Alley Viper

Alley Vipers are members of the COBRA Organization specializing in urban combat and SWAT tactics. Alley Vipers have made appearances in the Marvel Comics G.I. Joe comic book and are part of the G.I. Joe action figure line produced by Hasbro.

Action Figure

The Alley Viper action figure was first released in 1989 as part of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toy line. The figure has been released in ten different iterations between 1989 and 2004. While the figure has drastically changed in appearance over time, Alley Vipers are generally recognizable by their fanged masks and armored shields. The figure is frequently armed with a submachine gun or laser pistol.

From 1989 through 2003, the Alley Viper used similar molds for seven figures. The eighth version of the figure, released in 2004, was the first to feature a drastically different mold. Renamed Alley Viper II, the figure was part of the Valor vs. Venom toy line. A total of three Alley Viper figures were produced in 2004, two with the Alley Viper II mold and the other with more familiar look. The Alley Viper II is commonly armed with two Skorpion submachine guns and a knife.

According to the file card that was included with the original figure, Alley Vipers are equivalent to police SWAT units or British Special Air Service commandos. They are selected from the most brutal and ruthless among COBRA's ranks. As part of their training regimen, Alley Vipers are "required to survive a full burst of machine gun fire across their frontal body armor, execute a thirty foot jump onto concrete with full combat load and run down a hundred meter gas-filled corridor without a mask."

Comic Appearances

Alley Vipers made their first appearance in issue #92 of the Marvel G.I. Joe comic book where they fought the G.I. Joe team in the fictional city of Rio Lindo.

Alley Vipers later fought the Joe team in issue #113, in the fictional country of Benzheen. They fought alongside several other Cobra officers. This mixed Cobra team manages to kill the Joe member "Sneek-Peek". They fight Mutt and Spirit in Millville, a town Cobra was attempting to conquer. This happens in issues #140-142. The final appearance of Alley Vipers was in issue #145, where they fought in Borovia.