- Supreme Commander is a rank used through-out all eras of Japanese fiction
During Generation 1, the Supreme Commander was the absolute leader of the Autobots and, at first, sole bearer of the Matrix of Leadership. Later, Autobots were appointed the rank of Supreme Commander without having the Matrix passed down to them.
The Supreme Commander rank can be considered the Autobot version of the Decepticon rank of Emperor of Destruction.
By the era of the Beast Wars, the rank of Supreme Commander was appointed to high-ranking Maximal generals, usually of Convoy status. The task of ruling over the Maximal race as a whole was the job of the Maximal Elders.
Known Supreme Commanders (Generation 1)
Known Supreme Commanders (Beast Wars)
(Note: in the English version of Beast Wars, Optimus Primal is not a Supreme Commander and simply an exploration ship captain.)