Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for DOOM Eternal.
The single-player campaign of DOOM Eternal takes players through a variety of demon-infested locations and climactic boss fights, concluding in a particularly epic-scale, if abrupt, ending. DOOM Eternal's end pits the Slayer against a large final boss with ties to the series' roots and lore.
DOOM Eternal's story takes place eight months after that of id Software's 2016 DOOM reboot. Following the first game's events on Mars, demons have invaded Earth, conquering much of the planet. The Slayer, DOOM's heavily-armored, demon-killing protagonist, returns from his journey to Hell in order to free the planet from demonic destruction, embarking on a quest to kill the Hell Priests terrorizing Earth.
Both DOOM Eternal's boss fights and regular encounters present intense combat for players to "rip and tear" through, all building up to one final boss encounter, but the sudden end can be a bit difficult to understand. Here's DOOM Eternal's ending, explained.
How DOOM Eternal Ends
Fans speculated after the Crucible energy sword into its exposed brain, breaking the blade off in its head. This defeats the giant creature and disperses most of the demons on Earth, saving humanity.
Some DOOM Eternal reviewers found this ending a bit too abrupt. While this may be the case, the Icon's appearance has a significant connection to DOOM's past. The goat-headed demon originally appeared as the then-unnamed final boss of 1994's DOOM 2. In that game, it was simply a flat wall texture that spawned endless waves of demons to keep the player from hitting its weak spot - a sprite of id Software co-founder John Romero's head hidden behind the goat skull. The Icon's wall-head appeared once again in DOOM 2016 as an inanimate decoration, but it earned a full, fighting body in DOOM Eternal.
Along with its connection to the 1990s games, the Icon has more current lore significance, too. It is the result of a deal between the Betrayer, a member of the holy Night Sentinel knights who raised the Doom Slayer, and a Hell Priest to bring to life the Betrayer's dead son. The deal led to the destruction of the Sentinels' realm, Argent D'Nur, and the Betrayer's son was brought back as the Icon of Sin, rather than his more human-like form. This can all be a bit overwhelming to parse through in-game, but, like many deeper DOOM lore factoids, players can likely learn more about the Icon and DOOM's other important characters in DOOM Eternal's many codex entries.
DOOM Eternal will release on Google Stadia, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on March 20, 2020.