Scarlett (Retro) — G.I. Joe Classified Series

Overview

Scarlett (Retro) is part of the G.I. Joe Classified Series Retro Collection, 2024 at $24.99. The Classified Scarlett figure in vintage-style blister card packaging reproducing the 1982 ARAH cardback. Scarlett is one of the franchise’s Original 13 and the Joe team’s primary female character from the launch — her counter-intelligence background, crossbow signature weapon, and distinctive auburn hair made her one of the most consistently represented characters across the franchise’s forty-year history.

Scarlett and the 1982 Cardback

The original 1982 Scarlett cardback introduced the franchise’s primary female character through a design that was immediately distinctive: the yellow and red outfit, the crossbow that communicated both precision and a deliberate non-firearms specialisation, the counter-intelligence background that gave her specific operational identity beyond general combat capability. The vintage illustration style captured the character’s combination of physical capability and intelligence expertise.

For many collectors, the 1982 Scarlett cardback is the definitive presentation of the character — the point where the design and the packaging came together to create an identity that subsequent iterations continued to reference. The Retro Collection version reproduces that original framing around the premium Classified Scarlett, whose 2020 Wave 1 debut (#05) established the character at Classified scale from the programme’s first year.

Three Classified Scarlett Versions

The Classified programme has delivered three distinct Scarlett presentations: the standard Wave 1 retail (#05, 2020) as the foundational version, the Origins movie version (#20, 2021) as the film-specific variant, and now the Retro vintage cardback. Each serves different collector purposes — the standard retail for the character’s current best version, the Origins for the film collector, and the Retro for the 1982 vintage context that established the character.

For Scarlett completionists, the three versions together tell a specific story: the character’s 1982 original identity, the 2019 film reinterpretation, and the Classified programme’s foundational take. The Retro version anchors that story in its historical starting point.

Counter-Intelligence in Vintage Packaging

Scarlett’s counter-intelligence specialisation gives her a specific operational identity that distinguishes her from combat-first characters. The vintage cardback communicated this through the file card’s specific background details — the educational history, the multiple languages, the covert operations training that makes her one of the team’s most operationally sophisticated members.

The Classified figure at premium scale delivers the counter-intelligence operator’s design with the detail appropriate to the specialisation: the crossbow in the correct deployment configuration, the tactical outfit suited to both covert operations and direct combat, the overall design that communicates expertise rather than simply combat readiness.

Secondary Market

Retro Collection 2024, standard retail. Secondary prices typically run $27–38.

Verdict

Scarlett Retro is the franchise’s founding female character in the packaging that established her identity in 1982 — the crossbow operator and counter-intelligence specialist at Classified premium quality in vintage cardback. Essential for Original 13 Retro Collection completionists.

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Part of G.I. Joe Classified Series Retro Collection | Retro Collection 2024. Related: Scarlett #05 | Lady Jaye Retro | Rock N Roll Retro.

Scarlett and the Original 13 Female Representation

Scarlett holds a specific position in the Retro Collection’s historical coverage: as the only female Original 13 member, her vintage cardback representation is the programme’s most important single-figure statement about the founding team’s composition. The 1982 decision to include a female operative in the Joe team’s founding roster was progressive for its era, and the Retro Collection version honours that decision with the premium presentation the character always warranted.

Lady Jaye’s Wave 1 Retro appearance (2022) gave the programme an early female Joe team member in vintage packaging. Scarlett’s 2024 addition gives the Original 13 its founding female operative in the same format — completing the female Joe team vintage cardback representation that Lady Jaye started.

Quick Reference

Sub-line: Retro Collection | Year: 2024 | Price: $24.99 | Packaging: Vintage-style blister card | Figure inside: Same as Classified Scarlett #05 | Best for: Original 13 completionists, female Joe team display collectors, franchise founding history enthusiasts

Scarlett Retro alongside Lady Jaye Retro creates the female Joe team’s vintage cardback representation in the two-figure combination that the 2022 and 2024 Retro programmes respectively delivered.

Scarlett Retro is the franchise’s founding female character in the packaging that established her identity in 1982. The crossbow, the counter-intelligence background, the auburn hair — all communicated through the vintage illustration style at the Classified quality level the character always deserved. Essential for Original 13 Retro Collection completionists and a priority purchase for collectors who care about the franchise’s founding roster.

Scarlett’s Crossbow Identity

Scarlett’s crossbow is the accessory choice that most defines her Classified identity — the decision to give the counter-intelligence specialist a precision weapon that implies discipline and accuracy over firepower. The vintage 1982 cardback established this identity from the beginning, and the Classified programme has maintained it across every version of the character.

The Retro Collection version preserves the crossbow context through both the figure inside and the packaging around it. For collectors who value the continuity between the 1982 original and the current premium release, the Retro version is the most direct expression of that continuity available — the character in the packaging that first defined her, at the quality the packaging only implied.

Part of the G.I. Joe Classified Series Retro Collection — the founding female character of the franchise in vintage 1982 cardback presentation. Scarlett Retro is one of the programme’s most historically significant Joe team additions. Scarlett’s 1982 original identity — the crossbow, the counter-intelligence background, the founding female operative — is the most historically grounded version of the character available. Own it. Three Classified versions: Wave 1 standard, Origins film, vintage cardback. The Retro is the founding character in her founding context.