50 GREATEST FICTIONAL BADASSES

#10 – SNAKE-EYES from G.I. Joe.

It’s an ingenious concept to have your character covered head-to-toe in a costume — like Spider-Man or Deadpool. Not even the eyes are accessible to the audience, making them a blank canvas to the reader’s imagination. It becomes easier to imagine yourself in the role, way easier than a Superman or Indiana Jones. It’s because of this that Snake-Eyes has become synonymous with G.I.Joe, as well as its most popular member.

My pull into Team Snake-Eyes came with G.I.Joe #21, a very cool issue known as the “silent issue”: no word balloons, no sound effects; just an all-out action issue crammed into 22 pages. In it, Snake-Eyes infiltrates an enemy’s castle to rescue his girlfriend. He outwits, outguns and outfights ninjas and soldiers alike with a style that would shame anyone else on the list of badasses. And he rockets off with a hot redhead to boot.

A lot of his popularity rests in the contradiction. At the same time, he’s both simple and complex. He’s mute, so communication is in his actions. He is a ninja so his actions are always silent, swift and deliberate. He’s horrifically scarred but is loved by Scarlett unconditionally. He is the most revered of the Joes but finds solace alone. He is a master of zen but is a killer of men.

The last part is what a lot of peripheral Joe fans get wrong. Snake-Eyes is the king of combat, the guy you want on your side when the shit hits the fan. But when you read the series, you see the unconditional loyalty he has to his brothers-in-arms. This is not a mercenary or a simple killing machine. Snake-Eyes is a man of forethought and deep self-analysis. The last issue of the old series, appropriately titled “A Letter From Snake-Eyes”, has a boy write him of what it means to be a soldier. Snake-Eyes’ reply is a reflection of earnestness, harsh realities, and brotherhood. A sentiment of self-reflection and duty; it is a very far cry from a simple action figure in black that violently wields a samurai sword.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PEND04xoHE

“Move with the wind, and you will never be heard.”