The Transformers film series has been extensively covered on this channel. It is one of the most well-known franchises that originated from toy lines. The fundamental theme of this series is the conflict between good and evil as the Autobots, who represent good, engage in combat with the Decepticons to protect humanity.
This video is about Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons and one of the deadliest and worst of enemies. The most powerful Decepticon, Megatron is revered by all of his followers as the embodiment of the Decepticon cause, giving them all a sense of direction.
The battle cry “Decepticons, transform and rise up” has been used repeatedly by him to lead them into battle. How well-versed are you in the history of the greatest Transformers villain? Well, keep watching for a quick primer on everything Megatron-related!
Exploring the origins of Megatron
How many people among us are aware of Megatron’s past before he transformed into the terrifying Megatron even though we all know he is the main antagonist of the Transformers series. His origin myths are diverse and varied, but this is undoubtedly the most well-known and widely-shared one.
The bot with no name and the registry code D-16 was born into a lowly caste. It would eventually grow up to become the dreaded Megatron. He saw a momentary but seductive glimpse of the sun before having to descend into the deep mines. He vowed to go back to view it since he was so affected by its beauty. D-16 began his career as an Energon miner in Kaon and, like other miners, turned to fighting as a way to escape his depressing life.
As he watched his adversaries die, he took the resolve to strive for change after concluding that Cybertron was not a place worth residing in. His first act of resistance was to give himself a name. He took the moniker Megatronus in honour of the Prime he admired the best.
Megatronus Prime believed he was the best Prime because he refused to adopt his brother’s values and forge his own path. He assumed the name covertly to prove that the mighty Cybertronian race would undoubtedly rise once more following their demise. He was developing into a dynamic leader and would gradually advance through the ranks.
Megatronus gained popularity as a gladiator over time, and the crowd started yelling his chosen moniker, which fed his ego and accentuated the innate evil in his spark. After winning a further bout, Megatronus entered politics with a pledge to end the caste system and guarantee equality for all. All of these bots, who were made to labour in appalling conditions, looked up to him as a ray of hope, and he won their hearts and minds.
While pursuing equality, Megatronus came upon a young Hall of Records clerk named Orion Pax. The young Orion supported him and soon came to look up to Megatronus as a mentor. They developed a deep relationship and a solid friendship over time.
In their relationship, Orion and Megatronus were like brothers. Soundwave and other prominent political figures became fans of Megatronus. Before meeting with the high council, Megatronus made the decision to shorten his name to “Megatron.” Once there, though, Megatron showed his true colours and asked that the previous system be overthrown by force along with a proposal to be proclaimed the new Prime. Megatron’s psyche had been tainted by power, which had made him hostile and brought out the worst in him.
However, Orion rejected Megatron’s idea and advocated a much more nonviolent course of justice, forcing Megatron to cut all relations with Orion and the Council. He allowed his pride to overcome him and tried to take control via force in order to live up to the expectations of his ego and the media, because he was aware that he was being acclaimed in Cybertronian media and dubbed a hero by them.
Megatron and his allies founded the “Decepticon” army after he turned on Orion in a fit of wrath over his friend’s assertion. The surviving populace was caught off guard and decided to call themselves the Autobots. In turn, Megatron also garnered a large following in addition to transformers like Soundwave, the nefarious Starscream, the logic-ruled Shockwave, and the Vehicon army. Kaon was taken over by Megatron, who then made it the seat of the Decepticon army. He eventually took control of the ancient fortress of Darkmount in Polyhex and used it as his military command centre, before constructing the Kolkular fortress in Kaon. Thus began his new life as the leader of the Decepticon army and the main antagonist of the franchise.
Megatron as the terrifying leader of Decepticons in the cinematic universe
Megatron was not always the savagely strong and mercilessly authoritative leader of the Decepticons as depicted in the movies; instead, he was formerly like a brother to Optimus and a pupil of Sentinel Prime, and was chosen to serve as Cybertron’s Protector and head of its Defense Force.
However, Megatron disliked his companion, because he was aware that he was a Prime and hence Sentinel’s preferred son. This rage made him vulnerable to The Fallen, which resulted in the Decepticons’ resurgence. It’s not difficult to assume that Megatron would have started a war on Cybertron even in the absence of The Fallen in order to get rid of Optimus.
Megatron has a propensity to become so fixated on the object of his goals that he is able to overlook “secondary” issues, such as obvious weaknesses in his schemes. If not, he most certainly wouldn’t have pursued the AllSpark alone and been buried for decades in the Arctic. You can’t get Megatron to stop pursuing his objectives irrationally. To accomplish his objectives, Megatron is willing to jeopardise his world, his army, and even his own spark. Because he spent decades as their prisoner, Megatron shares his master’s intense loathing of humanity and sees them as barely superior to microbes.
Despite this fatal shortcoming, Megatron did not come to be feared by just engaging in combat. He is a deceitful, cunning planner who can devise numerous plans that span centuries, and although they may intersect, they all work towards his one, genuine objective: the revival of Cybertron. Even though he is full of evil, Megatron sincerely wants to defend his home planet and the Cybertronian race in the future, even if that means using his lust for blood and authoritarian regime to control it. Here is a movie-by-movie breakdown of all the things Megatron has gotten up to in the various Transformer movies.
The series’ debut film, Transformers, features Megatron as the primary antagonist. Megatron’s frozen corpse is brought from the Arctic Circle to Hoover Dam numerous years after being found by Captain Archibald Witwicky, where it is kept by Sector 7, a covert government agency that investigates Non-Biological Extra-terrestrials (N.B.E.) and other alien-related activities.
Megatron may have crashed during the Ice Age, because the Earth’s magnetic field interfered with his telemetry, according to Sector 7 Agent Seymour Simmons. He also discusses how the present technology used around the globe was created by reverse-engineering his invention. A gang of Decepticons commanded by Starscream finds the whereabouts of Megatron and the AllSpark.
Frenzy melts Megatron after breaking into Hoover Dam. Megatron then flees and discovers from his henchman, Starscream, that the Autobots and the humans have taken the coveted Allspark. Following the Autobots and their comrades to Los Angeles, Megatron kills Jazz there in a flash and with some brutality before facing off against Optimus Prime.
He defeats Optimus and chases Sam Witwicky atop a collapsed building in an effort to taunt and frighten the young guy into handing over the AllSpark. When Sam declines, Megatron uses his flail to throw the boy from the building’s roof. Sam is saved by Optimus, who then fights Megatron again. Blackout tries to assist Megatron in killing Optimus Prime, as they fight until the end of the conflict.
However, Captain Lennox and his crew manage to kill Blackout. Megatron makes another effort to grab the AllSpark after being weakened by human battle jets, but Sam forces it into his exposed spark chamber, killing him. Later, Megatron’s body and the bodies of the other slain Decepticons are thrown into the Laurentian Abyss.
Like they say, there is no rest for the wicked, and in the follow-up movie, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Megatron makes a comeback. He is revealed in this movie to be the Fallen’s pupil and the second in charge of the Decepticon army, with the Fallen serving as the real Decepticon leader.
With the help of Scalpel and the Constructicons and an AllSpark shard, Megatron is brought back to life and now resembles a Cybertronian winged tank. Then he sets out for the Nemesis, where he meets Starscream, whom he briefly beats and chastises for leaving him on Earth. After alerting the Fallen of the AllSpark’s demise, he later reunites with them. His master then informs him that Sam possesses the knowledge of the AllSpark, which is the key to producing Energon.
The Decepticons required this Energon to activate their protoform army. Sam, Mikaela Banes, her boyfriend, and Leo Spitz, a fellow student, are taken captive by Grindor and taken to an abandoned factory, where Megatron meets them. Here, Megatron instructs Scalpel to retrieve the Energon data from Sam’s brain while pinning him down and threatening to torture him, if he doesn’t get what he needs. However, Optimus Prime soon stops them. Starscream and Grindor come to Megatron’s aid during his and Prime’s massive combat in the forest after a little altercation in the warehouse. Megatron ultimately kills Prime by stabbing him and firing his fusion weapon at him to end the conflict.
However, due to the involvement of more Autobot forces, Megatron is compelled to flee from the area. Then, Megatron tells Starscream that in order to capture Sam, the Decepticons must expose themselves to the humans. He then works with the Fallen to issue an order for humans all around the planet to locate Sam and bring him to the Decepticons. As soon as Megatron and Starscream land in Egypt, Megatron orders his Decepticons to stop Sam from giving Optimus the Matrix of Leadership and to take it back for the Fallen’s machine. He then calls forth Devastator, who decimates the Great Pyramid of Giza’s top, exposing the Star Harvester in the process. Soon after Devastator is destroyed, The Fallen shows up and steals the Matrix of Leadership from a newly resurrected Optimus.
He is then greeted by Megatron, who an improved Optimus Prime defeats. Then Optimus and Megatron square off. In one vicious motion, Optimus grabs Megatron’s arm cannon and causes it to fire on Megatron’s face, shattering half of it. He then chops off Megatron’s right arm and uses Jetfire’s afterburners to shoot him through a wall. Starscream suggests that they should turn around after witnessing the Fallen being murdered. While doing so, Megatron declares that the conflict is not over yet.
In Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Megatron reappears. Megatron had been hiding out in Africa for the three years after the events of Revenge of the Fallen, tending to his wounds and caring for the hatchlings. It is revealed in the movie that Megatron joined forces with Sentinel Prime in an effort to revive Cybertron.
He receives word from Soundwave and Laserbeak that the Autobots have found the Ark spacecraft on the moon and commands them to slaughter their human companions. Megatron travels to Washington, D.C., to meet with Sentinel after the Autobots learn of his actual motives via Sentinel. He sees Sentinel activate his Space Bridge to send his Decepticon forces to Earth after destroying the Abraham Lincoln statue and using it as his throne.
Sentinel brutally demoralises Megatron during the assault of Chicago when the latter suggests a plan for how they will co-rule Cybertron once it has arrived via the Space Bridge. Megatron exhibits a rather unusual instance of remorse and regrets when Cybertron appears in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Near the end of the conflict, Megatron is persuaded by Carly Spencer that Sentinel will claim sole control and glory for reviving Cybertron. Sentinel is severely damaged by an angry Megatron, who then turns on him and declares that Earth is his planet to control. When Cybertron’s attempt to cross the Space Bridge is unsuccessful, Megatron sneakily offers Optimus a truce as long as he continues to command the Decepticon army.
However, the Autobot leader rejects the offer and assaults him, overwhelming him and chopping off Megatron’s head with an axe to bring about his death, because he knows that Megatron would not capitulate so easily. Shortly after, Sentinel is put to death by Optimus using Megatron’s shotgun.
Megatron’s brain is actually still alive and in hibernation inside his decapitated head, as is revealed in the movie Transformers: Age of Extinction. A few years after the Battle of Chicago, KSI obtains Megatron’s relics in order to use “transformium” to create their own Transformers. Joshua Joyce, their C.E.O., coerces Brains to download data from Megatron’s brain, which the Decepticon leader discreetly permits so that Joshua can get the knowledge required to prevail and give Megatron entry to a new body. Galvatron is then infected by Megatron and taken over by him. At the film’s conclusion, he finally defies his creators and accepts his new identity after initially pretending to follow commands.
In Transformers: The Last Knight, a rejuvenated Megatron makes a triumphant comeback, having shed his Galvatron name, acquired a new body that resembles the Dark Knight, and adopted a new vehicle mode in the shape of a Cybertronian jet. When Barricade informs him that Cade Yeager has obtained the talisman carried by the Cybertronian knight Steelbane, he first appears.
He then makes the decision to follow Cade using the Transformers Reaction Force. In exchange for the release of a brand-new “crew” to assist him in his hunt for Yeager, Megatron also abducts two C.I.A. officers. Megatron negotiates with William Lennox to free Mohawk, Dreadbot, Nitro Zeus, and Onslaught so they can go after Yeager and the Autobots.
Then, as Megatron pursues Cade and attacks his hiding place, Cade and his friends trick Megatron into walking into a trap, which ends up murdering all the Decepticons with the exception of Barricade and Nitro Zeus. After being compelled to flee, Megatron sends Barricade after Cade and Bumblebee.
However, his plot is foiled, as Barricade instead follows Cade, Bumblebee, and Vivian Wembley to the Knights of Iacon’s submerged ship, where Quintessa’s Staff of Life, formerly wielded by Merlin, is kept. Megatron snatches the staff after Optimus Prime steals it as Nemesis Prime and carries it to Stonehenge, where he utilizes it to open a portal that would allow Quintessa to demolish the Earth before slaying Sir Edmund Burton and engaging the Autobots and Optimus in combat. Optimus eventually defeats Megatron during the struggle for the staff when Megatron is forced out of Quintessa’s chamber and gets his arm severed, marking the end of his appearances in the Transformers cinematic history for the time being.
Megatron has been a quintessential villain and one cannot imagine the Transformers franchise without him. He is the polar opposite of Optimus Prime and has been portrayed as a terrifying and brutal villain with an ego the size of a planet, all throughout the franchise.
Exploring his animated series story arc
The transformers have taken the big screen by storm in recent years. However, tv screens also saw them in all their glory. As the primary villain of the series, Megatron has always been there, his presence spanning across multiple shows and story arcs. However, one of his most iconic television appearances was in the Transformers: Animated series.
According to this series, when Cybertron was governed by the Autobot High Council and its Magnus, Megatron was a regular Decepticon living there under Megazarak’s authority. Megatron promised the Decepticons that he would liberate them from the Autobot dictatorship in an effort to gain their support in his attempt to destroy Megazarak. Megatron then used this support to oust Megazarak.
Megatron, who was now in charge of the Decepticons, started the Great Uprising, which eventually led to the Great War. Megatron led numerous triumphs during the Great War by using chemical weapons to destroy entire battlefields completely. Ultra Magnus, however, benefited from the usage of space technology. Then Megatron went in search of the Allspark, a Cybertronian relic that houses Cybertron’s life, and he bombed civilian places all across the globe.
He sought possession of the Allspark when the High Council wanted the chaos to halt, because this resulted in thousands of civilian deaths. Ultra Magnus therefore concealed the Allspark from all sides. After creating the Omega Sentinels, which are gigantic Autobots that can transform into ships to aid in combat, Ultra Magnus launches Project Omega in response to the bombings.
When Megatron learns of this, he sends Lockdown to seize Intelligence Officer Arcee, so he can get his hands on the Project Omega activation codes from her. However, courtesy of Ratchet, Megatron is unable to obtain the codes. The Battle for Iacon, where the Autobots prevail, marks the conclusion of the Great War, and Megatron accepts banishment in return for pardon under the Tyrest Accord.
Megatron resumed his pursuit for the Allspark, as was made clear in the episode “Transform and Roll Out.” He was able to find it near a Space Bridge that was being rebuilt by a ship with a repair team that was led by Optimus Prime, a former Autobot cadet and Prime. When Megatron attempted to remove it from the spacecraft itself, Starscream betrayed him by placing an explosive bomb on his back.
Megatron’s dead body plummeted on Earth after the explosion that damaged the Autobots’ ship, developing “space barnacles,” while his severed head was discovered in a field in rural Michigan by a boy named Isaac Sumdac. Eventually, Sumdac used Megatron’s head as the foundation for his many robotic inventions, using them to build his own business and, within the next 50 years, transform Detroit into a technological city.
This version is less accepting of Starscream’s disloyalty; after receiving his new body, he kills the treacherous Decepticon using Sari Sumdac’s key, and once he learns that Starscream has become immortal because of an Allspark shard embedded in his head, he kills him multiple times.
He would subsequently also destroy Starscream’s substitute body, just moments after receiving it, once the traitorous Decepticon had outlived his utility. Despite being just as haughty as his forerunners, Megatron is also the most level-headed of his previous adaptations. Additionally, he doesn’t think much of Optimus until the decisive fight on Earth, when Megatron finally identifies him as a direct threat. Megatron is ultimately apprehended and taken to Cybertron.
Megatron is a cunningly persuasive commander in this series. He can command entire armies with simply the force of his words, winning Lugnut and Shockwave’s lifelong fealty. He doesn’t tolerate betrayal in any form. Megatron holds a great loathing for his deceitful second-in-command, and that led to his savage execution of anyone who dared to defy him and the Decepticons, as he did with Starscream on numerous occasions.
Being the cunning leader that he is, if his adversaries or his own deceitful subordinates are helpful to him, he will spare them and use them as pawns to gain the upper hand. Intelligence is one of Megatron’s most notable characteristics. Even when he is only a severed head, he has the ability to manipulate significant moments behind the scenes and poses a threat to both Earth and Cybertron as a whole.
Megatron likewise boasts about liberating the Decepticons from Autobot rule, but in practice, this is just smart language he uses to advance his ambitions for power. Although Megatron cherishes loyalty, he will not think twice about sacrificing hundreds of his own devoted soldiers, if doing so will help him win. He also admits to Starscream that he is a maniacal power-hungry monster, which is why it is not a smart idea to use him as the model for Omega Supereme’s clones, because they would all rebel against him in an effort to establish themselves as the greater race.
Despite how evil he is, Megatron always maintains a realistic attitude and hardly ever exhibits gratuitous violence, since he believes there is no use in doing so because it will eventually bite him in the rear. Megatron doesn’t frequently engage in needless cruelty, but when he has to, he will do horrible things if they will genuinely help him, making him a more formidable adversary.
Although Megatron is evil, he is kind and courteous to both allies and enemies, because he values the loyalty of his followers and acknowledges them while covertly demeaning them. Megatron respects his enemies whenever they are deserving of it, even though he downgrades all of the Autobots by simply calling them “Autobot”, because he finds himself to be so superior to them that he doesn’t even bother to remember their names. This is true even as he threatens Professor Sumdac into serving him. Ultra Magnus was a fitting arch-enemy for him to fear and address by name.
In fact, in the very last episode, he begins to see Optimus Prime as a deserving foe, the only one who can kill him, and he graciously accepts his impending demise. However, Optimus spares him instead, because he thinks Megatron is too wicked to warrant it.
Megatron was imprisoned at the Trypticon base in Kaon City following the events of the animated series. Cyclonus claims that in the distant future, Megatron would mysteriously transform into Galvatron and eliminate Oil Slick. This portrayal of Megatron is widely known and loved, largely due to the voice actor, Corey Burton, who really brought the character to life. In fact, this series has plenty of memorable quotes such as –Decepticons! Transform and rise up! And Your fate is sealed now, Autobots.
While your elite guard forces are preoccupied with the Decepticon Uprisings at the rims of the galaxy, I will use this space bridge to transport my Decepticons to the heart of Cybertron, and take over the entire space bridge network. From there, it will be a simple matter to transport all Decepticon forces onto a virtually defenseless Cybertron and take over the entire planet. And I have your expert space bridge technician to thank for it. Did that bring back good old memories? Thought so!
What makes him near invincible?
Megatron is one of the toughest bots ever. I mean, his origins clearly show that he was a gladiator, fighting and defeating seasoned fighters as a young bot. As befits a champion gladiator from the Kaon pits, Megatron is a strong, aggressive and exceptionally skilful fighter. Megatron gives two reasons why so few people try to overthrow his rule: his impressive combat skills and his startling intelligence.
In the first two seasons of Prime, his strength was almost unmatched; he was powerful enough to carry mass far more than his own and easily able to ragdoll the smaller Autobots. Only Optimus, Ultra Magnus to a certain extent, the Insecticons and the Predacons were Cybertronians who could match his might. Megatron, however, might also outperform some of these. He succeeded in splintering the Star Saber, for example.
Megatron was born physically as powerful as any Cybertronian. The formidable Insecticon race also rivalled him, with a few outliers like Predacons and Optimus Prime in his upgraded body. Additionally, he gains more strength when infused with Dark Energon, giving him an advantage versus Prime by weakening the Autobot.
In addition to his formidable physical strength, Megatron has more battle experience than any of his rivals. The Cybertronian developed his fighting skills to ferocious heights as a former gladiator in the Pits of Kaon, and was able to fight off three Insecticon warlords at once.
Only until Optimus Prime enters the fray can an equal foe present a challenge to Megatron. No Autobot or Decepticon has a chance to interfere in such a situation. These seasoned warriors are accustomed to each other’s movements after aeons and millennia of recurrent combat. the only thing that can change the course of a conflict is the surrounding circumstances. As an instance, when Megatron and Optimus squared up at the Space Bridge, the Decepticon leader finally managed to gain the upper hand and subjugate the Prime. Megatron also experienced the opposite, as Prime savagely beat him to a broken mess on occasion.
He fights fearlessly and ferociously, but he balances that with pure cunning strategy. He is a shrewd strategist who is deserving of the term warlord. In addition to his strength, ferocity, talent, and intelligence, he is also an excellent orator who has a knack for capturing people’s attention. The fact that he was able to quickly assemble a group of devoted followers like Soundwave, Skyquake and Dreadwing is proof of this.
Further, his body is also well-equipped to keep up with him during fights. On his right arm is a strong fusion cannon, and beneath it is a sword. Both of these weapons are very effective in his hands. The Dark Star Saber, which endows him with nearly cosmic abilities, is his most potent weapon. He can fly because of his Cybertronian Jet mode. He also possesses incredible durability and stamina. Megatron turns dangerous during the performance as he withstands significant damage from numerous enemies. The Cybertronian Gladiator’s vicious drive emerges when he learns that the obstacles that they have put in his path have the potential to hurt him or tax his patience.
Megatron appears to hold back his former strengths and fighting skills when fighting against others, primarily the Autobots, after being awakened and tortured by Unicron, the Dark God. Unicron was always unbeatable, thus, while his improved physique did seem to give him more durability, strength, and speed, he was merely less skilful in battle. His new Dark Energon-infused weapons and the significantly faster Jet Mode were possibly the greatest improvements. The Chaos Bringer created powerful spears, hammers, hooks, and cannons when Unicron was inside his new body. All Cybertronians, with the exception of Megatron, are weakened by Dark Energon, as was often demonstrated on the show, with the exception of those who have developed an immunity to it.
Because of this, Unicron’s weapons had lethal potency and had an impact on his opponents’ strength. Because of this, he just needed two shots from the Dark Energon guns to completely destroy the Predacons, the strongest Cybertronian race. However, it seems unlikely that Megatron will be able to use any of these weapons now that Unicron’s antispark has been confined inside the Allspark Container. In either case, only the best Cybertronians were able to battle the Decepticon Warlord and endure the encounter with the Transformers Prime Megatron, coming out alive.
The one actual vulnerability of Megatron is his cockiness. He has the uttermost pride in his skills and abilities, which are well-founded, and feels superior to everyone. Though not as often as Starscream, there are instances when his conceit can overcome his brilliance.
He also lacked the ability to recognise prospective dangers in various circumstances, such as failing to account for Jack’s possession of the Key to Vector Sigma or Predaking’s ability to change. His dread of particular people was another weakness; for example, his fear of Optimus’ Star Saber inspired him to create the Dark Star Saber and his fear of the Predacons rising up caused him to order the eradication of the Predacon clones. This quality of his also led him to being killed by Bumblebee and tortured by Unicron.
As a bot, he is shown to be a powerful megalomaniac. He was a fierce, egotistical, scheming transformer who lived for the cause. It is also the sheer conviction he has in himself that has aided him since his early days as a gladiator. The ability to get people to rally around him and truly believe in something that he believes in, is what has gotten him this far, coupled with his strength and fighting ability that lends him credibility.
He is a formidable foe and his Decepticon army is also his strength. Even on instances that he has disappeared, gone into hiding or been injured, the Decepticons have carried on his mantle, making him an immortal villain. The rest of the Decepticons equate Megatron to the Decepticon cause itself, putting him on a pedestal of power. So, while sometimes he can be physically defeated, mentally, he will live forever as long as the Decepticons are alive and that is an immeasurable power. He is truly a near invincible opponent.
Megatron makes it easier for us to love Optimus Prime because his character gives viewers something to hate. The juxtaposition of the good and bad is what the Transformers franchise does so well. Funnily enough, when Megatron as a character was being conceptualised, there was intense debate over his name, because some thought that Megatron was too scary, but ultimately, they stuck with it because being scary was Megatron’s primary purpose in the franchise. Also, some terrific voiceover actors have immortalized this role over time – making him one of the most memorable villains of all time. Which version of Megatron is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.