Origin
Lady Jaye’s real name is Allison Hart-Burnett. She is based off the character from the popular toy line, G.I. Joe. While she has had some of the facts of her earlier years described in comics, her origin has mostly stayed fairly close to that described originally for the toy character. She attended university in Pennsylvania (at Bryn Mawr) and also studied in Ireland (at Trinity College) before enlisting in the U.S. Military as a covert operations expert.
Creation
Her first appearance in popular media was as a character in the toy line released in 1985 (though she first appeared earlier in the 1984 cartoon miniseries The Revenge of Cobra). She made her first appearance in comics the same year in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #32.
Toy History
Lady Jaye’s first figure was released in 1985, and was also available in 1986 but ceased production in 1987. She was the fourth female figure in the line, after Scarlett (1982), Cover Girl (1983), and Cobra’s Baroness (1984). Her second figure was not released until 1997, where her original mold was given a “Night Force”-like color scheme and released in the Commando Team 3-pack (with Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow) as part of the 15th Anniversary of the Real American Hero line. It was a Toys R’ Us exclusive. Around that same time, as an exclusive to the 1997 G.I. Joe Collector’s convention, a 12-inch “Hall of Fame”-style Lady Jaye was sold in limited numbers. In 2003, she received two new figures.
The first was a repaint of the 1985 figure as part of the 2003 Convention-exclusive “Operation: Anaconda” figure set. The second was new sculpt, sold in a two-pack with a new version of the Iron Grenadier trooper as part of the “G.I. Joe: Spy Troops” line. She came with accessories to disguise herself as Baroness. Her fourth figure was based again on the original mold (though the torso and arms were tweaked), but had a new head sculpt, and was released in a 2006 comic pack with two gas mask Cobra troopers and a reprint of a comic where all three characters appeared, issue #44 of the Marvel run.
She received three figures during the 25th Anniversary series (2007-09), with the first, from 2007, being based on the original figure. The second one, using the first one’s body with a new head, was based on the cartoon model, and came in a DVD figure pack that included the “Revenge of Cobra” miniseries. The third one, using the second one’s head atop a new body more accurate to the animation, was released in the second five-pack of G.I. Joe team members, in 2009.
Character Evolution
She is often portrayed as a romantic interest of Flint. This has caused some of the developments for the characters. On one mission the two are behind enemy lines where they must kill enemy soldiers. Lady Jaye manages to subdue hers instead but Flint advises her to kill him anyway.
Although a relatively new member of the G.I. Joe team, she was given a senior position due to her experience from her earliest appearances. Within one year of her introduction she is already shown to be a trainer of troops.
Despite the fact that the character was in a sense meant to compete with Scarlett for popularity this has never been the case. The two characters are friends in continuity, and Scarlett’s role as most popular female G.I. Joe character has never really been challenged.
Major Story Arcs
Marvel
As with many of the characters in the original G.I. Joe series from Marvel her stories are most often portrayed as part of the greater team. Thus while she takes part in many story arcs, she does not really ever stand out in many of them. As the series was eventually losing the popularity it had once achieved, it was decided that to close out the series that the team would itself correspondingly disband.
IDW
IDW started a new series, that continues where the Marvel Comics series ended. The new series replaces all of the Image and Devil’s Due Publishing continuity that was established. This series is again written by Larry Hama. Notably though Lady Jaye was re-introduced as an active member of the G.I. Joe team.
Training and Abilities
Jaye is an expert at covert operations. She is also a highly skilled combat, both unarmed and with various weapons.
Other Versions
She was featured in the G.I. Joe versus Transformers comic which is considered out of any continuity.
Danger Girl/G.I. Joe
After the acquisition of the Danger Girl characters by IDW it was decided to first launch the characters under the IDW banner with a crossover with one of the major properties at IDW, G.I. Joe (as they are owned by the same company it seems possible that these characters exist in the same continuity, though this is never confirmed.)
The series starts off with a dog chase involving Scarlett and Flint and they are soon shot down. It is revealed that they were providing escort for a shipment of rediscovered missiles with great destructive power. They are soon shot down though and the missiles are taken by Cobra, who also take the two prisoners. Once in Cobra custody they come across Abbey Chase who is acting undercover, though the two members of G.I. Joe do not know this. Elsewhere the American president arrives to the USS Flagg and informs the Joe team to stand down and to not seek to free their teammates. General Flag orders them to stand down.
The remaining female members (Cover Girl, Lady Jaye and Jinx) come up with a plan where they will contact the Danger Girl team (Cover Girl had previously met Johnny Barracuda.) The team shows up and exposes the U.S. president as Zarana in disguise. Soon enough it is revealed that the Danger Girl team already has an operative in place and she informs them of the plan. Firefly is to head to Moscow and detonate one of the missiles while Major Bludd is to go to Beijing to detonate another.
Three teams head out, one to each of the two cities and the third to the Cobra base. By now Abbey is under suspicion of Baroness, Destro and Cobra Commander and is captured by Zartan when she attempts to free Scarlett and Flint. While they are trying to escape a team of Low Light, Snake Eyes and Stalker arrive to free them. Meanwhile in Beijing a team of Jinx, Johnny Barracuda and Sonya Savage stop Major Bludd while a team of Sydney Savage, Cover Girl and Roadblock stop Firefly.
It is soon revealed that there is another missile which is headed for the homing beacon which Zarana has placed on the USS Flagg. Silicon Valerie, Duke and Lady Jaye quickly deal with it. Meanwhile at the Cobra base Storm Shadow has arrived to stop the Joes and he engages Snake-Eyes in combat. Eventually this group is also able to escape, while blowing up the base and they are all reunited on the USS Flagg.
Other Media
Television
Lady Jaye is a major character in the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero cartoon series produced by Sunbow Productions, where she was voiced by Mary McDonald-Lewis (who in the realm of comic books voiced Wonder Woman (in the 1988 Ruby-Spears Superman cartoon), Lois Lane (in the Super Friends iteration The Legendary Super Powers Show), and Catwoman’s confidant Maven (in Batman: The Animated Series).
She first appeared in the 1984 mini-series “The Revenge of Cobra”, along with fellow 1985 releases Flint, Shipwreck, the Dreadnoks, and the Crimson Guard. She would be a major player throughout the lifetime of the Sunbow cartoon and the 1987 animated film, until the show’s cancellation in that same year.
She returned in the DIC cartoon (which continued from the Sunbow era), acting as a major character in the 1989 “Operation: Dragonfire” miniseries and all of season one. She was relegated to being a background character in season two. She was voiced by Suzanne Erret-Balcom.
Lady Jaye then appeared as a central character in the 1995 direct-to-video cartoon Sgt. Savage and the Screaming Eagles based on this iteration of the toy line. Strangely, her jumpsuit is grey instead of green, and she is depicted as a blonde, with shoulder-length hair. She is voiced by Kathleen Barr.
Lady Jaye was a recurring character in the G.I. Joe: Renegades take on the Joe vs. Cobra conflict, where she was voiced by Nika Futterman. Here, she is portrayed as Latino-American, and is partnered with Flint in their mission to hunt down and capture the renegade band of Joes. She also made a small cameo in the
Movies
Lady Jaye appeared as a central character in this sequel to 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra title G.I. Joe: Retaliation, she was played by Adrianne Palicki.
She also makes a cameo in the 2009 G.I. Joe: Resolute animated film as part of an assembly of Joes on the main bridge of the U.S.S. Flagg.