Much like its title character, "Snake Eyes:
G.I. Joe Origins" is filled with mystery, impressive feats of martial artistry,
and blurred lines of allegiance. With that in mind, let's break down the ending of Snake Eyes.
Aside from the word "snake eyes," somebody wandering into this film
would have no idea it's a G.I. Joe-related movie
for a good hour or so — not that there's anything wrong with that, if you're in the
mood for 60 minutes of ninja training and lengthy discussions about fate, revenge, and loyalty.
After that, however, the film seems to diverge onto two paths.
While the "A" story continues to be Snake Eyes and Tommy training and pledging allegiance
to the Arashikage clan while battling the power-hungry Kenta, the emerging "B" story
details a decades-old G.I. Joe/Cobra conflict about to touch the lives of both young ninjas.
Tommy fully emerges in the film's latter third, as the audience sees him getting
hold of his clan's precious jewel. Intoxicated by the power it gives, and consumed by anger,
he attempts to incinerate a fleeing Kenta. Later,
that outburst is cited as the reason Tommy is ostracized from the Clan Arashikage.
This sets up the film's conclusion, as Tommy and Snake Eyes officially become enemies,
Kenta is eliminated from the equation, and Snake Eyes finally has enough closure
on the murder of his father to move on with life.
You might want to grab a pen and paper, because there's a lot to keep track of
in the film's final moments, from a franchise-building perspective.
The audience has already seen Scarlett and the Baroness form an unlikely alliance to survive
the carnage in the Arashikage temple. As the smoke clears, Baroness pulls a classic move by sneaking
away just when the real fighting begins. Scarlett, on the other hand, rides things through to the
bitter end — and then presents her new friend Snake Eyes with a gift to celebrate his apparent
emancipation. She hands him a highly-redacted folder and name drops General Joe Colton.
As diehard G.I. Joe fans know, Colton is also known as "the original G.I.
Joe" — which is a bit ironic since the name never appeared in the classic '80s cartoon's
95 episodes. Portrayed by Bruce Willis in "Retaliation," the character made a
few appearances in the "G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero" comic series
and exists as an acknowledgement of the '60s "Kung-Fu grip" line that started it all.
The file reveals to Snake Eyes that his father died 20 years ago while serving as an undercover
Joe. Moments earlier the character learned that the man who killed him was a longtime Cobra agent.
So, as this war seems to be launching a new battlefront,
Snake Eyes has plenty of motivation to join in.
Tommy, meanwhile, has vanished from the film at this point. But give the
credits a few seconds to pass, and you'll see what the future has in store for him.
As the screen lights back up, we see Tommy on a plane,
only for the Baroness to make a surprise appearance:
"I came to make you an offer, Tommy." "Call me… Storm Shadow."
So as the credits roll, we know that Cobra has been around for at least 20 years,
the Baroness has been a key cog for some time, and now Storm Shadow is joining their ranks.
For a film ostensibly about two of the greatest masked characters in '80s pop culture,
there is a startling lack of masks going around until the end.
Both Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow see their signature uniforms inch closer to fruition
as the film progresses, but we never see them both fully masked and suited up to fight each other.
If you have a sharp eye, you may have noticed earlier when
Snake Eyes infiltrated the Clan Arashikage temple
that there was a glass laboratory which housed, among other things, the Snake Eyes mask.
After Kenta has been dispatched and the Arashikage saved,
Snake Eyes is finally presented with his iconic mask. Unfortunately,
his donning of the mask is so brief that it's almost a head-scratcher. But the film's final
image is full-on Snake Eyes, dressed as fans remember and prepared to head out on a mission.
For the majority of the runtime of "Snake Eyes," Tommy and "Snake" have an on-again,
off-again blood brothers friendship. It's a precarious, complicated bond that has seen
Snake Eyes save Tommy's life, Tommy bring his new friend "home" and invite him into his clan,
Snake Eyes taking a mission for the Baroness but ultimately having her recruit Tommy,
and the two of them having a final falling out after Tommy's expulsion from the clan.
Now that Kenta is out of the picture, Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes are poised to carry on
the battle that involved the previous generation of G.I. Joes and Cobras.
In the film's closing moments, we see Storm Shadow fleeing — likely to the United States,
if the next film is going to go full-on G.I. Joe.
We also see Snake Eyes getting himself a spiffy new mask, determined to set out after Tommy.
Assuming "Snake Eyes" makes enough money to warrant a green light for this latest
"Joe" universe, the next film would undoubtedly have Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow,
now masked, going toe to toe. In a perfect world, this plot line would borrow heavily
from the classic 1984 comic issue #21 of "G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero,"
entitled "Silent Interlude." Told entirely without a single speech bubble,
sound effect or caption, "Interlude" has remained a classic Snake Eyes story decades later.
And, of course, there's a murderer's row of fan-favorite Cobra characters that could make an
appearance in a sequel, including Cobra Commander and Destro. Not to be outdone, there are probably
twice as many Joes, and the right casting and script could make them soar on the big screen.
So, while the "Snake Eyes" ending wraps up certain elements of these origins,
it also provides substantial hope for the future of a beloved franchise.
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