Breaker

Origin

As early as he was able, Alvin left his hometown of Gatlinburg, Tennessee and enlisted in the army. He was recruited to the G.I. Joe team in 1982 as one of its original thirteen members while still a Private First Class, but had been familiar with most military communications devices and was fluent in seven languages by that time.

Creation

Breaker was created for the Hasbro toyline in 1982. His character and story were adapted by Larry Hama for the Marvel G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series.

Character Evolution

As the team’s first communications specialist, Breaker, proved an invaluable asset time and time again. He became known among his comrades for his affinity of chewing gum and popping bubbles, which surprisingly enough helped get a small group of Joes out of a hairy situation on one occasion.

Breaker served as a loyal member of G.I. Joe for a number of years, becoming one of the more respected of it’s soldiers. He had attained the rank of Corporal E-4 during his time. At one point, he was removed from active duty along with several other Joes, but remained as the head of communications for the Joe headquarters, The Pit. He would eventually return to the field where he felt more useful.

During a routine hit and run mission to the desert nation of Trucial Abysmia, an unmerciful Cobra SAW Viper, misunderstood his orders and viciously executed several Joes in a flurry of gunfire. Attempting to escape his assault, Breaker along with Crazy Legs and Quick Kick were killed when the Cobra Rage they’d stolen to get away exploded after being hit by Cobra troops.When the mission saw its end, Breaker was laid to rest during a traditional military funeral along with his six fallen comrades-in-arms at Arlington National Cemetery.

In the DDP continuation of the Marvel storyline, Breaker appears only in reference to his death when he is honoured on two occasions: one at the Alvin R. Kibbey Memorial Gym and another at a large monument that honours all fallen Joes.

In the IDW incarnation of the G.I. Joe series, Breaker is again killed, this time at the hands of Steeler, who is now a Cobra secret agent who infiltrates G.I. Joe’s ranks. He is killed by Steeler when he discovers that Breaker is considering leaving G.I. Joe to join the ranks of The Coil.

Major Story Arcs

None

Other Media

Television

Breaker appears in the Sunbow TV series. He was first seen in the A Real American Hero mini-series. He was generally seen as the communication’s officer for G.I. Joe, managing the main computer systems at HQ, but rarely appeared in battle. His uniform was a dark greyish-blue instead of green as depicted in the comic book series. Breaker was voiced by Chris Latta. Breaker also appears in several episodes of the G.I. Joe: Renegades TV show as Alvin Kibbey, a college student who eventually becomes a member of the G.I. Joe team after starting an anti-Cobra blog. He is voiced by Greg Ellis.

Movies

Breaker appeared in the 1987 animated film titled G.I. Joe: The Movie. Breaker had a small appearance in the movie where he was captured by Cobra-La and then partakes in the final action sequence. Breaker also appears in the live-action movie G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra played by Saïd Taghmaoui. His name was changed to Abel Shaz and he was a member of the Moroccan military before joining G.I. Joe.

Video Games

Breaker appears in the video game adaptation of the film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and is voiced by Chris Fathy.

Toys

Breaker was released as an original member of the G.I. Joe team in 1982. Original versions of the Hasbro toy were released with “straight arms”, however, he was re-released in 1983 with the toy line’s updated “swivel-arm battle grip”. Breaker was also released in several countries but with a change in his code name. In Argentina he was called Roger, and in Brazil he was dubbed Falcon. Breaker would also be released as an action figure based on his characterization in the G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra movie.