Duo Maxwell

Infobox animanga character
name = Duo Maxwell
series = Mobile Suit Gundam Wing


caption = Duo Maxwell, Gundam Pilot
first =
last =
creator =
voiced by =
alias = Shinigami (God of Death)
age = 15 (series) / 16 (movie)
born =
death =
nationality = L2 colony cluster
relatives =
divider = yes
aux1 name = Allegiance
aux1 = Gundam Pilots, Sweepers;
aux2 name = Rank
aux2 =
aux3 name = Mobile weapons
aux3 = Gundam Deathscythe
Gundam Deathscythe Hell
Wing Gundam Zero
Leo

nihongo|Duo Maxwell|デュオ・マックスウェル|Dyuo Makkusuweru|derived from Latin "duo", lit. "two" is a fictional character from the anime series "Mobile Suit Gundam Wing". He is a central character of the anime and several of the derivative works that make up the After Colony fictional universe. Duo is the pilot of Gundam Deathscythe, one of the five Gundams sent to Earth during the events of the anime. His voice in the animated works is provided by Toshihiko Seki (Japanese) and Scott McNeil (English).

Personality

The American pilot of the Gundam Deathscythe and member of the scavenger organization known as the Sweeper Group.cite web |url=http://www.gundamofficial.com/www_ac/gw/characters/char_duo.html |title=Profile: Duo Maxwell |accessdate=2007-03-07 |work=GundamOfficial.com |publisher=Bandai America] He believes in Shinigami, or the God of Death, rather than God; as he said in , "I've never seen any miracles, but I've sure seen lots of dead people."cite book |last=Katsuyuki |first=Sumisawa |others=Art by Akira Kanbe |title=|origyear=2003 |origmonth=July |edition=English language trade paperback |publisher=Action/VIZ |location=San Francisco, California, USA |language=English |isbn=1-56931-994-4 |pages=pp. 5-29 |chapter=Duo Maxwell] He often refers to himself as the God of Death (or in the edited English version as shown on Cartoon Network's Toonami, the "Great Destroyer").

Despite frequent hardships, Duo tends to keep an upbeat and humorous, if sarcastic, attitude.

History

"Episode Zero"

:"The events described here are as portrayed in material set before the "Gundam Wing" anime.In the anime prequel manga, it is revealed that Duo was an orphan growing up on the streets of an L2 colony. cite book |last=Katsuyuki |first=Sumisawa |others=Art by Akira Kanbe |title=|origyear=2003 |origmonth=July |edition=English language trade paperback |publisher=Action/VIZ |location=San Francisco, California, USA |language=English |isbn=1-56931-994-4 |pages=pp. 5-29 |chapter=Duo Maxwell]

In the year AC 187, after a reckless attempt to steal food from an Alliance military warehouse, he and some other children were taken in and cared for by Father Maxwell and Sister Helen at the Maxwell Church. It is from Sister Helen that he adopts the practice of braiding his hair. Though the other children were eventually adopted Duo was always returned to the church, and remained in their care until AC 188.cite book |last=Katsuyuki |first=Sumisawa |others=Art by Akira Kanbe |title=|origyear=2003 |origmonth=July |edition=English language trade paperback |publisher=Action/VIZ |location=San Francisco, California, USA |language=English |isbn=1-56931-994-4 |pages=pp. 5-29 |chapter=Duo Maxwell]

In that year, rebels would claim the church for a refuge after a battle with the Alliance. When Father Maxwell protested their use of violence, they struck him down and accused the priest and Sister Helen of being Alliance spies. Hoping to appease them, Duo rushed off and stole a mobile suit. Upon returning, he found the church has been destroyed, the Alliance having attacked in his absence. Duo finds Sister Helen amidst the ruins, and before she dies she tells him he has God's blessing. The incident would later be known as the Maxwell Church Tragedy, which resulted in the death of 245 people, Duo being the sole survivor. Following this, Duo was imprisoned for an unspecified amount of time by the Alliance.cite book |last=Katsuyuki |first=Sumisawa |others=Art by Akira Kanbe |title=|origyear=2003 |origmonth=July |edition=English language trade paperback |publisher=Action/VIZ |location=San Francisco, California, USA |language=English |isbn=1-56931-994-4 |pages=pp. 5-29 |chapter=Duo Maxwell]

In AC 192, Duo is discovered stowing away on board a space shuttle and meets Professor G, who is impressed the boy managed to sneak past his security system. He subsequently becomes involved in Operation Meteor.cite book |last=Katsuyuki |first=Sumisawa |others=Art by Akira Kanbe |title=|origyear=2003 |origmonth=July |edition=English language trade paperback |publisher=Action/VIZ |location=San Francisco, California, USA |language=English |isbn=1-56931-994-4 |pages=pp. 5-29 |chapter=Duo Maxwell]

As shown in both the manga and flashbacks in the "Endless Waltz" OVA, Duo joins the Sweeper Group and becomes the pilot of Gundam Deathscythe.cite book |last=Katsuyuki |first=Sumisawa |others=Art by Akira Kanbe |title=|origyear=2003 |origmonth=July |edition=English language trade paperback |publisher=Action/VIZ |location=San Francisco, California, USA |language=English |isbn=1-56931-994-4 |pages=pp. 5-29 |chapter=Duo Maxwell]

"Gundam Wing"

:"The events described here are as portrayed by the Gundam Wing anime series, and focus on Duo's role in the series. See List of Gundam Wing episodes for general plot information."After landing on Earth in the first episode, Duo attacked a mobile suit factory and then attacked an Earth Alliance naval fleet when they were attempting to salvage the Wing Gundam. Duo met Heero Yuy during the second episode, who attempted to kill Duo due to a misunderstanding. After recovering Wing Gundam and breaking Heero out of an Alliance hospital in episode 3, Heero uses Deathscythe's components to repair Wing Gundam and parts ways with Duo. The two encounter each other again during an attack on the New Edwards Base in episodes 7 and 8, during which Duo meets the other three Gundam pilots: Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner, and Chang Wufei.

Duo works alongside Heero until episode 10, when Heero self-detonates Wing Gundam. Duo joins with Quatre and the Maganac Corps, lying low until the decision to travel into space is made by the Gundam pilots in episode 17. In episode 19, Duo and Deathscythe are captured by OZ and taken to the Lunar Base. Duo escapes with Heero's assistance in episode 19, Deathscythe is destroyed in episode 20, and Duo is recaptured by Hilde and the Gundam Scientists in episode 23. He remains imprisoned, along with Wufei, until episode 25, when they are freed by Lady Une; Duo escapes again, taking the incomplete Deathscythe Hell with him.

Duo's next major appearance is in episode 32. He had been living with Hilde and working on completing Deathscythe Hell, but is made to test Wing Gundam Zero's ZERO System by OZ officer Trant. In episode 36 he encounters Trowa again while visiting the circus with Hilde (Trowa was believed to be dead after the events of episode 25), and informs Quatre of Trowa's whereabouts in episode 38. He joins with Trowa, Quatre, and Lucrezia Noin after saving them from OZ in episode 39, and in episode 40, the group links up with Duo's Sweeper friend Howard, who is commanding the spaceship "Peacemillion". Sometime during these episodes, Duo is approached to join the White Fang rebellion, but rejects the offer, due to the group's similarities to OZ.

Duo works alongside the other Gundam Pilots and their allies during the rest of the series. In episode 45, he goes to save Hilde from the rebuilt OZ-13MSX1 Vayeate and OZ-13MSX2 Mercurius mobile dolls, which were programmed with combat data taken from when Heero and Trowa tested the original prototype suits. Duo is able to defeat both mobile dolls. In episode 48 and 49, Duo locates the five Gundam Scientists, and assists them in seriously damaging the superweapon "Battleship Libra". He fights alongside the Maganac Corps and World Nation soldiers against White Fang, and watches Heero use Wing Zero to destroy the wreckage from Libra before it crashes on Earth.

"After Colony 196"

:"The events described here are as portrayed in the manga set between "Gundam Wing" and "Endless Waltz"."Duo Maxwell appears in the three manga series set during the fictional year After Colony 196.

"Endless Waltz"

:"The events described here are as portrayed in the "Endless Waltz" OVA, and in materials set after this date."After working with Quatre to send four of the Gundams into the sun, Duo went with Heero to rescue Relena after she was captured by the Mariemaia Army. During their entrance to the colony, Duo captured a Leo mobile suit, and was pitted against Trowa (who had infiltrated the Mariemaia Army) in a Serpent. The three Gundam pilots are able to prevent a colony drop from being performed, and Duo is knocked out by Heero to allow the latter to escape and reclaim Wing Zero.

After escaping from his cell, Duo, alongside Trowa and Quatre, recover their Gundams and travel to Earth, fighting the Mariemaia Army's invasion force. He and the other pilots are able to defeat many enemy Serpent suits without killing any pilots, and after Heero and Relena defeat Dekim Barton, Duo self-detonates Deathscythe Hell. The end credits show Duo and Hilde together (in the OVA version they are working in a scrapyard, and in the movie version they are in the city having lunch).

The "Episode Zero" story "Preventer 5" shows Duo still staying with Hilde in the year after Endless Waltz.cite book |last=Katsuyuki |first=Sumisawa |others=Art by Akira Kanbe |title=|origyear=2003 |origmonth=July |edition=English language trade paperback |publisher=Action/VIZ |location=San Francisco, California, USA |language=English |isbn=1-56931-994-4 |pages=pp. 5-29 |chapter=Duo Maxwell]

Notes and References

External links

* [http://www.absoluteanime.com/gundam_wing/duo.htm Profile of Duo on Absolute Anime]
* [http://www.gundamofficial.com/www_ac/gw/characters/char_duo.html Profile of Duo on the Official "Gundam" site]