The Doom Dark Ages trailer during the June Xbox showcase captivated audiences but left fans wondering about the timeline of events in the Doom franchise. We have created the definitive timeline of the Doom games. Doom invented the FPS genre in the 90s and experienced a rebirth after a decade since Doom 3.
Doom
Being the first in the franchise, Doom 1993 is the earliest game within the timeline of Doom.
In the groundbreaking first Doom game, we are playing as a marine sent by the world’s government to fight on the moons of Mars. Due to a portal experiment gone wrong, by the shadowy corporation called UAC, demons from hell have invaded the UAC facilities. While battling the hordes of demons he steps into a portal teleporting him to the facility on the other Martian moon, only to find out that the entire moon was teleported to hell. So now our hero is in hell (both metaphorically and literally), and he must battle the legions of demons to discover a way back home. After defeating the demon leader, the arachnid-looking Mastermind, he finally can travel back home using a portal located behind the slain Mastermind. However, doors work both ways…the demons were already home on Earth.
Doom 2
The hordes of demons from hell have invaded Earth, forcing the world’s governments to evacuate Earth on colony ships, into outer space. However, the demons have created a barrier of magic to prevent the ships from leaving Earth’s orbit. Throughout events, our hero learns that his hometown is the base of the alien invasion. To halt the invasion, he fights the massive Icon of Sin, a giant Baphomet-like demon. After slaying him the demon invasion from hell ceases.
Doom 64
Doom 64 is a fairly odd game as it was one of the lessen known games in the series. Within the timeline of Doom, it was retroactively added to be right before the events of Doom: Dark Ages
DOOM IN BETWEEN (Part of Doom Eternal and Plot of Dark Ages)
Doom Guy is rescued by the citizens of Argenta, which is an alternate dimension in the Doom universe. They make him into a Gladiator to battle for a chance to join their army and to survive. After witnessing his prowess in the arena, they allow him to join the Argentan army. Shortly after he is enlisted, the hell-bound demons invade Argenta, starting a war that lasts centuries to millennia.
During the war Doom guy is now referred to as Doom Slayer due to his achievements on the battlefield. Throughout the demon war, Doom Slayer went from a gladiator to a king in status. As the war waged on, a figure known as Samur ignored the requests of his people, the Makyr race. The Makyrs are viewed as divine beings by the people of Argenta, they reside in another dimension called, Urdak. Samur placed Doom Slayer into a machine known as the Divination machine. This gave Doom Slayer effectively Divine power.
As the Doom Slayer was acquiring his new powers, an Argentan commander tragically lost his son. In his grief, the commander made a deal with the demons to betray his people in exchange for resurrecting his son. Subsequently, Argenta was already starting to win the war against hell because of the Doom Slayers’ newfound powers. In a turn of unfortunate events, the traitorous commander sent Argenta’s strongest warriors including Doom Slayer into hell. Upon entry to hell, the Commander shut the portal behind them, dooming Argenta to demon influence.
All the trapped warriors died with honor in a final stand against the demons. Only the Doom Slayer survived to wage a century to millennia-long one-man war. The demons were unable to kill him, locking him eternally in a sarcophagus enchanted with demon magic.
Doom 2016 (Remake)
Within the timeline of Doom, Doom 2016 takes place after the events of Doom 64 and Doom Dark Ages, focused on a different universe.
Meanwhile, on an alternate Earth, another UAC also discovered a new form of near-limitless energy on an expedition to Mars. They named the energy, Argus energy, hoping to solve Earth’s energy crisis. While experimenting on that energy, they discovered how to open portals, the first portal happened to be to hell. It was then discovered that Argus energy originated in hell. As a result, UAC built a facility on Mars, to farm Argus energy without endangering Earth. However, the energy was corrupting the staff at the facility, influencing them to create a cult. This cult grew in power and began outfitting Demons with advanced technology including cybernetic armor and weapons. The leader of the cult was a lead scientist, who devised a plan to allow the forces of hell to invade the facility using Argan energy. In one eventful day, the lead scientist unleased a wave of Argus energy called the Lazurus Way, resulting in demonic possessions and deaths among the employees, along with demons from hell invading through the portals.
Samuel Hayden, the CEO of UAC, devised a plan to free Doom Slayer from his eternal sarcophagus which was secretly brought to the facility unbeknownst to the staff. The Doom Slayer broke out of the sarcophagus and began his righteous crusade against the demons in the facility.
In pursuit of the lead scientist who started the invasion, Doom Slayer jumped into an open portal and found himself in hell after defeating the giant cyberdemon. While traversing through hell, he encounters the traitorous lead scientist, however, she is betrayed by the demons and turned into a new Mastermind. Doom Slayer defeats Mastermind and stops the threat, but in turn, he becomes trapped in a stasis field by Samuel Hayden, who is trying to maintain the production of Argan energy. Hayden releases Doom Slayer shortly after in anticipation of a new threat.
Doom Eternal
Doom Eternal takes place around 13 years after the events of Doom 2016 (though the trailer says 8 months). However, a small portion of it takes place much earlier within the timeline of Doom.
Samuel Hayden returned to Earth immediately after releasing Doom Slayer, only to discover that the demon invasion of Earth had already begun. Upon arriving, Hayden sets up a defense resistance called Arc. Arc is comprised of the remnants of all of Earth’s governments and corporations, except UAC. It was revealed UAC was behind hell’s invasion of Earth. Argentan priests, known as hell priests, had infiltrated UAC’s higher ranks.
Despite Arc’s best efforts over the next thirteen years, they were fighting a losing battle. At the start of the game, eighty percent of the human population was already wiped out. Meanwhile, our Doom Slayer is occupying an Argentan ship in orbit, preparing to battle the demons. His goal is to kill the three hell priests, thus ending the demon invasion.
Upon arriving to Earth, the Doom Slayer slays the first hell priest, and then journeys to find the second one. His travels take him to the Arctic, where there is a secret UAC base. He discovers that they are building a cybernetic demon, called Doom Hunter, built to hunt him down. After defeating the cybernetic Doom Hunter, he kills the second hell priest.
The Final Hell Priest
Doom Slayer then returns to his Argentan ship to find the third hell priest who fled Earth. He finds out that the demon invasion has decreased by sixty percent after he had killed the first two hell priests. To locate the third hell priest, the ship’s system, VEGA, tells him to find the remains of Samuel Hayden.
Doom Slayer then portals back to Earth at Arc’s last facility. He finds the top half of Hayden’s cybernetic body after battling more demons. Right before leaving, a marauder, who is a corrupt Argentan warrior, wielding a demon axe and shield battles the Doom Slayer. Doom Slayer kills the marauder, then departs with the top half of Samuel Hayden back to the ship. Hayden reveals there is a portal on Mars that can take him to the location of the third hell priest.
Doom Slayer uses the portal to teleport to an Arc station orbiting Mars. He finds the station is under attack but holding strong thanks to an experimental weapon called the BFG10000. Doom Slayer fights off more demons and uses the BFG10000 to shoot a giant hole in Mars. Then he shoots himself into Mars with a cannonball to try to go through the portal in the giant hole. The portal takes him to the last remaining Argentan city. Upon arriving he is granted a royal honor. The most important law in that city is that you cannot spill the blood of another Argentan, which is a problem because the third hell priest is Argentan of course. After battling a gladiator demon, he kills the third and final hell priest. He is exiled and forced to leave on his ship for breaking the Argentan law.
Upon arriving back to his ship, to stop future invasions, he must find and slay the leader of the Makers called the Khan maker. To reach the Makyr’s dimension, he must travel through a region in hell, where mortal souls are converted into Argent energy and more demons. After reaching the portal to the maker realm, he learns that the son of the treacherous commander was turned into another Icon of Sin, a massive skyscraper-sized demon. Doom Slayer defeats Khan maker and returns to Earth to fight the Icon of Sin. After a colossal battle ensues, Icon of Sin defeats him.
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