A hard charger from the so-called "greatest generation" Robert Savage joined up in the waning days of 1942, ready to fight the good fight. A survivor of Omaha Beach and an infantry commander renowned for his skill, Savage was listed KIA after a German science facility he and his squad attacked exploded.
In 1995 a documentary crew doing a special on the "super-science" of the Third Reich stumbled upon the cryogenically preserved body of Savage. After being revived and acclimated to the changes time had brought, Savage was remanded to the custody of the G.I. Joe team for observation. Within a year however, Savage left the team, his "Screaming Eagles" in tow, and now operates as second-in-command of Special Counter-Terrorism Unit Delta.
Fiction[]
Hasbro packaging material[]
Sgt. Savage was the toughest commander on the battlefields of World War II.[2] During his years of service, he earned multiple medals of valor.[3] His skills as a pilot of P-40 Warhawks made him an ace.[4]
At an undisclosed time during the second World War, Sgt. Savage planted explosives that sank a U-boat.[5]
In an undisclosed European location in 1944, Sgt. Savage led four other soldiers out of a foxhole to surprise enemies that were bombarding them.[6]
In 1944, Sgt. Savage and his platoon were led into an ambush by Krieger.[7] The enemy robots attacked before the soldiers could react.[8]
Fifty years later, Savage was discovered in cryogenic stasis in a ruined laboratory. He was revived by the G.I. Joe team.[9]
Savage recognized the brilliant inventor of the Orbital Space Platform, Dr. Stromm, as the traitorous "Blitz" Krieger.[10] Sgt. Savage immediately began to hunt down General Blitz.[11] He even speculated about placing Blitz into the freeze chamber.[12]
At some point after his revival, Savage defeated a group of barroom thugs who mocked his old-fashioned uniform.[13]
Savage, along with the other Screaming Eagles, defends a nuclear facility from the I.R.O.N. Army, drawing the enemy into a trap by hiding under the dirt of their bunker before attacking and driving back General Blitz's forces.Sgt. Savage vs. Gen. Blitz
While on maneuvers in the Arctic, Savage and the Screaming Eagles were ambushed by a platoon of Arctic Stormtroopers. Despite heavy artillery bombardment the team managed to escape, racking up a few scrapped Stormtroopers on the way.[14]
Savage tracked an I.R.O.N. Army Stormtrooper through the Sahara Desert after surviving the Stormtrooper's attack at an abandoned oasis. Even the cyborg's enhanced senses could not save him from Savage.[15]
Comics[]
Dark Horse Comics continuity[]
Devil's Due Publishing continuity[]
America's Elite[]
While serving in the reserves, Savage was called upon to fight in Algeria during the conflict now known as World War III.
Vs. The Transformers III: The Art of War[]
In a Matrix-induced vision of the future, Hawk saw Iron Klaw and Trypticon battling Sgt. Savage and Fortress Maximus.[16]
Animated[]
Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles[]
In 1944 a news reel reports how Sgt. Robert Steven Savage, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, is MIA and presumed dead along with his entire platoon after being sent to raid a German scientific facility. Fifty years later, when the facility is discovered, it turns out that Savage was captured, experimented upon, and cryogenically frozen. The hero's frozen body is given to the Joes for further research.
A scientist called Dr. Garret Stromm tells the Joes that their security detail for a new super advanced space platform which is about to be deployed, is unnecessary. According to Savage, the raid in which his platoon died was sabotaged by a traitor. Savage identifies the scientist as Garrison "Blitz" Krieger, the traitor himself.
Savage is told he was a guinea pig for certain experiments and now has increased reflexes and super strength. These new found "powers", as well as his whole physical condition, wanes from time to time, so Doc gives Savage a DNA compound to stabilize his condition and prevent him from aging rapidly.
Savage takes command of a team of six highly trained, undisciplined soldiers, now calling themselves the "Screaming Eagles". The Screaming Eagles attack the launch in an effort to stop Blitz, his plans, and his new, completely robotic I.R.O.N. Army.Old Soldiers Never Die
GI Joe Extreme[]
Toys[]
Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles[]
Seven figures of Sgt. Savage were released as part of the Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles toyline, including one 12" figure. One came with the Old Soldiers Never Die episode on VHS, another came with the first half of the Sgt. Savage vs. Gen. Blitz mini-comic, a third was packaged with the P-40 Warhawk, and a fourth came with the cryo chamber he was found in.
There were plans to make an Air Force Sgt. Savage and a Frogman Sgt. Savage, but these never made it past the prototype stage.[17] However the Air Force version may have become the version included with the Warhawk.
GI Joe Extreme[]
| G.I. Joe Extreme | |
|---|---|
| Basic figure
Version 1 of Sgt. Savage was released in as a basic figure in the G.I. Joe Extreme toyline in 1995. Appearance: Accessories: Black gun, black rocket, gray catapult. | |
| G.I. Joe Extreme | |
|---|---|
| Detonator Combat Cannon
Version 2 of Sgt. Savage was packaged with the Detonator Combat Cannon in the G.I. Joe Extreme line in 1995. Appearance: Accessories: None, aside from the playset itself. | |
| G.I. Joe Extreme | |
|---|---|
| G.I. Joe Extreme Four-pack
Version 4 of Sgt. Savage was planned for release in a four-pack with Lt. Stone version 4, Freight version 3, and Metalhead version 3 in the G.I. Joe Extreme line in 1996. All four figures were to be in urban assault decoes. Ultimately, the set was not produced. Appearance: Accessories: Black gun. | |
Trivia[]
- The U-boat sabotaged by Savage can be identified by the markings on it's conning tower as U-7. That U-boat did sink during World War II, however the official cause is listed as a malfunction during a diving maneuver.[18] See here for details about the real U-boat.
- Savage's appearance in The Art of War is based on his GI Joe Extreme appearance.
- Considering the P-40 Warhawk has Flying Tiger markings and Savage "joined up in the waning days of 1942," that would mean he started flying as part of the 23rd Fighter Group in China.
- According to secret messages included on packages from the Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles toyline, Savage's favorite foods are hamburgers, french fries, cola, and ice cream. His favorite past times are baseball, basketball, and catching up on the past 50 years of military history.
- In a journal entry on one of Dynamite's file cards,[19] Savage implies he helped destroy the "guns at Navarrone" [sic] and could have used Dynamite in that action. This is a reference to the novel and film The Guns of Navarone, a completely fictional adaptation of the Battle of Leros, which took place in September 1943.
- In a journal entry on one of General Blitz's file cards, Savage makes reference to the 1944 "attack on Anzio."[20] It is unclear if Savage served in Operation Shingle, or if he is just making a cultural reference.
- Other cultural references in other file card journal entries include Joe Dimaggio and Rita Hayworth.[21] [22]
- Holding an E-8 in the U.S. Army Air Force would translate to the E-8 rank of a Senior Master Sergeant in the present day U.S. Air Force.
External links[]
Sgt. Savage on My Useless Knowledge.
Footnotes[]
- ↑ The filecards from the original Sgt. Savage toys gave his name as "Robert S. Savage", the middle name "Steven" was given in the packaging blurb from those toys, and the suffix "Jr." comes from the filecards on the G.I. Joe: Extreme figures.
- ↑ Combat Sgt. Savage's filecard. https://www.yojoe.com/images/resize/w/MAX/filecard/95/combatsgtsavage.jpg
- ↑ Cardback copy from Commando Sgt. Savage. https://www.yojoe.com/images/resize/w/MAX/imagestore/899/34351.jpg
- ↑ Filecard of Fighter Pilot Sgt. Savage. https://www.yojoe.com/images/resize/w/MAX/imagestore/900/68384.jpg
- ↑ Comic on cardback for Commando Sgt. Savage. https://www.yojoe.com/images/resize/w/MAX/imagestore/899/34351.jpg
- ↑ Comic on cardback for Combat Sgt. Savage. https://www.yojoe.com/images/resize/w/MAX/sgtsavage/images/comsavagecardb.jpg
- ↑ Cardback copy from Commando Sgt. Savage. https://www.yojoe.com/images/resize/w/MAX/imagestore/899/34351.jpg
- ↑ Filecard for Commando Sgt. Savage. https://www.yojoe.com/images/resize/w/MAX/filecard/95/commandosgtsavage.jpg
- ↑ Cardback copy from Commando Sgt. Savage. https://www.yojoe.com/images/resize/w/MAX/imagestore/899/34351.jpg
- ↑ Filecard for General Blitz v.1. https://www.yojoe.com/images/resize/w/MAX/filecard/95/genblitz.jpg
- ↑ Comic on cardback for Cryo Freeze Sgt. Savage. https://www.yojoe.com/images/resize/w/MAX/sgtsavage/images/cfsavagecardb.jpg
- ↑ Cryo Freeze Sgt. Savage's filecard. https://www.yojoe.com/images/resize/w/MAX/imagestore/901/37568.jpg
- ↑ Comic on cardback for D-Day v1. https://www.yojoe.com/images/resize/w/MAX/sgtsavage/images/ddaycardb.jpg
- ↑ Filecard for the Arctic Stormtrooper. http://www.yojoe.com/sgtsavage/arctics.shtml
- ↑ Desert-Camo Sgt. Savage's filecard. https://www.yojoe.com/images/resize/w/MAX/filecard/95/desertcamosgtsavage.jpg
- ↑ The Art of War #5
- ↑ http://www.yojoe.com/sgtsavage/misc.shtml
- ↑ Kemp, Paul: U-Boats Destroyed, German Submarine Losses in the World Wars, 1997. p. 170. Arms and Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3
- ↑ http://www.yojoe.com/sgtsavage/dynamite.shtml
- ↑ http://www.yojoe.com/sgtsavage/blitz.shtml
- ↑ http://www.yojoe.com/sgtsavage/comsavage.shtml
- ↑ http://www.yojoe.com/sgtsavage/irons.shtml