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| “ | It wasn't me. It was you. | „ |
| ~ Duke's infamous quote as the Crooked Man. |
Duke McGahan, better known as the Crooked Man, is the titular main antagonist of the 2012 video game The Crooked Man. He is the former tenant of David Hoover's room at the unnamed apartment that he once lived.
Prior to the events of the game, he committed suicide years ago through hanging, thus his ghost assuming the identity of the Crooked Man. It is revealed that Sissi, D, and Fluffy were the figments of his past that David encountered throughout the respective chapters of the game's story.
Appearance[]
The Crooked Man, as the name suggests, has a crooked neck that is unnaturally bent, similar to its original counterpart.
Personality[]
As the Crooked Man, he is sadistic and dangerous, who has actively pursued David Hoover throughout the game, even attempting to kill him many times, as well as driving David insane. However, when Sissi, D or Fluffy are around he prefers going after them and trying to kill them much to David's confusion. After it is revealed that the three of them are facets of Duke, where Sissi has regrets over lost love, D has regrets over failed dreams, and Fluffy's been abandoned. These are all the aspects of Duke that ultimately led to his eventual suicide.
As Duke, he is often portrayed as a tragic figure with a bad stroke of luck, as shown with his failed relationship (the fragment of Sissi), his failed dream as a lawyer (the fragment of D), and the feeling of being abandoned by his own mother in the past (the fragment of Fluffy).
Biography[]
The Crooked Man[]
He claims that his mother "abandoned" him when he was a child. Although the details are murky, his mother reportedly passed away in a hospital when Duke was a little boy, leaving him feeling resentful and abandoned.
Years later, he made the decision to practise law, but no matter how hard he worked, he was never able to pass the bar test. The final straw for him was when his dear girlfriend Sissi, who he had made gifts for and taken to their "special location" in a hotel because he loved her so much, ultimately dumped him. He was really depressed as a result, leading to his vengeful tendencies.
He left his apartment because he couldn't handle it any longer, went to his mother's abandoned home, where he hanged himself to death. Some time after that, he developed a vindictive spirit, in the form of The Crooked Man.
When David first comes into the apartment, he makes the assumption that the problems with the property are related to the previous tenant and sets out to find him. When David sets out to locate Duke, Duke, posing as the Crooked Man, begins to follow him everywhere and repeatedly tries to kill him.
He is also quite resilient to David's attacks, as he forces him into a pit, sets him on fire, stabs him, locks him in a room, and shoots him while still following David throughout the game.
What a sissy[]
Sissi chooses to give up on her attempt to preserve happy memories and throws the priceless box her ex-boyfriend gave her if David advises her not to mourn over her lost love. Sissi spoke slowly, giving the Crooked Man ample time to regain consciousness. The Crooked Man attacks her as she prepares to depart and brutally murders her off-screen before killing David.
Never, ever give up[]
D becomes enraged, thinks David cannot comprehend him, and stabs him to death if David encourages him to keep on with his futile attempts to become a lawyer. The Crooked Man subsequently murders him. After gently approaching David, the Crooked Man says a few words before walking away as the screen starts to dim.
Good End[]
After saving David, Paul visits the vacant home of the previous renter, which in reality belonged to Duke's mother, who had left her son. He learns the tenant's true name by rummaging through the possessions. The Crooked Man sobs after realising David is observing him, at which point he yells.
David advises him to go after shooting him a sufficient number of times since he won't follow in his footsteps. The monster vanishes after hearing these remarks. Later, David goes up to the attic of the home and discovers the hanging body of Duke. David thanks Duke and leaves after realising that every position that Duke put him in was done so to assist him go on with his life.
Duke's body is subsequently found and, most likely by David, buried in a cemetery. David visits Duke's grave in the game's last scene, places several Marlboro smokes next to the grave, and promises to see Duke again.
Playing the game for the second time shows David talking to Duke's ghost before Duke dies away as he visits the attic and recalls the time he was going to commit himself. The fact that his ghost is subsequently seen after David and Shirley had repaired their relationship suggests that he will keep watching over David.
The Boogie Man[]
He doesn't show up, but it is revealed that David had issues with the police because of his case. They suspected David because they didn't think a supernatural entity was responsible for David discovering Duke's death. Duke's death, however, was not supported by any evidence, thus the authorities released him. Keith Baring, the investigator, is first distrustful of David as a result.
Trivia[]
- Similar to his own mythology of origin, The Crooked Man's neck snapped when he hanged himself, which is how his incredibly bent neck came to be.
- The Crooked Man represents Duke's resentment and despair. However, during Stage 3 there is a note from an otherwise-unrelated man who killed himself in order to get away from... something. David also says that he's been hearing "voices" in his head, long before the Crooked Man started coming for him. The Crooked Man in the game is Duke's, but apparently he's had one of his own for some time and it's part of the reason Duke decided to step in. It's even possible that the creature who tries to make David shoot himself in Stage 4 was David's own Crooked Man, not Duke's.
External Links[]
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| The Strange Men Series Villains | ||
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Duke McGahan | The Sandman | Brendon Dumont | Edward Hayes | Robert Hayes | ||