One of the most iconic names in the history of the Transformers franchise is Megatron, who has almost always been the leader of the Decepticons and is a fierce rival to Optimus Prime of the Autobots. The thing about the Decepticons, however, is that they are sometimes led by Galvatron in certain continuities. So, does that mean that Megatron and Galvatron are one and the same Transformer?
Megatron and Galvatron are almost always the same Transformer, depending on the continuity. In certain continuities or universes, they are separate Transformers. However, in the movie franchise and in most continuities, Megatron and Galvatron are the same, as Galvatron was constructed from Megatron’s remains.
The fact that Megatron and Galvatron are sometimes the same and sometimes different can be quite confusing. But like a lot of fictional franchises, the Transformers franchise also has its own multiverse where different versions of the characters exist in different universes. So, with that said, let’s look at whether or not Megatron and Galvatron are the same.
Are Megatron And Galvatron The Same Transformer?
One of the most popular fictional franchises is Transformers, which follows the story of vehicles (and even animals and dinosaurs) that could transform into sentient robotic beings with their own independent will. Of course, in the storyline of Transformers, the one name that always stood out when it came to the bad guys was Megatron.
As the leader of the Decepticons, which are the evil Transformers that are often at the other end of a rivalry with the nicer Autobots, Megatron is often the one that fans remember because he is such an iconic figure that almost always appears in every version of Transformers. Of course, Megatron has also served as the major rival of Optimus Prime, who is the leader of the Autobots.
While Megatron may be an icon among the Decepticons and is almost always the one that people remember when they think of the bad guys in Transformers, there is another big bad guy that is almost just as iconic. We are talking about Galvatron, who is more insane than Megatron but is just as evil. Of course, they also have similarities with one another. So, does that mean that Megatron and Galvatron are the same Transformer?
There are some cases when Megatron and Galvatron are one and the same. On the other hand, there are also some instances when they are entirely different Transformers with their own backstories and personalities. The G1 comics state that they are the same Transformers, as this is usually the continuity that people look at whenever they are talking about Transformers. But other continuities have different versions of Megatron and Galvatron, and that means that they aren’t the same.
Nevertheless, in most adaptations of Transformers, G1 is often used as the source material or, at the very least, the inspiration. The animated movies and series are adaptations or inspirations of G1. Meanwhile, even though the Transformers movie franchise has its own identity, it mostly follows G1 as its source material.
Of course, in the Transformers movie franchise, Megatron and Galvatron are actually one and the same but were meant to be different when Galvatron was created. While the origin story of Galvatron in the Transformers movie franchise tends to be different compared to his origin story in the comics or the animated series, he still is a remnant of Megatron, for all intents and purposes.
So, with all that said, it really depends on the continuity because the Transformers franchise also follows a large multiverse with different versions of different characters existing in different universes. This can be quite confusing, but the fact is that it really depends on the storyline of the Transformers continuity that you are following. But we know that there were at least nine instances when Megatron became Galvatron, and that means that they are basically the same character.
How Did Megatron Become Galvatron (And Megatron Again)?
The origin story of Galvatron can vary depending on the continuity that we are following. However, in most cases, their origin stories are actually quite similar in the sense that Galvatron was rebuilt from a destroyed or killed Megatron. Of course, the way that he was rebuilt can vary because it really depends on the Transformers universe.
But the most popular origin story for Galvatron could be found in G1. In that storyline, Megatron was betrayed by Starscream but was pulled into the void by the gigantic eater of worlds known as Unicron. As he was dying, Megatron was saved by Unicron, who offered to give him a new body and identity in exchange for becoming his servant.
Of course, Megatron accepted the bargain and was given new life by Unicron, who gave him a new body and identity. Galvatron also retained his memories of the past but had become insane despite the fact that he was more powerful than Megatron. Unicron used the pieces of the other Decepticons that were also killed by Starscreams treachery to give Galvatron new troops that would serve him against the Autobots.
Meanwhile, in the Transformers movies made popular by Michael Bay, Megatron was always on the losing end of the fights that he had with Optimus Prime ever since their first meeting in the first Transformers movie. Optimus has become even more powerful thanks to the upgrades that he received. As such, Megatron partnered up with Sentinel Prime during Dark of the Moon to enslave Earth and use the humans as the workforce that they needed to bring Cybertron back to life.
Just when Sentinel Prime was about to kill Optimus Prime, Megatron intervened because he didn’t want to be seen as Sentinel’s lackey and lapdog. He betrayed Sentinel and injured him to the point that he could no longer fight. But Optimus used the opportunity to overpower Megatron and kill him before killing Sentinel as well.
Then, in Age of Extinction, Megatron’s head was salvaged by KSI, which they used to create man-made transformers using the information that was contained in the Decepticon leader’s head. However, in truth, Megatron’s head had been manipulating them into building him an army and giving him a new body. As such, Megatron’s head was used to build Galvatron.
When Galvatron woke up, he was still the very same Megatron that we saw in the previous Transformers movie because he retained his memories even after KSI rebuilt him. The Autobots and Dinobots defeated the newly built army of Galvatron, as he decided to return to Cybertron, vowing that he and Optimus would meet again because he was now reborn.
During the time between Age of Extinction and The Last Knight, Quintessa converted Galvatron back to his Megatron form as he got his jet mode back. As such, he only lasted a single movie as Galvatron, despite the fact that he never really saw himself as separate and distinct from his Megatron personality. His Galvatron form was just a different body for him, but he was still Megatron deep down in his core.
