Why Destro From G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra Looks So Familiar
Hollywood has endless sources of inspiration to pull from for movie ideas. From comic books to old TV shows to children's toys, anything can be made into a movie, and while some of those ideas may be questionable, few toys serve a big-screen adaptation quite as well as G.I. Joe.
An elite squad of military personnel fighting a terrorist organization named after a snake was bound to become a live-action movie sooner or later, and even after "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" and its sequel, there have still been ideas to keep the franchise going, even if that involves making the toys into a live-action TV series. Looking back on the films from a decade ago, a truly astonishing level of talent is on display, including the likes of Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Christopher Eccleston.
Eccleston's casting as Destro was a stroke of genius. After all, it wasn't the first time he's played the big bad onscreen, although you may be surprised to hear about him playing an iconic hero as well when you look at his filmography as a whole.
Christopher Eccleston fended off zombies in 28 Days Later
Right when it seemed like the zombie movie was something only George Romero could get right, out comes "28 Days Later," considered by numerous Redditors to be the best zombie film of all time. It was able to effectively tell a human-driven story and made zombies genuinely scary again by allowing them to run fast toward their victims. Jim (Cillian Murphy) is at the heart of the story, and every time he thinks he's found some semblance of salvation, it ends up going south fast. That includes the time when Jim and his group visit a mansion taken over by military personnel led by Major Henry West (Eccleston).
When Major West reveals his nefarious plans to Jim, he tries to escape from his mansion, but as anyone who's seen "The Walking Dead" knows all too well: In the zombie apocalypse, the greatest monster out there is man. Considering his character bit the dust in a pretty dramatic fashion, it's unlikely Eccleston would return if the threequel ever gets off the ground. Still, we'll take whatever we can get just to see the trilogy rounded out.
From a villain to the Doctor...
While "Doctor Who" has been around since the 1960s, it enjoyed a newfound popularity in the 21st century when the series relaunched in 2005 with the Ninth Doctor, played by Christopher Eccleston. He only kept the mantle of the good Doctor for a single season, but he made his short time flying around in the T.A.R.D.I.S. count with some of the best episodes featured in the show's run, including the haunting "The Empty Child," which also introduced the world to Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman). With such good writing on display, it's easy to forgive the occasional bit of shoddy CGI.
Eccleston is the only one of the new Doctors to not portray the character for multiple seasons, and around the time of his exit, he blamed behind-the-scenes drama as well as a desire to not get typecast in similar types of roles. However, in the years since, he's mentioned how he regrets leaving the show so soon and even admits that his performance would've improved had he stuck around for another season.
You may have a hard time recognizing him in Thor: The Dark World
Following his departure from the "Doctor Who" mythos, Eccleston returned to playing disturbing villains. This first came in the form of Destro in "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," where you can at least see his face briefly before he dons the iconic mask. The same can't be said for the villainous role he portrayed in "Thor: The Dark World" as Malekith the Dark Elf. With bright blue contact lenses and prosthetics, it may be hard to realize it's the Doctor in the role, but make no mistake, that's Christopher Eccleston.
Eons ago, Malekith attempted to rule over the universe by means of the Aether, and when it's awakened in the present day, he sets out with his fellow Dark Elves to secure it. Things soon turn personal after Malekith becomes responsible for the death of Thor and Loki's mother, Frigga, and they set out on an interplanetary journey to take him down and ensure the Aether stays in safe hands.
When ranking the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole, many are quick to put "Thor: The Dark World" at the bottom of the list, and Eccleston would probably be quick to agree with those judgments. He's gone on the record numerous times over the years about how he was displeased with the extensive makeup process he had to go through every morning and has stated that he didn't like how much of Malekith's backstory was left on the cutting room floor (via Digital Spy). Eccleston has kept a lower profile in recent years, not really appearing in blockbusters as of late, but as long as he's taking projects that make him happy, that's all that matters.