Serpentor is a

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

al character and a recurring

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' toyline, comic books, and animated series. Introduced in 1986, the character rules as

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

over

Cobra COBRA or Cobra, often stylized as CoBrA, was a European avant-garde art group active from 1948 to 1951. The name was coined in 1948 by Christian Dotremont from the initials of the members' home countries' capital cities: Copenhagen (Co), Brussels ...

where most versions are depicted as a composite clone of history's greatest leaders. Serpentor serves as the primary

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.original animated series.

Fictional character biography

Serpentor was designed to be the ultimate Cobra leader. Doctor Mindbender and Destro combed the tombs of the greatest leaders in history to find cells with

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

traces. These long-dead genetic blueprints were combined to produce a composite clone with the genius of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

, the ruthlessness of

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

, the daring of

Hannibal Hannibal (; ; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Punic people, Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Ancient Carthage, Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War. Hannibal's fat ...

, and the shrewdness of

Attila the Hun Attila ( or ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in early 453. He was also the leader of an empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Gepids, among others, in Central and East ...

. Serpentor is a brilliant tactician and a master of political intrigue, and was eventually capable of wresting control over Cobra from Cobra Commander.

Toys

Serpentor was first released as an action figure in 1986, packaged with the Air Chariot. The Air Chariot is like a flying throne, with two 7.62mm attack guns, reinforced battle shield, and hover engine. He was released in 2002 as a re-issue two-pack that was exclusive to online retailers. A new mold of Serpentor was released in 2005, as part of a comic three-pack, which included a reprint of issue #49 of the

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

series. Serpentor was released again in 2007 as a single carded figure as part of the 25th anniversary series. This figure was also packaged with a re-release of the Air Chariot in a vehicle 2 pack, and with a DVD set that included the DVD of "Arise, Serpentor, Arise!".

Comics

Marvel Comics

In the

series, Serpentor initially appeared in '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' #49 (July 1986). The character in the comics was created as a " super soldier", intended to lead and inspire the troops while Cobra Commander remained in power. His creation involved Cobra collecting genetic material from various historical figures. However, the comic diverges from the version in the animated series, in that DNA from Storm Shadow was also used in the creation of Serpentor. Serpentor was also portrayed as having something akin to multiple personalities as a result of being created from the DNA of multiple

tyrant A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to ...

s. In another incident, he was able to access memories of one of his genetic forebears. Serpentor recalls the invention of

pizza Pizza is an Italian cuisine, Italian, specifically Neapolitan cuisine, Neapolitan, dish typically consisting of a flat base of Leavening agent, leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomato, cheese, and other ingredients, baked at a high t ...

, informing a group of Dreadnoks. While his relationship in the comics was meant to be more of a

figurehead In politics, a figurehead is a practice of who ''de jure'' (in name or by law) appears to hold an important and often supremely powerful title or office, yet '' de facto'' (in reality) exercises little to no actual power. This usually means that ...

, Serpentor was ambitious, leading to power struggles between him and other members of Cobra. Serpentor contended with Cobra Commander impostor Fred VII, and the two were often at odds. Their rivalry eventually escalated into the Cobra civil war, in which G.I. Joe was ordered to side with Serpentor to defeat the forces of Fred and the Baroness. During the conflict, Zartan killed Serpentor with an arrow to the eye.

Other versions

Devil's Due Publishing

Devil's Due continued the storyline of the Marvel series, and years after the events that led to Serpentor's death, his body was found and reanimated by renegade scientists. Soon a secretive faction called The Coil formed. Serpentor targeted G.I. Joe and Cobra forces alike.

''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers: The Art of War'' (Vol 3)

Serpentor in the ''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers'' crossover published by

Devil's Due Publishing Devil's Due Publishing (often abbreviated as DDP) is an independent comic book publisher in the United States. Based in Chicago, Illinois, DDP is best known for its wide selection of genres, including licensed and original creator-owned proper ...

has a very different origin. In the third ''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers'' miniseries, the US government builds an android called "Serpent OR", using processors taken from

Megatron Megatron is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the ''Transformers'' media franchise produced by the American toy company Hasbro and the Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. He is the tyrannical leader of the Decepticons, a villaino ...

and programmed with information on Earth and Cybertron's greatest war-leaders. Serpent OR, seeing himself as Megatron's son and heir, sets out on a quest to gain

the Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in the The Matrix (franchise), ''Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ca ...

for himself, believing it will grant him the power he needed to rule. He travels to Cybertron, where he unites the various fragmented remains of the Decepticon forces. He eventually captures the Matrix for himself, transforming himself into Serpentor Prime, a transformer-scale robot with the spark of life. This results in rethinking his strategy to conquer, but Cobra Commander takes over Serpentor Prime's body with a remote control device that was planted back on Earth. His rampage did not last long, as

Hawk Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica. The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and others. This ...

was able to open the Matrix, transforming Hawk into a mighty leader and rendering the Commander comatose. Serpent OR's exact fate beyond this is unknown.

''Transformers: Timelines''

The Official Transformer Fan Collectors Club's third Figure Subscription set included a human-made Transformer created by a former Cobra agent who sought to upload the data from the Serpentor project into the body of a deceased Sweep. 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.'s programming, creating a Transformer known as Serpent O.R. with feelings of loyalty to Cobra, the Decepticons, and the Earth Defense Command.

IDW Publishing

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. The Coil worship a god named Golobulus (also called Gola-Bulas), who created a paradise called Cobra-La before human ignorance destroyed it. Serpentor claims to be the Final Disciple of Golobulus, a reincarnation of the best qualities of the god's previous champions such as Napoleon and

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

. Serpentor is a member of the Cobra Council, the ruling body that elects the Cobra Commander (who outranks Serpentor). In the case of a new Commander needing to be elected, Serpentor's view "carries a ton of weight. If he is backing someone, then their stock will clearly go up in the eyes of the Cobra Court". Serpentor isn't interested in becoming the new Commander. During the contest to decide the new leader, Serpentor starts assisting the Baroness, Major Bludd and Tomax in getting the role - that way, the eventual leader will "need me".

Animated series

Sunbow

Serpentor appears as the main antagonist in the second season of the original 1980s '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' animated series. Serpentor first appeared in the five-part second-season premiere "Arise, Serpentor, Arise!", voiced by

Dick Gautier Richard Gautier ( Go- tee- AY) (October 30, 1931 – January 13, 2017) was an American actor. He was known for his television roles as Hymie the Robot in the television series ''Get Smart'', and Robin Hood in the TV comedy series '' When Things ...

. The animated version of Serpentor was designed to be a new, superior leader of Cobra created by Doctor Mindbender through a breakthrough in cloning research. 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 –

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

Philip II of Macedon Philip II of Macedon (; 382 BC – October 336 BC) was the king (''basileus'') of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedonia from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty, founders of the ...

and his son Alexander the Great,

Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (; – ), commonly known as Ivan the Terrible,; ; monastic name: Jonah. was Grand Prince of Moscow, Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 to 1547, and the first Tsar of all Russia, Tsar and Grand Prince of all R ...

Vlad the Impaler Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler ( ) or Vlad Dracula (; ; 1428/31 – 1476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often considered one of the most important rulers in Wallachian hi ...

Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...

Grigori Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin ( – ) was a Russian Mysticism, mystic and faith healer. He is best known for having befriended the imperial family of Nicholas II of Russia, Nicholas II, the last Emperor of all the Russias, Emperor of Russia, th ...

, Montezuma,

Geronimo Gerónimo (, ; June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909) was a military leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Ndendahe Apache people. From 1850 to 1886, Geronimo joined with members of three other Central Apache bands the Tchihen ...

, Eric the Red and fictional Egyptian general Xanuth Amon-Toth. In the animated continuity,

Sun Tzu Sun Tzu (; zh, t=孫子, s=孙子, first= t, p=Sūnzǐ) may have been a Chinese General, military general, strategist, philosopher, and writer who lived during the Eastern Zhou period (771–256 BC). Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the au ...

's DNA was also intended to be part of Serpentor's creation, but the attempt to obtain his DNA was thwarted by Sgt. Slaughter whose DNA was then intended for use as a substitute. With the DNA collected, Doctor Mindbender plans to have the samples placed in the inert

protoplasm Protoplasm (; ) is the part of a cell that is surrounded by a plasma membrane. It is a mixture of small molecules such as ions, monosaccharides, amino acids, and macromolecules such as proteins, polysaccharides, lipids, etc. In some definitions ...

and converted by a containment shroud. The first attempt to create Serpentor was sabotaged by Cobra Commander who secretly dumped a mutant virus into the Sgt. Slaughter DNA chamber causing a monster that rampaged throughout Cobra Island until it dissolved. During Doctor Mindbender's second attempt, Cobra Commander is betrayed by Scrap-Iron (who told Doctor Mindbender what had happened). Upon the recapture of Sgt. Slaughter, the creation is a success and Serpentor is born. As a result of Sun Tzu's DNA being missing, Serpentor is very intolerant and overbearing. He issues most of his orders with the phrase "This I command!" He also shows some of Slaughter's willingness to lead from the front lines, in contrast to Cobra Commander. Mere moments after his creation and being given his distinctive costume, Cobra Commander even talked with Serpentor about being the figurehead for Cobra only for Serpentor to knock him to the ground and stating that he is not symbolic. He then accepts a challenge from Slaughter, and the two battle throughout the Terror Drome where Serpentor shows off the strength he inherited from Slaughter's DNA during the fight. Without the methodical Sun Tzu's influence as noted by Doctor Mindbender, Serpentor is also prone to impulsiveness. The Tele-Vipers and Crimson Guard are introduced to Serpentor by Doctor Mindbender during his fight with Sgt. Slaughter. The G.I. Joe team sent to evacuate Sgt. Slaughter were able to get Sgt. Slaughter out while Serpentor was attacked by the B.A.T.s. Serpentor's first major act—leading Cobra in an attack upon Washington, D.C. 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. Joe. G.I. Joe manages a counterattack on Cobra, turning the operation into a complete fiasco, but just as the Joes are about to capture Serpentor, a sudden burst of fire drives them back. It comes from Cobra Commander, who convinced Mindbender to free him, because he knew how to use a weapon. Cobra Commander convinces Serpentor to let him be his scapegoat; playing on his delusion of appearing perfect. A later episode, "My Favorite Things", reveals that Serpentor can assume the facial features of those whose DNA are included in his genetic composition. In addition, a few more donors to Serpentor's creation are revealed: a Viking warrior known as "Ulrik the Batterer", and the reptilian king " Takshaka" from Indian mythology. Throughout season 2, Cobra Commander attempts several times to kill Serpentor through different plots.

''G.I. Joe: The Movie''

In '' G.I. Joe: The Movie'', Serpentor yells at all the members of Cobra for their incompetence. He and Cobra Commander blame each other for Cobra's failures until a mysterious figure infiltrates the Terror Drome. The intruder reveals herself as Pythona, an emissary of the ancient culture " Cobra-La", and informs Serpentor of the need to steal the Broadcast Energy Transmitter (B.E.T.). During the attack to obtain the B.E.T., Serpentor is injured and left to be captured by G.I. Joe. Aided by Cobra-La, Cobra forces are later dispatched to rescue Serpentor and bring him to the hidden kingdom of Cobra-La. 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". Along with the other Cobra hierarchy, Serpentor accepts Golobulus's authority and vows to fulfill his goal of destroying human civilization. During an attack to acquire the B.E.T. from G.I. Joe headquarters, Serpentor hurls a spear to kill Lt. Falcon, but

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 above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

takes it and slips into a coma. 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. Serpentor is last seen flying out of control on his air chariot, struggling to get himself free of his cape.

DiC

Serpentor appeared in the DiC-produced '' G.I. Joe'' miniseries, ''G.I. Joe: Operation Dragonfire'', voiced by

Maurice LaMarche Maurice LaMarche (born March 30, 1958) is a Canadian voice actor. Across a career spanning more than four decades he has voiced Chief Quimby on Inspector Gadget, Egon Spengler on ''The Real Ghostbusters'', The Brain on ''Animaniacs'' and its spi ...

. He reorganizes Cobra with Destro, Baroness,

Scoop Scoop, Scoops or The Scoop may refer to: Artefacts * Scoop (machine part), a component of machinery to carry things * Scoop (tool), a shovel-like tool, particularly one deep and curved, used in digging * Scoop (theater), a type of wide area l ...

, Zarana and Copperhead returning to the team. In the series, Serpentor attempted to harness the mythical power known as Dragonfire, but was unaware of Cobra Commander's return. In the ensuing civil war, Serpentor was captured by Cobra Commander and his Python Patrol. Cobra Commander then used his Pythonizing Ray made from a part of the Dragonfire he obtained to combine Serpentor with Gnawgahyde's pet

iguana ''Iguana'' (, ) is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti, J.N. Laurenti in ...

. Cobra Commander stated that the effects will be temporary and that by the time he changes back, he'll have a taste for flies. He was last seen running off into the jungle in his iguana form with Gnawgahyde chasing after him as he threatened to barbecue Serpentor. Serpentor is not seen again in the DiC series, leaving it unclear if Serpentor's iguana form successfully escaped or not.

''G.I. Joe: Renegades''

In '' G.I. Joe: Renegades'', Serpentor is the name of a giant cobra who belongs to Cobra Commander. Created by Doctor Mindbender as a gift to Cobra Commander, the Serpentor cobra possesses enough intelligence to follow basic commands and even swallow any human that angers Cobra Commander as well as spit them back out on cue if Cobra Commander decides to let that person live.

References

External links

Serpentor
at JMM's G.I. Joe Comics Home Page {{G.I. Joe Cobra (G.I. Joe) agents Comics characters introduced in 1986 Fictional clones Fictional commanders Fictional dictators Fictional emperors and empresses Fictional genetically engineered characters Fictional private military members Fictional robots Fictional snakes Fictional warlords Male characters in animated television series Male characters in comics Villains in animated television series