For a list of the other versions, see Snake-Eyes.
- Snake-Eyes is a G.I. Joe character from the G.I. Joe film and sequel.
History
In his youth, Snake Eyes, along with Storm Shadow, was trained by the Arashikage Clan. A homeless Caucasian child, entered the clan's home seeking food, only to be caught by a young Storm Shadow who intended to "punish" the stranger for stealing. They both fought around the kitchen with Snake showing remarkable skill at such a young age being able to hold his own against the well-trained Storm Shadow. Their fight was eventually stopped by the clan Master who was impressed with Snake's skill, and despite Storm's protests, allowed the youngster into the clan. While Storm Shadow proceeded to claim Snake to be weak, the Master cheerfully corrected him, saying: "He didn't fight like a weakling." then asked the initiate what he wanted to be known as, thus the origin of his current moniker.
Snake's time between his childhood and the time frame of the film is largely unknown, but he's had several run-ins with Storm Shadow over the years.[citation needed]
Snake trained with the clan with Storm Shadow as his sparring partner. Storm constantly beat him brutally in their training, much to the Master's disapproval. Eventually, Snake was able to beat Storm in a training session; something that pleased him and the Master profoundly. This was not to last though. It appeared that Storm Shadow (angered by the Master favoring an outsider over a true Clan member) attacked the old man and ran him through the back with his sword before fleeing the temple. However, it was later revealed that it was in fact Zartan who killed the Master but Storm was believed to have done this. This act had a profound effect on Snake who considering the Master the closest thing he had to a father. He took a vow of silence and to this day has never spoken a word to anyone, friend or foe alike. He will, however, use hand gestures to talk with the Joe's and many of them have been around long enough to understand him. His voice has only been heard once, after defeating Storm Shadow at Destro's undersea base, he is heard to be breathing heavily, extensively exhausted from the frenetic battle between the two.
Rise of Cobra (2009 Movie)
- Portrayed by Ray Park (adult), and Leo Howard (young)
In the film, Snake is shown to be a highly skilled and valued member of the Joes and is able to take on Cobra's nanotech enhanced soldiers with relative ease. It also seams he has a close kinship with Scarlett, depicted during the debriefing of Duke and Ripcord at The Pitt where she is seen leaning on him affectionately. Whether their relationship is on friendly or intimate terms is not disclosed, though considering Snake's deeply held code, it is possible to be the former rather than the latter. He was known in the Joe's training scenarios as having never taken a hit in combat until Duke took a unorthodox method and just tackled him instead of using the given baton, whereas he offered a cheerful hand to Duke at the end of the fight, signifying his accepting Duke as a brother in arms.
He played a major part in the Paris chase in which he leapt onto the roof of the vehicle that Baroness and Storm Shadow were traveling in, allowing the team to track the vehicle through Paris using his tracking device. The Cobra operatives tried almost everything to shake him off the vehicle but Snake refused to let go much to their annoyance. He eventually let go when he shot the bottom of the car a few times seemingly doing nothing. While the Baroness smugly declared Snake had given up, Storm Shadow knew better from his history with Snake declaring "He never gives up" right after that the vehicle was rammed by an incoming train. Though Cobra was able to fire the missile and escape Snake still managed to help his team by avoiding being caught by the French Police who assumed the Joes where responsible for the attack. He was able to contact General Hawk who sorted the whole thing out even though there was a possibility Alpha team would be decommissioned. He later took part in the Attack in the Arctic by disabling the security system so Scarlett, Ripcord and Breaker could enter. Later he took control of Cobra's weapon system only to lose control of the station when Storm Shadow appeared. In his supposed final battle with Storm Shadow he defeated him using tonfas, stabbing him in the chest.
Retaliation (2013 Movie)
- Portrayed by Ray Park.
Snake Eyes From G.I. Joe: Retaliation
Snake Eyes is first shown following after Storm Shadow, after the latter disguised himself as Snake Eyes. Storm Shadow and ex-Joe Firefly rescue Cobra commander from a penitentiary in Germany. Storm Shadow is injured during the escape. Snake Eyes closes in on them but notices Jinx. Confronting her he learns she is there to help him. However Storm Shadow, Firefly and Cobra Commander flee by helicopter. Snake Eyes had a test against Jinx in which he had to take a hair from her head while she used swords to fend him off. Snake Eyes defeated her in the test. Snake Eyes and Jinx are then sent by the Blind Master to retrieve Storm Shadow. They reach the mountain stronghold of a rival Ninja Clan where Storm Shadow is being nursed back to health. After fighting through numerous Ninja Snake Eyes confronts Storm Shadow and captures him. He and Jinx flee the stronghold with the captured Storm Shadow.
Snake Eyes and Jinx successfully take Storm Shadow back in Japan. Here Stom Shadow grabs the blade that was used to killHard Master, after it breaks he proves that he never killed Hard Master. Snake Eyes and the clan learn that the Hard Master was not killed by Storm Shadow, but Zartan instead. Zartan then took in a angered Storm Shadow. Storm Shadow reveals he joined Cobra to avenge his uncle. Snake Eyes and Jinx, now with Storm Shadow, join the other Joes to stop Cobra. They convince the others Storm Shadow is on their side and the group prepares to take down Cobra.
Later, Snake Eyes teams up with Jinx and Flint in fighting off Cobra's soldiers, while Roadblock fights Firefly and Lady Jaye and Colton rescue the President of the United States. As Storm Shadow wants to chase Snake Eyes stops him only to give him his own sword to perform the kill. After the fight and Cobra's disappearance, Snake Eyes and the other Joes are rewarded by the President, and the G.I. Joe is reinstated.
Personality and abilities
Snake Eyes has always been a reliable member of the G.I. Joe
Due to the fact that Snake-Eyes never spoke, he was very mysterious. However he was clearly a man who kept his promises and after his Master was killed he took a Vow of Silence and communicating through hand gestures instead of words. Snake-Eyes had a fierce rivalry with Storm Shadow which went all the way back to their childhood. Interestingly, Shadow once called Snake-Eyes "brother" despite the fact that they were not related. It's possible that the members of their Clan called each other brother though this is unconfirmed.
Snake loved the Master of the Arashikage Clan like a father and when he was killed the young ninja was devastated. Apparently he hadn't spoken a single word since that day. Snake-Eyes also appeared to share a sibling like relationship with Scarlett. The members of GI Joe often referred to him as "Snake". Storm Shadow once claimed to the Baroness that Snake never gave up.
Snake-Eyes is a master of ninjitsu and is probably the most skilled fighter and operative in the whole of GI Joe. He is a master swordsman, hand to hand combatant and marksman. He is highly proficient at wielding tonfas, Sai, Nunchaku and all kinds of blank weapons. He was also able to throw shurikens and other objects with lethal accuracy. He can use both traditional and modern weaponry during combat, switching effortlessly between swordplay and shooting. Dual wielding his sword and a gun he could slice through multiple armed guards without any trouble. Snake was the only known person in GI Joe who was able to combat Storm Shadow as an equal. He is capable of performing amazing athletic feats as well as moving with great agility. At one point he even managed to fight Storm Shadow whilst gripping onto the side of their vehicle.
Toys
| Rise of Cobra | |
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Collection 1 Wave 1 (2009) "Ninja Commando" Snake Eyes was released in 2009 as part of the first series of Rise of Cobra toys. Appearance: Accessories: black backpack; gray spring-loaded missile launcher connected to a silver pulley and gray missile with green string; silver and black sword; black uzi. |
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Collection 1 Wave 2 (2009) "Paris Pursuit" Snake Eyes was released in 2009 as part of the fourth series of Rise of Cobra toys. Appearance: black face mask with glossy black visor; black shirt and gloves; black pants with dark grey belt and band on left leg; black boots; grey hooded duster with silver strap across chest. Accessories: black HK USP pistol; black HK G36K rifle with skeleton stock, Picatinny rails and Aimpoint optic sight; black ka-bar knife, silver sword with black hilt; black scabbard; gray wolf called Timber. Variations: Timber was also available in black, rather than gray. YoJoe.com page/Filecard |
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Collection 1 Wave 3 (2009) "Arctic Assault" Snake-Eyes was released in 2009 as part of Series 5 of the movie toys. Appearance: white hooded jacket with gray camouflage; black mask with white visor; white gloves; white pants with gray camouflage; white shoes. Accessories: white sash; black backpack connected to two black grappling hooks with black string; black and silver sword; black pick; black pistol. |
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Collection 2 Wave 4 (2009) "City Strike" Snake-Eyes was released in 2009 as part of Series 7 of the movie toys. Appearance: dark grey torso with light gray pads on the shoulders; black gloves; black pants; gray kneepads; grey shinguards; gray boots; dark grey mask with gray goggles; red Arashikage symbol on right arm; dark grey webgear Accessories: black XN-2 Ascension Pack with two grappling hooks on a string; black crampons; silver sword w/ black handle and grey scabbard; silver knife with black handle; black pistol; black G36 assault rifle; black submachine gun; small grey backpack. |
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| Merchandise | |
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12" action figure line 12" Snake-Eyes action figure |
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Combat Heroes (2009) Super deformed Snake-Eyes from the Combat Heroes toy line. Snake-Eyes was also available in a two-pack with Neo-Viper. |
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Action Battlers (2009) Action Battlers Snake-Eyes. |
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12" action figure line 12" Snake-Eyes action figure |
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Combat Heroes (2009) Super deformed Snake-Eyes from the Combat Heroes toy line. Snake-Eyes was also available in a two-pack with Neo-Viper. |
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Action Battlers (2009) Action Battlers Snake-Eyes. |
Trivia
- During production of the movie, one of the studio executives kept pressuring Stephen Sommers to remove Snake-Eyes' mask from the character. Eventually, Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner had to step in and side with Sommers, pointing out that was how Snake-Eyes was meant to look.
- Because of this, there are a few scenes in the film where Snake-Eyes wears a different, simplified mask and uniform. In general, he's hidden so the differences aren't apparent.
- During test-screenings, audiences were given cards on which they were to rate their favorite characters in the film. Despite the fact that Snake-Eyes was not listed on the cards (since he didn't have a speaking role), he consistently won as a write-in vote.[1]
External links
- OAFE - "GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra": Snake-Eyes (City Strike) review
- OAFE - "GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra": Snake-Eyes (Paris Pursuit) review
References
- ↑ According to the commentary track on the dvd.