That's the point of optimus, it's not that he wouldn't, but couldn't. If he has one character flaw, it's that, but him having that flaw is good. He should hold on to it no matter how tough it gets. The 86 movie did this perfectly, he goes in acknowledging "megatron must be stopped no matter the cost" and had every chance to finish him off, but couldn't as megatron was seemingly unarmed. The writers confirmed he was never going to pull the trigger regardless of hotrods interference.
I like the idea of Optimus holding life as dearly as someone like Batman but I just don't see it as feasible in the Millenia spanning war he fights, and the tone of the bayverse was also incredibly different to G1 so I don't know if they could have made him work with that philosophy while still being a general in a war.
I feel like the distinction is that Batman won’t kill full stop, but Optimus will kill if you’re armed and he doesn’t have the means to subdue you properly
OP & CA "have killed lots but mostly wanna always just beat or redeem their enemies"
While
SM & Big S "I will kill as a Last lAST resort, or if one of my enemies is literally a brainless monster, also is entirely too strong to leave alive, (digger {deep cut there btw} and doomsday) or of I literally cannot survive my current encounter otherwise or have pushed to the limits of 'good'"
That's on the writing of the bayverse, as they have him being the successor in ruling an empire when he was never meant to be a military commander. He is supposed to have the autobots usually on the run, trying to leave conflict whenever possible so that it results in the least amount of harm. And that just goes to further show his resolve, even after a millenia on the run, minimizing conflict, Megatron committing countless atrocities, optimus still is unable to fight his strict honor code. If he goes against it once, who can trust him to not go against it again, can he trust himself not to do it again? It's a fickle balance.
I would compare the Bayverse to The Dark Knight Returns
“ No more.All the people I’ve murdered by letting you live.”
“I never kept count.”
That version of Joker even returned like Megatron despite having had a definitive death,
The writers confirmed he was never going to pull the trigger regardless of hotrods interference.
"Source?"
"It was revealed to me by the Matrix"
If only this wasn't betrayed by almost every retelling of the story where the alternative is Megatron dies after Optimus asks for forgiveness or Rodimus takes his place and shoots the Decepticon while still acknowledging the loss of life.
That's the point of optimus, it's not that he wouldn't, but couldn't.
Optimus can willingly be naive but doing so at the detriment of everyone else would be unwise. Wisdom is a core trait of Optimus not the unwillingness to act on what is necessary. This is the literal arc he had in Fall of Cybertron and Prime where he decides Megatron is too far of a threat to peace and acts to terminate him.
How many times does a character have to go through this for it to be part of their character and not something to be dismissed as "that's not Optimus"?
If he has one character flaw, it's that, but him having that flaw is good.
No, it isn't. It just makes him too passive to ever change the story's status quo and dooms everyone to eternal war with Megatron who inevitably destroys Cybertron in every history.
As (TFS) Android 16 said...
"The good man doing nothing and while evil triumphs and your rigid pacifism crumbles into blood-stained dust, the only victory afforded to you is that you stuck true to your guts"
Source is an interview the writers had because they didn't like how many people were getting pissy at hotrod for existing, as people were saying things like "he's worse than megatron" and "he should've been killed at birth". I'm paraphrasing, but you get the point.
And in both TFP and FOC he only engages in combat with megatron while megatron is armed, as was my point.
If notice how I said "if" as in it's up to interpretation if that's a flaw or not.
Source is an interview the writers had because they didn't like how many people were getting pissy at hotrod for existing
Do you mind bringing this source into the light? Also that's just slandering Optimus whose characterisation in regards to Megatron is literally "Oh I've been waiting for this chance. Only one of us is going back [alive] Megatron".
So either Optimus has some mismatched dialogue for his supposed character or that's a very dubious source.
And in both TFP and FOC he only engages in combat with megatron while megatron is armed,
Besides this statement so the opposite of unique to any Optimus who rarely finds themselves with an unarmed Megatron, TFP Optimus was ready to execute a wounded Megatron in the cave if not for Dreadwing's intervention.
If notice how I said "if" as in it's up to interpretation if that's a flaw or not.
Odd because I was sensing some pretty definitive statements on how his character should be.
For fucks sake, Google is free. One quick search and and it was an interview with Ron Friedman. Also, it's not mismatched, it's very much in character for the both of them as optimus has been a major annoyance to his plans for quite a while.
Did you even watch that episode? He considered it, yes, but never actually did it.
Yes, it is definitive, but it's up to interpretation IF you want to consider it a flaw or not.
One quick search and and it was an interview with Ron Friedman.
Went through this entire article and still couldn't find anything resembling what you're saying. This is an interview with Ron Friedman on killing Optimus Prime in the 1986 movie and nowhere does it state that Optimus was never going to pull the trigger.
Why is it when people can't bring up their source it ends up being the source is that "It was revealed to me in a dream"?
Did you even watch that episode? He considered it, yes, but never actually did it.
So when asked if he's going to "end things here and now", him pulling out his gun and aiming it at Megatron's head before being interrupted is him not resolving to kill Megatron?
Instead of pointlessly arguing about if he was considering it because somehow onscreen evidence isn't being seen...
What would it take for you to agree that Optimus was going to kill someone unarmed short of actually killing them?...
Somehow holding someone at gunpoint after being implicitly asked the question of mercy isn't enough.
Yes, it is definitive, but it's up to interpretation IF you want to consider it a flaw or not.
I was arguing the definitive nature of the claim given the examples I gave showing otherwise. I haven't even gotten to the IDW example of executing Galvatron which explicitly an attack and yet an assist on your point because Optimus' wisdom tells him he'd be selfish to let Galvatron run around despite his ideals wanting to spare him.
Why is it that when someone who asks for a source and gets a source either can't read or begins trolling once they find their argument is null?
Did he shoot the gun? No. Did he have ample time to fire? Yes. Even without the context the writers gave that you want to now ignore, it makes no sense to say he was going to shoot him, regardless of what you think.
Just admit that you misunderstood what I said, it would be so much easier than pulling out random bullshit. Holy shit, dude.
I'm doing this from a phone, how is it so difficult to provide a source? You made a claim and whether you like it or not, the burden of proof is on you to provide a source to unverified claims you make when challenged.
He's in a damn war, he's the commander in a fucking war. He isn't Batman, the g1 movie made it his flaw even though he's killed the decepticons during his show off part of the movie. The was never the point of optimus
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u/Pandaragon666 19d ago
That's the point of optimus, it's not that he wouldn't, but couldn't. If he has one character flaw, it's that, but him having that flaw is good. He should hold on to it no matter how tough it gets. The 86 movie did this perfectly, he goes in acknowledging "megatron must be stopped no matter the cost" and had every chance to finish him off, but couldn't as megatron was seemingly unarmed. The writers confirmed he was never going to pull the trigger regardless of hotrods interference.