Duncan MacLeod facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Duncan MacLeod
Highlander character
First appearance	"The Gathering"
Portrayed by	Adrian Paul (Original) Jeremy Beck (Young)
Information
Born	1592
Immortality	1622
Teacher	Connor MacLeod Hamza el Kahir Graham Ashe Pierre Segur Hideo Koto May-Ling Shen Otavio Consone

Duncan MacLeod is a brave and adventurous fictional character. He is the main hero of Highlander: The Series, a TV show that ran from 1992 to 1998. Duncan also starred in two movies, Highlander: Endgame and Highlander: The Source.

Played by British actor Adrian Paul, Duncan was born in Scotland in 1592. He later found out he is an Immortal. This means he can't die unless his head is cut off. If he defeats another Immortal in a duel and takes their head, he absorbs their special power and knowledge. This power is called the Quickening.

Immortals often play a secret "Game." In this Game, they fight each other until only one Immortal is left. The last one standing will gain "the Prize," which is all the power and knowledge of every Immortal who ever lived. Duncan was trained in fighting and sword-fighting by his older cousin, Connor MacLeod. Connor was the hero of the original Highlander movie. Duncan travels the world, making friends and going on adventures. He tries to help people and sometimes fights alongside or against other Immortals.

The TV show follows Duncan's adventures in the present day. Flashbacks often show his exciting experiences from hundreds of years ago. At the start of the series, he lives in Seacouver, a made-up city. Other times, he lives on a boat in Paris, France. This is because the show was filmed in both Paris and Vancouver. The last season was filmed only in Paris.

Originally, the TV show was supposed to continue the story from the 1986 Highlander movie. That movie ended with Connor MacLeod being the last Immortal. But the TV show changed this. It said that Connor's final battle didn't mean he won the Prize. Many Immortals were still alive on Earth. Adrian Paul, who plays Duncan, suggested his character should be a new Scottish Immortal. This helped the show avoid being compared too much to the original movie. So, Duncan became Connor's kinsman, born decades after Connor discovered his own immortality.

Duncan's Story

Early Life and Becoming Immortal

Duncan MacLeod was born in 1592 in Glenfinnan, Scotland. He grew up believing he was the son of his clan's leader. Later, he learned he was adopted. When he was 13, he met Cassandra, a secret Immortal. She told him he would become a great warrior against evil.

In 1622, Duncan was badly hurt in a battle. When his wounds healed, he woke up, believing it was a miracle. But his father thought it was witchcraft and sent him away. Duncan was forced to live alone. He then fought another Immortal without knowing it and again recovered from deadly injuries.

In 1625, Connor MacLeod found Duncan. Connor had heard stories about another MacLeod who couldn't die. Connor became Duncan's friend and taught him about Immortals. He explained that some rare people are born with a special power. This power makes them unable to have children. It also activates if they die a violent death. After their first death, they become ageless and can't be killed unless their head is cut off. Connor taught Duncan that other Immortals could take his Quickening if they killed him. This would give them Duncan's knowledge and power.

Connor also explained the "Game." The Game has a few rules, like no fighting on holy ground. It also says that "in the end, there can be only one." Connor spent years training Duncan how to survive. They became like brothers.

Traveling the World

Duncan preferred friendship and learning over fighting. He traveled the world and became friends with other Immortals if they didn't challenge him. His close Immortal friends included Hugh "Fitz" Fitzcairn and the thief Amanda. Duncan and Amanda had a complicated relationship.

Duncan also joined battles and wars when he believed the cause was right. This made him a very skilled warrior. He learned many languages and martial arts. He grew to appreciate different cultures and their wisdom.

• In the Middle East, Duncan trained with an Arabian Immortal named Hamza el Kahir.
• In Europe, he trained with Tjanefer, also known as "Graham Ashe," and then Pierre Segur. Sadly, these friendships ended when his teachers were killed by other Immortals.
• In 1778, Duncan trained with the samurai Hideo Koto in Japan. When Koto died protecting Duncan, the Highlander inherited his katana (sword). Duncan promised to protect Koto's family forever.
• In 1780, Duncan met May-Ling Shen, a Chinese Immortal warrior. He was surprised that "Master Shen" was a woman. Duncan became her student in martial arts. They were briefly in love before becoming friends.
• Duncan later fought in the Napoleonic Wars. There, he befriended the Immortal priest Darius. After the war, Duncan moved to America, hoping for a more peaceful life.

In America, Duncan lived with the Sioux people. He loved a woman named Little Deer and helped raise her child, Kahani. Later, white settlers and a bad Immortal named Kern attacked the tribe. Duncan left society and lived alone for a while.

By 1847, Duncan returned to Europe. In 1851, he learned new sword fighting moves from Otavio Corsone. Their friendship ended because Otavio looked down on Duncan. Years later, Duncan joined the American Civil War. He became a scout for the Union Army and helped people escape slavery. After the war, he traveled between the U.S. and Europe. During World War I, he was an army medic. In World War II, he joined the French Resistance. After the war, he helped people who were refugees before returning to North America.

Modern Day Adventures

In 1980, Duncan met and fell in love with Tessa Noël, an artist. After three years, he told her he was an Immortal. He didn't tell her about the Game, though. She decided to stay with him. He fought other Immortals secretly to protect her.

By 1992, Duncan and Tessa moved to Seacouver. They opened an antique shop. One night, a thief named Richie Ryan broke in. An evil Immortal named Slan Quince attacked Duncan. Tessa finally learned about the Game and the danger. She was scared but decided to stay. Richie also learned about Immortals. Duncan took Richie in, hoping to guide him away from crime. Richie worked at the shop and became like a younger brother to Duncan and Tessa.

For a time, Duncan, Tessa, and Richie moved to Paris. Duncan bought a boat near Notre Dame. Duncan later learned about The Watchers. This was a secret group of people who had watched Immortals for thousands of years. Most Watchers were good and didn't interfere. But a bad group called the Hunters tried to kill Immortals. Horton, their leader, became Duncan's enemy. Meanwhile, Joe Dawson, a Watcher, became Duncan's friend and sometimes helped him. Duncan was shocked to learn that one of Joe's Watcher friends was Methos, an Immortal over 5000 years old! They also became friends.

After returning to Seacouver, Duncan asked Tessa to marry him. Right after, a Hunter kidnapped Tessa. Duncan saved her. He sent her and Richie home while he investigated. But outside, a mugger robbed and shot Richie and Tessa. Duncan held Tessa as she died. Richie then woke up, realizing he was also an Immortal.

Duncan was heartbroken and felt responsible for Tessa's death. He became sadder and quieter. He had Richie sell the antique shop. Duncan bought a gym called DeSalvo's Martial Arts. He kept the old owner, Charlie DeSalvo, as manager. Charlie and Duncan taught Richie martial arts and sword fighting. Richie often fought based on emotion. Duncan felt he had taught Richie enough, and they went their separate ways for a while. They later became friends again but often disagreed.

A year after Tessa's death, Duncan started a relationship with Anne Lindsey, a doctor. Duncan realized his enemies were targeting her. He thought it was best to leave her. Anne saw Duncan seemingly die. He decided to keep his survival a secret to protect her. He left for Paris. Later, he regretted this and told her the truth. Anne had a child with another friend. Duncan prepared to help raise the child so they could be together. But Anne saw how cruel an evil Immortal was. She realized she wanted Duncan to kill him. Anne decided she couldn't be with Duncan. She felt a doctor should save lives, not support killing. They broke up.

Duncan later visited his old home in Scotland. He met Rachel MacLeod, a relative of his clan. She was suspicious at first. But she realized he was the legendary Duncan MacLeod who had returned from death. During this visit, Duncan used his old clan sword to get revenge for his father's death. He learned his father was killed by a Viking Immortal. Duncan and Rachel became friends and had a short relationship.

As the show went on, Duncan lost more friends, both mortal and Immortal. Sometimes, he felt responsible for their deaths. Once, he absorbed the bad energy of an evil Immortal. This made him act strangely and hurt his friends. He recovered but felt guilty. Another time, a bad spirit made him see things that weren't real. It made him attack a friend. He spent a year alone to deal with the pain and guilt.

Duncan started to wonder if his friends would have been better off without him. In the final episodes, Duncan saw what the world would be like if he had never been born. He realized he had a positive effect on many people, even Richie and Tessa.

Movies

Highlander: Endgame (2000) This movie continued the story of Highlander: The Series. It showed that Duncan had defeated at least 176 Immortals by the year 2000. The film also showed more about Connor training Duncan when they were younger.

It revealed that Duncan married an Irish woman named Kate Devaney in 1715. She was not yet Immortal. Connor advised Duncan to let Kate live a normal life and die naturally. But Duncan decided to make her Immortal by giving her a fatal stab wound. Kate hated being Immortal and left Duncan. She was angry at him for making her ageless.

The movie introduced Jacob Kell, an evil Immortal who broke the rules of the Game. He had helpers and was very powerful. Duncan reunited with Connor. He found out that one of Kell's fighters, a woman named Faith, was his former wife, Kate. Connor was tired of the endless fighting. He believed neither he nor Duncan could defeat Kell alone. So, Connor fought Duncan and demanded that Duncan take his head and power. Duncan told Connor he loved him like a brother. Then, he beheaded Connor, absorbing his power and knowledge. When Duncan later fought Kell, he briefly spoke with Connor's face and voice.

A longer ending on the DVD showed that after defeating Kell, Duncan found Faith (Kate) was still alive. She was willing to be friends with Duncan again.

Highlander: The Source (2007) This TV movie continued Duncan's adventures several years after Highlander: Endgame. It showed a possible future where human society was in trouble. Duncan had married a mortal woman named Anna Teshemka. But they separated because she wanted a family, and he couldn't have children. With Anna and other friends, he looked for a special energy place in Eastern Europe. This place might be the legendary Source of Immortality. The closer he got to the Source, the more mortal he became. During their journey, Duncan and his friends were hunted by the Guardian, a powerful Immortal. At the end, Duncan defeated the Guardian. He and Anna seemed to merge with the Source, and she said they would have a child. This movie got mostly negative reviews. Plans for more TV movies were canceled.

In 2008, a short film called "Reunion" was released. It didn't follow the events of Highlander: The Source. It focused on Joe Dawson, Methos, and Amanda. Duncan was mentioned but not seen. Many fans consider Highlander: The Source to be like a "bad dream" Duncan had, not part of the main story.

Books

There were nine official novels about Duncan's life. They added more adventures. For example, The Element of Fire showed more adventures of Duncan and Connor fighting together.

A German novel called Highlander: Die Rückkehr des Unsterblichen (Highlander: The Return of the Immortal) was also released. It was about Duncan wanting to leave the Game.

There was also a series of fan-written books called Highlander Imagine. These books were approved by the show's producers. They told an alternate story where Tessa did not die.

Comics

Duncan also appears in the Highlander comic books. In one story, he helps Connor after a car accident. In another, he helps Connor deal with the effects of absorbing the power of a bad Immortal called the Kurgan. In Highlander: Armageddon, Duncan is captured and forced to fight other Immortal warriors.

Audio Plays

Adrian Paul, the actor who played Duncan, returned to voice him in several audio plays. These stories included The Lesson, Love and Hate, The Secret of the Sword, and Kurgan Rising.

Duncan also appears in Highlander: A Celtic Opera. This opera tells the story of Duncan being sent away from his clan. It shows his relationship with a mortal woman named Aurora, who becomes his wife. It also shows his fights with an Immortal named Fritagern. In the end, Duncan defeats Fritagern in the 21st century after Fritagern kills a cloned Aurora.

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