Kobra Khan is a fictional character in the popular Masters of the Universe toy line and the accompanying cartoon series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
He is a member of the Evil Warriors, and a cross between a man and a cobra, who has the power to spray a 'sleep mist' from his hood which immediately renders his opponent unconscious. Although generally recognized as a member of Skeletor's evil warriors, in many media he serves a dual allegiance to both Skeletor and the later introduced King Hiss of the Snake Men.
Character History[]
Kobra Khan was introduced into the Masters of the Universe toy line in 1984. His action figure's special feature is to spray water. The figure's head is removable and the hollow torso can be filled with water, so that when the head is back in place, it can be pushed down to spray water from its mouth.
Filmation animated series[]
- Main article: Kobra Khan (Filmation)
Kobra Khan was one of Skeletor's more competent and serious warriors. Often maintaining a reserved, sinister persona, Khan was a dangerous opponent, capable of taking on numerous opponents at once with his sleep mist. He often teamed up with Webstor, with the two of them forming an effective duo[1]. Khan was a member of the Repton species, who dwelled in a quiet, underground kingdom beneath a stone pyramid. The Reptons were a peaceful race who regarded Khan as a traitor for his pursuit of power in the service of Skeletor.
One one occasion, Khan sought the help of He-Man and his companions in relighting the furnace that heated the Reptons' kingdom, which had been extinguished by an unknown intruder. In fact, it was Khan himself who extinguished the flame, and the Repton's ruler, King Pythos, offered to grant the crown of the Reptons to whoever could expose the guilty party. Therefore, Khan concocted an elaborate scheme to frame He-Man for the crime so that he could become ruler of the Reptons. Khan's plot was ultimately foiled when the court jester, Scales, implicated him as the true criminal, and he was forced to flee[2].
Khan later assisted Skeletor and Hordak in a plot to kidnap the recently returned Princess Adora from the Royal Palace of Eternos[3].
Mini Comics[]
Kobra Khan was initially a member of Skeletor's Evil Warriors[4]. When The Snake Men returned to modern day Eternia and King Hiss formed an alliance with Skeletor, Skeletor ordered Khan to pledge his loyalty to Hiss and join them as his spy, so that he could report on King Hiss' actions and ensure he did not grow too powerful[5].
London Editions UK Comics[]
Khan acted as a spy for Skeletor, but a highly disloyal one, who would inform King Hiss of Skeletor's actions as much as he would vice versa. Khan himself stated that despite his dual allegiance, he was really only working for one person: himself.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002)[]
- Main article: Kobra Khan (2002)
Kobra Khan was a descendent of the Snake Men. A powerful warrior capable of spitting corosive venom from his fangs, Khan was, at some point, captured and imprisoned in the Royal Palace dungeons, but eventually managed to stage a breakout. Upon his release, he made his way to Snake Mountain where he pledged his allegiance to Skeletor.
However, Khan's true goal was to delve deep beneath Snake Mountain to find the Snake Pit, the portal to the void in which his ancestors, King Hiss and the Snake Men, were imprisoned eons ago. His scheme was foiled by He-Man and Zodak before he could succeed, but he did manage to free General Rattlor and escape[6]. Working with Rattlor, Khan later rescued Skeletor's Evil Warriors from the palace jail, and revealed to Evil-Lyn that Skeletor had betrayed her and left her in prison to rot. Promising that King Hiss would reward her, Khan enlisted Evil-Lyn to help free Hiss as revenge on Skeletor[7].
Some time later, with Lyn's assistance, Khan and Rattlor released King Hiss and his army of Snake Men from the void. Despite owing their freedom to Khan's scheming, the other Snake Men dismissed him as but a puny descendant of their kind who had never tasted real battle or blood[8].
Despite Rattlor's contempt for Khan, King Hiss was impressed with his cunning and loyalty. Khan strived to outdo Rattlor in Hiss's eyes, and the two often competed for the King's favour[9].
Behind the Scenes[]
- The character of Fang Man, who only appears in one early Filmation episode, The Time Corridor, but never appeared in action figure form, is possibly an early version of Khan. Although in his cartoon appearance the only similarity was that he was reptilian, his description in the show's Series Bible is remarkably similar to Khan, describing him as having the power to spray a sleep gas at his opponents.
- A special Snake-Man Kobra Khan figure was made in Argentina, under the name "Kobra Khan Camouflage". The figure was painted in camouflage with a silver Snake Men logo on his chest and most versions used the claw arms from Buzz-Off. Modern versions of this look were released in Masters of the Universe Classics and Masters of the Universe Origins under the name "Camo Khan" and also in Masters of the Universe ReAction Figures under the name "Kobra Khan".
- Kobra Khan's name is derived from Kublai Khan. A famous Mongolian warlord during the 13th century, and grandson of Genghis Khan.
- Contrary to the toy, Kobra Khan would spray his sleep gas from the folds in his hood in the cartoons, not from his mouth.