Analyzing Snake Eyes’ Impact On The Franchise

Something that has always seemed to work on both the big and small screens is nostalgia for the ’80s. Whether it’s Netflix’s monster TV show hit Stranger Things or blockbuster film franchises like Transformers, playing into what we loved in the ’80s has been a recipe for success.

Even 2026 is set to see He-Man and the Masters of the Universe try to capitalize on this concept. However, G.I. Joe is a beloved ’80s franchise that hasn’t been able to match other projects from the era. The films have mostly missed the mark, including an attempt to start over in 2021 with Snake Eyes.

Snake Eyes Was GI Joe’s Attempt At Restarting Their Franchise

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra disappointed audiences in 2009 and while the sequel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation​​​​​​, was an improvement, it felt more like a decent action movie than something set in the G.I. Joe world. Following that, the franchise wasn’t talked about much.

2021 saw an attempt to change that by going down a familiar route. Many movie series attempt to tell origin stories, with Snake Eyes doing so for the titular character. However, this was an odd decision from the start.

Snake Eyes is a character who was notorious for covering his face and is typically depicted as mute. He’s more of a character who is a great addition to a team than someone you build an entire story around.

Also, one of the coolest and most notable things about Snake Eyes is that we never see him. Even the biggest fans of the character and the franchise weren’t really clamoring for a movie where we learned more about Snake Eyes’ past. His mystery is a big selling point.

Snake Eyes Didn’t Feel Like A GI Joe Movie At All

Since Snake Eyes featured the titular character talking and not covering his face, it didn’t exactly feel like it belonged in the G.I. Joe universe. It kind of just felt like a generic action movie that featured a few popular names.

Part of the appeal of G.I. Joe in general is that we get to see a team work together. Kids who grew up with the toys had plenty of fun putting the heroes against the villains from Cobra in giant action scenes they came up with.

Giving Snake Eyes a solo film takes away the team aspect. Sure, the film also features Baroness, Storm Shadow, and Scarlett, but that’s a far cry from what people really wanted to see from G.I. Joe. It gave us a slow-burning setup for the future of a franchise that we’re likely never going to see more of.

The Future Of GI Joe In Movies

Snake Eyes runs for just about two hours and the titular character doesn’t get his signature costume until the final moments. The movie also bombed, barely grossing $40 million on a budget of around $100 million.

We hadn’t heard anything about the future of G.I. Joe movies until Transformers: Rise of the Beasts arrived in 2023. This new entry in the Transformers series ended with a reference to G.I. Joe, setting up a potential crossover film.

Alas, that Transformers film wasn’t exactly a hit, so it left the future of G.I. Joe up in the air again. That said, 2026 has offered up some hope for longtime fans, though it comes in an unusual form.

Paramount announced that two treatments were pitched for new G.I. Joe films, one from actor and The Righteous Gemstones creator Danny McBride, and the other from Max Landis, who had success with movies like Chronicle but was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women.

Apparently, Paramount has teased merging the two ideas, which is an odd way to go about making a movie. There’s also controversy surrounding the decision to work with Landis, so G.I. Joe have reasons for concern. Regardless of where the franchise goes next, 2021’s Snake Eyes didn’t set the series up for success.