WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, in theaters now
While Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins gives a lot of attention to the titular warrior played by Henry Golding, he isn’t the only classic G.I. Joe character to appear. In fact, Snake Eyes perhaps excels the most with a character that the movie fully embraces in terms of style and function. Snake Eyes introduces a perfectly in-character new version of the Baroness (Úrsula Corberó), a high-ranking member of Cobra whose straight-forward villainy and adaptability make her one of the best elements of the entire film.
The Baroness, debuting in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #1 by Larry Hama and Herb Trimpe, eventually grew to be one of the most distinguished figures within the franchise — making the leap to animation following the strong reception of the character. A high-ranking lieutenant within the Cobra organization, the Baroness is often at her best when she’s unapologetically evil. In a genre that can often see femme fatales lose their agency, the original Baroness never relented in terms of villainy, with her overarching romance to arms-dealer Destro and her ambition to take command of Cobra defining the character in many of her appearances.
The Baroness of Snake Eyes is very much that, as she’s a dangerous figure whose involvement in the story of Snake Eyes is merely one aspect of Cobra’s global war with the Joes. Established as a high-ranking member of the organization, the Baroness is introduced as an ally to Kenta (Takehiro Hira). Supplying Kenta and his forces within the Yakuza with weapons, she’s made the bargain in hopes of claiming Clan Arashikage’s Sun Jewel, which gives the wielder the ability to burn people to ash with their minds. Seeing it as a powerful weapon, Baroness does what she can to arrange for its capture, including providing Snake Eyes with one of her own agents, Augustine (Samuel Finzi), so he can finally claim revenge for the death of his father.
Throughout Snake Eyes, the Baroness treats the surrounding conflict with sneering and casual contempt, in-character with her previous versions. When she’s betrayed by Kenta, she agrees to a brief alliance with Joe commando Scarlet (Samara Weaving) to get the stone away from Kenta. She proves to be incredibly dangerous with a gun, holding her own against Kenta’s forces and briefly standing with the heroes against him. However, her ruthless demeanor and attitude shine through when she sees an opening to escape and takes it. Even though she doesn’t end Snake Eyes with the Sun Jewel, Kenta is killed, so the Baroness potentially gains a deadly new ally — the disgraced Tommy Arashikage (Andrew Koji), aka Storm Shadow.
The Baroness is easily one of the most enjoyable parts of Snake Eyes. The film is largely a faithful reinvention of the franchises’ action-packed and bombastic tone, and the Baroness is a perfect representation of that. She’s straightforward with her murderous intent and quick to work with — and turn on — a surprising number of allies. Her escape allows her to become a more consistent presence in the franchise if it continues and allows her to serve as a villainous answer to Scarlet’s Nick Fury-esque elements. Plus, she’s dangerous when she needs to be, and the Baroness is hilariously blunt with her assessment of those around her.
She spends the entirety of Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins being as much like the classic Baroness as she could, an unapologetic opportunist whose loyalty is only to herself and Cobra. Úrsula Corberó delivers an entertaining and authentic take on the character, which can been seen now in theaters.
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