The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1

A hate-plague spread by a vengeful scientist infects Transformers across the galaxy, and only a revived Optimus Prime can stop it.

While on a deep-space mission in the Solaris to test a new heat-and-radiation-resistant alloy that they have developed, scientists Jessica Morgan and Gregory Swofford detect a ship carrying Optimus Prime's body on a collision course with a planetoid orbiting a star they are researching nearby. Despite Gregory's reservations (his face was scarred in a previous scuffle between Optimus Prime and Megatron, which he blames on Optimus), he is talked into helping Jessica rescue Prime's body before the ship collides with the planetoid, the impact of which also sets off the star into a supernova and coating their ship with unusual spores.

Upon their return to Earth, Jessica's father studies the spores and learns that they are not only alive, but are an incredibly contagious viral agent that induces hatred and destructive urges into whoever they contaminate. The humans don't have long to dwell on this discovery, however, as the Terrorcons, sent by Galvatron to steal the heat-resistant alloy, begin attacking the lab. While the Technobots soon arrive to fight off the Decepticons, Abominus overpowers Computron and the Terrorcons are able to make off with the alloy. To make matters worse, a falling piece of rubble gravely injures Jessica. Outraged by the Transformers' actions, her father is convinced by Gregory to try and resurrect Prime's body as a carrier of the spores against the Autobots, a sentiment exacerbated when it's learned Jessica was paralyzed from the waist down in the accident and now needs a special exosuit to walk. However, when reviving Prime's body turns out to be impossible for them, Gregory and Jessica's father decide to use it as bait for the other Autobots. Dr. Morgan forces Jessica to lure them into a spore trap at the lab.

The trap goes off without a hitch, mostly due to Rodimus' reckless haste in recovering his predecessor's corpse even though Jessica tells him it's a trap, and several Autobots—including Superion and Defensor, two of the most powerful Autobot gestalts—are infected. The Decepticons have learned about Optimus Prime's recovery as well, and have shown up to terminate the former Autobot leader permanently, but are instead infected themselves. Fortunately, Rodimus, Jessica, and Galvatron manage to escape unharmed, the former two with Optimus' body; a few other Autobots manage to escape infection as well, but are badly wounded while attempting to subdue a sickened and crazed Superion.

Back at Autobot City, Rodimus pleads to Wreck-Gar to try and repair Prime, but Prime is too far gone even for Junkion medical experience. Desperate, Rodimus contacts Sky Lynx and orders him to locate and bring back a Quintesson, remembering that they had once before restored Optimus to life. He then sets about disconnecting Metroplex to keep the city-former from becoming infected. However, just as he finishes the final steps to do so, an infected Ultra Magnus appears. He gives chase to Rodimus before he's temporarily subdued by Wreck-Gar... who ends up becoming infected, and infecting Rodimus in return.

TV station KSUN reports that the Hate Plague, as it's now called, has spread like wildfire across the planet. Scenes of chaos and destruction unfold in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere. The plague has even made its way off-world, sending the Quintessons into hiding at the ends of the galaxy. Sky Lynx finds an uninfected Quintesson who he saves from infected Sharkticons in exchange for reviving Optimus. The Quintesson warns that—should anything go too awry during the process — there's a good chance that Optimus will never live again. It's touch-and-go for a while, but eventually, the Quintesson manages to pull through and Optimus is restored to full life, declaring that "no force in the Universe can stop me."