Introspection - Heroes Part 2: The Leaders

Regarding fictional characters, one of the saddest moments of my young life was watching Optimus Prime die on the big screen. It was awesome, it was tear-jerking and heart-wrenching, and yet it did not scar me (not all of my contemporaries could say the same, unfortunately). I have always loved Optimus Prime. He is a great leader who struggles fights and does not give up, even at the expense of himself. He is the consummate leader. As sad as it was to see him fall, to watch the color drain from him as he dropped the Matrix of Leadership, there were glimmers of hope for the Autobots, as well as a message for me as a child — my heroes were mortal, my heroes were fallible, my heroes will eventually fall, but that does not make them failures.

I grew up watching the Transformers ‘84/Generation 1/G1 cartoon. I loved the characters. I have blogged about them before, and I have to say that my feelings towards the Autobot leaders has not changed through most of the incarnations of comic books, movies, and other literature. In point of fact, I named all of the computers on my network after Autobot leaders, and my phone is the “Matrix of Leadership”. One of my siblings has a great love for Grimlock, so that sibling’s computer is so named — Grimlock is the leader of the Dinobots, and could potentially lead the whole of the Autobots. Suffice to say that I love the leadership characters of the Autobots. Also, some of what I am referencing here I already wrote about over a year ago here (https://steemit.com/transformers/@phoenix32/transformers-the-matrix-of-leadership-dark-awakening-and-the-return-of-optimus-prime); this is just for the read, I don’t care about the upvotes on a post that has long since timed out for that sort of thing, so just read and enjoy, please!

Optimus was a kind and trusting leader who was not afraid to fight, although he saved that as a last resort. He had a respect for life in all of its forms, even the lives of his enemies. He was not one for shying away from action, and he did his damnedest to protect all of the innocent life around him. I’ve spoken about him before and his adventures, his death and return in the G1 series and movie, and the fact that he was practically revered by his fellow Autobots almost makes him larger than life… But there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to Optimus Prime, and there is a hesitation and an exhaustion from millions of years of wartime leadership. He has a hesitation to sacrifice his soldiers that led to his own downfall at the hands of Megatron — rather than risk shooting Hot Rod, he left himself vulnerable as Megatron had the upper hand. He is a self-sacrificing leader, and that is really the goal of a great leader.

There’s a more modern take on Optimus Prime where he is the Arisen, one of the Original 13 Primes, and not just some Cybertronian who assumed the title of “Prime”. I also like this incarnation of him, as it shows a reluctance to admit to his true self and the weight of that; instead, he is looking to minimize himself — it is not about him and his ego, he is just looking to do the right thing and shrink back into the background — that’s really more my speed than the spotlight.

Ultra Magnus was more my speed in terms of leadership. A solid lieutenant, a field commander rather than the supreme leader, and a guy who was reluctant to accept the mantle but did so nonetheless. He was not seeking glory, he was just looking to do what he did best. Part of the appeal for him was that his original G1 toy was just awesome — a white Optimus Prime cab (which references the white metal covered Optimus Prime from the Season 3 episode “The Return of Optimus Prime”) with a car carrier trailer which changed into armor that he would “wear” that made him look far different from Optimus. It was a really awesome toy, and then when he made his debut in Transformers: The Movie (1986), he seemed a natural successor to Optimus Prime — a mature, level-headed, strategist, and he had been entrusted with Autobot City on Earth, making him the guy who defended all of the planet Earth. That’s a pretty big responsibility and he handled it well, even in the face of the surprise attack from the Decepticons. He maintained his cool throughout the assault and he demonstrated those great qualities all throughout the rest of the American G1 series. He’s a private guy, and he doesn’t like to talk about things such as his birthday (neither do I, for that matter, nor do I like to celebrate it).

Hot Rod is the Chosen One. He is young and impetuous and impulsive. I love that about him. He tries to do the right thing. He makes mistakes. He is flawed and that is, to me accessible. He rises to the occasion, although in the end, at the first opportunity, he returns the Matrix of Leadership to Optimus Prime, not realizing that Optimus was in “Zombimus” mode and it was all a trap. And when “Zombimus” is in the process of getting snapped out of his malware-induced funk, he hands the Matrix back to Hot Rod who resumes his leadership. Once Optimus makes a real return, Rodimus Prime is once again content to return to his previous role, although he is a bit more seasoned and not nearly as impetuous or impulsive, battle-seasoned but not hardened. There are times when I can relate to Rodimus — I’m the IT guy, and when something breaks, the Matrix is dropped in my lap and I am the Chosen One who will light the darkest hour. But as soon as it is done, I am all about making sure that the Matrix of Leadership gets back to Optimus Prime. I don’t want to be the leader, I just want to do what needs to be done, and if that involves leading, then I am finding myself in the same pickle in which Rodimus Prime finds himself as a matter of routine. I would rather be free of the burden and mantle, and instead do my thing.

Moving on from Transformers, I shift to Star Wars. Qui-Gon Jinn is just awesome. I loved his character from the start (let us please ignore the fact that Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace had some massive dumpster fire moments and focus on Liam Neeson and his excellent portrayal of an amazing character). Qui-Gon was just so… cool. There’s really no other way that I can describe him. He was an excellent teacher (I always wanted to be a great teacher) and he was blunt at times (as he was with JarJar Binks), as well as insightful and brilliant. He was creative when using the Force, and he inspired his apprentice to be as creative. He could also hold out against Darth Maul, who while not necessarily strong in the Force, was an exceptional fighter. Qui-Gon held his own rather nicely until the end. I appreciate his defiance against the Jedi Council — he was not going to just sit back and be an obedient drone; instead he thought for himself and made his own decisions based on his own moral compass. He did not subscribe to moral relativism, but he also refused to go along with dumb@$$ decisions. You have to respect that.

The apprentice of Qui-Gon Jinn, one Obi-Wan Kenobi, is just as incredible. A youth with a sense of humor, an old man with a sense of the ironic. Obi-Wan was wise beyond his years in many regards, with a bit of self-recrimination in his older years. I loved his fighting style — elegance through simplicity — and that is what made him the ultimate weapon against General Grievous; the proto-Vader just could not fight against a style that is not only lacking in complexity but is so straight-forward that Grievous could not comprehend why anyone would ever use it against him. And thus was his downfall at the hands of General Kenobi, Jedi Knight. One of the greatest things about Obi-Wan is his great heart. The man loved Anakin, first as an apprentice and then eventually as a brother. There was still a spark of Anakin when he landed on Mustafar, as is evident from his tears. Both Anakin and Obi-Wan arrived on Mustafar. They fought each other. In the end, both of them died, with Darth Vader rising in place of Anakin and Ben Kenobi winding up on Tatooine. I know, it seems like semantic nonsense, but the reality of it is that there was no more Jedi Order, so Master Obi-Wan the Jedi Knight was no longer. Instead, he was Ben. The heart of him died when Anakin died. Kenobi was always one who I admired, even as a small child, and I found him to be loving and kind, despite the keeping of secrets from Luke about his parentage and sister. He was a great teacher, just like his master, and he learned well the lessons about the Force.

Let’s talk Robin. This is not your parents’ Boy Wonder from the days of short-pants and weird green shoes (although he's next, so hang tight!). No, Tim Drake is a different Robin for a different era. Dick Grayson had grown up, and Jason Todd had an unfortunate encounter with a telephone hotline the Joker’s crowbar and a building explosion. Batman was a bit unhinged, and this kid Tim Drake realized that Batman needed a Robin. He has computer skills, and in his stand alone series (particularly Volume 4), he proves himself to be more than a sidekick. He is the Batman to his friends in the Teen Titans, with all of the brilliance of his mentor and yet a heart that is not as burdened with darkness. He has a gift with computers that gives him an opportunity to relate to Oracle/Barbara Gordon, and that sparks a friendship. He loves fiercely and is brave. I love this kid, he is a terrific Robin, probably a better Robin than even Dick Grayson had been. He can take a beating and dish it out even better. He is tough without being rough, kind-hearted without being a pushover, and he’s humble. This guy is a hero.

Not far from Tim Drake is his predecessor, as promised, is Dick Grayson. Grayson is the moral compass of the DC Universe. Superman and Wonder Woman have watched him grow up, and they don’t put him at the kids’ table. No, he is an adult and they all acknowledge that. He has been a hero in his own right, and he assumed the mantle of the Bat after Bruce Wayne had been zapped by Darkseid’s Omega Beams. He was reluctant to do so, but he brought a light-heartedness to being Batman that was unusual and yet welcome. He had the wisdom to send Tim Drake out into the world as Red Robin, and with that came the wisdom to explain to the younger Robin that it was a sign of Grayson’s trust in Drake as a hero — what a compliment, especially after Grayson had claimed Drake to be a better Robin than he had been. Grayson doles out the praise, and yet he is not afraid to crack down on the latest Robin, Damien Wayne, as Bruce often did. While his original Robin costume was by no means my favorite outfit, his Nightwing attire has been pretty awesome, and has gotten better over the years. I love that as Nightwing he is considered “Batman Lite” — all of the incredible skill of butt-kicking and yet, despite witnessing his parents’ murder, he does not carry the darkness within him that Bruce does. He refuses to go down the rabbit hole, and Bob Kane and Bill Finger only know how many times he’s been lured to the edge. And yet he always manages to come back. He was targeted by the Court of the Owls to become one of their Talons; instead, he became a bird of the day and now lives on the wing. He hasn’t always made the right call, but he tries his best. Also, he has a thing for redheads…

Finally, Captain America. Steve Rogers. The scrawny kid from Brooklyn, the kid who refused to stay down when he was knocked down. He always got back up. Wobbling, woozy, punchy, bleeding — he still stood back up. And that was before he had any serum in his veins. He is a champion for the weak, a shield against bullies and oppression, a man who is kind-hearted and yet not afraid to get his hands dirty in pursuit of justice and good. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), there is a noticeable trend to Cap as he begins as a super-virtuous man who calls Iron Man on his use of foul language, but life as a superhero takes its toll on him, and eventually he begins using such coarse language. However, he proves that, no matter how much the darkness that surrounds him is hacking away at his soul, he still holds onto the light and proves that he is truly worthy of Mjolnir and Stormbreaker. His greatest battle is not against the Nazis, Hydra, or Thanos, but against the darkness and despair that surround him constantly, especially after The Snap. He’s a hero, and he doesn’t do it for the glory, but because it is the right thing to do. And when all is said and done, when the battle is over, he just wants to go back to having a quiet life.

All of these leaders are reluctant to be in the spotlight but are eager to do what needs to be done. Some are working in the background and the shadows, others are content to return to a simpler life after accomplishing their tasks. They do not seek the limelight and all they want is the best for their people. This, to me, is proper leadership, true leadership, and not the megalomaniacal self-serving and self-seeking egotism of despots and tyrants. Glory and accolades are not my thing, really. Just knowing that the work has been done properly and that the mission is a success is enough for me.

Next time — The Artifices!