Monday, January 5, 2026

Wrapping Up 2025: Cobra-La Pythona from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 

   Wait... so does everyone love Cobra-La now? It sure seems that way. Back in the late 1990s and throughout the 2000s (maybe even well into the 2010s) it seemed like everyone hated Cobra-La. Now? Cobra-La seems to be very popular. What happened? Maybe the Joe fans on the younger end of the fandom have finally began showing up in great enough numbers? It's kind of like how everyone hated the Star Wars prequels until the 2010s and how the 200x Masters of the Universe was apparently hated by Mattel and fans seemed to cheer that, though now everyone is making 200x era MOTU product. We're all down with Cobra-La now. OK, got it. Maybe their inclusion in the Energon Universe comics has helped? That being said, Cobra-La does have some incredibly cool designs and it's nice to have Pythona in the Classified Series. Pythona (or "Cobra-La Pythona" as she is officially named) was sold on Hasbro Pulse and at a couple of fall conventions, probably since there was no Pulse-Con this year. To be honest, she didn't seem to be that difficult to acquire, so I think most folks that wanted her picked her up fairly easily. Pythona has played a role in the new Energon Universe comics from Skybound and had some of the best action scenes in the 1987 animated movie. A snake-woman assassin? OK, throw her into a line with an organization called Cobra who has a crocodile man and an accountant who identifies as a bird of prey. Why not? Let's check her out after the break...




The Facts:

Height: 5 and 13/16ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, balljointed drop down hips, balljointed waist, balljointed mid-torso, butterfly pecs, swivel/hinge shoulders, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck base, barbell jointed head, and a swivel ponytail.

Accessories: 2 swappable portraits, 2 swappable ponytails, cloak, 5 creature companions, 6 swappable hands, gem, and 2 energy discs. 

Non-Scalper Price: $47 dollars




The Positives:



* Pythona really stands out in the Classified Series as there are few other figures like her. Rather than armor and tactical gear she is instead wearing a very formfitting outfit that looks organic. It's symmetrical, sure, but it looks like some sort of biologically grown armor or something. That's kind of Cobra-La's thing, though: All of their technology is derived from their underground world, utilizing the native flora and fauna . Pythona is slender, sleek, and her skin is incredibly pale, fitting for someone who almost exclusively stays underground. 





   


* Pythona's unique design is even present in her portrait, looking more like a Masters of the Universe or Marvel Comics Character than your standard G.I. Joe character. She has a long ponytail, but it's pulled tight and only growing in a small area, giving her that Asajj Ventress/ female Cenobite vibe. She has some pretty stunning eyes, even if they are a bit serpent-like. The earrings are a cool touch, too. They look like fangs. 








* The long ponytail is really cool and it can rotate. It's flexible, too, so no worries about breakage. 












* There's also a shorter ponytail you can pull out if you want her to move a bit more freely in battle. You can also pull it all the way out, too, to better use the included cloak (more on that shortly!).









* Go back and watch G.I. Joe: The Movie, or at least Pythona's scenes. She is really pretty intimidating, especially considering this is an animated film for kids. The second portrait shows her in full on attack mode, ready to battle Jinx, intimidate Cobra Commander, and take out a whole Terrordrome's worth of Cobra troopers. Her eyes are crazy intense here and the open mouth with the visible fangs is just freaky. 









* Here's a shot of Pythona from the back so you can check out her wild armor and textures. The paint is pretty impressive, too. She's definitely a figure that it feels like Hasbro went "all out" on and definitely brought their A-game. Then again, I rarely feel like the G.I. Joe team pretty much always brings their A-game. They seem like a passionate and talented crew but also, considering they don't get sales boosts from TV shows, movies, etc., the figures really have to speak for themselves and generate their own buzz.










* The armor is so form-fitting that you can even make out Pythona's individual toes, like FiveFingers. It's a very alien look that almost seems like some sort of flexible exoskeleton. 







* Pythona is usually depicted wearing a cloak, probably because she looked so cool with it at the beginning of the 1987 movie. This cape is really nice and fits her almost perfectly. It fits around her neck (just pop off her head) and can be worn back behind her or draped over her shoulders, covering her arms. The inside of the cloak has a purple lining while the outside has a really cool snakeskin-like pattern and some interesting cuts at the bottom. It's really well designed.





* Check out the hood! Just pop off Pythona's ponytail and you can easily fit the hood over her head. It stays in place well, covering her mouth and the top of her head, only revealing her eyes. That's a great look and makes for a pretty terrifying figure on the shelf. I really like Cobra-La leaning into the horror side off things.





* Pythona has a completely unique sculpt and there's really not much to get in the way of her movement. She's a master assassin and close quarters combatant so you'll be able to pose her any way you want. Great movement and lots of options for weapons, hands, and other cool features. She doesn't have boot swivels like nearly every other figure in the line, but she also doesn't have a logical place to put them without breaking up the sculpt, so I can see why they were skipped here. She's really a fun figure to play with.




* Six swappable hands are included, two of which are pretty unique, so I'll touch on those in a minute. For more standard hands, Pythona has a pair of gripping hands and a pair of fists. 





* Her first special hand shows her fingers dripping acid, something I think she used in the animated film to break apart one of Jinx's weapons. This is a fun effect with four little green drips at the end of each finger. That would be a useful skill, wouldn't it? She could use it to sabotage equipment, break locks, weaken chains. Man, think how fun an action/ stealth videogame would be where you play as Pythona on missions to cause havoc for Cobra-La. That would be incredible. 



* Pocket sand!!!

The second special hand is for her left hand and is intended to look like a cloud of smoke or dust or something used to distract / confuse/ blind her adversaries. It's kind of cool and definitely not something I can recall seeing on an action figure before. 



* Two chakram are included that have serpent styled handles inside and translucent pink outer edges that look like some sort of energy beams. I bet these can slice through most objects like a hot knife through butter.







* How does Pythona buy the loyalty of the Dreadnoks in the movie? She whips out a massive gem. Well, here's that gem. And, yes, it's pretty massive. 








* I mentioned earlier that Cobra-La uses various creatures and insects as weapons and tools. Pythona's intro in the film really shows this off by having her use a variety of unconventional weapons (AKA living animals), so Hasbro included all of them. First up is the four headed eels she uses to both short out an electrified fence and eat through it. The tail wraps around her arm if you want her to wield it outstretched. Probably more effective than a taser! 




* Next up is this crazy leech looking thing with lots of teeth. What the heck is this supposed to be and where does Pythona store it? Good question, good question. In the movie she hurls one of these at the head of a Crimson Guard and it basically just eats the guys face. You see his skull and brains and everything. OK, that's not true, but everything else is.






* The two tentacles on the side are on balljoints. How crazy, right? You can pose this guy creeping and crawling around after his prey. Weird!









* The third buy looks like a cross between a tick and a snapping turtle. It even has a shell and a weird little beak. Pythona uses these like smoke grenades as the expel gas when she hurls them. It looks a bit like a stinkbug or armor bug, doesn't it?









* This guy looks like a bivalve but with a spiky shell and crazy, ribbon-like tongues flowing out off its mouth. In the film the tongues can extend and capture Cobra troopers. The tongues don't extend here, but it's still a really wild looking accessory. 





* Last up is the clam or oyster looking thing that Pythona uses to show Serpentor an image of the Broadcast Energy Transmitter. This doesn't have an image, though. It's just a bi-valve. A huge one, though, with what look to be three muscles. Crazy!






The Negatives:

* Yes, I have a negative here. Pythona has some super cool accessories but her hands are just not designed to hold them in any way. I mean, yeah, you can finagle something, but it seems unnatural. It really would have been nice for her to have some flatter hands or some hands designed for holding these extras better. Great accessories, great figure; just needs a bit more thought in connecting the two. 




   How'd Pythona turn out? I'm pretty happy with her. Honestly, I can't imagine a Pythona figure being much better except for the fixes I mentioned so she could better hold some of her organic gear. Otherwise, wow, this is an impressive figure. If you're not a fan of the character and don't like the weirder sci-fi elements of G.I. Joe, this one might not be your cup of tea. I think she's pretty Great and a 1/2, though, and is an extremely high quality figure all around. We know the Cobra-La Royal Guards are coming so surely Golobulus isn't far off, right?



This is the first figure of Pythona I've reviewed. For more G.I. Joe: Classified Series reviews check out the following:
Destro  
Flint  
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