Samur Maykr

Samur Maykr, better known as the Seraphim is an entity mentioned in the lore of Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal about which little is currently known. One detail known for certain is that it was opposed to the forces of Hell: it is said to have gifted the Doom Slayer with super-human powers of speed and strength. In real-world mythology, are described as a high ranking and powerful caste of angels in the mythologies of, naturally opposing demons. Although the word is plural (the singular form is "seraph"), in the context of Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal, the name applies both to a single character and a separate caste of the Maykrs

Little information can be extracted from a few entries in the codex. Among these is a picture (an etching from the Book of Daeva) that is speculated to contain an image of the Seraphim in the upper left corner. This mysterious figure appears again in the box art for Doom Eternal.

He has never been seen without his cloak. In Doom Eternal it is shown that he has typical Maykr angel tentacles and hands, but he has no staff, Orator Ring or head crest that can be seen beneath his cloak. The trailer of The Ancient Gods, Part One reveals that his mask is a more human-like one compared to other Maykrs, with gold plating where the eyes would be and a prominent blue marking (which resembles Hayden's single eye) on the forehead (contrast with Maykr angels, who have a red one).

Doom (2016)
"In his crusade, the Seraphim bestowed upon him terrible power and speed, and with his might he crushed the obsidian pillars of the Blood Temples."

- The Nameless One

The Seraphim does not directly appear in Doom (2016), but is mentioned in the codex's Slayer's Testament to have granted the Doom Slayer his power. The codex shows him watching over Doom Slayer battling demons.

Doom Eternal


In a flashback from the Doom Slayer's point of view that is corroborated by codex entries, it is revealed that the Seraphim is the Maykr known as Samur Maykr, the former chancellor of the Khan Maykr who went rogue for unknown reasons; as no Maykr is thought to be able to disobey the Khan Maykr, his rebellion opens up the further question as to how he could do so. Having stolen the essence of the Father from Urdak in defiance of the Khan Maykr, Samur was impressed by the Doom Slayer and secretly gifted him superhuman strength, speed, and endurance using a Maykr device called the Divinity Machine. He disappeared shortly afterwards, and was presumed exiled by the Argenta.

His ultimate fate is unknown, as are his motives for aiding the Slayer. Certain similarities between him and Samuel Hayden have prompted speculation the two characters might be somehow connected. In particular, the Seraphim is heard to speak the line, "Take it, it will give you strength... help you on your journey," a line previously said by Samuel Hayden when offering the Slayer an Argent cache, and with a similar voice, as the two characters share Darin De Paul as their voice actor.

When the Doom Slayer enters the Urdak building where the Khan Maykr is attempting to revive the Icon of Sin, he is greeted by a voice telling him "Welcome home, Seraphim". Whether this message is simply an automated response without further meaning, the detection of the foreign bodies injected in the Slayer's bloodstream by the Divinity Machine, or detection of Samuel Hayden's presence through the connection between the Fortress of Doom and the Praetor suit, or something else is not made explicit.

The Ancient Gods, Part One
In the trailer for The Ancient Gods, Part One, the Seraphim is heard telling the Slayer that "we have been allies for some time now" and speaks of his gifts as being "owed to us". It is likely that he will make his first in-person appearance in the expansion. He is also explicitly confirmed to have been Samuel Hayden. According to him, he is in the process of undergoing the Transfiguration and thus requires the Slayer to act as his proxy. When the Slayer takes the life sphere of the Dark Lord to Urdak in order to force him to take a physical form, the Seraphim turns against him and gives into the Transfiguration, becoming a demon-like figure in an attempt to stop his "reckless mission". He is defeated, but is teleported away by the Father before the Slayer can land the killing blow. The Father also confirms that the Seraphim was acting on his orders when he stole the Father's essence. Two more hooded figures indistinguishable from the Seraphim appear to help the Slayer commence the manifestation of the Nameless one, which suggests that "Seraphim" might be a separate caste of Maykr rather than a specific individual.

Tactical analysis
The Seraphim is fought as a two-phase boss whose health bar must be depleted more than once to defeat.

First phase
While he is able to fly like the Blood Maykr, the Seraphim's main method of movement is to teleport rapidly from one part of the arena to the next; a purple streak reveals the location he is about to teleport to. His main method of attack is a triple-projectile version of the Blood Maykr's energy blast, which he can use several times in short succession. He can also generate eye-like turrets which shoot lightning at the player until destroyed; their attacks also hamper vision with an electric overlay on the screen. Zombies will spawn in on occasion, which the player can use to resupply via glory kills and the chainsaw.

When his health bar is depleted, the Seraphim generates a "Spirit Shield" linked to a pair of spirits- one possessing a mancubus and the other possessing a Hell knight; should these be killed without then destroying the spirits, more will appear for the spirits to possess. When both spirits are destroyed, the Seraphim will be staggered. Executing a glory kill on him will allow the second phase of the battle to begin.

Second phase
The Seraphim will lower the floor around the four raised platforms, revealing a damaging electric field. He will occasionally activate generators within the safe platforms which will electrify them too; two platforms can be electrified at a time. He is too far away to hit, and instead the player must kill the cacodemons that spawn in. After two of them are killed, the Seraphim will generate a grid of lasers that will move through the platforms, further complicating efforts to stay on safe ground. Eventually, the floor will become safe to walk on again and the Seraphim can be attacked normally. However, he will try to remain high in the air, requiring the player to climb up the platforms to get in range while continuing to avoid the laser grid. Blood Maykrs will also begin appearing at this point.

Depleting his health will cause him to recreate the Spirit Shield, this time with the spirits possessing a pain elemental and a dread knight. Killing both spirits will end the battle.

Literary interpretation
Due to his rebellious nature and subversive activities, the Seraphim can be viewed as a character, with valid interpretations possible from either a Christian or  point of view depending on whether he ultimately proves to be good or evil (if such a simple binary classification is indeed possible). In this light, the identification of the Doom Slayer with the of, who in Christian traditions is sometimes considered to be the son of Satan, is an extension of this metaphor, as the Slayer was created by the Seraphim and is thus his figurative son.