In this review of Transformers #31, we venture into Megatron’s distant past to witness his grueling path to gain immense power. Between servitude and survival, which will win out in the end?
Transformers #31
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Ludo Lullabi
Main Cover: David Nakayama
Variant Covers: Daniel Warren Johnson, Simon Parr, Patricia Martín Samaniego, Ludo Lullabi, Manabu Yashiro, Tyler Kirkman
Page Count: 36 Pages
Release Date: April 8, 2026
This review contains spoilers
Transformers #31 begins in the wrecked hull of the Nemesis, the Decepticons’ former battle cruiser and current base of operations where Megatron is having another violent “episode”. While his minions watch in horror as their leader writhes in agony, the story shifts to the distant past where Megatron relives his enduring of thousands of trials on a journey to claiming the coveted Matrix of Oppression.
Megs is a proud and arrogant warrior with no love for serving others, and so the agonizing trials continue with Megatron resisting constant torture and constant demands to submit and complete the cycle. Finally, at the ten thousandth trial, Megatron relents, no longer able to withstand the brutal punishment. The voice draws him across vast landscapes to a structure shaped like the Decepticon logo.
Inside the structure, an impatient Megatron is confronted by Megatronus, who warns him that there is no returning to the trials from here. There is either submission or oblivion. With immense effort, Megatron bows in supplication.
Transformers #31 ends back in the present day as mysterious shards burst through Megatron’s unconscious form, enveloping him completely in what appears to be a cocoon or chrysalis that signals a change is coming.
Analysis
Transformers #31 digs deep into Megatron’s past in another laser-focused issue. Writer Robert Kirkman explores the Decepticon leader’s early days, and his herculean struggle to submit to Megatronus’ will in order to ascend into a more powerful form. Thousands of agonizing trials end the same way, with Megatron devastated, humiliated and defeated, but still, he doesn’t yield (until trial ten thousand).
Kirkman’s depiction of Megatron is in keeping with the character’s aversion to being controlled by another, such as in the 1986 Transformers the Movie, for example, where a gravely injured Megatron ultimately accepts Unicron’s offer in order to survive. Megatron is few things in Transformers #31 save for rejecting servitude, lashing out at obstacles, raging against betrayers in a quest for power.
Megatronus (who looks like a giant, bipedal blast-furnace) is unrelenting in the repeated breaking of Megatron’s spirit, but for an ultimately higher purpose. Beyond power and control, Megatron aspires to little else, but the “Matrix of Oppression” challenges that notion. He won’t receive power without submission. There is no desire for camaraderie or love for Megatron. Pragmatism is his biggest compromise.
A narrow-focused character isn’t necessarily a one-note character: Megatron’s true self is specific, honed and does not contain multitudes. Whatever comes next for Megatron after this latest development, might it cure his feral nature and violent episodes? Is change (or evolution) inevitable here because this is a Transformers title? Are we expecting a new look, a new power set or even a new outlook?
Artist Ludo Lullabi returns for Transformers #31, and Kirkman’s script provides ample opportunity for the artist to explore the vast scope of Megatron’s surroundings as well as his smaller moments of perpetual torment. Daniel Warren Johson previously established a precedent for his sketchier art style fitting the Transformers series, where the Robots in Disguise were previously depicted as clean, crisp machines.
Lullabi continues Johnson’s tradition here, unleashing a palpable sense of energy within the confines of the static two-dimensional artform. Lullabi’s art vibrates in the various action sequences, and the emotional intensity is depicted across Megatron’s face with each outburst of rage or pain. The multi-page sequence detailing Megatron’s long walk is well rendered amid a vast robotic landscape, completely without text or dialogue, allowing Lullabi’s storytelling skills to shine.
Final Thoughts
Transformers #31 is another remarkable issue, featuring a narrowly focused story for a notably narrow focused character. The terse script delivers a shocking story and finale, while the artwork sings.
