General Joseph Colton

G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe character
General Colton from G.I. Joe: America's Elite
First appearance	1964 (as G.I. Joe), 1989 (as Gen. Joe Colton)
Affiliation	G.I. Joe
Specialty	Strategic and Tactical Operations
File name	Colton, Joseph B.
Birth place	Central Falls, Rhode Island
SN	1033-1027-HAS93 (1994) 103-31-HA27 (2006)
Rank	O-2 (1st Lieutenant) (1964) O-10 (General) (1994)
Primary MOS	G.I. Joe XO (Executive Officer)
Secondary MOS	Combat Infantry (Training and Intelligence)

Joseph Colton, the original G.I. Joe, is a fictional character from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, a line of military-themed toys created by Hasbro. He also appeared as a character later in the comic book series, but did not appear in any of the animated series. He is portrayed by Bruce Willis in the film G.I. Joe: Retaliation.

Joseph B. Colton graduated with the highest honors from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1960. An expert marksman, he was recruited by Special Forces, and later became a Green Beret. During service overseas, he participated in numerous combat operations, but saw minimal acknowledgment, as his missions were "ultra" classified. In 1963, he was appointed by then-President John F. Kennedy to create and command an "ULTIMATE freedom fighting force." It was at this time that he received the code name G.I. Joe.

He later "retired" from active military duty, and was placed as the head of a secret Strategic Defense Initiative installation in New York City. There he served with the lead scientist, G.I. Jane, who originally maintained cover as a combat nurse.

"G.I. Joe" was first released in 1994, as a mail-in exclusive for the 30th Anniversary of G.I. Joe. Based on the version of G.I. Joe from 1964, the figure was available in limited stock. Due to unanticipated orders, Hasbro sold out all of the figures and no more were produced, eventually leading Hasbro to mail an apology.

He was not released again until 2006, this time as part of a multi-figure pack, the Viper Lockdown. This version of the G.I. Joe was made up of parts from different figures, and is not a separate mold. Overall, he has had 2 releases using a total of 2 different molds.