WARNING! Spoilers forG.I. Joe#4Baroness and Destro have long been a power couple in classicG.I. Joelore, but the Energon Universe is shaking things up in a big way by pairing the silver-masked arms dealer with a new lover. Destro began seeing the wealthy heiress Astoria Carlton-Ritz in his own self-titled series, where it was revealed that she was actually the hi-tech assassin Chameleon.
The new Chameleon reappears inG.I. Joe#4 by Joshua Williamson, Tom Reilly, Jordie Bellaire, and Rus Wooton. The assassin makes her presence known by attacking Stalker and Cover Girl as they protect the Brainwave Scanner device in a military bunker.
With a little help from the Dreadnoks, Chameleon subdues the two Joes and captures the Brainwave Scanner for Cobra. Meeting up with Destro again,she refers to him as “lover,” establishing that the two are officially a couple.
Destro and Chameleon, Sitting in a G.I. Joe Tree…
Cobra Has a New Power Couple
Astoria Carlton-Ritzmade her Energon Universe debut inDestro#1 by Dan Watters and Andrei Bressan as a wealthy heiress who inherited her father’s arms company. Destro and Astoria hit things off at an arms bazaar, but things are complicated when there is an attempt on Destro’s life. After going into hiding,Destro encounters the hi-tech assassin Chameleon, just barely managing to survive the encounter.After running into Astoria again at a party, Destro correctly deduces that the heiress is in fact Chameleon. The two wind up working together when it’s revealedthat theA.I. program Overkillstaged the attack on Destro.
Astoria Carlton-Ritz is aTransformerscharacter from the G1 cartoon, first appearing in the episode “The Girl Who Loved Powerglide.”
TheDestrominiseries ended with the silver-masked villain and Astoria sharing a kissas the Overkill satellite exploded in the sky, and it appears that the two have continued their relationship as ofG.I. Joe#4. It’s quite a surprise for G.I. Joe fans and shows how the creators continue to find new ways to reinvent certain aspects of the franchise. The fact thatBaroness is a member of G.I. Joesuggests that she has yet to even meet Destro in the Energon Universe, which opens up a number of intriguing possibilities in the pages ofG.I. Joemoving forward.
Will Baroness Meet Destro in the Energon Universe?
G.I. JoeCould Be Setting Up a Villainous Love Triangle
Even though Baroness is on the side of the angels for now, fans have to wonder how long her allegiance to the Joes will last.G.I. Joe#4 sees the Joe team captured by Cobra, meaning that Baroness will likely cross paths with Destro sooner rather than later. This issue raises the question of whethersparks will fly once more between one ofG.I. Joe’s longest-lasting couples.
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Setting up a love triangle between Chameleon, Destro, and Baroness could make for an intriguing subplot to follow in the new book, made even more exciting by Baroness potentially betraying her fellow Joes. For now, though,G.I. Joefans will have to get used to the Destro/Chameleon romance in the Energon Universe.
G.I. Joe
G.I. Joeis a long-running franchise centered around a line of action figures produced by Hasbro, which has expanded into a wide array of media including comic books, animated series, and films. The franchise is known for its depiction of an elite military unit, G.I. Joe, fighting against the terrorist organization Cobra. Over the decades,G.I. Joehas become a significant cultural icon, particularly in the United States, with its slogan “A Real American Hero.”
