Out of all the characters introduced in Resident Evil Village, no one is more mysterious than The Duke, and Capcom missed the perfect chance to expand upon his character. Players learn very little about this peculiar shopkeeper throughout the game. He appears when the main character, Ethan Winters, needs him most to supply ammo, weapon upgrades, and recipes. The Duke can also make special meals for players to permanently enhance their stats, such as decreasing the damage taken when blocking. After cooking each recipe, he implies that there is enough food for Ethan, but nothing more is said by either character. This moment should have been used as an opportunity for players to learn more about both The Duke and the village.

[Warning - minor spoilers for Resident Evil Village follow.]

Some of the franchise's best characters appear in Resident Evil Village, from design to narrative depth, everyone in the game has a distinct personality and feels like they are a part of the world. Players spend almost the entire game being chased and thrashed by all manner of monsters, such as the lycans, and Ethan Winters meets face-to-face with the Four Lords of the Village early on in the story and has to make his way through a deadly onslaught of horrifying creatures to save his daughter Rose from Mother Miranda. Amid this chaos is where players encounter the strange and larger-than-life shop owner known as The Duke.

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From the moment he was introduced, The Duke became a favorite Resident Evil character, with his joyful attitude and wicked sense of humor. While running and defending themselves from all the dangers found in the game, players come across various animals they can hunt for ingredients. The Duke suggests that there is enough food from the meals he prepares to share with Ethan, but players are left with just the stat upgrade. While more details are found about the village throughout the game, players need to piece together information not only from Resident Evil Village itself, but from events that occur in other notable installments in the franchise, like Resident Evil 4. The Duke is often used to shed some light on the Four Lords, Mother Miranda, and Rose's involvement in their plot. Each meal could have been an opportunity for The Duke to share with players more RE lore, acting as a bonus reward on top of the stat increases.

Little Is Known About The Odd Shopkeeper Of Resident Evil Village

The Duke is a very bizarre character, always appearing when he is needed most in the game. Aside from selling players an assortment of goods, he also acts as something of a guide. The Duke proposes where Ethan should go to rescue his daughter, which inadvertently helps to destroy the Four Lords and Mother Miranda in the process. Before the final fight, The Duke laments that the village, his place of business, is destroyed. Ethan then asks him who he is, but The Duke just replies, "Even I can't quite answer that," creating a mysterious shroud over the man's origins.

With the game being full of relentless turmoil, caused by Resident Evil Village's Four Lords, the humorous shopkeeper is a welcome face for players. The Duke often relays important details to Ethan throughout his journey which he seemingly should not know, adding to his inexplicable nature. While his whereabouts remain unknown at the end of the game, it is possible that this delight of a character might appear in the sequel to Resident Evil Village. Perhaps that will finally be the opportunity to get to know him better - even if it's not over a hot meal.

Next: Resident Evil Village Repeats RE4's Combinable Item Mistake