The Doomguy (also spelt Doom Guy, as well as referred to as the Doom Marine, Doom Slayer or just the Slayer in ''
Doom
Doom is another name for damnation.
Doom may also refer to:
People
* Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed
* Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist
* Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher
* L ...
'' (2016) and ''
Doom Eternal
''Doom Eternal'' is a first-person shooter game developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. The sequel to ''Doom'' (2016), and the sixth main game in the ''Doom'' series, it was released on March 20, 2020, for Windows, PlaySt ...
'') is a
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
and the protagonist of the ''
Doom
Doom is another name for damnation.
Doom may also refer to:
People
* Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed
* Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist
* Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher
* L ...
'' video game franchise of first-person shooters created by
id Software
id Software LLC () is an American video game developer based in Richardson, Texas. It was founded on February 1, 1991, by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and ar ...
. He was created by American video game designer
John Romero
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
. He was introduced as the
player character
A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...
in the original 1993 video game ''
Doom
Doom is another name for damnation.
Doom may also refer to:
People
* Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed
* Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist
* Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher
* L ...
''. Within the ''Doom'' series, Doomguy is a
demon hunter
Demon Hunter is an American Christian metal band from Seattle, Washington, started in 2000 by brothers Don Clark and Ryan Clark. Although the brothers created the band together, only Ryan remains, since Don left the band to take care of his ...
space marine
The space marine, an archetype of military science fiction, is a kind of soldier who operates in outer space or on alien worlds. Historical marines fulfill multiple roles: ship defence, boarding actions, landing parties, and general-purpose hi ...
dressed in green combat armor who rarely speaks onscreen, and his personality and backstory were intentionally vague to reinforce his role as a
player avatar. In ''
Doom Eternal
''Doom Eternal'' is a first-person shooter game developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. The sequel to ''Doom'' (2016), and the sixth main game in the ''Doom'' series, it was released on March 20, 2020, for Windows, PlaySt ...
'', he is voiced by American voice actor Matthew Waterson, while Jason Kelley voices the character in that game's downloadable content ''The Ancient Gods: Part Two''. He has appeared in several other games developed by id Software, including ''
Quake Champions
''Quake Champions'' is a first-person arena shooter developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fifth main entry in the '' Quake'' series, following 2005's ''Quake 4''. The game was first released in early access on ...
'' and ''
Quake III Arena
''Quake III Arena'' is a 1999 multiplayer-focused first-person shooter developed by id Software. The third installment of the ''Quake'' series, ''Arena'' differs from previous games by excluding a story-based single-player mode and focusing prima ...
''.
He has been featured in several other game franchises, including his likeness as a
customizable skin for the
Mii Gunner character in ''
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting video game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeed ...
'', being added as an outfit in ''
Fall Guys
''Fall Guys'' (formerly known as ''Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout'') is a free-to-play platform battle royale game developed by Mediatonic. The game involves up to 60 players who control jellybean-like creatures and compete against each other ...
'', and an outfit in ''
Fortnite
''Fortnite'' is an online video game developed by Epic Games and released in 2017. It is available in three distinct game mode versions that otherwise share the same general gameplay and game engine: ''Fortnite Battle Royale'', a free-to-p ...
''. He received mainly positive reviews, with some critics praising him for being a competent protagonist.
Concept and creation
The Marine is not referred to by name in the original game. Romero described this choice as increasing player immersion: "There was never a name for the
'Doom''marine because it's supposed to be YOU
he player
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
.
The character sprites were created by Adrian Carmack, based on an initial sketch and clay model he made.
In 2017,
John Romero
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
stated that he was the original model of the character for the cover box art.
[
] In 2020, Romero revealed that the real name of the character is Doomguy. In 2021, ''Doom Eternal's'' director Hugo Martin revealed that the female Doomguy was nearly added, but scrapped due to how much of an endeavor it would have been.
Tom Hall's original design draft, "The Doom Bible", described several planned characters, all of whom went unused in the final version. The sole non-playable character, Buddy Dacote, bore the most similarities to the original game's eventual protagonist. "Dacote" is an acronym for "Dies at conclusion of this episode", and Buddy was supposed to be killed by a
boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, a ...
at the end of the planned third episode. In the
finished product
In Production (economics), production, a final product, or finished product is a product (business), product that is ready for sale.Wouters, Mark; Selto, Frank H.; Hilton, Ronald W.; Maher, Michael W. (2012): ''Cost Management: Strategies for Bus ...
, this nearly happens to the Marine in the final level of the first episode, but the player survives. Later, when asked, Tom Hall and John Romero confirmed that the Marine was, at least originally, a descendant of
Wolfenstein
''Wolfenstein'' is a series of World War II video games originally developed by Muse Software. The majority of the games follow William "B.J." Blazkowicz, an American Army captain and his fight against the Axis powers. Earlier titles are center ...
protagonist
B.J. Blazkowicz.
Characterization
Doom and Doom II
The unnamed protagonist of the series is a Marine who often referred to in the fan community as the "Doomguy". While id Software chose a somewhat generic, white male pictorial representation of the Marine for the box art, as well as gameplay purposes (damage feedback, story transitions), the true identity of the Doom Marine is meant to be the player themselves and so these depictions should only be considered illustrative.
On the box art for the original ''
Doom
Doom is another name for damnation.
Doom may also refer to:
People
* Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed
* Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist
* Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher
* L ...
'', which was done by
Don Ivan Punchatz Don Ivan Punchatz (September 8, 1936 – October 22, 2009) was a science fiction and fantasy artist who drew illustrations for numerous books and publications, including magazines such as '' Heavy Metal'', ''National Geographic'', ''Playboy'', and ...
, this shows the Doomguy firing a weapon (which doesn't make an appearance in the final game) at a horde of Demons below him as one of them grabs his left wrist, while a fellow Marine (similar battle dress uniform, except in grey) in the background is rushing to catch up. This image is also used in the introduction screen of ''Doom'', where the Doomguy has a shotgun clutched in his left hand, while a Baron of Hell kills the grey-uniformed Marine in the background. The Doomguy appears without a helmet, in the ending to ''
The Ultimate Doom
The present article is a list of known platforms to which ''Doom'' has been confirmed to be ported.
''Doom'' is one of the most widely ported video games. Since the original MS-DOS version, it has been released officially for a number of operatin ...
'' episode IV "Thy Flesh Consumed", then again in the cover art of ''Doom II'' where he is fighting a
Cyberdemon
The Cyberdemon is a fictional character in the Doom (franchise), ''Doom'' video game franchise by id Software, where it was introduced in the first-person shooter game ''Doom (1993 video game), Doom'' in 1993. It has appeared in several other id ...
with a shotgun.
For the player's in-game avatar in single-player mode (also seen in the ending of ''
Doom II
''Doom II'', also known as ''Doom II: Hell on Earth'', is a first-person shooter game by id Software. It was released for MS-DOS computers in 1994 and Macintosh computers in 1995. Unlike the original ''Doom'', which was initially only available ...
''), the Doomguy wears green armor and a light grey space helmet that conceals his facial features. Several corpses of other Marines are occasionally encountered, and they feature the same uniform as the Doomguy. In multiplayer mode there is a
palette swap
This list includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players.
0–9
A
...
applied; with green and grey for players one and two in co-op, while in deathmatch there is a choice of green, red, brown and indigo/blue.
For ''Doom'' and ''Doom II'', the Doomguy's face is seen in the game's
HUD
Hud or HUD may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Hud'' (1963 film), a 1963 film starring Paul Newman
* ''Hud'' (1986 film), a 1986 Norwegian film
* ''HUD'' (TV program), or ''Heads Up Daily'', a Canadian e-sports television program
Places
* Hud, Fa ...
, where it is shown as a white male with light brown hair, a
buzz cut
Lovelytheband (stylized in all lowercase) is an American indie pop band that formed in 2016 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The band consists of vocalist Mitchy Collins, guitarist Jordan Greenwald, and drummer Sam Price. The band is ...
, and blue eyes. In ''Doom'', ''Doom II'', and ''
Final Doom
''Final Doom'' is a first-person shooter video game developed by TeamTNT, and Dario and Milo Casali, and was released by id Software and distributed by GT Interactive in 1996. It was released for MS-DOS and Macintosh computers, as well as for the ...
'', the Marine expresses little emotion at the horror unfolding around him, maintaining a stern and alert glare, eyes constantly darting left and right. When the Marine takes damage, his reaction is a mixture of pain and anger. The Marine grins upon picking up a new weapon, and the most emotional face is seen when the Marine suffers 20
hit points
Health is an attribute in a video game or tabletop game that determines the maximum amount of damage or loss of stamina that a character or object can take before dying or losing consciousness. In role-playing games, this typically takes the for ...
or more taken away during a single attack, showing a shocked face.
The Marine in ''
Doom 64
''Doom 64'' is a first-person shooter game by Midway Games. It was first released for the Nintendo 64 in 1997, as the second spin-off game in the ''Doom'' series after ''Final Doom'' (1996), and the third game in the series overall. A remast ...
'' is less muscular, with slightly modified green armor with black highlights, a black helmet with an antenna, and a blue visor. In ''
Wolfenstein RPG
''Wolfenstein RPG'' is a first-person shooter and role-playing video game developed by id Software and Fountainhead Entertainment, released in September 2008 for mobile phones and in May 2009 for iOS.
Plot
While the original ''Wolfenstein 3D'' c ...
'', it is hinted that the Doom 64 Marine is a descendant of
William "B.J." Blazkowicz, to whom the Marine's helmetless look in the original games bears a striking similarity. In a reference to the Marine's confrontation with the
Cyberdemon
The Cyberdemon is a fictional character in the Doom (franchise), ''Doom'' video game franchise by id Software, where it was introduced in the first-person shooter game ''Doom (1993 video game), Doom'' in 1993. It has appeared in several other id ...
, when Blazkowicz defeats the "Harbinger of Doom", the creature states that he will return in the future to confront his descendants.
Doom 3
In ''
Doom 3
''Doom 3'' is a 2004 survival horror first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. ''Doom 3'' was originally released for Microsoft Windows on August 3, 2004, adapted for Linux later that year, and ported ...
'', the Marine's appearance is similar to that of his classic ''Doom'' incarnation as he wears green armor with exposed arms, but the Marine's facial features are not concealed, his muscular build is less exaggerated, and he has thick black hair. During the game the player can interact with several characters, most of whom, like Sergeant Kelly, give the player some briefing regarding his mission. The player character remains silent throughout and is portrayed as tough and fearless in the game's cut scenes; generally only glaring at the demons he sees. When he discovers the towering Cyberdemon for the game's final battle, however, he steps back in fear.
The Doomguy in the expansion ''
Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil'' is a different character than the Marine in ''Doom 3'', being older and more heavyset with a
buzz cut
Lovelytheband (stylized in all lowercase) is an American indie pop band that formed in 2016 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The band consists of vocalist Mitchy Collins, guitarist Jordan Greenwald, and drummer Sam Price. The band is ...
, and is a Marine combat engineer.
Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal
Contrary to previous incarnations, ''
Doom 2016''
's Marine is more vaguely characterized: the Doom Slayer is never seen nor heard other than from the first person, and other than gameplay at the beginning of the game that shows him having a white skin color and the muscular masculine suit seen in the introduction, practically no details are revealed. The Doom Slayer's eyes and nose can be made out through the visor of his helmet on the game's box art, the 3D model viewer, and his ''
Quake Champions
''Quake Champions'' is a first-person arena shooter developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fifth main entry in the '' Quake'' series, following 2005's ''Quake 4''. The game was first released in early access on ...
'' appearance. It has been also noted for its visibly irreverent tone conveyed by its hand gestures,
fist bump
A fist bump (also known as a bro fist or power five) is a gesture similar in meaning to a handshake or high five. A fist bump can also be a symbol of giving respect or approval, as well as companionship between two people. It can be followed ...
ing a small Doomguy
figurine
A figurine (a diminutive form of the word ''figure'') or statuette is a small, three-dimensional sculpture that represents a human, deity or animal, or, in practice, a pair or small group of them. Figurines have been made in many media, with cl ...
,
and a late-game moment where the Doom Slayer decides to make a backup of a friendly AI rather than erasing it.
''Doom Eternal'' is more specific about The Slayer's characterization relative to the previous episode: Doomguy is seen without a helmet in first-person, and for the first time in the series' history, he also speaks, voiced in flashback by Matthew Waterson. According to the character description, he is 6'8" (203 cm) and weighs 360 lbs. (163 kg). He also follows the streak for irreverence: a room in his Fortress of Doom is filled with
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
s, collectible
figurine
A figurine (a diminutive form of the word ''figure'') or statuette is a small, three-dimensional sculpture that represents a human, deity or animal, or, in practice, a pair or small group of them. Figurines have been made in many media, with cl ...
s, and
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
s. Doomguy also contains alternate costumes, including a winged
unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead.
In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years o ...
skin.
Appearances
Doomguy appears as the lead of the original 1993 video game ''
Doom
Doom is another name for damnation.
Doom may also refer to:
People
* Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed
* Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist
* Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher
* L ...
'', and its sequels ''
Doom II: Hell On Earth'', and ''
Doom 64
''Doom 64'' is a first-person shooter game by Midway Games. It was first released for the Nintendo 64 in 1997, as the second spin-off game in the ''Doom'' series after ''Final Doom'' (1996), and the third game in the series overall. A remast ...
'', the 2004 series reboot ''
Doom 3
''Doom 3'' is a 2004 survival horror first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. ''Doom 3'' was originally released for Microsoft Windows on August 3, 2004, adapted for Linux later that year, and ported ...
'', and its expansion pack ''
Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil'', the 2016 series reboot, also titled
''Doom'', and in its sequel ''
Doom Eternal
''Doom Eternal'' is a first-person shooter game developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. The sequel to ''Doom'' (2016), and the sixth main game in the ''Doom'' series, it was released on March 20, 2020, for Windows, PlaySt ...
''.
Doomguy also appeared in the mobile game ''
Doom RPG
''Doom RPG'' is a mobile phone game developed by Fountainhead Entertainment and published by JAMDAT Mobile. It combines the ''Doom'' first-person shooter franchise with role-playing video game elements. The storyline incorporates many similar even ...
'' and ''
Doom II RPG
''Doom II RPG'' is a first-person shooter role-playing video game developed and published by id Software. It is the sequel to ''Doom RPG''. It was released for mobile phones on November 23, 2009 and for iPhones on February 8, 2010. It uses the ...
''. and in 2016's ''
Doom Pinball
''Doom'' is a 2016 first-person shooter game developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the first major installment in the Doom (franchise), ''Doom'' series since 2004's ''Doom 3''. Players take the role of an unnamed ...
'', the virtual
pinball
Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...
adaptation of that game developed by
Zen Studios
Zen Studios is a Hungarian video game developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software with headquarters in Budapest, Hungary and offices in the United States. It is known for its game franchises, ''Pinball FX'' and ''Zen Pinball'', a ...
as one of the three tables of the ''Bethesda Pinball'' pack, an add-on for ''
Zen Pinball 2
''Zen Pinball 2'' is a pinball video game developed by Zen Studios for the Wii U, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Android, and PlayStation Vita. The game was announced on April 9, 2012. The first PlayStation versions were released on September 4, 20 ...
'', ''
Pinball FX 2
''Pinball FX 2'' (stylized as ''Pinball FX2'') is a pinball video game for Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows ( XP and higher) and is the sequel to '' Pinball FX''. It was developed by Zen Studios and published by Microsoft Studios. It was ...
'' and ''
Pinball FX 3
Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...
''.
Other appearances
The Marine's corpse appears in a secret area in ''
Duke Nukem 3D
''Duke Nukem 3D'' is a first-person shooter video game developed by 3D Realms. It is a sequel to the platform games ''Duke Nukem'' and ''Duke Nukem II'', published by 3D Realms.
''Duke Nukem 3D'' features the adventures of the titular Duke Nuke ...
''; they are seen halfway through their ''Classic Doom'' death animation clutching their throat and gurgling, surrounded by various Satanic iconography. Upon seeing them,
Duke Nukem
''Duke Nukem'' is a video game series named for its main character, Duke Nukem. Created by the company Apogee Software Ltd. (now 3D Realms) as a series of video games for personal computers, the series expanded to games released for various co ...
says, "That's one doomed space marine". Doomguy's outfit appears in ''
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
''Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3'' is a 2001 skateboarding video game and the third installment in the ''Tony Hawk's (series), Tony Hawk's'' series. It was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision under the Activision O2 label in 2001 for th ...
''. In the Saturn version of ''
Quake'', the Marine briefly appears at the end of the bonus feature "Dank & Scuz".
Doomguy also appeared in ''
Quake Champions
''Quake Champions'' is a first-person arena shooter developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fifth main entry in the '' Quake'' series, following 2005's ''Quake 4''. The game was first released in early access on ...
''.
In ''
Quake III Arena
''Quake III Arena'' is a 1999 multiplayer-focused first-person shooter developed by id Software. The third installment of the ''Quake'' series, ''Arena'' differs from previous games by excluding a story-based single-player mode and focusing prima ...
'', the Marine appears in three levels under the name "Doom". The character "Phobos" is also a Doom Marine, though his skin is darker and his armor is orange rather than green. The third Doom Marine in the game, a woman named "Crash" is mentioned as being Doom's training instructor before arriving at the Arena. A Doomguy costume was made available in ''
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout'', along with
Cyberdemon
The Cyberdemon is a fictional character in the Doom (franchise), ''Doom'' video game franchise by id Software, where it was introduced in the first-person shooter game ''Doom (1993 video game), Doom'' in 1993. It has appeared in several other id ...
and Cacodemon on January 12, 2021, for a limited time. Doom Slayer appears as a
Mii
A Mii ( ) is a customizable avatar used on several Nintendo video game consoles and mobile apps. Miis were first introduced on the Wii console in 2006 and later appeared on the 3DS, Wii U, the Switch, and various apps for smart devices. Miis c ...
Fighter Costume in ''
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting video game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeed ...
'', which was released as downloadable content in October 2021. In December 4 2022, Doom Slayer appeared as an outfit alongside mutiple other Doom themed cosmetics in the ''
Fortnite
''Fortnite'' is an online video game developed by Epic Games and released in 2017. It is available in three distinct game mode versions that otherwise share the same general gameplay and game engine: ''Fortnite Battle Royale'', a free-to-p ...
'' Chapter 4, Season 1 ''
Battle pass
In the video game industry, a battle pass is a type of monetization approach that provides additional content for a game usually through a tiered system, rewarding the player with in-game items for playing the game and completing specific chal ...
''.
Novels
In the 1990s
''Doom'' novels, the main character is referred to as Flynn "Fly" Taggart. For the ''Doom 3'' novels, the Marine's name is John Kane. His past is similar to that of the protagonist in the original ''Doom'', having been demoted after disobeying the command to save some of his fellow marines. During the Hellish invasion, Kane is forced to take command of several of the surviving marines despite his stripped ranking. He battles the demons singlehandedly or with a few other marines. He is depicted as compassionate to his fellow survivors, working to save the child Theo and to save the damned in Hell. After volunteering to enter Hell to retrieve the soul cube, Campbell is shown as very impressed by him. He and Maria start to feel romantic ties to each other. During the end of ''
Doom 3: Maelstrom'', Kane's leg is blown off and he is admired as the "man who saved Mars City". He also appeared in the point-and-click visual novel ''
Doomed Love
''Doomed Love'' is a Point-and-click adventure game, point-and-click visual novel released on Itch.io on June 11, 2021, that serves as an unofficial adaptation of the 1993 video game Doom (1993 video game), ''Doom'' (created by John Carmack, Joh ...
'' on
Itch.io.
Film
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
,
Vin Diesel
Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor. One of the world's highest-grossing actors, he is best known for playing Dominic Toretto in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise.
Diesel began audition ...
and
Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the developm ...
were mooted for the role of Doomguy in the 2005 film ''
Doom
Doom is another name for damnation.
Doom may also refer to:
People
* Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed
* Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist
* Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher
* L ...
'', with
Karl Urban
Karl-Heinz Urban (born 7 June 1972) is a New Zealand actor. His career began with appearances in New Zealand films and TV series such as '' Xena: Warrior Princess''. His first Hollywood role was in the 2002 horror film ''Ghost Ship''. Since t ...
ultimately cast in the role of John "Reaper" Grimm in September 2004. Urban underwent military training for two weeks under military advisor Tom McAdams. The film's first person shooter sequence, told from Doomguy/Reaper's perspective, was completely directed by visual effects supervisor
Jon Farhat
Jon Farhat is a motion picture visual effects supervisor and second unit director who was nominated at the 67th Academy Awards for the film '' The Mask'', in the category of Best Visual Effects. His nomination was shared with Tom Bertino, Scott ...
and was filmed in 14 days after a planning period of three months. While the scene is one continuous shot, multiple cuts, that Farhat called "hook-ups", were made during filming, Farhat stated: "You can do it by moving a camera, and passing something, and cutting. And then rolling the camera again on a subsequent date." Other hook-up styles were used by using a green screen or blue screen when a door opens or jump cutting by whipping an object. Doomguy/Reaper's gun was only used on-screen when it was needed due to its size affecting the aspect ratio.
For the 2019 film ''
Doom: Annihilation'' director
Tony Giglio
Tony Giglio is an American film director (born June 3, 1971) from Medford, Massachusetts. He graduated from Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded i ...
created the character of gender-swapped Doomguy Joan Dark after taking inspiration from ''
The Terminator
''The Terminator'' is a 1984 American science fiction action film directed by James Cameron. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, a cyborg assassin sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whos ...
'' and ''
Aliens
Alien primarily refers to:
* Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country
** Enemy alien, the above in times of war
* Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth
** Specifically, intelligent extrate ...
'', feeling that a female protagonist would be more effective in a sci-fi action film. Joan was named after
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...
. Four suits were produced for the Imps, with one designed for leaping. Inspiration was drawn from Doomguy's depiction in the first three ''Doom'' games, as Universal did not retain the rights to the Bethesda version.
Amy Manson
Amy Manson (born 9 September 1985) is a Scottish actress. She has portrayed Alice Guppy in ''Torchwood'', Abby Evans in '' Casualty'', Lizzie Siddal in ''Desperate Romantics'', Daisy Hannigan-Spiteri in '' Being Human'', Medea in ''Atlantis'' ...
and Agleya Gumnerova were then confirmed to have been cast in the role. Dark's depiction as Doomguy received negative criticism from fans.
Cultural impact
Reception
![Montreal Comiccon 2016 - Doomguy 2016 version (28177119162)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Montreal_Comiccon_2016_-_Doomguy_2016_version_%2828177119162%29.jpg)
In 2009, ''
GameDaily
GameDaily (GD) was a video game journalism website based in the United States.
It was launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads. The site changed its business model from a flat fee ...
'' included the Doom Marine on its list of "ten game heroes who fail at the simple stuff" for his inability to look up and down in the original series. ''
UGO Networks
UGO Entertainment, Inc. was a website that provided coverage of online media in entertainment, targeting males aged 18–34. The company was based in New York, New York, United States.
History
The company started in 1997 as Unified Gamers Online ...
'' ranked the Marine fourth on its 2012's list of best
silent protagonist
In video games, a silent protagonist is a player character who lacks any dialogue for the entire duration of a game, with the possible exception of occasional interjections or short phrases. In some games, especially visual novels, this may extend ...
s in video games, noting his courage to continue in silence even when faced with Hell's army. In 2013, ''
Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' ranked the Doom Marine at number 16 on its list of the greatest soldiers in video games for being "the original video game space marine" and "one of the classic silent protagonists". Both ''
CraveOnline
Mandatory (formerly CraveOnline Media) is a lifestyle website based in Los Angeles with sales offices in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco. The site is owned by media company Evolve Media, LLC. Mandatory focuses its contents into the male- ...
'' and ''VGRC'' ranked the Marine the fifth most "badass" male character in the video game's history. Kirk McKeand of ''
VG247
''VG247'' is a video game blog published in the United Kingdom, founded in February 2008 by industry veteran Patrick Garratt. In 2009, CNET ranked it as the third best gaming blog in the world.
History
Founded in collaboration on 1 February 2 ...
'' described Doomguy as "Jesus with a super shotgun". David Houghton of ''GamesRadar'' claimed that Doomguy is the smartest player character around, even with fistbumps, violence and zero dialogue. In 2021, Rachel Weber of ''GamesRadar'' ranked him as 47th iconic video game character.
The Doom Marine's 2016 incarnation has received special acclaim for its characterization and how the game presents the player character as a representation of the player playing ''Doom'': writing for ''
GamesRadar
''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and '' Computer ...
'', David Houghton called the presentation "incidental, not explicit", which allows the players to immerse completely in the character.
Christian Donlan writing for ''
Eurogamer
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
'' theorised that "the guy in ''Doom'' is playing ''Doom''", and explained that the main character's impatience with exposition is analogous to "the temporary frustration of being inside ''Doom'' while not being able to play ''Doom''".
In his column Extra Punctuation
Ben Croshaw
Benjamin Richard "Yahtzee" Croshaw (born 24 May 1983) is a British comedic writer, author, video game journalist, humorist, podcaster, and video game developer. He is best known for his video game review series ''Zero Punctuation'', which he pro ...
wrote that the game "establishes the player character as someone who doesn't give a flake of dried Marmite for the larger context, and only cares about ridding the planet of demons. Which is hopefully representative of the player's motivation."
Additional praise was given for the subtlety of Doomguy's expressions:
Jim Sterling
James Stephanie Sterling, also known as Jim Sterling, is an English-American freelance video game journalist, critic, pundit, YouTuber, and professional wrestler. Before becoming independent in September 2014, they were the review editor for ...
noted that both the "glory kill" moves and additional pieces of animation "reinforce his consistent sense of irreverence",
Sterling,
[ along with a number of other reviewers including Houghton,][ Conlan,][ and Croshaw from '']Zero Punctuation
''Zero Punctuation'' is a series of video game reviews created by English comedy writer and video game journalist Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw. Since the series began in 2007, episodes have been published weekly by internet magazine '' The Escapist''. ...
'' noted the initial moment of the game with Doomguy throwing away a communications monitor while a mission briefing plays as a minimalistic, but effective way to convey the entire character's motivations. Cody Gravelle of ''Screen Rant
''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
'' criticized Doomguy's winged unicorn skin alternate custome, noting that the skin was great, but somehow missed the crossover opportunity, such as adding Isabelle skin from ''Nintendo
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles.
Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...
s '' Animal Crossing: New Horizons''.
Doomguy was a popular choice for inclusion in the roster of ''Super Smash Bros.
''Super Smash Bros.'' is a Crossover (fiction), crossover fighting game series published by Nintendo. The series was created by Masahiro Sakurai, who has directed every game in the series. The series is known for its unique gameplay objectiv ...
'' by fans, and also by multiple websites, including PC Gamer
''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games ma ...
, ''GamingBolt'', ''GameRevolution
''GameRevolution'' (formerly ''Game-Revolution'') is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshots ...
'', and ''Shacknews
''Shacknews'' (originally Quakeholio, then ShugaShack) is a website that hosts news, features, editorial content and forums relating to computer games and Video game console, console games. It is currently owned by a company called Gamerhub Cont ...
'' staffs.
In popular culture
The character has been the subject of extensive fan art. One popular variant involving them has fans creating and sharing images of his hypothetical visage using 3D graphics software program and AI enhancements on social media platforms. In May 4, 2021, Bethesda featured Doomguy as part of a ''Star Wars'' Day tribute on its official Twitter account. In October 2021, after the addition of Doom Guy as a mii fighter costume in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', together with Isabelle on the roster, the final update of the game was dubbed "friendship" and "love story" by video game publications.
When ''Doom Eternal
''Doom Eternal'' is a first-person shooter game developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. The sequel to ''Doom'' (2016), and the sixth main game in the ''Doom'' series, it was released on March 20, 2020, for Windows, PlaySt ...
'' was delayed and released the same day as ''Animal Crossing: New Horizons'', fans of both games began creating and sharing artwork depicting Doom Slayer and Isabelle
Isabel is a female name of Spanish origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of '' Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheva''), Arising in the 12th century, it became popul ...
together as friends, which eventually trended on social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
in 2020. Commentators responded positively towards the fan-made pairing, including acknowledgments from Aya Kyogoku
is a Japanese video game director and producer. She is the current manager of Nintendo's Entertainment Planning & Development (EPD) Group No. 5, which oversees the ''Animal Crossing'', ''Splatoon'', and ''Wii Sports'' franchises. Kyogoku is bes ...
, director of ''New Horizons'',
as well as Bethesda. The Doomguy and Isabelle friendship pairing has also been subject to other forms of fan labor
Fan labor, also called fan works, are the creative activities engaged in by fans, primarily those of various media properties or musical groups. These activities can include creation of written works (fiction, fan fiction and review literature), ...
, like a fan video and cosplay
Cosplay, a portmanteau of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture, ...
.
Promotion and merchandise
In September 2020, Limited Run Games offered a Doomguy Helmet Collector's Bundle, which includes a wearable "full-size" helmet, a recreation of the game's original floppy disk pin, and a limited edition print. McFarlane Toys
McFarlane Toys is an American company founded by comic book creator Todd McFarlane which makes highly detailed model action figures of characters from films, comics, popular music, video games and various sporting genres. The company, a subsidia ...
released two Doomguy Figurines. ''Animal Crossing
is a social simulation video game series developed and published by Nintendo. The series was conceptualized and created by Katsuya Eguchi and Hisashi Nogami. In ''Animal Crossing'', the player character is a human who lives in a village inhabi ...
's'' Isabelle and Doomguy mashup Amiibo
(, ; officially stylized as amiibo; plural: ''Amiibo'') is a toys-to-life platform by Nintendo, which was launched in November 2014. It consists of a wireless communications and storage protocol for connecting figurines to the Wii U, Ninten ...
has been also made and gets a seal approval from New Horizon's director and producer. In 2020, subscribers to twitch
Twitch may refer to:
Biology
* Muscle contraction
** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation
** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction
** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle con ...
prime were entitled to an 1980s style blonde mullet themed ''Doom Eternal'' skin for Doomguy. In April 2021, the Xbox brand released a series of portraits featuring Doomguy and Master Chief to commemorate Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks LLC is an American video game publisher based in Rockville, Maryland. The company was founded by Christopher Weaver in 1986 as a division of Media Technology Limited, and in 1999 became a subsidiary of ZeniMax Media. In its ...
' parent company ZeniMax Media
ZeniMax Media Inc. is an American video game holding company based in Rockville, Maryland, and founded in 1999.
The company owns publisher Bethesda Softworks with its development unit Bethesda Game Studios (developer of ''The Elder Scrolls,'' ...
.
See also
* Interdimensional being
An interdimensional being (also extra-dimensional, intra-dimensional) suggests an entity that can "time-travel and move out of the physical body into a spiritual one". The NASA website has a somewhat dated article called "The Science of ''Star ...
* B.J. Blazkowicz
* Gordon Freeman
Gordon Freeman is the silent protagonist of the ''Half-Life'' video game series, created by Gabe Newell and designed by Newell and Marc Laidlaw of Valve. His first appearance is in ''Half-Life''. Gordon Freeman is depicted as a bespectacled Ca ...
* Master Chief (''Halo'')
* Duke Nukem (character)
Duke Nukem is a fictional character and protagonist of the ''Duke Nukem'' series of video games. The character first appeared in the 1991 video game ''Duke Nukem,'' developed by Apogee Software. He has since appeared in multiple sequels develop ...
* Samus Aran
is a fictional character and the playable protagonist of the video game series ''Metroid'' by Nintendo. She was created by Japanese video game designer Makoto Kano. She was introduced as a player character in the original 1986 video game ''Me ...
*
References
{{Doom series
Bethesda characters
Doom (franchise)
Fictional characters without a name
Fictional demon hunters
Fictional mass murderers
Fictional sole survivors
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Fictional swordfighters in video games
Fictional characters with post-traumatic stress disorder
Fictional United Nations personnel
First-person shooter characters
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Horror video game characters
Male characters in video games
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Silent protagonists
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Space marines
Video game characters introduced in 1993
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Video game characters with slowed ageing