Eduard Baranov

Eduard Baranov, also known as the Captain, is the secondary protagonist of Metro Exodus: Sam's Story.
A former captain of the submarine known as the U.S.S. Mayflower, Baranov later encounters Sam in Vladivostok, and offers his assistance to make peace with the American weapons dealer known as Tom to regain control of the submarine.
However, the plan went completely awry, when Tom's right-hand man Klim suddenly incited a mutiny against the former in an attempted hostile takeover to seize the submarine and use its nukes to bomb anyone he despises in an act of genocide. Later on, Baranov would order Sam to detonate Tom's sub in order to prevent nuclear war from sparking, should Sam opt to press the detonator to do so.
He is voiced by Victor Brandt in English and by Alexander Gruzdev in Russian.
==Background==
===History===
When the war broke out, Baranov was in charge of a nuclear submarine, but he didn't unleash his nuclear payload because other submarines destroyed all of the specified targets, and he never got instructions to hit new targets. The group travelled to Vladivostok after their base was destroyed, only to discover the city ravaged by a tsunami. He was able to gather the survivors and relocate them to the docks, where the submarine's reactors provided electricity until they could construct their own power station.
However, rumours of wealth and success attracted robbers, who rushed to the city in pursuit of a fortune. Despite Baranov's best efforts, the bandits continued to be a nuisance until Tom and his gang arrived.
Baranov grudgingly agreed to Tom's proposal of forming an alliance between their armies to drive the bandits out. Despite Tom's group's merciless efficiency in eliminating the robbers, the commanders quickly battled over Baranov's submarine. Tom planned to rebuild the submarine and use its nuclear payload to terrorise neighbouring villages into cooperating in order to re-establish a functioning government and order, something Baranov became increasingly suspicious of.
Baranov attempted but failed to push Tom and his men away. To ensure that the submarine did not fall into Tom's hands, he and several other crew members opted to replenish the nuclear reactor before setting sail from Vladivostok.
Unbeknown to Tom and Baranov, bandits aligned with Klim attacked and killed them in the city's upper marsh region after his crew succeeded to find the nuclear rods. Baranov was eventually usurped from his leadership position and forced to run, becoming the city's most sought man since he was the only one who knew where nuclear control rods might be found.
===Metro Exodus: Sam's Story===
Sam initially encounters Baranov as he fights off a group attempting to kidnap him in order to earn favour with Tom. He grabs Sam at gunpoint after slaying the bandits and instructs him to down his weapon, which Sam can comply with or ignore.
When Sam inquires about a ship that may transport him across the ocean, Baranov offers Sam a view of his submarine. When the seraph, a new breed of Demon, strikes them while they are ziplining down the destroyed tram line, Sam is separated from Baranov, and Sam is arrested soon after by a group sent by Tom to seize Baranov.
Tom assigns Sam the duty of tracking down Baranov and acting as a mediator. Sam comes upon him fighting humanoids and assists him in retreating to a secondary stronghold. Ed informs Sam about his past on the journey.
Sam informs Baranov about Tom's proposition when they arrive. Baranov is sceptical, but agrees to speak with Tom over Sam's radio. Tom swears that after the refuelling procedure, he will not use the nukes and will leave the town forever. Baranov grudgingly agrees, but emphasises that while he may trust Tom, he cannot trust Klim because of his cruelty and murky dealings with the bandits.
Tom promises to get rid of Klim when the time comes, both to assure the Captain's cooperation and because of his personal fear of Klim for possibly plotting a rebellion against him. They get drunk to pass the time while waiting for the storm to pass after Sam helps Baranov heals his knee.
Sam is aided by Baranov in rescuing nuclear control rods from a submarine station. They tell Tom and return to the submarine after completing the operation. Before they arrive, the Captain explains that one of his cronies hid a charge within one of the nuclear rods in order to prevent Tom's plan from succeeding.
Baranov then gives Sam the detonator, which he will use to blow up the submarine when the time comes. Despite the fact that Tom may not deploy the nukes, he feels the submarine is far too potent a weapon to entrust to just one man, given its potential to destroy anything in its ravaging path. He begs Sam to at least consider his proposition, even though it will prohibit Sam from returning to the United States and achieve his overarching goal of finding his father.
==Trivia==
*In Tom's Ending of Sam's Story, Baranov's fate is unknown after Sam did not detonate the submarine, but it is presumed that Tom executed him for his betrayal.
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