Cobra Organization

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Commander:	Cobra Commander	edit {{{2|}}}

The Cobra Organization (officially called Cobra Command) is the fictional nemesis of the G.I. Joe team, and part of a line of action figures sold by Hasbro, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. Though the G.I. Joe toys had been produced since the 1960s, Cobra was introduced when the G.I. Joe line was relaunched in the early 1980s. This relaunch was accompanied by a Marvel comic, written by Larry Hama, and an animated television series for children. Comic writer Josh Blaylock once compared them to the Legion of Doom. It must be stressed that the portrayal of Cobra and its personnel are different in tone and realism in the animated series, compared to the comic. The animated series chose for Cobra to be an ineffectual bunch of buffoons with a rather odd fantasy background (see Cobra-La, below) compared to the comic which was more hard-edged in tone and portrayed them as a pretty efficient 'real world' political and military machine.

This brief quote from the comics gives an insight into the motivation for the creation of Cobra:

     I'm not going to be ground under the wheels of big   
     government!... I'm going to create an underground organization  
     that will bypass government restrictions, and garner power
     through terrorism and extortion!... I won't stop until my 
     organization coils around the whole world like a giant  
     cobra!"-- Cobra Commander, circa. 1978 

For a comic series predominantly aimed at children, Cobra was a relatively realistic depiction of a highly successful terrorist organisation. With its strong symbolic imagery, charismatic and ruthless leader and fanatical hierarchy, it is obvious the fictional group was based on fascist organisations (as well as S.P.E.C.T.R.E. of James Bond fame). In the comics, Cobra was started by a disillusioned American businessman, beginning as a pyramid scheme and gradually developing into a highly powerful and wealthy private army and terrorist organisation. Many of its members (especially those in the elite Crimson Guard units) lead normal lives to outside eyes, supporting Cobra covertly. Cobra seemed to attract members on the promise of fast financial rewards and power for those willing to be ruthless enough - it also seems to have an ideological basis of creating a world of order and strength (its 'model community' of Springfield was one example of the Cobra ideal).

Cobra made a lot of their money by selling arms to third world nations, this started during Serpentor's tenure. This led to a clash with Destro's MARS organisation. Terror-Dromes are a particularly popular product amongst Cobra clients who are often local dictators in poor nations. Cobra precipitate conflicts in such nations in order to sell arms to opposing sides.

Cobra would eventually achieve a temporary legitimacy by the artificial creation of Cobra Island - which was recognised (to the dismay of GI Joe) as an independent nation by the international community. This allowed Cobra to have diplomatic facilities in the USA via the Cobra consulate.

Contents 1 Prominent Members 2 Troops 3 Bases 4 Mercenaries 5 Cobra-La

Prominent Members

Though the members of the Cobra Organization are all fighting against G.I. Joe, there are many internal power struggles.

• The Baroness or Baroness Anastasia DeCobray - The daughter of European aristocrats, she serves as Cobra's Director of Intelligence, and is romantically involved with Destro.
• Big Boa - A former amateur boxer and street fighter, Big Boa serves as Cobra's head trainer. Vicious, ruthless and tough, Big Boa trains all recruits, molding them into Vipers. He is very loyal to Cobra Commander.
• Cobra Commander - The leader and founder of Cobra. His face is always obscured either by a hood with only his eyes visible or by a high tech battle helmet with various security features integrated into it. He is regarded as the most dangerous man on Earth, because he can draw followers to him. He is hatred personified, a madman with the drive of a fanatic. Only Baroness and Destro have seen his face. He was temporarily deposed by Serpentor.
• Cesspool - A shady businessman who was transformed into a psychopath after falling into a vat of chemicals. He leads Cobra's chemical weapons division.
• Copperhead - A Cobra boat pilot who is known for operating his "Water Moccasin" boat across some swamp. He is presumably from the Florida Everglades and serves as Cobra's Naval Commander.
• Destro or James McCullen Destro XXIV - A Scotsman who always wears a metal mask (even though in the cartoon the mouth of his mask moves). He has often tried to take over leadership of Cobra. Destro is an arms dealer and his number one client is Cobra. He is the hereditary leader of M.A.R.S. (Military Armaments Research Syndicate) and uses his personal army, the Iron Grenadiers, to start conflicts in order to sell weapons to the combatant parties. Destro has a warped sense of honor and a grudging respect for his G.I. Joe foes.
• Dr. Knox - Dr. Cassandra Knox originally worked for COBRA, improving on the B.A.T design. After her prototype was destroyed, she began to work for Destro. Dr. Knox replaced Dr. Mindbender after his defection to The Coil.
• Dr. Mindbender - A mad scientist of startling intellect. He has several mind-control devices. He is also quite accomplished with genetic manipulation. He is responsible for the creation of Serpentor, the Cobra B.A.T. as well as responsible for perfecting the Brainwave Scanner. Mindbender is somewhat cowardly, preferring to avoid physical confrontations.
• Fred VII - A former soldier in the Crimson Guard who temporarily impersonated Cobra Commander when he was believed to be dead. He was killed when the real Cobra Commander made his triumphant return.
• Overkill - A cyborg monstrosity created from the remains of a terminally wounded Cobra S.A.W.-Viper named Robert Skelton. He serves as a general for the B.A.T. armies.
• Scrap Iron - An anti-armor specialist known for his highly advanced and destructive weapons systems, as well as his demands for perfection and tactical mind. He has often worked as a product designer for Destro.
• Scalpel - The leader of the Medi-Viper corps. He earned his degree from a school that advertised in a magazine and is known for his high patient survival rate, but lack of bedside manner. He works for Cobra because he cannot legally practice medicine anywhere else.
• Serpentor - Created through a breakthrough in cloning research by Dr. Mindbender from the DNA extracted from the unearthed remains of the most ruthless and effective military leaders in history, including Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, Attila the Hun, Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Genghis Khan, and Sgt. Slaughter (Storm Shadow in the comic). In addition to his genetic disposition to greatness, an early experiment also gave him access to the brain patterns of G.I. Joe HALO jumper Ripcord, allowing him to use their strategies against them. He was eventually killed by Zartan.
• Storm Shadow or Thomas "Tommy" Arashikage - A ninja who trained in martial arts and military service alongside G.I. Joe operatives Snake-Eyes and Stalker. He brought Snake-Eyes into his clan; the two are sword brothers. He joined Cobra with the intention of finding the man who killed his uncle, the leader of his clan. It was later revealed that Firefly was in fact responsible, but Storm Shadow was never able to avenge his master's death. He eventually was brainwashed and began working for Cobra in earnest.
• Tomax - Along with his mirror twin brother Xamot, he is the leader of the Crimson Guard and the respectable corporate face of Cobra. When not engaged in some dangerous field mission, he and Xamot are in shirt and tie and managing Cobra's business affairs. Tomax and his twin brother share an empathic connection. While this is often useful, as it allows them to communicate wordlessly and finish each others sentences, it is also a liability, as they feel each other's pain during fights.
• Xamot - Mirror twin brother of Tomax and leader of the Crimson Guard. Xamot looks identical to Tomax except for the fact Xamot has a scar on the right side of his face. Also, one twin has the Cobra insignia on the right side of his body, and the other has it on the left. The twins are known more for their skills in the boardroom then on the battlefield.
• Dr. Venom - A Cobra scientist who played an important role in the first two years of the comic book. He was killed in action, and eventually replaced by Dr. Mindbender.
• Wild Weasel - An ace pilot who has never been seen outside of his flight suit, and suffers from an eerie hissing speech impediment caused by an injury. Wild Weasel is arrogant to a fault, favoring the Cobra Rattler. The pilots of G.I.-Joe hate him as a person, but respect him as a pilot.
• Slice - A Cobra ninja believed to have been involved with the same clan as Storm Shadow and Snake-Eyes. Slice developed his own patented style of sword place based on the movements and attacks of scorpions. He frequently works with the Cobra ninja Dice.
• Dice - A cobra ninja that was actually kicked out of the Night Creepers for his lack of morals, Dice specializes in particularly brutal martial arts attacks and holds. He is the frequent partner of the Cobra ninja Slice.
• Crocmaster - Cobra's reptile trainer and animal security supervisor. A former crocodile wrestler and security-installation expert, he is responsible for breeding and training the particularly large and aggressive crocodiles that guard the perimeter of Cobra Island.
• Raptor - An accountant and falconer who went to work for Cobra after being caught poaching on their property. Raptor works in both Cobra's various business fronts and as a part of their operations to breed and train birds for attack purposes. (Raptor actually dresses in a giant falcon costume and is widely ridiculed as one of the more cartoonish looking characters).
• Crystal Ball - Cobra's own hypnotist and sometimes interrogator. (The character is widely believed to have been created by or in honor of author Stephen King, who's son was a big fan of G.I. Joe. King is even purported to have written the file card on the back of the character's toy package.)

Troops

There are several different elite fighting units within Cobra, each of which is trained in different types of combat. During the many power struggles within the Cobra organization, they are usually leveraged against each other. In the animated series, Cobra troops were usually portrayed as ineffectual bumblers. In the comics they were more formidable foes.

From Hasbro's perspective, each new type of troop was an opportunity to release another collectible action figure, as each of the teams had different costumes. The original Cobra soldier uniform was a basic navy blue uniform with black gloves and boots; a large Cobra insignia, of varying colors depending on rank, was emblazoned on the chest, and the soldier's identity was concealed by a black cloth scarf worn over the mouth and nose. Later Cobra uniforms became more elaborate and fanciful; for example, Vipers wore a smooth silver face mask similar to that sometimes used by Cobra Commander.

• Alley Viper - Cobra's urban combat specialists.
• AVAC aka the Air Viper Advanced Class - Pilots of the Cobra Firebat.
• Battle Android Troopers or B.A.T.S - Mindless robot soldiers designed by Dr. Mindbender. They do not need food, or sleep or question orders. The B.A.T only functions to destroy everything in front of it.
• Cobra Officer - Acting as junior officers they wear a blue uniform featuring a large Cobra insignia on the front torso, black mask, boots, and gloves with a blue helmet. The same uniform was once worn by the original Cobra troopers.
• Crimson Guard - Cobra's elite troopers led by twin brothers Tomax and Xamot. They wear a red uniform that is distinctly smart and which features a large Cobra insignia on the front torso. They are sent out into the world to climb corporate and political ladders and serve Cobra behind the scenes, getting the organization what it needs through legal channels. They also function as bodyguards for Cobra Commander. To be a Crimson Guard is to swear absolute loyalty to Cobra Commander.
• Desert Scorpion - A punishment detail for unmotivated Vipers, these are Cobra's desert fighters. Service in this unit lasts one year. Failure as a Desert Scorpion means service as a Toxo-Viper.
• Eels - Cobra's frogmen trained in underwater demolitions and who serve as crew on Cobra naval vehicles. Some of these were subjected to genetic enhancements and became the more elite Morays and Hydro-Vipers.
• Gyro-Vipers - Trained to fly helicopters, these Vipers operate the Mamba.
• H.E.A.T. Vipers - Cobra anti-tank troopers with specialized anti-tank weapons connected to advanced targeting systems built directly into their helmet.
• HISS Driver - Too big to be regular Vipers, these troopers are trained to operate the HISS (HIgh Speed Sentry) tank.
• Iron Grenadiers - Destro's personal army. They were originally the guards for his castle, but he later branched out and they fought as an independent army. It is their job to start wars and conflicts in order to increase sales of M.A.R.S products.
• Lampreys - Highly trained Eels serving as Cobra's amphibious assault troopers. They often pilot Cobra's naval crafts.
• Medi-Vipers - Cobra medical troopers, operating in the field for basic repair and recycle of troops.
• Motor-Viper - Drivers of the Cobra Stun. They specialize in recon and patrol and love driving fast.
• Moray - Bio-tech engineered Elite Underwater Operation specialists. Chosen form the Eels, they are faster, stronger and have enhanced reflexes.
• Neo Vipers - The next generation of Cobra infantry, with bio-tech engineering granting them faster reflexes, enhanced strength and the ability to regulate body temperature in any environment. They serve as Cobra infantry officers.
• Range Vipers - Cobra wilderness troopers, they operate behind enemy lines without communications. Range Vipers get what they need from hit and run raids or from the wilderness.
• Rock Vipers - Cobra mountain troopers. They use specialized equipment and uniforms.
• S.A.W. Vipers - Cobra's heavy machine gunners. The most famous S.A.W. Viper is Robert Skelton, notorious for having killed seven G.I. Joe members.
• Snow Serpents - Cobra's arctic climate soldiers, picked from the elite Eel cadre. They are trained tough with a 95% drop out rate.
• Strato-Vipers - Cobra's elite pilots who operate Cobra's "Night Raven" spy plane. They undergo experimental modifications to withstand high G-Forces.
• Star-Viper - A further enhanced version of the Strato-Viper who pilots the Stellar Stiletto high-altitude assault craft.
• Techno-Vipers - Cobra's battlefield mechanics and technicians. Despite their unassuming function, they are trained Vipers first.
• Tele-Vipers - Cobra troopers who carry communications equipment and are responsible for establishing, maintaining and disrupting communication lines.
• Toxo-Vipers - Nicknamed the "leaky suit brigade", the Toxo-Viper is Cobra's hostile environment trooper. This is a punishment detail.
• Python Patrol - This patrol specialized in stealth and was made of various Vipers. In the cartoon, they were the counterparts to Sgt. Slaughter's Marauders and the Tiger Force in the toyline. The special 'pythonization' process that gave their outfits the interesting scale pattern makes them invisible to radar.
• Vipers - Cobra's regular infantry troops.
• W.O.R.M.S. - Weapons Ordnance Rugged Machine Specialist, these troopers operate the Maggot. Ideally, there should be a crew of four (a commander, driver, loader, gunner) per Maggot, but two W.O.R.M.S, can operate it.

Bases

• Broca Beach - After the destruction of Springfield, Cobra created another town as their secret base of operations in America. This one was transformed from an abandoned seaside town. Former residents of the destroyed Springfield town were relocated here.
• Castle Destro - Destro's fortress in Scotland. Training ground for the Iron Grenadiers.
• Cobra Citadel also known as the Silent Castle - Cobra's base of operations in Eastern Europe. It is located in Trans-Carpathia. Destro was one of its designers and for a brief period, it became the second Castle Destro.
• Cobra Consulate - A highrise in New York City used by Cobra as an embassy and base of operations after Cobra Island was declared a sovereign nation.
• Cobra Island - The primary base of Cobra operations. It was created after a massive earthquake caused by G.I-Joe and Cobra and declared a sovereign nation. It was the battlefield for the Cobra civil war, and the battle against The Coil. After Cobra was beaten the island was seized by the U.N. It then came under the control of The Coil, then Cobra and was finally destroyed by a nuclear warhead, which also killed every member of The Coil.
• Millville - A steel-making town captured by Cobra. Its residents are controlled via Cobra's brainwashing device.
• Springfield - A small anonymous town in middle America, which Cobra secretly operated as a base. The town was poor and desperate when the man who would become Cobra Commander arrived. He became the town's savior and it was there he started Cobra. Many covert operations were held there, including the creation of Serpentor.

Mercenaries

• BlackOut -Cobra Sniper real name Thomas J Stall was rejected from GI. Joe for failing his psychological exam and was under the suspicion of being involved with the disappearance of his sister. Thomas broke out of a Brig at fort Hachulgla during an attack by COBRA and Surrendered willingly to COBRA.
• Dreadnoks - Led by Zartan, his siblings and daughter, the Dreadnoks are gang of bikers who pull jobs for Cobra when finesse is not required and brute force is needed. Zartan used them for backup and brought them with him when he joined Cobra.
• Firefly - The world's greatest saboteur, Firefly's background is a mystery. A mercenary and assassin, Firefly offers no guarantees or refunds. He is an expert in all types of explosive ordnance and demolition materials. He is the Faceless Master of the Arashikage ninja clan.
• Kwinn - An Inuit mercenary who only appeared in the first year of the comic book. A mercenary with a strong code of honor, he had previously worked for the CIA, Mossad, MI-6, and the KGB, and worked with Cobra in Sierra Gordo. He would later renounce his life as a mercenary, only to be betrayed and killed by Dr. Venom, on whom who the Inuit posthumously took revenge.
• Major Bludd - Major Sebastian Bludd is an Australian mercenary with extensive combat experience who worked for Cobra from time to time. He is a master tactician, expert in all known weapons and writes very bad poetry. He is usually portrayed as Cobra's infantry commander. Major Bludd's is best known for the assassination of General Flagg, the original leader of the G.I. Joe team.
• Night Creepers - The Night Creepers are a group of ninjas-for-hire with a particular savvyness for technology and business. Their leader is named Aleph. There was a Night Creeper Leader introduced later on in the toy line. Whether Aleph and Night Creeper Leader are one and the same is not made clear but differences in their personality suggest otherwise.
• Wraith - Charles Halifax is a British mercenary who specializes in eliminations, espionage and covert ops. He wears a high tech suit with hidden weapons and a cloaking device that he stole from the Chinese. He is hired by Alexander McCullen and Mistress Armada to free Major Bludd and Scrap-Iron from jail and serve as Destro's enforcer. He is one of the few to defeat Snake Eyes in single combat.
• Zartan - The leader of the Dreadnoks, as well as a master spy and assassin. He is a master of disguise, able to be anyone anytime he wishes. Thanks to genetic experimentation, Zartan is also capable of changing his skin color to blend in with his background. This special ability is disrupted by sunlight.
• Metal-Head - The Anti-Tank Specialist in Destro's personal army. Metal-Head is an obsessive who devotes his every waking moment to refining the targeting system that operates his personal Anti-Tank missile Launchers.
• Voltar - The general of Destro's personal army, the Iron Grenadiers. Voltar is renowned for being able to win out against even the most insurmountable odds. Destro himself has stated that he feels Voltar possesses undeniably good fortune.

Cobra-La

In G.I. Joe: The Movie, it is revealed that the operation to create Serpentor was controlled by a 40,000 year-old underground civilization called Cobra-La, whose snake-like inhabitants were driven underground by the advent of humankind. Through the use of a biological mind controlling device they implanted the idea into Dr Mindbender's mind as an act of discipline against Cobra Commander who in actually is a member of their race.

Cobra-La made extensive use of bio-technology, such as body armor made out of crustacean carapaces, and motion detection systems using spider-webs, and their main plot was to turn people into snakes using hypergentic mutation spore plants one of which was tested on Cobra Commander.

Sadly the movie was not well received, and the Cobra-La story arc was all but abandoned in future plotlines. The writers despised the name "Cobra-La" and had only originally intended to use it as a working name to be replaced by a "real" name in the finished product, but were overruled by Hasbro.