Cobra Viper
From Transformers Wiki
| The name or term "Viper" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Viper (disambiguation). |
Cobra Vipers are the backbone of Cobra's infantry forces: numerous, anonymous and not very skilled. Vipers who specialize in a specific field of combat may be transferred to a specialized Viper division; those who don't show any particular aptitude remain in the Viper corps. [1]
The only Cobra Vipers whose names are known are Percy and Agent Smith.
Contents |
Fiction
Marvel Generation 2 comic
When Destro and the Baroness hid out in the secret corridors of the Silent Castle, the Cobra Vipers manning the base were set out to find the two traitors. They proved ineffective in stopping the two from escaping with Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow. Unfoldings!
Several Cobra Vipers tried to defend Silent Castle from Megatron. They failed miserably. Thankfully, Megatron's mood shifted from murderous rage to intrigue shortly after he breached the castle's walls and happened upon the impressive technology housed within. Realignments Later, a group of Vipers were duped by Zartan into handing over control of Silent Castle after the shapeshifter took on the form of Cobra Commander.
Elsewhere, after Cobra Commander had struck a devil's bargain with the Decepticon leader for Cybertronian technology, he ordered his Vipers to take the booty to safety before someone thought to reclaim it. Goin' South Unfortunately for Cobra, someone did. After the troops had been spread out the deal with an attack from the Joes on multiple fronts, Sucker Punch Final Transformations the Protectobot named Hot Spot fought his way through Vipers riding Detonators and HISS tanks to prevent the terrorist organization from taking innocent lives with Autobot tech. Snake-Eyes and the Joes team jumped in to assist Hot Spot in the recovery op, and the Vipers ultimately received nothing for their troubles, as the badly-wounded Hot Spot even set his self-destruct sequence to keep his own remains out of their hands. All or Nothing!
G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers
Several Cobra Vipers accompanied Cobra Commander and the Baroness as they delved into the Ark and looked upon the dormant Transformers housed within. After Megatron showed signs of life, Cobra Commander ordered his troops to retrieve all of the alien automatons, and then seal the entrance to the ship to make it look as though they were never there. Later, several Cobra troopers piloted the Cybertronians, now reformatted into HISS Tanks and Rattler Jets, in an attack on a peace talk in Washington, D.C. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #1 Later, when Destro came to Cobra Island to inspect the organizations progress with the alien technology, a Cobra Viper chauffeured him about. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #2 Cobra Island quickly slipped out of Cobra's control when Wheeljack hacked into their systems and freed all enslaved Cybertronians from the terrorist organization's programming. Several Cobra Vipers scrambled about as absolute chaos broke loose across the island. G.I. Joe vs. The Transformers #4 Though things got even weirder as giant beams of light struck the island from outer space, the Cobra Vipers fought valiantly against the alien machines. G.I. Joe vs. The Transformers #5 Several Vipers helped Night Shadow storm the SPS Satellite's control centre to retake control of it from the Joes. Cobra was nonetheless defeated by the joint Autobot/Joe alliance, and several Vipers were taken into United States custody. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #6
A single Cobra Viper was present when G.I. Joe busted the Dreadnoks for dealing in Cybertronian hardware in Boston. He tried to fight back using a heavily armed and armored car, but his toys was quickly taken away from him by Snake-Eyes and his mech suit. The Viper was subsequently interrogated on Cobra's role in these illegal sales.
Several Vipers, including Percy, were present as Cobra tried to remotely hack into Teletran 3. This ended badly, as a G.I. Joe assault on the complex damaged their computer and warped everyone present to the planet Cybertron. Furthermore, it warped several Cybertronians into various points in Earth's history, causing a corruption in the timestream that threatened to destroy the Earth. Cobra and G.I. Joe were forced to join together, forming four teams that were sent through time and space to save their world. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1 Percy ended up on the same team as the Baroness, Beachhead and Roadblock, and helped retrieve Optimus Prime and the Stunticons from 1930's Chicago. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #2 Another Cobra Viper, who went unnamed, was put in a team with Dusty, Shipwreck and Gung-Ho, who saved the day by bringing back the Dinobots from prehistoric Earth. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #4
Some Vipers were later seen guarding the Terrordrome in Siberia. The Art of War #5
Transformers/G.I. Joe
Platoons of Cobra Soldiers aided Major Sebastian Bludd in capturing a castle on the Fera Islands in the winter of 1938. Their assault awakened the Decepticons who were slumbering beneath the structure. Cobra and the Decepticons joined forces, and built up the islands' defences as the base of their operations. But G.I. Joe caught wind of theses goings-on and sent in their operatives to shut down Cobra. A couple of Cobra soldiers were taken out by Snake-Eyes when the Joes first parachuted covertly onto the island. More Cobra Troopers found out about the invading soldiers thanks to Storm Shadow, and unsuccessfully tried to gun them down. The Line
After barely escaping a duel with Snake-Eyes, Storm Shadow ordered several Cobra gunners to shoot his rival once he had been lured to a nearby bridge. Snake-Eyes sneaked up on the grunts and killed them all instead. Elsewhere, Cobra Commander was examining Energon cubes when Destro came along to pester him. As he ordered a couple of his soldiers to remove the "whimpering cretin" before him, Destro informed his commander of abnormalities in their defenses. A squad of Cobra troops were sent out in Rattlers to eliminate the invaders, not expecting that Grimlock would be there to blow them out of the sky. The rattler pilots were ordered to disengage and let the Decepticons deal with the Autobots instead. Meanwhile, Snake-Eyes managed to infiltrate the Castle, killing many more Cobra troopers along the way. Transformed
A lone Cobra Viper played possum while Stalker was trudging by, bemoaning the sorry situation he had been left in. The trooper made the mistake of mouthing off before he manage to tag Stalker with a shot, and wound up at the receiving end of a live grenade. Stalker managed to rejoin his team, who had by then allied themselves with the Autobots. The group saw several Cobra soldiers parachuting down towards them, and set out to take them out before they reached the ground. Back within the castle, Cobra troopers were being bossed around by Megatron, who had them move his supply of Energon to a more secure location. When Cobra Commander told Megatron had exceeded his authority by commandeering his men, Megatron swatted a couple of the Vipers away in a show of strength. Outside, Cobra troops continued to drop like flies thanks to Snake-Eyes. Trial by Fire
Determined to sacrifice someone other than his own troops for once, Cobra Commander had the Vipers round up the inhabitants of the island, and chain them around their base as hostages/meat shields. This only served to clarify to the Autobots that they were indeed fighting on the right side with the Joes. Trenches
Even when away from combat, the Cobra soldiers weren't safe; when Skywarp overheard a couple of them badmouthing the Decepticons, he got ready to teach the pair a lesson in pain. Lucky for them, Optimus Prime and the Autobots showed up just before he could get started. Cobra and the Decepticons were ultimately defeated when Snake-Eyes smashed the Matrix, disabling all of the Cybertronians in the area, and allowing the Joes to mop up the mess left behind. The Iron Fist
2005 IDW continuity
The first mutant Vipers emerged from a portal to Cobra-La that was opened by the magic of both Crystal Ball's antediluvian artifacts and the Dire Wraiths, seemingly formed from a small group of Cobranarchists who were unwillingly forced into the portal. With their portal to Cobra-La remaining stable, Cobra Commander decided that the Dire Wraiths had served their purpose and allowed the hungry Vipers to feast upon them before ordering Crystal Ball to transform the rest of the Cobranarchists. Horrified by this series of events, Destro asked his Commander if the anarchists had actually been transformed or were merely replaced but she neither knew or cared what had happened to them. Scarlett's Strike Force #1
Games
Transformers Roleplaying Game
Cobra Vipers were the backbone of Cobra's armed forces. Many Cobra Vipers were present in the Apex under the command of Lord MindWaveZ. Worlds Collide: Battle for the Multiverse
Notes
- While the mutant Vipers in Scarlett's Strike Force have claws, early concept art from artist Nelson Dániel shown in a Paste article announcing the comic shows them with smaller snake heads for hands, making them resemble the Triple Threat Snake from Hasbro's Battle Beasts line.