Biography for
Destro (Character)
from "G.I. Joe" (1985)

ENEMY WEAPONS SUPPLIER

Code Name: DESTRO

File name: Unknown

Primary Military Specialty: Weapons Manufacturer

Second Specialty: Thief

Birthplace: Unknown

DESTRO is the faceless power behind Military Armaments Research System, the largest manufacturer of state-of-the-art weaponry. To DESTRO, war is man's most natural state: the fittest survive and the greatest technological advances are made. He maintains a luxurious lifestyle around the world. DESTRO provides high-tech arms to any side able to meet his price and will incite war where it does not exist. He dons his silver battle mask (a family tradition based, according to the Marvel Comics series, on a religious oath, although I don't recall if they ever explain exactly what religion) and enters battle himself, either with COBRA Command (DESTRO is their major weapons supplier) or against them if it's better for business. DESTRO respects the G.I. JOE team for their combat skills and expertise, but abhors them for wasting such skills to maintain peace. He's totally dedicated to seeing them undermined, subverted, or destroyed!

Also remaining to be seen, is whether or not they will continue the ongoing romance between Destro and the Baroness. At one point he was ready to settle down with her and give up being an arms dealer. She was also willing to leave COBRA Command to retire with him to his families ancestral home (a castle in Scotland), but the COBRA Commander was not so willing to part with either one of them and manipulated events to see that neither of them retired. There is still some bad blood between them and the Commander over that series of events.

Also to be determined... What, if any, relationship is there between Destro and the twins, Tomax and Xamot (I think that was their names). They were also arms dealers and high finance players who dealt with COBRA, but were also somewhat freelance and outside of the Commanders direct control. Do they work for him? Are they competitors? Are they possibly even related somehow? This last is unlikely, because if I recall correctly, their background dossier has them listed as French, and Destro is "Unknown", but due to what has been revealed, is most likely British (Scotland is still part of Britain, right?) or American with British roots.