Optimus Prime is the leader of the Autobots in the Transformers franchise, which began as a toy and animated series in the 1980s before becoming a major film series. His deep, heroic voice and sense of duty made him one of the most recognisable characters in pop culture, and short clips of his voice are widely shared online as memes and reaction sounds. Creators keep using them because the voice alone signals leadership, courage and an epic entrance, even in short, silly edits.