Nintendo sparks Doom Slayer Smash Ultimate E3 rumors after bizarre copyright

With E3 fast approaching and the next Super Smash Bros Ultimate DLC fighter set to be revealed, rumors about the identity of the new character being none other than Doom Slayer are spreading thanks to a strange copyright takedown by Nintendo.

Doom Slayer has long been a popular candidate for Smash Ultimate, with fans convinced that either he or Halo’s Master Chief could be winding out Fighters Pass Volume 2.

Now, even as rumors of fellow fan-favorite Crash Bandicoot being announced at E3 continue to spread, the possibility of a double reveal with Doom Slayer being the second fighter has been theorized.

The theories began to spread after a user claimed to have posted a video featuring a Doom Eternal TV ad with the Smash song Lifelight over it only for Nintendo to issue a copyright strike.

“Now I’ve posted this before and nothing has happened but…” the Twitter user trailed off and uploaded a screenshot of his video no longer being available.

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Interestingly, other videos containing the Lifelight song and just the Smash logo have been allowed to remain on Twitter, further adding to the speculation.

Why Nintendo would take issue with a Doom Eternal ad with Smash music played over it remains to be seen, but some are taking this as a good indication that Doomslayer is the next DLC.

More Doomslayer Smash Ultimate DLC evidence

Additionally, there are some other elements to consider regarding the next fighter, such as the fact Doom Eternal’s own devs want Doom Slayer/Doomguy in Smash.

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In a 2020 interview, Doom Eternal’s director Marty Stratton said the team reached out to Nintendo about the possibility, but at the time it didn’t seem like anything came from their request.

Another thing worth considering is “M-Theory” and how just showing the logo for a game that is M-Rated by the ESRB makes it so a whole presentation must acknowledge the fact Mature rated content is shown.

This is why Mii Fighter announcements sometimes don’t include the franchise the character is from in the reveal, with Nintendo opting instead to saying “Smash X Vault Boy” as opposed to “Smash x Fallout” in North American videos.

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Interestingly, when the Fighters Pass Volume 2 lineup is shown in videos, the North American versions don’t include the franchise fighters are from above their profiles, but the European versions do

Basically, M-Theory suggests that one of the Fighters Pass Volume 2 DLC packs will contain a character from a Mature rated franchise. Doom Slayer fits that criteria.

Of course, take all of this with a grain of salt as nothing has been confirmed just yet. At least we won’t have long to find out who the next DLC fighter is, as Nintendo’s E3 presentation is set for June 15.