Like all Man-Melds, Duke had been infused with "organic nanobots," microscopic robots that enhanced and mutated human DNA..[1] In Duke's case, the nanobots granted him the power to change into strands of organic matter capable of immobilizing or constricting an opponent.[2] Most Man-Melds were hired out to Malleus' clients ranging from national governments to organized crime. However, Duke was part of a smaller, elite group of Man-Melds who served as Malleus' bodyguards, enforcers, and lieutenants. During his service, Duke became good friends with another lieutenant named Archer.
Duke thought serving Malleus was a great deal due to the pay and the prestige. Unknown to the Man-Melds, their powers came with a cost in the form of a "failsafe switch" that Malleus secretly installed in their organic nanobots. [1] Upon receiving an activation signal from Malleus, this switch caused the nanobots to self-destruct, killing their host via molecular disintegration.[1] The failsafe switch was Malleus' insurance against Man-Melds rebelling against him due to their own volition or being persuaded to do so by his clients. To avoid suspicion, Malleus lied to Duke and the other Man-Melds that the sudden disintegration of their comrades was due to defects in their mutated DNA. [3] The Man-Melds accepted Malleus' story so much so that they pledged loyalty to him in hopes he could cure the "defects." [3]
In recent times, Malleus embarked on his most ambitious project yet: Transformation Station, a secret orbital genetics laboratory.[2] As the first step, Malleus ordered Duke and Archer to establish a base from which to launch the Doctor Moreau, a U.S. military rocketship covertly sold to him by industrialist and crimelord Edwin Alva.[4][2] The Man-Melds found the perfect base in the ruins of a Chavin temple in the Peruvian rainforest.[4] Alva covertly shipped the disassembled Doctor Moreau as well as 36 cryogenic chambers to the temple, where the rocket was assembled while guarded by an army of local guerrillas hired by Duke and Archer.[4] This army was supported by the Huenta Aires, a huge winged serpent created by Malleus to eliminate trespassers not deterred by the guerillas. The Huenta Aires also ensured the loyalty of the guerrillas, who thought the creature was an ancient god worshiped by their ancestors.[5]
Once the Doctor Moreau was assembled, the rocketship transported the pressurized modules used to build Transformation Station in low orbit. Malleus soon boarded the completed space station, which now served as his permanent home as well as laboratory.[1] However, Duke and Archer's duties did end since they were now in charge of operations at the temple, from which the the Doctor Moreau would regularly ferry personnel and supplies to and from Transformation Station.[2]
Malleus' smoothly run operations were endangered when the Pentagon discovered Alva's illegal sale of the Dr. Moreau though they did not know the buyer's identity.[2] Malleus began eliminating evidence tying the rocketship back to him. To further cover his tracks, he ordered Duke and Archer to begin evacuating temple base, which would be destroyed with crates of nitroglycerin.[5][2] Malleus then learned a computer file containing Alva's bill of sale to Peru had wound up among the files of Alva's protege, Curtis Metcalf, at Hard Company.[4] Malleus hired the teen computer genius Lender to use the Chavin temple's computer network to steal the file from Hard Company before it was discovered.[4] In exchange, Malleus promised to turn Lender into a Man-Meld.[3] Duke and Archer were initially skeptical of the geeky Lender, but soon took a liking to him and considered him a valued teammate.[5]
When Lender attempted to steal the computer file, he was thwarted by Hard Company computer expert Deacon Stuart. So, Malleus dispatched the armored Fuselage to steal the file by force, but he fared no better after being defeated in battle by Hardware (secretly Metcalf). Unlike the other Man-Melds, Fuselage was transformed against his will and begged Hardware to not let others share his fate. Malleus promptly activated Fuselage's failsafe to kill him before he revealed the geneticist's existence to Hardware.[4]
Ironically, Fuselage's death made Hardware more determined to identify who was behind the attacks on Hard Company. Thanks to information Stuart foundl in Alva's file, Hardware prepared to go to Peru to begin his investigation. [4] This information was also learned by the Preventative Measures Agency (PMA), who had secretly infiltrated Hard Company's computer network on behalf of the Pentagon to find leads on the Doctor Moreau's location and then reclaim the rocket.[2] PMA's infiltration went unnoticed by Deacon Stuart, who had been distracted by Lender's hacking. However, Lender did notice the infiltration and realized the PMA would soon track his hacking back to Peru. Lender alerted Duke and Archer, who accelerated the evacuation of the temple base.[5]
Unfortunately, Hardware and his ally Sanction arrived in the vicinity of the temple base sooner than expected with the help of a local guide. The guerrillas ambushed the trio, but ceased their attack after Sanction gave them a healthy bribe. Lender then unleashed the Huenta Aires that killed the guide before it was slain by Hardware after a grueling battle. Duke and Archer arrived on the scene with reinforcements who captured Hardware and Sanction and brought them to the temple.[5]
Hardware and Sanction were imprisoned with the nitroglycerin that was rigged to explode when the Doctor Moreau launched. The temple was then attacked by a squad of PMA agents, providing a diversion for Hardware and Sanction to break out of their cell. By this point, Archer, Duke and Lender were onboard the Doctor Moreau to escape, but were confronted by Hardware, who broke into the rocket's cabin. Changing form, Duke attacked Hardware, who grievously wounded the Man-Meld with his retractable sword. Still, this short battle gave Lender enough time to complete preparations and launch the Doctor Moreau. The temple was destroyed by the subsequent explosion, but the PMA escaped thanks to Sanction's warning them about the nitroglycerin.[2]
Lender secretly sent a radio distress call to Transformation Station about Hardware being aboard the Doctor Moreau.[2] Once the ship docked, Hardware was promptly attacked by Malleus and the Man-Melds, stripped of his armor, and thrown into the station's prison cell.[2][1] Meanwhile, Duke was placed in suspended animation in a cryo chamber and received an infusion of nanobots to heal his injuries.[1]
Normally, someone in Duke's condition would not be moved during the healing process, but that was not possible after PMA deployed their weapons satellite to destroy Transformation Station along with the Doctor Moreau. Malleus ordered all personnel to immediately evacuate Transformation Station and return to Earth aboard the Doctor Moreau.[1] Under Archer's oversight, Duke and other Man-Melds held in statis were safely transported aboard the Doctor Moreau, which barely escaped Transformation Station's destruction. [3]
After his wounds were healed, Duke awoke to find himself back on Earth. He was surprised the Man-Melds were now on friendly terms with Hardware. Archer explained to Duke how Hardware had exposed Malleus' failsafe and then developed a serum to deactivate it. Malleus was in PMA custody for his numerous crimes, including the cold-blooded murder of Lender.[3]
Hardware asked the PMA to show leniency to the Man-Melds since they had rebelled against Malleus and tried to help the armored hero. Agreeing, the PMA injected all the Man-Melds with Hardware's serum, thus forever freeing them from the failsafe switch. Some Man-Melds were so grateful that they volunteered their services to the PMA. It is unknown if Duke and Archer were among these volunteers.[3]
TransformationThe organic nanobots in Duke's body grant him the bizarre ability to "unwind" himself into a mass of very durable and elastic strands of organic material. These strands are under his complete mental control and can be used for several superhuman feats. It is unknown how long Duke can remain as a mass of organic strands nor how his body's respiration and circulatory systems function in that state. While in this state, Duke can still speak and perceive the world around him.[2]
Elasticity:Duke can stretch his transformed body over incredible distances, whose maximum has yet to be determined. The elastic nature of his transformed body also grants him resilience to blunt attacks like punches or kicks. However, Duke is still vulnerable to injury by bladed weapons.
Enhanced Strength: Somehow, Duke's transformation increases his strength which he uses offensively
Duke transforming
by entwining his strands around victims in order to fatally constrict them. Hardware is the only known opponent to escape Duke's grasp due to a combination of his martial arts skills and the superhuman strength provided by his armor.
Abilities
Duke is an experienced leader and good hand-to-hand combatant.[5][1]
Power Limitation: If injured in his transformed state, Duke cannot revert to human form until his wounds are healed.[2][1]
Notes
It is unknown if Duke is the character's real name or an alias.
Like all Man-Melds, the organic nanobots in Duke's body were equipped with a failsafe switch that Malleus could activate by remote. When activated, the switch broke down the nanobots, causing their host to painfully disintegrate in the process.[1] Duke has taken a serum developed by Hardware that deactivated the failsafe.[3]
