Warning! This post contains spoilers for Transformers One.
Transformers One’s timeline makes it hard not to wonder what Optimus Prime and Megatron’s ages might be in its story. Introducing Optimus Prime and Megatron as Orion Pax and D-16, respectively,Transformers Oneharkens back in time and presents an origin story for the two characters. While it features some incredible action sequences and delivers several memorable one-liners like theTransformerslive-action movies,Transformers Onestands out in the overarching franchise because it dares to revolve solely around the titular species.
What also makes it a unique addition to the franchise is that, instead of walking through a war between the Decepticons and the Autobots, it unfolds in a timeline where the two factions do not even exist. Optimus Prime and Megatron are far from being enemies and work as powerless miners on Cybertron’s surface. However, a series of events gradually lead to tensions between them, paving the way for their rivalry. Since both characters are young, naive, and surprisingly friendly with one another in the animated film, viewers may be curious about their age.
Optimus Prime & Megatron Are Younger Than 50 Years Old In Transformers One
Subtle Clues In The Film Hint At Their Ages
Transformers Onereveals that it has been 50 cycles since the original Primes were betrayed and killed by Sentinel Prime. Given how Orion Pax and D-16 seem to know nothing about their planet’s past and Sentinel Prime’s betrayal, they were likely not around when the events ensued. In the movie’s opening arc, the two Transformers characters simply accept their place as miners in their world and believe that Sentinel Prime means well as the head of Cybertron.
Optimus Prime’s 3 Different Forms In Transformers One Explained
In its 104-minute run, Transformers One not only explores a compelling Cybertronian story but also showcases Optimus Prime’s three different forms.
Their naivety and blind trust in Sentinel Prime’s rule suggest thatthey have only seen him in power since they came into existence. They have no clue what he did to rise in the ranks and how his actions shaped Cybertron because they have not been around for long. These details in the movie’s narrative suggest that Optimus Prime and Megatron cannot be older than 50 years in Cybertronian time. However, since time is relative and measured differently on the planet, they could be far older in Earth’s years.
How Optimus Prime & Megatron’s Ages Compare To Other Transformers Movies
They Are Much Younger In Transformers One
When it comes to theTransformerslive-action movies, they never explicitly mention the ages of their titular characters. However, the original G1 cartoon discloses thatOptimus Prime is close to 9 million Earth years in age. The franchise’s original lore also suggests that he took part in the War for Cybertron for almost 5 million years before arriving on Earth and remaining inactive for about 5 million years. TheTransformersfranchise’s producer, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, also dropped some clues surroundingTransformers One’s timelineand Optimus Prime’s relative age.
…Optimus Prime and Megatron have to be over 300 million years in Earth time in Michael Bay’s live-actionTransformersmovies.
Revealing that the animated film serves as a prequel to theMichael Bay movies, the producer revealed thatTransformers One"was like 300 million years before the first Michael Bay movie.“Lorenzo di Bonaventura’s insights on the movie’s timeline suggest that Optimus Prime and Megatron have to be over 300 million years in Earth time in Michael Bay’s live-action Transformers movies. SinceBumblebeeandTransformers: Rise of the Beastsunfolded only a decade or two before the Michael Bay films, Optimus Prime and Megatron are around the same age in those films.
Why Optimus Prime & Megatron Are So Much Younger In Transformers One
The Animated Movie Presents An Origin Story
In all live-actionTransformersmovies, Megatron is portrayed as a typical antagonist who cannot be redeemed. Meanwhile, Optimus Prime is also established as the supreme Autobot leader, possessing the necessary skills to lead his faction against the Decepticons.Transformers One, in contrast, presents the two characters' origin stories, where they are initially nothing like their live-action counterparts. While D-16 has his morals in place and even looks out for Orion Pax, the young Optimus Prime has yet to recognize his potential to become a worthy leader.
1 hour 51 minutes
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Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
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SinceTransformers Onefocuses on capturing the past events that trigger major changes in the two characters and eventually encourage them to walk down opposing paths, it features significantly younger versions of the two. This youthful portrayal of the two charactersallows the film to begin their narratives with a clean slatewhere they do not carry any grudges against one another but gradually develop feelings of hatred as their ideals separate them. By capturing Optimus Prime and Megatron’s early years,Transformers Oneeffectively humanizes the two robot characters.
Transformers One
Transformers One is an animated action-adventure movie that marks the first animated feature-length film for the series in decades. The film will be a prequel to the franchise, and will tell the story of Optimus Prime and Megatron in their early years, how they met, and a closer look at the war on their home planet, Cybertron.
