WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, in theaters now.
Snake Eyes follows the titular fighter (Henry Golding) as he attempts to infiltrate Clan Arashikage by preying on his bond with Tommy Arashikage (Andrew Koji). He’s doing this at the behest of Kenta (Takehiro Hira), an exiled member of the Clan who seeks revenge. Along the way, however, Kenta ends up getting the forces of Cobra involved with his plans — and drawing the attention of G.I. Joe, now an international organization dedicated to bringing down enemies of the peace like Cobra.
To that end, G.I. Joe agent Scarlett (Samara Weaving) is called in for assistance by her allies Tommy and Akiko (Haruka Abe). By the end of Snake Eyes, she has effectively become the film’s version of Nick Fury from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Upon discovering evidence of Cobra’s involvement with Kenta’s branch of the Yakuza, Tommy and Akiko call upon Scarlett for assistance. She agrees to come, and arrives in time to take part in the film’s finale. Working alongside her fellow heroes, Scarlett is able to bring down Akiko’s forces — even briefly working alongside her long-time enemy, the Baroness (Úrsula Corberó), to bring down the number of enemy soldiers. In the end, Scarlett affirms her belief that Snake Eyes has great potential, even revealing that his father (Steven Allerick) was formerly a member of the G.I. Joes before he was assassinated by Augustine (Samuel Finzi). Scarlett even offers Snake Eyes a position within the organization — which he considers, but only after he’s found the now enraged and rogue Tommy.
In this capacity, Scarlett is essentially the Nick Fury of Snake Eyes. Repositioning G.I. Joe as a global peacekeeping force like Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D. and Cobra as their ultimate foes, Scarlett’s recruitment of Snake Eyes is similar to that of figures like Iron Man and Captain America, who were initially approached by Samuel L. Jackson’s Fury in the MCU’s first phase of films. She teases the overall world and conflicts at the center of the franchise, while not distracting too much from the titular hero and his mission.
Snake Eyes could now easily reappear in a future G.I. Joe film, having been offered a position within the greater group and becoming a member of the organization — and having helped expand the world of G.I. Joe. However, Scarlett is not the only figure in the universe actively recruiting people. The Baroness proves to be her Cobra counterpart in this way as well, as she sneaks up on Tommy after he boards a private plane. Offering him a drink and a partnership, the Baroness seems to convince Tommy to join up with her forces, even promising him an army that will recognize him as their leader under his new moniker: Storm Shadow.
It positions her as Cobra’s own equivalent to Scarlett’s Fury-esque role, and sets up an interesting arms race of warriors, which could lead to an intense, escalating battle between the two forces. This sounds like the perfect storyline for future films in the franchise to tackle.
Directed by Robert Schwentke, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is currently in theaters.
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