Zartan (Master of Disguise) — G.I. Joe Classified Series #31

Overview

Zartan (Master of Disguise) is figure #31 in the G.I. Joe Classified Series — the Hasbro PulseCon 2021 exclusive, at $36.99. He’s the premium convention version of Zartan released the same year as the standard retail #23, following the PulseCon exclusives model established by Snake Supreme Cobra Commander (#09, PulseCon 2020).

The Master of Disguise designation addresses Zartan’s defining ability more directly than the standard retail version — the ability to impersonate anyone, to become anyone, to make any identity believable. The premium version provides the accessories to execute that concept in display form.

File Card

Code Name: Zartan
Real Name: Unknown
Primary Specialty: Disguise / Impersonation
Birthplace: Unknown

Same character as #23. The Master of Disguise designation emphasises a specific aspect of the character’s capability set rather than introducing a different configuration.

The Master of Disguise Concept

Zartan’s ability to perfectly impersonate other characters was one of the franchise’s most narratively useful tools. The Larry Hama comics used it in pivotal storylines — Zartan impersonating various Joe team members and Cobra operatives to manipulate situations from the inside. The concept is difficult to represent in a static figure format; the best Zartan figures lean into the multiple-faces idea through interchangeable heads.

The PulseCon version provides enhanced accessories to execute this concept more fully than the retail version, including multiple head options that represent different disguise states or identities.

PulseCon 2021 Context

PulseCon 2021 continued the digital convention format established in 2020. The Zartan Master of Disguise was the GI Joe headline exclusive for the event. The premium packaging — fold-open reveal format consistent with the Snake Supreme Cobra Commander from the previous year — and elevated price reflect the convention exclusive positioning.

Retail #23 vs. PulseCon #31

The relationship between the two 2021 Zartans follows the same template as the two 2020 Cobra Commanders: retail version is the essential baseline at $19.99; PulseCon version is the premium expression at $36.99 with enhanced accessories and presentation. Collectors building a standard Classified display can stop at #23. Collectors who want the fullest Zartan experience the line offers should consider #31 as the complement.

The two figures together create a richer display than either alone — the retail Zartan in field configuration and the Master of Disguise in his identity-shifting mode communicate different aspects of the same character’s capabilities.

Verdict

Zartan (Master of Disguise) #31 is the premium PulseCon expression of one of GI Joe’s most important Cobra characters. The multiple head concept is the right approach to the character’s defining ability. At $36.99 it’s priced appropriately for a convention exclusive with enhanced accessories and presentation. The retail #23 is the essential purchase; this is the collector upgrade.

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Part of G.I. Joe Classified Series | PulseCon 2021 Exclusive. Related: Zartan #23 | Cobra Commander (Snake Supreme) #09 | Dreadnok Zandar #146.

The Impersonation Storylines

Zartan’s most dramatically significant use in the Larry Hama comics involved long-form impersonation plots where he maintained a false identity for extended periods. The most famous involves the Springfield storyline and its aftermath, where Zartan’s ability to pass as members of the Joe team enabled manipulation at the highest levels of the conflict. These storylines require Zartan to be taken seriously as a threat — not a colourful villain who fails comically like Cobra Commander in the cartoon, but a genuinely dangerous operative whose presence in a scene means no identity is trustworthy.

The Master of Disguise packaging and accessories lean into that serious threat rather than the lighter, trickster reading of the character from the animated series. For comics-oriented collectors, this framing is exactly right.

Zartan’s Dreadnok Identity

The Master of Disguise version focuses on Zartan’s spy capabilities, but his Dreadnok leader identity is equally important to his character completeness. The Dreadnoks — Ripper, Buzzer, Torch, Gnawgahyde, Zandar, Zarana — are Zartan’s gang, and the Classified line’s gradual production of individual Dreadnok figures through 2024 gave collectors the personnel to populate a full Dreadnok display around the Zartan figure. By 2024, having Zartan (#23 or #31) surrounded by his gang creates one of the Classified line’s most visually interesting faction displays — not the Cobra military hierarchy but the chaotic fringe element that Cobra Commander never fully controlled.

Display Recommendations

For collectors who own both Zartan versions (#23 and #31), the most effective display separates them by function: retail #23 in an active field configuration alongside other Cobra operatives; Master of Disguise #31 as a standalone centrepiece that draws attention to the character’s unique role in the franchise. The two interpretations coexist without crowding each other because they represent different aspects of the same character rather than duplicating the same configuration.

The PulseCon premium packaging is also worth considering as a display object in its own right — the fold-open reveal format with premium presentation is one of the more visually distinctive package designs in the Classified line’s first two years. Box collectors who display sealed figures have specific reason to seek the PulseCon version over the retail.

The PulseCon Exclusives Pattern

By PulseCon 2021, Hasbro had established a clear template for the event exclusives: take a prominent character who has a recent or concurrent retail release, produce a premium variant with enhanced accessories at roughly double the retail price, package it in the fold-open presentation box, and release it during the PulseCon sale window. Snake Supreme Cobra Commander (#09) in 2020 was the proof of concept; Master of Disguise Zartan (#31) in 2021 confirmed it as a programme. The pattern continued through subsequent years.

For collectors, the practical question each year became: is this PulseCon exclusive different enough from the retail version to justify the premium? With Zartan, the answer is yes for the multiple-faces concept alone — it addresses the character’s defining ability in a way the retail version can’t. The PulseCon premium buys you the most complete Zartan available in the Classified line.