Let's not think that Prime gave Magnus a huge ringing endorsement.... if you recall what was said there, it was basically "Prime I'm not worthy of leadership" and Prime was like "don't worry about it 'cuz after you get PWNED the super special secret leader who has yet to be revealed will save the day and be like way better than you".

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:tflaugh1

 

At the end of the day you still have 2 bots who don't want to lead. 

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Rodimus didn't seem to have any problems in TF:TM (for the ten seconds he was onscreen). This is why I fricking hate Season 3 b/c they totally emasculated Rodimus and made him a moody turd.

Let's not think that Prime gave Magnus a huge ringing endorsement.... if you recall what was said there, it was basically "Prime I'm not worthy of leadership" and Prime was like "don't worry about it 'cuz after you get PWNED the super special secret leader who has yet to be revealed will save the day and be like way better than you".

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:tflaugh1

 

At the end of the day you still have 2 bots who don't want to lead. 

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Rodimus didn't seem to have any problems in TF:TM (for the ten seconds he was onscreen). This is why I fricking hate Season 3 b/c they totally emasculated Rodimus and made him a moody turd.

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Like Anakin... that kid can really whine. Also, if you think about it, if Hot Rod would have received the Matrix first then he would have been the one that Galvatron and his minions blew apart on the planet of junk. Damn! How great would that have been?

I know this post is a little late, but here goes;

 

Okay, a few things:

 

First off, no one starts out a good leader, not even transformers.  Anyone can make poor judgment calls when they first step up to the plate, and no one is perfect

.

Secondly, Optimus had just died, autobot city was in shambles, ans the decepticons had just struck a major blow to the Autobots. Even Prime would have been hard-pressed in this scenario, had he lived.

 

Third, Magnus admitted he wasn't a leader. "I'm just a soldier" he replies when Prime gives him the matrix. Magnus knew he wasn't the leader Optimus was, and had the guts to admit it.

 

But overall, Magnus' record isn't as bad as it first appears. He dealt with situations the best he could, given his experience. In real life, I believe many of us would fare much worse that Magnus in similar, human-scaled situations. No leader is perfect, and anyone can make bad decisions: poor intel, snap-judgments, "fog of war", ect. Even the gerat leader of our past (Nimitz, Halsey, MacAurthur, ect.) screwed up on occasion.

 

In short, Magnus may have been not the first choice for command, but then again, he wasn't exactly groomed for it either. commanding under someone's leadership and leadership itself are two different things.

I still feel that in Prime's words to Magnus he was trying to say that he could be the chosen one. Magnus was like "I am just a soldier" and Optimus made reference that a soldier would rise from their ranks.  Later Magnus tried to open the Matrix to light the darkest hour, so he must of felt he was the chosen one, knowing that the chosen would be the one to do so.

 

I don't think Magnus is a bad leader but had to made less efficient so that Rodimus looked better.

yeah, true. I just honestly wish they ahdn't made rodimus such a whiny wuss. That forced them to down-grade magnus to second-in-command wuss, which was even worse.

I think Cyclonus X and WraithVerge nailed it there...

 

I personally like both Ultra Magnus and Hot Rod/Rodimus...but I think Magnus just kind of assumed the mantle, rather than realize he was indeed "just a soldier..."

 

In Season III, Rodimus should not have been downgraded into such a wussy character.  In the movie he was a complete bad@$$...he through Galvatron through Unicron's @$$!!

 

The troubled hero/leader was a good look into a different kind of leader...but I think both Rodimus and Magnus suffered because of it.

I think Cyclonus X and WraithVerge nailed it there...

 

I personally like both Ultra Magnus and Hot Rod/Rodimus...but I think Magnus just kind of assumed the mantle, rather than realize he was indeed "just a soldier..."

 

In Season III, Rodimus should not have been downgraded into such a wussy character.  In the movie he was a complete bad@$$...he through Galvatron through Unicron's @$$!!

 

The troubled hero/leader was a good look into a different kind of leader...but I think both Rodimus and Magnus suffered because of it.

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Let's be clear though: there are ways to make a "troubled hero" work well. It's called DECENT WRITING. I'm all for having a leader who isn't just some boring cliche, but if you're gonna go complex with Rodimus' character, MAKE SURE THE WRITERS CAN HANDLE IT.

 

rant over...

:pfx

 

I think what the producers of any series, animated or otherwise, need to do is check the credentials of the writers BEFORE handing the reins of a series over to them. I realize that anyone can write a bad episode, but there is a reasonable limit. Besides, when your writing credentials consist of graphitti on a bathroom wall, I think that sounds the red alert for "get this hack the F***out of here!" 'lol

Let's be clear though: there are ways to make a "troubled hero" work well. It's called DECENT WRITING. I'm all for having a leader who isn't just some boring cliche, but if you're gonna go complex with Rodimus' character, MAKE SURE THE WRITERS CAN HANDLE IT.

 

rant over...

I wouldn't blame the writers for the "bad" writing, but inconsistent story editing/production supervision from higher ups in the production staff.  Rodimus constantly transitions from being a great leader to a whiny Starscream-boy from one episode to the next.  I'd bet the writers were working from the series "bible" - unfortunately, the story editors and/or producers weren't paying attention to the character's devleopment (or lack thereof).

Let's be clear though: there are ways to make a "troubled hero" work well. It's called DECENT WRITING. I'm all for having a leader who isn't just some boring cliche, but if you're gonna go complex with Rodimus' character, MAKE SURE THE WRITERS CAN HANDLE IT.

 

rant over...

I wouldn't blame the writers for the "bad" writing, but inconsistent story editing/production supervision from higher ups in the production staff.  Rodimus constantly transitions from being a great leader to a whiny bitch-boy from one episode to the next.  I'd bet the writers were working from the series "bible" - unfortunately, the story editors and/or producers weren't paying attention to the character's devleopment (or lack thereof).

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MAGIC RESET BUTTON strikes again....

 

An episodic series pretty much nullifies any real potential for character development. So what happens is that Rodimus has a mini-character development in every episode but then seemingly forgets what he just learned by the next episode. This creates an overall impression that he is a whiny waffling loserpants.