Kobra is the name used by two fictional
supervillainA supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various mediums.They are often used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
s published by
DC ComicsDC Comics is one of the largest and most popular American comic book and related media companies, along with Marvel Comics. It is the publishing division of DC Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary company of Warner Bros. Entertainment...
. The Jeffrey Burr Kobra first appeared in
Kobra #1 (February 1976), and was created by Martin Pasko, Steve Sherman,
Jack KirbyJacob Kurtzberg , better known by the pen name Jack Kirby, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor. Growing up poor in New York City, Kurtzberg entered the nascent comics industry in the 1930s. He drew various comic strips under different pseudonyms, ultimately settling on Jack Kirby...
, and
Pablo MarcosPablo Marcos is a comic book artist and commercial illustrator best known as one of his home country's leading cartoonists and for his work on such popular American comics characters as Batman and Conan the Barbarian, particularly during the 1970s...
. The Jason Burr Kobra debuted in
Faces of Evil: Kobra #1 (March 2009), and was created by Ivan Brandon and Julian Lopez.
Publication history
Both Jeffrey and Jason Burr were originally created by Martin Pasko, Steve Sherman,
Jack KirbyJacob Kurtzberg , better known by the pen name Jack Kirby, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor. Growing up poor in New York City, Kurtzberg entered the nascent comics industry in the 1930s. He drew various comic strips under different pseudonyms, ultimately settling on Jack Kirby...
, and
Pablo MarcosPablo Marcos is a comic book artist and commercial illustrator best known as one of his home country's leading cartoonists and for his work on such popular American comics characters as Batman and Conan the Barbarian, particularly during the 1970s...
.
Kobra is also featured in a January 2009
Faces of Evil"Faces of Evil" is a DC Comics "event" in January 2009, that editor Dan DiDio described as "inspirationally tied to Final Crisis" as they aim to address the question the series raises: "What happens when evil wins?" Numerous monthly books will have villains displayed on their covers while four...
one-shot , written by Ivan Brandon.
Jeffrey Franklin Burr
Kobra is an international
terroristTerrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion.At present, there is no internationally agreed definition of terrorism...
and mad scientist who has crossed paths with the majority of Earth's costumed heroes during his attempts to usher in the
Kali YugaKali Yuga , is the last of the four stages that the world goes through as part of the cycle of yugas described in the Indian scriptures. The other ages are Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga and Dvapara Yuga...
(an age of chaos). His real name is Jeffrey Franklin Burr, and he was born part of a set of siamese twins, but was stolen at birth by the Cult of the Kobra god, since a prophecy claimed he would lead them to rule the world. Under their teaching, he became a dangerous warrior and a
sadisticSadism is pleasure in the infliction of pain or humiliation upon another person, while masochism refers to gratification from receiving the same. These practices are often related and are collectively known as sadomasochism as well as S&M or SM...
criminal mastermind. He led the cult into using advanced technology to menace the world. Followers of Kobra would frequently address their master as "Naja-Naja", "naja naja" being the
binomialThe formal system of naming species is called binominal nomenclature , binary nomenclature , or the binomial classification system...
name for the
Indian CobraNaja naja is a species of venomous snake native to the Indian subcontinent which includes present day Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri lanka. It is the most famous of the Big Four, the four most venomous snakes of India for which a single polyvalent antivenom has been created. Like other...
. This later became "
NāgaNaga or NAGA may refer to:* Nāga, a group of serpent deities in Hindu and Buddhist mythology.-People:* Naga people, an diverse ethnic identity in Northeast India* Naga , from Kashmir* Naga Regiment, of the Indian Army...
-Naga", a meaningless title which translates from the
SanskritSanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. It is also declared as a classical language by the government of India....
as "snake-snake". Whether this change was intentional or an error is not known.
However, unknown to the cult, he had a
psychicA psychic is a person who claims to have the ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception, or is said to have such abilities by others...
link to his twin brother, Jason, who knew nothing of Kobra. As a result, one felt what the other felt, including pain. Because of this, his brother was recruited by an international agency to help them combat Kobra. At first, Kobra was unable to even hurt or kill his brother; eventually, however, he used a device that "shut off" the psychic link, and gave him the chance to kill Jason. However, Kobra was subsequently haunted by visions of his brother. Whether it really was his ghost or just Kobra's imagination was never revealed.
In subsequent years, Kobra would clash with assorted superheroes, including
BatmanThe Batman, originally referred to as the Bat-Man, is a fictional character, a comic book superhero co-created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger , appearing in publications by DC Comics...
, whom he first met over a
Lazarus PitA Lazarus Pit is a fictional natural phenomenon in the DC Comics universe. They are primarily found in the Batman titles and are commonly used by Ra's al Ghul for their restorative powers.- Fictional history :...
of his own creation. Kobra had learned to build modified Lazarus Pits, which allowed him to control the minds of those he killed and resurrected. Kobra is the only person in the DC universe ever to decipher the formula for the Lazarus Pits. Kobra had special concerns about
Wonder WomanWonder Woman is a DC Comics superhero created by William Moulton Marston. First appearing in All Star Comics #8 , she is one of three characters to have been continuously published by DC Comics since the company's 1944 inception .Wonder Woman is a member of an all-female tribe of Amazons...
and sought to ensure her death, first by hiring a cartel of international assassins led secretly by corrupted UN Crisis Bureau chief Morgan Tracy (also
Diana PrinceDiana Prince is a fictional character created by Charles Moulton and Harry G. Peter. She serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Wonder Woman.-Overview:...
's boss), then by kidnapping and irretrievably damaging enviromental activist Deborah Domaine, forcibly transforming her into a new Cheetah, and ultimately, facing her in combat in Egypt, faking his own demise after being defeated by the Amazon Princess. A short while later his various Strike Force Kobra teams would fight two different incarnations of Batman's
OutsidersThe Outsiders are fictional characters, a DC Comics superhero team. As its name suggests, the team consists of superheroes who allegedly do not fit the norms of the mainstream superhero community, namely the Justice League....
. Kobra also fought the third
FlashThe Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
, the
Suicide SquadThe Suicide Squad is a name for two fictional organizations in DC Comics Universe. The first version debuted in The Brave and the Bold #25 , the second, also known as Task Force X, in Legends #3 . An "original" Suicide Squad was retconned into continuity in Secret Origins vol...
led by Amanda Waller, the original incarnation of
CheckmateCheckmate is a fictional covert operations agency within the DC Comics universe. It first appeared in Action Comics #598 and proceeded to have its own ongoing title in Checkmate!...
,
Captain AtomCaptain Atom is a fictional comic book superhero. Created by writer Joe Gill and artist/co-writer Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Space Adventures #33...
, a
SupermanSuperman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective Comics, Inc...
whose personality had been swapped with
Ambush BugAmbush Bug is a fictional comic book character who has appeared in several DC Comics.His name is supposedly Irwin Schwab, but has mental problems that prevent him from truly understanding reality around him, so even his true identity might be no more than a delusion on his part...
's by exposure to red
kryptoniteKryptonite is a fictional element from the Superman mythos, originating in the Superman radio show series.The material is usually shown as having been created from the remains of Superman's native planet of Krypton, and generally has detrimental effects on Superman and other Kryptonians...
, and others. Kobra is one of a very small number of individuals that has the capability of defeating Batman in hand-to-hand combat, and actually did so on one occasion.
The only organization ever to rival Kobra in the old
DC UniverseThe DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
(
Pre-Crisis ICrisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify their then-50-year-old continuity...
) was
SKULLThe SKULL group is a fictional DC Comics criminal organization, introduced in 1976's Superman issue #301. They were created by Gerry Conway and Curt Swan.-Bronze Age:...
. There were frequent recorded clashes between the two groups, the last occurring in Outsiders Annual #1 story "The Skull...The Serpent...and The Outsiders".
After the betrayal of his lover Eve during the Strike Force Kobra fiasco, she split Kobra in two and established her own splinter group. In the
Power CompanyThe Power Company was a team of professional superheroes-for-hire in the DC Comics universe. The team, created by Kurt Busiek and Tom Grummett, first appeared in JLA 61,...
: Sapphire #1 the Justice League rushes to
San DiegoSan Diego , named after Saint Didacus , is the second-largest city in California and the ninth largest city in the United States, located along the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of the United States. The US Census Bureau estimates the city's population at 1,279,329 as of 2008...
to prevent disaster as two rival factions of the Kobra Cult prepared to go to war. One faction was led by Eve; the other was led by Kobra himself.
He kidnaps the former hero
Air WaveAir Wave is the name of three fictional superheroes in the DC Comics universe. The first two were active in the Golden Age of Comic Books ; The current Air Wave is a modern super-hero.-Larry Jordan:...
and uses him to seize control of the world's media and satellite resources, intending to destroy a number of major world cities. However, in a demonstration of his power, he incidentally kills Terri Rothstein, Atom Smasher's mother, ensuring the
Justice Society of AmericaThe Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
's involvement. (Mrs Rothstein's life would later be saved through
time travelTime travel is the concept of moving between different moments in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space, either sending objects backwards in time to a moment before the present, or sending objects forward from the present to the future without the need to...
; Atom Smasher replacing her with the villain
ExtantExtant is a term commonly used in biology to refer to taxa that are still in existence . The term extant contrasts with extinct. For example, Brandt's Cormorant is an extant species, while the Spectacled Cormorant is an extinct species...
).
He appeared again in
JSA #45, which featured his trial. He shrugs off claims of terrorism, claiming to be an enlightened soul (a
bodhisattvaIn Buddhism, a bodhisattva means either "enlightened existence " or "enlightenment-being" or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." Another translation is...
) trying to free souls from their karmic debt by random acts of violence. Following this, his followers threatened to kill the media outside the courthouse with bioengineered
suicide bombA suicide attack is an attack intended to kill others and inflict widespread damage in the knowledge that oneself will die in the process...
implantImplant can refer to:*Alien implants*Brain implant*Breast implant*Buttock implant*Cochlear implant*Dental implant*Extraocular implant*Fetal tissue implant*Harrington implant*Implant *Implant *Implant, The*Implantation...
s. Holding everyone hostage with this tactic, he was allowed by the JSA to escape, leading to an outraged
Black AdamBlack Adam is a fictional comic book character, created in 1945 by Otto Binder & C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. Originally created as a one-shot villain for Fawcett Comics' Marvel Family team of superheroes, Black Adam was revived as a recurring supervillain after DC Comics began publishing Captain...
and Atom Smasher, who both subsequently choose to leave the team. In
JSA #51, Atom Smasher, Black Adam,
NorthwindNorthwind is a fictional avian human hybrid published by DC Comics.Created by Roy Thomas, Jerry Ordway and Mike Machlan, Northwind first appeared in All-Star Squadron #25...
, and
BrainwaveBrainwave is a name shared by two characters in the DC Comics Universe, who are father and son.-Henry King, Sr.:The Brain Wave was Henry King, a super-villain who used his psionic powers to battle the Justice Society of America in the 1940s, first appearing in All-Star Comics #15...
track Kobra down to his headquarters in the
Himalaya MountainsThe Himalaya Range or Himalayas for short , meaning "abode of snow", is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. After killing his guards, Black Adam rips his heart out.
Jason Burr
Jeffrey's twin brother Jason is re-animated by the Kobra Cult in
Faces of Evil: Kobra #1 (March 2009), possibly through the use of Kobra's
Lazarus PitA Lazarus Pit is a fictional natural phenomenon in the DC Comics universe. They are primarily found in the Batman titles and are commonly used by Ra's al Ghul for their restorative powers.- Fictional history :...
s. This involves the death of an entire facillity of Checkmate agents, including several of Burr's old friends. Within the one-shot Jason reveals that he is re-structuring the organization and killing off all the old members. Before revealing himself as the new Kobra, Jason spent some time undercover as a Checkmate agent, learning their secrets.
Kobra Organization
- The Kobra organization survived Jeffrey Burr's death, and has been gaining converts. In Identity Crisis
Identity Crisis is a seven-issue comic book limited series published by DC Comics from June to December in 2004. It was created by writer Brad Meltzer and the artistic team of penciler Rags Morales and inker Michael Bair.-Publication history:...
, it was revealed that DCU prisoners (such as SlipknotSlipknot is a fictional supervillain published by DC Comics. His first appearance is in Fury of Firestorm #28.-Fictional character biography:Slipknot's real name is Christopher Weiss...
) sometimes convert to the cult of Kobra, to the general disgust of the DC's superheroes.
- Like Ra's al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul, sometimes written Rā's al Ghūl , is a DC Comics supervillain and is one of Batman's greatest enemies. His name is Arabic for "The Demon's Head," and references the name of the star Algol. Created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams, he was introduced in Batman #232's...
, Kobra owned a hidden network of very specialized Lazarus PitA Lazarus Pit is a fictional natural phenomenon in the DC Comics universe. They are primarily found in the Batman titles and are commonly used by Ra's al Ghul for their restorative powers.- Fictional history :...
s.
- Kobra apparently entertains many specialized sub-sections. One such section was the Blackadders, a group of ninja-like fanatics. In the past Kobra operated an aggressive metahuman research and recruitment program, this program that gave birth to both known versions of Strikeforce Kobra.
- Kobra is currently active in the DCU as a terrorist organization with a religious bent. Upon the death of Burr, it underwent a power-struggle, with would-be leaders including King Snake
King Snake is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. He is a martial artist created by writer Chuck Dixon and artist Tom Lyle as a villain to Robin , and he first appeared in Robin #2...
, and (unwillingly) a schoolfriend of Tim Drake who apparently fitted the prophecy, but this has apparently settled: a new leader has emerged (possibly Eve who had split off with half of the old school Kobra). Under her, the organization now seeks to fulfill 'the prophecies of Kali Yuga'. It is actively being fought by the super-spy agency known as CheckmateCheckmate is a fictional covert operations agency within the DC Comics universe. It first appeared in Action Comics #598 and proceeded to have its own ongoing title in Checkmate!...
.
- The new Kobra seems to be ranked by serpent type, low level members are Lanceheads
Bothrops is a genus of venomous pitvipers found in Central and South America. The generic name is derived from the Greek words bothros and ops that mean "pit" and "eye" or "face"; an allusion to the heat-sensitive loreal pit organs. Members of this genus are responsible for more human deaths in the...
, higher level members are called NagasNaga or NAGA may refer to:* Nāga, a group of serpent deities in Hindu and Buddhist mythology.-People:* Naga people, an diverse ethnic identity in Northeast India* Naga , from Kashmir* Naga Regiment, of the Indian Army...
(Checkmate vol. 2 #4), the highest level shown are the Bestowed, mysticsMysticism is the pursuit of communion with, identity with, or conscious awareness of an ultimate reality, divinity, spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, instinct or insight. Mysticism usually centers on a practice or practices intended to nurture those experiences or...
who specialize in Blood Magic (Checkmate vol. 2 #24).
- Following the resurrection of Jason Burr, he has seized control of the organisation, and is reorganising it. (Faces of Evil: Kobra #1).
Other versions
In
Kingdom ComeKingdom Come is a four-issue comic book mini-series published in 1996 by DC Comics. It was written by Mark Waid and painted in gouache by Alex Ross, who also developed the concept from an original idea...
, Jeffrey Burr is a part of the Mankind Liberation Front, led by
LuthorLex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Superman and first appeared in Action Comics #23 , and was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Luthor is described as "a power-mad, evil scientist" of incredible...
.
Television
A future version of Kobra (or, at least, his organization) appeared in four episodes of
Batman BeyondBatman Beyond, also known as Batman of the Future, is an American animated television series created by The WB Television Network in collaboration with DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation as a continuation of the Batman legacy. It began airing on January 10, 1999, and ended its run on December18,...
. Its members appeared not to be warriors but scientists who have an obsession with reptiles. They also made virus tests on people who were kidnapped. They in turn became reptilian creatures that obey Kobra's every command. Little is known about the origins of Kobra, but they had long admired the power of the dinosaurs. They envisioned them as the only life form capable of ruling the world once again. So, for years Kobra sought a way to splice human genes with dinosaurs' DNA. Until they could achieve their main goal, Kobra used cutting edge technology for robberies, extortion and terrorism, which led them to clash with Batman (
Terry McGinnisTerrence "Terry" McGinnis is a fictional superhero and the main protagonist of the animated television series Batman Beyond, in which he has succeeded Bruce Wayne as the protector of Gotham City...
) on a few occasions.
Kobra was ruthless and unforgiving. Every member of Kobra was expected to have complete allegiance and devotion to the organization, and any protocol breach was punished with a gruesome death in a pit of vipers. Among their interrogation techniques, Kobra used a sensor that turned one's thoughts into pictures. This way they could weed out traitors among their ranks (however, this instrument was proved to be fallible, as a young kid deceived it by sheer force of will as seen in "Unmasked"). There were several Kobra branches around the world, and each cell seemed to have its own Main Operator.
The hierarchy of Kobra was depicted by color and garments. The ones on the bottom were foot soldiers, identified by their green spandex uniforms. They responded to members who donned an orange variation of the same spandex uniform, with golden bracelets on their forearms and forelegs, and a green exomis or hooded cloak. There were also scientists, technicians, or assistants who wore these garments. However, Main Operators usually had a chin beard. Within the infantry there were assassins that ranked above the rest. They were trained in specific fighting techniques, or armed with special weaponry, such as electrical flail or edge weapons. Altogether, these combatants were more dangerous and deadlier than the average foot soldier.
Kobra's appearance was in "Plague", where it continued executing fiendish schemes to gain an edge and thrive. At one point, they developed a deadly super virus capable of complete biological devastation. They hired a criminal named
False-FaceFalse-Face is the name of three fictional supervillains appearing in DC Comics' shared universe.-First False-Face:The first False-Face seen was among the five small-time criminals hired by organizer Black Star. Along with his colleagues Captain Bigg, Hopper, Brain and Rattler, he staged a robbery...
to smuggle the virus from Saint Denis to Gotham City, and then broke into Gotham Plastics, where they planned to coat millions of cred-cards with the virus, thus transmitting it by hand-to-hand contact. In case that plan failed or the government resisted their demands, Kobra secretly turned Falseface into a virus carrier. Kobra planned to demand a ransom of 10 billion credits. Their actions were eventually intercepted by the NSA that had enlisted Stalker to track down and retrieve the virus. Kobra's plans were foiled by an unlikely alliance between Stalker and Batman.
In the "Curse of the Kobra," it's revealed that despite having a resolute goal, Kobra lacked cohesive leadership. Therefore, they decided to genetically engineer the perfect Kobra leader. In the long run, they created
Zander. They carefully monitored and controlled his gestation, striving to create a healthy and resilient makeup. Right from early infancy, Kobra started to groom Zander to become the perfect leader. They brainwashed and trained him in military strategies and tactics. When Zander finally reached adolescence and was ready to assume his leadership, Kobra could finally move on with their plan. They stole a vial from Dr. Padu Banjahri, a paleontologist who had been recovering dinosaur DNA, and spliced their lackeys into dinosaurs. However, there was still the problem of adaptability: Dinosaurs were cold-blooded, so they could only survive in a tropical environment. In order to raise the planet's temperature, Kobra had stolen the R12 thermal bomb from the Nova Research Center. They planned to plunge it into a dormant volcano standing on a rift that went down to the Earth's core. This would start a chain reaction that would raise the temperature of the whole planet. However, thanks to the combined efforts of Batman, Max and Kairi Tanaga (Zander's martial arts teacher and a former fellow student of Bruce Wayne's own sensei), Kobra's supreme goal was brought to naught, and in the process they lost their perfect leader.
The version of Kobra seen in
Batman Beyond appears in an episode of
Static ShockStatic Shock is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered in September 2000 on the Kids' WB! block and ran for four seasons, with a total of 52 half-hour episodes....
. In "Future Shock," Kobra carried on with their tactics, and eventually acquired another leader. They also secretly moved in to Platform 247, and used it as their new headquarters. In an undocumented occurrence, the police arrested Kobra Leader. Thus, Kobra designed a plan to imprison Static and then negotiate a trade. They forged a holographic message from Gear so as to lure
StaticStatic is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics and a member of the Teen Titans. An original character from DC's Milestone Comics imprint, Static first appears in Static #1 and was created by Dwayne McDuffie and John Paul Leon...
into Platform 247, where he was ambushed, subdued and imprisoned in a stasis field. The negotiation, however, was never in Kobra's plans, as they never truly intended to give up the captive hero. It was but a ruse to provide their leader with an escape opportunity, while he was being transported to the exchange. After breaking out, Kobra Leader headed off to Kobra's headquarters to kill Static. However, Batman and Static's younger self broke in and took on Kobra's Leader and his soldiers. Static released his older self from the stasis field, and saw him single-handedly defeat a battalion of Kobra worshipers with a single jolt. Kobra's fate afterward remains unknown.
External links