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Peter Cullen will kick the bucket eventually. I know, it sucks, but it will happen. And when it does, what happens to Optimus in any animated/live action continuities from then on? Will he continue only in comics? Or will someone else (can someone else) take over? Neil Kaplan voiced him in RiD, and Garry Chalk did a good job in Armada (not sure if Beast Wars can be counted, because technically that wasn't Optimus Prime) and David Kaye did well in Animated. But would the loss of Cullen be hard to take, especially for older fans, and would you look at Prime differently if he did go on with another voice?

*Ahem*

If...when Cullen kicks the bucket, I think the best one to keep his memory alive would be....our very own...Jon Bailey.

If Bailey did his voice, I wouldn't look at Optimus any other way, considering he's great at voicing him. I would probably be very sad when Cullen dies, though.

If anyone that didn't do a good job IMO of Optimus, including Kaye & Chalk, I'd no doubt be looking at Optimus as someone completely different.

I mean, personally, I'm not an extremely emotional person, so when someone famous dies, it blows my mind for a while (like, how the hell, when the hell...WHAT the hell!?), but after a little while it goes away and I go about my business like it never happened, even though I know deep inside that it did. Cullen's death would be hard on a lot of fans, and there's no doubting that.

I'd like to think Mr. Cullen would retire first.

Since Optimus Prime has already been voiced by several actors and is very much an iconic hero, I doubt he'll ever be permanently retired. If, god forbid, Peter Cullen died during production of a show I'd imagine that particular show would write off Optimus in some way, but Prime would eventually come back in other series. I mean, Looney Tunes is still going on despite the legendary Mel Blanc's passing (he was, after all, practically the entire cast), I can't see Optimus Prime dying along with his original VA.

While Peter Cullen is easily recognized as the voide of Prime, at the end of it, he's a voice actor in a successful franchise.

Optimus Prime is a symbol and really can't die just cause one of his voice actors passes on. The main reason we even got Cullen back as the voice of Prime was cause of the 2007 movie. Before that we has others voicing him.

It's important to not link the actor to the character.

Look at how many people have played Batman.

First of all, this is a morbid topic that just doesn't seem necessary... (we're not the only board posing this question, btw...)

How about we focus on positive things... ...h

mm?

robofreak wrote:While Peter Cullen is easily recognized as the voide of Prime, at the end of it, he's a voice actor in a successful franchise.

Optimus Prime is a symbol and really can't die just cause one of his voice actors passes on. The main reason we even got Cullen back as the voice of Prime was cause of the 2007 movie. Before that we has others voicing him.

It's important to not link the actor to the character.

Look at how many people have played Batman.

It's important in most things, but when you really look at it, well, they're definitely linked.

Throw out some V/A names and here's what happens:

"Peter Cullen?" Aw, snap dude, that's Optimus Prime!
"Mark Hamill?" Oh, you mean Luke Skywalker? Dude's BADASS as the Joker. Dat ish tiiiight.
"Kevin Conroy?" Duuuude, totes Batman. THE Batman. Like THE only Batman.

And I don't think any of them have a problem with being associated/linked to a character that's brought them notoriety. Optimus is a great character to be known for. The Joker? Iconic. Especially TAS Joker. TAS Batman? We ALL grew up watching him. Whether we were really little, teenaged, or early 20's...an entire generation grew up watching that show and his voice is the one we know.

I bet not a single one of them regret it. Hamill perhaps, simply because The Joker just rips his throat to shreds and he can't do it anymore.

Autobot032 wrote:First of all, this is a morbid topic that just doesn't seem necessary... (we're not the only board posing this question, btw...)

That's 1 person's opinion. And I haven't seen this particular topic discussed here recently, so I asked. I'm still allowed to do that, aren't I?

Mel Blanc passed away many years ago, but you still see plenty of his Looney Tunes characters out there with new material.

'nuff said.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Autobot032 wrote:First of all, this is a morbid topic that just doesn't seem necessary... (we're not the only board posing this question, btw...)

That's 1 person's opinion. And I haven't seen this particular topic discussed here recently, so I asked. I'm still allowed to do that, aren't I?

Ease up. No one's taking away your right to do so. But since you're allowed to ask, I'm allowed to comment. That's how this board system works. Geez.

And because it's on two boards (could be more), that means it's not just you, but several members of our fandom thinking about this stuff. Me, personally, I'd push that thought as far away from my mind as possible.

I'm sure Mr. Cullen doesn't like thinking about such things.

Autobot032 wrote:I bet not a single one of them regret it. Hamill perhaps, simply because The Joker just rips his throat to shreds and he can't do it anymore.

He did reprise the role for Arkham Asylum and Arkham City though. And he still does The Voice, or at least, The Laugh, at conventions.


It is true that his voice, and Welker's, have been associated to those characters in various incarnations, but as has been pointed out, and it is because his voice is so iconic that he keeps being asked to come back for more.
(As was the case for the cast of Batman: The Animated Series being asked to voice the videogames, for example.)
As others have said, though, I don't think it will radically change the character or the franchise at all, although it might have a small influence for some time. There might be some sort of commemorative streak or something.


[I was actually considering the same thing about Stan Lee (although he doesn't have that much of an active role right now, so not as influent, I guess).]

Now I'm not trying to be morbid with this, but as terrible as it will be to eventually lose the original voice of Prime, he's hardly been the only voice of Prime. And, as Burn said, Mel Blanc has been gone and the voices of his characters continue. True, even a very solid Cullen impersonator won't quite be the same (I'm thinking of Vader's voice in the Force Unleashed games, close but noooot quite) and some of us will always hear Peter in our heads, but the guy can't go on forever.
Hell, when Frank Welker and Tom Kenny go, something like 75% of all animated voices will go too. (I know, not really.)