The Chain of Command

In the first season of Sunbow's G.I. Joe, Duke was the leader of the Joes. In the first mini-series, Duke was answerable to General Flagg, who did not re-appear in the series - but no clear command structure was established until the second season.

In "Arise Serpentor, Arise!" General Hawk was introduced as the leader (and founder) of the G.I. Joe team. Though there was no on-screen explanation for General Hawk's sudden appearance - and Duke's apparent demotion - Buzz Dixon stated in an interview for "G.I. Joe: Yearbook #2" that Hawk had previously been in Washington with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Duke was then established as Hawk's second in command, followed by Flint, Sgt. Slaughter and Beach Head.