The Best Video Game TV Adaptation That Doesn’t Exist Is ‘The Mandalorian’ Meets ‘The Terminator’

Video games are experiencing a bit of a moment right now. Multiple iconic franchises have received successful television adaptations, including Twisted Metal, Fallout, Devil May Cry, and The Last of Us. Others, like God of War and Mass Effect, are actively in production. While there have been some misfires, like Paramount+’s Halo television show, these examples prove that Hollywood is ready and willing to spend huge amounts of money to adapt popular video game IP to the screen. However, one massive franchise still needs a live-action television show, and it’s one of the most iconic FPS series in video game history.

What Is ‘DOOM’ About?

First published in 1993 by id Software, the original Doom revolutionized 3D graphics and first-person shooter gaming, and many titles that followed attempted to imitate or model themselves on Doom‘s classic design elements. The game’s unnamed protagonist, originally nicknamed “Doomguy,” is the last marine left alive on a military outpost on Mars. Secret government teleportation experiments have unwittingly opened portals to Hell, allowing literal demons to invade Mars, and it’s up to Doomguy to fight them off.

After multiple sequels and several ups and downs, Doom returned better than ever in 2016 with a revival game, titled DOOM. The series reintroduced Doomguy from the original games as an empowered warrior, known as the “Doom Slayer,” locked in an epic struggle with his demonic foes for centuries. Across DOOM, its sequel DOOM Eternal, and prequel DOOM: The Dark Ages, the franchise’s lore massively expanded, recontextualizing the Doom Slayer and revealing new parts of his backstory.

Under Hugo Martin‘s direction, the rebooted series also added more worldbuilding and immersive narrative elements that the earlier games lacked, while still pushing the envelope with their action and combat. These updated DOOM games could essentially become the basis for a television adaptation. That means incorporating the expanded backstory elements, particularly how Doomguy transitioned from a working-class human Marine to the prophesied savior known as the Doom Slayer.

A ‘DOOM’ TV Series Should Take a Page From ‘The Mandalorian,’ Not ‘Halo’

Any potential DOOM TV series needs to take more cues from The Mandalorian than from Halo in its portrayal of the armored warrior. That means the Doom Slayer shouldn’t remove his helmet and armor, or show his face in any significant way. Newer DOOM games have also hinted that the Doom Slayer is driven by an unquenchable rage and a tragic past that a series could flesh out in greater detail. Despite those traits, the character’s charm comes from his stoicism, and he’s an individual of few words. The series should lean into that, just as The Mandalorian successfully did with its titular hero, played by Pedro Pascal.

A potential television series could peel back more of the Doom Slayer’s layers, showcasing what made him into a crushing machine — and no, we’re not just talking about what happened to his pet rabbit Daisy in the original game. Later installments suggest that Daisy was not the only thing the demons took from the Doom Slayer, and a TV show could finally depict the character’s backstory in its entirety.

A ‘DOOM’ TV Series Could Embrace Several Timely Themes

Image via Bethesda Softworks

On a broader narrative level, the DOOM games offer plenty of rich thematic material for any potential adaptation to tackle. The machinations of parties like Samuel Hayden, the Union Aerospace Corporation, Olivia Pierce, and their irresponsible mining of Argent energy offer an opportunity for broader commentary on greed and the valuing of profit over human life. It also allows for commentary on humanity recklessly meddling with forces beyond their understanding, similar to the way humans meddle with artificial intelligence in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

If the DOOM TV series follows the 2016 reboot game and takes place on Mars, the resulting demon infestation could take a page from James Cameron‘s Aliens. Of course, the incursion eventually arrives on Earth, as depicted in DOOM Eternal, which could allow a future season to draw inspiration from the post-apocalyptic scenario depicted in T2.

Setting aside the two poorly received movies, DOOM is overdue to receive a live-action television series that could redeem the franchise’s past failures. It’s a show that’s begging to be made, and Microsoft, id Software, and Bethesda should consider pitching the project to streamers looking to acquire another iconic IP.