I'm brainstorming ideas on a future Big Boa custom and was just wondering if anyone had any in depth knowedge of the character. I understand his role was to train cobra troops, he was used to torture/see how much pain some joes could endure, and he is obviously a boxer.

Is there much more to his character and what is the purpose of the helmet? It seems to have a breathing apparatus, but I have seen customs where the helmet is removed and in the comic I think someone takes it off and hits him with it. If it is not necessary for breathing, is it just a cool looking helmet with no real explanation?

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Not much to him. He made token appearances in Devil's Due's comics before being unceremoniously killed off by the wannabe Red Shadows. Never had cartoon or Marvel Comics appearances.

Apparently he also showed up in the Cobra series by IDW, but like most things in the IDW series, the fun and zany aspects of him were probably ditched in favor of him being a gritty generic genericthing.

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Actually the IDW Big Boa was a pretty cool character. He was the Cobra trainer of course and had some interesting character moments with Chuckles. He was a tough guy just doing his job and that made him different from the other Cobras.

I don't think the helmet is ever explained anywhere. You could say its an enhanced oxygen delivery system to help him achieve maximum physical potential. Kinda like Bane's Venom injector but amplifying his blood oxygen instead of injecting a crazy making drug.

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Thanks guys.





That's a great idea.

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IDW also did Big Boa as a female. So there is a new angle.

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Oh yeah, that's right. But wait, was she actually named Big Boa? I do recall the big female drill instructor but I can't remember if she was named or not. If so using Big Boa as a title is interesting. I guess if Croc Master can be a title then no reason Big Boa can't be.

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http://comicsalliance.com/g-i-joe-cobra ... ublishing/

She's Big Boa according to that. Also some pics of her toward the bottom.

(Also, She Hulk body + Elite Viper head would be a good start on a custom)

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I assumed that's what his helmet was supposed to be. If Big Boa was supposed to be a foil for Rocky, I guessed they took Ivan Draggo on the respirator in training as his inspiration.

Actually didn't they have the body ready to go as Rocky Balboa but he wouldn't sign off on it so they just changed the faction and put the mask on?

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Nope, Boa was meant to be his nemesis. Rocky was going to wear a tanktop and sweatpants.
http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2013 ... yproto.jpg
http://www.yojoe.com/archive/unproduced ... /rocky.jpg

And besides, Big Boa's tooling makes no sense as Rocky. Why would Rocky wear a metal crotchplate, or a spiked cross-harness? Those are very Cobra things to sport.

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That's a deleted scene from Rocky III.

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I feel like the Big Boa figure is sort of the "snapshot" of Big Boa as the Cobra trainer. Not unlike Sgt. Slaughter '85/'86 is the drill instructor snapshot, but then in 1988 we have a more combat looking Sarge with the Warthog AIFV. And in reverse, it's like we have Gung-ho (1983) going into Marine Blues in 1987.

While there is not much official to build on, I think this gives Big Boa huge potential, and a figure/character very deserving of his own combat style look.

My own imagination considers Big Boa's "trainer" role based on some previous extensive military training, perhaps a special forces/ commando background and/or a mercenary work, perhaps training rebel armies or what not. But to set Big Boa apart from other characters with the same SF/ mercenary backgrounds is that Big Boa is also huge on using modern technologies. Essentially, Big Boa, in my own mind is not only just a standard Viper with extra brute muscle, but he also has some serious intelligence to contend with.
And being so on the edge of fighting form and technology, but also on the edge of basic survival, I can totally see keeping his helmet on for head protection at most times. I could see this guy sleeping in his helmet with a proximity sensor that wakes him up if anyone comes near him in training camp, for instance.
I can totally envision Big Boa becoming almost an anti-Snake-eyes type of character.