Snake-Eyes

Origin

Snake Eyes served together with colleagues Storm Shadow and Stalker in a previous war (often depicted as the Vietnam War though this does not make sense in the contemporary setting). After a mission gone bad, Snake Eyes' face was badly scarred. Since then, he has always worn a mask. Soon after the war he joined the elite G.I Joe team.

Creation

Original

Snake Eyes, although a fairly popular comic book character, got his start as a plastic toy, debuting in the second generation of G.I. Joe collectible action figurines by Hasbro. Originally conceived in military colors similar to the rest of the 1982 "Straight-Arm" G.I. Joe line, Snake Eyes was instead issued in all-black to save Hasbro on painting costs. In his comic book introduction, he was written by Larry Hama and and drawn by Herb Trimpe. Ever since his introduction, Snake-Eyes has been a very popular character in all forms of G.I. Joe media, including the toys, comics, cartoons, cartoon movies, and the live-action movie.

Summary

In keeping with his quiet personality, Snake-Eyes usually wears what could perhaps best be described as a black "military ninja" bodysuit, along with a balaclava and visor to cover his face, which was disfigured in a helicopter explosion. Since then, Snake-Eyes has had extensive plastic surgery to repair the damage to his face; he still has a few scars left, but his vocal cords cannot be repaired.

Other Media

Television

G.I. Joe: Resolute

Resolute

G.I. Joe: Resolute is a cartoon series written by comic book creator Warren Ellis. The show originally debuted on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, as an 11-part series, before being released on DVD in it’s entirety.

Warren Ellis was hired to write the series, even though he had no knowledge of the characters beforehand. The intention was to completely reboot the series, aiming for older audiences and fans. Hasbro was very supportive of the changes that Ellis proposed, even allowing characters to be altered. Snake-Eyes was one of the few that remained largely unchanged for the reboot.

G.I. Joe: Renegades

Renegades

On November 26, 2010, a new kid friendly animated series titled G.I Joe: Renegades debuted on the television channel The Hub. After a mission gone bad involved with Cobra industries, the G.I. Joes are labeled renegades, and must flee the forces of Cobra and the authorities. While on the run, the Joes must also prove their innocence and expose the evils of Cobra to the world. In the series, Snake-Eyes lost his voice due to a fight with Storm Shadow, and became disfigured after he suffered burns from the explosion of a Cobra research facility. Besides a few tweaks to his origin, he remains largely unchanged. The series is still ongoing.

Film

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Rise of Cobra

In the 2009 film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Snake-Eyes is an established member of the G. I. Joe team. It is revealed that when he was a young boy, Snake-Eyes trained with Storm Shadow, who was very jealous of the American. In a fit of jealous rage, Storm Shadow killed their master and ran away. Snake-Eyes undertakes a vow of silence as his master lay dying. The two rivals clash many times, with neither getting the upper hand. Finally, Snake-Eyes confronts Storm Shadow at Destro’s underwater base and the two ninjas fight. Snake-Eyes stabs Storm Shadow, who then falls into the water, seemingly dead.

Characteristics

• Eyes: Blue
• Hair: Blonde
• Skin: Caucasian