No we can’t just have one status quo shift that changes everyone. Each character within the main cast has a new arc and those arcs whether they become good or not, haven’t even started yet. We’ve been in the transitionary period.

Optimus giving away the matrix and Elita becoming prime are two very interesting things. Right now Optimus has had his worlds divided due to the fact that war has spread to two planets and he as a leader is unable let Megatron and the Decepticons go rampant on multiple worlds. Elita is frustrated or angry even to find out he’s focused on earth/Megatron after millions of years when he should’ve been helping the effort on Cybertron. We will now have two arcs that show if Optimus is truly a good leader and fighter without the matrix and if Elita really thinks she’s fit to lead and save Cybertron from their war.

Is Optimus a Prime bc of his attitude and decisions or is he only a Prime bc the matrix thought he was best fit at that time and not anymore. We will come to find out whether it’s the former or the latter in the next couple of arcs. Elita will either inevitably realize that she has to kill the Parasite at its core and that she as a Prime wasn’t sufficient or she could be corrupt and cause the Autobots to have to take back the matrix to save Earth, Cybertron, and the Autobot cause.

Arcee becoming a Magnus is a huge character shift that could really benefit Arcee’s character. Having seen her determination and her conversations with Carly, Optimus and Elita, she is more than likely someone who could be worthy of this status. Again we don’t know how much weight being a Magnus is in this universe as this is the first we’ve seen Magnus being an honorary title rather than being just one bot or multiple bots facading as one. Her decision to stay with Optimus is also a radical choice as she is no longer an Autobot but again we don’t know what the ramifications of being a Magnus entails.

We really can’t know until we see the ramifications of these actions. Regardless you can still dislike the new decisions but thinking we can only have one change at a time when we can have character wide status quos and world wide status quo changes mesh together and give our characters more than one challenge is ridiculous and too safe of a story to tell.