Duke Nukem, also called Nukem, is one of the Eco-Villains in the animated show Captain Planet and the Planeteers.
He is a dangerous mutant that can shoot radioactive blasts from his hands. He is also a walking disaster area and so his henchman, Leadsuit, like his name implies, has to wear a lead suit to be near him. His primary goal is to cover the entire planet in radiation and turn everyone into mutants like himself.
He is also physically strong as he is the only Eco-Villain aside from Captain Pollution to actually defeat Captain Planet.
The ecological disaster he represents is the misuse of nuclear power. In the two-part Captain Planet episode, Mission to Save Earth, Duke is among the five Eco Villains who create Captain Pollution. They did this by creating and using five Anti-Elemental Rings consisting of Deforestation, Toxins, Smog, Super Radiation, and Hate. Duke's element was Super Radiation. Unfortunately for the Eco Villains, Captain Pollution was destroyed and the Anti-Elemental rings along with him, leading Duke and the other villains to flee.
Trivia
- The titular videogame character Duke Nukem almost had his name changed because it was identical to this Captain Planet villain.
- Nukem's skin design is similar to that of the Marvel Comics character Ben Grimm (also known as The Thing).