Wait a minute, Cobra Commander is turning into a transformer? There’s more to GI Joe than meets the eye.

NOTICE! Spoilers ahead for GI Joe #1

Thanks to the Energon Universe, the worlds of GI Joe and Transformers They have never been so closely linked. The newly released GI Joe #1 furthers these connections in its depiction of the story of Cobra Commander, who appears to be undergoing a transformation of his own. In truth, GI JoeThe final villain could become a Transformer in his own right.

GI Joe #1 – written by Joshua Williamson, with art by Tom Reilly – features the Cobra organization united following the alliance between Cobra Commander and Destro. Readers get a glimpse of the Commander without a mask in the issue, where the the villain is also depicted adjusting his cybernetic hand with a screwdriver.

Previously, in his own miniseries, Cobra Commander made use of his Transformers-based weaponry in his fight with the formidable Nemesis Enforcer. The bug-like Transformers formed around his hand to give Cobra Commander an Iron Man-like gauntlet to fire devastating blasts of energy.

Cobra Commander’s transformation is a product of the shared continuity between GI Joe and Transformers

GI Joe #1 – Written by Joshua Williamson; Art by Tom Reilly; Color by Jordie Bellaire; Rus Wooton lyrics

Judging by the brief glimpse readers get GI Joe #1, it seems like Cobra Commander’s hand is fully cybernetic now. Cobra Commander has been obsessed with finding Energon since he made his debut in the new continuity with Cobra Commander #1, so having the Commander become part of the Transformer would be an oddly fitting twist on the former GI Joe villain. Given the Commander’s origins in the occult society of Cobra-La, Cobra Commander may actually end up being the “missing link” between the technological and the organic in the Energon Universe.

Cobra Commander’s obsession with Energon and Cybertronian technology appears to stem from Cobra-La’s imprisonment of Megatron. The Commander spent years studying the captive Decepticon, using his discoveries to develop his own weapons. Cobra-La’s supreme leader, Lord Golobulus, sent the Commander out into the world to find more of the rare energy source known as Energon, but Cobra’s future leader had other ideas. Upon finding an Energon store controlled by the Dreadnok motorcycle gang in Louisiana Cobra Commander decided to strike out on his own, forming his own army under the Cobra banner and leaving the secret society of snakemen behind.

Cobra Commander is quickly becoming the character that embodies both sides of the GI Joe/Transformers universe

A techno-organic reinvention of a classic villain for a new era

Cobra Commander’s cybernetic hand has proven to be quite deadly, as the villain previously used it to dispatch Nemesis Enforcer, the bodyguard assigned by Cobra-La to watch over the Commander. His insect-like Transformers-based weaponry had proven effective against his enemies throughout his previous, self-titled miniseries, but the Iron Man-like gauntlet was an even more formidable upgrade. Cobra Commander also received some techno-organic processing courtesy of Cobra-Lawhere he was infused with some kind of powerful venom from a multi-headed snake.

The page that presents Cobra Commander in GI Joe #1 features his cybernetic hand and Cobra-La’s mutant snake, seemingly hinting that both sides of the Commander’s personality will play an important role in stories to come. Cobra-La recently declared war on the Transformers, with Golobulus going so far as to send his soldiers into the far reaches of space to mount an attack on Cybertron itself. This looming war between the organic and the technological appears to be a crucial storyline for the Energon Universe moving forward from here, and Cobra Commander could be the centerpiece of the entire conflict.

The commander will have a crucial role to play in the upcoming Cobra-La vs. Cybertron Conflict

GI Joe #2 – December 18, 2024 Releases from Skybound Entertainment

Readers should also not forget the looming threat of Megatron, who escaped from his prison after a brutal battle with Golobulus last summer. Energon Universe Special. Megatron has yet to make another appearance in the present day, apparently biding his time to heal while Soundwave rules the Decepticons in his stead. Fans must assume that Megatron will be seeking revenge against his former tormentor, Cobra Commander, but perhaps Skybound has other plans for the Energon Universe’s two big villains: Cobra Commander and Megatron have a mutual enemy in Cobra-La, so perhaps a team-up isn’t out of the question.

Whatever the case, Skybound and the various creative teams working on each book are certainly gearing up for some major events to come in the Energon Universe. Cobra Commander donating more of his body to the Transformers’ technology could be a dark foreshadowing of upcoming stories in the Energon Universe, as techno/organic warfare appears to be the defining conflict of the new continuity. Whether or not Cobra Commander becomes a Transformer in the Energon Universe, Skybound shares GI Joe/Transformers continuity remains the most exciting thread in comics today.

GI Joe #1 is now available from Skybound Entertainment.