One of the greatest villians in all of toy history is Cobra Commander from Hasbro's classic G.I.Joe: A Real American Hero line. Just what is it that qualifies Cobra Commander to take his rightful place amongst the upper echelon of villainy?

Is it his ability to devise cunning plans to defeat the forces of good. Well, not exactly. We don't think any of his plans ever succeeded.

Is it his chilling voice that strikes fear into the hearts of both his minions and his enemies? Uh, not so much. He was actually pretty whiny.

Was it his ability to transform into a super-sonic jet? Sorry...wrong cartoon.

Let's face it...it's his wardrobe.

The recent re-release of the Real American Hero line prompted us to take a stroll down the streets of yesteryear, and share our fond memories of the most diabolical clothes closet in the annals of world domination.

Cobra Commander was all about secret identity. His costumes always served to conceal his true identity. He wasn't content to wear the same outfit year after year, even though he started out with a pretty cool one with that great silver face mask. But, when the would-be despot's breath continually fogged up the inside of his stainless steel faceplate, he knew it was time for a change.

Cobra Commander considered the appearance of the creature from which the terrorist organization derived it's name, the cobra. Cobra's have hoods. And, so was born the hooded version of his costume.

Of course, being on the technological cutting edge as Cobra was, Cobra Commander soon wanted a costume that reflected Cobra's technological superiority, kept his identity secret and struck fear into the hearts of those pansies on the G.I. Joe team. This led to the creation of Cobra Commander's battle armor outfit. The suit provided mobility, protection and personal air conditioning. What more could a man with world domination on his mind possibly want.

Simple...style.

1982	1984	1987
1991	1993	2000

It was the dawn of the 1990s, the last decade of the second millenium. Cobra Commander was, once again, ready for a change and it was time for something flashier. Also, Serpentor was basically running the show at this point (or, so Cobra Commander led him to believe...y'know he's a crafty guy) so Cobra Commander had more time to hit the gym, and he wanted a uniform to highlight his new, improved physique.

Apparently, he was feeling a bit more lax with his identity (or confident that no one could figure it out after all this time), and this new costume featured a translucent red faceplate. But, sadly, as stylish as this new look was Cobra Commander soon found himself grappling with the same issue that forced him to abandon his first suit. He kept fogging up that dang faceplate. Remember kids, those who don't learn from history are condemned to repeat it. It's a fact. Look it up.

Remembering that the old hood worked out pretty well, Cobra Commander resurrected his classic look. But, style still being on his mind, Cobra Commander brought in some of his finest tailors to spice things up a bit, adding braids and epaulets and such. While, in the past, his uniform was mostly blue this new incarnation was an ominous jet black.

...and then Cobra went out of business.

Poor financial mismanagement caused the once-proud terrorist organization to shut it's doors. Cobra couldn't afford to pay the exhorbitant salaries of upper manangement folks such as Cobra Commander, Destro, and Serpentor, let alone have money for mercenaries like Major Bludd, as well as continue to fund their R&D efforts.

It took some time, and hundreds of meetings with venture capitalist firms not afraid to finance an organization looking to take over the world, but Cobra recently has resurfaced. Cobra Commander is, once again, in his rightful place at the head of the organization. He's pretty much kept the look we last saw him in, but in keeping with Cobra's history and preference for the color blue, he's returned in a far more traditional blue-colored variation of his last uniform. Remember, kids, it's all about style.

Of course, the return of Cobra, and Cobra Commander has also resulted in the much-anticipated return of the G.I. JOE anti-terrorist force. Under the leadership of General Tomahawk (aka General Hawk, a long-time Cleveland Indians fan) the elite strike force is back to protect the world-at-large from Cobra Commander and his bumbling...excuse me, genius schemes for world domination.

You've probably been watching Cobra Commander over the years, as he's gone through iteration after iteration of uniform and never knew the reasons behind the myriad of different looks for the tyrannical despot.

Well, now you know...

...and (c'mon, say it together...)...knowing is half the battle!