The G.I. Joe member known as Duke, real name Conrad S. Hauser, has been an integral part of the international organization since their start in comic books and on television in the early 1980s. He has been their field commander through hundreds of adventures. Along the way, he's been captured, tortured, and impaled by a snake. Yet, no matter the danger, he has recovered to lead generations of recruits. Go Joe!
Duke is a real-American hero. Yet, there are some things that confuse us about the character. Items that decades of cartoons, comics, and live-action movies have not answered.
10 Why Was He Given The Codename Duke?
It's obvious why Joe members like Roadblock, Gung Ho, and Shipwreck got their codenames. It's not clear why Duke was assigned his. Part of it could be the movies he watched as a kid. Many of them were the military dramas that starred John "The Duke" Wayne.
It could also be his blond hair and blue eyes -- stereotypical of a true American boy according to those who recruited him. Yet, when he was presented with the name, Duke himself felt it was silly. Nevertheless, the name stuck.
9 How Did Duke And Scarlett Become A Couple
The G.I. Joe animated universe has two main couples. One is Flint and Lady Jaye. The second is Duke and Scarlett. Thing is, there's no mention of how the latter pair hooked up.
In fact, according to comic book history, Scarlett connected with Snake Eyes when she first joined the Joes. She was there when he became scarred and lost his voice. There's no sense of that closeness in the cartoon. As early as the first mini-series, she and Duke are an item.
8 Why Is Duke In Charge Instead Of Flint?
Though this gets into some detail, this question is legitimate. For all intents and purposes, Flint should have seniority to be second-in-command instead of Duke. This is due to holding the rank of Senior Warrant Officer. Either a CW-3 or CW-4, depending on the timeline.
Here's the breakdown. A warrant officer is between commissioned officers and enlisted personnel. As a First Sergeant, Duke is technically a lower rank than Flint, who is able to handle day-to-day command operations. Perhaps it's the fact Duke was there before Flint and a "favorite" of General Hawk made the difference.
7 How Old Is Duke?
Characters don't tend to age in comic books. However, when they're given a birthdate in one form of media or another, it becomes the norm. For Duke, the date of birth is 1948, and this brings up another question.
According to the comics, Duke joined the military in 1960 and served during the Vietnam War. Technically, this puts his age at the start of the comic and cartoon at around 43. His passion is understandable, but would he be put in a field command role in real life? It seems Duke would be an exclusive recruit trainer at that time.
6 How Did Duke Survive Getting Impaled By A Serpent?
The direct-to-video G.I. Joe: The Movie tried to do the same as Transformers: The Movie. Basically, just increase the violence. The 1987 film did that in the strangest way.
In one of the movie's critical scenes, Serpentor sends a serpent-javelin Duke's way and impales him in the chest. The depth of the hole made by the snake signals instant death. Yet, he's only seriously wounded. Well, considering Marvel was part of the production process at that time, maybe Duke gained some mutant healing powers.
5 Why Wasn't Duke's Skill As A Polyglot Explored More?
We know Duke is a skilled leader and an expert in weaponry and hand-to-hand combat. However, he's also extremely intelligent. To the point that he's a polyglot.
In other words, Duke knows several languages, and not by simply listening to Rosetta Stone recordings. He has command of numerous languages and can switch back-and-forth with ease. If the animated series was made with today's animation, this would have probably been shown. Unfortunately, it was still a bit crude in the early 80s.
4 Why Fly With A Jetpack When He Doesn't Like Technology?
While he's not a Luddite, Duke isn't a big fan of technology. Strange for someone who leads a team with the most updated weapons and vehicles. You don't see the U.S. Army using laser rifles.
So, there's a question when we see him during the intro of G.I. Joe: The Movie. Rather than running in or taking one of the organization's boats to defend the Statue of Liberty, Duke comes roaring in with a jetpack. It seems the animators and producers didn't read all of his history ahead of time.
3 How Did Lt. Falcon Serve In The Same Unit As Duke?
Back in the 1987 movie, Duke approves the recruitment of his Green Beret half-brother, Lieutenant Falcon, into the Joes. As a result, all heck breaks loose. To the point the younger sibling, voiced in the movie by Don Johnson, allows COBRA forces to break into The Pit and rescue Sperpentor.
Question is, how did Falcon serve in the same unit as Duke? Unlike the Navy, which doesn't allow siblings to serve on the same ship, there's no rule within the U.S. Army that prevents this. Thus, being a combination of numerous ground forces, the outcome probably wouldn't have changed.
2 Why Doesn't Duke Wear Body Armor?
Come to think of it, why don't any of the Joes were any shielding? These guys are the front line of battle, so they encounter COBRA's soldiers, B.A.T.s and vehicles -- all with laser guns. The Joes aren't invulnerable. Heck, members like Roadblock and Gung Ho run into the firing line almost shirtless.
As the field leader and second in command, Duke needs to set an example. So, unless his button-down shirt is actually a new version of Kevlar, he needs to armor up. Frankly, getting stabbed in the chest by a flying serpent should have been his first clue to do this.
1 Why Hasn't Duke Retired?
The easy answer to this is because the writers keep him active through various media outlets. However, if Duke was a real-life warrior, we'd wonder why he wouldn't give up and spend time with Scarlett in a house that overlooks the Mississippi?
When the Joes disbanded, Duke went into covert ops. When his actions resulted in the return of COBRA Commander, he returned to the G.I. Joe organization as an advisor. While he is one of the most patriotic soldiers out there, he's due some rest.