Serpentor

The character Serpentor in the comics was different from the version in the animated series. While the animated Serpentor was built to be a new, superior leader of Cobra, his comic counterpart was never intended to replace Cobra Commander as he was intended more to be a general to lead and inspire the troops, while Cobra Commander remained in power.

The comic version of Serpentor was created in a manner similar to that of the cartoon, involving Cobra collecting genetic material from various historical figures. However, the comic diverges on a few details, such as the animated Serpentor was slightly unstable due to lacking Sun Tzu's DNA, whereas this oversight did not occur in the comics and Serpentor was created as he was intended. Additionally, while the cartoon explained to some extent which quality each DNA sample was meant to give to Serpentor, the comic did not and the act of collecting the DNA was given much less focus.

Serpentor's first action after being created in Springfield, the true home base of Cobra, was to lead a counterattack against the G.I. Joe assault team that had been sent to the town. Serpentor personally risks his life to rescue one wounded Cobra soldier. His efforts lead many more to safety, resulting in great loyalty among the troops.

While much of the Cobra hierarchy was in some way loyal to Serpentor in the animated series, his relationship with them in the comics was more strained. While he had the loyalty of Dr. Mindbender and several others, he was on shakier terms with the others, particularly the Baroness and Zartan.

Serpentor was also portrayed as having something akin to multiple personalities or schizophrenia, as a result of being created from the DNA of multiple tyrants. During the Cobra civil war, for instance, he is shown wincing in pain, as his mind is filled with voices arguing over how to handle the conflict. When asked what was wrong, he explained that the various personalities within him were arguing.

In another incident, he was able to clearly access memories of one of his genetic forebears. He recalls the invention of the pizza and tells it to a listening group of attentive Dreadnoks.

While Serpentor was meant to be more of a general and figurehead, he was also ambitious, leading to power struggles between Serpentor and other members of the Cobra hierarchy. While there was initial tension between him and Cobra Commander, the latter was absent for much of Serpentor's tenure in COBRA. Instead, Serpentor had to contend with the impostor Fred VII. Fred takes an immediate dislike to Serpentor and the two were often at odds. Their rivalry eventually escalated in to the COBRA civil war, in which G.I. Joe sided with Serpentor to defeat the forces of Fred and the Baroness. It should be noted, however, that for much of this story arc, the Cobra Hierarchy was unaware that Fred VII was not the real Cobra Commander. The U.S. Government decided to support Serpentor, looking at it from the angle that they were supporting a monarch over a dictator. During this conflict, Serpentor met his end at the hands of Zartan, killed by an arrow to the eye.

After this, his body was preserved in cold storage by Dr. Mindbender, for "purely scientific reasons". The body was later put inside the landlocked freighter and buried inside a volcano on COBRA Island, along with a number of "traitors", by the real Cobra Commander. Most of the traitors actually die but Serpentor would return, several years later.