1988 saw an all-new development in the world of G.I.Joe. Cobra was no longer the only enemy. For six years, G.I.Joe had dedicated its forces and efforts to defeating this ruthless terrorist organization that was determined to rule the world. Even when other enemy forces came along, such as Zartan and the Dreadnoks, they were still connected to Cobra to one degree or another.

And although the Iron Grenadiers would have as their leader a man who had certainly had a close affiliation with Cobra, there was also no doubt, especially in the comic book, that this affiliation was, at least for the moment, over.

Destro had never been entirely comfortable in his service to Cobra. He considered Cobra Commander to be a posturing poltroon, barely competent enough to lead the massive army he had built. This sentiment was expressed in both the animated series and the comic book. Furthermore, Destro had a certain personal sense of honor that was at odds with the ruthless manner in which Cobra, and Cobra Commander, conducted business. Many of the other upper echelon within Cobra were people of a mind closer to Cobra Commander’s than Destro’s. Ruthless individuals with little scruples – and in some instances, not terribly bright.

So ultimately, Destro decided to strike out on his own. He wasn’t lacking in resources. He was the latest “Laird” of a Scottish manor, and the man behind M.A.R.S., an armaments development company. It may well have been because of Cobra’s willingness to let Destro’s company experiment with a wide range of unusual weapons that had brought about the alliance in the first place, but Destro was clearly fed up with Cobra. It was simply not worth it anymore.

So Destro created his own army, using as his base the highly-trained guards that protected his manor. They became the IRON GRENADIERS. They weren’t terribly interested in conquering the world. They were interested in business and profit. They were out to sell weapons systems, and their own services, to anyone with enough money to properly pay them.

And of course, the Iron Grenadiers joined the G.I.Joe toy line in 1988, as an all-new enemy force for G.I.Joe to contend with. There wasn’t a Cobra insignia in sight among the Iron Grenadiers. Simply stated, this wasn’t Cobra.

Of course, there was a basic Iron Grenadier soldier among the toy offerings. Why is it that the bad guys, even the most basic ones, get the coolest uniforms? The Cobra Viper, the HeadHunter, the Iron Grenadier – snappy dressers all. Granted, the faceplate of the Grenadiers is a little strange, but they still have an overall impressive look to them.

The Iron Grenadier is dressed in basic black. He has a rather stylish helmet, with flared sides and back, and a fin on the top. He has black goggles, molded into the helmet and pretty much indistinguishable from same (I’ve found that a little gloss black brings them out nicely). The faceplate, which doubles as a gas mask, is red, and highly sculpted in detail. It’s arguably the weirdest part of the outfit.

The uniform is black, with limited areas of red and gold trim. There’s a shoulder strap that is black with gold studs, and a shoulder pad that is gold with two red ridged areas within. The Iron Grenadier is wearing a gold wristband on his left wrist. The upper torso looks very smooth, as if the uniform is armored. There are red straps on the legs, and a gold holster on the left leg. The Iron Grenadier also has red knee pads.

Early illustrations, including the package card illustration, shows further red detail, in the ridged padding on the torso. This was dropped during production. However, for those wanting a slightly more colorful Iron Grenadier, it’s also a pretty easy custom. The detail area is clearly delineated on the figure. Just get some basic red acrylic and a decent paint brush. Admittedly, this could be time consuming if you have a large army of these figures.

The file card, which of course represents a basic trooper, and not an individual, gives more than few clues as to just how nasty, possibly in some respects even moreso than Cobra, the Iron Grenadiers are capable of being. It starts off by listing their military specialties as “Terrorism, Sales, and Marketing Development.” Vicious combination if I’ve ever heard one. The file card goes on to say that the Iron Grenadiers are hand-picked from Destro’s personal bodyguard, and are trained to act as everything from agents to outright saboteurs to push a given region into chaos and turmoil, thus creating a new market for Destro’s weapons. Their pay is a percentage of gross sales.

The final paragraph on the card gives a real insight into what the average Iron Grenadier is like: “Imagine the slickest used car salesman you’ve ever met. Now imagine that he’s also the trickiest accountant in the world. Got that? Try to picture what he would be like if that same guy was also a highly trained commando with expertise in explosives, small arms, and hand-to-hand combat. Top it off with the fact that no other mercenary army in the world wants them because of their history of turning on their superiors. That’s what an Iron Grenadier is…”

Yeah, I want to make the mistake of messing with that…

The Iron Grenadier came with some very cool accessories, including a highly ornate sword, a black submachine gun, and a fancy red laser pistol – of Destro’s design, no doubt. For whatever reason, these accessories are highly prized commodities these days – which is something I am sure would please Destro.

The Iron Grenadiers ran in the original line from 1988-1990. They enjoyed their big return in 2005 as the focal point of that year’s G.I.Joe Convention Set, which featured a new version of Destro, a recolored Metal-Head, a new character called General Mayhem, six new Iron Anvil troopers, and six Iron Grenadiers, who with a new set of body molds looked tougher than ever!

But the original Iron Grenadier is still a very cool and very impressive figure, and representative of one of the most popular sub-groups ever created within the world of G.I.Joe. I hope you have enjoyed this profile of him!