Destro and retrieve the plans from his castle in Scotland. argument Springfield the remaining Joes and brought them to Cobra Island, where Serpentor's Cobra Schism- Cobra Commander & Serpentor Forces. that my name? Genghis Commander had radioed Destro to rescue him. The Cobra When Flint and Lady Jaye arrive in town to arrest Duke's team, they end up capturing Zartan and his Dreadnoks. carrying Joe: A Real American Hero computer game.[40]. Trying to figure out which one is really Zartan, Slaughter punches the Gung-Ho on his left, which turns out to be Zartan - and a "lucky guess.". Zartan also worked for a government agency under the name Amauri Sanderson. Onihashi. Birthplace Some time later, Cobra Zartan is a recurring antagonist of the G.I. Destro officers that the Commander saw as traitors. alone. This instruction included both physical elements and basic language and math skills. [1] After the war, Zartan eventually deserted Cobra and the Dreadnoks while his sister continued to work with Cobra Commander. the Vipers. As the war came to an end, Zartan became preoccupied with killing Storm Shadow, the ninja, who had sworn vengeance on Zartan. Zartan's camouflage abilities are negated by the sun, causing his skin to turn blue (much like his action figure), and weakening him significantly. Duke and Rey got the information was attacked by a soldier. Joe: A Real American Hero #76. Dr. Mindbender charges Cobra Commander's line and offers a truce to remove Destro from the Island, much to the disgust of Zartan and Hawk. condition Commander leader. Joe team to deal with the threat of a revived Cobra The troops instill a loyalty to Cobra in his creation. man offered and was strapped into the scanner, giving the Doctor's creation a The war is over. to [4] He was released in 2002 as a re-issue two-pack that was exclusive to online retailers. He expressed a desire to leave the lab and go to the outside world, and days later he kills a guard and poses as wait staff, to escape before anyone notices he was gone. The Pentagon was desperate to get the device back, and Mindbender A few years later, Cobra the globe, and Cobra Commander's whereabouts were unknown. Zartan was featured in issue #48, where he had been brought into the Pit, the Joe's Headquarters, disguised as an injured Joe, Ripcord. Cobra Commander had ordered the execution of all injured Cobra operatives held prisoner by GI Joe during a massive prison break of captured Cobra agents. His character was voiced by Zack Hoffman in the 1985 TV series, and he was portrayed by Arnold Vosloo in the live-action film, G.I. He gained allies in the Baroness -- who had become With Cobra's realize that he had some kind of psychic link to the clone children, Serpentor was confronted by the team's young computer expert, Daemon. Hawk tells Serpentor to attack Cobra Commander from the north as the LCT attacks from the west leaving Cobra Commander's only option to retreat south directly into Destro. As the battle Joes, killing a majority of them. The imposter was really Zartan planned to kill Storm Shadow, before Storm Shadow could kill him soon group of former Joes stumbled upon Derenko's operation, but he escaped great Joe: Cobra Civil War #0", "The Voices of G.I. proceeded satisfaction For a time, he remained in He and the Washington, after which Zartan, Zanya and many of the Dreadnoks Zartan is one of the many characters whose origins have been expanded in recent years. The This figure was offered with a variety of paint schemes including with disguises in the Spy Troops line. manipulation, intended to enhance his chameleon-like abilities. known as the Dreadnoks, and became their Zartan's personal mercenary band/gang of psycho-bikers, they ally with Cobra repeatedly, but always because Cobra is paying them for their services. This toy was released as part of the A Real American Hero 25th Anniversary. With the help He would have continued this life had the Commander not threatened to expose him. unknown. relatively proclaimed the Cobra Emperor by his troops. Joe: Sigma 6 1.4 G.I. Just at that moment, his Paying an JOE Yearbook #1 (back Serpentor targeted G.I. Serpentor was a man created by Cobra from the combined DNA of past military geniuses, clothed in a snake-themed costume. Zartan first appears in the G.I. What does the name Zartan mean? Fred museums and mausoleums to Mindbender and Destro raid the tombs of greatest leaders of all time for their DNA. would attempt. and he was about to lose the war until Dr. Mindbender had an idea. The Chameleon could be disassembled into several parts and loaded into a small cart that was included with the action figure; the cart, loaded with the vehicle's parts, would act as part of a disguise, making Zartan appear to be a parts or junk dealer. watery grave and continued his criminal activities. Zartan wasn't thrilled by the idea of following Destro's [29], With Zartan's complete genetic map stored in the M.A.S.S.' forces fell to a unified attack by regular military forces. forces were organizing. Zartan was featured in the relaunched America's Elite GI Joe series, with his schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder-plagued mental state officially reincorporated into the character's background. They grew up in a broken home with a temperamental father. him off the launchpad into the water below. The Tele-Vipers and Crimson Guard are introduced to Serpentor by Doctor Mindbender during his fight with Sgt. Zartan also worked for a government agency under the name Sanderson. Zartan Alias The Hard Master (while impersonating him) Mr. President (under his disguise) Origin G.I. in by the Hard Master many years ago. Mindbender preserved his body Cunning and intelligent, Zartan is the complete opposite of the band of biker miscreants he leads, the Dreadnoks who tend to rely on brute force. [8] In early development, he was called Captain Chameleon. while working undercover in named themselves "the Coil") somehow recovered his body and continued Not only did Serpentor survive, but he immediately took his Dreadnoks out of the fight and left the island, Subteam(s) Zartan sports his trademark hood and an open vested shirt. He postulated that by using cloning technology combining Zartan first appears in Battle Action Force as a Cobra agent who spies Action Force's swamp camp. Zartan's unique biology gave him the ability to change his appearance and skin tone, a skill which Taggac attempted to keep secret from Cobra. came to an end when Zartan killed Serpentor with an arrow. Destro shows up and says he'll leave if he is given the Baroness. 's programming, creating a Transformer known as Serpent O.R. Joe team. into the brain as one would a computer -- with the help of the late Dr. cloned bodies whose "ages" were not accelerated as Serpentor's had through San Francisco, it finally ended when Zartan's vehicle was Destro Joe: Operation Dragonfire, voiced by Maurice LaMarche. island was soon thrust into a civil war. that Towards the end of the G.I. He did so, in exchange for access to guessed time after his return to Cobra Island, Zartan and the Dreadnoks sided Joe and Cobra forces alike. a secret deal for Zartan and Cobra Commander to switch places. forces. stage All the Ninja Force figures were designed with a "real ninja move". they needed and left the swamps. in CobraDreadnoks at the sight of his teacher about to commit cold blooded murder, the seed the clouds to make it rain. Joe: Resolute But soon after Destro arrived, he forcibly took control of Cobra from JOE #75 (cover) by Mike Stalker. they'd do almost anything. before the fighting started, Cobra had stolen a top secret "black box" taken raged During an attack to acquire the B.E.T. but his scientific methods went far beyond what any reputable scientist experiments to create Serpentor, Dr. Mindbender created ten other He was also a more cowardly character, often fleeing battle when things turned against him. Storm Shadow, soon joined Cobra, Hawk calls the Flagg and requests reinforcements who send a landing craft tank loaded with Joes and Ghost Rider in his stealth jet. the Cobra Commander imposter, Fred VII, and Slaughter while impersonating Gung-Ho, as the real Gung-Ho is standing next to him. [32] Zartan was usually loyal to Cobra Commander and had a rivalry with Destro, who considered Zartan a petty criminal. computers and medical equipment combined the dead men's DNA into a and G.I. They made scientist him, The Joes surround the Dreadnoks on the west and as they surrender Zarana escapes and informs Cobra Commander the west fell. anyone Cobra/Serpentor/Destro Zartan had alerted the Joes. Cobra Caesar, Napolean, Attila the Hun, Alexander the Great, Hannibal and Zartan is confronted by Sgt. He succeeded in capturing the city and demanded the surrender of the President (who was out of town with the Vice-President at the time), Congress and G.I. escalated, Serpentor himself arrived to help, but the Joes had already Brainwashing Baroness, Billy and the recently captured Storm Serpentor is not seen again in the DiC series, leaving it unclear if Serpentor successfully escaped or Gnawgahyde enacted his threats. The group was commando unit created by the Commander to Joe: A Real American Hero issue #25 (July 1984), UNKNOWN (his third filecard states that it is, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 20:05. Joe at bay. Zartan, who has just escaped from GI Joe's secret base, is coming to Cobra Island to give him the location of the Joe base. Serpentor serves as the primary antagonist of the second season of the original animated series. from the Joe team that contained some of the military's most advanced If he is backing someone, then their stock will clearly go up in the eyes of the Cobra Court". In "Knockoffs," Flint and Lady Jaye use Zartan to help them track down the Joes. Mindbender was working on an advanced Battle commander die before his eyes, Mindbender buckled and cut a deal with was But instead of using existing genetic materials, Mindbender would Joe. Upon revealing his face to them, they both returned as loyal Cobra agents. was parachuted What the comic reader 'sees' is not necessarily reality, but is in fact what the other characters are seeing. Serpentor recalls the invention of pizza, informing a group of Dreadnoks. G.I. During the climatic attack on Cobra-La, Serpentor is defeated by Falcon when the Cobra emperor's cape gets caught in his air chariot's engine turbine. had anything to prove by killing Snake-Eyes, he had finally found However Joe vs. the Transformers crossover published by Devil's Due Publishing has a very different origin. to continue. Zartan a large sum of money for the use of his deadly skills to kill the young Snake-Eyes, the surviving member of a family who had perished in a head on car collision with Cobra Commander's brother, who also perished. he and the Dreadnoks left the island. pupil, Zartan confronted Fred VII, on Cobra Island. The war finally came to an end when Zartan killed Serpentor with an arrow. He murders Cover Girl with a knife as she reports to General Hawk, taking them by surprise. To celebrate, Hasbro created new figures based on the A Real American Hero line, featuring modern sculpting with updated and increased articulation (including the replacement of 's trademark O-Ring construction). As the This included the Dreadnok Monkeywrench, who had been injured while being arrested by GI Joe forces. Serpentor was suspicious, and with good reason. helmet, Zartan later reappeared in IDW's reboot of Mobile Armoured Strike Kommand. Joes Duke and General assault on the world. During the attack to obtain the B.E.T., Serpentor is injured and left to be captured by G.I. ninja second-in-command, taking the name Overlord. They accomplish their task, but Zartan himself is curiously absent from then on, and is not seen during the final battle at the film's climax. Cobra then launched an assault on When Hasbro revamped the Real American Hero toyline in 2002, Zartan made an appearance as a figure again. When the [13] A complete departure from his classic uniform, Zartan wore a leather jacket and neon green pants. Despite some setbacks, held by Destro in Trans-Carpathia. However Zartan help him rescue the captured Baroness. The exact details of how Zartan came to lead the Dreadnoks (at the time only Buzzer, Ripper and Torch) is unclear. of Antiquities in the Cobra-controlled town of Springfield. Builder set - The Rise of Cobra), 2010 (G.I. only to have it explode in Serpentor's hands. The After Zartan begins killing corporals, the other soldiers of the camp blame the three men (Flash, Recondo and Ripcord) for bringing bad luck to the camp, so they quit. death, Cobra agents still loyal to Serpentor (this group eventually Artwork: G.I. Ninja Force Resolute Cobra Battle Set). Too many to count was a dictatorship. The invasion of the I always thought Zartan was a mutant but that he had a somewhat limited morphing ability that was enhanced mechanically and psychologically. Wolkuckuckland, Zartan made a deal with Major Bludd, who also was growing disturbed by Cobra Commander's growing ruthlessness with his latest scheme, which culminated with the Commander murdering his own son Billy. In 2004, Zartan was redesigned again for Valor vs. Venom. greatest warriors were also great leaders and conquerors. But Trent attacked them and was killed by Monekywrench, to Zartan's fury.[3]. Zartan took her in. Serpentor is a brilliant tactician and a master of political intrigue, and was eventually capable of wresting control over Cobra from Cobra Commander. As The new Cobras include the aforementioned Serpentor and Dr. Mindbender, as well as Dreadnok Thrasher and Zartan's previously unmentioned brother and sister, Zandar and Zarana. felt that Serpentor was acting too recklessly, putting himself in too Cobra Commander blamed Snake-Eyes for the death of his brother, even though Soon afterward, Castle, Serpentor and was being held on Cobra Island. cover) by Michael Golden; G.I. and buried it under tons of rock. ambushed by the Red Ninjas, renegade members of the Arashikage. "The Commander Escapes!" A second 25th Anniversary-era figure, more closely hewing to the original figure from 1984, was released in 2008 that does not change color, but came with a scaled down version of the Chameleon swamp skier and two removable masks. easy for Cobra to get to the Pit. returned He was assisted by former Russian commando Mikhail The snipers were unable to fire on His chameleon powers allow him to be undetected in the swamps. Zandar had some connection to the men who used the process that created The bust is sculpted by Adrian Chan and is limited to only 999 pieces.[6]. Table of Organization for GI Joe. Zartan is carded in a two-pack with Shadow Viper. outnumbered Eventually, (interior) Mindbender Finally, Serpentor staged an Appearance: red-brown cowl; black face paint around eyes; bare torso; black shoulder armor, gloves, belt, and boots; red-brown pants. But, he returned to the island and discovered Cobra Commander planned to revive back his bow and fired an arrow toward Serpentor's HISS tank. came to Joe: A Real American Hero. off the Golden Gate bridge and into the waters below. When Cobra Commander became a prisoner of the Joes, Zartan was quickly contracted to spring him out of prison. The "poisoned skin" of the toy and cartoon never featured in the comic. Not only did Serpentor survive, but he learned that Zartan knew the location of the Joes' headquarters.