Does Snake Eyes take a vow of silence?

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins.

Throughout the entirety of Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, the titular character played by Henry Golding has plenty of lines of dialogue, which may seem odd considering that the classic Joe is traditionally mute. While the origins of Snake Eyes' traditional silence vary depending upon the version, the ninja operative of the Arashikage clan is almost always voiceless, even being known as the Silent Master. So, why does Snake Eyes talk in the new movie? The answer can be found in the Snake Eyes' transformation from comic book to onscreen character.

In Snakes Eyes' Marvel Comics origins from Larry Hama, the ninja was caught in a helicopter collision on one of his first missions as a G.I. Joe shortly after Storm Shadow's believed betrayal of the Arashikage. During the accident, glass from the shattered window scarred Snake's face and damaged his vocal cords, which is what led to his permanent silence. However, other origins have ranged from Snake Eyes' throat being punctured by Cobra's Zartan to the ninja simply taking a vow of silence in response to Storm Shadow's betrayal, as was the case in the prior and unrelated live-action films. Still other versions of Snake Eyes's backstory never bother to explain the reasons for his silence, marking them as classified information. Whatever the particular origin, Snake Eyes being a mute ninja has long been a core element of his characterization, save for this new origin film.

In Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, however, Henry Golding's Snake Eyes talks throughout the whole film, and no indication or hints are ever made that he becomes mute as the plot progresses. The most likely reason for Snake Eyes' lack of silence is a desire to have a strong leading actor with plenty of dialogue. After all, this is the first film in what could be the beginning of a brand new franchise and G.I. Joe cinematic universe (at least that's the hope).

Why Can Snake Eyes Talk In The New Movie?

It would have been much harder to drive the plot forward if Snake Eyes didn't have any lines, and that would have been a much harder sell to audiences. Because of these practical considerations, having Snake Eyes talking seems almost like a necessity for his solo film. Unlike the comics in which the visual language of the characters and environment allows Snake Eyes to be as expressive as anyone else without speaking a word, this is much more difficult to do in an action movie, which is especially true if the silent character is the protagonist. This is why even after Storm Shadow betrays his duty and is banished from the Arashikage, Snake Eyes doesn't take a vow of silence nor does he suffer any injuries to his vocal cords or face. As a result, the Silent Master isn't all that silent in his origin film, and he doesn't receive his iconic cowl and visor until the end. Considering how being silent is a key aspect of Snake Eyes as a character, it is surprising that the movie made the choice to hold back on the incident that caused him to go mute.

Did Snake Eyes Critical And Commercial Failure Kill The GI Joe Franchise?

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins' failure significantly hurts the chances for a sequel or another movie in the G.I. Joe franchise to see the light of day. Indeed, it would be difficult for studios to move forward with Snake Eyes 2 considering how Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins only made $34.6 million in worldwide box office earnings - not even reaching half of Snake Eyes' $88 million budget. That said, the movie did lay the grounds for Joe Colton – the original G.I Joe – to potentially appear in the next G.I. Joe movie, whether or not it will be a direct sequel to Snake Eyes. Moreover, while the decision to not reveal the reason why Snake Eyes is mute contributed to the movie's poor reception, this also means that this mystery can still be answered in any future installments. The chances for Snake Eyes 2 getting the green light seem slim, but in the right hands, the G.I. Joe movie franchise could still become phenomenal.

More: Snake Eyes Ending Sets Up More Storm Shadow & G.I. Joe Movie Future

How will the titular hero of the upcoming Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Originsbecome the mysterious, mute ninja familiar to fans of the G.I. Joe franchise? Like virtually every upcoming blockbuster, Snake Eyes has been at the mercy of the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting release dates numerous times before finally settling in on its July 23rd, 2021 window. With vaccines continuing to roll out, Snake Eyes' maintaining that date now seems pretty set in stone, with the movie having begun its marketing blitz with its first teaser.

Judging from that teaser, Snake Eyes looks to have quite a lot going for it as both a G.I. Joe film and a general ninja movie. Henry Golding will assume the title role opposite Warrior's Andrew Koji as his famed arch-rival Storm Shadow, with Iko Uwais also to appear as Hard Master of the Arashikage ninja clan. Nonetheless, in a major departure from the well-known Snake Eyes lore, not only will Golding portray the character outside of his armored ninja suit, but he will also speak in the movie.

Snake Eyes being one of the most famous, if not the most famous mute fictional characters, this is quite a switch for the reboot to commit to, but it should be remembered it's an origin story, just as the title states. Producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura has positioned the film as "the origin story before he's lost his voice." The movie will clearly follow its title character's journey into becoming the Real American Hero he's known as, including the loss of his voice. Here's how Snake Eyes could become the mute ninja warrior he's known as in Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins.

Why Snake Eyes Has Traditionally Been Mute

Aside from generally being one of the most well-known ninja characters in popular culture, Snake Eyes' trademark characteristic has been the fact that he's mute. Considered something of an outsider among the G.I. Joes, Snake Eyes never speaks and remains in his military-adapted ninja garb at all times, making him the most mysterious G.I. Joe character. Even side-by-side with his fellow Joes like Duke or Roadblock, or his archenemy Storm Shadow, Snake Eyes is meant to be a cipher even when he's out in broad daylight.

2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra changed Snake Eyes' muteness up slightly, retconning it as a vow of silence after the death of his Ninjutsu master. This change ended up actually being very fitting for the character in positioning him as a laser-focused martial arts master. A scene of Snake Eyes making a joke at the end of the film was also scrapped to maintain the character's muteness, but as one can already clearly see, that's not an approach the new Snake Eyes movie will be taking.

Snake Eyes Will Speak In His Origin Movie

Even before the first teaser trailer dropped, it was probably broadly expected that Snake Eyes would be talking in the movie. Not only is Henry Golding a rising star, but the idea of centering an origin movie on a character who never talks would've been a quite tough act to pull off. There's also the matter of Snake Eyes remaining completely masked in a ninja suit for the entirety of his solo movie, as opposed to being one player in an ensemble as he was in the G.I. Joe films. That's not to say it'd be impossible, with 2012's Dredd and The Mandalorian masking their leading characters for all or most of their runtimes, but it wouldn't have been ideal.

Still, speech is another story, and with Golding portraying a new version of the character distinct from Ray Park's, introducing Snake Eyes without ever having him speak would have been difficult if not close to impossible to pull off. Sure enough, the new teaser shows Snake Eyes speaking, while Di Bonaventura, as previously mentioned, describes the film as taking place before Snake Eyes loses his voice. That wording naturally implies that Snake Eyes' capacity for speech isn't going to be permanent, so the question now becomes how he loses it.

How Snake Eyes Could Lose His Voice In The Movie

Bonaventura specifically describing the movie as taking place before Snake Eyes loses his voice indicates that Golding's version isn't going to voluntarily refrain from speaking as Park's did. With Snake Eyes being a full-fledged ninja movie, it seems an injury to the throat would be the most likely mechanism for the titular hero to become mute, whether from Storm Shadow alone or from another member of Cobra. A particularly strong kick to the throat or a jab with the hilt of a sword from Storm Shadow could theoretically be what robs Snake Eyes of his voice, while a non-fatal throat slash from his sword could also be behind Snake Eyes becoming mute.

Admittedly though, unless Snake Eyes stuns the world with an unexpected R-rating, a quite bloody injury of that nature seems far less likely. Alternatively, it could be that the movie will faithfully adapt the source material: In the G.I. Joe source backstory, Snake Eyes loses his voice and starts wearing the helmet at all times when he's in a helicopter explosion that severely disfigures his face and damages his vocal cords. Plastic surgery repairs most of the damage to his face, but his mangled vocal cords can't be salvaged, and he's mute from that point on.

As an origin movie focused on one of G.I. Joe's most popular and recognizable characters, Snake Eyes has its work cut out for it in telling the story of the falling out between him and Storm Shadow, his devastating injury, and setting up his eventually boarding with the Joes. The action scenes showcased in the teaser look great, and Golding clearly put in the work to faithfully bring the martial arts master ninja to life. Still, a speaking Snake Eyes presents a whole other set of challenges that a movie centered on a mute, masked ninja would have, and with Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins seeming intent on delivering on the last part of its title, the sword-wielding future Joe losing his voice is sure to be on the cards, and, with the likeability Golding brings to his performances, perhaps even presented in a tragic way.

NEXT: Who Is Snake Eyes? G.I. Joe Backstory & History Explained