Afterdeath!



Optimus Prime and Megatron battle for their lives in a virtual reality world alongside the Protectobots and the Combaticons.

=Marvel US issue #24= (Story also appears in: Marvel UK issues #105-106)

Script: Bob Budiansky Pencils: Don Perlin Inks: Ian Akin and Brian Garvey Lettering: Janice Chiang Colors: Nelson Yomtov Editor: Don Daley


 * Major characters (in order of appearance): Ethan Zachary, Vortex, Optimus Prime, Wheeljack, Onslaught, Megatron, Streetwise, Groove, Blast Off, Defensor, Bruticus, Brawl, First Aid, Hot Spot, Swindle, Blades
 * Originally published: January, 1987

Synopsis
Ethan Zachary is a programmer at Energy Futures Industries who works on a device called a hydrothermocline. The hydrothermocline is intended to draw energy from the different thermal layers of the ocean, and is seen as a potentially inexhaustible power supply for the world. Megatron wants to steal the hydrotermocline, and takes Combaticons to the laboratory where the hydrothermocline is being stored in order to steal it. After a bit of grandstanding, during which Ethan is captured, it becomes clear that if the Autobots and Decepticons continue to fight, they will end up destroying the very thing the Decepticons have come to steal. Ethan offers a compromise: the Transformers fight their battle in a computer-generated virtual world. Megatron agrees, but only if the stakes are increased to include not only the hydrothermocline, but also the life of the losing leader. Optimus Prime agrees to these terms, and the game is played. The Protectobots must fight the Combaticons while remaining true to their principles, assisting and/or sparing the lives of the inhabitants of the computer world while the Combaticons attempt to destroy them. This gains the trust of assistance of these computer characters, who help the Protectobots defeat the Combaticons. At last, Megatron and Optimus Prime face off, but while Megatron has lost the assistance of his Combaticons, Optimus Prime still has the Protectobots, now in the form of Defensor. Megatron, knowing he is no match for Optimus Prime and Defensor together, is quickly defeated, but cheats by using a "back door" password, enabling himself to be recreated in the game at any point he chooses: in this case, right behind Optimus Prime, from which point he shoots Prime in the back. Prime manages to avoid falling by holding on to a ledge, but defeats Megatron only at the cost of the lives of the computer generated characters. Although this earns him victory in the game, Optimus Prime feels that he has "cheated" by sacrificing his principles (unaware of how Megatron has already cheated previously). Prime tells Ethan to destroy himself instead. Ethan presses the button, and Prime is destroyed. The Decepticons leave with the hydrothermocline, and the Protectobots gather up the shattered body of the Autobot leader. As they leave, we see that Ethan Zachary has saved a copy of Optimus Prime's character on a 3 and 1/4 inch floppy disk.

Errors

 * On page 10, Optimus Prime tells Brawl that Autobots don't cheat. The speech bubble appears to be a response, but it is depicted as being spoken by Blades.

Items of note

 * References to other Transformers continuities/issues: Wheeljack extracts the Cerebro-shell injected by Bombshell in Heavy Traffic, and uses it learn of Megatron's plans.
 * Despite the fact that Megatron challenged Optimus Prime (via the Battlechargers) to a battle to the death last issue, no mention of it is made here. In fact, it seems that Megatron is not expecting to see Prime.
 * No mention is made of where the Protectobots or the Combaticons come from. One assumes that Prime must have granted the Protectobots life via the Creation Matrix, since the Autobots have no link to Cybertron (yet see the note re: First Aid from Funeral for a Friend.  The Combaticons may have come from Cybertron, or may have been granted life via the Creation Matrix if Megatron's link from Heavy Traffic is considered to still work.