Lifeline is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and animated series. He is the

G.I. Joe Team G.I. Joe is the code name of a fictional elite covert special operations unit operating under the control of the United States Military in the G.I. Joe universe. In the 1960s and 1970s, a toy military adventure character based on General Jos ...

's rescue trooper and debuted in 1986.

Profile

His real name is Edwin C. Steen, and his rank is that of sergeant E-5. Lifeline was born in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

. Lifeline's primary military specialty is

medic A medic is a person involved in medicine such as a medical doctor, medical student, paramedic or an emergency medical responder. Among physicians in the UK, the term "medic" indicates someone who has followed a "medical" career path in postgradu ...

. Lifeline worked as a paramedic with the

Seattle Fire Department The Seattle Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Seattle, Washington, United States. The department is responsible for an area of , including of waterfront, with a population of 713,700. There is ...

for five years, before discovering that EMS personnel were not eligible for pensions if they became disabled while giving aid off-duty. Since he figured rescue personnel were never off-duty, he decided to make his status permanent by enlisting in the army as a medic. Lifeline is also an avowed pacifist; he's a black belt in '

aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a modern Japanese martial art that is split into many different styles, including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practiced in around 1 ...

', the martial art of directing violent energy away from oneself.''G.I. Joe: Special Missions'' #4 (April 1987) The filecard for the 2002 ''Real American Hero Collection'' version of Lifeline inexplicably altered his backstory, changing his real name to Greg Scott (a name derived from Hasbro's design manager at the time) and his hometown to

Spring Valley, New York Spring Valley is a village in the towns of Ramapo and Clarkstown in Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located north of Chestnut Ridge, east of Airmont and Monsey, south of Hillcrest, and west of Nanuet. The population was 33, ...

. This incarnation of Lifeline is depicted separately alongside the original Lifeline on the cover of ''G.I. Joe: American Elite'' #25 (which depicts almost every character who was part of the G.I. Joe Team up to that point), but never had a significant role in the comics or any other media outside the toyline.

Toys

Lifeline was first released as an action figure in 1986. Kellogg's cereal offered this figure as a mail-in premium in 1991. The figure was repainted and released as part of the Tiger Force line in 1988. A new version of Lifeline was released in 1994 as part of the Battle Corps line. This was re-released in 2002 as part of ''The Real American Hero Collection'', but with different arms and a new head sculpt. A second repaint was released in 2010 as a G.I. Joe Convention exclusive, with this version retaining all the original parts. As part of the 30th Anniversary toy line, a new version of Lifeline was released in 2011.

Comics

Marvel Comics

In the

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 ...

G.I. Joe ''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), Ac ...

'' series, he first appeared in ''G.I. Joe: Special Missions'' #4. His fellow Joes become angry at him due to his unwillingness to fire a gun or assault an enemy. Lifeline saves the day by utilizing aikido against the

Oktober Guard The following list (organized by faction) covers every known character in the ''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' toy line to have received his/her own action figure. It includes the year the characters' version 1 action figure debuted, their cod ...

member 'Horrowshow'. He supervises the calm evacuation of wounded after the first

Cobra Island Cobra (sometimes referred to as Cobra Command) is a fictional terrorist organization and the nemesis of the G.I. Joe Team in the Hasbro action figure toyline ''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' and ''G.I. Joe: Sigma 6'', as well as in related med ...

civil war.

Devil's Due

Lifeline answers the call when gathered intelligence proves Cobra is a threat yet again and as such, the Joe team needs to be revived. is one of the many veterans to encounter the new class of 'Joes', who are also called ' Greenshirts'. Lifeline and

Mainframe A mainframe computer, informally called a mainframe or big iron, is a computer used primarily by large organizations for critical applications like bulk data processing for tasks such as censuses, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise ...

lead neutralization efforts when many Joe soldiers and Greenshirts are poisoned by Cobra-created nanites. They succeed, saving many lives. In the Devil's Due Joe series, ''Frontline'', Lifeline joins

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

Frostbite Frostbite is a skin injury that occurs when exposed to extreme low temperatures, causing the freezing of the skin or other tissues, commonly affecting the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin areas. Most often, frostbite occurs in the han ...

and other Joe members in investigating a long abandoned arctic science facility. During the course of the story, Lifeline uses a pistol for the first time against mutated humanoids. He also comes to believe he is infected but tests indicate he has avoided any mutation. Later, Lifeline is captured by 'Coil', the army

Serpentor Serpentor is a fictional character and a recurring antagonist from the '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' toyline, comic books, and animated series. Introduced in 1986, the character rules as Emperor over Cobra. Serpentor serves as the primary a ...

has created and imprisoned on

. Joining him are the Joes

Roadblock A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be: *Roadworks *Temporary road closure during special events * Police chase *Robbery *Sobriety checkpoint In peaceful circumstances ...

Spirit Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

, Rock'N'Roll, Snake Eyes,

Cover Girl A cover girl is a woman whose photograph features on the front cover of a magazine. She may be a model, celebrity or entertainer. The term would generally not be used to describe a casual, once-off appearance by a person on the cover of a magaz ...

and Firewall. They are freed when the new prisoner,

Cobra Commander Cobra Commander is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' franchise. He is the supreme leader of the terrorist organization Cobra and the archenemy of the G.I. Joe Team. He was portrayed by Josep ...

neutralizes the guards. Lifeline focuses on Cover-Girl and then Snake Eyes, who both become injured. All imprisoned make their way through the second Cobra civil war and to the Joe lines. Lifeline is seen helping the wounded transfer after Cobra soldiers attack the Joe base known as 'The Rock'.

Dreamwave

Lifeline is one of the background characters in the 2003 Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover that is set in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

IDW

Lifeline is sent on medical support for a mission involving the rescue of peace activist Adele Burkhart. He's seen sympathizing with Adele's peaceful ways, in contrast to Rock'N'Roll, who points out Adele disagrees with the Joe's mission.

Animated series

Sunbow

Lifeline appeared in the original ''

'' animated series. He is voiced by Stan Wojno Jr. He first appeared in the second-season episode "Arise, Serpentor, Arise!: Part I", in which he refuses to help Lift-Ticket arm a

Tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Indigenous peoples and nations of North America. It traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. In pre-colonial times the head was made of stone, bone, or antler, and Europ ...

. During missions, Lifeline is often seen with Lift-Ticket in the latter's Tomahawk, for if rescue is needed. His strict pacifism also puts himself and his fellow Joes in danger at times; for example, in the episode "Cobrathon", when Lifeline fell into a pool of piranhas, he refused to be pulled to safety by touching

Sci-Fi Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universe ...

's rifle. Lifeline plays a major role in the episode "The Million Dollar Medic", in which he saves Brittany "Bree" Van Mark and her father, wealthy business owner Owen Van Mark when their yacht gets caught in a crossfire between G.I. Joe and Cobra. Bree then falls in love with Lifeline and keeps sending gifts to him. Lifeline does not want them, but is reluctant to tell her. Cobra uses Bree's infatuation on Lifeline to launch a deadly attack on G.I. Joe. Lifeline protects her when Cobra threatens Owen to relinquish his company to them, and they eventually kiss. In "Cobrathon", Sci-Fi and Lifeline are captured during a reconnaissance mission and tortured in a telethon that Cobra is running. Cobra later attempts to kill the two Joes; Lifeline is determined to be killed by two cobras, but he is saved by Low-Light. In "My Favorite Things", Lifeline and

Wet Suit A wetsuit is a garment worn to provide thermal protection while wet. It is usually made of foamed neoprene, and is worn by surfers, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged in water sports and other activities in or on water. Its pu ...

travel to India to obtain a sample of Serpentor's blood to be used to save

Leatherneck Leatherneck is a military slang term in the USA for a member of the United States Marine Corps. It is generally believed to originate in the wearing of a "leather stock" that went around the neck. Its original purpose was to protect the neck fro ...

's life. After the plan fails, Lifeline convinces Wet Suit to let Serpentor's pet snake bite him, as it is the only way to get the venom antidote. Lifeline has another major role in "The Most Dangerous Thing in the World", in which Cobra hacks into the Department of Defense's computer system and sends false orders promoting him, Dial-Tone and

Shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...

to Colonel. Lifeline's unwillingness to let the Joes use weapons, combined with Shipwreck and Dial-Tone's ineptitude as well as their disagreement over battle tactics, throws the G.I. Joe Team into complete disarray. After

General Hawk Hawk is a fictional character from the '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' media franchise. He is one of the original members of the G.I. Joe Team, and debuted in 1982 as a Missile Commander, but was later promoted to full commander of the team. ...

returns from a NATO conference, he helps the Joes win a battle and Lifeline, Shipwreck and Dial-Tone are returned to their previous positions. In "Second Hand Emotions", it is revealed that Lifeline comes from a family of pacifists, and that he has been estranged from them, especially his father, as they disapprove of him joining G.I. Joe. In the same episode, Lifeline attends his sister's wedding with several Joes, hoping to reconcile with his father, but runs into complications when the

Dreadnoks Cobra (sometimes referred to as Cobra Command) is a fictional terrorist organization and the nemesis of the G.I. Joe Team in the Hasbro action figure toyline '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' and '' G.I. Joe: Sigma 6'', as well as in related m ...

implant a small device on him and other Joes that allows

Doctor Mindbender Dr. Mindbender is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and animated series. He is a scientist who works for the terrorist organization Cobra; like other characters in the fictional universe, his cha ...

to control their emotions with music. As a consequence, Lifeline objects the marriage and fights with the other Joes, then hijacks a trolley. Realizing his emotions caused him to act out of control, Lifeline apologizes to his sister. He later saves Hawk and Scarlett by disabling a bomb, and brings the injured Joes to stay a night at his family home. Lifeline and his father eventually make up. After stopping Cobra's scheme, the Joes attend Lifeline's sister's wedding again. Lifeline is featured in one of the series' public service announcements, in which he teaches kids to make healthy choices in eating.

G.I. Joe: The Movie

Lifeline also appeared briefly in the 1987 animated film '' G.I. Joe: The Movie''. He is part of a search party along with

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start fir ...

and

Iceberg An iceberg is a piece of freshwater ice more than 15 m long that has broken off a glacier or an ice shelf and is floating freely in open (salt) water. Smaller chunks of floating glacially-derived ice are called "growlers" or "bergy bits". The ...

to find a missing unit of Joes led by Roadblock. After finding a blinded Roadblock, Lifeline helps him regain his sight.

Novel

Lifeline appears as a supporting character in the G.I. Joe novel ''The Sultan's Secret'' by

Peter Lerangis Peter Duncan Lerangis (born 1955, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American author of children's and young adult fiction, best known for his '' Seven Wonders'' series and his work on the '' 39 Clues'' series. Life and career Lerangis's work includes ...

Other works

Lifeline's figure is briefly featured in the fiction novel ''6 Sick Hipsters''. In the story, the character Paul Achting spent four years collecting G.I. Joe figures to set up a battle scene between the Joes and Cobra. As he imagined the characters in his head, he described three of the Joes hanging back from the front lines: Lifeline, Mainframe, and Iceberg. High above Iceberg and Mainframe "on the chair at the desk was Lifeline, his steely gaze trained upon the battlefield and rescue medic kit at his side. He was ready. His time with the Seattle Fire Department had prepared him for anything. He'd seen more in his five years with the S.F.D. than most men see in an entire lifetime."

References

External links

Lifeline
at JMM's G.I. Joe Comics Home Page {{G.I. Joe Fictional characters from Seattle Fictional combat medics Fictional military captains Fictional military sergeants Fictional pacifists Fictional United States Army personnel G.I. Joe soldiers Male characters in animated series Male characters in comics Television characters introduced in 1986