Is Hot Rod only the chosen one because he touched the Matrix first?

[shokwave2]

Because red goes faster

[GoktimusPrime]

Hot Rod was the chosen one.

Chosen by HASBRO!

...seriously, they needed a damn good reason to plug the Rodimus Prime toy - it's a crap toy (even by 1986 standards)! Ultra Magnus was a much, much more awesome toy for that year (even though it was designed years earlier as part of Diaclone) and intuitively made more sense as the next leader (since he was pretty much the same mould as Optimus Prime, but with a super mode/apex armour!).

Heck, Hot Rod is a better toy than Rodimus Prime.

[Adzma]

When I saw the movie for the first time I assumed that the only reason Hot Rod became Rodimus Prime was because he touched the Matrix first. Why would Optimus not simply pass the Matrix to Hot Rod if he was the chosen one? One could argue he simply didn't know, but I prefer to think this way anyway, makes Hot Rod seem less credible.

[Paulbot]

Everytime I've watched TFTM, I have believed that Prime didn't know Hot Rod was the chosen one from the prophecy he was talking about. However the Matrix, with it's collective wisdom and all that, recognised Hot Rod by his touch and so glowed brightly in his hands. None of the other Autobots noticed this as anything special, probably still in awe of seeing the Matrix for the first time. Nor were they concerned that the Matrix appeared to reject Magnus straight away by trying to jump out of his chest and had to be forced back in.

[BigPenney]

I believe that he was the chosen one but I'm a bit biased simply because I loved Hot Rod and couldn’t believe that it was simply because he got lucky and touched it first.

Hot Rod was the chosen one.
Chosen by HASBRO!

Also this.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

I voted for the Touch 'cos Stan Bush said so.

[liegeprime]

Nor were they concerned that the Matrix appeared to reject Magnus straight away by trying to jump out of his chest and had to be forced back in.

I thought that was just a gross error in the animation editing??

[roller]

we all know hes the chosen one, this is reading way too much into it

he's the bloody luke skywalker of transformers, this doesn't even need to be discussed.

[loophole]

it was destiny my brothers!!

[Paulbot]

I thought that was just a gross error in the animation editing??

I think it was intentional, symbolizing that leadership didn't fit Ultra Magnus. That the matrix was trying to get back to Hot Rod is my interpretation though.