william-james88 wrote:hinomars19 wrote:
Thankfully, I'm at the point where I can laugh this stuff off...
So long as black bot with Leah mask face doesn't poison the character in future generations toylines and cartoons.

Is there any precedent to this happening?
Actualy, I thought of one. The movies did have an impact on the cartoon shows and games. Before the films, Peter Cullen was not the go to voice actor for Optimus. He didnt even know of the fan worship. Optimus was played by a variety of voice actors including David Kaye and Gary Chalk.
But once the films came around, forget it, Optimus was Cullen and
only Cullen. He became the defacto voice for a whole new generation including every cartoon since along with games, toys and whatever else I cant think of (alarm clocks?).
So I guess you could consier that a major change to the franchise with having a unified voice for Optimus, along with him being a long nose truck (which is still happening).
I dont think anyone minds that, and thats the most I could think of what the movies brought to interpretations of characters elsewhere.
Oh, there is one more, Bumblebee became waaaaay more popular after the films

Thanks Will, that's a reminder of the positives the movies bring.
As already mentioned by someone else, BUMBLEBEE is my main source of irritation with the movies 'poisoning' characters. I like G1 Bumblebee because he's small and chatty. BayBEE is the exact opposite, and the Prime character suffered from that greatly. Now Bumblebee is known as the badass muscle car. Not only his design has changed, but his character, his role in the franchise has changed. Has he gained more popularity? Yes, but to me, it's for the wrong reasons. It's not Bumblebee that's popular, it's the bot carrying his name. I really dislike RiD Bee. We've had him become leader in the IDW verse, and that (to me) nasty Gen. toy (the one turned into Nightbeat and Gold fire) all of these things bug me.
Another thing is now Optimus keeps losing his face plate. I don't know why. Soundwave in TF Prime is a real departure for his physical design, not recognisable at all. As it's been said, it's small things, but it's those small things that sour it for me.
I guess it's down to each persons interpretation of a character.
I'm wary of stepping into movie discussions because they can become a minefield of nonobjectivety, or to put it bluntly 'ass kissing'. It's OK to simply say this is HOT ROD in name only, just like Hound, Skorponok, Wheelie etc. But I get irked when I see people saying 'Oh hey, cool new interpretation, bro.' That's cool for stuff like Bayverse Prime, and yes, faceplate aside, some cool stuff from the movies have evolved into the character in other media but...when something this far removed pops up, I fear any impact it may have on that name afterward, within the brand and the fandom. Nothing bothers me more than people trying to connect dots that aren't there.

(Like using RID 2000 Grimlock to validate RiD 2015 being a green Dinosaur..."000 Grimlock is a construction vehicle with a name drop attached...

)
HOPEFULLY, it ups the popularity of the name in a positive way, like I feel IDW has.
I'm a big Hot Rod fan, always have been. So y'know, it grabbed my attention.I never wanted him in these movies because we know what happens.
I'm kinder to the movies than I feel I should be. I don't hate them. I like some designs and characters, own some of the better engineered or fun toys etc. I guess I just want them to stay in their own little bubble
This is all me posting my personal thoughts, of course. Just seriously, I don't want Prime Wars Hot Rod to be Black Lambourghini

EDIT-- sorry if this reads like an 8 year old, my typing skills appear to be failing me