Primon

Primon is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.

That's a beard you'll have. In the future past.

Primon, the Alpha Prime, is one of the oldest known bearers of the Matrix. He may predate Prima sometimes.

Fiction

The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Michael Bell (English), Osamu Saka (Japanese), Serge Bourrier (European French), Garcia Neto (Brazilian Portuguese)

Primon was the earliest documented bearer of the Matrix of Leadership. He was succeeded as Matrix-bearer by Prima. When Rodimus Prime voyaged into the Matrix in 2005, Primon was the first guide the Autobot leader encountered. Primon related to him the story of the Transformers' creation by the Quintessons, and how they were endowed with sentience. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4

3H comics

Primon was seen twice in a swirl of visions experienced by the Covenant at the coming of the Chronarchitect—once as part of a long lineage of Primes, and again having the Matrix torn from his chest by the Liege Maximo. The Matrix eventually found its way to Prima. Covenant

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

Alpha Prime was the first known Matrix-bearer and was succeeded by Guardian Prime. More Than Meets The Eye #8

Ask Vector Prime

Primon was known as the Alpha Prime and predated Cybertron according to legend. Vector Prime was unsure if Primon and the Covenant were a template for the Thirteen, a version of the Thirteen, or just a legend for the Thirteen to believe in. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/05/31 and 2015/06/10

Transformers vs. G.I. Joe

As one of the spirits of former Autobot leaders who resided in the Matrix, Primon haunted Megatron after he stole the artifact, warning the Decepticon that if he sought to control Cybertron, he would have to deal with its ghosts. Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #12 Ghostly images of Primon and other leaders appeared in the sky when Optimus Prime took back the Matrix. The War Never Ends

Notes

• "Primon" was first named in the 1999 BotCon prose story, "Covenant", which identified him as the bearer of the Matrix prior to Prima. This conflicted with the only pre-existing list of Matrix-bearers known at the time, from issue #65 of the Marvel comic book (written by Simon Furman, the same author who wrote "Covenant"), which identified Prima as the first Transformer to carry the talisman. When questioned, Furman offered up "The Matrix forgot?" as an excuse.^[1]
• "Alpha Prime" was first named in a new list of Matrix-bearers provided in Dreamwave Productions' More than Mets the Eye #8. By coincidence or design, the name would also later be floated by Aaron Archer for a new character in the Transformers: Cybertron series, who evolved to become Vector Prime.
• The robot ghost from "Five Faces of Darkness" was never named in the cartoon, having been referred to only as "Ancient Robot" in the episode's dialogue script. In 2010, The AllSpark Almanac II retroactively consolidated all three of these characters into one, identifying the "Ancient Robot" as "Primon, the Alpha Prime."
  • According to Recordicons #9, Vector Prime "always lies about Five Faces of Darkness". If true, this would mean that the guy in the image isn't necessarily Primon or the Alpha Prime; we're keeping this page as-is because there's no objective evidence either way, and Primon is more convenient as a page title than "Ancient Robot".
• The symbol stamped on cartoon Primon's forehead is a "prototype" version of the Autobot insignia. It would later be released as a sticker with Overcharge, and later still was treated as an in-story symbol of other Primes. It is identified as belonging to the "Ancients" in World of the Transformers.

References