Cobra
Cobra is a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world!
Led primarily by Cobra Commander and sometimes by Serpentor, they've had their ups and downs in their struggle against the G.I. Joe team.
They sometimes team up with or rebuild Transformers.
Fiction
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
By the year 2006 Old Snake, Cobra's one-time leader, was a homeless vagrant, selling the use of his organization's synthoid technology to small-time mobsters.
While nothing is stated outright, it appears that the threat of mighty Cobra is now but a memory. Only Human
Binaltech
Earlier, in 2004, Garrison Kreiger, a former financial backer of Cobra and enemy of G.I. Joe's Sgt. Savage, served as a member of the nefarious Concurrence.
Among the other members of the Concurrence was Count von Rani, who himself clashed with Sgt. Savage as Iron Klaw, but who otherwise has no known connection to Cobra. Expose All of Evil's Designs!
Wings Universe
Old Snake's encounter with the Autobots reignited his taste for domination. To that end, he reactivated an old Cobra project to amalgamate Earth's greatest military minds into the ultimate warrior, using the discarded body of a Sweep to do so. Unfortunately, the Earth Defense Command interrupted him, and General Hawk's brain was accidentally scanned, resulting in Serpentor, a Decepticon with EDC sympathies. Serpent O.R.'s Wings Universe profile
Ask Vector Prime
In the blighted reality of Primax 1185.04 Alpha, Cobra conquered the world thanks to the M.A.S.S. Device. When the Transformers woke up in 1984, the Decepticons found themselves unable to plunder the world and the Autobots, while disgusted by Cobra's junta, did not think it their place to interfere and quietly abandoned the planet. Megatron eventually teamed up with Sub-Atlantica but that only led to Cobra invading them, Cobra Commander just happening to have made soldiers with gills; Sub-Atlantica surrendered Megatron to Cobra Commander as a peace offering.
Eventually, some real American heroes showed up from Primax 984.17 Alpha to get up in Cobra's grill. Ask Vector Prime, 13/6/2015
Marvel Comics continuity
G.I. Joe and the Transformers
Cobra manipulated Senator Barbara Larkin, using her to push through the development of Power Station Alpha so that they could then steal it for their own purposes. Things went awry when the Decepticons decided they wanted it for their own, but an alliance was soon formed... and broken, when Cobra learned the Decepticons planned to use Alpha to destroy the world. Blood on the Tracks Power Struggle
Shockwave ordered Soundwave to radio Cobra to inform them that they are moving the Decepticon base to an island off the Florida Keys. Gone but Not Forgotten! (US) Ashes, Ashes... ...All Fall Down!
Operatives involved in this mission included Baroness, Buzzer, Cobra Commander, Destro, Dr. Mindbender, Serpentor, Torch, Ripper, Zarana, and Zartan.
Generation 2
In the midst of a scheme by Cobra Commander to bring new glory to his organization, the reconfigurable Silent Castle he had seized from Destro was put into a state of constant metamorphosis. This caught the attention of a heavily-damaged Megatron, who flew to Trans-Carpathia from Canada and was enraged to discover a non-sentient piece of architecture instead of another Transformer. Unfoldings!
This confrontation eventually led to an agreement between Megatron and Cobra whereby Megatron would receive a new, more powerful body (designed by Dr. Sidney Biggles-Jones) in exchange for the technologies of the downed-but-functional Autobot Ark. Realignments
Cobra helicopters led Megatron and the unearthed Ark from Canada to the Cobra-controlled town of Milleville, New York, where its brainwashed denizens began to unload the spacecraft. Their operation was discovered by the G.I. Joe team, who Megatron was vocally uninterested in battling. Goin' South
Not too long afterwards, a group of Autobots (Brawn, Chase, Hot Spot, Override, Skydive, and Steeljaw) arrived and battled Megatron in Milleville, causing considerable damage to Cobra's property holdings and destroying any vestiges of the town's use as a secret base.
As the situation continued to degrade, Cobra Commander ordered an evacuation of the town's assets and personnel from a position near the Ark. Megatron then arrived, and having captured Dr. Biggles-Jones, abruptly disregarded his previous agreement with Cobra Commander. He took the Ark for himself and blasted off, much to Cobra Commander's extreme annoyance.
In-transit, Megatron voiced that he had transferred a virus that had been implanted in his new body by Dr. Biggles-Jones to the Cybertronian technology in Cobra's possession, which would render it inoperable. Final Transformations
Operatives involved in this mission included Cobra Commander, Dice, Night Creeper Leader, Dr. Mindbender, Road Pig, Slice, and Zarana.
Following Megatron's departure in the Ark, a convoy of Cobra vehicles departed Milleville, safeguarding a transport containing the (unknowingly infected) Cybertronian technology they had acquired.
The convoy was assaulted by Autobot Hot Spot, who feared the havoc that could be created by the alien technology in Cobra's hands. As Cobra soldiers prepared to retaliate against him, they were cut down by Snake-Eyes and General Hawk, which gave Hot Spot the opportunity to destroy the transport.
Surrounded and heavily damaged, Hot Spot destroyed himself rather than be captured and dissected by Cobra's technicians for knowledge. All or Nothing!
Operatives involved in this mission included Cobra Commander.
Transformers/G.I. Joe
In 1938, Major Sebastian Bludd discovered Megatron and his Decepticons in a shrine in the Fera Islands. Soon Megatron allied himself with Bludd's master, Cobra Commander, and they joined forces to conquer Europe. Even the mighty Maginot Line could not stop them as they rolled through Berlin, Paris, and Rome and enslaving their inhabitants. Before long, the Decepticon/Cobra onslaught reached Great Britain.
However, treachery from Destro, the Baroness, and Starscream led the newly formed G.I. Joe team to their Terrordrome. The Line While engaging Cobra troops commanded by Storm Shadow, the Joes encountered the Autobots, who repaired and revived themselves. The Joes soon found themselves under fire from a squadron of Rattlers and Seekers led by Wild Weasel, Transformed but they were driven back by Lady Jaye and the Aerialbots.
As this transpired, Megatron attempted to dispose of his insufficiently-efficient human partners, but was humbled by a Matrix-bearing Cobra Commander.
While the Cobra aircraft were driven off, they left behind paratroopers and Rumble. Trial by Fire The Joes managed to defeat the troops, and Bumblebee and Scarlett destroyed Rumble, but Zartan managed to murder and replace Breaker in the confusion. He was quickly discovered, but not before he allowed Soundwave to capture Flint.
Storm Shadow left the main Cobra force to engage in a deadly duel with his sword-brother Snake-Eyes, now a member of G.I. Joe. Despite the intervention of Ravage, Snake-Eyes defeated Storm Shadow, who was then eaten by a shark.
Soon, Cobra prepared to defend the town of Torhavn against the approaching Autobots and Joes, using slaves as human shields. Wolves Another Cobra air attack was foiled by Lady Jaye and Superion, leading to the death of Wild Weasel, and Lady Jaye defeated Bludd and the Dreadnoks. Meanwhile, a small Joe strikeforce infiltrated the Terrordrome, destroying Frenzy in the process.
As the Joes, Autobots, and an Allied fleet neared, Shockwave destroyed Superion and a number of ships, damaging himself severely in the process. Trenches But despite heavy losses, the Autobots soldiered on.
Destro and the Baroness took advantage of the chaos to unleash their monstrous creation Bruticus upon both sides - but not before slaying their co-conspirator, Starscream. Bruticus' attack crippled Cobra Commander, allowing the Baroness to execute him with Megatron's pistol form. Her victory was short-lived - before the Commander's body could cool, she and Destro were arrested by Scarlett and Snake-Eyes. As the metal monster tore through the Autobots, Snake-Eyes took the Matrix from the Commander's corpse and destroyed it, killing the Autobots, Decepticons, and Bruticus and ending the threat of Cobra. The Iron Fist
Operatives involved in this mission included Baroness, Buzzer, Cobra Commander, Destro, Dr. Mindbender, Major Bludd, Ripper, Storm Shadow, Torch, Wild Weasel, and Zartan.
Some 45 years after the conquest of Europe, Cobra rose again. Under the command of Cobra Commander, Cobra established extensive operations in the United States. In 1985, G.I. Joe attacked a Cobra shipping facility commanded by Destro. While the facility was largely destroyed, Destro and Scrap-Iron managed to escape via Trouble Bubble. Soon afterwards, Cobra detected the crash of an Autobot shuttlecraft near Portland. Their retrieval force was repelled by a team of G.I. Joe rookies. Targets of Opportunity
Operatives involved in this mission included Cobra Commander, Destro, Scrap-Iron, and Smith.
G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers
The fledgling terrorist organization Cobra discovered the Ark and its Transformer crew in stasis lock, and took them to their headquarters on Cobra Island. With the help of mad scientist Dr. Mindbender and weapons dealer Destro, they turned most of the Transformers into remote-controlled war machines - with the exception of Megatron, who was kept by Cobra Commander as a trophy, locked in pistol mode. They were smuggled into Washington, D.C. using Cobra's front company Arbco and used to strike at a United Nations summit, causing mass panic. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #1
Despite problems reprogramming some units (especially Optimus Prime), Cobra launched an attack on the SPS Research Facility. While several of Cobra's Transformers were destroyed in the attack, thanks to the intervention of the newly formed G.I. Joe as well as two escaped Autobots, Bumblebee and Wheeljack, Firefly managed to acquire the satellite technology and destroy the facility. Their success was short-lived, however, as Cobra's Transformers overrode their programming en masse and rebelled against their masters. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #3 Cobra Commander was forced to unleash Megatron to battle Optimus Prime as he attempted to flee. As Cobra troops were slain left and right, the Commander and several other officers managed to secure S.N.A.K.E. suits and fight their way through the vengeful mechanoids.
Meanwhile, Megatron and Soundwave had taken control of Cobra headquarters and used the stolen satellite technology to begin producing energon cubes.G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4 The Autobots and Joes took the command centre and incapacitated Megatron, but were then alerted to an American nuclear missile headed straight for them.G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #5 Enlisting the help of Mindbender, the Joes managed to shoot the nuke down with the SPS, with the side-effect of the satellite showering the island with deadly heat-blasts. After the blasts incapacitated most of the Decepticons, Optimus Prime managed to shoot down the satellite and defeat Megatron. Destro, Mindbender, and the Baroness escaped, and Cobra Commander fled with the aid of Starscream.G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #6
Operatives involved in this mission included Baroness, Cobra Commander, Destro, Dr. Mindbender, Firefly, Major Bludd, Storm Shadow, and Zartan.
Over the next two years, Cobra rebuilt itself. G.I. Joe continued to bedevil them, breaking up a weapons-smuggling ring and capturing the cyborgified Dreadnoks. Eventually, Cobra hatched a plan to gain access to Teletran 3, a computer that would give Cobra access to Cybertron's space bridge network, allowing for instantaneous troop and supply movements. G.I. Joe agent Chuckles discovered the plan, and led the team to Cobra's Boston headquarters. As the Joes attacked, they disrupted the gate, first sending the Joes, Cobras, and Starscream to Cybertron, and then scattering a number of Transformers throughout time. The time disruption threatened to destroy Earth, forcing Cobra to team up with G.I. Joe to retrieve the missing mechanoids.
Zartan, Storm Shadow, Lady Jaye, and Snake-Eyes were successful in retrieving Jazz, Bumblebee, Hot Rod, and Blitzwing from the 1970s,G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1 and the Baroness, Percy, Roadblock, and Beachhead barely managed to retrieve Optimus Prime and the Stunticons from 1930s Chicago.G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #2 Meanwhile, Tomax, Xamot, Mindbender, Barbecue, and Spirit found themselves in a nightmarish Decepticon-ruled future Earth. They were forced to take Ratchet back to the present against his will, andXamot was slain by Shockwave as soon as they returned to Cybertron. The Autobots were taken captive by Shockwave's Decepticons, the time gate was deactivated, and the Joes and Cobras were forced to flee.G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #3 All seemed lost until Lady Jaye and Roadblock infiltrated the control center and reactivated the time gate, bringing Dusty, Shipwreck, Gung-Ho, and a Viper back - along with the fearsome Dinobots. The Dinobots routed Shockwave's forces, giving Joes and Cobras a safe passage home.
Meanwhile, Dr. Mindbender, who had been left on Earth, was arrested, but soon found himself enlisted to harness the power of Unicron by the enigmatic forces of Cobra-La! G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #4
Operatives involved in this mission included Baroness, Buzzer, Cobra Commander, Destro, Dr. Mindbender, Percy, Ripper, Storm Shadow, Tomax, Torch, Xamot, and Zartan.
While attacking Area 52 with the monstrous Cobratron, Cobra Commander infiltrated the base and activated the deadly Serpent O.R. in the hopes of controlling the powerful humanoid,The Art of War #1 only to have him escape to CybertronThe Art of War #2 and reunite the shattered Decepticon forces.The Art of War #3 Cobra Commander managed to briefly take mental control of Serpent O.R., but was rendered catatonic when he was exposed to the energies of the Matrix of Leadership.The Art of War #5
Operatives involved in this mission included Baroness, Cobra Commander, Doctor Knox, Zarana, and Zartan.
By the arrival of Unicron, a number of Cobra operatives had been captured by G.I. Joe, including Darklon, Overlord, Tomax. The Baroness, Destro, Doctor Mindbender, Firefly, Iron Klaw, and Zartan remained at large.Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2
Transformers vs. G.I. Joe
Knights of Unicron
The Cobra Terrordrome was the fourth venue for the Knights of Unicron on their 2014 "Till All Are One" tour. Knights of Unicron
IDW Generation 1 continuity
Cobra was a long-lived, dangerous secret society turned world conquerors. The U.S. military team G.I. Joe became aware of them around 2009 and the two groups fought a war that escalated to the point where Cobra nuked out Nanzhao, an atrocity second only to the Decepticon invasion in all of Earth history. Secret Raiders They are currently in ruins Revolution Humble Bundle trading cards after their public rebrand as 'peacekeepers' went tits up and Galibi and Schleteva went to war. Crisis Intervention
Unknown to the world and indeed most of the eventually reformed G.I. Joe, the Baroness had been captured and was locked up without trial by Scarlett. G.I. Joe vol. 5 #2 Other former Cobra bigwigs remained at large: in 2017, Crystal Ball resurfaced in Inner Mongolia, radicalising local insurgents with the Dreadnoks G.I. Joe vol. 5 #1, while Major Bludd was caught running around with the Oktober Guard. Crisis Intervention
To the surprise of the Joes, a brief check of Greek anarchists found they were starting to use Cobra's insignia as a symbol of their movement. Gung-Ho believed they were just trying to shock their elders but Scarlett duly interrogated Baroness for info, finding she knew nothing about any potential Cobra revival. G.I. Joe vol. 5 #2
Beast Wars: Uprising
In 1984, some people speculated that the Transformers were some kind of new Cobra weapon. Also, the band Duran Duran promised that their single "Union of the Snake" had absolutely nothing to do with Cobra. Cultural Appropriation
The controversial Operation Staple Gun saw 713 Cobra scientists and personnel allowed out of jail if they agreed to work for U.S. intelligence agencies. The Inexorable March
Toys
Titanium Series
- The character bio for the 6" Titanium Series Megatron makes reference to him currently being controlled by Cobra Commander and his Matrix. This makes him the first Hasbro product officially recognizing a Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover—unlike Snow Cat, where there was no explicit reference.
Generations
- Decepticon Viper (Legends class, 2015)
- Part of wave 3 of Combiner Wars Legends class, Viper is a retool of Powerglide, transforming into a modified-for-legal-reasons approximation of an A-10 Thunderbolt II assault plane. He can also transform into a multi-barreled cannon that can be held by larger toys.
- Viper's deco is an overt homage to the Cobra Rattler from G.I. Joe, including two Cobra insignias (with integrated Decepticon insignia, no less), and the "ZØ6" marking of Rattler pilot Wild Weasel's personal Rattler on his right wing. His new face is even styled after Wild Weasel's flight mask.
- His packaging identifies him as an adjunct to Galvatronus.
- The mold was redecoed to make Adventure Dogfight.
Notes
Foreign names
- Japanese: Cobra Army (コブラ軍団 Kobura Gundan)
- Mandarin: Yǎnjìngshé Bùduì (眼镜蛇部队, "Cobra Troop")
