Baroness is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline by Hasbro, originally appearing in the first issue of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic series by Marvel Comics in June, 1982. The Baroness is a villainess, associated with the G.I. Joe Team's nemesis, Cobra.
As chief intelligence officer of Cobra and a top lieutenant to Cobra Commander, the Baroness is a dark, sensual femme fatale whose beauty is matched only by her ruthlessness, cunning, and absolute loyalty to Cobra. She is often portrayed as being romantically involved with Destro.
She was adapted into the 1985 animated TV series and the toy line. She made her debut as an action figure in the 1984 series, wearing a new uniform that was then carried back over to the comic and cartoon. The character was portrayed by actress Sienna Miller in the 2009 film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. She is portrayed by Úrsula Corberó in the 2021 film Snake Eyes.
Profile The spoiled offspring of European aristocrats, Anastasia Cisarovna was first involved in student radicalism, dabbled in extremist fringe groups, and finally graduated to international terrorism. She is believed to have been trained as a spy and saboteur at an exclusive facility run by a former Warsaw Pact intelligence agency.
Officially the head of Cobra intelligence operations, the Baroness is a world-class expert in cryptography and psychological warfare. She has extensive knowledge of bio-chemical agents and is often shown to be exceptionally talented at disguises. She also has old ties and loyalties to Destro and is the only one who knows his true identity.
The Baroness has had extensive plastic surgery after suffering severe burns during a Cobra night-attack operation. She is full of contradictions: cynical yet romantic, calculating but naive, blunt and prone to beating around the bush. She is a qualified expert with weapons such as the M-16, AK-47, RPG7, and Uzi, and is a qualified H.I.S.S. tank operator with proficiency in operating helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft of varying types.
Toys The Baroness was introduced into the toyline in 1984, wearing her trademark black leather outfit. After the line was canceled in 1994, Hasbro made several attempts to revive G.I. Joe action figures through repaints. In 1997, the original mold was repainted in blue, for inclusion in the Cobra Command Team 3-pack. In 2000, the mold was repainted again, in black with red accents, as the new character "Chameleon" (a Baroness doppelganger created to sidestep a trademark problem).
In 2002, Hasbro relaunched the "Real American Hero" line, and a new version of the Baroness was released in the third wave of figures, wearing a uniform heavily inspired by the original action figure. A second Baroness figure was released in 2004, for the "Valor vs Venom" line. Once again wearing a blue uniform, this figure was better-proportioned, and was even more closely based on the 1984 figure. This mold was repainted in black, and released again in 2005.
25th anniversary 2007 is the Anniversary of the launch of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, the third major reinvention of the G.I. Joe brand since 1964. To celebrate, Hasbro created two boxed sets of brand new figures, featuring modern sculpt and updated and increased articulation (including the replacement of G.I. Joe's trademark O-Ring construction). The Baroness is included in the Cobra set, along with Cobra Commander, Destro, Storm Shadow, and a Cobra Trooper. Another version with a new head sculpt was released in 2008. This version of the Baroness was made to resemble her appearance in "The M.A.S.S. Device."
Comic books
Early history The Baroness is the daughter of wealthy European aristocrats. She spends years decrying the hypocrisy of the American government, becoming an active participant in militant revolutionary groups, eventually becoming a member of Cobra.
Marvel Comics The Baroness first appeared in the Marvel Comics series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #1. She is instrumental in Cobra's first major offensive against G.I. Joe, Operation: Lady Doomsday. Posing as a reporter, Baroness abducts Dr. Adele Burkhart and brings her back to Cobra's island fortress. Despite disguising herself as the Doctor, the Joes rescue the correct one and destroy the fortress. Baroness and Cobra Commander escape.G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #1 (June 1982)
When the Cobra Commander first contracts Destro to salvage a mission in Alaska, the Baroness reveals that she has a past association with the masked man, but declines to give details.G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #11
Evading the G.I. Joe assault, the Baroness and Scar-Face escape in a plane, but the Baroness cannot pass up the opportunity to blow up the small island where Snake Eyes, Kwinn the Eskimo, and Doctor Venom are locked in battle. Just before the bombs hit, Kwinn pushes the other two into the island bunker.G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #12
Baroness and Cobra Commander discover that Dr. Venom has left out a vital part of the toxin and the microdot points the Joes to the Springfield HQ. This was according to Destro's plan; Scar-Face is working for him. Destro had not realized the Baroness was with the Commander, and stages a successful diversionary mission.G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #14
Cobra Commander's ally Major Bludd looks for a chance to kill Destro. This comes during a tank battle; Baroness sacrifices herself to save Destro. Bludd has a chance to free her, but flees leaving her to an explosion.G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #16
Seemingly killed in the fight, the Baroness is in fact rescued after the battle, and brought to Bethesda Naval Hospital, where she lays severely burned and in a coma. When the Joe Grand Slam takes Major Bludd into custody, the Baroness is moved to G.I. Joe headquarters in Staten Island as well. Luring Cobra into attacking the base after they capture Scar-Face in Tripoli, Libya the Joes instigate a major skirmish at their own headquarters. During the battle, Major Bludd kills General Flagg. Taking the Baroness, he leaves Scar-Face for dead, and escapes in a Cobra F.A.N.G.G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #19
Battle of Springfield Not long after, G.I. Joe is given the location of the real Springfield and attacks. The Baroness assists Destro in evacuating the town. During the battle, Doctor Mindbender's latest experiment is conducted, and Serpentor is created. Thought dead, Storm Shadow is also "resurrected" in Springfield and flees the G.I. Joe attack with the Dreadnoks. Destro manages to successfully evacuate the entire town as Serpentor fights a holding action. Although the Baroness suggests they leave, and garner all the glory themselves, Destro chooses to extract Serpentor and his forces.G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #50
Upon reaching Cobra Island, Serpentor begins his usurping of the Commander's leadership, and the Baroness is quick to take up with him, seeing the reins of power being passed. When the Commander and Destro are buried alive under Pit II. The Baroness flies a Rattler over the rubble, and drops a wreath to mourn the passing of her estranged lover.
For a time, the Baroness allies herself wholly to Serpentor, and is in charge of the Terror Drome operation in Sierra Gordo when G.I. Joe agent Flint is captured and brought into the base. When Dr. Mindbender subjects him to the Brainwave Scanner, and gets no facial reactions, he suspects that the Joe is wearing a mask. Pulling it off, the Baroness confirms the identity of the massively scarred face beneath: it is actually Snake Eyes in disguise. As G.I. Joe attacks the Terror Drome, Snake Eyes is moved, along with the Scanner, to Cobra's new Consulate Building in New York.
As he is subjected to the Scanner again, the consulate is attacked by Scarlett and Storm Shadow, eager to rescue their ally. Disguised as a late-night cleaning lady, Scarlett infiltrates the consulate, while Snake Eyes' ninja brother breaks into the building using the New York City sewer system. Using an X-ray scanner, the Baroness confronts Scarlett, but she is surprised when Snake Eyes' wolf, Timber, leaps out at her. While Storm Shadow rescues Snake Eyes upstairs, Scarlett overpowers the Baroness, strips her of her uniform and leaves her bound and gagged in a nearby closet. Fighting their way to the lobby, Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow are then "recaptured" by Scarlett, disguised as the Baroness, and all three escape through the main entrance of the consulate.
Later, the G.I. Joe team causes a massive disruption of the Consulate in a successful bid to place a wire tap on the building. Defeated, the Baroness is recalled to Cobra Island where a schism has occurred in the leadership of Cobra: Cobra Commander has returned. With the Baroness able to identify the Commander's real face, she is put in a transport chopper with him, and removes his helmet. Underneath is not the Commander, but one of the Crimson Guardsmen, Fred VII. Claiming that the Commander retired to be with his son Billy (a lie, Fred actually shot and buried the Commander in Denver), the Baroness goes along with the false Commander, and usurps control of Cobra from an embarrassed and unpopular Serpentor.
Now in de facto command of Cobra, the Baroness is forced to take Fred VII on a mission into orbit to destroy a spy satellite threatening to undo Serpentor's Terrodrome plot. When the Cobra Shuttle is attacked by the G.I. Joe Defiant, Baroness is knocked unconscious, leaving Fred VII to lead Cobra to a slim victory. Now cocky and drunk with power, Fred drags the Baroness' reputation down with him, as he ham-handedly leads Cobra to defeat in Frusenland, where Battleforce 2000 discovers the truth about the Terror Dromes, despite Baroness' best efforts to defeat them.
Cobra Civil War Returning to Cobra Island, the Baroness is in attendance as Serpentor's lackey, the Star-Viper returns from a mission to infiltrate G.I. Joe's new base, Pit III, in Utah. Looking for a clear victory to win support back from the troops, the ceremony turns into a battle of words that erupts in the Cobra Civil War. As the leader of the first offensive, the Baroness is taken prisoner by Serpentor, and strapped to the front of his HISS tank to deter anyone from firing on him.
Into this all-encompassing war, the G.I. Joe team arrives to bolster Serpentor's ranks, while Destro makes an appearance with his own faction: the Iron Grenadiers. While G.I. Joe, Serpentor, and the "Commander" tear each other apart, Destro takes the airfield, and waits for his opportunity. Just as Fred's army seems lost, Zartan fires an arrow and slays Serpentor from across the battlefield. With his leader fallen, Mindbender calls for a truce with the "Commander." United against Destro, the reunified Cobra is surprised to find that Destro wants only one thing: the Baroness.G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #74-76
Taking his prize, Destro retreats to his yacht. She reveals the true identity of the current Commander, and together they bear witness to G.I. Joe's unceremonious withdrawal from the Island. After helping the Joes clear their reputation in the wake of the Civil War, Destro and Baroness retire to Castle Destro in Scotland, eager to leave the intrigue and danger behind them. Sadly, the "Commander" wants his enemies routed, and stages an assault on Destro's castle. Turning the situation to his advantage, Destro captures the "Commander", and effectively takes control of Cobra.
Expecting favored status in this new unified Cobra, the Baroness is displeased to discover she has been paired with Zarana to run the Cobra Consulate in New York. The two even engage in a fight which ends up with Zarana pushing the Baroness out of the side door of a Cobra helicopter in mid-flight. However, the Baroness manages to catch on to one of the helicopter's wheels just as it lands on top of the Cobra embassy.