Hasbro had a very specific edict for the people in charge of Beast Wars, but the writers quietly ignored that directive and did what they wanted.

Optimus Primal is the leader of the Maximals in the Transformers: Beast Wars universe. Unlike the traditional Optimus Prime, who transforms into a truck, Primal transforms into a powerful gorilla.

Some characters in the Transformers franchise are somewhat known for switching factions, starting off on one side of the ...