WARNING! Spoilers for G.I. Joe #3The Transformers technology. The Cobra terrorist organization announced itself to the world in G.I. Joe #1, making its presence known in a devastating first skirmish with the Joe team.

Now, the pieces of Cobra Commander’s plan are locking into place, which could spell doom for the Energon Universe. Coming from Joshua Williamson and Tom Reilly, G.I. Joe #3 finds the team still reeling from their recent defeat at the hands of Cobra. That battle saw the Cobra troopers walk away with a shard of Cybertron leftover from Shockwave’s attack in the pages of Transformers, and there’s a specific reason Cobra Commander wants the leftover shard.

Destro elaborates on the Commander’s plan in G.I. Joe #3, saying that Cobra’s bounty of Energon, the Cybertronian shard and a new device called the Brainwave Scanner are all a major part of Cobra Commander’s new plan.

Cobra Commander Has Plans for Stolen Transformers Tech

G.I. Joe #3 by Joshua Williamson, Tom Reilly, Jordie Bellaire, and Rus Wooton

Before Destro can elaborate further, Cobra Commander interrupts him, telling him to be careful as there is a spy in their midst. G.I. Joe member Clutch was revealed to be posing as a Cobra Viper at the end of last issue, so readers are led to believe he's the spy that the Commander is talking about at first. It’s soon revealed that there is another spy in Cobra’s midst, as a double agent for the Commander uses his new cybernetic hand to crush the spy’s jaw.

While the mystery of what Cobra is up to remains to be unveiled, the individual pieces of Cobra Commander’s plan paint an interesting portrait of what’s to come. Cobra Commander solidified his control of Energon by taking the Dreadnoks' store from the swamps of Louisiana in his own miniseries, and the Commander has already shown how he can harness Transformers technology to devastating effect. The most interesting piece of the puzzle is the Brainwave Scanner, a classic device from G.I. Joe lore invented by Dr. Venom that can be used in interrogations and brainwashing.

Cobra Commander’s Deadly Transformers-Based Weapons Give Him the Edge

The Energon Universe Continues to Expand in 2025

Cobra doesn’t have access to the Brainwave Scanner just yet, but G.I. Joe #3 ends with the enemy faction intercepting Archibald Monev (also know as Dr. Venom) on his way to testify before Congress in Washington, D.C. Fortunately, Clutch is able to reach his G.I. Joe teammates in time, so Tomax and Xamot and their Crimson Guard find the Real American Heroes standing in their way when they try to kidnap Monev. Whatever Cobra Commander has planned with his Transformers-based weapon, hopefully their next battle with G.I. Joe won’t be as disastrous as the first.

G.I. Joe #3 is available now from Skybound Entertainment.