Destro (SG)

Born in Callander, Scotland, Destro’s full name is James McCullen Destro XXIV, and is Laird of Castle Destro in the Scottish Highlands. The Destro clan has designed and sold weapons for centuries, and Destro is the head of their current incarnation: M.A.R.S. (Military Armament Research Syndicate). He wears a mask forged from Beryllium Steel, a tradition dating back to the English Civil War, when an ancestor of his was caught selling weapons to both sides. Forced to wear a steel mask for his crimes (neither side wanted to execute the ancestor because they still wanted the weapons he sold), the Destro clan has since turned it into a symbol of pride, passing it down from father to son for over 20 generations. Destro is distantly related to Lady Jaye.

Destro’s key characteristics are his sense of honor, a calm demeanor, and love for COBRA’s primary intelligence officer, the Baroness. As a businessman, Destro is cutthroat and unyielding. He uses his own troops, the Iron Grenadiers, and hires mercenaries to stir up conflict in dangerous regions, then sells weapons to those armies. Continuing a tradition started by the first masked Destro, he will even sell to both sides of the same war.

Canonical/Pre-MUX/Theme History:
Destro fancies himself an honorable man, answering to a moral code he alone seems to understand. He has stood with Cobra Commander as often as he has opposed him, and 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 Zartan, and even the Commander’s estranged son Billy. His strongest connection is, however, to the Baroness, who, it is revealed early on, has shared a romantic relationship with him since he was a young man.

Destro first became known to G.I. Joe as Cobra Commander's hired "specialist", sent to stop the G.I. Joe team from ruining their operation on the Alaskan Pipeline. Although Destro managed to stay two steps ahead of the Joes, his confrontation with Doc resulted in the Joes getting the antidote for a plague they'd been infected with, and turning the tables on Cobra. His next appearance established his true intentions: he planned to remove the Commander from the equation, and lead Cobra himself, with the Baroness at his side. The Commander came to suspect this betrayal and recruited Major Bludd to kill Destro.

A night operation in Washington, D.C. gave Bludd his chance. But when the Baroness (who was driving Bludd's HISS tank) realized what he is planning she swerved sharply, overturning the tank and setting it on fire. The tank exploded, seemingly killing her, and left Destro a shattered wreck of his former self. The Commander used this turn of events to point Destro's rage toward Bludd, and operated for a while without the fear of Destro's treachery. But when the Commander was captured by G.I. Joe, Destro wasted no time taking control. At this point, the Baroness returned, and revealed the Commander's part in her near death.

After a battle in the Everglades, Destro and Firefly were stranded, with only their wiles to get them past the Joe team and back to Cobra's home town of Springfield. When they arrived, however, the Baroness revealed that she and Bludd had recruited a young boy to assassinate the Commander during a Cobra Rally. During the ceremony, Destro spotted the trained killer, and realized it is the Cobra Commander's own son, Billy. Saving the man he swore to kill, Destro revealed a new side of himself: that of an honorable man who cannot condone patricide, even against a hated foe.

Destro headed the tribunal that questioned Billy, and later tried to stop Storm Shadow from helping the boy escape. After the creation of Cobra Island, Destro and the Baroness meet with the curious Dr. Mindbender as he demonstrated his BATs to them. Although the BATs were defeated by Lady Jaye and a team of G.I. Joe trainees, they brought Mindbender to Cobra, where his true plans were put into effect. With the Commander's consent and Destro's help, Mindbender collected the bodies of history's greatest warriors, which are used to create Serpentor. Serpentor was quickly recruited to fight a holding action against G.I. Joe, while Destro coordinated a complete evacuation of Springfield. Once the citizens of the small town were safe, Destro again showed his honorable side, and rescued Serpentor and the defenders.

Assaulting the PIT under Ft. Wadsworth, Staten Island, the Commander became indignant at Serpentor and his successful campaign to take Cobra as his own. Cobra Commander led a team of troops into the subterranean base, and Destro chose to join him. The two were trapped underneath tons of rubble, when the defenders detonated the PIT's lowest levels, and caved in the entire installation. While the Commander became unhinged, Destro reasoned his way through, and uncovered an earth-boring machine that saved their lives. Traveling across country in disguise, they were reunited with Billy, who is in a coma after his car was blown up by the Cobra agent Scrap-Iron (by orders of Firefly). Watching the Commander grieve for his misdeed, Destro decided his time with Cobra had ended, and returned to Scotland to reclaim his family's legacy: the Military Armament and Research Systems, better known as M.A.R.S. On arrival, he was greeted by a doppelganger and thrown in prison. But with the intervention of Lady Jaye and Flint, Destro overthrew the fake, who turned out to be Major Bludd.

His Own Man
Some time later, Destro resurfaced as his own man and leader of his own organization called the Iron Grenadiers. After inciting a war in Sierra Gordo, he took part in the Cobra Island Civil War, pushing back the forces of Serpentor and the second Cobra Commander (really Fred VII, a Crimson Guard) without firing a shot. After Zartan assassinated Serpentor, Mindbender bargained with Destro to cease fire and leave the Island, which Destro agreed to on one condition: that the Baroness be turned over to him. With his only objective in the war achieved, the Iron Grenadiers withdrew and the war was ended. Displaying his honor yet again, Destro helped blackmail a pair of politicians who tried to blame G.I. Joe aiding Serpentor in the Civil War, cementing the Joes' respect for him.

Content to stay out of the war between G.I. Joe and Cobra, Destro was nonetheless made a target by Cobra Commander II, and Castle Destro was assaulted by Cobra. Turning the tables, Destro overpowered the fake Commander, and effectively took over Cobra. While he unveiled an intricate plan of checks and balances to keep the Cobra High Command and his Iron Grenadiers on even footing, the Baroness discovered that Snake-Eyes was the soldier she believed shot her brother in Southeast Asia. Taking on an unadvised vendetta, she allowed for Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow to lay waste to the Cobra Consulate Building in New York City. As the roof collapsed, and the three were about the plummet to their death, Destro arrived in a helicopter. He revealed that not only was he in Southeast Asia that day with his father, but that Snake-Eyes was innocent of killing the Baroness's brother Eugene. Taking his love away, he removed his mask for her, and the two retired for a time while the Baroness put her life back together.

As soon as Destro abandoned Cobra, the original Commander returned. He locked most of his old lackeys in a freighter, and buried it under the volcano on Cobra Island. Among the victims were Zartan and Billy, although they are two of the three (Firefly being the last) who managed to dig themselves out. Because of his honorable character, they looked to Destro for refuge. At the same time, however, the Commander (still seeking revenge on his old associates) assaulted and destroyed Castle Destro. Because of his spy in Cobra, Metal-Head, Destro managed to escape from the Castle, aided by G.I. Joe agent Chuckles, and the Commander put a bounty on his head.

Now a marked man, Destro teamed up with Billy and Zartan to rescue the Baroness, who was captured by Cobra in the raid. Teaming up with the fledgling G.I. Joe Ninja Force, the former Cobras break into the Night Creepers' Citadel and begin wiping out Cobra bank accounts. To save his fortunes, the Commander agrees to call off the bounty on Destro, return the Baroness to him, and provide him with a new castle.

That turns out to be the Silent Castle in Trans-Carpathia, 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' love for him breaks the Commander's hold. Routing Cobra and the ninjas, the couple are left alone once more.

After a time, the Commander decides that he wants to move on from Cobra Island and reclaim the Castle from Destro. 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 is forced to run her through with his sword (narrowly missing her heart) to keep her cover, and make good their escape. Destro tries to give his thanks for the rescue, but 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. They are soon joined by Billy, and the small group is reunited for a while. Soon after 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 as well. On the run, the Joes escape Cobra, and return to the United States, only to be deactivated by the government.

MUX History:
When Destro was a young man, he fell in love with a beautiful black Scottish woman. His family forbid him to see her since she was a poor commoner, but James Destro disobeyed them, seeking out her company whenever he could get away.

This woman became pregnant while young James was out of the country, and in a panic she sought help at Castle Destro. James's family paid her off against her will to keep her silence about the pregancy, making dire threats as to what would happen to her and her child if she spoke.

Alexander's mother never spoke to James out of fear, but raised her son telling stories of his father, never mentioning exactly who he was other than his first name. Alexander grew up poor on the streets of Scotland, his natural power and charisma allowing him to quickly rise to command the largest of the local gangs.

Following rumours of an unknown bastard child of Lord Destro years later, Mistress Armada used her superior intellience-gathering skills to track down Alexander and inform him of his true birthright. At Armada's urging, Alexander confronted Destro, who remembered the lost love of his youth.

Reluctantly accepting Alexander's claims (after prudent DNA tests, of course), Destro made Alexander and Armada field commanders of his Iron Grenadier legions, over the Baroness's protests. Destro is keeping an eye on his young violent progeny, not sure whether to be proud or concerned of his son's flair for destruction.

August 24: Rescue Plans
Destro, Major Bludd, and Wild Weasel discuss what to do about Cobra Commander's disappearance.

September 20: CNN Report
In news today, Laird James McCullen Destro XXIV of Trans-carpathia has announced himself as the new benevolent Monarch of Cobra Island. <> "We all will mourn the disappearance of Cobra Commander, though in his absence I will step up to guide his growing nation into a new era of Monarchy over Dictatorship. As a colony of Trans-carpathia, Cobra Island will have access to all of the freedoms, and constitutional rights that a Trans-carpathian citizen enjoys every day. Together, we hope to prove to the United Nations that Cobra Island is a benevolent nation, who open to peaceful negotiations and business deals with the world. I do hope the allies of Cobra Island will be the Allies of Trans-carpathia, and to their enemies, I offer the olive branch and a chance for peace. >>

September 21: IC Message to all Cobra Troops

 * Citizens of Cobra Island. We are standing at the cusp of a new era for Cobra Island. United, Trans-Carpathia and Cobra will be the largest and most powerful superpower on the planet. I do not intend to take Cobra Commander's place, simply to guard his assets until his return. Under Trans-Carpathia's protection, you will find that you have the power and resources available to you that only we can provide. Against us, you will find those same resources taken away. Anyone who wishes to join the Baroness on her self-destructive regime against myself and the Commander, you are free to do so. But know that you and the Baroness would be listed as enemies of the state and will be dealt with appropriately.

--Laird Destro, out.

September 23 - Now Megatron Is Literally Talking Out Of His Aft
Destro assists with the evacuation of Sear Tower after it's damaged in a batter between Megatron and Superion.

State of the Nation              Wed Sep 23    Destro
--

I, Laird James Mc Cullen Destro have called an end to this inner turmoil between my forces and those of the Baroness. I have submitted control of Cobra Island to the Baroness, in exchange for an alliance between TransCarpathia and Cobra Island. United, instead of against one another, we will see the Commander's forces into a new era. Hail our alliance. And Hail, Cobra.

Players
Destro is currently played by CalihexInmate.