It's a great time to be a G.I. Joe fan. After nearly a year-long delay, G.I. Joe: Retaliation is finally hitting theaters. And by most accounts, it's exactly the type of fun, bombastic G.I. Joe movie we were hoping its predecessor would be.
In honor of this long-awaited release, we've decided to pour through the many heroes and villains that populate this universe and pick our ten favorites. We've selected five Joes and five Cobras who stand above the rest and truly make G.I. Joe what it is. Knowing is half the battle, and the other half falls on their shoulders.
Gung-Ho
Gung-Ho really lives up to his codename. You certainly won't find a more enthusiastic member of the Joes. He also dresses like he belongs in the Village People, but those Marine Corps tattoos aren't just for show.
Gung-Ho grew up in the fictional Fer-de-Lance, Louisiana, where he honed his skills in bare-knuckle boxing and knife fighting at an early age. Those skills, along with his exposure to the humid bayous of Loiusiana, made him a perfect candidate to join the Marines and fight in Vietnam. Befitting his loud, colorful personality, Gung-Ho loves carrying a grenade launcher and laying waste to Cobra's forces.
Gung-Ho debuted early on in the life of the Real American Hero toy line and its accompanying comic. He was also a regular character in the Sunbow animated series. Sadly, he's the only character on this list to not have put in an appearance in the live-action movies (despite early rumors that Brendan Fraser was going to play him in Rise of Cobra). It seems Gung-Ho's singular Cajun charm is going unappreciated by modern G.I. Joe creators, and we think he'd have a few choice words about that.
Had fate gone in another direction, Marvin Hinton would have been a gourmet chef studying at one of the finest culinary academies in France. Instead, he found his true calling in the Army. There, he was able to devote himself both to mowing down enemy troops and doing his best to improve the Army's pitiful excuse for chow.
That dual mission continues among the G.I. Joes. Roadblock is the team's go-to expert when it comes to heavy artillery. He prefers his trademark M2 Browning machine gun, being one of the few military operatives strong enough to heft such a heavy weapon all on his own. When he isn't gunning down Cobra Vipers, he still finds time to test out new recipes back at the base.
Roadblock's personality in the original Marvel Comcis series was marked by a foul temper. However, it's the overhauled Roadblock in the Sunbow animated series that most fans tend to prefer. There, Roadblock became a more jovial figure, developing a tendency to speak in rhyme while also emerging as one of the great leader figures among the Joes. Roadblock has been a regular player in pretty much every incarnation of the franchise since, including the current IDW comics and the G.I. Joe: Renegades animated series.
Roadblock narrowly missed his chance to appear alongside his cousin Heavy Duty in the first live-action movie. Luckily, he's the star of the show in Retaliation. And who better to play this lovable chef and machine gun enthusiast than The Rock?
Scarlett
Her codename is Scarlett and her civilian surname is O'Hara. But don't confuse this hardened soldier with the dainty heroine of Gone With the Wind. Scarlett is a woman of many talents. She's easily the most capable hand-to-hand fighter of any Joe aside from Snake-Eyes. She also has a law degree and specializes in a number of firearms, though her preferred weapon is the crossbow. When she isn't schooling her fellow Joes in the martial arts, Scarlett serves as the team's counter-intelligence specialist.
Between her good looks, fiery personality, and the fact that she's one of the few female Joes, it's no surprise that Scarlett has struck up romantic relationships with several of her comrades. Many versions of G.I. Joe introduce a love triangle between Scarlett, Duke, and Snake-Eyes. Rise of Cobra, meanwhile, paired her with Ripcord.
More than any female character in the franchise, Scarlett is continued proof that this isn't just a boy's club. She presents the sort of strong, competent female character that comics and cartoons had too few of in the early '80s. And even several decades later, her appeal hasn't died out. Scarlett tends to star in every new incarnation of G.I. Joe. She was portrayed by Rachel Nichols in The Rise of Cobra, though Scarlett sits the sequel out.
Duke
If the G.I. Joe franchise has a leading man, it would have to be Duke (even though he didn't make his debut in the Marvel Comics series until two years in). The man formerly known as Conrad Hauser is the field commander for the Joes, and the team's second-in-command after General Hawk. He's beloved by all his men because of his insistence that a commander's place is on the battlefield in the heat of the fight.
That willingness to place his life on the line had dire consequences in G.I. Joe: The Movie, one of the most iconic Joe tales for Duke fans. Duke was critically injured during the fight against Serpentor. While the creators originally intended for Duke to die from his wounds, the lasting backlash against Optimus Prime's death in Transformers: The Movie caused them to grant him a last-minute reprieve.
Like most of the Joes on this list, you won't find a new take on G.I. Joe without Duke being front and center. Channing Tatum brought the stalwart commander to life in Rise of Cobra, and he's one of the few actors to reprise his role in Retaliation. While we weren't terribly fond of the shared backstory between Duke, Baroness, and Cobra Commander in the first movie, the sequel seems to have a much better handle on Mr. Hauser.
Modern warfare is more entertaining when you throw in multi-colored lasers and rival ninja warriors. That's the predominant lesson to take away from G.I. Joe. In that vein, what better Joe to claim the top spot than Snake-Eyes? This black-clad ninja is a man of very few words. He never speaks, with various versions of the mythology differing as to whether that's a self-imposed limitation or a result of damaged vocal cords. Between that, the fact that his bodysuit conceals his appearance, and that his real name and personal history are unknown, Snake-Eyes has a heavy element of mystery working in his favor. He's like the Wolverine of G.I. Joe, except he knows when to shut up.
Snake-Eyes is an unparalleled fighter and master of many weapons, though he prefers to stick to his trusty katana whenever possible. His pet wolf Timber is always ready to assist him in battle. Snake-Eyes has a deep-seated rivalry with Storm Shadow. While the details vary, the source can often be traced back to when the two were fellow students and members of the Arashikage Clan.
It says something about the universal appeal of a silent ninja warrior that Snake-Eyes is the most popular G.I. Joe character despite his relatively small role in the Sunbow animated series. Even the original Snake-Eyes action figure was merely an attempt to re-purpose various body parts and create a new character on the cheap. Snake-Eyes quickly rose from these humble origins. Marvel's G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #21 is easily the most beloved Joe comic of all time thanks to its focus on Snake-Eyes and its novel silent format. No new G.I. Joe project is complete without an appearance from this ninja warrior. He was played by Ray Park in Rise of Cobra, and he looks to be playing an even larger role in Retaliation this year.
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