Transformers One's ending.

Although Transformers One had many Easter eggs and references to prove it was not completely devoid of connections to the franchise at large. This allowed the film to be enjoyable for those familiar with Transformers, as well as a stepping-on point for new audiences. One of the ways Transformers One rode this line was through Megatron, keeping a common franchise connection for his character with some big changes.

Megatron Gets Megatronus Prime's T-Cog In Transformers One's Ending

Megatronus Has Long Inspired Megatron

The character connection in question is Megatronus Prime's inspiration of D-16, who later becomes Megatron. The film makes clear from its early scenes how much D-16 aspires to be like Megatronus, one of Transformers One's iconic Primes. In the film's final act, this inspiration becomes much more active in D-16's transformation into Megatron when the young Cybertronian retrieves Megatronus Prime's Transformation Cog. Without these cogs, not all Cybertronians can transform in Transformers One, yet D-16 finds a solution.

While he receives a T-cog earlier in the movie from Alpha Trion, D-16 manages to take possession of Megatronus Prime's from Sentinel Prime. This solidifies not only D-16's transformation into the Transformers villain Megatron but also the connection between D-16 and Megatronus Prime. The link between these two characters has long been part of Transformers stories, with Transformers One's T-cog element finding a clever way to embed it into this new section of the universe.

Transformers One Changed Why Megatron Wanted To Be Like Megatronus

A Lore Change Makes Megatronus Prime A Slightly Different Character

As alluded to, Megatron's connection to Megatronus Prime in Transformers One is not without its changes in lore. In most iterations of the characters, Megatronus Prime eventually becomes corrupted into The Fallen, one of the franchise's most prominent villains. The Fallen appeared in the live-action Transformers movie timeline, among several other versions, be it comic books or animated shows. In each of these stories, The Fallen was once Megatronus Prime who, well, fell to darkness.

After this, The Fallen tends to become a high-ranking member of the Decepticons, explaining his connection to Megatron in most iterations of Transformers. Transformers One, however, takes a slightly different route. Thanks to the film's exploration of Megatron as D-16, it shows him when he was a friend of Orion Pax - later Optimus Prime - and actually inspired by the Primes. The big lore change about Transformers One is that Megatronus Prime never became The Fallen, instead dying a hero when Sentinel betrayed the Primes.

Although Megatronus dying before becoming The Fallen is a big lore change in Transformers One, the film still found a way to have the connection between him and D-16/Megatron...

Rather than have D-16/Megatron be inspired by The Fallen and the Decepticons, he was simply inspired by Megatronus Prime. The latter character was often described as the strongest of the Elder Primes, greatly influencing why D-16 revered him so much. Although Megatronus dying before becoming The Fallen is a big lore change in Transformers One, the film still found a way to have the connection between him and D-16/Megatron.

Megatron Getting Megatronus Prime's T-Cog Completes His Villain Turn

Megatronus Prime Is Indirectly Involved In Megatron's Creation

Despite not becoming The Fallen in Transformers One's timeline, Megatronus Prime still influenced D-16's downfall into Megatron. This came in the form of the aforementioned plot point that saw D-16 steal Megatronus Prime's T-cog from Sentinel Prime. D-16 was already walking a dark path before this point in Transformers One's story, but the obtainment of Megatronus Prime's cog saw his transition into Megatron set in stone.

Given that D-16 already thought of Megatronus Prime as the strongest of the Primes, the T-cog somewhat imbued D-16 with that same strength. Dubbing himself as Megatron, the villain then used that strength to amplify his already-growing bloodlust and need for revenge, killing Sentinel Prime and turning against Orion Pax. This explains how D-16 became Megatron in Transformers One, stemming from the cleverly changed connection the character has to Megatronus Prime in the franchise's newest iteration.