Cobra Commander
Image Courtesy of YoJoe.com
From all of us here at the Complete Guide to DIC’s GI Joe (namely me, Amy and Basil the Wonder Cat), congratulations to Cobra Commander on winning the first ever Feature Character Spotlight. Way to go CC!
I gotta be honest, I knew Cobra Commander was going to win when I looked at the poll results during that first week of voting and he was already at over 100 votes while everyone else was chugging slowly along behind him. I thought long and hard about what I was going to do to memorialize this character and finally settled on what seemed like the most logical choice for this site: Talk about CC in DIC!
Cobra Commander appeared in more DIC episodes than any other character. Which is understandable, considering that he was the leader of Cobra, after all. He was also one of the few characters brought over from the Sunbow series and one of the only characters to retain their original voice actor (along with the Baroness and Sci-Fi).
It’s rather interesting that Cobra Commander was brought back, considering that when he was last seen in the GI Joe movie he was slithering along, whinging about having once been a man. One would have assumed that they'd have stuck with Serpentor as the leader since he was all big and buff and non-snakeified. But, apparently Hasbro decided that Cobra-La and Serpentor were best forgotte (or just didn't want to pass those rights on to DIC) and Cobra should be headed by Cobra Commander so, back he came! And out went Serpentor. WHOHOO!
Keeping in the DIC tradition of using the most recent versions of older characters, the DIC episodes often featured the 1987 version of CC in his battle armor. The battle armor also appeared in the comic series where both the original Cobra Commander and the imposter Fred VII wore it.
Chris Latta returns as the voice of Cobra Commander, though he’s listed in the credits as Christopher Collins. Mr. Latta’s voice work on Cobra Commander in the DIC and Sunbow series helped make Cobra Commander one of the most recognizable GI Joe characters.
Cobra Commander in DIC: In some ways, the DIC version of Cobra Commander isn't that much different from CC in the Sunbow episodes. Still bent on dominating the world, still a raving egomaniac and still blaming everyone else for his failures. In some ways, I like CC better in the DIC episodes. He seems darker, more sinister than he did in the Sunbow series. Sure, he still has his moments of whacked-out lunacy, but those are tempered by the occasional moment where you wonder if CC just might not start shooting people until morale (and competence) improve.
I’m not sure what explains the character’s change. Maybe it’s because he’s that much smarter than most of the other characters around him, but he just comes across better somehow. Or it could be that by this point Chris Latta had really gotten in the groove with the character and that he got some really good bits in a lot of the scripts he was given. Or it could just be that I’m more familiar with the DIC episodes because I’ve watched them the most recently and I’m reading way too much into them.
It might also be because there are fewer members of the Cobra High Command running around in the DIC episodes. Instead of having to share the spotlight with Destro, The Baroness, Tomax and Xamot and Dr. Mindbender (not to mention Serpentor), Cobra Commander is generally the only high commander running around. Sometimes Destro shows up, but generally CC is running the show.
Cobra Commander's Best DIC Appearances:
Based on the unbiased opinions of myself and Basil the Wonder Cat
Operation: Dragonfire: -- Mainly because Cobra Commander comes back. That's right, he's once again a man and Serpentor is off chasing flies! This’ll be the first, last and only time we see Cobra Commander in his snake-man form. Once he puts the power armor on, he’s human again for all intents and purposes. Closeups after he puts the power armor on, in this and future episodes, show Caucasian human skin around the eyes, not the green lizardy skin of his snake-man form.
United We Stand: -- Worth catching because of the sheer deviousness of the Cobra plan. Not to mention Cobra Commander sounds downright demonic when he says: ““I want my money in unmarked bills and take your time to think about it because before long, I’ll be doing all your thinking for you. “
Cobra World: -- A pretty standard Cobra Pretends To Go Legit plot that’s greatly improved by Cobra Commander’s dialogue and Chris Latta’s delivery. “They’re not buying it, where’s the onion?” still lays me out every time I hear it
Kindergarten Commandos: -- Well..okay, maybe not BEST appearance but worth seeing so you can display the fact like a badge of honor among your friends! That and it’s pretty funny if you’re in the right mood.
D-Day at Alcatraz: -- Is worth it just to hear Cobra Commander sing “Someone’s in the Kitchen with Cobra.”
Victory at Volania: -- The first part alone is worth it for the reactions of the world to Cobra Commander's threat of the Space Gun.
That's Entertainment and The Chunnel: for the chance to see Cobra Commander's egomania gone wild.
An Interview with Tony Zalewski -- Read an interview with the wirter of three of CC's best DIC appearances. United We Stand, Chunnel and Cobra World.
DIC Episodes Cobra Commander Appeared In:
Operation Dragonfire
United We Stand
Revenge of the Pharaohs
Granny Dearest
Victory at Volcania
The NoZone Conspiracy
Night of the Creepers
General Confusion
Stuck on You
Pigskin Commandos
Cold Shoulder
Injustice and the Cobra Way
D-Day at Alcatraz
Officer and a Viperman
That’s Entertainment
BIOK
Infested Island
Chunnel
El Dorado – Lost City of Gold
The Sword
Long Live Rock and Roll
Kindergarten Commandos
Keyboard Warriors
The Greatest Evil
A is for Android
The Sludge Factor
Cobra World
Messenger from the Deep
The Eliminator
Metal-Head’s Reunion
Shadow of a Doubt
Honorable Non-DIC/Sunbow Related Cobra Commander Appearance: Cobra Commander appears briefly in the one-shot episode of Sgt. Savage and His Screaming Eagles “Old Soldiers Never Die.” In that episode, he is seen on a viewscreen, talking to the evil General Blitz. General Blitz threatens Cobra Commander, telling him that if he tries to interfere with Blitz’s plans, the IRON Army will destroy Cobra as easily as they helped create it. There is no doubt in my mind that the character portrayed on the viewscreen is the actual-factual Cobra Commander. Unlike the Transformer episode “Only Human” where it’s only broadly hinted that “Snake” is “Cobra Commander”, the Sgt. Savage episode makes no bones about who the blue-hooded figure on the viewscreen is.
The character is wearing CC’s typical blue uniform/blue hood combination, talks in the Cobra Commander voice (beautifully done by Scott McNeil since Chris Latta had passed away prior to this episode being made), is referred to by Blitz as “Commander” and signs off by saying “Cobra out”. If you get a chance to see this often overlooked episode, keep an eye out for this scene. It’s short but memorable.
(Technically, Sgt. Savage is a Sunbow series, but in this case, Sunbow refers to the original 90+ episode run of the GI Joe cartoon.)
And because it’s always fun to play armchair shrink for imaginary characters:
Cobra Commander in a nutshell: Characteristics of a Charismatic Leader:
From The Writer’s Guide to Character Traits:
Note: this uses information from the comics and the cartoons, but I’m going to include a DIC episode that exemplifies the various character traits just so this stays allegedly on topic….
Visionary, inspirational and influential: This is especially visible in the comics, where we see shots of Cobra Commander rallying the troops to his cause and inspiring them to continue to fight the good fight (so to speak). This is less visible in the cartoon series, where Cobra Commander is more of a buffoon and only occasionally inspirational. One example from the DIC series comes in the NoZone Conspiracy where Cobra Commander inspires his troops the best way he knows how: waves the promise of fat stacks of cash money under their noses. (DIC Example: Nozone Conspiracy)
Articulates a vision: He wants to take over the world. Duh. Again, we see more of this in the comics. In the cartoons, Cobra Commander’s vision is limited to taking over the world, though we’re never exactly given an idea of why he wants to take over the world. (DIC example: Well, most of the ones CC is in, he articulates a vision of some kind).
Refers to distant rather than proximate goals: Several times in the comics, Cobra Commander rallies the people of Cobra and tells them that they will, one day, take over the world. Like any good cult leader, he doesn’t give them a specific date for this takeover, since that would lead to uncomfortable questions when the magic date doesn’t arrive. (There’s one end of the world cult that repeatedly picked the date that the world would end, then had to scramble for explanations when the day would come and go with no Armageddon in sight) (DIC example: None really, the nature of the cartoon series (both DIC and Sunbow) is such that you have to get that goal stated and make it something immediate. Then you fail horribly. Because you are the villain and villains never win! In cartoons).
Has high expectations of followers’ performance: This personality trait is visible in both the comics and the cartoons. Cobra Commander constantly expects the best from his people. In the comics, this is largely because the success of Cobra is dependent on the success of its members. In the cartoons, Cobra Commander needs his people to do well to make him look good. Which makes you wonder why, especially in the DIC episodes, he hires people who couldn’t spell ‘success’ let alone achieve it. (DIC Example: Again, most of the episodes he’s in, CC has pretty high expectations of the people around him. Ridiculously high, in some cases. See Cobra World where he expects Road Pig to get something right, for instance).
High confidence, dominant: Dominant first: Cobra Commander, at least in the comics, is a former used car salesman. He never served in the military, most likely has limited experience in espionage and high finance, and yet he’s managed to keep control over an organization full of people hungry for his job. Most of whom are better qualified for the position. As for confidence, well, look at the cartoons, over 144 failures and Cobra Commander STILL KEEPS TRYING! He got turned into a snake and STILL managed to come back (okay, so he had a little help from the Script Immunity Fairy but still…) Any sane man would have given up years ago! At least in the comics, Cobra got a few victories but even still… (DIC Example: as said in the previous paragraph: all the episodes. Cobra Commander is legendary for bullying those around him).
Willing to exploit others: Cobra Commander hasn’t gathered the people he has around him because he particularly likes them. They are there because they are useful, from Destro on down to the lowliest Cobra civilian. Every member of Cobra is there because he or she can do something for Cobra Commander, even if that something is as simple as being cannon fodder. (DIC Example: The Sword illustrates Cobra Commander’s willingness to use others around him to accomplish his goals)
Shows disregard for the rights and feelings of others: Ohhh, let’s see: abandoned his wife, kidnapped his young son, tried to assassinate Snake-eyes, left Storm Shadow behind to save himself, tried to kill Serpentor, tried to kill his son Billy (twice), tried to kill Destro, brainwashed Destro, the Baroness, Zartan and Billy, and imprisoned a dozen or so of the folks he didn’t like (including his son) in a half-buried freighter to slowly starve to death. Not to mention sacrificed the lives of countless nameless, faceless minions along the way. Hell, he kicks puppies. (DIC Example: The Greatest Evil – Cobra Commander agrees to join with the Joes not to end the evils of drugs but to steal the Headman’s ill-gotten booty).
Self-aggrandizing: He’s the self-appointed commander of Cobra. He dresses like a combination of a Napoleon impersonator and a head waiter and yet he thinks he looks good! In the comics and the cartoons the guy has an ego you could use to beat whales to death with. (DIC Example: BIOK (Cobra Commander insists that BIOK’s personality be based off of him) and Officer and a Viperman (Cobra Commander published a book illustrating his heroism))
Narcissistic – inflated self-importance, seeks admiration and is intolerant of criticism: Again, this is pretty self-explanatory. Finding evidence of Cobra Commander’s naricissism is left as an exercise to the student. (DIC Example: see the above two examples for self-aggrandizing and see also That’s Entertainment -- Okay, so that's two examples, but any others you have to find).
Aggressive: Puppy-kicker, shoots Joe-shaped targets with a machine-gun to relax, constantly threatening to strangle idiotic henchmen. Wants to take over the freakin’ world for crying out loud! (DIC Example: see most of the episodes for examples of Cobra Commander being aggressive).
Likes control over others or control over the environment: What? You think he founded Cobra because he wants to help people? Cobra Commander wants to recreate the entire world in HIS image and according to HIS agenda. (DIC Example: Victory at Volcania and the Sludge Factor)
Transforms needs and values of followers from self-interest to collective interest: This is how any good cult-like organization operates. You get your followers to focus on the needs of the group rather than their own needs. (DIC Examples: Operation: Dragonfire. Convinces Destro, Copperhead and the rest of Cobra to follow him rather than Serpentor by forming the Python Patrol. Also Nozone Conspiracy, convinces Cobra to go along with Nozone scheme because of the fat sacks of cash money it’ll earn them).
Metal-Head Feature Page Here because CC wanted to mock the guy who only got 4% of the vote. Poor Stewie...
GI Joe Feature Character Spotlight: Cobra Commander Visit the other links in the Feature Character Spotlight.
*Please note: any speculation about the motives for putting Cobra Commander
back into the cartoon series and/or the removal of Serprentor is pure and simple
speculation on my part and any resemblance to the actual motives of the DIC
writers/Hasbro is purely coincidental. And extremely unlikely. And, as always,
send hate mail to kepulver@yahoo.com