Sgt. Slaughter (G.I. Joe)
Encyclopedia
Sgt. Slaughter is a fictional character
from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
toyline series based on the professional wrestler
of the same name
. Though the original G.I. Joe was based on the real life Sgt. Alvin York, Sgt. Slaughter was the first G.I. Joe figure accurately based on a real person (Chicago Bears
defensive tackle William "The Refrigerator" Perry was the second). Sgt. Slaughter was also the most successful toy character, with several versions of his toy action figure being released. Unlike other real-person action figures, Sgt. Slaughter's toy version makes no reference to its real-life inspiration, although the figure does have wrestling moves. The real-life Sgt. Slaughter also did the voice for the cartoon character, and appeared in person for introductions to the episodes that were originally G.I. Joe: The Movie
. He was also the spokesman for the G.I. Joe toys from 1989 to early 1990, introducing the new vehicles and figures.
, and spent time dressing down trainees in Camp Lejeune. His real name is top secret. According to the G.I. Joe storyline, since just about every member of the G.I. Joe team is qualified to be a drill instructor, it takes a special brand of heavy duty honcho to keep them squared away. He serves as the team's special drill instructor
, as mentioned in the animated movie, and also engages in special missions.
, the maker of G.I. Joe toys, discontinued production in mid-1990, partly because the World Wrestling Federation
's new storyline featuring Slaughter as a "bad guy" and Iraq
i sympathizer.
Sgt. Slaughter led two G.I. Joe special teams. One was the Renegades, a mercenary-type group that partakes in highly sensitive, bottom drawer-classified missions for the United States. They included former football thug David "Red Dog" Taputapu, circus performer/Interpol
agent Varujan "Taurus" Ayvazyan, and ex-Cobra Viper Felix "Mercer
" Stratton. Falcon was with them unofficially after being court martialed as punishment in the animated movie.
Later, he led the "Marauders", a G.I. Joe assault squad released in 1989, and composed of Spirit
, the tracker; Low-Light
, the night operations sniper; Barbecue
, the firefighter; Mutt
, the K-9 handler; and Footloose
, the ground pounder.
In 1988, Sgt. Slaughter was released as a figure for the driver of the vehicle toy called 'Warthog A.I.F.V.'
For the 2006 G.I. Joe Convention, which the real Sgt. Slaughter attended as guest of honor, a new figure was made reusing older figure parts, including the original toy's head.
For the 2010 San Diego Comic Con, Hasbro revealed two new figures of Sgt. Slaughter would be sold exclusively at the con, one based on his 1985 mail-away toy while the other on his 1986 Triple T driver toy. The former figure includes a whistle, baton, microphone and title belt while the latter has a whistle, baton, machine gun, bipod and revolver.
, an enemy agent is loose. Sgt. Slaughter leads the Joes that he just defeated in securing the top-level exits. He finds Zartan fighting another Joe Gung-Ho
, having taken his image. Both claim the other is the enemy. Sgt. Slaughter knocks out Zartan with one punch, and attributes his correct choice to luck.
In issue #51, he places Thunder
in charge of the Joe HQ, and accompanies Cross-Country
on the H.A.V.O.C. to pursue Zartan and the Dreadnoks
after another escape attempt. After losing track of Zartan and his accompanying Dreadnoks, Sgt. Slaughter takes the H.A.V.O.C.'s hovercraft for recon. He finds them, but is fooled by the disguises the Dreadnoks have worked up.
. He works closely with Beach-Head.
He first appeared in the second season opener, "Arise, Serpentor, Arise!". He was Doctor Mindbender
's alternate DNA candidate in the latter's attempt to create Serpentor
, because Cobra failed to capture a much different DNA sample
. His DNA sample was destroyed by himself during the fight while Serpentor was created, so Serpentor supposedly never got Sgt. Slaughter's DNA sample. However, his severe impatience may be an indicator that he received at least a minor amount of his genetic material.
In the Sunbow cartoon series, Sgt. Slaughter is listed Commander of the G.I. Joe team as a drill Instructor, he is a legend among his fellow Joes & sometimes shares command with Beachhead as 4th in command, although he is higher than Flint & Beachhead.
He appeared in the episodes: Arise Serpentor Arise, My Brother's Keeper, Ninja Holiday, G.I. Joe & The Golden Fleece, Most Dangerous Thing In The World, Into Your Tent I Will Silently Creep, G.I. Joe: The Movie.
. He is shown as the leader and special drill instructor for The Renegades (consisting of Mercer
, Red Dog, and Taurus) and Lt. Falcon
after he was court martialed. He, The Renegades, and Lt. Falcon are some of the last Joes available for the final battle. Slaughter's use of wrestling moves is vital in saving the day when he manages to defeat Nemesis Enforcer in combat.
cartoon, Sgt. Slaughter was made third in command of G.I. Joe. He appeared in the episodes: "Operation Dragonfire" mini-series, "Revenge of the Pharaohs," "The No Zone Conspiracy," "Pigskin Commandos," "Cold Shoulder," That's Entertainment", "I Found You Evy," "An Officer and a Viper Man."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a military-themed line of action figures and toys in Hasbro's G.I. Joe franchise. The toyline lasted from 1982 to 1994, producing well over 500 figures and 250 vehicles and playsets. The line reappeared in 1997 and has continued in one form or another to the...
toyline series based on the professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
of the same name
Sgt. Slaughter
Robert Remus , better known by his ring name Sgt. Slaughter, is an American former WWE personality and semi-retired professional wrestler. From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, Slaughter had success in the National Wrestling Alliance, American Wrestling Association, and World Wrestling...
. Though the original G.I. Joe was based on the real life Sgt. Alvin York, Sgt. Slaughter was the first G.I. Joe figure accurately based on a real person (Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
defensive tackle William "The Refrigerator" Perry was the second). Sgt. Slaughter was also the most successful toy character, with several versions of his toy action figure being released. Unlike other real-person action figures, Sgt. Slaughter's toy version makes no reference to its real-life inspiration, although the figure does have wrestling moves. The real-life Sgt. Slaughter also did the voice for the cartoon character, and appeared in person for introductions to the episodes that were originally G.I. Joe: The Movie
G.I. Joe: The Movie
G.I. Joe: The Movie is a 1987 animated film spun off from the animated series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, based on the original Hasbro toyline. It was produced by Sunbow Productions and Marvel Productions and was animated in Japan by Toei Animation.Created at the height of the G.I. Joe craze in...
. He was also the spokesman for the G.I. Joe toys from 1989 to early 1990, introducing the new vehicles and figures.
Profile
Sgt. Slaughter was born in Parris Island, South CarolinaParris Island, South Carolina
Parris Island is a former census-designated place , currently a portion of Port Royal in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 4,841 at the 2000 census. As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, Parris Island is included within the Beaufort Urban Cluster and the larger...
, and spent time dressing down trainees in Camp Lejeune. His real name is top secret. According to the G.I. Joe storyline, since just about every member of the G.I. Joe team is qualified to be a drill instructor, it takes a special brand of heavy duty honcho to keep them squared away. He serves as the team's special drill instructor
Drill instructor
A drill instructor is a non-commissioned officer or Staff Non-Commissioned Officer in the armed forces or police forces with specific duties that vary by country. In the U.S. armed forces, they are assigned the duty of indoctrinating new recruits entering the military into the customs and...
, as mentioned in the animated movie, and also engages in special missions.
Action figures
From 1985-1989, there were new Sgt. Slaughter action figures almost every year. HasbroHasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
, the maker of G.I. Joe toys, discontinued production in mid-1990, partly because the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
's new storyline featuring Slaughter as a "bad guy" and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i sympathizer.
Sgt. Slaughter led two G.I. Joe special teams. One was the Renegades, a mercenary-type group that partakes in highly sensitive, bottom drawer-classified missions for the United States. They included former football thug David "Red Dog" Taputapu, circus performer/Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
agent Varujan "Taurus" Ayvazyan, and ex-Cobra Viper Felix "Mercer
Mercer (G.I. Joe)
Mercer is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series. He is a member of the G.I. Joe team as one of Sgt. Slaughter's Renegades and debuted in 1987.-Profile:...
" Stratton. Falcon was with them unofficially after being court martialed as punishment in the animated movie.
Later, he led the "Marauders", a G.I. Joe assault squad released in 1989, and composed of Spirit
Spirit (G.I. Joe)
Spirit, sometimes called Spirit Iron-Knife, is a fictional character from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, a line of military-themed toys. He appears in the animated series, comic books published by Marvel Comics and Devil's Due Productions, toy line and movie....
, the tracker; Low-Light
Low-Light (G.I. Joe)
Low-Light is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and animated series. He served as the G.I. Joe Team's Infantryman and debuted in 1986.-Profile:...
, the night operations sniper; Barbecue
Barbecue (G.I. Joe)
Barbecue is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's fire fighter and debuted in 1985.-Profile:His real name is Gabriel A. Kelly, and his rank is that of corporal E-4...
, the firefighter; Mutt
Mutt (G.I. Joe)
Mutt is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's dog handler , and debuted in 1984.-Profile:...
, the K-9 handler; and Footloose
Footloose (G.I. Joe)
Footloose is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's infantry trooper, and debuted in 1985.-Profile:...
, the ground pounder.
In 1988, Sgt. Slaughter was released as a figure for the driver of the vehicle toy called 'Warthog A.I.F.V.'
For the 2006 G.I. Joe Convention, which the real Sgt. Slaughter attended as guest of honor, a new figure was made reusing older figure parts, including the original toy's head.
For the 2010 San Diego Comic Con, Hasbro revealed two new figures of Sgt. Slaughter would be sold exclusively at the con, one based on his 1985 mail-away toy while the other on his 1986 Triple T driver toy. The former figure includes a whistle, baton, microphone and title belt while the latter has a whistle, baton, machine gun, bipod and revolver.
Marvel Comics
In the Marvel Comics G.I. Joe series, his first appearance is in issue #48. The drill sergeant is confronted by suspicious Joe members who are the top-level security team. He defeats them in hand-to-hand combat, then gets the explanation that the disguise master ZartanZartan
Zartan is a character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, by Hasbro. He is a mercenary who often worked directly for Cobra Commander, and is one of the main villains in the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic and animated series. His character was voiced by Zack Hoffman in the 1985 TV...
, an enemy agent is loose. Sgt. Slaughter leads the Joes that he just defeated in securing the top-level exits. He finds Zartan fighting another Joe Gung-Ho
Gung-Ho (G.I. Joe)
Gung-Ho is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books, and cartoon series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's original Marine and debuted in 1983.-Profile:...
, having taken his image. Both claim the other is the enemy. Sgt. Slaughter knocks out Zartan with one punch, and attributes his correct choice to luck.
In issue #51, he places Thunder
Thunder (G.I. Joe)
Thunder is a character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series of the 1980s. He is the G.I. Joe team's self-propelled gun artilleryman and debuted in 1984.-Profile:...
in charge of the Joe HQ, and accompanies Cross-Country
Cross-Country (G.I. Joe)
Cross-Country is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's H.A.V.O.C. driver and debuted in 1986.-Profile:...
on the H.A.V.O.C. to pursue Zartan and the Dreadnoks
Dreadnoks
The Dreadnoks are a fictional biker gang who act as villains in the G.I. Joe saga, which have been represented in several types of media, including toylines , comic books series , and television cartoons .All Dreadnoks are uncouth and violent, and usually engage their enemies with...
after another escape attempt. After losing track of Zartan and his accompanying Dreadnoks, Sgt. Slaughter takes the H.A.V.O.C.'s hovercraft for recon. He finds them, but is fooled by the disguises the Dreadnoks have worked up.
Devil's Due
Sgt. Slaughter is not listed on the official listing of personnel in the Battle Files mini-series, which lists all active and reservist members. However, Sgt. Slaughter is listed as an active member of the G.I. Joe team in G.I. Joe: America's Elite #28. In volume 2 of G.I. Joe A Real American Hero, Sgt. Slaughter appears in a flashback as a drill sergeant for incoming Joe trainees, AKA GreenshirtsGreenshirts (G.I. Joe)
Greenshirts is a term applied to the generic-looking soldiers from the cartoon G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. The Greenshirts are the equivalent of "extras" in that they are in the story to serve merely as background characters and have little to no speaking parts. Due to the unique look of each...
. He works closely with Beach-Head.
Sunbow
Sgt. Slaughter was featured in the Sunbow G.I. Joe cartoon. Sgt. Slaughter is often described as the toughest of all the Joes. As an instructor and trainer, he spurs his trainees through the most physically challenging exercises, which he can perform quite easily. He is almost unnaturally strong and can fend entirely for himself in the roughest missions. In fact, he easily fends off several dozen B.A.T.s by himself in 2 episodes of the 2nd season miniseries. He even uses the fingernail on his thumb as a convenient screwdriver to gain access to the circuitry of an electronically locked door and short it open.He first appeared in the second season opener, "Arise, Serpentor, Arise!". He was Doctor Mindbender
Doctor Mindbender
Dr. Mindbender is a fictional character from the 1980s G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comics, and animated series. He is a scientist who works for the fictional terrorist organization Cobra.-Profile:...
's alternate DNA candidate in the latter's attempt to create Serpentor
Serpentor
Serpentor is a fictional character from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, a line of military-themed toys created by Hasbro. The character was introduced in 1986 as a toy with an air chariot and included in the animated series that same year.-Toys:...
, because Cobra failed to capture a much different DNA sample
Sun Tzu
Sun Wu , style name Changqing , better known as Sun Tzu or Sunzi , was an ancient Chinese military general, strategist and philosopher who is traditionally believed, and who is most likely, to have authored The Art of War, an influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy...
. His DNA sample was destroyed by himself during the fight while Serpentor was created, so Serpentor supposedly never got Sgt. Slaughter's DNA sample. However, his severe impatience may be an indicator that he received at least a minor amount of his genetic material.
In the Sunbow cartoon series, Sgt. Slaughter is listed Commander of the G.I. Joe team as a drill Instructor, he is a legend among his fellow Joes & sometimes shares command with Beachhead as 4th in command, although he is higher than Flint & Beachhead.
He appeared in the episodes: Arise Serpentor Arise, My Brother's Keeper, Ninja Holiday, G.I. Joe & The Golden Fleece, Most Dangerous Thing In The World, Into Your Tent I Will Silently Creep, G.I. Joe: The Movie.
G.I. Joe: The Movie
Sgt. Slaughter plays a vital role in G.I. Joe: The MovieG.I. Joe: The Movie
G.I. Joe: The Movie is a 1987 animated film spun off from the animated series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, based on the original Hasbro toyline. It was produced by Sunbow Productions and Marvel Productions and was animated in Japan by Toei Animation.Created at the height of the G.I. Joe craze in...
. He is shown as the leader and special drill instructor for The Renegades (consisting of Mercer
Mercer (G.I. Joe)
Mercer is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series. He is a member of the G.I. Joe team as one of Sgt. Slaughter's Renegades and debuted in 1987.-Profile:...
, Red Dog, and Taurus) and Lt. Falcon
Lt. Falcon
Lt. Falcon is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series. He is a green beret with the G.I. Joe Team and debuted in 1987.-Profile:...
after he was court martialed. He, The Renegades, and Lt. Falcon are some of the last Joes available for the final battle. Slaughter's use of wrestling moves is vital in saving the day when he manages to defeat Nemesis Enforcer in combat.
DiC
In DiC's G.I. JoeG.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1989 TV series)
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a half-hour American animated television series based on the successful toyline from Hasbro and the comic book series from Marvel Comics. The series was produced by DIC Entertainment and ran from 1989 to 1991....
cartoon, Sgt. Slaughter was made third in command of G.I. Joe. He appeared in the episodes: "Operation Dragonfire" mini-series, "Revenge of the Pharaohs," "The No Zone Conspiracy," "Pigskin Commandos," "Cold Shoulder," That's Entertainment", "I Found You Evy," "An Officer and a Viper Man."
Other works
Sgt. Slaughter's figure is briefly featured in the fiction novel 6 Sick Hipsters. In the story, the character Paul Achting spent four years collecting G.I. Joe figures to set up a battle scene between the Joes and Cobra. As he imagined the characters in his head, he described as Sgt. Slaughter, behind the Joes on front lines of the battle, "wearing his distinctive mirrored shades, sat uncomplainingly in the cab of the idling Triple T Tank. He was speaking on a transistor radio to Dial Tone, the communications specialist, back at G.I. Joe headquarters. He could smell, almost taste, evil in the air."External links
- Sgt. Slaughter at JMM's G.I. Joe Comics Home Page