GI Joe has a new member in a long-time franchise villain BaronessAnd now the writer of the upcoming Energon Universe series explains how the decision came to be. The Baroness officially joined the team in Energon Universe 2024 Special #1 in a GI Joe story by Joshua Williamson, Jason Howard, Mike Spicer and Rus Woton, and became an official member of the team despite her shady past.
Speaking with ScreenRant, GI Joe Series writer Williamson explained how the idea of ​​the Baroness initially joining GI Joe as opposed to Cobra. “At first I wanted to do something different with Baroness“, Williamson explained, before landing on a rather simple idea.
For Williamson, the face of the Baroness was only through the visuals:
I remember thinking, ‘You know how easy it would be to make a Gee Joe version of Baroness?’ All you have to do is remove the Cobra logo, and put a star on it.
Baroness is a member of GI Joe in the Energon Universe
GI Joe #1 Variant Cover by David Nakayama
In the Energon Universe, the The Baroness is actually Anastasia Cesarovna, a wealthy heiress who is bored with the socialite lifestyle and turns to terrorism instead.. After being radicalized at university, Zisarovna trained to become one of the deadliest mercenaries in the world, committing terrorist acts in the name of Whoever was ready to pay for her services. She joins Duke when they are both imprisoned in the classic Joe’s Hook, The Pit, helping him escape when they are suddenly under siege by Major Blood and his personal guards.
Baroness made her Energon Universe debut at the end of Duke #2 by Joshua Williamson, Tom Reilly, Jordie Bellaire and Rus Woton, available now from Skybound Entertainment.
When later assembling his team for Codename: GI Joe, Duke surprises his superiors when he chooses to recruit the Baroness, but Williamson sees it as an opportunity to bring more drama to the group:
She’s such an interesting character, and she creates a little bit of conflict, a little bit of mistrust. This is such an early version of GI Joe… they don’t know each other that well. They are not friends yet, and the Baroness really helps with that. And then, the reader is thinking, ‘Ever went to Cobra?’
Indeed, fans would assume that the only reason Baroness is on the team is to have her eventually betray the Joes and team up with Cobra. The Energon Universe has gotten a lot of mileage out of playing off fans’ expectations against themselvesSo anything is possible in the new continuity.
Will Baroness betray the Joes and join Cobra?
The Energon Universe keeps fans on their toes
Baroness certainly brings a certain skill set to GI Joe, and the team would definitely prefer her fighting with them as opposed to fighting against them. It is interesting to learn that her inclusion in the team was from a rather simple idea, but it could lead to some interesting stories to follow when GI Joe #1 launches in just a few weeks. Because these Baroness on the GI Joe The team is yet another way the Energon Universe continues to put a unique spin on a classic franchise.
GI Joe #1 is available November 13, 2024 from Skybound Entertainment.