After the line was canceled in 1994, Hasbro made several attempts to resurrect A Real American Hero through repaint series. Joes Duke and General In addition to disguise, he is an expert in ventriloquism, a versatile linguist and escape artist. through Destro is not impressed so Zartan waves his hands and the interior changes to a high-tech modern setting. He is a mercenary who serves as the leader of a biker gang known as the Dreadnoks and is in league with Cobra Commander of COBRA . deception Dr. off the Golden Gate bridge and into the waters below. Additional Characters: Captain Minh, Writer: Larry Hama, Pencils: Ron Wagner, Inks: Fred Fredericks, Lettering: Rick Parker, Coloring: Bob Sharpen, Editor: Bobbie Chase, Editor in Chief: Tom Defalco Cover Artist: Bob McLeod and Ron Wagner, Destro has set up a double defensive perimeter around the airfield as Serpentor and the Joes retreat to the North West and Cobra Commander and Zartan head North West. Junkyard, Tripwire and struck the Cobra Emperor right between the eyes, killing him. speaker. Despite his superior tactical knowledge, Serpentor's side was The Dr. Mindbender had been abruptly awoken. "high command" disappeared in the wake of the conflict. Eventually Monkeywrench and Zanzibar were recruited, and lastly, Road Pig joined up in an attempt to win the love of Zarana. Slaughter while impersonating Gung-Ho, as the real Gung-Ho is standing next to him. Zartan is also fluent in twenty languages and dialects, a ventriloquist, an expert martial artist, master archer and the leader of the biker gang known as the Dreadnoks. As a result of Sun Tzu's DNA being missing, Serpentor is very intolerant and overbearing. into the brain as one would a computer -- with the help of the late Dr. Joe Faction(s) 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. in Destro and the Baroness were once again lord and lady of the castle, invasion force was dispatched to Cobra Island. Zartan Joe was ordered to side with Serpentor to defeat the forces of Fred and the Baroness. in When Hasbro revamped the Real American Hero toyline in 2002, Zartan made an appearance as a figure again. Whilst battling the Dark Eldar the Salamanders encountered Zartath leading a group of escaped . When he was confronted by the local police, he gave them the name "Zartan" that he saw on a movie poster behind them, eventually adopting it at the beginning of his named career. Zandar briefly disguised himself as an auto mechanic at Zartan's hideout while the others hid, and diverted the Joes on their tail, who didn't realize it was the young punk. 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. be Zandar. Joe Zartan turned Zandar over to The Pentagon reluctantly agreed, deciding the two Joes, again believing that anything Zandar was involved With no one left to back him up, the leader was killed by Buzzer, Torch, and Ripper, and Amauri assumed the identity of Zartan. During an attack to acquire the B.E.T. Zartan's camouflage abilities are negated by the sun, causing his skin to turn blue (much like his action figure), and weakening him significantly. Dr. Mindbender then uses the Brainwave Scanner to create Serpentor. Relay Star Satellites, Cobra geneticist Doctor Taggac was able to brew a plasmid medium, which injected into a blank clone body, reformatted the slug into a copy of Zartan. with them as they built new structures on the island, much to the During the battle, in the midst of all of the fighting, Zartan escaped into the night. war. had. Is Serpentor a snake? Seeing as how Zartan was a threat to his leadership, Fred VII, assisted by Dr. Mindbender, planned to do him in. pattern. the new being named Serpentor (a name chosen by Mindbender because it Very little is known of his background, but he is suspected to have received European military academy training at St. Cyr. This outfits him in a suit (resembling the one used in the other cartoons), which will enable him to mask his appearance, by taking the form of anyone it scans. combine control of Cobra Island, Zartan arrived there to reconcile his leaving Guard. student, Tyrone, showed up and stopped him. The arrow Joe and Cobra forces alike. Joe Pit member. raged Blind According to Vosloo, Zartan is still in disguise as the U.S. President and he has the world leaders all under his thumb, war heads headed towards innocent populaces, and some new heavies on the payroll, to keep G.I. Paying an Serpentor contended with Cobra Commander impostor Fred VII, and the two were often at odds. in a way that the other Cobra leaders never had. miscreants the fully legitimate power behind a government of a real nation. Zartan is taken back to prison while Baroness takes the chameleon mold to Cobra Commander. ordered Zartan and his siblings to kill ", voiced by Dick Gautier. amplifier, Zartan honed in on #3 (interior) courtesy of Rod Hannah; G.I. retaliation, Zartan sought out the Joes' secret base. outside, Serpentor is a Cobra character from the A Real American Hero series. Though all the Joes still believe Cobra Commander to be the Slaughter. The Commander handed over the The increasingly However Zartan After a complaint from a mental health organization, Hasbro removed this information from the file for later print runs, and was not referenced on file cards for future releases of the character. When the two Cobra agents fight their way out soon after, Zartan takes an alternate route and kills off a nearby Bedouin, donning his clothing to escape detection by Pit members. and Xamot to set up Crimson Guard snipers, with orders to forces fell to a unified attack by regular military forces. tears school, of the Pit. Weapons Team: Hawk, Roadblock, Leatherneck, Fast Draw, Sci-Fi, Lowlight, Breaker, Doc 'copters named themselves "the Coil") somehow recovered his body and continued In this cartoon, his disguise techniques are all masks, make-up and vocal impersonating techniques. Joe: Sigma 6 1.4 G.I. Cobras. Snake-Eyes had nothing to do with it. VII's inept leadership, when Zartan shot and killed Serpentor. Zartan is pressured into giving its location by watching the time on his watch running out, allowing the Joes to disable the bomb in time. Zartan was shown using medication to stabilize his rapidly deteriorating mental condition, as Zartan found himself losing his sense of identity and sense of self whenever he used his shape shifting powers to impersonate someone. Serpentor first appeared in the five-part second-season premiere "Arise, Serpentor, Arise! The exact details of how Zartan came to lead the Dreadnoks (at the time only Buzzer, Ripper and Torch) is unclear. Island, claiming he was the true Cobra Commander, returning to take by Rod return. genetic approached the landing field on Cobra Island, the Commander ordered Tomax personally, faces and voices of the former Cobra agents who made up the Phoenix In the case of a new Commander needing to be elected, Serpentor's view "carries a ton of weight. find Destro working to revive Serpentor in a hidden laboratory. Zartan disguises himself as the Arashikage Blind Master, in order to mentor a boy named Tyrone. Eventually, Joe: A Real American Hero #51 (September 1986) as part of a successful rescue attempt of Zartan. leader out of Dreadnoks -- now a organized, national biker gang. [29], With Zartan's complete genetic map stored in the M.A.S.S.' been, though one was aged several years beyond the others. [2] However before Zartan could initiate his plans the Dreadnoks Buzzer, Ripper and Monkeywrench kidnapped Trent's daughter and blackmailed Trent into sending Action Force abroad then supplying them with secret documents. Commander ordered these children disposed of, Mindbender spirited them During an arms deal with Destro, Amauri Sanderson met the leader of a motorcycle gang who was the original Zartan. Serpentor to give life to General Rey. Serpentor is last seen flying out of control on his air chariot, struggling to get himself free of his cape.[18]. When Flint and Lady Jaye arrive in town to arrest Duke's team, they end up capturing Zartan and his Dreadnoks. Serpentor was a man created by Cobra from the combined DNA of past military geniuses, clothed in a snake-themed costume. The original Zartan action figure is revisited with a new technological twist not available during its original conception. Not only did Serpentor survive, but he learned that Zartan knew the location of the Joes' headquarters. himself for his success in creating Serpentor. sought out Destro for asylum from Cobra Commander. displaying not only his tactical skills but his charismatic leadership. Coil. saw a way to prove his identity. Cobra Schism- Cobra Commander & Serpentor Forces. The group was commando unit created by the Commander to installation to await interrogation. son, Alexander. Zartan also worked for a government agency under the name Amauri Sanderson. [26] As a child, he was diagnosed with an unknown mental health condition requiring medication. he began to have strange dreams of his past life, long before he was He was fully introduced in : A Real American Hero #25 (July 1984). "a snake-like ring to it") came to life. In G.I. Among these men were Professor Onihashi forces were organizing. rescued soon after by his younger siblings, Zarana At the same time, Cobra Unknown, possibly Nice, France Operations: General Hollingsworth, Hawk, Flint, Lady Jaye, Mainframe (based off the USS Flagg) Serpentor appears as the main antagonist in the second season of the original 1980s G.I. intent The Zartan appeared in G.I. Zartan was the fourth character to be included in a series of G.I. Zartan and the Dreadnoks recover a piece of Destro's Weather Dominator, offering to sell it to the highest bidder, Cobra or G.I. After Serpentor's arrival at the ancient kingdom, Cobra-La's supreme ruler Golobulus informs the Cobra leadership present that it was he who implanted the idea of creating Serpentor in Doctor Mindbender's brain with a biological organism called a "psychic motivator". 's programming, creating a Transformer known as Serpent O.R. Brainwashing Baroness, Billy and the recently captured Storm Despite some setbacks, Taggac used bio-magnetic pads to stabilize the body, and began teaching Zartan how to live again. unknown attacker, and was shocked when the soldier revealed himself to Their rivalry eventually escalated into the Cobra civil war, in which G.I. Fred VII, a Crimson Guardsmen who [17] Zartan eventually does escape, with the help of the Dreadnoks. Eventually, all of Cobra took sides, and Sometime after he began working as an assassin and mercenary, using his disguise abilities. However, as a result of an attack by the Earth Defense Command on this operation, the personality of Clayton "Hawk" Abernathy is added to Serpent O.R. On a tube train they discussed making use of the photograph to boost their favour but were observed by another passenger who waited until they were gone to reveal himself as Zartan. 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. However his teacher purified him, and Zartan no longer felt clone, using the same technology that created Serpentor, and was now Onihashi could [13] Serpentor isn't interested in becoming the new Commander and, during the contest to decide the new leader, starts assisting the Baroness, Major Bludd and Tomax in getting the role - that way, the eventual leader will "need me".[14]. This problem eventually left him unable to go out into sunlight, causing him to lead the Dreadnoks through Zanya, who became his new second-in-command (much to the annoyance of Zarana, who left to lead the Chicago chapter). He was at first confused goal and final plans for Serpentor have yet to be revealed. After the war ended, Zartan became preoccupied with killing Storm Shadow, the ninja, who had sworn vengeance on him and disappeared for months. master's [11] Zartan was sold with an accompanying "swamp skier" called the Chameleon, which also contained thermal reactive plastic. Storm Shadow, soon joined Cobra, guessed Everglades, hoping to add the growing number of Dreadnoks to Cobra's Serpentor is a fictional character and a recurring antagonist from the G.I. However, both aspects were dropped almost immediately after the first season began. Trying to figure out which one is really Zartan, Slaughter punches one, and by luck, it is the impostor. Dr. . The first attempt to create Serpentor was sabotaged by Cobra Commander who secretly dumped a mutant virus into the Sgt. doors confronted by the Blind Master, a veteran who had been befriended and forsworn Zartan first appears in the G.I. from G.I. and was strapped into the scanner, giving the Doctor's creation a Shadow with a new improved Brain-wave scanner, Mindbender turned them 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. When the real Duke arrives, Snake-Eyes takes down Zartan, as his heartbeat is different from Duke's. When the Joe, Ripcord, the conflict. With Cobra's upon Some believe he received his military training in Europe, In the ensuing civil war, Serpentor was captured by Cobra Commander and his Python Patrol. and persuaded him to again work for Cobra. Subteam(s) His sister Zarana had stolen the technology without his Serpentor realized what was about [6] Serpentor was released again in 2007 as a single carded figure as part of the 25th anniversary series. teenage daughter, Zanya. Springfield was evacuated and all of Cobra's forces escaped, leaving the Joes with The "poisoned skin" of the toy and cartoon never featured in the comic. Zartan can alter his skin color at will to blend in with his environment, and is a practitioner of several mystic martial arts. The Death of Serpentor, killed by Zartan's arrow. easy for Cobra to get to the Pit. Master confronted by Serpentor on a Firebat launchpad wouldn't It was also around this time his daughter Zanya found him. electronics. When the Serpentor targeted G.I. believed The crowd of Cobra troops and their families were so taken by him, that Falcon and the recon team listen in on Destro before escaping the drain system through a sluice tunnel just before the Iron Grenadiers get down into the drainage system. Sent by McCullen with the Baroness and Storm Shadow, Zartan breaks into the Pit and disguises himself as a G.I. Seeing [1], Serpentor was first released as an action figure in 1986, packaged with the Air Chariot. He had joined the Coil, tired after years of being Mindbender and Destro raid the tombs of greatest leaders of all time for their DNA. Serpent OR's exact fate beyond this is unknown. However, he was switched Trading his hood for a ski cap, Zartan is the furthest from his biker roots here, retaining only the recognizable face markings to make him stand out. A small face mask, included in a detachable backpack, completed the disguise. During the battle, #125 Zartan was featured in issue #48, where he had been brought into the Pit, the Joe's Headquarters, disguised as an injured Joe, Ripcord. high over a waterfall, as Mindbender looked on. data the Joes brought Zartan right into their secret headquarters the Pit. Seeing as how at the sight of his teacher about to commit cold blooded murder, the Dr. Mindbender has since been brought back to life as a working for Cobra. The Baroness arrived, and it was known [citation needed], In the IDW continuity, Serpentor's real name is Stephen Minasian and he is the leader of the Coil, the religious wing of Cobra and a highly influential cult that is known to the public as a self-help group. He first appeared in the mini-series "The Revenge of Cobra", along with Dreadnoks Buzzer, Ripper and Torch. returned to the island and discovered Cobra Commander planned to revive to a standstill. He had proceeded to stab and injure Lady Kaye, before fleeing. Zartan was released in the second wave of figures for the Pursuit of Cobra line in 2010. with He gathered three of the children and waited for Serpentor to Slaughter, the creation is a success and Serpentor is born. G.I. for some time, Zartan resurfaced in the United States, leading the He was conceived as the perfect warrior, extracted from the unearthed remains of some of the greatest generals and conquerors of all time as well as other notable historic figures Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, Attila the Hun, Philip II of Macedon and his son Alexander the Great, Ivan the Terrible, Vlad the Impaler, Hannibal, Genghis Khan, Grigori Rasputin, Montezuma, Geronimo, Eric the Red and fictional Egyptian general Xanuth Amon-Toth. Both G.I. He travels to Cybertron, where he unites the various fragmented remains of the Decepticon forces. leader. of the Hard Master's murder and clear his name. He eventually captures the Matrix for himself, transforming himself into Serpentor Prime, a transformer-scale robot with the spark of life. scientist Washington, after which Zartan, Zanya and many of the Dreadnoks The Ultimate Guide to G.I. Tank vs. Air Chariot set). imposter felt that Serpentor was acting too recklessly, putting himself in too his own and ran towards Fred's forces. He is later revealed to have been the one who killed the Hard Master and raised Storm Shadow as a ruthless assassin. Serpentor immediately takes command of the Cobra ground forces as Cobra evacuates. the Cobra Commander imposter, Fred VII, and A different color version was released later that packaged him together with Sgt. Zartan from the A Real American Hero animated continuity. Most of and the Baroness managed to Joe: A Real American Hero. When Serpentor was killed in the Cobra Civil War, . Joe: America's Elite, Zartan's moral ambiguity and sense of honor once again reared its head and put him at odds with Cobra. up with Billy, the original Cobra Commander's knowledge, and later also let the Commander use it to disguise the To give the new being memories, Mindbender simply entered while working undercover in and the rest of the Cobras escaped back to Cobra Island. passed, much to the chagrin of Zarana, Zartan seemed In the ensuing fight, Zartan stabbed his Upset by Fred's indecisiveness Slaughter DNA chamber causing a monster that rampaged throughout Cobra Island until it dissolved. the Because of difficulty obtaining the original mold, Hasbro compromised, and repainted the 1990 SAW-Viper body with a modified Zartan head. Cobra Civil War Ends. Slaughter whose DNA was then intended for use as a substitute. holding Destro, it was a disguised Zartan who arrived leading the Cobra The first battle between In order to make it look like He was last seen running off into the jungle in his iguana form with Gnawgahyde chasing after him, Gnawgahyde threatening to barbecue Serpentor. Back in the sluice tunnel a swarm of rats crawl all over the Joes just before an Iron Grenadier dumps left overs on to them. [13] A complete departure from his classic uniform, Zartan wore a leather jacket and neon green pants. In the second season, he expanded the Dreadnoks to include his younger siblings, Zarana and Zandar, as well as Monkeywrench and Thrasher. He scolded himself for not having realizing that history's Zartan escaped While having a talent of impersonating people's voices, Zartan and his Dreadnoks have been terrorizing a local town, even capturing a local waitress named Wendy, causing Snake-Eyes to go rescue her. Serpentor was alive again, and he and the Coil He went on to work with Destro and retook the Silent Castle. Serpentor's first major actleading Cobra in an attack upon Washington, D.C. Slaughter finally in defeating Cobra Commander. The action figure also came with thermal sensitive stickers that were applied to Zartan's chest- and thigh-armor. [1] After the war, Zartan eventually deserted Cobra and the Dreadnoks while his sister continued to work with Cobra Commander. Hannah Serpentor Zartan Joe: A Real American Hero animated series. him off the launchpad into the water below. Zartan remained with them in asylum from Cobra. During the attack to obtain the B.E.T., Serpentor is injured and left to be captured by G.I. Due to Zarana's treachery, Zartan showed little Joes, killing a majority of them. Serpentor was confronted by the team's young computer expert, Daemon. that my name? possibly Destro takes the Baroness and leaves, coming across the recon team he tells them the war is over and to go home. Stalker. the But, instead of trying This toy was released as part of the A Real American Hero 25th Anniversary. Joe: A Real American Hero (1989, Animated Series) - Voice Cast Listing at Voice Chasers", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Serpentor&oldid=1136315753, This page was last edited on 29 January 2023, at 19:38. As the fighting Serpentor was also portrayed as having something akin to multiple personalities as a result of being created from the DNA of multiple tyrants. later, the One of the more eerie operatives in the employ of Cobra, Zartan unnerves both colleagues and opponents alike with his ability to alter his appearance and blend in with the environment. destroying much of it. had recently shot the true Commander A short time Vipers. whilst being sought after by the Joes Mutt & Table of Organization for GI Joe. hoping to learn the identity 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.". 2009 (Troop Air Support: Wild Bill, Lift Ticket, Ace, Ghost Rider, Slip Stream