WARNING! Spoilers for Destro #4Destro has been warring with the Crimson Twins in the Energon Universe, but it turns out the real problem is a far more obscure G.I. Joe villain. As the Destro miniseries reaches its exciting conclusion, Destro finds himself under attack from all sides, with one big bad revealed to be behind it all.
Picking up from the events of the previous issue, Destro #4 by Dan Watters and Andrei Bressan opens with the title character believed to be dead. In actuality, the arms dealer is working with General Flagg and the U.S. military to uncover who is trying to have him killed.
Destro learns the attack seen in the first issue against the Darklonian arms bazaar was carried out by Overkill, an experimental A.I. developed by rival company Hybrid Technologies. Designed to identify and neutralize threats before they happen, Overkill has Destro in its sights, and the result could change the Energon Universe forever.
The G.I. Joe Villain Overkill Is Revealed in Destro #4
Destro #4 by Dan Watters, Andrei Bressan, Adriano Lucas, and Rus Wooton
Even more intriguing is Overkill’s new origins in the Energon Universe. Wealthy heiress Astoria Carlton-Ritz inherited Hybrid Technologies after her father ed away. Wishing to see her father's dream of a “fully autonomous, automated global defense system” realized, Astoria received backing from a mysterious donor, allowing her to finance and build a system that would eliminate threats before they happen. Designed to learn and adapt, Overkill quickly began making decisions for itself, including staging the attack on Destro’s arms bazaar in the first issue.
For the early 2000s reboot of the G.I. Joe toy line "Valor vs. Venom," Overkill was reimagined as a half-human cyborg.
It’s a pretty drastic revamp of the old G.I. Joe villain, who was traditionally portrayed as the autonomous commander of the Cobra BATs in the classic continuity. Recasting Overkill as a renegade A.I. plays perfectly into modern fears and concerns, and ties into the larger themes of the Energon Universe.
Overkill Poses a Threat to the Entire Energon Universe
What Role Will the Revamped Villain Play in the Autobot / Decepticon War?
With various organizations investigating the arrival of the Transformers on Earth, a rogue A.I. carrying out missions of its own volition adds even more complications to the ongoing storyline. Whether or not Overkill survives the final issue of Destro remains to be seen, but its arrival in the new continuity could change the landscape of the Energon Universe. “Overkill is making its own decisions about how to end war on Earth,” Astoria explains to Destro, which raises many interesting story possibilities.
Destro Goes to War with Cobra Commander Ahead of G.I. Joe Relaunch
Destro, Cobra Commander, and the Crimson Twins are on the collision course to war in the preview for Destro #5, leading to an epic confrontation.
Fans must question what will happen when Overkill becomes aware of the Autobot / Decepticon war, for instance. Fans also must wonder who the mysterious benefactor who helped Astoria build Overkill will turn out to be. The issue ends with Cobra Commander meeting with Tomax and Xamot to form a new alliance in their hostile takeover of MARS Industries, so it is possible that the Commander is the one who set this all in motion. G.I. Joe fans will have to keep reading Destro to find out what happens next in the Energon Universe.
Destro #4 is available now from Skybound Entertainment.
GI Joe
G.I. Joe is 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. Joe has become a significant cultural icon, particularly in the United States, with its slogan "A Real American Hero."
