Spirit (G.I. Joe)
Encyclopedia
Spirit, sometimes called Spirit Iron-Knife, is a fictional character from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
, a line of military-themed toys. He appears in the animated series, comic books published by Marvel Comics
and Devil's Due Productions, toy line and movie.
family in the Taos Pueblo
Reservation in Taos, New Mexico
. His primary specialty is as a tracker.
In the Slaughter's Marauders toy line released in 1989, his birthplace is written as Grand Canyon
, Arizona
. It is corrected back to Taos, New Mexico in the new toy released in 2005. He has a companion pet Bald Eagle
named Freedom.
A new version of Spirit was released as part of the Air Commandos line in 1992.
Spirit's costume and specialty highlight his identity as a Native American such as the fact his specialty is tracking. He sports long braided hair, a headband, a knife being a prominent weapon and pants with designs typical of some Native American tribes. A new version of his costume designed by the Devil's Due comic book company ditched most of the obvious aspects of his heritage and emphasized a more military aspect.
, a fellow Joe (and coincidentally a fellow Southwest Native American) during that mission kept moving around and trying to deceive Snake-Eyes from their presence. After injuries from that mission, he was seen in a shopping mall in G.I. Joe #33 looking for medicinal herbs. In the same issue, he is recognized by a Crimson Guardsman, which results in several others Joes battling Cobra forces. Spirit later participates in the invasion of Springfield, and Cobra Island.
In issue #100, Spirit has accompanied Mutt
to Millville. While there, the two visit Mutt's Uncle Jeff. Mutt's dog Junkyard naturally comes with. During their stay, Cobra invades and takes over the town. Most of the citizenry are brainwashed one by one. Spirit and Mutt form a resistance movement. Assisted by Junkyard, they ambush a Cobra patrol, taking out two soldiers and a HISS Tank. They stop to check on Jeff, who seemingly betrays them. The two are joined by a local veterinarian and a small group of teenagers. The whole thing falls apart when it is seemingly discovered there was no Cobra presence at all, though it turns out the town is simply brainwashed back when the authorities are gone. Mutt and Spirit are arrested on the orders of Hawk.
This entire incident casts G.I. Joe in a bad light public relations wise, but eventually the truth comes out. The two are cleared of all wrong-doing after a court trial.
In his last few appearances, he can be seen guarding the entrance to the Joe's headquarters, a new version of the Pit
. Spirit refuses to let anyone enter until they give the proper codewords. Spirit's pet eagle, Freedom, does not appear until #130.
He was found imprisoned at an old Cobra base by Duke who was doing a solo investigation of Cobra Commander's whereabouts. He later rejoined the team.
while Freedom's vocal effects are provided by Frank Welker
. In that mini-series, he was used as a foil to Storm Shadow
, fighting one another to a stalemate. Afterwards, in the regular series, he was usually a background character or foil to Storm Shadow. In the episode 'Excalibur', Spirit heals Quick-Kick's
broken leg in moments.
Spirit can be seen several times during the Battle of the Statue of Liberty in the opening of G.I.Joe the Movie
cartoon.
series, Spirit, or Spirit Iron-Knife, is the team's resident tracker. He has a hi-tech suit. His pet is a falcon named "Billy".
, during the briefing in the first episode.
.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a military-themed line of action figures and toys in Hasbro's G.I. Joe franchise. The toyline lasted from 1982 to 1994, producing well over 500 figures and 250 vehicles and playsets. The line reappeared in 1997 and has continued in one form or another to the...
, a line of military-themed toys. He appears in the animated series, comic books published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
and Devil's Due Productions, toy line and movie.
Toys
Introduced in 1984, Spirit's real name is Charlie Iron-Knife. He is born to a poor Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
family in the Taos Pueblo
Taos Pueblo
Taos Pueblo is an ancient pueblo belonging to a Taos speaking Native American tribe of Pueblo people. It is approximately 1000 years old and lies about north of the modern city of Taos, New Mexico, USA...
Reservation in Taos, New Mexico
Taos, New Mexico
Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico, incorporated in 1934. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,700. Other nearby communities include Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, and El Prado. The town is close to Taos Pueblo, the Native American...
. His primary specialty is as a tracker.
In the Slaughter's Marauders toy line released in 1989, his birthplace is written as Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. It is corrected back to Taos, New Mexico in the new toy released in 2005. He has a companion pet Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
named Freedom.
A new version of Spirit was released as part of the Air Commandos line in 1992.
Spirit's costume and specialty highlight his identity as a Native American such as the fact his specialty is tracking. He sports long braided hair, a headband, a knife being a prominent weapon and pants with designs typical of some Native American tribes. A new version of his costume designed by the Devil's Due comic book company ditched most of the obvious aspects of his heritage and emphasized a more military aspect.
Marvel Comics
Spirit's first comic book appearance is in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #31 (January 1985) from Marvel Comics. His first mission was guarding Snake-Eyes, who is staying at his cabin at the time. That issue showed some of his capabilities as a hunter and tracker. He was the only one who spotted a Cobra tracking device inside the C-130 plane they were flying on. He and AirborneAirborne (G.I. Joe)
Airborne is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's helicopter assault trooper and debuted in 1983.-Profile:...
, a fellow Joe (and coincidentally a fellow Southwest Native American) during that mission kept moving around and trying to deceive Snake-Eyes from their presence. After injuries from that mission, he was seen in a shopping mall in G.I. Joe #33 looking for medicinal herbs. In the same issue, he is recognized by a Crimson Guardsman, which results in several others Joes battling Cobra forces. Spirit later participates in the invasion of Springfield, and Cobra Island.
In issue #100, Spirit has accompanied Mutt
Mutt (G.I. Joe)
Mutt is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's dog handler , and debuted in 1984.-Profile:...
to Millville. While there, the two visit Mutt's Uncle Jeff. Mutt's dog Junkyard naturally comes with. During their stay, Cobra invades and takes over the town. Most of the citizenry are brainwashed one by one. Spirit and Mutt form a resistance movement. Assisted by Junkyard, they ambush a Cobra patrol, taking out two soldiers and a HISS Tank. They stop to check on Jeff, who seemingly betrays them. The two are joined by a local veterinarian and a small group of teenagers. The whole thing falls apart when it is seemingly discovered there was no Cobra presence at all, though it turns out the town is simply brainwashed back when the authorities are gone. Mutt and Spirit are arrested on the orders of Hawk.
This entire incident casts G.I. Joe in a bad light public relations wise, but eventually the truth comes out. The two are cleared of all wrong-doing after a court trial.
In his last few appearances, he can be seen guarding the entrance to the Joe's headquarters, a new version of the Pit
The Pit (G.I. Joe)
The Pit is the fictional headquarters of the specialist G.I. Joe team from the 1980s Marvel comic book created by Larry Hama. It is a multi-level underground base complete with training facilities, living quarters, a briefing room, and heavy equipment storage....
. Spirit refuses to let anyone enter until they give the proper codewords. Spirit's pet eagle, Freedom, does not appear until #130.
Devil's Due
In the first issue of Devil's Due G.I. Joe series, Spirit is one of the many soldiers called back into active duty.He was found imprisoned at an old Cobra base by Duke who was doing a solo investigation of Cobra Commander's whereabouts. He later rejoined the team.
Sunbow
In the G.I. Joe animated series, Spirit first appeared in the mini-series The Revenge of Cobra voiced by Gregg BergerGregg Berger
Greggory "Gregg" Berger is an American voice actor, who is known for his longtime role as Odie the dog from the Garfield franchise...
while Freedom's vocal effects are provided by Frank Welker
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
. In that mini-series, he was used as a foil to Storm Shadow
Storm Shadow (G.I. Joe)
Storm Shadow is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic book series and television shows. The character is best known for his history with fellow ninja Snake Eyes...
, fighting one another to a stalemate. Afterwards, in the regular series, he was usually a background character or foil to Storm Shadow. In the episode 'Excalibur', Spirit heals Quick-Kick's
Quick Kick (G.I. Joe)
Quick Kick is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's martial arts expert, and debuted in 1985.-Profile:...
broken leg in moments.
Spirit can be seen several times during the Battle of the Statue of Liberty in the opening of G.I.Joe the Movie
DiC
Spirit appeared in DiC's G.I. JoeG.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1989 TV series)
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a half-hour American animated television series based on the successful toyline from Hasbro and the comic book series from Marvel Comics. The series was produced by DIC Entertainment and ran from 1989 to 1991....
cartoon.
Sigma 6
In the G.I. Joe: Sigma 6G.I. Joe: Sigma 6
G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 is a line of military-themed action figures and toys produced by Hasbro, re-imagining the characters of the 1980s toyline, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero.The Sigma 6 toy line served several purposes for Hasbro...
series, Spirit, or Spirit Iron-Knife, is the team's resident tracker. He has a hi-tech suit. His pet is a falcon named "Billy".
Resolute
Spirit did make a brief silent cameo appearance in G.I. Joe: ResoluteG.I. Joe: Resolute
G.I. Joe: Resolute is an animated television series based on the G.I. Joe franchise. It was written by Warren Ellis, directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, and produced by Sam Register. The series debuted on the web at Adult Swim Video April 18, 2009, with a Content Rating of TV-14-V, and premiered in its...
, during the briefing in the first episode.
Video games
Spirit is one of the featured characters in the 1985 G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero computer game. He is a non-playable supporting character in the 1992 game G.I. Joe: The Atlantis FactorG.I. Joe: The Atlantis Factor
G.I. Joe: The Atlantis Factor is the title of a NES video game developed by KID and published by Capcom in the United States in 1992. The game is a sequel to the G.I. Joe video game released for the NES by Taxan in 1991.-Storyline:...
.
Books
Spirit is a supporting character in the Find Your Fate novel, "Operation: Star Raider".Other media
- Spirit appears in the Robot ChickenRobot ChickenRobot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
episode "More Blood, More Chocolate". He is voiced by Seth GreenSeth GreenSeth Benjamin Green is an American actor, comedian, voice actor, and television producer. He is well known for his role as Daniel "Oz" Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Dr. Evil's son Scott in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, Mitch Miller in That '70s Show, and the voice of Chris...
. In the "Inside the Battlefield" segment, Spirit comments that the G.I. Joe team should've been court marshalled for using the Hydro-Master fragment of the Weather Dominator for a puck in a hockey game against Cobra at the North Pole. In "PS: Yes In That Way," Spirit is among the G.I. Joe members who make fun of Calvin (when he is nicknamed "Fumbles"). Spirit and his eagle Freedom are later sniped by Calvin. In "The Ramblings of Maurice," Spirit was present at Junkyard's funeral.
External links
- Spirit at JMM's G.I. Joe Comics Home Page