A ‘G.I. JOE’ WHO’S WHO Good guys, bad guys

With a literal army of characters to choose from, the producers of “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” focused, as expected, on some of the universe’s most prominent heroes and villains. Here are bios of the characters you’ll see in the film:

Cobra Commander: Cobra’s leader has various back stories. In the animated “G.I. Joe” movie from the late 1980s, he was revealed to be a member of a pre-human civilization called Cobra-La who doesn’t look like a traditional human. However, the earlier cartoon episodes, as well as the Marvel Comics series, hint at more of a regular human persona. In the movie, he’s played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Duke: Conrad “Duke” Hauser leads G.I. Joe into battle. Before joining the Joe team, Duke led a squad of Army Rangers. He got the attention of General Hawk after leading a dangerous “off the books” jungle mission to Papua to wrest control of a government satellite from a terrorist group headed by Russians, according to the movie’s official prequel graphic novel. Duke, however, rebuffed Hawk’s request after that successful mission to join G.I. Joe. Played by Channing Tatum. Destro: The weapons supplier to Cobra, Destro leads the Military Armaments Research System, or M.A.R.S. His silver mask is the trademark of his Scottish clan, which has dealt arms for centuries. The prequel to the movie reveals the rules that govern the family business, which Destro illustrates in his handling of a botched deal with Parisian terrorists. Let’s just say it doesn’t end well for the terrorists. Played by Christopher Eccleston. The Baroness: The original Hasbro action-figure bio suggests Baroness is the rebellious child of wealthy European parents. She also was supposedly burned during an attack and has undergone “extensive plastic surgery.” The movie prequel reveals little about her upbringing but shows how manipulative, clever and dangerous she can be to get what she wants. Played by Sienna Miller. Storm Shadow: From a family of assassins, Storm Shadow is Cobra’s ninja who comes from a long line of assassins — 30 generations. In the Marvel Comics series and, to a lesser extent the cartoon, Storm Shadow has a long history with Snake Eyes and is his nemesis. Played by Byung-hun Lee. Scarlett: Atlanta-born Shana O’Hara is a counterintelligence officer skilled in martial arts. She’s deadly with a crossbow and often went on missions in disguise in the G.I. Joe cartoon. Played by Rachel Nichols. Snake Eyes: His action-figure description sums it up nicely: “The man is a total mystery, but he’s real good at his job, heck, he’s the best.” Using a combination of martial arts and deadly accurate weaponry skills, Snake Eyes is considered to be a lethal strike force on his own. Played by Ray Park. Ripcord: A member of G.I. Joe’s airborne infantry, Ripcord wasn’t prominently featured in the original cartoon series. But in the movie’s prequel graphic novel, Ripcord — then using his real name Wallace Weems — is a member of the Army Rangers squad Duke leads into the jungle. Played by Marlon Wayans. Other confirmed characters: Heavy Duty (heavy weaponry, played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), General Hawk (commander overseeing G.I. Joe, played by Dennis Quaid) and Breaker (communications, played by Said Taghmaoui).

Cobra Commander: Cobra’s leader has various back stories. In the animated “G.I. Joe” movie from the late 1980s, he was revealed to be a member of a pre-human civilization called Cobra-La who doesn’t look like a traditional human. However, the earlier cartoon episodes, as well as the Marvel Comics series, hint at more of a regular human persona. In the movie, he’s played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Duke: Conrad “Duke” Hauser leads G.I. Joe into battle. Before joining the Joe team, Duke led a squad of Army Rangers. He got the attention of General Hawk after leading a dangerous “off the books” jungle mission to Papua to wrest control of a government satellite from a terrorist group headed by Russians, according to the movie’s official prequel graphic novel. Duke, however, rebuffed Hawk’s request after that successful mission to join G.I. Joe. Played by Channing Tatum. Destro: The weapons supplier to Cobra, Destro leads the Military Armaments Research System, or M.A.R.S. His silver mask is the trademark of his Scottish clan, which has dealt arms for centuries. The prequel to the movie reveals the rules that govern the family business, which Destro illustrates in his handling of a botched deal with Parisian terrorists. Let’s just say it doesn’t end well for the terrorists. Played by Christopher Eccleston. The Baroness: The original Hasbro action-figure bio suggests Baroness is the rebellious child of wealthy European parents. She also was supposedly burned during an attack and has undergone “extensive plastic surgery.” The movie prequel reveals little about her upbringing but shows how manipulative, clever and dangerous she can be to get what she wants. Played by Sienna Miller. Storm Shadow: From a family of assassins, Storm Shadow is Cobra’s ninja who comes from a long line of assassins — 30 generations. In the Marvel Comics series and, to a lesser extent the cartoon, Storm Shadow has a long history with Snake Eyes and is his nemesis. Played by Byung-hun Lee. Scarlett: Atlanta-born Shana O’Hara is a counterintelligence officer skilled in martial arts. She’s deadly with a crossbow and often went on missions in disguise in the G.I. Joe cartoon. Played by Rachel Nichols. Snake Eyes: His action-figure description sums it up nicely: “The man is a total mystery, but he’s real good at his job, heck, he’s the best.” Using a combination of martial arts and deadly accurate weaponry skills, Snake Eyes is considered to be a lethal strike force on his own. Played by Ray Park. Ripcord: A member of G.I. Joe’s airborne infantry, Ripcord wasn’t prominently featured in the original cartoon series. But in the movie’s prequel graphic novel, Ripcord — then using his real name Wallace Weems — is a member of the Army Rangers squad Duke leads into the jungle. Played by Marlon Wayans. Other confirmed characters: Heavy Duty (heavy weaponry, played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), General Hawk (commander overseeing G.I. Joe, played by Dennis Quaid) and Breaker (communications, played by Said Taghmaoui).