Duo Maxwell
Duo Maxwell was a Gundam pilot representing the L2 colony cluster during Operation Meteor.
Duo Maxwell was a Gundam pilot representing the L2 colony cluster during Operation Meteor and the Eve Wars. Known as the God of Death or Shinigami, he piloted XXXG-01D Gundam Deathscythe and later XXXG-01D2 Gundam Deathscythe Hell. Duo was a member of the Sweeper Group and one of five pilots involved in the colonial rebellion against the United Earth Sphere Alliance and OZ.
Biography
Early life
Duo grew up as an orphan in colony V-08744 of the L2 colony cluster, knowing nothing about his family or real name. In After Colony 187, aged seven, he was part of a street gang of orphans that had to steal to survive. The gang was led by a boy named Solo, who became Duo’s closest friend and brother figure.
When Solo died of a fever that swept through the colony, Duo adopted his name, saying “If Solo’s with me, we’ll be Duo.” This marked the beginning of his journey towards becoming the Gundam pilot known throughout the colonies and Earth.
Later, Duo and the remaining street children were taken in by the Maxwell Church. The other children were eventually adopted, but Duo’s foster parents sent him back to the church. He was then adopted by Father Maxwell and Sister Helen, the priest and head nun of the Maxwell Church. During his time at the church, Sister Helen placed Duo’s hair in the recognisable braid that would become his defining physical characteristic.
The Maxwell Church Massacre
In AC 188, a group of rebels revolted against the occupying United Earth Sphere Alliance and used the Maxwell Church for shelter. Duo promised to steal a mobile suit for them so they would leave the church alone. He successfully secured a mobile suit but returned to find the church destroyed in what became known as the “Maxwell Church Massacre,” which claimed 245 lives.
Father Maxwell had been killed in the attack, and Sister Helen survived just long enough to die in Duo’s arms. This traumatic event shaped Duo’s worldview and led him to refer to himself as the God of Death, as he had witnessed so much death at such a young age. Following the massacre, Duo took on the surname Maxwell in honour of his adoptive parents.
Training as a Gundam pilot
In AC 192, Duo stowed away on a spaceship owned by Professor G and the Sweeper Group. When caught, he decided to join the Sweeper Group and became a Gundam pilot under Professor G’s guidance. Three years later, before Operation Meteor began, Duo initially refused to go along with the operation’s original plan to destroy the Earth. He attempted to destroy his Gundam but was persuaded by Professor G to steal it instead and head to Earth to wage war against OZ.
Personality & traits
Duo was by far the most human and sociable of the five Gundam pilots involved in Operation Meteor. On the exterior, he appeared as a happy, charming, relaxed, and laid-back jokester, and for the most part he was. However, he was also a complex person with a terrible childhood that he hid from those close to him. He deeply cared for his comrades and was never afraid to rush to their aid in battle.
Despite his cheerful demeanour, Duo carried the psychological weight of the deaths he had witnessed, particularly the Maxwell Church Massacre. This led him to adopt the moniker “God of Death” or “Shinigami,” a reference both to the amount of death he had witnessed and his effectiveness in combat.
His street upbringing left him with survival skills including lock picking, mechanical aptitude, and the ability to quickly assess and adapt to dangerous situations. Unlike his fellow pilots, Duo maintained a sense of humour and humanity throughout the conflicts, often serving as comic relief whilst never losing sight of the serious nature of their mission.
Skills & abilities
Duo was trained in basic combat, showing particular skill with firearms throughout the series. He employed various technological gadgets when on foot, including a special watch and personal beam-propeller glider. His street upbringing made him a fast and agile runner with excellent escape and evasion skills.
As a Gundam pilot, Duo possessed exceptional mobile suit piloting skills, notably being masterful in evasive and other non-combative piloting techniques. His specialty in mobile suit combat was stealth and assassination techniques, relying on the state-of-the-art cloaking and sensor-scrambling abilities of his Gundams. He initially despised his machine until convinced to use it to become the God of Death, after which he saw Deathscythe as a living being and friend.
Out of the cockpit, Duo was the expert among all the Wing pilots at communications and computer-based work, including bugging enemy communications. As a member of the Sweeper Group, he loved to tinker with scrap metal and junk computer bits, skills that proved invaluable for maintaining and upgrading mobile suits.
Relationships
Heero Yuy
Duo’s relationship with Heero Yuy began when they first encountered each other during the early stages of Operation Meteor. Duo decided to use Wing Gundam as his “back-up” mobile suit, unaware that its pilot was attempting to destroy it. Their first meeting involved a standoff after Duo came across Heero holding Relena Darlian at gunpoint.
Despite their contrasting personalities—Heero being stoic and mission-focused whilst Duo was talkative and humorous—they developed a strong partnership. Duo broke Heero out of an Alliance hospital and they used Howard’s salvage ship as their base of operations. In Endless Waltz, Heero admitted that Duo was the better pilot when they were piloting a shuttle to colony X-18999.
Hilde Schbeiker
Duo’s most significant romantic relationship was with Hilde Schbeiker, initially an OZ volunteer soldier who attempted to recruit him. After discovering he was a Gundam pilot, she interrogated him but began to question OZ’s methods upon listening to his arguments. Hilde eventually left OZ and allowed Duo to stay in her apartment after his escape.
During the series, they worked together staging guerrilla attacks against Romefeller and OZ. Their relationship continued after the Eve Wars, with them operating a scrapyard together. In the sequel novel Frozen Teardrop, they married in MC 0015, though their relationship proved tumultuous. They divorced over financial matters but remained connected through their shared history and eventually their son.
Other Gundam pilots
Duo formed strong bonds with his fellow Gundam pilots: Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner, and Chang Wufei. He often served as the emotional centre of the group, using humour to defuse tense situations and maintaining morale during difficult periods.
Mecha
XXXG-01D Gundam Deathscythe
The XXXG-01D Gundam Deathscythe was Duo’s primary mobile suit during the early stages of Operation Meteor. Built by Professor G specifically for stealth operations, the Deathscythe featured advanced cloaking technology and sensor-jamming capabilities that perfectly suited Duo’s combat style.
Duo initially despised the machine, viewing it as a tool of death and destruction. However, after being convinced to embrace his role as the “God of Death,” he developed a close bond with the Gundam, treating it as a living being and trusted companion. The Deathscythe’s signature weapon was a massive beam scythe, reinforcing Duo’s death-themed imagery.
The mobile suit was eventually destroyed in a military exercise by Trowa, who was posing as a colony volunteer soldier for OZ. Duo watched in horror as his beloved Gundam was obliterated, marking a significant emotional moment in his development as a pilot.
XXXG-01D2 Gundam Deathscythe Hell
Following the destruction of the original Deathscythe, Duo acquired the XXXG-01D2 Gundam Deathscythe Hell, an upgraded version built by the Gundam engineers whilst they were imprisoned on the lunar base. This new machine featured enhanced stealth capabilities and more powerful weaponry.
The Deathscythe Hell served Duo throughout the remainder of the Eve Wars, proving instrumental in several key battles including the final confrontation with White Fang and the prevention of Libra from crashing into Earth. Like its predecessor, the Deathscythe Hell specialised in stealth attacks and close-quarters combat.
After the conflict ended, Duo self-destructed the Deathscythe Hell along with Trowa and Quatre’s Gundams in a symbolic gesture of peace during the events of Endless Waltz.
Full mecha list
- XXXG-01D Gundam Deathscythe – Duo’s primary mobile suit during Operation Meteor, featuring stealth technology and a beam scythe
- XXXG-01D2 Gundam Deathscythe Hell – Upgraded version with enhanced capabilities used during the latter stages of the Eve Wars
- XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero – Briefly piloted under duress by OZ officer Trant Clark to test the ZERO System
- OZ-06MS Leo – Standard OZ mobile suit used during infiltration missions
- OMS-90R Gundam F90 – Briefly used during Endless Waltz
Behind the scenes
Character design and conception
Duo Maxwell was designed by Okawara Kunio with input from series creator Tomino Yoshiyuki and character designer Murakami Shukou. His distinctive appearance, particularly his long braid and androgynous features, was intended to make him stand out among the Gundam pilots whilst maintaining an approachable, human quality.
The character’s name derives from the Latin word “duo,” meaning “two,” reflecting his dual nature as both a cheerful exterior and traumatised interior, as well as his adoption of Solo’s identity. This duality became a central theme in his character development throughout the series.
Voice acting
Duo was voiced by Seki Toshihiko in the Japanese version and Scott McNeil in the English dub. Seki, born 11th June 1962 in Sendai, is a prolific Japanese voice actor known for voicing both heroic and villainous characters. His performance as Duo showcased his range from comedic moments to serious dramatic scenes.
Scott McNeil, born 15th September 1962 in Brisbane, Australia, provided the English voice. McNeil’s energetic performance helped make Duo one of the most beloved characters among Western audiences. His delivery of Duo’s catchphrases and humorous quips became iconic among English-speaking fans.
Cultural impact
Duo won Animage’s Anime Grand Prix Award in 1995 in the category of favourite male anime character of the year. He also won the favourite character poll featured in the Gundam Wing manga during its publication, demonstrating his popularity across different media formats.
In the censored English dub shown on Cartoon Network’s Toonami, Duo’s “God of Death” nickname was changed to “The Great Destroyer” due to religious content concerns. The uncut version retained the original nickname.
Appearances
Television series
Movies
- New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz (1998)
Manga
- New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Episode Zero
- New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Ground Zero
- New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Battlefield of Pacifists
- New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Blind Target
Novels
- New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Frozen Teardrop
Video games
- Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Battle Assault 2
- Dynasty Warriors: Gundam series
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. series
- Super Robot Wars series