History WesternAnimation / GIJoeTheMovie

* AdaptationSpeciesChange: After showing a clearly Caucasian skin tone every time Cobra Commander wore his hood, this movie retcons that the Commander was a snake person. [[ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel The original comics]], as well as every other version since as kept the Commander human.

* FreezeFrameBonus: Two in the Terror Drome, first is Sgt. Slaughters left eye in the airvent, and second is on a Tele-Vipers goggles.

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Beachhead, when asking [[spoiler:the Rawhides where their sixth member, Falcon, is]] faces away from them.

%%* ConvenientComa:

* HeelFaceTurn: Part of the backstory for Mercer, one of the Renegades. He was a Cobra Viper that -- as Slaughter said -- "saw the light." Whether he was ever in a past episode is never brought up, however.

* LimitedSoundEffects

* MadnessMantra: Cobra Commander not only is the trope namer for [[spoiler: WasOnceAMan]], but he repeats it incessantly.

* ChekhovsGun: Sgt. Slaughters belt just after Falcon [[spoiler:overloads the B.E.T.]]

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Nemesis Enforcer. The slaughter house, Sgt. Slaughters outpost.

* RelatedInTheAdaptation: Barring later being adapted to ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeRenegades'', Lt. Falcon usually isn't Duke's brother.

* UnfortunateName: The {{MacGuffin}} device that Cobra is after in this movie is called the B.E.T. Today, if Cobra were to try this, they'd have [[{{Creator/BET}} Viacom to deal with]].

* UnfortunateName: The {{MacGuffin}} device that Cobra is after in this movie is called the B.E.T. Today, if Cobra were to try this, they'd have [[BlackEntertainmentTelevision Viacom to deal with]].

''G.I. Joe: The Movie'' (1987) was the first film to come out of the ''Franchise/GIJoe'' franchise. It is in the original animated series timeline taking place after its second season. Originally planned as a theatrical release, but after ''Franchise/MyLittlePony: The Movie'' and ''WesternAnimation/TransformersTheMovie'' bombed at the box office, it was released DirectToVideo instead, and quickly added to the syndication package of the series (in both movie format and as a 5-part episode, the latter version featuring framing segments hosted by the live-action Sgt. Slaughter).

It also '''''tried''''' to avert some of the tropes associated with the TV series such as NeverSayDie and NobodyCanDie. However, thanks to ''WesternAnimation/TransformersTheMovie'' being released first and the negative backlash against Optimus Prime's death, the death of Duke had to be changed to a coma.

* AnimationBump: The [[ActionHoggingOpening action packed opening]], which apparently took up a good chunk of the budget. Also the "Barraks" during Serpentors rescue, and the Mauler only seen for a few seconds behind and to the left of Hawks Snowcat when his strikeforce was in the tunnel entrance to Cobra-La.

-->'''Destro:''' Militarily speaking, it's only fair to say that Cobra Commander is a world class...buffoon!
-->'''Cobra Commander:''' [[BigWhat WHAT?]] Baroness! Dr. Mindbender! Brave Xamot and Tomax! You won't let Destro's treacherous assassination of my character go unchallenged, will you?!
-->'''Dr. Mindbender:''' Certainly not! Destro forgot to mention your frequent displays...of cowardice.
-->'''Cobra Commander:''' [[{{Angrish}} Uuugh!?!]]

* BalefulPolymorph: [[spoiler: Cobra Commander transforms gradually until he finally becomes a mindless snake and slithers away. (he gets restored in the subsequent cartoons).]]

-->'''Duke:''' [[PreAsskickingOneLiner Yo, Joe!]]
-->'''Cobra Commander:''' COBRA! RETREAT! ''RETREAT!!!!!''

* BodyHorror: What was done to [[spoiler:Cobra Commander]], and it's just a demonstration of Cobra-La's intentions for the rest of the world.

* BreakTheHaughty: Happens to Cobra Commander.

** [[spoiler: And Duke's coma]].
* BridalCarry: Gone horribly, horribly wrong--done with [[spoiler: a blinded Roadblock carrying a rapidly-mutating Cobra Commander]]

* CoversAlwaysLie: Despite being one of the better known characters in the GI Joe franchise, and one of the five characters on the poster, placed left of new character Lt. Falcon, Lady Jaye gets few scenes, and only says three words throughout the whole film.

* DisneyVillainDeath: [[spoiler: Pythona and Nemesis Enforcer both receive this when they fall into the Abyss of Oblivion, which just happens to be Golobulus's fault, inadvertently]].

* DreamWeaver: In Season 2's "Arise, Serpentor, Arise," Mindbender had a dream that inspired him to create the Cobra Emperor. It turns out the dream was actually sent by Golobulus to further Cobra-La's agenda.
* DrillSergeantNasty: 2 of them. First is Beachhead, for his obstacle course. Second is Sergeant Slaughter, even nastier than usual while training [[spoiler:Falcon]] with his Renegades.

* EyesDoNotBelongThere: Cobra Commander's true face is revealed... covered in about a dozen large, staring, inhuman eyes. It almost distracts from the fundamentally serpent-like look of his face, with scaly skin and lipless mouth. ''Almost''.
** The serpent-like look of his face was caused by his rapid mutation. His face was mostly human (other than the skin color) [[spoiler:in the flashback that shows him getting those extra eyes when a spore pod blew up in his face, said flashback also implying he may have even created them in the first place]].
* EyeScream:

** In the climax, Falcon stabs [[spoiler: Golobulus]].
* FaceHugger: Pythona, and Nemesis Enforcer use something like these. The former, on a few Crimson Guards, and the latter, on Sgt. Slaughter [[spoiler:when rescuing Falcon from Serpentor while infiltrating the Terror Drome during an "extra rough training exercise"]].
* FreezeFrameBonus: 2 in the Terror Drome, first is Sgt. Slaughters left eye in the airvent, and second is on a Tele-Vipers goggles.

* HeelFaceTurn: Part of the backstory for Mercer, one of the Renegades. He was a Cobra Viper that - as Slaughter said - "saw the light." Whether he was ever in a past episode is never brought up, however.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Cobra-La's hatred of humanity is due to their dependence on inorganic technology, which they see as anti-life and an abomination. Still, they have no problem stealing and using such a device, the B.E.T., to carry out their EvilPlan, contradicting their own beliefs.
** Which is debatable, since Golobulus stated that he "must" have the machine, implying Cobra La was unable, not unwilling, to make due without it.

* {{Kaiju}}: Serpentor orders several snake/slug-like ones called Barabers during his second and more successful raid to steal the B.E.T. from G.I. Joe, later using a moth-like one to fly away after putting Duke in his "coma". Golobulus wakes a lot more up in defense of his palace near the films end.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Cobra Commander gets this from his own group berating him for Cobra's numerous failures. [[VillainousBreakdown He does]] [[CantTakeCriticism not take]] [[NeverMyFault this well.]]
* TheReveal: Duke announces to General Hawk and some other's [[spoiler:during Falcon's preliminary hearing, to Falcon's chagrin, that the two are half-brothers, and later to the latter's fellow rawhides, that they have the same mother]].

-->"UNSUBSTANTIATED FANTASY! LIES! ''LIES''! '''''LIIIIIIIIIES!!!'''''"
* TheVoiceless: Nemesis Enforcer doesn't speak; though he does grunt and yell.

* SpecialEffectFailure: You can see and hear one scene where a H.A.V.O.C. Duke was on shoot beams instead of shells at an unseen target. Also the movie has other Joe vehicle's and Chuckle's handgun make actual gun noises, sometimes. A Mauler is seen behind and to the left of Hawk's Snowcat in the tunnel, but is not seen exiting, not that it should have fit anyway.

* MadeOfIron: Roadblock [[spoiler:and Cobra Commander]] survive most of the movie walking in the Himalayas, with no sub-zero clothing. Particularly problematic for [[spoiler:Cobra Commander, as he's becoming a snake, and presumably cold-blooded]].

* MadeOfIron: Roadblock [[spoiler:and Cobra Commander]] survive most of the movie walking in the Himalayas, with no sub-zero clothing.

* HellIsThatNoise: The Organism's of Cobra-La all make an awful racket. The "vine trap trees" make the [[spoiler:same noise as the "tubeworms" from the 5-part pilot's 3rd episode]] for some reason, but not the same as the previously mentioned organisms.

* ChekovsGun: Sgt. Slaughters belt just after Falcon [[spoiler:overloads the B.E.T.]]

* MonumentalBattle: The opening sequence, of course. Originally meant to be used in the climax of the movie, it was changed to the opener due to budget concerns.

* UnexplainedRecovery: Duke gets better from his "coma" at the end of the movie, through the amazing power of [[ExecutiveMeddling dubbing a voice (coming from somewhere non-specific) saying as much over the final scene.]]

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: A few. Serpentor lays one on his troops at the beginning. Cobra Commander tries to do this to Serpentor, but Serpentor fires back, emboldening the other Cobra higher-ups to join in. Pretty much the entirety of the scene is outlining why Cobra Commander is GeneralFailure.

-->'''Destro:''' Militarily speaking, it's only fair to say that Cobra Commander is a world class... buffoon!

-->'''Dr. Mindbender:''' Certainly not! Destro forgot to mention your frequent displays... of cowardice.

** Golobulus as well, with his FleshGolem type body, [spoiler:both halves]].

Golobulus as well, with his FleshGolem type body, [spoiler:both halves]].

* WhamLine: Three. First is from Duke at Falcon's preliminary hearing, "[[spoiler:Falcon is my half-brother.]]", second is from Roadblock to Hawk, "[[spoiler:Some kinda weird tree, man! Where those leaves grow, you cant survive, that giant plant eats Joes alive!]]". Second is from Flint to the [[spoiler:Rawhides, "Look at Cobra Commander. Those orbiting pods contain degenerative spores, and if the B.E.T. isn't shut down, the pods will open and release enough spores to mutate every man, woman, and child on earth!"]]

* ChekovsGun: Sgt. Slaughters belt during just after Falcon [[spoiler:overloads the B.E.T.]]