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G.I. Joeis back in a big way, but it isn’t on the big screen or toy shelves. On July 19, 2025, The Image Comic imprint Skybound Entertainment releasedG.I. Joe#1. The series takes place as part of a shared universe called the Energon Universe, which also consists ofTransformersand the original property,Void Rivals. The seeds forG.I. Joehad been planted as far back as the early issues of the Transformers line that were released in 2023, and through 2023 and 2024, the company has built up toG.I. Joewith miniseries focused on Duke, Cobra Commander, Scarlett, and Destro.For the first time in decades, theG.I. Joebrand has been front and center in many people’s minds.
This comes at the perfect time, asParamount Pictures is looking to revive theG.I. Joefranchise by crossing it over with theTransformersmovie series. This was first teased in 2023’sTransformers: Rise of the Beasts,with the crossover film starring Chris Hemsworthin the works. WhileG.I. Joeis one of the most iconic toylines in history and the “Real American Hero” brand of toys and television shows was popular in the 1980s, the franchise has struggled in the 21st century. The Energon Universe has provided the perfect blueprint for how Paramount Pictures can reviveG.I. Joe, and here is how.
Connecting ‘G.I. Joe’ With ‘Transformers’ Is a Smart Move
The Energon Universe is named after the power source that sustains the Transformer’s life force, Energon. WithTransformersandG.I. Joebeing two of Hasbro’s two biggest toylines from the 1980s, the two brands have always gone together like peanut butter and jelly. Yet the film franchise ignored that until recently. In 2009, bothTransformers: Revenge of the FallenandG.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobrawere released in theaters, but the two films took place in two different universes, as both movies were being written and entered production just beforeIron ManandThe Incredible Hulkwould tease audiences witha shared universe. Fast forward to 2023, andTransformers: Rise of the Beaststeased the involvement of the G.I. Joe’s, setting up the crossover film.
The movies have the perfect link to establish the G.I. Joe Organization to the Transformers' arrival on Earth: 2018’sBumblebee. John Cena’s Jack Burns was a former U.S. Army Colonel and then an Agent of Sector 7, the fictional secret organization introduced in 2007’sTransformers. Jack Burns could have left Sector 7 afterBumblebeeand decided to help lead the G.I. Joe organization. There is also Hailee Steinfeld’s character, Charlie Watson. Due to her close connection with Bumblebee, she could have gone on to help found the G.I. Joe Organization or become one of their first agents. This could help explain herabsence inTransformers: Rise of the Beastsand help set up her eventual return to the franchise. Charlie Watson could be the franchise version of Lady Jaye, withBumblebeereformatted into not just an origin story for the titular Transformers but also for Jaye.
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G.I. Joecould branch off into their franchise, but they also could still regularly appear as supporting characters inTransformersfilms. This solves a common criticism of theTransformersfilms, in which the human characters are not as interesting as the robots. Making the franchise future human leads members of G.I. Joe helps solve that problem since they can cut away fromfan-favorite Autobotsto fan-favorite G.I. Joe members with their rich lore and backstory to help inform the story.
Create the Feeling of Interconnectivity and Embrace Long-Form Storytelling
Part of Skybounds' big innovations forG.I. Joewas to build up to the titular team like Marvel Studios did withThe Avengers, even down to it being called the G.I. Joe Initiative. The miniseries built up excitement for the eventual team-up of the various characters on the G.I. Joe and COBRA factions and the two sides' eventual collision. Hasbro tested this idea withSnake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, with the intention of relaunching theG.I. Joefranchise through a series of character-centric films before a team-up. However, thatmovie’s poor box office performanceseemingly caused Paramount to cancel plans for aSnake Eyesfollow-up and also scrap the planned Lady Jaye television series they had in development at Prime Video.
They can also use their existing material to retroactively create a series of interconnected stories. There is no need to toss out aperfectly good Snake Eyes, so bring back Henry Golding as the titular character and Samara Weaving’s Scarlett for theTransformers/G.I. Joecrossover film alongside Hailee Steinfeld fromBumblebeeand Anthony Ramos fromTransformers: Rise of the Beasts. That allows Paramount Pictures to retroactively make a trilogy of films leading to the upcoming crossover.
Hasbro and Paramount should revisit the concept of standaloneG.I. Joeprojects, spinning out of the upcomingG.I. Joe/Transformerscrossover. Then, characters from that film can spin off into miniseries before a standaloneG.I. Joemovie, similar toThe Penguinbeing used to bridgeThe BatmanandThe Batman - Part II. The obvious pick is a solo movie or miniseries on Paramount+ centered around COBRA. Explore the roots of the terrorist organization, how it came to power, and the key members of its leadership, like Cobra Commander and Destro.
G.I. Joeas a brand might be better suited for a television series than a feature film. With how well adult-oriented action series based on military men have done on streaming, likeJack ReacherorJack Ryan,G.I. Joecould be a big event series for Paramount+. A streaming series forG.I. Joecould capture more soap opera elements of the franchise, like the various romances and hidden connections between heroes and villains, which often get ignored when the films happen. Much like the X-Men,G.I. Joeis at its best when it embraces the fact that it is a giant soap opera with action, and that type of story is best suited for television.
‘G.I. Joe’ Should Aim for Older Audiences
One element that the new EnergonG.I. Joecomics do is tell mature stories aimed at older audiences. It might be best for Hasbro and Paramount to realize that theG.I. Joeaudience is primarily older, largely made up of fans who were kids in the 1980s. Even Hasbro’s current toy line is typically aimed at the adult collectors market instead of the standard kid demographic. UnlikeTransformers, which has found a way to appeal to kids with every incarnation,G.I. Joeis a trickier franchiseto market. The very premise ofG.I. Joe, a military organization using real-life weapons to fight a terrorist organization aimed at kids, is a messy can of worms to deal with.
G.I. Joeneeds to steer into its concept of a military unit fighting terrorists, but instead of aiming it at kids like the previous incarnations, tackle it in a mature, serious manner. The idea of taking a property made for kids and making it “gritty” can often be eye-rolling, butG.I. Joe’sunique storyline makes it one where the update is warranted and necessary.Use the fantastical nature ofG.I. Joeand COBRA to comment on war, the military-industrial complex, and geopolitical conflicts. While the animated series couldn’t let characters die, steering into the franchise’s inherent military storyline raises the stakes for every character. The shocking moments in theG.I. Joecomics are when characters, ones people would assume have plot armor because they need to sell toys, are killed off in a hail of gunfire.
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Making the nextG.I. Joeinstallment, be it a film or a streaming series, aimed at an older audience is the natural evolution of this franchise. We aren’t suggesting Paramount and Hasbro make an R-ratedG.I. Joefilm, although a grounded war film akin toZero Dark Thirtyis undoubtedly a strong elevator pitch. Paramount should take a corner from Warner Bros.’s book onThe Dark Knighttrilogy, where they deprioritized making a movie to sell toys and focused on making good movies that would attract a broad audience.The Dark Knightwas PG-13, and many kids and teenagers still turned out for it. Hasbro might not be entirely open to the idea as their primary mission is to sell toys, but it isn’t like PG-13 or even R-rated material doesn’t sell merchandise, and they already made toys based onMichael Bay’sTransformersfilms, and those weren’t always kid-friendly.
Hire Exciting Creative People to Reimagine ‘G.I. Joe’
Paramount Pictures' biggest lesson fromthe newG.I. Joerelaunch is finding a creative team that will do something bold and exciting with the property. What made this relaunch ofG.I. Joeso exciting is that it was created by people who love the material but also those who don’t just want to recreate the original stories beat for a beat; they want to put their spin on it. Writers Joshua Williams, Kelly Thompson, and Dan Watters, alongside artists Tom Reilly, Andrea Milana, Marco Ferrari, and Andrei Bressan, have taken the established characters fans know aboutG.I. Joebut have been willing to experiment with certain characters.
One of the new comic series' genius moves is having iconicCOBRA member Baronessstart as a founding member of the G.I. Joe. Now, audiences are anticipating when she will switch allegiances and how that will happen, but there is also the possibility that she won’t and could remain a wild card member of the heroic team. Most likely, many filmmakers grew up with theG.I. Joefranchise as a kid that, if given the property, would make for a fun new take on the material. It might not be the safe choice and would require a bit of risk, but that is precisely what the franchise needs right now, because what they’ve been doing has not been working.
Writing and drawing a comic costs less than making a big-budget film or producing a television show, so the Energon Universe has more room to explore. Yet because of how cheap the comic is to produce as opposed to the film,Paramount Pictures has the chance to use the series as a testing ground and market research for bold new takes on this beloved materialthey’ve struggled with to make relevant for years.
Skybound’sG.I. Joehas done what the films have failed to do: maintain what fans love aboutG.I. Joewhile updating it for a new audience, making it feel both classic and modern at the same time. Paramount Pictures should look heavily at this comic run because it could be the key to their next big film franchise.The most recent live-actionG.I. Joefilm,Snake Eyes, is streaming onNetflixandParamount+.
