Nemesis Prime

Nemesis Prime is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers storyline. He is often depicted as an evil incarnation or counterpart of Optimus Prime.

Transformers: Robots in Disguise

Though not referred to as such, the character of Scourge in Robots in Disguise was an early occurrence of many of the elements featured in later Nemesis Prime characters.

Transformers: Armada

In "puppet" in the Armada universe, Nemesis Prime (Scourge in the Japanese version) was a monstrous Transformer, controlled by Sideways, sent to kill the Autobots and Decepticons while they were on their way to Cybertron. It scanned the minds of the Transformers that landed on the planet it was waiting on to ambush them and took the form of Optimus Prime as he was the most powerful and respected in all their minds. As a duplicate of Optimus Prime, Nemesis had all of Prime's strength and power - in addition to his ability to reconstruct himself. Nemesis Prime subsequently attacked and decimated the two sides, leaving most of the Transformers heavily damaged. However, they were then restored and their abilities enhanced by the powers of their Mini-Cons, and Nemesis Prime was subsequently destroyed by the power of Optimus Prime (powerlinked with Overload) and Galvatron, the newly reformatted form of Megatron.

Nemesis Prime wielded the Dark Saber, a twisted clone of the Star Saber, and had a Mini-Con partner named Run-Over. Run-Over was only seen alongside Nemesis Prime in the Linkage DVD comics released in Japan. Here, he was used in gun mode, to help Nemesis Prime create an artifact called the "Doomstone," made of the death agonies of their victims. The Doomstone is an artifact of immense power, capable of destroying a soul-dimension such as the Linkage. If destroyed, the energy released could also wipe out all life on a planet.

In the anime, Nemesis Prime had a trailer not unlike Optimus Prime's in terms of design and could presumably transform to super mode with it. But the toy came without a trailer and contained none of the circuitry required to transform a trailer.

Toy

• Armada Deluxe Nemesis Prime with Run-Over (2003)

A redeco of Armada Deluxe Optimus Prime. In Japan the figure and its Mini-Con were renamed as Scourge and Sweeps.^[1]

• Superlink Grand Scourge

Although no Nemesis Prime toy was released in the Energon line, a transforming model kit called Grand Scourge was released by Takara in Japan. This kit resembled Energon Optimus Prime and his four drones, but were colored like Armada Nemesis Prime. He even featured a super-mode, but came with no trailer. This model kit claims it's 1/45 scale. With a super-mode height of 17 centimeters, this means the real super-robot would stand 765 centimeters or 25 feet tall.

Transformers: Universe (2004)

Nemesis Prime was a Cybertronian leader (most likely an alternate form of Optimus Prime) from another dimension conquered by Unicron. In that reality Prime was defeated by the Herald of Unicron known as Megazarak. Captured, it had its spark tortured and experimented on by the Chaos Bringer. Unicron kept the Prime locked in a state of unbeing, its spark separated from body, yet prevented from joining the All-Spark. He was tortured for an eternity until pain became indistinguishable from pleasure and the former Autobot longed for only this sensation. Broken, he was reformatted into Nemesis Prime and granted Unicron's Dead Matrix, the former Primes' Matrix which during the centuries of torture had rotted and been perverted into a weapon capable of annihilating Primus, just as the Autobot Matrix possesses the power to destroy Unicron.

It is the commander and most evil member of the Decepticons gathered by Unicron. It also serves as one of the greatest threats to the universe next to Unicron, possessing the wisdom of an Autobot leader yet devoid of all compassion. Of note is that Nemesis Prime is listed in Biography material as a "Champion" of Unicron rather than a Herald. This is believed to denote that the character voluntarily carries out its role rather than having to be constantly coerced or forced into action as Galvatron often was. Additionally, it could be indicative that Nemesis Prime is the most powerful of Unicron's servants.

Fun Publications

Set free by the black hole created by Unicron's death in Transformers: Cybertron, Nemesis Prime and Ramjet journeyed to the nearly deserted Cybertron. Attacking Alpha Trion, Vector Prime and their dimensionally displaced ally Sentinel Maximus, their sinister plan was soon revealed - they intended to use the Dead Matrix to drain the lifeforce of Primus himself and use it to revive their master Unicron.

Using the undead Dark Scorponok as a weapon against the damaged Alpha Trion and manipulating Skyfall to their side, Ramjet and Nemesis Prime led an attack on Primus' Spark chamber, only to be confronted by Sentinel Maximus and Vector Prime. As Ramjet and Vector Prime duelled high above Cybertron, Nemesis Prime entered the Spark chamber of Primus, only to be confronted by a very unexpected foe - Omega Prime, who stopped him draining all of Primus' lifeforce. Prime then split into Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus, with Magnus battling and defeating the Herald of Unicron, forcibly putting him into stasis, while his brother attended to Primus. With Ramjet defeated and exiled to another dimension by Vector Prime it seemed that the Heralds' quest was a failure. But unbeknownst to all the Dead Matrix was stolen by Soundwave, who tossed it into the Unicron-created black hole. There what energy it had been able to siphon from Primus reacted with the dead spark of Unicron, and the Chaos-Bringer was born again.^[2]

Toys

• Universe Ultra Nemesis Prime (2004)

The toy form of Nemesis Prime is the recolor of Big Convoy that was unreleased in America from Beast Wars Neo. Nemesis Prime was a Target store exclusive. Its alternate mode is that of a Woolly mammoth. While the original Japanese mold featured white tusks, Hasbro featured the ends as being soaked in blood as yet another method to convey the true evil of the character.

• Alternity Convoy Super Black (2009)

The Nissan GTR Alternity Convoy figure was redecoed in black as "Convoy Super Black". While the character is depicted as an Autobot, his bio indicates that this is because he "was once a disciple of evil until he was redeemed and joined Alternity."^[3]

Transformers: Alternators

This Nemesis Prime once again had a different origin - he was a Binaltech clone of Optimus Prime, created by Doctor Arkeville using scans of the Autobot leader acquired during previous adventures and parts pilfered from his Decepticon "allies". His intention, due to Megatron's seeming inability to destroy the Autobots on Earth and leave it for Arkeville to rule, is to have it replace Megatron as Decepticon leader. With all of Prime's strength and military genius it lacked only one thing - a Spark. And Arkeville knew where to find an approximation of a power source - the Autobot Spacebridge.^[4]

Although Hasbro's bio for Alternators Nemesis Prime mentions the Binaltech line, it is not an official inclusion in the Binaltech story, as it was not penned by Binaltech story writer Hirofumi Ichikawa.

Toys

• Alternators Nemesis Prime (2006)

In the Transformers: Alternators series, Nemesis Prime is a repaint of the Alternators Optimus Prime toy. His vehicle mode is a black Dodge Ram SRT-10 with red-tinted windows, and his robot mode retains the black and teal colors of previous Nemesis Prime toys.

The Alternators Optimus Prime mold saw a second black version created in 2007 for the Wonder Festival 2007-exclusive Binaltech Black Convoy (the Japanese equivalent of most Nemesis Primes and other evil Prime lookalikes), featuring a paint design that differs from Alternators Nemesis Prime. It is also the only version of the Dodge Ram mold that has any diecast components, and was produced in even fewer numbers than Nemesis Prime. Binaltech Black Convoy was packaged in a box of similar design to the "bubble" box used for Alternators, although without any artwork inserts inside the bubble. It is designated as BT-17 on the box, following BT-16 Skids, and includes chapter 14 of the Binaltech story on the cardboard section, directly under the packaged vehicle.

Transformers: Titanium

A 3" Titanium War Within Nemesis Prime figure was displayed by Hasbro at San Diego Comic-Con 2006 and BotCon 2006. This figure was a redeco of 3" Titanium War Within Optimus Prime. The figure was never released as the Transformers Titanium line was canceled.^[5]

Transformers: Universe (2008)

Broken by a nightmare eternity of torture at the hands of Straxus, Nemesis Prime does not remember what he was before he was this. He is the culmination of a grand plan never realized by Straxus before his destruction; a lowly warrior reconstructed to be the very image of Optimus Prime. Imprinted with memory engrams and combat algorithms recovered from hundreds of sources, he possesses much of the knowledge of the Autobot leader, but without any framework by which to organize it. Despite his incredible power, he is deeply unstable, a threat to Decepticon and Autobot alike. He cowers in the shadows of Cybertron, living only to stalk and destroy his fellow Transformers.^[6]

Toys

• Universe Classic Series Voyager Nemesis Prime (2008)

A black redeco of the Classic Voyager Optimus Prime figure sold exclusively at the San Diego Comic-Con International and the Hasbro Toy Shop website.^[7]

Transformers: Generation 1

The Nemesis Prime name made its first appearance in the Generation One universe in The Transformers: Devastation. This incarnation of Nemesis Prime is actually not an evil clone of that universe's Optimus, but the new identity of Nova Prime, one of Optimus' predecessors. Motivated by a desire to expand territorially, Nova led the first Ark on a journey of conquest, but ended up in the Dead Universe. The The Transformers: Spotlight issue on Galvatron hints that the ship's crew (including Prime) became undead as a result of this. Nova was possessed by a force called the Darkness, which sustained the Dead Universe and was attracted to the void within Nova created by the absence of the Matrix.

His ultimate goal was to merge the Dead Universe into his home universe, merging the two together with help from the Jhiaxus created Nega-Cores. From there he and his crew would be able to return home properly, as they were unable to survive for long in real space. The resultant universe would adhere to Nova's original ideals, being overseen by the Transformers and shaped in their image. His underlings here included Galvatron, Jhiaxus, Cyclonus, Straxus, and Grindcore. He is aware of Galvatron's ulterior ambitions but is willing to let his agenda be revealed eventually.

Appearing to Optimus in the infraspace between life and death, Nemesis began his plans in earnest, having his troops abduct Nightbeat and turn him into an unaware mole with the eventual intention of assassinating Optimus. His forces constructed the Nega-Cores and their containment facilities in the real universe. Realizing they needed powerful guardians in their absence he had the bodies of Thunderwing and Sixshot taken in preparation for the Expansion, as well as sending Galvatron to Earth to make sure it was not destroyed by the Reapers, as he needed its Energon to power their space bridge network. He then sends Cyclonus into the real universe where, despite drawing the Autobots' attention, he successfully activates the Nega-Core (seen in Spotlight: Arcee) and its guardian - Thunderwing. With this accomplished, Prime prepared to lead his forces into the real universe as the Expansion began. With the elimination of Nightbeat by Hardhead, Nemesis assaulted Garrus-9 personally in an attempt to kill Prime. This proved to be a mistake, as the Darkness attempted to transfer to Optimus. Enraged, Nemesis redoubled his efforts - only to be shot in the back and killed by Galvatron.

Transformers: Animated

Though he didn't appear in the cartoon series, a version of Nemesis Prime was shown to exist in the Transformers: Animated universe by Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac, in which he is one of several products of a Decepticon experiment to create a Decepticon clone of an Autobot. He is the second attempt at a replica of Optimus Prime, the first having been the defective Toxitron.

Transformers: Prime

Nemesis Prime appears in his self-titled episode of Transformers: Prime. Nemesis Prime is a clone of Optimus Prime created by M.E.C.H. as the prototype of "Project: Chimera" complete with Cybertronian technology, a supply of Energon, and Starscream's Transformation Cog. Nemesis Prime's color scheme is the same as Optimus', but with duller coloring. He also has yellow optics.

Nemesis Prime first appears where he tries to bump Agent Fowler off the road. This caused Agent Fowler to think that Optimus Prime has gone rogue. Arcee, Bulhead, and Bumblebee arrive and save Agent Fowler while Arcee pursues the lookalike until she was blindsided. The real Optimus Prime returns to the Autobot base upon returning from a subterranean Energon mine. Nemesis Prime later breaks into a military base and delivers a message where he attacks Alden Military Base. The Autobots arrive and Nemesis Prime flees causing the military to attack the wrong Optimus Prime who issues a retreat. Ratchet deduces that M.E.C.H. is behind this. Meanwhile, Nemesis Prime returns to M.E.C.H. where Silas states that the test is complete. The Autobots and Miko name the clone Nemesis Prime as they remain in vehicle form to evade attacks from the military. When Bumblebee comes near one of M.E.C.H's base, Silas activates Nemesis Prime who tries to trick Bumblebee only for Bumblebee to see through the ploy. Then Nemesis Prime takes down Bulkhead and Arcee. Ratchet then tries to use the com-link to track down where Silas and Nemesis Prime are. Optimus Prime then meets Nemesis Prime as Silas speaks through Nemesis Prime. While Optimus Prime fights Nemesis Prime, Agent Fowler makes his way towards the control frequency to disable it. Nemesis Prime manages to injure Optimus Prime while Agent Fowler deals with Silas. This gives Optimus Prime the opportunity to finish off Nemesis Prime who ends up falling on Silas.

In "Grill," it is revealed that Nemesis Prime's inactive body is in military storage.

Transformers: Go!

The Japanese-exclusive Transformers: Go! toyline featured a repaint of Beast Hunters Optimus Prime as "Hunter" Nemesis Prime.

References