Zombies are a recurring type of enemy in the DOOM video game series. These creatures are former human beings that, through one way or another, have been transformed into the living dead. Some are human soldiers that have been killed in battle by the forces of Hell and reanimated by demonic magic. Others are living people that have been possessed by demonic entities. Zombies are common enemies throughout the DOOM franchise, appearing in great numbers in each game, especially in earlier stages.
DOOM (Classic series)[]
Like Doomguy (the player character), the zombies in DOOM were once soldiers in the human military or guards working for the Union Aerospace Corporation. As the demons of Hell forced their way into the human realm, they slaughtered all in their path. Any intact bodies left behind became corrupted by demonic energies, reanimating into undead monstrosities that turned their weapons upon the people they once tried to protect. Even those who weren't slain by the demons would ultimately be turned after continued exposure to the powers of Hell.
The types of zombie that appear in the classic DOOM games are as follows:-
- Zombieman - A zombified soldier armed with a rifle. They wear grey armoured vests and have green hair. With only 20 HP, they are the weakest creatures the player will encounter. They attack with semi-automatic fire.
- Shotgun Guy - A zombified soldier armed with a shotgun. They have bald heads and wear black armour. It has 30 HP and fires pellets in a wider pattern than the standard Zombieman, making them marginally more dangerous.
- Heavy Weapon Dude - A larger zombie with darker skin and red armour. These zombies are much tougher than those mentioned above, having 70 HP and carrying a deadly chain gun that rapidly chips away at the player's health.
DOOM 3[]
In DOOM 3, zombies come in many different appearances, wearing different outfits depending on their former professions and sporting various wounds, including some that do not even have heads. These former humans have been possessed by Lost Souls and transformed into undead monsters driven to kill the living.
There are various zombie types which are listed below:-
- Basic - Standard zombies created from civilians. They have no weapons and can only attack by mauling the player. They are the weakest of zombies and can be killed relatively easily. It takes two headshots from a pistol to kill a basic zombie.
- Fat - Fat zombies are slightly more durable than basic zombies and can sometimes be seen carrying tools that they wield as blunt-force weapons.
- Chainsaw Zombie - Zombies that carry chainsaws. These zombies remain slow but can inflict significant damage if they hit the player. A good way to deal with these creatures is for the player to stand still while wielding their chainsaw and let the zombie walk into it.
- Z-Sec - UAC security guards that have been possessed by demonic spirits. They wear light body armour and carry either pistols, shotguns or machine guns.
- Commando - See Commando.
DOOM (2016)[]
See Possessed.
DOOM Eternal[]
In DOOM Eternal, the Codex ellaborates on how Hell's zombie fodder were once normal human beings that had fallen to demonic corruption. Having fully succumbed to Hell's influence, they are beyond saving and exist as mindless minions, carrying out the will of the Hell Priests. As the demonic corruption spreads across the Earth, more and more humans become enthralled and reduced to these shambling husks.
- Basic - The standard zombie appears as an emaciated, near-skeletal husk with no clothing, no hair and glowing yellow eyes. They appear in all stages and attack by mauling their prey. They are among the weakest of the enemies encountered by the Doom Slayer and can be killed easily with any weapon.
- Unwilling - These zombies behave exactly the same as regular zombies, but are notably different in appearance. Their bodies have been altered by demonic corruption over a lengthy period, resulting in bone growths covering their eyes, forearms and legs. Their torsos also appear to have been hollowed out, leaving only empty space where their digestive organs should be.
- Mecha Zombie - See Mecha Zombie.