For a list of the other versions, see Roadblock.
- Roadblock is a G.I. Joe character from the live-action film continuity. He appears only in the film G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
| “ | In the immortal words of Jay-Z: "Whatever deity may guide my life, dear lord don't let me die tonight. But if I shall before I wake, I'd accept my fate." | ” |
—Roadblock to The Joes | ||
Roadblock is the second in command of the G.I. Joe Team. After the death of Duke, he swears vengeance against Cobra.
Biography
- Portrayed by: Dwayne Johnson
He is father of two girls and best friends with Duke. Roadblock was Duke's second in command and was present during the attack that killed Duke and many other Joes. Roadblock swore vengeance against Cobra.Retaliation
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
Following the end of the "Nanomite wars," Roadblock is the heavy machine gunner for an elite G.I. Joe Team headed by Duke, who has quickly risen in the ranks. The two of them share a close bond. Following a mission, they play a video game together at Duke's house, where Roadblock teases Duke for his incompetence at playing a game which is itself a military simulation despite being an elite military commander. Their fun is interrupted when they briefly flick through the channels and discover a news broadcast which reveals that the President of Pakistan has been killed in a terrorist attack. Following this, they are ordered by the President of the United States, secretly Zartan, to travel to Pakistan and capture the country's nuclear warheads before they can fall into the hands of one the country's many competing warlords.
Duke having a shooting competition with Roadblock
The Joes head to Pakistan, where they successfully compete their mission. As they wait for extraction, Duke challenges Roadblock to a friendly shooting competition, offering to watch Roadblock's daughters for a whole weekend if he wins. If however, Duke wins, Roadblock has take the next promotion that he is offered. Roadblock agrees, but manipulates the competition by constantly talking so that Duke has no way of winning. Duke tries to wheedle him into doing a best two out of three, but he doesn't go for it.
Suddenly, things turn to chaos as the Joes are hit with an airstrike, one secretly called in by Zartan intended to destroy them all. During the fighting, Duke rescues one of the Joes, Flint, but is killed in the process. Roadblock leads the survivors: himself, Flint and Lady Jaye to a well, where they hide until the attack has passed in order to survive and fool the enemy into thinking that their attack was successful in taking out the entire team. Afterwards, however, he returns to Duke's dead body and is devastated to have lost his friend. He rages at Flint, who comments that there's nothing there for them, but Lady Jaye stops him, telling him that Flint didn't mean it the way he thinks he does. She tells him that they need to get moving, as whoever it was that attacked them will be back, and that he is the leader of the team now.
Roadblock meets with an old friend named Stoop
The Joes discuss the attack and realize that the order to come to execute it must have come from the very top. They return to the United States, where Roadblock reunites with an old childhood friend or family member named Stoop. The two engage in some friendly ribbing at first, the friend teasing Roadblock about his size, given that his parents were both 5' 2". Stoop tells Roadblock that "home is where the help is" and agrees to lend Roadblock, Flint and Lady Jaye use of an old gym as a temporary base. There, Lady Jaye analyzes speech patterns and determines that the President has been replaced by an imposter. They worry that there's nobody that they can trust, but Roadblock says that there is one man, the one who's the reason why they call themselves Joes. He takes them to see General Joe Colton, the retired original founder of G.I. Joe.
Colton is immediately suspicious at the group's claim of an imposter President. Nevertheless, he is saddened to hear of the death of Duke and pleased by Roadblock's description of him as being a good soldier and a better friend. He tells them he can't go against the President without better proof and gives them a lead on how to get to the President's Chief of Staff. They kidnap him, allowing them to hatch a plan to sneak Lady Jaye into a Presidential dinner in order to obtain a sample of the President's hair. Although she succeeds in doing so and they identify the President as Zartan, she is detected. In the aftermath, Roadblock is attacked by Firefly, an agent of Cobra. Firefly mocks him, telling him that he wants to see his face, the same face that the "pretty little Joes" had in the desert when he lit them up like fireworks. His words enrage Roadblock, who realizes that he was responsible for Duke's death, and the two have a fearsome fight before Firefly is finally rammed by Flint in a truck. He, however, manages to survive and escape on a motorcycle.
Having learned that Zartan is hosting a conference with the other leaders of the world's nuclear powers at Fort Sumter, the Joes realize that this must be where he intends to unveil his endgame. They thus position themselves to be ready to act, with the aid of their former nemesis, Storm Shadow, who has learned that he was framed for the murder of Hard Master by Zartan. During the conference, Zartan unveils Project Zeus, a superweapon that he uses to destroy London. The Joes then make their move, forcing Zartan to hand the case controlling Zeus off to Firefly, who moves to launch the remaining Zeus missiles at the capital cities of the other nuclear powers. Roadblock, however, takes him on using a tank lent to him by General Colton. In a fierce final fight, he manages to secure the case and shut down the remaining warheads. Firefly attempts one last act of retaliation by activating his firefly devices to pursue Roadblock, but Roadblock simply hits a switch, blowing up Firefly and his devices with him. However, Cobra Commander, the ultimate mastermind of the operation, manages to escape.
General Colton and Roadblock at the ceremony honoring the G.I. Joes
The rescued President of the United States hosts a ceremony on the White House lawn honoring the G.I. Joes for their service. At the ceremony, General Colton presents Roadblock with a pistol that once belonged to General George S. Patton, telling him it's for when they find Cobra Commander. Roadblock asks him where he can find him and he replies that he just needs his orders, saying they'd make a hell of a team. Roadblock then raises the pistol, firing a single ceremonial shot.
Personality and abilities
Roadblock's specialty was that of a heavy gunner and he was extremely skilled in using such weapons, making him an invaluable asset to the G.I. Joe Team. He also had talent when it came to driving armed vehicles, such as tanks. Roadblock was Duke's second-in-command, but it was implied that he had repeatedly been offered promotions, which he passed up due to the fact that he wished to continue serving under Duke. Despite this, Duke saw potential in him and tried to prod him into finally accepting one of these promotions in order to maximize his potential.
Roadblock was devastated by Duke's death in Pakistan. Though he succeeded in leading the team in hiding in the immediate aftermath of the attack, seeing Duke's dead body had a profound effect on him. He was quickly forced to reckon with the fact that he was now the leader of the G.I. Joe Team, a team that their deadliest enemy, Cobra, had just tried to eliminate. He quickly realizes that the only person they can trust is General Joe Colton, as since he is retired, he cannot be in on the conspiracy.
Toys
A Toy version of Roadblock came out in 2012.
Trivia
- Rapper-Actor Common was considered to play the part of Roadblock in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra before they decided on using Heavy Duty.
- Dwayne Johnson was rumored to appear in the first film as Shipwreck.
- As a wrestler, Dwayne Johnson ("The Rock") was known for the line "Can you smell what The Rock is cooking?" In this film, he plays Roadblock who in the original comics was a chef.
See also
- Appearances of Roadblock (Movie)
- Image Gallery: Roadblock (Movie)
