Sgt. Savage

Sgt. Savage is aG.I. Joe-aligned human from theGeneration 1continuity family.

"There's giant robots now? Ay, caramba!"

Boo-yah! The totally tubular SergeantRobert Steven Savage,AKASgt. Savage,used to be a real American hero duringWorld War II,but events beyond his control saw him launched forwards in time to the radical 1990's, which was a real drag — NOT! As slammin' as the new decade was, Savage soon found that it needed him to throw down with his old frenemyGarrison "Blitz" Kreigerandthe new possehe formed in the years since the Sarge vanished. Now, he'll take up arms again and fight the good fight as a 40's hero with a 90's 'tude!

Sgt. Savage is a one-man-army by himself, but if he needs help, he can always call on his homeslices inG.I. Joe,Team Extremeor theScreaming Eagles!In fact, such a righteous hero he is that there's only one thing he fears:Captain America's lawyers.

Fiction

G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers

He hates Nazis and Europeans in general.

After getting all whacked-out on theMatrix,Hawksaw a prophetic vision of the future, featuringIron KlawandTrypticonbattling Sgt. Savage andFortress Maximus.The Art of War #5

TransTech

The Matrix would later lead Hawk to an old bunker, where the soldier Savage was in cryogenic stasis. Hawk put him in charge of the Screaming Eagles sub-group of G.I. Joe and tasked him to investigateKalistan,a former Axis power with suspected alien ties. Savage would discoverCount von Raniof Kalistan was really the leader of the terrorists S.K.A.R. and a Decepticon ally; during the apocalyptic conflict that followed, both the Eagles and S.K.A.R. would bebinary bondedHeadmasterpartners, with Savage being bonded toBrave,who himself could become the head ofFortress Maximus.Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter, 2016/05/01

2005 IDW continuity

Main article:Sgt. Savageon theIDW Hasbro Wiki

"I commanded the Flying Hellfish, the fightingest squad in the fightingest company in the third-fightingest battalion in the Army!"

A native ofAlbany,New York,Robert Steven^[1]Savage enlisted in the United States army in 1941 following the attack on Pearl Harbor. His first deployment was into the country ofGalibi,where his unit was ambushed by a German battalion and nearly slaughtered to the last man. Savage managed to rescue three survivors, carrying two critically wounded men to safety in a 60-mile trek. Savage's bravery saw him promoted to the Master Sergeant of his own squad — theScreaming Eagles,a special tactics unit. Savage eschewed a publicity trip around the United States in favour of some of the most dangerous theaters of war inEuropeand the Pacific. Joining up with PrivateDarren "Grill" Filbert,the Screaming Eagles became the first racially integrated squad in the Army.Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook #3

In1943,the Screaming Eagles, now joined byGarrison Kreiger,had been deployed toKalistanto counter the German invasion force. During an early skirmish, the group was mystified by the presence ofrobotic soldiersfighting for the Axis. When shooting and stabbing one of the robots failed to kill it, Savage resorted to ripping its head off using his bare hands. His enemy defeated, Savage continued their advance, not noticing that Second Lieutenant Kreiger was fascinated by the strange mechanoids.The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb

In the winter of1944,the Screaming Eagles were deployed toFranceand worked with theFrench Resistance.On one patrol, they encountered more of the strange mechanical soldiers, who were drawn to a battle between the last, brainwashed survivors of theAxalon:"Bumblebee"and"Shockwave".The assembled troopers watched as "Bumblebee" defeated his foe and, his self-professed mission on Earth completed, requested that they help find his ship so that he could die peacefully.Strange VisitorsSavage was skeptical, but Kreiger, hoping to learn more about the extraterrestrials, convinced his commanding officer to help the alien.Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook #1

He even gave them the worst case of indigestion they'd ever had.

The two humans and their robotic charge tracked theAxalonto a glacier inBrasnya,where they encountered more of the IRON Troopers, swarming to defend the frozen wreckage of the vessel. The men accompanied "Bumblebee" inside, where theMaximalrealized that histruename wasCenturion,and that he had been sent to Earth on a mission by his master. Before he could divulge theidentity of his master,the IRON Troopers regrouped for a second attack, puppeteering the body ofDomitius Majorto battle Centurion. But as the battle raged, the ship began to glow with the energies of the missingTalisman,and eventually teleported the vessel—with Savage inside—away to parts unknown.Strange Visitors

The circumstances behind Savage's disappearance were never released to the general public, and it was widely assumed that he had died in the war. In spite of this, his myriad exploits would go on to inspire another legend,General Joseph Colton.General Joe Colton profile in Revolution #2Ghost in the Machine

By1994Kreiger and Centurion had found the Talisman, and partnered withMike "Atomic Man" Powerto experiment on the artifact. Using his cybernetic limbs, Power was able to tap into its power and successfully return theAxalonand its passenger to the space-time continuum. Disoriented by his journey across time, Savage was witness to a brief battle between Kreiger's forces and Joe Colton's new "Adventure Force"that ended in Power's apparent death.

More 90's than a Tamagotchi-themed Pog.

Savage happily adapted to life in the 1990s, quickly gelling with the culture of the time and adopting most of its then-trendy lingo. He eventually joined up withAction Man's newTeam Extreme,battling ninjas, skateboard gangs, and mutants. By 2006, however, Robert's new life would once again change after he received a distress call emanating fromMount St. HelensinOregon.Flying in viaWarhawk,Savage discovered several members ofG.I. Joelocked in combat withBugly,only for Centurion to reappear and knock out the Decepticon. The humans followed the steampunk Transformer and his prisoner back toa retrofitted Skywatch base inside the mountain,where they discovered Joe Colton, Garrison Kreiger, andJoshua Red,who had brought the Talisman there in the hopes of developing anti-Cybertronian weaponry. Colton and Savage caught up as the Joe leader explained the artifact's purpose for being there.

Moved by the sight of Centurion coldly chaining a terrified Bugly to the Talisman, Savage appealed to Colton's humanity... only for Centurion to scoop him up and throw him into the path of the object's beam–the entire adventure had been a trap designed to lure Savage to them so that they could test the artifact's energies on his body, which had already been saturated with Talisman energy from his first trip across time.When Eagles Scream

"And I'd have gotten away with it, too-"

Eleven years later, Savage re-emerged once again after a team of heroes managed to infiltrateKreiger's baseand finally arrest the villain. On emerging, he quickly laid down a flurry of radical 90's slogans, which bewildered his would-be rescuers.Power and GloryOnce more confused by his trip through time, Savage accompanied the heroes back toGarrison Blackrock'sOnyxfacility inBuenos Aires,where Savage toldMaydayabout his improbable adventures. The peace was cut short when Baron Ironblood and a team of villains attacked the base to retrieve the Talisman, and Savage leapt into action. Disarming Baron Ironblood, he yanked off the villain's helmet to reveal histrueidentity... Joe Colton.When Eagles Scream

Savage briefly despaired over what Colton had become before going on a furious offensive. Savage held the upper hand throughout the entirety of their fight beforeMetrotitanandOptimus Primearrived. A terrified Colton used the distraction to flee, shoving Savage aside before a swarm ofDire Wraithmutates emerged onto the roof and assaulted Optimus. As the Prime fought the mutates, Savage appealed to Colton once again highlighting that soldiers were supposed to stop the fighting, not create more. Colton agreed but found his own beliefs and morals irrelevant if the Cybertronians would destroy humanity. Savage offered Colton a chance to stand with him only for Kreiger to shoot him in the back and into unconsciousness. Savage recovered in time to witness the villains escape via theM.A.S.S. Deviceand introduced himself to Optimus Prime. Finding the Prime's name to be even more badass than his own, Savage smiled and declared that the future might yet be awesome.Ghost in the Machine

DuringUnicron's attack on Earth, Savage was one of the many heroes and villains who met up aboardTrypticonto coordinate the planet's defense.AssemblyFollowing Optimus Prime's sacrifice to defeat the planet-eater, an emotional Sgt. Savage attended the Autobot leader's funeral.Post

Notes

• Savage hails fromSgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles,an early '90s attempt to rebrand theG.I. Joetoyline to stave off faltering sales. The idea was dropped when the Kenner offices took over Hasbro's "boys's toys" brands and repackaged the franchise asG.I. Joe Extreme;a redesigned Savage was transported over toExtreme,leaving poor General Blitz behind (though an ex-I.R.O.N. Army scientist would appear in one episode). Savage'sArt of Warappearance uses hisG.I. Joe Extremecharacter design rather than the design from his own series. His IDW characterization pokes fun at his origins by having him adopt every radical 90's cliché in the book.
• Coincidentally enough, Savage was voiced byScott McNeilin his one-shot direct-to-video featurette andMichael DobsoninG.I. Joe Extreme.Voice crossover is fun!
• In the "Axiom Nexus News"Facebook posts, theScreaming EaglesandG.I. Joe Extremefranchises received a merger: the Eagles being sent to take on theExtremevillains,S.K.A.R.

References

External links

• Sgt. Savage at Yo Joe.com
• Sgt. Savageat the IDW Hasbro Wiki