Hell Gates

Lore & Background

The portal that the marine uses to enter Hell is first encountered after defeating the Spider Mastermind in Doom. In Doom II, the marine finds a portal to Earth that was opened by demons. After returning to Earth, he discovers the planet has been invaded by demons who have killed billions of people. The surviving humans plan to build massive spaceships to carry survivors into space, but Earth's only ground spaceport has been taken over by demons who placed a barrier over it. The marine deactivates the force field, allowing the remaining humans to escape, leaving him as the only human left on the planet. He then receives an off-planet transmission from the survivors in orbit, who have found that the demonic base is in the center of the marine's own hometown. He fights through the city until he reaches the base, but sees no way to stop the invasion on that side, so he steps into the portal to try deactivating it from the other side, entering Hell. After fighting through the hordes of Hell, the marine reaches the location of the biggest demon he has ever seen, called the Icon of Sin (Baphomet). He kills the Icon of Sin by firing rockets into its exposed brain. Its death causes devastation in Hell, and the portal to Earth is sealed.

In Their Own Story

The marine stood before the swirling portal, its surface rippling with fire and shadow. Behind him, the ruins of the spaceport smoldered, the force field he had just deactivated crackling its last. The transmission from the orbiting survivors echoed in his helmet: the demonic base was in the center of his own hometown. He stepped through the portal, entering Hell. There, he fought through hordes of demons until he reached the location of the biggest demon he had ever seen, called the Icon of Sin (Baphomet). He killed the Icon of Sin by firing rockets into its exposed brain. Its death caused devastation in Hell, and the portal to Earth was sealed. The marine wondered where evil people would go when they die now that Hell had been destroyed, and reflected that rebuilding the world would be more fun than saving it as he began his journey back home.

Reader's Guide

In Doom II, the portal to Hell is a key narrative element. After defeating the Spider Mastermind in Doom, the marine finds a portal to Earth opened by demons. In Doom II, after returning to Earth, he discovers the planet has been invaded by demons who have killed billions of people. The surviving humans plan to build massive spaceships to carry survivors into space, but Earth's only ground spaceport has been taken over by demons who placed a barrier over it. The marine deactivates the force field, allowing the remaining humans to escape, leaving him as the only human left on the planet. He then receives an off-planet transmission from the survivors in orbit, who have found that the demonic base is in the center of the marine's own hometown. He fights through the city until he reaches the base, but sees no way to stop the invasion on that side, so he steps into the portal to try deactivating it from the other side, entering Hell. After fighting through the hordes of Hell, the marine reaches the location of the biggest demon he has ever seen, called the Icon of Sin (Baphomet). He kills the Icon of Sin by firing rockets into its exposed brain. Its death causes devastation in Hell, and the portal to Earth is sealed.

Did You Know?

• The portal to Earth in Doom II was opened by demons after the marine defeated the Spider Mastermind.
• The marine enters Hell through a portal located in the center of his own hometown.
• The Icon of Sin (Baphomet) is the biggest demon the marine has ever seen, and killing it seals the portal to Earth.
• The marine's reflection after destroying Hell includes wondering where evil people will go when they die now that Hell has been destroyed.
• The final level of Doom II, Icon of Sin, contains an easter egg where two artists put the severed head of John Romero as a sprite hidden behind the icon on the wall.