Rodimus Prime began life as the youthful Autobot, Hot Rod. While battling Galvatron inside the monster planet, Unicron, in 2005, Hot Rod siezed the stolen Autobot Matrix of Leadership from the evil Decepticon, and it surged with power. Hot Rod was the chosen one - the Autobot who would rise up and use the power of the Matrix to light the Autobots' darkest hour. The power of the Matrix transformed Hot Rod into Rodimus Prime. Rodimus quickly dispatched Galvatron, and opened the Matrix, its energies destroying Unicron from within.

Rodimus Prime transforms into a futuristic truck. Its design is a modified version of his vehicular mode as Hot Rod, but whether it is based on a Cybertronian design or one from Earth in 2005 is unknown. In some instances, the trailer of his truck mode is seen to roll away into infinity, in a similar fashion to Optimus Prime's, but at other times, it emerges from the substance of his body. It is unclear which is the erronious occurrence. Rodimus is armed with a standard blaster, in addition to wrist mounted laser cannons. Rodimus is very self-conscious, and constantly in doubt of his ability to be as good a leader as Optimus Prime.

Rodimus Prime became the official Autobot leader in 2006, making his first act declaring the opening of the Galctic Games. He later found himself trapped on the planet Quintessa, home of the Quintessons, the five-faced aliens who actually built the Transformes millions of years ago. The Quintessons destroyed their planet in an attempt to destroy Rodimus and the Matrix. Rodimus leaned the truth about the Quitnessons and the Transformers' origins when he travelled inside the Matrix to speak with former Autobot leaders. The Quintessons were eventually bested, but they returned several times thereafter.

While on a misson with Grimlock, Rodimus actually managed to lose the Matrix. He reverted to his original form of Hot Rod, actually quite happy to be rid of the Matrix and the responsibility it conveyed, but the Matrix was recovered by the Decepticon, Scourge, who was super-charged by its energies. After he led a failed attack on Autobot City, Hot Rod reclaimed the Matrix and turned back into Rodimus Prime.

When the Quintessons reanimated Optimus Prime's dead body, they were able to coerce Rodimus into giving the Matrix back to the zombie Prime, who then subsequently destroyed the Autobot Mausoleum. Hot Rod battled the undead Prime, who managed to regain control of his actions, and returned the Matrix to Hot Rod, allowing hm to become Rodimus Prime again. Prime then piloted his ship into a dormant sun near to the Quintesson mothership, causing it to go nova. The explosion puportedly destroyed Prime's body.

However, a few months later, it came to light that two scientists, Jessica Morgan and Gregory Swafford, had recovered Prime's body from his ship just before the sun went nova. The explosion coated their ship, the Solaris, with solar spores, which were revealed to manifest hatred, and promptly used by Jessica's father and Swafford to infect the Autobots with what became known as The Hate Plague. Rodimus Prime was among the last of the Autobots to succumb to the plague. As per Rodimus's last orders, Sky Lynx located a surviving Quintesson, and forced him to reanimate Optimus Prime's dead body. The process was successful, and Prime coated his body with Swafford's heat-resistant alloy, allowing him protection from the Hate Plague. He recovered the Matrix from Rodimus Prime, and journeyed inside it to find a cure for the plague. Upon returning, he opened the Matrix, using its resevoir of wisdom to defeat the madness of the plague. Optimus Prime regained command of the Autobots, and Rodimus was converted back to Hot Rod for good.

For information on Hot Rod, before and after becoming Rodimus Prime, see his own profile.