Black Doom



Black Doom is the antagonist from the game Shadow the Hedgehog, created by Sega Studios USA. Black Doom is the leader of the Black Arms. Depending on which path the player choose (Hero or Dark), Black Doom will either be an ally or a foe of Shadow the Hedgehog. Played in the Hero mode, he is likely meant to serve as Shadow's archnemesis, similar to what Dr. Eggman is for Sonic.

Black Doom has a very menacing appearance. Black like the rest of his species with three glowing red eyes, he is decorated with a worn robe, chains with spiked ornaments, and jewels around the top of his robe. He has a very deep voice and appears very aged, claiming to be immortal. He stated that he ruled the Universe at one point, but this is probably saying that he was the strongest known being in the universe at that point. It is unknown if he is stronger than Mephiles the Dark, the primary villain from the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog game.

Shadow the Hedgehog
Black Doom is the sinister leader of the Black Arms and the oldest member of his alien species. The Black Arms are Black Doom's own spawn and appear to operate with an insect-like hive intelligence, seemingly preventing any attempts to challenge Black Doom for rulership. He claims that the Black Arms have visited Earth for at least as far back as 2000 years. It is currently unknown just how much of an effect he has had on how Earth's history has played out or how strong his connection to the Chaos Emeralds are, if any. He presents an almost religious front and shows little respect for humanity due to its sins against each other and the planet Earth. In fact, his philosophy is little more than egotistical justification for his own dark deeds. He is also quite possibly the most sinister Sonic villain to have been revealed so far (except for possibly Mephiles), as his motives go far beyond ruling the world, as he wants to enslave the humans and use them as food for him and his army. It is likely that he intends the same for Sonic and other anthropomorphic animals on the planet.

Black Doom appeared at the beginning of the game as a hologram projected by Doom's Eye (his third eye) to inform Shadow that "the day of reckoning" has arrived. Black Doom uses Shadow throughout the game in order to retrieve the seven Chaos Emeralds for him. He continuously pressures Shadow to denounce the home he has made on Earth and swear allegiance to the Black Arms and their goals. He often tries to accomplish this by trying to manipulate Shadow into believing that no good can come from the continued existence of humanity, offering to tell him about his past, and even goes so far as to put Shadow into a recreation of what happened to him on the Space Colony ARK to better justify the evil humans are capable of.

As the player proceeds through the game, they learn more about Black Doom's motive and his connection to Shadow. 50 years prior to the game, Black Doom formed a sort of alliance with Gerald Robotnik. He and Gerald created the Ultimate Lifeform, Shadow, in order to expand Gerald's research and help Black Doom retrieve the Chaos Emeralds. Shadow was created from Black Doom's blood. However, Gerald realized the threat his new alliance presented to Earth and secretly planned to use Shadow and the newly built Eclipse Cannon to destroy the Black Comet when it made it's next annual 50 year visit. However, soon after the events detailed in Sonic Adventure 2 occurred and Gerald's initial plan was forgotten as he sunk into grief and madness.

When Shadow gains all of the Chaos Emeralds, Black Doom steals them, and reveals that he needed them to amplify his Chaos Control. The comet's own velocity was not fast enough and so he needed the Emeralds to perform a mass Chaos Control so that he could root the comet to Earth and use it to unleash a paralyzing nerve gas on the planet's population to make them food for his Black Arms spawn. Shadow's inherited genetics from Doom make him the only other creature on the planet capable of resisting the effects of the gas. Retreating to his inner sanctum at the very center of the comet, Black Doom defends himself from his advancing offspring with a perimeter of his most elite Black Arms soldiers. When Shadow reaches him, Black Doom finally reveals the truth of Shadow's parentage but is soon after interrupted by a 50 year old transmission of Gerald from the Space Colony ARK, accidentally activated by the Chaotix Detective Agency. The transmission reveals to the world Gerald's secret plan to destroy the Black Comet and gives Shadow the resolve to defeat the tyrant. Before he can attack, Black Doom teleports outside and transforms into his most powerful form - Devil Doom. Shadow uses the left behind Chaos Emeralds to transform into Super Shadow and give chase. The two engage in a final battle in the sky over the rooted Black Comet. Shadow is ultimately able to defeat Devil Doom, sending him tumbling down to the city below, apparently killing him.

Sonic the Hedgehog (comic)
The Archie-published Sonic the Hedgehog comic book has recently begun a Shadow the Hedgehog adaption. In it, Black Doom was revealed to have had a similar role to the one in the game. Gerald warned in a journal entry that Black Doom would return, but both he and the Black Arms were at the time contending with a rival group of conquering aliens, the Xorda.

Abilities


Black Doom has numerous abilities which make him a fearsome foe for those who would dare challenge him. For important long range communication, Black Doom can send his third eye (simply known as "Doom's Eye") forth to do various tasks that would require him while he is away. The eye can project a hologram of himself (and possibly others) as well.

Above all, he can levitate/float which seems to be his primary method of mobility. Especially since he appears to have no legs, even when transformed into Devil Doom. One of his abilities is Chaos Control, which he can use, like Shadow, without an emerald. He also seems to be able to to phase right through solid objects. It is possible that he was the one who created the eerie brown and red cloud that the Black Arms appeared from in the beginning of the game.

Black Doom possesses a large amount of mystical abilities. Like Tikal the Echidna, he can apparently send someone back in time telepathically, and can sense energies along with a person's presence, thoughts, emotions, and inner sense of being. He also possesses a mental link with Shadow due to Shadow being created from him. He tried to use this to mind control Shadow but failed. This may be how he controls the Black Arms. He is also capable of telepathy, as there was a few incidents where he communicated with Shadow or multiple people yet was no where to be seen, and he also uses telepathy through Doom's Eye. Though he appears to have no mouth (as well as lacking many other features), he may have a physical voice, as he appears to breathe as he speaks. There were also two instances where he demonstrated telekinesis, when he took the Chaos Emeralds from Shadow, and when he moved Gerald's transmission out of his inner sanctum.

In battle, Black Doom can summon and fire miniature meteors and blades of fire from strange, sparkling, smoky, purple clouds almost like fireworks and hurl them towards enemies with devastating force, his aim with these weapons is recognized by many characters as having deadly precision, along with "Swift Strike", an energy boomerang which spins around at floor level and bounces against obstacles. He can create ghost-like copies of himself that appear like after-images, but stay behind at a certain point and use the same attacks as the original. He can also project images of himself from dooms eye or without it as was seen in the level Final Haunt. He also uses an energy shield to protect himself from harm, but the shield is ineffective while standing still.

Devil Doom
Devil Doom is a much more powerful form of Black Doom. Mutated (though he still maintains his personality), the only physical traces of Black Doom in this creature is Doom's Eye (which also happens to be the weak point) and his horizontal horns. He has two heads on either side of his torso in the image of a gargoyle, and his lower half resemble roots. Devil Doom has a similar appearance to a siamese twin, as the head with the horn sticking straight out could be mutated from Black Doom's original back when he mutated. He also has horizontal mouthparts similar to the Black Bull, with the exception of an absence of a bottom jaw on both sides. Devil Doom has no eyes, but Doom's Eye will exchange between heads to give them sight. Devil Doom's skin is red and black (the typical skin colors of the Black Arms), and he seems to have an extra thumb on each hand. This is probably due to the fact he uses each head as his front. This also means his arms can operate from ether side making his shoulders double jointed. His torso has strange spines pointing douwn. He can breathe fire, manipulate objects and rocks from the city below to hover around him or impact enemies, and can make the rocks fire lasers. Devil Doom can also sense where Shadow is as his attacks are of the same precision whether facing shadow or not. It should also be noted that if hit anywhere else other than the eye, he will not feel pain, even from a charged Chaos Spear. Devil's wings are an oval shape, enabling equal use by both heads. Although, his wings can be crippled, making him vulnerable to side attacks, since he can put either one of his wings in front of the eye to protect himself, depending on which side of him Shadow is facing.

It is interesting to note that Devil Doom's scream is identical to that of Biolizard (and the Biolizards scream is identical to that of Perfect Chaos'), who was the prototype for Shadow. Another note is that he bears a vague resemblance to Metal Madness/Metal Overlord, likely due to Metal Sonic copying Shadow's data. Not only that, but the upper area of the sky is actually recycled from the fight against Metal Overlord. He says at one point in the game that he didn't need the Chaos Emeralds to transform because he underestimated their real power, so Devil Doom is not an actual Super Form.

Family

 * "Children": Black Arms
 * Biologically enginerred clone: Shadow the Hedgehog, possibly the Biolizard

Allies

 * Gerald Robotnik (formerly)

Enemies

 * Shadow the Hedgehog
 * Dr. Eggman
 * GUN
 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Rouge the Bat
 * E-123 Omega
 * Chaotix
 * Amy Rose
 * Cream the Rabbit
 * Gerald Robotnik
 * Maria Robotnik

Trivia

 * Although he does not have a role in the game, Black Doom appears as a trio of collectable cards in Sonic Rivals; Black Doom, Doom's Eye, and Devil Doom.
 * Black Doom is the first villain featured to share a blood-relation with one of the main characters.
 * Black Doom (as Devil Doom) is the first villain Super Shadow battles and defeats on his own.
 * Shadow's battle with Devil Doom in Shadow the Hedgehog is very similar to Team Super's battle with Metal Overlord in Sonic Heroes. Both battles take place in mid-air, and Super Sonic and Super Shadow even fly in the same pose. Also, the entire background of the fight with Metal Overlord is recycled into the fight with Devil Doom (although colored red), with the exception of the lightning, and the addition of a city in the lower background. Chaos Spear is also similar to Team Blast, as they both require time to perform.