Embedded Files
Snake Eyes is the code name of a member of the G.I. Joe team.
Snake Eyes first appeared in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #1 (June 1982). In the Marvel Comics' continuity Stalker, Tommy Arashikage and Snake Eyes served together in the Vietnam War in a LRRP (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol) unit. Also serving on their LRRP team were Ramon Escobedo, Dickie Saperstein and Wade Collins.
While Snake Eyes served in combat, he always carried a picture of his twin sister with him in his hat for good luck. Tommy and Snake-Eyes became close friends. Tommy was so impressed by Snake-Eyes' fighting skills, he offered him a place in his "family business" when the war was over.
Six months into their tour, while on a mission the LRRP team walked into a valley and stumbled into an encampment of North Vietnamese Army (NVA) soldiers. A firefight ensued, with Ramon, Dickie and Wade all being killed. (Wade Collins actually survives, and later joins Cobra, becoming Fred II of the Fred series Crimson Guardsmen). Snake-Eyes, Stalker and Storm Shadow all retreated to a landing zone for rescue. As the three soldiers ran across a field toward the extraction chopper, they were fired upon. Snake-Eyes was hit badly and Stalker ordered Storm Shadow to leave him. Storm Shadow refused. Concerned for his friend, Tommy went back for Snake Eyes. Running through heavy enemy fire, Tommy was able to get Snake Eyes safely aboard the helicopter and to Stalker's amazement, he evaded all enemy fire.
Snake-Eyes' injuries got him sent back to the United States. When he arrived at the local airport, his parents and sister were nowhere to be found. After hours of waiting, was met by a young army officer named Clayton "Hawk" Abernathy. Hawk told him the tragic news: his parents and sister had been killed in a car wreck just hours before (which coincidentally involved the brother of the man who would eventually become G.I. Joe's arch-foe, Cobra Commander).
After wandering for a time, Snake-Eyes decided to travel to Japan. During the war, Storm Shadow had offered Snake-Eyes a position in the "family business." To his surprise the "family Business" was the Arashikage Ninja Clan lead by Tommy's uncles known as the Hard Master and the Soft Master.
Snake-Eyes felt that he belonged here with this new family and Storm Shadow was like a brother to him. When a rebellious group in the clan attempted to usurp control, Snake-Eyes and Tommy helped bring an end to it. Snake-Eyes became the Hard Master's star pupil. In some ways, his skills surpassed Tommy's. Tommy's uncles began to see Snake-Eyes as a future leader in the clan. A rivalry grew between the two sword brothers as Tommy began to quietly resent Snake-Eyes. For a time Snake-Eyes had found peace with the clan, but tragedy would strike once again. While Tommy and Snake-Eyes trained, the clan was infiltrated by the man known as Firefly. He had been hired by Cobra Commander to kill Snake-Eyes. The Commander's brother had died in the accident that killed Snake-Eyes' family, and he blamed the family's surviving son. Firefly was a master of the Koga clan, and was given access to the Arashikage household. When he saw how skilled Snake-Eyes was, he knew he could not kill him. He then referred Cobra Commander to Zartan. Zartan became the apprentice of Prof. Onihashi, the Arashikage swordsmith.
Snake-Eyes has just finished receiving his first ninja sword and is now an official tattooed member of the Arashikage Clan. The famous group photo of the Arashikage Clan is taken at this ceremony. The people included in that photo: Hard Master, Soft Master, Blind Master, Professor Onihashi, Kimi (Jinx), Tommy Arashikage (Storm Shadow), Snake-Eyes, and the Faceless Master (Firefly).
Later that night Firefly and Zartan meet to plan the assassination of Snake-Eyes. Zartan steals one of Storm Shadow's arrows and Firefly gives Zartan a compound bow with heat and breathing recognition capabilities. He locks the breathing pattern of Snake-Eyes into the settings. The next night, the Hard Master is training Snake-Eyes. The Hard Master mixes in talking about making Snake-Eyes the rightful heir, over Tommy. Snake-Eyes doesn't accept.
The special technique that he is teaching Snake-Eyes is the "Cloak of the Chameleon." Which is a technique that is about taking on the breathing patterns of a different person, in this case the Hard Master is masking as Snake-Eyes. Outside in the courtyard, Zartan has his bow locked on the breathing patterns of the Hard Master, which he thinks is Snake-Eyes. The arrow flies and kills the Hard Master. In another part of the courtyard, the Soft Master spots a man running off, which appears to be Tommy and then Soft Master goes to see that his brother is dead.
Firefly and Zartan fly away in a Cobra helicopter with Tommy in hot pursuit. Tommy was blamed for the assassination of the Hard Master as he did not return. He joined Cobra, vowing to rise through the ranks of the organization and discover who had killed the Hard Master. He calls himself "Storm Shadow," the english translation of "Arashikage."
The death of the Hard Master left the Arashikage clan in disarray and made Snake-Eyes an orphan once more and returns to America. Over the next year or so he lives in a cabin in the High Sierras alone. Snake-Eyes saves a wolf from a bear trap and he names him Timber. Timber becomes his only friend. When Hawk and Stalker were organizing the G.I. Joe team, Stalker suggested Snake-Eyes as a team member. The two went to Snake-Eyes' cabin and Stalker offers Snake-Eyes the opportunity to be one of the first to join a new team of soldiers that is going to fight the worst of the worst the world has to offer. At first, Snake-Eyes refuses but Stalker eventually wins him over. Snake-Eyes now leaves his solitary life behind to become a member of America's elite team of soldiers called G.I. Joe.
Once on the team, Snake-Eyes became close to Scarlett, and they began their long relationship. On an early mission in the Middle East, Snake-Eyes, Scarlett, Rock & Roll and Grunt were sent to save diplomat George Strawhacker from Cobra. On the way, a helicopter accident forced the Joes to bail out, but Scarlett was stuck in the burning chopper. Snake-Eyes stayed behind to save her. He saved Scarlett, but a window exploded in his face, scarring him and damaging his vocal cords. Despite his injuries, Snake-Eyes convinced Hawk to let him continue on with the mission. It turned out that George Strawhacker had been Snake-Eyes' sister's fiancee. When the Cobras tried to pretend they were the prisoner, only Snake-Eyes, who knew George, recognized who the imposters were.
Much of Snake Eyes' history and information, including his real name, place of birth, as well as most everything else about him, have remained classified throughout all depictions of his origin. All that is known for certain about his military standing is that he holds the rank of U.S. Army Sergeant First Class (E-7), has undergone Drill Sergeant training and is a former U.S. Army Special Forces Operative (Delta). He is also the team's resident hand-to-hand combat instructor. Very little else about his past has been revealed. He was originally billed by Hasbro Toys in 1982 as a Commando, but by 1984, in the pages of Marvel Comics, it became clear that he was also a full-fledged ninja master.
In every version of his story, Snake Eyes is quiet in his movements and is a swift and deadly master of multiple martial arts. He is an expert in the use of the ninjato and trench knives (which he collects). He usually carries them in pairs but often uses only one. He is equally qualified with and willing to use standard weapons like firearms and explosives. Making him even more dangerous is that he rarely relies on one set of weapons to the exclusion of others. For instance, in one mission, Snake Eyes is confronted by a ninja with a sai and he defeats him by simply throwing a standard grenade at him. Snake Eyes did give up much of his ninja training in later issues of the G.I. Joe America's Elite comic series.
In keeping with his quiet personality, Snake Eyes usually wears what could perhaps best be described as a black "military ninja" bodysuit, along with a balaclava and visor to cover his face, which was disfigured in a helicopter explosion. Since then, Snake Eyes has had extensive plastic surgery to repair the damage to his face; he still has a few scars left, but his vocal cords can not be repaired.
When shown out of his uniform, Snake Eyes is around six feet tall with an athletic build, blond hair and blue eyes. He has a pet wolf named Timber that has appeared several times in toys, comics, and animation.
Snake Eyes has been shown in many of the continuities of comics and animated series to at some point being romantically involved with fellow G.I. Joe member Master Sergeant Shana M. O'Hara, a.k.a. Scarlett, and he has several apprentices, including Ophelia (Deceased), Kamakura, Tiger Claw, and Jinx.
Vengeance returned to Snake-Eyes' life when he once again met Storm Shadow, now a member of Cobra and Cobra Commander's bodyguard. He confronted Storm Shadow but discovered that he had not killed the Hard Master and had infiltrated Cobra, hoping to discover who killed his uncle. After that, Snake-Eyes continued his missions for the Joe team.
Months later, Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow got a message from the Soft Master. It revealed that the Hard Master's true killer was Zartan. Snake-Eyes disappeared with his old friend, and they both tracked Zartan to Cobra Island. While there, the Joe named Ripcord landed on the island and was being rescued by the Joes. They did not find Zartan because he disguised himself as Ripcord. They fought their way to the Cobra marina and attempted to escape when the Baroness shot Storm Shadow for being a traitor to Cobra. He was thought to be dead, but weeks later, after the Battle of Springfield, he snuck into G.I. Joe headquarters revealing that he had been revived by the same science that created the Cobra Emperor, Serpentor. He told Snake-Eyes that he was tired of living his life for revenge. Snake-Eyes gave him the key to what was left of his cabin, letting his friend stay there and sort out his life.
Snake-Eyes and Scarlett went on a special mission into Asia along with two other Joes. The group's mission went on for months when many possible extraction sites were compromised. During the mission, Snake-Eyes saved the life of a poor farmer who was being forced off his land by a local communist government. Eventually, the team returned home.
Some time after the Joes returned from Southeast Asia, Snake-Eyes finally decided to try and repair his damaged face. While under sedation during his reconstructive surgery, the Baroness attacked the hospital in Europe after learning Snake-Eyes was the same soldier who she thought had shot her brother in Vietnam. She captured Snake-Eyes and shot Scarlett in the head. He escaped Cobra capture and Destro revealed to the Baroness that Snake-Eyes hadn't killed her brother. After all this, Scarlett remained in a coma. Storm Shadow performed the "Arashikage Mind Set" on Snake-Eyes, allowing him to forget his sorrow over Scarlett's apparent death by going on a mission into Borovia. He eventually came out of the mind set and returned home to find Scarlett had survived. Snake-Eyes went on many more missions for the Joe team, including the Battle of Benzheen, a middle eastern country under Cobra's control. During that mission, many Joes lost their lives. He later fought at Destro's castle in Trans-Carpathia, assisting the former Cobra member in breaking his ties with the organization. When Scarlett apparently joined Cobra, Snake-Eyes was devastated until he discovered that it was all part of a ploy to allow Scarlett to infiltrate Cobra. He helped rescue her during a battle in Millville.
For a time, Snake-Eyes and Scarlett lived together in his rebuilt mountain cabin. Unfortunately he was soon forced back into duty. In 1994, on one of Snake-Eyes last missions for the Joe team, he attacked Destro's castle in Eastern Europe. Cobra Commander had taken over the castle and brainwashed Storm Shadow and many other former Cobra members. They now swore allegiance to Cobra and fought against the Joes against their will. Snake-Eyes attempted to free Storm Shadow, but failed. Soon afterward, the word came from the Pentagon that the Joe team was being shut down. At an emotional ceremony at Joe headquarters in Utah, the Joes "retired the colors" leaving the Pit an abandoned army base. After the team was officially shut down, Snake-Eyes went on one last mission with members of the team, fighting Cobra. He again encountered Storm Shadow who remained under the Commander's control.
Reinstatement - Devil's Due Publishing
In the pages G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero by Devil's Due Publishing (published by Image Comics until 2004) Snake Eyes and Scarlett would be reunited again upon G.I. Joe's reinstatement. While initially angry with him, she eventually forgave his actions. The two again became engaged.
Later, after many skirmishes with Cobra, the return of Serpentor (in which Snake Eyes was injured in a grenade blast, from which he quickly recovered), altercations with Storm Shadow, his triumph over the Red Ninja leader Sei Tin (which gave Snake Eyes control of the Red Ninja clan), and a close-call defeat at the hands of the heavily armored Wraith, the team was reduced to a smaller unit, and Snake Eyes, Scarlett, and Duke were in serious trouble. A shadowy cabal of influential generals, known as the Jugglers, had Snake Eyes arrested. When Duke attempted to blackmail them into giving up their attempts to wrest control of G.I. Joe from the Joes themselves, he joined Snake Eyes in prison. Secretly, however, Scarlett met with Storm Shadow (who had broken free of his mind control) and rescued them from a convoy, then escaping to Iceland as vigilantes and hiding out with Scanner until they could figure out what was going on.
Secretly, they were tailed by former Coil agent Overlord, who was working as a freelance mercenary for the Jugglers. Overlord fatally injured Scanner, and locked the Joes in a bomb shelter until Federal Agents could arrive, but Scanner, in his last moments, activated the Icelandic station's self-destruct mechanism, killing Overlord in the blast and saving the Joes, who were in the safe shelter. Days later the team were rescued, and came back to assist Flint, Lady Jaye and General Philip Rey in dealing with a new menace, the Red Shadows, while the rest of the short-staffed team cleaned up the Monolith Base victory in Badhikstan (where Barrel Roll recovered in a nearby hospital). When the Red Shadows attempted to assassinate Hawk as he recovered at a mountain camp, Snake Eyes sent his apprentice, Kamakura, to save him, then joining him and getting Hawk to safety. Snake Eyes would later put his skills to good use in fighting and defeating the Red Shadows before their plot could be set into motion (he even stabbed Wilder Vaughn, although whether it hurt the bio-enhanced Vaughn is unknown).
Amidst all this, Snake Eyes and Kamakura traveled to Asia to assist sword-brother Storm Shadow in finding his apprentice, who had been kidnapped by the Red Ninjas. Snake Eyes helped Storm Shadow defeat the Red Ninja leader, Sei Tin, but the mission was a failure. Snake Eyes relinquished control of the Red Ninjas (which he had won before) to Storm Shadow, bidding him to start the Arashikage anew. Storm Shadow left his clan in T'Jbang's care.
America’s Elite - Devils Due
Snake Eyes was reactivated as a member of the team in its new, sleek covert status with a reduced roster, and when the team was supposed to be "gone", he along with Stalker, Scarlett, Shipwreck, Roadblock, Flint and Duke (and Storm Shadow who also joined them) continued to track down Cobra cells and eliminate them in G.I. Joe: America's Elite.
When Vance Wingfield seemingly returned from the grave and, supplied by Destro, dropped deadly satellites onto major metropolitan areas with MARS equipment, the team scrambled to find answers. Snake Eyes went his own way, not informing the team where he was going. Suspecting the involvement of the saboteur and explosives expert, Firefly, Snake Eyes tracked his quarry to ground zero in Chicago, and interrupted Firefly attempting an assassination on a gang lord. A fight occurred, but more gangsters arrived and Firefly managed to escape.
Upon returning to The Rock, the newly commissioned Joe base, Snake Eyes learned that Scarlett had gone missing. Snake Eyes revealed that both he and Scarlett had implanted tracking devices in one another and that only they knew the frequencies. He input the code and was able to track her location and verify her vital signs, but found her to be in the middle of the ocean. The President wouldn't give their new commander, General G.I. Joe Colton, permission to launch a side mission with Destro still on the loose. The rest of the Joes (with the exception of Duke, also missing) agreed to accompany him on an "unofficial" rescue mission which they termed "shore leave", and Shipwreck lead them to Destro's titanic submarine, the Cataclysm. Together, Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes rematched against Wraith, but Wraith still managed to keep ahead of them, then disappearing into the shadows. Elsewhere on the ship, Destro assessed the situation, realized the Joes would again defeat his Iron Grenadiers, and escaped, but not before he ordered the giant sub be scuttled.
Snake Eyes was killed saving the lives of his comrades in an attempt to rescue Scarlett (who a cold-hearted Destro had planned to use as bait for the Joes). However, the rescue was successful. Later, his body was stolen from the Joe headquarters moments after the team's return, and it has been revealed that the Red Ninjas were the culprits. While Scarlett and the rest of the Joes went searching for clues as to who stole the ninja master's body, the Red Ninjas used mystical arts to revive Snake Eyes, who has now become one of them.
The Joe team faced a ninja in red armor that looked like Snake Eyes and were quickly beaten. Kamukura comments that he cannot be Snake Eyes, but he fights identically to him. Storm Shadow, Stalker and Kamukura dropped into a sewer and chased the Red Ninja. Snake Eyes defeated them all, then engaged in a one-on-one battle with Storm Shadow. Meanwhile, it was discovered that T'JBang has had his mind "exchanged" with Sei Tin, thus explaining T'Jbang's evil machinations.
As Storm Shadow fought Snake Eyes throughout the complex, Storm Shadow tried reasoning with his friend. Eventually, Storm Shadow held an escaped Scarlett at his swords edge, commanding Snake Eyes to choose between killing him, saving Scarlett or remaining a part of the Red Ninja clan. Snake Eyes responded by wounding Storm Shadow, but not killing him. This act has caused Snake Eyes to return to his normal self, and he subsequently re-joined the Joes, though Storm Shadow is now healing.
Shortly after, Scarlett observes as Snake Eyes, in a commando oriented uniform, tests himself in a training session, seemingly abandoning all of his Ninja training and focusing solely on his military training instead. Following the session, Scarlett unmasks Snake Eyes and is shocked at the sight, exclaiming, "Oh my god...what did they do to you?!" It has not yet been revealed what the Red Ninja clan did to Snake Eyes' face.
Later, Snake Eyes reveals to Scarlett, who convinces him to tell Stalker as well, a secret that he learned from Storm Shadow: the Baroness is still alive, and being held captive within the Rock. After this, Scarlett, Stalker and Snake Eyes confront General Colton on the validity of the information, and accuse him of lying.
The argument comes to a close quickly as the team is then attacked by the new Phoenix Guard team led by former G.I. Joe leader General Philip Rey. Colton mentions he has a place to go and hide, which Scarlett again accuses him of having more secrets. Snake Eyes calms her by simply placing his hand on her shoulder. They then lie in wait where Kamukura meets them to tell them of what has happened.
The Joe team fights the Phoenix Guard and learn that they are in fact Cobra agents using Zartan's disguise technology, provided them by Zarana. The next day, Joseph Colton orders everyone on a mandatory four day break. Snake Eyes and Kamukura go on a retreat to the High Serias, while Scarlett goes to Atlanta. While on retreat, Kamukura talks with Snake Eyes about recent events, and tries to rationalize that Snake Eyes could not have died, but must have put himself into a trance. He then argues that Snake Eyes should not have given up his Ninja skills, and that he wishes to work with him to restore his faith. Snake Eyes remains unresponsive throughout this conversation.
Snake Eyes returns to active duty (still as a commando) and investigates a medical facility with Stalker and Scarlett, where they find a fatally injured Scalpel, who informs them that the Baroness is on the loose and will stop at nothing to have revenge on both G.I. Joe and Cobra.
Snake Eyes is part of the team serving in various battles during the final twelve issue arc, World War III. In the final issue, and part of World War III, Snake Eyes comes face to face with Firefly. In this battle, he first uses a gun. Finally, he is convinced by Storm Shadow that he has to use all of his training to defeat his enemy. He picks up a sword and strikes down Firefly. After this, he and Storm Shadow attempt to take Zartan into custody for the crimes he committed against the Hard Master many years ago, but they are unable to capture him. Snake Eyes is shown among the members of the fully restored G.I. Joe team.
Arashikage Showdown
Published by Devils Due, this story involves Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow on a mission for the Arashikage clan.
G.I. Joe: Resolute
Snake Eyes appears in this series in a version of his uniform that resembles his original appearance. In this series, he first appears during a briefing on the attack of the USS Flagg. During an autopsy on Bazooka, a scroll with the Arashikage symbol on it is found. The instructions on the scroll tell Snake Eyes to go where everything began, where he takes out a team of Cobra Neo-Vipers, while Storm Shadow watches and waits. After this battle, a brief history of Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes is shown. In this series, their rivalry comes from Storm Shadow fearing his uncle would teach the seventh move of the Seven Steps to the Sun technique to Snake Eyes. It is shown that Snake Eyes is shot in the throat by Zartan, hired by Storm Shadow from Cobra to take out Storm Shadow's Uncle, resulting in his becoming mute.
Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow face off in a one on one battle. After pinning Snake Eyes down by using the sixth move, Snake Eyes shows that he in fact has learned the final move, and kills Storm Shadow with his hands. The Snake Eyes, Scarlett, and Duke love triangle is also explored slightly in this series. Early on in the episode, Duke makes Scarlett choose between Snake Eyes and himself. Scarlett ultimately decides to be with Duke, and Snake Eyes leaves on his mission.
Ninja Battles
In this movie, which was packaged with a set of figures, a new Ninja Apprentice (who later takes the code name Tiger Claw) is joining the G.I.Joe team and learns of Snake Eyes' and Storm Shadows' past in the Arashikage Clan. This movie serves to explain the rivalry between the two ninjas to some degree, and shows how they deal with each other to this day. Most of the movie is narration over original artwork and some scenes from the previous two movies, as well as some new footage at the end. This movie is not in the same continuity as the comics, and events here do not seem to progress into Sigma Six.
In 2009, IDW Publishing took over the license for the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic series. There are as of March 2009, three new series, including one headed by Larry Hama. These series do not connect to any of the past continuity. Snake Eyes is once again a member of the team
Movie Media
In the 2009 film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Snake Eyesis played as a youth by child actor Leo Howard and as an adult by Martial artist/stunt man Ray Park
In an early draft by Stuart Beattie, he would have spoken as a gag, but Larry Hama convinced him to drop the joke.
Vengeance returned to Snake-Eyes' life when he once again met Storm Shadow, now a member of Cobra and Cobra Commander's bodyguard. He confronted Storm Shadow but discovered that he had not killed the Hard Master and had infiltrated Cobra, hoping to discover who killed his uncle. After that, Snake-Eyes continued his missions for the Joe team.
Months later, Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow got a message from the Soft Master. It revealed that the Hard Master's true killer was Zartan. Snake-Eyes disappeared with his old friend, and they both tracked Zartan to Cobra Island. While there, the Joe named Ripcord landed on the island and was being rescued by the Joes. They did not find Zartan because he disguised himself as Ripcord. They fought their way to the Cobra marina and attempted to escape when the Baroness shot Storm Shadow for being a traitor to Cobra. He was thought to be dead, but weeks later, after the Battle of Springfield, he snuck into G.I. Joe headquarters revealing that he had been revived by the same science that created the Cobra Emperor, Serpentor. He told Snake-Eyes that he was tired of living his life for revenge. Snake-Eyes gave him the key to what was left of his cabin, letting his friend stay there and sort out his life.
Snake-Eyes and Scarlett went on a special mission into Asia along with two other Joes. The group's mission went on for months when many possible extraction sites were compromised. During the mission, Snake-Eyes saved the life of a poor farmer who was being forced off his land by a local communist government. Eventually, the team returned home.
Some time after the Joes returned from Southeast Asia, Snake-Eyes finally decided to try and repair his damaged face. While under sedation during his reconstructive surgery, the Baroness attacked the hospital in Europe after learning Snake-Eyes was the same soldier who she thought had shot her brother in Vietnam. She captured Snake-Eyes and shot Scarlett in the head. He escaped Cobra capture and Destro revealed to the Baroness that Snake-Eyes hadn't killed her brother. After all this, Scarlett remained in a coma. Storm Shadow performed the "Arashikage Mind Set" on Snake-Eyes, allowing him to forget his sorrow over Scarlett's apparent death by going on a mission into Borovia. He eventually came out of the mind set and returned home to find Scarlett had survived. Snake-Eyes went on many more missions for the Joe team, including the Battle of Benzheen, a middle eastern country under Cobra's control. During that mission, many Joes lost their lives. He later fought at Destro's castle in Trans-Carpathia, assisting the former Cobra member in breaking his ties with the organization. When Scarlett apparently joined Cobra, Snake-Eyes was devastated until he discovered that it was all part of a ploy to allow Scarlett to infiltrate Cobra. He helped rescue her during a battle in Millville.
For a time, Snake-Eyes and Scarlett lived together in his rebuilt mountain cabin. Unfortunately he was soon forced back into duty. In 1994, on one of Snake-Eyes last missions for the Joe team, he attacked Destro's castle in Eastern Europe. Cobra Commander had taken over the castle and brainwashed Storm Shadow and many other former Cobra members. They now swore allegiance to Cobra and fought against the Joes against their will. Snake-Eyes attempted to free Storm Shadow, but failed. Soon afterward, the word came from the Pentagon that the Joe team was being shut down. At an emotional ceremony at Joe headquarters in Utah, the Joes "retired the colors" leaving the Pit an abandoned army base. After the team was officially shut down, Snake-Eyes went on one last mission with members of the team, fighting Cobra. He again encountered Storm Shadow who remained under the Commander's control.
Reinstatement - Devil's Due Publishing
In the pages G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero by Devil's Due Publishing (published by Image Comics until 2004) Snake Eyes and Scarlett would be reunited again upon G.I. Joe's reinstatement. While initially angry with him, she eventually forgave his actions. The two again became engaged.
Later, after many skirmishes with Cobra, the return of Serpentor (in which Snake Eyes was injured in a grenade blast, from which he quickly recovered), altercations with Storm Shadow, his triumph over the Red Ninja leader Sei Tin (which gave Snake Eyes control of the Red Ninja clan), and a close-call defeat at the hands of the heavily armored Wraith, the team was reduced to a smaller unit, and Snake Eyes, Scarlett, and Duke were in serious trouble. A shadowy cabal of influential generals, known as the Jugglers, had Snake Eyes arrested. When Duke attempted to blackmail them into giving up their attempts to wrest control of G.I. Joe from the Joes themselves, he joined Snake Eyes in prison. Secretly, however, Scarlett met with Storm Shadow (who had broken free of his mind control) and rescued them from a convoy, then escaping to Iceland as vigilantes and hiding out with Scanner until they could figure out what was going on.
Secretly, they were tailed by former Coil agent Overlord, who was working as a freelance mercenary for the Jugglers. Overlord fatally injured Scanner, and locked the Joes in a bomb shelter until Federal Agents could arrive, but Scanner, in his last moments, activated the Icelandic station's self-destruct mechanism, killing Overlord in the blast and saving the Joes, who were in the safe shelter. Days later the team were rescued, and came back to assist Flint, Lady Jaye and General Philip Rey in dealing with a new menace, the Red Shadows, while the rest of the short-staffed team cleaned up the Monolith Base victory in Badhikstan (where Barrel Roll recovered in a nearby hospital). When the Red Shadows attempted to assassinate Hawk as he recovered at a mountain camp, Snake Eyes sent his apprentice, Kamakura, to save him, then joining him and getting Hawk to safety. Snake Eyes would later put his skills to good use in fighting and defeating the Red Shadows before their plot could be set into motion (he even stabbed Wilder Vaughn, although whether it hurt the bio-enhanced Vaughn is unknown).
Amidst all this, Snake Eyes and Kamakura traveled to Asia to assist sword-brother Storm Shadow in finding his apprentice, who had been kidnapped by the Red Ninjas. Snake Eyes helped Storm Shadow defeat the Red Ninja leader, Sei Tin, but the mission was a failure. Snake Eyes relinquished control of the Red Ninjas (which he had won before) to Storm Shadow, bidding him to start the Arashikage anew. Storm Shadow left his clan in T'Jbang's care.
America’s Elite - Devils Due
Snake Eyes was reactivated as a member of the team in its new, sleek covert status with a reduced roster, and when the team was supposed to be "gone", he along with Stalker, Scarlett, Shipwreck, Roadblock, Flint and Duke (and Storm Shadow who also joined them) continued to track down Cobra cells and eliminate them in G.I. Joe: America's Elite.
When Vance Wingfield seemingly returned from the grave and, supplied by Destro, dropped deadly satellites onto major metropolitan areas with MARS equipment, the team scrambled to find answers. Snake Eyes went his own way, not informing the team where he was going. Suspecting the involvement of the saboteur and explosives expert, Firefly, Snake Eyes tracked his quarry to ground zero in Chicago, and interrupted Firefly attempting an assassination on a gang lord. A fight occurred, but more gangsters arrived and Firefly managed to escape.
Upon returning to The Rock, the newly commissioned Joe base, Snake Eyes learned that Scarlett had gone missing. Snake Eyes revealed that both he and Scarlett had implanted tracking devices in one another and that only they knew the frequencies. He input the code and was able to track her location and verify her vital signs, but found her to be in the middle of the ocean. The President wouldn't give their new commander, General G.I. Joe Colton, permission to launch a side mission with Destro still on the loose. The rest of the Joes (with the exception of Duke, also missing) agreed to accompany him on an "unofficial" rescue mission which they termed "shore leave", and Shipwreck lead them to Destro's titanic submarine, the Cataclysm. Together, Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes rematched against Wraith, but Wraith still managed to keep ahead of them, then disappearing into the shadows. Elsewhere on the ship, Destro assessed the situation, realized the Joes would again defeat his Iron Grenadiers, and escaped, but not before he ordered the giant sub be scuttled.
Snake Eyes was killed saving the lives of his comrades in an attempt to rescue Scarlett (who a cold-hearted Destro had planned to use as bait for the Joes). However, the rescue was successful. Later, his body was stolen from the Joe headquarters moments after the team's return, and it has been revealed that the Red Ninjas were the culprits. While Scarlett and the rest of the Joes went searching for clues as to who stole the ninja master's body, the Red Ninjas used mystical arts to revive Snake Eyes, who has now become one of them.
The Joe team faced a ninja in red armor that looked like Snake Eyes and were quickly beaten. Kamukura comments that he cannot be Snake Eyes, but he fights identically to him. Storm Shadow, Stalker and Kamukura dropped into a sewer and chased the Red Ninja. Snake Eyes defeated them all, then engaged in a one-on-one battle with Storm Shadow. Meanwhile, it was discovered that T'JBang has had his mind "exchanged" with Sei Tin, thus explaining T'Jbang's evil machinations.
As Storm Shadow fought Snake Eyes throughout the complex, Storm Shadow tried reasoning with his friend. Eventually, Storm Shadow held an escaped Scarlett at his swords edge, commanding Snake Eyes to choose between killing him, saving Scarlett or remaining a part of the Red Ninja clan. Snake Eyes responded by wounding Storm Shadow, but not killing him. This act has caused Snake Eyes to return to his normal self, and he subsequently re-joined the Joes, though Storm Shadow is now healing.
Shortly after, Scarlett observes as Snake Eyes, in a commando oriented uniform, tests himself in a training session, seemingly abandoning all of his Ninja training and focusing solely on his military training instead. Following the session, Scarlett unmasks Snake Eyes and is shocked at the sight, exclaiming, "Oh my god...what did they do to you?!" It has not yet been revealed what the Red Ninja clan did to Snake Eyes' face.
Later, Snake Eyes reveals to Scarlett, who convinces him to tell Stalker as well, a secret that he learned from Storm Shadow: the Baroness is still alive, and being held captive within the Rock. After this, Scarlett, Stalker and Snake Eyes confront General Colton on the validity of the information, and accuse him of lying.
The argument comes to a close quickly as the team is then attacked by the new Phoenix Guard team led by former G.I. Joe leader General Philip Rey. Colton mentions he has a place to go and hide, which Scarlett again accuses him of having more secrets. Snake Eyes calms her by simply placing his hand on her shoulder. They then lie in wait where Kamukura meets them to tell them of what has happened.
The Joe team fights the Phoenix Guard and learn that they are in fact Cobra agents using Zartan's disguise technology, provided them by Zarana. The next day, Joseph Colton orders everyone on a mandatory four day break. Snake Eyes and Kamukura go on a retreat to the High Serias, while Scarlett goes to Atlanta. While on retreat, Kamukura talks with Snake Eyes about recent events, and tries to rationalize that Snake Eyes could not have died, but must have put himself into a trance. He then argues that Snake Eyes should not have given up his Ninja skills, and that he wishes to work with him to restore his faith. Snake Eyes remains unresponsive throughout this conversation.
Snake Eyes returns to active duty (still as a commando) and investigates a medical facility with Stalker and Scarlett, where they find a fatally injured Scalpel, who informs them that the Baroness is on the loose and will stop at nothing to have revenge on both G.I. Joe and Cobra.
Snake Eyes is part of the team serving in various battles during the final twelve issue arc, World War III. In the final issue, and part of World War III, Snake Eyes comes face to face with Firefly. In this battle, he first uses a gun. Finally, he is convinced by Storm Shadow that he has to use all of his training to defeat his enemy. He picks up a sword and strikes down Firefly. After this, he and Storm Shadow attempt to take Zartan into custody for the crimes he committed against the Hard Master many years ago, but they are unable to capture him. Snake Eyes is shown among the members of the fully restored G.I. Joe team.
Arashikage Showdown
Published by Devils Due, this story involves Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow on a mission for the Arashikage clan.
G.I. Joe: Resolute
Snake Eyes appears in this series in a version of his uniform that resembles his original appearance. In this series, he first appears during a briefing on the attack of the USS Flagg. During an autopsy on Bazooka, a scroll with the Arashikage symbol on it is found. The instructions on the scroll tell Snake Eyes to go where everything began, where he takes out a team of Cobra Neo-Vipers, while Storm Shadow watches and waits. After this battle, a brief history of Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes is shown. In this series, their rivalry comes from Storm Shadow fearing his uncle would teach the seventh move of the Seven Steps to the Sun technique to Snake Eyes. It is shown that Snake Eyes is shot in the throat by Zartan, hired by Storm Shadow from Cobra to take out Storm Shadow's Uncle, resulting in his becoming mute.
Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow face off in a one on one battle. After pinning Snake Eyes down by using the sixth move, Snake Eyes shows that he in fact has learned the final move, and kills Storm Shadow with his hands. The Snake Eyes, Scarlett, and Duke love triangle is also explored slightly in this series. Early on in the episode, Duke makes Scarlett choose between Snake Eyes and himself. Scarlett ultimately decides to be with Duke, and Snake Eyes leaves on his mission.
Ninja Battles
In this movie, which was packaged with a set of figures, a new Ninja Apprentice (who later takes the code name Tiger Claw) is joining the G.I.Joe team and learns of Snake Eyes' and Storm Shadows' past in the Arashikage Clan. This movie serves to explain the rivalry between the two ninjas to some degree, and shows how they deal with each other to this day. Most of the movie is narration over original artwork and some scenes from the previous two movies, as well as some new footage at the end. This movie is not in the same continuity as the comics, and events here do not seem to progress into Sigma Six.
In 2009, IDW Publishing took over the license for the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic series. There are as of March 2009, three new series, including one headed by Larry Hama. These series do not connect to any of the past continuity. Snake Eyes is once again a member of the team
Movie Media
In the 2009 film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Snake Eyesis played as a youth by child actor Leo Howard and as an adult by Martial artist/stunt man Ray Park
In an early draft by Stuart Beattie, he would have spoken as a gag, but Larry Hama convinced him to drop the joke.
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins (or simply Snake Eyes) is a 2021 American superhero film loosely based on Hasbro's G.I. Joe toy line character Snake Eyes. It is the third installment in the G.I. Joe film series. It serves as an origin story for the title character, while also being a reboot of the film series. The film stars Henry Golding as Snake Eyes, with Andrew Koji, Úrsula Corberó, Samara Weaving, and Iko Uwais in supporting roles.
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