Serpentor

Serpentor
G.I. Joe character
Serpentor the Cobra Emperor (From G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #23 by Image Comics and Devil's Due)
First appearance	1986
Voiced by	Richard Gautier (Sunbow/Marvel cartoon) Maurice LaMarche (DiC cartoon)
Affiliation	Cobra
Specialty	Cobra Emperor
File name	N/A
Birth place	Springfield, US
Subgroups	The Coil

Serpentor is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series. He is the Cobra Emperor and was introduced in 1986.

Serpentor was designed to be the ultimate Cobra leader. Under the direction of Doctor Mindbender, he and Destro combed the tombs of the greatest leaders in history to find cells with DNA traces. These long-dead genetic blueprints were combined to produce a clone with the genius of Napoleon, the ruthlessness of Julius Caesar, the daring of Hannibal, and the shrewdness of Attila the Hun. Serpentor is a brilliant tactician and a master of political intrigue, and was eventually capable of wresting control over Cobra from Cobra Commander.

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 2-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 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".

In the Marvel Comics 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. He was also portrayed as having something akin to multiple personalities as a result of being created from the DNA of multiple tyrants. In another incident, he was able to access memories of one of his genetic forebears. He recalls the invention of pizza, informing a group of Dreadnoks.