Snoova's Top 10: COBRA & OTHER VILLAINS
Continuing on with the Top Ten Lists… here is my list of favorite villains... or Cobra Command, Iron Grenadier and/or Dreadnok figures. This list is of “individual” characters and not army builders like H.E.A.T.-Vipers, Snow Serpents or Nullifiers. Again, these are basically in chronological order, not the order I like them!
Looking back… I think this list is a bit more predictable than the Joe one, but it still wasn't easy!!! Honorable mentions that ALMOST made it, would be Baroness, Monkeywrench and Voltar!
2.) Storm Shadow - Cobra Ninja, Series 3, 1984
In 1984, the third series of G.I. Joe, Storm Shadow had some of the most unique weapons by far!!! Two swords, nunchucks, a bow and a quiver backpack! The swords and bow could be carried on the backpack (which also opened up to show the arrows inside). Also, the file card was packed full of tasty concepts - like that he could scale walls with bare feet and hands! Storm Shadow was an instant favorite! Then the comics really brought interest to him by showcasing his skill and in his connection to Snake Eyes! How could anyone NOT like this figure???
7.) Serpentor - Cobra Emperor, Series 5, 1986
8.) Cobra Commander (v3) - In Battle Armor, Series 6, 1987
After a while, it got hard to take Serpentor seriously!!! With all his "this I command" nonsense! Re-enter - Cobra Commander... in Battle Armor!
I'm sure there are several people that do not like the idea of a Dreadnok Pirate, but I thought it was pretty cool. Why not? The Dreadnoks were a crazy bunch anyways! He has a bit of an outlandish look, but that’s okay… look at Zandar! The sculpt had great detail and the topknot on his head was a nice feature. I also liked his vehicle, the Air Skiff, which I think some people considered corny.
I think what could have made this figure a little better was if he had some wilder weapons. All the Dreadnoks had unusual weapons… I think Zanzibar would have benefitted from having a pirate pistol or sword.
Looking back… I think this list is a bit more predictable than the Joe one, but it still wasn't easy!!! Honorable mentions that ALMOST made it, would be Baroness, Monkeywrench and Voltar!
1.) Firefly - Cobra Saboteur, Series 3, 1984
What is not cool about this figure? The mystery, the night camo, the cool accessories, the explosives and gadgets sculpted all over the figure… Firefly was such a great addition to the Cobra forces in 1984! From the looks of him and the sneaky description on his file card, you really got a sense he could cause some real trouble for the Joes.
What is not cool about this figure? The mystery, the night camo, the cool accessories, the explosives and gadgets sculpted all over the figure… Firefly was such a great addition to the Cobra forces in 1984! From the looks of him and the sneaky description on his file card, you really got a sense he could cause some real trouble for the Joes.
Though he was used in both the comics and cartoons... no one really seemed to grasp the essence of how cool Firefly really was or the potential he had. Maybe that just added to the overall mystery of this character...?
In 1984, the third series of G.I. Joe, Storm Shadow had some of the most unique weapons by far!!! Two swords, nunchucks, a bow and a quiver backpack! The swords and bow could be carried on the backpack (which also opened up to show the arrows inside). Also, the file card was packed full of tasty concepts - like that he could scale walls with bare feet and hands! Storm Shadow was an instant favorite! Then the comics really brought interest to him by showcasing his skill and in his connection to Snake Eyes! How could anyone NOT like this figure???
3.) Zartan - Master Of Disguise, Series 3, 1984
The 1984 series brought us a whole slew of interesting villains! Zartan, a mercenary allied with Cobra, was a Master of Disguise, had the ability to change color in sunlight and was the leader of the Dreadnoks. Zartan brought a whole new level of danger to the Joes!
As a figure, he was fun to put in his “disguise” with his facemask and a pile of junk (which could be assembled into his Swampskier vehicle). I always liked his laser pistol too! What kid wasn’t outside on a beautiful, sunny summer day making his skin change color? I know I was...
The 1984 series brought us a whole slew of interesting villains! Zartan, a mercenary allied with Cobra, was a Master of Disguise, had the ability to change color in sunlight and was the leader of the Dreadnoks. Zartan brought a whole new level of danger to the Joes!
As a figure, he was fun to put in his “disguise” with his facemask and a pile of junk (which could be assembled into his Swampskier vehicle). I always liked his laser pistol too! What kid wasn’t outside on a beautiful, sunny summer day making his skin change color? I know I was...
4.) Wild Weasel - Cobra Rattler Pilot, Series 3, 1984
Look... a vehicle driver! Wild Weasel is famed as Cobra’s best pilot! I thought the character had a cool look from the first time they introduced him in issue #24. Although I mistakenly thought he came with the Cobra Water Moccasin swamp boat… I eventually discovered he came with an even cooler vehicle - the Rattler jet! He showed up off and on throughout the comic series, but he rarely got much spotlight. None-the-less, he was one of my favorite figures and in my imagination, was nearly unbeatable in the skies!
Look... a vehicle driver! Wild Weasel is famed as Cobra’s best pilot! I thought the character had a cool look from the first time they introduced him in issue #24. Although I mistakenly thought he came with the Cobra Water Moccasin swamp boat… I eventually discovered he came with an even cooler vehicle - the Rattler jet! He showed up off and on throughout the comic series, but he rarely got much spotlight. None-the-less, he was one of my favorite figures and in my imagination, was nearly unbeatable in the skies!
5.) Buzzer - Dreadnok, Series 4, 1985
The Dreadnoks were shown in the comics and cartoons about a year before they were released. So when word got out that they were coming out in action figure form, the kids in my neighborhood were immediately on the hunt for them! My friend, Aaron, found Ripper before anyone else and claimed it as “his” Dreadnok! Shortly after, I found Buzzer, to which he became “my” Dreadnok. This started a trend of everyone in our friend group naming themselves after a Dreadnok. The chainsaw was fun to add into my figure’s adventures. I think I had him "chainsaw" every Joe vehicle in my team's arsenal!
Funny that I recall thinking that, though Buzzer might be “my” Dreadnok, there was no way I would ever have a blonde ponytail... Uh yeah... by 1992 I had long blond hair. If cosplay was a thing back then, I certainly would have been Buzzer! Ha!
The Dreadnoks were shown in the comics and cartoons about a year before they were released. So when word got out that they were coming out in action figure form, the kids in my neighborhood were immediately on the hunt for them! My friend, Aaron, found Ripper before anyone else and claimed it as “his” Dreadnok! Shortly after, I found Buzzer, to which he became “my” Dreadnok. This started a trend of everyone in our friend group naming themselves after a Dreadnok. The chainsaw was fun to add into my figure’s adventures. I think I had him "chainsaw" every Joe vehicle in my team's arsenal!
Funny that I recall thinking that, though Buzzer might be “my” Dreadnok, there was no way I would ever have a blonde ponytail... Uh yeah... by 1992 I had long blond hair. If cosplay was a thing back then, I certainly would have been Buzzer! Ha!
6.) Tomax & Xamot - Crimson Guard Commanders, Series 4, 1985
My friend, Aaron, and I were best friends in 1985 and we used to say that we were Tomax and Xamot (yeah, we claimed to be Buzzer and Ripper too)! We saved up money together and bought the figures and he took Tomax and I took Xamot. This was NOT a good idea in the long run. He moved away and it felt weird that I only had one of them???
Then one day, my older sister thought she would be funny and arranged my Joes so they were all holding hands and dancing around my room... and she broke Xamot's hand!!! Not the thumb as usual, but the 4 fingers!?!? But she was kind enough to replace him - which got me Tomax too! So I guess it all worked out pretty well in the end!
My friend, Aaron, and I were best friends in 1985 and we used to say that we were Tomax and Xamot (yeah, we claimed to be Buzzer and Ripper too)! We saved up money together and bought the figures and he took Tomax and I took Xamot. This was NOT a good idea in the long run. He moved away and it felt weird that I only had one of them???
Then one day, my older sister thought she would be funny and arranged my Joes so they were all holding hands and dancing around my room... and she broke Xamot's hand!!! Not the thumb as usual, but the 4 fingers!?!? But she was kind enough to replace him - which got me Tomax too! So I guess it all worked out pretty well in the end!
At a certain point, Cobra Commander started coming off as a goofball, especially in the cartoons, and it was hard to take him seriously. Enter Serpentor, a clone created from the DNA of some of the world’s most brilliant leaders. The comic issues #49 and #50 detailed the creation of Serpentor and were some great stories that also featured the Battle of Springfield!
If memory serves right, as I read Issue #49, I was thinking “Serpentor seems cool, I wonder if they will make a figure of him?” That evening, my family ran to the store Bergner's, and they had a small toy section upstairs. As I wandered down the toy aisle... there he was!!! I was like “I HAVE TO HAVE THIS!!!” ha ha
If memory serves right, as I read Issue #49, I was thinking “Serpentor seems cool, I wonder if they will make a figure of him?” That evening, my family ran to the store Bergner's, and they had a small toy section upstairs. As I wandered down the toy aisle... there he was!!! I was like “I HAVE TO HAVE THIS!!!” ha ha
After a while, it got hard to take Serpentor seriously!!! With all his "this I command" nonsense! Re-enter - Cobra Commander... in Battle Armor!
Maybe I'm a freak... but I really liked this figure!! Many didn't... they associate it with the imposter, Fred VII, from the comics. But in my imagination - this is Cobra Commander! Shoved aside by Serpentor, C.C. had this armor built and then comes back to retake command of the evil organization that he started!
To me, the armor was nearly unbeatable! But neither in the comics or cartoons did they REALLY take advantage of it! C.C. didn’t give Serpentor a good thrashing… He never smashed anything with the “strength amplifiers”... Never deflected bullets… The ONLY cool moment was in the comics where he walked away from a Mamba crash. That was it! So much unused potential...
9.) Zanzibar - Dreadnok Pirate, Series 6, 1987
I'm sure there are several people that do not like the idea of a Dreadnok Pirate, but I thought it was pretty cool. Why not? The Dreadnoks were a crazy bunch anyways! He has a bit of an outlandish look, but that’s okay… look at Zandar! The sculpt had great detail and the topknot on his head was a nice feature. I also liked his vehicle, the Air Skiff, which I think some people considered corny.
I think what could have made this figure a little better was if he had some wilder weapons. All the Dreadnoks had unusual weapons… I think Zanzibar would have benefitted from having a pirate pistol or sword.
10.) Destro (v2) - Iron Grenadier Leader, Series 7, 1988
Destro returns, but this time with an army (the Iron Grenadiers) to battle both G.I. Joe AND Cobra! When I first saw this in the 1988 catalog, I thought that it totally made sense! Destro had attempted to take over Cobra before, he didn’t seem to really “like” Cobra Commander, and he was pretty crafty with all of his own inventions and strategies.
The Iron Grenadier color scheme of red, black and gold was great looking on the figures and vehicles! Destro’s uniform has a more regal look with his gold helmet and ceremonial sword. He came with a vehicle, the Despoiler, which was also cool! I wish the sword was removable from the sheath, however.
Destro returns, but this time with an army (the Iron Grenadiers) to battle both G.I. Joe AND Cobra! When I first saw this in the 1988 catalog, I thought that it totally made sense! Destro had attempted to take over Cobra before, he didn’t seem to really “like” Cobra Commander, and he was pretty crafty with all of his own inventions and strategies.
The Iron Grenadier color scheme of red, black and gold was great looking on the figures and vehicles! Destro’s uniform has a more regal look with his gold helmet and ceremonial sword. He came with a vehicle, the Despoiler, which was also cool! I wish the sword was removable from the sheath, however.
Okay, so there we go... my Top 10 Cobra/villains! Again, this was an easier list than the Joes. While there are many evil agents in the G.I. Joe series, probably half of them are individuals and the other are "army builders"! I think we'll be looking at them next! Stay tuned...
As with the Joe Top 10, the pictures of these characters come from various pieces in my collection...
-- The Destro art is from Marvel comics, G.I. Joe Issue #87.
-- Cobra Commander is from the figure's cardback.
-- Buzzer, Wild Weasel and Zanzibar comes from Marvel Comics - Order of Battle.
-- Firefly, Storm Shadow and Serpentor are from the G.I. Joe Impel card series from 1991.
-- Zartan, Tomax and Xamot are stickers... I don't remember where they came from???
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