Zanzibar (G.I. Joe)

Zanzibar
G.I. Joe character
Illustration of Zanzibar from G.I. Joe: Order of Battle. Art by Herb Trimpe.
First appearance	1987
Affiliation	Dreadnoks
Specialty	Pirate
File name	Morgan Teach
Birth place	Cayman Islands

Zanzibar is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline and comic book series. He is affiliated with Cobra as the Dreadnoks' pirate and debuted in 1987.

His real name is Morgan Teach (a reference to two real life pirates Admiral Henry Morgan and Blackbeard). Zanzibar was born in the Cayman Islands.

Zanzibar was raised on a garbage scow, spending most of his formative years picking pockets on crowded piers. He tried river piracy, stock fraud and smuggling, but felt that these were too much like real work and not nasty enough for his tastes. Zanzibar was immediately taken on as a Dreadnok, when he delivered a load of bootleg gasoline to Zartan's filling station. However, due to his selfishness, penchant for stealing and poor personal hygiene, his disposition is so nasty that even the other Dreadnoks don't like him.

Zanzibar overplays the role of a pirate, raiding waterways aboard his air skiff, and even speaking with an excess of bluster. Zartan keeps him on retainer, mostly to keep an eye on him. Many of the Dreadnoks also suspect that his eyepatch is simply for show.

Zanzibar was first released as an action figure in 1987, packaged with the Dreadnok Air Skiff. A second version was released in 2004 as a G.I. Joe convention exclusive repaint of the first figure. A third version was released in an exclusive 7 pack Dreadnok set in Dec 2011.

In the Marvel Comics G.I. Joe series, he first appeared in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #60 (June 1987). He and Monkeywrench are caught stealing bad gasoline from Zartan, the same gas he sold the Cobra agent in the first place. He has some knowledge that helps save Cobra Island from a missile attack arranged by rogue Pentagon agents.

He appears again in issue #89, as part of a multi-Cobra/Dreadnok effort to chase down Clutch and Rock 'n Roll. His "Pogo" craft is run-down by the damaged Joe vehicle "Mean Dog", and he is captured by Repeater, Wildcard and Hardball.