Ultra Magnus

Lore & Background

Ultra Magnus's history spans multiple media formats, beginning with the Japanese Diaclone toy series produced by Takara, where the original toy was known as Power Convoy. His first appearance in US media occurred in The Transformers: The Movie, where he led the defense of Autobot City. After Optimus Prime and Megatron killed each other, Magnus became leader but traveled to the Junk Planet to fight Galvatron, the revived form of Megatron. He was killed in this battle before being revived by the Junkions. In the Dreamwave comic series, he is explicitly the brother of Optimus Prime; after both leaders disappeared, he brokered peace with Decepticon Shockwave until Shockwave betrayed and severely wounded him. The 2000 animated series Transformers: Robots in Disguise also depicts them as brothers, allowing them to combine into a new form called Omega Prime, where Ultra Magnus is known by his original Japanese name, God Magnus.

In Their Own Story

In the Skybound Entertainment comic series published by Image Comics, Ultra Magnus is portrayed as a traumatized war veteran. He was captured by Decepticons and tortured for years specifically by Shockwave. Meanwhile, in the IDW Publishing comic series, he takes on the role of a law enforcement officer dedicated to punishing anyone who breaks Cybertron's laws, regardless of faction allegiance. During his pursuit of the felon Decepticon Swindle across the galaxy, he meets Autobot commander Bumblebee, who urges him to join the war effort against the Decepticons. In The Transformers: The Movie, his leadership is short-lived; after being revived by the Junkions, he defers command to Hot Rod once the young bot defeats Galvatron and Unicron, earning the name Rodimus Prime. Ultra Magnus then serves as an advisor to this new leader.

Reader's Guide

Fans should note that artist Dan Mora has stated he "hates" drawing Ultra Magnus due to his complicated design in the Skybound series. The character's voice actors are also specific: Robert Stack voiced him in English and Show Hayami in Japanese for The Transformers: The Movie. His relationship with Optimus Prime varies by continuity; they are brothers in Dreamwave comics, Robots in Disguise (2000), and some other continuities, but this is not stated as universal fact across all sources.

Did You Know?

• The original toy that became Ultra Magnus was known as Power Convoy in the Japanese Diaclone series.
• In The Transformers: The Movie, Ultra Magnus was killed by Galvatron on the Junk Planet before being revived by the Junkions.
• Artist Dan Mora has stated he "hates" drawing Ultra Magnus because of his complicated design.
• In the 2000 animated series, Ultra Magnus combines with Optimus Prime to form a new entity called Omega Prime.
• Ultra Magnus was voiced by Robert Stack in English and Show Hayami in Japanese for The Transformers: The Movie.