Endgame

« The Transformers: Autocracy #12 »
No, not that Endgame. There IS an Infinity Gauntlet in this one too though.
"Endgame"
Publisher	IDW Publishing
First published	June 20, 2012
Story by	Chris Metzen & Flint Dille
Art by	Livio Ramondelli
Letters by	Shawn Lee
Editor	John Barber & Carlos Guzman
Continuity	2005 IDW continuity
Chronology	Before the war

Megatron and his rule of Cybertron fall in the face of Optimus Prime's uprising.

Synopsis

As the battle of the Citadel rages on, Megatron orders Blitzwing's armored division to keep the Autobots pinned down in preparation of a surprise he has in store. Optimus Prime and his followers are saved from the tank barrage by the arrival of the Dynobots and other Autobots, only for Megatron to reveal the "vamparc annihilator"—a giant vamparc ribbon which he fires on his enemies from the top of the Citadel. Having anticipated a secret weapon, Prime calls in Metroplex who decimates the Decepticons' positions. The vamparc annihilator has no effect on the ancient giant, who effortlessly rips the entire Citadel in half, destroying the weapon and sending Megatron falling to the streets where Prime is waiting.

The two leaders fight it out and Megatron loses, but he spots a discarded gun in the rubble and tries to distract Optimus Prime with pleas of mercy. His trick nearly works as Prime still has hope that they can work together to unite Cybertron, but Hot Rod sees him reaching for the gun and intervenes. He is grabbed and held hostage by Megatron, but gets out of his grasp by suddenly transforming and driving off, allowing Prime to shoot and injure the Decepticon leader. Megatron is taken to safety by Soundwave, but not before warning Optimus Prime that he hasn't won, he's only started a war of unparalleled proportions.

After the Decepticons have retreated, Metroplex becomes Iacon's new capitol by placing himself in city mode over the ruins of the Citadel. The survivors of Nyon tell Bumblebee that they have chosen to become chroniclers, cataloguing the past. In the Underworld, Prowl shows Optimus Prime a newly discovered storehouse of illegal weapons stockpiled by Zeta Prime and the Senate and suggests they use them against the Decepticons. Not wanting to make the same mistakes as Zeta, Prime instead orders him to destroy them before visiting Hot Rod to thank him for saving his life. Hot Rod doesn't believe he deserves any gratitude due to his part in destroying Nyon, but Prime tells him he stood up for what he believed in like a hero and should hold his head up high... after all, someday he might be the one holding the Matrix.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Notes

Two Renegades and a Paragon.

Continuity notes

• Among the Decepticons is the inner robot form of Skullgrin/Dauros; the issue doesn't specify which of them it is. Considering that Skullgrin has only appeared thus far in the IDW continuity with a design based on his Pretender shell while Dauros later appears with the inner-robot design, we'll call this an appearance by Dauros.
• Prime's prediction that Hot Rod may one day hold the Matrix eventually comes to pass, if only briefly, shortly before the Matrix is depleted.
• Seriously, Optimus, did you really think Prowl of all bots wouldn't keep some of those weapons for a rainy day?

Transformers references

• The entire sequence with Megatron asking Optimus Prime for mercy and holding Hot Rod at gunpoint is, of course, referencing The Transformers: The Movie.
• Zeta Prime's secret armory is seen to include a sniper rifle based on the model that Forestock transforms into, Wreck-Gar's spiked shield and axe, an Allicon staff/pickaxe, one of Movie Optimus Prime's built-in arm swords, a sculpture of Unicron's head, and... an Infinity Gauntlet??

Errors

• This issue contradicts "Chaos Theory", which states Optimus first battled Megatron on Sherma Bridge. It has been said by the editors that the Sherma Bridge battle happened before Autocracy. However, the battle takes place during the war, when both factions have formed armies. Before the events of Autocracy, the Decepticons were seen as terrorists, and it is not until this issue that Megatron declares war.

Reprints

Other than collections of the full series.

• N/A