Serpentor
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| G.I. Joe character | |
 Serpentor the Cobra Emperor (From G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #23 by Image Comics and Devil's Due) |
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| Serpentor | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Cobra |
| Specialty | Emperor |
| Birthplace | Parts Unknown, the Duchy of Courland |
| Voiced by | Richard Gautier (Sunbow cartoon), Maurice LaMarche (DIC cartoon) |
| Year introduced | 1986 |
Serpentor is a fictional character from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, a line of military-themed toys created by Hasbro. The character was introduced in 1986 as a toy with an air chariot and included in the animated series that same year in a five part miniseries "Arise, Serpentor, Arise!". He was created through a breakthrough in cloning research by Dr. Mindbender from the DNA extracted from the unearthed remains of Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, Attila the Hun, Philip II of Macedon and his son Alexander the Great, Ivan the Terrible, Vlad the Impaler, Hannibal, Genghis Khan, and Grigori Rasputin. In the animated continuity, Sun Tzu's DNA was also intended to be part of Serpentor's creation, but the attempt to obtain his DNA was thwarted by Sgt. Slaughter, whose DNA was then intended for use as a substitute.
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[edit] Toys
Serpentor was first released as an action figure in 1986, packaged with his Air Chariot.
[edit] Comics - original continuity
[edit] G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero - Marvel Comics
In the Marvel Comics series, Serpentor initially appeared in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #49 (July 1986). The character in the comics was different from the version in the animated series. While the animated Serpentor was built to be a new, superior leader of Cobra; his comic counterpart was intended to lead and inspire the troops, while Cobra Commander remained in power.
The comic version of Serpentor was created in a manner similar to that of the cartoon, involving Cobra collecting genetic material from various historical figures. However, the comic diverges on a few details, such as the animated Serpentor was slightly unstable due to lacking Sun Tzu's DNA.[volume & issue needed] The comic also differs from the cartoon in that DNA from Storm Shadow was also used in the creation of Serpentor. While much of the Cobra hierarchy was in some way loyal to Serpentor in the animated series, their relationship in the comics was strained.
Serpentor was also portrayed as having something akin to multiple personalities or schizophrenia, as a result of being created from the DNA of multiple tyrants. In another incident, he was able to access memories of one of his genetic forebears.[volume & issue needed] He recalls the invention of pizza, informing a group of Dreadnoks.[volume & issue needed]
While Serpentor was meant to be more of a figurehead, he was also ambitious, leading to power struggles between Serpentor and other members of Cobra. Serpentor contended with Cobra Commander impostor Fred VII.[volume & issue needed] Fred takes an immediate dislike to Serpentor and the two were often at odds. Their rivalry eventually escalated into the COBRA civil war, in which G.I. Joe was ordered to side with Serpentor to defeat the forces of Fred and the Baroness.[volume & issue needed] During the conflict, Serpentor met his end at the hands of Zartan; and was killed by an arrow to the eye.[volume & issue needed][1]
[edit] Reinstatement - Devil's Due Publishing
Years later, Serpentor's body was found and reanimated by renegade scientists, and soon a secretive faction called The Coil formed. Serpentor targeted G.I. Joe and COBRA forces alike.
[edit] Comics - Alternate Realities/Continuities
[edit] G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers: The Art of War (Vol 3)
Serpentor in the G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers crossover published by Devil's Due Publishing has a very different origin. In the third G.I Joe vs. the Transformers miniseries, he is a U.S. government builds an android called "Serpent O.R.", created using processors taken from Megatron and programmed with information on Earth and Cybertron greatest war-leaders. Serpent O.R., seeing himself as Megatron's son and heir, sets out on a quest to gain the Matrix for himself, believing it will grant him the power he needed to rule. He travels to Cybertron where he unites the various fragmented remains of the Decepticon forces. He eventually captures Matrix for himself, transforming himself into Serpentor Prime, transformer-scale robot with the spark of life. This results in rethinking his strategy to conquor, but sadly Cobra Commander takes over Septentor Prime's body with a remote control device that was planted back on Earth. His rampage did not last long, as Hawk was able to open the Matrix, transforming Hawk into a mighty leader and rendering the Commander comatose. Serpent O.R.'s exact fate beyond this is unknown.
[edit] Animated series appearance
[edit] DIC Series
Serpentor appeared in the DiC-produced miniseries, G.I. Joe: Operation Dragonfire. He reorganizes Cobra with Destro, Baroness, Scoop, Zarana and Copperhead returning to the team. Serpentor is last seen running off into the jungle in his iguana form with Gnagahyde chasing after him.
[edit] References
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=q5mJdsG6C_gC&pg=PA90&dq=serpentor&cd=2#v=onepage&q=serpentor&f=false
[edit] External links
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