As Paramount marketing head Rob Moore told Adage.com, “In Bourne Ultimatum, you have the story of what is essentially an American spy. But the characterization of the military and the CIA is: They’re the bad guys. In any event, there are parts of the world where it’s an issue, like Western Europe, and parts where it isn’t, like the U.K., Australia and Asia.”

But this isn’t necessarily mutually exclusive with the aims and depiction of the Real American Hero. For the entire history of G.I. Joe, Cobra has been depicted as a “ruthless terrorist organization” whose fangs point inward instead of out. In other words, instead of pointing fingers at easy xenophobic targets, ranging from the past Soviet Union to the now-current Islamic extermists, the G.I. Joe rogue’s gallery includes instead arms dealers (Destro), mercernaries (Zartan) and even scarred veterans (Cobra Commander).

In many ways, Cobra is a nightmare reflection of the U.S. military instead of an active condemnation of foreign enemies. Struggling against this enemy, G.I. Joe exists more as a recognition of individual heroism within the ranks as opposed to simply an admiration for the military.

This is why Cobra is so pivotal to a G.I. Joe film - making a film without the infamous villain organization does not make for propaganda, as might be feared, but instead a shallow and hollow shell so concerned about not being propaganda that it misses the point entirely.

This is what Hasbro and Paramount should be worried about producing. Yes, Step 1 is “Will people the world over see it?”, but the inevitable follow-up Step 2 is just as important: “Will they like it enough to see it again?”

If you liked that, try...

1. Sommers and Beattie Recruited for G.I. Joe
2. Abrams Confirmed to Direct “Star Trek XI”
3. AvP:R trailer at IGN

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