MEGATRON Undisputed leader of the Decepticons for Millions of Years

So my son and I were watching the Transformers animated movie the other day, and the thought occurred to me that Megatron has been the leader of the Decepticons for a REALLY LONG time.

Let’s recap real quick. On the first episode of the Transformers, the Decepticons had basically one the war. A remnant of Autobots, lead by, Optimus Prime, flee their homeworld of Cybertron, but are pursued by Megatron and a band of his Decepticons. The Decepticon attack and board the Autobot ship, and the resulting battle sends the vessel crashing into prehistoric Earth, millions of years ago, during the time of the dinosaurs.

Millions of years go by. Megatron’s lieutenant, Shockwave, has faithfully ruled Cybertron in his absence. The planet is almost completely out of power, there have been no apparent scientific advances to speak of, and there are still bands of Autobot insurgents running around. Might be a little concerned if I was him… Megatron doesn’t seem like the type to just hand you a pink slip on your way out to lunch.

SO… what did Megatron do to command this kind of loyalty from this army of scoundrels? I mean we couldn’t expect Julius Caesar to leave for millions of years and come back to not only an army but an entire planet still under his authority. Someone should have stepped in to fill the void, with an entire hierarchy of henchmen who owe him fealty.

I know what you are thinking, but before you start, Optimus Prime, as bearer or the Matrix, is a semidivine figure. No other Autobot has the Matrix, so that makes his leadership unquestionable.

What atrocities might Megatron have committed to cement his rule among the Decepticons. Vlad Tepes impaling tens of thousands, immediately comes to mind.

That brings up another point: Starcream is always portrayed as a weasel, but what kind of giant, freaky Devestator-from-Revenge-of-the-Fallen, wrecking-ball sized nuts, must Starscream have, to constantly challenge Megatron? It kinda gives you a whole new respect for the guy.

Anyways, that just something that has been plaguing my mind since rewatching the Transformers animated movie. I’d love to hear some of your theories. Be sure to share in the comment section below.