[Highlander]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rojixus

In my Joeverse, Cobra Commander was a rogue CIA officer who decided to go into business for himself and founded Cobra in the late 70s to enact regime changes, assassinations, and blackmail for fun and profit. He's as cold-blooded as the snake his organization is named after.

Even after the last Cobra remnants were snuffed out in 1994, the legacy of Cobra Commander would go on to inspire a whole generation of terrorist leaders.

Yes I like this. It fits with my view of Cobra secretly controlling regimes such as Russia, North Korea and China

[CG Steve]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rojixus

In my Joeverse, Cobra Commander was a rogue CIA officer who decided to go into business for himself and founded Cobra in the late 70s to enact regime changes, assassinations, and blackmail for fun and profit. He's as cold-blooded as the snake his organization is named after.

Even after the last Cobra remnants were snuffed out in 1994, the legacy of Cobra Commander would go on to inspire a whole generation of terrorist leaders.

That's a good concept.

[AlecZeal1989]

I've always envisioned Cobra Commander being former military, probably doing black ops work for the CIA during the late 50's and 60's. By the time he gets out he is disillusioned with the USA from everything he saw, and holds a resentment for how little he was prepared to handle civilian life. After his brothers death he uses his contacts from his black ops days to try and assassinate Snake Eyes, which leads to his wife finding out and finding him to be a monster. He realizes that the only skills he has are those he developed working with the CIA, and takes his son and decides to use the very skills against the government that made him and threw him away.

His anonymity is a result of both him and the government. CC wears the mask as a symbol and as a way to shed his former identity, and the government has wiped his records due to his involvement in various black ops as well as the embarrassment that would result if the world at large found out they created the monster.

[Eric5466]

In one of the scripts that Lorenzo di Bonaventura commissioned 15 years or so ago Cobra Commander was a California surfer dude who worked for the CIA and was code-named “Cool Dude” and spoke in “surfer bro dude speak”. He becomes Cobra Commander in the final scene. Needless to say the script leaked online and was laughed off the internet.

Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner personally called the website that leaked it and promised them that they weren’t going to use that script.

[Rude Kid]

Cobra Commander was originally Baron Ironblood.
The transition came as Baron Ironblood grew tired of his group's failures and decided to destroy the Red Shadows, by secretly informing Action Force of the group's bases. Going into hiding, Ironblood relocated to Southeast Asia, where he had plastic surgery on his face, constructed a new mask and costumed identity (that of Cobra Commander), and underwent extensive treatment to give him immunity towards all forms of snake venom (a process known as mithridatism). He then began the process of recruiting a new inner circle and organisation, known as Cobra.

Unfortunately for Ironblood, his illicit fortune to finance this new army is stolen by former Red Shadow member, Red Jackal, who he is forced to rebuild as a cyborg (and rechristened as "Destro"). Furthermore, both surviving members of the Red Shadows and GI Joe team (nee) Action Force repeatedly foil his plans.

[Matt82]

I love hearing everyone's thoughts on Cobra Commander's backstory!

After a number of different ideas throughout my lifetime, I settled on just having Cobra Commander be mostly a mystery. By the 2000's I just wasn't really impressed with any of the existing backstories. Plus I feel like it's actually better for certain characters if you leave a lot of mystery around them.

Someone did make a good point on here that even if a character is mostly a mystery, most people will still speculate on their backstory. While I've not really ever done that, I feel like this thread's getting me actually thinking about it now.

[EvilMeanie]

I think the Filecard/Toy CC really lends himself to the mystery idea. His cards don't give any indication to his origins, and, intentional or not, the two times the figure got an unmasked face sculpt (red faceplate version & HOF/Star Brigade), you had two pretty contradictory faces. A man of disguise, that CC.

[Highlander]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rude Kid

Cobra Commander was originally Baron Ironblood.
The transition came as Baron Ironblood grew tired of his group's failures and decided to destroy the Red Shadows, by secretly informing Action Force of the group's bases. Going into hiding, Ironblood relocated to Southeast Asia, where he had plastic surgery on his face, constructed a new mask and costumed identity (that of Cobra Commander), and underwent extensive treatment to give him immunity towards all forms of snake venom (a process known as mithridatism). He then began the process of recruiting a new inner circle and organisation, known as Cobra.

Unfortunately for Ironblood, his illicit fortune to finance this new army is stolen by former Red Shadow member, Red Jackal, who he is forced to rebuild as a cyborg (and rechristened as "Destro"). Furthermore, both surviving members of the Red Shadows and GI Joe team (nee) Action Force repeatedly foil his plans.

Yes this is the British story line that I grew up with too. It got even better because the Reddit comics on Blood for the Baron website have started doing prologue stories which includes this one. It is done really really well.

[AWOL]

Chimera, from Hama's run in G.I. Joe: Origins, should've been CC.