A Clockwork Orange And James Bond Inspired The Voice Of One Of GI Joe's Biggest Villains

The heroes of "G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero" are military men and women dressed in some shade of army green. Conversely, the Joes' adversaries in the terrorist organization Cobra are colorful super-villains right out of DC or Marvel Comics.

Take the mercenary Zartan, a master of disguise who has (ill-defined) shapeshifting and camouflage powers. He also has the customary themed outfit of a good super-villain, one that evokes the reptilian theme of Cobra. His hood and mask are meant to resemble a cobra's frilled head, and his camouflage abilities evoke a chameleon. As if that isn't enough of a gimmick all on its own, Zartan also leads a biker gang called the Dreadnoks.

In the Sunbow "G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero" cartoon series of the 1980s, Zartan was voiced by actor Zack Hoffman. In an oral history of "G.I. Joe" published in 2016 by The Hollywood Reporter, Hoffman discussed how he got the part and where he found Zartan's voice.

Hoffman was neighbors with Wally Burr, the voice director on "G.I. Joe." (Burr had the same job on the concurrent Sunbow series "The Transformers," where he oversaw some "bedlam" recording sessions.) Hoffman mentioned his Sean Connery impression in passing, and Burr suggested he play Zartan, a character the show's creatives couldn't find the right voice for.

After being given more details on Zartan, such as him leading a gang, Hoffman's mind turned to "A Clockwork Orange." The novel, written by Anthony Burgess, depicts young troublemaker Alex in a dystopian Britain. Alex and his gang, the Droogs, are sadists who revel in ultra violence.

Hoffman decided to pull from Malcolm McDowell's performance as Alex in Stanley Kubrick's film version of "A Clockwork Orange," resulting in a voice that's "a mix between Alex from 'A Clockwork Orange' and James Bond."

Hoffman's Zartan voice sounded Mid-Atlantic (with a reverb effect added), which only added to his mystery. Zartan's toy bio said he was born in France, but the other Dreadnoks all sounded Cockney or Australian (even though they're based in the Florida Everglades). Some later "Joe" cartoons have made Zartan Australian too; take "G.I. Joe: Resolute," where Steve Blum gives him a slithery Australian accent.

The short-lived "G.I. Renegades" made Zartan (voiced by Brian Bloom) American. He and the Dreadnoks are introduced as a mundane biker gang in their first appearance. Later, Zartan gets his hands on a holographic projector device created by Cobra, giving him his usual master of disguise abilities.

The 2009 live-action "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" was directed by Stephen Sommers, director of 1999's "The Mummy." Sommers cast his star from "The Mummy," Arnold Vosloo, as Zartan; Vosloo is South African and did not disguise his accent for the movie. The sequel, "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," depicts Zartan masquerading as the President of the United States (Jonathan Pryce) and reveals a crucial detail of his backstory.

Larry Hama's "G.I. Joe" comics at Marvel are generally considered more mature, and higher quality, than the cartoon. Hama, who is Japanese-American, was taken with the Joes' silent ninja Snake Eyes and even created a Cobra rival for him: Storm Shadow. Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow's conflict comes from Snake Eyes' belief that Storm Shadow murdered their mutual mentor, the Hard Master. Belief because it was later revealed that Zartan was the true killer, a twist "Retaliation" adapted.

Such a story would've been unfeasible in the '80s "G.I. Joe" cartoon (where death was verboten), but Hama's influence means it's become a crucial bit of "Joe" lore.