General Flagg is the code name as well as the rank and surname of two fictional characters from the toyline, cartoon and comic series, '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero''. The original

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed t ...

Lawrence J. Flagg is a character who was created specifically for the comics to serve as the

G.I. Joe Team G.I. Joe is the code name of a fictional elite covert special operations unit operating under the control of the United States Military in the G.I. Joe universe. In the 1960s and 1970s, a toy military adventure character based on General Jos ...

's commanding officer during the early issues of the comic's run before he was eventually killed off (the USS ''Flagg'' aircraft carrier was named after him). Brigadier General James L. Flagg III, his son, was a character later introduced for the toyline to serve a similar role.

Original General Flagg

Lawrence J. Flagg was a Brigadier

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

in the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, c ...

. Hailing from a long family line of soldiers, General Flagg served the better part of his life in the Armed Forces. In the 1970s, he was responsible for creating Special Counter-Terrorist Group Delta, in response to rising terrorist threats, especially the evil Cobra Organization. Flagg dubbed the team G.I. Joe, in honor of the team that had been headed by Lt. Joseph Colton some years before. General Flagg led the team in more of an advisory capacity, choosing Colonel Clayton "Hawk" Abernathy as field leader, and allowing Hawk to make most of the membership and operations decisions.

Marvel Comics

The general is featured early on in the

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in 19 ...

run. He was the first commander of the

and appeared in the first issue. He sends the team in to a Cobra fortress to rescue Dr. Adele Burkhardt, a nuclear physicist and pacifist. In the second issue, he sends a four-man Joe team to the Arctic Circle, to investigate the deaths of military men stationed there. In both situations, he works closely with General Austin, who would be an ally of the Joe team for years to come. He has a cameo directing the disposition of Cobra prisoners and related supplies. In issue #5, Flagg becomes involved in the action, when Cobra's role in a military parade is uncovered by several men under his command. Flagg goes after

Cobra Commander Cobra Commander is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' franchise. He is the supreme leader of the terrorist organization Cobra and the archenemy of the G.I. Joe Team. He was portrayed by Jose ...

personally. The Cobra Commander fires one shot, creasing Flagg's temple, and then fades into the crowd. When questioned by one of his men why he did not fire back, as he is known for his pistol skills, General Flagg simply looks at several nearby children. He had not fired, because they had been too close to the action. In issue #19, Cobra forces attack the Joe Headquarters,

The Pit The Pit may refer to: Places * The Pit, a commonly used name for a mosh pit * The Pit (arena), the main indoor arena at the University of New Mexico * The Pit (memorial), "Яма" the Holocaust memorial in Minsk, Belarus * Elder 'The Pit' Stadiu ...

. General Flagg is in the brig, which contains two prisoners, Major Bludd and a prominent Cobra Officer named Scar-Face. Bludd escapes, killing Flagg in the process. General Flagg is buried in Arlington Cemetery, with most of the Joes attending. Cobra tries to attack the funeral with a Rattler plane. Before anyone is actually hurt, two new Joes,

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, t ...

and

Roadblock A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be: * Roadworks *Temporary road closure during special events * Police chase *Robbery * Sobriety checkpoint In peaceful circumstanc ...

shoot the plane down. It crashes and explodes in an open field. In issue #42, the ill General Austin is misidentified as General Flagg.

Devil's Due

General Flagg is shown in the full G.I. Joe character roster, on the cover of the first issue of "

World War III World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, are names given to a hypothetical worldwide large-scale military conflict subsequent to World War I and World War II. The term has been in use since at ...

", along with his son.''G.I. Joe: America's Elite'' #25 (July 2007) The ''America's Elite'' series also had General Flagg in a flashback to the early days of G.I. Joe. An undercover operative is using a public payphone to report to General Flagg; the man tries to convince his superior that many Cobra soldiers are not "bad", just confused. In an alternate continuity, General Flagg starts the G.I. Joe Team in response to an alien robot attack on a Presidential press conference.

Sunbow cartoon

General Flagg appeared in the Sunbow/Marvel ''

G.I. Joe ''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), ...

'' cartoon. He is shown in the first G.I. Joe animated mini-series "The MASS Device", but for the course of the series' run, he never appeared again. The character also carries excess weight, and his physical traits are more akin to General Aaron "Iron Butt" Austin, another character from the comics.

Toys

The original General Flagg did not receive his own action figure until 2004, when his figure was included in a "Comic Pack" release. Packaged with him was G.I. Joe member Steeler, and a generic Cobra officer. This three-pack came with a reprint of the comic book ''G.I. Joe'' issue #5, where all three characters play prominent roles. Flagg's dossier on the package actually used the same text as the earlier "General Flagg" figures, which represented his son.

Son of General Flagg

General Flagg was released as part of the "A Real American Hero" toyline in 1992. James Longstreet Flagg III, born in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandr ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

, is the son of General Lawrence Flagg. He is a graduate of the

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

, and in a short time, he is able to rise up to the rank of Brigadier General. The figure was repainted and released as part of the "Battle Corps" line in 1993, and both figures came with an armored catapult that actually could shoot small projectiles. According to his filecard, he always liked to be "in the thick of it" instead of shouting orders from a comfortable position. When leading his troops into a fight, he needs "devastating personal weapons", which is why he prefers the G.I. Joe "Brawler" vehicle. His strategies on battlefield have twice earned him the medal of valor and countless decorations, as he carries on his family's proud military tradition. His personal motto is: "I didn't reach the rank of general by standing in the shadows. I got out and earned it on the front lines". He currently holds an honorary position with the G.I. Joe Team, though his primary role tends to be behind the scenes, warding off any machinations of administrators who would interfere with G.I. Joe operations. In the few instances that have called for it though, General Flagg has demonstrated the tenacity and character of his father, risking his neck alongside the men and women he's leading.

Devil's Due comics

His only appearance in comics continuity was in the

event, from the '' G.I. Joe: America's Elite'' comic book series. He is shown in the full G.I. Joe character roster on the cover of issue #25, along with his father.

Live action film

General Flagg will be appearing in '' G.I. Joe: Ever Vigilant''.

References

External links

General Flagg
at JMM's G.I. Joe Comics Home Page {{DEFAULTSORT:Flagg, General Comics characters introduced in 1982 Fictional brigadier generals Fictional characters from Philadelphia Fictional characters from Virginia Fictional United States Army Special Forces personnel Fictional military strategists Fictional murdered people Male characters in animated series Male characters in comics G.I. Joe soldiers