Wild Weasel (G.I. Joe)

Wild Weasel is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and animated series. He is a member of Cobra and pilot of the Cobra Rattler. He wears a red flight suit with a helmet that hides his face.

Profile
Wild Weasel is an ace pilot, who served in the bush wars of South America and Africa. He has extensive knowledge of close support aircraft, ranging from jury-rigged civilian conversions, to state-of-the-art flying machines armed with laser-guided missiles and ECM pods. His speech pattern contains a characteristic sibilance caused by a mouth injury, which is rumored to have been inflicted by ground fire during a strafing run.

He is arrogant to a fault, favoring the Rattler ground support jet. The pilots of G.I. Joe hate him as a person, but respect him as a pilot. Wild Weasel does not have friends, even among the ranks of Cobra, because he only talks about jets and motor parts, something that the other Cobra members find boring. Wild Weasel doesn't realize this and thinks that everyone avoids him because they fear him.

Phoenix Guard
The members of the Phoenix Guard were Cobra agents in disguise, but for Cobra Commander's elaborate ruse to succeed, each member of the team needed doctored military records and manufactured personal histories. Wild Weasel's fabricated identity was Halo, real name Kenneth P. Leggitt, born in Chicago. Halo's specialties were airborne infantry, aeronautical engineering and fixed wing pilot. He received basic training, advanced infantry training and completed Airborne School all at Fort Benning. He also completed the Special Forces Qualification course and the Military Free Fall Parachutist course at Fort Bragg. General Rey considered him extremely introverted, but also someone who enjoyed his job immensely.

Toys
Wild Weasel was first released as an action figure in 1984, packaged with the Rattler tank smasher plane.

A version of Wild Weasel with no accessories came with the Built to Rule Cobra Raven, which followed the G.I. Joe: Spy Troops story line. The forearms and the calves of the figure sported places where blocks could be attached.

Marvel Comics
Wild Weasel first appeared in the Marvel Comics series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #24 (June 1984). In the comics, Wild Weasel first encounters the Joe team when he is ordered by the Baroness to track down Cobra Commander. His partner is Firefly. Together they confront several Joes in the Florida swamps and deal with Zartan, a Cobra mercenary.

Wild Weasel is called up to sit upon the mock trial of Billy. The boy, the son of Cobra Commander, had tried to kill his own father.

Wild Weasel's comics series rivalry with Ace began with one of the Rattler's earliest appearances in the comic book, issue #34 ("Shake Down!"), when Wild Weasel ambushes Ace (and co-pilot Lady Jaye), initiating a dog fight over suburban New Jersey. Both pilots fight to a standstill and fly away, giving each other a respectful salute.

Later, Wild Weasel leads a group of Python Patrol Conquest Fighters against a team of Joe members in the skies over the fictional Central American country of Punta del Mucosa. He is shot down by the Joe pilot Dogfight.

Wild Weasel and a Techno-Viper fly patrol in a Rattler during the conflict surrounding the fictional country of Benzheen. They attempt to shoot down the Joe pilot Ghostrider but are themselves shot down by Rampart and Backblast. Both pilots survive.

He survives and continues to work for Cobra until they seemingly disband.

Devil's Due comics
For a period of about seven years, both Cobra and G.I. Joe are inoperative. G.I. Joe reforms, in response to signs of renewed Cobra activity.

In G.I. Joe: America's Elite, Cobra Commander disguises himself as White House staff member Garret Freedlowe, and tricks General Rey into leading a new elite unit called the Phoenix Guard. Wild Weasel is one of the Cobra operatives who poses as Guard member "Halo". The Phoenix Guard manages to kill dozens of Joe support team officers, but Wild Weasel is wounded by Duke, and imprisoned in "The Coffin" prison facility in Greenland. He's freed alongside several others, during an assault on The Coffin led by Tomax. Wild Weasel takes part in the final battle between G.I. Joe and Cobra.

Sunbow
In the Sunbow G.I. Joe cartoon, Wild Weasel had a rivalry with the Skystriker pilot "Ace" (both characters were voiced by Pat Fraley).

Valor vs. Venom
Wild Weasel appeared in the direct-to-video CGI animated movie G.I. Joe: Valor vs. Venom, voiced by Trevor Devall. He is among the fighter pilots that attack a G.I. Joe base. Kamakura decapitated his B.A.T. copilot causing Wild Weasel's plane to crash.