Cobra's 2008 Personnel and Equipment

Personnel:

Air-Vipers: the core of Cobra's air force, Air-Vipers are those pilots the organization has lured into its service. Whether highly skilled fighter pilots or washed out commercial operators, Air-Vipers either get good on the job or crash and burn. Availability:

the Baroness: after her brother was seemingly killed by an American soldier, the girl who would become the Baroness was consumed with a need for vengeance, and her foray into international terrorism ultimately led to an association with Cobra. Availability:

Battle Android Troopers: BATs are mass-produced in various Cobra Island factories, using factory seconds for microprocessors and mechanical components built in third world sweat shops. Though dumb as hammers, BATs are heavily armed and dangerous! Availability:

Cobras: the core of their namesake organization, the teeming masses of Cobras are general laborers and combatants. Almost all of Cobra's minions begin at this level, providing a proper foundation the group's world domination plans! Availability:

Cobra Commander: Cobra's founder, its mysterious Commander began as an unsuccessful businessman who, after his paranoia told him that Big Government was out to crush the 'little guy', decided to forge a new system - one with him on the top! Availability:

Cobra Officers: Cobra's officers are its operatives who easily rise above the crowd in that organization's teeming masses. Possessing leadership skills to match their ruthlessness, these operatives are the men and women who make the Command work. Availability:

Cobra Recruit Officers: Cobra Recruits with some leadership ability - or who don't die in the field - are often promoted to the rank of Recruit Officer. This lets them lead a group of their fellows, and possibly go somewhere in the organization. Availability:

Copperhead: an unsuccessful speedboat racer who bet on himself too often, Copperhead found working for Cobra a great way to pay off his gambling debts. Of course, he enjoys numerous other advantages of being on that organization's payroll, as well! Availability:

Croc Master: obsessed with crocodiles all his life, the man known only as Croc Master founded Guard Gators, Inc., to sell his babies as a deadly security system. This endeared him with Cobra's leadership, who needed to secure its large tropical Island! Availability:

Eels: those Cobras who excel as divers, whether in that position officially or from personal experience, can train to become Eels. These experts in underwater combat and demolitions are the elite forces of Cobra's various naval operations. Availability:

Firefly: a true artist of a saboteur, Firefly enjoys destroying all which is supposedly invulnerable. The adopted son of the Koga ninja clan, Firefly also takes great pride in never being seen before, during, or after he demolishes his targets! Availability:

HISS Drivers: trained in the use of both High Speed Sentries and FANG helicopters, these villains are the cream of Cobra's terroristic crop. Much less expendable than their standard troops, HISS Drivers are highly skilled in all manner of vehicular combat. Availability:

Major Bludd: originally a Major in the Australian Special Air Service, the promise of riches lured Sebastian Bludd away from his patriotic duty and transformed him into a rather amoral mercenary - a path that ultimately led to his employment by Cobra! Availability:

Night-Vipers: equipped with a state-of-the-art sensor suite and a stealth uniform, Night-Vipers own the dark! Constantly training to dispatch Cobra's foes in the thick of the night, these vicious nocturnal warriors are almost useless during in the daylight. Availability:

Ninja-Vipers: drawn from the most capable members of Cobra's teeming masses, Ninja-Vipers are all at least tenth level black belts in multiple fighting forms. This, combined with their unquestioning loyalty, makes Cobra's Ninja-Vipers staggeringly dangerous! Availability:

Red Ninjas: renegade Arashikage ninja clan members, the Red Ninjas have scattered throughout the world. Devolving into martial artist mercenaries, they are often employed by Cobra Commander when his Ninja-Vipers or Night Creepers are unavailable. Availability:

Scrap-Iron: originally just an employee of Destro's MARS corporation, Scrap-Iron joined Cobra in an effort to field test his latest armament designs. The never-ending opportunities to destroy the imperfect are simply a fringe benefit of the job! Availability:

Serpentor: built from the genetic remnants of history's greatest military geniuses, (and a few more recent ingredients), the being known as Serpentor was naturally inclined to take command of Cobra for himself, and in time, that's precisely what he did! Availability:

Snow Serpents: Snow Serpents are Eels who've been extensively trained in cold weather operations, and are trained extensively in Arctic and Antarctic survival techniques. Capable of fighting on the ice or under the waves, Snow Serpents are intractable foes! Availability:

Storm Shadow: Tommy Arashikage, Cobra's greatest ninja, didn't originally start out with evil aims. Thanks to the machinations of Cobra Commander, however, he was swept into a life of crime and terrorism, one that continually comes back to haunt him! Availability:

Tele-Vipers: vital cogs in Cobra operations, Tele-Vipers are the men and women who relay messages back and forth between the Cobra command and its subordinates. As such, it's rare to see Cobra's leadership without a Tele-Viper handy. Availability:

Vipers: those Cobras who show great promise as combatants are often promoted to that organization's light infantry: the Vipers! These thoroughly trained, highly motivated, and well-equipped operatives are a serious threat to freedom world-wide! Availability:

the Crimson Guard:

Crimson Guard Commanders: second only to Tomax and Xamot themselves, these elite officers direct the Crimson Guard in its various missions. Each one a master spy and combatant, the Crimson Guard Commanders are a singular threat against freedom itself! Availability:

Dreadnoks:

Ripper: evincing antisocial behavior since he was a toddler, Ripper grew up into a life of crime. This culminated with his joining the Dreadnoks, the only group that would have him, and occasionally performing freelance work for Cobra! Availability:

Headhunters:

Gristle: the Headman's successor, Gristle is a career criminal with ambition about as great as Cobra Commander's. Seizing control of the Headhunters, Gristle has secured a place for himself at the top of the underworld - assuming he can keep his grip on it! Availability:

Headhunter Stormtroopers: while standard Headhunters handle the day-to-day operations of their criminal organization, it is their Stormtroopers that manage those operations over time, and are the high-level muscle that deals with threats to their profits. Availability:

Headhunters: a band of violent paramilitary thugs, the Headhunters dabble in all manner of criminal activity. However, their specialty is the transportation of illicit goods, whether they be intellectual property, industrial secrets, drugs, or even weapons! Availability:

Iron Grenadiers:

Destro: the latest in a long line of arms traders, James McCullen Destro XXIV has no problem selling his family's wares to the highest bidder. While personally honorable, he has no qualms about working with the likes of Cobra and other despotic villains. Availability:

Iron Grenadiers: drawn from the ranks of earth's elite mercenaries, the Iron Grenadiers are the core of Destro's personal army. Insidious saboteurs and relentless arms dealers, the Iron Grenadiers are supremely motivated, as they get a cut of every MARS sale! Availability:

Flashback Figures:

Cobra Commander 2: after he thought he had murdered the original Cobra Commander, Crimson Guardsman Fred 7 stole his identity, and claimed Cobra for himself! Naturally, the rest of Cobra's command structure fought him on this every step of the way. Availability:

Scar-face: one of Cobra's elite officers, Scar-face has extensive espionage experience, which helped him to get far in Cobra's hierarchy. Through no fault of his own, however, he wound up getting on Cobra's bad side, and paid the price for his allegiance! Availability:

Equipment:

the Air Chariot: a veritable mobile throne for Serpentor to occupy whilst leading Cobra forces towards global domination, the Air Chariot is an ostentatious, snake-themed golden aircraft that the emperor may use to survey the battlefield from above. Availability:

the CLAW: with GI Joe fielding multiple inexpensive vehicles with which to dominate the skies, Cobra had no choice but to innovate. Enter the CLAW, or Covert Light Aerial Weapon, which is essentially two jet engines held together by a single wing! Availability:

the Flight Pod: colloquially known as the Trubble Bubble, Cobra's Flight Pod consists of a domed control chair held aloft by dual turbofan engines. Armed with a 30mm cannon and twin Warlock missiles, it's perfect for patrol and surveillance duty. Availability:

the High Speed Sentry, Mark 3: the HISS is Cobra's first mass-produced, tank-like vehicle. A treaded vehicle with a top-mounted, twinned 30mm gun turret, the HISS delivers a level of fire power that is second only to an actual tank cannon in practice. Availability:

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