Warning! Spoilers ahead for Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins

While Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins was meant to feature the backstory of G.I. Joe's resident ninja prior to joining their ranks, too many connections to the Joes and Cobra effectively hurt how strong the film's plot could have been. The additions of Scarlet, The Baroness, and the rapid introductions of both of their respective organizations pulled focus from the narrative of Snake Eyes' own story. Rather than waiting until Snake Eyes' origins were firmly established within the Arashikage clan, the additions of the Joes and Cobra were largely unnecessary apart from Snake Eyes' ending and post-credits scene.

In Snake Eyes, Henry Golding's take on the titular character begins his training with the Arashikage clan at the request of Tommy Arashikage (the future Storm Shadow played by Andrew Koji). While Tommy trusted Snake Eyes after he saved his life, it was secretly a ploy so that Snake Eyes could infiltrate the Arashikage on behalf of Yakuza boss Kenta (Tommy's cousin who had been banished from the clan). In exchange, Snake Eyes was promised information about the man who killed his father when he was a child. However, Snake Eyes would grow to have a change of heart, deciding to become a true Arashikage ninja and redeem his betrayal that had resulted in Kenta getting possession of the clan's sacred and powerful sun jewel.

Related: Snake Eyes' Name Explained: Original Meaning & Movie Retcon

However, the additions of G.I Joe and Cobra within the plot served to muddy the narrative waters. After it was revealed that Kenta's gun-running operations were in connection with Cobra and The Baroness, it was quickly revealed that the Arashikage had connections with G.I. Joe, which received a rapid introduction via spoken exposition combined with an even quicker introduction of the Joe operative known as Scarlet. Not only that, but the Baroness and Scarlet found themselves teaming up during the final battle after Kenta betrayed Cobra, even though their rivalry (and existence) had just been minimally introduced and explained. Essentially, it seemed as though there was an expectation that the audience would know who these people and groups were beforehand, despite the fact that Snake Eyes is the first film of a potential new franchise with sequels as part of a new G.I. Joe universe. Rather than letting Snake Eyes stand on its own two feet, all these Joe and Cobra connections felt shoehorned in, hurting the opportunities for Snake Eyes' origin to be stronger than it was.

Henry Golding Snake eyes 2 Cobra Gi Joe

That being said, the problem wasn't that Snake Eyes had connections to G.I Joe and Cobra. It's that it had too many for an origin meant to be about one Joe in particular and those in the Arashikage clan. Had the film just name-dropped Cobra when Snake Eyes and Tommy found Kenta's crates of guns, that would have been enough combined with the post-credits scene which saw Tommy leaving the clan and accepting The Baroness' offer to join Cobra (taking the name Storm Shadow). Likewise, had Scarlet's introduction simply been at the end of the film to reveal that Snake Eyes' father was once a Joe while also making him an offer to join the Joes himself, that would have been enough to tease the franchise's future without overpowering the core story of Snake Eyes' training with the Arashikage.

It certainly felt like Paramount jumped the gun with a desire to kickstart a new G.I Joe universe. Scarlet and The Baroness' roles should have been more like cameos at the film's end, rather than being so involved in the second act and final battle as supporting characters, which only served to pull focus away from Snake Eyes himself. In any case, here's hoping future chapters following Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins will be more measured and balanced in order to flesh out the world of G.I. Joe in the best way possible.

More: Every G.I. Joe Movie & TV Show Releasing After Snake Eyes