Hey gang, I have a question that maybe you all can help me with. I want to assmble the ultimate Cobra Command team. The epitome of the top Cobra characters, supported by my already growing army of cobra troops, but I was wondering who do you all think should be in the Command Team.
Right now I have various versions of:

Cobra Commander
Destro
Baroness
Zartan
Major Bludd
Serpentor
Scrap Iron
Doctor Mindbender
Tomax and Xamot
Scalpel(on his way)
CLAWS Commander(on hisway)
Storm Shadow (he flip flops, I know)
Firefly

I'm also in the market for a Cesspool and probably version 2 of Metal-Head. Is there anyone you think I should add to my list of needs for the complete command circle? Thanks!

Your command is far more complicated than mine. I've pared down my 'collection' and have very few commanding officers. I basically don't have a 2nd in command! It's Cobra Commander or nothing. No one can lead Cobra unless it's him. Sure, Major Bludd, Firefly, Interrogator, and the Twins are around, but none really hold the capacity to lead an huge terrorist organization.

My main Cobra Command circle is pretty much as you described them: Cobra Commander, Destro, and Baroness form the top tier. Below them are Cesspool, Dr. Mindbender, Scrap-Iron, Slice, and Dice. Major Bludd, Firefly, and Zartan & the Dreadnoks are just independent contractors in my world (though they do most of their work for Cobra). Also, Storm Shadow is a Joe as far as I'm concerned. I don't really see Scalpal as a "main" Cobra. I just use him as the head Medi-Viper.

Now, here's a little secret: I don't really like Mindbender or Zartan all that much. I use them to fill the roles that only they can fill, but that's pretty much it. I never go out of my way to use them when they aren't needed. That's why they're pretty much the only classic Cobra characters who aren't appearing in my crossover (besides Storm Shadow, who as I said I use as a Joe).

A fairly streamlined command structure works for me; CC in overall command, Major Bludd as Infantry commander, Copperhead as Naval commander and Interrogator as commander of Cobra's air force. The Baroness is head of intelligence and Destro is not part of Cobra at all (in my Joeverse he is with MARS which is separate from Cobra). The next level down, (Firefly, Zartan, etc), are in charge of particular types of troops within a branch of service.

Cobra Commander in supreme control, with Commander Halford(original character... I needed to use the DTC CG for something special as I only have one) leading the infantry and Chamelion leading the intelligence sides. A few characters however like Scrap Iron, Stormshadow, Twins and Interrigator are exempt from Rank.

Destro, Zartan, Firefly etc are not members of Cobra, but are hired by them.

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Nice, Raven.

As I have it, Destro and Zartan has their own forces. Would they come in to lead Cobra? Only if they have something to benefit by it. But otherwise, NO. Major Bludd is just an officer as is Commander Vlasko (custom) and Ghost Bear. Bludd takes care of the Vipers, Ghost Bear takes care of the Blueshirts (as seen in my dio) and Vlasko takes care of the Neo Vipers.

If CC should disappear, I believe the Twins would take over. But like in Devils Due, the Cobra organization would go underground.

As for Baroness, she works for both Destro and CC. She's kind of a liason between the two. Firefly, like Bludd, is a merc. But Firefly likes to run solo missions, not lead the troops. Scrap Iron is a merc too. Storm Shadow is the body guard w/ Slice and Slash doing their own thing under CC's orders.