The long-awaited origin story of one of pop-culture’s most mysterious and intriguing characters is almost here. Snake Eyes, the silent ninja warrior of G.I. Joe, is getting his own origin film and we can’t wait to see how the character became who he is.
The upcoming film, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, is a fresh take on the masked fighter with The Gentleman’s Henry Golding taking up the mantle from the beloved Ray Park to depict the younger character.
Snake Eyes kicks off its own timeline and updates the character for 2021 and fans are wondering how closely the new film will keep to the original comic book character.
Working closely with the legendary Larry Hama, the writer of the original G.I. Joe comic books, the production appears to have respect for the lore at its heart. With the blessing and assistance of Hama, director Robert Schwentke (The Captain, RED) is crafting a new era for the masked hero and emphasis has been made on retaining comic book essence.
The film takes us pre-Joe to explore the trials of an unmasked, vocal Snake Eyes and reveals how he got his name, his skills, and his silent, hidden persona. We’re also introduced to some familiar faces with the likes of Scarlett, Storm Shadow, Hard Master, Blind Master, and the villainous Baroness.
Check out the trailer below for a glimpse into the new world of Snake Eyes and then read on to see how the comic book legend is being faithfully recreated on the big screen.
What is G.I. Joe?
G.I. Joe started out life in 1964 as the OG line of action hero figures and is literally the reason why toys are called action figures today. The G.I. Joe line-up consisted of a pilot, a marine, a soldier, and a sailor to represent the four branches of the US Military and they dominated the US toy market throughout the entire latter half of the 20th century.
The team itself is known as G.I. Joe or ‘the Joes’ and they are an elite force of super-soldiers brought in when no one else can do the job. Hasbro supported the toys with a series of comics released alongside, introducing the world to the Joes and their shadowy arch-rivals known as Cobra.
The comics are cult classics and have a huge, dedicated following. In the series, the G.I. Joe team consisted of Hawk, Stalker, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Breaker, Clutch, Rock ‘n Roll, Steeler, Grand Slam, Flash, Short-Fuze, Grunt and Zap.
We’ll be seeing at least two of those members in the new film, with Scarlett helping Snake Eyes through his training. We know the two have a soft spot for each other so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
The G.I. Joe team are recruited for their expertise and being masters in their fighting styles. They are an unstoppable force, with superhuman abilities and access to advanced military technology but they are not superheroes in the traditional sense.
The comics always stayed relatively close to a realistic military command structure and character abilities so don’t expect to see any levitation or mind control. It’s just a bunch of elite soldiers doing what they do best to fight evil.
Who is Cobra?
Cobra is the antithesis to G.I. Joe. They are a powerful, international terrorist outfit with one goal in mind: world domination.
The leader of Cobra is the ruthless Cobra Commander. He founded the organisation in a small American town called Springfield, quickly turning Cobra from a semi-legal pyramid-scheme organisation to a powerful paramilitary group. He recruited his followers based on their skills, hatred, and vengeance, leading them to become a global organisation with influence across the world.
Cobra uses its legions of Cobra Vipers and Cobra Troopers to carry out its evil plans while trying to destroy their main rivals, G.I. Joe.
The Baroness is a key member of the Cobra High Command and we know she’s keeping an eye on Snake Eyes in the upcoming movie. As Cobra’s Director of Intelligence, The Baroness is a beautiful, seductive agent with a ruthless capacity for getting what she wants and will be played by Money Heist’s Úrsula Corberó in Snake Eyes.
A brand new Cobra member, who goes by the name of Kenta, is setting up to be the main antagonist here. Rumour has it that he is a member of a rival ninja faction to our hero and out to get his revenge. He is played by Takehiro Hira from Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai.
Is Snake Eyes a Prequel?
Snake Eyes is an origin story. It takes place many years before the events of the two G.I. Joe movies meaning it’s not a direct prequel but the foundations of the later films.
Snake Eyes focuses on the events that transform the individual who gets the code name ‘Snake Eyes’ into the masked, silent super soldier that we see in the films that follow.
Larry Hama has always had a soft spot for Snake Eyes and his comic, ‘The Silent Interlude’ gave the character his backstory. He’s played an integral part of the filmmaking process on Snake Eyes which should alleviate fans’ concerns.
Think of the film as an updated take on the original lore with the man responsible for creating the iconic character working through a new medium to give people a more solid and expanded understanding of exactly what drives his iconic hero.
Who is Snake Eyes?
Snake Eyes is famously known as the silent ninja with a mysterious past. We know him as a Master Sergeant of G.I. Joe, with black belts in a broad range of martial arts disciplines whose vocal cords and face are badly injured hence why he never speaks and is never seen without his mask.
It’s important to note that Snake Eyes is not yet a Joe in the upcoming feature film. In the lore, Snake Eyes is a minimalistic loner who earns his military stripes by serving in the U.S. Army. In 2021, Snake Eyes is still a solo flyer, but doesn’t have the same background. In the trailer we see him gutting fish in a warehouse run by some Yakuza types and although he’s not a military man, is still able to fight his way out of a tight spot.
The character has always been shrouded in intrigue. We know very little about his background or even his real name but he gains his moniker in the comics either because of his steely, serpent-like gaze or his endless bad luck. The trailer seems to lean towards the latter but is left somewhat open-ended.
In the upcoming film, Snake Eyes is played by British-Malaysian actor Henry Golding who you might recognise from his role in The Gentlemen and Crazy Rich Asians. He has a martial arts background and has been reported to have undergone an intensive training course with Stunt Coordinator Kanji Tanigaki to help him pack on the muscle and hone the skills required for the role.
What is the Arashikage?
Snake Eyes has always been the highly skilled ninja warrior who earns his mastery of the sword, stealth, and espionage through training with the Arashikage Clan.
The Arashikage are an ancient clan of Japanese ninja warriors. Their name is derived from the Japanese words for storm (嵐 arashi) and shadow (影 kage).
For 600 years, the Arashikage have worked as shadowy assassins, using their skills to keep the balance of peace in Japan, and have a reputation for being able to perform the impossible.
Hard Master is the sensei of the Arashikage clan. He is the uncle of Storm Shadow and in the lore becomes Snake Eyes’ teacher and mentor. He shows him the power of the Arashikage Mindset, the ability to hypnotise himself into feeling no pain. Iko Uwais, notable for his role in action-thriller The Raid, will be playing him in the upcoming film.
Blind Master is another key member of the clan who appears to teach the trainees the ways of blind sword fighting. An American, possibly blinded during military service, Blind Master finds a home with the Arashikage Clan and is later seen as trying to recruit Snake Eyes in the fight against Cobra. He’s portrayed in the new film by 300s Peter Mensah.
Akiko is a little-known character who is slated as the female lead in the upcoming film. She’s a member of the Arashikage Clan and fights with a staff. In the trailer, we see Akiko tell Snake Eyes that Cobra is a huge terrorist threat and are planning to start a war. Japanese-English actress Haruka Abe will be playing Akiko.
Snake Eyes is introduced to the Arashikage in Japan who train him up to repay him for saving the life of Storm Shadow, one of their most devoted members.
It is here that Snake Eyes is taught the way of the ninja. They also provide him with something he has long been searching for: a home.
Who is Storm Shadow?
Storm Shadow is both Snake Eyes’ best friend and his biggest rival. Storm Shadow, otherwise known as Tommy Arashikage, is the heir to the Arashikage clan and a nephew of the clan’s leader. Just like in the lore, the new film shows Storm Shadow bringing Snake Eyes to Japan to train under his clan, the Arashikage, after saving his life.
Will the arrival of the evidently naturally-gifted Snake Eyes spark jealousy in the swaggering Storm Shadow’s as the former swiftly becomes the star pupil of the Arashikage? In a featurette for the film, Hama explains that “Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow are the brother-loyalty story”.
Golding has said that getting the relationship between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow right was “so important” for the crew and the film.
The relationship between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow has always been a kind of bromance-rivalry, with the pair often battling it out in the comics. Here it appears that love-hate-loyalty dynamic will bring the drama that the film hangs upon, ultimately building to a good versus evil showdown.
Having Hama onboard has bestowed an air of creative license to “tell a story beyond the comics, and launch this brand-new universe for G.I. Joe”, according to Golding.
He is played in the upcoming film by Andrew Koji from the series Warrior.
Who is Scarlett?
Scarlett is a badass martial arts expert and Master Sergeant of G.I. Joe. She’s the only female GI and is deeply attracted to our hero, Snake Eyes. The pair have an on-again-off-again relationship in the comics and serve on many missions together.
She was also trained by the Arashikage clan and uses swords and other Japanese weaponry in combat.
The Australian actress Samara Weaving from Ready or Not and Bill and Ted Face The Music is playing Scarlett.
Will There be a Sequel to Snake Eyes?
Several cast and crew members have already signed on for a sequel to Snake Eyes, including Snake Eyes’ scriptwriters Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse. Lead actor Henry Golding will return as the titular Snake Eyes for the sequel but that’s pretty much all we know about the film so far.
Snake Eyes could go quiet with a vow of silence or an injury in battle might make him decide to never show his face again at the end of this film. We’ll have to wait to find out what happens.