The Characters Of G.I. Joe - COBRA COMMANDER

 The Most Dangerous Man Alive?

THE CHARACTERS OF G.I. JOE

    "Cobra Commander is hatred and evil personified.  Corrupt.  A man without scruples.  Probably the most dangerous man alive!"  - from the file card, 1982.

COBRA COMMAND

Cobra Supreme Leader - COBRA COMMANDER

File Name - CLASSIFIED

Birthplace - CLASSIFIED

Specialties - Tactics and Strategy, Intelligence, Ordinance.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION...

    Cobra Commander is the ruthless leader of the evil terrorist organization known as Cobra.  He desires nothing less than complete, total control over the world, including everyone and everything on it.  His mind never rests from consistently plotting and scheming for the perfect plan that will place the planet into his cruel grasp.  

    Cobra Commander seeks to create chaos and turmoil everywhere - opening opportunities in territories that are ripe for him to swoop in and seize control.  He will stoop to any level to achieve his goal.  He will even kidnap scientists or high-level officers to force them to reveal information he can use to his advantage.  

    Very little is known about Cobra Commander.  He keeps his face hidden behind a battle helmet or hood and it's believed even many of his top officers have no clue what he really looks like.  His past is shrouded in mystery with tales of his origins stemming from a disgruntled former used car salesman, to him being the member of a long, lost civilization of bug-people hiding in the Himalayas.  No one is completely sure of his background or where he comes from...

    Cobra Commander has a brilliant tactical mind and a powerful legion of followers.  He rules Cobra with an iron fist and demands 100% loyalty to him alone.  Cobra Troopers swear their allegiance to him and many have given their lives for the Cobra cause.  They are of no importance other than a mere stepping stone towards his mission.  He has even been known to literally "shoot the messenger" if one of his troopers bring him news he does not want to hear.  

    Despite the tight grip he holds on Cobra, there have been several that have challenged his authority.  In the shadows, there is often someone plotting against him.  Some have even succeeded in sidelining him from command for a period of time.

    In 1986, he was temporarily pushed aside by Serpentor.  Serpentor was a composite clone created by Destro and Dr. Mindbender to be the perfect soldier.  Serpentor was crafted using the long lost DNA of some of history's greatest warriors.  Many of these warriors were also history's greatest "leaders" and Serpentor managed take control and ruled as Cobra's Emperor for a few years.

    In 1988, Destro broke off from Cobra and started his own faction - the Iron Grenadiers.  For about 3 years, Destro built up his forces and went to battle against both Cobra and G.I. Joe in a bid for power.  However, he eventually returned to Cobra and integrated his troops into their army.

    In 1990, a former Crimson Guard calling himself the Overlord, took control of the terrorist organization for about 20 minutes.  He managed to film a few commercials before getting the boot!  His reign was short and along the way, others have tried and they have failed.  Cobra Commander keeps coming back and taking his rightful place at the top of Cobra's Command pyramid.

    Cobra Commander is an extremely dangerous opponent!  He is the reason the G.I. Joe Team continues to operate and recruit the best soldiers and skilled troops to protect freedom!  Cobra Commander will never rest, but neither will the Joe Team!!

The Most Dangerous Man Alive...

    

    I was lucky enough to be able to mail-away for the first Cobra Commander back in 1982 or 1983.  As an added bonus, I was fortunate to receive the "swivel-arm battle grip" version of the figure.  For a short period of time, he was the ONLY Cobra member in my collection.  He still was able to cause plenty of trouble for my small Joe Team.  

    I had a fish tank and would often pretend he could go underwater with the helmet on.  The Joes couldn't get him when he jumped in the water.  Yeah I know, strange scenario, but I was pretty young.  His "Venom Laser" was always cool too.  Though I wasn't sure what it did, it sounded dangerous enough.  Add in how it attached to the panel on his back - awesome!  

    Cobra Commander seemed scary and intimidating in the early years of the comics.  Especially how he would think ahead of the Joes, like in Issue #1.  It appeared he was often one step ahead of them.  I would wonder, how were they going to defeat someone like that?

    I mean, the guy didn't even care for his own troops...  In G.I. Joe Issue #8 where the Underwater Cobra base was about to explode and the captured Cobra troops were like "nah, we'll stay here and ride out this explosion thing.  We are DEDICATED troopers!"?!?!?  Then it blows while they are yelling "Cobra!"  Sheesh...

    Eventually, however, Cobra Commander seemed to become a bit of a goofball in the comics and cartoons.  He was just comic-relief.  So I was glad to see Serpentor arrive on the scene in 1986.  But then HE became a bit of a goofball as well, so it was nice to see ol' CC come back to where he belonged.

    I will add, I did NOT like the Cobra-La origin story in G.I. Joe: The Movie.  Having Cobra Commander be reduced to a blue bug-guy was not something I ever saw coming.  As I watched that part in the Movie, I was in complete disbelief.  Why would they do this?  Who thought this was a good idea?  I'm glad the Comics did not take that route!

    Love him or hate him, Cobra Commander has made for many an interesting storyline.  Whether it's his constant conniving, his ridiculous "take over the world" scheme of the week, or his fun one-liners...  Cobra Commander keeps us all entertained and on our toes at the same time!

    Cobra Commander here is represented by the 2020 Walmart exclusive Retro figure.  This is a cool-looking figure, but I do have some problems with it.  Again, on your shelf, he looks great!  I, personally, would have liked to see him bulked up a little bit.  This figure is a twig.  One punch from Roadblock and this guy is going to sail into the next room.  Next, the gun is a little small, I prefer the original size.  Last - why does the helmet come off???  This just opens the door for someone to lose it.  Seriously, there is NO POINT to it being removable.  It only reveals a silver bubble-head.  We don't need this.  I should just glue mine on.

    (Information on the character's lore was taken from the Sunbow and DIC cartoon series, including the Movie and the figure's original File Card.)