Zartan (SG)

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Character Note:

Canonical/Pre-MUX/Theme History:
Zartan can imitate anyone he wishes to an exact physical and vocal likeness. This is done through a mix of holograms, illusions and hypnosis. Zartan is also fluent in twenty languages and dialects, a ventriloquist, an expert martial artist, master archer and the leader of the biker gang known as the Dreadnoks.

His first encounter with Cobra was when the man who would become Cobra Commander hired him to kill Snake-Eyes on Firefly's recommendation. Zartan entered the Arashikage dojo as the student of the clan's swordsmith Onihashi. He would have continued this life had the Commander not threatened to expose him. Using one of Storm Shadow's arrows, Zartan accidentally killed Storm Shadow's uncle, who was impersonating Snake-Eyes at the time. This event destroyed the clan, and caused Storm Shadow to join Cobra in an attempt to find the real killer.

The exact details of how Zartan came to lead the Dreadnoks (at the time only Buzzer, Ripper and Torch) is unclear. Somewhere along the way, he became their leader and moved them from Australia to the Florida Everglades. Zartan and the Dreadnoks were used by Cobra as hired muscle for jobs that required his unique skills or jobs that required absolutely no finese at all. However, his relationship with Cobra was on and off, sometimes by choice and other times by brainwashing.

He began to expand the Dreadnoks, first adding his sister Zarana (who served as his second-in-command), brother Zandar, and the Thunder Machine driver Thrasher. Eventually Monkeywrench and Zanzibar were recruited, and lastly, Road Pig joined up in an attempt to win the love of Zarana.

Zartan was featured in issue #48, where he had been brought into the Pit, the Joe's Headquarters, disguised as an injured Joe, Ripcord. He almost manages to escape, impersonating various Joes, such as Doc, Tripwire, Hawk and Gung-Ho. Zartan is confronted by Sgt. Slaughter while impersonating Gung-Ho, as the real Gung-Ho is standing next to him. Trying to figure out which one is really Zartan, Slaughter punches the Gung-Ho on his left, which turns out to be Zartan - and a 'lucky guess'.

Zartan is famous for delivering the killing blow to Serpentor during the Cobra Civil War by shooting the Cobra emperor with his longbow. After the war, Zartan eventually deserted Cobra and the Dreadnoks while his sister continued to work with Cobra Commander II. He briefly aided the Joes and suggested to them that Dr. Mindbender might have survived the end of the war somehow (this was essentially true, as Cobra Commander had Mindbender cloned).

He went on to work with Destro and retook the Silent Castle. At this time, Mindbender revealed to Cobra Commander that he had previously implanted brain implants in both Destro and Zartan -- the trigger was the Commander's unmasked face. Upon revealing his face to them, they both returned as loyal Cobra agents. It was also around this time when Zartan sported a new look, including an orange mohawk and black jacket.