The Maledict is the demonic reincarnation of Dr. Malcolm Betruger. He serves as both the main antagonist and the final boss in the expansion pack Resurrection of Evil, as well as the final boss of the entire Doom 3 storyline. The Maledict is first shown in the ending cinematic of Doom 3. It was used as the box cover art for the expansion pack.
Physical appearance
The Maledict appears as a mostly skeletal wyvern type of dragon with a large set of boney wings, two legs with clawed feet, a long tail and a head similar to that of a Forgotten One. He emits a loud, piercing scream and has empty eye sockets. Betruger's head is fused with the creature's tongue building the tip of it and only comes out when Betruger speaks. The Maledict is very huge in comparison to humans.
Combat characteristics
The final battle consists of two phases. In the first phase, the airborne Maledict has 2500 hit points and summons Forgotten Ones to attack the player. In addition to that he hovers over the edge of the platform (on which the battle takes place) and spews out a large tail of fire at the player that spreads from one end of the platform to another creating some sort of temporary flamewall.
After the Maledict's health has been reduced to less than 25%, the second phase of the battle begins. His health is being amped up to 5000, and he proceeds to retreat to the giant skull on the platform where he sits still and lets flaming meteors rain down from the sky. When done doing so, he will fly off and continues to use the flamewall attack, just to return to the skull and let meteors rain down again.
Tactical analysis
While not invulnerable to conventional weaponry, the Maledict is extremely resistant in combat not least because of his very fast and dodging movement patterns. The Maledict can withstand multiple BFG and Rocket hits even when amplified by the berserk ability of the Artifact.
To defeat the Maledict, the player needs to use the Artifact and therefor charge it up fully before he even enters the teleporter leading to the Maledict. Taking advantage of the Helltime power, the player can fire at the Maledict using his strongest weapons (preferably the BFG 9000) with greater accuracy. The Artifact's berserk power also increases the inflicted damage done to the Maledict by the weapons, allowing them to wear down his considerable 2500 hit points much quicker. The best time to attack the Maledict is when he hovers over the gigantic skull and summons Forgotten Ones. At this time he flies in a predictable pattern and remains in view for the longest period of time. As soon as the artifact wears off the summoned Forgotten Ones need to be eliminated quickly with the Grabber.
Fighting the Maledict with the BFG-9000 with the Artifact in use.
During the second phase of the battle, the Artifact still needs to be used. If a refill is required there are two corpses lying under both horns of the skull ready for consumption. When activated, the BFG needs to be fired fully charged and with great precision towards the Maledict. If the BFG is not avaiable anymore the same applies to the Rocket Launcher and the Plasma Gun. Alternatively, but not recommended, the meteors can be fired back at the Maledict with the help of the Grabber. If the Artifact, for whatever reason, is completely unavaibale, there is sort of a "safe spot" from the Maledict's meteor shower attacks, right inside the curve of the left horn of the giant skull. The player can fire at the Maledict from this position while being safe from the raining meteors. However, he will still need to dodge the still incoming flamewall attacks when the Maledict flies off.
During the course of the battle, the wings of the Maledict will further deteriorate the more damage he recieves. This can serve as a helpful indication as to how much damage has already been inflicted upon him and how much more to go.
Plot details
At the end of Doom 3, the Recon Zulu Marine Squad, having rescued the protagonist after he defeated the Cyberdemon and sealed the Hell Hole with the help of the Soul Cube, never finds out about Bertruger's whereabouts. It turns out that the mad scientist has been resurrected as a large, twisted skeletal monstrosity, called the Maledict, with Betruger's head at the end of the creature's tongue, basically commanding the hordes of hell all by himself, while at the same time being trapped in hell along with them.
The Maledict taunts the Marine.
The background of Betruger and his new body is never explained. Whether Betruger resurrected on his own or sacrified a creature named the Maledict to merge with it is never specified. The Maledict uses "us" to refer to all of hell's children. Betruger sees his new form as superior to human lifeforms, referring to them as "Mortals" in a very scornful tone.
In the beginning of Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil, when the protagonist first disvocers the Artifact in the caverns, with his comrades from the Red Squad, he reaches out to it. Upon touching it another portal to hell opens up and unleashes the hordes of hell upon mars once again. During this initiation Betruger can be seen in his new maledict form saying that hell reaches out for what is theirs. Telling his brute to rise and reassuring them that their reign begins now, he states that he already new that this would happen just as he had promised it to them.
After the protagonist defeats the first boss in the second level, Betruger taunts him off screen, stating that this just had been the beginning.
The Maledict is destroyed.
After the Maledict has been defeated, the ending cinematic shows the Maledict swooping down at the Marine from the sky dodging one of his rockets. The Maledict lands and walks a few steps towards the marine making him back down before he promptly grabs him with his jaws, swinging him around in the air and then throwing him back down to the ground. The Marine passes out. When he wakes up, the Maledict (and more so Betruger's head) is standing right over him demanding to hand over the Artifact. The angry Marine complies and shoves the Artifact into Betruger's mouth, resulting in a massive explosion that disintegrates both the Maledict and the Artifact. The only thing left is Betruger's human skull which is seen rolling out onto the ground.
Related achievements
- Eat This! - Defeat the Maledict boss
Trivia
- Maledictus is Latin for a curse (literally meaning "accursed" or "damned").
- Maledictio is Latin for speaking evil, which matches Betruger/Maledict perfectly.
- Counting his two battle phases, the Maledict has the highest amount of HP in Resurrection of Evil, at 7500 points. However, if the phases are counted separately, the Maledict loses to the Invulnerability Hunter who has 7000 points.
- One of the PDAs in Doom 3 mentions an album called The Head On My Tongue by a band named Hellish Dragons, foreshadowing the appearance of the Maledict.
- In the BFG Edition of Doom 3, the Maledict does not summon Forgotten Ones, shooting fireballs instead.
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