The Eiffel Tower was landmark in Paris, France. It was inaugurated in March 1889 and has been featured in two G.I. Joe productions. It appears in the first mini-series where Cobra stole it with the M.A.S.S., and decades later in the first live action movie in which Cobra demolished it with a rocket carrying nanomites.
Film history
In the film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, the Eiffel Tower is targeted by Cobra for destruction. James McCullen, the head of M.A.R.S. Industries, declares his intention to put on a show to be aired on networks such as CNN and pay back the French for what they did in the past to his family, Clan McCullen. Cobra steals a set of M.A.R.S.'s nanomite warheads which, when detonated, quickly begin eating away at anything metal.
The G.I. Joe Team soon realizes Cobra's intent and moves to intercept them before they can accomplish their goal. They also sound the alert, allowing the Eiffel Tower to be evacuated, thus minimizing casualties. But before the Cobra forces can arrive at the Tower, their Scarab Hummer crashes out after the driver is distracted by Snake Eyes and blows through a railroad crossing. The back bumper is sheered off by a speeding train, the force causing the Hummer to roll over. Despite not reaching the Eiffel tower, Storm Shadow improvises, arming one of the warheads, and he passes the kill switch for the devices to the Baroness in case of emergencies. Both race to the nearest skyscraper, with the Eiffel Tower directly behind it. Shadow rushes up to the top floor to find a vantage point where he can shoot, while the Baroness attacks the Joes trying to hold them off, heading towards the roof, where they're escape ship, named the Typhoon, is waiting. G.I. Joes Ripcord and Duke go after both, Ripcord going after Shadow and the Warhead, while Duke goes after Baroness and the Kill Switch. Storm Shadow reaches the top floor and finds a window, where he can clearly see the Eiffel Tower, and locks on. Ripcord almost stops Storm Shadow, but less than a second before Ripcord tackles him, he launches the warhead. He scores a direct hit and the nanomites quickly begin eating away at the Eiffel Tower. The tower begins to sag, looking ready to fall onto the city. The Joes know if the tower falls, the impact will spread the nanomites throughout the entire city.
As the tower's eaten Shadow escapes from Ripcord and jumps aboard the Typhoon to escape the city before it's destroyed by the nanomites. The Baroness is then picked up by the ship. Just as the ship begins to pull away, Duke leaps from the building onto the ship just before the door closes. He hits the Nanomite kill switch on the Baroness's utility belt, shutting them down. Although he is successful in saving Paris from the nanomites, his move comes too late for the Eiffel Tower, which is too damaged to stay standing and topples to the ground. Luckily, thanks to the preventive measures taken by the Joes, no one is killed. Despite that, the beloved landmark is in shambles, and In hitting the switch, and Duke, having jumped aboard the Typhoon, has allowed himself to be captured by Cobra. The remaining Joes intercept one of Cobra's dead Neo-Vipers (having been killed in the Scarab crash) in order to try to track down the M.A.R.S. Industries Base and the remaining targets for the warheads. Breaker managed to scan as much of the Neo-Viper's dying brain for information, but Cobra, having watching the events live on the Viper's body cam (as Breaker realizes), triggers a self-destruct mechanism on the Viper's suit, causing nanomites to eat his corpse until it's completely disintegrated. They are then arrested by the French authorities, who incorrectly believe them to have been responsible for the attack on the Eiffel Tower. However, being informed by the US and others they were innocent, the authorities let the Joes to go free, but are given a restraining order from the entire country (Much to Breaker's horror).