‘GI Joe’ Villain Cobra Commander Just Received The Key To The City Of Springfield, Illinois

Cobra Commander didn’t have to do much to be welcome in the city of Springfield, Illinois. Basically he just had to waltz into town for a convention and the mayor ended up giving him the key to the city. Pretty simple for a terrorist organization devoted to taking over the world for an evil ancient snake cult, right?

It’s all in honor of the 2015 G.I. Joe Convention that is ready to descend on the town of Springfield in April. A press release coincided the photograph below and there’s even supposed to be exclusive video of the meeting online tomorrow:

Springfield, IL – Cobra Commander, leader of the organization known as Cobra, recently visited Springfield to receive the key to the city from Mayor J. Michael Houston. In an eloquent and moving speech, the cobalt-clad commander-in-chief detailed Cobra’s vision of the future and its goals to bring about a better tomorrow for all those who support their cause. Said Cobra Commander “Springfielders near and far, I accept your Mayor’s generous gift. And let it be known that I too bring a gift for every man, woman and child of this city that is so near and dear to my heart; an invitation to join with me. Join Cobra!” (via)

Now if you’re unaware, the town Springfield plays a big part in the lore of G.I. Joe. Cobra managed to take over the entire town in the storyline and turn it into their base of operations, replacing the citizens with Cobra agents and fighting G.I. Joe in between neighborhood block parties.

It’s a nice little treat for G.I. Joe fans, even if this is probably the least famous Springfield in pop culture (the most famous belongs to The Simpsons). Maybe we’ll see Cobra Commander make the trip to Chicago here soon and parlay this into a run for mayor. He’d fit in if history is any indication.

(Via Comics Alliance / Generals Joe / GI Joe Con)