to relaunch and improve the franchise on the big screen, it needed a way to tie things into the overall universe. This includes several places the movie could pull from. G.I. Joe is a toy line, a comic book series, cartoons, and also included two G.I. Joe movies in the last 20 years.
For Snake Eyes, Paramount took one of the most popular characters from the entire franchise and put him front-and-center. What resulted was a martial arts movie that played with the idea of vengeance and loyalty, but only had a few touches of anything connected with its parent franchise. With that said, there were moments in the movie that helped it connect to the larger story world.
Snake Eyes' Origin
The first thing that the movie did to connect it to the G.I. Joe franchise was to focus on Snake Eyes. Out of every member of G.I. Joe, there is no one more beloved than the masked ninja warrior. However, Snake Eyes faced a dangerous issue that could have caused the movie to crash and burn.
Snake Eyes is a mysterious character and it is the mystery surrounding his past that made him so popular. While this movie showed who he is and why he became Snake Eyes, it at least remained loyal to keeping his true name and identity a secret, although much of his aura was lost in this telling.
Storm Shadow's Origin
The second origin story in Snake Eyes was that of his fiercest rival. In the classic stories, Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes were once like brothers. However, when their clan's leader died and Snake Eyes saw Storm Shadow there, he mistook him as the killer and they became mortal enemies.
That is not how things played out here, but Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow still started out as brothers and allies. Things changed in the movie, with Snake Eyes betraying Storm Shadow, but it was still a similar origin story
Scarlett Showed Up
While Snake Eyes s G.I. Joe, his origin story had little to do with that elite peacekeeping group. However, this being a G.I. Joe origin story, Snake Eyes added one member of the team to the mix. This was Scarlett, who showed up to aid the Clan Arashikage in the battle against Kenta and his army.
Scarlett is a long-time member of G.I. Joe, first introduced in 1982, and the most famous female member of the team. Rachel Nichols played her in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and Samara Weaving, of The Babysitter fame, took on the role in Snake Eyes.
Snake Eyes' Connection To The Joes
Snake Eyes' origin story revealed that he had a connection to G.I. Joe that he never knew about. The movie started with Snake Eyes as a child. He was at a cabin in the woods with his father, a man who seemed to be always looking over his shoulder. There was a good reason for this.
Men showed up at the cabin and murdered his dad, although the child escaped. He learned his father had fake identities and Snake Eyes didn't even know his real name. In the end, Scarlett explained that his dad was a member of the Joes, and his death was caused by his mission to protect the world.
The Baroness
The Snake Eyes movie also added a villain from G.I. Joe comic book lore. This was The Baroness, played by Ursula Corbero. Stealing every scene she appeared in, The Baroness worked with the movie's main villain, Kenta, and she was there to ensure Cobra received the mystical gem he wanted when he finished destroying the Clan Arashikage.
The Baroness first appeared in 1982, the most famous G.I. Joe villain in the comics, toyline, and cartoons. Sienna Miller played Baroness in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.
General Joe Colton Name-Drop
At the end of Snake Eyes, Scarlett showed up and offered Snake Eyes a plethora of information. In the movie, Snake Eyes had betrayed his blood brother Tommy and the Clan Arashikage because he was obsessed with learning who killed his father and getting revenge. He learned who it was, but he chose the right path.
When Scarlett gave Snake Eyes information, it was not about who killed his dad. It was about his father, telling him he was a Joe and then saying they have been trying to find someone to replace him. She then said that Joe Colton wanted to make this offer to Snake Eyes. Joe first appeared in 1964 and is who the Joe's are named after. Bruce Willis played him in G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
Post Credits: Making A Deal
Like any other major franchise movie, Snake Eyes had a post-credit scene. This one showed up as soon as the credits started and offered a glimpse into the future. Tommy had left the Clan Arashikage, refusing to serve them since he was bred to lead them. Snake Eyes had betrayed him and Tommy was full of hate.
As he sat on a plane, a stewardess offered him a drink. It was The Baroness, who sat down and said she had an offer for him. She offered him a spot in Cobra and he told her to call him Storm Shadow, showing how he ed the G.I. Joe villains.
The Snake Eyes Vs. Storm Shadow Feud
For many years, Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow were both mysterious figures. Snake Eyes was dressed head to toe in black and worked for G.I. Joe. Storm Shadow dressed head to toe in white and worked for Cobra. They had a past, hated each other, and delivered some of the franchise's best fights.
That all started in this movie. They began Snake Eyes as brothers, allies against an evil gunrunner, and wanted to stop him at all costs. However, thanks to Snake Eyes' betrayal, they became enemies. This movie gave a glimpse at the ninja battles the two would have in the G.I. Joe franchise.
The Danger Of Cobra
While The Baroness was the villain in Snake Eyes that represented Cobra from the G.I. Joe world, Cobra was there at the fringe of the war the entire movie. When Snake Eyes learned how and why Kenta was running guns, he also learned that the mobster was working with the clandestine terrorist organization known as Cobra.
Tommy and Akiko showed him information about who Cobra was and what they planned. He learned about Scarlett and her mission to stop the group. He also saw how Cobra killed anyone, even children, just to influence power in the world. Even if they weren't the main villains here, Cobra's influence was still strong.
The Snake Eyes Costume
An origin movie can't end without an explanation of the hero's costume. Snake Eyes gave fans the reason that he wears his black costume from head to toe. While Snake Eyes spent most of the movie in regular clothes, he did dip into the ninja attire from time to time.
However, there were two moments in the movie that explained Snake Eyes' most notable accessories from G.I. Joe. Tommy gifted him with his iconic sword, something he said showed someone fighting a noble cause. Finally, Scarlett and the Clan Arashikage gave him a motorcycle helmet and an armored matching outfit since he spent most of the movie using a motorcycle to get around Japan. With that, Snake Eyes' transformation was complete.
