The many deaths of Optimus Prime

Oh, he's gone and died again. Botheration! Most inconvenient.

Across the various continuities, Optimus Prime dies a lot. This happens for various reasons:

• It allows for him to be replaced by a new character (and thus a new toy).
• It allows for him to come back from the dead in a new body (again, a new toy).
• It allows for his corpse to look different (which means yet again, a new toy)
• It's dramatic (or it used to be).
• It makes him into something of a Christ-figure.
• It allows for numerous memorials to be constructed in his honor (though they're sometimes built even before he dies, morbidly enough).
• It allows him to come back stronger than before as a sort of Deus ex Machina just when it seems the Decepticons are on the verge of victory.

Nearly every major continuity family has featured Optimus Prime dying at least once; notable outliers are the Primes from the 2001 Robots in Disguise cartoon (though an alternate version wasn't so lucky), the Transformers: Cyberverse cartoon (though, just like the 2001 RID cartoon, many alternate versions of him weren't as lucky), and Shattered Glass (since in that case, it's Megatron's job).

Generation 1 continuity family

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

Dying before he's even Optimus Prime (he's that good).

Orion Pax died (or was at least severely damaged by Megatron) and had to be rebuilt into Optimus Prime by Alpha Trion. It's possible that if Orion had not been repaired, Optimus Prime would have ceased to exist. Pax's girlfriend Ariel was also heavily damaged, and rebuilt into Elita One. They were with their friend Dion when they were attacked by Megatron, but he was never rebuilt and presumably died. War Dawn

The Transformers: The Movie

Would be a real dick move to die right now.

This is the best known example, in which Optimus Prime infamously died of wounds from his battle with Megatron. Notably, his body turned gray as he died. The Transformers: The Movie Urban legend says his body also crumbled (sometimes only in an "uncut" version of the film), but no such footage is known to exist. Presumably, people have mistaken Starscream's demise for Optimus, given Starscream both turned gray and crumbled into ash. Being the first time he died, it was actually unexpected. Hasbro have since regretted killing Optimus, not realizing how many heartbroken little boys were attached to him.^[1]

Kiss Players

Sometime between 2005 and 2010, Marissa Faireborn revived Optimus using the Galvatron cells in her body... by kissing him. Ultimately, all the cells were put back into Galvatron, and without them, Optimus promptly died again. I, You, and the Spinning Earth

The Transformers Season 3

"He's passed on! This Optimus is no more! He has ceased to be! He's expired and gone to meet his maker! He's a stiff! Bereft of life, he rests in peace! He's kicked the bucket, he's shuffled off his rectifier coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX-AUTOBOT!!"

He returned from the dead twice; first as a zombie under Quintesson control as part of a plan to destroy the Autobots, only to die again when he overcame the Quintesson control through the power of the Matrix and possibly the strength of his will, and sacrificed himself to save the Autobots. Dark Awakening He then was brought to life again by a Quintesson scientist to help combat the Hate Plague. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1

The Headmasters

"...I'm dead."
"YES, you are!"
"You think that's funny, Jenning?!"

Prime's death in The Transformers: The Movie was sort-of recreated in a flashback montage, but not really. Rather than die while taking down his ultimate nemesis in a one-on-one struggle to the death to defend his city, his comrades, the planet Earth, and freedom itself, he just kind of got randomly shot while in the middle of an ordinary battle outside of the Autobot Headquarters, and turned gray. Nobody else seemed to notice this. It's not clear that Prime himself noticed it. It's about the most half-hearted death ever. Four Warriors Come out of the Sky

Optimus Prime later died again — in another act of self-sacrifice, of course — when he walked into Vector Sigma and tried to bring it back under control directly. His body turned gray as he died, followed by a (likely only symbolic) scene of him telling Rodimus Prime that it would be his responsibility to keep leading the Autobots and to continue his work, seen as a transparent, light-haloed figure against the sky and heard in third person narration as Rodimus stared into the sky. (Then again, given the proven existence of ghosts...) Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime

Unite Warriors

Optimus Prime was revived through the efforts of Vector Sigma and Ratchet's new healing unit, but his multiple previous deaths left their mark and Vector Sigma's power could only keep him alive for seven days. Megatronia Chapter After a week had passed, Optimus died again until a more powerful energy source could be found. Ruination Chapter, Part Two

Return of Convoy

The Battlestars managed to restore Optimus's life with the power of the Zodiac, evolving him into Star Convoy. The Battlestars

Generation 2

Optimus Prime was fatally wounded by Megatron's fusion cannon, but was resurrected and evolved yet again, this time into Laser Rod Optimus Prime, by the power of the Reconfiguration Matrix. G-2 #13

Marvel Comics continuity

Generation 1

"Give me my face!"

Optimus Prime, after failing to live up to his moral principles while playing a video game against Megatron, actually volunteered to be killed. The Autobots launched his funeral bier into space. Fortunately, the creator of the video game, Ethan Zachary, saved a backup copy of Prime's mind on a floppy disk. Afterdeath! We first met this virtual Prime sixteen issues later. Pretender to the Throne! He got his new Powermaster body two issues thereafter. People Power! A previous attempt was made at making virtual Prime a new body. The body spontaneously blew up. Totaled!

About thirty issues later, Prime sacrificed himself again to defeat Unicron On the Edge of Extinction! and died. Still Life! However, his Powermaster partner, Hi-Q, survived, and almost immediately began babbling about how he's really Optimus Prime. This turned out to be true, and the Last Autobot metamorphosed Hi-Q into Prime (with a new Action Master body) in the last issue of the original Marvel US series. End of the Road!

Generation 2

Unleashing the light of the Matrix upon a great evil. Again.

This Prime wasn't done dying yet. His adventures continued in the G2 comics, and he died defeating the Swarm. The Swarm reconstituted him three pages later (in a body based on his then-current Hero toy). A Rage in Heaven!

Regeneration One

Despite being possessed by the Dark Matrix creature, a wounded Optimus Prime was able to help Rodimus Prime and Circuit Smasher stop the creature's plan to spread across the multiverse from Zero Space. At the conclusion of the conflict, Rodimus and Spike bore witness as Optimus died in his protege's arms in the Primus chamber. The War to End All Wars, Part 5

Beast Wars cartoon continuity

Beast Wars cartoon

"I'm not quite dead yet! I feel happy!"

In Beast Wars and Beast Machines, you could mark the end of a season by the near-death experience of one Optimus or another...

At the end of the first season of Beast Wars, Optimus Primal piloted a bomb-equipped stasis pod in an attempt to destroy the Planet Buster. Unfortunately, Megatron had sealed the pod's hatch, and Optimus blew up with it. Other Voices, Part 2 Early in the second season (a few hours later as far as the characters were concerned), Rhinox managed to unite Optimus's drifting spark with a blank protoform, thus bringing him back to life (and in a new Transmetal body, too). Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)

At the end of the second season, the Beast Wars Megatron came very close to killing the original Optimus Prime. But Prime didn't quite die, so we really shouldn't count it. The Agenda (Part III)

(Strangely, the end of the third season of Beast Wars had no Optimus deaths whatsoever! A half-dozen others died, but not Optimus.) Nemesis Part 2

Beast Machines cartoon

Quick, someone reinflate him!

At the end of the first season of Beast Machines, Optimus and Megatron had a cataclysmic battle, using the energies of Vector Sigma and the Plasma Energy Chamber. This would have destroyed Cybertron, but Optimus took the warring energies into himself and disintegrated. However, his spark was trapped within the Oracle, and the other Maximals convinced him to return to the real world at the start of second season. The Oracle kindly gave him a new body (which, believe it or not, was not a new toy). End of the Line

During a trip to the underground ruins of Iacon, Optimus Primal encountered a hologram of the original Optimus Prime, who claimed to have perished in "the final battle", presumably in the Great War. The hologram was a ruse by Megatron, so make of that what you will. The Search

At the end of the series, Optimus Primal gave his life to defeat Megatron once and for all, pushing him into the technorganic core of the planet. Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future In assorted ancillary media, he comes back to life yet again. Transformers: Universe Beast Wars Reborn Transformers: Alternators

Beast Wars Transmetals game

In one of several alternate timelines created by Megatron warning his past self of his own defeat, the Predacon leader actually succeeded in killing Optimus Prime, ensuring an easy victory for the Decepticons in the future. However, this proved to have unforeseen consequences when Unicron attacked in 2005, as the Matrix was destroyed along with Prime. Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals

2005 IDW continuity

In his first battle with the Ore-13 powered Megatron, Optimus was killed. Escalation issue 5 Or at least, his main body was: by quickly downloading his consciousness into Combat Deck (and then back again), Optimus was able to survive. Being that close to death meant he briefly existed in a limbo state, which got him noticed by Nova Prime in the Dead Universe. Escalation issue 6 He then spent a considerable period badly damaged and near death after being flung through a malfunctioning space bridge portal. All Hail Megatron issue 7 He was eventually repaired and revived by Ratchet. All Hail Megatron issue 9

A rare metaphorical version occurred when he left Cybertron to appease the anti-Autobot NAILs. With no duties or lives to mind but his own, and no Matrix to carry, he claimed that Optimus Prime was dead, but Orion Pax had been reborn. The Death of Optimus Prime Of course, just like the real deaths, this one didn't stick; Orion later reclaimed the Optimus name during his final battle with Nova Prime. Finis Temporis

Ultimately, Prime finally met his end by jumping into the black hole at the heart of Unicron. Within the confines of Infraspace, he extended a hand of compassion to Unicron's creator, allowing the two to peacefully pass on as Unicron's body collapsed in on itself. Ceremony

Meanwhile, a guy who thought he was Optimus Prime died on Earth during World War I. The closest he came to returning to life was having a bunch of IRON Troopers wear his dead body like a suit. Strange Visitors

2006 IDW Beast Wars continuity

In the final conflict of the Great War in 2035, Optimus Prime and Galvatron were both killed on Cybertron. Command of the Autobot forces subsequently fell to the Primal Council. Dawn of the Predacus

Beast Wars: Uprising

This Optimus Prime has been through a hell of a lot.

In this particular universe, Megatron succeeded in his time-travelling gambit to kill Optimus Prime. Optimus Prime died, and as a result of his death the Maximals and Predacons that had engineered his death succumbed to the history-altering timestorm as the timeline spun off onto a new course. A Change to the Agenda Without Optimus's inspiring presence, the Great War was much more violent, and Earth was ravaged by the depredations of the Decepticons. Micro-Aggressions

By 2033, the Autobots had managed to revive their leader through unknown means, and when the war spread to Master he binary-bonded himself to a trio of Cyberdroids, including Diac, who replaced Prime's damaged head. A Brush With Infamy–Prologue Galvatron fondly recalled a moment when he crushed Optimus's new head, which can't have ended well for ol' Prime. Derailment

Ultimately, Optimus Prime would die for good after sacrificing himself to the Swarm in an attempt to save the Human Confederacy, taking the Matrix with him. Book of Logos

In the 24th century, Blackarachnia was one of several rebels against the new Builder status quo, but her breaking point came when her colleagues Silverbolt and Rhinox died. When her commander Optimus Primal refused to turn against the Builders, Blackarachnia and Nightscream killed him. "TransTech" Blackarachnia's profile in Club magazine #25

Prime Wars Trilogy cartoon

There's a hole in my heart that can only be filled by you...

At some point during the Great War, Megatron killed Optimus, but he eventually came back. Years later, Megatron sarcastically asked if Optimus was still mad at him for it. The Fight Begins When Megatronus returned, Optimus attempted to stop him, but Megatronus shot a beam clean through his chest and he died once again. All Things Must Pass His spark passed on to the Well of Sparks, but thanks to his connection to the Matrix and the Primes, it was freed after Megatronus's destruction, and he emerged from the Well with a shiny new body. Saga's End

War for Cybertron Trilogy cartoon

While travelling through the Dead Universe, Sky-Lynx showed Optimus a vision of his own death in a possible future. Earthrise episode 5 In this future, long after Cybertron had decayed thanks to the removal of the Allspark, Megatron succeeded in finally killing Optimus. Kingdom episode 5 To prevent the possibility of the Autobots and Decepticons ever allying against him, Unicron resurrected Optimus and enslaved him, reformatting him into Nemesis Prime. Kingdom episode 6

Robots in Disguise continuity family

2001 Robots in Disguise cartoon

This Optimus Prime is one of the only Primes that didn't die! However, he came very close in the final battle, when he planned to sacrifice himself to stop Galvatron. The Final Battle

Shell Game

Good thing we didn't see what happened to him, or else history would've repeated itself.

And scratch what we said above, because a 2015 retcon says a version of him was killed by Megazarak in Viron 704.31 Epsilon. Shell Game The tyrannical Decepticon's victory had come about in part due to the transdimensional abductions of several of Prime's loyal Autobots by Unicron. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/30

Unicron Trilogy continuity family

Armada cartoon

Now Optimus, don't go all to pieces. You say you have to split? Well, you're a chip off the ol' block.

Optimus Prime used the power of his spark to block the blast of Megatron's Hydra Cannon, protecting the Earth. When the cannon was destroyed and his spark's power was expended, Optimus turned grayish-white, then actually crumbled to bits. Crisis A bunch of Mini-Cons used the Matrix to resurrect him three episodes later. Miracle

Dreamwave Armada comic

An Optimus Prime from a Primax universe where he was fatally wounded by Unicron briefly appeared before dying. Worlds Collide, Part 1 of 4 Yep, practically all we know about this Optimus is that he died. He didn't turn gray, but his colors were faded.

Cybertron comic

Technically, this is the clone.

The corpse of Optimus Prime (killed by Megazarak) from Aurex 304.0 Epsilon was cloned by Unicron to create Nemesis Prime. Balancing Act, Part 2 Ask Vector Prime Once again, practically all we know about this Optimus is that he died.

Live-action film series

Transformers The Game

In Decepticon mode storyline, Optimus Prime was beaten to the ground, and as he crawled for the AllSpark, Megatron smashed his head with his flail... poor Prime, he gets the most violent death. Transformers The Game (console)

Transformers Decepticons

While Megatron sought the Allspark, which Starscream had stolen, he was confronted by Optimus. The two brothers fought, Optimus telling him he would never build an empire, until Megatron vanquished him. Transformers: Decepticons

Revenge of the Fallen film

Shot through the heart, and you're to blame, you give love a bad name!

This is perhaps the most brutal Prime death to date, in keeping with the rather more graphic nature of combat in the live-action movies. To protect Sam Witwicky, Optimus Prime engaged in a fierce battle with Megatron, Starscream, and Grindor. Despite injuring Starscream and destroying Grindor by ripping his head apart, Optimus was viciously run-through from behind by Megatron and then blasted through the back, killing him. This event caused Sam to follow the symbols the AllSpark sliver placed in his mind to find the ancient Matrix of Leadership, the only thing that could restore life to Optimus. Unfortunately, it crumbled into dust upon touching it in the Tomb of the Primes on the border between Egypt and Jordan. During the climactic battle in Egypt between NEST and the Decepticons, Sam was seemingly killed by Megatron, only to be taken to another plane of existence where he met the Primes who died to prevent The Fallen from achieving victory, and they bestowed upon him the true Matrix, which allowed Sam to revive Optimus. Revenge of the Fallen

Animated

Animated cartoon

It's a new record, Primey!

In the aftermath of the Autobots' first battle with Starscream on Earth, Optimus Prime was left dangling from a passing blimp before falling several stories onto the pavement below, turning gray as he died moments later. Sari Sumdac used the mysterious AllSpark Key to revive him only 75 real-time seconds later — the shortest death-to-rebirth cycle of any Optimus to date. Transform and Roll Out

Aligned continuity family

Prime cartoon

Optimus: Now I join the AllSpark…
Smokescreen: But you’ve got a new Beast Hunters toy!
Optimus: Oh, cool, never mind then.

Following the creation of a Decepticon fortress practically on the Autobots' doorstep, Optimus had the others evacuate the base while he heroically stayed behind to destroy the GroundBridge to cover their retreat. He was still in the base when the Decepticons blew it up. Darkest Hour Smokescreen pulled him from the rubble and he lay dying in a cavern for several days. Darkmount, NV His lingering death seemed like it was coming to an end when he had a vision of the bright light of the Allspark and spoke with Alpha Trion. In the real world, the light faded from Optimus's optics and his chest opened to reveal the Matrix, at which point Smokescreen used the Forge of Solus Prime to return him to life in a new, upgraded body. Rebellion

To defeat Unicron the second time, Optimus had to merge the AllSpark with the Matrix of Leadership so he could use the empty container to entrap his foe. This essentially resulted in his own spark becoming one with the AllSpark, and thus in order to restore the AllSpark to its rightful place, Optimus was required to make the ultimate act of self-sacrifice, giving up his own existence so that Cybertron might bear new life. Predacons Rising

2015 Robots in Disguise cartoon

Moments before death, the Thirteen plucked Optimus Prime's spark before it was extinguished. Decepticon Island (Part 1) Despite not being in the realm of the living, Optimus Prime appeared to Bumblebee in visions, first guiding Bumblebee to Earth. Pilot (Part 1) Optimus was able to physically manifest himself for a brief period in order to help Bumblebee's team defeat Underbite. Afterwards, Optimus stated that he wasn't sure if he was alive or not, nor did he know what the fates had for him. He then disappeared. Pilot (Part 2) In another vision to Bumblebee, Optimus stated that he can only reappear when the need for him is most dire, as decided by the Thirteen. W.W.O.D.? It was later revealed that Optimus existed in the Realm of the Primes, undergoing training for a new mission on Earth. Out of Focus When the Primes could sense the coming to that planet of Megatronus, Optimus had to convince the Thirteen that he was ready to face him, despite not completing his training. In order to him to face Megatronus, the Thirteen had to put segments of their own sparks into Optimus, causing him to upgrade into a new form. Optimus was thus sent to Earth, re-entering the mortal plane and cheating death once more. Battlegrounds, Part 1

Cyberverse cartoon

What If... Optimus Prime Died?

In an alternate reality where Optimus Prime was captain of the Ark, the ship and the entire crew, presumably including the Autobot leader, crumbled away into nothingness after entering through a portal and being in unspace for a prolonged amount of time. The Crossroads

In another alternate reality, early in the war, Megatron realized Optimus would never be able to compromise with him and killed him with a point-blank shot, ripping the Matrix from his chest. Without Prime or the Matrix to aid them, the Autobots quickly fell and Megatron took control of the planet. Eons later, when the Windblade of another universe found herself trapped in the Matrix, this Optimus was there to greet her, instructing her to destroy the Matrix from within to save everyone. The Other One

The "main" Optimus meanwhile, like his Robots in Disguise counterpart, never actually died...but he came very close many times, most prominently when he used the Matrix's power to stop the AllSpark-powered Starscream and was left comatose. I Am The Allspark Escape From Earth

EarthSpark cartoon

Due to Optimus being brainwashed by Mandroid, Twitch was forced to use Mandroid's spear in self-defense to drain his energon and shut him down. However, Mandroid was ultimately successful in using his superweapon to deactivate every Transformer on Earth, sans Twitch. Fortunately, Robby and Mo Malto used the power of the Emberstone in conjunction with the weapon to revive everyone, including Optimus. The Last Hope, Part 2

Optimus was again taken offline along with the rest of the Autobots when Starscream reassembled the Emberstone, and revived again once Robby and Mo recovered the artifact. Witwicky, Part 2

One film

While trying his best to dissuade a vengeful D-16 from murdering a deposed and powerless Sentinel Prime, Orion Pax leapt in front of D-16's fusion cannon and took a blast meant for Sentinel with his body. With a gaping hole blown open on his chest, Orion toppled off a nearby ledge into a fathomless drop. At first D-16 grabbed Orion's hand to save him, but soon changed his mind and relinquished his grip, leaving Orion to fall into the dark depths of Cybertron. Orion succumbed to his injuries and turned gray as he fell, but his destiny was not over — when his body reached the planet's core, Primus himself bestowed the long-lost Matrix of Leadership to him, with a vision of the Thirteen appearing before him as the voice of Alpha Trion announced Orion's rebirth as Optimus Prime. Revived and empowered by the power of the Matrix, Optimus rocketed back to the surface to fight his former friend. One

Merchandise

Don't worry kids, he's just sleeping.

You would think that when there's a new Optimus Prime (usually colored black or with battle damage) mean another toy to sell, even of a dead Optimus. However, the amount of dead Optimus Prime toys is actually lower than one might think compared to his myraids of demises, probably due to the fact one reason for his death is to allow other toys to spend some time in the spotlight. Although maybe black repaints of Optimus Prime or toys (or toys of characters mistaken for a dead Prime such as Nemesis Prime) are confused for a "dead" version of Optimus Prime, only a few actually are actually of him post-mortem, such as the "Convoy Sleep Mode" version of his original Masterpiece form.

Transform when I tap out, figuratively and literally.

Notably, the Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond: Transformers set is the first game that seems to embrace Optimus' tendency to fall in battle, having him able to return to the battlefield in his Vehicle mode should he die in his Artifact Creature mode, and should you meet the requirements to transform him back, allows you to repeat the process, just like Hasbro!

See also

• Death
• Primus apotheosis — A personality disorder whose symptoms cause those afflicted to emulate Optimus Prime, including a penchant for self-sacrifice.
• "Prime Spark" — A short story in which various Optimuses meet each other after their respective deaths.
• God Ginrai — An Optimus Prime lookalike who is often erroneously put in this category.
• Sentinel Prime — Optimus's predecessor, whose own death often precedes Optimus's ascent to leadership.
• Starscream — Another character who often perishes in fiction, though many of these incarnations tend to come back as ghosts.
• Cy-Kill — The main antagonist of GoBots, lookalikes of whom were often killed in various early 2000s Transformers comics as a cheap joke, though this gradually fell off with time.

References