Cobra Operatives

STORM SHADOW

A ninja in Cobra's employ. One of their most competent agents.

• Even Evil Has Standards: Is definitely not one of the good guys, but lives by his own personal code of honor that has seen him give up his objective or refuse to fight in order to maintain it.

• Heel–Face Return: During the DiC seasons, he's switched sides and joined the Joes.

• Highly-Visible Ninja: Sometimes, particularly when he wants to be seen. The white outfit with the large Cobra sigil on the front doesn't help.

• I Owe You My Life: Storm Shadow and Spirit find themselves trapped in a cavern with rapidly depleting air in "Battle on the Roof of the World," when fighting over a piece of the Weather Dominator. Spirit finds a way for them to escape and Storm Shadow lets him keep the piece of the weapon as thanks.

• Stock Ninja Weaponry: Uses a katana and shuriken as his primary weapons.

• Worthy Opponent: With Spirit. They have saved each other's lives more than once, and Storm Shadow regards him as a kindred spirit even when fighting him.

MAJOR BLUDD

An Australian mercenary who exclusively works for Cobra.

Eyepatch of Power: Averted. He wears an eyepatch, but that's about it.

• The Heavy: Is often the one who goes out to actually carry out Cobra's plans, if none of the top leaders aren't doing it themselves.

• Mook Lieutenant: Generally takes this role. He's actually fairly good at it, generally lasting just long enough to succeed at his objectives before retreating.

• Pet the Dog: During the MASS Device multi-episode miniseries, his forces corner a group of Joes in a mine and he unleashes a radioactive mist into the mine. When Snake Eyes, irradiated to the point he's glowing, staggers out of the mine with a canister containing samples of the rare mineral both sides were trying to seize, Bludd orders his men to hold their fire. Seeing Snake Eyes' condition, Bludd refers to him as "the poor devil" and orders his troops to let him go, reasoning he was as good as dead anyway. He was wrong because Snake Eyes survives, but still.

SCRAP IRON

Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: He does not appear in the DiC continuation.

• The Dragon: Because Destro is technically an outside contractor (and because Cobra Commander didn't fully trust him), Scrap Iron effectively acts as his confidant and right hand man despite his comparatively low rank.

• Evil Genius: While not on Destro or even Cobra Commander's level, he's generally entrusted with building weapons and equipment.

• Evil Sounds Raspy: Michael Bell gives Scrap Iron the same raspy tone he used for the Constructicon Scrapper.

• Undying Loyalty: Averted. He seems to like Cobra Commander well enough, but after Serpentor's creation he sometimes has to be outright bribed to go along with Cobra Commander's schemes.

• Villainous Friendship: A strange example. While he shifts his loyalties from Cobra Commander to Serpentor, Cobra Commander is still fairly willing to share his plans with him or at least explain them. Scrap Iron basically acts as the Watson to Cobra Commander's Holmes.

FIREFLY

A mercenary in Cobra's employ. Especially skilled at demolitions.

• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: He does not appear in the DiC continuation.

• Demoted to Extra: Despite being the single most dangerous Psycho for Hire on the planet, Firefly rarely did much than be a more competent than usual soldier for Cobra in the cartoon.

• Mad Bomber: If it needs to be blown up, Cobra calls on him.

WILD WEASEL

Cobra's ace pilot.

• Ace Pilot: Is this for Cobra. The Joe pilots hate him, but begrudgingly respect his skills as a pilot.

• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: He does not appear in the DiC continuation.

• Worthy Opponent: Is generally seen as this by Joe pilots like Ace and Wild Bill, and the reluctant respect is returned.

DR. MINDBENDER

Cobra's Mad Scientist and the creator of Serpentor.

• Bald of Evil: He's a bald villain.

• Cowardice Callout: In The Movie, Dr. Mindbender casually calls Cobra Commander out on his "frequent displays of cowardice" among the many criticisms of his incompetent leadership.

• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: He's one of the most noticeable Cobra members to cease appearing in the DiC continuation.

• Depraved Dentist: At least according to his filecard, he was a nice dentist who attempted to alter brainwaves to reduce pain during dental procedures...and he tested it on himself, turning him into the mad scientist he is now.

• High-Class Glass: He wears a monocle.

• Mad Scientist: His deal is using his genius to create inventions and chemicals that can be used to assist in Cobra's schemes.

• Remember the New Guy?: He just abruptly appears in the "Arise, Serpentor, Arise" five-parter and is treated as if he was an established Cobra member from the start.

COBRA TROOPERS

• Equal-Opportunity Evil: Some episodes show female Troopers.

• Faceless Goons: Played with. The Troopers all wear bandannas that cover the bottom half of their faces but leave their eyes visible.

• Sorting Algorithm of Evil: These guys are at the very bottom of the Cobra hierarchy. Larry Hama made no distinction between the Troopers and the Vipers, but most fans agree the Vipers are the next step up.

• Universal Driver's License: At first, Cobra Troopers are seen driving or flying just about every vehicle Cobra has. As time went on, more specialized drivers or pilots like the Strato-Vipers and S.T.U.N Drivers/Motor-Vipers were introduced to the toyline and cartoon, causing the Troopers to be phased out in that role.

• Zerg Rush: How they generally overcome Joes in hand-to-hand combat.

VIPERS

• Faceless Goons: The Vipers wear faceplates resembling Cobra Commander's, and thus their faces are completely concealed.

• Last Stand: In the finale of the "Arise, Serpentor, Arise" mini-series, several Vipers stay behind to cover Serpentor and Cobra High Command's escape. They surrender once their leaders are clear.

• Sorting Algorithm of Evil: The Vipers are the first step into the more specialized branches like Strato-Vipers (pilots), Eels (underwater warfare) or Snow Serpents (cold climate specialists). This is part of the reason why fans consider them the next step up from the Cobra Troopers.

• Undying Loyalty: Strangely enough, Serpentor gets this treatment from them partially because he's so charismatic, and partially because he's usually leading them from the front... and unlike Cobra Commander does not scream "Retreat!" at the first sign of trouble.

• Zerg Rush: Like the Cobra Troopers, this is how they get the better of Joes in hand-to-hand combat.

CRIMSON GUARDS

Cobra's elite troops. Notable for their bright red uniforms.

• Bling of War: Their uniforms are very snazzy.

• Elites Are More Glamorous: In one episode, a couple of Cobra Troopers see a Crimson Guard arrive and refer to him as "one of the Crimson elite". They also grumble about it.

• Elite Mooks: Are much rarer than the regular Cobra Troopers or Vipers, and are generally seen in important Cobra facilities.

• Informed Attribute: Their filecards mention that the Crimson Guards are nicknamed Siegies in-universe (from the pronunciation of CG) and that all of them have at least a college education (most often in law, business administration or economics) that makes them even more useful off the battlefield than on. Neither of these really come up in the cartoon.

  • Despite being described as elites, they rarely if ever perform better against the Joes than the regular Cobra troops.

• Mook Lieutenant: On the occasions when one of the more famous Cobra operatives isn't leading (e.g. Major Bludd), a Crimson Guard can sometimes be seen leading squads of regular Troopers.

• Praetorian Guard: Function as this for Cobra Commander and other high-ranking Cobra leaders.

  • Funnily enough, a group of Crimson Guards were among those who forced Cobra Commander into going along with Dr. Mindbender's Serpentor project, the way the historical Praetorian Guard eventually gained a reputation for making emperors instead of defending them.

• They Look Just Like Everyone Else!:

A.V.A.C.

The elite among the Air Vipers. Specifically trained to pilot the Firebat interceptor mini-jets.

• RetCon: The writer's bible for the Sunbow cartoon defined A.V.A.C. as "Air Viper Attack Corps", but later filecards would give it the meaning "Air Viper, Advanced Class".

• Sorting Algorithm of Evil: The next step up the Cobra air forces, just below the Strato-Vipers in terms of skill and prestige.

• Thrill Seeker: Filecards note that the A.V.A.C.s have plenty of applicants because there's just no greater thrill than piloting a Firebat... a jet so basic that it has no instruments outside of the basic control panel, stick, pedals and weapons control. There are no engine status readouts, navigation aids, or even an ejection seat (but a parachute is at least provided). An A.V.A.C. relies purely on their skill and ability to keep track of a dogfight without the aid of sophisticated technology.

STRATO-VIPERS

Cobra's elite pilots. Normally seen piloting the Night Ravens.

• Ace Pilot: While not to the level of Wild Weasel, the Strato-Vipers are Cobra's best pilots. The Strato-Viper in "In The Presence of Mine Enemies", for example, manages to pull off a Mutual Kill against Slipstream, shooting down his Conquest at the cost of her Night Raven.

• Elite Mook: Sometimes treated as this, as they're often entrusted with high profile missions. They even sometimes share the Praetorian Guard role with the Crimson Guards, like in "Grey Hairs And Growing Pains" where a couple of Strato-Vipers successfully convince Serpentor to retreat rather than risk himself in combat.

• Equal-Opportunity Evil: Female Strato-Vipers are seen every so often, most prominently in "In The Presence of Mine Enemies" (where the Strato-Viper Raven pulls a Mook–Face Turn) or the Movie, where a large number of female Strato-Vipers are seen in the TerrorDrome.

• Sorting Algorithm of Evil: The pinnacle of the Cobra air forces.

BATTLE ANDROID TROOPERS ( B.A.T.s

Robotic infantry created by Cobra. Their threat level tends to vary.

• Conservation of Ninjutsu: After their first appearance in the "Arise, Serpentor, Arise" miniseries, they are generally and quickly gunned down by the Joes by the dozen (as mentioned under Villain Decay). However, whenever a single B.A.T. is present, you can be sure it'll be a lot harder to bring down than its brethren. A prime example is the solo B.A.T. from "My Favourite Things", which among other things successfully steals a painting of Rasputin from a hotel in the Swiss Alps before surviving a mountain fall with little damage and then walking back to base, gets impaled on a spike in Vlad the Impaler's castle and then snaps the spike to continue attacking, and is only brought down when Wetsuit splatters it with a highly potent acidic venom during the climax.

  • Another example appears in "In The Presence of Mine Enemies", where despite an entire squad of B.A.T.s hunting Slipstream and an injured Strato-Viper, the one B.A.T. that corners them is basically a Boss in Mook's Clothing and only goes down when Slipstream manages to smash it in the faceplate with a beaker of concentrated hydrochloric acid, causing its internal mechanisms to short out. The remaining B.A.T.s aren't quite as threatening.

• Implacable Man: When not brought down straight away, the B.A.T.s come off as this.

• Informed Attribute: Their filecards state that Cobra troops tend to dislike the B.A.T.s because their rudimentary computers sometimes are unable to tell the difference between friend and foe on the battlefield. This isn't really seen on the show.

  • That said, in "In The Presence of Mine Enemies" one of the things that triggers Strato-Viper Raven's Mook–Face Turn is the B.A.T.s repeatedly attempting to kill her alongside Slipstream. That could simply be chalked up to the Cobra officers simply deciding she was expendable.

• Mecha-Mook: It's right there in their name.

• New Tech Is Not Cheap: In their first appearance, the B.A.T.s seemed unstoppable, easily shrugging off Joe firepower until Sergeant Slaughter started taking them apart in hand-to-hand. Cobra's High Command were furious with Cobra Commander squandering them, since they were both expensive and now the Joes knew what they were to their shock value was lost. Later B.A.T.s are implied to be much cheaper made and are nowhere near as dangerous as the first batch.

• Villain Decay: In their first appearance, the B.A.T.s freak the Joes out and almost finish them until Sergeant Slaughter arrives and devastates them with his bare hands. They're never quite the same threat again, partially because now that the Joes know what they are, they know how to handle them. Knowing is half the battle indeed.