Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for G.I. Joe #1It's officially been confirmed that G.I. Joe and Cobra in the brand-new Energon Universe. Bringing both the Transformers and G.I. Joe franchises together along with Robert Kirkman's original series Void Rivals under one shared continuity, the Energon Universe is the stuff of '80s kids' dreams. Likewise, the first issue of G.I. Joe in this new canon confirms just how important Transformers are to the origins of the Joes (and Cobra).

Connections to Cybertronians and their power sources have been made in previous Energon Universe miniseries including Duke, Cobra Commander, Destro, and Scarlett. However, Joshua Williamson and Tom Reilly's G.I. Joe #1 directly confirms that an outfit like the Joes or a dark organization like Cobra might not have been formed without the arrival of the Transformers on Earth and their powerful new technologies. Case in point, the laser guns used in the original G.I Joe animated series now have all-new origins with ties to the Transformers:

By using it as a key power source in this new universe, the Transformers' energon fuel is a major power Cobra seeks to exploit in its mission for global dominance. Likewise, this first issue also confirms that it's the biggest reason Codename: G.I. Joe exists in this new shared canon.

The Transformers' Arrival To Earth Motivated Codename: G.I. Joe

A New Response Team For A New Era...

As confirmed by Duke while debriefing his new team of Joes, the mission of Codename: G.I. Joe is to "find and combat deadly emerging weapons technology". Duke then clarifies that especially includes massive robots who disguise themselves as vehicles while throwing up an image of none other than the Autobots' leader Optimus Prime. Clearly, this communicates a current distrust of all Transformers whether they're Autobots or Decepticons.

One can imagine that there will eventually be a major reckoning and conflict between the Joes and the Transformers at some point in the near future. However, the more present threat for the Joes in this first issue is certainly Cobra and Destro's MARS Industries who have been stockpiling as much energon as possible to power their new weapons. Naturally, this leads to the Joes' first official encounter with Cobra by the issue's end.

Cybertron's Technology Brought The Joes and Cobra Together For The First Time

The Transformers Began Their Classic Rivalry

By this first issue's end, the Joes and Cobra agents are grappling over the remains of the technology left behind from the recent Autobot and Deception battle seen in Daniel Warren Johnson's Transformers series. As such, it's quite remarkable that one classic '80s rivalry between good and evil has directly motivated another major '80s rivalry, with both being set in the same epic shared universe. To that end, it's going to be fascinating to see how the two franchises will continue to be woven together as the ties between their two narratives continue to grow with each new issue set in the Energon Universe.

G.I. Joe #1 is on sale now from Image Comics.

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  Transformers (2023)

  Optimus Prime was supposed to have led the Autobots to victory. Instead, the fate of Cybertron is unknown, and his allies have crash-landed far from home, alongside their enemies—the Decepticons. As these titanic forces renew their war on Earth, one thing is immediately clear: the planet will never be the same. New alliances are struck. Battle lines are redrawn. And humanity’s only hope of survival is Optimus Prime.
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  G.I. Joe

  G.I. Joe is a long-running franchise centered around a line of action figures produced by Hasbro, which has expanded into a wide array of media including comic books, animated series, and films. The franchise is known for its depiction of an elite military unit, G.I. Joe, fighting against the terrorist organization Cobra. Over the decades, G.I. Joe has become a significant cultural icon, particularly in the United States, with its slogan "A Real American Hero."