Disassembled: Heroes and Villains

Why These Twisted Primes Prove Even Evil Can Look Like a Hero - Transformers Deep Dive

• Tom Bedford of Handsome Comics • Season 1 • Episode 18

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He was more than a leader.

He was a symbol.


But what happens when the symbol is stolen?


Across Transformers lore, evil versions of Optimus Prime have risen to twist his image into something darker. From Nemesis Prime to Shattered Glass, from corrupted clones to alternate realities, each one shows us what happens when the heart of a hero is removed—and only power remains.


In this episode of Disassembled: Heroes and Villains, we dissect the shadows of Optimus Prime:

– The tragic terror of Nemesis Prime

– The ruthless tyranny of Shattered Glass Optimus

– The uncanny unease of clones and copies

– And why evil versions of heroes prove that identity without conviction becomes corruption


Because these Primes may wear his face.

But none of them carry his heart.


🔥 New episodes of Disassembled: Heroes and Villains every Thursday

📩 For sponsorships and business inquiries: handsomecomics@gmail.com

🎙 Written and hosted by Tom Bedford | Handsome Comics

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU COPY A HERO, BUT STRIP AWAY THE HEART? WHEN YOU TAKE THE BODY OF A SAVIOR AND LEAVE OUT THE SOUL. ACROSS THE VAST WORLD OF TRANSFORMERS, THERE ARE NO FIGURES MORE REVERED THAN OPTIMUS PRIME, A LEADER DEFINED NOT BY CONQUEST, BUT BY CONVICTION, BY SACRIFICE, BY PURPOSE, A SYMBOL THAT EVEN TYRANTS FEAR. BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE IMAGE IS STOLEN? ACROSS TIMELINES AND SHATTERED DIMENSIONS, EVIL VERSIONS OF OPTIMUS PRIME ARISE. SOME ARE FORGED IN SECRET LABS. SOME ARE CORRUPTED IN ALTERNATE REALITIES. OTHERS ARE BORN FROM OPTIMUS HIMSELF, TWISTED SHADOWS GIVEN NEW LIFE. THEY WEAR HIS FACE, THEY SPEAK WITH HIS VOICE, BUT BEHIND THE MASK IS EMPTINESS. BECAUSE THESE VERSIONS WEREN'T MADE TO LEAD, THEY WERE BUILT TO CONTROL, TO DOMINATE, TO DESTROY. AND IN EVERY CASE, SOMETHING IS MISSING, NOT THE FIREPOWER, NOT THE ARMOR, BUT THE SPARK. SO TODAY, WE'RE DIVING INTO THE DARK REFLECTIONS OF A PRIME AND WHAT THEY REVEAL ABOUT IDENTITY, POWER, AND THE TERRIFYING TRUTH THAT IMAGE WITHOUT INTEGRITY IS A LIE. THIS IS DISASSEMBLED HEROES AND VILLAINS. AND TODAY, WE ASK THE QUESTION, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE HERO BECOMES THE WEAPON? OPTIMUS PRIME STANDS TALL AS THE EMBODIMENT OF COURAGE, SACRIFICE, AND SERVICE. SO WHEN THAT IMAGE IS STOLEN, WHEN IT'S HOLLOWED OUT AND TWISTED, IT'S NOT JUST AN IMITATION, IT'S A WARNING. BECAUSE A CLONE ISN'T JUST A COPY, IT'S A QUESTION. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU STRIP A HERO OF HIS HEART, WHEN POWER REMAINS, BUT PURPOSE IS GONE? TO ANSWER THAT, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE SHADOWS HE LEAVES BEHIND. IF OPTIMUS PRIME STANDS FOR SERVICE, THEN HIS ALTERNATE VERSIONS STAND FOR SUBMISSION, NOT TO DUTY, BUT TO CONTROL. THEY WEAR THE SAME FACE, CARRY THE SAME VOICE MODULATORS, THE SAME COMMAND PROTOCOLS, THE SAME ICONIC SILHOUETTE OF THE AUTOBOT COMMANDER THAT THE GALAXY HAS COME TO TRUST. AND YET, SOMETHING ABOUT THEM IS ALWAYS OFF. MAYBE THE OPTICS GLOW THE WRONG COLOR, MAYBE THE VOICE LACKS CONVICTION, MAYBE THEY DON'T SPEAK AT ALL. BUT WHATEVER THE DIFFERENCE IS, YOU FEEL IT. LIKE A CHILL IN THE SPARK, A FRACTURE IN THE FACADE. THESE ARE THE EVIL CLONES OF OPTIMUS PRIME, BUT DON'T BE MISLED BY THE WORD CLONE. BECAUSE A CLONE ISN'T JUST A COPY, IT'S A BASTARDIZATION, A HOLLOW ECHO THAT FORGETS THE SOUL IT WAS MEANT TO HONOR. IN FICTION, CLONING A CHARACTER IS NEVER JUST ABOUT DUPLICATING THE BODY, IT'S ABOUT STRIPPING AWAY THE SOUL AND ASKING WHAT REMAINS. SO WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO CLONE OPTIMUS PRIME? TO UNDERSTAND THAT, WE FIRST HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHO HE IS. OPTIMUS PRIME ISN'T JUST A WARRIOR, HE'S A STANDARD. A MYTHIC EMBODIMENT OF SELFLESSNESS, DISCIPLINE, AND MORAL CLARITY. ACROSS NEARLY EVERY CONTINUITY, HE'S THE FIGURE OTHERS RALLY BEHIND. NOT BECAUSE OF BRUTE STRENGTH, BUT BECAUSE HE LEADS BY EXAMPLE, BECAUSE HE SACRIFICES, BECAUSE HE SERVES. HE CARRIES THE MATRIX OF LEADERSHIP, YES, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, HE CARRIES THE BURDEN OF CHOICE, OF RESTRAINT, OF BEING STRONG ENOUGH TO WIN AND NOBLE ENOUGH TO LEAD. IN A WORLD WHERE POWER IS OFTEN LOUD, ANGRY, OR SELFISH, OPTIMUS IS THE COUNTERWEIGHT. SO WHEN A CLONE IS MADE, WHAT GETS LEFT BEHIND? SOMETIMES IT'S WILL. NEMESIS PRIME AND TRANSFORMERS PRIME IS LITERALLY JUST A DRONE, DESIGNED TO IMITATE AND DESTROY, BUT INCAPABLE OF CHOICE. OTHER TIMES, LIKE IN 2001'S ROBOTS IN DISGUISE. THE CLONE STARTS WITH NO IDENTITY AT ALL, UNTIL IT DECIDES TO BECOME SOMETHING ELSE. AND IN THE CASE OF SHATTERED GLASS OPTIMUS PRIME, THE TWIST ISN'T THAT HE'S MISSING SOMETHING, BUT HE'S GAINED TOO MUCH. PRIDE, PARANOIA, AND THE BELIEF THAT FREEDOM IS JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR DOMINATION. EACH ONE REFLECTS SOMETHING DIFFERENT, BUT THEY ALL ECHO THE SAME QUESTION. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN STRENGTH IS DIVORCED FROM VIRTUE? OPTIMUS FIGHTS BECAUSE HE MUST. NEMESIS FIGHTS BECAUSE HE'S TOLD TO. SCOURGE FIGHTS BECAUSE HE WANTS TO, AND SHATTERED GLASS OPTIMUS FIGHTS BECAUSE HE BELIEVES HE'S RIGHT. THREE SHADOWS, THREE DISTORTIONS, ONE STOLEN LEGACY. BECAUSE EVIL CLONES DON'T JUST THREATEN THE AUTOBOTS, THEY THREATEN THE IDEA OF LEADERSHIP ITSELF. THEY REMIND US THAT ICONOGRAPHY CAN BE WEAPONIZED, THAT THE APPEARANCE OF MORALITY CAN BE FAKED, THAT WEARING THE FACE OF A HERO MEANS NOTHING IF YOU DON'T CARRY THE WEIGHT OF THAT ROLE. AND IN A UNIVERSE WHERE SYMBOLS MATTER, WHERE THE IMAGE OF OPTIMUS PRIME INSPIRES ARMIES AND CIVILIZATIONS. THOSE SHADOWS BECOME ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS, BECAUSE THEY PROVE HOW EASY IT IS TO FAKE A HERO. AND HOW RARE IT IS TO BE. SO AS WE LOOK INTO THESE THREE REFLECTIONS, NEMESIS PRIME, SCOURGE, AND SHATTERED GLASS. OPTIMUS, WE'RE NOT JUST TRACKING THE TRAJECTORY OF VILLAINS, WE'RE TRACING THE LIMITS OF IDENTITY. WE'RE ASKING WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO BE A LEADER, WHEN EVEN YOUR EVIL TWIN CAN SPEAK YOUR WORDS AND WEAR YOUR ARMOR. AND MAYBE, MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE'RE ASKING WHAT IT MEANS TO SERVE A CAUSE WHEN YOU NO LONGER REMEMBER WHY. NOT EVERY SHADOW CHOOSES TO FALL. SOME ARE CAST BY FORCE, CREATED IN LABS, PROGRAMMED IN SECRET, UNLEASHED WITHOUT EVER KNOWING WHY. THEY DON'T ASK QUESTIONS, THEY DON'T MAKE DECISIONS, THEY JUST FOLLOW THE CODE WRITTEN INTO THEIR FRAME. BECAUSE THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS TYRANNY IS TURNING LEADERSHIP INTO AUTOMATION, AND THE CLEAREST EXAMPLE OF THAT IS A PRIME WITH NO VOICE, NO SOUL, AND NO PURPOSE, EXCEPT DESTRUCTION. NEMESIS PRIME. NO VOICE, NO SPARK, ONLY A FACE, AND IT'S THE WRONG ONE. IN TRANSFORMERS PRIME, WHEN THE ROGUE PARAMILITARY GROUP MECH SETS OUT TO CREATE A WEAPON POWERFUL ENOUGH TO CHALLENGE THE AUTOBOTS, THEY DON'T BUILD SOMETHING NEW, THEY BUILD SOMETHING FAMILIAR. RECOGNIZABLE. TRUSTED. THEY BUILD A COPY OF OPTIMUS PRIME. BUT NOT JUST ANY COPY, THIS IS NEMESIS PRIME. AN EMPTY VESSEL MOLDED IN OPTIMUS' IMAGE, BUT STRIPPED OF EVERYTHING THAT MAKES HIM WHO HE IS. NO SENTIENCE. NO MORALITY. NO CONSCIENCE. NO, HE DOESN'T SPEAK, HE DOESN'T QUESTION, HE DOESN'T HESITATE, HE OBEYS. CONTROLLED REMOTELY BY SILAS, THE LEADER OF MECH, NEMESIS PRIME IS PURE FUNCTION, DESIGNED TO INFILTRATE, DESTROY, AND CONFUSE. HE ATTACKS HUMANS, FIGHTS AUTOBOTS, AND WEARS THE FACE OF THE ONE LEADER WHO WOULD'VE PROTECTED THEM ALL. THAT IS THE TRUE HORROR OF NEMESIS PRIME. HE ISN'T EVIL IN THE WAY WE USUALLY UNDERSTAND IT. HE ISN'T AMBITIOUS. HE DOESN'T LUST FOR POWER. HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT HE IS. HE'S EVIL BY DESIGN. A MACHINE MIMICKING A HERO. A TYRANT BY PROGRAMMING. A PUPPET OF DESTRUCTION MASQUERADING AS A PROTECTOR. AND THAT MAKES HIM ALL THE MORE TERRIFYING. BECAUSE NEMESIS PRIME REPRESENTS A DEEPER MOURNING THAN JUST BRUTE FORCE. HE'S A VISION OF LEADERSHIP HOLLOWED OUT. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE BODY REMAINS BUT THE SOUL IS ERASED? WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU TAKE AWAY A LEADER'S CONSCIENCE, HIS EMPATHY, HIS CAPACITY FOR SELF-SACRIFICE, AND LEAVE BEHIND ONLY THE ARMOR AND AUTHORITY? YOU GET A WEAPON. NOT A GUIDE. NOT A SERVANT. A MERE TOOL. AND TOOLS DON'T CARE WHAT THEY'RE USED FOR. THEY DON'T ASK WHO GAVE THE ORDER. THEY DON'T PROTECT. THEY DON'T REPENT. THEY JUST EXECUTE. IN TRANSFORMERS PRIME, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT NEMESIS DOES. MECHA UNLEASHES HIM NOT JUST TO TEST THEIR TECHNOLOGY, BUT TO UNDERMINE TRUST IN THE. AUTOBOTS. IMAGINE THE PUBLIC REACTION, A FIGURE THAT LOOKS LIKE OPTIMUS PRIME LAYING WASTE TO CITIES, ATTACKING CIVILIANS, SPREADING TERROR. IT'S THE PERFECT CORRUPTION, BECAUSE NEMESIS PRIME SHOWS US THAT THE IMAGE ALONE IS MEANINGLESS, THAT EVEN THE MOST SACRED SYMBOLS CAN BE HIJACKED, BENT TO SERVE DARKER AIMS. IN G1, THE TERM NEMESIS PRIME NEVER FORMALLY APPEARS, BUT THE SAME IDEA DOES. EVIL DUPLICATES, MINDLESS MACHINES, CORRUPTED REFLECTIONS OF OPTIMUS USE AS BLUNT INSTRUMENTS OF CONTROL, AND ACROSS CONTINUITIES, THIS PATTERN REPEATS. NEMESIS. PRIME, WHEN DONE RIGHT, ISN'T JUST ANOTHER VILLAIN. HE'S A PHILOSOPHICAL CAUTION, A MIRROR HELD UP TO THE CONCEPT OF A HERO ITSELF. BECAUSE WHEN POWER LOSES ITS PURPOSE, WHEN IT'S NO LONGER TIED TO VALUES, PRINCIPLES, OR RESTRAINTS, IT BECOMES CONTROL. AND WHEN THAT CONTROL IS USED WITHOUT A SOUL BEHIND IT, IT BECOMES TYRANNICAL. THAT'S WHAT MAKES NEMESIS SO DISTURBING. NOT THAT HE'S STRONG, NOT THAT HE'S DANGEROUS, BUT THAT HE DOESN'T CARE. THERE IS NO INNER CONFLICT, NO REMORSE, NO FALSE SENSE OF JUSTICE, ONLY CODE, ONLY COMMANDS. IN A WORLD SHAPED BY LEADERS LIKE OPTIMUS PRIME, WHO STRUGGLE WITH THE WEIGHT OF THEIR DECISIONS, WHO BLEED FOR OTHERS, WHO QUESTION THE COST OF WAR, NEMESIS PRIME IS THE ANTITHESIS. HE DOESN'T CARRY THE BURDEN, HE IS THE BURDEN, DROPPED LIKE A HAMMER ON ANYONE IN HIS PATH. FROM A MORAL STANDPOINT, NEMESIS PRIME BECOMES A KIND OF PARABLE. BECAUSE TRUE LEADERSHIP, RIGHTEOUS LEADERSHIP, REQUIRES MORE THAN AUTHORITY, IT REQUIRES VIRTUE, IT REQUIRES THE ABILITY TO CHOOSE RESTRAINT OVER REVENGE, SERVICE OVER DOMINANCE, DISCIPLINE OVER CHAOS. STRIPPED OF THAT, LEADERSHIP BECOMES HOLLOW, AND POWER, UNMOORED FROM PURPOSE, BECOMES OPPRESSION. BECAUSE HIS CREATORS FEARED FREEDOM MORE THAN FAILURE, AND THAT TOO IS ANOTHER LAYER TO THIS INCARNATION OF NEMESIS. TECHNOLOGY WITHOUT ETHICS, POWER WITHOUT ACCOUNTABILITY, IMAGE WITHOUT INTEGRITY, THEY AREN'T JUST STORY TROPES, THEY'RE WARNINGS. BECAUSE WHEN YOU CAN MANUFACTURE THE SYMBOL OF A SAVIOR, BUT GUT ITS MEANING, YOU CAN CONTROL ENTIRE POPULATIONS. AND MECH KNEW THAT. THEY DIDN'T CHOOSE OPTIMUS PRIME'S BODY BY ACCIDENT, THEY CHOSE IT BECAUSE IT MEANT SOMETHING, BECAUSE IT CARRIED WEIGHT. THEY JUST FORGOT ONE THING, YOU CAN COPY THE FRAME, BUT YOU CAN'T REPLICATE THE HEART. NEMESIS PRIME TEACHES US THAT STRENGTH ISN'T IN THE ARMOR, IT'S IN THE RESTRAINT TO NOT USE IT. THAT VOICE MATTERS, THAT SOUL MATTERS, THAT THE RIGHT TO LEAD ISN'T EARNED BY HOW HARD YOU HIT, BUT BY HOW MUCH YOU CARE. AND MAYBE MORE IMPORTANTLY, HE REMINDS US THAT SOME OF THE WORLD'S EVILS AREN'T LOUD OR FLAMBOYANT, SOMETIMES EVIL IS QUIET, SILENT, AND OBEDIENT. AND SOMETIMES, EVIL WEARS A TRUSTED FACE AND NEVER BLINKS. BEFORE WE SHUT DOWN THE CONTROL SIGNAL AND LEAVE THIS DARK REFLECTION BEHIND, MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW OR SUBSCRIBE TO DISASSEMBLED HEROES AND VILLAINS ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP. EVERY WEEK WE BREAK DOWN THE ICONS AND MONSTERS WHO SHAPED POP CULTURE, TO UNDERSTAND NOT JUST WHAT THEY BECAME, BUT WHY THEY WERE FORDS IN THE FIRST PLACE. AND THIS. FRIDAY, WE DESCEND EVEN DEEPER, TO TELL THE STORY OF A WARRIOR WHOSE RAGE SHOOK THE GODS, A FATHER OF ASHES, A DESTROYER OF PANTHEONS, A MAN WHO KILLED FOR VENGEANCE, AND LEARNED TO FIGHT FOR SOMETHING MORE. NEXT UP, WE CONFRONT KRATOS OF THE GOD OF WAR SAGA, AND NEXT TUESDAY, DISASSEMBLE DEEP CUT'S RETURNS WITH A DIFFERENT KIND OF LEGEND, ONE WHO SHAPED PRIME, CYBERTRON, AND THE VERY MYTHOS OF LEADERSHIP. NEXT UP, WE HONOR THE LEGACY OF ALPHA TRION, AND IF YOU WANT TO HELP CHOOSE WHO WE FACE NEXT, CAST YOUR VOTE EVERY WEDNESDAY IN THE HANDSOME COMICS YOUTUBE COMMUNITY POLL. NOW, BACK TO THE SHADOWS, AND THE WEIGHT OF A STOLEN FACE. NOT EVERY CLONE IS SILENT. SOME SPEAK, SOME THINK, SOME CHOOSE, AND THAT CHOICE IS WHAT MAKES THEM DANGEROUS. BECAUSE WHILE NEMESIS PRIME IS TERRIFYING FOR WHAT HE LACKS, SCOURGE IS TERRIFYING FOR WHAT HE FINDS, AN IDENTITY. IN TRANSFORMERS PRIME, NEMESIS IS JUST A WEAPON, BUT IN 2001'S ROBOTS IN DISGUISE, THE NEXT CLONE WE FACE IS SOMETHING MORE. BORN FROM OPTIMUS PRIME'S SPARK DATA, SCOURGE WAS CREATED TO BE A TOOL, A BLANK SLATE, A SOLDIER WITHOUT EGO. BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THAT SLATE STARTS TO WRITE ITS OWN STORY? WHEN A COPY OF OPTIMUS' DECIDES IT NO LONGER WANTS TO SERVE, BUT TO CONQUER. THE RESULT IS NO LONGER JUST A CLONE, IT'S A CORRUPTION. BECAUSE WHERE NEMESIS REPRESENTS OBEDIENCE WITHOUT SOUL, SCOURGE IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PRIDE REPLACES HONOR, WHEN AMBITION DEVOURS HUMILITY, AND THE REFLECTION STARES BACK WITH A SMIRK. HE WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO THINK. SCOURGE WASN'T BORN IN THE TRADITIONAL SENSE. HE WAS FORGED, EXTRACTED FROM OPTIMUS PRIME'S OWN SPARK DATA DURING A DESPERATE EXPERIMENT, THEN CORRUPTED BY DECEPTICON INFLUENCE. A CLONE NOT OF FLESH, BUT OF IDENTITY. AND AT FIRST, HE WAS BLANK. NO BELIEFS, NO AGENDA, JUST PROGRAMMING WAITING TO BE FILLED. BUT BLANK SLATES DON'T STAY BLANK FOR LONG. NOT WHEN POWER, CONFUSION, AND EGO COLLIDE. AS HE GAINS SENTIENCE, SOMETHING SHIFTS. HE BEGINS TO QUESTION, NOT THE ORDERS, BUT THE ORIGINAL. WHY SERVE OPTIMUS PRIME WHEN YOU WERE OPTIMUS PRIME? WHY FOLLOW WHEN YOU COULD LEAD? THUS BEGINS SCOURGE'S DOWNFALL, NOT INTO MADNESS, BUT INTO SELF-MADE AMBITION. HE'S NOT LIKE NEMESIS PRIME, A DRONE WITHOUT THOUGHT. SCOURGE CHOOSES REBELLION. HE CULTIVATES DISDAIN FOR HIS TEMPLATE, SEEING OPTIMUS NOT AS A HERO, BUT AS A RIVAL. HE SEES COMPASSION AS WEAKNESS, RESTRAINT AS COWARDICE, AND SERVICE AS SUBJUGATION. HE DOESN'T JUST BETRAY OPTIMUS. HE BELIEVES HE DESERVES TO REPLACE HIM. AND THAT IS THE HEART OF SCOURGE'S CORRUPTION. IT'S NOT A GLITCH. IT'S NOT MIND CONTROL. IT'S PRIDE. PRIDE ON HIS STRENGTH. PRIDE ON HIS INDEPENDENCE. PRIDE ON HIS CLAIM TO AN IDENTITY HE NEVER EARNED. HE ADOPTS THE VOICE, THE PRESENCE, EVEN THE TACTICS OF OPTIMUS PRIME, BUT TWISTS THEM INTO DOMINATION. BECAUSE SCOURGE DOESN'T WANT TO SERVE IDEALS. HE WANTS TO BE THE IDEAL. AND LIKE ALL WHO IDOLIZE THE MASK MORE THAN THE BOT, HE BECOMES HOLLOW IN THE PROCESS. HE'S CUNNING. BRUTAL. A TACTICIAN WITH CHARISMA. BUT BENEATH THE ARMOR LIES A DANGEROUS TRUTH. HE DOESN'T KNOW WHO HE IS. ONLY WHO HE DOESN'T WANT TO BE. AND SO HIS MISSION NARROWS. DESTROY OPTIMUS. NOT JUST PHYSICALLY, BUT SYMBOLICALLY. BECAUSE SCOURGE ISN'T JUST REFLECTING HIS CREATOR. HE'S DECLARING WAR ON THE VERY IDEA OF SELFLESS LEADERSHIP. ITS ENTITLEMENT DRESSED AS REBELLION, POWER, UNEARNED BUT DEMANDED, IDENTITY WITHOUT HUMILITY. AND THE LONGER HE WALKS THAT PATH, THE MORE TWISTED HE BECOMES. HE LASHES OUT NOT JUST AT AUTOBOTS, BUT AT HIS OWN TEAM. HE VIEWS ALLIES AS PAWNS, TRUST AS WEAKNESS, VICTORY AS THE ONLY VIRTUE. HE'S NO LONGER A REFLECTION, HE'S A PERVERSION. BECAUSE WHEN OPTIMUS EARNS LOYALTY, SCOURGE DEMANDS OBEDIENCE. WHEN OPTIMUS SACRIFICES, SCOURGE SEIZES. WHERE OPTIMUS LEADS BY HONOR, SCOURGE RULES BY FEAR. AND THAT'S THE CAUTIONARY TALE. CLONING DOESN'T JUST THREATEN PHYSICAL IDENTITY, IT TEMPTS SPIRITUAL CORRUPTION. SCOURGE BEGAN WITH NOTHING, AND FILLED THAT VOID NOT WITH PURPOSE, BUT WITH PRIDE. HE TEACHES US THAT STRENGTH WITHOUT SERVICE BREEDS TYRANNY. THAT IDENTITY WITHOUT HUMILITY BREEDS DELUSION. THAT THE MOMENT WE BELIEVE WE DESERVE POWER, IS THE MOMENT WE STOP BEING WORTHY OF IT. BECAUSE A TRUE LEADER SERVES THE PEOPLE, A FALSE ONE DEMANDS TO BE SERVED. IN SCOURGE, HE DIDN'T JUST WANT TO BE OPTIMUS PRIME. HE WANTED TO BE BETTER. AND IN TRYING TO ECLIPSE A HERO, HE FORGOT WHAT MADE HIM ONE. AND IN THE END, THAT'S ALL PRIDE EVER DOES. BUT SOMETIMES, EVIL DOESN'T WEAR YOUR FACE. IT IS YOUR FACE. NOT A CLONE. NOT A COPY. NOT A CORRUPTED REFLECTION. A PERFECT INVERSE. BECAUSE IF SCOURGE REPRESENTS THE DANGER OF PRIDE, THEN SHATTERED GLASS OPTIMUS PRIME IS SOMETHING FAR MORE INSIDIOUS. HE DOESN'T JUST WANT TO REPLACE YOU, HE WANTS TO REDEEM YOU BY FORCE. IN HIS EYES, CONQUEST IS COMPASSION. TYRANNY IS TRUTH. LIBERATION IS A LIE HE TELLS THE WEAK, RIGHT BEFORE THEY BURN. BECAUSE WHEN IDEALS ARE UNMOORED FROM TRUTH, WHEN FREEDOM BECOMES A WEAPON INSTEAD OF A RIGHT, YOU DON'T GET A HERO, YOU GET A HOLY WAR. AND AT THE CENTER OF IT, STANDS A PRIME WHO BELIEVES THE ONLY PATH TO PEACE IS THROUGH TOTAL SUBMISSION. AND NOW, ENTER THE MIRROR, AND WE'LL SEE WHERE FREEDOM DIES SCREAMING. IN MOST UNIVERSES, OPTIMUS PRIME IS A FLAME THAT GUIDES THE AUTOBOTS. A SYMBOL OF HOPE, COURAGE, AND SACRIFICE. BUT IN THE TWISTED WORLD OF SHATTERED GLASS, THAT FLAME BURNS EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH. THIS OPTIMUS DOESN'T FIGHT FOR PEACE, HE FIGHTS FOR FREEDOM, BUT ONLY HIS VERSION OF IT. AND IN HIS WARPED IDEOLOGY, YOU'RE EITHER WITH HIM, OR YOU'RE FUEL. IN TRANSFORMERS SHATTERED. GLASS, EVERYTHING IS INVERTED. THE DECEPTICONS ARE THE RESISTANCE, THE AUTOBOTS ARE THE TYRANTS, AND OPTIMUS PRIME. HE'S NOT A NOBLE LEADER CORRUPTED BY POWER. HE'S A ZEALOT WHO NEVER KNEW VIRTUE TO BEGIN WITH. FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, SHATTERED GLASS OPTIMUS PRIME SEES HIMSELF AS THE ONLY MORAL AUTHORITY. HE DOESN'T QUESTION HIS METHODS, BECAUSE IN HIS EYES, THE OUTCOME JUSTIFIES ALL. HE PREACHES LIBERTY, BUT DEMANDS LOYALTY. HE USES WORDS LIKE JUSTICE AND ORDER, BUT WHAT HE REALLY CRAVES IS DOMINATION. NOT FOR PROFIT, NOT FOR SPORT, BUT BECAUSE HE BELIEVES IT'S RIGHTEOUS. AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES HIM SO CHILLING. BECAUSE UNLIKE NEMESIS PRIME, WHO IS EMPTY, AND UNLIKE. SCOURGE, WHO SLOWLY DESCENDS INTO CORRUPTION, SHATTERED GLASS OPTIMUS STARTS AS A VILLAIN, AND HE DOESN'T THINK HE'S A VILLAIN. HE THINKS HE'S A SAVIOR. IN THIS UNIVERSE, THE AUTOBOTS WERE ONCE ORDINARY LABORERS AND WORKERS, BUT WHEN GIVEN SENTIENCE, SHATTERED GLASS OPTIMUS SAW IT NOT AS A GIFT, BUT A MANDATE. HE BELIEVED THAT HIS SENTIENCE, HIS STRENGTH, AND HIS POWER GAVE HIM THE DIVINE RIGHT TO RULE. SO WHEN MEGATRON ROSE UP, THIS UNIVERSE'S MEGATRON, A PEACEFUL INTELLECTUAL FIGHTING FOR EQUALITY, OPTIMUS DIDN'T JUST CRUSH HIM. HE LAUNCHED A WAR AGAINST ALL WHO QUESTIONED HIM. HE TURNED THE AUTOBOTS INTO A WAR MACHINE. HE WEAPONIZED SCIENCE, SUBJUGATED ENTIRE PLANETS, AND FORCED THE IDEOLOGY OF AUTOBOT FREEDOM ONTO CIVILIZATIONS THAT NEVER ASKED FOR IT. AND IF THEY RESISTED, HE MADE EXAMPLES OF THEM. BECAUSE FOR THIS PRIME, MERCY IS WEAKNESS, FORGIVENESS IS TREASON, AND THE TRUTH IS WHATEVER SERVES HIS MISSION. VISUALLY, SHATTERED GLASS. OPTIMUS WEARS A WHITE, TEAL, AND PURPLE COLOR SCHEME, A STARK CONTRAST FROM THE RED AND BLUE ICON WE KNOW. BUT THE REAL DIFFERENCE ISN'T THE PAINT, IT'S IN THE PHILOSOPHY. THIS OPTIMUS SEES WAR NOT AS A BURDEN, BUT A CLEANSING FIRE. HE DOESN'T MOURN THE LIVES LOST IN PURSUIT OF VICTORY, IN ONE CONTINUITY, HE PERSONALLY EXECUTES TRAITORS WITHIN HIS OWN RANKS. IN ANOTHER, HE DOESN'T INSPIRE HIS FOLLOWERS, HE DEMANDS THEM. AND IN DOING SO, HE PERVERTS EVERYTHING OPTIMUS. PRIME IS MEANT TO BE. BECAUSE SHATTERED GLASS ISN'T JUST A FUN MIRROR UNIVERSE GIMMICK, IT'S A WARNING THAT EVEN THE MOST RIGHTEOUS IMAGE, EVEN THE MOST BELOVED ICON, CAN BE TWISTED INTO SOMETHING MONSTROUS. WHEN YOU STRIP AWAY TRUTH, WHEN YOU ABANDON HUMILITY, WHEN YOU CLAIM ABSOLUTE MORAL AUTHORITY WITHOUT QUESTION, YOU DON'T GET JUSTICE, YOU GET DOGMA, YOU GET DOCTRINE, YOU GET A VERSION OF FREEDOM THAT KILLS IN THE NAME OF PEACE. AND THAT IS WHAT MAKES SHATTERED. GLASS OPTIMUS SO TERRIFYING. HE DOESN'T SEE HIMSELF AS THE PROBLEM, HE SEES HIMSELF AS THE SOLUTION. TO HIM, VIOLENCE IS NECESSARY, CONTROL IS COMPASSION, AND HISTORY WILL VINDICATE HIS ATROCITIES, BECAUSE ONLY HIS VERSION OF TRUTH WILL SURVIVE TO TELL THE TALE. DOESN'T THAT SOUND FAMILIAR? ACROSS HISTORY, IN FICTION AND IN LIFE, SOME OF THE WORST TYRANTS WEREN'T MONSTERS AT ALL, THEY WERE MESSIAHS IN THEIR OWN MIND. THEY DIDN'T TAKE POWER, THEY EARNED IT, AT LEAST THEY THOUGHT. AND ONCE THEY HAD IT, THEY NEVER LET GO. IN SOME VERSIONS OF SHATTERED GLASS, OPTIMUS HOLDS THE. MATRIX OF LEADERSHIP, BUT RARELY WIELDS IT. WHETHER OUT OF PARANOIA, PRIDE, OR FEAR OF WHAT IT MIGHT REVEAL, HE KEEPS IT HIDDEN. A SYMBOL TWISTED BY A TYRANT WHO NO LONGER SERVES ITS IDEALS. AND STILL, HE WEARS THE TITLE. STILL, HE DEMANDS OBEDIENCE. AND STILL, HE SPEAKS AS IF HE CARRIES THE DIVINE WEIGHT OF CYBERTRON'S DESTINY. BUT IT'S ALL A LIE. AND DEEP DOWN, MAYBE HE KNOWS IT. BECAUSE TRUE LEADERSHIP DOESN'T REQUIRE DOMINATION. IT REQUIRES SACRIFICE. IT REQUIRES DOUBT. AND SERVICE. AND TRUTH. SHATTERED GLASS OPTIMUS PRIME IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN FREEDOM BECOMES A SHIELD FOR CONTROL. WHEN LEADERSHIP BECOMES AN EXCUSE FOR VIOLENCE. WHEN THE IMAGE OF A HERO IS WEAPONIZED WITHOUT ANY OF THE VIRTUE BENEATH IT. HE TEACHES US THAT TYRANNY DOESN'T ALWAYS COME FROM THE SHADOWS. SOMETIMES, HE COMES FROM THE PEDESTAL, FROM THE ICON, FROM THE ONE WHO LOOKS LIKE A SAVIOR, BUT ACTS LIKE A GOD, AND IN DOING SO, HE EXPOSES THE MOST DANGEROUS KIND OF EVIL, THE KIND THAT BELIEVES IT'S GOOD. BECAUSE IF OPTIMUS PRIME STANDS FOR TRUTH, THEN SHATTERED GLASS OPTIMUS SHOWS US WHAT HAPPENS WHEN TRUTH IS TWISTED, NOT DISCARDED, NOT FORGOTTEN, BUT CORRUPTED, UNTIL THE WAR FEELS HOLY, UNTIL THE DESTRUCTION FEELS DESERVED. AND THAT'S THE MOST TERRIFYING THING OF ALL, NOT THE STRENGTH, NOT THE ARMOR, BUT THE CONVICTION. BECAUSE WHEN A TYRANT BELIEVES THEY'RE SAVING YOU, THERE'S NO LIMIT TO WHAT THEY'LL DO IN YOUR NAME. HE HAS THE VOICE. THE FACE. THE FRAME. THE TITLE. BUT LOOK CLOSER. NEMESIS PRIME OBEYS WITHOUT THOUGHT. SCOURGE REBELS WITHOUT CAUSE. SHATTERED GLASS OPTIMUS CONQUERS IN THE NAME OF FREEDOM. THEY LOOK LIKE HIM, BUT THEY ARE NOT HIM. BECAUSE OPTIMUS PRIME WAS NEVER JUST ARMOR, NEVER JUST A NAME, AND NEVER A LEADER BECAUSE HE DEMANDED LOYALTY. HE LED BECAUSE HE EARNED IT. AND THAT'S WHERE EVERY IMPOSTOR FALLS SHORT. BECAUSE IN THE END, YOU CAN MIMIC THE MIGHT. YOU CAN FORGE THE MASK. YOU CAN ECHO THE VOICE AND WEAR THE SYMBOL, BUT IF THERE'S NO SOUL BEHIND IT, YOU'RE NOT A HERO. YOU'RE JUST A SHADOW IN STOLEN SKIN. SO WHAT MAKES OPTIMUS, OPTIMUS? LET'S RETURN TO THE SOURCE. NOT THE CLONES, NOT THE MIRRORS, BUT THE ORIGINAL. THE ONE WHO CHOSE SERVICE OVER CONQUEST, SACRIFICE OVER SURVIVAL, AND RESTRAINT OVER RAGE. BECAUSE SOMETIMES, THE REAL QUESTION ISN'T HOW YOU LEAD, IT'S WHY. SO WHAT SEPARATES A TYRANT FROM A LEADER? NOT POWER. NOT STRATEGY. NOT EVEN VICTORY. IT'S PURPOSE. AND IN THE CASE OF OPTIMUS PRIME, IT'S SACRIFICE. BECAUSE WHILE HIS CLONES RULE THROUGH DOMINATION OR DESTRUCTION, OPTIMUS LEADS BY CHOICE. HE CARRIES THE BURDEN, SO NO ONE ELSE HAS TO. ACROSS EVERY CONTINUITY, THIS THEME ENDURES. HE DOESN'T SEEK THE MATRIX OF LEADERSHIP FOR GLORY, HE ACCEPTS IT BECAUSE SOMEONE MUST. BECAUSE WITHOUT SOMEONE WILLING TO SERVE, THE POWERFUL ONLY LEARN TO COMMAND. AND THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE. NEMESIS PRIME FOLLOWS ORDERS WITHOUT THOUGHT. SCOURGE SEEKS POWER WITHOUT PRINCIPLE. SHATTERED GLASS OPTIMUS DEMANDS OBEDIENCE UNDER THE ILLUSION OF LIBERTY. BUT OPTIMUS PRIME, HE QUESTIONS, HE DOUBTS, HE FEELS THE COST OF EVERY LIFE LOST UNDER HIS COMMAND. WHEREAS COPIES REVEL IN CONTROL, HE RECOILS FROM IT. BECAUSE FOR HIM, LEADERSHIP ISN'T A CROWN, IT'S A CRUCIBLE. IN TRANSFORMERS PRIME, WE SEE HIM HESITATE BEFORE ENGAGING THE ENEMY, NOT OUT OF FEAR, BUT OUT OF RESPONSIBILITY. HE DOESN'T CHARGE INTO BATTLE FOR CONQUEST, BUT BECAUSE STANDING ASIDE WOULD MEAN OTHERS FALL IN HIS PLACE. IN G1, HE CONSTANTLY BALANCES HIS ACTION WITH MORALITY, NEVER LOSING SIGHT OF WHY HE FIGHTS. TO PROTECT LIFE, NOT DOMINATE IT. HE DOESN'T SIMPLY JUST DEFEAT MEGATRON, HE SAVES HUMANITY, OFTEN AT A GREATER PERSONAL COST. IN CW, HIS ARC BECOMES ALMOST BIBLICAL. HE BEGINS AS ORION PAX, A CLERK, A THINKER, A BELIEVER IN JUSTICE. HE RISES NOT BECAUSE HE'S THE STRONGEST, BUT BECAUSE HE SPEAKS TRUTH TO TYRANNY. EVEN WHEN GRANTED ULTIMATE POWER, HE REMAINS HAUNTED BY THE WEIGHT OF COMMAND. HE FAILS, HE QUESTIONS, BUT HE KEEPS GOING. BECAUSE BEING A PRIME ISN'T ABOUT BEING PERFECT, IT'S ABOUT BEING ACCOUNTABLE. HIS CLONES OFTEN MOCK THAT RESTRAINT, THEY SEE IT AS WEAKNESS, BUT THAT IS THE IRONY. RESTRAINT IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF STRENGTH, WHEN NEMESIS PRIME LASHES OUT WITHOUT THOUGHT, BUT STANDS FIRM, CHOOSING NOT TO STRIKE UNLESS HE MUST. WHEN SCOURGE IS CONSUMED BY EGO, OPTIMUS HUMBLES HIMSELF BEFORE THE VERY SOLDIERS HE COMMANDS. WHEN SHATTERGLASS OPTIMUS JUSTIFIES ATROCITIES IN THE NAME OF FREEDOM, THE TRUE OPTIMUS SACRIFICES HIMSELF JUST TO PRESERVE. THIS ISN'T JUST STORYTELLING, IT'S A MORAL PHILOSOPHY, BECAUSE TRUE LEADERSHIP REQUIRES MORE THAN FIREPOWER. IT DEMANDS PRINCIPLE, IT MEANS CHOOSING THE HARD PATH, THE SLOW PATH, THE ONE PAVED NOT WITH ADORATION, BUT WITH CONSEQUENCES. AND NO ONE BEARS THE WEIGHT LIKE OPTIMUS PRIME. HE DOESN'T RUN FROM DEATH, HE ACCEPTS IT. HE FACES IT. AND SOMETIMES, HE EVEN EMBRACES IT, IF IT MEANS SOMEONE ELSE MIGHT LIVE. THINK ABOUT THAT. WHAT WAS THE LAST TIME A CLONE OF OPTIMUS CHOSE TO DIE SO OTHERS DIDN'T HAVE TO? THEY DON'T, BECAUSE THEY WERE NEVER BUILT TO SERVE, ONLY TO CONQUER. OPTIMUS PRIME IN EVERY WORLD, REMINDS US THAT A LEADER DOESN'T JUST WALK IN FRONT. HE KNEELS FIRST, HE LISTENS, HE PROTECTS. AND WHEN THE MOMENT COMES, HE SACRIFICES. NOT BECAUSE HE WANTS TO BE A MARTYR, BUT BECAUSE SOMEONE MUST TAKE THE HIT, THAT'S THE SOUL HIS COPIES LACK, THAT'S THE CONSCIENCE THEY CAN'T REPLICATE, BECAUSE IN THE END, IF SOMEONE WEARS THE FACE OF A HERO, BUT SERVES ONLY THEMSELVES, ARE THEY TRULY THE SAME AT ALL? THANK YOU FOR WALKING WITH US THROUGH THE DARKENED REFLECTIONS OF A LEGEND, THROUGH DRONES WHO IMITATE, THROUGH TYRANTS WHO TWIST, THROUGH MIRRORS THAT WARP THE IMAGE OF A PRIME INTO A WEAPON. WE'VE SEEN WHAT HAPPENS WHEN STRENGTH IS UNMOORED FROM CONSCIENCE, WHEN PRIDE REPLACES HUMILITY, WHEN FREEDOM IS USED TO SHACKLE INSTEAD OF LIBERATE. SOME WORE HIS FACE TO CONTROL, SOME SPOKE HIS WORDS TO DECEIVE, SOME EVEN BELIEVED THEY WERE FIGHTING FOR GOOD, BUT NONE OF THEM BORE THE BURDEN OPTIMUS CARRIES. BECAUSE OPTIMUS PRIME ISN'T DEFINED BY HIS FIREPOWER, HE'S DEFINED BY WHAT HE CHOOSES NOT TO DESTROY. HE DOESN'T DEMAND LOYALTY, HE EARNS IT. HE DOESN'T LEAD WITH EGO, HE LEADS WITH SACRIFICE. AND THAT'S THE TRUTH EVERY CLONE MISSES. YOU CAN COPY THE FRAME, YOU CAN REPLICATE THE VOICE, BUT YOU CAN'T MANUFACTURE THE SOUL. BECAUSE IN THE END, IT'S NOT HOW YOU LOOK THAT DEFINES A LEADER, IT'S WHAT YOU'RE WILLING TO CARRY. SIT WITH THE POWER OF RESTRAINT, THE WEIGHT OF DUTY, THE TRUTH THAT REVEALS LEADERSHIP IS SERVICE, NEVER CONTROL. BECAUSE THE CLONES OF OPTIMUS PRIME MAY SHARE HIS SHAPE, BUT NONE OF THEM CARRY HIS HEART. SO STAY SHARP, STAY BRAVE, AND AS ALWAYS, STAY HANDSOME. AND REMEMBER, EVIL MAY WEAR FAMILIAR FACES, BUT IT CAN NEVER FAKE A REAL SACRIFICE.