G.I. Joe 3 Villains Revealed?

After successfully refocusing its G.I. Joe franchise around Dwayne Johnson’s Roadblock in 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Paramount is again prepping to dive back into the world of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow with G.I. Joe 3. DJ Caruso recently became attached to direct the blockbuster threequel, and now we’re hearing rumors that point to a pair of fan favorites as the villains for the pic.

According to the sometimes-reliable Film Divider, Corsican twins Tomax and Xamot, who were big players in the Sunbow cartoon series and also popped up in the Marvel G.I. Joe comics, will serve as the main antagonists for G.I. Joe 3. Former mercenaries in charge of COBRA’s corporate front, Extensive Enterprises, the pair lead the fearsome Crimson Guard and also share an empathic bond, which lets them communicate telepathically and feel one another’s pain. And if that wasn’t enough to convince you of the whole twin thing, their names and costumes are mirror images of one another.

At first blush, Tomax and Xamot seem like suitable villains to menace Roadblock and the other Joes now that Destro, Zartan and Firefly are out of the picture. Cobra Commander (Luke Bracey) will surely play a role in the new film, but it makes sense that screenwriter Jonathan Lemkin would want to give the characters some new opponent to face off against.

Who Paramount would cast in the role is another question entirely. Film Divider reports that the studio is looking for one actor to play both roles with a bit of CGI magic, in which case the film wouldn’t be restricted to Hollywood twin pairs (though The Leftovers‘ Charlie and Max Carver might be able to bring a younger, hacktivist vibe to the characters). It’s easy to imagine G.I. Joe 3 recruiting a fairly well-known actor for the part, but someone less proven could be interesting as well.

Additionally, G.I. Joe 3 is rumored to introduce M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) leader Matt Trakker, whose special task force donned cybernetic masks that gave them the abilities to battle the villainous organization V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem). Paramount is reportedly interested in introducing Trakker so as to plant the seeds for a M.A.S.K. spinoff or a sequel centered heavily around them. Given Johnson’s packed schedule, that might allow Paramount more freedom in expanding the G.I. Joe franchise.

G.I. Joe 3 hits in 2016. We’ll keep you posted as we find out more about this threequel.