Mainframe (G.I. Joe)

Mainframe
G.I. Joe character
Mainframe as seen in the Sunbow G.I. Joe cartoon.
First appearance	1986
Voiced by	Patrick Pinney
Affiliation	G.I. Joe
Specialty	Communications Expert
File name	Blaine L. Parker
Birth place	Phoenix, Arizona
SN	SN: RA 818-50-1673 then SN: 818-50-BL73
Rank	E-5 Sergeant
Primary MOS	Computer technology
Secondary MOS	Infantry

Mainframe is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's communications expert and debuted in 1986.

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Mainframe's real name is Blaine L. Parker, and his rank is sergeant E-5.

Mainframe was both an athlete and a scholar as a child, though as a self-confessed nerd, he would much rather learn about computers than do anything else. He graduated high school at the age of seventeen, and immediately enlisted in the Army airborne. He soon headed into battle overseas, receiving his Combat Infantryman Badge, and later left the army to get his degree from MIT on the G.I. Bill. Mainframe then did a stint developing computer software in Silicon Valley, making big bucks and fighting boredom with a stick. Luckily, the Marines were looking for a few good men with just his qualifications, and Mainframe was soon back in uniform. He even served at the Pentagon for a time, before joining the G.I. Joe Team as a computer specialist.

The world's ever-increasing reliance upon technology makes him a valued member of the G.I. Joe Team, and his ability to design computer viruses makes him a nuisance to Cobra Command.

Mainframe was first released as an action figure in 1986. He was also available in 1987, and was discontinued in 1988.

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

In 2008, a new version of Mainframe was released, but renamed "Dataframe". A Comic Pack with Beach Head & Dataframe also has been released.

In the Marvel Comics G.I. Joe series, he first appeared in issue #58. In that issue, Mainframe and Dusty are sent on a mission into a Middle Eastern nation torn apart by the war between the Royalist rebels and the forces of dictator Colonel Sharif. Mainframe and Dusty are sent in to locate a Cobra Terror Drome launch base hidden in the country after spy satellites detect the base's infrared signature. In exchange for helping them ambush one of Sharif's weapons convoys, the Royalists give the Joes a guide to lead them through the desert, a local teen named Rashid. Much of the story deals with Rashid's disrespect for Mainframe for not being a 'real' soldier. However, after watching Mainframe reprogram a Firebat to strafe enemy troops and hearing about his past as a frontline soldier from Dusty, Rashid changes his mind about Mainframe and even becomes an expert in computer in order to honor him. Later, after detecting a shuttle launched from Cobra Island, Mainframe is part of a team that heads into space on board the space shuttle Defiant to defend U.S. satellites against a Cobra attack. Some time later, Mainframe works on the USS Flagg as part of Hawk's operations team during the Joes' involvement in the Cobra civil war. Mainframe serves in a similar capacity on the Flagg later during the Battle of Benzheen. He later aids the G.I. Joe Ninja Force in their efforts to help Destro remove a bounty on his head.