Ever since the first Dead Space game 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 original Dead Space trilogy and the 2023 Dead Space remake, Isaac Clarke has appeared or been referred to in over 25 games, such as MySims Agents, Dante’s Inferno, Skate 3, Fortnite, and more. However, with the upcoming release of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 in early July, one other monster-fighting space combatant is quickly following in Clarke’s footsteps in appearing in several other games. This space combatant is Doom’s Doom Slayer.
The Tumultuous Life and Unresolved Fate of Dead Space’s Isaac Clarke
Dead Space's protagonist Isaac Clarke has a long, tragic, and horrifying life filled with loss and torment that currently has no conclusion
The Many Crossovers of Doom’s Doom Slayer
Since the space marine first appeared in the groundbreaking 1993 first-person shooter game Doom, the space marine, sometimes referred to as Doom Guy, has become an iconic character in the gaming world. While variations of the Doom Guy, later referred to as the Doom Slayer, have gone on to appear in most mainline Doom games, the Doom Slayer began to appear in numerous other games beyond Mars and the fiery landscapes of Hell starting in 1996. In Duke 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 game Quake. Here, players can find the Doom Slayer at the end of the bonus feature called “Dank & Scuz.” He further appeared several times in 1999’s Quake 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’s Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 as one of the game’s many celebrity guest skaters. To play as the Doom Slayer, players must enter “idkfa” in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3’s cheat menu.
Doom Slayer Appearances and Cameos Post-Doom (2016)
Following the resurgence of the Doom franchise after the widespread critical and financial success of 2016’s Doom as well as its sequel Doom 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 in Quake 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, including Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Fortnite. Finally, the Doom Slayer will briefly replace his demon-killing weapon arsenal for skateboards once more for players who pre-order the Digital Deluxe Edition of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4.
While the Doom Slayer’s true name is never fully revealed in any Doom games, Doom creators Tom Hall and John Romero have confirmed that the Doom Slayer is a descendant of Wolfenstein’s B.J. Blazkowicz.
Potential Future Doom Crossovers
With the recently released prequel Doom: The Dark Ages already 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 as Super Smash Bros. And Fortnite, he could potentially appear in some other popular multiplayer games. For instance, since skins of other famous popular culture characters and celebrities have appeared in Call of Duty: Warzone, the Doom Slayer would fit right in as a limited-time skin for the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.
Similarly, Bethesda and id Software could allow a skin of the Doom Slayer to appear in a future update of Among Us, akin to how a skin of Halo’s Master Chief appeared in Among Us in 2022. The Doom Slayer may even return in a future update or season of Fortnite, but this time featuring the outfit of his Doom: The Dark Ages incarnation with the shield saw as a backpack. With Mortal Kombat 1 ending its major updates, NetherRealm Studios could work with id Software to feature the Doom Slayer as a DLC fighter in Mortal Kombat 2. If all of these Doom Slayer appearances come into fruition, the Doom Slayer could soon overtake Dead Space’s Isaac Clarke as being one of the most frequently appearing sci-fi game characters.
Dead Space
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 89 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- January 27, 2023
- ESRB
- Rated M for Mature for Blood and Gore, Strong Language, and Intense Violence.
- Developer(s)
- EA Motive
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Engine
- Frostbite
- Franchise
- Dead Space
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
