What Went Wrong With Rodimus Prime

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.