A YJA Moment - Cobra

During World War Two, the Soviet Union fielded a group of elite soldiers that were known as The Cobra Unit.  Years before Task Force X, the Russians had a unit composed of metahumans, which they had recruited from various regions of their country.  Although they officially ceased operations in 1947, the Cobra Unit continued during the Cold War, conducting black operations throughout Western Europe against NATO forces.

They remained in operation until 1964 when they were taken down by one of the United States government’s Covert Action Teams.  All they remained was a young GRU officer, a marksman who was the son of the Cobra Units leader, The Commissar. He would later defect from the Soviet Union and join Task Force X himself, taking the identity of the Vigilante that had once been used by Greg Saunders.

This Vigilante would end up betraying the team, passing information to the revolutionary terrorist organization known as The Flag-Smashers.  Discovered by his teammates, his commanding officer William Stryker. activated his implant bomb and summarily executed him for his treachery.  Eight months after his death, his girlfriend would bear him a son;  a man would later become infamous as The Commander.

Joining HYDRA as a teenager, The Commander rose through the ranks quickly, his tactical mind and ruthlessness appreciated by The Council of Nine.  This culminated in 2013 when he promoted to lead an elite cadre of soldiers, which had defected from S.H.I.E.L.D. months prior.  Under the assumed name of Rexford Lewis, he forged his team into an elite fighting force capable of eliminating both highly-trained human and metahuman threats.

The Commander's forces were stationed in New Jersey during the Apokalips Invasion.  Ordered to reinforce their enclave on Santa Prisca, they were prepared to disembark when they received a request for support from A.I.M. personnel stationed in New York, which they were promptly ordered to ignore by the HYDRA leaders which operated under the Red Skull.

Believing that his superiors had succumbed to cowardice, The Commander disobeyed his directives, turning his transports towards New York City. He aided both A.I.M. and various other criminal groups which had joined together during the crisis.  Providing support and security for their operations, they became part of what would be known as Underside.

Taking inspiration from his grandmother, The Commissar, The Commander re-named his group Cobra.  Since its foundation, Cobra forces have grown exponentially, aided by a disaffected populace and the ready availability of surplus military hardware.