@@Notathug It was supposed to be, and then the Transformers movie tanked at the box office so the MLP and GI Joe movies were retooled and released as home videos.
@AboveAverageMan97 yeah. Bad guys are bad guys while heroes can be heroes while the diversity happens naturally especially with IP like this. No message needed.
@AboveAverageMan97Well at least the Dem’s leader wouldn’t call the joes suckers and losers and claim a rich donor’s medal of honor is better than Snake Eyes’ medals cuz the rich donor isn’t a disfigured mute who has to wear a mask. “Sad!”
@@DarthVoxyn I mean just in this intro, on the Joes side, we've got two women, 2 black guys, a ninja of unknown...anything really...at least in the cartoon, I'm sure comics have gone into it...
G.i. Joe is the codename for America's daring special mission Force, its purpose to defend human freedom against Cobra the ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world --- 23 seconds
@@deadcool3227true they are failed to explaine. This is one of the members of manyakol team hehehe 🤣😁 not a joke.. a bullshit nagnakaw ng fb the cloner group bisayang mga dilawan
No there's going to be a Jem, g.i. joe and transformersmovie crossover.(lie) In the meantime enjoy the the space knight throwing down optimus prime in Revolution the comic the crossover that includes many of Hasbro's products.
his gun is quite the same as Antares and his militia used in Adieu Galaxy Express 999. go watch the scene he and his goons stormed Megalopolis Central Train Station. and scenes where Machine Empire goons shooting back and shooting at Tetsuro while he was climbing towards the 999. AFAIK Machine Empire also use the same guns Hawk does.
Cobra sounds intimidating - until there vehicles get hit by one laser bolt in the bumper and xplode and their common troops get punched once in the shoulder and are knocked out
It sort of helps that this was actually going to be the ending of a major plot in an episode that (probably due to the budget involved) got bumped, so it got used in the movie intro
The 80s comics are even better. Weirdly in the comics GiJoe was not doing so well. Most Joe casualties were caused by Cobra, and most Cobra casualties were caused by Cobra in fighting.
I wouldn't call myself a patriotic man. I don't get all teary eyed when the national anthem plays. But for some reason I still feel compelled to keep my hand at full salute for the entirety of this intro.
I'm not even an AMERICAN, and this still gets your blood pumping for the U.S. of A. This is patriotism done right; loud, heroic and kicking terrorism right in its stupid face. :P
I just found out my car was replaced by a box that can turn to a Mustang, fighter jet or tank and it's engine is Hulk Hogan's theme song and 'Murica styled bazookas come out of the muffler instead of smoke... I'm overdoing the joke aren't I?
G.I. Joe is the code name for America’s daring highly trained special mission force. It’s purpose: To defend human freedom against COBRA, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world.
G.I. JOE IS THE CODENAME FOR AMERICA'S DARING HIGHLY TRAINED SPECIAL MISSIONS FORCE IT'S PURPOSE TO DEFEND HUMAN FREEDOM AGAINST COBRA THE RUTHLESS TERRORIST ORGANIZATION DETERMINED TO RULE THE WORLD.🇺🇲
I remember watching this as a kid in the 80s. When I first heard the beginning and the theme song, I thought “oh crap, cobra took over.” It was scary af.
That's why Cobra commandos stopped being people and became B.A.T.'s, because there was so many troops "dying" they had to make them robots to keep it a kids show. LMAO
@@jasonzacharias2150if you want to limit the Bill of Rights or make special exceptions to where you don't have to follow the literal text of the US Constitution then you aren't an American. MOLON LABE! #fjb #letsgobrandon #2A
“A soldier has died in the line of duty. Per his request, we will sing our Nation Anthem in his honor... “Crashing through the sky” Comes a fear full cry Cobra! (Cobra!) Cobra! (Cobraaaaaaa)
It comes with the territory of being determined to hurt democracy, even if you’re a buffoon like Cobra Commander could be. And it’s just as nuts when Duke gives Cobra their bomb back
@@Beelzeboogie It so would be something Destro would do. :) Not to mention it could have been something he had his company make, given how M.A.R.S. Industries usually handles ALL of Cobra's weaponry and tech.
@@Beelzeboogie That also seems on brand plus this was during Serpentors time so he might have also been happy to martyr Cobra Commander. But also there might have just been the plan 'no, no, we are not giving them time to disarm'
Even as a kid I was never a big fan of the Cobra-La stuff, but this intro alone made me rent the VHS tape so many times that the owner of my local mom-and-pop rental shop eventually just said I paid for it and gave it to me.
Yeah, I always preferred the more grounded stuff from the early days of the toys and comic. Of course I still watched the cartoon every day after school. Seeing that opening, only to be followed by Falcon being lame, which sucked because my old man was Army Special Forces like Falcon (his patch on the figure was upside down). Then on top of that they went full scale science fiction with a touch of body horror. Okay so Cobra Commander turning into a literal cobra was pretty cool though. So yeah, that opening had me renting it way more than the actual story too!
I just realized Duke grabbed the explosive with only 7 seconds left. The Statue of Liberty is just over 300' tall. The paratroopers were at full chute deployment well above that height. Even experienced jumpers, who are willing to risk severe opening shock, need about the 300' feet. So, even as an extreme lowball, let's say the Carrier was about 800 feet. There is no way Duke knew he was going to be able to fly that far, in that short amount of time, and escape safely. But still, he grabbed that bomb, ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for his country, and the lives of his fellow soldiers, whom would have surely died in such a massive explosion. That's why the 80s version was so badass... Or maybe I'm just over analyzing a children's show...
I'm pretty sure the writers didn't exactly put that much thought into the implications, but even if was accidental the implications are 100% on-brand for GI Joe in general and in character for Duke specifically.
@Jack Rabbit We call those Liberals. They're great at deceiving people into thinking that they're American, when a lot of us know that they are aliens.
I thought Resolute was the best too. The only downside of that movie was that I wished it had more than four people in in. Seriously, there are only four people listed in the casting page: Charlie Alder, Eric Bauza, Steven Jay Blum and Grey DeLisle. Don't get me wrong, they're all great veterans in the field of voice acting, but hearing Grey's voice in everyone without a Y chromosome kinda takes you out of it. And hearing Duke and Ripcord working together against Zartan really stretched Spike Spiegel's range. But hey, still only a minor gripe for what was basically a series of short five minute episodes pooled together from a modest budget, and they still pulled it off. Bravo to Warren Ellis. Also, I kinda hoped they would go full-on Lovecraft with Cobra-La in the movie. Overfiend even. (well, maybe not that far)
I was a rice and curry eating Sri Lankan 3.18 minutes ago, now I am Bourbon sipping steak eating Red, White and Blue blooded proud American. God Bless America. Yo Joe !
Only Cobra would have the balls to attempt to blow up the Statue of Liberty live on TV during the 4th of July! Of course this possibly also meant that ALL of GI Joe would be standing by, since the 4th is probably their most celebrated holiday, but I digress. You got balls, Cobra.
Well since they’re terrorists, their goal (by definition) is to cause everyone to fear them so they’ll do what they want. Blowing up one of America’s most treasured landmarks which symbolizes freedom on one of America’s most treasured holidays which celebrates freedom would definitely cause a lot of fear.
It's such a beautiful intro there's absolutely no dialogue just the song shitload of action we are to watch it figure it out ourselves you are one hundred percent spot-on he's got huge balls to try to pull this off
the sheer balls to pull that off means that Cobra is serious also if successful, that would be a heavy psychological effect on the American people. Mostly likely to piss off us unless if they had plans for that.
It's the Gundam logic. The MC will blow up entire space-faring batteships, killing the entire crew, but then have hangups about killing one enemy in a duel.
Actually that was the reopening of the statue of liberty, in the mid 1980s the statue was given a total overhaul, it had fallen into some disrepair and it was covered in scaffolding for over a year while the work was done.
In my mid-40's now and still get hype AF to this! When it transitions from the intense "Cobra" theme to the patriotic "GI Joe" theme, it nearly brings tears to my eyes, lol
@@politecat4236 Same. This "memory-line". But how sick is that over all this years it is still that epic. I mean, I watched so many things from my childhood, and this is something that even got bigger. This and Transformers animated movie,
+JetSetDex that would be the ultimate comedy skit. some guys working late an an office in new york. they see this and you can hear this in the background. they call 911 panicking.
I’m 42 years old and I’m just glad I am not the only one. I don’t know which one is better this intro or hot rod unleashing the autobot matrix of leadership!
It was better than the animated movie too, sadly. They kinda blew their load in the first few minutes, and spent the rest of the rundown wiping everything down awkwardly.
1:05-1:10 or so is, to this day, one of my favorite musical traditions of all time. Between the sound and the animation going on, it's just one of those "The good guys/cavalry arrives" things that is hard to achieve but amazing when it's done.
I’ve seen men catch bullets with their bare hands, sword fights That can cut through dimensions, giant mechs fighting giant monsters, super-soldiers fall from orbit and survive, witches that can bend reality, a Titan who wiped out half the universe, and a man who literally out ran time itself. But *THIS* 0:39 an animated intro of a bunch of international terrorist jumping from an air ship, assaulting one of America’s most prized monuments yelling their organization’s name COBRA at the top of their lungs has to be one of the most badass things I’ve ever seen!
it really reminds me of RA2... I wonder if its inspired by GI Joe... theres a mission where the soviets are trying to destroy the statue of liberty as well, and the allies have GIs as infantry units... Theyre both like semi-silly semi-serious style and stuff except RA2 has soviets and allied nations
@@M4A1BestGirl Now all we need is to add GI Joe with Captain America, the Freedom Fighters from Batman the Brave and the Bold and The Iron Patriot and the Patrioteer from Ultimate Spiderman. And we've got the perfect army of the Finest American Heroes.
Yeah, I'm sure our love of 80s toon is a sensible indicator of how the whole world was going when we were kids. Anyway, I'm off to read about how Reagan dealt with AIDS and Iran while taking a big sip of coffee....
My favourite part is when Cobra Commander gets punched right off Lady Liberty and we see the battle reflected in his iconic mask. There's just something about that part that stands out from the whole thing for me.
Yeah, it always has. I originally thought it was something written reflected on it was a kid. As an adult I realize I'm thinking about the wrong Cobra.
Just imagine. You watch the show as a kid and then you went to see this in theaters for the first time along with that revamped version of the theme song. That had to have been something.
@@MicTheOni - Unfortunately, despite plans for a theatrical release, it never actually played in theaters. It went direct to video (and broadcast TV!) in the spring of 1987. Hasbro's other animated theatrical films flopped so they dumped it straight to TV, but WOW, that opening blew me away back in the day....even on a 20" TV with crummy little speaker! (I still have the VHS recording I taped on the day it premiered, complete with TV ads from 37 years ago!). Hah, we didn't even have stereo sound! At least I saw Transformers the Movie in a theater, that was an awesome experience!
and we actually didn't care when we were kids because they were all pretty awesome and the show never made a big deal of it. Current year hollywood could learn a thing or two from that.
And also it was ACTUALLY diverse: the characters had their flaws, their own abilities, different personalities and quirks. They weren't caricatures and pathetic purse puppies like Marvel and DC do nowadays, but they felt like _real people_ you could actually relate too no matter the race or sex.
Memorial Day of 1987 was when I 1st saw this, I remember because right after the local airport held an air show and we had these WWII planes flying over our house; perfect, damn timing!
(Cobra's Advisors): "We've got all our assets in place, now let's maneuver our forces to seize these tactical strongpoints in New York City and then dig in for a counterattack." (Cobra Commander): "Screw that, let's all just drop down on the Statue of Liberty instead!"
Though it was actually Serpentor leading at the time. "NO! We shall attack the Statue of Liberty! THIS, I COMMAND!". Gods I loved Serpentor for being this absolutely rock stupid, make Cobra Commander look downright sensible, villain that all the villains jag off to anyway and refuse to admit is a bigger bungler than Cobra Commander... except Cobra Commander.
This intro is hands down the best cartoon intro ever. In a little over 3 min you get more plot and action then almost any full length movie nowadays. The animation was so detailed, almost as detailed as Thundercats. Even over 30 years later, it stands the test of time. Not to mention the soundtrack still gives me goosebumps. Cobras theme is all deep and foreboding... And GI Joe song feels like they should be riding in on giant Bald Eagles while firing star spangled lasers out thier eyes and punching Hitler in the dick!
A great deal of the intros to all the great 80s cartoons we grew up with we're animated by japanese studios. Thundercats, Bionic Six, Pole Position, Bravestarr, Silver Hawks, etc...all those intros stood out so much compared to the actual shows. Not so quite american made but still great to watch.
Jose Laureano - That is very true. Many people don't realize that the Japanese style has been on American television's for a very long time. I'll also throw in The Mighty Orbots & Robotech (that's obviously anime).
I overheard my mom say the “Cobrrraaaaaa” and I came back to watch this video and shed a tear as I remembered how amazing this was when I watched it as a kid and how it’s still amazing to this day
Wow, when I read your comment an instant sensation hit my heart or soul. Saturday Morning Cartoons, and Tony the Tiger 🐅 Frosted Flakes They ‘re Grrreat and GI Joe Eat them fast or they get soggy. For a millisecond I time traveled to my childhood, with your comment Thank you, Dr. Gonter
This is the most 80s intro to the most 80s animated movie in the history of cartoon propaganda and merchandise since, like, forever. AND I FRIKKIN LUV IT.
Truly an amazing opening sequence. The illustrators achieved a real masterpiece of dynamic action. An exceptional coda to an era. Thanks for the memories!
I don't care who you are, where you're from, or what your preferences are, this HAS to be acknowledged as the aboslute pinnacle -- the incontestible zenith -- of 1980s animation. And if you can think of anything better, I'd like to see it, because this movie intro is bloody amazing.
Hoo-ahh!! That's our nation flag, no one & nothing can take that away. If anyone tries to take or destroy our country & its ideals. Like terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda & Taliban...others like them. They'll be in for one Hell of a fight.
Yeah, pretty much. Between GI-JOE, Chuck Norris and Rambo, the Americans had the Soviets outgunned so the Soviet leadership gave up the Cold War and let Eastern Europe go.
The Soviets had the Oktober Guard, which also fought against groups like Cobra and The Dreadnoks. They were more rivals, than enemies of the joes. In that they usually operated in countries that weren't friendly with the United States.
That's good to know. I can imagine the October Guard being merciless to Cobra and being brutal to any Cobra personnel that they get their hands on. Anyhow, it's good that the October Guard had the parts of the world that weren't friendly to the U.S covered.
It’s a small thing, but I love how the Statue of Liberty in most of the shots is animated in the foreground rather than the background. Even in scenes where she doesn’t move her color palette is bright and visible like the Joes. Animating those insane camera pans like the flag being flowing up to her crown took a lot of time and effort, but boy, does that effort show in the final cut.
Ditto! I was a very happy dork of a little girl when those were on. Mind you, I’m 39, and just as much of a dork. I still watch episodes of G1 Transformers and G.I Joe A Real American Hero that I’ve taped on Discovery Family.
I remember watching as a kid but I didn't undertand. Now I question it...as a terrorist group you WANT all the media attention you can get your hands on.
Larry Hama is a sharp guy and he knows his history, especially about military units and stuff. Political/News soldiers were a real thing during the 20th century. Crimson Guardsmen were basically Cobra's KGB/CIA agents as well as their News Soldiers.
I like to think that the actual movie was another universe. Where everyone was stupid. And the intro is the real universe. Also supposedly this was going to be the original ending to their original idea for the movie.
I read that The Movie is best regarded as "G.I. Joe: the Halloween Special" and should have ended with a postscript of Shipwreck telling the tale to a bunch of schoolkids
Duke flying the flag to the top of Lady Liberty will always make me tear up. As an 11-year old first seeing this on a Saturday afternoon, I had never been more proud to be an American and Joe fan as in that moment. Truth!
Ever since as a child, I've always been a fan of Cobra aesthetics, and that love for villain uniform never stopped going from one villain to another. Fricking WWII Germans, Galactic Empire, Helghast, etc. Bad guys know how to dress, I tell ya.
Bro, this has to be one of the greatest animated intros ever. I mean, come on… a battle between good and evil at the Statue of Liberty?!?!? This shit is GOATed.
