Cobra Commander

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Cobra Commander is a (more or less) human from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Oh yeah. I went there.

Whether he's the scion of a bizarre ancient civilization, a former used car salesman driven to the brink of insanity, or a renegade European scientist, Cobra Commander really hates G.I. Joe. As the leader of the ruthless terrorist organization Cobra, he frequently tries (and fails) to take over the world. No matter what maniacal scheme he comes up with, be it raising an island from the sea to form his own independent nation, editing elementary school text books to read pro-Cobra or etching his face onto the moon with a laser, G.I. Joe is there to try and stop him.

Fiction

The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Chris Latta (English), Ryōichi Tanaka (Japanese){{#if: Bernd Simon (German)|, Bernd Simon (German)}}
Urban Cowboy/Terrorist

By the year 2006, the once mighty Cobra organization had apparently been defeated. Cobra Commander, who was the only one of his organization that had not been put in jail, was now going by the alias "Old Snake". He was left with little to do to pass the time but hire out his services. He was an independent contractor—of terror!

A mob boss named Victor Drath had hired Old Snake once in the past, and decided to hire him again to learn the secret of synthoid technology so that he might use it against the Autobots. Snake took the job and used the synthoid technology to craft "human" bodies for Rodimus Prime, Arcee, Springer, and Ultra Magnus, then somehow transferred their minds inside them. Drath planned to then destroy the Autobots' now mindless robot bodies, but Old Snake dissuaded him, noting what excellent weapons they would make.

Eventually, the Autobots managed to return to their original Cybertronian bodies and Victor Drath and his gang were arrested. However, Snake managed to escape capture.

They don't make lozenges like they used to, either.

After watching Drath and his gang get hauled away, Old Snake walked into the sunset. He mused to himself that "they just don't make terrorists like they used to", and began shouting the old Cobra battlecry to the heavens, perhaps for old times' sake.

He was, unfortunately, cut short by a coughing fit. Only Human

Marvel Comics continuity

Generation 1

On Cobra Island, Cobra Commander berated Zartan for the careless actions of his Dreadnoks, which had revealed Cobra's interest in Power Station Alpha to G.I. Joe, and ordered him to send Zarana to retrieve the uncouth mercenaries. He feared that the incident had left him vulnerable to the manipulations of his would-be usurper, Serpentor. Blood on the Tracks He was right to be concerned, as he was apparently deposed soon after by Serpentor, who took command of Cobra. Power Struggle

Generation 2

No it isn't!

Years later, Cobra Commander was back in charge of Cobra and had killed many potential traitors on Cobra Island. This left him with a staffing issue: Zarana was now the de facto second-in-command and he had to bring Doctor Mindbender back from the dead after killing him the first time. Realignments He had a very large vocabulary and loves insulting people, especially if they were Zarana! For all his alleged smarts, he was honestly surprised to learn long-standing G.I. Joe members aren't really defecting but just pretend so they can spy on him. Final Transformations

While the Commander was taking over Destro's shape-shifting castle, a half-scrap Megatron appeared (believing it was a Transformer). Unfoldings! Cobra Commander offered him a deal: a new body made by Doctor Sidney Biggles-Jones in exchange for Cybertronian technology. Megatron agreed Realignments and led him to the Ark, which was transferred to Milleville. The partnership, however, was pretty crap from the Commander's point of view: Megatron cared barely a jot for things like secrecy and helping out against a G.I. Joe raid. Cobra Commander complained about this but had his hands full bringing Doctor Mindbender back from the dead to work for him again and then dealing with the aforementioned Joes. Goin' South Sucker Punch

He was unknowingly betrayed by both Biggles-Jones and Megatron: she secretly infected Megatron's new rail gun with a computer virus to disable it, and he discovered it, removed it and transferred it to the Cybertronian technology he gave to Cobra. Final Transformations Not knowing this, Cobra Commander tried to transfer all that junk back to base anyway.

Hot Spot found out about this, and couldn't let the technology fall into Cobra hands just in case they could get something out of it, so he attacked the Cobra convoy. With all the equipment destroyed, an angry Cobra Commander ordered his men to capture and dissect the Autobot as a replacement. Having taken heavy damage from Cobra Detonators and unable to keep fighting, Hot Spot chose to self-destruct rather than let his body fall into the clutches of Cobra. All or Nothing!

G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers

Ooooh...shiny!

Following directions from Destro, Cobra Commander and the Baroness unearthed an alien spaceship in 2003, before Cobra had made itself known to the world. Finding the ship full of giant deactivated robots, Cobra Commander ordered his troops to haul the aliens away and re-seal the craft. Cobra's scientists soon managed to reprogram the robots to be under their control, except for the one known as Megatron, who was merely locked into the form of a gun and held at Cobra Commander's side. Cobra revealed themselves to the world some time later, when Cobra Commander led an attack on a peace summit in Washington, D.C. using his new "Battle Android Troopers". G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #1

After the attack, the commander returned to Cobra Island, where he forced Megatron to give him information on energon and noted a breach in Cobra's network security. He also greeted Destro when the arms dealer came to check up on Cobra's progress in reverse-engineering the alien technology. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #2 Cobra Commander was less than pleased when Destro decided to muscle in on things and take the upcoming attack on the SPS Research Facility into his own hands. He soon had other things to worry about, however, as the Battle Android Troopers broke out of Cobra's reprogramming and the commander found himself face-to-face with a very unhappy Optimus Prime. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #3

And what do we learn out of this? Don't F**K with MEGATRON!

Cobra Commander tried to defend himself using Megatron, who strictly refused to fight unless he was restored to his normal self. Realizing he had no other choice, the commander released Megatron and ran away while the Decepticon clashed with Optimus Prime. He made it to the island's shore, only to have Brawn and Gears blow up his escape ship and attempt to capture him. Luckily, he was saved by Storm Shadow and his S.N.A.K.E. mech. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4 The S.N.A.K.E. squad protecting Cobra Commander was then discovered and defeated by a different group of Autobots, forcing him to flee on foot while grumbling that he was going to need a new ninja. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #5 Eventually, he stumbled across Starscream, immobilized and with a grenade about to detonate in his eye socket. The robot struck a deal with Cobra Commander: If the human removed the grenade, Starscream would in turn take him off the island. The commander accepted his offer, and the two began a grudging partnership as they escaped to Florida. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #6

"With all due respect, shut your damn mouth."
"And how much respect is that?"
"Very little, actually."

Two years later, Cobra Commander had somehow turned this grudging partnership into something more pleasing for himself, as Starscream was now happily following his orders. After learning about the supercomputer Teletran 3 on Cybertron, connected to Earth via a strange wormhole, Cobra Commander figured that the computer's teleportation technology would be invaluable to Cobra. He then traveled to Portugal, where he convinced Destro to provide him with the financial support needed to hack the computer. When Cobra Commander and Destro were overseeing the process in their Boston facility the following day, they came under attack by G.I. Joe, and were suddenly sent to Cybertron when Cobra's wormhole computer malfunctioned. Cobra Commander wasted no time in ordering his troops to kill the Joes and steal Teletran 3, but was interrupted by the arrival of several Autobots and Decepticons. He mostly faded into the background after Perceptor called him imperious and Destro told him to shut up. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1 When the whole affair was over, Cobra Commander argued with Destro some more and noticed that Starscream had fled, but he didn't really care about that. As it turned out, he had lined the jet's hull with plastic explosives, which later blew up as Starscream returned to the current Decepticon leader, Shockwave, killing them both. As a result, Cobra Commander finally brought peace back to Cybertron, a fact which probably would've annoyed the heck out of him if he had been aware. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #4

Oh yeah. Hitting a giant alien robot in the face with an ineffective weapon. There's no way this will end horribly.

Thanks to Zarana infiltrating Area 52, Cobra Commander learned that US government had used Megatron's remains to create the "Serpent Organic Robot", a biological android imbued with the experience of the world's greatest tacticians and warriors. Cobra Commander naturally wanted Serpent O.R. on his side, and staged a massive attack on Area 52, distracting its defenses with an army of new Battle Android Troopers while he and Zartan sneaked in on a Buzz Boar. After incapacitating Bumblebee, they freed Serpent O.R., only to learn that the android had retained some of Megatron's unpleasant memories of Cobra Commander, and definitely had no intention of being anyone's servant. While the commander had Zartan place a device on Serpent O.R.'s neck, they were quickly knocked out by his tentacles. The Art of War #1 After recovering, Cobra Commander cursed the day he found the Transformers, and was about to smash Bumblebee's face in with a lead pipe when G.I. Joe and some Autobots arrived and demanded answers. He briefly explained to them what he had come for, but was interrupted when Serpent O.R. reappeared and attacked everyone. While the Autobots and Joes were busy fighting back, Cobra Commander escaped with Zartan and Zarana. The Art of War #2

DERP.

After returning to the Cobra Terrordrome in Siberia, Cobra Commander worked with Doctor Knox to take control of Serpent O.R. using the device Zartan had planted on him. He happily claimed that with the power of a god, he wouldn't need any of his old underlings. The Art of War #4 The perfect chance soon came, as Serpent O.R. defeated Optimus Prime and stole the Matrix of Leadership, transforming himself into the mighty "Serpentor Prime". Possessing the android's body, Cobra Commander killed two of his lieutenants, Razorclaw and Motormaster, while laughing at Serpent O.R. for being willing to give his power up. He soon came under attack by the Autobots and G.I. Joes he had met at Area 52, but took most of them out using Serpent O.R.'s tentacles, all the while bragging that he would conquer everything from the comfort of his lab and only regretting that he couldn't kill Megatron and Starscream personally. However, Arcee managed to rip his chestplate off, allowing Hawk to absorb the power of the Matrix out of him. The power feedback reduced Serpentor Prime to a smoldering wreck and fried Cobra Commander's brain, leaving him an unresponsive vegetable in his control chair on Earth. The Art of War #5


Transformers/G.I. Joe

Take this, all of you, and eat of it: for this is my body which will be given up for you.

In 1938, Cobra Commander learned that an "ultimate weapon" was hidden on the Fera Islands, and ordered Major Bludd to retrieve it. When the major returned with the Matrix of Leadership and a number of Decepticons in tow, Cobra Commander started wearing the relic on his person and allied himself with Megatron, leader of the Decepticons. By the summer of 1939, Cobra and the Decepticons had conquered several European nations, and the commander anticipated that the United States of America would soon make their move. Destro suggested that they withdraw a third of their forces to defend their headquarters on the Fera Islands, but Cobra Commander angrily dismissed his idea, as the US troops didn't even know where Cobra's base was located. The Line

A few hours later, a US strike force airdropped near the Cobra base while Cobra Commander was busy inspecting his jewelry. After verbally assaulting Destro for practically everything he said, the commander dispatched Zartan and a squadron of Rattlers to deal with the attackers. Transformed Shortly afterwards, Megatron that the Decepticon-Cobra allliance was no longer of use to him, and tried to attack Cobra Commander. In response, the commander revealed that he could use the Matrix to harm Megatron, bringing the Decepticon leader to his knees. While he decided to spare Megatron for now, Cobra Commander warned him that if he ever rebelled again, he wouldn't be so lucky. Trial by Fire

As the enemy troops, now allied with the Autobots, closed in on the Cobra Terrordrome, Cobra Commander ordered Major Bludd to take the civilians and slaves in the area and use them as a human defense line. With the enemy unable to attack innocent people, the commander was free to pick them off using Shockwave's cannon mode. As Shockwave fired on Superion, Cobra Commander held a dramatic speech about how people once saw him as a madman just because he saw his own destiny as future ruler of the world... but now, anyone who stood against him would burn! Trenches

However, despite Cobra Commander's efforts, the enemy continued to advance. His troops were scattered, his slaves were rescued, and Shockwave broke down from overuse. When he tried to get Megatron's help, the Decepticon leader only mocked him. Shortly thereafter, Cobra Commander was caught in a rockslide caused by Bruticus, which crushed his legs. His pleas for help were ignored by Megatron, who instead transformed into gun mode and offered Cobra Commander a quick and easy way to end it all. The commander held Megatron to his head, but ultimately threw him away, unable to kill himself. The gun was quickly picked back up by Baroness, who told Cobra Commander that while he had always loved power, he had never known what to do with it. She then finished the job by executing him. The Iron Fist

Some fifty years later, in 1986, Cobra Commander was back in action. On his base on Cobra Island, he learned that an alien craft had crashlanded near Portland, Oregon, and dispatched a squad to retrieve it for Cobra. Targets of Opportunity

The Cobra Commander seen in Transformers/G.I. Joe: Divided Front is most likely a different person behind the mask, but as Dreamwave folded after only the first issue was published, any details remain unknown.

Animated cartoon

By the 22nd century, Cobra Commander's face (or, rather, the visage of his mask) had been added to Mount Rushmore. We hope that means he wasn't a President. The AllSpark Almanac II His likeness was used as a Halloween costume by a child in Detroit. Along Came a Spider

Commercial appearances

Next week, Batman is coming. Prepare for his downfall.

During repeat marathons of their television series, Cobra Commander and Megatron carried on an argument regarding world domination. Cobra-palooza Megatron-A-Thon

=Kre-O cartoon

Cobra Commander helpfully pointed viewers to Kre-O's website. Carnival Face Off

Toys

G.I. Joe and the Transformers

  • Starscream Skystriker with Cobra Commander (2011)
    • Accessories: Megatron gun
An exclusive release for San Diego Comic-Con 2011, this flight-suited Cobra Commander action figure is included with a redecoed Skystriker meant to represent Starscream. He can pilot Starscream and comes with a tiny gun-mode Megatron which he can wield.
Cobra Commander has, of course, had many many other toys in the G.I. Joe line, but this is the only one to have anything to do with Transformers.


Notes

"That was after my time, but I believe they were trying to discontinue the Cobra Commander character. One of the interesting things about working on shows in the 'toy' era was that characters would come and go based on marketing decisions. Cobra Commander had probably been around too long, so they decided to update him."

Foreign names

  • Japanese: Snake (スネーク Sunēku), Cobra Commander (コブラコマンダー Kobura Komandā)
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