My favorite figure, hands-down, has and most-likely will always be, Serpentor. I've never enjoyed a figure and a character more than the all-mighty Cobra Emperor. His uniform is signature, and his mold is held strictly for him--which wouldn't make much sense with any other character. While "This I Command!" might have been overkill and annoying in the cartoon, his figure is absolutely badass. And the 2001 rendition is not short of jaw-dropping awesome.

Where the first Serpentor figure stands out with his bright golds, yellows, and greens, this new Serpy hits you where it counts. The choice of black instead of gold has to be the single greatest color change Hasbro has ever done. This Serpentor stands out even more than the original. His dark greens and yellows are in a striking contrast to the black of his uniform. His backpack headdress thing and cape have undergone changes too. The backpack has changed to match the black of the rest of him, and the cape has become a shimmering black/silver color. While the cape is made of a lesser quality material than the original green one was, it is still a welcome addition to the figure.

Serpentor's accessories are back as well, minus the airchariot--which would look killer if painted to look like the new Serpentor, something that I'm currently working on. His dagger is the same as last time around, still silver, still cool. His snake has changed to an odd banana yellow, the same color that is on parts of the figure. I don't know of many or, for that matter, any real snakes that look like that, but I'll let it slide.

This release of Serpentor just reenforces something that we knew all along: Serpentor is king. This figure just adds to the idea that Serpentor is the one true leader of Cobra and that Cobra Commander is a waste of time. To me, this black Serpentor is easily my second favorite figure of all time, and is giving the original Serpentor a run for his money as my favorite figure of all time....