Doomguy's haircut

[Maes]

So, gentlemen, the times are mature for us to discuss the MOST trivial matter possible: hair. Doomguy's hair, to be precise.

Something that bothered me for a long time, and I mean that it really didn't let me sleep, is Doomguy's haircut. No matter how long I've played the game and how intimate I grew with that face on my screen, I could never understand how the Doomguy keeps his hair.

From the front, it looks like a standard crew cut, perhaps with a hint of a fringe. The way it gets scruffier as Doomguy gets hurt, suggests that it's not particularly short either, so that rules out buzz cuts, jarhead style, etc. His fringe seems to get larger and larger as he gets hurt, looking almost like a combover.

However, when his face turns to the side after a hit, his hair looks almost like a WW-2 Hitler kind of military haircut (longish on top, but short to the sides, with the top hair flowing), or even a toupee:










Doom 2's box cover and titlepic also seem to depict him with a kind of "Hitler Youth" haircut, though scruffy and exaggerated,or maybe it's just meant to be some kind of neo-punk stretched dread style?

Then again, there's also the infamous "carrot top buzzcut" depiction from the end of Ultimate Doom:



The Doom Comic one just gives him a kind of scruffy "psycho" haircut





Finally, the infamous high-resolution HUD, other than making Doomguy look disturbing to the point that he looks actually more demonic than the demons themselves, changed his haircut once again, this time to a ridiculous brat/Marty Feldman-like curly top, or even like a stereotypical thug from a 20s gangster movie:

[myk]

Maes said:
Then again, there's also the infamous "carrot top buzzcut" depiction from the end of Ultimate Doom:

Aside from the haircut, the guy's face there makes me think of an alcoholic British hooligan, or something, and not the same person seen on the status bar.

There are some contradictions in the hair of the status bar image, but I don't think any frame really looks like a "Hitler youth" hair cut, because where it looks longer it seems more like a standard short haircut (without buzz).

[TheEndOfUs]

alcoholic British hooligan

[CorSair]

It's like the hair gel loses its power when he starts to move near death. And each medkit contains new can of gel to keep hair stylish as ever.

[Maes]

CorSair said:

hair gel

So health potions and armor bonuses....is Doomguy just a vain prettyboy jock?! O_o

[fraggle]

Those "high resolution" sprites look awful.

[Maes]

fraggle said:

Those "high resolution" sprites look awful.

Wait until you see this. The stuff of nightmares. And bad hair.

[Janus3003]

I seem to remember the first Doom novel having a running subplot/joke(?) about Marines and haircuts, and how one must apparently earn their haircut.
Perhaps Space Marine protocol forbids the Doomguy from having a consistent hairstyle until he proves his worth?

[Maes]

Janus3003 said:

Perhaps Space Marine protocol forbids the Doomguy from having a consistent hairstyle until he proves his worth?

Apparently that same protocol also forbids Space Marines from cutting their own hair, and in reality Doomguy, having proven his worth well beyond the level required to get a haircut of his choice, now roams Hell in vain, uselessly killing demons, waiting for someone to award him that well-earned haircut. It doesn't help that all other humans are dead.

[Janus3003]

Maes said:

It doesn't help that all other humans are dead.

Well, a bunch of humans escaped during Doom II, and sent Doomguy a message informing him where the portal to Hell was located. Makes me wonder if Doomguy's radio was broken and couldn't send messages, resulting in his unheard pleas for someone, anyone, to authorize him a haircut.

Dang, now I'm going to get all sad during that intermission text.

[Da Werecat]

Maes said:

The stuff of nightmares.

Many people think that making "high resolution" versions of existing art assets doesn't require any serious skills.

At least this particular author knew that simple filters won't cut it.

[FireFish]

Maes said:

However, when his face turns to the side after a hit, his hair looks almost like a WW-2 Hitler kind of military haircut (longish on top, but short to the sides, with the top hair flowing), or even a toupee:

http://i.imgur.com/iiWvJbw.png

That longer hair on the top and short hair on the sides reminds me the
most of the generation X hairstyles for the American teens and tweens of the 90's... the alternative rock audience.

Random google results ;

http://i.imgur.com/QukIi.jpg

[Krispy]

CorSair said:

It's like the hair gel loses its power when he starts to move near death. And each medkit contains new can of gel to keep hair stylish as ever.

This.

[Janus3003]

Wait, so if Doom's health items have hair gel, do the health pickups in Hacx have a brand new pair of sunglasses?

[FireFish]

A quik and very ugly trace of the hair based on the color shades.

[printz]

Maes said:

However, when his face turns to the side after a hit, his hair looks almost like a WW-2 Hitler kind of military haircut (longish on top, but short to the sides, with the top hair flowing), or even a toupee:

That's really uncanny and answers many of my impressions regarding Doomguy.

[Orchid87]

Yeah, it would be funny if Doomguy had a hitlerjugend hairstyle, considering it's so trendy nowadays.

http://www.jenelleoldham.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_5898.jpg

But probably id themselves didn't even care enough to give him a consistent haircut. In-game face, doom 2 titlepic and ultimate doom endpic were drawn by different people iirc.

Edit: this one is totally cool:
http://i.imgur.com/4GTvE.jpg

[MFG38]

Doomguy is secretly a woman: (s)he re-does his (her) hair when nobody's looking.

[40oz]

I always found it peculiar how his hair "grows" with the more damage he takes. At the start his hair looks pretty short and tight, but around the 30% health mark its at eyebrow length.

for the longest time I've been wanting to take photos of my own face mimicking all of doomguys face graphics, but the more I look at it, it looks like there will need to be at least a couple months gap between each stage to resemble the length of his hair.

[Maes]

There was a very creepy cacademon (or lost soul?) replacement set of sprites, which were basically floating doomguy heads.





These ones look even dumber, as they make Doomguy look like Mr. Spock from the sides, and his haircut reminds me more of the classic Kinder chocolate boy:

[joe-ilya]

I don't think his hair grows as he's getting damaged, he's just more tired and leans his head forward meaning he's hair is same length it's just seen less when he's healthier.

@Maes
But what if doomguy IS spock, it makes sence as he's in space and stuff.

[MajorRawne]

I use the Doom marine's haircut to guide me. When the quiff appears, you know he's sensed danger. I don't listen to the monsters roaring or even pay attention to what's happening on-screen. All I need is to see his Egon Spengler impression, then it's on like fething Monkey Kong.

[Olroda]

Where have you been, Major Rawne? Get back to improving the Lost Levels!

[TwinBeast]

If your hair grows forward, and when it's 5-7cm long, it does what Doomguy's hair does, when you move around and stuff. My hair does that, I try to wipe it back, but it's a lost cause, it keeps falling forward.

I think Doomguy's face looks like some kind of mix of some actors... and the orange haired one looks like someone from Dune.

No idea what's going on with his hair in Doom2 titlepic. He looks like the shotgun zombie with a wig made from a dirty brown mop.

[Maes]

myk said:

alcoholic British hooligan

If I was more talented and/or less lazy, I'd do an edit of that pic where the "doomguy" would be wearing a leather punk jacket, holding a 2x4" instead of a shotgun, and a bottle of beer in the other hand, with a balloon saying "Oi! Fock you mayte!"

[Blastfrog]

I'll just leave this here.

[Megalyth]

I could only find the thumbnail, but a few years ago, one of our forum members got his hair cut like the marine on the Doom2 box art.

[printz]

Regarding Hitler-style hairdo: maybe he was initially (early on) meant as a substitute/backup/foil for Blazkowicz?

[The_MártonJános]

Maes said:

His fringe seems to get larger and larger as he gets hurt, looking almost like a combover.

I guess it's because Doomguy's hair getting ruined as he takes more and more damage & with his head tilting to the front.

Also, I've always thought 40-59% health Doomguy to be angry or in some other way mentally unsatisfied.

[joe-ilya]

Infinity-80% steady
79%-60% panicking
59%-40% angry
39%-20% tired
19%-1% dying
0%--infinity: dead