Resident Evil Village's new trailer revealed a surprising detail about its Shadows of Rose DLC campaign: the Duke will be an antagonist. Previously, Resident Evil Village's Duke was a jovial, kind figure that helped Rose's father Ethan by providing him with weapons and supplies - at a cost, of course - even sharing meals with the protagonist. This is why his switch to a villain is so shocking. While it is still too early for full details, there is some speculation as to why the Duke may have switched sides.
Resident Evil Village's DLC Shadows of Rose stars Rose Winters as she searches for a way to get rid of her mysterious powers. To do so, she dives into the Megamycete, the biological agent responsible for the events of Resident Evil Village. In the "mind" of the Megamycete, Rose comes across a woman who looks like her, as well as a masked Duke who appears to summon creatures to attack. Alongside the Duke, the world of the Megamycete itself seems to morph to attack Rose as she seeks freedom from her power. Sadly, not much else is yet known about the expansion's gameplay or story.
Previously, the Duke was an enigmatic character that traveled the map, following Ethan's adventures as he sells items and weapons to him. He was very knowledgeable of events and even provided Ethan with information about the pieces of Rose, the Four Lords, and Mother Miranda, even going so far as to save Ethan on one occasion. Despite this, there is a sort of sinister mystery surrounding the Duke. He never fully divulges everything he knows despite clearly knowing more, leaving many plot threads left dangling in Resident Evil Village. While purely speculative at this point, there are a few theories that may explain the Duke's role change.
The Megamycete May Be Responsible For The Duke's Turn In Resident Evil Village's DLC
One explanation for the Duke's change is that it is not, in fact, the Duke. The Megamycete seems to have control over the world in which Rose travels after she enters its hive mind, going so far as to create threats to pursue her. The Duke seen in the trailer may simply be an image conjured by the Megamycete to pursue Rose. The Megamycete is capable of taking many forms, such as shapeshifting into Resident Evil Village's Mia Winters, so this may be another form the fungus can take. In another approach, it may be that the Duke is infected by the Megamycete and could be using his consciousness within it to defend the hive mind. In this capacity, the Duke could be an antagonist without it being the physical Duke fans know and love.
Another explanation is that the Duke is sent to stop Rose on behalf of a mysterious third party. Throughout Resident Evil Village, Duke frequently mentions "investors" that he never elaborates on. These investors may be an as-yet unmentioned third-party that has sponsored Duke's intervention in Rose's journey, possibly to retrieve the Megamycete for unknown means. Given the Duke's personality, it is unlikely that his interference would be a personal choice, though anything is possible.
Regardless of why the Duke is now an antagonist, it is an interesting choice to use him as such. The Duke garnered a lot of popularity amongst players, with some saying the Duke is RE Village's best new character. Seeing him as an antagonist is certainly shocking to some. Nevertheless, Resident Evil Village's DLC is looking to be a very compelling campaign with the Duke as the bad guy.
