Torch is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and animated series. He is affiliated with

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 ...

as one of the

Dreadnoks COBRA (sometimes referred to as Cobra Command) is a fictional terrorist organization and the nemesis of the G.I. Joe Team in the Hasbro action figure toyline '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' and '' G.I. Joe: Sigma 6'', as well as in related ...

and debuted in 1984. He is often seen working closely with

Buzzer A buzzer or beeper is an audio signaling device, which may be mechanical, electromechanical, or piezoelectric (''piezo'' for short). Typical uses of buzzers and beepers include alarm devices, timers, train and confirmation of user input such ...

and Ripper.

Profile

His real name is Tom Winken. Torch was born in

Botany Bay Botany Bay (Dharawal language, Dharawal: ''Kamay'') is an open oceanic embayment, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point a ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. Torch was sent to live in

Borstal A borstal is a type of youth detention centre. Such a detention centre is more commonly known as a borstal school in India, where they remain in use today. Until the late 20th century, borstals were present in the United Kingdom, several mem ...

reform school at age fourteen, but he escaped and joined the Merchant Marine, where he went to sea and learned how to use the cutting torch. He later joined the Melbourne Maulers motorcycle club. Torch is illiterate, unintelligent, and enjoys violence and mayhem especially when using his

oxy-acetylene Principle of burn cutting Oxy-fuel welding (commonly called oxyacetylene welding, oxy welding, or gas welding in the United States) and oxy-fuel cutting are processes that use fuel gases (or liquid fuels such as gasoline or petrol, diesel, bio ...

torch to alter stolen cars and for safe-cracking. He is also known to scavenge in swamps for enjoyment and to make money.

Toys

Torch was first released as an action figure in 1985 and was discontinued in 1987. It was brought back for the GI Joe 25th anniversary.

Comics

Marvel Comics

In 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 ...

''G.I. Joe'' series, he first appeared in #25 The Dreadnoks' love for destruction causes an early warning for the staff at

McGuire Air Force Base McGuire AFB/McGuire, the common name of the McGuire unit of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Air Force base in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, approximately south-southeast of Trenton. McGuire is unde ...

, after they spotted a

Dragonfly A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of dragonflies are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threat ...

landing there. Their vandalism sets off an explosion; the soldiers and

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), A ...

manage to set up a defense that drives off the Cobra troops. The Dreadnoks flee the attention of both sides. Torch and Ripper get in trouble, after disobeying orders and losing Buzzer to a trio of Joes they had haphazardly attacked. Torch is seen in a running battle of Dreadnoks versus Joes in issue #51. This is after the others rescue

Zartan Zartan is a fictional character from the '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' toyline, comic books, and animated series. He is one of the main villains in the franchise as the leader of the Dreadnoks, and a mercenary who often worked directly for ...

from Joe HQ. Torch is a passenger on the outside of the Thunder Machine. He then participates in an attempt to kill

Serpentor Serpentor is a fictional character and a recurring antagonist from the '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' toyline, comic books, and animated series. Introduced in 1986, the character rules as Emperor over Cobra where most versions are depicted ...

. He makes a cameo during an essential Cobra power struggle.

Devil's Due

Torch has made several cameos in the Devil's Due original G.I. Joe series. He participates when the Joes assault the Dreadnoks Florida Everglades headquarters. He assists when the Dreadnoks are involved in the purchase of a nuclear weapon. He is part of a grouping of Dreadnoks and Cobra officers who get into a running gun-fight with an out of control Battle Android Trooper. He almost gets his side killed when, misunderstanding

Doctor Mindbender Doctor Mindbender, also known as Doctor Bender, is a fictional character from the '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' toyline, comic books and animated series. He is a scientist who works for the terrorist organization Cobra; like other character ...

, he calls to nearby Joes, advising them to aim for the head. This would have resulted in a gigantic explosion. In the alternate continuity of 'G.I.Joe Vs. The Transformers' Torch and his allies are upgraded with Cybertronian technology. In a dystopian future, an older Torch works for a crippled

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 ...

, one of the few Joes left. They are past of a resistance against the murderous

Decepticons The Decepticons are a fictional faction of sentient robots in the ''Transformers'' multimedia franchise. Serving as the main antagonists in the franchise, their goals include conquering their fictional homeworld planet Cybertron, defeating ...

. Seeing a chance to negate his terrible 'present', Torch violates orders and leads a time-lost Joe-Cobra team in their mission.

G.I. Joe 2019

In this alternate universe, Torch is part of a collective of survivors in Indianapolis, a city Cobra had slaughtered as part of a plan to take over most of the world. The Dreadnoks, as the group is known, value being able to contribute as their first and only priority. This does not save them when a second group of Cobra robot troopers slaughter most of the Dreadnoks.

G.I. Joe Vs. Transformers 2

Twenty years in the future, Torch is a trusted soldier under Duke, who leads the human resistance against a Transformers army. All of the Dreadnoks, except Ripper and Buzzer, have perished. Torch decides to go against orders to help time travelers, who have a faint chance of ensuring this horrible time never existed.

Animated series

Sunbow

Torch first appeared in the ''

'' animated series in "The Revenge of Cobra" mini-series. He is voiced by

Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American actor who specializes in voice acting. He began his career in the 1960s, and held around 850 film, television, and video game credits as of 2020, making him one of the most prolific v ...

. In the episode "Lights! Camera! Cobra!", when the Dreadnoks are in a

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

area to steal a Cobra Firebat, Torch follows

Shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. It results from the event of ''shipwrecking'', which may be intentional or unintentional. There were approximately thre ...

and

Cover Girl A cover girl is a woman whose photograph is used for the front cover of magazines. She may be a model, celebrity or entertainer. The term would generally not be used to describe a person making a single, casual appearance on the cover of a magaz ...

, finding them fighting others in a pool hall. He calls the police, but is arrested. Later, the Joes send a message of them torturing and interrogating Torch (actually Recondo in disguise) to Cobra, prompting

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 Jos ...

to go rescue Torch, while the other Dreadnoks break the real Torch out of jail.

G.I. Joe: The Movie

Torch also appeared briefly in the 1987 animated film '' G.I. Joe: The Movie''.

Sigma 6

Torch appears in '' G.I. Joe: Sigma 6''. He is seen as a member of the Dreadnoks.

Renegades

Torch first appeared in the '' G.I. Joe: Renegades'' episode "Dreadnoks Rising." This version is an African-American. He is seen as a member of the Dreadnoks.

References

External links

Torch
at JMM's G.I. Joe Comics Home Page {{G.I. Joe Comics characters introduced in 1984 Dreadnoks Fictional henchmen Fictional people from New South Wales Male characters in animated television series Male characters in comics Villains in animated television series