Description
Laird James McCullen Destro XXIV, usually referred to simply as Destro is the leader of the Iron Grenadiers, and founder of M.A.R.S. Industries, a weapons manufacturer and supplier for Cobra. The Destro clan has designed and sold weapons for centuries, and Destro is the faceless power behind their current incarnation—M.A.R.S. (Military Armament Research System), a state-of-the-art weapons manufacturer and one of the largest multinational coprorations in the world. As a businessman, Destro is cutthroat and unyielding and is able to to maintain apartments and office buildings in most major cities of the world. His luxurious lifestyle outdoes most oil sheiks or shipping magnates. War is his business and passion: Destro believes in the spoils of war and the vast wealth M.A.R.S. provides. He hires mercenaries to stir up conflict in dangerous regions, then provides high-tech arms to any side able to meet his price. Continuing a tradition started by the first Destro, he will even sell to both sides of the same war. Destro’s key characteristics are his sense of honor, a calm demeanor, and love for Cobra’s second-in-command, the Baroness. He wears a mask forged from beryllium steel, a tradition dating back to the English Civil War, when an ancestor of his was caught by Cromwell’s men in the act of 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. He also wears on a neckchain his family crest bearing an ancient Scottish emblem symbolizing absolute power. Destro will sometimes enter battle himself, either as a member of Cobra Command, or against them if it’s better for business. He respects the G.I. Joe Team for their combat skills, but detests them for wasting their skills to maintain peace. Destro and Cobra Commander despise each other but maintain an alliance of convenience. Although twice the tactician and three times the soldier than Cobra Commander, Destro’s sense of honor works to his disadvantage in face of Cobra Commander’s ruthlessness. Baroness serves as Cobra’s intelligence officer and lieutenant to Cobra Commander. With long black hair, black-rimmed glasses, and a black leather outfit, Baroness is a dark, sensual femme fatale whose beauty is matched only by her ruthlessness. She has a romantic relationship with Destro.
Near mint condition.