There was something bizarrely heartwarming about waking up in the back of the Duke's carriage, and learning he not only gathered up your body and put you in the safety of the back, but was already on his way to let you confront Miranda. After spending so long in the dark and cold, it was nice to know you had a friend after all.
He's one of my favorite characters in Village. He a very "Cheshire Cat" kind of character. He's no stranger to the madness around him, and clearly has his own goals and motives, but he isn't unsympathetic to Ethan's cause, and helps significantly in his own ways. He's very calculating, using his connections to mine information as well. (His voice is fantastic, too.)
Just finished the game myself and loving this character. Lots of theories about him but the one I'm rolling with is he's a mold creature himself but is not connected to the hive mind of Miranda's or by the RE7 girl. My thinking is he's his own hive mind and the merchant from RE4 is one of those connected to it. Because of his entrepreneur nature and maybe the small size of his network he uses his network to gather information and help tip the scales in favor of whatever side he picks. That still leaves how he can get into rooms he had no business fitting into. My thinking is he can change shape/size temporarily, his big size most likely being his natural form.
but he is a merchant, not saying that that is something that makes someone evil... but obviously has to have motives... a salesmen acts when there's profit to be made.. You could apply this to as to why he's helping... it could be beneficial.. How we don't know
Given what's known so far The Duke is acting as intermediary between the outside world (With the Log book) & The Village possible bringing in New Victims to be experimented on, as to with regards to Ethan if he helps he earns a quick buck & if Ethan Wins he gets to leave The Village. He was basically playing both sides.
That's true, I just want to know what happened to him after our fight against Mother Miranda. Did he escape, was he part of the Megamycete, and does Chris know about him.
Honestly the impression I got was that someone else was supplying bodies while The Duke was in charge of bringing money and goods into the village. Those kinds of centuries long experiments need supplies and updated/replaced equipment from time to time. It would also help explain how Moreau got a TV.
My theory is the Duke has a cadou, but his powers were largely based on making people more compliant/non-aggressive. That would explain why none of the bosses/enemies attack you in his presence, and how he got so large, yet seems to always be ahead of Ethan.
I always had a theory where he was kinda like Schrödinger, being everywhere and anywhere while also being nowhere, and he could potentially use this to appear anywhere he felt like, but due to mother Miranda’s influence he couldn’t leave the village. Also wondered if he could use the ability to hide Ethan by projecting his ability onto him and making them unable to perceive ethan
Something interesting to note, that I got from online research, regarding owl folklore, especially with the setting of the game being: "In Romania, it is said that the souls of repentant sinners fly to heaven as Snowy Owls." Which is what The Duke's sigil is.
It was always my head cannon that Duke was one of Miranda's "children", specifically being the one who gathered info for her. He was the one to set everything up to actually take her out to be free of her.
Amazing how in that Twisted Village a character as ambiguous as The Duke was greatest source of information & Comfort. Even helping Ethan understand his fate.
I always wanted to speculate the Duke we meet isn't the actual Duke, but a creation of the mold there to help Ethan. (Or maybe the Duke was assimilated by the mold similar to Ethan.) It would explain why he pops up everywhere. But I have absolutely no proof to back up that idea.
The voice actor described EXACTLY why I liked the Duke. In a world where everyone's out to get you, he's the only one in your court. Honestly I always felt he was just some guy who got wrapped up in all this mess, someone who ended up seeing and knowing too much to just go back to living a normal life. He's an observer, the man who knows the story after everyone else is gone.
The Duke just seems like a real homie, like the type of guy who, after putting up with so much bullshit, Ethan can sit his ass down and have a cigar and whisky with the guy.
the parts hypothesizing that The Duke purchased the petrified corpses of the Four Lords to consume them and strengthen his powers reminds me of highly specialized species of fungus that specialize in colonizing other species of fungus, feeding on them and eventually replacing the other fungus' biomass with its own. The Duke being a fungus-eating fungus would explain why he has powers similar to the lords but is also free to subvert Miranda's plans without her knowledge
I don't think the Duke is a Miranda experiment. but someone who found the megamycete before, but never had any major ambition, so he just kept traveling. I think he could be one of the village founders too. but only because of his title.
@@yusukeelric oh I agree that The Duke isn't a product of Miranda's experiments, but I don't think he found the megamycete first; in fact I don't think he's a product of the megamycete that Miranda found at all. I think The Duke was an Italian merchant in the 19th century who in his travels found and became the host of a distinct variant of the Mold, a variant that feeds solely on other variants of the Mold to survive. In order to keep the fungus and therefore himself alive, The Duke used his new fungal abilities to find a Mold colony to parasitize, and found The Village with Miranda already experimenting on the megamycete. The Duke has probably been feeding on Miranda's experiments for decades
The Duke is an amazing character. He’s such a chill character, so chill that he doesn’t show other emotions of being mad, sad, etc. He really helps you in miserable difficulties such as Hard and Village of shadows. What I think is kinda funny is that if you throw a grenade at him, he doesn’t even care, lol. In the end, I love the duke.
Very true, also he was so relaxed when Ethan was updet finding out about Rose and the flask. The Duke showed that being calm and helpful really helps with any kind of situation, hence in in Ethan's case.
I just realized what The Duke reminds me of!! One of those old coin-operated automaton psychics! His voice has a speaking cadence reminiscent of the pre-recorded lines of dialogue that were triggered by activating and interacting with the automaton's button interface, though The Duke has a charisma and pathos the automatons lacked. They were often stereotypes of Romani people, which fits well with the Balkan setting of the game. His cart even frames him in a similar manner to the ornamented glass cases that protected the automatons from damage.
You didn't discuss the most disturbing thing about the Duke: How does one single horse pull his big cart plus Duke's own "generousness" all by itself? Either the horse is a mold monster too, or the Duke is filled with helium.
With the name "The Duke" and his extraordinary immense size, I cannot help but think that Baron Harkonnen from Dune was a major inspiration for this character.
Yes that's true, also I really loved that cutscene of Ethan inside his carriage, it was a perfect moment after all the revelations and actions that just happened prior, and seeing the Duke being the one to help Ethan at that time was great to see.
@@HeYDeVuH Yes that's true, also I really loved that cutscene of Ethan inside his carriage, it was a perfect moment after all the revelations and actions that just happened prior, and seeing the Duke being the one to help Ethan at that time was great to see.
There is a story in the closing credits of the game, told through the storybook images, that shows a man turned into a lycan who then kills his daughter. I feel like this might be The Duke, affected by the cadeau parasite and turned into a monster, but the shock of what he had done was enough for him to get it under control (even if he's still massive, maybe due to having to keep the "mass of the wolf" within himself, or being a mold creature). He might've then renounced his status as a Lord of the Village, refusing to be under Miranda's thumb but still keeping tabs while doing his business. And he helps Ethan because he sees a chance to redeem himself through Ethan: he will save A daughter, if not HIS daughter.
Okay so, got a bit of a mental theory but thought I'd throw it out there. So The Duke was going to be the fifth lord. This could mean that in some way he's still allied to the other four, but not to Miranda, who possibly could have rejected him outright as a failed candidate for lord. And maybe that rejection has given him clarity on how Miranda has treated them, similar to Heisenberg. It's made quite clear in the game that Rose has been turned into a crystal, but can still be saved. He also is willing to pay a high price for the crystallised remains of the lords. Maybe this was his motivation all along. Helping Ethan so he could gather the crystals of his would-be fellow lords, in order to free them from Miranda; Ethan kills them, delivers The Duke their crystal forms, and he can revive them as Rose was revived, out from under the service of Miranda. Once he has guided you to each lord and you've provided him with their crystals, he merrily delivers you to finish the job by killing Miranda.
Rose is also incredibly powerful (beyond Miranda to the point it scared her) and I remember that the Ceremony needed an incredibly huge amount of biomass. This is why Miranda instructed the Lords to slaughter all their servants and workers, along with everyone else in the village. Secretly, she wanted to see how strong Ethan was and used him to kill two birds with one stone: test his strength by killing the other Lords, as well. Heisenberg alone of the Four knew this and this was why he offered the deal to Ethan to help each other.
It doesn't surprise me that he was originally the 5th lord, that would've been such a twist having someone that was helping Ethan the whole time turn on him. Duke definitely played both sides and I can't shake the feeling that he might bring the 4 lords back, why else would you be able to sell their bodies? Edit: He's the main villain in Shadows of Rose, I knew there was something funny about him. I wonder what he could want with Rose. Edit 2: Nevermind, it was a fake made up in the megamycete world. I was kinda mixed about it. If we saw the other Lords they would've been fakes too.
If he's from the village, maybe Miranda mutated him, but he was a large step beyond even Heisenberg in terms of abilities, independence and smarts, and eventually ended up more powerful than Miranda herself. Perhaps in developing strong psychic powers as a result of the Cadou, he was then paradoxically the only one not really affected by the 'hive-mind' of the megamycete. Miranda was making him the 5th Lord, hence the Owl sigil - I'd like to think he chose it himself, as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the fact he was realising he was 'wiser' than her. He was then able to conceal all knowledge his real origin from Miranda and the Lords, but he may still have been tethered to some extent (even if non-physically) to the megamycete. With his psychic ability, perhaps he sees many different possibilities play out. He helps Ethan because he realises Rose is even more powerful than he is, and he understands her potential as a catalyst; if Miranda successfully puts Rose back together and obtains her abilities (via Eva or otherwise), then the Duke may be found out and put under someone else's control, without much hope of freedom in the future. If he helps Ethan and Rose escape and destroy the megacycete, it could sever any last thread of it's control over him, and his connection to the village. The Duke is then free to be out in the world and do as he wishes. I hope he remains amoral (in the original sense - not really 'good' or 'evil'). Just following his own interests and playing all sides as it suits, but never with any real malevolence. I like the idea that he's a mouldy avatar of change, almost like The Outsider from Dishonored. Separately, someone with unknowable or alien motivations is far, far scarier than any more obvious baddy.
I think Duke is a lord but from another village. I think he was one of Miranda’s first experiments but ended up being more powerful than she anticipated and was unable to control him. A Cadou creation that was so powerful that she couldn’t control him and even fears him.
I think he might be Hermes. In addition to being the messenger of the gods, Hermes is also the god of merchants, travelers, commerce, and theives. It would explain how he moves so swiftly between locations to sell you things. Hermes is also connected to pack and herd animals like wolves, horses, goats, and stags, all of which appear in this game either figuratively or literally. Also, his insignia is thematically similar to Hermathena, a composite statue combining him and Athena, as the insignia features elements of owls, horses, and stags- -animals synonymous with both gods. I'm probably completely wrong about this, but it's fun to speculate.
The Duke is a classic RE save room in human form, he is comfort, safety. I don't think it's any deeper than that, he has the mystical power to ward off evil just like any other save room.
Fantastic video, my apologies I've missed the last few. I thought after playing RE8 that The Duke was an infected and may have had his considerable girth due to his eating something that gave him power... Maybe the items such as Heisenberg's heart, or perhaps even the Cadou. However, after learning about his book and the owl on the cover, I thought of another thing. In Romanian folklore, which a large part of the setting and mythos are derived from, the owl (specifically the white snowy owl that it looks like is depicted on the cover) acts as the avatar of repentant sinners flying to Heaven after passing on. Could The Duke be acting as a Ferryman of sorts? Collecting the remains of his fallen (one-time) friends in the hopes of repenting for the sins they collectively committed? That could also be why he helps Ethan, in an effort to end what Mother Miranda was doing to his people (as I thought it he was in fact the Fifth Lord, the only area unspoken for was the village itself, making the villagers in fact "HIS" people) and what she'd done to the Four Lords; attempting to bring peace to the area and their souls as a whole. Either way, The Duke is honestly my favorite character from the Ethan Winters saga, Jack Baker a close second. The depth of the character with the minimal amount of information we're given outright is what makes speculating about him so fun and engaging. Keep up the great work DeVuH! 👍🏻
That is a very interesting piece of information on the folklore cause when ethan ask him who or what he is he says even I don't know. Now either he was genuine there or was just hiding something idk but I feel like he's so much more then what he's leading on
Thank You so much and no worries, I'm happy that you're taking your time to come back and support the channel. Also we'll said, there are so many theories as to what he truly was. As you said he could very well be the ferryman representation. So I really do hope once the DLC comes out that they explore more into this and show The Dukes real origin, how he interacted with the four Lords and Mother Miranda. Anyways again thank you so much for the support and hope to see you on the next video.
Thank You so much and I really really do try to reply to every single comment but at times I can't keep up. Also again Thank you for Subscribing and welcome onboard.
My belief is that the Duke is an avatar of the Megamycete, created to gather information outside of the Hive's normal range, and/or as a back up incase something were to happen to it's main body. Reason for helping Ethan could be as an act of rebellion against Miranda, as it was over with her experiments and manipulation, and wanted freedom. But due to the nature of their beings they were unable to kill each other directly, so he helps Ethan kill her.
22:14 in French "le droit" can mean "the right" (as in "the right to something"), but it can also mean "the law". The canadian RMCP has the motto "maintiens le droit" ("maintain law and order"). So "l'argent défend le droit" could mean something like "money defends my right", or "money is what keeps law and order".
That could also be interpreted as "Money defends the righteous", reminiscent of how he mlight be conviced his business role grants him impunity from the Lords in its dealings with the player (or the other way around, shielding him from repercutions of working with the Lords as he is vital to the player)...
I found it pretty amusing he makes reference in one of his greetings when you open the shop to knowing the merchant from RE4 which caught me off guard. "What're ya buyin? Haha, just something an old friend of mine used to say." Also, Heisenberg's reference to Chris calling him a "boulder punching asshole" which is a throw back to RE5 and one of the most ridiculous moments in the series in my opinion.
I think something to consider is to look at the Lords as a deck of cards. Jack = Moreau, being the least respected and lowly of the four, but still more worthy than the normal fiends Queen = Dimitrescu, seeing how she was seemingly the favored Lord and even had an entire castle and descendants to her name King = Donna, because of her lineage and use of pawns (Angie) to fight for her (and how she is the weakest piece, like a King in chess) Ace = Heisenberg, Miranda's big last resort, but also the one that could mess up her charade like his rebellion towards her (since some games the Ace card can be of lower or higher value/merit) Then you have the Joker, even Ethan refers to him as it on one occasion, which Duke slides right into. The card that is usually not used and even placed to the side in most games, but he is still there and (especially in RE8) of such high importance and utility. I do love one of the alternate endings where Duke sacrifices himself, taking the explosive device out of his hands, letting Ethan go back home with his family.
When I first saw the Duke, I was simultaneously on guard but comforted after he started talking to Ethan, but then again still wary, exactly because the RE games like to mess with you. Pleasantly surprised the Duke did not turn into a twist villain, which by now is far too over-done.
19:34 Him giving a villager that paper suggests he doesn't approve of Miranda cutting the village off from the rest of the world presumably to better control them.
Exactly, found that interesting that he had the freedom to go back and forth between the Village and the outside world. Makes you wonder what Mother Miranda thought of the Duke
I would like there to be a society of particular people like the Duke and Merchant who oversee, but do not necessarily intervene in the events of the RE games. Eventually, we would get to know about that society and whether we can trust them or not. I think that would be an interesting way to expand and deepen the lore, rather than have virtually everything be Umbrella related.
It'll be interesting if the owl crest or the text returns as an Easter egg in the resident evil 4 remake, further cementing the link between the merchant and the Duke.
One of my favorite moments was him accidentally burning himself with his cigar. Saw this in Castle Dimetrescu. I appreciate that you captured the "safe" feeling of coming across him though. You knew you had a moment to catch your breath. Excellent story.
I think he must have been a lord at one point, but gradually distanced himself from the others. But given his job, Mother Miranda couldn't get rid of him entirely and the other lords have to rely on him to. The thing is, what happened to the village happened over time. I'm sure that initially, what Mother Miranda was doing may have seemed like a good idea. It was bringing him money, it was helping sick people, but then things just kept getting worse and worse until it wasn't just hurting his business, but hurting everyone. And the Duke just couldn't support Miranda anymore.
i love that first meeting with the duke when you are trying to hide from lady dimitrescu, you are running trying to find a safe place to hide and you find yourself in a quiet, warmly lit room with a large cuddly looking man playing with a lighter and cigar, a weird toy thing in the corner and a type writer on a table nearby
Thank You so much and glad you enjoyed the video!!! Also yes, still so many question in regards to his background and what he truly was. I hope they explain this in the future Resident evil game, maybe he could be a guide to Rose Winters as well.
@@HeYDeVuH That would be a fun outcome! I like the idea that he's an ex lord as well- though that raises even more questions. These videos have given me even more love for the Resident Evil games :D
The last time we had a merchant wasn’t the RE4, but the RE: Degeneration game, released on Nokia’s phone gaming platform and later ported to iOS around 2008. The merchant, probably an arms smuggler (couldn’t remember) was in the zombie infested airport terminal selling Leon stuff, but later the terminal was blown up and the merchant didn’t escape with Leon and the survivors, which made me question what’s the point that he risk his life to make money and then get blown up with the terminal. He just felt very out of place. That game was NOT very well known, and it’s also not canon, the RE: Degeneration movie was canon instead.
My theory on The Owl Sigil is possibly after you give him The Essence of The 4 Lord's he'll probably become a character similar to Mother Miranda. Which could pave the way to another RE Village game where The Duke is The Main Antagonist. 🤔
Interesting, it really does make you wonder, because there is no way that the Developers just placed it there for us to see and have no significance. I hope In the Future RE Village DLC they explore more into this topic
My headcannon: The duke and the merchant alike work for black market organizations that are tasked to source treasures to be sold to the wealthy. Places like Castle Salazar and Miranda's kingdom hold historical sites full of treasures ripe for the taking. They supply guns and ammo to treasure hunters (or in these cases, desperate men in missions) that sell them whatever they found, to be then sold to their real clients for a huge profit.
My personal theory is that he's actually a high ranking member of the Connections, which we know is the main new enemy faction as they created Evelyn. This would explain why he knows so much, since the Connections also worked alongside Miranda for a bit. However, Miranda did essentially leave the Connections, which means they would consider her a threat, hence why the Duke would willingly help you defeat her. It'd also explain why he was willing to buy, not just the remains of the four Lords, but basically anything from you. We know he didn't like buying random stuff from Ethan due to his dialogue, but he does so anyway. If he worked for the Connections then it'd explain why he did so, as it'd have Ethans DNA on those items, and Ethan is a mold creature, so his DNA would be useful for research, same as basically every mold creature remains we sell to him, he buys them because it'd provide useful research and may produce a new bioweapon. Furthermore, this would also explain why we cannot kill the Duke, as he would also be a bioweapon himself, just like Ethan, however this doesn't necessarily mean he's mold, he could be a bioweapon given power from something else entirely. As for why Miranda and the other Lords didn't attack him, or enter his areas, that's easily explained by simply not wanting bad blood. Miranda left the Connections, but she didn't attack them or do anything that'd negatively affect them, which indicates she doesn't want any bad blood between them, hence why none of the Lords or enemies enter his rooms, as Miranda may have ordered them not to in order to not create any bad blood.
HeY DeVuH,absolutely loves your videos. Your attention to detail is truly that of a die hard fan of the series, always look forward to your videos. Keep up the amazing work!
Thank You So much, I'm glad you're enjoying the videos. Also I apologize for a two week delay, these videos take me so long to make but it's really worth it to know that so many people support it. Again Thank you for your kind words!!!
Im more dissapointed of the game. 40/50% is just walking then 1 ez boss and then ugly fish. Only 1 and 4 area is fun to me. But yea duke is my fav character.
I love the duke for how mysterious he is and I love his character design and also how they didn’t just put him in the game just so you could get things from him. They put the duke in the story and that’s really interesting. Most games just put a character like the duke in so the player can have access to different items but the duke is there to also help the player find rose and also he has a part in the story. That’s pretty much why I love the duke so much.
Ugh! As always excellent content Devuh! I’ve always enjoyed your dissection and explanations of the characters and that for me brings a lot of validation to what I believe the characters are who they are and why they are that way and so forth. As to The Duke, I think he had to be affected by the mold. Why else would he know all about the lords and Mother Miranda. It’s no coincidence at all and of course he needs to make money and after all the villagers became Monsters, how would he be able to make money? He’d be very upset about that, so helping Ethan out would definitely help bring Miranda’s lifelong sick project down and guide Ethan to rescue Rose.
Thank You so much and It does make sense that he could be connected to the Megamycete in some way. He hints to his powers several times during the game, one being that he could "Feel" the essence of the four lords treasures when he buys them. In the next game, most likely RE9, I hope that they bring back the Duke and explain more into his lore, background, and what he truly was.
We may all disagree on who he is and what his true intentions are, but I think we all agree that we want to see him reappear in later games! I'd like to see him guiding Rose the same way he guided Ethan. Maybe he'll help her save her father like he helped her father save her? There's a lot of potential left in this character to play with.
@@thalassophile8398 yep 😂 dunno why but for me Resident Evil plot is fked up and I want to know what happened to other characters and the biggest question" How did the mould came on earth ??"
@@madhumitakumari1617 probably due to some weird experiment gone wrong or maybe it was intentionally created by a secret cooperation cus we all know in the re franchise, all villains aim to create the ultimate power to take over the world... I dunno that's just my theory
First of your videos I've seen. I like your narration and appreciate your competence in the Delivery, Pronunciations, and Oration..difficult to come by in this medium, yet you are nailing it, friend!!
Absolutely outstanding video thanks for covering this cool character DeVuH!!!!😎👍🏻 i thought it was so cool that he knew the merchant from Resident Evil 4!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you Soul Reaver!!! I appreciate the kind words and glad you enjoyed the video!!! Also I wonder when Resident Evil 4 Remake comes out that the Merchant would mention Duke in that game
@@HeYDeVuH You're welcome as always DeVuH! Your channel deserves a lot more subscribers! I'm always telling my friends about how awesome your channel is! Hopefully they will subscribe to your channel! And yes I hope The Duke gets a mention in the Resident Evil 4 remake it would be an awesome little easter egg indeed!😎👍
I really appreciate that, I'm happy that so many support the channel and honestly truly Thankful and Humbled, So you're kind words really does help motivate me to keep doing better. Thank You!!!
That'd be amazing if he is brought back in RE9, though that would bring up questions on how he escaped before the Village's destruction, where did he go, and what was he really. Anyway thank you so much for watching!!!
I realized how trustful the Duke was to Ethan after having his last transaction with him. Thanking the Duke and appreciating him while transacting with him. Ethan has that tone in his voice, sounding like he knows it may be the end. Even with the tone of the Duke as well. It felt like a real Buddy-to-Buddy moment. I loved this detail in Village and it felt like having to leave your best friend when life happens and have to move. I bet Ethan and the Duke would have definitely cracked a cold one and kicked back if it wasn't for all the chaos.
About the owl i always thought that The Duke was part of some sort of merchants guild and that was how he knew the merchant from RE4 and that was like their moto or something. Always giving a helping hand to those that do good and can become valuable customers.
Anything is possible but you know i like and love this character. I want him in RE8 Village DLCs or RE9 game or next any RE games. Thank you Duke for everything. And thank you Aaron Laplante for acting and give the voice for this character.
This was a Very Nice well made video! They announced the rose DLC for RE Village and the Duke seems kinda Evil there, my friend i think u Just hit the spot! Congratulations
Because the merchant is always mysterious, hence the one from re4. And they knew each other according to the Duke. But they just seem to be traveling businessmen amd don't take sides, they will buy and sell to and from both sides that's pretty much it. The Duke did help more than you would think but I think capcom didn't know how to get ethan from getting his heart ripped out to Miranda's ceremony site so it's obvious that they would use the duke.
In British peerage a Duke is a high rank, but anyone of higher social rank to the commoner can be called a Lord, not interchangeable. So he would be a higher power in relation to the 4 Lords, who were bestowed their power and role. The Duke is above them. He was making power moves using an unwitting pawn to clear the land of meddling opposition because combined he couldn’t defeat them. Now the deck is cleared he will reveal his true goals and powers.
Very good point and it just makes you wonder what his end goals were and what'll happen in the future, I really really do hope that they explore more into his character and lore.
Honestly I think the Duke is probably an angel, he references ethan not being able to go back to his world, he knows everything and kinda gets places a person of his size would have a hard time getting around
Because he seems to know the merchant from RE4 and talks about "OUR first class customer service," I'm thinking he's part of some larger black market organization that has an understanding with all sides in these confrontations and remains a neutral party. Probably sold stuff to your enemies too. They're probably European based only since the only games these merchants show up in are the ones that take place somewhere in Europe.
What's interesting about both of them is that they are both likely infected. We know the merchant shows signs of parasite infection and the Duke definitely isn't meant to be entirely human
Hey, maybe that's part of how they're able to move around seemingly unimpeded throughout these games. They blend in because they are the same type of creature as the others roaming around.
The entire Village was infected by either the mold or had a Cadou shoved up them. This particular strain of mutation had a very mercurial effect. There wasn't exactly a standard mutation like with G or T virus strains. You could become a werewolf, a weird girl with a doll fixation, a thicc vampire. It's a genuine toss up.
They had an opportunity to make interactions with the Duke a bit more interesting. They could have made it similar to Castlevania 64 in which the player "signs" a contract with the demon merchant, Renon without knowing what it says at first because it's written in demon language. Turns out later, if you spent over a certain amount of money, he came to enforce the contract, revealing that it says if you spent so much money, you forfeit your soul. This triggers a boss fight with him as he tries to claim your soul before departing back to hell. The Duke could have been a secret optional boss in this way.
What did you guys think about The Duke and what're your Theories on the Owl Sigil inside of his Carriage?
Happy Sunday
The Duke is a great helper.
I'm enjoying this video HeY DeVuH!
Perhaps one of the lords who has his own agenda?
The Duke is from another dimension
There was something bizarrely heartwarming about waking up in the back of the Duke's carriage, and learning he not only gathered up your body and put you in the safety of the back, but was already on his way to let you confront Miranda. After spending so long in the dark and cold, it was nice to know you had a friend after all.
he may not be a friend he may not be a foe, but he is a real one, and thats all that matters
Thata why im really sad to know duke is going to be the antagonist of dlc
@@aziiime
Wait he is? How tf is he going to do anything lmao
@@RedDeadClips apparently he summons Monsters
@@aziiime to Rose though not Ethan. He probably respects Ethan but Rose he does not
He's one of my favorite characters in Village. He a very "Cheshire Cat" kind of character. He's no stranger to the madness around him, and clearly has his own goals and motives, but he isn't unsympathetic to Ethan's cause, and helps significantly in his own ways. He's very calculating, using his connections to mine information as well. (His voice is fantastic, too.)
Just finished the game myself and loving this character. Lots of theories about him but the one I'm rolling with is he's a mold creature himself but is not connected to the hive mind of Miranda's or by the RE7 girl. My thinking is he's his own hive mind and the merchant from RE4 is one of those connected to it. Because of his entrepreneur nature and maybe the small size of his network he uses his network to gather information and help tip the scales in favor of whatever side he picks.
That still leaves how he can get into rooms he had no business fitting into. My thinking is he can change shape/size temporarily, his big size most likely being his natural form.
Cheshire Cat is probably the best way to describe him, and I love that.
@@SubduedRadical I'll second that, very well put
but he is a merchant, not saying that that is something that makes someone evil... but obviously has to have motives... a salesmen acts when there's profit to be made.. You could apply this to as to why he's helping... it could be beneficial.. How we don't know
This is a great way to describe him!
Given what's known so far The Duke is acting as intermediary between the outside world (With the Log book) & The Village possible bringing in New Victims to be experimented on, as to with regards to Ethan if he helps he earns a quick buck & if Ethan Wins he gets to leave The Village. He was basically playing both sides.
That's true, I just want to know what happened to him after our fight against Mother Miranda. Did he escape, was he part of the Megamycete, and does Chris know about him.
Honestly the impression I got was that someone else was supplying bodies while The Duke was in charge of bringing money and goods into the village. Those kinds of centuries long experiments need supplies and updated/replaced equipment from time to time. It would also help explain how Moreau got a TV.
@@HeYDeVuH he probably left, there is no way for Duke to survive a big bomb
@@xlbthedemigod5662 You sure about that ? The Duke seems pretty bulletproof/explosion proof.
The duke is a thick boy he can survive anything
My theory is the Duke has a cadou, but his powers were largely based on making people more compliant/non-aggressive. That would explain why none of the bosses/enemies attack you in his presence, and how he got so large, yet seems to always be ahead of Ethan.
That's an awesome theory, would explain why the other Lords and Mother Miranda wouldn't attack him.
He’s just a good cook
@@HeYDeVuH maybe they are friends with benefits.
eh he's probably the true mother miranda
I always had a theory where he was kinda like Schrödinger, being everywhere and anywhere while also being nowhere, and he could potentially use this to appear anywhere he felt like, but due to mother Miranda’s influence he couldn’t leave the village. Also wondered if he could use the ability to hide Ethan by projecting his ability onto him and making them unable to perceive ethan
Something interesting to note, that I got from online research, regarding owl folklore, especially with the setting of the game being: "In Romania, it is said that the souls of repentant sinners fly to heaven as Snowy Owls." Which is what The Duke's sigil is.
🤔
Wow that's an interesting folk lore behind the Owl. It makes you wonder what he was in the past and how he turned things around.
And what is Ethan last name? Winters.... Snowy owls and Winters
@@CommandoJaJas and LEYKIS 101
Also Hilary Clinton prays to them when she sacrifices children underneath the capital in her marble chamber
It was always my head cannon that Duke was one of Miranda's "children", specifically being the one who gathered info for her. He was the one to set everything up to actually take her out to be free of her.
Interesting theory and it fits.
That'd an interesting story point, I'd love to see this covered more in the game.
That'd be really cool, if he set up a plan not unlike Heisenburg, but was much more subtle and calculating about it.
I think the Duke was shown to have been one of the big bads in early concept art. He was made neutral/friendly merchant as the game developed.
Your make believe headcannons don’t mean shit go write a fanfic
Amazing how in that Twisted Village a character as ambiguous as The Duke was greatest source of information & Comfort. Even helping Ethan understand his fate.
Exactly, it's a great change of roles to think that we feel safe with someone who's so mysterious
I always wanted to speculate the Duke we meet isn't the actual Duke, but a creation of the mold there to help Ethan. (Or maybe the Duke was assimilated by the mold similar to Ethan.) It would explain why he pops up everywhere. But I have absolutely no proof to back up that idea.
The Duke is so chill he's perfectly willing to converse politely with the weird headless person that keep causing chaos.
That's true, I like how he completely polite to Ethan, even when things were going a little out of hand.
That's true, I like how he completely polite to Ethan, even when things were going a little out of hand.
wait was Ethan actually headless or is that just a mod
The voice actor described EXACTLY why I liked the Duke. In a world where everyone's out to get you, he's the only one in your court. Honestly I always felt he was just some guy who got wrapped up in all this mess, someone who ended up seeing and knowing too much to just go back to living a normal life. He's an observer, the man who knows the story after everyone else is gone.
The Duke just seems like a real homie, like the type of guy who, after putting up with so much bullshit, Ethan can sit his ass down and have a cigar and whisky with the guy.
The Duke was great and was awesome to see him be so helpful to Ethan, I hope to see him again in a future RE game
the parts hypothesizing that The Duke purchased the petrified corpses of the Four Lords to consume them and strengthen his powers reminds me of highly specialized species of fungus that specialize in colonizing other species of fungus, feeding on them and eventually replacing the other fungus' biomass with its own. The Duke being a fungus-eating fungus would explain why he has powers similar to the lords but is also free to subvert Miranda's plans without her knowledge
This would be a very interesting plot to focus in. I really do hope they delve more into his story in the upcoming Village DLC
I don't think the Duke is a Miranda experiment. but someone who found the megamycete before, but never had any major ambition, so he just kept traveling. I think he could be one of the village founders too. but only because of his title.
@@yusukeelric oh I agree that The Duke isn't a product of Miranda's experiments, but I don't think he found the megamycete first; in fact I don't think he's a product of the megamycete that Miranda found at all. I think The Duke was an Italian merchant in the 19th century who in his travels found and became the host of a distinct variant of the Mold, a variant that feeds solely on other variants of the Mold to survive. In order to keep the fungus and therefore himself alive, The Duke used his new fungal abilities to find a Mold colony to parasitize, and found The Village with Miranda already experimenting on the megamycete. The Duke has probably been feeding on Miranda's experiments for decades
The Duke is an amazing character. He’s such a chill character, so chill that he doesn’t show other emotions of being mad, sad, etc. He really helps you in miserable difficulties such as Hard and Village of shadows. What I think is kinda funny is that if you throw a grenade at him, he doesn’t even care, lol. In the end, I love the duke.
Very true, also he was so relaxed when Ethan was updet finding out about Rose and the flask. The Duke showed that being calm and helpful really helps with any kind of situation, hence in in Ethan's case.
I just realized what The Duke reminds me of!! One of those old coin-operated automaton psychics! His voice has a speaking cadence reminiscent of the pre-recorded lines of dialogue that were triggered by activating and interacting with the automaton's button interface, though The Duke has a charisma and pathos the automatons lacked. They were often stereotypes of Romani people, which fits well with the Balkan setting of the game. His cart even frames him in a similar manner to the ornamented glass cases that protected the automatons from damage.
Arg arg arg
Interesting subjects.
So gypsies
You didn't discuss the most disturbing thing about the Duke: How does one single horse pull his big cart plus Duke's own "generousness" all by itself? Either the horse is a mold monster too, or the Duke is filled with helium.
The Duke may work hard, but his horse works harder.
@@JJM8043 Duke is a mold and his horse is a mold for sure.
@@samir.xanmuradov no shit.
The most disturbing thing about Duke is how he fits through those doors in the castle. Nevermind the steed, lol
@@TheRedRaven_Maybe he has floating shoulders. Like cats.
With the name "The Duke" and his extraordinary immense size, I cannot help but think that Baron Harkonnen from Dune was a major inspiration for this character.
The main inspiration for the Duke was Ethan Ralph
@@detectiverichard8221 Bruh lmao 💀💀
Yes! Also Varys from Asoiaf. The soft spoken voice, kindly face...
Duke is Mario and Harkonnen is Wario 🤣🤣🤣
The Duke is such a great and intriguing character. He was one of the only characters who's not out to kill you. And a guide and sort of a friend.
Yes that's true, also I really loved that cutscene of Ethan inside his carriage, it was a perfect moment after all the revelations and actions that just happened prior, and seeing the Duke being the one to help Ethan at that time was great to see.
@@HeYDeVuH Yes that's true, also I really loved that cutscene of Ethan inside his carriage, it was a perfect moment after all the revelations and actions that just happened prior, and seeing the Duke being the one to help Ethan at that time was great to see.
There is a story in the closing credits of the game, told through the storybook images, that shows a man turned into a lycan who then kills his daughter. I feel like this might be The Duke, affected by the cadeau parasite and turned into a monster, but the shock of what he had done was enough for him to get it under control (even if he's still massive, maybe due to having to keep the "mass of the wolf" within himself, or being a mold creature). He might've then renounced his status as a Lord of the Village, refusing to be under Miranda's thumb but still keeping tabs while doing his business. And he helps Ethan because he sees a chance to redeem himself through Ethan: he will save A daughter, if not HIS daughter.
That is a good theory and explains how he knew the information about the mold
cadou*
Okay so, got a bit of a mental theory but thought I'd throw it out there.
So The Duke was going to be the fifth lord. This could mean that in some way he's still allied to the other four, but not to Miranda, who possibly could have rejected him outright as a failed candidate for lord. And maybe that rejection has given him clarity on how Miranda has treated them, similar to Heisenberg.
It's made quite clear in the game that Rose has been turned into a crystal, but can still be saved. He also is willing to pay a high price for the crystallised remains of the lords. Maybe this was his motivation all along. Helping Ethan so he could gather the crystals of his would-be fellow lords, in order to free them from Miranda; Ethan kills them, delivers The Duke their crystal forms, and he can revive them as Rose was revived, out from under the service of Miranda. Once he has guided you to each lord and you've provided him with their crystals, he merrily delivers you to finish the job by killing Miranda.
but, rose was the chosen child in which is said that she will get back to her form no matter what.
now my question is: are the lords in the same boat?
Rose is also incredibly powerful (beyond Miranda to the point it scared her) and I remember that the Ceremony needed an incredibly huge amount of biomass. This is why Miranda instructed the Lords to slaughter all their servants and workers, along with everyone else in the village. Secretly, she wanted to see how strong Ethan was and used him to kill two birds with one stone: test his strength by killing the other Lords, as well. Heisenberg alone of the Four knew this and this was why he offered the deal to Ethan to help each other.
I love the Duke. He made RE Village that much better
without duke, RE-8 was so much less of an experience......just plainnn
It doesn't surprise me that he was originally the 5th lord, that would've been such a twist having someone that was helping Ethan the whole time turn on him.
Duke definitely played both sides and I can't shake the feeling that he might bring the 4 lords back, why else would you be able to sell their bodies?
Edit: He's the main villain in Shadows of Rose, I knew there was something funny about him. I wonder what he could want with Rose.
Edit 2: Nevermind, it was a fake made up in the megamycete world. I was kinda mixed about it. If we saw the other Lords they would've been fakes too.
That'd be amazing to see if he could return the Lords back somehow.
You don't sell Donna's body though since her drop is Angie, but would love to see them brought back!
Angie is not Donna's body though
Angie does have part of the parasite in that doll so its probably.
Such a twist! Nah ive been betrayed by helpfull charecters all the time lile patches
If he's from the village, maybe Miranda mutated him, but he was a large step beyond even Heisenberg in terms of abilities, independence and smarts, and eventually ended up more powerful than Miranda herself. Perhaps in developing strong psychic powers as a result of the Cadou, he was then paradoxically the only one not really affected by the 'hive-mind' of the megamycete. Miranda was making him the 5th Lord, hence the Owl sigil - I'd like to think he chose it himself, as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the fact he was realising he was 'wiser' than her. He was then able to conceal all knowledge his real origin from Miranda and the Lords, but he may still have been tethered to some extent (even if non-physically) to the megamycete.
With his psychic ability, perhaps he sees many different possibilities play out. He helps Ethan because he realises Rose is even more powerful than he is, and he understands her potential as a catalyst; if Miranda successfully puts Rose back together and obtains her abilities (via Eva or otherwise), then the Duke may be found out and put under someone else's control, without much hope of freedom in the future. If he helps Ethan and Rose escape and destroy the megacycete, it could sever any last thread of it's control over him, and his connection to the village. The Duke is then free to be out in the world and do as he wishes.
I hope he remains amoral (in the original sense - not really 'good' or 'evil'). Just following his own interests and playing all sides as it suits, but never with any real malevolence. I like the idea that he's a mouldy avatar of change, almost like The Outsider from Dishonored. Separately, someone with unknowable or alien motivations is far, far scarier than any more obvious baddy.
Would The Duke then be Neutral Good?
I think Duke is a lord but from another village. I think he was one of Miranda’s first experiments but ended up being more powerful than she anticipated and was unable to control him. A Cadou creation that was so powerful that she couldn’t control him and even fears him.
That's a great possibility and makes sense why he was able to freely move in and out of the Village with Mother Miranda knowing
I think he might be Hermes. In addition to being the messenger of the gods, Hermes is also the god of merchants, travelers, commerce, and theives. It would explain how he moves so swiftly between locations to sell you things. Hermes is also connected to pack and herd animals like wolves, horses, goats, and stags, all of which appear in this game either figuratively or literally. Also, his insignia is thematically similar to Hermathena, a composite statue combining him and Athena, as the insignia features elements of owls, horses, and stags- -animals synonymous with both gods. I'm probably completely wrong about this, but it's fun to speculate.
Don't forget that they both essentially act as psychopomps
“That castle arouses suspicion”
“And so do you”
“:D”
Love the banter between the two
The Duke is a classic RE save room in human form, he is comfort, safety. I don't think it's any deeper than that, he has the mystical power to ward off evil just like any other save room.
Fantastic video, my apologies I've missed the last few.
I thought after playing RE8 that The Duke was an infected and may have had his considerable girth due to his eating something that gave him power... Maybe the items such as Heisenberg's heart, or perhaps even the Cadou.
However, after learning about his book and the owl on the cover, I thought of another thing. In Romanian folklore, which a large part of the setting and mythos are derived from, the owl (specifically the white snowy owl that it looks like is depicted on the cover) acts as the avatar of repentant sinners flying to Heaven after passing on.
Could The Duke be acting as a Ferryman of sorts? Collecting the remains of his fallen (one-time) friends in the hopes of repenting for the sins they collectively committed?
That could also be why he helps Ethan, in an effort to end what Mother Miranda was doing to his people (as I thought it he was in fact the Fifth Lord, the only area unspoken for was the village itself, making the villagers in fact "HIS" people) and what she'd done to the Four Lords; attempting to bring peace to the area and their souls as a whole.
Either way, The Duke is honestly my favorite character from the Ethan Winters saga, Jack Baker a close second. The depth of the character with the minimal amount of information we're given outright is what makes speculating about him so fun and engaging.
Keep up the great work DeVuH! 👍🏻
this needs more likes
That is a very interesting piece of information on the folklore cause when ethan ask him who or what he is he says even I don't know. Now either he was genuine there or was just hiding something idk but I feel like he's so much more then what he's leading on
Oh I love the idea of the Duke being a ferryman archetype!
Thank You so much and no worries, I'm happy that you're taking your time to come back and support the channel. Also we'll said, there are so many theories as to what he truly was. As you said he could very well be the ferryman representation. So I really do hope once the DLC comes out that they explore more into this and show The Dukes real origin, how he interacted with the four Lords and Mother Miranda. Anyways again thank you so much for the support and hope to see you on the next video.
"I'm driving Mutha fucker" some crazy Louisiana mold guy probably....
Was scrolling through comments, it’s nice to see you actively engage with your fans and reply to most comments, consider me a subscriber.
Thank You so much and I really really do try to reply to every single comment but at times I can't keep up. Also again Thank you for Subscribing and welcome onboard.
My belief is that the Duke is an avatar of the Megamycete, created to gather information outside of the Hive's normal range, and/or as a back up incase something were to happen to it's main body.
Reason for helping Ethan could be as an act of rebellion against Miranda, as it was over with her experiments and manipulation, and wanted freedom. But due to the nature of their beings they were unable to kill each other directly, so he helps Ethan kill her.
Great point, if they were all connected by the Mold then that could be the reason why he didn't outright antagonize Mother Miranda.
@@HeYDeVuH Duke might be from a rival Megamycete colony... Miranda was attracting too much attention & needed to be taken out.
Great theory
22:14 in French "le droit" can mean "the right" (as in "the right to something"), but it can also mean "the law". The canadian RMCP has the motto "maintiens le droit" ("maintain law and order"). So "l'argent défend le droit" could mean something like "money defends my right", or "money is what keeps law and order".
That's awesome, I love these small details about the characters, I do hope that they explain more about his background in future RE games or DLCs
That could also be interpreted as "Money defends the righteous", reminiscent of how he mlight be conviced his business role grants him impunity from the Lords in its dealings with the player (or the other way around, shielding him from repercutions of working with the Lords as he is vital to the player)...
I felt like he was a nice touch to the game, a calming presence that is there to provide either comfort or advice
I agree, it was cool to have the Duke be that calm in the middle of all the craziness inside the Village.
3:27
The Duke: That castle arouses suspicion
Ethan: Yea, and so do you
The Duke: :D
i was going to make this EXACT comment lmfao
I found it pretty amusing he makes reference in one of his greetings when you open the shop to knowing the merchant from RE4 which caught me off guard.
"What're ya buyin? Haha, just something an old friend of mine used to say."
Also, Heisenberg's reference to Chris calling him a "boulder punching asshole" which is a throw back to RE5 and one of the most ridiculous moments in the series in my opinion.
Yeah it's great to see how this game references back to previous games.
I think something to consider is to look at the Lords as a deck of cards.
Jack = Moreau, being the least respected and lowly of the four, but still more worthy than the normal fiends
Queen = Dimitrescu, seeing how she was seemingly the favored Lord and even had an entire castle and descendants to her name
King = Donna, because of her lineage and use of pawns (Angie) to fight for her (and how she is the weakest piece, like a King in chess)
Ace = Heisenberg, Miranda's big last resort, but also the one that could mess up her charade like his rebellion towards her (since some games the Ace card can be of lower or higher value/merit)
Then you have the Joker, even Ethan refers to him as it on one occasion, which Duke slides right into.
The card that is usually not used and even placed to the side in most games, but he is still there and (especially in RE8) of such high importance and utility.
I do love one of the alternate endings where Duke sacrifices himself, taking the explosive device out of his hands, letting Ethan go back home with his family.
Alternate ending?
When I first saw the Duke, I was simultaneously on guard but comforted after he started talking to Ethan, but then again still wary, exactly because the RE games like to mess with you. Pleasantly surprised the Duke did not turn into a twist villain, which by now is far too over-done.
oh really now?
19:34 Him giving a villager that paper suggests he doesn't approve of Miranda cutting the village off from the rest of the world presumably to better control them.
Exactly, found that interesting that he had the freedom to go back and forth between the Village and the outside world. Makes you wonder what Mother Miranda thought of the Duke
Or at least he felt relatively safe going against her in small ways.
I would like there to be a society of particular people like the Duke and Merchant who oversee, but do not necessarily intervene in the events of the RE games. Eventually, we would get to know about that society and whether we can trust them or not. I think that would be an interesting way to expand and deepen the lore, rather than have virtually everything be Umbrella related.
It'll be interesting if the owl crest or the text returns as an Easter egg in the resident evil 4 remake, further cementing the link between the merchant and the Duke.
@@aerinsoleris Duke already knows the Merchant or he know someone that knows both and had an influence on the Merchant.
@@Gamemaster-64Duke is Leons Father, CONFIRMED
After Dimitrescu leaving the scene early in the game, my love of the Duke became one of the best parts of the game.
He was so helpful during the game, I hope we see The Duke again in a future Resident Evil game
One of my favorite moments was him accidentally burning himself with his cigar.
Saw this in Castle Dimetrescu.
I appreciate that you captured the "safe" feeling of coming across him though. You knew you had a moment to catch your breath. Excellent story.
Thank You!!!
I always loved that. He did it each time he would nod off a little bit. I mean, that room looked really comfy and warm. Plus, the music?
I think he must have been a lord at one point, but gradually distanced himself from the others. But given his job, Mother Miranda couldn't get rid of him entirely and the other lords have to rely on him to.
The thing is, what happened to the village happened over time. I'm sure that initially, what Mother Miranda was doing may have seemed like a good idea. It was bringing him money, it was helping sick people, but then things just kept getting worse and worse until it wasn't just hurting his business, but hurting everyone. And the Duke just couldn't support Miranda anymore.
The Duke was actually meant to be the 5th Lord, but the idea got scrapped and was replaced with him being a merchant.
i love that first meeting with the duke when you are trying to hide from lady dimitrescu, you are running trying to find a safe place to hide and you find yourself in a quiet, warmly lit room with a large cuddly looking man playing with a lighter and cigar, a weird toy thing in the corner and a type writer on a table nearby
I always had many questions about the Duke! His mysteriousness, appearing anywhere, even his motives. As always, your video was super enjoyable! ☺️
Thank You so much and glad you enjoyed the video!!! Also yes, still so many question in regards to his background and what he truly was. I hope they explain this in the future Resident evil game, maybe he could be a guide to Rose Winters as well.
@@HeYDeVuH That would be a fun outcome! I like the idea that he's an ex lord as well- though that raises even more questions. These videos have given me even more love for the Resident Evil games :D
The last time we had a merchant wasn’t the RE4, but the RE: Degeneration game, released on Nokia’s phone gaming platform and later ported to iOS around 2008. The merchant, probably an arms smuggler (couldn’t remember) was in the zombie infested airport terminal selling Leon stuff, but later the terminal was blown up and the merchant didn’t escape with Leon and the survivors, which made me question what’s the point that he risk his life to make money and then get blown up with the terminal. He just felt very out of place. That game was NOT very well known, and it’s also not canon, the RE: Degeneration movie was canon instead.
20:18 "Oh, Lady Dimitrescu! Beautiful even in death. That waistline, yes~"
Even The Duke isn't afraid to show attraction towards the tall dommy lady.
My theory on The Owl Sigil is possibly after you give him The Essence of The 4 Lord's he'll probably become a character similar to Mother Miranda. Which could pave the way to another RE Village game where The Duke is The Main Antagonist. 🤔
Interesting, it really does make you wonder, because there is no way that the Developers just placed it there for us to see and have no significance. I hope In the Future RE Village DLC they explore more into this topic
My theory is that The Duke needs a much larger undershirt.
My headcannon: The duke and the merchant alike work for black market organizations that are tasked to source treasures to be sold to the wealthy. Places like Castle Salazar and Miranda's kingdom hold historical sites full of treasures ripe for the taking. They supply guns and ammo to treasure hunters (or in these cases, desperate men in missions) that sell them whatever they found, to be then sold to their real clients for a huge profit.
I like how he sound so wholesome yet so mysterious. Someone you want to partner with which is good because he is a merchant afterall
The strongest character in resident evil is the duke’s horse
😂😂😂
2:50 "Lamp oil, rope, bombs? You want it? It's yours my friend, as long as you have enough rubies."
My personal theory is that he's actually a high ranking member of the Connections, which we know is the main new enemy faction as they created Evelyn. This would explain why he knows so much, since the Connections also worked alongside Miranda for a bit. However, Miranda did essentially leave the Connections, which means they would consider her a threat, hence why the Duke would willingly help you defeat her. It'd also explain why he was willing to buy, not just the remains of the four Lords, but basically anything from you. We know he didn't like buying random stuff from Ethan due to his dialogue, but he does so anyway. If he worked for the Connections then it'd explain why he did so, as it'd have Ethans DNA on those items, and Ethan is a mold creature, so his DNA would be useful for research, same as basically every mold creature remains we sell to him, he buys them because it'd provide useful research and may produce a new bioweapon. Furthermore, this would also explain why we cannot kill the Duke, as he would also be a bioweapon himself, just like Ethan, however this doesn't necessarily mean he's mold, he could be a bioweapon given power from something else entirely.
As for why Miranda and the other Lords didn't attack him, or enter his areas, that's easily explained by simply not wanting bad blood. Miranda left the Connections, but she didn't attack them or do anything that'd negatively affect them, which indicates she doesn't want any bad blood between them, hence why none of the Lords or enemies enter his rooms, as Miranda may have ordered them not to in order to not create any bad blood.
The Duke is literally playing the Devil’s Advocate role. If you win, everyone is free. If you lose, no harm no foul on his part.
He's the true original idea behind Spencer wanting everlasting life. Felt the power and attraction to the Duke and wanted to become a god with him.
I've never been more glad to see someone than the ol' Duke. What a fella
Duke took out a rival mold colony.
He owns Miranda, Heisenberg, Lady D, Donna, the 3 fly girls & Ethan's remains. He'll be a major NPC next game.
HeY DeVuH,absolutely loves your videos. Your attention to detail is truly that of a die hard fan of the series, always look forward to your videos. Keep up the amazing work!
Thank You So much, I'm glad you're enjoying the videos. Also I apologize for a two week delay, these videos take me so long to make but it's really worth it to know that so many people support it. Again Thank you for your kind words!!!
The Duke was a great help. He knew what was going on. He able to help Ethan throughout the game.
He was a big help and I really liked the moment inside of his carriage and how he helped out Ethan so much
@@HeYDeVuH yet he was very mysterious. He knew so much, but we know very little about him. How he was able to get around without getting killed.
I think that since Ethan was probably Duke's best customer he decided to help him get Rose back.
That could very well be the reason
It's a great game with brilliant voice acting, but it always bugs me how characters who should be European, like the duke, have American accents.
You're right, they did a great job voice acting wise but it was noted by many fans why they lacked the accents for that particular area.
Forget the accents, why does no one speak or write in Romanian the entire game??
@@goldcherries is there a Romanian Language version of the game? with English subtitles? I'd love to play the game that way
Im more dissapointed of the game. 40/50% is just walking then 1 ez boss and then ugly fish. Only 1 and 4 area is fun to me. But yea duke is my fav character.
A fat guy who sells you guns? Makes sense he’s American
21:37 Hahahaha, that caught me so off card, I spat out my coffee XD
I love the duke for how mysterious he is and I love his character design and also how they didn’t just put him in the game just so you could get things from him. They put the duke in the story and that’s really interesting. Most games just put a character like the duke in so the player can have access to different items but the duke is there to also help the player find rose and also he has a part in the story. That’s pretty much why I love the duke so much.
9:00 minute mark ethen's brain exploded as he couldnt keep up
"I heard the reason why the Duke's stomach is so big is because it's full of secrets."
That Spencer joke at 19:36 it’s just..chefs kiss 👌😂
It's Albert Wesker.
He took the fallout of fighting with Chris at the end of RE5 pretty hard and went into a depression.
4:03 "Lady D." Had me 💀💀💀
Ugh! As always excellent content Devuh! I’ve always enjoyed your dissection and explanations of the characters and that for me brings a lot of validation to what I believe the characters are who they are and why they are that way and so forth. As to The Duke, I think he had to be affected by the mold. Why else would he know all about the lords and Mother Miranda. It’s no coincidence at all and of course he needs to make money and after all the villagers became Monsters, how would he be able to make money? He’d be very upset about that, so helping Ethan out would definitely help bring Miranda’s lifelong sick project down and guide Ethan to rescue Rose.
Thank You so much and It does make sense that he could be connected to the Megamycete in some way. He hints to his powers several times during the game, one being that he could "Feel" the essence of the four lords treasures when he buys them. In the next game, most likely RE9, I hope that they bring back the Duke and explain more into his lore, background, and what he truly was.
Nice work, Hey Devuh. I liked the video. You brought up plenty of interesting speculation.
We may all disagree on who he is and what his true intentions are, but I think we all agree that we want to see him reappear in later games! I'd like to see him guiding Rose the same way he guided Ethan. Maybe he'll help her save her father like he helped her father save her? There's a lot of potential left in this character to play with.
Welllllllll you may wanna go check Rose's playthrough. You will find the answer to ur comment
@@thalassophile8398 yep 😂 dunno why but for me Resident Evil plot is fked up and I want to know what happened to other characters and the biggest question" How did the mould came on earth ??"
@@madhumitakumari1617 probably due to some weird experiment gone wrong or maybe it was intentionally created by a secret cooperation cus we all know in the re franchise, all villains aim to create the ultimate power to take over the world... I dunno that's just my theory
First of your videos I've seen. I like your narration and appreciate your competence in the Delivery, Pronunciations, and Oration..difficult to come by in this medium, yet you are nailing it, friend!!
Absolutely outstanding video thanks for covering this cool character DeVuH!!!!😎👍🏻 i thought it was so cool that he knew the merchant from Resident Evil 4!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you Soul Reaver!!! I appreciate the kind words and glad you enjoyed the video!!! Also I wonder when Resident Evil 4 Remake comes out that the Merchant would mention Duke in that game
@@HeYDeVuH You're welcome as always DeVuH! Your channel deserves a lot more subscribers! I'm always telling my friends about how awesome your channel is! Hopefully they will subscribe to your channel! And yes I hope The Duke gets a mention in the Resident Evil 4 remake it would be an awesome little easter egg indeed!😎👍
you definitely deserve more subscribers bro
I really appreciate that, I'm happy that so many support the channel and honestly truly Thankful and Humbled, So you're kind words really does help motivate me to keep doing better. Thank You!!!
Even he doesn't quite know what he is. I hope he returns in RE9 to help Rose through her hardships 💜
That'd be amazing if he is brought back in RE9, though that would bring up questions on how he escaped before the Village's destruction, where did he go, and what was he really. Anyway thank you so much for watching!!!
I realized how trustful the Duke was to Ethan after having his last transaction with him. Thanking the Duke and appreciating him while transacting with him. Ethan has that tone in his voice, sounding like he knows it may be the end. Even with the tone of the Duke as well. It felt like a real Buddy-to-Buddy moment. I loved this detail in Village and it felt like having to leave your best friend when life happens and have to move. I bet Ethan and the Duke would have definitely cracked a cold one and kicked back if it wasn't for all the chaos.
About the owl i always thought that The Duke was part of some sort of merchants guild and that was how he knew the merchant from RE4 and that was like their moto or something. Always giving a helping hand to those that do good and can become valuable customers.
If that's true then they are truly wonderful, have a good one
It's an in-game shop mechanic that also distributes some narrative and hints.
heeey devuh
Thank You Kammi!!! I appreciate the support and hope you enjoy the video later when you have the chance :)
"That castle arouses suspicion 😐"
"Yeah, and so do you"
"😀"
Anything is possible but you know i like and love this character. I want him in RE8 Village DLCs or RE9 game or next any RE games. Thank you Duke for everything. And thank you Aaron Laplante for acting and give the voice for this character.
This was a Very Nice well made video!
They announced the rose DLC for RE Village and the Duke seems kinda Evil there, my friend i think u Just hit the spot! Congratulations
I hope the Duke appears in more resident of evil games. Would be cool to see him in more
Yes that'd be awesome if he does, if anything imagine a reunion of The Duke and the merchant from Resident Evil 4
with the Rose DLC announced and the trailer showing perhaps that 5th lord version of the Duke, we may be fighting him in October
On the wall of Heisenberg are the Duke before he was infected and after he was infected.
Hey so the new trailer of rose's dlc came out and the duke is shown as a villain now. What are your thoughts about that?
That wasn't really him tho
@@jamestomlin5525But it does mean Miranda MUST know who he is.
Because the merchant is always mysterious, hence the one from re4. And they knew each other according to the Duke. But they just seem to be traveling businessmen amd don't take sides, they will buy and sell to and from both sides that's pretty much it. The Duke did help more than you would think but I think capcom didn't know how to get ethan from getting his heart ripped out to Miranda's ceremony site so it's obvious that they would use the duke.
While playing the the lady dimetrescu part of the game the biggest relieve is just getting into his room and now you know your safe
In British peerage a Duke is a high rank, but anyone of higher social rank to the commoner can be called a Lord, not interchangeable. So he would be a higher power in relation to the 4 Lords, who were bestowed their power and role. The Duke is above them. He was making power moves using an unwitting pawn to clear the land of meddling opposition because combined he couldn’t defeat them. Now the deck is cleared he will reveal his true goals and powers.
Very good point and it just makes you wonder what his end goals were and what'll happen in the future, I really really do hope that they explore more into his character and lore.
Honestly I think the Duke is probably an angel, he references ethan not being able to go back to his world, he knows everything and kinda gets places a person of his size would have a hard time getting around
Because he seems to know the merchant from RE4 and talks about "OUR first class customer service," I'm thinking he's part of some larger black market organization that has an understanding with all sides in these confrontations and remains a neutral party. Probably sold stuff to your enemies too. They're probably European based only since the only games these merchants show up in are the ones that take place somewhere in Europe.
What's interesting about both of them is that they are both likely infected. We know the merchant shows signs of parasite infection and the Duke definitely isn't meant to be entirely human
@@rosesweetcharlotte yes, that too.
Hey, maybe that's part of how they're able to move around seemingly unimpeded throughout these games. They blend in because they are the same type of creature as the others roaming around.
The entire Village was infected by either the mold or had a Cadou shoved up them. This particular strain of mutation had a very mercurial effect. There wasn't exactly a standard mutation like with G or T virus strains. You could become a werewolf, a weird girl with a doll fixation, a thicc vampire. It's a genuine toss up.
the duke is probably the megamycide itself manifested into a "human"
That could very well be the case, I hope they explore more into this in the future. Anyway Thank You so much for watching!!!
And the even more suspicious place is that in Shadow of Rose, Miranda even created a imaginary Duke to attack Rose, which means she knows this man.
There's something supernatural about the Duke. I dunno but he feels like this otherworldly being like The Happy Mask Salesman from Majora's Mask.
Seeing the duke being so relaxed makes you forget you are in resident evil and it's full of monsters
They had an opportunity to make interactions with the Duke a bit more interesting. They could have made it similar to Castlevania 64 in which the player "signs" a contract with the demon merchant, Renon without knowing what it says at first because it's written in demon language. Turns out later, if you spent over a certain amount of money, he came to enforce the contract, revealing that it says if you spent so much money, you forfeit your soul. This triggers a boss fight with him as he tries to claim your soul before departing back to hell.
The Duke could have been a secret optional boss in this way.
Been waiting for this one, the most mysterious of RE8 characters.
Hope you enjoyed the video and Thank You for watching!!!
Well I think the new Village Rose DLC answered a lot of questions as to really being a villian.
Love the content!
Thank You so much and glad you're enjoying the video!!!
Duke is someone who worth simping for
He has a business, style, and honestly Van Living is popular so he's got a lot of things going for him
T H I C C
Duke could be a good guy version of Heisenberg.. one of Miranda's children who just wants to be free from her