‘G.I. Joe’ animated series turns 40: A look back at its most homoerotic moments
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero premiered. Much like the toys it was based on, the show was aimed at young audiences and effectively doubled as military propaganda, responsible for turning countless impressionable minds into jingoistic patriots.However, with its jacked heroes, colorful villains, and an idealized version of hoo-rah heroism that was so over-the-top it was basically camp, G.I.
Joe: A Real American Hero was probably responsible for turning just as many young viewers gay. (We’re joking… sort of.)But, truthfully, the original series, the 1989 reboot, and ’87’s G.I.
Joe: The Movie produced enough unintentionally homoerotic moments to spark some sort of “awakening” in many baby gays of a certain age.With that in mind, let’s celebrate animated Joe‘s 40th birthday with a look back at just a few of its gayest moments.After the success of its abbreviated mini-seasons in ’83 and ’84, G.I.
Joe: A Real American Hero went all-out in ’85 with 55 original episodes. Most were standalone adventures, but the heroes couldn’t resist an epic multi-episode arc—case in point, “The Traitor,” parts one and two, which sees a soldier named Dusty share the Joes’ advanced military technology secrets with their sworn enemy, Cobra Commander, thus becoming a (you guessed it!) traitor. *gasp*In the second part, Dusty must prove his loyalty to the Cobras by battling a fellow henchman Lt.
