For a list of the other versions, see Baroness.
- The Baroness is a Cobra character from the A Real American Hero and G.I. Joe vs. Cobra series.
The Baroness serves as the Cobra's intelligence officer and lieutenant to Cobra Commander. She is a dark, sensual femme fatale whose beauty is matched only by her ruthlessness. She is the child of a pair of wealthy European aristocrats who made sure their daughter got what she wanted. Somehow along the way as she grew up, she joined a group of student radicals then moving on to extremists and, finally, into the ranks of Cobra.
Along with the Commander and Destro, she is part of the ruling Cobra Triumvirate. She is privy to the secrets of both men, especially Destro, with whom she shows a special interest. Her loyalty is divided between both men and she does not hesitate to play them against each other.
Fiction[]
A Real American Hero Continuity[]
Marvel Comics Continuity[]
When Cobra finally revealed itself to the world at large, it was the Baroness who committed the act of attention by kidnapping Dr. Adele Burkhart. The G.I. Joe Team managed to rescue the scientist and the Baroness aids Cobra Commander in escaping.[1] The Baroness assisted Cobra Commander during his plan to capture the M.O.B.A.T. during the Armed Forces day parade, but it was foiled by the resourceful Joes manning the tank. The Baroness escaped with Cobra Commander.[2]
The Baroness oversaw a Cobra stronghold in midtown Manhattan. When the facility was targeted by the G.I. Joe Team, The Baroness ordered the capture of the roof insertion team consisting of Snake Eyes, Scarlett, and Zap. Securing them in an aerial vehicle, she spirited them away to Springfield, Vermont.[3]
Devil's Due Comics Continuity[]
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IDW RAH Continuity[]
An unspecified time has passed since Cobra Commander retook the Silent Castle, the Baroness is still under his control thanks to the Brain Wave Scanner. She knows full well of the fact and detests it. An incident where Billy lost control and tried to attack the Commander convinces her that the effect of the Brain Wave Scanner is losing its hold on Billy and perhaps hers as well.[4]
G.I. Joe Reloaded[]
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G.I. Joe vs. Transformers[]
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Action Force (British) Comics Continuity[]
Battle Action Force[]
The Baroness' real name is Anna Von Stromberg. She was born into a wealthy family, but was disenchanted with her aristocratic family's capitalistic lifestyle. She joined a small terrorist group and led several attacks, including some on her family's own holdings, but this was just to gain enough of a reputation to join Cobra.
Marvel UK[]
The Baroness was a close confident of Destro who divulged his views on Cobra Commander with her.[5] She was later sent by the Commander to the Australian desert to investigate the progress of operation "Tinman" to launch an orbital weapons platform to rival any nation, after reports were heard of an intruder in the base. The base commander Brone was dismissive, but the intruder was the Action Force member Outback and he summoned a team who attacked. The base was destroyed and the Baroness executed Brone for his failure.[6] The Baroness was present when Destro faced an abortive trial for disloyalty after a failure to capture a Broadcast Energy Transmitter.[7] Later when Cobra launched an attack on London she commanded a squad who took hostages at the Albert Hall.[8]
Some time later a Phantom X-19 stealth plane was shot down in the Jordanian desert. A local warlord sought to auction the plane and other nomad warlords, Destro and a Cobra team led by the Baroness all converged on the auction. But they were preventing from capturing its secrets by the G.I. Joe the Action Force team Tiger Force, who destroyed the stealth plane. The Baroness was forced to unite with Destro against the nomads to escape.[9] The Baroness then led a team to the Latin American country of Sao Cristobel where Destro had sold a nuclear warhead to one side in a civil war but the carrying helicopter had been shot down. The Baroness's team secured the warhead but a G.I. Joe team started the timer by remote control, forcing the Cobras to abandon the warhead. The Joes later deactivated the timer.[10]
Blackthorne Comics Continuity[]
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Dreamwave Comics Continuity[]
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Hasbro Comics Continuity[]
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Animated Continuity[]
Sunbow Animated Series[]
Voice Actor: Morgan Lofting
The Baroness originally a comics-only character. Her initial design is based on the one created for the comic by Herb Trimpe.
Baroness from the A Real American Hero animated continuity as she appeared in the original mini-series.
The relationship between the animated counterparts of Baroness and Destro is one of the few points of connection with the comic books.
Baroness from the A Real American Hero animated continuity as she appeared from the Revenge of Cobra mini-series on.
The Baroness infiltrated the military base housing a new hi-tech satellite by masquerading as Major Juanita Hoover, an officer from the budget department. So effective was the persona of a stickler to detail she put on that no one ever suspected her true identity. She planted the homing device that allowed Cobra to focus the M.A.S.S. machine on and make successful the theft of the satellite. She was almost captured by Duke had he not been accidentally teleported to the Cobra Temple along with her.[11] For another demonstration of the MASS Device, the Baroness travels to Russia where she planted a homing device by the Kremlin which allowed Cobra to teleport the Soviet army and make them seem disintegrated by the ray.[12] Her next mission was to obtain the heavy water element necessary to replenish the dwindling supply of catalytic elements for the MASS. Her arrival at the trench's site is matched with the Joes and she orders her force to engage in combat. When giant tubeworms attack both Joes and Cobra, she is forced into agreeing to a truce to defeat the more immediate threat. After the tubeworms are dispatched, she gets her share of the heavy water but attempted into reneging on a deal for a peaceful extraction. The Joes are quick and got away with their share. She can only satisfy herself that she accomplished her more immediate mission.[13] While the Baroness shares Destro's concern for the dwindling supply of the M.A.S.S. elements, she has the confidence that Cobra would stand triumphant at the end. A transmission from the Joes' declare of a surrender has her suspecting deceit which caused Cobra Commander to use the MASS against her advise.[14] Upon Destro's return, she tells him what the Commander has done which causes Destro to take matters into his own hands. Eventually, the Joes storm the Cobra Temple and defeat Cobra. She is among the number to be taken into custody at the end of the battle.[15]
DiC Animated Series[]
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Direct-to-Video Series[]
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Toys[]
| Generation 1 | |
|---|---|
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A Real American Hero (1984)
While Baroness appeared in fiction as early as 1982, it was only in the third series of A Real American Hero toys that she received her first action figure. Appearance: Long black hair; glasses; black plated armor suit, gloves, and thigh-high boots; red Cobra insignia on chest Accessories: Small, angular, black backpack with large engraved Cobra emblem; black high-density laser rifle. |
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Cobra Command Team (1997)
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| Generation 2 | |
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Crimson Strike Team 2002
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G.I. Joe vs. Cobra 2002
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Merchandise[]
- Baroness Mini-Bust
- The Baroness is the third mini-bust in the G.I. Joe line from Palisades Toys, and she's the first woman of the line. The sculpt is designed by Jon Matthews while the box art is provided by Dave Dorman. Only 2,880 units were available.[16]
Trivia[]
- Larry Hama never wrote Baroness with an accent; he originally thought of her as an American student who went to Europe and joined radical groups.
- According to the filecard for Chameleon, Baroness did not actually appear after G.I. Joe #23.
- The Sunbow cartoon episodes, "Worlds Without End" parts I and II depicted an alternate reality Baroness. In that reality, Cobra has defeated the Joes and rules the world. The Baroness is a double agent with romantic ties to Steeler and rescued the Joes trapped in her world. This Baroness does not wear glasses, though a continuity error showed her with them in a brief scene in part I.
- In the 1985 gamebook Operation: Terror Trap, there is an option to attempt to escape being captured by Cobra to have Lady Jaye impersonate the Baroness, noting their similarities.
See Also[]
External Links[]
Footnotes[]
- ↑ Operation: Lady Doomsday
- ↑ "Tanks" for the Memories
- ↑ A Nice Little Town Like Ours
- ↑ A Real American Hero #155½
- ↑ Coils of the Serpent
- ↑ Havoc in the Outback!
- ↑ As Thick as Thieves!
- ↑ The Prisoner!
- ↑ Action of the Tiger!
- ↑ Thunder in the Mountains
- ↑ The Cobra Strikes
- ↑ Slaves of the Cobra Master
- ↑ The Worms of Death
- ↑ Duel in the Devil's Cauldron
- ↑ A Stake in the Serpent's Heart
- ↑ Baroness Mini Bust from Palisades Toys