One & Done - BARONESS

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COBRA INTELLIGENCE OFFICER - BARONESS

    The 1984 wave of Cobra figures saw the release of many important Cobra players.  One of them, the Baroness, was way overdue for a figure as the character had been introduced in G.I. Joe media a few years before.

    The Baroness' file card sheds a little light on her upbringing in that she was a spoiled child from "wealthy European aristocrats" that eventually found her way into Cobra.  It also recounts scenes from the comic book where she was burned in a Cobra night attack and has had plastic surgery.  This was possibly a way to explain the slight change in her original look to the (then) current look.  It also hints at her connection to the key players like Cobra Commander and Destro - elaborating that she may be the only one that knows Destro's identity.  She is a skilled pilot and also qualified to drive a HISS Tank.

    In G.I. Joe media she has had quite the journey!  From her fire accident or her helping the Cobra Commander imposter in the comics to her having a conch shell that hypnotizes men with it's "siren song" in the cartoons.  She is often depicted as Destro's girlfriend and someone that has her own asperations of taking over the Cobra organization.

    Baroness wore an all-black leather uniform with the only added color being the red Cobra symbol on her chest.  She had long black hair and glasses.  The hair was actually a rubber-like material glued onto the figure's head.  She only came with 2 accessories.  She came with a large laser rifle and a well-detailed backpack with a sculpted Cobra symbol.  The rifle seemed a little over-sized at times, but I still liked it and thought it was a cool weapon for her.

    In 1984, it was nice to finally get a Baroness figure and this "new" version in black looked far better than her media appearances with the blue outfit and green glasses.  This was one of those characters that was very versatile.  She was a high-ranking Cobra agent, she was a spy, she was a pilot, and so on.  In my Joe universe, you could find the Baroness piloting the FANG copter or maybe riding shotgun with Wild Weasel in the Rattler.  She could be a sneaky spy on foot trying to infiltrate G.I. Joe Headquarters or manning a HISS Tank.  She led a lot of Cobra squads against my Joes over the years. 

    So it goes without saying, that this is a great figure!  I have to give this figure a stellar rating of 5 out of 5 Magic Conch shells!  (you know, the Magic conch??  Like on SpongeBob?  Like the one she used in the cartoon?)

    Baroness only received one figure in the whole 13 years of the toyline.  This made absolutely NO sense as she was a prominent character since the very beginning - BEFORE she even had a figure!  I really think with the creation of Destro's Iron Grenadiers in 1988, it would have been a great opportunity to make a new figure for the Baroness.  It was awkward in the comics having her fly an AGP with Destro's forces and yet she was still wearing a Cobra symbol.  Destro has some cash, buy her a new outfit for crying out loud!  Apparently, a new figure was planned for 1995, but 1994 would be the end of the road for the G.I. Joe line.

    So what are your thoughts on Baroness?  How did she operate in your Cobra army?  Do you think they should have made an Iron Grenadier version?  Do you think she could beat Zarana in a fight?  Let me know your thoughts below?

Continued yapping about the Baroness...

--- The figure was not "rare", but was not easy to find either.  The first time I bought the Baroness - the figure had 2 right hands... or 2 left hands, I don't remember.  So I had to take it back to Target, who did not have another one.  So I had to wait till she finally popped back up before I could pick the figure up.

--- Can we get something straight here?  Her name is "Baroness" - ONE word all rammed together!!  Drives me batty when I hear people call her "Baron-Ess".

--- In the movie, Rise Of Cobra, they gave her a backstory connecting her with Duke as her former fiancé and Cobra Commander as her brother.  I wasn't a fan of either one of these ideas...