Ever since the firstDead Spacegame launched in 2008 to widespread critical and financial success, its engineer protagonist Isaac Clarke has gone on to pop up in numerous games in the form of cameos, references, skins, and Easter Eggs. Besides the originalDead Spacetrilogy and the 2023Dead Spaceremake, Isaac Clarke has appeared or been referred to in over 25 games, such asMySims Agents,Dante’s Inferno,Skate 3,Fortnite, and more. However, with the upcoming release ofTony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4in early July, one other monster-fighting space combatant is quickly following in Clarke’s footsteps in appearing in several other games. This space combatant isDoom’s Doom Slayer.
The Many Crossovers of Doom’s Doom Slayer
Since the space marine first appeared in the groundbreaking 1993 first-person shooter gameDoom, the space marine, sometimes referred to as Doom Guy, has become an iconic character in the gaming world. While variations of theDoom Guy, later referred to as the Doom Slayer, have gone on to appear in most mainlineDoomgames, the Doom Slayer began to appear in numerous other games beyond Mars and the fiery landscapes of Hell starting in 1996. InDuke Nukem 3D, players can find the Doom Slayer’s corpse hidden in the Death Row level, with Nukem calling the character a “doomed space marine.”
The Doom Slayer next appeared in 1997 with the Sega Saturn port of fellow id Software gameQuake. Here, players can find the Doom Slayer at the end of the bonus feature called “Dank & Scuz.” He further appeared several times in1999’sQuake 3 Arena, though he’s referred to simply as Doom instead of the Doom Guy or Doom Slayer. The Doom Slayer’s first venture beyond the realm of first-person games was in the PC version of 2001’sTony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3as one of the game’s many celebrity guest skaters. To play as the Doom Slayer, players must enter “idkfa” inTony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3’s cheat menu.
Doom Slayer Appearances and Cameos Post-Doom (2016)
Following the resurgence of theDoomfranchise after the widespread critical and financial success of2016’sDoomas well as its sequelDoom Eternal, the Doom Slayer began to appear in several other games once more. This return to cameos first began in 2017 with the Doom Slayer appearing as a guest character inQuake Champions’ early access state.
From here, the Doom Slayer went on to ironically appear as a cosmetic skin in more kid-friendly and comedic games, includingFall Guys: Ultimate Knockout,Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, andFortnite. Finally, the Doom Slayer will briefly replace his demon-killing weapon arsenal for skateboards once more for players who pre-order theDigital Deluxe Edition ofTony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4.
While the Doom Slayer’s true name is never fully revealed in anyDoomgames,Doomcreators Tom Hall and John Romero have confirmed that the Doom Slayer is a descendant ofWolfenstein’s B.J. Blazkowicz.
Potential Future Doom Crossovers
With the recently released prequelDoom: The Dark Agesalready receiving favorable reviews and selling millions of copies, it’s highly probable that the Doom Slayer will continue to appear in other games in the near future. Based on the Doom Slayer appearing in some of the most popular modern multiplayer games, such asSuper Smash Bros.andFortnite, he could potentially appear in some other popular multiplayer games. For instance, since skins of other famous popular culture characters and celebrities have appeared inCall of Duty: Warzone, the Doom Slayer would fit right in as a limited-time skin for the upcomingCall of Duty: Black Ops 7.
Similarly, Bethesda and id Software could allow a skin of the Doom Slayer to appear in a future update ofAmong Us, akin to how a skin ofHalo’s Master Chief appeared inAmong Usin 2022. The Doom Slayer may even return in a future update or season ofFortnite, but this time featuring the outfit of hisDoom: The Dark Agesincarnation with the shield saw as a backpack. WithMortal Kombat 1ending its major updates, NetherRealm Studios could work with id Software to feature the Doom Slayer as a DLC fighter inMortal Kombat 2. If all of these Doom Slayer appearances come into fruition, the Doom Slayer could soon overtakeDead Space’s Isaac Clarke as being one of the most frequently appearing sci-fi game characters.
