Your headcanon for Thy Flesh Consumed

[Xfing]

Ok, we all know Episode 4 was added to Doom as an afterthought with not much consideration put into the story. That said, it is not impossible to come up with a reasonable explanation and placing of this episode within the classic continuum that culminated with Doom 2.

In my headcanon, Thy Flesh Consumed takes place on Earth (the skybox supports this), where a fortress of Hell was erected around the exit portal from Hell to prevent any intrusions and secure the invasion. That would explain:

- Why Hell itself contains comparably few demons. Most of its resources were put into the invasion
- Why the levels look entirely Hellish - they were constructed by the demons

It might have been that the fortress wasn't initially so heavily manned, The demons were probably alerted by Doomguy's progress across the moons of Mars and devoted more resources to the fortress on the other side, while leaving Hell itself comparatively unguarded - most likely in order to take Doomguy by surprise after him lowering his guard due to the comfort of being on Earth again. Another Mastermind was dispatched to guard the exit from the fortress, along with a sizeable contingent of Barons and other mean monsters to facilitate stopping Doomguy. In the end it turned out that the fortress was more heavily guarded than all but the heaviest convergence points of the invasion on Earth, such as the city where the portal to the other side could be found.

So, what's your explanation other than "you shouldn't be putting so much thought into it"? :P

[glenzinho]

After you kill the mastermind in Dis, a portal opens up where you enter and arrive back on Earth. Thy Flesh Consumed is your journey on Earth until you arrive at the Starport just in time for Doom II: Hell on Earth.

[scifista42]

The hellish fortresses were built in Hell on top of flying pieces of rocks that were transported through the portal and landed on Earth where E4 takes place.

[Avoozl]

I'd like to think it was an extra dimension between Hell and the Earth's universe kind of like Limbo (not the map named Limbo) since it didn't look completely hellish.

[Voros]

After you saw what Hell did your precious Daisy, you lost it. Instead of going back to Earth, you decided to go back one more time to teach the demons of Hell what a marine will do to those that get on his bad side. This new place in Hell was different for you. It seemed like Hell took a piece of the Earth and perverted, like they always do. You cracked your knuckles, cleaned your pistol, pulled the cord of your chainsaw, pumped your shotgun, replaced the ammo box of the chaingun, loaded a rocket into the rocket launcher, let your plasma rifle cool down and charged your BFG9000. Unfortunately, you had lost most of those weapons on the way. Now, the new land awaits. An unholy union of flesh and metal, carved together by Hell's power.

It's on a part of the Earth, but the part is in Hell. So it's in Hell.

[Gez]

glenzinho said:

After you kill the mastermind in Dis, a portal opens up where you enter and arrive back on Earth. Thy Flesh Consumed is your journey on Earth until you arrive at the Starport just in time for Doom II: Hell on Earth.

That. It's a heavily corrupted area of Earth, but it's Earth. The sky is taken from the E3 victory screen which creates a strong identity link between the scene shown in your "you got back to Earth, but demons are there too" reveal and the entire E4 episode.

After clearing E4, you rest a bit, lose your weapons somehow, and then reach the starport.

[Programme]

Doomguy ventures into the burning city seen at the end of Inferno. As he gets closer and closer to the source of the flames, he sees that the concrete and metal is giving way to stone and flesh. As he rounds a corner, he's ambushed by a bunch of Barons and has his weapons taken away from him. So basically, the entirety of Thy Flesh Consumed takes place in a corrupted city and the nearby military base (e4m9).

I also think Hell Beneath could be some type of prison, with the other holes besides Doomguy being rudimentary cells, a crapton of guards (because Doomguy literally stopped the entire Mars invasion) and next to no health to be found. If a prisoner were to escape, they would either a. Be shot by a bunch of sergeants or b. Be ripped apart by several Barons of Hell (who are guarding the red and blue keys in the level).

[Michael92]

For me it's like escape from Hell until Doomguy finds the gate to Earth. As the episode starts in the center of Hell, no wonder why first maps are the so hard.

[The_SloVinator]

Here's mine. Basically, it's the fortress of the remaining surviving forces of hell after you stop the invasion on Earth.

Hell sent all of its strongest warriors but you annihilate every single of them, so only low tier creatures remain.

Doom guy's mission is to get rid of the vermin once and for all.

[Doominator2]

Doomguy wakes up and realizes that Thy Flesh Consumed was all just a bad dream.

[Xfing]

Voros said:

After you saw what Hell did your precious Daisy, you lost it. Instead of going back to Earth, you decided to go back one more time to teach the demons of Hell what a marine will do to those that get on his bad side. This new place in Hell was different for you. It seemed like Hell took a piece of the Earth and perverted, like they always do. You cracked your knuckles, cleaned your pistol, pulled the cord of your chainsaw, pumped your shotgun, put in two fresh shells in your super shotgun, replaced the ammo box of the chaingun, loaded a rocket into the rocket launcher, let your plasma rifle cool down and charged your BFG9000. Unfortunately, you had lost most of those weapons on the way. Now, the new land awaits. An unholy union of flesh and metal, carved together by Hell's power.

It's on a part of the Earth, but the part is in Hell. So it's in Hell.

Where's that from?

[scifista42]

Knowing Voros's writing ambitions, I assume he came up with the text himself.

[shotfan]

Voros said:

(...) put in two fresh shells in your super shotgun (...)

There have been no Super Shotgun in the original Doom.

[Graf Zahl]

It's 9 hard but overall good levels. I do not tend to bother with the more intricate details. :P

[Memfis]

Thy Flesh Consumed takes place at an art gallery. You are a visitor that comes to look at the most beautiful sky painting in the world.

[Zapzop]

Thy Flesh Consumed takes place in Earth, with Doomguy destroying the fortress he found after he stepped out of the portal and saw Daisy's head. He assumed the demons from that fortress killed Daisy.

[Shadow Hog]

Voros said:

It's on a part of the Earth, but the part is in Hell. So it's in Hell.

Doom 1.5: Earth on Hell

[Alfonzo]

We've been through this, Doomworld. E4 takes place in Quedlinburg. This is canon.

[YukiHerz]

After destroying the spider mastermind, doomguy finds a portal in dis, with no other way out, he steps in the portal to realize he has landed on earth, after a short lived relief, he finds out he actually landed on an alternate timeline were the invasion started on earth, thus he resolves to fight the demons of this timeline to find a way back to his own, culminating with a battle against alt spidermaster.