Former human


 * "Zombie" redirects here. For information about the Zombieman monster (a.k.a. "Former Human"), see Zombieman. For information about the Doom 3 monster, see Zombie (Doom 3). For information about the equivalent Doom 2016 monster, see The Possessed (Enemy). For information about zombie players, see Voodoo doll. For information about the total conversion, see Zombies TC.

Former human, as a conceptual family of enemy types, that are humans that have either been slain and reanimated, or "zombified", or have been outright possessed by the evil forces of Hell, and taken as a group they are Doom's most common enemies, especially in early levels.

Description
They were once soldiers, like the player's marine, or UAC security guards, but have been somehow turned undead/or have been possessed and now serve the demons they once fought. Inside the Doom source code and in the Doom Bible they are called Possessed humans, and their sprite prefix always contains an abbreviation for "possessed". Because of their immediately human origin, they attack with hand-held firearms instead of innate abilities or cybernetic implants as other monsters do, and their low speed and durability makes them easier to eliminate than most of their fully demonic counterparts. Because of their very low hit points, they are often gibbed when struck by more powerful opponents.



Former humans drop weapons or ammunition when killed; this sets them apart from the purely hellish monsters. A dropped item remains even if the zombie respawns or is resurrected by an arch-vile; if killed again, the zombie will drop yet another item. Being humans that somehow became possessed by demonic forces, they are not generated by the final bosses of Doom II or Final Doom's episodes.

Former human types

 * Zombieman
 * Shotgun guy
 * Heavy weapon dude

And, relatedly:


 * Wolfenstein SS