Dreadnoks

Latest revision as of 06:20, 1 May 2024

The Dreadnoks are a gang that feature in G.I. Joe.

History

Origin

The Dreadnoks were originally a violent biker gang who enjoyed causing destruction and mayhem anywhere they went where they came to operate as mercenaries for other organizations.

Marvel

When Zartan joined Cobra formally, he brought Buzzer, Ripper, and Torch with him to his hideout in the swamps of the Florida Everglades. Soon after, Zartan rode up to New Jersey with the Dreadnoks in tow. After confirming that the G.I. Joe team had some involvement with McGuire Air Force Base, he and the Dreadnoks started to watch the base, and moved into a nearby abandoned gas station. Zartan and Cobra Commander decided that McGuire was the secret location of Joe headquarters, and ordered the Dreadnoks to cut open the base's perimeter fence under cover of night to prepare for Cobra's assault. Bored and eager for mayhem, the Dreadnoks sneaked inside the base and started to tear apart fighter jets. When Buzzer got too careless, a fighter exploded, alerting the Joes and the base that Cobra was coming. The fearful Dreadnoks sped away from Cobra Commander's wrath with Buzzer in the lead. Buzzer proved to be the most intelligent and educated of the three Dreadnoks. His belief in his own superiority made him obnoxious, and got him and the other Dreadnoks into trouble often. While in Springfield, the Dreadnoks were admiring Zartan's new motorcycle, which included built-in hologram projectors. Buzzer decided that since Zartan wasn't around, he wouldn't mind if he borrowed his bike. Ripper and Torch protested, afraid of angering Zartan, but Buzzer soon talked them into joining him with their own bikes. They set off on the highway, and started terrorizing other motorists as they went. They tore apart a truck carrying bales of hay, then set the hay ablaze, sending flames all over the road. One of the Dreadnoks ripped a gash in the side of an old classic 1950s Chevy Bel Air, not knowing it belonged to the Joe, Rock & Roll, who was on leave along with Breaker and Clutch. Rock & Roll was furious and chased after them. Buzzer used Zartan's bike's holoprojectors and made the bike look like a giant tractor-trailer covered in skulls and crossbones. The Joes swerved to avoid the "truck" and crashed. While the injured Joes were being taken to the hospital by ambulance, Rock & Roll recognized the Dreadnoks escaping from another military base they were tearing apart. The Joe took control of the ambulance and went after the Dreadnoks. He caused Buzzer to crash his bike, though Ripper and Torch escaped and were quickly picked up by Zartan, hoping to put a stop to his lackeys' reckless behavior. Rock & Roll captured Buzzer, who was taken into custody and held at Joe headquarters for questioning.

Ripper and Torch returned to Springfield and were left behind by Zartan when he joined Cobra Commander in the operation that led to the creation of Cobra Island and Cobra's sovereign nation status. They spent most of their time causing minor amounts of trouble in the Cobra-controlled town, having little ambition without Zartan or Buzzer to push them around. After a long stay at Joe headquarters, Buzzer was taken from the Pit by a military police bus, along with another prisoner named Candy. Candy had been Ripcord's girlfriend and was now a suspected Cobra agent due to her father's involvement in Cobra. Buzzer took an immediate liking to the young woman, but she was disgusted by him. Buzzer managed to get control of the bus and nearly killed the guard and driver. He took off, with Candy still on board the bus. He headed off toward Springfield with Candy in tow, unwillingly. He was soon involved in the murder of the Soft Master, and the incidental death of Candy.

After a firefight on Cobra Island, Zartan switched places with the Joe Ripcord. Zartan, posing as Ripcord, was 'rescued' by the Joe team and brought to The Pit. Ripcord, meanwhile, had been badly injured and barely conscious, unwillingly posing as Zartan. He was placed in a computer-guided Firebat jet which landed in Springfield. Ripper and Torch met the Firebat and took the man they believed to be Zartan to the hospital. They noted that under his hood Zartan looked different, but the dim-witted Dreadnoks figured that the master of disguise always looked different. Buzzer made his way to the hospital, fearing what Zartan would do to him for stealing and destroying motorcycle, but the Zartan he met didn't care about the incident. In fact, the still groggy Ripcord just kept babbling about 'his Candy'. The Dreadnoks were worried that Zartan had lost his mind, but tried to keep it quiet, fearing they'd be out of a job if Cobra found out. They took 'Zartan' to a local restaurant, hoping to keep him out of sight. When Ripcord finally regained his senses, he sneaked away, placed a call to Joe headquarters and revealed the exact coordinates of Springfield. His true identity was discovered and after a brief chase, he was captured. The Joes quickly staged an invasion of Springfield, forcing Cobra to evacuate. The Dreadnoks were left on their own and headed to their New Jersey hideout in a stolen ambulance. When they arrived, they were surprised to find Zarana, Zandar and a sadistic young Dreadnok named Thrasher. They used Buzzer's knowledge of the location of the Pit to rescue the real Zartan from the headquarters. In the brief battle with the Joes that followed, Thrasher's heavily armed vehicle named the Thunder Machine took the Joes by surprise, allowing the Dreadnoks to elude them. Zartan was still angry at Buzzer for stealing his bike, but let him off with a warning since he helped free him. After Zartan was freed, Buzzer's unofficial role of Dreadnok leader was taken over by Zarana, Zartan's sister. She was even more cunning than Buzzer and much smarter.

With Zarana in charge, the Dreadnoks fought the Joes often. Zarana, Monkeywrench, and Thrasher were put in charge of Cobra's Terror Drome in the chaotic nation of Sierra Gordo. As revolution began to tear the country apart, a small team of Joes arrived to evacuate the American embassy. Zarana took advantage of the Joes' presence and highjacked their transport plane, along with a group of refugees that served as her hostages. Wild Bill, Maverick and Crazy Legs had no choice but to take off without the rest of the Joes. The plane was swiftly shot down and the Joes, the Dreadnoks and the refugees were lost in the middle of Sierra Gordo's jungle with no way home. Realizing that the revolutionaries would make no distinction between them, the Joes and Dreadnoks worked together to get out of the country and eventually stole a plane and flew back to the United States. Zarana, Monkeywrench and Thrasher somehow managed to escape without being taken into custody. All of the Dreadnoks later took part in the Cobra Island civil war on the side of Fred VII.

After the death of Serpentor, Cobra planned to make up for the loss of Springfield by finding a new piece of real estate to serve as a secret base. The Dreadnoks were placed in charge of the beach front property on the Jersey shore dubbed Broca Beach. Zarana and Zandar ran a real estate scam to attract potential investors by holding seminars in motels. Meanwhile, the Dreadnoks caused trouble up and down the New Jersey highways. They were eventually tracked down by the Joe team, and while the Joes secretly watched the Dreadnoks in their gas station hideout, Buzzer discovered Mutt's dog, Junkyard. He injured the poor dog with his chainsaw, only to be captured by Mutt and kicked in the face once or twice for nearly killing his dog. Buzzer was arrested along with the other Dreadnoks, all of whom were freed on a technicality thanks to Cobra's lawyers. Days later, Mutt and Battle Force 2000 were on patrol when they ran across the Zarana and the Dreadnoks just leaving a real estate seminar. As the Joes and Dreadnoks clashed on the Jersey turnpike, the state police raced to the scene. After a brief battle (and another kick in the face for Buzzer), most of the Dreadnoks made their escape while the state troopers stopped the Joes. As the Joes tried to explain their actions, one of them shot down Zanzibar's air skiff, carrying he and Zarana. The state police captain arrested them all, though the Joes were released soon afterward. Zarana would have stayed in jail if it weren't for a former Dreadnok with a split personality named Road Pig (with a second, more refined personality named Donald), saw her arrest on television. Road Pig saw Zarana as his "lost love" and attacked the unsuspecting state policeman at their headquarters, freeing Zarana and Zanzibar. A short time later, Destro took control of Cobra and tried to put an end to all the bickering and backstabbing that plagued the group. Zarana and the Dreadnoks continued to control Broca Beach and made it successful. Two Joes, Clutch and Rock & Roll, stumbled upon the town and Zarana and the Dreadnoks captured them. Using a version of the Brainwave Scanner hidden in Broca Beach, Zarana saw to the brainwashing of Clutch and Rock & Roll, not only erasing their memories of the town but implanting false memories post-hypnotic suggestions to turn the Joes into mindless killers. Zarana and most of the Dreadnoks were later caught in an explosion caused by the Baroness hoping to keep knowledge of the brainwashing to herself. Most of the Dreadnoks escaped with minor injuries, though Road Pig and Zarana spent nearly a month unconscious. They were all in custody for a time, but once again Cobra used the law to free them.

Devil's Due

During the years after G.I. Joe disbanded and Cobra was defeated, Zartan expanded the Dreadnoks, spreading his gang to over fifty cities in the United States. The main body, under the command of Zartan, was the Florida chapter, nicknamed the Florida Noks. Around this time, Zartan's daughter Zanya found him. Zartan eventually was overcome by a problem with his genetic experimentation, which left him unable to go out into sunlight. This caused him to lead the Dreadnoks through Zanya, who became his new second-in-command, much to the annoyance of Zarana, who left to lead the Chicago chapter.

IDW

Skybound Entertainment

Overview

In appearance, the Dreadnoks were a biker themed gang that engaged in various forms of criminal activity.

All Dreadnoks tended to be uncouth and violent, and usually engaged their enemies with unconventional, creative and usually many crude weaponry. They also had the habit of torturing captured enemies, usually in bizarre ways such as exposure to pain-inducing laughing gas or tossing victims into pools of man-eating piranhas.

Many of the Dreadnoks were known to use holographic technology and other means to disguise themselves.

Their headquarters was a compound hidden somewhere in the Florida Everglades.

Members

• Zartan : the leader of the Dreadnoks who was believed to have had European military academy training and was hired as an espionage agent. He was a master of disguise through masks, make-up, holograms and hypnosis, as well as ventriloquism and linguistics with him knowing 20 languages and dialects. Another special trait only he was known to have is the ability to change the color of his skin to blend in with his background through genetic manipulation experiments. As a side effect to the gene splicing, he was allergic to sunlight, which threw off his camouflage ability. As well, he was a highly skilled martial artist and a master of the bow.
• Zanya : the tough and tenacious daughter of Zartan who never knew her father until she sought him out. As a child, she stole and panhandled where she came to learn to take down opponents many times her size by using hand-to-hand combat.
• Zarana :
• Zandar :
• Buzzer :
• Ripper :
• Torch :
• Burn Out : a black male named Walter O. Jones who was a mechanical genius that could have been an engineer had he not dropped out of a top technical school during freshman orientation. When not engaging in destructive jobs, he spent his time making custom motorcycles. Jones also had an amazing talent towards assuming another person's body language and speech patterns.
• Chop Shop :
• Crusher :
• Demolishor : a male named Sukko Torngark who was an eye-patch wearing aboriginal native of Pikangikum in Ontario. He grew up in the frigid northern reaches of the Canadian wilderness and eked out an existence as a nomadic hunter where he developed a near superhuman threshold to pain. To relieve his growing depression, he started to become an amateur demolitions enthusiast but came to run out of things to destroy at his home and started to become restless. Seeking to vent his frustrations, he came to hear of a band of social miscreants and sought them out by heading to Florida where eventually he came upon Dreadnok territory.
• Death Metal
• Gnawgahyde :
• Thrasher :
• Heartwrencher :
• Machete :
• Road Pig :
• Storm Rider :
• Torch :
• Thrasher : a spoiled brat whose parents never disciplined him, he joined the Dreadnoks. He built and drives the Thunder Machine. A little unpredictable and hard to control, but he can always be trusted in a fight. He was identifiable by a green streak in his hair.
• Zanzibar : a Dreadnok pirate, Zanzibar was low even by Dreadnok standards. He is a smuggler, thief, pickpocket and boat pilot. Even the other Dreadnoks disliked him. Nevertheless, he was incredibly talented in hand-to-hand combat. He piloted the Dreadnok Air Skiff which included a spear, gun, and hammer as weapons.
• Zanya :

Notes

• The Dreadnoks featured in the setting of G.I. Joe where they made their first appearance in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #25 (July, 1984).
• As detailed on CBR, an interview with Larry Hama in ToyFare magazine in "ToyFare Q&A: Larry Hama" (1998) revealed that Hasbro wanted to capitalise on the popularity of the Ewoks in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi and wanted the villain Zartan to lead humanoid bears against G.I. Joe. Hama was critical of this proposal and told Hasbro that, "you can't have the good guys running around shooting at teddy bears." This led to him pitching the idea that the Dreadnoks were instead bikers with his idea becoming the theme behind them.

In other media

Television

• In G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, the Dreadnoks appeared in the 1985 animated Sunbow television series starting from the episode "The Revenge of Cobra".

Films

Appearances

• G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero v1:
• G.I. Joe:

External Links

• G.I. Joe Wiki Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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