Warning! Potential spoilers ahead for Transformers #3
The Transformers Energon Universe is upon readers, with Transformers #1 hitting shelves soon, and already solicitations for issue #3 have arrived. The story promised within is poised to huge ramifications for the franchise moving forward. Optimus Prime will find himself pushed to the brink after being stranded on Earth, but how far the Autobot leader willing to go is still up for debate.
Much of what writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson has planned for the Robots in Disguise remains under wraps, though it appears Johnson’s take could be darker than many fans might expect.
Judging from the solicits for December’s Transformers #3, the Autobots arrival on Earth will bring them into immediate conflict with their adversaries, the Decepticons.
Optimus Prime Is Pushed To The Brink In Transformers #3
Solicitations for Transformers #1 hint that Optimus Prime will be dealing with the fallout of some past failure, it sounds as if Johnson’s take might be darker than many fans are expecting. Meanwhile, the advance synopsis for Transformers #3 promises he will find himself battling a Decepticon threat, stating: “Outnumbered and overpowered, it’s time for the Autobots to stand their ground, as Optimus Prime goes toe to toe with Skywarp!” Much of the preliminary art released thus far has depicted brutal scenes of robot combat, with each Transformer showing some severe battle damage. Yet the most brutal part of all might be what Johnson does with the story itself.
Is This The End For The Decepticon Skywarp?
As the Energon Transformers era dawns, Optimus Prime is stuck with a small band of Autobots on a strange and hostile world, reigniting the old conflicts when he discovers the Decepticons are on Earth as well. It is possible that astute readers could use the scarce information available to speculate about the events of the first several issues of Skybound’s Transformers. It is possible, for instance, that Optimus Prime might even go too far and wind up killing the Decepticon Skywarp. While this may seem like a wild guess, considering the evidence presented so far, it is perhaps not as far-fetched as some might think.
The language of Optimus Prime going “toe to toe” with a low-ranking Decepticon like Skywarp is an odd choice – the importance placed on this seeming mismatch suggests that the confrontation could lead to more serious ramifications down the line. If Prime does indeed go too far and actually kill Skywarp in their battle, this would raise the stakes considerably for everyone involved. For one, the Decepticons would be further motivated to continue their campaign against the Autobots, and Prime himself would be faced with what he perceives as another “failure” in his duties as a noble leader. Then, of course, there are also the people of Earth, newly embroiled in the conflict.
Skybound Entertainment has already revealed that the rebooted Transformers’ continuity will see a new iteration of the Autobots’ perennial human ally Spike Witwicky. Further, Skybound’s upcoming Duke miniseries has promised to highlight the existential horror of humans’ first encounter with the Robots in Disguise. It is possible Optimus Prime’s confrontation with Skywarp could have repercussions not just for the combatants, but for the people of Earth. Whether Optimus Prime winds up killing the Decepticon Skywarp remains to be seen, but what is clear is that this new Energon Universe era of Transformers promises to shake the franchise up in a major way going forward.
Transformers #3 will be available December 6, 2023 from Skybound Entertainment.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
