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There are several different elite fighting units within Cobra, each of which is trained in different types of combat. During the many power struggles within the Cobra organization, they are usually leveraged against each other. In the animated series, Cobra troops were usually portrayed as ineffectual bumblers. In the comics they were more formidable foes.
From Hasbro's perspective, each new type of troop was an opportunity to release another collectible action figure, as each of the teams had different costumes. The original Cobra soldier uniform was a basic navy blue uniform with black (or blue) gloves and boots; a large Cobra insignia, of varying colors depending on rank, was emblazoned on the chest, and the soldier's identity was concealed by a black cloth scarf worn over the mouth and nose. Later Cobra uniforms became more elaborate and fanciful; for example, Vipers wore a smooth silver face mask similar to that sometimes used by Cobra Commander.
A.V.A.C., also known as the Air-Viper Advanced Class - Pilots of the Cobra Firebat.
(Regular Air-Vipers were never made as action figures until the fan-made convention exclusive was produced in 2003 in limited numbers. Air-Vipers are the highly skilled airmen of the Cobra Air Corps. Other Cobra pilots are drawn from their ranks.)
Battle Android Troopers or B.A.T.s - Mindless robot soldiers designed by Dr. Mindbender. They do not need food, or sleep or question orders. The B.A.T. only functions to destroy everything in front of it.
Cobra Officer - Officers of the Cobra infantry, they wear a blue uniform featuring a large Cobra insignia on the front torso, black mask, boots, and gloves with a blue helmet (usually carrying rank insignias). Their uniform is similar to those worn by the original Cobra troopers.
Regular Cobra troopers make up the majority of Cobra's infantry forces, although all Cobras (who were not officers) originally wore their uniform. Cobra troopers are promoted from the Viper infantry level.
Crimson Guard - Cobra's elite troopers led by twin brothers Tomax and Xamot. They wear a red uniform that is distinctly smart and which features a large Cobra insignia on the front torso. All Crimson Guardsmen are college graduates and highly skilled; considered too valuable to waste in conventional battle, they are sent out into the world to climb corporate and political ladders and serve Cobra behind the scenes, getting the organization what it needs through legal channels. They also function as bodyguards for Cobra Commander. To be a Crimson Guard is to swear absolute loyalty to Cobra Commander.
Desert Scorpion - A punishment detail for unmotivated Vipers, these are Cobra's desert fighters. Service in this unit lasts one year. Failure as a Desert Scorpion means service as a Toxo-Viper.
Eels - Cobra's frogmen trained in underwater demolitions and who serve as crew on Cobra naval vehicles. Some of these were subjected to genetic enhancements and became the more elite Morays and Hydro-Vipers.
Gyro-Vipers - Trained to fly helicopters, these Vipers operate the Mamba.
H.E.A.T. Vipers - (H.E.A.T. = high explosive anti-tank) Cobra anti-tank troopers with specialized anti-tank weapons connected to advanced targeting systems built directly into their helmets.
HISS Driver - Tougher than average Cobra Officers, these troopers are trained to operate the HISS (HIgh Speed Sentry) tank.
Iron Grenadiers - Destro's personal army. They were originally the guards for his castle (as well as M.A.R.S. salesmen), but he later branched out and they fought as an independent army. It is their job to start wars and conflicts in order to increase sales of M.A.R.S. products.
Lampreys - Highly-trained Eels serving as Cobra's amphibious assault troopers. They often pilot Cobra's naval crafts.
Medi-Vipers - Cobra medical troopers, led by Scalpel, operating in the field for basic repair and recycle of troops.
Motor-Viper - Drivers of the Cobra Stun. They specialize in recon and patrol and love driving fast.
Moray - Bio-tech engineered Elite Underwater Operation specialists. Chosen form the Eels, they are faster, stronger and have enhanced reflexes.
Neo-Vipers - The next generation of Cobra infantry, with bio-tech engineering granting them faster reflexes, enhanced strength and the ability to regulate body temperature in any environment. They serve as Cobra infantry officers.
Range-Vipers - Cobra wilderness troopers, they operate behind enemy lines without communications. Range Vipers get what they need from hit-and-run raids or from the wilderness.
Rock-Vipers - Cobra mountain troopers. They use specialized equipment and uniforms.
S.A.W.-Vipers - (S.A.W. = squad automatic weapon) Cobra's heavy machine gunners. The most famous S.A.W. Viper is Robert Skelton, notorious for having killed seven G.I. Joe members.
Snow Serpents - Cobra's arctic climate soldiers, picked from the elite Eel cadre. They are trained tough with a 95% drop-out rate.
Strato-Vipers - Cobra's elite pilots who operate Cobra's "Night Raven" spy plane. They undergo experimental modifications to withstand high G-Forces.
Star-Viper - A further enhanced version of the Strato-Viper who pilots the Stellar Stiletto high-altitude assault craft.
Techno-Vipers - Cobra's battlefield mechanics and technicians. Despite their unassuming function, they are trained Vipers first.
Tele-Vipers - Cobra troopers who carry communications equipment and are responsible for establishing, maintaining and disrupting communication lines.
Toxo-Vipers - Nicknamed the "leaky suit brigade", the Toxo-Viper is Cobra's hostile environment trooper. This is a punishment detail.
Python Patrol - This patrol specialized in stealth and was made of various Vipers. In the cartoon, they were the counterparts to Sgt. Slaughter's Marauders and the Tiger Force in the toyline. The special 'pythonization' process that gave their uniforms and vehicles their unique scaled pattern makes them invisible to radar.
Vipers - Cobra's regular infantry troops. They are highly motivated since all Cobra agents must serve as a Viper before transferring to other divisions, such as Air-Vipers or Cobra Officers.
W.O.R.M.S. - Weapons Ordnance Rugged Machine Specialist, these troopers operate the Maggot. Ideally, there should be a crew of four (a commander, driver, loader, gunner) per Maggot, but two W.O.R.M.S, can operate it.
Bases
Broca Beach - After the destruction of Springfield, Cobra created another town as their secret base of operations in America. This one was transformed from an abandoned seaside town. Former residents of the destroyed Springfield town were relocated here.
Castle Destro - Destro's fortress in Scotland. Training ground for the Iron Grenadiers.
Cobra Citadel also known as the Silent Castle - Cobra's base of operations in Eastern Europe. It is located in Trans-Carpathia. Destro was one of its designers and for a brief period, it became the second Castle Destro.
Cobra Consulate - A high-rise in New York City used by Cobra as an embassy and base of operations after Cobra Island was declared a sovereign nation.
Cobra Island - The primary base of Cobra operations. It was created after a massive earthquake caused by G.I-Joe and Cobra and declared a sovereign nation. It was the battlefield for the Cobra civil war, and the battle against The Coil. After Cobra was beaten the island was seized by the U.N. It then came under the control of The Coil, then Cobra and was finally destroyed by a nuclear warhead, which also killed every member of The Coil.
Millville - A steel-making town captured by Cobra. Its residents are controlled via Cobra's brainwashing device.
Springfield - A small anonymous town in middle America, which Cobra secretly operated as a base. The town was poor and desperate when the man who would become Cobra Commander arrived. He became the town's savior and it was there he started Cobra. Many covert operations were held there, including the creation of Serpentor.
Dreadnoks - Led by Zartan, his siblings and daughter, the Dreadnoks are gang of bikers who pull jobs for Cobra when finesse is not required and brute force is needed. Zartan used them for backup and brought them with him when he joined Cobra.
Firefly - The world's greatest saboteur, Firefly's background is a mystery. A mercenary and assassin, Firefly offers no guarantees or refunds. He is an expert in all types of explosive ordnance and demolition materials. He is the Faceless Master of the Arashikage ninja clan.
Kwinn - An Inuit mercenary who only appeared in the first year of the comic book. A mercenary with a strong code of honor, he had previously worked for the CIA, Mossad, MI-6, and the KGB, and worked with Cobra in Sierra Gordo. He would later renounce his life as a mercenary, only to be betrayed and killed by Dr. Venom, on whom who the Inuit posthumously took revenge.
Major Bludd - Major Sebastian Bludd is an Australian mercenary with extensive combat experience who worked for Cobra from time to time. He is a master tactician, expert in all known weapons and writes very bad poetry. He is usually portrayed as Cobra's infantry commander. Major Bludd's is best known for the assassination of General Flagg, the original leader of the G.I. Joe team.
Night Creepers - The Night Creepers are a group of ninjas-for-hire with a particular savvyness for technology and business. Their leader is named Aleph. There was a Night Creeper Leader introduced later on in the toy line. Whether Aleph and Night Creeper Leader are one and the same is not made clear but differences in their personality suggest otherwise.
Wraith - Charles Halifax is a British mercenary who specializes in eliminations, espionage and covert ops. He wears a high tech suit with hidden weapons and a cloaking device that he stole from the Chinese. He is hired by M.A.R.S. to free Major Bludd and Scrap-Iron from jail and serve as Destro's enforcer. He is one of the few to defeat Snake Eyes in single combat.
Zartan - The leader of the Dreadnoks, as well as a master spy and assassin. He is a master of disguise, able to be anyone anytime he wishes. Thanks to genetic experimentation, Zartan is also capable of changing his skin color to blend in with his background. This special ability is disrupted by sunlight.
Metal-Head - The Anti-Tank Specialist in Destro's personal army. Metal-Head is an obsessive who devotes his every waking moment to refining the targeting system that operates his personal Anti-Tank missile Launchers.
Voltar - The general of Destro's personal army, the Iron Grenadiers. Voltar is renowned for being able to win out against even the most insurmountable odds. Destro himself has stated that he feels Voltar possesses undeniably good fortune.
Cobra-La
In , it is revealed that the operation to create Serpentor was controlled by a 40,000 year-old underground civilization called Cobra-La, whose snake-like inhabitants were driven underground by the advent of humankind. Through the use of a biological mind controlling device they implanted the idea into Dr. Mindbender's mind as an act of discipline against Cobra Commander who in actually is a member of their race.
Cobra-La made extensive use of bio-technology, such as body armor made out of crustacean carapaces, and motion detection systems using spider-webs, and their main plot was to turn people into snakes using hypergentic mutation spore plants one of which was tested on Cobra Commander.
The movie was not well received, and the Cobra-La story arc was all but abandoned in future plotlines. The writers despised the name "Cobra-La" and had only originally intended to use it as a working name to be replaced by a "real" name in the finished product, but were overruled by Hasbro.
