Cobra Command
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cobra Command | |
|---|---|
 Logo of Cobra |
|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics Devil's Due Publishing IDW Publishing |
| First appearance | G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero |
| Created by | Larry Hama |
| In-story information | |
| Type of organization | Terrorist military group |
| Base(s) | See Bases |
| Leader(s) | Commander: Cobra Commander Emperor: Serpentor Weapons Supplier: Destro Director of Intelligence: Baroness Chief of Science: Doctor Mindbender |
| Agent(s) | Crimson Guard Co-leaders: Tomax Crimson Guard Co-leaders: Xamot Ninja Bodyguard: Storm Shadow Primary Field Commander: Major Bludd Anti-Armor Specialist: Scrap Iron Dreadnoks Leader: Zartan Dreadnoks 2nd in command: Zarana Dreadnoks 3rd in command: Zandar |
Cobra (also called Cobra Command) is the fictional nemesis of the G.I. Joe team in the Hasbro action figure toylines G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and G.I. Joe: Sigma 6, as well as their related media.
Cobra was introduced when G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line was launched in 1982. The toyline was accompanied by a Marvel Comic series written by Larry Hama, and an animated television series by Sunbow and Marvel Productions. Each medium to feature G.I. Joe has had its own continuity and as such, the origin and portrayal of Cobra has differed in each of them. The comic series took a serious tone and portrayed the group as a fairly efficient 'real world' political and military machine, going as far as to give it a corporate front as the company "ARBco" with various subsidiaries also being anagrams of "Cobra" such as "Robca Reality" and "Broca Bros." In the cartoon, Cobra is often portrayed as an ineffectual group of terrorists, going as far as being revealed to have a retconned a fantasy background (see Cobra-La, below).
Contents |
[edit] Organization
[edit] High Command
- For a full list of characters, see List of G.I. Joe ARAH characters.
Though the members of the Cobra organization are all fighting against G.I. Joe, there are many internal power struggles.
- Cobra Commander - The leader and founder of Cobra. His face is almost always obscured either by a hood with only his eyes visible or by a high tech battle helmet with various security features integrated into it. In the cartoon, this concealment was to hide inhuman disfigurement, whereas in the comic it is merely to maintain the secret of his civilian identity. He is regarded as the most dangerous man on Earth, because he can draw followers to him. Only Baroness and Destro have seen his face.
- Serpentor - The Cobra Emperor, created through a breakthrough in cloning research by Dr. Mindbender from the DNA extracted from the remains of the most ruthless and effective military leaders in history, including Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, Attila the Hun,Vlad Tepes (cartoon only),Alexander the Great, Hannibal, and Genghis Khan, as well as Sgt. Slaughter. (In the comics, Storm Shadow is the tenth and only live source of DNA, instead of Sgt. Slaughter). In addition to his genetic disposition to greatness, an early experiment also gave him access to the brain patterns of G.I. Joe HALO jumper Ripcord, allowing him to use their strategies against them. He was seemingly killed by Zartan, only to be revived later by a splinter group known as "The Coil", and later killed by Cobra Commander.
- Destro or James McCullen Destro XXIV - A Scotsman who always wears a metal mask (in the cartoon the mouth of his mask moves, explained by a form of nanotech/liquid metal in later comics). He has often tried to take over leadership of Cobra. Destro is an arms dealer and his number one client is Cobra. He is the hereditary leader of M.A.R.S. (Military Armaments Research Syndicate) and uses his personal army, the "Iron Grenadiers", to start conflicts in order to sell weapons to all of the combatants' parties. Destro has a warped sense of honor and a grudging respect for his G.I. Joe foes.
- The Baroness or Baroness Anastasia DeCobray - The daughter of European aristocrats, she serves as Cobra's Director of Intelligence, and is romantically involved with Destro.
- Doctor Mindbender - A mad scientist and former dentist. He has several mind-control devices. He is also quite accomplished with genetic manipulation. He is responsible for the creation of Serpentor, the Cobra B.A.T. as well as responsible for perfecting the Brainwave Scanner. Though he is quite muscular, Mindbender is somewhat cowardly, preferring to avoid physical confrontations.
- Tomax and Xamot - Twin brothers that lead the Crimson Guard and are the respectable corporate face of Cobra. When not engaged in dangerous field missions, Tomax and Xamot are in shirt and tie, managing Cobra's business affairs. The brothers share an empathic connection. While this is often useful, as it allows them to communicate wordlessly and finish each others sentences, it is also a liability, as they feel each other's pain during fights. Tomax and Xamot are mirror images of each other, except Xamot has a scar on the right side of his face. The twins run a corporation called Extensive Enterprises and are known more for their skills in the boardroom than on the battlefield.
- Storm Shadow or Thomas "Tommy" Arashikage - A ninja who trained in martial arts and military service alongside G.I. Joe operatives Snake-Eyes and Stalker. He brought Snake-Eyes into his clan; the two are sword brothers. He joined Cobra with the intention of finding the man who killed his uncle, the leader of his clan. It was later revealed that Zartan and Firefly were in fact responsible, but Storm Shadow was never able to avenge his master's death. He eventually was brainwashed and began working for Cobra in earnest.
- Zartan - The leader of the Dreadnoks, as well as a master spy and assassin. He is a master of disguise, able to be anyone anytime he wishes. Thanks to genetic experimentation, Zartan is also capable of changing his skin color to blend in with his background. This special ability is disrupted by sunlight.
[edit] Recurring characters
- Major Bludd - Major Sebastian Bludd is an Australian mercenary with extensive combat experience who worked for Cobra from time to time. He is a master tactician, expert in all known weapons, and writes very bad poetry. He is usually portrayed as Cobra's infantry commander. Major Bludd is best known for the assassination of General Flagg, the original leader of the G.I. Joe team.
- Firefly - The world's greatest saboteur, Firefly's background is a mystery. A mercenary and assassin, Firefly offers no guarantees or refunds. He is an expert in all types of explosive ordnance and demolition materials. He is the Faceless Master of the Koga ninja clan.
- Dr. Venom - A Cobra scientist who played an important role in the first two years of the comic book. He was killed in action, and eventually replaced by Dr. Mindbender.
- Kwinn - An Inuit mercenary who only appeared in the first year of the comic book. A mercenary with a strong code of honor, he had previously worked for the CIA, Mossad, MI6, and the KGB, and worked with Cobra in Sierra Gordo. He would later renounce his life as a mercenary, only to be betrayed and killed by Dr. Venom. A hidden grenade then slays Venom.
- Fred VII - A soldier in the Crimson Guard who temporarily impersonated Cobra Commander after fatally shooting him (or so he believed). He was killed when the real Cobra Commander made his triumphant return.
- Blackout - Sniper Thomas J. Stall was rejected by G.I. Joe for failing his psychological exam and was suspected of being involved with the disappearance of his sister. After being imprisoned, Thomas broke out of a brig at Fort Huachuca during an attack by Cobra, to whom he surrendered willingly and subsequently joined.
- Dreadnoks - Led by Zartan and his siblings Zandar and Zarana, the Dreadnoks are a gang of militarized bikers who pull jobs for Cobra when finesse is not required and brute force is needed. Zartan used them for backup and brought them with him when he joined Cobra.
[edit] Rank and file
The vast majority of Cobra is made up of faceless legions of soldiers, widely diversified according to specialties and functions. Some of the more prominent include:
- Cobra Soldiers/Officers - Also known as "Blueshirts",[citation needed] these are the original soldiers introduced in 1982, and are prominently featured on both the cartoon and comic series. They are portrayed as common grunts.
- Crimson Guard - Led by Tomax and Xamot, these elite soldiers were introduced in 1985. Their filecard indicates that in addition to intense military training, they are required to have a degree in either accounting or law (later filecards say they are required to have a non-specific college degree), and are often used in deep cover operations, posing as civilians and politicians. Later toys expanded on the Crimson Guard concept with the release of figures such as the Crimson Guard Immortals and Commanders, as well as group-specific vehicles. As another part of their deep cover operations, many Crimson Guardsmen undergo plastic surgery in order to adopt identical features in case one "Seigie" (the photnetic pronuciation of "C.G") is required to replace another in a public cover. The Crimson Guard also maintain Cobra's legal business fronts.
- Cobra Vipers - Introduced in 1986, these infantry soldiers complement the Cobra Troopers in both the cartoon and comic series, though they are depicted as benefiting from better training and more sophisticated equipment. Their filecard indicates that they are "the backbone of Cobra Legions" and "if you want to get anywhere in Cobra, you have to start out as a Viper", thus causing confusion as to what the difference between Vipers and Cobra Troopers was until it was later stated that the blueshirt troopers were the bottom of the barrel and below Vipers.[citation needed] Viper is also the suffix for other rank-and-file Cobra divisions (Tele-Viper, for example).
- B.A.T.s - The Battle Android Troopers were introduced in 1986 and are used extensively in the cartoon series, since they could present an army that the heroes could gun down without killing living beings. Intended as an alternative to living soldiers, the androids are hazardous to both friend and foe according to their filecard due to poor eye sensors.
- Python Patrol - Although their origin differs from cartoon to comic, the Python Patrol is an elite unit of Cobra units hand-selected by Cobra Commander (or in the comic, his imposter). What makes this group stand out is their use of revolutionary stealth coating technology, masking their vehicles and uniforms from most forms of electronic detection.
[edit] Bases
Cobra maintains a number of bases around the world. In several media incarnations, Cobra’s primary base is Cobra Island. In the Marvel Comics series, Cobra is said to have bases, underground cells and even whole communities scattered across the globe. Following are several specific locations with names:
- Broca Beach - After the destruction of Springfield, Cobra created another town as their secret base of operations in America. This one was transformed from an abandoned seaside town. Former residents of the destroyed Springfield town were relocated here.
- Castle Destro - Destro's fortress in Scotland. Training ground for the Iron Grenadiers.
- Cobra Citadel also known as the Silent Castle - Cobra's base of operations in Eastern Europe. It is located in Trans-Carpathia. Destro incorporated many secret passageways and features into the castle's design including the ability to shift its configuration (throught a complex series of levels, pulleys, and gears) into a near-exact likeness of Castle Destro - both internally and externally. Although he initially gave up the rights to the castle to Destro, Cobra Commander later decided he wanted it back as it was rather close to his operations in Darklonia. Its design was first featured in "The MASS Device" TV miniseries.
- Cobra Consulate - A high-rise in New York City used by Cobra as an embassy and base of operations after Cobra Island was declared a sovereign nation.
- Cobra Island - The primary base of Cobra operations. It was created after a massive man-made earthquake. Cobra lawyers, well-prepared, moved in and had it declared a sovereign nation. It was the battlefield for the Cobra civil war, and the battle against 'the Coil'. After Cobra was beaten, the island was seized by the U.N. It then came under the control of the Coil, then Cobra, and was finally destroyed by a nuclear warhead, which also killed every member of the Coil.
- Helicarrier - also known as the Cobra Air Ship - A flying aircraft carrier from the Sunbow cartoon series. It served as a mobile base for Cobra until it was lost in a battle over a matter-antimatter device, in which it rammed G.I. Joe's conventional aircraft carrier. Both carriers sank to the bottom of the sea.
- Millville - A steel town that fell into economic ruin after the closing of the local plant. When Cobra descends literally en masse on them one day, the residents are swayed by Cobra Commander's promise of quick wealth and prosperity to submit to his rule. However, Cobra immediately subjugates the town via a brainwashing device, leading to the formation of a local resistance.
- Monolith Base - A massive mountain complex located in Badhikistan. It served as Cobra's main base but was taken over by an all out assault from G.I. Joe.
- Springfield - A small anonymous town in the U.S., which Cobra secretly operated as a base. The town was poor and desperate when the man who would become Cobra Commander arrived. He became the town's savior and it was there he started Cobra. Many covert operations were held there, including the creation of Serpentor. In the 2-part episode "There's No Place Like Springfield", the town existed on an island and was known as "Temple Alpha". Springfield was actually a facade for an underground Cobra training facility. However, unlike the comics, the town above ground was populated primarily by synthoids.
[edit] Fronts
To hide certain aspects of its operation, Cobra maintains a number of legitimate business fronts (in addition to the town of Springfield itself and its encompassing businesses) nearly all of which appear to be anagrams of the word "cobra".
- Naja Trading Corp and its likely subsidiary, "Naja Hanna Video Corp", is the first of these fronts to appear in the comics. It has offices in both San Francisco as well as Rio Lindo in the Republic of Sierra Gordo. Cobra used it to smuggle MX missile guidance chips out of the country inside video games. Dr. Venom was in charge of the Rio Lindo office. "Naja Hanna" is Hindi for "King Cobra". (RAH #12)
- Arbco (AKA ARBco Regional) is the largest and most prominent Cobra front in the Marvel RAH comics. Although it apparently started in Springfield, it grew to have offices in at least 10 major U.S. cities including Denver.
- Arbco Furniture Company: Cobra maintained a secret testing lab within for a deadly plague toxin in Springfield, Vermont. (RAH #14)
- Arbco Moving & Storage (AKA Arbco Moving): Cobra uses moving trucks with "Arbco" stamped on the sides to transport HISS tanks covertly into Washington D.C. for an attack on the U.S. Treasury (RAH #16). (These trucks do not actually say "Moving & Storage" on them but similar trucks were used elsewhere in the series that did for the same basic purpose so it's logical to assume they are the same company.) They were also used to transport sensitive spy equipment for reassigned undercover Crimson Guardsmen (RAH #30). Cobra Commander maintains a mobile office in an Arbco Moving truck (RAH #32).
- Arbco Bros. Circus: Billy learned that Cobra uses the circus as a cover to transport HISS tanks and FANG copters (mistakenly referred to as "SNAP copters") around the country (RAH #30).
- Carbo Plumbing: A surveillance team of Tele-Vipers eavesdrop on a military inquest from a plumbing van outside the Pentagon. (RAH #99)
- Robca Realty
- Broca Bros. Carnival
- Orbac - Cobra troops were moved into the Safeco Field Stadium in Seattle using trucks with this name on the side (RAH v2 #36). Zartan used an Orbac truck as a mobile HQ as well (RAH v2 #37).
- Extensive Enterprises - This global company based out of the twin Enterprise Towers in Enterprise City existed primarily to serve Cobra's administrative needs with Tomax and Xamot as the corporation's CEOs. It's first appearance was in the third G.I. Joe miniseries and then in the regular TV series in "Red Rocket's Glare". Although the company existed primarily in the TV universe, it would later be adapted by Devil's Due for use in the comics continuity as well.
[edit] Comic series
[edit] Marvel Comics
 |
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009) |
Cobra Command had its beginnings when the financially ruined man who would become Cobra Commander settled in an American town called Springfield. Blaming the federal government and big business for his misfortunes, he conceived a plan of forming a secret organization to acquire wealth and power and thereby wreak his revenge on the world. Springfield was a perfect place to start the organization as the town itself had fallen on hard times and the population was disillusioned. Soon, the organization was growing with the entry of like-minded individuals from all over the country. Much of Cobra’s early funding came from pyramid schemes and other semi-legitimate business plans initiated by Cobra Commander. In a very short time, Cobra evolved from a business into a paramilitary movement. Motivated by greed and power, the group soon expanded all over the country, operating in secret, engaging in terrorism to achieve their objectives. By the time the U.S. government recognized Cobra as a threat, the organization had already gained footholds as a powerful private army and terrorist organization around the world.
Many of its members (especially those in the elite Crimson Guard units) lead seemingly normal lives, supporting Cobra covertly. Cobra attracted members with the promise of fast financial rewards and power for those willing to be ruthless enough. It also offered a world of order and strength, with its 'model community' of Springfield being one example of the Cobra ideal.
Cobra would eventually achieve a temporary legitimacy by the artificial creation of Cobra Island, which was recognized as an independent nation by the international community, much to the dismay of G.I. Joe. This allowed Cobra to have diplomatic facilities in the United States via the Cobra consulate.
During Serpentor's tenure Cobra's primary source of income came from arms sales to Third World nations. This led to a clash with Destro's M.A.R.S. Organization, which provided Cobra with much of its arms.
For a comic series predominantly aimed at children, Cobra was a relatively realistic depiction of a highly successful terrorist organization. With its strong symbolic imagery, charismatic and ruthless leader, and fanatical hierarchy, the fictional group is similar to other fictional terrorist and fascist organizations such as SPECTRE of James Bond fame and the similar Marvel Universe organization HYDRA.
Larry Hama depicted Cobra troops as being motivated by money, power, and a sense of brotherhood. However, they are not fanatical to the point where they would fight to the last man and to the last breath. If all is lost, they would willingly surrender or run away had they the chance, something their leaders rarely let them do. The brutal training depicted in the file cards of the troopers are very much characteristic of ritualistic hazing.
The only instance that has shown Cobra as a suicidal fanatical organization was in issue #8 where the troopers willingly let themselves blow up on a boat after their loss.
[edit] Action Force
In the United Kingdom, G.I. Joe was marketed under the name Action Force. The original antagonists in the Action Force series were the Red Shadows. The Red Shadows were a terrorist organization led by Baron Ironblood and his lieutenant the Black Major with prominent members including artillery expert Red Laser and tank commander Red Jackal who disguised his scarred visage with a steel mask.
The Action Force series was eventually written to more closely match the American G.I. Joe universe; the 'World Enemy No. 1' storyline in the Battle Action Force comic had Ironblood betraying the Red Shadows, abandoning them to die pointlessly, and going into hiding. When he emerged once more, he had organized a new group and renamed himself as Cobra Commander. The Red Jackal tracked down Cobra Commander after an arduous journey with the intention of killing him to avenge the treachery Cobra Commander performed. On the brink of throttling the Commander, Jackal succumbed to stun gas and passed out, not quite completing his sentence declaring his intention to destroy the former Baron Ironblood. Admiring his tenacity and resourcefulness, Cobra Commander elected not to kill the man, instead allowing him to continue to serve. To remind Jackal that, in the end, he failed to eliminate Cobra Commander, the leader renamed him 'Destro' — the last word he spoke as his former self.[1]
[edit] IDW
When IDW Publishing purchased the rights to G.I. Joe in 2008 one of the three books they announced was the G.I. Joe: Cobra mini-series. Starting in March 2009, and written by Christos Gage and Mike Costa with art by Antonio Fuso, it stars Chuckles going undercover into the organization.[2]
Cobra is a shadowy, rumoured organisation at the start of the series, led by a man only known as "the Commander". Other high ranking agents include the Baroness, Xamot, and Tomax, and there is something called "the Consuls" who give orders. It has its own secret communications network, the Cobranet, unconnected to the regular Internet (#8). Terrorist groups across the planet are somewhat aware of Cobra, and scared of it.
The Cobra miniseries reveals in #4 that Cobra's standard method is to (covertly) further destabilise an already unstable nation, using both terrorism and shell companies to hit the economy; they then (openly) hire out their Crimson Guard soldiers to that country, and slowly make the population trust Cobra more than their government. One operation, mentioned in G.I. Joe Origins #7, involved manipulating a small war in Africa, forcing the attacked nation to sell off its national assets.
Mainframe first stumbles across the global Cobra conspiracy by accident, and was believed to be crazy by General Hawk. Determined to reveal the organisation, he went AWOL (Origins #7). Later, Snake-Eyes goes AWOL looking for Cobra too.
The Joes later hear the word "Cobra" mentioned after busting one of Destro's arm shipments in #0 of the regular series, but are unaware of what it truly is or that Destro was shipping to the organisation. Duke believes the organisation is just a myth and Hawk now believes it's the codename for an operation, but by this point Scarlett believes Cobra is a real, large-scale threat. (#5, #7) As a result, she kept unauthorised contact with Snake-Eyes about it. (#7)
In order to avoid being executed for the information leak, Destro both captured the Baroness (Cobra's assassin) and intended to bribe them with data stolen from the Joes (#5) and the M.A.S.S. Device, a teleportation engine. Cobra simply stormed Castle Destro and took it all, and captured him (#8), enslaving him as a researcher for them (#9).
Chuckles is sent to infiltrate an organisation which is soon found to be Cobra. In #4 of the Cobra miniseries, it is revealed that Xamot and Tamox knew Chuckles was a spy all along, and they've been using him to feed selective information to the Joes in order to intimidate them. Chuckles goes rogue in order to bring the organisation down.
By GI Joe Special: Helix, the Joes recognise the existence of Cobra.
[edit] Animated series
[edit] Sunbow
The Sunbow cartoon did not explore how Cobra began. It was only in G.I. Joe: The Movie that it is revealed that the organization was a frontrunner for a 40,000 year-old underground civilization called Cobra-La, whose snake-like inhabitants were driven underground by the advent of humankind. Cobra Commander was, in actuality, a member of this underground race. He was tasked with creating an organization that would overrun the world at large. This revelation, though, contradicts what was established in the first season of the series. Also revealed is that the creation of Serpentor was an initiative by Cobra-La; through the use of a biological mind controlling device, they implanted the idea into Dr. Mindbender's mind as an act of discipline against Cobra Commander.
The creation of Cobra-La was an unintentional side effect of Hasbro's demand that the heretofore unintroduced Cobra Emperor Serpentor be inserted into the series, despite the fact that Cobra Commander had long been established as the one-and-only head of Cobra. Series story editor and writer Buzz Dixon offered two possible storylines to make it work: One had the senior Cobra leadership, fed up with Cobra Commander's constant failures, deciding to literally build a better leader. The other presented Cobra as being a front for a vast, secretive, and far more sinister organization whose leadership finds Cobra Commander lacking and sends Serpentor as a replacement.[citation needed] Hasbro, liking both ideas, had the series writers combine both concepts.[citation needed] The writers despised the name "Cobra-La" and had only originally intended to use it as a working name to be replaced by a "real" name in the finished product, but were overruled by Hasbro.[citation needed]
Buzz Dixon originally had a much different idea for the origin of Cobra. In a story entitled "The Most Dangerous Man in the World," it was to be revealed that Cobra was originally organized around the political theories of a Karl Marx/Friedrich Nietzsche-type figure whom Cobra Commander locked away when the Commander began corrupting the Cobra philosophies away from its original principles.[3]
[edit] Sgt. Savage and the Screaming Eagles
In the pilot episode, during a teleconference between Cobra Commander and General Blitz, Blitz stated he had helped create Cobra.
[edit] Sigma 6
Several of the prominent members stated above, such as Cobra Commander, Destro, the Baroness and Zartan are featured prominently in the series. Many of these members are given some form of cybernetic enhancements. The Sigma 6 version of Cobra maintains B.A.Ts as the primary bulk of their army with human personnel acting mostly as technicians.
[edit] References
- ^ Blood For The Baron!!!
- ^ Richards, Dave (2008-10-08). "Marching Orders: Schmidt talks G.I. Joe". Comic Book Resources. http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=18371. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
- ^ G.I. Joe Interview - Buzz Dixon
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
