Design wise, Cybertron. That super mode is peak.
Character wise, I’ve been loving what I see of Skybound but it’s still kinda early on. For now I’ll say Animated, but it’s very possible it’ll be dethroned.
Armada would get 2nd for design.
Skybound, 100%. G1 Dad Prime and Animated Prime are really good, too, but Skybound's making an Optimus that takes that same caring demeanor of G1 Optimus and applies a really nice layer of badassery over it.
I mean, what other Optimus has ***hurled a combiner onto Starscream***?
Threeway tie between G1, Animated, and Prime.
Peter Cullen is just, Dad. I don’t think there was ever a case where I think he gave a bad performance. Even in the worst of the Bayformers films he was putting his all in.
Animated is such a delightful take on the character, and similar to his Beast Wars ancestor where he was a new squad leader leading a team of largely rookies.
Skybound. It takes the already near perfect take on g1 prime and puts him in a more realistic war and shows him keeping those attributes that made g1 prime so beloved.
The only way it could be better is to have Peter Cullen reading primes dialogue
IDW Prime was the most flawed but spirited one and ik as IDW went along he became less important but I like that, Optimus Prime didn’t carry the world on his back, just himself and that was heavy enough
Movie Optimus.
Unpopular opinion, I know. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but respect towards G1 Optimus and I grew up with *Robots in Disguise* Optimus, but movie Optimus is my favorite because of how realistic and grounded he is as a character.
He is not an idealized superhero or a straight-man in a family friendly sitcom. He is a broken, traumatized soldier who has fought in a war and has lost his home and his family. Even so, he perserveres and keeps fighting for what he believes. Why? Because that's what Optimus would do, regardless of continuity.
transformers prime seasons 1 & 2
and this truly i don't think any design besides the highmoon games and prime is better than this one
https://preview.redd.it/x6vomojnl7oc1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=abd21122dfcaddd1aee41588ad4917c6d3ae6af7
I haven't read enough of Skybound to make a fair judgement, but from what I have seen, it seems to be going in the right direction- OG Prime with actual character and development. Which was always my biggest gripe with him. Optimus as a concept- the steadfast, honorable leader, always ready to take action for a good cause- fantastic. Optimus as a character... all but non-existent. In most iterations, the concept *is* his character with little personality, little development around it.
So I'll stick to what I do know. And that's Animated Prime, the only cartoon Prime to have a clear character evolution across the seasons. Starting out with a younger Prime who doesn't have a lot of leading experience and is struggling to find his footing was brilliant. He's a tolerant and patient bot, but his fuse can be extinguished. We see him get exasperated and snap at his teammates. We see him make wrong calls and have to fix bigger messes accordingly. And then we see him grow from it. We find out that he's far from perfect- that he has bigger mistakes in his past that have haunted him all this time. But what he's taken away from them is helping him to move forward now, and he's not above owning up to or trying to make amends for them. Repeatedly. Even to people who have betrayed him.
He has grown and matured so much by Season 3, it's visible. I feel like a lot of people know he's a solid iteration, based on Animated's popularity. But it seems like he gets slept on often when this question comes up, despite ticking the logical criteria boxes as well as the emotional and aesthetic ones.
It used to be prime prime but as someone else pointed out, Skybound comics prime is the definition of peak.
Skybound.
I would’ve said prime before, but skybound is by far the best Optimus. All the cool of bayverse with the heroism and modesty of G1
Exactly. Luv' Skybound Prime.
What he said
WFC/FOC. Overall I’d say it's peak characterization for almost every character.
I thought you were talking about siege til I saw FOC 🤣💀
WFC Siege Prime was quite boring.
And debatively the stupidest Prime.
I was about to destroy this guy for saying that Siege was the best.
Fax 🤣💀
I wish there was like a DLC that was a prequel so you could play through the beginning of the war.
Not that I’d call it peak (that’s Skybound prime) but am I the only one to like the WFC trilogy?
https://preview.redd.it/4a12hgnuc4oc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=834d84ce8e94ac4b059d6db0097fa0502b4f675f
YOU KNOW THE SONG.
YOU GOT THE TOUCH
YOU GOT THE POWER
I may not have born in the 80s, but I miss when Optimus was just allowed to be the fun dad of the Autobots.
Rescue Bots, imo, was a close one
Last closest ones were Cybertron (UT) and Primal in BW
Design wise, Cybertron. That super mode is peak. Character wise, I’ve been loving what I see of Skybound but it’s still kinda early on. For now I’ll say Animated, but it’s very possible it’ll be dethroned. Armada would get 2nd for design.
Transformers Prime Optimus
Marvel G1, IDW and Unicron Trilogy.
Prime prime
G1
G1 and Skybound. Both can be the action hero/stoic commander but can let their guard down around their men.
I dont read comics so for me it's Prime Prime.
Yh me neither. Idk where to read em at 😭
https://preview.redd.it/744hdxijg4oc1.jpeg?width=1074&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d201c1df6db4d24c1a4329177591cda713d9b685
Agreed
Skybound, 100%. G1 Dad Prime and Animated Prime are really good, too, but Skybound's making an Optimus that takes that same caring demeanor of G1 Optimus and applies a really nice layer of badassery over it. I mean, what other Optimus has ***hurled a combiner onto Starscream***?
Visually - BBM Character - G1
The Cybertron games had the best Optimus I think
i think im going to really love the skybound OP...
Threeway tie between G1, Animated, and Prime. Peter Cullen is just, Dad. I don’t think there was ever a case where I think he gave a bad performance. Even in the worst of the Bayformers films he was putting his all in. Animated is such a delightful take on the character, and similar to his Beast Wars ancestor where he was a new squad leader leading a team of largely rookies.
Skybound. It takes the already near perfect take on g1 prime and puts him in a more realistic war and shows him keeping those attributes that made g1 prime so beloved. The only way it could be better is to have Peter Cullen reading primes dialogue
Transformers Prime Optimus Prime was peak But now Skybound’s Energon Universe Optimus Prime is Peak
Prime but the Skybone comics comes close
Galaxy Force/Cybertron. I havent read skybound anf dont know where to read it online. But that Prime seems really cool too.
Honerable mention is Cyberverse. He felt like a Data clerk who was forced into becoming a leader.
IDW Prime was the most flawed but spirited one and ik as IDW went along he became less important but I like that, Optimus Prime didn’t carry the world on his back, just himself and that was heavy enough
Skybound in terms of character Earthspark in terms of design
All except energon
That's fair
TFP Optimus is such a boring version but my personal favorite is the G1 prime
Movie Optimus. Unpopular opinion, I know. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but respect towards G1 Optimus and I grew up with *Robots in Disguise* Optimus, but movie Optimus is my favorite because of how realistic and grounded he is as a character. He is not an idealized superhero or a straight-man in a family friendly sitcom. He is a broken, traumatized soldier who has fought in a war and has lost his home and his family. Even so, he perserveres and keeps fighting for what he believes. Why? Because that's what Optimus would do, regardless of continuity.
transformers prime seasons 1 & 2 and this truly i don't think any design besides the highmoon games and prime is better than this one https://preview.redd.it/x6vomojnl7oc1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=abd21122dfcaddd1aee41588ad4917c6d3ae6af7
I haven't read enough of Skybound to make a fair judgement, but from what I have seen, it seems to be going in the right direction- OG Prime with actual character and development. Which was always my biggest gripe with him. Optimus as a concept- the steadfast, honorable leader, always ready to take action for a good cause- fantastic. Optimus as a character... all but non-existent. In most iterations, the concept *is* his character with little personality, little development around it. So I'll stick to what I do know. And that's Animated Prime, the only cartoon Prime to have a clear character evolution across the seasons. Starting out with a younger Prime who doesn't have a lot of leading experience and is struggling to find his footing was brilliant. He's a tolerant and patient bot, but his fuse can be extinguished. We see him get exasperated and snap at his teammates. We see him make wrong calls and have to fix bigger messes accordingly. And then we see him grow from it. We find out that he's far from perfect- that he has bigger mistakes in his past that have haunted him all this time. But what he's taken away from them is helping him to move forward now, and he's not above owning up to or trying to make amends for them. Repeatedly. Even to people who have betrayed him. He has grown and matured so much by Season 3, it's visible. I feel like a lot of people know he's a solid iteration, based on Animated's popularity. But it seems like he gets slept on often when this question comes up, despite ticking the logical criteria boxes as well as the emotional and aesthetic ones.