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It's not an expy trope, because I'm not sure there's a specific origin, but I've actually wondered about whether this is a thing. That said, this is more a question for the Trope Idea Sounding Board
than ATT.
FWIW Marvel's Hydra predates G.I. Joe's Cobra by about 20 years.
Edited by Dirtyblue929
^HYDRA dates back to the 1960s. Like I said, I don't think there's a direct connection (beyond the obvious Snakes Are Sinister symbolism.)
^ G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero which established Cobra was based on failed pitch for Fury Force which was about Nick Fury gathering commandos to battle HYDRA. Cobra was created as a stand in for HYDRA
Edited by jormis29 Working on cleaning up List Of Shows That Need Summary
I didn't know the Trope Sounding Board is a thing.
Whoops
Edited by DarthWalrus
Basically, a trope for evil, named organizations reminiscent of GI Joe's COBRA. That is to say, an terrorist-conspiracy-esque N.G.O. Superpower, often with a vague animal theming, legions of fanatical grunts, underground bases, super-science access to seemingly bottomless resources and military-grade weaponry such as tanks, who typically fight a heroic organization rather than just a singular hero, often the over-arching threat behind lesser ones.
Examples include Marvel's HYDRA, Command & Conquer's Brotherhood of Nod, Mass Effect's Cerberus.
Do you consider this worthy of a Fountain of Expies trope or not?