I still remember when it seemed like they were trying to minimize him across the franchise. Rodimus Convoy from Super Link couldn't be Rodimus Prime in Energon. Everyone was a Prime in Animated, but they couldn't allow it for Rodimus for some reason. They let Shockwave be a Prime before Rodimus. Think about that.
Rodimus Prime is a favorite character of mine going back, so it's been a sore spot that they've thankfully been walking back in more recent years, but I don't want them to regress and go back to trying to lock him away again.
The Animated one was weird because Sentinel Prime was originally Rodimus Prime, but Hasbro didn't like the idea of Rodimus Prime being a jerk, so they used the one other named Prime the franchise had at the time. You'd think they wouldn't be so protective of him if they were so willing to minimize him.
To the point, I don't think they're going to try and lock him away. They're coming out with a new SS '86 Rodimus Prime figure, who will either be a heavy retool of the Kingdom release or an all new mould. Either way, you don't roll out a new $90+ figure for a character you want to memory hole.
I guess I just feel it's worth saying that whatever Hasbro is going to tack on here, it ultimately doesn't matter. The way some people are talking, it's like Hasbro is going to seize the TFWiki servers and burn your DVDs to scrub Rodimus from existence.
Beyond that though, it's all just silly. Just enjoy the franchise in whatever way makes you happy. So much about this fandom seems to hinge on "what if the wrong people like something?" and it's like... who cares? Do you like Rodimus? Do you like the media he's in? That's great! Celebrate that. That's what should matter, how you enjoy the property.
Instead, we get cases like EarthSpark turning him into a traitor.
Hot take? This isn't an ES thing, or at least not just an ES thing. People sleep on it, but James Roberts' Rodimus from MtMtE/LL is a huge peen. He...
... changes his name to Rodimus because it sounds like "Nominus," and "Optimus," two Primes, at Swindle's suggestion, ie he got played by the most obvious conman on Cybertron.
... talks about leading a crew on a grand quest to save their people, and it becomes a running gag how little progress they make.
... flies around in a spaceship shaped like his own head yelling "TIL ALL ARE ONE!"
... enables self-destructive and addictive behaviour in Chromedome to further his own personal goals.
... gets demoted to "Co-captain" of his own ship, and has to share the title with Megatron of all people.
... hands out badges with his own face on them for literally anything, is a running gag about how pointless they are.
... in a moment of frank honesty, admitted to Optimus Prime that he was a "chancer."
But he was quirky and British so I guess it was fine?
Of course, there is a level of depth here other than "lol Rodimus bad," but my point is that it's a pretty prominent example of Rodimus being shown in a less than flattering light, and it went over very well with a lot of people.
Does this mean IDW ruined Rodimus? Hardly.
That's the great thing about this franchise. You can enjoy it on your own terms, and enjoy the parts you like. If something comes along you don't like, you can let it pass you by and something else that's more your speed will come along. Permanence has never been a thing with this franchise, and it failed the one time they tried it (Aligned).
But this constant angst over a forty year old movie is just... ugh.
I don't think killing Optimus was the best move
in hindsight but it's also a movie that came out before I was born. Who cares what I think, myself included? What's done is done, and it's a fun movie and a fun watch.
Could people be a little less weird about it? Sure. But you find people who take things way too seriously in everything, it's just human nature. See every single time a group of sports fans throws a happy little riot when their team wins the big game.
As a sports fan, I can say that those types of fans who riot when their teams win or lose get a lot of flack. They still act that way, sure, but there's a healthy amount of criticism from others in the same fan space for their behaviour.
And to be clear, people who have made hating on Rodimus for Optimus' death, or who have made pushing back against those folks, their whole personality in the TF fandom, are far less destructive then idiots who burn down a couple of blocks after a win.
Still, it's annoying that 40 years out and we can't have a bit of fun with this movie without someone going "oh they're catering to those people." jfc, who cares? Let it go, enjoy the movie, have a good time.
