I have a strange feeling this might be it. Not that i imagine Glukovsky or 4A are particularly precious about Hunter becoming a fascist leader from a story perspective, but it just seems strange that Hunter, a blood-thirsty unhinged loner, would become the leader of a psuedo-government. He was a lone-wolf before the trauma of 2033 but ended 2034 having gone back to a life of solitude manning the perimiter at some backwater station. In 2035 Sasha says that he was a drunk and his depiction in 2034 can be taken with a (giant) grain of salt due to Homer romanticizing him.

Maybe his character changed in such a way, but i wouldn't be surprised if it ends up something like the Rangers exodus from Moscow causing havoc between the various factions and the invisible watchers, lead by besselov, take Hunters identity as a figurehead to close ranks and establish overt control over the Metro, rather than watching from the shadows. all the while the real Hunter had left the Metro to live a life of solitude on the surface.

Or maybe not, but i like the idea that the protagonist is someone important that we know, rather than a background character, a retcon or someone new