Zartan

The mysterious man known as Zartan is considered nearly as deadly as Storm Shadow or Snake-Eyes. Besides being a highly accomplished martial artist, he is almost unequaled as an archer and is unsurpassed as a master of disguise. He uses a form of holography and hypnotism to change his appearance. He is also a ventriloquist and can throw his voice in over 20 languages and dialects.Zartan's earliest origins are unknown. Some believe he received his military training in Europe, possibly St. Cyr. At some point in his early career, he was approached in a bar by the man who would become the first Cobra Commander. The man offered Zartan a large sum of money for the use of his deadly skills to kill the young Snake-Eyes, the surviving member of a family who had perished in a head on car collision with Cobra Commander's brother, who also perished. Cobra Commander blamed Snake-Eyes for the death of his brother, even though Snake-Eyes had nothing to do with it. Zartan infiltrated the ninja clan that had taken Snake-Eyes in, by becoming the apprentice of the Sword Master Onihashi. However his teacher purified him, and Zartan no longer felt he had anything to prove by killing Snake-Eyes, he had finally found satisfaction in life under his teacher. However, Cobra Commander threatened to reveal Zartan's true motives to his teacher, and thus he was forced to go through with the hit. Having access to the Arashikage household due to his position, Zartan stole one of Storm Shadow's arrows -- under the guidance of the Faceless Master (Firefly). Using a sound amplifier, Zartan honed in on Snake-Eyes breathing so he could kill him from behind the screen in the room he was practicing. He mistakenly killed the Hard Master, the clan leader, who was in fact demonstrating to Snake-Eyes the technique of the Cloak of the Chameleon. Zartan fled and escaped, while the clan believed it was a jealous Storm Shadow who had been responsible. Onihashi could not be fooled when Zartan returned. His shame was so great over the atrocity perpetrated by his student that he committed suicide. The tragic incident took all that Zartan had wanted from him, and the guilt over his master's death drove him over the edge. He took up with a rotten band of miscreants known as the Dreadnoks, and became their leader. They set up in the Florida Everglades, frequently working for Cobra Commander as thieves and mercenaries for hire. Storm Shadow, soon joined Cobra, hoping to learn the identity of the Hard Master's murder and clear his name.Cobra Commander came to Zartan whilst being sought after by the Joes Mutt & Junkyard, Tripwire and Torpedo. After a skirmish in the swamp, the security of Zartan's hidden shack was compromised, forcing him and the Dreadnoks to abandon it. In retaliation, Zartan sought out the Joes' secret base. He and the Dreadnoks discovered the Joes' aircraft at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey, destroying much of it. Storm Shadow later left Cobra, and deduced that Zartan was his uncle's murderer, and swore vengeance.When the Joe, Ripcord, parachuted onto Cobra Island, he was confronted and subdued by Zartan. Zartan switched outfits with the unconscious Joe, and when the Joes arrived to extract Rip Cord, they picked up the disguised Zartan by mistake. Inadvertently, the Joes brought Zartan right into their secret headquarters the Pit. Once inside, Zartan attempted to escape, after a long chase and battle with Gung Ho, Sgt. Slaughter finally managed to subdue him. However Zartan was rescued soon after by his younger siblings, Zarana and Zandar. Some time after his return to Cobra Island, Zartan and the Dreadnoks sided with the Cobra Commander imposter, Fred VII, and the Baroness, against Serpentor and Dr Mindbender in the Cobra civil war. Mindbender cut a deal with the U.S. government and the Joes were ordered to assist Sepentor's forces in the conflict. They were on the verge of victory, partially due to Fred VII's inept leadership, when Zartan shot and killed Serpentor. Seeing his commander die before his eyes, Mindbender buckled and cut a deal with Fred VII, ending the war. Seeing as how Zartan was a threat to his leadership, Fred VII, assisted by Dr Mindbender, planned to do him in. Yet they were ambushed by the Red Ninjas, renegade members of the Arashikage. The ninja clan had taken up with Zartan in an effort to kill Storm Shadow for the trouble he had brought to their clan by bringing an outsider in -- Snake-Eyes. Zartan planned to kill Storm Shadow, before Storm Shadow could kill him and revealed his plans to Fred VII, he set up an uneasy alliance with Fred once again. Zartan and the Red Ninjas attacked Storm Shadow's ninja school, but were unsuccessful in killing Storm Shadow. In a dramatic car chase through San Francisco, it finally ended when Zartan's vehicle was forced off the Golden Gate bridge and into the waters below. Zartan escaped a watery grave and continued his criminal activities. However he was soon confronted by the Blind Master, a veteran who had been befriended and taken in by the Hard Master many years ago. Although Storm Shadow had forsworn seeking vengeance, the Blind Master had not. The Blind Master fought and overcame Zartan, and was prepared to kill him. Just at that moment, his student, Tyrone, showed up and stopped him. As the student left in tears at the sight of his teacher about to commit cold blooded murder, the Blind Master realized his mistake and turned to go after his student to apologize. Zartan took advantage of the distraction and delivered a deathblow to the Blind Master. With his dying breath, the Blind Master revealed that Onihashi had forgiven Zartan with his dying breath. This so shocked Zartan that he assumed the guise of the Blind Master and renounced his evil ways. Taking up with Billy, the original Cobra Commander's son and Storm Shadow's ninja pupil, Zartan confronted Fred VII, on Cobra Island. As Zartan and Billy attempted to expose him for the imposter that he was, the original Cobra Commander returned. The two were included with Fred VII and many Cobra officers that the Commander saw as traitors. The Commander imprisoned them in the land locked freighter and buried them alive beneath the volcano. Sometime later, Cobra Vipers found a tunnel leading out of the freighter. The freighter was filled with dead bodies. All but two of the bodies were accounted for - Zartan, Billy. Zartan and Billy had escaped together and sought out Destro for asylum from Cobra Commander. Instead, they found Destro being hunted down by Cobra Commander and worked with the Joes to help him rescue the captured Baroness. During the rescue, Zartan and Storm Shadow worked together, leaving the impression that the vendetta was truly, at long last settled.Cobra meanwhile, abandoned Cobra Island and recaptured the Silent Castle, held by Destro in Trans-Carpathia. Destro and the Baroness managed to escape with the help of the Joes and joined Zartan on Cobra Island. Zartan had returned to the island and discovered Cobra Commander planned to revive the dead Dr Mindbender. Knowing of a computer disk that could be used to revive Mindbender, and guessing Mindbender's body being preserved for replication, Zartan had alerted the Joes. Together with Destro and the Baroness, Zartan managed to recapture the Silent Castle, while the Commander and most of the forces were away in Millville. There, in Millville the mad scientist Dr Mindbender had been abruptly awoken. Expelling the remaining Cobra forces, Destro and the Baroness were once again lord and lady of the castle, and Zartan remained with them in asylum from Cobra. However, Cobra had backed the winner in a civil war in the neighboring nation of Borovia. Becoming the fully legitimate power behind a government of a real nation. Cobra Commander learned from Mindbender of brain implants he had surgically placed in both Zartan and Destro back from their days with Cobra. Paying an unexpected visit on his neighbor, Cobra Commander walked right up to the castle doors alone. Revealing his face, both Destro and Zartan's implants were triggered. Soon after they were given evil personas to imitate their former allegiance to Cobra. Brainwashing Baroness, Billy and the recently captured Storm Shadow with a new improved Brain-Wave scanner, Mindbender turned them to Cobra's side once again. Cobra then launched an assault on Wolkuckuckland, bordering Borovia. The Joes aided the nation in forcing Cobra out of their country, stopping Destro and Zartan's forces in their tracks. Still bent on expanding into Wolkuckuckland, Zartan was sent to assassinate President Metz, Cobra's puppet governor of Borovia. In order to make it look like Wolkuckuckland was responsible and incite Borovia into war. However upon the cruel dictator's death the people rejoiced and proclaimed Wolfgang the man who had been framed for the assassination by Zartan, as their liberator. It is not known whether Zartan was able to break free of Cobra Commander's influence.A short time later, the G.I. Joe team was team was disbanded by the U.S. military. Soon afterward, Cobra forces fell to a unified attack by regular military forces. Most of Cobra's "high command" disappeared in the wake of the conflict. After laying low for some time, Zartan has resurfaced in the United States, leading the Dreadnoks -- now a organized, national biker gang. He has also developed a seemingly incurable skin condition brought on by years of his own genetoc manipulation, intended to enhance his chameleon-like abilities. In recent years, he sought out a person that virtually no one knew existed -- his teenage daughter, Zanya. Much to the chagrin of Zarana, Zartan seems intent on passing leadership of the Dreadnoks onto his Zanya. In 2001, Cobra Commander reemerged and contacted his former lieutenants, hatching a new plan for world domination. He held a meeting at Zartan's Dreadnok compound in the Everglades, hoping to add the growing number of Dreadnoks to Cobra's ranks. But soon after Destro arrived, he forcibly took control of Cobra from Cobra Commander. Zartan wasn't thrilled by the idea of following Destro's leadership, but the weapons supplier claimed that he knew how to cure Zartan's condition and persuaded him to again work for Cobra.