Duke

"Please, let me do it, Colonel, Sir!"

- Duke

Igor Dukov (Russian: Игорь Князев), better known as Duke (Russian: Князь) is a character who first appears in Metro 2035 and returns in Metro Exodus. He is a Spartan Ranger who joins Artyom's crew aboard the Aurora armored train.

Overview
A young Ranger of the Sparta Order, Duke was one of the few survivors of the Battle for D6 - along with Artyom, Miller, Letyaga, Stepan, and several tens of others. One of the youngest aboard the Aurora and recently signed up as a scout in the Rangers, Duke is eager to go on any mission. No matter the danger, he is the first to volunteer. Always testing himself and pushing his limit, often prone to taking risks to ensure the mission is complete. For Duke, this journey is the perfect way to test his own abilities.

Metro Exodus
Duke will accompany Artyom on the final mission in the Volga, to lower the bridge so the Aurora can pass. He, together with Artyom, will confront Silantius in the main control room. Duke's fate depends on how many fanatics Artyom has killed. If Artyom avoided unnecessary casualties, Silantius will tell his followers to hold their fire, and Duke will safely jump on the train together with Artyom. If Artyom killed a large number of Fanatics, however, Silantius will sound the alarm, resulting in Duke getting shot. Artyom is forced to leave Duke behind and jump on the train alone.

Metro 2035
Whilst Duke is a character introduced only in the video game, Metro Exodus, his backstory as well as several lines of dialogue indicate he may well be Letyaga from the novel. During the prologue, when Artyom is rescued by the Ranger squad outside of VDNKh, Duke mentions that Artyom will be getting some Spartan blood, and in the character section of Artyoms dirary, Letyaga's quote "We be one blood, thou and I" is written.

Trivia

 * Knyaz (Polish: kniaź, książe; Russian: князь; Czech: kníže, kněžka; Serbo-Croatian: кнeз, etc.) is a historical Slavonic title that was used throughout the primarily Slavic lands of Eastern Europe, including Poland and Russia. Its most common translation is "lord" or "duke", though in some languages it has evolved to mean "priest".
 * Duke shares Artyom's blood type, AB Rh Positive. However, his patch indicates he is O+.
 * Igor's in-game head model was designed by Maryna Chemerys.

Gallery
Князь