Elita One deserves to be a Prime; A Retrospective
Elita Prime’s debut has people up in arms about how “she doesn’t deserve the matrix” and are waiting for her to fail so she can be proven wrong and that Optimus can be put back in the spotlight. Not only is this viewpoint fueled by misogyny but it completely ignores everything that happened to Elita and Optimus throughout the comics.
Now before I start, I want to make it clear that:
1) I’m not criticizing the story in this post. I agree that the writers could’ve made better decisions, but that isn’t why I’m making this post.
2) This is an analysis on what I’ve observed combined with bits and pieces of info that helps back up what I’m saying. This is my reading on the situation and story, but feel free to include your own thoughts. I’d love to hear what others think!
3) If you’re one of the people with the prejudice I’ll be talking about here, take this as an invitation to reflect, not as an insult. Not everyone is going to stop being sexist/racist/homophobic/ableist, but the people who realize that hate isn’t the way deserve an opportunity to grow and change as a person. I hope that this gives those people a push in the right direction.
Like or not, but the fandom can be incredibly misogynistic. The franchise is male-centric and female fans are less likely to be heard and listened to. @emperor-kumquat has these great videos on gender and Simon Furman’s poor handling of trans representation if you’re interested in hearing more. Female characters are disregarded by both fans and writers in exchange for male characters, which is why masculine characters are dominant in the franchise. As Kumquat said, “[w]e have to consider the female audience…to the female readers and watchers, it is like being told indirectly that there can’t be robots that look and sound like you because you are not normal. This is the standard, but you are not.”
This is a horrible perspective that is being pushed onto both male and female audiences, but it is one that persists even with the great progressive strives in the franchise. It’s prevalent in all fandoms, even ones that have a prominent female cast. Just look at how many m/m fanfics are on ao3 compared to f/f fanfics. Pick any fandom under the sun and you’ll see the difference. They’ll be outliers, sure, but the majority of fanfics are m/m.
I bring this up because the misogyny in this fandom becomes crystal clear whenever you start talking about Elita Prime. Be advised when viewing the following comments, they may be upsetting for some people.
The first comment is just a blatant misreading of the fight. Optimus said that "this isn't how we do things," showing that he doesn’t want to fight Elita (especially in front of the other autobots). Besides, the Matrix chose Elita; Optimus didn’t “give it to her.” Optimus didn’t have a say in the matter.
The next four screenshots are especially concerning given their violent nature. When I read these I immediately thought back to how incels think and how they casually mention the horrible things they do/want to do to women. It's an extreme comparison, but it isn't unwarranted. All of these comments are over a comic book character. Not over a corrupt politician, not over a pedophile, not over war criminal...a fucking comic book character. A female comic book character, might I add.
Again, I have to source Kumquat because they explain this phenomenon perfectly in their “Why the Decepticons were Right” video. The reason why the Decepticons stay with Megatron after he lost the plot is because of their blind loyalty to him. They love him. He stands for so much that even when he begins to attack them, they can’t bring themselves to desert him. Remember what happened to Dreadwing? How the Decepticons had fallen from grace and honor? Remember how devastated he was? It’s the same thing with transformers fans (and the Autobots). They adore Optimus even when he’s done bad things or has acted unwisely. They’re blind to his imperfections and mistakes because they love him too much, hence the hate towards Elita Prime. (That, and the misogyny I mentioned before, whether it’s unconscious or conscious).
Optimus is failing, both mentally and physically, in the comics. He was just corrupted by Megatron’s arm and has committed acts that disturb and taint the trust of his fellow Autobots. He crushes Shockwave’s head in, he points a gun at Cliffjumper, and when he realizes what’s happening to him, he frantically begs everyone to cut off his arm (which confuses and scares everyone around him). Even after he’s freed of the corruption, these prior events haunt him constantly (bc that’s just who he is. Even if we don’t directly see it, we know he thinks about it constantly).
He’s tired too. Tired of the violence and the death and the constant loss of life wherever he and his fellow Cybertronians go. That sense of grief only gets stronger when he learns to love Earth, only for the Decepticons to come in and threaten that life. When you realize this, it’s any wonder that he isn’t in top shape mentally. While he may be able to offer his sagely advice to characters like Arcee, Carley, and Thundercracker, he has moments where he slips and acts in ways that sabotage his image as the perfect leader. Jetfire, Cybertron, Elita One and her group, they’re all examples of Optimus failing someone to some extent. And those failures weigh as heavy as the losses he suffers.
Elita One sees this. She’s known Optimus long enough to see past the blind faith that the others have and knows when to step in. Elita’s passion and Optimus’ gentleness rub off on the other; They balance each other out. The Yin to the Yan. They’re at their strongest together, and it kills both of them to be on opposing sides. Because of this, they have the same exact problem. Both want peace, both want the war to end, and both are tired to the bone. The only issue is that both are fighting for different planets. Optimus understands why Elita is fighting for Cybertron, but she can’t (nor do I think she ever will) understand why Optimus is fighting for Earth.
Now take a look at these panels:
This is the real Elita and Optimus. This is who they really are under all of that strain. This is their love.
No matter what Elita One says or does, she still loves Optimus. They’re amicable in their split despite their fight. Optimus is hurt by the change, but he understands that it’s necessary and doesn’t resist. Here, they get the best of both worlds, where Optimus and a small group can protect the Earth while the others fight for Cybertron’s freedom. In his optics, it’s a needed reset, both for him and his Autobots. The weight of leadership was lifted from him and placed onto her because she wanted that weight. We know she wants it for Cybertron’s sake, but I bet she also wanted it for Optimus’ sake too.
After all of this, Elita gets straight to the point. Her decision to strip Optimus of his Autobot title isn’t one that stems from malice but of necessity. She can’t afford to have the Autobots split between two planets. You’re either with her on Cybertron or not. It’s harsh, but it’s the most efficient way to organize your troops, hence why Elita does this.
Elita’s actions are quickly labled as aggressive or spiteful, but in reality, she’s making those decisions based off what she thinks is best for everyone and her experiences with surviving on a ruined Cybertron. She’s trying to end a war that’s lasted for centuries. Compromises aren’t always going to be an option and (when you’re stranded on a dead planet) you can’t afford any major losses. Whatever you can get, you have to use to its fullest potential.
It’s a bizarre way to be declared worthy of leadership (hence Optimus’ “we don’t do this” comment) but the Matrix sees that under that fury is a genuine desire to save Cybertron. That desire, combined with how she thinks, makes her worthy of Primehood.
I have no idea what Kirkman and the writers at Skybound have in store for her, but I believe in Elita Prime. Arcee Magus was incredible enough, but for Elita Prime to happen in that same continuity is absolutely groundbreaking even with her messy introduction. And I swear on my life if they screw both of them over I’ll be on the news.
They can never make me hate you, Elita 🩷🩷🩷
