This entry contains mild spoilers for Doom Eternal. View at your own risk.

About

The Marauder is a boss-type character introduced in the first-person shooter game Doom Eternal. Since release, the Marauder has been the subject of various memes due to the character's perceived difficulty of killing effectively, compared to other enemies. Most memes revolved around the Marauder are typically exploitable image macros using an object labeling format with the Marauder labeled as someone or something and Doomguy depicted as other labels.

Origin

On March 20th, 2020, the first-person shooter game Doom Eternal was released. Midway through the campaign, the player is introduced to the Marauder in a boss-like encounter (shown below). Described in-game as "a defensive powerhouse," the Marauder fires axe bolts at long range and a shotgun at close range, with a shield that can block most attacks from the player. In addition, he can also summon a wolf that causes significant damage if not quickly taken down. Marauder encounters become more common in the later levels of the game.

Spread

Initially, the Marauder was teased in various trailers and artwork ahead of Doom Eternal's release, particularly around the E3 showcase in early June 2019. After appearing in these teasers, the community began creating a number of memes that revolved around the character. One such example was posted on June 8th, 2019, by Redditor^[1] Tinbee to the r/Doom sub. The meme (shown below) uses the Marauder as an object labeling meme.

Redditor^[2] shentheartist then posted another meme referencing the Oh? You're Approaching Me? meme to r/Doom on June 21st, 2019. The image (seen below) received 231 upvotes and 13 comments.

In the days following the game's release, much discussion was drawn towards the difficulty of killing Marauders, with guides and articles written about the character on a number of gaming news sites. Some criticized the inclusion of the character, saying how it induced a change of tactics or pace to the game. One such example comes from an article published by Vice^[3] on April 14th, 2020, titled, "Why the 'Doom Eternal' Marauder Sucks So Bad." In the article, they state, "In a game of relentless action and rhythm, the Marauder brings everything to a screeching halt."

In contrast, YouTuber^[4] Under The Mayo uploaded a video on March 27th, 2020, defending the Marauder's inclusion (seen below). The video has since received over 350,000 views, 31,000 likes and almost 10,000 comments.

Additionally, a number of videos demonstrating methods to kill the Marauder quickly have also been uploaded in response. One such video was published on April 9th, 2020, by YouTuber^[5] Marius Urucu under the title, "Cheesing The Marauder." The video (shown below) now has over 50,000 views, 1,800 likes and 360 comments.

On April 5th, 2020, Redditor^[6] CMD_Neopolitan can be seen using the Marauder in a meme posted to the r/Doom subreddit. Uploaded under the title, "DOOM Eternal has some top tier meme potential," the image (seen below) received over 2,400 upvotes and 49 comments.

Doomguy vs. Marauder Meme Format

Using still images pulled from the Doom Eternal trailer released on January 14th, 2020, a frequently seen format of "Doomguy vs. Marauder" emerged in early 2020. In the trailer (shown below), the Marauder and Doomguy each emerge from portals as the Marauder says, "You are nothing but a usurper, a false idol," which has been commonly referenced in various memes.

On January 14th, 2020, iFunny^[7] user jzadnik uploaded a meme using this scene to the site (seen below), receiving over 61,000 likes 738 comments.

Redditor^[8] chungus23 can also be seen using the format in a post on April 4th, 2020, to the r/dankmemes subreddit. This meme (shown below) was upvoted over 19,100 times and commented on 70 times.

Various Examples

Template

Search Interest

External References