Duke (G.I. Joe)
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| This subject of this article goes by multiple names that apply to other articles as well. See Duke (disambiguation), Hauser. |
- Duke is a human from the G.I. Joe portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
Duke, real name Conrad S. Hauser, is a member of G.I. Joe often serving as the team leader whenever Hawk is somewhere else. With his blond hair, blue eyes, and cleft chin, he really sports that whole "real American Hero" thing. That he's got the skills and combat history to back it all up doesn't hurt, either.
Contents |
Fiction
G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers
In response to the forming of the terrorist organization Cobra and its commandeered Transformers, the United States government assembled a strike team dubbed G.I. Joe. Duke was amongst its earliest recruits, and helped track down Cobra's money trail to narrow down where to look for the terrorists. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #2 He later helped defend the SPS Research Facility from a Cobra attack, and dramatically escaped through a window when the place was blown up. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #3 He was later present when Wheeljack helped free several Transformers from Cobra's programming by hacking into the terrorist organization's network. The Autobot also managed to pinpoint the location of Cobra Island, enabling G.I. Joe to launch a counter-attack against their enemy. G.I. Joe vs. The Transformers #4 En route, Duke made small-talk with Hawk, discussing how they’d probably all get court-martialed if they managed to survive their mission. G.I. Joe vs. The Transformers #5 During G.I. Joe's assault on Cobra Island, Duke ordered his squadron to fire on Megatron. After the battle was won, the Autobots gave Duke a Cybertronian battle mech as a thank you for helping them defeat the Decepticons. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #6
In a far future, where Decepticons had conquered Earth and turned the world into something that looks like it's out of The Terminator, a one armed, no legged, wheelchair-bound Duke that's missing a hunk of his face led the Dreadnoks as part of the human resistance. When a small group of Joes and Cobras arrived from the past in search of time-lost Transformers, Duke was uninterested in their mission and ordered them to join his resistance group. When Barbecue refused on the grounds that they could simply "undo" this future if they succeeded, Duke called them cowards and told them to get the hell out of his face. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #3
As the Decepticon invasion was successfully prevented, Duke got to keep his limbs and face. Back in the regular timeline, he was part of a team of Joes preparing to warp to Cybertron and help defeat Serpent O.R. The Art of War #4 Upon arrival, they joined up with the local Autobot forces and won against Serpent O.R.'s Decepticon army. The Art of War #5
A few months later, Duke and a few other Joes went to Cuba to stop Destro's illegal arms dealing. When they arrived, a team of Autobots had already dealt with it, although Destro had gotten away. While complaining about this, Duke was contacted by Firewall, who told him that Hawk was in trouble in Tibet. Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2 Duke promptly lead a team of Joes to Tibet, where they fought their way past Monstructor and into Cobra-La. There Duke met his idol, Joe Colton, and together they gunned down various mutants and defeated Cobra-La. Black Horizon, Part 2 of 2
Transformers/G.I. Joe
Duke was among the founding members of G.I. Joe in 1939. During the team's first meeting, he spotted and opened fire on a spy, only to be disarmed when the infiltrator pierced his hand with a laser. Along with Flint, Duke later led an attack on Cobra's base on the Fera Islands. The Line He was in charge of Strike Team One, whose task was to take out the shore defenses so Flint's team could call in the fleet. During their mission, the team accidentally reactivated several Autobots buried on the island. Optimus Prime told Duke about the Autobots' long war with the Decepticons, and offered to help the Joes with their own mission. Transformed
With the Autobots help, Duke's troops fought their way across the island, eventually making contact with Stalker, who Duke thought had died in battle. Trial by Fire After thinking up a way to counter Rumble's earthquakes, he figured that with the Autobots' help, they didn't really need the fleet after all. Wolves However, as the Joes approached the Terrordrome, Optimus Prime started regretting getting involved in their war, and told Duke that the Autobots would not aid them any longer. Duke managed to jumpstart Prime's resolve by telling him about the horrors that Cobra had done to their fellow humans, and would keep doing if they weren't stopped. Trenches Upon reaching the Terrordrome, Duke bore witness to Bruticus's activation and subsequent rampage. In the end, the Autobots were forced to sacrifice themselves to destroy the giant. Duke reflected on this, telling his fellow Joes that "There's a fine line between being a hero and being a memory." The Iron Fist
Cobra survived, however, and Duke continued to fight them for the next fifty years. By 1988, he had risen to the rank of commander of G.I. Joe, and listened to Flint apologize for a failed attempt to capture Destro. He responded that Flint's father, Nathaniel, never gave apologies, only results. A short while later, G.I. Joe uncovered two new Autobots who had crashed on Earth, and Duke decided to tell the new recruits exactly what they had found. Together with Stalker and Scarlett, he showed Flint and Spirit footage of Optimus Prime's battle with Megatron on the Fera Islands. Targets of Opportunity
Unit:E comic
Upon approaching the planet Earth, the artificial intelligence Synergy presented footage of the Joes in action so that her crew-mate, the young Acroyear, could learn about his potential allies and enemies on the alien world. Duke could be seen charging into action alongside Scralett and Roadblock on one of Synergy's view-screens. Unit:E
Kre-O cartoon
Duke and Snake-Eyes were stuck in detention by Dr. Mayhem. They attempted to escape by parachuting out of the window, but were caught and returned to detention. The pair were finally freed when fellow captive Spock had Mayhem transported to an alien planet. Detention Escape
Transformers vs. G.I. Joe
Growing up, Duke argued with his step-father frequently. He was also none too keen on his half-brother. Everybody Hates Metroplex
Duke was part of a G.I. Joe strike force that stormed a Cobra hideout housing deadly Creeper bombs. As his squad were air-dropped into the field, Duke attempted to persuade Scarlett to go on a date with him. Scarlett rebuked his advances, but told him that she would marry the Joe who brought her Cobra Commander's helmet. Both Duke and fellow Joe Snake-Eyes accepted her challenge. As the Joes swept across the Cobra base, disabling and capturing many operatives as they went, Duke witnessed Cobra Commander and the Baroness fleeing the scene in a Rattler. Commandeering another plane, and with Scarlet as his gunner, Duke pursued the terrorists. Pandemonium broke out as the Transformers Bumblebee and Starscream joined the fight. The battle ultimately culminated in Cobra Commander's plane being destroyed by a payload of Creeper vines, and Duke and Scarlet rescuing Snake-Eyes from the explosion after his face had been blasted by the head of Cobra.
The Joes later reconvened in T.H.E. P.I.T., where Duke voiced his grievances to Hawk; their triumph over Cobra felt like a Pyrrhic victory, in light of the trauma they had all gone through. The Golden Boys
On his next mission, Duke helped round up many Cobra operatives in the town of Springfield. Afterwards, he was recalled to T.H.E. P.I.T. once again. There, he learned that the planet Cybertron was heading for Earth, and that Scarlett had returned to active duty, though Snake-Eyes had not. Duke and Ace patrolled the skies when representatives from the planet Cybertron came to demand the Earth's unconditional surrender. Having none of that, Duke faced off against Starscream, though General Flagg ordered him to retreat, lest he be caught in the blast of the Coltonbolt fired down from orbit. Duke stuck around long enough to rescue Hawk, Lady Jaye and Flash from Soundwave, and managed to just make it out of the defense satellite's blast range when it fired. I Saw Three Ships
Aboard the USS Flagg, Duke took part in General Hawk's mock-funeral, an elaborate set-up meant to draw Cobra into the open. The plan worked, though the Joes were faced with not only their human enemies, but the combined might of the Decepticobra alliance! Duke, Hawk and Jaye took on Starscream during the battle. But the fight was in truth a ruse within a ruse; as Cobra troops were forced to retreat, a disguised Duke sneaked in among their ranks. At the enemy base of Decepticobropolis, Duke noted that Snake-Eyes stood alongside Destro, confirming his fears that the ninja had turned traitor. Funeral for a Friend
Despite his disguise, Duke was soon found out by Rumble, who presented the captive Joe to Big Boa. Duke managed to stuff a bomb in Rumble's mouth, killing him, before taking on Big Boa and a handful of Cobra Troopers by himself. Once they had been dealt with, Duke confronted Snake-Eyes about his betrayal, and went toe-to-toe with the ninja. During their fight, the pair tumbled into the nearby M.A.S.S. transfer device. In the void between dimensions, the two combatants came upon the lost leader of the Autobots: Optimus Prime! Form Follows Function The three of them were then ensnared by the Quintessons. Recognizing that these "robothulhus" presented a more pressing matter than his beef with Snake-Eyes, Duke nominated they work together to deal with them. Though the Quintessons managed to invade their memories, the trio slipped through their grasp and high-tailed back to normal space. Duke and Snake-Eyes arrived on Cybertron just in time to join Scarlett and repel a Decepticobra assault on Metroplex. The villains were forced to slink away, but they took many prisoners with them. Everybody Hates Metroplex With the enemy forces driven off, Bazooka showed Duke, Cover Girl, Brawn, Mirage, and Rodimus some elaborate scribbles he had created while in a mystical trance; a map to the chamber of Primus. The six of them were joined by Tripwire and followed the map to an underground chamber containing the face of the Transformers' creator-god... as well as Decepticobra guards! Expelled from the Garden
2005 IDW continuity
Duke was among a select few chosen to form the elite U.S. military force G.I. Joe, meeting their namesake General Joe Colton upon their formation. Secret Raiders Scarlett profile in Revolution #2
Ayana "Mayday" Jones served under Colonel Hauser during the Nanzhao conflict. Crisis Intervention
At the time of the Revolution incident, Mainframe last knew that Big Ben was running missions in Eastern Europe with Colonel Hauser. Concorde Hymn
The Decepticon Misfire believed from outdated information that Duke was the leader of G.I. Joe. Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again!
Aw Yeah Revolution!
When Worlds Collide
Energon Universe
- First appearance: Transformers #2
As a kid, Conrad Hauser would test drive vehicles built by his childhood friend Lance "Clutch" Steinberg, until he "went on the straight and narrow." Duke #2
For the first part of his military career, Hauser, or rather, Duke, was considered an exemplary, if not exceptional soldier almost from the get-go, renowned as a born leader both on and off the battlefield. He could boast innumerable successes in extraction and rescue missions with zero collateral damage. Despite this, he turned down multiple promotions, feeling that his place was on the battlefield with the troops, rather than commanding them from afar.
But the trajectory of Duke's life would change forever when he called in a favour from his comrade-in-arms Frosting to fly him back to base in his jet, Viper 2. Duke #1 The trip was interrupted when the jet was ordered to investigate anomalous radar readings coming from the power plant in Farmingham. However, an enemy jet intercepted them and opened fire, before converting into a giant robot and slapping their jet out of the sky. Frosting managed to eject himself and Duke from the craft in time, but the robot sadistically killed Frosting with a clap of its hands. The robot then attempted to kill Duke, but Duke deployed a jetpack and shot the robot in the face with a flare gun before making his escape. Transformers #2
Frosting's death would haunt Duke, as he refused to deny what had happened despite the cover stories, and became bound and determined to find the answers as to where the jet robot came from, feeling he owed it to Frosting's wife and newborn son. This caused him to receive multiple disciplinary actions. Colonel Hawk, not wanting to lose an asset like Duke, tried to talk him into accepting the official story so he could pass a psych eval and return to duty. Duke, however, held his ground, demanding to know what was on Viper 2's flight recorders, but Hawk continued to stonewall him, prompting Duke to leave in a huff, deciding that if his country was only going to lie to him, then he'd find the answers and take out the robot himself.
Six months later, Duke's quest for answers got him invited by Dr. Adele Burkhart to a convention of alien enthusiasts in Washington, D.C.. Initially, Duke was skeptical he'd find anything from the numerous wackjobs in the crowd, but he became interested when Burkhart took Duke aside, explaining that she'd had theories about a new clean energy source from space, but started asking too many questions, which got her sidelined from her profession (which Duke found relatable). Burkhart expressed concern that her findings could be used to create new and devastating weapons, and theorized that in encountering the robot, Duke had stumbled onto a high-tech arms race, with one of the key players being M.A.R.S. Industries.
Acting on this theory, Duke decided to infiltrate M.A.R.S. to scope it out for himself. Once inside the building, he found the company was constructing numerous high-tech weapons, including a kind of robotic armour, which led him to believe that M.A.R.S. had constructed the jet-robot that had killed Frosting. But before he could do anything more however, he was set upon by Mercer, who engaged him in a fistfight until Duke was subdued by countless security goons. The goons were content to trespass him from the building, but Duke's infiltration had also earned him unwanted attention from M.A.R.S.'s head honcho…
Confused about why the corporate goons had let him live, Duke returned to the enthusiasts' convention only to find that to his horror, they had all been murdered. There, he found a mortally wounded Dr. Burkhart, who told him that an Australian had come to the convention, killed all the attendees, and stolen all of her research – except for a device, which she then handed to Duke, urging him to find the truth, as she succumbed to her injuries. Duke had no time to mourn, however, as a SWAT team suddenly burst onto the scene. He tried to deescalate the situation, but the police opened fire on him, and he jumped out a window and disappeared into the night, now more determined than ever to find answers. Duke #1
Duke met up with Clutch, figuring that since he and Clutch went back to before his army days, the MPs wouldn't think to check on him. After helping Duke with his injuries, Clutch was skeptical of his giant robot story, but realized that the device Dr. Burkhart had given him was in fact a tracker for the technology she had developed. Duke was about to leave Clutch's junkyard when they were set on by Rock 'n Roll. They tried to make a getaway in Clutch's jeep, but they were herded into a trap set by Stalker, who incapacitated them both.
Stalker and Rock 'n Roll then took Duke and Clutch to the Pit, where Stalker told Duke that his best bet was to trust the system. Duke retorted that the system didn't trust him. Another prisoner, the Baroness, overheard this discussion and suggested to Duke that they might have something to gain by working together. Duke #2 Duke, knowing the Baroness's history, was skeptical of such an arrangement, but the Baroness pointed out that for all the loyalty Duke had shown his country, his country had given up on him, and asked what it was he wanted.
It was then that Major Bludd and his Blood Hounds launched an attack on the Pit. Rock 'n Roll let out Duke and Clutch only to get wounded in the assault, but the Baroness demanded she be released too, arguing Duke needed her, and Duke reluctantly shot open her cell door. As Duke and Clutch went to Rock 'n Roll's aid, Duke was set upon by Major Bludd, who revealed that he had been the one to kill Burkhart and her convention before shooting Duke in the leg and demanding he hand over Burkhart's device. Duke refused, but before Bludd could shoot him, Bludd was shot in the eye by the Baroness, who then aimed her gun at Duke, hoping to cash in on the price on Duke's head. Duke #3 However, Duke managed to talk the Baroness out of it by pointing out that whoever was after him would likely go after her next. So Duke, the Baroness, Clutch, Rock 'n Roll, and a reluctant Stalker made their way to the Pit's armed vehicle storehouse. The five then put the unarmed but technologically advanced vehicles they found to good use and charged the Blood Hounds. As the enemy pulled out, Duke and the Baroness took the opportunity to make their respective escapes, with Duke using a Skystriker to head to the coordinates indicated on Burkhart's device.
There, his aircraft was shot down by Scrap-Iron's anti-air missiles, but Duke managed to bail out safely and make his way into the M.A.R.S. stronghold, where he discovered a giant battery. Knowing M.A.R.S.'s security systems were listening, Duke confronted them over Frosting's death and vowed he'd be "killing [their] flying robot," only to be set upon by a B.A.T. Duke #4 It was then that M.A.R.S.'s boss, Destro, introduced himself and offered Duke a position in his organization, but Duke refused to work for the people who built the jet-robot. To Duke's surprise however, Destro had no idea what he was talking about. Destro then suggested that perhaps it was the US government that built the robot, and re-extended his offer. Duke gave his answer in the form of a Glasgow kiss, stating he'd rather put all the robots out of commission, so Destro left him to the B.A.T.'s tender mercies. Armed with only an empty rifle, Duke managed to rip off the android's head and spine and then beat it into submission with it. Thinking he had avenged Frosting, Duke collapsed as the M.A.R.S. stronghold self-destructed around him.
Duke was reported dead, but his name was posthumously cleared, with the blame for Dr. Burkhart's death falling on Bludd and his Blood Hounds. Only thing was, Duke was not dead, as he came to handcuffed to a hospital bed. Colonel Hawk explained to Duke that he had withheld the truth from him to protect him, knowing that he would pursue it relentlessly, and that Destro's connections with the US government meant he had to approach the situation carefully. Hawk then took a skeptical Duke back to the rebuilt and recomissioned Pit. There, Duke was surprised to run into Clutch, who, along with Stalker and Rock 'n Roll, had been selected for the "highly trained special mission force" Hawk wanted Duke to head up. Duke turned him down at first, but Hawk showed Duke drone footage of another robot that turned into a truck, explaining that he needed men like Duke who could could put a stop to these robots. Duke vowed that he and the new task force would "destroy them all." Duke #5
Among the talent Duke wanted for the new taskforce was the Baroness, which was met with incredulity from Hawk. Duke responded that while the Baroness was a wildcard, her pragmatism and outside-the-box thinking would be an asset for the team, and argued that it was better that she work for them than for someone else. With that, Duke showed up to rescue the Baroness from two masked assassins and personally offered her the position. The Baroness was skeptical, but Duke explained that he needed someone who wasn't afraid to question authority or play dirty, and that working with him would be preferable to life as a fugitive or prisoner, and she accepted. G.I. Joe Energon Universe Special
Games
Transformers: Earth Wars
- Class: Special
- Lowest Star Rating: 2 stars
- Ability: G.I. Joe Command - Follow Duke’s command! Aim at a defence and the V.A.M.P. will deal some damage. Defences in the area receive 20% (2-Stars) / 30% (3-Stars) / 40% (4-Stars) more damage and get prioritized by all bots for 3.5 seconds.
- Cost: 5 ability points, +3 for reuses.
Merchandise
Pop!
- Funko Mystery Box: Transformers vs. G.I. Joe (Giftset, 2021)
- ID number: 46
- Released as part of the Pop! Retro Toys segment and available only as part of a GameStop exclusive giftset, Funko's Pop! Duke is a super deformed vinyl figure and comes blindpacked inside a Transformers vs. G.I. Joe-themed lunch box alongside a Pop! Megatron figure, a G.I. Joe logo decal, an Autobot logo keychain, and a set of four pins of Duke, Megatron, Optimus Prime and Cobra Commander.
Notes
- A group shot drawn by Hidetsugu Yoshioka as cover art for Pioneer's Transformers 2010 LaserDisc set mistakenly features Duke as a flag-waving incidental character in the crowd rather than Flint, a G.I. Joe who did appear in the series. The reproduction of the piece's lineart in Transformers Visualworks deleted Duke from the image.
- The resemblance of Duke and his role in a military organization fighting a reptilian-themed enemy, and the title character of the 2006 TV show Space-Age Jack, is purely coincidental. Both characters being voiced by Michael Bell was, also, most assuredly a coincidence.
- Buzz Dixon, a writer for the G.I. Joe cartoon, revealed in an interview that Duke was indirectly responsible for the first death of Optimus Prime, who in turn was indirectly responsible for saving Duke's life. The writers of G.I. Joe: The Movie asked Hasbro for permission to kill Duke off, and Hasbro not only granted it, they thought it was a great idea and way to clear out older characters in favor of new ones, so they instructed the writers of the upcoming Transformers movie to kill off most of the original cast of the cartoon series. The Transformers movie ended up being released first, but fan (and parent) reactions to all of the character deaths, especially that of Optimus Prime, were overwhelmingly negative, to the point where a spooked Hasbro changed their minds and ordered the Joe writers to spare Duke. This led to an awkward new dialogue in the G.I. Joe movie stating that the clearly killed Duke had merely fallen into a coma, along with an inserted line at the end saying that he had awakened and was going to recover.[1]
- Duke has been voiced by a few Transformers voice actors over the years from the likes of Michael Bell, Steve Blum, Roger Craig Smith, Jason Marsden, Ian James Corlett and Sean Chiplock.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Grant (グラント Guranto), Duke (デューク Dyūku)