Kobra is the name used by two supervillains published by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

. The Jeffrey Burr incarnation of Kobra and his brother Jason first appeared in ''Kobra'' #1 (February 1976), and were created by

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gre ...

. Jason Burr debuted as Kobra in ''Faces of Evil: Kobra'' #1 (March 2009) by

Ivan Brandon Ivan Brandon (born 1976) is a comic book writer known for his work on titles such as DC Comics' '' Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape'' and ''Men of War'' as well as creator-owned series ''Viking'', '' The Cross Bronx'' and '' NYC Mech'', published by ...

and Julian Lopez.

Publication history

Both Jeffrey and Jason Burr were created by

for a proposed

series called ''King Kobra'', the first issue of which was both written and drawn by Kirby. This first issue then sat in DC inventory for over a year, during which time Kirby left the publisher to return to

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

. Eventually the concept was handed over to writer

Martin Pasko Martin Joseph "Marty" Pasko (born Jean-Claude Rochefort; August 4, 1954– May 10, 2020) was a Canadian comic book writer and television screenwriter. Pasko worked for many comics publishers, but is best known for his superhero stories for DC Com ...

with orders to make a series out of it. Pasko was unimpressed with King Kobra, feeling it to be a throwaway idea churned out by Kirby as he was preparing to leave DC, and tried to make the best out of the assignment by whiting out all of Kirby's original dialogue, rescripting the issue, and having

Pablo Marcos Pablo Marcos Ortega, known professionally as Pablo Marcos
at the

Now titled simply ''Kobra'', the first issue of the series appeared in late 1975 (cover-dated February 1976). It was cancelled after seven issues, though the contents of the unpublished ''Kobra'' #8 saw print in ''

DC Special Series ''DC Special Series'' was an umbrella title for one-shots and special issues published by DC Comics between 1977 and 1981. Each issue featured a different character and was often in a different format than the issue before it. ''DC Special Serie ...

'' #1. Pasko later reflected: "I wrote all of ''Kobra'' with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek—it was a preposterous exercise dumped in my lap, and it helped pay the rent on a very nice place in the Village". Kobra is also featured in a January 2009 ''

Faces of Evil "Faces of Evil" is a DC Comics "event" in January 2009, that editor Dan DiDio described as "inspirationally tied to ''Final Crisis''," with focus placed on the villains of the particular titles involved in and associated with the event. Numerous ...

'' one-shot, written by Ivan Brandon.

Fictional character biography

Jeffrey Franklin Burr

Kobra is an international terrorist and mad scientist who has crossed paths with the majority of Earth's costumed heroes during his attempts to usher in the Kali Yuga (an age of chaos). His real name is Jeffrey Franklin Burr, and he was born part of a set of conjoined twins, but was stolen at birth by the Cult of the Kobra God, since a prophecy claimed he would lead them to rule the world. Under their teaching, he became a dangerous warrior and a sadistic criminal mastermind. He led the cult into using advanced technology to menace the world. Followers of Kobra would frequently address their master as "Naja-Naja", "

naja naja The Indian cobra (''Naja naja''), also known as the spectacled cobra, Asian cobra, or binocellate cobra, is a species of cobra found in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan, and a member of the "big four" species that are ...

" being the

binomial Binomial may refer to: In mathematics *Binomial (polynomial), a polynomial with two terms * Binomial coefficient, numbers appearing in the expansions of powers of binomials *Binomial QMF, a perfect-reconstruction orthogonal wavelet decomposition ...

name for the

Indian cobra The Indian cobra (''Naja naja''), also known as the spectacled cobra, Asian cobra, or binocellate cobra, is a species of cobra found in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan, and a member of the "big four" species that are ...

. This later became "

Nāga The Nagas (IAST: ''nāga''; Devanāgarī: नाग) are a divine, or semi-divine, race of half-human, half-serpent beings that reside in the netherworld (Patala), and can occasionally take human or part-human form, or are so depicted in art. ...

-Naga", a meaningless title which translates from the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

as "snake-snake". Whether this change was intentional or an error is not known. Unbeknownst to the cult however, he had a

psychic A psychic is a person who claims to use extrasensory perception (ESP) to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance, or who performs acts that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws ...

link to his twin brother, Jason, who knew nothing of Kobra. As a result, one felt what the other felt, including pain. Because of this, his brother was recruited by an international agency to help them combat Kobra. At first, Kobra was unable to kill or even hurt his brother; eventually, however, he used a device that "shut off" the psychic link, and gave him the chance to kill Jason. Kobra was subsequently haunted by visions of his brother. Whether it really was his ghost or just Kobra's imagination was never revealed. In subsequent years, Kobra would clash with assorted superheroes, including

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

, whom he first met over a Lazarus Pit of his own creation. Kobra had learned to build modified Lazarus Pits, which allowed him to control the minds of those he killed and resurrected. Kobra is the only person in the DC universe ever to decipher the formula for the Lazarus Pits. Kobra had special concerns about

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

and sought to ensure her death, first by hiring a cartel of international assassins who were led secretly by corrupted UN Crisis Bureau chief Morgan Tracy (also

Diana Prince Diana Prince is a fictional character appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, as the secret identity of the Amazonian superhero Wonder Woman, who bought the credentials and identity from a United States Army nurse named Diana Pri ...

's boss), then by kidnapping and irretrievably damaging environmental activist Deborah Domaine, forcibly transforming her into a new

Cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...

, and ultimately, facing Wonder Woman in combat in Egypt, faking his own demise after being defeated by the Amazon Princess. A short while later his various Strike Force Kobra teams would fight two different incarnations of Batman's

Outsiders Outsider(s) may refer to: Film * Outsider (1997 film), ''Outsider'' (1997 film), a 1997 Slovene-language film * Outsider (2012 film), ''Outsider'' (2012 film), a Malayalam-language Indian film * Outsiders (1980 film), ''Outsiders'' (1980 film), a ...

. Kobra also fought the third

Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Barry Allen) ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Wally West, the first Kid ...

, the

Suicide Squad The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...

led by Amanda Waller, the original incarnation of

Checkmate Checkmate (often shortened to mate) is any game position in chess and other chess-like games in which a player's king is in check (threatened with ) and there is no possible escape. Checkmating the opponent wins the game. In chess, the king is ...

Captain Atom Captain Atom is a superhero appearing in American comic books, first in the 1960s by Charlton Comics before being acquired in the 1980s by DC Comics. Captain Atom has existed in three basic incarnations. Publication history Captain Atom was crea ...

, a

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

whose personality had been swapped with

Ambush Bug Ambush Bug is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. His real name is supposedly Irwin Schwab, but he has mental problems that prevent him from truly understanding reality around him, so even his true identity migh ...

's by exposure to Red

Kryptonite Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton that emits a unique, poisonous r ...

, and others. Kobra is one of a very small number of individuals that has the capability of defeating Batman in hand-to-hand combat, and actually did so on one occasion. The only organization ever to rival Kobra in the old

DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...

( Pre-Crisis I) was SKULL. There were frequent recorded clashes between the two groups, the last occurring in ''Outsiders'' Annual #1 story "The Skull...The Serpent...and The Outsiders". After the betrayal of his lover Lady Eve during the Strike Force Kobra fiasco, she split Kobra in two and established her own splinter group. In the ''

Power Company An electric utility is a company in the electric power industry (often a public utility) that engages in electricity generation and distribution of electricity for sale generally in a regulated market. The electrical utility industry is a major pr ...

: Sapphire'' #1 the Justice League rushes to

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

to prevent disaster as two rival factions of the Kobra Cult prepared to go to war. One faction was led by Eve; the other was led by Kobra himself. He kidnaps the former hero

Air Wave Air Wave is the name of three superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first two were active in the Golden Age of Comic Books (albeit the second Air Wave had only one appearance). The third appears in comics in ...

and uses him to seize control of the world's media and satellite resources, intending to destroy a number of major world cities. However, in a demonstration of his power, he incidentally kills Terri Rothstein,

Atom Smasher A particle accelerator is a machine that uses electromagnetic fields to propel electric charge, charged particles to very high speeds and energies, and to contain them in well-defined particle beam, beams. Large accelerators are used for fun ...

's mother, ensuring the

Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic ...

's involvement. Mrs. Rothstein's life would later be saved through time travel; Atom Smasher replacing her with the villain

Extant Extant is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to: * Extant hereditary titles * Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English * Extant taxon, a taxon which is not extinct, ...

so that the same number of people died in the plane crash that killed his mother. He appeared again in ''JSA'' #45, which featured his trial. He shrugs off claims of terrorism, claiming to be an enlightened soul (a

bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

) trying to free souls from their karmic debt by random acts of violence. Following this, his followers threatened to kill the media outside the courthouse with bioengineered suicide bomb implants. Holding everyone hostage with this tactic, he was allowed by the JSA to escape, leading to an outraged

Black Adam Black Adam, real name Teth/Theo-Adam, is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck, and first appeared in the debut issue of Fawcett Comics' '' The Marvel Family'' comic ...

and Atom Smasher, who both subsequently choose to leave the team. In ''JSA'' #51, Atom Smasher, Black Adam, Northwind, and

Brainwave Neural oscillations, or brainwaves, are rhythmic or repetitive patterns of neural activity in the central nervous system. Neural tissue can generate oscillatory activity in many ways, driven either by mechanisms within individual neurons or by ...

track Kobra down to his headquarters in the

Himalaya Mountains The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

, Kobra's prophesied 'reign of darkness' as the world fell to the return of Eclipso and Obsidian having ended when Alex Moretz took control of Eclipso and Alan Scott managed to redeem Obsidian. After killing Kobra's guards, Black Adam rips his heart out and he died instantly.

Jason Burr

Jeffrey's twin brother Jason is re-animated by the Kobra Cult, possibly through the use of Kobra's Lazarus Pits. This involves the death of an entire facility of Checkmate agents, including several of Burr's old friends. Within the one-shot Jason reveals that he is re-structuring the organization and killing off all the old members. Before revealing himself as the new Kobra, Jason spent some time undercover as a Checkmate agent learning their secrets.

King Kobra

During the "

Convergence Convergence may refer to: Arts and media Literature *''Convergence'' (book series), edited by Ruth Nanda Anshen *Convergence (comics), "Convergence" (comics), two separate story lines published by DC Comics: **A four-part crossover storyline that ...

" storyline, an unidentified Kobra leads the Kobra Cult under the alias of "King Kobra" and faces off against

Red Hood The Red Hood is an alias used by multiple characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The identity was first used in the 1951 storyline "The Man Behind the Red Hood!", which provides the earliest origin story for the Joke ...

and

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

. After Lady Eve makes off with Dr.

Helga Jace Dr. Helga Jace is a fictional character in the DC Comics Universe. She is a supporting character of the Outsiders and was the scientist responsible for bestowing the different earth-controlling powers upon Princess Tara/Terra and her elder broth ...

upon defeating Katana during the "

DC Rebirth DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 initiative in May 2016 as its launching point, DC Rebirth restored the D ...

", King Kobra plans to raze a town in Markovia if they don't obey his commands. King Kobra interrogates Dr. Jace. When the Suicide Squad joins the fight and rescues Katana from Lady Eve, they and Katana find King Kobra outside Castle Markov. King Kobra later shows Dr. Jace the powers of the comatose girl that she was watching. King Kobra reveals that he caught an Aurakle as he plans to weaponize it. Before returning to the ship's command center, King Kobra leaves this task to Dr. Jace. During the

's fight with King Kobra's forces, Katana and Enchantress find that King Kobra had Dr. Jace fuse Violet Harper with the Aurakle as King Kobra activates the implant in Violet's neck only for Violet to tear it out as the Aurakle gains control of Violet's body. King Kobra, Katana, and Enchantress fight Violet who is now a vessel for the Aurakles under the name of Halo. After Katana uses the Soultaker on Lady Eve, King Kobra gets away. In the "

Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is an American comic book Limited series (comics), maxiseries by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons and colorist John Higgins (comics), John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 a ...

" sequel "

Doomsday Clock The Doomsday Clock is a symbol that represents the likelihood of a man-made global catastrophe, in the opinion of the members of the ''Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists''. Maintained since 1947, the clock is a metaphor for threats to humanity ...

", King Kobra's cult has captured Creeper until he is "saved" by

Kobra organization

* The Kobra organization survived Jeffrey Burr's death, and has been gaining converts. In ''

Identity Crisis In psychology, identity crisis is a stage theory of identity development where it involves resolution of a conflict over the 8 stages of the lifespan.(Schultz, 216) The term was coined by German psychologist Erik Erikson. The stage of psychosoci ...

'', it was revealed that DCU prisoners (such as Slipknot) sometimes convert to the cult of Kobra, to the general disgust of the DC's supervillains. * Like

Ra's al Ghul Ra's al Ghul, commonly pronounced correctly as ''Re'sh'', hence or ; "The Head of the Demon" or, in a rougher translation, "The Chief Demon". is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary o ...

, Kobra owned a hidden network of very specialized Lazarus Pits. * Kobra apparently entertains many specialized sub-sections. One such section was the Blackadders, a group of ninja-like fanatics. In the past, Kobra operated an aggressive metahuman research and recruitment program. This program gave birth to both known versions of Strike Force Kobra. * Kobra is currently active in the DCU as a terrorist organization with a religious bent. Upon the death of Jeffrey Burr, it underwent a power-struggle, with would-be leaders including

King Snake Kingsnakes are colubrid New World members of the genus ''Lampropeltis'', which includes 26 species. Among these, about 45 subspecies are recognized. They are nonvenomous and ophiophagous in diet. Description Kingsnakes vary widely in size and ...

, and (unwillingly) a schoolfriend of

Tim Drake Timothy Jackson "Tim" Drake is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Created by Marv Wolfman and Pat Broderick, he first appeared in Batman: Year Three, ''Batman' ...

who apparently fitted the prophecy, but this has apparently settled: a new leader has emerged (possibly Eve who had split off with half of the old school Kobra). Under her, the organization now seeks to fulfill 'the prophecies of Kali Yuga'. It is actively being fought by the super-spy agency known as

. * The new Kobra seems to be ranked by serpent type, low level members are Lanceheads, higher level members are called Nagas (Checkmate vol. 2 #4), the highest level shown are the Bestowed,

mystics A mystic is a person who practices mysticism, or a reference to a mystery, mystic craft, first hand-experience or the occult. Mystic may also refer to: Places United States * Mistick, an old name for parts of Malden and Medford, Massachusetts * ...

who specialize in Blood Magic. * Kobra later researched every villain that ever fought

and how they each acquired their respective powers. After obtaining some test subjects, Kobra had his researchers use this information to transform them into Strike Force Kobra to serve the Kobra organization.

Other versions

* In '' Kingdom Come'', an immortal Lord Naga/Jeffrey Burr is a part of the Mankind Liberation Front led by

Lex Luthor Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: Apr ...

. * The first King Kobra appears in ''

Batman '66 ''Batman '66'' is a superhero comic book series published by DC Comics featuring Batman as a continuation of the 1966–68 television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin. The series was written primarily by Jeff Parker ...

'' comic continuation of the series. * King Kobra appears in the ''Lil Gotham'' series. Kobra King once stole the Jade Sword. Although they escaped Gotham City, he'd be tracked and captured by Batman and his mysterious partner, revealed to be Alfred. Years later, they would again steel the Jade Sword. While they were chased by Katana and Robin, they quickly subdued the heroes. Batman's ex-partner would come to their aid and defeat Kobra.

In other media

Television

* A futuristic version of the Kobra organization appears in series set in the

DC Animated Universe The DC Animated Universe (DCAU; also referred to as the Timmverse or Diniverse by fans referring to the creators and producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini respectively) is a shared universe consisting primarily of superhero-based animated televi ...

, with various members voiced by

Corey Burton Corey Gregg Weinberg (born August 3, 1955), known professionally as Corey Burton, is an American voice actor. He is the current voice of Captain Hook, Ludwig Von Drake, Dale and others for The Walt Disney Company, Shockwave on '' The Transforme ...

Kerrigan Mahan Kerrigan Patrick Mahan (born January 27, 1955) is an American voice actor. He has had voice roles in ''Lensman'', ''Zillion'', ''Vampire Hunter D'' and ''Crying Freeman'', as Goldar in ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'' and ''Power Rangers Zeo'', ...

Gary Anthony Sturgis Gary Anthony Sturgis is an American actor, musician, writer, director, producer, teacher and entrepreneur, known for his role as Bar Patron and other characters in the television series '' America's Most Wanted'', and for providing the voice of E ...

, and

Keith Szarabajka Keith Szarabajka (; ; born December 2, 1952) is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Mickey Kostmayer on '' The Equalizer'', Daniel Holtz on ''Angel'', Gerard Stephens in '' The Dark Knight'' and Adam Engell in '' Argo''. ...

. This version of the group is a global terrorist organization primarily made up of scientists with an obsession for reptiles and dinosaurs, envisioning the latter as the only lifeform capable of ruling the world and seeking out ways to splice humanity with dinosaur DNA. To better emulate the species they admire, Kobra has conducted tests on kidnapped people, turned themselves into reptilian creatures, and used cutting edge technology for robberies, extortion and terrorism. ** Kobra first appears in ''

Batman Beyond ''Batman Beyond'' (known as ''Batman of the Future'' outside the United States) is an American superhero animated television series developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation in collaboration ...

''. Introduced in the episode "Plague", they develop a super-virus capable of complete biological devastation. After hiring False-Face to smuggle the virus into Neo-Gotham, Kobra operatives break into Gotham Plastics to expose millions of cred-cards with the virus and spread it throughout the city. As a back-up plan, they also turn False-Face into a carrier for the virus. Kobra planned to demand a ransom of 10 billion credits, but are intercepted and foiled by Stalker and

. In the two-part episode "Curse of the Kobra", Kobra is revealed to have been working on genetically-engineering the perfect leader for their organization, whom they named Zander (voiced by

Alexis Denisof Alexis Denisof (born February 25, 1966) is an American actor. He is primarily known for playing Wesley Wyndam-Pryce in the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and its spin-off ''Angel''. He also had a recurring role on ''How I Met Your ...

), as they lacked cohesive leadership. Throughout his gestation, infancy, and adolescence, Kobra groomed Zander to lead them. Once he came of age, he leads the organization in stealing a vial of dinosaur DNA so they can transform their operatives into dinosaur hybrids. As their new hybrids were cold-blooded, Kobra also steal a thermal bomb with the intention of detonating it inside a volcano that leads to the Earth's core and raising the planet's temperature. However, they are foiled by Batman,

Max Gibson Batman (Terrence "Terry" McGinnis Wayne) is a fictional superhero appearing in media published by DC Entertainment. The character was created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini and first appeared in the pilot episode of the animated television series ...

, and

Kairi Tanaga This is a list of characters found in ''Batman Beyond'', part of the DC Animated Universe (DCAU) continuity. ''Batman Beyond'' Main characters * Terry McGinnis (voiced by Will Friedle) - The current Batman and a former juvenile delinquent. U ...

, and Zander is lost in the ensuing battle. In flashbacks depicted in the episode "Unmasked", Batman revealed his secret identity to a young boy and inadvertently made him a target of Kobra. While the terrorists captured the latter and used a memory machine in an attempt to learn Batman's identity, the boy was able to deceive them by replacing Batman's face with that of his favorite action figure, though Kobra failed to realize this. ** Kobra appeared in the ''

Static Shock ''Static Shock'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero List of animated television series, animated television series based on the Milestone Media/DC Comics superhero Static (DC Comics), Static. It premiered on September 23, 2000, on the W ...

'' episode "Future Shock", with its new, unnamed leader voiced by

Lance Henriksen Lance Henriksen (born May 5, 1940) is an American actor. He is known for his works in various science fiction, action and horror films, such as that of Bishop in the ''Alien'' film franchise, and Frank Black in Fox television series ''Millennium ...

. After their leader is arrested, Kobra captures

Static Static may refer to: Places *Static Nunatak, a nunatak in Antarctica United States * Static, Kentucky and Tennessee *Static Peak, a mountain in Wyoming **Static Peak Divide, a mountain pass near the peak Science and technology Physics *Static el ...

to ostensibly negotiate a trade while secretly helping their leader escape. Once he is freed, the Kobra leader attempts to kill Static, only to be foiled by Batman and Static's time-traveling younger self, who frees the latter's older counterpart so he can defeat Kobra. * The Kobra cult appears in the teaser for the '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' episode "Requiem for a Scarlet Speedster!", with the Kobra Leader voiced by

Robin Atkin Downes Robin Atkin Downes is an English actor known for his work in animation and video games. Early life Downes was born in London. He earned an MFA from Temple University in Philadelphia. Career Downes has voiced characters in animated films s ...

. They attempt to sacrifice a young woman in preparation for world domination, only to run afoul of Batman and the

. Though the heroes manage to defeat Kobra and save the woman, Batman learns the Outsiders forgot to destroy a nearby bridge that would have prevented Kobra reinforcements from arriving. * The Jeffrey Burr incarnation of Kobra and his cult appear in the ''

Young Justice Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen ...

'' episode "Drop Zone", voiced by

Arnold Vosloo Arnold Vosloo (born 16 June 1962) is a South African-American actor. He is famous for roles such as Imhotep in ''The Mummy'' and ''The Mummy Returns'', Colonel Coetzee in ''Blood Diamond'', Pik van Cleef in ''Hard Target'', Dr. Peyton Westlake ...

. This version is more calculating than his comics counterpart and is a martial artist. He and his cult come into conflict with

Bane Bane may refer to: Fictional characters * Bane (DC Comics), an adversary of Batman * Bane (''Harry Potter''), a centaur in the ''Harry Potter'' series * Bane (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film trilogy * Bane the Druid, a Gu ...

over Santa Prisca as well combining the latter's Venom drug with the

Blockbuster Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to: *Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived. Corporations * Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain ** Bl ...

formula to create a more powerful and permanent transformation for the

Light Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 tera ...

. Kobra and his cult end up fighting Bane and the

Team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson (academic), Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interde ...

, with Kobra himself fighting Robin before escaping. * Jason Burr appears in ''

Beware the Batman ''Beware the Batman'' is an American computer-animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. The series premiered in the United States on Cartoon Network on July 13, 2013, as part of their DC Nation block, replacing ''Batman: ...

'', voiced by

Matthew Lillard Matthew Lyn Lillard (born January 24, 1970) is an American actor. His early film work includes Chip Sutphin in ''Serial Mom'' (1994), Emmanuel "Cereal Killer" Goldstein in ''Hackers'' (1995), Stu Macher in ''Scream'' (1996), Stevo in ''SLC Punk ...

. This version is the inventor of the Ion Cortex, a device that could potentially manage the world's power. Introduced in the episode "Safe", Batman and

Katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...

work to protect Burr from the

League of Assassins The League of Assassins (sometimes renamed the League of Shadows or Society of Shadows in adapted works) is a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The group is depicted as a collective of assassins who ...

after they target him and the Ion Cortex. All the while, Burr becomes infatuated with Katana. Burr takes the latter on a date, unaware that the League of Assassins sent Cypher after him in a new plan to obtain the Ion Cortex. Cypher controls Burr and Katana, but Batman is able to free them and defeat Cypher. However, Burr retains traces of the villain's control while recuperating in the hospital. Burr later helps Katana foil Professor Pyg and Mister Toad's yacht bombing plot while secretly being in contact with the League of Assassins' leader,

Lady Shiva Lady Shiva (real name Sandra San or more recently Sandra Wu-San) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was co-created by Dennis O'Neil and Ric Estrada, and first appeared in ''Richard Dra ...

. In "Fall", Burr finishes the Ion Cortex and prepares to give it to the League of Assassins. Batman and Katana confront and permanently free him from Cypher's control. Burr attempts to shut down the Ion Cortex, but Lady Shiva uses the Soultaker sword on him before he can finish.

Film

The Jeffrey Burr incarnation of Kobra appears in '' Batman: Soul of the Dragon'', voiced by

Josh Keaton Joshua Luis Wiener (born February 8, 1979), known by his stage name Josh Keaton, is an American voice actor. He is known for his roles as Takashi 'Shiro' Shirogane in '' Voltron: Legendary Defender'', Spider-Man in various media in addition to ...

. This version is a kidnapped child who was brainwashed by the thousand year-old Kobra cult to be their savior. He plans to unlock a gate at

Nanda Parbat Nanda Parbat ( hi, नन्दा पर्बत, nandā parbat, the mountain of delight) is a fictional city in the DC Comics universe. It first appeared in ''Strange Adventures'' #216 (February 1969), created by Neal Adams. History Nanda Pa ...

to unleash the serpent god

by offering children's souls via the Soul Breaker sword. After his forces are defeated by

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

Richard Dragon Richard Dragon (or simply Dragon) is the alias of two fictional, comic book characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Although both incarnation differ in alignment, they're portrayed as extremely accomplished martial arti ...

, Ben Turner, and Batman, the heroes plead with a desperate Burr to reject Kobra. Ultimately Burr stabs himself with Soul Breaker, killing him and unleashing Nāga through

O-Sensei was a Japanese martial artist and founder of the martial art of aikido. He is often referred to as "the founder" or , "Great Teacher/Old Teacher (old as opposed to ''waka (young) sensei'')". The son of a landowner from Tanabe, Ueshiba st ...

Miscellaneous

* The Jeffrey Burr incarnation of Kobra appears in issues #16 and #17 of the comic book tie-in to ''Young Justice''. He plots to perform a ritual on his twin brother Dr. Jason Burr, only to be interrupted by Batman, the

Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 in November 1941. His secret identity, real name is Olive ...

, and their protégés. Despite this, Kobra attempts to resume the ritual by feeding Jason's blood to a snake before drinking it himself along with the Blockbuster formula. As he gains snake-like abilities, Jason is absorbed into his dagger. However, Kobra is pricked by the dagger, undoing his mutation and restoring Jason. * An alternate universe version of Kobra appears in the '' Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles'' episode "Big", voiced by

Bruce Thomas Bruce Thomas (born 14 August 1948 in Stockton-on-Tees, England) is an English rock bass guitarist, best known as bassist for the Attractions; the band formed in 1977 to back Elvis Costello in concert and on record. In addition to his work ...

References

External links

Kobra
at the DCU Guide

at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

. from the original on December 2, 2015.
Strike Force Kobra
at DC Comics Wiki
Strike Force Kobra
at Comic Vine

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