Scarlett was born in Atlanta, Georgia where her father and three older brothers were martial arts instructors. Scarlett got along well with her father and brothers, beginning her training at nine years of age.

Scarlett, age 9

They discovered that Scarlett had a natural affinity for the ancient fighting arts and was only fifteen when she was awarded a black belt. Scarlett and her sister Siobhan never got along well, and they drifted apart as they got older. After joining the Army, Scarlett received a varied education, attending Covert Ops School, Marine Sniper School, Special Air Service School and the Marine Tae Kwon Do symposium. Scarlett has participated in many martial arts tournaments and is also qualified as an Army hand-to-hand combat trainer. She is proficient in various weaponry, including the XK-1 power crossbow and many martial arts weapons such as throwing stars, garrote and ka-bar.

    Scarlett became a vital member of the G.I. Joe team, even commanding some missions from the very beginning. During many missions together, Scarlett and Clutch had an antagonistic relationship. She saw him as little more than a chauvanist pig, and Clutch gave her little reason to think otherwise. Despite this, they worked well together during a mission to protect an American ambassador who they thought was to be assassinated by Cobra. The diplomat turned out to be the assassin, intent on killing the other nation's ambassador to spark a war. Fortunately, the assassin was stopped thanks to Scarlett's good timing and a bullet-proof vest. Along with Zap and Snake-Eyes, Scarlett was one of the first Joes to set foot and Springfield, a Cobra-controlled town hidden in the United States. There, they met a mysterious boy named Billy, who would later be revealed to be Cobra Commander's son, helped them escape.Unfortunately, they never learned the actual location of Springfield. Scarlett continued on with the team and was captured by Storm Shadow, the Cobra ninja. Soon afterward she was rescued by Snake-Eyes. It was later discovered that Storm Shadow was Snake-Eyes' close friend from Vietnam -- Tommy Arashikage -- and that they had trained in the same ninja clan.

    At the opening ceremony for the renovated Pit, Scarlett and several other original Joes received promotions. For a time Scarlett was taken off active duty and served behind a desk in the Pit. During this time, Scarlett and Snake-Eyes were on leave, riding the Staten Island ferry when they were attacked by a group of Cobra's Crimson Guardsmen led by Fred Broca II. Snake-Eyes and Scarlett fought off the Cobras, sending Fred II into the river. Later, Snake-Eyes and Stalker discovered Fred II was really Wade Collins, a friend of theirs from Vietnam. They helped Wade leave Cobra and start a new life for himself. Scarlett returned to active duty and Springfield when the Joes invaded the town. During the battle, Scarlett was wounded. When Doc told her she was "out of this fight," she answered: "Not by a long shot! Just give me a rifle and point me in the right direction!" After that battle, Storm Shadow burst into a training session in the Pit. He was looking for Snake-Eyes and Scarlett tried to protect him. Storm Shadow wasn't out to get Snake-Eyes. He was asking his clan brother's forgiveness and vowed to end the search for vengeance that had nearly destroyed him. Snake-Eyes gave him the key to his cabin in the High Sierras to let him sort out his life. Scarlett and Snake-Eyes let Storm Shadow escape the Pit, knowing he never intended to harm anyone.

    Scarlett led a mission into the nation of Sierra Gordo when Snake-Eyes was captured there by Cobra forces. The Joes were unable to rescue Snake-Eyes and he was taken to the Cobra Consulate in New York. With Storm Shadow's help, Scarlett infiltrated the Consulate and rescued Snake-Eyes. Months later, when Stalker, Snow Job and Quick Kick were thrown into a gulag in the Soviet country of Borovia, Snake-Eyes and Scarlett defied orders to rescue Stalker and the others. They faked their own deaths, fooling even Lady Jaye and Flint, who had accompanied them on vacation in Grenada. They and the Blind Master went undercover in a circus that was traveling around eastern Europe, posing as acrobats and knife-throwers. When they returned home, Hawk decided not to reprimand them. Flint was angry that they had left he and Lady Jaye out of the mission and fooled them into thinking they were dead. He came to realize that Scarlett and Snake-Eyes only kept them out if it to protect them. Over the next few years, the four of them would become close friends. Shortly after their return Snake-Eyes and Scarlett went on a special mission into Asia along with Chuckles and Iceberg. The group's mission went on for months when many possible extraction sites were compromised. As a result, they were not a part of the Cobra Island civil war and the subsequent rescue of Hawk from corrupt government officials. After that mission's conclusion, Scarlett, Snake-Eyes, Flint and Lady Jaye went on an undercover mission into eastern Europe to monitor Cobra activity in the region.

    Eventually, Snake-Eyes decided it was time to try and undergo reconstructive surgery to repair his damaged face. He only wanted to be able to be in public with Scarlett like some many other "normal" people could do. During his surgery in Bern, Switzerland, Scarlett was attacked by the Baroness who thought Snake-Eyes had killed her brother in Vietnam back in 1968. To spite him, the Baroness shot Scarlett in the head, putting her into a coma for months. While unconscious, Scarlett's sister Siobhan tried to have her sister taken off life support. Meanwhile, Storm Shadow sent the despondent Snake-Eyes into Borovia on a mission, hoping he could forget what had happened to Scarlett. When Scarlett awoke from her coma, she almost killed Storm Shadow, believing he had caused Snake-Eyes' death. Snake-Eyes survived his mission, and he and Scarlett were reunited. Soon afterward, they both participated in the Battle of Benzheen, during which many Joes lost their lives.

    Scarlett's next assignment was to pretend she betrayed the Joes and joined Cobra. Even Snake-Eyes learned of the plan after Scarlett had left. Scarlett was rescued from Cobra during a major battle in Millville, a town taken over by Cobra. The Joes liberated the town and Scarlett returned to the team. Scarlett and Snake-Eyes soon took some much deserved time off and stayed at Snake-Eyes' cabin in the High Sierras. Unfortunately, Snake-Eyes was soon forced back into duty. Despite being upset, Scarlett gave Snake-Eyes her blessing since the mission was to rescue Storm Shadow. In what was one of Snake-Eyes' last missions for the Joe team, he attacked Destro's castle in Eastern Europe. Cobra Commander had taken over the castle and brainwashed Storm Shadow and many other former Cobra members. They now swore allegiance to Cobra and fought against the Joes against their will. Snake-Eyes attempted to free Storm Shadow, but failed. Soon afterward, the word came from the Pentagon that the Joe team was being shut down. At an emotional ceremony at Joe headquarters in Utah, the Joes "retired the colors" leaving the Pit an abandoned army base.