Hunter

1:35 Hunter is the antagonist of Metro 2039: the legendary Spartan of Metro 2033, now the Fuhrer of The Novoreich, who has united almost the entire Metro under one banner through propaganda and fear. Deep Silver calls him "the first Spartan". In the earlier games he was the Ranger whose creed was "if it's hostile, you kill it", and his fate was unknown after Metro 2033; he never appeared in Metro: Last Light or Metro Exodus. In Dmitry Glukhovsky's novel Metro 2034 he resurfaces at Sevastopol station. Metro 2039, out Feb 4, 2027, is the first game to show what he became. Plot points of Metro 2033 are touched on below. The clip is ACG's Aug 2026 preview.

Quick facts

Sources: PlayStation Blog, Apr 16, 2026; GamesRadar+, Jun 7, 2026; Hachette UK: Metro 2034; Deep Silver, Jun 7, 2026.

Hunter in Metro 2033

6:57 In the first game Hunter is a Ranger of The Spartan Order, the elite who keep the peace in the Metro, and the man whose words sum up its code. His line "If it's hostile, you kill it." is the name of the Metro 2033 Redux achievement for becoming "a true ranger", and one of the game's levels, HUNTER, is named after him. The game's hero is Artyom, who crosses the tunnels toward Polis to warn the Metro of a new threat (the book's version is on Metro 2033 (Novel)). After that the games lost him: GamesRadar+ notes his fate had been unknown since Metro 2033, and Last Light left him out. The clip is Gaming Harry's retelling of the Metro 2033 game.

Hunter in the novel Metro 2034

53:03 Glukhovsky's second novel brings him back. A year after Metro 2033, a man appears at the Sevastopol station, cut off from the rest of the Metro: Hunter, fighting "a lonely war against the dark" deep in the tunnels. Homer, an old man who knows the Metro's legends and means to write its history as an epic poem, stays at his side, and they meet 17-year-old Sasha. The current Gollancz blurb calls him "Colonel Hunter". Metro: Last Light took a different path from the novel's story, and Glukhovsky said in 2013 that Metro 2034 was "not suitable for a video game". More on Metro 2034 (Novel) and Sevastopolskaya. The clip is WiseFish's retelling of the book.

Hunter in Metro 2039

8:20 By 2039 Hunter rules. Deep Silver describes "a fanatical Spartan known as Hunter" who has united the Metro's survivors under his Novoreich regime and wages a new war for the surface against a "dark and terrifying enemy". His image is everywhere, on posters, propaganda and statues, and his uniform is a decorated Novoreich version of Spartan armor. Xbox Wire's recap called him the man "who has washed the Metro in lies and propaganda" to gain the ultimate power. His creed became the regime's: 4A sums up the Novoreich's attitude with his Metro 2033 line, and in the Renegade trailer his mantra is "The enemy must be destroyed." In a training video in Xbox Wire's preview build he wears black and a gas mask and rants about the Dark Ones, which the writer found more pathetic and insecure than intimidating. The bandit leader Kaban is a known henchman of his. In the clip IGN's previewer, who saw him only teased in the demo, calls him "a post-apocalyptic Hitler".

Why did Hunter become the Fuhrer?

The makers point to his creed. Asked why, creative director Andriy Shevchenko said "that ideology is core here", and executive producer Jon Bloch added "and what that ideology can turn into". How he rose between Metro 2033 and 2039 is not told as of Nov 3, 2026; Deep Silver's in-world cipher puzzle of Jun 8, 2026 has a narrator who tracked Hunter's rise hiding his work in locked boxes. 4A's letter of Apr 16, 2026 names "a new Fuhrer and the legendary Spartan Hunter" in a way that can read as two figures, but Deep Silver, Xbox Wire and the trailers make Hunter the Fuhrer.

Hunter and the Stranger

The protagonist, The Stranger, is a former Spartan who blames Hunter for lies and hypocrisy and believes Hunter has become what the Spartans fought. The Hunter trailer's tagline: "Protect the Metro, from you." Whether the two knew each other is not stated.

Frequently asked questions

What happened to Hunter in Metro? After Metro 2033 the games never showed Hunter's fate; he is absent from Metro: Last Light and Metro Exodus, appears in the novel Metro 2034, and returns in Metro 2039 as Fuhrer of the Novoreich.

Is Hunter the villain of Metro 2039? Yes. Hunter, the first Spartan, is Metro 2039's antagonist, the Fuhrer whose Novoreich rules the Metro through propaganda and fear.

What is Hunter's quote in Metro 2033? "If it's hostile, you kill it." Metro 2039 makes Hunter's Metro 2033 line the creed of his Novoreich.

Is Hunter in Metro: Last Light? No. Hunter does not appear in Metro: Last Light or Metro Exodus; Metro 2039 is his first game since Metro 2033.

Who voices Hunter in Metro 2039? Not announced as of Nov 3, 2026; no Metro 2039 cast has been named.

Sources

• METRO 2039, Deep Silver, undated
• Hunter Gameplay Trailer: There is a liar in these tunnels, Deep Silver, Jun 7, 2026
• Train Departures | Cipher 01, Deep Silver, Jun 8, 2026
• ONL Gameplay Trailer: You've come to the wrong place, Stranger, Deep Silver, Aug 25, 2026
• METRO 2039 - A Letter To Our Community, 4A Games, Apr 16, 2026
• Metro 2039 revealed as the post-apocalyptic shooter series returns, PlayStation Blog, Apr 16, 2026
• XBOX Games Showcase 2026 Recap, Xbox Wire, Jun 7, 2026
• METRO 2039 Isn't Kidding Around, Xbox Wire, Aug 26, 2026
• Metro 2039 will break out of the bunker just in time to join the flood of games releasing in February 2027, GamesRadar+, Jun 7, 2026
• Metro 2039 is a "journey back into Hell", GamesRadar+, Aug 27, 2026
• Metro 2034, Hachette UK (Gollancz), undated
• Metro author Dmitry Glukhovsky interview, Digital Trends, May 19, 2013
• METRO 2033 Redux achievements, Steam Community, Nov 3, 2026
• I Spent 20 Hours in Metro 2039 - Hands on Preview, ACG, Aug 26, 2026 (video)
• The ENTIRE Metro Story... So Far..., Gaming Harry, May 14, 2022 (video)
• The FULL Metro Timeline...So Far | 2009 - 2035 | Complete Metro Book & Game Lore, WiseFish, Jun 1, 2023 (video)
• Metro 2039: The First Preview, IGN, Aug 26, 2026 (video)