General Plastro

General Plastro is the general of the Tan Republic, as well as Dictator of the Tan Nation. Throughout the series, Plastro evolved from a nameless menace who was only mentioned once, to a comical villain who tries what seem to be more and more desperate plans to defeat the Greens and other nations.

His fate is presumed to be KIA, but it was never fully proven if he was really killed in the detonation of 2004.

If alive, it is possible that General Plastro has either Retired, and moved on from Attacking other Nations, or might even decide to side with the Tanolians during the Yard War, as of 2011 he is still listed as an unknown status to the Green Nation's archives.

However he is mentioned by Bombshell while in Tanolian Captivity after being shot down in Green Sector, where she declared that General Plastro is gone, this could indicate that Plastro did indeed perish in the 2004 Greentown Bomb Detonation, but this is still undetermined as Bombshell was said to have remained in the Real World with Alpha Wolf Squadron following the destruction of Greentown and the end of the Tanic-Greeno Conflict, also hinting that Bombshell's info could also be inaccurate, seeing as she was not in Greentown at the time of the detonation, and could also possibly mean the word "Gone" that General Plastro is hiding somewhere back in the Plastic World, though this is still not proven.

Overview
At first, it seems that Plastro wishes to destroy and absorb only the Green Nation into his fold, but eventually his plans and dreams expand to conquering other nations, and possibly even moving in to conquer the Big World.

Originally, Plastro was a nameless threat, as in the original Army Men, he was named only as the "Tyrannical Tan Commander". However, in Army Men II, he was dubbed "The Tan Commander, Plastro", officially becoming the first Army Men character to have a proper name. This includes even Sarge, as Sarge is merely a nickname, and not a proper name in and of itself. In both Army Men II and Army Men: Toys in Space, Plastro would only appear during the introduction and the ending cinematics, with perhaps only a few pieces of dialogue.

In terms of origin, General Plastro is obviously a collection of stereotypes concerning famous 20th century dictators. His very name, "Plastro", is a play on the name of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. He is always seen in military attire, and is prone to fits of childish rage when informed that his plans have been foiled or otherwise compromised.

Army Men
General Plastro made his first appearance in the original Army Men, where he was dubbed as the "Tyrannical Tan Commander". The introduction clearly makes Plastro out to be the villain and primary menace, a station he remains at throughout the vast majority of the series until the coming of Lord Malice. However, despite the fact that Plastro is the dictator of the Tan Nation, dubbed the "Reptilian Tan Republic", he receives no other mention or recognition throughout the rest of the game. This is a fate he would share throughout the original trilogy.

Army Men II
Once again, Plastro would appear at the very beginning of the game. This time, Plastro is presented in color, and viewers are allowed to see his full figure. Plastro is seen as a tall, muscular man wearing a fitting military outfit, and carrying a riding crop like a whip. He also has a cigar in his mouth, although it is not lit.

After supervising his soldiers as they enter the mysterious portal, Plastro looks around before entering the portal. Whether or not he saw Major Mylar and his treacherous soldiers is unknown, although he could have been aware as hinted by his speech at the end of the game.

The fact that Major Mylar managed to so easily manipulate a coup against Plastro demonstrates that his grip and control on his own nation and troops is not as great as we are first led to believe. It is a theme that would be repeated in several instances throughout the series. At the very end of the game, Plastro is observed watching over the victorious Sarge and his squadron, delivering a monologue about how he intends to have something "special planned for the next time they meet". This is an interesting choice of words, as Plastro and Sarge at this time had never met, and Plastro seemed to be completely absent from any scenes in the game itself. It is possible that Plastro spent the entire game pursuing Sarge and observing him from a distance.

Army Men: Toys in Space
For the third time, Plastro is limited to merely appearing in the intro and outro movies. He is given little dialogue, and he does not seem to play any significant role. Plastro did not play a more active role, as instead the focus is on the Aliens.

Army Men: Sarge's Heroes
General Plastro returned as the main antagonist for Sarge's Heroes, where his role changes significantly. Up until this point, Plastro was a threat that was never really seen, nor was he actually validated as a threat. In Sarge's Heroes, he is seen as a more proactive villain, leading assaults and raids on camps, hatching diabolical plans, and even coming face to face with Sergeant Hawk on several occasions.

However, this sudden increase in screen time and dialogue comes at a steep price in terms of respect.

Instead of his slender, muscular build, Plastro has developed a substantial gut, and is relegated to the role of bumbling villain. While many of his schemes and ideas are inherently evil and sadistic, Plastro's bumbling nature and childish behavior keeps him from being a true threat.

It is stated that he discovered the portals that lead to the Big World, but how and why he came upon such discoveries are a mystery.

In the game, Plastro's main base of operation is Fort Plastro, a giant log maze fortified with a wall of bug zappers Plastro had found in the Big World. Within the fortress, Plastro has been developing a number of weapons, including giant toy robots with gatling gun arms and flame throwers equipped in their torsos.

At one point in the game, the Tan Army kidnaps Vicki Grimm, whom Plastro is a huge fan of. In what appears to be a bid to keep herself alive, Vicki offers her services to General Plastro, who ably takes her up on it. With Vicki's help, Plastro manages to capture Sergeant Hawk, thereby falling into Vicki's trap to get a hold of Plastro's plans and giving them to the Green Army. As Sarge rescues the other members of Bravo Company, Plastro finds his plans falling apart, and after discovering Vicki's treachery, tries to do away with her.

In a living room, Sarge and Plastro met once again and battled, with Plastro being defeated when a dog entered the room and picked him up. Sarge, thinking he was safe, made it to the bathroom, where Plastro cornered him at the portal and told Sarge "For a minute I knew what it was like to be kibble. Now you'll know what it's like to be bits!" Once again, Plastro was foiled by the dog, and dragged off just as the portal was destroyed, cutting him off from the Plastic World. He was soon Plastered thereafter.

Army Men: Sarge's Heroes 2
In General Plastro's absence, Field Marshal Tannenburg stepped in. Sadly, the Tan forces were soon toppled, and Plastro was still MIA and plastered in the Big World. When Bridgette Bleu discovers Plastro, she uses her anti-plastrification syrum on him and brings him back. Shortly afterwards, Plastro is led to a toy shop, where he brings all of the Toy Robots to life as his elite guard and launches an all-out attack on the peace conference between the Tans and Greens. Once again, he captures Vikki Grimm.

After capturing Vicki, Plastro betrayed Bridgette by launching an attack on the Blue nation, which up until now has been a major ally for the Tans. Despite his treachery, Bridgette still eventually sided and worked with Plastro, even aiding in plastering Sarge. After Plastro had captured all of Bravo Company for a second time, Sarge was healed by a passing helicopter that sprayed more serum on him. In the end, Plastro was captured and forced to sign the surrender papers.

Army Men: Sarge's War
General Plastro, like so many other members of the Sarge's Heroes series, met his end during the peace treaty signing in Greentown. However, unlike the other characters, Sarge does not mention Plastro, except for when he is at the peace ceremony, nor is he shown to be killed. It is more or less implied as he was next to the statue when it exploded. It's possible that his body was among the corpses of Tan Soldiers piled on top of one another that Sarge stands on and fires his guns in anger, however.