* BadassDecay: Played with. The movie certainly works to invert this for Cobra Commander compared to the Sunbow cartoon, but by the end he's defeated by his own incompetence. Again.
* CatharsisFactor: Pretty much the ending in which Duke traps Cobra Commander in his safe room and obliterates his entire headquarters with his very own satellite, especially coming off after ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeSigma6'' ended with him [[KarmaHoudini getting away completely unscathed for his crimes]].
* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Cobra Commander]] is the ruthless leader of the international terrorist organization Cobra, and [[AdaptationalBadass this version]] is a [[NotSoHarmlessVillain far cry]] from his [[WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero previous versions]]. Appearing before the United Nations via a hologram, Cobra Commander wipes out Moscow and its population of 10 million with his KillSat and announces he will do the same to more nations if the world hasn't surrendered to him within 24 hours. After the G.I. Joes begin thwarting his plans, Cobra Commander orders his soldiers to destroy cities randomly until the world gives him what he wants, then kills one of them for informing him they have to recharge the weapon first. When the Joes locate his base, Cobra Commander proceeds to freak out, slaughter his entire command center, and try to use his satellite laser to obliterate Washington, D.C. before being stopped by the G.I. Joes.
* EnsembleDarkhorse: For as much of an impact as he makes, it's incredibly easy to forget that Cobra Commander only shows up in about ''four scenes'', most of which barely peek past a minute. Despite this, it's widely considered by the fandom as ''the'' single best portrayal of the character in the franchise's entire history, and with good reason, striking a perfect balance between being [[NotSoHarmlessVillain utterly terrifying]] and the hammy supervillain SurroundedByIdiots that viewers know and love.
* LoveToHate: Cobra Commander's characterization has been praised for portraying him as a genuinely dangerous and terrifying antagonist worthy of the G.I. Joes enimity and fear. Naturally, he is considered the best version of Cobra Commander to date.
* MoralEventHorizon: Cobra Commander leaves the line ''far'' behind by searing Moscow and its 10 million inhabitants off the face of the Earth with a KillSat, just to prove he's serious in his threat to the United Nations.
* {{Narm}}: Despite it being where you'd least expect him, Cobra Commander's base is not only in Springfield, but this time it's ''under a mall''.
* NarmCharm: For all its DarkerAndEdgier trappings, the movie actually plays a lot of the comic book tropes and conventions endemic to ''G.I. Joe'' completely straight and unironically; the colorful supervillains and heroes, ninja battles, zany sci-fi technology, eccentric personalities for the characters, CasualDangerDialogue, stylized action, {{Animesque}} art, and so on. None of this detracts from the awesomeness of the film, and if anything, amplifies it.
* TearJerker: A minor one, but when Scarlett chooses to stay with Duke instead of going to Japan with Snake Eyes, you can feel the disappointment from the incredibly stoic ninja. Likewise, he visibly grieves after killing Storm Shadow and gives the fallen ninja a respectful burial; Storm Shadow may have been evil, but Snake Eyes still loved the man like a brother.

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