The follow up to The Transformers: Combiner Wars. With peace reestablished, a new threat emerges: The Titans have returned. A sequel series, The Transformers: Power of the Primes, released in 2018 to complete the trilogy.
Tropes
- Actor Allusion: Emissary's primary function is to enter giant robots to lend them his power.
- Adapted Out: Infinitus, the Big Bad of the comic does not appear. The true Big Bad, Megatronus, reveals himself as the one manipulating all of the events.
- Adaptation Species Change: In this version, the Titans apparently hail from a planet other than Cybertron.
- Adaptational Heroism: Devastator and Menasor, under Victorion's leadership, help rebuild Cybertron and aid in the battle against Trypticon.
- An Arm and a Leg: Trypticon rips off Metroplex's arm. Megatronus burns off one of Victorion's arms when she reaches to retake the Enigma of Combination. This may have also killed Dust Up, as well.
- Arm Cannon: Hot Rod has one similar to those seen in Transformers: Prime.
- Ascended Extra: The four combiners from the previous series get their own subplot.
- As You Know: The first episode opens with a recap of the previous series.
- Back from the Dead: Starscream, thanks to possessing Trypticon
- Badass Armfold: Megatron's default stance.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: After swallowing Victorion and the Enigma, Trypticon gains control over the remaining Combiners and sets them against Maximus and the others. Hot Rod also succumbs to this trope after Overlord had inserted The Matrix of Chaos into his chest that lead to the former's Evil Costume Switch.
- Brought Down to Normal: Rodimus goes back to being Hot Rod, having given up the Matrix as atonement for the recent events.
- But Now I Must Go: Optimus departs at the start of the story.
- Metroplex is planning to do this.
- Cliffhanger Copout: Episode 9 ends with Trypticon eating the Matrix of Leadership and glowing with power. Episode 10 starts with Trypticon having grown much larger and then depowering. He then vomits the Matrix because Only the Chosen May Wield it. Additionally, after the entire series is about trying to beat him, Trypticon just drops dead when Starscream (previously implied to be trapped inside him) spontaneously exits Trypticon of his own accord.
- Combining Mecha:
- The Combiners return and are joined by Overlord whose two altmodes, starfigher and tank, combine to form his robot mode.
- Subverted with Emissary who doesn't transform into a head or combine with anyone like he can in the toyline.
- Demoted to Extra: Optimus and Megatron don't exactly have that much of a role in here compared to Combiner Wars.
- Defiant Stone Throw: Megatron does this once Megatronus shows up, stating not only did he appropriate the Prime's name for himself, but became a Galactic Conqueror and Hero Killer as well. He then proceeds to go into Heroic Self-Deprecation mixed with a "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Megatronus, later revealed to be a mere distraction for Fortress Maximus and Optimus Prime to attack.
- Determinator: Emissary isn't swayed by odds or being vastly outclassed everyone else around him.
- Diabolus ex Machina: After Trypticon just falls over and Starscream's spark leaves his body (claiming to feel "reborn"), the Enigma of Combination as well as the Matrix of Leadership are suddenly stolen by Megatronus. The former Prime then proceeds to No-Sell hits from Fortress Maximus and Optimus, the latter of whom winds up dying yet again.
- Drunk on the Dark Side: Starscream really has a ball rampaging across Iacon.
- Equippable Ally: As a Titan Master, Emissary can enter and empower Titans. He grants Metroplex Eye Beams and Trypticon fire breath.
- Eye Scream: Hot Rod escapes from Trypticon by driving out of his eye. Oddly, his eye does not shatter even though glass shards are seen, and the fact that he should now be missing an eye is never addressed.
- Flat-Earth Atheist: Megatron blows off the Primes and Optimus's visions despite having some familiarity with Unicron.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Megatronus is responsible for placing Starscream's soul into Trypticon. It was all a ploy to acquire the Matrix and the Engima of Combination.
- Handicapped Badass: Metroplex still has lingering damage, but still takes on Trypticon.
- The Heavy: The role is split between Trypticon as well as Overlord
- Heroic Sacrifice: Metroplex knows full well that he'll probably die fighting Trypticon.
- It Amused Me: Megatron's not terribly interested in doing the right thing. Watching the heroes desperately struggle to survive is entertaining and does motivate him to lend a servo.
- Last Episode, New Character/ Make Way for the New Villains: Megatronus appears at the end to set up the next series.
- Martial Pacifist: Fortress Maximus to the point that he put himself into stasis lock when the war ended. He's still committed to protecting Cybertron and moves to confront Trypticon with little convincing.
- Mythology Gag:
- The Primal Basillica is the resting place of the Primes, as it was in The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye.
- Megatron mentions killing Optimus.
- Megatron mentions his gladiator background, which become a franchise staple at this point.
- Hot Rod escapes from the inside of Trypticon by driving out of his eye, referencing his G1 counterpart escaping from Unicron the same way.
- Megatronus is described as "The First Decepticon," a title that was established in Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015).
- In death, Starscream's spirit lingers on the mortal plane and can possess other Transformers. This also isn't the first time he's managed to possess Trypticon.
- Noodle Incident: During one of their conversations, Megatron quips if Optimus is still mad about that one time he killed him. Knowing how close this is to G1 this possibly refers to the battle at Autobot City.
- No-Sell: Trypticon seems to laugh off most attacks. As well, Overlord's armor is so thick that most attacks don't even scratch his plating, let alone cause him to flinch.
- Playing with Fire: Trypticon does this once he consumes Emissary. And as in the Dreamwave comics, Megatronus is capable of this as well.
- Plot-Relevant Age-Up: Inverted. Rodimus Prime returns the Matrix of Leadership and reverts back to the younger, less mature Hot Rod.
- Red Shirt: The Decepticon Seeker Jets show up to be tossed aside.
- Reformed, but Rejected: No one, even his former followers, wants to give Megatron the benefit of the doubt.
- Remember the New Guy?: Perceptor shows up without any previous reference.
- Sacrificial Lion: Mistress of Flame, Metroplex, and Optimus Prime are slain by different villains over the course of the series.
- Sealed Good in a Can: Fortress Maximus.
- Self-Deprecation: Overlord laughs at the ridiculousness of seeing a Giant Starscream head.
- Sequel Escalation: Optimus notes that Cybertron is facing ever greater threats and wonders how much longer the Cybertronian species can survive.
- Shout-Out: Uber-Combiner Victorion briefly wields her sword in the memetic Masami Obari pose in episode 8.
- The Smart Guy: Perceptor. Emissary serves as an expert on the workings of Titans.
- Southern Gentleman: Overlord, at least to the extent of pretending the "gentleman" part applies to him. He's about as violent and sadistic as ever.
- Throwing Your Sword Always Works: Victorion at several points.
- Toilet Humor: This exchange when Hot Rod is inside of Trypticon:Hot Rod: Get ready for a mid-air rescue! We'll be coming out of a different opening!
Windblade: Which one?
Hot Rod: Not sure... but I'm really hoping it's above the waist. - Vagueness Is Coming: Optimus mentions that the Primes are going to return. Megatron laughs him off at first.
