It was later revealed that a group of humans had actually managed to retrieve Optimus's body prior to the destruction of the ship, but he was now contaminated by strange particles released in the explosion. An anti-Cybertron scientist attempted to attack the Autobots with these particles, only to release a 'hate plague' that turned all those infected with it against others. With the plague spreading rapidly, even Rodimus Prime was soon infected, requiring the Autobot Skylinx to rescue a Quintesson in the hope that it would be able to bring Optimus back to life to lead the remaining uninfected against the plague victims. After this plan was a success, Optimus was eventually able to reclaim the Matrix of Leadership from Rodimus Prime and learn that the plague could be countered with wisdom, prompting him to sacrifice the accumulated knowledge of the Matrix to restore all those victims of the plague to normal. With the Matrix now empty, Optimus mused that all would be a little wiser now from the knowledge it had given them, and it was up to them all to refill it.