Thomas Magnum was a Naval Intelligence Officer when Chief Torpedo first joined the U.S. Navy. After serving time in Vietnam, Magnum resided in Hawaii where Torpedo's family lived. Around the time that Torpedo joined the G.I. Joe team, Magnum had founded a successful Private Investigation firm that he operated for several years. With the reinstatement of the G.I. Joe team in early 2001, many of the former Joe members returned to the team. When Recondo returned to the team, many of the Joe's became suspicious because they had never seen the man before. This prompted Torpedo to explore this "impostor's" past. He contacted Magnum to investigate the past of the new Recondo and to help rescue the original Recondo whereever he may be.