Rodimus (Energon)
From Transformers Wiki
| The name or term "Rodimus" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Rodimus (disambiguation). |
- Rodimus is an Autobot from the Energon portion of the Unicron Trilogy continuity family.
Rodimus is a tired Autobot who’s, frankly, sick of all of the fighting. Earlier in his life, to show this, he abandoned Cybertron with a handful of followers who felt the same way as he did, and on their journey through the cosmos a new purpose for himself became clear: to rebuild the galaxy, not further its destruction. Unfortunately, Rodimus’s suggested method of reconstruction is unpopular amongst his peers, who would rather write him off as an extremist instead of a peacemaker. Optimus Prime especially is at odds with Rodimus, and the latter reciprocates these feelings in full. He sees Prime and his gaggle of rookies as shortsighted, unable to fully grasp the scope of his plans, or how he aims to accomplish them.
When push comes to shove, though, Rodimus is willing to put aside his differences with his fellow Autobots to face down the Decepticons, who threaten to make his dream of peace an impossibility forever. Indeed, with Megatron attempting to seize his one means of rebuilding the universe, it seems that he has no choice but to enter the battlefield once more on the side of Optimus Prime and his soldiers.
| “ | I don't have time for Optimus's bunch of amateurs. | ” |
| —Rodimus, "Rodimus Friend or Foe?" | ||
Contents |
Fiction
Cartoon continuity
Energon cartoon
- Voice actor: Paul Dobson (English), Brian Dobson (English, "Go for Unicron!" only), Ryōtarō Okiayu (Japanese), Anders Öjebo (Swedish), Ossi Ahlapuro (Finnish, unknown episodes), Vesa Hämes (Finnish, unknown episodes), Luca Ward (Italian), Juan Carlos Lozano (Castilian Spanish), Rubén León (Latin-American Spanish), Mariusz Leszczyński (Polish)
On Cybertron, Rodimus was a great military commander during the war against the Decepticons, on par with Optimus Prime. However, he became disillusioned with the endless war and so, accompanied by Prowl, Landmine, and the ancestors of the Omnicons, traveled across the galaxy, righting wrongs and defending the innocent. For this, they gained the eternal admiration of Hot Shot and Ironhide. The Legend of Rodimus Before his departure, Rodimus clashed against Megatron in battle, in a confrontation memorable enough for Megatron to readilly recall it, despite the innumerable battles he thereafter took part in. Go for Unicron! Most of Rodimus's crew eventually chose a peaceful life of mining energon on a new home planet, eventually coming under the leadership of Arcee; Rodimus, Prowl, and Landmine continued to wander the galaxy. Survival Instincts
During his travels, the trio arrived on Planet Q and made contact with the rulers, Alpha Quintesson and Scorponok. They eventually left, but Rodimus promised that they would return if the planet was threatened.
Sure enough, during the time they were gone, Unicron attempted to devour Planet Q. While Alpha Quintesson fretfully waited for Rodimus to return, Scorponok enacted a desperate plan to blow up their world in order to injure the chaos bringer. The planet was destroyed, leaving Alpha Q as the sole survivor, sealed deep within Unicron. By the time Rodimus arrived, all that was left was a field of small asteroids. Alpha Q: Identity
Rodimus re-entered the Autobot/Decepticon conflict around the year 2020, when he prevented Scorponok from stealing a cache of energon on Mars. The Legend of Rodimus Following this, he learned that Scorponok was in fact the resurrected chamberlain of Planet Q, and decided to atone for failing to save Alpha Quintesson in the past by helping him in the present. Even so, Alpha Q did not readily trust him. Go for Unicron!
Later, Rodimus, Prowl and Landmine appeared on the moon, watching over a battle between Megatron and Optimus Prime. Rodimus his troops not to get directly involved in the skirmish, but they had no choice when Demolishor and Cyclonus tried to kidnap the energon-sensitive youth, Kicker Jones. From a concealed location, Rodimus, Landmine and Prowl blasted at Cyclonus, forcing him to veer off and avoid grabbing Kicker. The warriors three vanished before Kicker could figure out where the shots came from, and who saved him. Kicker Beware! Rodimus subsequently revealed himself to Optimus Prime's crew when Megatron sent three comets to destroy Earth. Rodimus, commanding a large fleet of Blackout Terrorcon drones, was successfully able to destroy one of the comets, leaving the others to detonate on the energon grid. Energon Grid
Shortly thereafter, he made contact with Optimus Prime's crew. Rodimus explained that Unicron could be used to create life, and restore Alpha Q's lost homeworld. As such, it would behove Optimus to allow Unicron to be restored, and instead focus on destroying Megatron. Optimus refused, and so Rodimus departed in frustration.
As Rodimus left, Ironhide stowed away on his ship; Rodimus decided to let him tag along for a while to test his mettle. Rodimus advised Alpha Q that Ironhide could be useful to them, and was proven right after the rookie managed to destroy a large number of Terrorcons and hold his own against Scorponok. A Tale of Two Heros
At Ironhide's request, Rodimus brought Kicker and Misha to meet Alpha Q Battle Stations and told them about the destruction of Planet Q. Alpha Q: Identity
When Alpha Q decided to accompany Kicker and Ironhide to ask Optimus Prime for help, Rodimus accompanied them. When they met, the two commanders quickly came to blows, only stopping when Kicker placed himself between them and begged them to stop. Shockblast: Rampage While their opinions still differed, the pair agreed to stop fighting long enough to defeat Megatron.
When Unicron began to revive, Rodimus led a group of Omnicons on a mission to inject a number of energon stars into its brain in order to soothe its tremors. They had to be rescued by Arcee. Survival Instincts Rodimus later participated in the defense of Cybertron against an attack led by Shockblast. Each One Fights... When Mirage (formerly Tidal Wave) led a second attack, Rodimus saved Hot Shot's life; Hot Shot returned the favor shortly thereafter during the retaliatory attack on Unicron, and the two decided to cement their newfound trust and respect in each other by powerlinxing. Unicron Unleashed
When Optimus Prime was injured by Shockblast, Rodimus took command of the Autobots and led them in an attack on Megatron. Open Fire! Megatron used his power over Unicron to escape, and Rodimus' team pursued. When Optimus rejoined them, now combined with Wing Saber, Rodimus separated from Hot Shot so they could both salute him. Rodimus then placed himself under Optimus' command for the sake of the mission, and accompanied him to track down the Decepticons. As this was happening, positively-charged energon stored within Unicron's head reacted violently to the negatively-charged energon stored within his body. This clash of energy ripped open a hole through space, through which the Decepticons escaped. Optimus told Rodimus that it was their duty to protect the universe from Megatron wherever he went, and they followed their adversary into the tear in space. Ripped Up Space
On the other side of the rift, Rodimus witnessed Megatron and his soldiers begin their assault on Alpha Q's newly reborn solar system. Protection He then set up a beacon in space to attract any lost Autobots. This way, he was able to reunite Hot Shot, Prowl, and Landmine, and the four then proceeded to Iron Planet to help save Inferno from Megatron. Imprisoned Inferno The Autobots began looking for Unicron's whereabouts in the void of space, only to be called back to Jungle Planet when the Decepticons found the Autobots' temporary base of operations there. The Autobots were kept from going down to the planet's surface by the Decepticons until the arrival of Bulkhead, Downshift, and Cliffjumper tipped the odds in their favor. Jungle Planet Rodimus boarded Bulkhead's shuttle to fly back to Cybertron and acquire the energon towers necessary to protect Alpha Q's new planets. En route, he and the other Autobots on board were attacked by Terrorcons. Rodimus remained behind on the shuttle with Cliffjumper and Bulkhead to distract the Divebomb drones while Hot Shot and Downshift went through the rift. When they returned with the tower, Rodimus helped keep the Decepticons at bay long enough for it to be set down and activated on Jungle Planet. Bulkhead
During Megatron's second attack on Ocean Planet, Rodimus led the underwater counterstrike, and prevented Mirage and Snow Cat from planting explosives at the base of the energon tower. As a result, an energon grid was successfully set up on Ocean Planet, and the Decepticons repelled. Farewell Inferno
"Good."
Rodimus stood solemnly by when Optimus dispatched Jetfire to bring Inferno's raw spark back to Primus for repairs. Later, Rodimus and his team remained behind to guard the planets protected by the Autobot energon grid while Prime led another force to the new Planet Q. Return! Our Scorponok
Believing that the men needed some R&R after the stress of the recent missions, Rodimus commissioned the Autobot Grand Prix on Circuit Planet to let them rev their engines a bit. Crash Course
After Wing Saber located Unicron's body, Rodimus and the Autobots staged an assault on the Planet-Eater, but were unable to keep Megatron from making Unicron fully operational again. A fleet of energon tower were sent from Cybertron like javelin to impale the now-mobile Unicron. Omega Supreme The energon towers failed, and so Rodimus and the Autobots attempted to gain access to Unicron's interior to strike back from the inside. They were driven off when Unicron plowed into the planetary energon grid, though, and were unable to prevent Unicron from reclaiming his head from Alpha Q's Energon Orb. As Prime prepared to try again with his new combination form, Optimus Supreme, Rodimus volunteered to accompany him for the mission. A Heroic Battle
Inside Unicron, Rodimus and Optimus were separated when Shockblast attacked, having been driven into an uncontrollable fury by Unicron's power. Instead of helping Prime in battle, Rodimus moved deeper into Unicron and found Kicker attempting to rescue the lifeless body of Alpha Q, who had died in the recent attack on the energon grid. Rodimus managed to pull Kicker and his small team to safety outside of Unicron. The Power of Unicron With Unicron fully activational again, the war quickly moved beyond the power of individual Autobots to influence. As Unicron destroyed Blizzard Planet, Rodimus was one of many Autobot warriors caught in the planetary backlash, and sent to sick bay for repairs. Optimus Supreme He recovered quickly, however, and prepared to launch into battle once again before Kicker talked him into helping coordinate the energon towers assault instead. With the towers, the power of Primus, and the teamwork of the Optimus Supreme combination, Unicron was finally defeated, his essence scattering to the solar winds. Unicron Perishes
Optimus suffered serious injuries after overtaxing his capabilities in battle, and so Rodimus and the others watched over him in stasis on Ocean Planet. When Megatron resurfaced on Cybertron, however, Rodimus gathered the Autobots on the Miranda II to return to Cybertron. Although Prime was technically too injured to join the mission, Rodimus gave a knowing smile when an unidentified Autobot signature shot past them in warp space on the way back to Cybertron. Ambition
They arrived on Cybertron and battled the newly enhanced Galvatron until clouds of Autobot-killing energon gas were released into the atmosphere, driving Rodimus and his soldiers to retreat. Wishes The Miranda II moved to the upper atmosphere, where the Autobots prepared to drop Kicker and the Omnicons (who were immune to the energon gas flooding the planet) down to the world below. Galvatron and the Decepticons attacked, and Rodimus fought to delay them long enough for Cliffjumper to get the Miranda II into position for the drop. Galvatron!
When Kicker and the Omnicons succeeded in opening a gap in the energon gas, Rodimus remained in space with Jetfire, Landmine and Cliffjumper as back-up while Optimus Prime took the rest of the Autobot team down to the surface. Break Through
At some point, in an Autobot combat training simulation, Rodimus and Hot Shot joined forces to fight their way through a tournament of champions. They defeated Tidal Wave and Mirage in the first round, proceeded to win against Optimus Prime and Wing Saber in the second, and even beat Six Shot and Shockblast in the third despite the Decepticons' cheating. In the final round, however, Rodimus and Hot Shot faced off against another Optimus Prime, teamed with Omega Supreme. The Optimus Supreme combination was ready to obliterate the competition... until they were called on a technicality: they had stepped outside the ring during their combination sequence! Rodimus and Hot Shot won by default. Rodimus was chuckling at their good fortune when the catgirl robomaid emcees announced a final competitor: a downsized Unicron! Rodimus and Hot Shot grappled with the teeny-tiny Planet-Eater and finally won the game. Distribution
As Cybertron began moving through space towards the warpgate for Alpha Q's worlds, Rodimus and his crew attempted to gather enough space debris to slow it down, but to no avail. Six Shot had modified an energon tower into a planetary laser, which blasted cleanly through their defenses. The Omega Train Jetfire was injured, and Rodimus sent him back to Ocean Planet for repairs with Landmine. Rodimus and Cliffjumper remained in wait over Cybertron for Optimus to succeed. Decepticon Army
As the energon gas finally shut off, Rodimus flew down to Cybertron's surface and reunited with his former Powerlinx partner Prowl to battle Galvatron and the Decepticons. Ironhide Team Rodimus and Prowl fought the Decepticons on Cybertron until Six Shot set off a massive explosion that tossed them injured into space. When Optimus acquired a boost of energon to stop Cybertron's progression towards Alpha Q's world, Rodimus coordinated the Autobots to run interference for him. Rodimus and Prowl fought Galvatron one-on-one to prevent him from attacking Optimus while he was busy holding back the planet. Formidable
In the next stage of the Autobots' plan, they went to work devastating the energon towers under Decepticon control. Rodimus, Prowl, and Landmine reunited as a commando unit, fighting against Bruticus Maximus and Constructicon Maximus. Galvatron Terror When Galvatron assumed unbelievable size thanks to Super Energon, Team Rodimus attempted to mitigate the damage he was causing before he abandoned the planet. Galvatron began towing Cybertron out into space, and Rodimus and the other Autobots continued to war with the Decepticons, fluttering around Galvatron like skirmishing insects. Galvatron's tether to Cybertron was eventually cut by a team led by Kicker, but Galvatron continued forward. Destructive Power
Before supercharging himself with the power of Unicron, Optimus Prime had a brief moment with Rodimus, passing on the mantle of leadership in case he did not return. Rodimus kept the Autobots in a holding pattern around Jungle Planet as the massive Optimus and the Unicron-possessed Galvatron made war on each other. Spark
Prime could not overcome Unicron on his own, however, and needed the Combination Sparks of all his fellow Autobots to face the final conflict. Rodimus led the Autobots in stepping forward to give up their individuality for the greater good of the team. His body was converted into pure energy as he became one with his spark, so that it could in turn become one with all the other Combination Sparks, revitalizing Optimus. Filled with the strength of all his men, Optimus united with Omega Supreme in the ultimate Powerlinx, grappling with Galvatron until the Decepticon leader shrugged off Unicron's influence and plunged into the sun. Rodimus and the other Autobots then separated, and were restored to their individual forms. The Sun
Force of Habit
With the Unicron Singularity forcing the evacuation of Cybertron, Rodimus and a number of other Autobot leaders were summoned to the Iron Hope, where Ultra Magnus dispatched them across the galaxy to locate the lost Autobot colony worlds. Rodimus was given command of the Longbow and sent to Beta Aquarii. Force of Habit
Energon comic
Rodimus was on Cybertron, ten years after the triumphant battle against Unicron. This Evil Reborn He was performing basic labor and engineering work before the rise of the Terrorcons. Aftershock When the invasion struck Earth, Rodimus was among the Autobots recruited by Jetfire to strike back against Scorponok's horde. Multiplicity, Pt. 2 He was placed under Hot Shot's command in Toronto, Canada. The battle against the Terrorcons went poorly until the Autobots received help from an unlikely source: Megatron. Multiplicity, Pt. 3
Afterwards, the Autobots managed to prevent further Terrorcon invasions by establishing an energon grid around the planet. The Terrorcons continued trying to puncture their way in, however. Furthermore, other energon sources and Autobot outposts remained outside the planetary field and, as Rodimus noted, dropping the field long enough to send out reinforcements would instantly let the Terrorcons back in. Armageddon Part 1
When Kicker was kidnapped by Demolishor, Rodimus joined Alterenergy and a small band of Autobots trying to rescue him. Armageddon Part 4 When Demolishor was defeated, Rodimus and Kicker commandeered his Space Bridge portal to join the fight against the renewed Unicron. Armageddon Part 5
Q-Robo Transformer
Regeneration One
In an alternate universe, that universe's Hot Rod had journeyed to the centre of Cybertron with the Dinobots and had a multiversal out-of-body experience in the Primus chamber where he saw many different versions of himself, including Aurex Rodimus. Destiny, Part Three Later this Hot Rod, now upgraded to Rodimus Prime, infiltrated Zero Space and confronted the Dark Matrix creature. It summoned three versions of Optimus Prime to defend itself, so Rodimus Prime likewise sent ripples throughout the universe, calling forth the various versions of himself to battle the Dark Matrix creature. Having loosened its control over Optimus, they allowed Rodimus Prime to seal the multiversal breach with the Sword of Primus. The War to End All Wars, Part 5
Ask Vector Prime
Vector Prime noted that (iterations of) Rodimus was busy doing acts of as-yet uncatalogued heroism during the events of the Unicron Singularity crisis. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/13
In Aurex 304.0 Epsilon, Rodimus led the Omnicons in a civil war against Optimus Prime's Autobot forces and against Galvatron's Decepticons for the Mini-Cons. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/11
Games
Transformers: Battle Tactics
Energon Rodimus participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was an Epic character who was available as a reward to 55 leagues in the "Christmas Breaker" event.Transformers: Battle Tactics
Toys
Energon
(Hasbro promotional image with paint applications not found on the final-release versions of the toy.)
- Rodimus (Combat Class, 2004)
- Takara name: Rodimus Convoy
- Takara ID number: SC-10
- Takara release date: March 18, 2004
- Accessories: Spring-loaded "Energon Cannon," flame-missile
- Known designers: Eric Siebenaler (Hasbro), Takashi Kunihiro (TakaraTomy), Masakatsu Saito (concept artist)
- Released in the second wave of Hasbro's Energon Combat Class (basically Deluxes), Rodimus transforms into a rocket-powered Cybertronic long-nose truck cab. He comes with a large "Energon Cannon" with spring-loaded "flame" missile. He can also form the top or bottom half of a larger robot mode, compatible with any Energon Combat- or Mega-class Autobot combiner robot, though of course he looks less awkward combined with other Combat-class toys.
- The Takara version of "Rodimus Convoy", released in the third wave of Super Link product, has a few notable differences from the Hasbro release, mainly a darker shade of red plastic and additional flame deco on his truck-mode spoiler.
- Rodimus Convoy was also part of several store promotions in Japan upon release, each one offering a different exclusive energon weapon free with purchase. Buying him at JUSCO store netted you the Energy Axe Violet Cluster Edition. Toys"R"Us offered the Energy Spear Lightning Yellow Edition. And Ito Yokadio gave you the Energy Spear Rodeo Magenta Edition.
- Both the Hasbro and Takara versions are missing a number of other paint applications present on the early promotional photography (shown at right). The gold paint on the sculpted exhaust pipe details next to his smokestacks, extended gold deco on the front bumper, and painted details above the grill are no longer present.
- This mold was used to make Energon Checkpoint and Timelines Thunder Clash, the latter of which was also sold as an unpainted, unassembled "kit" at BotCon 2009's customization class to make Shattered Glass Thunderclash.
- Black Rodimus Convoy (Combat Class, 2004)
- Accessories: Spring-loaded "Energon Cannon," flame-missile
- An exclusive black and red version of Rodimus was made available as a mail-away from TV Magazine in Japan, sent out in September of 2004. This was a companion piece to the "Fire SL Grand Convoy" exclusive offered by the same magazine that was released a month earlier. Curiously, Black Rodimus retains all of the paint applications from the original version's promo photography except for the exhaust pipes, just color swapped as appropriate.
- Rodimus Convoy Gold Version (Combat Class, 2004)
- Accessories: Spring-loaded "Energon Cannon," flame-missile
- This entirely golden-chrome version of Rodimus was given away as a prize in various contests. Ten were offered in a TV Magazine raffle with more being awarded through various store drawings. Exactly how many units exist are unknown, but the regularity with which the toy appeared on auction sites in 2005 and 2006 suggest it was a comparatively sizeable number.
- Rodimus Convoy Mekki Version (Combat Class, 2004)
- Accessories: Spring-loaded "Energon Cannon," flame-missile
- Released as part of the "W Convoy" campaign ("Double" Convoy, that is!) alongside a golden chrome version of Energon Optimus Prime, this silver chrome "Mekki" ("plating") version of Rodimus was available only as a prize in a mail-in Robot Points contest. Limited to twenty units, Rodimus is significant for two reasons: he was the very first Lucky Draw figure to be entirely silver (with any past silver-chrome rarities being partially composed of other colours of plastic and/or paint), and the toy's release marked only the second time that a character who was not the Autobot or Decepticon leader of a series received more than one Lucky Draw figure (the only previous instance being Sixshot).
Merchandise
Attacktix
- Rodimus (Boster, 2006)
| ID number: | TF05 |
| Rarity: | |
| Faction: | Autobot |
| Class: | Captain |
| Special: | Recruit - 12/26 (46%) success ratio |
| Point Cost: | 20 |
| Base Speed: | 6 |
| Attack Type: | Shooter (Small Missile) |
- Unlike his larger counterpart, Attacktix Rodimus has molded flames on his chest. Fortunately, these gnarly flames don't get in the way of his massive four points of articulation, which let him move at the waist, shoulders and head. If the glue comes loose on his gun (and it will) you may even score another point of (useless) articulation.
- Rodimus is a large-based figure with pretty good defense, especially when hugging another Rodimus figure. His recruit special allows him to put any Trooper class figure into play from your back-ups. If you're feeling particularly silly you could have a swarm of Rodimuses summon a swarm of Insecticons.
- This piece was going to be redecoed into Attacktix Checkpoint, but the line was canceled before it came out.
Notes
- According to his toy bio and Transformers: Energon Official Guidebook, Rodimus is the brother of Inferno.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Rodimus Convoy (ロディマスコンボイ Rodimasu Konboi)
- Hungarian: Rodimusz, Rodimusz fővezér ("Rodimus Prime", in the 2nd dub title of The Legend of Rodimus)
