Need a refresher on a little Doom history? With the release of Doom: The Dark Ages on May 15th, we thought we’d provide a little history lesson on one of the most famous protagonists in gaming history: Doomguy! Scroll through as we talk about the in-universe origins of the character, his appearance in the new game and a few other neat little tidbits about him.

In this spotlight, we’ll cover:

• Doomguy’s origins and lore

• His role in the upcoming Doom: The Dark Ages

• Fun facts about his name and connections to other id Software characters

OriginsAs a space marine who was unfairly dishonorably discharged from the Union Aerospace Corporation’s space marine legion, Doomguy makes his way through legions of scowling demons on Mars and its orbiting moons before returning to Earth to see that demons have invaded, only to conquer the forces of evil yet again. He returns to Hell in an attempt to finally seal off the origins of the demons.

Following the release of the modern games, Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal (2020), his lore is updated and we are shown that after conquering Hell, he’s sent to a form of purgatory where he’s trained as an outsider super-soldier in order to further the ideals of a race known as the Maykrs. After a lengthy civil war in which Doomguy is seemingly entombed though not having perished, a scientist named Samuel Hayden of the Union Aerospace Corporation puts Doomguy into stasis and keeps him as a failsafe for the Corporation’s demonic experiments. 

The events of Doom Eternal show Doomguy embark on a mission to exterminate the Hell Priests and blast a hole in Mars - as well as rescue Samuel Hayden, the scientist who originally revived him - before finally slaying the Icon of Sin and the Khan Maykr in order to “finally” put an end to the demon spawn.

Abbreviated Timeline:

• After conquering Hell, he is cast into a purgatory-like realm where he is trained by an ancient race called the Maykrs.

• Eventually, he leads a civil war.

• Presumed lost, Doomguy is entombed but not dead. Dr. Samuel Hayden, a UAC scientist, discovers and preserves him in stasis as a backup plan.

• In Doom Eternal, the Slayer awakens again to:

• Slay the Hell Priests

• Blast a literal hole in Mars

• Defeat the Khan Maykr and the Icon of Sin

• Then…?

Doom: The Dark Ages

While it’s not exactly known when in the timeline Doom: The Dark Ages takes place, everything in the trailers released so far seem to imply that the game occurs a good amount of time before the modern Doom games. The first official trailer states that “before he became a hero, he was the super weapon of gods and kings”. Additionally, medieval influences such as the usage of a flail and shield seem to point towards the fact that the game is centered around a prior point in the timeline that the games previously haven’t explored yet.

Other Doomguy Facts

Doomguy's Namesake

Doomguy isn’t actually his name - in the modern incantations of the games, he’s most often referred to as “The Slayer” or the “Doom Slayer”, though fans of the original Doom games released in the 1990s came up with the name as there was no indication from the developers as to what his actual name was, mimicking the sort of interaction that fans were supposed to have with the character (in other words, YOU’RE the Doomguy).

Doomguy's Familial Origins

Doomguy is actually the descendant of another id Software character - yes, that’s correct - as stated by id developers John Romero (creator of Doom), Doomguy descends from B.J. Blazkowicz, the protagonist of the Wolfenstein series. Some fans have even speculated that other characters from id trademarks are involved in his lineage, such as Commander Keen being his grandfather and Billy Blaze being his father

Conclusion

Doom: The Dark Ages is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious entries in the franchise, diving deeper into Doomguy’s legendary past and reimagining his legacy in a dark, medieval world. We’re super excited to see what Doom: The Dark Ages explores in terms of the Doomguy’s history! 

Are you planning to grab the game on launch day? Maybe holding out to see what other people think? Already have and loving it? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to share this article with your fellow Slayer fans!