The Intruders Revealed

The Intruders as a concept have been a mystery to me. I’d heard them called, according to commercials “Strong Men From Another World” and described by collectors as alien cavemen with advanced technology. Since I hadn’t seen packaging for the figures, I had no idea how (or if) the toy line had explained the methods by which these weird, diminutive enemies had reached Earth. I assumed it was via spacecraft, since other collectors had referenced high technology. There was a comic book ad that featured an Intruder battling Eagle Eye Joe, but there was no backstory involved.

As luck would have it, I happened upon a card back and lo and behold, there’s an explanation–sort of. Here’s the text copy from the package:

“Deep in space, a galaxy explodes. A massive chunk hurtles through the atmosphere…and leaves a smoking crater on Earth. The Intruders emerge–to begin a pattern of destruction! Eagle Eye G.I. Joe catches a glimpse of his foe for the very first time! G.I. Joe confronts the ENEMY…the battle’s on!”