Was Optimus Prime that bad in the movies?

People have been saying that they don't like how Optimus Prime was like in the movies, that he was a monster and stuff like that. I don't mean to offend those who believe so, it's their right to like something or not, but in my opinion, Optimus was just fighting heroicly. About compassion, isn't he the same Prime who said "you've let me no choice, brother"? Or "freedom is the right of all sentient beings"? Also, about aiming at the face, it's a quick way to take the enemy down without torturing him. The "Give me your face!" line wasn't that bad, because, after all Prime's got feelings too. He was angry that his ancestors were murdered by the Fallen. And about that he's been defeating Decepticons for 2 years, those Decepticons have killed his friends back on Cybertron, slaughtered many. Those Decepticons got what they deserved. Share your opinion too, and vote.

Originally Posted by Optimus Prime You'll never stop at one... I'll take you all on!

Sorry but if you kill someone who can no longer fight back that doesn't make you much of a hero. A kill them all don't take any prisoners Prime just seems wrong in my book.

Well, if you are talking about Demolisher he was a major dick and a brute. At least in the Sideswipe comic.

I've said it before and I'll say it all over, Prime in the movies is fine. We've seen a rampaging Prime before. The fact that he is BRUTAL in the movies is fine, he's a warrior through and through, and I believe he was thinking not about repairing relations with the Decepticons, but with protecting innocent human.... Demolisher had just killed HUNDREDS of people that would have lived if not for Demolisher's escape. He took it upon himself to execute an evil member of his own race, someone beyond redemption. "Any last words?" He gave Demolisher time to be contrite, repentent, remorseful etc.... and he wasn't. I would have wrote the scene different, but I understand his execution there.

Like said before, the Fallen had caused the destruction of Prime's ancestry, and was attempting to kill an ENTIRE planet. Did he brutally execute the Fallen? Yes, because allowing the Fallen to escape would have been detrimental to everything and everyone he cares for.

Not to mention "Give me your face" is a classic line I now use on my women friends quite often.

Originally Posted by omegagoalie Everytime someone compares the original G1 cartoon to today's standards I want to punch them in the face.

Prime's character took a major jump forward. In the first movie he was trying to keep the peace. It seemed like he was hoping that things could be resolved...
ROTF shows us that 2 years later Prime understands that the goal he set is not possible.
He understood that the decepticons are beyond redemption and are determinded to destroy Prime's new homeworld, just like they did Cybertron.
In every continuity Prime has had his kick ass moments. ROTF is no different. We see a Prime that has accepted the reality of his situation and is reacting accordingly.
With Demolisher he was executing a mass murderer. Nothing wrong with that.
When faced with an enemy that will kill with no conscience and destroy with no thought to the death caused in the destruction, Prime has stepped up his aggression to ensure victory. Prime is a badass...plain out, always has been.
When the roads of diplomacy are exhausted, he fights with all the skill he has, and all the passion created by watching his planet be destroyed and his friends slaughtered.
I think Prime showed a lot of restraint given what he has faced in the last few hundred thousand years.

Try to imagine how you would react if everyone and everything you loved had been wiped out. Would you "take prisoners" or "be gentle"? Of course not...you would fight with every ounce of skill and passion you could muster.

He was just badass.
Like in the first movie, Bonecrusher just tore a bus in half, Prime needed to TAKE HIS FACE.

And Prime hasn't tried to do it before? He didn't try to kill Megatron like 3 times in the first season? He wasn't about to blow him into oblivion had Hot Rod not gotten in the way? I am not trying to pick on you but what do you suppose he do? You can't exactly lock the Decepticons in jail. If you leave them you run the possibility that they can be repaired or revived(see Megatron). Let's not forget Prime is a noble warrior who respects those who are peaceful. Remember the exchange with Galloway? Even though he knows that leaving Earth is a mistake he will leave if the government makes that request (his "freedom is your right." comment).

Given how little info we are actually given within the movies themselves do we really know that there isn't some way to take Decepticons prisoner?

Other heroes have to take on dangerous bad guys with a tendency to escape and yet you can find heroes that don't have that need to kill. The Joker was deadly and he already showed he could escape and yet Batman still sticks to a heroes code of not killing him.

I'm not saying that Prime never has a reason to kill because with The Fallen he doesn't really have any other choices. But if you are going to have a noble hero then slaughtering isn't he mark of a noble hero. If the humans turn against the Autobots then would it be okay for him to do the same things to the humans that he does to the Decepticons? If nothing else Jetfire and Wheelie showed that faction is a choice not hard wired in.

he was fine and if they had taken demolisher prisoner where in the hell would they have kept him ? he would have been able to break out of anything man could build and with out cybertronian materials the autobots could not have built anything that could have held him either prime made the only choice possible to neutralize a threat

He was Badass.