In the year 2006, the collapse of a former superpower causes several factions to clash for control, an evil terrorsit organization called SKAR rises for one goal: world domination. Led by Iron Klaw, who when not plotting, takes on a the guise of Count von Rami, a former leader he has kidnapped and stolen the identity of, has enlisted villains to aid his cause. However, his organization soon will be opposed, as after thwarting a kidnapping attempt by SKAR, Lt. Stone and Sgt. Savage are approached by a man named Mr. Clancy to form a team to take on SKAR, known as G. I. Joe.
G. I. Joe Extreme can be explained as a product of the 1990's, when kids' cartoons like Batman: The Animated Series were not afraid to explore dark themes and is a product of a decade where extreme is the buzz word. The new G. I. Joe team and SKAR is made up of new characters (with Sgt. Savage being the only character returning from A Real American Hero), but the show does a good job with these new characters (Mayday is the Scarlett of the group, and is also a pilot, Black Dragon is the Storm Shadow, only unlike the iconic ninja, he talks, Lt. Stone is the Duke of the series while Mister Clancy is the Flint, etc). And the villains also have an interesting line-up, like Rampage, an arms dealer who is basically Destro, but when angry, transforms into a monster similar to The Incredible Hulk, only keeping his intelligence, and Wreckage, a soldier who has been experimented on by Iron Klaw, becoming a super-soldier who is strong, but is prone to rage. These characters are well fleshed out, as some episodes actually explain the backstories of these characters (like Quick Stryke, who is a mercenary Stone does not trust, but he learns his back story in the third episode that shows why he is against SKAR). The episodes are written wonderfully, as it takes advantage of the setting for some exciting storytelling.
However, the live action intros fall flat, as the voice acting does not match the lipsyncs, and the PSAs, a staple of G. I. Joe, are back, however, it seems the people who made the cartoon decided to recycle some of the PSAs from A Real American Hero by script while making new animation involving the new Joe team members and their VAs (which include well known like Gaary Chalk). Other than that, it's a good show that sadly only lasted two seasons, each with thirteen episodes.
