The Transformers Writer Behind Optimus Prime Has A Problem With Michael Bay

Have you ever noticed Optimus Prime in Michael Bay's "Transformers" films isn't really all that heroic? To be fair, he doesn't start that way in Bay's original 2007 "Transformers" film. There, he tries to keep the fights between the Autobots and Decepticons away from densely-populated areas and, when that's not possible, makes an active effort to minimize casualties. Optimus even implores Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) to place the AllSpark (ie. the film's MacGuffin) in his chest during the climax, knowing it will kill him but will also prevent his arch-nemesis Megatron and the other Decepticons from wreaking havoc on the universe.

Of course, Sam sticks the AllSpark in Megatron's chest to kill him instead, and Optimus and the Autobots return in the 2009 sequel, "Revenge of the Fallen," now working with humanity to hunt down the remaining Decepticons. By this point, however, Optimus has basically morphed into Judge Dredd, anointing himself judge, jury, and executioner and straight-up killing Decepticons in cold blood. Even after he's killed by Megatron (who got better) and returns from Prime Heaven (don't ask), Optimus' bloodlust only grows.

By the time we get to the climactic battle of Chicago in 2011's "Dark of the Moon," Optimus barely seems worried about protecting civilians and kills Megatron ... er, again by ripping his head and spine out of his body (cue the "Mortal Kombat" announcer booming "Fatality!"). He then turns to his traitorous predecessor, Sentinel Prime, and shoots him dead in the face. Is it any wonder Bay's fifth "Transformers" film, "The Last Knight," sees Optimus become a flat-out villain (albeit, only after being brainwashed by the nefarious Cybertronian deity Quintessa)?

Understandably, one of the chief creatives behind the original '80s animated "Transformers" series, "The Transformers," has some thoughts on the subject.

A story editor on the first two seasons of "The Transformers," Bryce Malek was one of the writers behind the series' lore bible. He was also involved in crafting season 2's "War Down," an episode of the show that notably wears its anti-fascism message on its sleeve, rallying against what Malek described in a 2014 interview with Screen Crush as "fascist," gung-ho '80s action heroes that came to embody the decade's Reagan-era politics (like Rambo). That being the case, Malek doesn't take kindly to Optimus' slide into fascism in Bay's films. In his own words:

"Optimus has got to be Abe Lincoln. He's got to have malice toward none. And Abe Lincoln doesn't just up and bust a cap in a dude's ass because he was a turncoat."

Given Bay's proclivity to badge worship and fetishizing the military, it's not exactly shocking he would take this approach to characterizing Optimus. (Not that Bay's "Transformers" films have ever been celebrated for their thoughtful storytelling or carefully considered political subtext. "From a writing standpoint, the cartoons have so much more story and characters that it's not even funny," said Malek.) That started to change after Bay left the franchise, with the prequel "Bumblebee" winding back the clock to the days of the younger and more heroic Optimus. But by the time that film's sequel, "Rise of the Beasts," picks up, Optimus has returned to his pro-murder ways in-between being a grouchy stick in the mud. He learns how to be a better team player by the end, though, so, uh, progress?