Cobra Commander Unmasked

Posted by on March 27th, 2009   Filed under: Action, Toys and Collectibles
Source: MTV Movies

Not even COBRA can stop the spoilers that result from advance solicitations for movie merchandise. The action figure packaging for the movie version of Cobra Commander has been revealed, and it isn’t pretty. According to the file card on the back of the package, “COBRA COMMANDER hides a deadly secret few others know, just as his mask covers disfiguring damage from a fiery accident.”

I wasted countless hours after school devouring the likes of Transformers, Thundercats and G.I. Joe, but I’m hardly beholden to their memory. It’s perfectly understandable when some things have to be cut or altered for the sake of a different medium. I just can’t comprehend why anyone would decide to develop a property and discard one of the most compelling images from it. Both of Cobra Commander’s masks were elegant and iconic, adding a tantalizing mystery to a character whose origins were shrouded in mystery (G.I. Joe: The Movie and the comic series excepted). Why anyone would trade in the character’s original fascist cult leader attire for this generic, overcomplicated get-up is beyond my understanding. Is it just me, or is the cartoon version of G.I. Joe looking more subtle and less ridiculous than the movie adaptation?



  • Ian

    Wow, this pisses me off. I really don’t care about the sanctity of GI either but the idea of taking a property and fucking it up in order to make it more generic is so soul-less and even more so I don’t think it’ll ultimately help to make it more profitable. Dragonball, GI, etc. these are all things that if you’re going to do them then do THEM. From what I’ve heard in terms of the Cowboy Bebop live action it sounds like they are taking steps to get it right but we’ll see.

  • Yeah, us toy fans have known he was going to look like balls for awhile due to his Combat Hero figure that was seen awhile. I don’t think any of us have managed to come to terms with it yet.

    And I completely agree with you that the cartoon is way more subtle now.

  • Yes, the cute Combat Heroes CC was bad, but this makes it worse. I just have a hard time believing that Hasbro actually approved this change for the movie. Movie CC is now perhaps the most ridiculous and horrendous looking GI Joe character ever.

    I’m a big fan of the comics and figures, but the more I see of the movie the less I want to see it. I was originally planning on seeing it in the theater to give it a fair chance, but I may just wait to borrow it when it comes on Blu-ray.

    Oh, and I also agree on the cartoon being more subtle.

  • swarez

    Well I for one think the mask looks pretty good. People have to understand that they need to make these changes so the actor can basically act and show emotion. You can’t really do that with a featureless chrome ball. Wasn’t it one the bigger complaints of the first Spiderman film that the two main characters had feature less faces in the last act and it looked like two action figures moving around with dialogue placed on top of it.

    And remember also, they are not making this film for G.I Joe fans but the general public who want things to look overblown.

  • God, I hate hollywood… Is the whole movie industry filled with asshats? How they manage to take all the cool out of every friggen super-hero/comic-to-film/action figure-to-film is beyond me.

    Unreal.

    DAMMIT!

  • swarez

    G.I Joe isn’t cool.

  • stevie_boy

    Feel sorry for Joseph Gordon-Levitt who will be wearing this stupid thing. He looks like a power rangers villain.

  • Anthony

    This is Hollywood folks, you can’t make a movie about a comic character and have it 100% true to the medium.
    Would you actually want to see Wolverine in yellow spandex??? Before you judge or throw stones, watch the damn movie first! This version of Cobra Commander looks far more intimidating than a blue do-rag, or some weird looking metallic face plate. GO JOE!!!

  • dan

    I’m one of the old school kids who grew up in the 80’s watching for the school clock to hit 3pm in order for me to get home fast enough to yell, “YOOOOOOO JOE!!!” I must say that I’m pretty pissed off that Hollywood continues to fuck up our characters of imagination. Look what they done to the X-Men films. Whats with all that black leather? Wheres Wolverines mask? Geeze, if your gonna do leather…well…at least do the yellow/blue combination if Wolverines gonna be without the mask! Transformers…now that was a dam good film. Why in the fuck didn’t someone get the idea of having Michael Bay behind the Joes? At least the man studided the characters and their history before putting a film together! Its as if the lazy piece o shit director to the Joes didn’t do his homework as he just went out on a whim. I understand Michael Bay’s too busy with Transformers right now to be involved with 2 big summer blockbusters, but shit son…I could wait an extra year for em to get behind another hit project film based off a classic kids cartoon of the best toon generation to date. I’ll certainly give this movie a shot, but if its fucked up…shit…movies are too dam expensive anymore to go see only to go out and buy em on dvd 3 months later. I’ll pass on the sequel. I’ll rent that crap for 4 bucks as soon as it comes out, and watch it on my “OWN” home theatre system. Fuck a dam 10 to 12 dollar ticket to see a shitty movie where idiots can’t keep the dam cell phones off!

  • ken

    UH Transformers did suck. Too many changes, barley an worthwild robor character developement. Not to mention the whole story is about Sam. Bay screwed the whole thing up and he would have done the same with G.I. JOE.

  • Johnny Soma

    HERES THE REASON THEY CHANGED IT…This is NO JOKE … the studio and exe’s thought the old cloth mask was too closly related to the KKK figure and the shield or battle mask wasn’t memorable enough and resembled a storm trooper from Nazi germany look it up.

  • -_- there is STILL hope

    OK just FYI This is the RISE of Cobra so there is Still Hope that he WILL get His REAL mask.

  • Funky Wizzle-Cheeks

    I thought the movie of G.I.Joe sucked-ass it didn’t have anything that protained to any of the characters. Cobra Commander looked so retarded that I stopped the movie & said no more I’m done. I think the director & the producers should have watched the cartoons or G.I.Joe Resolute now thats an awesome movie/cartoon, At least they stayed true to the characters. The only character they stayed true to was Snake-Eye’s. Baroniest was hot & awesome but she had no russian accent, Destro was from scotland so maybe they should have gotten Sean Connery to play Destro.

  • Funky Wizzle-Cheeks
  • skunkwerks

    Yep,ruined a big chunk of my childhood there..and Snake-Eyes had lips and baggy pants.The uniforms was what made GI Joe cool,not the storyline.The comics and the cartoon weren’t for scholars LOL,but Cobra Commander’s helmet and mask ruled.EAD Hollywood!