Tunnel Rat (G.I. Joe)

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Tunnel Rat is a character from the G.I. Joe series. He has appeared in all toyline, cartoon and comic incarnations of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero.

Tunnel Rat is the code name of Nicky Lee, a Trinidadian Chinese who lived in Brooklyn, New York prior to joing the US Army where he had Ranger training. He specializes in explosive ordnance disposal. The character's facial appearance is said to be based on G.I. Joe comic book writer Larry Hama.

In the cartoon series, the character first appeared in G.I. Joe: The Movie as a member of the Rawhides, a group of G.I. Joe rookies. He was often partnered with the taller Big Lob. He was not seen again in the following seasons from DiC. In the comics, his first appearance was in G.I. Joe #59 where the Joes battled a returned Cobra Commander. He often served as pointman in missions where the Joes have to travel through underground tunnels and sewer channels. Such as in one of his more notable appereances in issue #74, where he leads a brutal attack on the Cobra Island airfield tower.

Tunnel Rat also appears in the new series, G.I. Joe: Sigma 6, although his character design is overhauled that there is no semblance to his previous version. In that series, he has a penchant for portable hi-tech devices and a specialty in infiltration and demolition materials. He is also somewhat lazy and will eat anything, including live insects. He often works with Heavy Duty, who seems to be his best friend.