leaderless Maximals were left on the ropes. Fortunately, Rhinox was able to take advantage of a transwarp rift created by the explosion to contact the Matrix, and left a trail that enabled Optimus' Spark to return and enter a blank protoform recovered by the Maximals. Reborn as a Transmetal, Optimus won the day for his crew, who were joined by Silverbolt after he realized the nobility of the Maximals and the evil of the Predacons. Sadly, in a moment of weakness Dinobot would soon briefly rejoin his former leader, though Optimus welcomed him back after the Predacon realized the error of his ways.

The Maximals would soon suffer a heavy loss, as Tigatron and Airazor-who had departed the group after Optimus' sacrifice in order to survey the reshaped planet-were captured and transported into space by the Vok. The Maximals had little time to mourn, as Megatron then seized control of a Vok weapon with the intent of taking it back to Cybertron; Optimus and his crew were fortunately able to thwart him with the unlikely aid of Tarantulas. Sadly, they would then be forced to deal with the return of Protoform X, who was eventually forced into the Predacon camp by Megatron's cunning, and the loss of Dinobot, who sacrificed himself to prevent Megatron and the Predacons from wiping out a tribe of primitive humanoids. Meanwhile, the quantum surge's path through time led it closer and closer to the future, with the Maximals hopeful that it would alert their comrades on Cybertron to their position in time and space. However, it instead brought an unlikely ally, Ravage, who captured Megatron with the Maximals' aid only to side with him in an attempt to destroy them.

Much to Optimus' horror, Ravage's demise led Megatron to unveil his endgame: he had discovered the crashed Ark, and after accessing it with help from Blackarachnia fatally wounded Optimus Prime. Fortunately, Blackarachnia turned against her former comrades and helped the Maximals to save the Autobot leader, with Optimus taking Prime's Spark into his body to keep it alive during the process of repairing the legendary hero. This caused Optimus' body to mutate into a massive new form with four different modes, and he and his crew-including Blackarachnia-then set up a new base to protect the Ark after the Predacons destroyed the Axalon. A new combatant soon arrived in the form of Depth Charge, who initially despised Primal for losing Rampage but eventually came around to joining the the crew. Optimus would also be forced to deal with Megatron's Transmetal 2 technology, which resulted in the creation of a new, evil Dinobot and the mutation of Cheetor.

Beast Machines

Optimus and his surviving crewmates eventually journeyed back to Cybertron with a captured Megatron, only for him to escape during transit and arrive back on the planet before them. Using a horde of drones known as Vehicons and a transformation freezing virus, Megatron took over the planet and then ambushed the Maximals upon their arrival. Optimus, Blackarachnia, Cheetor, and Rattrap managed to escape, though in poor condition and with their memories damaged, and soon discovered the Oracle, which reformatted them into new techno-organic bodies. After rediscovering the ancient technique of transformation, the heroes soon learned that their old nemesis was ruling over Cybertron. After enjoying some success in battling against him and his mindless legions, they were forced to contend with a trio of generals he created: Tankor, Thrust, and Jetstorm.

Over time Optimus became convinced that the Maximals' purpose was to transform Cybertron into a purely organic world, particularly after discovering previously unknown organic matter and plant-life in the world's underbelly along with a new ally, Nightscream. He and his teammates also learned the true identities of Megatron's minions: Tankor was Rhinox, Thrust was Waspinator, and Jetstorm was Silverbolt. Sadly, these discoveries brought additional trouble, as Blackarachnia became determined to rescue Silverbolt while Rhinox became a villainous amalgam of his old Maximal self and the Vehicon Megatron had reprogrammed him into. Using the Key to Vector Sigma, both he and Megatron set out to purge Cybertron of all organic life-including the Maximals-while Optimus unleashed the power of the Plasma Energy Chamber in a hopes of wiping out all technology that wasn't part of a techno-organic being. The resulting released of energies killed both Optimus and Rhinox, but Optimus was given the opportunity to return and fufill the Oracle's true mission: creating a Cybertron that blended the best parts of both organic and technological life.

Megatron soon reemerged via a new fortress, the Grand Mal, though he was briefly stuck in a techno-organic form that he dubbed Noble/Savage. The Maximals eventually regained Silverbolt, though the once noble warrior had become embittered and vengeful due to his experience as Jetstorm. Megatron then unleashed a new pair of generals, Obsidian and Strika, while the Maximals added returning explorer Botanica to their ranks. Optimus eventually learned that Megatron was keeping all the captured Cybertronian Sparks captive aboard his fortress, though in the process Megatron gained knowledge of the Oracle's power. A final battle eventually resulted in which Megatron adopted a new form based on Optimal Optimus' old body, but ended when the two foes fell into Cybertron's core, reformatting the planet into a techno-organic paradise.

BotCon/Text/3H Enterprises

Optimus was also featured in the BotCon storyline "Transformers: Reaching the Omega Point," first appearing in the script "Visitations." Here he arrived in the midst of a battle in which the Maximals Onyx Primal, Packrat, Silverbolt, and Rattrap were attacked by Antagony, who then set her sights on the arriving Megatron and Waspinator. Optimal Optimus managed to subdue her with his guns, only to be stunned by Megatron when he inadvertently revealed that he was out of ammunition. In a later text story, "Beast Wars: Reborn," Optimus and Megatron were revived in replicas of their original Beast Wars bodies, though lacking some of their memories. The pair were then pitted against each other by Logos Prime, who sought to determine which of them was worthy of inheriting his Zeonomicon.

Optimus would also appear in the short-lived Transfomrers: Universe comic series, in which he was revived by Primus to answer the threat of Unicron and his minions from across the multiverse. After teaming with versions of Grimlock and Armada Megatron to rescue a number of Cybertronians, he appealed to the Maximal High Council only to have his warnings about Unicron rejected. Alpha Trion's pupil Snarl later freed Optimus from Maximal custody, and he was brought before the Cybertronian Elder and Vector Sigma. Given his choice of two Cybertronian warriors to aid him in the coming battle, he chose to have Rhinox and Depth Charge revived; the former proved grateful, but the latter resented being revived from the Matrix. Having anticipated just such a development, Alpha Trion introduced another ally as Depth Charge departed: the mighty Omega Prime.

However, Optimus feared that the connection between his and Megatron's Sparks would allow his foe to return as well; the line was cancelled before this could come to past, but it was revealed that Megatron would have returned in a new body based on that of his Robots in Disguise counterpart and formed an alliance with Optimus against the greater threat of Unicron.

IDW Publishing

The crew of the Axalon in Transformers: Dawn of the Predacus

Optimus Primal appeared the IDW Publishing BotCon 2016 story Transformers: Dawn of the Predacus. In this story Optimus Primal commanded the Axalon at the end of the Great War. The Axalon was sent to do orbital scans of Cybertron. The Axalon crew discovered a hidden installation on Unicron's head just as a Transmatter wave was launched at Cybertron. The shields of the Axalon partly deflected the wave, so only some on Cybertron's population was affected.

References

This article is a stub. You can help WikiAlpha by expanding it.