The original Doom launched in late 1993, and many within the gaming world consider it to be a pioneer of first-person shooter games. The franchise has been around for nearly three decades, but it is still incredibly popular because it has players assume the role of the Doom Slayer—a marine who battles hordes of demons and undead who are all connected to Hell. The games also offer a good amount of gore.
The Doom Slayer is capable of killing every single one of these demons, but some are much harder to dispose of because of their strength and durability, or because of their skills. Every single one of these demons is terrifying and extremely dangerous, but even among their own ranks, some are clearly far stronger than others.
Updated on May 25th, 2021 by George Voutiritsas: The Doom franchise has been around for almost three decades now, and it has remained popular because of how well it incorporates the horror and first-person shooter genres. Fans of the series have had to fight some truly terrifying demons over the years, and many of these monsters have been part of the franchise since the very beginning. Despite their hellish appearance, some of these demons are fairly weak, but there are others who are just as strong and fearsome as they look. The weakest demons earned their position because of how easy they are to kill, but the strongest demons are all known for being much harder to take down.
10 Hell Knight
- Debut Game: Doom II
A Hell Knight is basically a weaker Baron of Hell, but as a demon, it can still pack a punch. These demons first appeared in Doom II, and they have shown up in every game since. The knights have always had pale skin, but Doom 3 gave them a more muscular build, and their horned heads became more flat and round.
When they attack from range, Hell Knights lob greenish-blue fireballs at players, and their melee attacks mainly consist of clawing strikes. Hell Knights are by no means the toughest demons to take down, but they are surprisingly tanky and fairly agile.
9 Hell Guards
- Debut Game: Doom (2016)
The Hell Guards have so far only appeared in the 2016 Doom reboot, and although they look menacing, they are actually small parasites that take control of a bulky exoskeleton made of bone and keratin. These parasites are imbued with hell energy, and they use that energy to power their maces and staffs.
The first Guard comes with a bubble shield that effectively negates damage, and when it's not charging or melee attacking the player, it will go to the center of the arena to unleash a flame spiral. It can also throw its mace like a boomerang. The other two Guards carry just one weapon, and they can perform the ranged attacks more frequently and from anywhere.
8 Guardian Of Hell
- Debut Game: Doom 3
The Guardian of Hell is one of the bosses in Doom 3, and although it looked very intimidating, it has not appeared in any games since. The Guardian is more than twice the size of an ordinary human, but it has a crocodile-like body with huge jaws. Its fists are basically spiked balls made out of cooling lava, and the end of its tail looks very similar.
This boss can't see, so it summons seekers that act like searchlights, and when three of them are destroyed, the Guardian will summon more by exposing its weak spot. Its main form of attack involves pounding the ground with its spiked fists, and doing so unleashes high-impact fireballs in every direction.
7 Marauder
- Debut Game: Doom Eternal
The Marauders made their debut in Eternal, and it is actually quite a chore to take one down. These humanoid demons have blueish-gray skin and large protruding horns, but they also wear green armor which looks like a corrupted version of the Doom Slayer's armor.
These demons attack with a Super Shotgun and a giant Argent axe, but they also come equipped with an Argent energy shield that blocks all damage. Of all the weapon combos in Doom Eternal, the only one that seems to work against these things is the Super Shotgun accompanied with a Ballista or Grenade, and even then the player still needs to run around the shield and beat a hellhound.
6 Baron Of Hell
- Debut Game: Doom
The Baron of Hell is definitely one of the scariest demons in all of Doom, but it also happens to be one of Eternal's hardest enemies. When they first appeared, they looked like a minotaur with pink skin and a skeletal face, but they're now ashy-grey with fiery eyes. They also fire red projectiles and have a pair of flaming blades.
These demons have always been incredibly resilient, but at least Barons can be staggered with a Blood Punch, and its attacks can actually be stalled by continuously firing a chain gun at it.
5 Maledict
- Debut Game: Doom 3
Dr. Malcolm Betruger was the main antagonist of Doom 3 and its subsequent expansion, Resurrection of Evil. Betruger became corrupted by Hell, which is why he assisted the demons with their plot to subjugate all of mankind. This is ultimately the reason why he gets reincarnated into the grotesque Maledict.
The Maledict hasn't appeared in any game since, and it is basically a skeletal wyvern with clawed feet, massive wings, and empty sockets for eyes. During combat, this monstrosity unleashes a torrent of fireballs from the sky, and when it travels from platform to platform, it leaves behind a wall of flame which deals a lot of damage.
4 Spider Mastermind
- Debut Game: Doom
The Spider Mastermind was the boss of the final episode of the original Doom, and it was the final boss of the 2016 game, and for good reason. This demon comes with a four-legged mechanical body, and attached to it is a massive brain with a demonic face.
It comes equipped with an Argent plasma gun that can fire bursts and lasers. When the Spider Mastermind loses health, it'll start firing clusters of glowing bombs at the player, and it can channel energy into its brain and electrocute the ground.
3 Cyberdemon
- Debut Game: Doom
The Cyber Demon was by far the most formidable enemy in the original Doom games, and the 2016 game gave them a major makeover, but Eternal has given them a more classic look and a new name-Tyrant. Cyber Demons have always been towering hellish beasts who are a combination of flesh and technology.
It comes equipped with its own cannon/blaster, and most guns just tickle it, but the BFG 9000 is the only weapon that can really put a massive dent in its health.
2 Icon Of Sin
- Debut Game: Doom II
The Icon of Sin is arguably the hardest boss in the entire series, as players need to get through eight pieces of armor in order to damage it enough to get it to a second damage phase. Players need to be incredibly précised during the initial phase because the rest of its body is completely immune to damage.
This robotic-looking minotaur gains speed and summons stronger demons each time it loses a body part in the second phase. It can slam the ground for a direct attack, shoot fireballs from its forehead, and fling waves of fire at players.
1 Davoth/Dark Lord
- Debut Game: Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods
The 2016 game rebooted the entire franchise, and so far, Davoth, otherwise known as the Dark Lord, has been the overarching main antagonist of the series. He may look like an ordinary human with glowing red eyes and demonic symbols all over his body, but he is the supreme leader of Hell, and he becomes far more menacing when he puts on his mechsuit armor.
Davoth is the final boss of Eternal's Ancient Gods DLC, and he dashes around a lot while bombarding players with projectiles from his shoulder cannon. He also performs quite a few melee attacks, and every now and then, he summons either demons or Sentinel Wolves to help him.