Thomas Kelly

Master Sergeant Thomas Kelly is a major character in Doom 3. A strict military sergeant who expects a lot from his soldiers, he provides the player Marine their objectives in the first two thirds of the game.

Background

Sergeant Kelly — or Sarge as he is known to his troops — is the top of the enlisted chain of command on the Mars Base (Marine HQ).

A decorated veteran with a very seasoned military background, Sergeant Kelly is known to be a no-nonsense commander, as he has little patience for those who are unable to carry out their orders, especially at their fullest potential. As a result, he has no qualms to assign such soldiers to the worst duties as punishment (i.e. in the solid waste facility). Despite being cold, he is respected for his duties, leadership, and discipline, as he only wants his soldiers to get better. Thus, he maintains a very fair treatment towards his men, giving good word to those who fulfill their duties and motivating those who have the potential.

Sergeant Kelly is known to keep a stoic mindset when things are at their worst. His sharp tactical mind allows him to flawlessly direct his squads to a brilliantly conceived battle tactic. There are those who would call Sarge a machine and those who might think otherwise can no longer deny.^[1]

Outside the military, Kelly spends his personal time doing wildlife hunting. In one instance, he managed to hunt a grizzly bear with his double-barreled shotgun, an experience that he is proud on.

Doom 3

Once the transferred Marine arrives to Mars, Kelly urgently orders him to report himself to Marine HQ where he was waiting. Once the Marine arrives to HQ, Kelly expresses brief annoyance at him for taking so long. He eventually shrugs it off and provides the Marine his first assignment, to locate Dr. Ishii, a missing scientist who was last seen at the Old Communications Facility and bring him safely back to HQ for interrogation. Sergeant Kelly then sends a Sentry Bot to guide the Marine.

Not long after the Marine locates Ishii, the demonic outbreak begins, killing (and possessing) Ishii and along with almost everyone on the entire base. Sergeant Kelly reports to all Marine units on Mars that the base is going through full-scale attack by an unknown enemy force. Now in the Delta Labs, he orders them to head back to HQ for further orders.

During this process, Kelly tries to obtain as much intel as he can. His troops are being overwhelmed and cut off from one another, preventing them to regroup or fortify their positions. Now in desperate need for reinforcements, Kelly eventually discovers only one Marine team left operational: Bravo Team. He orders them to have a distress call sent to Earth and continue to engage against the hostile forces.

Meanwhile, the Marine successfully makes it back to HQ, being the only soldier present. He then approaches the communications monitor, establishing a connection with Sergeant Kelly. Surprised and relieved to see the Marine alive, Kelly gives him his next mission: to link up with Bravo Team. Kelly then marks the Marine's path to the Alpha Labs as the quickest way to get to them.

Kelly spends the next several levels monitoring the Marine's progress, warning him of some potential dangers he will encounter and reminding him how close he is to Bravo Team. Eventually, once the Marine makes it to the Enpro Facility, Bravo Team gets wiped out, leaving their operational status unknown. Kelly gives the Marine a new mission: locate the fallen Bravo Team and obtain the transmission card. Once the Marine arrives where Bravo Team has fallen, Kelly then asks the Marine to take the card to the Communications Tower to have the distress signal sent to Earth for more reinforcements. Kelly also asks the Marine to be wary of Elliot Swann and Jack Campbell, as they are hindering their progress of getting the transmission sent by attempting to shut off all communications from Earth.

By the time the Marine makes to the Satellite Control room, he prepares to have the transmission sent. Swann, however, suddenly contacts the Marine, and urges him not to, as Swann thinks it's better to keep the situation quarantined on Mars until it can be contained.

The Marine then decides if he should either send or cancel the transmission:

If the Marine sends the transmission, Kelly commends him for his efforts and asks him to rendezvous at the Delta Labs, as Kelly also discovers the main portal in the Delta Labs was how the invasion started.

If the Marine cancels the transmission, Kelly will angrily blast him for insubordinate conduct, and firmly asks him to return back to the Satellite Control Room to send the transmission before being inexplicably cut off. (This decision is eventually negated by Dr. Malcolm Betruger, who will fulfill Kelly's request himself.)

At this point, Kelly no longer contacts the Marine. By the time the Marine arrives the Delta Labs, Kelly is nowhere to be found, but a video-link up request is pending at a communication terminal, forcing the Marine to set up connection. Kelly appears, only in a recorded message, stating their original rendezvous point has been overtaken by demons, and thus compromised. He instead sets up an alternate route and requests the marine to rendezvous with him nearby in Security Service Tunnel One. However, when the Marine reaches the location, Sgt. Kelly isn't there.

It is eventually revealed that Kelly has converted over to the demons' side. He ambushes Campbell and Swann in Delta Labs, gravely injuring Swann in the process and forcing Campbell to leave him behind while he goes after the Sarge. Campbell, unfortunately, succumbs as well, and dies moments after having his weapon acquired by Kelly. Once the Marine discovers the fates of both Swann and Campbell, Kelly then taunts the Marine that he will come after him next.

The Marine finally meets up with Kelly in the CPU Complex. Seeing that his former commanding officer is now a large tank-like cybernetic monster, armed with Campbell's BFG9000, the Marine fights and then kills him, finally putting the once proud military veteran out of his misery.

Trivia

• Kelly's affiliation throughout the game and the circumstances surrounding his transformation are left ambiguous.
  • Some players affirm that Kelly was working with Betruger since the beginning, substantiated that he insisted in contacting Earth's Fleet to fulfill Betruger's goal of spreading the invasion to Earth.
  • Other players believe that Kelly was eventually mind-enslaved by Betruger, and his initial attempts to have a distress call sent to Earth was based on his tactical and leadership mindset, as he knew he was fighting an otherwise hopeless battle.
  • Here are hints that Kelly might be standing on the demon's side from the start.
    • The first thing Kelly does when the invasion begins is issue orders to send the transmission, prioritizing it over objectives like locating survivors, destroying the portal, or containing the demons on Mars. While calling for reinforcements may seem like a logical step, the risk of incoming troops being overrun and used by the demons raises concerns about whether this was truly the best course of action.
    • If Kelly held any real authority, he should have been aware of Betruger’s history of reckless and fatal decisions. Even if we assume Kelly had only recently arrived on Mars, like the Marine, there is no chance that he was not briefed on or had researched Dr. Betruger—one of the highest-ranking figures at the facility. Yet, at no point in the game does he warn the Marine about him, even after the scientist mysteriously vanishes during the invasion—just like Kelly himself. Despite the catastrophic consequences of Betruger’s actions, Kelly never acknowledges the danger he poses or even speaks ill of him. A man in Kelly’s position should have at least heard the numerous troubling reports about Betruger, yet instead of showing any concern, he directs his hostility toward Swann and Campbell, treating them as adversaries rather than allies. His silence regarding Betruger, despite everything that has happened, is highly questionable.
    • Sergeant Kelly's presence at Delta Labs from the start of the invasion gave him a crucial opportunity to act, yet he made no visible progress in shutting down the portal. Despite acknowledging its importance, he either failed to stop it—raising the question of why a supposedly experienced soldier was overwhelmed when the Marine later succeeded—or he never attempted to stop it at all, choosing instead to wait for the Marine. This is even more questionable given that Delta Labs contains supplies such as ammo and health stations, meaning Kelly had the resources to put up a fight.
    • Furthermore, Kelly presumably had the ability to bypass all the troublesome security clearances throughout the Mars Base, granting him access to crucial areas without the usual obstacles. Yet, despite this advantage, he remained moot, watching as Bravo Team’s numbers were whittled down one by one. Even more damning is the fact that, being stationed at Delta Labs from the beginning, Kelly had a high chance of sending the transmission himself far faster than Bravo Team—yet he chose to stand still, deliberately withholding action. Instead of taking the most efficient route, he issued orders that forced Bravo Team into extreme danger, fully aware that they were being slaughtered. His refusal to act when every second counted, combined with his willingness to treat Bravo Team as expendable, casts a dark shadow over his true motives. The indirect meaning behind his orders—"Die for the sake of humanity"—suggests not just cold pragmatism, but a sinister indifference, as if the deaths of Bravo Team and the Marine were not just an unfortunate consequence, but an expected necessity in his agenda.
      • One possible explanation is that Kelly intended to eliminate the Marine after his usefulness ended with the transmission, supported by the fact that he later appears as the cybernetic demon Sabaoth. However, this could also suggest that Betruger had full control over Kelly’s fate, potentially turning him into a pawn rather than an active conspirator. Whether Kelly was a willing accomplice or a victim of mind control, the circumstances surrounding his inaction and transformation make his true role in the invasion deeply suspicious.
    • Despite being the highest-ranking military officer, Kelly never takes direct action to fight the demons or protect his subordinates. He stays behind in Delta Labs, giving orders from a distance, which reinforces the impression that he is an "all talk, no action" leader. Unlike Swann and Campbell, who actively attempt to stop the invasion, Kelly does nothing to provide supplies, fortify defenses, or help Bravo Team accomplish their mission. His commands focus solely on regrouping at Mars City and sending the transmission, even as the situation deteriorates. He never organizes a counteroffensive, secures survivors, or makes any effort to contain the demons, making his decision to relocate to Delta Labs even more suspicious.
    • Kelly’s insistence on transmitting the distress signal may have unintentionally aligned with Betruger's goals, as it resulted in reinforcements being lured into a highly dangerous situation. While it remains unclear whether Kelly was aware of the full consequences, his lack of concern for the potential dangers of reinforcements arriving on a demon-infested Mars raises questions.
    • Throughout the crisis, Kelly repeatedly belittles Swann and Campbell, accusing them of not caring about what happens on Mars, despite their efforts to shut down the portal. While refusing to aid them is one thing, Kelly goes further by attempting to sway the Marine against them, framing them as obstacles rather than allies. This, combined with his remote leadership and questionable orders, adds to the suspicion surrounding his true role in the invasion.
    • Kelly’s repeated orders to "fall back to Marine HQ to regroup and await further orders" seem like standard military protocol on the surface. However, given the overwhelming demon presence, concentrating survivors in a single location could have made them an easy target. His lack of direct action, combined with his focus on remote commands, raises concerns about whether his leadership was driven by strategic incompetence or something more deliberate.

• In the BFG Edition, Kelly has brown hair.
• Going against Kelly's orders by cancelling the transmission, as well as fighting him in his Sabaoth form may be a reference from the original Doom's backstory, where the protagonist revolted against his superior for giving him orders to shoot civilians.
• Kelly is briefly mentioned in Resurrection of Evil when the player enters his office located in Erebus Labs Level 3. The player can obtain his double-barreled shotgun that is hanging in the cabinet. There is also a bear head trophy mounted on the wall of his office and a photo of one of his bear hunts.
• In the French version of Doom 3, Sarge's "final warning" is in English.

Gallery

Thomas Kelly's appearance in Doom 3: BFG Edition

References