Cobra Commander had been missing for a year following defeat at the hands of G.I. Joe and a confrontation with the Red Shadows. He slowly began to rebuild Cobra has he had once before. By means still unknown, he killed White House Chief of Staff Garrett Freedlowe and took the official's place with the help of technology borrowed from Zartan. Now posing as one of the President's closest advisors, the Commander gained unprecedented access to government secrets. He attempted to convince the President that the newly reactivated Joe team was not only unnecessary, but not to be trusted. The President trusted "Freedlowe's" advice and allowed him to create a special missions team called the Phoenix Guard to replace the Joe team.

    The team's leader was General Philip Rey, who had no idea of Freedlowe's true identity. And unbeknownst to Rey, the soldiers assigned to the team were all former Cobra agents under assumed identities: Copperhead as High Tide, Firefly as Snake-Eater, Scrap-Iron as Mech, Wild Weasel as Halo and Zarana as Friday. Rey was told the Joe team had gone rogue, and the Phoenix Guard was soon sent to invade and take control of Joes' new headquarters.

    Though Rey ordered there be minimal loss of life, the disguised Cobras caused extensive damage to the base, injured a number of Joes and killed even more of their support staff. As his team secured the base, Rey discovered who they really were and helped the Joes defeat the invaders. Joe commander General Colton contacted the President who knew nothing of the attack. He realized Freedlowe was behind it, but he and the Secret Service discovered his long-dead body in Freedlowe's office. Cobra Commander's face appeared on a nearby video screen, informing the President of his deception. He added that he now knew the country's greatest secrets and weaknesses. Back at his base of operations, the Commander planned to activate a number of hidden Cobra cells and launch his new plan for victory.


Team members: The members of the Phoenix Guard were Cobra agents in disguise, but for Cobra Commander's elaborate ruse to succeed, each member of the team needed doctored military records and manufactured personal histories. The following were the fabricated identities for the members of the Phoenix Guard:

Friday (Zarana). Jennifer K. Larson was born in Hialeah, Florida. Originally a non-infantry Army unit supply specialist, she became the team's weapons specialist and second-in-command to General Rey. She was well-respected by the rest of the team, but sometimes simply intimidated them.

Mech (Scrap-Iron). Timothy P. Janes was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After joining the Army he trained in some of the military's toughest explosives training programs and eventually was assigned to the team as explosives ordinance and demolitions expert. General Rey noted that he did his job well, despite his anti-social tendencies.

Halo (Wild Weasel). Kenneth P. Leggit was born in Chicago. Always trying to get into the skies, he joined the military and graduated from Airborne School. After serving with the 82nd Airborne a Ft. Bragg, Halo underwent more advanced training and later joined the Phoenix Guard as Airborne Infantryman. General Rey considered him extremely introverted, but also someone who enjoyed his job immensely.

High Tide (Copperhead). Edward T. Johnson was born in New York City. Growing up poor, he did not have the means for the nautical pursuits he craved, so he focused on working out in the gym, developing his body into a near-perfect physique until he could join the Navy. After becoming a gunner's mate and joining the Navy SEALs, he was assigned to the team. He became known to General Rey for his brutal violence against the enemy and a sense of humor bordering on cruelty.

Snake-Eater (Firefly). Known as Jason B. Lee, a name likely an alias, Snake-Eater's identity is known to very few. After graduating Ranger School and becoming a Green Beret, he began working counter-intelligence. He was later assigned to the Phoenix Guard. While General Rey noted his great skill in the field, he also considered him unpleasant to be around and observed him to be brutal, cruel and bitter. He usually only spoke to complain or insult someone.