Why Megatron?

“So why Megatron?”

I get asked this question quite a bit, usually by Starscream fans who can’t fathom how anyone can like “he who whomps on Starscream so heartily.” Without getting into too much detail about Starscream, I can’t stand the creature. It’s just that simple. But I’ll get into that in another ranting essay type thing at a later date.

Megatron has been my favorite fictional character since I was about 6 or 7 years old. As a child, the things that drew me to Megatron(at least on the conscious level) were a bit more superficial than they are now that I’m older and have a little more life experience under my belt. Megatron appealed to me at a young age because he was more unique than most other Transformers. There were multiple cars and planes and things like that, but Megatron was one of the few that turned into a firearm and that was cool. And I’ll be honest, I was something of a rebel as a child. Everyone liked Optimus Prime and Starscream growing up. I enjoyed being different and Megatron was different. The enormous fusion cannon and gravelly voice didn’t hurt either.

As an adult now, I can better understand why Megatron appealed and still appeals to me on a deeper level. Regardless of how Megatron applies his gifts, they are still gifts. He is intelligent and creative. This is evidenced by all his new “schemes of the week.” Intelligence and creativity were both used to bring Cybertron to Earth in The Ultimate Doom. He apparently is also persuasive(read: is capable of psychogically mind fucking with people) and can “think well on his feet.” This is seen when he talks Optimus Prime into activating the final pylon bringing Cybertron into Earth’s orbit. That’s wielding some power right there folks.

Megatron is incredibly strong willed and resilient. Regardless of how many defeats he endures, he’s right back at it next week taking another shot at his goals. Megatron also shows maturity and a willingness to swallow his pride for the sake of his Decepticons. In The Revenge of Bruticus and Countdown to Extinction, Megatron teams up with Optimus Prime and the Autobots to stop Starscream from destroying the Earth. Granted, he likely has his own motivations for wanting to stop Starscream, but the point is that he is mature enough to put aside differences for the greater good when it is necessary. The Core shows Megatron working with Prime and the Autobots when his plans go awry and it’s the only way to save his Decepticons. Nastier villains would let everything be destroyed out of stubborn pride.

Megatron also commands respect and is courageous. He doesn’t just sit back every episode and let his minions do all the work for him. More often than not, he leads the charge on the battlefield. He leads by example and doesn’t ask his soldiers to do something he wouldn’t be willing to do himself.

But the ultimate reason for why I love Megatron is simply put: Balls. Big, huge, super coconut balls.

We’re talking about someone who expended a great deal of personal mental, emotional, and physical energy leading a military assault(also known as “shock and awe”) on Autobot City in Transformers The Movie that lasted for quite some time. Then Megatron faced a challenging one on one duel with Optimus Prime, who had *just* arrived. Then after being tossed out of Astrotrain into space, damaged and possibly dying, Megatron still has the *balls* to tell Unicron nobody summons him, he belongs to nobody, and that Unicron is just going to have to “sweeten the pot” if he expects to get a damned thing from him. Not the *smartest* thing Megatron has even done, but damned if it wasn’t the *boldest*. The sheer audacity of Megatron in that scene is awe inspiring. And Megatron didn’t learn his lesson the first time. He came back with the Matrix as Galvatron and teased and threatened Unicron with it. Yeah, he underestimated Unicron and miscalculated badly, but I still greatly respect the balls it took to try it.

Megatron just can’t be conquered. He’s a magnificent beast and I love him for it.