Doomguy
Encyclopedia
The Doomguy is the protagonist of the Doom series of video games created by id Software
, and its sequels and spin-off media.
In all the games, he is a UN
marine, wearing green combat armor, working with the Union Aerospace Corporation
. He never speaks (there is usually no one around to talk to). In the games, he is never referred to by name. The game's designer, John Romero
, said this was to increase player immersion: "There was never a name for the DOOM marine because it's supposed to be YOU."
In the Doom novels, the main character is referred to as Flynn "Fly" Taggart. However, Tom Hall's original design draft, also known as The Doom Bible, suggested his name was Buddy Dacote ("Dacote" standing for "Dies at conclusion of this episode", which is indeed the fate of the character, although he continues his adventure in the second episode). In the Wolfenstein RPG
, it is implied that Doomguy is the descendant of William "B.J." Blazkowicz. In the game Blazkowicz defeats the "Harbinger of Doom" (after taking off one arm and one leg), the creature states that he will return in the future to confront his descendants (this is a reference to the Doom guy's confrontation with the Cyber Demon).
, is based on this depiction. Colors in multiplayer include green
, red
, brown
and indigo
. In Doom 64
, the Marine is portrayed as a less-built counterpart to his original version, and with slightly modified black armor and a black
helmet with an antenna. His visor
is blue
rather than grey.
The Doom Marine's actual face is seen in the game's HUD
, where he is shown as having light brown hair, a buzz cut
, and brown eyes. The Doom Marine also appears without his helmet in the cover art of Doom II and also in the ending to The Ultimate Doom Episode IV Thy Flesh Consumed. In Thy Flesh Consumed, the marine's face is similar to what is depicted in the HUD, although for some reason his armor and pants are a darker shade of green. His face is never seen in Doom 64.
The Doomguy's personality is never examined in any of the games, although his past suggests that he has a strong sense of right and wrong
. In the prologue of Doom, it is told that he assaulted a superior officer when ordered to fire upon civilians, and was therefore reassigned to the Martian outpost in which the game takes place. The back of the SNES port box cover describes him as 'one angry marine with a handgun and a bad attitude.' At the start of Doom II, shortly after having arrived on Earth and realizing that a zombie is attacking the people, he instantly blows away the monstrosity with his sidearm. Later, having fought his way to the spaceport and deactivated the force fields to allow Earth's population to escape, he nonetheless volunteers to stay behind and find the source of Hell's incursion. During the events of Final Doom, he promises to slay as many of the Demons as possible after they overran a moon base and slew the entire population (In the TNT: Evilution storyline) and in the Plutonia Experiment, he single-handedly enters the infested UAC complex that contained the Quantum Prototype Accelerators after he learned that an entire Marine platoon with heavy air/ground support are on their way to assault the complex, and because the Marines have never encountered the Minions of Hell, he knew they wouldn't stand a chance. In Doom 64, he is depicted as having nightmares due to his experiences, including the admittedly traumatizing descent into Hell itself. He fights his way through a long-sealed base and descends into Hell once more, alone, and when he defeats the Mother Demon, he decides to remain in Hell to make sure an invasion never happens again. His fate there is unknown.
In Doom, Doom II: Hell on Earth, and Final Doom
, he expresses little emotion at the horror unfolding around him. His typical expression is a stern and alert glare, his eyes constantly darting left and right. Should he take damage, his reaction seems to be a mixture of pain and anger, and he smiles maliciously upon picking up a new weapon, indicating that he enjoys killing demons. The end game text for Thy Flesh Consumed also reveals that the rabbit killed in a previous cutscene was his pet rabbit Daisy — he is shown holding its severed head with a look of anger
and vengeance
on his face.
The Doom box picture of Doomguy fighting is the same as the inscriptions found on the Martian tablets in Doom 3
, where the Hero is seen fighting the demon horde; however, on the Doom 3 tablet, the location of the demons is reversed and the Hero is portrayed as a muscular figure holding the Soul Cube rather than a rifle.
In Doom 3
, Doomguy appears similar to his classic Doom incarnation, with the exception that his facial features are not concealed, since he does not wear a helmet (even though all other marines in the game wear the same helmet as the original Doomguy). He is more exaggerated, and muscular. He has black hair and appears to be in his mid-twenties or early thirties. The 'ab-spot' on the armor is also covered.
There is no background history on Doomguy in Doom 3; apart from the fact that he had just recently arrived on Mars, and is the newest member of the Marine detachment sent on the planet, his past remains a mystery. It is established he is a corporal and was sent to replace one of the marines that had mysteriously disappeared. When Dr. Betruger opens the gateway to Hell, he somehow manages to avoid being transformed into a zombie and ends up fighting through the UAC facility to survive.
This time, Doom' s plot is similar to that of the original Half-Life (which itself shared similarities with the original Doom); before the unexpected accident, the player can talk to several people, but most of them do not say much other than the fact they are busy and the UAC base is a frightening place. However, there are several characters, such as Sergeant Kelly, who give the player some briefing regarding his mission, especially after the demons invade the UAC base. Even on these "chatting" occasions, the player character is addressed simply as "marine" and remains silent.
The Doom 3 Doomguy is portrayed as tough and fearless in the game's cut scenes; He generally just glares at the creatures he comes to witness, including several bizarre and disturbing psychic visions. He does however show fear when he sees the towering Cyberdemon, just before the final battle of the game.
In the Doom 3 novels his name is John Kane, interestingly the same last name as Quake 4
protagonist Matthew Kane. His past is elaborated as similar to the character in the original Doom, only having been demoted after disobeying command to save some of his fellow marines. He is a combat veteran among various of the wars raging on Earth
for its remaining resources - including one between the United States
and Russia
. After arriving on Mars he finally resigns to his fate as a "glorified security guard." Whilst there he befriends fellow marines such as Maria Moraetes - a marine with a similar fate.
During the hellish invasion he is forced to take command of several of the surviving marines - stripped ranked aside. Afterwards he battles the demons singlehandedly or with a few other marines - such as Maria, Andy Kim, or Jack Campbell. He is shown to be very compassionate to his fellow survivors, working to save the child Theo, and even working to save the damned in hell. After volunteering to enter hell to retrieve the soul cube, Campbell is shown as very impressed by him. During all of this, he and Maria start to feel romantic ties to each other. During the end of Maelstrom
his leg is blown off, and he is admired as the "man who saved Mars City."
In Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil
, the main character is different from the Doomguy of Doom 3 even though he resembles him. This Doomguy is a Combat Engineer, and thus is trained to operate a remote manipulation device known as the Grabber. Like Doomguy in Doom 3 he has black hair, but wears blue armor, and appears to be somewhat older than his Doom 3 counterpart, based on his heavily-weathered facial features.
The game presents very little information on his background, only that he is part of a detachment of Space Marines under the command of Dr. Elizabeth McNeil sent to investigate the Mars UAC facility in the aftermath of the demon invasion. While investigating the Martian ruins he finds and touches the Heart of Hell artifact (simply called The Artifact, also known as the Blood Stone), which releases a wave of energy that disintegrates the rest of his squad and opens another portal to Hell underneath the UAC base. In Resurrection of Evil, he appears to be more of an anti-hero
in outlook, as he seems to enjoy using the Heart of Hell artifact, which ended up killing almost everyone at the base because of him.
adaptation, John "Reaper" Grimm (Karl Urban
) is the son of UAC scientists who were killed in an accident during the early excavation of a Martian dig site. Reaper abandoned his scientific heritage and joined the military to forget about this personal tragedy, eventually becoming a member of the elite Rapid Response Tactical Squad. Grimm, his commanding officer Sarge (The Rock), and the other members of the RRTS are dispatched to the UAC Mars Facility to investigate the disappearance of several scientists, which ultimately pits them in a confrontation against humans who have mutated into the classic Doom "demons" after being injected with an artificially created "24th chromosome".
Near the end of the film, Grimm is fatally wounded and injected with the 24th chromosome by his sister in order to save his life. As she explains, not everyone is made into a monster by the chromosome, and Grimm is instead granted superhuman strength, reflexes, and regenerative abilities. These new abilities allow him to stride through the infested base with ease, single-handedly mowing down a small horde of demons; among those killed are many zombies, several imps, a Hell Knight, and a Pinky Demon (all seen by the audience in the game's classic first person perspective
). After killing the now-mutating Sarge, Grimm leaves the base with his nearly-unconscious sister in his arms.
Id Software
Id Software is an American video game development company with its headquarters in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack...
, and its sequels and spin-off media.
In all the games, he is a UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
marine, wearing green combat armor, working with the Union Aerospace Corporation
Union Aerospace Corporation
The Union Aerospace Corporation is a fictional conglomerate focused on military-industrial research in id Software's science fiction video game series Doom. The corporation is depicted to be involved in advanced weapons development, biological research, space exploration and teleportation. The...
. He never speaks (there is usually no one around to talk to). In the games, he is never referred to by name. The game's designer, John Romero
John Romero
Alfonso John Romero is a game designer, programmer, and developer in the video game industry. He is best known as a co-founder of id Software and was a designer for many of their games, including Wolfenstein 3D, Dangerous Dave, Doom and Quake...
, said this was to increase player immersion: "There was never a name for the DOOM marine because it's supposed to be YOU."
In the Doom novels, the main character is referred to as Flynn "Fly" Taggart. However, Tom Hall's original design draft, also known as The Doom Bible, suggested his name was Buddy Dacote ("Dacote" standing for "Dies at conclusion of this episode", which is indeed the fate of the character, although he continues his adventure in the second episode). In the Wolfenstein RPG
Wolfenstein RPG
Wolfenstein RPG is a mobile and iOS game developed by id Software. The two versions are nearly the same, but the higher end version has better graphics and one extra level involving driving a car.-Features:...
, it is implied that Doomguy is the descendant of William "B.J." Blazkowicz. In the game Blazkowicz defeats the "Harbinger of Doom" (after taking off one arm and one leg), the creature states that he will return in the future to confront his descendants (this is a reference to the Doom guy's confrontation with the Cyber Demon).
Classic Doom Series
On the box art for the original Doom, the Doom Marine is portrayed as a muscular man wearing green armor as well as a light gray space helmet that conceals his facial features. He is firing a chaingun and fighting off a Baron of Hell that is grabbing his left wrist. The introduction screen of Doom is slightly different, as he still has his chaingun but is also clutching a shotgun in his left. The player's in-game avatar, as seen in multiplayer and in the ending to Doom IIDoom II
Doom II: Hell on Earth is an award winning first-person shooter video game and second title of id Software's Doom franchise. Unlike Doom which was initially only available through shareware and mail order, Doom II was a commercial release sold in stores...
, is based on this depiction. Colors in multiplayer include green
Green
Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
, red
Red
Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
, brown
Brown
Brown is a color term, denoting a range of composite colors produced by a mixture of orange, red, rose, or yellow with black or gray. The term is from Old English brún, in origin for any dusky or dark shade of color....
and indigo
Indigo
Indigo is a color named after the purple dye derived from the plant Indigofera tinctoria and related species. The color is placed on the electromagnetic spectrum between about 420 and 450 nm in wavelength, placing it between blue and violet...
. In Doom 64
Doom 64
Doom 64 is a video game for the Nintendo 64 released by Midway Games in April 4, 1997. It is part of the Doom first-person shooter video game series.-Features:Key differences from the computer games in the series include:*32 exclusive new levels....
, the Marine is portrayed as a less-built counterpart to his original version, and with slightly modified black armor and a black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
helmet with an antenna. His visor
Visor
A visor is a surface that protects the eyes, such as shading them from the sun or other bright light or protecting them from objects....
is blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
rather than grey.
HUD (computer gaming)
In video gaming, the HUD is the method by which information is visually relayed to the player as part of a game's user interface...
, where he is shown as having light brown hair, a buzz cut
Buzz cut
A buzz cut, induction cut or wiffle is a very short haircut.The cut is usually performed using hair clippers without a comb guard. The sides are cut closely and then the top is either shaped or cut to the same short length all over. The cut takes just a few minutes to perform. A buzz cut can...
, and brown eyes. The Doom Marine also appears without his helmet in the cover art of Doom II and also in the ending to The Ultimate Doom Episode IV Thy Flesh Consumed. In Thy Flesh Consumed, the marine's face is similar to what is depicted in the HUD, although for some reason his armor and pants are a darker shade of green. His face is never seen in Doom 64.
The Doomguy's personality is never examined in any of the games, although his past suggests that he has a strong sense of right and wrong
Morality
Morality is the differentiation among intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and bad . A moral code is a system of morality and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code...
. In the prologue of Doom, it is told that he assaulted a superior officer when ordered to fire upon civilians, and was therefore reassigned to the Martian outpost in which the game takes place. The back of the SNES port box cover describes him as 'one angry marine with a handgun and a bad attitude.' At the start of Doom II, shortly after having arrived on Earth and realizing that a zombie is attacking the people, he instantly blows away the monstrosity with his sidearm. Later, having fought his way to the spaceport and deactivated the force fields to allow Earth's population to escape, he nonetheless volunteers to stay behind and find the source of Hell's incursion. During the events of Final Doom, he promises to slay as many of the Demons as possible after they overran a moon base and slew the entire population (In the TNT: Evilution storyline) and in the Plutonia Experiment, he single-handedly enters the infested UAC complex that contained the Quantum Prototype Accelerators after he learned that an entire Marine platoon with heavy air/ground support are on their way to assault the complex, and because the Marines have never encountered the Minions of Hell, he knew they wouldn't stand a chance. In Doom 64, he is depicted as having nightmares due to his experiences, including the admittedly traumatizing descent into Hell itself. He fights his way through a long-sealed base and descends into Hell once more, alone, and when he defeats the Mother Demon, he decides to remain in Hell to make sure an invasion never happens again. His fate there is unknown.
In Doom, Doom II: Hell on Earth, and Final Doom
Final Doom
Final Doom is a first-person shooter video game that uses the game engine, items and characters from Doom II. It consists of two 32-level megawads , The Plutonia Experiment by the Casali brothers, and TNT: Evilution by TeamTNT. Final Doom was released in 1996 and distributed as an official id...
, he expresses little emotion at the horror unfolding around him. His typical expression is a stern and alert glare, his eyes constantly darting left and right. Should he take damage, his reaction seems to be a mixture of pain and anger, and he smiles maliciously upon picking up a new weapon, indicating that he enjoys killing demons. The end game text for Thy Flesh Consumed also reveals that the rabbit killed in a previous cutscene was his pet rabbit Daisy — he is shown holding its severed head with a look of anger
Anger
Anger is an automatic response to ill treatment. It is the way a person indicates he or she will not tolerate certain types of behaviour. It is a feedback mechanism in which an unpleasant stimulus is met with an unpleasant response....
and vengeance
Revenge
Revenge is a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. It is also called payback, retribution, retaliation or vengeance; it may be characterized, justly or unjustly, as a form of justice.-Function in society:Some societies believe that the...
on his face.
The Doom box picture of Doomguy fighting is the same as the inscriptions found on the Martian tablets in Doom 3
Doom 3
Doom 3 is a science fiction horror video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. An example of the first-person shooter genre, Doom 3 was first released for Microsoft Windows on August 3, 2004. The game was later adapted for Linux, as well as being ported by Aspyr Media for Mac...
, where the Hero is seen fighting the demon horde; however, on the Doom 3 tablet, the location of the demons is reversed and the Hero is portrayed as a muscular figure holding the Soul Cube rather than a rifle.
Doom 3
Doom 3
Doom 3 is a science fiction horror video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. An example of the first-person shooter genre, Doom 3 was first released for Microsoft Windows on August 3, 2004. The game was later adapted for Linux, as well as being ported by Aspyr Media for Mac...
, Doomguy appears similar to his classic Doom incarnation, with the exception that his facial features are not concealed, since he does not wear a helmet (even though all other marines in the game wear the same helmet as the original Doomguy). He is more exaggerated, and muscular. He has black hair and appears to be in his mid-twenties or early thirties. The 'ab-spot' on the armor is also covered.
There is no background history on Doomguy in Doom 3; apart from the fact that he had just recently arrived on Mars, and is the newest member of the Marine detachment sent on the planet, his past remains a mystery. It is established he is a corporal and was sent to replace one of the marines that had mysteriously disappeared. When Dr. Betruger opens the gateway to Hell, he somehow manages to avoid being transformed into a zombie and ends up fighting through the UAC facility to survive.
This time, Doom
The Doom 3 Doomguy is portrayed as tough and fearless in the game's cut scenes; He generally just glares at the creatures he comes to witness, including several bizarre and disturbing psychic visions. He does however show fear when he sees the towering Cyberdemon, just before the final battle of the game.
In the Doom 3 novels his name is John Kane, interestingly the same last name as Quake 4
Quake 4
Quake 4 is the fourth title in the series of Quake first-person shooter computer games. The game was developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. Raven Software has collaborated with id Software, the creators and historical developers of preceding Quake games...
protagonist Matthew Kane. His past is elaborated as similar to the character in the original Doom, only having been demoted after disobeying command to save some of his fellow marines. He is a combat veteran among various of the wars raging on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
for its remaining resources - including one between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. After arriving on Mars he finally resigns to his fate as a "glorified security guard." Whilst there he befriends fellow marines such as Maria Moraetes - a marine with a similar fate.
During the hellish invasion he is forced to take command of several of the surviving marines - stripped ranked aside. Afterwards he battles the demons singlehandedly or with a few other marines - such as Maria, Andy Kim, or Jack Campbell. He is shown to be very compassionate to his fellow survivors, working to save the child Theo, and even working to save the damned in hell. After volunteering to enter hell to retrieve the soul cube, Campbell is shown as very impressed by him. During all of this, he and Maria start to feel romantic ties to each other. During the end of Maelstrom
Doom 3: Maelstrom
Doom 3: Maelstrom is the second book in a series of three novels regarding Doom 3. The book was released in March 2009. Before writing the book, its author Matthew J...
his leg is blown off, and he is admired as the "man who saved Mars City."
Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil
Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil
Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil is a first-person shooter video game developed by Nerve Software and id Software. It was released for the PC on April 3, 2005, as an expansion pack for Doom 3 and on October 5, 2005, for the Xbox video game console...
, the main character is different from the Doomguy of Doom 3 even though he resembles him. This Doomguy is a Combat Engineer, and thus is trained to operate a remote manipulation device known as the Grabber. Like Doomguy in Doom 3 he has black hair, but wears blue armor, and appears to be somewhat older than his Doom 3 counterpart, based on his heavily-weathered facial features.
The game presents very little information on his background, only that he is part of a detachment of Space Marines under the command of Dr. Elizabeth McNeil sent to investigate the Mars UAC facility in the aftermath of the demon invasion. While investigating the Martian ruins he finds and touches the Heart of Hell artifact (simply called The Artifact, also known as the Blood Stone), which releases a wave of energy that disintegrates the rest of his squad and opens another portal to Hell underneath the UAC base. In Resurrection of Evil, he appears to be more of an anti-hero
Anti-hero
In fiction, an antihero is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is at least in some regards conspicuously contrary to that of the archetypal hero, and is in some instances its antithesis in which the character is generally useless at being a hero or heroine when they're...
in outlook, as he seems to enjoy using the Heart of Hell artifact, which ended up killing almost everyone at the base because of him.
Film
In the filmDoom (film)
Doom is a 2005 science fiction horror film, loosely based on the Doom series of video games created by id Software. It was directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak....
adaptation, John "Reaper" Grimm (Karl Urban
Karl Urban
Karl-Heinz Urban is a New Zealand actor.He is known for playing Éomer in the second and third installments of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the 2009 film Star Trek and Julius Caesar on Xena: Warrior Princess...
) is the son of UAC scientists who were killed in an accident during the early excavation of a Martian dig site. Reaper abandoned his scientific heritage and joined the military to forget about this personal tragedy, eventually becoming a member of the elite Rapid Response Tactical Squad. Grimm, his commanding officer Sarge (The Rock), and the other members of the RRTS are dispatched to the UAC Mars Facility to investigate the disappearance of several scientists, which ultimately pits them in a confrontation against humans who have mutated into the classic Doom "demons" after being injected with an artificially created "24th chromosome".
Near the end of the film, Grimm is fatally wounded and injected with the 24th chromosome by his sister in order to save his life. As she explains, not everyone is made into a monster by the chromosome, and Grimm is instead granted superhuman strength, reflexes, and regenerative abilities. These new abilities allow him to stride through the infested base with ease, single-handedly mowing down a small horde of demons; among those killed are many zombies, several imps, a Hell Knight, and a Pinky Demon (all seen by the audience in the game's classic first person perspective
First person (video games)
In video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight...
). After killing the now-mutating Sarge, Grimm leaves the base with his nearly-unconscious sister in his arms.