G.I. Joe: The Universe
In the early days of the original 12 inch G.I. Joe action figures, the franchise was quite light on story, possibly because there were no television shows or comic books to complement the toy line itself. Based on the accessories and clothing from the first G.I. Joe run, it is evident that the toymakers were attempting an overall World War II theme, even despite some claiming certain items had a closer resemblance to things one would have seen during the Korean War.
In fact, G.I. Joe’s first run between 1964 and 1976 had no mention of the enemy organization, Cobra or of G.I. Joe being an anti-terrorist organization. These plot points would form the basis for the more recognized, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, franchise that began in 1982. That year’s defining comic book series portrayed Cobra as an efficient and deadly ‘real world’ political and military machine.
The idea to include biographies with each action figure sold in stores, allowed the franchise to develop characters, and tie-in an animated television series, and eventually a G.I. Joe animated film.
Premiering in 1983, the animated series took its roots in a five-part mini series titled, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. This original mini-series introduced the story of the terrorist organization Cobra. In order to stop Cobra’s immediate threat, an elite anti-terrorism organization, code-named G.I. Joe formed, composed of several franchise-defining characters.
Another five-part mini-series followed in 1984, and it was only after that, in 1985 when the series began airing regularly on Saturday mornings. Now Cobra would be portrayed to its young audience as an ineffective and somewhat idiotic group, as opposed to being dangerous and calculated killers. The Cobra Organization also now had its roots in a fantasy and cult-like group called Cobra-La.
Even after the series was cancelled in 1986, that was by no means the end of G.I. Joe’s on-screen appearances. A 1987 direct-to-video movie was syndicated, and in 1989 another production company aired a second Real American Hero series, however that one was also unable to extend past two seasons.
As for specific characters, Cobra Commander, leader of the Cobra Organization, is arguably the most famous. Known for his ridiculous, albeit creative, ploys for world domination. Throughout the original animated series, Cobra Commander’s face was always hidden. It is hinted at in the series and later confirmed in the 1987 G.I. Joe film that his face, in fact, was disfigured earlier in his life in a lab accident involving ‘genetic altering spores.’ Cobra Commander had a distinct raspy voice provided by actor Chris Latta, who used an identical vocal style in the original Transformers animated series, to bring to life the popular villain, Starscream.
One of the most popular characters on the G.I. Joe team is First Sergeant Conrad S. Hauser, better known under his code name, Duke. Fluent in several different languages, Duke is best known as G.I. Joe’s field commander during the original show’s first season, and second-in-command during season two.
Other popular characters include Cobra’s intelligence officer, the Baroness, as well as Sgt. Slaughter, that was based on a professional wrestler of the same name who was popular with a young male audience at the time.
Several attempts were made to reboot the franchise through the 90s and into the 21st Century. 1995s G.I. Joe Extreme focused on a new terrorist organization called SKAR, along with new Joes and new enemies, while 2005s G.I. Joe Sigma 6 returned to the more familiar characters, as well as Cobra being the main adversary.
2009s live action feature film, GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra, also used the original 1985 series as its basis, focusing once again on the G.I. Joe vs. Cobra plot, this time taking a step back to explain not only how the Cobra Organization came to be, but also how characters like Duke came to be a part of G.I. Joe. The story touches on the familiar 1980’s Real American Hero story, while at the same time attempting to modernize the franchise by making the G.I. Joes the “Globally Integrated Joint Operated Entity”, rather then keeping them an exclusively American unit.
