What Went Wrong With Rodimus Prime
Вставка
- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- Every wonder why Rodimus Prime failed to replace Optimus Prime? Here's where I tried to summarize what happened to the best of my ability.
Follow me on Twitter: / grhoads1
Check out my Patreon: / retrospectgreg
Check me on out on Twitch: / retrospectgreg
Join my Discord: / discord
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.
Can confirm truth ( was in the same boat) 👊
You think if boys had more role models we would feel better in themselves. They have sooo many Disney Princesses. Not a good new prince?
I wonder how much of that dialogue came about due to how Cullen portrayed him. Could you imagine how he'd be if the same lines were delivered in a cocky manner?
so you needed a cartoon character to keep you on the right path?
@@tooslow4065 No me specifically although I do feel lost in life. While you dozen of fictional female characters who are role models for girls but I do not see a lot for boys.
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
And starscream was the cousin that was annoying to everyone 😂😂
That is a more accurate way to describe Rodimus role.
Bumble Bee is the new Rodimus Prime nowadays
That wasn't the point of rodimus was toung and an upstart trying to fill of an adult role and become a man. He was a young teen trying to fill his pops shoes. He's not a child but he's not a grown man he's finding his way.
@@rickdavis32 I was mainly putting in how I felt at the time since this was my childhood I am a Gen Xer that grow up on Transformers and I cried when Primed died.
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.
THIS 100%
It's really interesting how the movie marked an end for transformers in the 80s. They really did take a nosedive after that.
I agree. I know the people who made the cartoon were given ridiculous deadlines to meet because the toys were popular, but they compromised too much on quality when they did so. It was obvious that quality was great at the start, and steadily decreased through the seasons. Errors in animation couldn't be fixed once they were found because there was no time. Imagine how much more popular Transformers would be if the producers had decided to keep concentrating on quality instead of quantity.
The voice actors changed too
Losing the decepticons secondary commanders, Starscream and Shockwave, Galvatron now being mentally handicapped, and the Decepticons getting booted off Cybertron by Unicron... ALL of this doesn't make Rodimus leading the Autobots look good either, its like their wins were getting handed to them.
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.
Wow even your mom cried? I think I was one of the few kids that actually liked finally seeing transformers die when getting shot. We were all cheering with each death. Sadly we did not realize what kind of a bitch Rodimus was and how he would ruin the show.
That being said, starscream and prime dying were deaths that I could have done without. The rest, good riddance, even if I liked them.
The reason why I enjoyed Macross/Robotech the most as a kid was cause actions had consequences, you could die. I hated jijoe but loved tf, even when I got annoyed when they didn't die when they should have.
The first 15 minutes of the tf movie is still by far the best tf you can get on a screen.
@@bigshorty4855 the deaths that leads to G1 downfall. Sure death is cool, but the abrupt change from saturday morning cartoon to almost Gundam like everybody-dies still bothers me. To many unnecessary deaths. Sure you can bring back Optimus, but I care for the whole gang too and it damn sure affect the series. The rest of Season 3 felt like a shallow copy of previous season because of that, it felt empty. Imagine going from 77 Star Wars gang to prequel/sequel in a mere day, it won't feel the same. That's what killed G1 Transformers imo. Of course the actual reason is Hasbro need to sell new toys lol, but still. My two cents👍
@@GamingMafia_id personally I thoroughly enjoyed it, as did my little brothers. The only death that sucked was prime and starscream, but it was still done very nicely.
@@bigshorty4855 GI Joe annoyed me for the same reason. I didn't need Transformers to die in the series, but I did like that they got injured in combat. I don't mind the deaths in the movie, but they were handled callously. Besides Optimus Prime and Starscream, only Ironhide gets a good death. Prowl, Ratchet, and Brawn get cut to pieces like some extra in Saving Private Ryan. Wheeljack and Windcharger are just shown dead in the background, with no explanation of what happened to them. If you loved any of those characters, their ends were shocking and unsatisfying. Transformers: The Movie did change my outlook on a lot of things. I did like the deaths after I got over the shock. It ruined a lot of other series for me where the heroes never got a scratch. I still hold that the 1986 movie is the best Transformers movie, far superior to the more recent ones.
Rodimus’s story arc would have been much better in a spin-off series that begins on that premise as opposed to finishing a series. They shouldn’t have tried to close out G1 in the way they did and then they shouldn’t have ended G1 in America when they did. The conflict between Optimus and Megatron should have been the focus of the whole series and it should have ended with a final clash between the two. And then a spin-off series could have covered the emergence of a new Prime.
Unfortunately, Rodimus suffers from the severe medical condition of “Not Being Optimus”
A tragedy, really. He had such a life ahead of him.
Not really. We are talking about a Prime that was so devastating that Galvatron once said to Cyclonus that he wished Megatron had failed to kill Optimus Prime.
This was after Rodimus destroyed Velocitron, because he reasoned Galvatron would recruit the inhabitants. All he did was make the Velocitronians hate the Autobots so much they became Decepticons. Hence, Galvatron's comment.
Hit the nail on the head. Was like me hating Herchel Walker for replacing Tony Dorsett.
I've always said that Rodimus was doom from the start because like myself many people hated that he got Optimus blasted by Megatron when he jumped in the way as Hot Rod after being told to stay away because that's primes fight.
“Oh no you don’t Megatron!”
😂 I like it
Part of Optimus' appeal was Peter Cullen's voice acting. He made Optimus sound like a hero.
And while Judd Nelson did a good job making Hot Rod sound like a hero in the movie, the actor in the cartoon…. Did not. It was just a bland action cartoon voice.
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.
I prefered Rodimus to Optimus honestly.
Well the problem there is writer’s preference. They wrote and gave Optimus that storyline. They could have written Rodimus the same or better. Rodimus could have been Alexandra to Phillip II (Optimus). But the writers botched it. I blame the writers. Today, the Rodimus’ current toy models is pretty good. Anyway, Rodimus is my favorite Autobot. When [writers] they botched him, I stop watching Transformers since then; I thought Optimus is pretty boring and single dimension character.
Aye. It's a shame because the original storyline of Rodimus has led to many interpretations of Rodimus... While Optimus has always been the leader who makes the sacrifice play.
There is no definitive Rodimus in Transformers, the same way there is a definitive Starscream. Only his Hot Rod persona. It's like he's two people where Rodimus can't win out against Hot Rod.
He had a nobility about him, he wasn't perfect but he was willing to be deep in the trenches as well. Not to mention his sense of self sacrifice. Peter Cullen's voice made him legendary!
The issue was they focused too much on his uncertainty, naturally a part of his character would be wondering if he was filling in for prime well enough, but they focused too much on that, they had whole episodes of rodimus doubting himself and needing to learn how to believe in himself, just to go back to moping. I like rodimus but the writers did him dirty and I don't think he's recovered yet.
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.
Galvatron was mostly just an unstable, bumbling nutjob. Megatron's devious scheming was part of his appeal as a villain. That and even though both characters were voiced by Frank Welker in the G1 series, Megatron always sounded more menacing than Galvatron.
Yep Galveston was a freaking nut!
Sorry but what cunning? 80s Megatron was a fool who kept an obvious traitor like Starscream around because reasons! If we are talking about Animated Megatron I would agree.
And Rodimus is not poor anything he was just poorly written by the writers!
@@zemox2534 He kept Starscream around because Starscream was a badass and had his uses.
I will agree, Rodimus was terribly written. Great character in the movie, they didnt know where to go from there though.
@@zemox2534
Because despite his narcissistic conceit, and perpetual scheming to wrest Megatron's crown from him, Starscream did, in fact, kick ass. If Starscream was as loyal as Skywarp, he would have undoubtedly replaced Soundwave as Megatron's right hand.
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...
yeah if was in bumble bee's spot....it could of worked
I really like Hot Rod when he was introduced in the movie. He was a great guardian to Daniel and also very brave in the movie. The fact that people blame him for optimus prime death is crazy. Blame Hasbro lol they made it happen.
@@joshdeen6730 His plot in the film is essentially:
A hot shot, can do anything teenage/early twenties Autobot. Makes a massive mistake being the cause of Prime's death. Goes through a journey of redemption, saving Kup's life (obviously in a mirror to what happened earlier) and then does what he can to stop the Transformers biggest ever threat. Manages to reclaim the matrix and Prime personally forgives him, bestowing him the leadership of the Autobots.
For fans who hate Hot Rod because he killed Prime: Optimus Prime forgives Hot Rod!
Besides it's Hasbro with their script at the end of the day lol.
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.
That's true 👍 💯
This comment is the distilled essence of what makes Optimus Prime the greatest of them all.
You said it so well that I'm not going to add anything to it.
Thank you.
This is amazing man well said
Optimus was BOTH big and small. He was bigger than a lot of autobots, but he was smaller than Megatron. So he was large and gentle with his own, and the smaller underdog with his opposition.
A couple things that I would say that you might have missed.
1. I'm surprised that you didn't mention the problem with what Rodimus transforms into.
He transforms into a futuristic Winnebago. With flames.
Who the heck wanted to play with that?
A. Futuristic Winnebago with flames and somehow a spoiler that's underneath the camper section.
What the heck is that? Especially when compared to the ultimate symbol of the American driving experience, experience the 18-wheeler truck and trailer.
Yeah, as a kid I was never interested in the futuristic/cybertronian vehicle designs. The original line that transformed into identifiable existing vehicle models was one of the things that made them great. That was what made Matchbox Cars great. And they also switched from metal toys to cheap plastic toys.
Spaceballs inspired
@@Defx10 I think the problem vehicle wise was Hot Rod's car mode is actual perfection.
Rodimus is ... what it is lol. It's okay though, certainly different!
Killing Optimus Prime is still one of the all-time worst corporate blunders, up there with New Coke. Optimus Prime was every kids second Dad during that time. My sister and I both cried when he died in the movie.
The biggest cinematic blow to my childhood was the death of Optimus. What made it worse was his replacement was hot garbage. Optimus will always be my favorite Transformer.
Rodimus is the bright reflection to Starscream now that I think about it. Starscream is over eager to replace Megatron as the leader, and that makes him cocky, arrogant and reckless. He thinks that he knows everything.
Rodimus is the exact opposite. Leadership was handed to him and he doesn’t want it, so that made him lack confidence in himself.He doesn’t believe that he’s knowledgeable enough to be qualified to Lead.
The show should have played up the contrast between the two characters, it might have helped endear fans to Rodimus and flesh him out more.
that could have helped, what didnt help is the sorry state of the decepticons in season 3.
kicked offa cybertron, galvatron became mentally handicapped after a plasma bath.
and the death of starscream and shockwave made the decepticons feel like they didnt have a leader besides galvatron who could organise them.
the result does reflect poorly on the autobots as their opponents now just SUCK.
I was 9, saw the movie, was devastated, and it pretty much killed my enthusiasm (and toy requests) for Transformers.
He keeps forgetting he can fire lasers out of those things on his forearms.
Lol. He blazed Galvatron azz.
It's simple: He's not a Prime despite what Hasbro wanted you to think
it also didn't help that when optimus was brought back as a zombie, rodimus went really hard trying to push the matrix back to him, even when other character said it was a bad idea. even zombie optimus himself said not to give him the matrix.
I like the fact that he lived in the shadow of a great leader and that he was young and immature.
I will NEVER forgive them for killing off Optimus. It broke my heart as a kid.
Same for me, as much as I liked the movie, the killing of Prime and so many other Autobots was terrible. And what makes it even worse is the Hasbro execs DIDN'T EVEN KNOW Optimus was popular! They didn't do it for any sort of story reason, just getting rid of a toy. Goodness they sucked.
"The return of Optimus Prime" episode brought me and I'm sure everyone here to tears to see they're hero was back.
In terms of shows i think superlink handled rodimus the best, very reminiscent of the comics and japanese g1 continuity where he goes off to space and becomes a high ranking commander thats actually really competent
I love Rodimus! He is a relatable character, in his first campaign, he got way more done as leader. Very underrated character?
Perfectly fair.
@@RetrospectGreg And aside from causing Optimus' death, Rodimus/Hot Rod was still a new character with no prior history to the series and toyline.
To most fans and loyal customers they be thinking "Who the Hell is this Joke?! And Where's Optimus?! We Want Optimus! What the Hell That New Guy caused Optimus' Death but still ends up becoming Leader of the Autobots of all things?!!! This be some BS?!!!" Or something along those lines.
@@shawnwarrynn8609 imagine if the internet existed back then
@@RetrospectGreg Honestly, when the Character of Hot Shot appeared in Transformers Armada, it was like they were trying to fix the Problems they had with Hot Rod/Rodimus and it actually worked. Firstly they made sure to make Hot Shot a part of the Main Autobots early on, and they made sure to develop his character way before making him a leader.
In many ways Armada Hot Shot is who Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime was supposed to be.
@@shawnwarrynn8609 yes nowadays they use Bumblebee in that role
Optimus Prime was hands down the most loved character at the time. Kids, teens, and even adults looked up to him. Killing Optimus and just replacing him with a seemingly random character without giving the audience time to warm up to him was a disaster.
@4:33 I suspected that long ago. I also wonder if the ones who developed the Galvatron, toy and character, had any idea he was to be Megatron 2.0 🤔 And yeah Magnus did lead more missions than Rodimus. Oh and @5:32 don't forget what Rodimus says to Spike and Daniel in Dark Awakening, when Spike is concerned about running out of oxygen on that escape shuttle. Optimus would never say something like that, but I have grown to like Rodimus' sarcasm.
Sure, but in the case of Fight or Flee, it was really callous of him to say that
The biggest mistake is rather simple Optimus was at his Peak in popularity in the mid 80s, then Transformers The Movie came. Seeing Prime die, damaged the fandom of that Character and seeing Rodimus Prime at the end bothered a lot of kids at the time. Cause most kids like myself loved Optimus Prime, and to some kids he was looked at as a father figure, just how he reacts to many of his Autobots. Due to the backlash, it was the soul reason Return of Optimus Prime was made with 2 Parts. I stll remember that day seeing the first kind of hint of the two part series come on tv letting kids all over the world know Prime was coming back. I even remember recording it. As a kid I was super excited. I think if Optimus Prime was alive and stepped down and gave Hot Rod the Matrix it would not have had such a backlash.
The idea behind Rodimus was that he was a reluctant leader. A young boy who was chosen to be the one. It’s a good concept. However, it might have been a bit much for American kids in the 80’s. Back then, all our heroes were strong and all but flawless. Dare I say the Rodimus arc was ahead of it’s time? I think that concept would work better today.
I have a different take on “what went wrong”
What went wrong is that it’s very hard to replace the cast of everybody loves. Dukes of hazard tried to replace Bo and Luke Duke with Coy and Vance and the ratings went in the toilet. Three’s company also tried to replace Suzanne Sommers and that was another disaster. For me, I just grew up with the 1984/1985 line and refused to accept any replacements. Those characters were my heros and I saw the whole season 3 cast as a bunch of imposters
Now as an adult I have a new appreciation for season 3 and the more sophisticated story lines, but 11 year old me just wasn’t having it.
It's the classic case of tearing down to build up.
Had the show included hot rod from the outset, shown him admiring optimus and hinting at his own potential to be a leader, then given the torch with grace, Rodimus would have rightly earned his position as successor.
Instead, he's introduced in the same movie Optimus dies in. We have hardly any time to get to know him, but we are expected to love and respect him just like Optimus. That's not how it works.
There is a distinct impression he was just given the title of Prime's successor, which always feels cheap and unsatisfying versus organically developing him as a character.
TL;DR, he didn't earn the title of Optimus' successor, it was just handed to him by the writers in the absolute worst way possible.
5:27 What's funny is that in the comic Ultra Magnus and Galvatron have an intense rivalry to the point that in regeneration one the two fight to the death.
They should made a prequel on how Megatron defeated the Autobots.
I asked one of the writers at a convention why Rodimus was written so poorly and he basically said the writing staff was pissed they had to replace Optimus Prime. It's pretty much why they tossed away all of his potential as a character
I did notice in the 3rd series characters like Springer actually called Rodimus' leadership into question, not afraid to make snide comments behind his back on occasion. This is something that was never seen when Optimus was in command.
“Yes sir, Mr. leader sir!”
Actually Grimlock always talked about Optimus Prime in a negative way and how he would be a better leader than Optimus. Grimlock also challenged Optimus Prime on a few occasions. Even after all those fights they had against each other, Grimlock for a while only followed Optimus Prime's commands begrudgingly.
@@edr3158 that's because Grimlock & Dinobots never had any experience in Cybertron with Optimus, unlike the rest of the Autobot. I mean, I like that they make them that way, seems understandable lol
I believe that if you want someone to replace Optimus prime then you need to show him actively mentoring them. If Optimus is a father figure of the autobots then he needs a pupil. Their training and lessons will prepare them for the day when it’s all on the line and they must become Prime, with us the audience and the rest of the autobots as witnesses,who would know it would happen one day.
Since Rodimus was a new character for the 1986 movie, G1 never necessitated this and so later iterations didn’t either, but this is one way to reinvent Rodimus and make him the leader he was meant to be, along with any other prime past or present, you could tie it into the lore. Have it custom that a Prime takes a protege under his wing to prepare him for leadership.
But they kinda tried to do just that - retroactively though. The whole Five Faces of Darkness episode sequence is exactly about that -- about Rodimus learning from the previous autobot leaders.
And not just that -- the Dark Awakening episode also showcases Optimus turning from Qunitesson zombie to a sort of fallen mentor for Rodimus - speaking some advice and truth about what a Prime should do for his people and so on. Same when he comes back as a white-alloyed fighter of Hate Plague in Return of Optimus Prime.
So, in a sence, the devs did try to establish a Mentor-Pupil relationship between them, although barely and quite retroactively :)
@@Andriy_Doc yes, essentially what I’m calling for is for a story to have with this established from the beginning
In a career dedicated to containing Megatron and the Decepticons, there probably was not much time for developing a pupil, or maybe someone had not appeared that was a viable candidate, though I suppose Magnus was a realistic alternate if Optimus bit it. That said, that by twist of fate Optimus and Megatron were out the picture for 4 million years on earth while Cybertron was locked in stalemate between Autobot and Decepticon trenches must have meant so many plans went up in smoke, exacerbated by the energy shortages.
The potential of Rodimus that you mentioned, was fulfilled (I felt) in the Marvel UK comics. So successfully that he became my favourite character in that series
It dealt with his imposter syndrome in the early days of his leadership and how he overcame it through different challenges like defeating Unicron fir a second time and losing/regaining the Matrix from the Quintessons
Well in the movie. Optimus did attempt to pass the matrix of leadership to Ultra Magnus. It fell out of his hands and once again Hot Rod intefered and touched it before it was suppose to go to Ultra Magnus.
Rodimus was the one who saved Optimus Prime by having a quintasson rebuild him and end the hate plague.
I don't remember if I stopped watching Transformers as a kid after I saw the movie in the theaters, but I don't recall too many episodes with Rodimus Prime. I remember a lot of episodes with Optimus Prime.
He got optimus killed... That's what
In a fanwork of mine, Rodimus is a Combiner, made up of Hotrod, Bumblebee, Mirage, Smokescreen, and, still haven't figured it out between Whirl and Jolt. They became Rodimus after they made contact with the Star Saber.
Nice vid , like seeing more transformers topics
Thanks. I'd like to do more if people are interested.
TRANFORMERS: THE MOVIE IS A MASTERPIECE. This movie changed my life. I loved Optimus Prime, but he received a Hero's Death!! Yes I was sad, but it forced me to grow up. Dealing with death and change is a part of life. Oh the Music and Japanese Animation were mind-blowing for 80's kids!
Hot Rod is my favorite Transformer period.
If Rodimus wasn't such an important character, the devs could've written him making leadership mistakes and every time that happens, we get to see Optimus Prime making leadership mistakes. I think it would be interesting to use Rodimus as a lens into Optimus Prime's past, that despite being built to be the ultimate Autobot warrior, even he makes mistakes. Then a segway may be made to how despite that Optimus is badass and all, Cybertron still ended up a wasted shadow of its former shell. Maybe we also get a bit of a background of what Megatron did during the war, too, why he's seen as this evil warlord Emperor of Destruction when his plans in S1 and S2 are often so stupid (though they're brutal, they don't feel brutal enough), like, how does this guy, who laughs maniacally, beats Starscream to a pulp a lot of the time, and gets routinely defeated when at the cusp of victory, still maintains respect from the Decepticons.
I felt Rodimus had the better episodes and storyline as they traveled in space and discovered planets that unlocked more of the transformers history. Optimus and the autobots just fought the deceptions on earth then went back to their base. Cmon man.
Rodimus never had a chance. First, most important, yes, I do believe most folks blame him for Optimus' death...as a kid I sure did. He had little confidence, yes, he was young, I get it, but it got really boring after a while, no real personality, he was dull, his vehicle mode was HORRIBLE. A flaming Winnebago? Ick, they should have kept him a sports car and made his thing speed and agility, not try to make him a physical powerhouse like Optimus. In the end, their desire for new toy sales is what killed the cartoon.
Man I love how there was actually death in the transformers movie! It was shocking to see as a kid because it was surprising, but so raw and real to have it happen in the movie
When you look back on it Ultra Magnus wasn't a very good "leader" throughout the '86 movie see the infamous "I can't deal with that now" line he gives. Then in season 3 of the show his character pulls a complete 180 and now all of a sudden he's showing that he should be the rightful leader instead of Hot Rod/Rodimus.
Let's say what went wrong is, we grew up with Optimus Prime. He became the literal John Wayne figure to us. Hot Rod wasn't introduced until the movie so there wasn't that attachment built up. If he would have been introduced in the second season I think it would have gone better
Optimus was a paragon of virtue we could all look up to. Rodimus was a kid that had to grow up superfast and learn on the fly.
The latter can work. Look at Lion-O from ThunderCats who took over after his mentor died.
The difference though is that we followed Lion-O's journey from the first episode. We saw him grow up and we learned with him.
With TF, we had two seasons and 65 episodes with Optimus as our guy and no Hot Rod or Rodimus to grow up with. The shift was too much too soon and we rejected it. It isnt helpful that the writers damaged Rodimus with constant comparingly himself to Optimus and saying horrible things that made us like him even less.
Its a shame too because Burden Hardest to Bear is one of my favorite episodes.
I don’t think Optimus was the main character. At that point, EVERYONE was a main Character
Loved Rodimus Prime as a kid.
Optimus was just the GOAT.
Liked Galvatron but original Megatron was my ish
However in the Marvel comics. RODIMUS is alot better fleshed out, and is as good as a leader as Optimus.
The doubt is finally gone in the story "space pirates" where he finally understands why HE was choosen.
What destroyed Rodimus was the Cartoon, the writers for it did the guy No favors. Kids were willing to give Rodimus a Chance but the way he was depicted in the Cartoon killed any chance of a Cool factor he could have had. First they transferred Arcee's affections to Springer thereby making him lose his Girl to a "lesser" dude (not good for popularity, kids actually pick up on that stuff) then they made him kind of a Jerk and Emo on top of it and had him not want the Job of being Leader (Something kids also don't like cause they want to see strong leader type characters). That killed my love of the character as a kid. This was actually done on purpose cause the plans for Optimus's revival were already in place so the "Fix" was in and they actively Sabotaged the guy cause they didn't want kids to get too attached to him. I had loved Hot Rod in the movie and I wanted him to do well as the new leader and the fact that he was never really given a chance irkes me.
My vision for Hot Rod/ "Rodimus Prime" is that instead of him being the prophesied chosen one by the Matrix of Leadership to be the next Prime, that he instead was a temporary Prime, in fact he was the Steward of the Matrix, protecting it until the real chosen one would return, which was Optimus Prime all along.
The Prophecy said "An Autobot shall rise from our ranks and use the power of the Matrix to light out Darkest hour" but as it has happened in other stories, most likely is that the prophecy was misread and instead says "An Autobot shall rise from our Wrecks and use the power of the Matrix, etc, etc". In essence saying that from death the One shall return, that being Optimus Prime himself as we saw him being resurrected.
The reason that the Matrix selected Hot Rod instead of Ultra Magnus, was because Magnus was the Obvious choice and would be pursued and killed, placing the Matrix in danger as we saw it actually happening. So in the Wisdom of Primus and the ancient Primes, the Matrix selected the most unexpected Autobot to guard it till Optimus Prime returned to reclaim it and save the universe.
Rody Prime was basically a motor home. Lol.
This is what happens when you take a beloved character and kill him and replace him with another one for no reason other than to sell new toys. People didn't want a new character to replace Optimus Prime. They wanted new characters AND Optimus Prime. It's that simple.
Although, Rodimus Prime/Hot Rod is my favorite, I think rushing him to be the new leader in the cartoon movie was not a very bright idea.
Rodimus definitely seems to work better as a hot shot who slowly learns to take on responsibility instead of the Luke Skywalker chosen One role they thrust him into because I feel like that archetype doesn't work if the character isn't a humble. Nobody like if Han Solo was actually the chosen one Jedi I don't think Star wars would have been popular.
Hot rod slowly learning responsibility is the best. That's why I feel like the new transformer cyberverse was genius to pair up hot rod, bumblebee and cheetor to really compare and contrast all three of the young Hot shots. Different personality types and we really saw the kind of qualities that led hot rod to becoming a great leader
Optimus was a DAD and Rodimus was a child.
Rodimus also had the problems that the reaction to Optimus' death was so negative, they were already working to bring him back as the new season started, and that Transformers G1 essentially ended with the return of Optimus (Headmasters had problems of its own), thus locking in that image of failure. Add to that, not too long after, the internet really started to kick in. I have noticed for myself, though it's hard to prove, that any intense dislike that was in vogue when the net started really going is now locked in forever, almost in the DNA of the web. Rodimus, Wesley Crusher, Scrappy-Doo, and a certain political couple will never see recovery from that era.
I always considered Rodimus the cool older brother trying to fill the shoes and Optimus was the dad.
Optimus Prime was an icon. NO ONE was gonna accept his death.
I love Rodimus Prime, Hot Rod is my favorite transformer. This movie really pumped me up with this character when I was a kid.
They had that theme going on as well with Cyclonus, holding the band of leftover decepticons together and essentially be the better leader as mad galvs, although lacking that raw ambition that would get him to the top. Same with Magnus. It‘s the G1-era of leading lieutenants. An interesting concept, not for young audiences and selling toys though.
After defeating unicron there really wasn’t a threat greater than that. He was always in Optimus Prime’s shadow. I blame the writers Rodimus could have been a cooler character.
Optimus couldn't be replaced because, to the audience, he was something unique, unseen in other cartoons. A hero who didn't need to draw attention to the fact he WAS a hero.
Peter Cullen once explained, while creating the voice for Optimus Prime, Peter's brother (a Captain Marine Corp Vietnam) gave valuable insight into how to present Optimus. "Peter if you (Optimus) are going to be a hero, be a real hero. Don't be a Hollywood hero type with all the BS, all the yelling and screaming, trying to be tough. Be strong enough to be gentle. "
As a kid I hated that he went from a sports car into a... I couldn't even tell. An RV? A campervan?
When I saw this in 86, the movie got real very fast and none of us kids were ready for it. We all walked out crying and not knowing where to go from there, emotionally. Hasbro broke, in my opinion, what was working to perfection.
It would have worked better if at the beginning of the movie they revealed that Optimus was preparing Hot Rod to be his successor, then taking the burden of the Matrix when Optimus dies, having character development during the movie and then reviving Optimus as Power Master Optimus (or as Ultramagnus) for the final battle and defeating Unicron together.
Then the cartoon would have continued with Rodimus acting as field commander while Optimus remains as the Autobot Leader (similar to Duke and Hawk in Gi Joe)
They were never able to recapture Hotrod after the original show. Most of they time they didn't even try. They could have handled hkm differently and should have. To me Optimus Prime was always my favorite, however in the 1986 movie Hotrod/Rodimus did make me like the character. Now the try to push bumblebee like crazy and i could care less about him.
I don't care what people say. I loved Rodimus Prime in the show. I think the point about his toy not being as good is the most valid point.
Honestly, i'd love to see an interpretation of ultra magnus being a rebuilt/powered up Optimus.
Would be interesting to see.
Optimus Prime was Hulk Hogan, you don’t get rid of that. You ride it. Pause!
the commercial said rodimus in a way that made me laugh lmfao
You have to wonder, if we’d had a series with Jaaga as the leader of the ThunderCats, and then it turned to Lion-O, an accidentally aged child becoming the leader… How nasty might that have been?
I can sum it up in three words: Hot Rod’s existence. He didn’t deserve the matrix, he rushed into a fight that didn’t concern him and because of his stupidity got Optimus Killed. His character should have stayed in the drafts.
I LOVED Hot Rod.... Rodimus Prime a little less, but neither one of them could match Optimus in my mind.
they took my second father figure , so I will blame rodimus eternally
Rodimus always felt like a college-age kid who had to take over his late pop's business
I also had another complaint which is actually slightly different than yours.
You say that the episodes of season 3 focus too too little on Optimus prime.
Whereas I think the same.
Optimus prime was essential to many of the episodes of the first two seasons, but there were several seasons involving other side characters. And the group of Autobots that surrounded Optimus prime would often change.
For me, season 3 started the focus on a much smaller cast of characters that is continued to be the hallmark of the transformers brand ever since.
Give me the episodes focus around Rodimus Prime, ultra Magnus, Springer and Arcee.
Instead of keeping me invested on the whole toy line by showing me mobile different characters, I blamed Rodimus prime for being the reason why the focus was on now on a small group.
Optimus Prime was a Leader. Rodimus was always doubting himself.
The moral of the story is, when it comes to TF, never pass the torch onto another autobot, even if he’s worthy. Because everyone wants old Optimus to remain.
In season 3, both galvatron and rodimus were "new" leaders that needed guidance and advice. Galvatron was too crazy and needed cyclonus.
I don't recall ever seeing Rodimus Prime on the toy shelves. Dozens of Ultra Magnus.
Optimus was Qui-Gon Jinn, Rodimus was like a young Obi Wan Kenobi. Sadly, they don´t let him mature enough to become something like Ben Kenobi
I think people would have been OK, if they hadn't killed Optimus Prime and just had him upgraded to become Ultra Magnus.
A hot rod pulling a trailer was just silly
Thank you optimus for being the best leader in the whole fantasy world
All things considered I think Ultra Magnus would've made a better leader. He had similar self doubt issues to Rodimus viewing himself as a simple soldier unworthy of being the chosen one but when the Autobots needed leadership he always stepped up to the plate without hesitation unlike Hot Rod who would happily leave his burden as Prime at the drop of a hat.
Really a shame too, because even though I came late to this party, I really loved the 1986 movie. When I think of the 80's and the aesthetics, the grunge and the rock'n roll, The Transformers Movie is right up there with the crazy hair and dark mascara. The whole tone of the movie is completely different from the regularly airing show, as to be from completely different studios.
I think the problem was that hotrod had no prior engagement with the community before primes death. To everyone his first act as a character was getting Optimus killed.
so we can all agree Magnus should've lead the Autobots after Optimus
They should've had a series of showing hot rod having similar qualities to optimus prime
Go Batman Beyond with it and have him be a successor but not a complete copy
Being a kid through all of this during the 80's it was just a part of growing up! No coddling, no sorry from Hasbro. Nope we killed your after school dad
and here is the stepdad Rodimus! Loved it non the less and Rodimus still has a place in my heart in any iteration. He was Hot Rod the kid that did not
want to grow up. I somewhat relate. And that's ok!
Killing off those characters and the tone of that movie is what makes it a favorite almost 40 years later. If they hadn't killed Optimus and the others then the movie would have just been another movie based on a cartoon series to hock toys from the 80s. The problem with Rodimus is simply that he wasn't Optimus.
Agreed!
Couldn’t have said it better myself!
RESPECT to Optimus Prime! ✊🏾
My biggest problem with Rodimus Prime was that he wasn't Hot Rod. Hot Rod thinks himself as the hot shot brash cool kid with attitude. And I wished they put that in Rodimus Prime than be this "I'm sorry I killed you, Optimus and the I'm not a good leader as you" character. I feel like he was given this big responsibility that he didn't want. And that's such a shame. Because in the show, Transformers: Animated, he was this cool Robin Hood leader character, which could have been perfect for the Rodimus Prime in the old cartoons. At least that's how I see it.
Well, becoming the leader by getting rid of the old leader seems like more of a Decepticon thing....
Nothing went wrong with Rodimus except that he wasn't the most iconic, inspiring, likeable, fantastic hero of the entire 80's.