The Pit (G.I. Joe)
Encyclopedia
The Pit is the fictional headquarters of the specialist G.I. Joe
team from the 1980s Marvel
comic book
created by Larry Hama
. It is a multi-level underground base complete with training facilities, living quarters, a briefing room, and heavy equipment storage.
Three versions of the Pit have been presented as existing within the comic books.
School's motor pool at Fort Wadsworth
in Staten Island
, New York. Most of the characters in the school, with the exception of members of the G.I. Joe
team, had no idea of the Pit's existence.
According to a blueprint provided in the comic book (issue #1 of the series as published by Marvel Comics
), the original incarnation of the base is five levels deep. The first level houses heavy vehicles and weapons, with the second level containing electronic communications and briefing rooms. The training area is situated upon the third level, complete with swimming pool, whilst the fourth level contains an armory and living quarters. The fifth level houses computers and generators and is where classified documents are located.
The base is represented as able to withstand a direct hit from a five-megaton warhead.
This structure is the focus of issue three. A seemingly deactivated robot and its hidden mobile transmitters go amok deep inside the Pit. The Joes manage to neutralize all threats. Multiple features are examined in depth; for example the blast doors that lock out most rooms and the ventilation system that connects to the Chaplain's facilities above.
Within the comic books, the secret nature of the Pit was somewhat revealed. Cobra attacks the base in G.I. Joe #19, destroying the motor pool. Due to trickery, the Cobra soldiers believe the pool to have been the facade for an armored fortress, somewhat reminiscent of the G.I. Joe headquarters in the cartoon series. The fortress itself is destroyed, but the Pit below remains relatively intact. During the battle, General Flagg
is shot dead in the Pit's brig by Major Bludd
.
facilities; larger living quarters to accommodate increasing number of Joes; and detention facility to hold prisoners. Latrines are also shown, a feature missing in the original Pit blueprint. The renovation is represented as having taken about six months to complete within the time-frame of the fictional universe.
Reconstruction is seen by the reader to begin in G.I. Joe #22 (Marvel series), with the creators presenting the base as re-open in G.I. Joe #33. The second Pit is not to last long however with Cobra learning the exact location of the Joes' headquarters, infiltrating and attacking the Pit from within in G.I. Joe #53. Most of the Joes are not in the PIT at the time and are involved in the battle above. Only four soldiers are inside the actual Pit, General Hawk
and three high ranking military officials. They battle dozens of B.A.T.s, android soldiers. Two die in separate incidents in order to save the others. The survivors, General Hollingsworth and General Hawk, escape moments before the entire PIT is destroyed. This seemingly buries Cobra Commander
and Destro
. Hollingsworth throws in his influence behind Hawk, restoring G.I. Joe its needed capabilities to battle Cobra. After the attack, the Joes no longer have a permanent headquarters, and operate as a nomad unit. This status, however, is not to last long either.
, with its exact location not revealed to the reader.
No blueprint was provided to readers, however, in issue #63, the base is presented to readers as appearing externally to be a small outpost ringed by fences with three quonset huts. These buildings themselves have their own uses; Outback
lays out for a nap in one. The reader is shown, through the action depicted within the comic books, two entrances to Pit III. The first being a trapdoor located in one of the huts, and the other a sand-covered, mechanically-controlled ramp also leading underground. This entrance is shown as being used for heavy equipments and vehicles. Many Joes are shown as having helped construct the Pit personally.
Despite G.I. Joe's status being depicted as that of a nomad unit after the destruction of Pit II, the need for another Pit is shown to the reader to arise through the plot based upon the need to secretly house the Defiant
shuttle complex. Signs of the base are shown as being immediately visible to the Cobra during construction via spy satellites, but in spite of this, the Joes are presented as having more success defending this base than previous Pits.
Cobra are shown to try to destroy Pit III three times:
Pit III is shown to be deactivated along with the G.I. Joe team in #155.
close to real-life military base Fort Huachuca
. In #11, General Hawk
, frustrated by the lack of funding and equipment for the reinstated Joes, blackmailed Winters, a U.S. general who secretly has deals with Cobra, to asking Congress for the funding. Hawk gave the general a list of what he needs. Among the request is for a new Pit.
Pit IV is the central hub of G.I. Joe operations with offices in eight cities all over America. Access to the Pit is restricted to full team members only. Greenshirts
are trained in various bases over the country. Blueprint of the new Pit is detailed one level per issue of the Devil's Due series. Although this is the fourth Pit in the G.I. Joe comic universe, the base was never referred to as "Pit IV", but simply as the "Pit".
The location of this Pit was discovered through Cobra operative Wraith's spying. Pit IV was destroyed by G.I. Joe rather than let it fall to Cobra hands in #39 of the Devil's Due series.
, the headquarters are called "The Rock", a hidden complex located within a mountain in Yellowstone National Park. In the final issue of the America's Elite run, the G.I. Joe team returns it's operations to Fort Wadsworth, site of the original "Pit".
. It's a massive, high-tech facility that serves as the primary headquarters for G.I. Joe. The first level consists of a large hangar for transport craft, while subsequent levels have training facilities, a large pool
for submarine warfare training, and living quarters. Cobra discovers the base's location with a tracking beacon and launches a surprise attack to retrieve the nano-mite warheads G.I. Joe is protecting. Though Cobra is successful in stealing the warheads and causing significant damage and casualties, the Pit remains operational. However, at the end of the film, G.I. Joe officially decommissions and abandons the Pit, shifting their operations to the USS Flagg
.
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...
team from the 1980s Marvel
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
comic book
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (Marvel Comics)
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a comic book that was published by Marvel Comics from 1982 to 1994. Based on Hasbro, Inc.'s G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line of military-themed toys, the series has been credited for making G.I. Joe into a pop-culture phenomenon. G.I...
created by Larry Hama
Larry Hama
Larry Hama is an American comic book writer, artist, actor and musician who has worked in the fields of entertainment and publishing since the 1960s....
. It is a multi-level underground base complete with training facilities, living quarters, a briefing room, and heavy equipment storage.
Three versions of the Pit have been presented as existing within the comic books.
The Pit (or Pit I)
The original Pit was secretly located underneath the Chaplains AssistantChaplains assistants
In the US Army Chaplain Corps, Chaplain Assistants provide support to Chaplains. A Chaplain Assistant is part of the Unit Ministry Team and supports UMT programs including worship services...
School's motor pool at Fort Wadsworth
Fort Wadsworth
Fort Wadsworth is a former United States military installation on Staten Island in New York City, situated on The Narrows which divide New York Bay into Upper and Lower halves, a natural point for defense of the Upper Bay and Manhattan beyond. Prior to closing in 1994 it claimed to be the longest...
in Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, New York. Most of the characters in the school, with the exception of members of the G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe Team
G.I. Joe is the code name of an elite covert special forces unit operating under the control of the United States Military in the fictional G.I. Joe universe....
team, had no idea of the Pit's existence.
According to a blueprint provided in the comic book (issue #1 of the series as published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
), the original incarnation of the base is five levels deep. The first level houses heavy vehicles and weapons, with the second level containing electronic communications and briefing rooms. The training area is situated upon the third level, complete with swimming pool, whilst the fourth level contains an armory and living quarters. The fifth level houses computers and generators and is where classified documents are located.
The base is represented as able to withstand a direct hit from a five-megaton warhead.
This structure is the focus of issue three. A seemingly deactivated robot and its hidden mobile transmitters go amok deep inside the Pit. The Joes manage to neutralize all threats. Multiple features are examined in depth; for example the blast doors that lock out most rooms and the ventilation system that connects to the Chaplain's facilities above.
Within the comic books, the secret nature of the Pit was somewhat revealed. Cobra attacks the base in G.I. Joe #19, destroying the motor pool. Due to trickery, the Cobra soldiers believe the pool to have been the facade for an armored fortress, somewhat reminiscent of the G.I. Joe headquarters in the cartoon series. The fortress itself is destroyed, but the Pit below remains relatively intact. During the battle, General Flagg
General Flagg
General Flagg is the code name as well as the rank and surname of two fictional characters from the toyline, cartoon and comic series, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero....
is shot dead in the Pit's brig by Major Bludd
Major Bludd
Major Bludd , is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series of the 1980s. Appearing in both the comic books and the cartoons, Major Bludd is one of the series villains, a mercenary working for the Cobra Organization.-Toy:Major Bludd first appeared in 1983, he has had 6...
.
Pit II
The second version of the Pit is shown within the comic books to be a repair and improvement of the original. According to a blueprint provided in the comic book (G.I. Joe #22, Marvel series), it is rebuilt to six stories in depth, depicted as having been designed to be more defensible and impregnable. Among the improvements shown to the reader, are the addition of a helicopter launching pad near to the motor pool; improved nuclear blast protection; an ICBM missile silo; an earth boring machine located at the lowest level, to facilitate an escape; a small nuclear power plant; an additional level with R&RR&R
R&R may refer to:* R&R , a music trade magazine* R&R , acronym for Rest and Recuperation* "R&R" , an episode of the science fiction TV show*R&R , a fictional nightclub in EastEnders...
facilities; larger living quarters to accommodate increasing number of Joes; and detention facility to hold prisoners. Latrines are also shown, a feature missing in the original Pit blueprint. The renovation is represented as having taken about six months to complete within the time-frame of the fictional universe.
Reconstruction is seen by the reader to begin in G.I. Joe #22 (Marvel series), with the creators presenting the base as re-open in G.I. Joe #33. The second Pit is not to last long however with Cobra learning the exact location of the Joes' headquarters, infiltrating and attacking the Pit from within in G.I. Joe #53. Most of the Joes are not in the PIT at the time and are involved in the battle above. Only four soldiers are inside the actual Pit, General Hawk
Hawk (G.I. Joe)
Hawk is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line of military-themed toys. He appears in the animated series, comic books, toyline, and movie.-Profile:...
and three high ranking military officials. They battle dozens of B.A.T.s, android soldiers. Two die in separate incidents in order to save the others. The survivors, General Hollingsworth and General Hawk, escape moments before the entire PIT is destroyed. This seemingly buries Cobra Commander
Cobra Commander
Cobra Commander is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe franchise. He appears in the toyline, animated series , comic books, video games, and movie as the usual principal antagonist. He is the supreme leader of the terrorist organization Cobra, and archnemesis of the Joes...
and Destro
Destro
Laird James McCullen Destro XXIV, usually referred to simply as Destro, is a fictional villain from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line of military-themed toys from Hasbro. He is portrayed by Christopher Eccleston in the 2009 live-action film, G.I...
. Hollingsworth throws in his influence behind Hawk, restoring G.I. Joe its needed capabilities to battle Cobra. After the attack, the Joes no longer have a permanent headquarters, and operate as a nomad unit. This status, however, is not to last long either.
Pit III
Pit III is located within the fictional universe as being in a desert in UtahUtah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, with its exact location not revealed to the reader.
No blueprint was provided to readers, however, in issue #63, the base is presented to readers as appearing externally to be a small outpost ringed by fences with three quonset huts. These buildings themselves have their own uses; Outback
Outback (G.I. Joe)
Outback 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 survivalist and debuted in 1987.-Profile:His real name is Stuart R. Selkirk, and his rank is that of sergeant E-5...
lays out for a nap in one. The reader is shown, through the action depicted within the comic books, two entrances to Pit III. The first being a trapdoor located in one of the huts, and the other a sand-covered, mechanically-controlled ramp also leading underground. This entrance is shown as being used for heavy equipments and vehicles. Many Joes are shown as having helped construct the Pit personally.
Despite G.I. Joe's status being depicted as that of a nomad unit after the destruction of Pit II, the need for another Pit is shown to the reader to arise through the plot based upon the need to secretly house the Defiant
Defiant (G.I. Joe)
The Defiant is a fictional space shuttle complex vehicle and station from the G.I. Joe series, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, line of toys, comics and cartoons.-Toys:...
shuttle complex. Signs of the base are shown as being immediately visible to the Cobra during construction via spy satellites, but in spite of this, the Joes are presented as having more success defending this base than previous Pits.
Cobra are shown to try to destroy Pit III three times:
- G.I. Joe #83 - Cobra attempt a direct assault. However, an informant tips off the Joes, and we are shown Cobra destroying the huts only to find no entrance. It is revealed that the Joes have simply moved the huts a mile from the Pit's actual location.
- G.I. Joe #100 - Cobra try to destroy the Pit from the inside by activating two brainwashed Joes: ClutchClutch (G.I. Joe)Clutch is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series. He is one of the G.I. Joe Team's motor vehicle drivers and debuted in 1982.-Profile:...
and Rock n Roll. The presence of two young girls cause the two soldiers to fight their programming, as they did not wish to harm anyone innocent. This mental fight breaks the conditioning and they pass out. - G.I. Joe #130 to 131 - Led by the original Cobra CommanderCobra CommanderCobra Commander is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe franchise. He appears in the toyline, animated series , comic books, video games, and movie as the usual principal antagonist. He is the supreme leader of the terrorist organization Cobra, and archnemesis of the Joes...
, the two-part story depicted another direct assault on the base. Although shown to be caught by surprise, the Joes manage to hold off Cobra's attacks and take the fight to Cobra. However, Joes' success in this battle is that of a pyrrhic victoryPyrrhic victoryA Pyrrhic victory is a victory with such a devastating cost to the victor that it carries the implication that another such victory will ultimately cause defeat.-Origin:...
; in addition to heavy equipment losses on the Joe's side, it is revealed that the Cobra Commander's primary aim is to document the success of Cobra's ability to defeat U.S. radar systems and market this ability to his clients.
Pit III is shown to be deactivated along with the G.I. Joe team in #155.
Pit IV
Pit IV was built in the Devil's Due G.I. Joe comic series and is located in a desert in ArizonaArizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
close to real-life military base Fort Huachuca
Fort Huachuca
Fort Huachuca is a United States Army installation under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. It is located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about north of the border with Mexico. Beginning in 1913, for 20 years the fort was the base for the "Buffalo...
. In #11, General Hawk
Hawk (G.I. Joe)
Hawk is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line of military-themed toys. He appears in the animated series, comic books, toyline, and movie.-Profile:...
, frustrated by the lack of funding and equipment for the reinstated Joes, blackmailed Winters, a U.S. general who secretly has deals with Cobra, to asking Congress for the funding. Hawk gave the general a list of what he needs. Among the request is for a new Pit.
Pit IV is the central hub of G.I. Joe operations with offices in eight cities all over America. Access to the Pit is restricted to full team members only. Greenshirts
Greenshirts (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...
are trained in various bases over the country. Blueprint of the new Pit is detailed one level per issue of the Devil's Due series. Although this is the fourth Pit in the G.I. Joe comic universe, the base was never referred to as "Pit IV", but simply as the "Pit".
The location of this Pit was discovered through Cobra operative Wraith's spying. Pit IV was destroyed by G.I. Joe rather than let it fall to Cobra hands in #39 of the Devil's Due series.
The Rock
In G.I. Joe: America's EliteG.I. Joe: America's Elite
G.I. Joe: America's Elite is a series of comic books set in the G.I. Joe universe that began publication in June 2005. The events of the series begin one year after the conclusion of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero . The Special Missions series features reservist G.I. Joes and expands on plots set...
, the headquarters are called "The Rock", a hidden complex located within a mountain in Yellowstone National Park. In the final issue of the America's Elite run, the G.I. Joe team returns it's operations to Fort Wadsworth, site of the original "Pit".
2009 film
In G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, the Pit is located in EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. It's a massive, high-tech facility that serves as the primary headquarters for G.I. Joe. The first level consists of a large hangar for transport craft, while subsequent levels have training facilities, a large pool
Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory
The Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory is an astronaut training facility maintained by and located at the Sonny Carter Training Facility on NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The NBL consists of a large indoor pool of water, the largest in the world, in which astronauts may perform simulated...
for submarine warfare training, and living quarters. Cobra discovers the base's location with a tracking beacon and launches a surprise attack to retrieve the nano-mite warheads G.I. Joe is protecting. Though Cobra is successful in stealing the warheads and causing significant damage and casualties, the Pit remains operational. However, at the end of the film, G.I. Joe officially decommissions and abandons the Pit, shifting their operations to the USS Flagg
USS Flagg
The USS Flagg is a fictional U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier from the toy line, comic and cartoon series, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. It is the G.I. Joe Team's primary sea going vessel...
.