As the leader of the Autobots, every version of Optimus Prime has been a key figure in the Transformers franchise since the beginning. So far, there has never been a Transformers series where Optimus doesn’t show up at all. After brutally killing him in The Transformers: The Movie in 1986, Hasbro has since learned to never keep Optimus down for long. His first untimely death proved that fans saw Optimus Prime as more than just a toy. To many, he became something of a father figure and he is the heart and soul of the entire Transformers franchise.
Even in live-action movies, where major characters have died, Optimus Prime lives on. He has offered himself as a sacrifice more than once, and he has seemingly died before. However, every version of Optimus Prime returns and remains the face of the heroes in the Transformers universe, whether it is in live-action movies, cartoons, anime, comic books, or the classic and popular toy line that started it all. With Optimus still leading the way in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and his origin story coming up in Transformers One, there is still a lot to see from the big red truck that leads the fight to protect humanity.
11 Michael Bay's Movies (2007-2016)
Though the Michael Bay films re-established Peter Cullen’s iconic role as Optimus Prime, his characterization doesn’t really fit with other versions. This Optimus has definitely been through a lot of loss and trauma, but he comes off as prone to angry, murderous outbursts. Given the demographics of the movies, this can be excused due to the cool fight scenes. However, the core of Optimus Prime is his compassion. It often feels wrong to see Optimus this bitter and angry, but it seems to work because he is still fighting for the greater good, keeping his core the same.
10 Bumblebee (2018)
Returning more to form, Optimus Prime gets some amazing cameos in Bumblebee in 2018. Unlike the other movie version, this Optimus still displays fierce loyalty and kindness to the Autobots. He stays behind to fend off the Decepticons - in a really cool fight scene - giving the other Autobots the chance to escape Cybertron. This is the version of Optimus that existed in the cartoons, and it was nice to see him back to his pure and heroic self once again. But given his total screen time of around five minutes with limited voice lines, he never showed up enough in the movie to compare to every version of Optimus Prime.
9 Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts (2023)
While Bumblebee changed Optimus Prime from the angry and destructive version of the Michael Bay movies into the kinder, self-sacrificing hero from the cartoons, he changed once again in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. This movie saw a greater threat coming from the stars with the arrival of Scourge and the threat of Unicron. Director Steven Caple Jr. said that this is the movie where the live-action Optimus Prime finally becomes "the Prime that we always knew." As a prequel, this makes little sense at the outset, but if it means Prime becoming a righteous hero once again, that is all that matters compared to every version of Optimus Prime.
8 Unicron Trilogy (Armada, Energon, And Cybertron)
It may be the mecha anime, but Optimus Prime from Transformers Armada, Energon, and Cybertron gathers his strength through the power of friendship. During Armada, he fights the Decepticons in order to allow Mini-Cons the ability to choose for themselves. Megatron, on the other hand, sees power and wishes to control it, which boils down to controlling all the Mini-Cons. Throughout this continuity, Optimus Prime’s goals and ambitions never waver. And when they do, he allows himself to rely on the other Autobots. But all things considered, this Optimus is very cookie-cutter and one-dimensional compared to every version of Optimus Prime.
7 IDW Comics
Perhaps the most controversial compared to every version of Optimus Prime, the first run of the IDW Transformers comics allowed all the Transformers characters room for change and development. Thanks to the flexibility, writers had a decent amount of freedom to do what they wanted. However, this led to some inconsistencies. Optimus was not exempt from this. For the most part, this is definitely Optimus Prime and a greatly nuanced version at that. However, he does abandon leadership with the Autobots at least two times. While it made sense, abandoning the Autobots doesn’t feel like a very Optimus thing to do.
6 Cyberverse
Veering slightly closer to the Generation 1 (G1) interpretation, Cyberverse Optimus Prime provides a nice bridge between every version of Optimus Prime. He definitely takes the stoicism seen in the movies but has the lightheartedness of the G1 version. When Optimus laughs at a bad pun Bumblebee makes, it’s a good day. Though viewers are given glimpses into the past, Optimus doesn’t feel like he’s changed much. Like many other versions, Optimus remains somewhat static throughout the series. The series is also much more focused on Bumblebee.
5 Transformers Animated
Transformers Animated boasts the most creative version of Optimus Prime. Stripped down to the bare essentials of Autobots vs. Decepticons, Animated took a very different approach to the struggle. Being set after the war, the series revolves around a ragtag team of Autobots protecting Earth from Decepticons. Optimus Prime becomes the reluctant leader and learns as he goes. As a younger version of the character, he doesn’t have the stoicism newer fans are used to seeing. Instead, he makes mistakes, learns, and grows. Despite not being the typical Optimus Prime, he is worthy of the name. More importantly, he truly shows kids that it’s ok to be vulnerable.
4 Beast Wars
As a distinctly different character from Optimus Prime, Optimus Primal deserves mentioning. After all, he does fill the leader role for the Maximals and basically has the same name. But that distinction between characters is pretty important. Constantly living in the shadow of the great Optimus Prime, Primal forged his own path while sticking to his ideals and morals. Given the nature of Beast Wars, Primal was refreshingly realistic, occasionally using unorthodox methods to achieve his goals. At his core, he wants to help as many people as he can.
3 Transformers: Prime
Combining the movie version with the more compassionate side of every version of Optimus Prime, Transformers: Prime has one excellent Optimus Prime. The central conflict of the show revolves around Optimus and Megatron, both with different ideas of how to lead the surviving Cybertronians. Endlessly compassionate, Optimus takes his protector role to the extreme. The show also expanded on Optimus Prime’s past as Orion Pax. Instead of being a dockworker, Orion was an archivist and fought for social change through words instead of violence. Though the war made Optimus a seasoned warrior, he still offers a peaceful route when possible.
2 Generation 1 (G1)
Easily one of the best when compared to other versions, G1 Optimus Prime started it all. G1 itself is a wild ride truly befitting the '80s, but it did something right as far as characters go. Optimus was a great blend of a hero/father figure, while also managing to be funny and relatable. His humorous nature is used to measure other incarnations of every version of Optimus Prime. Despite being the fearless leader, Optimus has moments of levity. In G1, he can be laugh-out-loud funny while also being a responsible figure of hope. That dichotomy of compassion and seriousness and knowing when to use either (or both) is what makes Optimus great.
1 Transformers Rescue Bots
Transformers Rescue Bots remains aimed towards young children, but that doesn’t stop it from being very cleverly written and completely fun. Though Optimus Prime only appears in cameos throughout the series, what sets this Optimus apart from every version of Optimus Prime is the fact that he’s also from the Transformers: Prime show. Rescue Bots lines up almost perfectly with Transformers: Prime, so Optimus will make references to events happening there. This version of Optimus just gets better because of the emotion he shows. He checks in on the team, offers advice, and when things get to be too much, Optimus Prime always lends a hand.