So far, there has never been aTransformersseries where Optimus doesnt show up at all.
His first untimely death proved that fans saw Optimus Prime as more than just a toy.
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.
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.
10Bumblebee (2018)
Returning more to form, Optimus Prime gets some amazing cameos inBumblebeein 2018.
Unlike the other movie version, this Optimus still displays fierce loyalty and kindness to the Autobots.
DuringArmada, he fights the Decepticons to get to allow Mini-Cons the ability to choose for themselves.
Throughout this continuity, Optimus Primes 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.
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 definitelyOptimus Prime and a greatly nuanced versionat that.
However, he does abandon leadership with the Autobots at least two times.
While it made sense, abandoning the Autobots doesnt feel like a very Optimus thing to do.
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, its a good day.
Though viewers are given glimpses into the past, Optimus doesnt feel like hes changed much.
Like many other versions, Optimus remains somewhat static throughout the series.
The series is also much more focused on Bumblebee.
5Transformers Animated
Transformers Animatedboasts the most creative version of Optimus Prime.
Stripped down to the bare essentials of Autobots vs. Decepticons,Animatedtook 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 doesnt 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 its ok to be vulnerable.
4Beast 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.
Given the nature ofBeast 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.
Endlessly compassionate, Optimus takes his protector role to the extreme.
The show also expanded on Optimus Primes past as Orion Pax.
Though the war made Optimus a seasoned warrior, he still offers a peaceful route when possible.
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.
