We are past nothing, Megatron! Until I say we are!Optimus Prime while fighting Megatron.
Optimus Prime is the overarching antagonist of the 2021 IDW Comics series, Transformers: Shattered Glass, a reboot of the 2008 Pun Publications series of the same name.
Once a senator known as Orion Pax, he was the seeming friend of the civil-rights activist, Megatron, however he had an insatiable lust for power. Overthrowing the Senate, Orion rechristens himself as a Prime to wage war against the Decepticon resistance in hopes of overruling Cybertron and Earth. However, for all of Orion's charisma, his inability to see the values others have brought to his success is what eventually leads to Ultra Magnus overthrowing him.
Unlike the mainstream Optimus Prime, who is known as a symbol of hope and cherishes freedom and safety for all sentient beings, this version is a brutal, tyrannical ruler who has taken over what is the role of Optimus' archenemy, Megatron.
Personality
While the mainstream Optimus was a firm but gentle leader who sees value in others, cherishes freedom and even give up his life to save countless more, in this alternate universe, Optimus is a grotesque mockery of his usual self and is simply a power-hungry oppressor. While claiming to only want order for a disorganized and chaotic Cybertron, he is in truth a mad control freak, admitting the law is not fixed and can be altered and abused to Ultra Magnus for the sake of securing his dominance over Cybertron, showing how much of a major hypocrite he is. Optimus places himself far above everybody around him. While in what all stories that do explore this, Orion and Megatron had a deep friendship before Megatron's fall from grace, this Orion only saw friends as a mere means to end and useful tool, to which knowing this, Megatorn never considered Orion an actual friend. Upon becoming Optimus, his countless victories gave Optimus a huge ego that made him disregard the advice of once loyal soldiers like Goldbug due to his belief he can easily quell rebellions. This leads to Goldbug and finally Ultra Magnus, and unlike Goldbug, Ultra Magnus is the Optimus' key for success and so was able to succeed in his coup.
Appearance
Optimus carries his signature build, a stocky, boxy robot with exhaust pipes on the sides of his shoulders, a helmet with horns on the side covering his head and his most iconic feature, the signature mouth-plate that covers his mouth which brings focus to his glowing eyes. However, while the colour scheme for his leg and head are the same, to show how this Optimus is far different from what anyone is familliar with, his eyes are red than blue and the color-scheme of his upper body is different on a pattern of purple and green rather than the iconic red and blue.
Biography
Before the Great War of Cybertron, Orion Pax was a member of the Cybertronian Senate, Orion acted on what he claims is bringing order to a disorganized and chaotic Cybertron, even forming a nominal friendship with miner-turned-civil rights advocate named Megatron. However, in truth Orion was secretly an ambitious psychopath who only wanted to take control of Cybertron. Conspiring with multiple Cybertronians who had shared his ambitions, such as the law clerk Ultra Magnus who helped Orion ensure his activities were still legal until the time was right. Said time appoints Ultra Magnus to be the head of his secret police to keep the order within his reign, swaying him out of his by the books approach to law and realize they have the pwoer to abuse it. When Senator Shockwave speaks against his increasing repressions, Orion has the Wreckers massacre the entire Senate and then abduct Shockwave. Reinstating the barbaric practice of Empurata, Orion have the Wreckers rip off his arms and head to replace them with fingerless arms and a faceless head in hopes of removing his empathy.
Knowing his power grab would not be complete with just controlling the Senate, Orion secretly made a deal with Jetfire to finance his and Starscream's research to unearth the titan Metroplex in hopes of using him as a weapon, driving a wedge between Jetfire and Starscream's vision. Meanwhile, in response to Orion's progressively fascist rule, Megatron rallies up the Decepticons for peaceful protests which have become violent due to Orion's forces frequently attacking them. Still intent on using Megatron as a weapon, Orion organizes his release from jail to convince him to join his side. Megatron refused to stop his protests and seeing Orion's true colours, this leads to a physical confrontation that sees Megatron dent his windshield and declare their friendship is over.
With Megatron's allegiance clear, Orion rechristens himself as Optimus Prime, now using the Autobots as a warfront to conquer Cybertron. Waging the Great War to crush any Decepticon resistance, the war shall engulf Cybertron, rendering most of it as an uninhabitable wasteland with only sparse traces of civilization between the three cities that the Autobots shall rule over. Now that Optimus is in full control over Cybertron, Optimus invades the planet Earth to strip-mine it for it's rarified energon. To protect the inhabitants of Earth, Megatron arrives on Earth with his Decepticons to push back on the Autobots but they shall fail. In a grand battle for Earth, Optimus, having looked for ward to the moment, fights Megatron to the death, defeating the Autobots. Megatron only survived the encounter through luck and once he woke up, found Earth has become nothing but a desolate wasteland, losing any hope on ending the Autobot tyranny.
Back on Cybertron, because he just had material to spare and keep his numbers high, he has the fallen Bumblebee rebuilt as Goldbug, hoping he could be more competent now. When Goldbug believes Prowl is planning a coup against Optimus. Optimus however refuses to take heeds to it as he believes with his power, he can easily crush Prowl's coup. When this eventually leads to Goldbug working with Prowl to assassinate Optimus, he mercilessly beats Goldbug. This results in the other 2 Autobot cities falling to the hands of Prowl and Goldbug while Optimus is left with Iacon, who he renames Pax to stroke his own ego. Now Optimus is bent on conquering the other cities and wipe out any Decepticons or non-Autobots still on Cybertron, any who is not loyal to him.
However, upon Megatron's return, the Decepticons were able to take back the Golden City ruled over by Goldbug. Dismissing the Decepticon threat, upon the awakening of Metroplex, Optimus seeks to use him to destroy his enemies. However Ultra Magnus, who has a grand ego on his own, has enough of Optimus and stages a successful coup against Optimus. Having Ratchet inflict a surgery to swap his and Optimus' bodies, Ultra Magnus has his former body mutilated with the voicebox removed so Orion can't even scream in pain. The Decepticons then dismantle Ultra Magnus' plans with Metroplex, who eventually crashes, presumably killing Optimus. In either way, Optimus has gotten what was coming for him and can't oppress any other living being any longer.
External Links
- Optimus Prime on the Pure Evil Wiki
