VOICE ACTOR: Chris Latta
ALLEGIANCE: Cobra and COBRA-LA
ASSIGNMENT: Supreme commander (later replaced by SERPENTOR)
1ST APPEARANCE: G.I.JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO
COBRA COMMANDER was a nobleman of COBRA-LA. One day he was disfigured in a lab accident. This forced him to wear a silver plated mask to hide his features. GOLOBULUS sent him into the world to drive humanity out. COBRA COMMANDER raised up the terrorist group Cobra and set out to conquer the world. His frequent opponents were the soldiers of G.I.Joe. He also took to wearing a hood whenever he wasn't in combat. His frequent problem was in his inability to lead in a crisis. Whenver a plan would go astray, he'd panic and try to blame subordinates.
His first major scheme was to use the MASS DEVICE to hold the world for ransom. That plan failed but a year later, he used the WEATHER DOMINATOR to create havoc. The device went haywire and three pieces ended up in different parts of the globe. Cobra recovered all three but was still defeated. COBRA COMMANDER tried to construct a PYRAMID OF DARKNESS, but he was foiled again and was for a short time deposed by TOMAX & XAMOT.
COBRA COMMANDER tried scheme after scheme. At one point, he replaced top generals with SYNTHOIDS. The plan was partially successful but DESTRO grew angry because a SYNTHOID was made of him and he helped the Joes win. Another plan involved using the families of different Joes as brainwashed soldiers. This plan failed as did an attempt to find replacements.
Cobra's top leaders grew tried of defeat and replaced COBRA COMMANDER with SERPENTOR, a clone made from DNA taken from the greatest conquerors in history. COBRA COMMANDER convinced him to keep him around as a scapegoat in case plans went bad. He tried several attempts to kill or usurp SERPENTOR. One plan was to hire an assasin. That was foiled when the man hired to find the assasin found SERGEANT SLAUGHTER instead. Another plan used a creature located in the ruins of DESTRO'S home. The Joes lured the creature away and had it buried in an underwater avalanche.
COBRA COMMANDER tried to set up a secret group of loyal followers called the Coil Cult. This group was found out by the Joes and fell apart.
COBRA COMMANDER led an unsuccessful attempt to destroy the Statue of Liberty. After that defeat, he tried to pin the blame on SERPENTOR but found everyone turning against him. He mistook PYTHONA for an intruder out to kill SERPENTOR and misled everyone from her. After the failed attempt to capture the BET, he led his troops to COBRA-LA. He was immediately arrested and put on trial for all his past failures. He was found guilty and exposed to spores and mutated into a snake. He teamed with Roadblock to escape and warn the Joes about the plan to mutate all life on Earth. During the final battle between the Joes and COBRA-LA, he attacked a snake trying to kill FALCON. Following the destruction of COBRA-LA, COBRA COMMANDER has vanished.
(Note: COBRA COMMANDER is restored to normal in the D I C episodes. In the comics, he is not a member of COBRA-LA and is for a short time thought dead and replaced with a soldier named Fred VII. He returned to life and led Cobra until the end of the series. COBRA COMMANDER also made an appearance in season three of TRANSFORMERS.)
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