Part 2/2
To add to my previous post about how Elita and Megatron are foils in Transformers One, but to focus a bit more on Elita herself:
Elita has been shown to resort to unnecessary violence whenever annoyed, frustrated or threatened (kneeing Bee in the face, punching Orion in the face multiple times, punching Shockwave in the eye and then threatening him into cooperating, beating Airachnid repeatedly with her own leg that she ripped off while she's already down, etc)
D-16 has also done this in what starts as jokes; threatening to beat Orion by turning into a shovel, saving Orion from being punched by Darkwing only to punch him himself. And then later more seriously; threatening to kill him if they survive the Iacon 5000, immediately wanting to fight after getting a cog, laughing when he killed that guard after they all transformed for the first time, the entire interaction with the High Guard and Starscream, etc.
The biggest difference here between them is that Elita doesn't appear to derive any pleasure from the violence she inflicts while D-16/Megatron does. To me, it seems like Elita's aggression/violence is an instinctual survival tactic and a coping response to high stress and lack of control. Whereas D-16/Megatron willingly chooses to inflict harm when the opportunity arises and he no longer feels powerless/weak.
And this is where the opportunity for a character arc for Elita comes in and allows her to grow as a leader, while also further highlighting the differences and similarities between her and Megatron.
Say Optimus leaves Cybertron while Elita stays to fight the war, have the strength of her morals and compassion be put to the test without Optimus and Bee there to act as her moral anchors (I can see them being the only people she allows close enough to call friends so she listens to them and accepts advice), but have D-16's rise into Megatron serve as a constant reminder of what could happen to her if she gives in to her anger and allows it to blind her to everything else.
Mix that with the threat of the Quintessons, her love for Cybertron and a willingness to do whatever it takes to save her home no matter what conflict with her love for the Autobots and the possible need to sacrifice them if push comes to shove, and you have (I believe) solid character development for her that doesn't:
A) Reduce her to Optimus' love intrest
B) Use/sacrifice her character as a way to lift up Optimus
C) If handled properly and in a non misogynistic way, congrats! You have a depiction of Elita that's multi dimensional, compelling and she doesn't either have to die or become the bad guy to contribute to the story!
As sad as I am that Transformers One will most likely never get a sequel or become a trilogy, I'm also fine with it being a stand alone movie. This film was my first proper introduction to Elita and while she's not my favorite (I'm a basic bitch, Bee's my favorite in the movie, I relate to him & I just love sunshine characters) I still find her to be interesting and I want to see more of her but not at the risk/cost of killing her off, butchering her character, reducing her to a love interest or making her a villain (because that seems to be a pattern with her in transformers media.)
To summarize: Have Elita be an example that desiring power and authority doesn't have to lead to corruption, and that you can overcome your violent base instincts in the name of the greater good.
Link to part 1:
https://www.tumblr.com/lucbee127/813643640169807872/part-12?source=share
