Doom Eternal: Ancient Gods Part 2 seems have to nicely wrapped up the reboot of the series with a pretty bow. There were plenty of calls for the final piece of Doom Eternal to go big, and it certainly did that. More than wrapping up the storyline that started with the 2016 version of Doom, the final piece of DLC seems to be hinting at what comes next. Bethesda and id Software have both said this storyline might be over, but the universe isn't completely mined. If there is another game on the horizon, it seems like there's a few clues that can be extrapolated from the conclusion to storyline.
Not everything was given away with the ending to Doom Eternal: Ancient Gods Part 2. To be clear, this wasn't a cliffhanger. Developer id Software made sure it did actually wrap up the story it had been telling. There was a complete explanation of where the Doom Slayer came from, and there was also a nice conclusion to just where the demons and big bad came from. That's what made the story so good. If there is another installment to this story, it's going to be at least somewhat fresh and new. If and when a new chapter in the same world comes, there's a couple of different roads that have already been laid that it could go down. SPOILERS FOR THE DLC'S ENDING AHEAD.
A New Doom Slayer
The Doom Slayer is one of the more iconic characters in gaming. He first made his appearance back in the original Doom, and while his appearance has changed over the years, it's always been a reliable character who is uniquely suited to take on a horde of demons. Though he actually came before Master Chief, he's similar to the Halo character in how well recognized he is. But what if the next iteration in the long-running series decided to go with a different character in the same vein? Doom's developer has already openly talked about one idea it had for moving the series forward.
A female Doom Slayer is an idea Doom Eternal director Hugo Martin has kicked around quite a bit. Just last month, he talked about this idea and made it clear it wasn't just a passing fancy. Martin said if a new female character did emerge, he wouldn't simply want it to be a reskin of the original. From what the game's director had to say about this potential, it's clear there would have to be some similarities. If the Doom Slayer does make some sort of return in a different body, she would need to carry the ability to kill demons at a rapid pace with her. It also seems as if she'd need to have some variation of the chainsaw that has become almost as synonymous as the Doom Slayer persona itself.
Beyond the weapons and abilities being roughly the same as the character players used in the series, it seems Martin's comments allude to a new look should a female protagonist star in Doom Eternal. Even if a new Doom Slayer would need to be able to kill hordes of enemies in the blink of any eye, Martin said if he did bring an entirely new character, the new one would have a different fighting style. Super-aggressive would still be the name of the game, but with something that gave the female Slayer her own look in the heat of battle.
Martin talked about giving this new character a more "medieval" look. This would seem to be a bit more lightweight that the bulky suit the modern Doom character seems to be wearing. This also hints that the new female slayer could perhaps be sporting more of a melee type approach. Blasting away was the name of the game for Doom and Doom Eternal, so hacking and slashing could be on the menu for whatever comes next.
New Story, Same Hero
While Doom Eternal: Ancient Gods Part 2 does nicely wrap up the story that started back in 2016, that doesn't mean fans have seen the last of the original Doom Slayer. At the end of the game, in the final battle, the player learns the reason why the protagonist is so good at killing. He's actually the clone of The Father (this world's version of God.) Being what is basically a kind of demi-god means that he doesn't need to age, he doesn't need to die. In fact, at the end of the game he goes back into a chamber that very much resembles the one he stepped out of at the beginning of Doom.
After Doom Slayer survives the battle against Dark Lord, he doesn't walk off into the sunset. Going into the chamber shows that he's ready and waiting the next time he needs to be called upon. It does it without using a cliffhanger, so his story can end if that's what the developer wants to have happen. However, he can be called back should there be more killing to be done.
There is, of course, the idea that a god as powerful as Dark Lord isn't someone that can be completely and totally defeated. There's always a chance that the ending of Doom Eternal: Ancient Gods Part 2 is a red herring. Perhaps all the explanation that came in that final fight was also an explanation of whatever comes next. The dialogue and wrapping things up would also help explain exactly how characters thought finally defeated are able to make a resurgence. With promises of something coming, sooner or later, fans of the series should find out what's next, in due time.
Doom Eternal: Ancient Gods Part 2 is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.