Snake Eyes Ending Sets Up More Storm Shadow & G.I. Joe Movie Future

Warning: SPOILERS for Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins.

The ending of Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins sets up the heroic warrior joining the G.I. Joe team, but it also leads into another encounter with Storm Shadow (Andrew Koji) rather than a full-blown G.I. Joe vs. Cobra movie. Snake Eyes is a reboot that’s unrelated to 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Obviously, Snake Eyes hopes to reignite the G.I. Joe movie franchise and begin a new series of films, but its primary focus is establishing Snake Eyes’ (Henry Golding) new origin and his good friends/better enemies relationship with his ‘blood brother’ Storm Shadow.

The main villain of Snake Eyes is Yakuza leader Kenta (Takehiro Hira), who used Snake Eyes to acquire a powerful artifact belonging to Storm Shadow’s Arashikage ninja clan called the Jewel of the Sun. The solar-powered space rock gives the owner the powers of a star, enabling him to burn anything in his path. Kenta used the Jewel to attack the Arashikage’s castle home and he killed many of the ninjas as revenge for being cast out of the clan. Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, the Arashikage’s head of Security Akiko (Haruka Abe), the Blind Master (Peter Mensah), the Hard Master (Iko Uwais), and Sen, the leader of the Arashikage clan (Eri Ishida), joined forces with Scarlett (Samara Weaving) of the G.I. Joe team to stop Kenta and take back the Jewel. Even Cobra’s operative, the Baroness (Úrsula Corberó) entered into a temporary alliance with the ninjas because Kenta betrayed her. But Baroness soon abandoned her mission even though she intended to acquire the Jewel of the Sun for Cobra.

Kenta’s demise was poetic justice because he was devoured by the giant anacondas that live beneath the Arashikage castle. Kenta never faced the Three Challenges of the Warrior because he was banished from the clan for trying to murder Storm Shadow to assert leadership. Meanwhile, Snake Eyes, who was duplicitous in his heart because he was secretly working for Kenta as a mole to steal the Jewel of the Sun, finally told the truth about who he was. The anacondas that judge everyone trying to join the Arashikage spared Snake Eyes but killed Kenta.

Still, Snake Eyes’ treachery meant that he cannot join the Arashikage. However, the ninjas accepted his apology and sponsored Snake Eyes to find Storm Shadow, who was punished by the Arashikage for breaking his vow and using the Jewel of the Sun’s power against Kenta. Meanwhile, the G.I. Joe team also wants Snake Eyes’ services and revealed their ties to his father. It all sets up another adventure for Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow on opposite sides of the G.I. Joe and Cobra conflict. Here’s what Snake Eyes’ ending means for the black-clad warrior and the future of G.I. Joe movies.

Why G.I. Joe Wants Snake Eyes – But Does He Join?

Snake Eyes’ driving motivation for his entire life was to find the man who killed his father (Steven Allerick) 20 years ago, who was revealed as a Cobra agent named Mr. Augustine (Samuel Finzi). At the end of the film, Samara Weaving’s Scarlett brings a file to Snake Eyes and tells him that “my commander, General Joe Colton” wants him to see it. The file revealed that Snake Eyes’ father was a member of G.I. Joe who was murdered by Cobra during a secret mission called ‘Operation Broadsword’. Scarlett relayed Colton’s offer that Snake Eyes should replace his father in the G.I. Joe team. But Snake Eyes doesn’t fully accept. Instead, he takes the black suit and mask Akiko offers him and dons his familiar costume to go after Storm Shadow. Snake Eyes doesn’t include any formal indoctrination of the hero into the G.I. Joe team.

General Joe Colton is who the original G.I. Joe action figure was based on and the character appeared in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, where Joe was played by Bruce Willis. Snake Eyes‘ G.I. Joe universe established General Colton as the leader of the G.I. Joe team, a position held by General Hawk in the 1980s animated series and the classic Marvel Comics penned by Larry Hama. Snake Eyes‘ revamp is an interesting twist that makes joining G.I. Joe more personal and a family affair for Snake Eyes, but it also comes with plenty of logical questions since this version of Snake Eyes has no military record and has never served in the armed forces. Snake Eyes may end up as more of a specialist for the G.I. Joe team if there’s a sequel where he formally joins the Joes.

Why Cobra Recruited Storm Shadow

In Snake Eyes’ mid-credits scene, Baroness appears aboard Storm Shadow’s private jet and offers the prodigal ninja membership in Cobra. She paints this as the chance to get revenge on the Arashikage clan. For reasons yet unrevealed, Cobra wants control over Japan and this means eliminating the Arashikage. Cobra was bankrolling Kenta’s attempts to take over and supplying the Yakuza with weapons but in return, Cobra wanted the Jewel of the Sun. The Jewel was secured once more in the Arashikage’s vault at the end of Snake Eyes, but it’s conceivable Baroness could ask Storm Shadow to steal it since, as a part of the Arashikage bloodline, the white ninja could easily get into the vault and take the solar artifact.

Obviously, Storm Shadow, AKA Tommy Arashikage, is a prized recruit for Cobra, and he’s more valuable than Kenta, who betrayed the Baroness once he got his hands on the Jewel. Like Kenta, Storm Shadow severed his ties to the Arashikage and he’s a skilled, powerful, and resourceful warrior with a greater code of honor than Kenta had. Of course, Storm Shadow is traditionally part of Cobra in G.I. Joe lore and Snake Eyes tidily set up why he joins the terrorist organization bent on world domination. Meanwhile, the Jewel of the Sun is Snake Eyes’ version of the kind of super weapons that Cobra utilized in the 1980s G.I. Joe animated series like the MASS Device and the Weather Dominator. The Jewel may still be part of a greater Cobra weapon that could be unveiled in Snake Eyes 2.

Who’s The Real Good Guy Between Snake Eyes And Storm Shadow?

The most fascinating aspect of Snake Eyes is that Storm Shadow comes off as the better man than Snake Eyes, who is a villain, albeit a reluctant one at times, for most of the film. Snake Eyes saved Storm Shadow’s life at the start of the film but it was revealed that it was a ruse to earn Storm Shadow’s trust and get inside Arashikage castle. Snake was working with Kenta all along as they had entered into a quid pro quo agreement that Snake Eyes would steal then Jewel of the Sun in exchange for Kenta giving him the man who killed his father. To Snake Eyes’ credit, he lived up to his early words that “I’m not a murderer” and he spared Mr. Augustine’s life rather than exact vengeance. But did Snake Eyes’ change of heart and his killing Kenta right the wrongs he inflicted on the Arashikage? Snake Eyes‘ resolution doesn’t feel entirely convincing.

Meanwhile, Storm Shadow is a tragic figure in Snake Eyes who was wronged by the blood brother he trusted and then, by his own family. Storm Shadow becomes the prodigal son of the Arashikage when he quits the clan over the insult that he won’t be allowed to become their new leader. This is because Storm Shadow used the power of the Jewel of the Sun against Kenta, breaking the sacred vow every Arashikage makes that they would only protect the Jewel and never use his power. But while Storm Shadow did tap into the Jewel’s power out of vengeance, he didn’t actually kill Kenta with it. Still, that technicality wasn’t enough to offset breaking his vow.

Storm Shadow was a proud member of his clan who was waiting in the wings to become its new leader. He also correctly saw that Japan and the world are changing and that new methods would be needed, especially with Cobra trying to assume control over Japan. This is why he brought Snake Eyes in as his friend and protector. Storm Shadow’s punishment seems short-sighted, unfair, and too severe when everything Tommy did was to protect the Arashikage from its many enemies outside and within their castle’s walls. Obviously, Snake Eyes had to position Storm Shadow as part of Cobra and Snake Eyes on the side of the G.I. Joe team, but Snake Eyes’ heroic turn doesn’t feel quite as balanced or truly heroic while Storm Shadow has a legitimate grievance against Snake Eyes and his own family. But this does create a more interesting and nuanced take on the two action figures.

Snake Eyes Sets Up Another Movie With Storm Shadow, Not G.I. Joe

Snake Eyes ends with a clear “to be continued…” between Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes, which could leave audiences with the impression that the next movie will be Snake Eyes 2 featuring a return encounter between the two ninja blood brothers rather than a full-fledged G.I. Joe movie. The heart of Snake Eyes was the relationship between Snake and Storm Shadow and there’s obviously more to their story, especially since their roles as protagonist and antagonist were essentially reversed by Snake Eyes‘ ending. Of course, the next step in Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow’s rivalry could easily be folded into a G.I. Joe movie plot, and their conflict would be a personal grudge within the bigger picture between G.I. Joe versus Cobra. Snake Eyes also hints at a shared past and relationship between Scarlett and the Baroness that a new G.I. Joe movie needs to flesh out. However, Snake Eyes kept the scale very personal and centered on the ninjas, so it’s conceivable their private war could continue in Snake Eyes 2 instead.

The Future of G.I. Joe Movies

It’s clear that Hasbro and Paramount Pictures are hoping Snake Eyes becomes a sizable enough hit to launch a new G.I. Joe cinematic franchise. There have been various plans for more G.I. Joe movies in the last decade, including an attempt to create a Hasbro shared universe between G.I. Joe, Transformers (which is now doing a Beast Wars movie), M.A.S.K., and other toy properties that didn’t come to fruition. In May 2020, a new G.I. Joe movie that would expand the world established by Snake Eyes was reportedly in development. There is also continual talk of a crossover film between G.I. Joe and Transformers, which producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura sees as “inevitable”. Snake Eyes forges a clear path for sequel and/or a full-blown G.I. Joe movie next but everything will depend on whether audiences turn up and make Snake Eyes profitable.

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