History Main / DoomTroops

* The Sardaukar in both cinematic incarnations of ''Literature/{{Dune}}'' are presented in this manner. In the [[Film/Dune1984 1984 film]], they wear what seems to be heavy hazmat suits with face-concealing masks; like almost everything in that movie, it's an odd mix of impressive and silly. In the [[Film/Dune2021 2021 film]], while their armours aren't really remarkable, they look like Viking berserkers while acting like methodical killing machines; the Harkonnen troops actually play the trope straighter in uniform terms (face-concealing helmets and black leather trenchcoats), despite being much less impressive on the battlefield. Only Fremen warriors are a match to them.

** In ''Film/DunePartTwo'', the Harkonnen soldiers who are equipped for the desert have intimidating black armors, but otherwise they don't fare that well against the Fremen.

Has nothing to do with the WebComic ''Webcomic/TroopsOfDoom,'' the {{UsefulNotes/SNES}} game ''VideoGame/DoomTroopers'', [[DoomyDoomsOfDoom Doom Tropes]] or the LegionOfDoom.

So you can tell just by looking that the Doom Troops are no ordinary Mooks. Every aspect of them is designed for [[TheDreaded maximum intimidation]]; their boots strike the ground with a despair-inducing ''[[StompyMooks tromp]]'' and their [[VaderBreath loud breathing]] sends chills up the enemy's spines. Their [[EvilWearsBlack uniforms are black]], possibly emblazoned with skulls, and [[FacelessGoons almost always have a mask]] [[GasMaskMooks that makes them seem less human]]. Enemy soldiers would rather surrender than fight them, but they are trained to show no mercy. Every action they take is meant to induce MookHorrorShow in the RedShirtArmy and civilian populace.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' gives us two examples, the Death Korps of Krieg for TheEmpire and all the SpaceMarine chapters (both good and evil; it's explicitly stated that they eschew camouflage in favor of scariness).
** Some sub-units take this even further: the Night Lords Legion of Space Marines have this as their hat, going into battle covered in [[CrueltyRichLeather the remains of their enemies]], whilst the "Destroyer" units of regular Space Marine Legions were black armored chemical and biological weapon specialists. The reason their wore black? Because their weapons corroded the paint off their armor. Not nice.

* ''ComicBook/TransformersGeneration2'': The Cybertronian Empire is filled with horned, skull-faced robots who commit genocide on a galactic scale and are nigh-unstoppable.

* Hammer Empire soldiers from ''ComicBook/DangerGirl'' are ominous enough, and Major Maxim is pretty much what they'd be like if [[HerrDoktor Doctor]] [[TheVonTropeFamily Von]] [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Kripplor's]] SuperSerum worked on anyone else.

* ''Fanfic/TiberiumWars'' presents the [[WarriorMonk Black Hand]] as these; when a GDI infantry squad encounters a squad, the corporal in command completely flips out in terror at the sight and the entire squad locks up in fear. Later on, when a Black hand unit ambushes a GDI convoy, the mere ''sight'' of the Hands is enough to terrify a GDI officer into paralysis. [[TheDreaded The reputation]] is well-deserved. Between [[KillItWithFire the weapons]] [[EnergyWeapon the Black Hand use]] and the [[ImmuneToBullets ridiculously strong armor they wear,]] the fact that the corporal survived the engagement at all and managed to kill one of the Hand in single combat is seen as impressive.

* The Sardaukar in both cinematic incarnations of ''Literature/{{Dune}}'' are presented in this manner. In the [[Film/Dune1984 1984 film]], they wear what seems to be heavy hazmat suits with face-concealing masks; like almost everything in that movie, it's an odd mix of impressive and silly. In the [[Film/Dune2021 2021]]-[[Film/DunePartTwo 2023]] films, while their armours aren't really remarkable, they look like Viking berserkers while acting like methodical killing machines; the Harkonnen troops actually play the trope straighter in uniform terms (face-concealing helmets and black leather trenchcoats), despite being much less impressive on the battlefield. Only Fremen warriors are a match to them.

* In ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' the Catholic Church still secretly fields Papal Knights for open warfare: they wear armour and face-covering robes complete with conical hats of the kind traditionally worn during certain Catholic festivals -- most commonly the burning of heretics by the Spanish Inquisition. This is clothing that citizens of the United States have come to associate with the UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan.

* Black Ops soldiers from ''VideoGame/HalfLifeOpposingForce''.
** ''All'' humanoid Combine troops in ''VideoGame/HalfLife2''.

* ''VideoGame/TheSaboteur'' has Nazi version.

* [[EgoPolis Ghestal Empire]] EliteMooks and MagiTek [[MiniMecha Armor]] pilots from VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI
* Proving that you ''can'' put Doom Troops in a game about gangsters, Ultor Corporation's Masako Team in ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' is firmly in this territory. Sadly, GameplayAndStorySegregation is on full effect, as they are no more threatening (barring their larger HP) than your standard gangbanger.
* On the other hand, the STAG from the ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' are Doom Troops covered in light gray and often, white. They are however, armed with [[EnergyWeapon Energy Weapons]] , [[CoolPlane VTOL jets]], an aircraft carrier, an AirborneAircraftCarrier, and [[InfiniteSupplies then some]]. They're actually quite tough, and significantly ramps up the difficulty.
* Authority Enforcers from ''VideoGame/Rage2011''.

* ZZ Troopers from ''[[http://www.kongregate.com/games/TogeProductionsrelic-of-war Relic of War]]'' have GlowingEyesOfDoom, RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver uniforms, and superior weapons to baseline Axis troops.

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/SWAT4'': the player character and their teammates always wear dark blue uniforms, black body armor, and balaclavas with helmets, on top of speaking in a RadioVoice and usually toting black assault rifles, [[DarkIsNotEvil giving them a similar appearance]] to stereotypical FPS FacelessGoons. Meanwhile most of the suspects walk around in their street clothes with their faces uncovered. TruthInTelevision. Notably, despite their intimidating appearance, they would very much prefer not having to shoot anyone at all; [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome as they're police officers, not soldiers, and are primarily concerned with getting everyone out alive, as the suspects are still American citizens.]]
* In ''{{VideoGame/Destiny 2}}'', the [[TheEmpire Cabal]] were redesigned to have a more sinister, sleek “tip of the spear” aesthetic to represent the Red Legion’s status as EliteMooks compared to the beleaguered grunts fought in the first game. Watch out for {{rage helm}}s and a color scheme heavy with blood red, bone white, and gunmetal grey.
* In the ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'' games, there's the Krimzon Guard, goons carrying huge rifles and masks with circular red eyes and a place covering the mouth and nose. The Elite KG fulfill this trope by being EliteMooks: they have double the health!
** In ''VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander'', the Freedom League subvert this trope as they're the good guys, despite using the same armour as the old Krimzon Guard. This is likely because Haven City is in the middle of a war, so instead of re-designing everything they just painted all the KG stuff blue.

* G.E.F. SpaceMarines from ''Webcomic/{{Zap}}''.

** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'': The Tengu soldiers guarding Arsenal Gear are a special commandoes unit that wear scary masks, wear suits that make them superhumanly string and agile, and armed with P90s and high frenquency blades that block bullets.

** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'': The Tengu soldiers guarding Arsenal Gear are a special commandoes unit that wear scary masks, wear suits that make them superhuman strength and agility, and armed with P90s and high frenquency blades that block bullets.

** VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'': The Tengu soldiers guarding Arsenal Gear are a special commandoes unit that wear scary masks, wear suits that make them superhuman strength and agility, and armed with P90s and high frenquency blades that block bullets.

* Several examples in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''. The Legion Centurions who possibly are also MookLieutenant and the rarely seen Legion Vexillarii with their iconic armors. Then there is also the even scarier looking NCR Veteran Rangers with their ominous black armor and [[GasMaskMooks gas masks]] who send even the drugged fiends running for their lives, subverted that [[DarkIsNotEvil Veteran Rangers]] [[CreepyGood are the good guys]] and are some of the nicest NCR soldiers if you are in good terms with the NCR. If you count destroyed units, the old American Army Riot Troopers had even spookier armor, with extra padding, glowing eye lenses, thicker armor, and black leather dusters that were hybrids of LAPD riot gear and US Army Mechanized Infantry uniforms.
** There's also the series mainstay: The [[PoweredArmor Power Armor.]] Initially starting as the standard armor for higher-ranking members of the Brotherhood of Steel (low-ranking members have to make due with simple combat armor) the Power Armor is a huge and bulky suit of armor vaguely resembling the plate mail of a medieval knight with a [[GasMaskMook gas mask helmet.]] ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}'' then introduced the Enclave's more advanced model of Power Armor, complete with a more sinister helmet design and, depending on the game, [[ShouldersOfDoom gigantic pauldrons that stretch around the back of the neck]] or [[ChainedByFashion a completely unnecessary pauldron chain.]]

* Aku created a whole horde of robot assassins like this in the Samurai Jack episode "Samurai versus Samurai", but despite their ghastly appearance (skulls for heads with gems as eyes, using knives as weapons), they really weren't much better than the rest of his MechaMooks. (After Jack destroyed them all, the pieces pulled themselves together into a giant junk-monster, but that was only slightly more formidable.)

* In [[WebVideo/PerpetualPlayers]] The Axiunian Elites [[spoiler: who save squid mart]] wear mirrored face masks that don't present any facial features. When we get to see what they look like under the mask we learn they have entire strips of glass embedded into their skin.

* The Sardaukar in both cinematic incarnations of ''Literature/{{Dune}}'' are presented in this manner. In the [[Film/Dune1984 1984 film]], they wear what seems to be heavy hazmat suits with face-concealing masks; like almost everything in that movie, it's an odd mix of impressive and silly. In the [[Film/Dune2021 2021]]-[[Film/DunePartTwo 2023]] films, while their armours aren't really remarkable, they look like Viking berserkers while acting like methodical killing machines; the Harkonnen troops actually play the trope straighter in uniform terms (face-concealing helmets and black leather trenchcoats), despite being much less impressive on the battlefield.

* The Sardaukar in both cinematic incarnations of ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' are presented in this manner. In [[Film/Dune1984 Lynchian adaptation]], they wear what seems to be heavy hazmat suits with face-concealing masks; like almost everything in that movie, it's an odd mix of impressive and silly. In [[Film/Dune2021 Villeneuvian adaptation]], while their armours aren't really remarkable, they look like Viking berserkers while acting like methodical killing machines; the Harkonnen troops actually play the trope straighter in uniform terms (face-concealing helmets and black leather trenchcoats), despite being much less impressive on the battlefield.
** For completeness' sake, [[Series/FrankHerbertsDune miniseries adaptation]] has them wear comparatively no-nonsense military uniforms, which are however topped with flamboyant Renaissance-era headgear (it's called "the funny hats version" for a reason). Interestingly, it kind of works: the Sardaukar of the miniseries do project dread, in a no-need-to-look-scary-to-be-scary kind of way.

* The modern image of the Doom troops can also be traced on the elite German [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormtroopers_(Imperial_Germany) Sturmtruppen]] or Stormtrooper units of [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI First World War]]. Highly motivated troops, they fought in the later stages of the war using infiltration tactics, forgoing mass assaults in favor of attacking critical choke points in trenches. The Allies were dumbfounded and disoriented by these tactics before they were eventually able to counter them. Naturally, the above SS and the earlier Sturmabteilung or SA considered the Stormtrooper units to be their spiritual predecessors.

* The modern image of the Doom troops can also be traced on the elite German [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormtroopers_(Imperial_Germany)Sturmtruppen]] or Stormtrooper units of [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI First World War]]. Highly motivated troops, they fought in the later stages of the war using infiltration tactics, forgoing mass assaults in favor of attacking critical choke points in trenches. The Allies were dumbfounded and disoriented by these tactics before they were eventually able to counter them. Naturally, the above SS and the earlier Sturmabteilung or SA considered the Stormtrooper units to be their spiritual predecessors.

You can tell by looking at them, these are no ordinary {{Mooks}}. Every aspect of them is designed for [[TheDreaded maximum intimidation]]; their boots strike the ground with a despair-inducing ''[[StompyMooks tromp]]'' and their [[VaderBreath loud breathing]] sends chills up the enemy's spines. Their [[EvilWearsBlack uniforms are black]], possibly emblazoned with skulls, and [[FacelessGoons almost always have a mask]] [[GasMaskMooks that makes them seem less human]]. Enemy soldiers would rather surrender than fight them, but they are trained to show no mercy. Every action they take is meant to induce MookHorrorShow in the RedShirtArmy and civilian populace.

** The new Primaris Marine elite unit, the Reivers, amplify the intimidation factor of regular Marines. The faceplates of their helmets are crafted to resemble skulls and have vox amplifiers built in that turn the Reivers' battle-cries into ear-shattering howls, and the Reivers themselves use grav-chutes and {{Grappling Hook Pistol}}s to infiltrate behind enemy lines and wreak havoc with [[MoreDakka rapid-firing bolt carbines]], [[HandCannon oversized heavy bolt pistols]], and enormous, wickedly sharp combat knives]]. They're essentially the modern Imperium's answer to the old Night Lords Terror Squads.

* In the short story ''The Dragons of Summer Gulch'' by Creator/RobertReed, the protagonist is a veteran of a doom squadron from an old war. The troops were fitted with scary, fantastically expensive armor crafted with Kevlar and fossilized dragon bones, making it effectively immune to bullets. The squadron would simply pick up a big scary guns and ''walk'' toward enemy positions to scare them off before slaughtering anyone dumb enough to not run away. However, the protagonist said that by the end of the war, those who hadn't been gibbed by cannon fire, [[EyeScream lucky shots]], or hit with dragonbuster ammo were paranoid, broken men.

** For completeness' sake, [[Series/FrankHerbertsDune miniseries adaptation]] has them wear rather no-nonsense military uniforms, which are however topped with flamboyant Renaissance-era purple headgear (it's called "the silly hats version" for a reason). Interestingly, it kind of works: the Sardaukar of the miniseries do project dread, in a no-need-to-look-scary-to-be-scary kind of way.

** ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' introduces the anti-Jedi [=MagnaGuards=], used as Dooku and Greivous' personal bodyguards and featuring a more humanoid skeletal appearance and face that invokes GasMaskMook imagery. For extra intimidation factor, they have a backup processor inside their body, allowing them to keep fighting even if their head is cut off.

* Possibly the UrExample are "Marius's mules," otherwise known as the Roman Legions of the late Republic period [[note]]the first century BCE, more or less[[/note]]: professional soldiers, all identically armed and armored in gleaming metal helmets and segmented mail, trained and equipped to both outmarch and outfight any other army in the world.