We know who really killed Optimus Prime corporate marketing

"If your going to shoot, shoot, don't talk" - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly"

To save Optimus, Hot Rod threw himself at a superior opponent, one who had already proven willing and capable of killing Autobots. Hot Rod was willing to die to protect his leader. Only circumstance led to Prime's death instead of his own.

Always Loved & Defended Hot Rod! It wasn't him that killed Optimus Prime! It was Megatron, the writers & Hasbro!

We're not mad at Star Lord for not killing Gamora we're mad at him for getting mad at Thanos & attacking him

Hot Rod decided to run at Megatron instead of shooting him. Classic Hot Rod. His hearts in the right place nonetheless.

Megatron and Optimus had fought each other for millions of years and Megatron knew Optimus' psychology. He knew that Optimus would hesitate to finish him off if he pleaded for mercy. Optimus' own hesitation created an opening for Megatron to get the upper hand.

i NEVER blamed Hot Rod for what happen i blamed Megatron and i understood that it was an accident and i saw that Optimus never blamed him either so i had no reason to blame him too. i understand that the loss of Optimus greatly affected everyone me too but they shouldn't blamed him it wasn't his fault.

I mean that does explain it. Megatron murdered Prime. Maybe folks just wasn't ready for a new leader of the Autobots so...abruptly.

I actually do agree with you, and I do like Hot Rod. But I understand why people are so mad. I'm glad Cyberverse treated him with respect.

Honestly, my only gripe with hotrod is that he came out of nowhere and became the next prime

Anybody who truly blames Hot Rod didn’t actually know Optimus Prime. Prime was not going to blast Megatron away. Not unless Megatron actually aimed the gun at him.

Somebody should pay Big Man Tyrone to say "Hot Rod did nothing wrong"

That’s Starscream kick to Megatron always makes me laugh

Hot rod did nothing wrong , I personally love the character and was upset to learn that he was hated.

Hot Rod saved the autobots at autobot city by sighting the invasion early on. If the decepticon s had landed they would of tore the city apart from the inside. Easy to forget. Gave the autobots needed time to get help. So he wasn’t dumb just to full of a zeal toward a fight that didn’t involve him.

Hot Rod was responsible… for revealing to the Autobots that the Decepticons hijacked the shuttle (b/f it landed), thus giving the Autobots time to transform Autobot City & radio Prime for reinforcements, but ppl don’t talk about that.

Seriously, every time I hear that I can't help but wonder what reality that person lives in, because it's not this one. Hot Rod was clearly trying to prevent Megatron from reaching the blaster that Optimus didn't see. And let's be honest, had Hot Rod not intervened, Megatron would have still reached the blaster because of his pleas to Optimus for mercy; even though Optimus was saying Megatron didn't deserve mercy, anyone who knows his character knows he's would still consider it no matter how dumb it may be, for better or worse with his big heart he wants to believe anyone can change for the better, meaning he still would have been taken out. Yes, Hot Rod failed to save Optimus, but that's not the same as being the one who actually fired the blaster.

I'm guessing whoever wrote Transformers: Deviations were on the "I hate Hot Rod" bandwagon.

Megatron was using any means possible, even by holding Hot Rod hostage while Hot Rod tried to save Optimus Prime from being shot. This was a low blow for Megatron!!!!

It was Megatron's fault for killing Optimus Prime not Hot Rod.

If the gun wasn't there for Megatron, he wouldn't have had an advantage to beating Optimus Prime. There you have it it was Megatron who killed Optimus!

I needed this retrospective. I love Hot Rod and never blamed him for the death of Optimus, but it's so grating to hear so many in the fandom say the opposite. Thank you for putting some respect back on a character who deserves it.

I love that they kept Optimus Prime true until the end. I doubt he didn't notice Megatron crawling towards something, which he knew was probably a weapon. I've always felt that Optimus was waiting for him to pick it up, so he could make an honorable kill. Hot Rod jumped in, which took away the clear shot. You could argue that Hot Rod's intervention caused the death of Optimus, but Hot Rod saw Megatron going for a gun and reacted. That's what plenty of other heroic Autobots have done. That moment spurred him on to greater heights, as he showed accountability and remorse for his rash action though. That really set the tone for his ascension to Autobot leader. At the end of the day Optimus died as he lived, as did Megatron. That scene proved why Optimus deserved our respect, and how dangerous Megatron could be when his back was against the wall. Still wish Optimus hadn't died, but I don't hate on Hot Rod for it.

Finally someone defends my favorite transformer

I've always found it interesting that Rodimus Prime had to deal with the real challenges of leadership having to play the role of Head of State for the cybertronian government, leading the autobot forces against Galvatron and his Decepticon remnant along with the quintessons, he also had to play Diplomat with other alien races as well as having to live up to his predecessors name. With Optimus we never actually got to see him go through any of those challenges, we just see him led the Autobots against the Decepticons and doing some negotiation with the humans. perhaps early on after Orion Pax became Optimus Prime he had to deal with similar challenges particularly having to live up to his predecessor Sentinel Prime.

'Prime would never simply kill with no remorse.' True, but some media did an awful job at displaying that.

“Now you might’ve seen Megatron crawling towards something ITS A GUN.” That sounded hilarious to me

It's arguable that Megatron's blaster was hidden from Optimus' sight, even up until Hot Rod tackles him, based on the art layout of the rubble.

I never blamed Hot Rod for Prime's death. So glad I was a teenager when I saw TF the movie in theaters. Even though it had it's animation faults, nothing will ever replace G1.

Hot Rod's journey from reckless Autobot warrior to responsible leader was one of the best. I never hated him for the death of Optimus. Instead, I could relate to him.

Being named Rod I never liked people going after Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime!

Megatron: at fault. Hot Rod: Innocent.

This seriously might be your best video. You really summed up the story of Rodimus character growth in the movie. OUTSTANDING!

Hot Rod did not kill Optimus. Optimus Prime as you said was like a father figure to the Autobots and humans alike. Even the Decepticons including Megatron had great respect for him despite the fact Megatron is a bad guy. Hot Rod instinctively and on impulse did what he did to try to save Optimus. He did not want to see a fellow Autobot let alone one that is a father figure to all Autobots die. Unfortunately Optimus died and that was something Hot Rod had to deal with when he became the new leader of the Autobots.

I never fell into the camp that blamed Hot Rod, Prime's honor and Megatron's treachery would have lead to the same outcome. Hot Rod only added to the mix.

This is why my trust for the fandom of transformers is met with some...conflicted emotions. I KNOW it wasn't Hot Rod's fault, and you my friend proved it very well. Even more so than I have stated with your examples as well

Hot Rod wanted to save Optimus Prime, case closed.

Honestly, I really think they should bring the idea of Hot Rod becoming Rodimus back to Transformers. I like flawed heroes more than perfect ones, and I could see Rodimus being more like Optimus Primal from Beast Wars - While he cares strongly about his fellow 'Bots, he would often find himself struggling to handle the responsibilities that have been thrust upon him. Over time, however, Rodimus, guided by his predecessors, would embrace his role and becomes the hero that his fellow bots need as he leads them to victory.

Personally, I never thought Optimus would've blasted Megatron, at least not while he was beaten and unarmed. As Dinobot would say, it's a coward's victory.

I'm pro Optimus, but he had all the time in the world to kill Megatron.

Yeah Hot Rod never killed Optimus Prime and I really enjoyed Hot Rod's transformation into Rodimus Prime.

Hot Rod wasn't the reason Optimus died, just like half the universe being dust is Star-Lord's fault, especially since Doctor Strange knew that would happen.

Hot rod/Rodamus is my favorite character. After he opens the matrix and begins the destruction of unicron and he runs up and Daniel notices him and he say "autobots! Transform and roll out!" It's my favorite part of the whole movie

Okay, I’m convinced it wasn’t his fault now, it only took 14 years since I saw this movie to change my mind

If you ask me the Marvel comic book death Of Optimus Prime was much brutal dramatizing then the 1986 movie. Imagine you as a child reading that comic seeing Optimus blow up like that.

Totally agree. I been saying this for years and citing many of the same reasons - monologuing, Prime’s honor, Megatron not actually using Hot Rod as a shield and, of course, Megs actually pulling the trigger.

I don’t blame Hot Rod, but I do believe that once Megatron raised his gun, Optimus would’ve shot him. Which would explain why he told Hot Rod to get out of the way because he knew Megatron was going for his gun and was preparing to fire on him before he could fire it. Still it wasn’t Hot Rod’s fault. Ultimately Megatron pulled the trigger, killing his former friend in cold blood.

Optimus Prime couldn´t handle the Decepctions in one planet, while Rodimus Prime was in charge of two planets and the security of an entire galaxy

“One shall stand, and one shall fall.” *Both falls*

“Hot Rod did NOT kill Optimus Prime!” G1 fans that are still angwy at Hot Rod for “killing” Optimus Prime: *I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that*

I think there is enough blame to spread around to all three of them. Obviously Megatron was the one to kill Optimus, and he was shown here in the Movie to not be holding back at all. He was out to kill all the Autobots and Optimus must have known this. Hot Rod was too eager to try to defend Optimus and not strong enough to take on Megatron physically. Hot Rod should have called out a warning or tried to shoot at Megatron with his wrist lasers. Even if he missed, it could have distracted Megatron and let Optimus fire. And as for Optimus, he was too honorable for his own good. He had time to fire before Hot Rod interfered but did not take the shot. Even if he didn't see the gun at first, he should have know Megatron was up to something and just ended it there.

I wished ratchet, prowl, wheeljack, and gears never died in the g1 movie

Rodimus is honestly probably one of my favorite tf characters

Megatron: shoots optimus prime Everyone else: WTF HOT ROD U KILLED HIM Hot rod who’s the only one trying to save optimus prime:I WAS TRYING TO SAVE HIM

FINALLY PEOPLE AGREE WITH ME THAT IT WASN'T RODIMUS

Optimus was going to died even if Hot Rod didn’t get in the way. Originally he was suppose to died without him butting in and it was play out in the marvel comic book.

The same people that blame Hot Rod for killing Prime are the same type that believe Daniel Larusso was the real bully in Karate Kid. It’s fun to think about but the arguments fall apart pretty easily.

I like this topic because it reminds me of star wars. There is often topics like "What if Luke Skywalker listened to Yoda and did not confront Vader early and instead stayed back to finish his training? Would luke have beaten the Emperor and Darth Vader singlehandedly and come off as a bad ass rather than a brave underdog who loses? " The whole point of Rodimus having to fail is that you learn from mistakes to become the badass you are. This is the same reason Cobra Kai is popular because insecure teenagers can relate to being bulied by stronger kids and so to gain an edge they take up martial arts. Audiences like the underdog story because they WERE that kid. So in similar fashion Hot Rod is optimus prime when he was still learning as naive like Orion Pax. Rodimus spends the whole time being a brave underdog much like Luke Skywalker before he managed to overcome his impatience which pissed yoda off so much because his dad Anakin also had this problem of being too impulsive and unable to control his emotions in battle rather than keep his cool. In a way Hotrod is supposed to be the "Dan Larusso" from Karate Kid but for Transformers. By the end we fully expect him to learn from his mistakes; overcoming impulsive behavior and becoming a stoic leader like Optimus, and so it really didn't matter because the fight ended in a stalemate where megatron kills prime but optimus damages him enough for starscream to finish him off later. Just because Rodimus isn't as competent as Prime doesn't mean he won't have potential to equal him later. Yes he is partially to blame for his impulsive behavior but as I have said in another comment section the fans didn't have the same hatred for Luke Skywalker when he failed that they do for Hot Rod. It's becoming annoying to see this much hate because we all know the reason so many character got killed was so the toy company can sell new toys. And don't forget if ultra magnus, prime and hotrod all fail there is always Grimlock. Remember how he led in the marvel comics? I think that would be an interesting story to explore. If the autobots were led by a caveman and all the weak autobots who are cowards were forced to leave the team and only strongest ones were allowed to give orders? Think of it like if Conan the Barbarian was leading the Transformers and instead of fighting for justice and freedom he just conquered the decepticons and beat them at their own game y just being better warriors than they are and established a monarchy where everyone must bow to the king? Would the people be free? No. But would they feel safe? Yes. Since Grimlock just kills whoever doesn't agree with him. This was the biggest problem people had with Optimus Prime. They were sick of seeing him let Megatron escape battles simply because Optimus Prime wouldn't pull the damn trigger after winning a battle. Now if Grimlock was in charge he would execute Megatron without a a thought and Ironhide wouldn't have to whine and complain about the leader going too soft on the bad guys. Think of all the energon cubes saved from just capturing megatron, imprisoning him and no longer having to prolong the war because the leader is under your control? You could argue to fans that although Rodimus can be blamed for recklessness, Optimus Prime can be blamed for not finishing the job. Grimlock on the other hand? He might be better than either of the two primes despite having cruel and unusual punishment of his enemies. (because he would end the war faster than optimus prime by killing or capturing the bad guy so that he can't continue to roam free and conquer the galaxy. Luke had a reason to not kill Vader. Vader was his Dad! No such problem with transformers since megatron is not related to autobots.)

They were fighting a war. Megatron won cause he actually used strategy and fought like a real soldier. Optimus was in the face of the man who murdered his friends and hesitated. Thus giving megatron the chance. It was all on optimus. Amuro ray didn't fought like kira Yamato cause he's an actual soldier not hesitating to shoot down enemy.

HotRods design is awesome, but we still blaming him. The fact that we still love this movie almost 40 yrs later is a statement of how awesome it is. What a blessing to have seen this movie as a kid and the impact it left us.

Rodimus Prime is a legendary character, is thanks to him that I learned to love the Transformers franchise

Personally I blame Megatron for killing Optimus Prime when he shot him with that gun 4 times.

I know the fandom has there disagreements, but hot rod/rodimus prime will be hands down my favorite character hot rod represents young vets like myself ages 18-25, learning from past mistakes to become better human beings, learn to overcome, regardless optimus was to gullible and would of been shot regardless of hot rod interference,

Transformers fans: reads title Also Transformers fans: Say sike right now!

Glad I’m not the only one who defend Hot Rod

They always like to say "Why didn't Hot Rod shoot at Megaton" or "Hot Rod wasn't thinking straight" 1. Hot Rod most likely depleted his energy from shooting down the hijacked Autobot Shuttle and helping fend off the Deception's Full Scale assualt of Autobot City. 2. Hot Rod was probably exhausted from having to defend Autobot CIty for hours. Having to fight for that long with so much destruction and death can take a toll on anybody. What I'm saying is that give Hot Rod a break. It's easy to think rationally as a spectator of the battle, but imagine being there.

What really killed Optimus Prime is his sense of honor. It's been two times his honor got the best of Prime before his final battle with Megatron. In the Ultimate Doom [ part 1 ] Megatron convinced Prime to use Megatron's device to bring Cybertron to earth's orbit & in Megatron's Master Plan [ part 1 ] Prime accept the fate the Judge gave him & the Autobots. Prime's sense of honor is greatest strength as well his greatest weakness. True Megatron pull the trigger [ 3x's ] on to Optimus but it's Prime's honor got him kill not Hot Rod. He see the gun Optimus didn't only thing Hot Rod is trying to do is stopping Megatron. True that Hot Rod should yell at Prime that Megatron going for Blitzwing's gun but I don't think that Prime would hear Hot Rod.

I always knew that Hot Rod shouldn't be blamed for Optimus prime's death. All fans should know that.

Hot Rod try to help Optimus Prime, but Megatron had the upper hand. He might had felt responsible for Prime's death, but he was able to push through. Hot Rod rose up from the ranks becoming Rodimus Prime, defeating Galvatron and Unicron.

You made some valid points and I agree that Hot Rod should not be blamed for the actions that Megatron did. Lessons can be taught in a variety of ways, in some cases it’s through unfortunate, painful experiences. But if you can learn from them and help those who are experiencing similar circumstances, then I feel you have truly closed that hard chapter of your life.

I don't think Rot Rod killed Optimus, Since I don't know him much, but surely, I know Megatron *was* the one who killed him.

Honestly, this is such an amazing explanation about all this. It really annoys me seeing everyone make jokes about Hot Rod being “responsible” for Prime’s death. I, obviously, when seeing this scene, I also knew he just wanted to help. This video was very in depth, and I love it!

I've always said Hot Rod could have saved Optimus had he simply blasted Megatron from where he was instead of foolishly bum rushing a far more powerful and experienced warrior. But Optimus was probably screwed either way due to hesitation.

Hot Rod didnt kill Optimus, he was trying to help!! It was destiny!!

Great video!!!! I've always loved Rodimus Prime/ Hot Rod, and from the get go; understood that he felt unbelievable guilt and blamed himself for Optimus's death. It was a great story element, really. It made Rodimus's character that much better and easier to accept as the successive leader of the Autobots.

I get your point and I never thought he "killed him" I was just mad at Megatron for killing prime cause he's my favorite. But great video.

He sure didn’t help him.. lol

I'm glad to have found another Rodimus Prime fan. I wholeheartedly agree with what you said, and never blamed Hot Rod. I wish he would have got better treatment than he was given. One of my favourite story arcs was from the marvel comics, the space pirates saga. It was a great Rodimus/Hot Rod saga.

If I had seen Hot Rod become Rodimus Prime to fight Galvatron, I would have just said, “YES! AVENGE OPTIMUS PRIME HOT ROD! AVENGE HIIIIM!!!”

I feel that Prime would've died either way, regardless of if Hot Rod tried to help or not? The only reason he did try to help was so he would wrongfully feel guilty for Primes demise, to help him become a better leader then if he hadn't.

If they would have kept that dialogue in the film, then Hot Rod would not have been so hated. I always argued that his own troops would have jumped in because they were like family and they loved and respected Optimus. To me, I felt that the others were like star-struck and the only one that actually thought to do something was Hot Rod. I did not enjoy that what if comic either. I saw the contempt as well. If I wrote one like that, I would have Optimus live, but recovering from his wounds. He would have somehow known that Hot Rod was the next matrix bearer. He could not let many know, but there were some in his close ranks that would know. I would have had him mentor Hot Rod giving him a clue that he was destined for something better.

You know, there is something that unsettles me in the hatred Hot Rod receives from many fans. Some fans say that Hot Rod was well-written in the '86 movie, but he wasn't that good in season 3 (mainly because of repetitive character writing) and I'm perfectly fine with it (I even agree with it a bit), because those people actually judged him as a character should be judged (by his writing). However, other people say "HoT rOd Is ThE wOrSt TrAnSfOrMeRs ChArAcTeR oF aLl TiMe BeCaUsE hE kIlLeD oPtImUs PrImE" and they legitimately mean it and this unsettles me. According to those people, Hot Rod's personality and character devopment are not criteria for the quality of his character. In other words, according to these people, Hot Rod is a bad character because he screwed up ONCE, and apparently whether his character arc is good or bad is irrelevant to whether or not his character is good or bad. People for some reason seem to forgive really easily characters like Vegeta and Omni-man, characters who have taken intentionally so many lives and willingly committed atrocities, but when Hot Rod ACCIDENTALLY screws up ONCE -and remember, he wanted to HELP- and then spends an entire movie feeling guilt for it and trying to redeem himself he is somehow "BeYoNd ReDeMpTiOn AnD tHe WoRsT tRaNsFoRmErS cHaRaCtEr Of AlL tImE". And before someone gets the wrong idea, Vegeta and Omni-man ARE great characters with great character arcs. Hot Rod's character arc is about not letting your mistakes define you and it buffles me how people keep missing the point of that character arc. Optimus Prime is my favourite fictional character of all time and seeing him die was heartbreaking, but I never blamed Hot Rod for his death. Hot Rod was just trying to help, hE WASN'T even the one who shot Optimus while screaming "Fall! Fall!". When Optimus spoke through the Matrix, it felt not only like a satisfying conclusion to Hot Rod's character arc, but also a response asking Optimus for forgiveness. Optimus forgave Hot Rod and didn't judge him for his one mistake. In other words, lots of the hate Hot Rod received from many of the fans is idiotic and pretentious. However, since I want to end this gigantic comment on something positive that most of us will agree with, IDW Hot Rod/Rodimus is an absolute chad! Thanks for that great video Rodimus Primal.

Megatron: *blasts Optimus to death* Fans: why would Rodimus do this?

True he was trying to help Optimus prime he didn't know

Finally some one giving hot rod respect

Found your channel and I'm loving it. I also loved Rodimus Prime. It made so much sense to me as a kid seeing this in theaters. Of course no one wanted to see Optimus die, but I remember the audience cheering at the end for Hot Rod's transformation and hearing Optimus' voice one last time( or so we thought). Great video!

I would’ve suggested Optimus perform a shoot and roll technique but I realized autobots never received military training like the decepticons did..

TLK Hot Rod: french accent lol I still like his accent it's good and makes him distinctive. Unlike siege where all characters sound the same

Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime has always been one of my favorite Autobots. Which is why I despise his Movie incarnation because it feels too much like a disservice to the character.

I’m glad the HotRod has some loyal fans that don’t hate him and wish to see him more, I never thought he killed Optimus Prime, I always blamed the writes lol

Even if Hot Rod didn't intervene, Optimus would of probably died anyways. His biggest wound was suggested to be the cut he got before, therefore the shots Megatron got with that peashooter were "just the drops that broke the water's tension" in a way

Hot rod was always my favorite and I don't blame him for what happened he was only trying to help when prime could not see what Megatron was going to do

Optimus had a full 27 seconds to blow Megatron's faceplate into oblivion. Hot Rod is not at fault.

The only thing that would've me sour is that poor lone survivor from Lithone. He went through so much pain seeing his friends, family, home planet get consumed by Unicron. Only to be judged unfairly by the quintessons and executed

It’s definitely Megatron’s fault. Megatron would’ve tried to shoot Optimus with or without Hot Rod’s involvement.

"blasts him 3 times." four shots hit Optimus. 4:20

I don’t get all the hate Hotrod gets. He’s one of my favorite characters. Right up there with Prime and Jazz. He’s just cool. And hey, it’s just a cartoon y’all.

Excellent deconstruction with evidence for the topic. Even as a child I never blamed Hot Rod for his actions. The only blame should go to Hasbro for finalizing the script to sell newer products. How could they never have known of the popularity of certain characters? They did focus groups in the 80s, especially with children products and programing.

Hot rod dose not deserve the hate he gets