Just want everyone's thoughts on the matter.

 

Honestly, my wallet has been through a string of "definitive" Optimii. I'm burnt out. Between Bayverse, Knightverse, G1/CHUG, BW (I know, he's Primal but still...), MP... There's always another one around the corner.

It's a relentless onslaught. I'm going to say, for me, that Earthrise/Kingdom Optimus with the Centurion accessories and Nonnef kit makes him basically a whole and complete G1 update that's affordable and a mini-masterpiece. I'm sticking with him for the foreseeable future. It'll take a LOT for them to top this one.

 

In terms of characterization, I lean in two pretty different directions.

1. I'm loath to admit it, as I'm a much bigger fan of the Marvel comic, but the G1 cartoon really nailed the personality to make Optimus Prime extremely appealing. He's Robo-Dad. Strong, brave, compassionate, and full of conviction, but also has a silly side to the point of being able to say a line like "Amazing, a booby trap that actually catches boobies." But also, he's Dad. He's not Grandad, or a wizened sage. This is where I think a lot of Prime's that try to emulate this character go wrong. Sometimes Prime just needs to hop on a surfboard, while you either cheer him on because that's the coolest shit you've ever seen, or facepalm because your Dad's embarrassing you again.

2. On the other hand, I also enjoy the idea of an Optimus Prime similar to what I think Furman was trying to portray during the earliest part of the original IDWverse. This is a commander who has seen worlds fall and has had to make some really fucked up decisions in order to continue his war effort. I'd say the closest we ever got to this in other media was with Animated Ultra Magnus. This kind of grey morality borne from the fact that when you fight in a conflict as destructive to the universe as the Autobot-Decepticon war is, you can't really escape the darkness. Priorities have to be made, and sometimes you have to abandon Earth to fight a greater threat elsewhere, even if that choice leads to billions dead. This isn't the same sort of "dark" like Bay's Murder Prime, but just someone who has had to make these massive decisions over and over for a length of time we can't even fathom. What does that do to an individual and can they even really be considered "moral" at that point?

Obviously these two aren't really reconcilable, and I frankly don't think there's a writer who could handle option 2 and not make us wanna tear our hair out. But we've also seen that writers can't seem to grasp option 1 either. If I were to guess I'd say it's because of how ingrained the '86 movie is in pretty much everyone's heads, and Prime's pretty much all gravitas in that.

 

Transformers Animated, he didn’t start off as great or being highly respected. He had to achieve it

 

G1 Marvel UK Powermaster Optimus Prime.

 

None. I love the variation we can get by not being beholden to one incarnation. Do I have a favorite? Yes. But that one can't go in all the directions others have gone. We've had some great Primes whose stories would not work if interchanged with a different Prime. And I definitely don't want to have a "definitive" one to be stuck with and lose the opportunity for new directions that would only work with a new reinterpretation.

And the same goes for all Transformers characters. The franchise has stood the test of time through adaptation and evolution, not stagnation and stubborn invariation.

 

The original.

Sorry i can’t stand Chalk as prime, he speaks like a therapy teacher for children.

 

IDW Optimus Prime.

 

Design wise classics.

Personality, from the G1 toon.

 

Cyberverse Optimus prime he’s the most underrated version of Optimus.

 

More so my favourite and that I enjoy the writing of out of the Optimus's so far than "definitive" (since I'd prefer things in Transformers to change than stay stagnate like they are now) but IDW and Armada Optimus are my favourite Primes so far.

 

G1 cartoon Optimus, accept no substitutes.

 

Sunbow is by far the most definitive version.

 

Sunbow is my definitive characterization of Optimus Prime. As for toys, what I really want is a Commander Class Studio Series 86 figure. Voyager sized cab/robot with a trailer.

 

G1 Optimus Prime.

He went from this:



To this:

 

Took him nine million years, but Optimus finally perfected the "leap into the air and kick skidplates on the way down" technique!

 

Didn't he basically go from A to B in the same episode?

 

In terms of design, I really like XM Studio’s design for him. It’s basically G1, but more mechanical looking without being over-designed like the Bay TFs. In addition, he looks solid as a brick and tough. He looks armored up.



By comparison, I also really like the design for Optimus from the Bumblebee movie. But something about his mid section doesn’t look right to me. And other areas on him like his arms- like there’s too many exposed areas that he should want to have armor plating over.



I don’t like it when they make Optimus too big. Either in terms of bulk or height. He should be tall, sure, but not to the point that he can’t relate well to his troops. For example, TFP Beast Hunters is just too beefy. Even his sword looks like a butter knife, he’s so huge!



And thanks to Goddess Mechanic: same design, but less bulk. I think this looks way better. And his sword looks like a sword again! Not a toothpick!



In terms of personality, it’s a toss-up between BW Optimus Primal, TFA & G1 Optimus Prime.

 

My definitive Optimus Prime, huh?



I think, in terms of characterization, this is my definitive Optimus Prime. I don't think that this profile has ever been fully realized, though. There have been bits and pieces over the years, sure, but I don't think that I can point to any version of Optimus Prime and claim that it's a perfect representation of this original profile. That being said, some of them definitely adhere closer to the spirit of this profile than others.

 

That last line of his profile really says it.