Compared to the comics where Serpentor was a superior leader over his predecessor Cobra Commander, the cartoon Serpentor was just an extreme, braver version of Cobra Commander but a poor leader overall. So where does he fall? Here are some instances:
- Serpentor lacks patience since Dr. Mindbender placed the DNA of Sgt. Slaughter instead of Mao Zedongs's. The first evidence of this is that he gave in to Sgt. Slaughter's challenge and didn't allow the Cobra personnel to assist him. The show continues to show he doesn't give time allowances, something that Mao Zedong doesn't do.
- He has a very dry sense of humor. Dr. Mindbender admits that he should be cloned with a sense of humor. If he had Mao Zedong's DNA instead of Sgt. Slaughter's, he would have probably taken a good laugh.
- His temper is always ill-driven. He gets mad at the slightest provocation and beats people up for it.
- He's always in a rush which caused the Washington D.C. takeover to fail. In fact, a good leader would not announce his attack but do it subtly. He could have won if it wasn't for his impatience.
- He doesn't take the advice of others. This can be evidenced by him berating Dr. Mindbender and the Crimson Twins whenever they advise him on what to do. In short, he's worse than a child.
- He relies too much on Dr. Mindbender for plans and strategies.
- He uses Cobra Commander as a scapegoat so the Vipers and Crimson Guard will not turn against him.
- In short, he's the biggest douchebag in G.I.Joe.