Claymore (G.I. Joe)

Claymore
G.I. Joe character
Illustration of Claymore from G.I. Joe Special Missions: Brazil.
First appearance	1986
Affiliation	G.I. Joe
Specialty	Covert Operations
File name	Zullo, John
Birth place	Manchester, Vermont
SN	MH 009-40-3277
Rank	Captain O-3
Primary MOS	Anti-Terrorist Specialist
Secondary MOS	Martial Arts

Claymore is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline and comic book series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's covert operations officer and debuted in 1986.

His real name is John Zullo, and his rank is that of captain O-3. Claymore was born in Manchester, Vermont.

Claymore attended and graduated at the top of his class from Dartmouth, majoring in Eastern Philosophy. He enlisted in the US Army and served three back-to-back tours in Southeast Asia. His actions there are classified. He is an expert in NATO long distance sniper rifles, and all NATO and Warsaw Pact small arms. He can speak Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Portuguese. When asked to join the G.I. Joes, his only stipulation was that he be called in for special assignments only.

Claymore was first released as an action figure in 1986, as an exclusive in a special set from Toys R Us named "Special Mission: Brazil", alongside re-colored versions of Mainframe, Wet Suit, Leatherneck, and Dial Tone. The set included a cassette tape that detailed the secret mission.

Claymore first appeared in G.I. Joe #26 (January 2004), in the series published by Devil's Due. He was assigned to the nation of Badhikstan under orders to get the nation's Prime Minister out of the country after it was taken over by The Coil. The Prime Minister held the activation chips to the country's nuclear arsenal in his cell phone. The Coil took the Prime Minister hostage, and Stalker brought in a team of Joes to aid Claymore in a rescue. Unfortunately, the mission was a bust, with the Coil getting their hands on the codes and forcing the Joes to retreat under threat of using the nuclear arsenal.