History Characters / GIJoeARealAmericanHero

This page is a W.I.P.

* LegionOfDoom: In theory, Cobra is a single organization under Cobra Commander's control. In practice, the Cobra High Command works more like one of these. Xamot and Tomax, despite being in command of the [[PraetorianGuard Crimson Guards]], often threaten to cut off funding from their Extensive Enterprises business empire. Likewise, Destro often complains about Cobra Commander's plans (he's only really working with Cobra because he's slling them their weapons and vehicles), while Zartan sometimes has to be outright bribed (he's a mercenary, go figure).

* AllAmericanFace: He's basically the Joe version of ComicBook/CaptainAmerica - chiseled good looks, blond hair, blue eyes, intensly loyal, and a natural-born leader.

* TheCameo: Makes an appearance as an older man in WesternAnimation/TheTransformers season 3, though only as a hologram to trick his daughter into a trap.
* CaptainSmoothAndSergeantRough: A confusing case. Flint generally comes off as being smoother than the more boisterous Duke and looking at their ranks Flint is actually higher up the military totem pole. However, Duke is explicitly higher up the ''Joe'' chain of command.

* OfficialCouple: With Lady Jaye. Their daughter makes several appearances in the third season of the Transformers cartoon.

** In the first episode of the "Arise, Serpentor, Arise" he spends much of his time either complaining to General Hawk, Duke and Flint that they're letting discipline lapse too much or yelling at the other Joes for not taking their duties seriously. Him yelling at Mainframe gets the tech expert to show him that everything is fine by displaying the security camera feed... just in time for them to see a fleet of ''school buses'' drive up to Joe HQ. General Hawk barely has time to order a general alarm when Cobra launches their attack, and even then the Joes were almost wiped out.

* {{Transplant}}: Sabre Jet from ''WesternAnimation/{{Inhumanoids}}'' is implied to be the same character as Ace due to having the same real name.

* ChestInsignia: Has a tatoo of the "Eagle, Globe and Anchor" on his chest (a WritingAroundTrademarks version of the USMC's insignia)

* BlackSheep: His father considers him this for joining a military outfit like G.I.Joe.

* LegionOfDoom: In theory, Cobra is a single organisation under Cobra Commander's control. In practice, the Cobra High Command works more like one of these. Xamot and Tomax, despite being in command of the [[PraetorianGuard Crimson Guards]], often threaten to cut off funding from their Extensive Enterprises business empire. Likewise, Destro often complains about Cobra Commander's plans, while Zartan sometimes has to be outright bribed.

** In his appearance as Old Snake in the Transformers Season 3, he easily helps the actual villain of the episode disable Rodimus Prime, Springer, Arcee and Ultra Magnus. He's also the one who makes the suggestion to use their inactive bodies as weapons, rather than simply scrap them as his employer intended.

** Several episodes hint that part of this is because he makes use of slave labour and cuts costs wherever he can. Filecards also mention he has a steady stream of income from weapons sales outside of the US.

* VisionaryVillain: While some of his plans are certainly out there, others are actually quite clever, such as the Synthoid infiltration plan (which would've worked if he hadn't pissed off Destro to the point Destro allied with G.I.Joe to put him in his place). He also understands the value of PR and propaganda, using them more than once against the Joes.
** Most notably, he's a firm believer in the power of money. Even in his appearance in Transformers, when asked if his Synthoid technology is still available and for sale, he laughingly responds, "This is the world. ''Everything'' is for sale!"

** He's also not very fond of Zartan due to Zartan's OnlyInItForTheMoney tendencies because it makes him so unreliable: during the battles for the pieces of the Weather Dominator Zartan outright ''stole'' one of the components and tried to auction it to either G.I. Joe or Cobra. Both sides simply sent their forces to ''take'' it from him.

* MalevolentMaskedMan:

* UniversalDriversLicense: At first, Cobra Troopers are seen driving or flying just about every vehicle Cobra has. As time goes on, more specialised drivers or pilots like the Strato-Vipers and S.T.U.N Drivers/Motor-Vipers are introduced to the toyline and cartoon, causing the Troopers to be phased out in that role.

* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: The Vipers are the first step into the more specialised 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.

** 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.

* NewTechIsNotCheap: In their first appearance, the B.A.T.s seemed unstoppable, easily shrugging off Joe firepower unti 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.

Commanding Officer of the ''U.S.S. Montana'', who chooses to turn traitor and join Cobra when the Navy decides to scrap his battleship and send him into retirement.

* ReluctantRetiree: For both him and his ship - he's being forced out of the Navy, and the ''Montana'' is head for the cutter's torch, before he defects.

[[folder: Other: Civilian]]

* CanonWelding: His presence is used to prove that ''G.I.Joe: A Real American Hero'', ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Inhumanoids}}'' all take place in the same universe, despite his appearance and voice varying across the four cartoons.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: The [=DiC=] series episodes "Injustice and the Cobra Way" and "Cobra Land" feature a journalist named Jose Riviera, who is basically the same character as Hector Ramirez except for the name and a drastically different wardrobe. The reason he was used in place of Hector Ramirez is unknown.

* BossInMooksClothing: The single B.A.T. that accompanies Serpentor and Cobra Commander on their quest to help Serpentor strengthen himself by visiting the haunts of his various DNA donors is surprisingly resilient and difficult to put down. Wetsuit finally brings it down by hurling an extremely potent acid at it.

* BossInMooksClothing: On occasion, one or two of the Troopers put up a better fight than usual against the Joes.

* ColonelBadass: During the MASS Device multi-part episodes, Colonel Sharp is on his way the Blackwater Prison when he receives word that Cobra Commander has been captured and on his way there. He comes under attack by the Dreadnoks on the way, Sharp draws a pistol and trades shots with them while ordering his boat pilot to get them out of there. He's still overcome and captured, but props for being willing to fight.

->Voiced by: Creator/GaryChalk

* FridgeLogic: Why the hell is he in the army if he's such a pacifist he can't even carry a gun?! And even if you argue he;s a doctor, why is he in the battle line? Why isn't he in the barracks tending to the sick and wounded?

* JerkassHasAPoint: In the first episode of the "Arise, Serpentor, Arise" he spends much of his time either complaining to General Hawk, Duke and Flint that they're letting discipline lapse too much or yelling at the other Joes for not taking their duties seriously. Him yelling at Mainframe gets the tech expert to show him that everything is fine by displaying the security camera feed... just in time for them to see a fleet of ''school buses'' drive up to Joe HQ. General Hawk barely has time to order a general alarm when Cobra launches their attack, and even then the Joes were almost wiped out.
* ThePigpen: Doesn't use deodorant. His filecard said he eschews all sorts of hygiene products, saying that it's a lot easier to track someone in the jungle when they smell of soap. This is actually TruthInTelevision.

* TheNeidermeyer: A very mild example, but his ideas of running a tighter ship if he were in charge of the Joes aren't exactly popular with most of his comrades. No one really holds it against him, though, since they know he's very much MarriedToTheJob.

-->Voiced by: Ed Gilbert (Sunbow series and first season of [=DiC=] series), Creator/DavidKaye ([=DiC=] series, season two)

->Voiced by: Creator/MichaelBell (Sunbow series), Ted Harrison (DIC series)

-> Voiced by: Bill Ratner

* LukeIAmYourFather: Sunbow only. One of the season one episodes makes her a distant relative of Destro.

!!Talltree, Franklin E./Airborne.
[[quoteright:144:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/airborne_sunbow.jpg]]
-> Voiced by: Creator/PeterCullen

* PsychicPowers: Him and his brother Tommy have them in the 80's cartoon.

The 2nd leader of G.I. Joe after taking over from Duke at some point in-between seasons 1 & 2. As with Duke, he is rarely behind a desk.

* SouthernBelle: Downplayed. She occasionally will use an exaggerated antebellum Southern accent for laughs.

* CommandRoster: The "Arise, Serpentor, Arise" mini-series that opened Season 2 reveals the Joe chain of command: Hawk to Duke to Flint to Beachhead.

-> Voiced by: Kene Holliday

* RhymesOnADime: His standard way of speaking.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: The [=DiC=] series episode "Injustice and the Cobra Way" features a journalist named Jose Riviera, who is basically the same character as Hector Ramirez except for the name and a drastically different wardrobe. The reason he was used in place of Hector Ramirez is unknown.

* KarmicDeath: The drug dealer ends up killed from an overdose of his own drug right when he attempted to use it on the Joes. For good measure, the one who changed the course of the Spark spraying was Lt. Falcon, one of the Headman's victims.

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: They do not appear in the [=DiC=] continuation. It is established that their company Extensive Enterprises has been shut down, but the fates of the twins themselves remain unaddressed.

* BadassInDistress: Did I say Duke needed rehab for this earlier?