G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
Series, 1985, The '80s toy era, Set in Cobra Island
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is #6 of 28 in release order and #6 of 28 in chronological order in the Saturday Morning Cartoons.
The story
An elite team of soldiers thwart the evil Cobra organization's desire for world domination at every turn, cleverly stopping them from controlling the weather, creating unstoppable weapons, and genetically engineering super-warriors.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero recap
G.I. Joe is an elite special missions force that defends the world from Cobra, a terrorist organisation led by the shrieking, cowardly Cobra Commander. Cobra's other leaders include Destro, an arms dealer in a steel mask, the Baroness, a spy, Major Bludd and the ninja Storm Shadow, along with the twin crime bosses Tomax and Xamot. The Joes, led in the field by Duke, include Scarlett, Flint, Lady Jaye, Roadblock, Shipwreck, Gung-Ho and Snake Eyes, a silent masked commando. The battles use lasers instead of bullets, and nobody is shown dying: pilots always parachute out of their exploding planes. The show grew out of two five-part miniseries, The M.A.S.S. Device (1983) and The Revenge of Cobra (1984), and the series began in 1985 with another, The Pyramid of Darkness. In season 2, in 1986, the scientist Dr. Mindbender creates Serpentor, a new emperor for Cobra, from the DNA of history's conquerors. Every episode ends with a public service lesson for children, closing with the line "knowing is half the battle". Sunbow and Marvel made it with Toei to sell Hasbro's toys, and it ran in syndication for 95 episodes.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero ending explained
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero ended without a finale. Season 2 closed in November 1986 with "Into Your Tent I Will Silently Creep", and the story continued in G.I. Joe: The Movie (1987), released direct to video, which revealed Cobra-La, the hidden race behind Cobra, and set up a third season that was never made. DiC produced a different G.I. Joe series from 1989 to 1991, and live-action films followed in 2009, 2013 and 2021.
Where to watch G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is streaming on Prime Video, Hoopla, Pluto TV, Plex, and Tubi in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Fandango At Home.
Ratings
IMDb 8.0/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after The Transformers, before Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
- Chronological order: after The Transformers, before Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Cast
- Christopher Collins as Cobra Commander (voice)
- Morgan Lofting as Baroness (voice)
- Bill Ratner as Flint (voice)
- Mary McDonald-Lewis as Lady Jaye (voice)
- B.J. Ward as Scarlett (voice)
- Hal Rayle as Deep Six (voice)
- Zack Hoffman as Zartan (voice)
- Pat Fraley as Ace / Airtight / Barbecue (voice)
- Jackson Beck as Narrator (voice)
- Kene Holliday as Roadblock (voice)
- Gregg Berger
- Michael Bell as Duke / Xamot (voice)
Created by Ron Friedman.