The Dark Ages Slayer Draws Inspiration from a Fierce Batman

Here’s an interesting tidbit: the Doom Slayer from the new game, Doom: The Dark Ages, draws inspiration from Frank Miller’s Batman in The Dark Knight series. Just yesterday, id Software announced that players can start collecting achievements for Doom: The Dark Ages on May 15, 2025, right when the game drops from our anticipated Game Pass list.

Frank Miller’s Dark Knight: A Muse for id Software

During a recent preview session of Doom: The Dark Ages, we got the chance to attend a Q&A with the creative minds at id Software. Here, creative director Hugo Martin shared that this year’s rendition of the Doom Slayer took heavy cues from the grim and gritty style of Batman in The Dark Knight comics. The team had actually been laying the groundwork for this prequel since they were developing Doom (2016).

Frank Miller’s influence isn’t just a backdrop; it played a significant role in shaping this medieval take on the Doom Slayer, who’s now a bulkier and more raw version of the hero fans adore. In a twist of fate, when Microsoft was in a legal tussle with the FTC over acquiring Activision Blizzard, the world got wind of a game titled Doom: Year One, thanks to leaked documents from Bethesda.

Hugo Martin confirmed what fans speculated: the codename was a nod to Batman’s Year One comic, a favorite of both Martin and partner Marty Stratton back since 2016. Indeed, The Dark Knight loomed large as a source of inspiration.

"My all-time favorite comic—and it’s probably a favorite for a lot of people—is Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight," Martin expressed. He explained how the comic portrays Batman as a massive, unstoppable force, akin to a tank. "Everything about his arsenal was powerful and visually striking. I thought, ‘We need a Slayer like that,’ a heavier, more powerful Slayer."

He added, "We’d pushed speed and acrobatics as far as they could go with Doom Eternal. We were proud of what we achieved there, as well as with Doom (2016), but exploring a more brute force version of the Doom Slayer felt like an exciting direction for players. He’s not easy to master—his weight, his impact; you can feel it in every move he makes. It’s quite exhilarating."

Martin further explained that the team had been eager to develop a prequel, ideas for which were hinted at in Doom (2016) through the Slayer’s Testaments and other lore. They were waiting for the right moment to dive into that universe.

"George Lucas set the benchmark for this kind of storytelling back in the ’80s," Martin noted. "A hero’s background matters, and if fans show enough interest, prequels can explore all those rich stories not yet told."

He concluded, "The Slayer’s past was something we fleshed out from the start with the Slayer’s Testaments: the lore of the Slayer. We crossed our fingers and said, ‘Hope we get to bring this story to life.’"

Are you excited to unleash some epic demon-slaying chaos as the Dark Knight-inspired Doom Slayer in this upcoming Xbox shooter? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!