Red Jackal
Encyclopedia
Red Jackal is an Action Force
action figure
and comic book
character. He is a Red Shadow
and the driver of the Hyena battle tank.
n from Riga
who joined the Soviet army, displaying a natural talent for driving, but failed to adjust to other aspects of life in the Soviet military.
After stealing a Commissioner's car and assaulting GRU
officers who arrested him, Nobokov was court-martial
led. However the charges were dropped after a senior officer realised his potential as a driver and he was transferred to a position as a chauffeur
to a top-ranking General.
Whilst on an assignment transferring officials to a conference in Finland
, the convoy he was leading was ambushed by Red Shadows (including Hyena tracked vehicles
). Nobokov escaped by driving his vehicle into a log-strewn river and using the felled trees as a raft.
He was subsequently recruited by Action Force
and assigned to their Z Force
unit with the codename Jackal
(and Action Force serial number AF 935163), attending a training camp in Turkey. In common with other Action Force characters he was assigned primary ("head and hand combat") and a secondary military specialties ("high-speed driving"). However he once again showed an aversion to comradeship and emerged as a loner, obsessed only with driving.
Whilst on a solo test drive in a Z Force jeep, Jackal was again ambushed by Red Shadows who forced him to crash into a gorge. Despite being critically injured, Baron Ironblood
ordered the Red Shadows to recover Nobokov so that he could be operated on by the Red Shadows' own medical specialists.
Following a series of operations, Jackal emerged as the Red Jackal, incorporating bionic technology
, in particular an armoured steel-plated head, bionic hands and powerful vision. Baron Ironblood then ordered his new soldier on two test missions in Turkey and Africa
, driving the new Red Shadows tracked assault vehicle, the Hyena. His bionic vision complemented his driving skills, especially in the use of the Hyena.
Red Jackal subsequently became a key member of Ironblood's staff and featured in later Red Shadows storylines. The character later became a prominent figure in the transition to Cobra and was reinvented as Destro
(see below).
Destro figure and was supplied with the Red Shadows Hyena vehicle. He was armed with a black laser pistol and has a black briefcase.
. As the Shadows are wiped out, Ironblood goes into hiding and constructs a new identity for himself, later becoming Cobra Commander
, and creating Cobra as a new enemy force.
In the meantime, as the Red Shadows are attacked by Action Force, Red Jackal escapes an SAS
assault on his base on the border between Turkey and the USSR and goes in search of Ironblood to seek revenge for the betrayal of the Red Shadows.
After journeying through the desert and on to Thailand
, Jackal located his former leader in a South-East Asian jungle
and revealed he had stolen the banking access codes to the new Cobra Commander's personal fortune. Following a struggle, Red Jackal is overwhelmed by Cobra Commander as acid
was sprayed into his face. Cobra Commander nevertheless chose to spare him and, declaring a jackal
was not a creature of the jungle (where his new base was located), renamed him Destro
. The name was derived from the last words Jackal had shouted (a shortened version of destroy) as he had tried to kill him. His face was once-again re-constructed, this time by Cobra surgeons.
Action Force
Action Force was a 1980s range of European action figures initially based on Action Man, and later used to introduce G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toys to European markets...
action figure
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
and comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
character. He is a Red Shadow
Red Shadows
The Red Shadows are the fictional fighting force opposed to Action Force and depicted in the UK Battle Action Force comic books. They were also portrayed in action figures by Palitoy as a European version of the G.I. Joe range. Later US G.I. Joe storylines have revived the Red Shadows as an...
and the driver of the Hyena battle tank.
Characterisation
According to his Battle Action Force depiction, Red Jackal (or Anton Nobokov) is a LatviaLatvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n from Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
who joined the Soviet army, displaying a natural talent for driving, but failed to adjust to other aspects of life in the Soviet military.
After stealing a Commissioner's car and assaulting GRU
GRU
GRU or Glavnoye Razvedyvatel'noye Upravleniye is the foreign military intelligence directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation...
officers who arrested him, Nobokov was court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
led. However the charges were dropped after a senior officer realised his potential as a driver and he was transferred to a position as a chauffeur
Chauffeur
A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide...
to a top-ranking General.
Whilst on an assignment transferring officials to a conference in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, the convoy he was leading was ambushed by Red Shadows (including Hyena tracked vehicles
Caterpillar track
Continuous tracks or caterpillar tracks are a system of vehicle propulsion in which modular metal plates linked into a continuous band are driven by two or more wheels...
). Nobokov escaped by driving his vehicle into a log-strewn river and using the felled trees as a raft.
He was subsequently recruited by Action Force
Action Force
Action Force was a 1980s range of European action figures initially based on Action Man, and later used to introduce G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toys to European markets...
and assigned to their Z Force
Z Force (Action Force)
Z Force is a fictional infantry military unit that features in the Action Force universe, a European version of the G.I. Joe action figure and comic book series....
unit with the codename Jackal
Jackal
Although the word jackal has been historically used to refer to many small- to medium-sized species of the wolf genus of mammals, Canis, today it most properly and commonly refers to three species: the black-backed jackal and the side-striped jackal of sub-Saharan Africa, and the golden jackal of...
(and Action Force serial number AF 935163), attending a training camp in Turkey. In common with other Action Force characters he was assigned primary ("head and hand combat") and a secondary military specialties ("high-speed driving"). However he once again showed an aversion to comradeship and emerged as a loner, obsessed only with driving.
Whilst on a solo test drive in a Z Force jeep, Jackal was again ambushed by Red Shadows who forced him to crash into a gorge. Despite being critically injured, Baron Ironblood
Baron Ironblood
Baron Ironblood is a fictional character from Action Force, the British equivalent to the G. I. Joe Franchise. He appeared in the Battle Action Force comic books and annuals of the 1980s and was cast as an action figure by toy-makers Palitoy and distributed around Europe.In West Germany, he was...
ordered the Red Shadows to recover Nobokov so that he could be operated on by the Red Shadows' own medical specialists.
Following a series of operations, Jackal emerged as the Red Jackal, incorporating bionic technology
Bionics
Bionics is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology.The word bionic was coined by Jack E...
, in particular an armoured steel-plated head, bionic hands and powerful vision. Baron Ironblood then ordered his new soldier on two test missions in Turkey and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, driving the new Red Shadows tracked assault vehicle, the Hyena. His bionic vision complemented his driving skills, especially in the use of the Hyena.
Red Jackal subsequently became a key member of Ironblood's staff and featured in later Red Shadows storylines. The character later became a prominent figure in the transition to Cobra and was reinvented as 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...
(see below).
Action figure
As an action figure Red Jackal was a straight repaint of the G.I. JoeG.I. Joe
G.I. Joe is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier , Action Sailor , Action Pilot , Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse...
Destro figure and was supplied with the Red Shadows Hyena vehicle. He was armed with a black laser pistol and has a black briefcase.
Role in the transition to Cobra
Red Jackal is one of a handful of Red Shadow characters incorporated into the storyline that accompanied the transition to Cobra in the mid 1980s. The change in direction saw a storyline where Ironblood betrays the Red Shadows, leaking information about their bases and intentions to the UNUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. As the Shadows are wiped out, Ironblood goes into hiding and constructs a new identity for himself, later becoming 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 creating Cobra as a new enemy force.
In the meantime, as the Red Shadows are attacked by Action Force, Red Jackal escapes an SAS
SAS (Action Force)
SAS Force is a fictional special forces military unit that features in the Action Force universe, a European version of the G.I. Joe action figure and comic book series....
assault on his base on the border between Turkey and the USSR and goes in search of Ironblood to seek revenge for the betrayal of the Red Shadows.
After journeying through the desert and on to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Jackal located his former leader in a South-East Asian jungle
Jungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
and revealed he had stolen the banking access codes to the new Cobra Commander's personal fortune. Following a struggle, Red Jackal is overwhelmed by Cobra Commander as acid
Acid
An acid is a substance which reacts with a base. Commonly, acids can be identified as tasting sour, reacting with metals such as calcium, and bases like sodium carbonate. Aqueous acids have a pH of less than 7, where an acid of lower pH is typically stronger, and turn blue litmus paper red...
was sprayed into his face. Cobra Commander nevertheless chose to spare him and, declaring a jackal
Jackal
Although the word jackal has been historically used to refer to many small- to medium-sized species of the wolf genus of mammals, Canis, today it most properly and commonly refers to three species: the black-backed jackal and the side-striped jackal of sub-Saharan Africa, and the golden jackal of...
was not a creature of the jungle (where his new base was located), renamed him 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...
. The name was derived from the last words Jackal had shouted (a shortened version of destroy) as he had tried to kill him. His face was once-again re-constructed, this time by Cobra surgeons.