Marvel Comics (1982–1994) In the comic book continuity, Destro fancies himself an honorable man, answering to a moral code he alone seems to understand. He has stood with the Commander as often as he has opposed him but will join forces with the G.I. Joe team if it is good for business. With such wavering loyalties, he has come to respect and befriend many characters, from Joe members
Flint and
Lady Jaye, to the
Baroness, and even the Commander's estranged son
Billy. However, Destro's strongest connection is to the Baroness. It is revealed that they have had a romantic relationship since before the comic begins. Destro first appears in the
Marvel Comics series
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #11, although his face is not seen. He is
Cobra Commander's hired "specialist", sent to stop the G.I. Joe team from ruining their operation on the Alaskan Pipeline. Although Destro manages to stay two steps ahead of the Joes, his confrontation with
Doc results in the Joes getting the
antidote for a
plague with which they had been infected, and turning the tables on Cobra. His first full appearance reveals his name and establishes his true intentions: he plans to remove the Commander and lead Cobra himself, with the Baroness at his side. However, Cobra Commander suspects this betrayal and recruits
Major Bludd to kill Destro. A night operation in Washington, DC, gives Bludd his chance, but when the Baroness (who is driving Bludd's HISS tank) realizes what he is planning, she swerves sharply, overturning the tank and setting it on fire. The tank explodes, seemingly killing her, and this leaves Destro utterly distraught. Cobra Commander uses this circumstance to direct Destro's rage toward Bludd, and operates for a period without concern about Destro's treachery. However, when Cobra Commander is captured by G.I. Joe, Destro swiftly assumes control. At this point the Baroness returns and reveals the Commander's part in her fiery crash. After a battle in the
Everglades, Destro,
Wild Weasel, and
Firefly are stranded, with only their wiles to evade the G.I. Joe team and return to Cobra's hometown, Springfield. Destro has repeated conflicts with the Joes, including a fist fight with
Cutter. When they finally arrive in Springfield, however, Baroness reveals that she and Bludd have recruited a young boy to assassinate the Commander during a Cobra rally. During the ceremony, Destro spots the trained killer and realizes it is Cobra Commander's son, Billy. Saving the man he swore to kill, Destro reveals a new side of himself: that of an honorable man who cannot condone patricide, even against a hated foe. Destro heads the tribunal that questions Billy and later tries to stop
Storm Shadow from helping the boy escape. After the creation of Cobra Island, Destro and the Baroness meet with the curious
Doctor Mindbender, as he demonstrates a bio-weapon to them (quick-growing vines that spew knock out gas). Although the vines are defeated by Lady Jaye and a team of G.I. Joe trainees, they bring Doctor Mindbender to Cobra, where his true plans are put into effect. With the Commander's consent and Destro's help, Doctor Mindbender collects the bodies of history's ten greatest warriors, which are used to create a new villain,
Serpentor. Serpentor is quickly recruited to fight a holding action against G.I. Joe, while Destro coordinates a complete evacuation of Springfield. Once the citizens of the small town are safe, Destro again shows his honorable side, rescuing Serpentor and the defenders. Assaulting the Pit under Ft. Wadsworth,
Staten Island, Cobra Commander becomes indignant at Serpentor and his successful campaign to take Cobra as his own. Cobra Commander leads a team of troops into the subterranean base, and Destro chooses to join him. When the defenders detonate The Pit's lowest levels, Cobra Commander and Destro are trapped underneath tons of rubble. The Commander becomes unhinged, but Destro applies reasoning and uncovers an earth-boring machine that saves their lives. Traveling across country in disguise, they are reunited with Billy, who is in a coma after his car was exploded by the Cobra agent
Scrap-Iron (by orders of Firefly). Watching the Commander grieve for his misdeeds, Destro decides to exit the Cobra organization, returning to Scotland to reclaim his family's legacy. However, on arrival, he is greeted by a
doppelganger and thrown in prison. With the intervention of Lady Jaye and Flint, Destro overthrows the imposter, revealed to be Major Bludd. Destro later resurfaces as the leader of his own organization, the
Iron Grenadiers. After inciting a war in Sierra Gordo, he takes part in the Cobra Island Civil War. He and his Grenadiers invade the island and confront Serpentor's forces. Destro requests that Serpentor release the capture Baroness. With the Baroness returns to Destro, he and his forces withdraw from the island. Displaying his sense of honor, Destro helps
blackmail a pair of politicians who are trying to blame G.I. Joe for aiding Serpentor in the Civil War. Content to stay out of the ongoing war between G.I. Joe and Cobra, Destro is nonetheless made a target by Cobra Commander II, and Castle Destro is assaulted by Cobra. Regardless, Destro overpowers the fake Commander and effectively takes over Cobra. Destro unveils an intricate plan of checks and balances to keep the Cobra High Command and his Iron Grenadiers on even footing. The Baroness discovers that
Snake Eyes was the soldier she believed shot her brother Eugene in
Southeast Asia. Waging an ill-advised personal vendetta, she ensnares Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow in the
New York City Cobra Consulate Building which is ruined in the ensuing battle. As the roof collapses and the three are about the plummet to their death, Destro arrives by helicopter. He reveals that not only was he in Southeast Asia that day with his father, but that Snake Eyes was innocent of killing Eugene. Taking his lover away, he removes his mask for her, and the two retire for a time, while the Baroness puts her life back together. Once Destro abandons Cobra, the original Cobra Commander returns. He locks most of his old lackeys in a
freighter and buries it under the volcano on Cobra Island. Among the victims are
Zartan and Billy, but they manage to dig themselves out, as does Firefly. Because of Destro's sense of honorable character, they go to him for refuge. At the same time, the Commander (still seeking revenge on his old associates) assaults and destroys Castle Destro. Because of his spy in Cobra,
Metal-Head, Destro manages to escape from the castle, aided by G.I. Joe agent
Chuckles, and the Commander puts a bounty on Destro. Now a marked man, Destro teams with Billy and Zartan to rescue the Baroness, who is captured by Cobra in the raid. Joining with the G.I. Joe
Ninja Force, the former Cobras break into the Night Creepers' citadel and begin emptying Cobra bank accounts. To save his fortunes, Cobra Commander agrees to call off the bounty on Destro, return the Baroness to Destro, and provide him with a new castle. The new castle, Silent Castle in Trans-Carpathia, is where
Slice and
Dice have assembled the remaining Red Ninjas. With G.I. Joe guarding the Castle and Cobra arriving to activate the
subliminal suggestions the Commander implanted in the Baroness while she was his prisoner, a four-way war breaks out, in the middle of which, Destro reveals the secret duality of the castle. Keeping his promise to the Baroness that he would love her so long as Castle Destro stands, he transforms the castle into a duplicate of his Scottish home, and the Baroness's love for him breaks the Commander's hold. Routing Cobra and the ninjas, the couple are left alone once more. Later, Cobra Commander decides that he wants to move from Cobra Island and reclaim the Destro's castle. On the run from a Cobra invasion, Destro and Baroness contact G.I. Joe for an extraction. Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow come to their rescue, but not before Destro sets the transformation controls to create a nightmare of architecture, and confronts
Scarlett (posing as a traitor). On the rooftop, Snake Eyes preserves her cover by injuring her with his sword (narrowly missing her heart), allowing the escape. Destro tries to give thanks for the rescue, but he is silently rebuffed by Snake Eyes, who resents having been put in such a position. Afterwards,
General Hawk takes Destro and Baroness to Cobra Island, where they are reunited with Zartan, who warns them all of the inevitable return of Dr. Mindbender. With the Commander fighting G.I. Joe in Millville, Destro, Baroness, and Zartan retake the Trans-Carpathian castle. Billy joins them, and the small group is reunited. When Dr. Mindbender is revived, he reveals that he placed a
brain implant into Destro's mind during the removal of a
wisdom tooth. Zartan also has one, and Cobra Commander's unmasked face is the trigger that activates them. Cobra ventures once more to the castle, and the Commander removes his hood, turning Destro and Zartan to his side. With Destro's superior tactical mind, Cobra begins a campaign that leaves them in control of Trans-Carpathia, Darklonia, and Borigia-Krazny/Marango. It is when they assault Wolkekukuckland that they come up against the G.I. Joe team, and the progress is halted. During the stalemate, Snake Eyes attacks the Silent Castle to rescue Storm Shadow, only to find that he, along with the Baroness and Billy, have been
brainwashed to serve Cobra. The Joes escape Cobra and return to the US, only to be deactivated by the government. The series comes to a close, leaving Destro and the others under the thrall of Cobra Commander.
Devil's Due (2001–2008) In “The Mission That Never Was”, it is revealed that the core G.I. Joe members were sent on one final mission, which resulted in Cobra's Brainwave Scanner being corrupted by a virus that spread through the entirety of their mainframe. Crippled and defeated, Cobra then fell to a "unified military attack" A happy side effect of this confluence of events was the incapacitation of the Brainwave Scanner. Without repeated "
self-medication" via the Scanner, the Baroness was freed from her artificial loyalty to Cobra. It is left ambiguous as to how Destro overcame his brain implant (which was self-contained, and thus unaffected by the virus), but it is speculated that, as happened in the Silent Castle some time earlier, the couple's love can overcome any obstacle. They returned to Trans-Carpathia and retired from the intrigue and danger of Cobra, but continued to rebuild M.A.R.S. Industries, establishing an outpost in Scotland. During this time, Dr. Mindbender and Scrap-Iron both enjoyed productive employment with M.A.R.S. But at some point, James contracted a serious family illness, and was bed-ridden for a long time. It is at this point that Destro's illegitimate son, Alexander, surfaces. Vulnerable in his weakened state, James accepts Alexander and gives him full run of the operation. Wanting to make his father proud, he usurps the Destro identity and recruits Lilian Osbourne (
Mistress Armada) to lead his armies, as he does not possess his father's tactical genius. When James begins to recover from the illness, Destro injects him with an experimental
nanite technology, which keeps him incapacitated. Destro then arranges for the Cobra Commander to learn of the nanites' existence. Thinking he's stealing them from the US government, the Commander devises an elaborate scheme to take control of the country. With newfound momentum, Cobra Commander begins contacting all his old allies and returns to the US. Destro and the Baroness attend a meeting in Zartan's Florida compound, appearing to all as a couple on the outs. After listening, Destro and Lilian stage a
coup and take the Commander prisoner. Using the nanites on the Commander and all the former Cobra agents except Zartan, Destro is able to secure his hold over the organization, and effect the reunification the Commander had hoped for. Manipulating all the members of Cobra, Destro unleashes the nanites on the United States, very nearly taking over. It is only because of the intervention of the G.I. Joe team (who were reinstated when the Commander returned to U.S. soil), and Cobra Commander (who was freed from the prison by Storm Shadow, and cured of the nanites) that Destro fails in his bid for domination. When the nanites are defeated, the real Destro is freed from his paralyzed state just in time to greet Alex and Lilian, who are imprisoned after the Baroness rescues them from their losing battle. Back in control, Destro is forced to make restitution to Cobra for his son's transgressions. Offering the Commander an explanation for the doppelganger as well as the hi-tech Destro family helmet that aided Alex in his deception, Destro agrees to work with Cobra until such time that he feels the debt is paid. Soon after this, the Baroness is kidnapped by the
yakuza, and Destro teams with G.I. Joe to rescue her. (Flint has also gone missing.) In the fight, Alex proves his newfound loyalty to his father and follows orders exactly. The Commander is captured by Serpentor, now in charge of the Coil. When he and a group of Joes affect an escape, he contacts Destro, stating "assist me, and all debts are clear". Rallying all of Cobra with him, Destro assaults Cobra Island and helps defeat the Coil. After the battle, the Commander has disappeared, and Destro is left, perhaps reluctantly, in charge of Cobra. When the Commander finally surfaces with Storm Shadow in tow, Destro takes the opportunity to leave Cobra. In a shocking twist, however, the Baroness does not join him. Heading up his own operations in an attempt to revitalize M.A.R.S., Destro strikes a deal with Guillermo Gomes in Sierra Muerto to
double cross Sierra Gordo's president. Destro sends in Iron Grenadiers disguised as Sierra Muerto mercenaries. He then approaches President Delacruz for permission to build weapons factories in Sierra Gordo in exchange for routing the invaders. Intending for the president to be assassinated and for Gomes to take control of both countries, Destro expects to become the region's biggest gun runner. This elaborate scheme is derailed by
Duke, who had helped foster peace between the warring countries before Destro began his machinations, and he arrests Destro. Put on trial by the
United Nations, Destro betrays his allies, offering not only full disclosure of a number of dirty dealings concerning key UN countries, but also the guaranteed capture of Cobra Commander to assure his release. Taking his offer, the Joes are charged with transporting Destro by train to lure Cobra into a trap. Both Cobra Commander and Baroness arrive to free Destro, and the Commander and Hawk battle. Cobra Commander shoots Hawk in the back but is then shot himself by the Baroness. The ruse is successful. Cobra Commander is in US custody, leaving Destro and a pregnant Baroness in control of Cobra. During this shift in power, Alex and Lilian are charged with recruiting Charles Halifax, also known as
Wraith, to free Major Bludd and Scrap-Iron from Blackwater Prison. Cobra begins to solidify under Destro's leadership, as the search for a mysterious Tempest device drives their new campaign. Yet Destro's dedicated attempt to control Cobra is short-lived when it is revealed that Zartan, not the Commander, was captured by G.I. Joe. Freeing Zartan, the Commander emerges from hiding and overthrows Destro. During the coup, the Baroness and Wraith (charged with her personal safety) are seemingly killed when the Commander detonates the Night Raven they are aboard. As happened many years before when the Baroness' HISS tank exploded, Destro is incapacitated by his grief. He sits in a Cobra prison as the Commander takes over a much more efficient Cobra.
America's Elite Escaping from Cobra when the Red Shadows attempted a worldwide take-over, Destro resurfaces (literally) a year later a much different man. Now operating from a submarine, Destro has become embittered and distant from both his son Alex, and Wraith, who somehow avoided boarding the Night Raven before its explosion. He aids
Vance Wingfield in attacking the United States with shielded satellites as he brokers a deal with China. When Scarlett is overtaken by BATs while attempting to contact former Cobra agent
Cesspool, Destro is revealed to be pulling the strings. Torturing Scarlett for information, Destro is undermined by Alex, who attempts to rid them of the dangerous G.I. Joe prisoner. When the Joes eventually catch up to him, Destro sets the sub to self-destruct, and escapes with Alex. Snake Eyes is trapped in a flooded corridor, though he is later revived with "ninja magic". After his rehabilitation, Destro gives Alexander a new mask, formally naming him heir to the Destro legacy. However, when the Baroness escapes from G.I. Joe custody, Destro is lured into a trap by the Cobra Commander. In exchange for his infant son, Eugen, Destro not only turns over the M.A.R.S. Empire, but Alexander as well, to Cobra Commander. Destro's actions give Cobra Commander the power to incite
World War III, using Alexander to lay siege to London with cloaking technology that M.A.R.S. developed from Wraith's Armor. To combat M.A.R.S. technology, Storm Shadow is sent by the G.I. Joe team to find Destro and the Baroness. Storm Shadow strikes a deal with Destro to aid the Joes, with the proviso that when Cobra is defeated Destro will turn himself over to the authorities. Destro and
Sparks succeed in disarming the Cobra-controlled satellites. Destro then flies to Europe with the Baroness to stop Alexander and his Iron Grenadier, supported by the Baroness' secret army: Athena. Upon recognizing Destro, the Iron Grenadier cease combat. Destro manifests his disapproval to Alexander who takes off the family mask and walks away from his raging father. Armada fatally shoots Alexander, thinking that's what Destro wanted. Destro walks away carrying his deceased son, while the Baroness shoots and kills Armada. It is later revealed that Destro was true to his word and turned himself in to the authorities, while Baroness has evaded capture. In one of the series' final scenes, Baroness is seen watching his trial on TV with their child Eugen.
Action Force continuities IPC In the mid-1980s, IPC's
Battle Action Force weekly comic (in conjunction with Palitoy) began to conform their storylines to more closely resemble the Hasbro toyline. Destro was introduced as the second incarnation of the Red Shadows character, Red Jackal, driver of the Hyena tracked vehicle. After the Red Shadows were betrayed by
Baron Ironblood, Red Jackal sought revenge against his former leader, who had become the
Cobra Commander. The Commander sprayed acid into Jackal's face, but chose to spare his life and renamed him Destro.) As in other continuities, the loyalties of this version of Destro were suspect. In
School for Snakes, he confronted his former colleague
the Black Major, who had also survived Ironblood's treachery and sworn revenge. They conspired to kill Cobra Commander, after which Destro would take over the organization, supplying the Major with the means to disappear into obscurity. But when a group of Cobra loyalists led by the
Baroness fought back, Destro decided that he could not risk being exposed, turning against and seemingly killing the Black Major—who survived.
Marvel UK After IPC turned the Action Force license over to
Marvel UK, Destro's character falls in line with the U.S. depiction. Destro features heavily in the magazine's original content, as the most prolific of Cobra's members and personal antagonist to Flint and Lady Jaye. Because of Marvel UK's serial nature, Destro is not as complex as his American counterpart, being portrayed as an actual villain, willingly fighting Action Force and arming Cobra. He is highly manipulative, not just using Action Force in his schemes but also trying to manipulate Cobra Commander; he believes Cobra can win in the long term, but that the
Commander is too excessive and, if not subtly controlled, will go too far and cause the
Great Powers of the world to wipe Cobra out.
Alternate continuities G.I. Joe vs. Transformers (Devil's Due) Destro features prominently in this series of four crossover miniseries which pose the question: What if Cobra discovered the Ark, and rebuilt the
Autobots and
Decepticons as weapons of war? Destro helped provide Cobra with the technology to rebuild and control the Cybertronians, and even pilots
Soundwave on a mission.
Transformers vs. G.I. Joe (Dreamwave) Set during
World War II, Destro is part of a
Nazi-esque Cobra who have subjugated the Decepticons and taken over Europe.
Reloaded A modern revamp of the "Real American Hero" franchise, Destro is recruited by Cobra Commander in the initial book
Cobra Reborn. He was later part of the Cobra plot to steal the
Constitution where he fights the G.I. Joe agent
Roadblock.
Sigma 6 Devil's Due created a mini-series based on
Sigma 6. It follows the style and the content of the animated series, spotlighting a different member of Sigma 6 and Cobra in each issue. Destro appears in the first issue, battling Duke in
Guam. ==Animation==