Cobra Commander
First appearance | 1982 |
---|---|
Affiliation | Cobra (Battle Commanders, Star Brigade) |
Codename | Cobra Commander |
Full name | Unknown |
Birth place | North America |
Cobra Commander is the leader of Cobra. He is the face of modern enemies as we know it in pop culture. He has an iconic voice and uses it to demonstrate his authority over civilization as we know it. He is the greatest threat to the G.I. Joes and often leads with an iron fist. Though civil wars have broken out amidst Cobra under his reign, Cobra Commander is viewed as a fearless leader who will not think twice about any task if it ends in strengthening his grip on the world.
Nothing is known of the man’s identity, though many questions have sprung up over the years. One such question is whether or not Cobra Commander is truly human or an alien from another world? Some question his ability to disregard human life in exchange for meeting his personal goals while being a part of the same species.
His army is comprised of confused people searching for an outlet and a home, as he preys upon the weak and those stuck between a rock and a hard place. Some of his followers are merely sociopaths.
He spends his time between two very different types of masks, with one being a hard chrome shell and the other being a blue hood that drapes over his cranium.
Notorious for his distinct voice, Cobra Commander was featured on IGN's former Xbox 360 podcast, Three Red Lights, in 2008 (Episode 42).
Toy Lines
Cobra Commander has had an illustrious run in G.I. Joe toy form. He made his debut as the first-ever mail-away action figure in 1982. You could also obtain him through the Sears-exclusive Cobra Missile Command Headquarters. The second version of Cobra Commander hit stores in 1984 and featured the hooded mask in dark blue for the first time.
The third iteration has been coined “Battle Armor” Cobra Commander, debuting in 1987 and resembling a chrome samurai warrior. The fourth version included an orange mask in 1991, which was see-through; this revealed the Commander’s face for the first time in toy form. The 1992 Battle Commanders version featured the blue hooded look, only sporting a much brighter blue this time around.
Battle Corps in 1993 brought us another hooded Cobra Commander, but this time in black. 1994’s Star Brigade featured an “Alien”-inspired helmet that could be placed over the space suit of the Commander, and featured bright neon colors. He featured a face mask underneath the outer shell of the helmet.
The G.I. Joe figure reboot in 1997 brought along a new version of Cobra Commander, packaged with Baroness and Destro. After the Anniversary Edition re-issues in 2000 came the new toy line, Combat Heroes, where the leader of Cobra was shown in small form.
A Real American Hero picked up its continuity in 2009 and was led by an action figure of Cobra Commander donning his chrome mask and a long cape. This was based on the Resolute storyline. A black version of the same model was launched in a box set with Duke, a pair of Cobra Troopers, and B.A.T.. The blue version was re-released a year later in another box set.
Two versions of Cobra Commander from The Rise of Cobra film were released as a part of the movie tie-in line. The first was a clear mask version, revealing the deformed face of the man. The second was based upon the looks of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and came with an oxygen mask. A 12-inch figure of Cobra Commander was also released, sporting a disfigured head in grave detail.
Television
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Movies
G.I. Joe: The Movie
Cobra Commander appeared in G.I. Joe: The Movie as the goat to Cobra’s hierarchy. He is feuding with Serpentor at the start, and things escalate when Cobra-La get involved and reveal to everyone the organization’s 40,000 year reign. Golobulus, revealed to be the mastermind behind Cobra, had hired Cobra Commander to develop biological weapons involving mutated spores to doom the human race. His repeated failures made Golobulus resort to the creation of Serpentor instead. Cobra Commander is tried by Golobulus, who punishes him for his continual failures as leader by exposing him to the same deadly spores he helped concoct. Cobra Commander mutates into a snake as a result. Betrayed by Cobra-La, the Commander turns his back on the organization and leads G.I. Joe forces into their hideout.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cobra Commander was initially known as the Doctor during the majority of the film. Developing nanotechnology to hold the world hostage, the Doctor is the right-hand man to James McCullen, who would become Destro. Duke comes to learn that the Doctor is the brother of his ex-fling, the Baroness. Rex Lewis was thought to have been killed in a raid led by Duke, but he assumed the identity of the Doctor. He reveals to his sister that he has implanted her with the nanotechnology and has thus controlled her for years. The Doctor narrowly escapes with a wounded McCullen from an escape pod after a G.I. Joe assault. The Doctor assumes the role of Cobra Commander after using the nanotech to encase the face of Destro.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
The Cobra Commander is shown imprisoned in Germany, and soon rescued at the hands of Storm Shadow and Firefly. Cobra Commander leaves Destro behind, still imprisoned underground. Cobra Commander devises a plot to use Zartan as the President of the United States, and overthrow G.I. Joe in favor of Cobra as America’s task force. All goes according to plan until the G.I. Joes figure out it is Zartan impersonating the President. The imposter Zartan is killed and it is revealed that Cobra Commander has weapons of mass destruction focused on total annihilation. The plan goes awry when Cobra’s higher-ups are killed in action by the Joes. Cobra Commander gets away by the skin of his teeth once more.
Comics
Marvel Comics
The dastardly Cobra Commander started out as something much worse than a supreme overlord of Earth; he was a used car salesman. Struggling to get by, his life took a course for the worse upon learning of his brother’s death in a car accident, as he had been driving drunk. His brother hit a car and killed the passengers inside, save for one in Snake-Eyes.
His tracking of Snake-Eyes to Japan resulted in the death of Hard Master, the trainer of Snake-Eyes and uncle of Storm Shadow, at the hands of Zartan, a mercenary hired by Cobra Commander to eliminate Snake-Eyes. Storm Shadow was subsequently blamed for the death of his uncle, and he joined Cobra in order to infiltrate the ranks and find his uncle’s murderer.
Exercising his charm on the road with his son, whom he took upon leaving his wife stateside, Cobra Commander began persuading disenfranchised peoples to rebel against the government and join his cause, which was funded by his pyramid schemes. After all the planning, Cobra Commander initiated the kidnapping of nuclear physicist Dr. Adele Burkhart. The G.I. Joes were sent in to clean up the mess and get her back safely, beginning the long feud between Cobra and the Joes.