Warning: Contains SPOILERS forTransformers #14
The entireTransformersfranchise has just been flipped upside down by the reveal of Megatron’s secret ability. Megatron’s loyal forces are a scourge upon the galaxy. However, the Decepticon leader’s newly revealed power completely recontextualizes his rise to leadership and threatens to destroy the Autobots and Optimus Prime. What used to be Megatron’s goofiest transformation is now his most powerful.
Transformers #14- by Daniel Warren Johnson and Jason Howard - follows a broken andmalformed Starscreamas he gathers new allies, carving out a faction, separate from the Autobots or Decepticons. As a small armada of humans attempts to turn Starscream into a weapon under their control, Megatron’s frequent right handreflects on a tragic moment in his lifewhen he was forced tosubmit to another’s will.
Thinking back to the early days of the war, when the Transformers still called Cybertron home, Starscream remembershis first great act of crueltythat would transform the freedom fighter into a villain.
Megatron’s Gun Mode Can Control His Wielder’s Mind
Transformers #14 -Written by Daniel Warren Johnson; Art by Jason Howard; Colors by Mike Spicer; Lettering by Rus Wooton
Megatron’s gun mode has always been his most laughable transformation. While he has since diversified his transformative options, frequently utilizing tank or jet modes, his original transformation, while iconic, felt incredibly goofy forthe Decepticon leader. It wasn’t just goofy, it was impractical. While the rest of the Decepticons held their own against the Autobot forces, Megatron was forced to rely on another in battle. However, in this issue, it’s been revealed thatthis alternate mode can influence his wielder’s mind.
Transformers Debuts a Brand-New Faction That Is Ready to Destroy Autobots and Decepticons
Starscream assembles a new Transformers faction for the Energon Universe: a brigade that’s completely separate from the Autobots AND Decepticons.
While fans will always remember Starscream being just as much a violent power-hungry tyrant as Megatron, that wasn’t always the case. The Decepticons were originally freedom fighters who wished toliberate Cybertronfrom its rulers’ influence. The civil war that followed was that of ideology, not domination. After capturing a group of Autobots, Megatron ordered Starscreamto execute the prisoners of war. Shockingly, Starscream protested, uncomfortable with such underhanded immoral warfare. Unsurprisingly, Megatron refused to take “no” as an answer.
Optimus Prime May Already Be Under Megatron’s Influence
The Autobot Leader Has Merged With His Enemy
Megatron’s influence rapidly transformed Starscream into the “hand of death” that fans know and love.
Starscream’s mind twisted and shattered under Megatron’s control, forcing the Decepticon to kill the prisoners. Over time, Megatron’s influence rapidlytransformed Starscream into the “hand of death”that fans know and love. What was Megatron’s most impractical transformation is instead his most dastardly. Anyone who wieldsthe Decepticon warlordimmediately falls under his control. While fans have only seen Starscream, an already loyal soldier, submit to his leader’s will,an Autobot would likely relent as well.
This heavily guarded secret, locked away in Starscream’s mind alone, gives the Decepticon leader a significant advantage over his millennia-long enemy. Optimus has no reason to suspect that Megatron has this skill. His various gun modes are seemingly nonsensical,making it the perfect Trojan Horse.This could spell disastrous consequences, asOptimus Prime currently has Megatron’s armand cannon grafted onto his body. Throughout this series, Optimus has had shockingly extreme lethal intent when facing off against his Cybertronian brethren. This revelation forces fans to consider thatMegatron’s influence may already be at work.
Optimus Prime’s Questionably Violent Behavior is Concerning
Will the Autobots Crumble Under Their Leader’s Corruption?
War begets lethal violence, that is a fact.Optimus Prime is already a killer. But at every moment throughout the war, he has attempted to sway the Decepticons to put down their arms. Without judgment of their past, he’s willing to accept his enemies with open arms. However, since combining himself with Megatron’s arm, Prime’s warfare tactics have becomenoticeably more violent.He hasobliterated Decepticonsusing his new cannon. When faced with Starscream, Optimus attempts the same tactic.
Transformers' Latest Brutal Optimus Prime Move Was Inspired by a Surprise Anime
Daniel Warren Johnson cited this famous mecha anime series as an influence on the new Energon Universe series with this Optimus Prime moment…
While this doesn’t necessarily mean that Optimus is already lost, it is concerning to know thatMegatron’s influence is easily spreadand that the leader of the Autobots may be its next victim. If simply wielding Megatron is enough to warp his wielder’s mind, what happens when Megatron has been grafted onto another Cybertronian? Optimus Prime has been desperate to end the war, pleading with his enemies at every moment to accept peace. But that same desperation could be his andthe Autobots’ downfallif he is made Megatron’s next victim, just as Starscream was before, drastically changing the course of the currentTransformersseries.
Transformers #14is available now from Image Comics
Transformers (2023)
Optimus Prime was supposed to have led the Autobots to victory. Instead, the fate of Cybertron is unknown, and his allies have crash-landed far from home, alongside their enemies—the Decepticons. As these titanic forces renew their war on Earth, one thing is immediately clear: the planet will never be the same. New alliances are struck. Battle lines are redrawn. And humanity’s only hope of survival is Optimus Prime.
