History and Origin of GI Joe's Hawk (General Hawk)

Who is the leader of the G.I. Joe's, Clayton Abernathy aka Hawk?
Where did he come from? How did he become general? What was his character arc through the comic books? It's all in here!
As always, I look forward to reading your comments, questions, corrections and suggestions for future videos - leave those in the comments section below!
#GIJoe #GeneralHawk #SnakeEyes

[@timothylewis2527]

Hawk was my absolute favorite toy as a kid. Even when i was in high school and all of my other toys were gone, i still hung on to that General Hawk figure (until my older cousin found him and destroyed him). The newly released GI Joe Classified figure has renewed my obsession with Hawk. Crazy story: As a kid in the '80s, my mom would let me buy a single comic book every few months. Once, I got an issue of GI Joe that ended with Hawk being shot multiple times. I never got to see how the story ended. Around 1992-1993, I became a big comic book reader, buying mostly Marvel and DC. When i met future my wife in 2014, she knew I was really into comic so she'd buy random comics if she came across one at a thrift store or something. Never anything I was actually interested in, though. However, I still humored her and pretended I loved what she found. One day she gave me the comic with the conclusion to the story! I was blown away. It took almost 40 years but i finally got that closure.

[@uwaniharbison6689]

When it comes to leadership within the G.I.Joe team General Hawk is a person who leads by example and is strict,but quite fair which has earned him a lot respect from each & every member of the team and that's what makes Hawk such an iconic & cool character 😉👌🏾😉👌🏾😉👌🏾😉👌🏾😉👌🏾😉👌🏾😉👌🏾.

[@mangamegs]

That cobra civil era war was awesome. My favorite time period of joe comics.

[@joeerickson516]

"Look out Cobra!" "I'm coming for you!" Sgt. Slaughter.

[@ramonantoniobennett-ryuuke6301]

I always thought Hawk was based on General Patton, and Duke off of General Eisenhower, and Captain Flint loosely on General MacArthur.

[@kingpooh7930]

Hawk was released in the first group of Hasbro toys. He came with the mobile missle set and at the time was a colonel. It was a later set he was raised to general.

[@DavidLLambertmobile]

In the comics, Marvel; Hawk gets to MG ⭐⭐. Hawk in the early 1980s had 30+ years in the Army. This meant Hawk saw real combat in 🇰🇷, SE Asia.

[@jamesmoss3424]

General hawk is all ways kicking ass in the war field.😀👍

[@1971thedoctor]

Thank you for clearing up the difference between Hawk and Duke. When I was a kid I thought they were the same person.

[@ToddJumper]

How? They were both in the cartoon and movie as separate people.

[@1971thedoctor]

@@ToddJumper I’m not talking about the cartoon, I’m talking about the comics, they both looked the same to me. Hell why replace Hawk with Duke that looks exactly like the character they replaced.

[@JimElek]

You kind of glossed over that with the figures, Hawk was buried with the MMS. It was kind of weird that that leader wasn't available as a stand-alone figure.

[@kratoscraken5614]

Thank you for doing this YO JOE!!!!! 💪

[@hasbrosbeforehoes]

Great videos on your channel

[@terrancechilds3049]

Thank you so very much from all your friends in Cobra now we know who the Joes are and where to find them

[@rolbar5723]

Good job ! Great vid !

[@rjh7101]

Cool!!! thanks for this.

[@thedarkknight803able]

Awesome Video!💥😯😁👏🏿👏🏿👍🏿YO JOE!

[@aaronscott5882]

Superbly first-rate video!

[@JLSComics]

Thank you!

[@roofer3608]

Hawk rockin a Mk18 in that black n white pic?

[@R3troZone]

I was a young teen in the early 90s. Neon colors were never popular. But the people making things wanted to make them popular.

[@Mr.EmeraldTheGreen]

I remember when I was an early teen, in the early 1980’s neon colors were very much in style and very popular. Madonna wore them in her music video for her song Borderline, was a perfect example. But I don’t remember neons being popular in the early 1990’s.....

[@henrygarner4649]

I had the MMS toy and remember when Hawk became a general you had to order him through the mail like Cobra Commander. Good times!

[@collinsdarkwa281]

Very interesting

[@tommytomato3987]

General Hawk is Captain America (real comicbook Captain America) to the G.I Joe.

[@randybarnett2308]

When I was a kid I had both G I Joe's and Star Wars action figures I thought the g I Joe's were cooler, and they would blow the star wars figures away, go👍

[@marcusalvarez370]

Fights for freedom wherever there's trouble. GI JOE is there. GI JOE THE 🇺🇸 HERO!!!

[@wildonutube]

I had the 82 version he came with the mobile missle system

[@retrogalaxyunlimited1999]

Yo Joe excellent video again

[@schizoidboy]

I heard Larry Hama served in Vietnam, easy to see where he got his inspiration.

[@markm4033]

That I did not know about Larry Hama. Thanks for that info. He said G.I. Joe is his greatest work.

[@DavidLLambertmobile]

He was a SAG actor 🎭 too. He was on MASH 📺 & SNL.

[@schizoidboy]

Soldier, actor, and cartoonist; now that's a full life.

[@R3troZone]

He was in the US Army Corps of Engineers

[@blizzardqc]

The Devil's Due period isn't canon, but it was a lot of fun! :)

[@subteeninhumansamuraiamphi5019]

My favorite Hawk toy version is hands down the Dic Hawk with flight suit and jet pack.

[@ericwilliams4300]

The manliest man on earth.

[@bosstele3440]

Hated when GI Joe's Renegade visualised General Hawk looks similar like Moshe Dayan.

[@rickyanderson894]

Do Duke

[@quincyjoseph1229]

I liked General Hawk as G.I joe commander. I just didn't understand why they didn't make other leaders in g.i. joe as commission officers. This is a would have made there ranks. 1. General Hawk , 2. Major Duke, 3. Captain Flint, 4. First Lt. Beach Head, First Lt. Scarlett.

[@thedarkknight4956]

Duke, flint, and beach head are all sergeants. Stalker was over flint and beach head.

[@2199]

first Hawk, then Duke, then Flint and final Beach Head

[@markm4033]

No no no, its first Hawk, then Duke, then me (Flint) then finally you (beachhead). -Flint

[@bernardcalloway2205]

Well , .... Technically it should be Hawk Then Flint ' then Duke and Finally Beachhead " ... Not including Ace , Cutter , Wild Bill ' Lt Falcon and Doc , Of course ☺.

[@thedarkknight4956]

@@bernardcalloway2205 stalker was under hawk leading the joes in the comic book.

[@maximusprime3459]

@@thedarkknight4956 Stalker always gets forgotten about. Even in the cartoon he sort of disappears after the first round of episodes.

[@thedarkknight4956]

@@maximusprime3459 yeah that's why I liked the comics better cause stalker stayed relevant.

[@samuelfawley646]

Please do Duke, Scarlett, Flint, and Lady Jaye!

[@JLSComics]

They're on the list!

[@Persian-Immortal]

When I was a kid, I had a big crush on Scarlett..

[@samuelfawley646]

@@Persian-Immortal me too

[@AslanAtreyu]

Please do Firefly

[@clutch8602]

And knowing is half the battle

[@mrcatchingup]

I never realized Hawk was part of the original release and/or came with the missile launcher.

[@timandshannon03]

Leadership is General, Hawk Warrant Officer, Flint First Sergeant, Duke Then various Sergeants

[@cowpuddles4851]

According to the cartoon, it went Hawk, Duke, Flint, Beachhead, Sgt. Slaughter. The team does not follow traditional military rank.

[@R3troZone]

@@cowpuddles4851 Correct. Their chain of command never made sense since Duke is an NCO and his younger brother is an officer. Yet Duke orders him around in the movie.

[@Persian-Immortal]

I thought Flint was a Lt.

[@marcusalvarez370]

1).General Hawk. 2).Duke. 3).Flint. 4).Beachhead in that order.🇺🇲🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸YOOO JOE!!!!😆😆😆😆

[@michaelmarquejr4824]

@@R3troZone the only way I could see it was since GI Joe is a special mission force and operates on US soil it is not a military operation although it is staffed with military personnel. And Joe's are assigned and have a chain of command on merit and ability rather than the rank they held while in the service.

[@omarlawrence5239]

Need a Roadblock video

[@omarlawrence5239]

Why did comic book General Hawk looked like cartoon Duke? I never figured that one out?

[@maximusprime3459]

My guess is Sunbow animation took a look at some of the issues and got confused once they made character designs for the show and assumed Hawk and Duke were one in the same. This is probably part of the reason why Hawk has dark hair on the cartoon once he was finally introduced.

[@balamohammed5947]

do Gen. Joseph G.I JOE Colton

[@PozerAdultRacingTeam]

I believe I still have a 25th anniversary General Hawk.

[@DavidLLambertmobile]

Neither is CO of GI Joe. General Flagg was the 1st CG-commander. Hawk as a SF officer, O-6/COL. When Flagg was murdered by Major Blood, then Hawk was promoted to general.

[@johnsorrow1987]

Hawk is badass.

[@previnlubom8094]

Please do all the Joe's and Cobras

[@JLSComics]

There are tons of them but I will be making this series as long as I can

[@GigaChadh976]

JLS Comics So that means Duke right?

[@TheDlockyer]

Do one on Spirit

[@TexasRob28]

Do something on Croc Master

[@andyfiggz305]

What about the greatest warrior in the history of cobra? Do a backstory on fumbles.

[@The_Bad_Guy.]

Ohh trouser snake huh??

[@rickyanderson894]

Do Flint and Duke

[@JLSComics]

I definitely will! They're both on my list

[@buddyfett1341]

That's what she said

[@ryansamuel2287]

I need a Heavy Duty and do Mouse also

[@user-ff9ii6uk1o]

My favorite GI Joe character and the best Joe leader imo. Hawk is THE Joe leader, and blonde, and Duke is just a Hawk knock off.

[@jorchs83]

Denver, CO? My home town! YO BRONCOs...or BRONCJOs?

[@DavidLLambertmobile]

I think Hawk's family made $$$ from silver mines. Hawk wears a Walther PP 9mm & on his hip, a family SAA .45LC revolver.

[@TheAirhead901]

Can we get one on the Evil Twin Brothers?

[@JLSComics]

Yes! Good news, I alternate between Joes and Cobra so we have 1 Joe coming up, Flint, then the next one after that will be the twins

[@Manuel_B.]

didn't mention the action figure with the jetpack

[@baron7755]

where is the artwork from 9:11 from?

[@markm4033]

The comics and animated series are actually two different universes. The comics came first before the animated series. I agree that any G.I. Joe comic outside of Marvel is not canon, and that goes for the live action (ugh) movies, those were not G.I. Joe at all. Dennis Quaid was not right for the part of General Hawk and Dwayne Johnson was not right to play Roadblock. The movies are not canon. Back to other issues, Flint actually out ranks Duke, but I'm guessing G.I. Joe isn't your normal military branch, and placing Duke in charge was no doubt because of Dukes experience. For a real good live action movie of G.I. Joe, you need Larry Hama to write it, no exceptions, for he was with G.I. Joe since the beginning and wrote the file cards for the action figures as well. In the cartoons, Lt. Falcon is Dukes half-brother, however, in the comics and the action figures, Falcon and Duke are not related. Hawk is an awesome commander, look at him in the Episode Sink the Montana, and The Most Dangerous Thing in the World. Both of those episodes gives you an idea about how bad ass General Hawk is. Also shows he will take the risks instead of his troops as we see in the Episode Nightmare Assault. I was not fortunate to collect the comics, I only was able to buy a few here and there. Good video though. Yo Joe!!

[@speedlgt]

its not cannon but in the IDW comics didnt they make duke a Col.? and I always wondered why Lt. Falcon was under Sgt. Slaughters command. lol

[@markm4033]

@@speedlgt that's because G.I. Joe isn't your normal military branch. But Falcon was ordered to go to Sgt. Slaughter for training to be a real soldier, so Falcons rank would not hold as it was General Hawk and the Military Courts decision to send Falcon to the Slaughterhouse.

[@aaronakien5930]

Do 1 on road pig

[@DRKFLUTTERBYWINGS]

What joes should I try to find again

[@goblingoblineus928]

The only person that could take on Snake Plissken and stand a chance to survive is General Hawk

[@aped3]

Do Zartan Last !!!

[@manolisanastasiou6393]

dosent count if its not larry hamma but what if his artwork was garbage in comparison to later publications???

[@jalenikezeue4114]

Hey man can you do Scarlett next

[@JLSComics]

She's on the way!

[@Bobdixon_Moonvarga_Dancer_III]

Duke was a First Sergeant not an officer.

[@russellharrell2747]

Lamont Simpson non commissioned officer Anyway, flint was supposed be a warrant officer but was actually a staff Sergeant

[@chrisingram4209]

Not if he graduated from the point!!!

[@CapitanJusticia]

He was still the real leader of GI Joe.

[@diggitydave75438]

@@CapitanJusticia depends on the era. Before Hawk made it to General, he led the Joes on the battlefield.

[@BrotherDerrick3X]

@@chrisingram4209 Duke never went to West Point.

[@SHAdaKID]

Duke turned down several commisions.

[@monkeybubblessupperdude1016]

Are you aware that in the action force variant most if not all the characters have completely different back stories to the gi Joe variant and there are hardly any American characters....action force truly is international.

[@TerranceChilds-ui8nh]

This is Cobra Commander Iam sending

[@xandercage2529]

Do a Flint video

[@iceman7763]

Admiral keelhaul

[@johnryder1713]

Why has Hawk a Colonels Bird at 0:45 ?

[@diggitydave75438]

Hawk was a colonel originally in GI Joe.

[@kidbach]

how about a video for all the Devil Dog Joes. Semper Fi.

[@chrisvellner3922]

G.I. Joe never payed attention to realistic rank structure between officers, enlisted and warrant-officers.

[@rollin-kimblecroskey9110]

Why are stories that aren't written by Larry Hamma(whoever he is) not considered to be canon?! I'm sure that there was more than one writer at Marvel who wrote those books.

[@tomishamoore2796]

I have a serious question about Hawk... My friend insisted that there was a Marvel comic where Hawk was introduced to the Super Soldier serum and Spiderman said about Hawk after meeting him, that Hawk reminded him of someone he knew; meaning Capt America. Is there anyone here who can verify such a comic book meeting that suggested that Hawk was actually introduced to the Super Soldier serum? The only GI Joe who may be enhanced is Agent Helix... Please help... Thank you and thank you for this video and others like it .

[@jamiejodoin1540]

There is no such Gijoe comic where that took place. I think its different character named Hawk

[@ChivalrousVeteran]

I think that you may be referring to "Hawkeye" of the Marvel universe, a totally different comic character entirely.

[@Fdux]

Colonel hawk more like

[@OfficialTruDru]

So a G. I. Joe 3 movie is out of the question?

[@GigaChadh976]

There’s a snake eyes movie in the works starring an asian man to play the blonde haired blue eyed Snake Eyes

[@OfficialTruDru]

@@GigaChadh976 awesome!! 😄

[@jasonboyett8867]

God i hope so!!!

[@steverogers7611]

This is easy It’s Brice Williams

[@ericfisher1360]

Action Force: International Heroes? C'mon...

[@paulleyharris7851]

The cartoon has the ranks all wrong. Technically it would be Gen. Hawk 1st, Lt. Falcons 2nd, Flint 3rd, Duke 4th, & Beach Head 5th.

[@thedarkknight4956]

In the comics stalker was over flint and beach head.

[@dutchside33]

What ever happened to stocker

[@Geewunner4life]

He's head stocker in a Walmart somewhere in South Carolina.

[@markm4033]

That's Stalker. :)

[@christophermartin141]

Flint Scarlett Lady Jaye Roadblock Quick Kick Zartan Serpentor Firefly

[@russellharrell2747]

Christopher Martin quick kick ain’t got no shoes!!!!

[@zombie_batman4205]

Good video but the audio is brutal. Please improve audio for any future videos.

[@falconone7230]

I'm pro Duke,when I was a kid I thought hawk was a fraud 😂

[@CapitanJusticia]

Duke > Hawk

[@iceman7763]

Do wetsuit

[@paulleepoy7236]

G.I.JOE is awesome without hawk shipwerck is in charge

[@tedb1918]

Are there any LGBTQ GI Joes?