draqua:

goodbyenorthernlights:

Whereas Starscream’s problem as a leader seems to mainly be his insecurity/that he doesn’t handle setbacks very well, Megatron’s issue is that, well, he seems to see himself as the character in a story.

And he gets upset when people do things that are are dramatically inappropriate. By which I’m primarily referring to how he’s apparently the only one who can kill Optimus Prime, even if letting disease/another Decepticon kill him off would remove the proverbial thorn in his side. It’s like the war stopped being about real people and became this melodramatic legend of the rivalry between a heroic ex-gladiator and the archivist-turned-warrior who betrayed him.

I mean, I think we’re all aware of this, but I’m mostly thinking of how this attitude screws over the Decepticons because they’re not supposed to do things that would make for an unsatisfying plot.

I agree, Megatron sees himself as the rugged, Spartacus-esque hero of humble beginnings who rose against an oppressive government, only to be tragically betrayed by his closest friend.  Now, he carves an unstoppable path towards his goals of victory, conquest, and (as he himself states) god-hood…  all the while failing to realize he’s become infinitely more twisted than anything he ever originally fought against. 

Or, he’s developed an almost Deadpool like meta-awareness that he is in fact the bad-guy in a cartoon show aimed at boys 8-13; so of course he has to beat Optimus and fuck shit up in the most brutal way possible.

I am but a soldier, Megatron…  And you, are but a prisoner of your own twisted delusions…

Furthermore, I don’t think this is accidental…  I think TFP likes this level of narrative and archetype critique.  There’s a lot of examples of characters operating under the assumption that they play a certain role, or can force themselves into a new role without fully understanding the consequences.

Destiny’s Child here wanted to be a great warrior of destiny, and ended up being a glorified treasure chest.  He only experienced success when he stopped worrying about himself/his destiny, shut-up, and started working for the good of the team.

Silas wanted to discard his humanity “walk among Titans”, and ultimately got dissected like a needle through a bug…

And then there’s Optimus Prime himself; the humble librarian who rose to the occasion to become the Last of Primes…

The greatest, most powerful, most iconic and revered robot hero alive…  but do you think that makes him happy and fulfilled?  What good has the title of Prime ever brought Optimus?

So, I guess the moral at the end of the day is…  being a cartoon character is suffering, and be yourself!