The story picks up where the 2009 original left off - with the US president having been replaced by a lookalike, who is in fact Zartan of the world-domination-seeking terrorists Cobra. Only Duke, Roadblock and the rest of the USA's elite GI Joe warriors can stop Cobra. But the 'president' has dispatched them on what's intended to be a one-way mission to Pakistan. Survivors of that deadly trap must then face, among other things, a swarming army of ninjas. But the GI Joes have their own secret weapon: General Joe Cotton; founder of their organisation and owner of a supremely impressive arsenal.