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Marathon's Story Page
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Marathon's Story Page
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #892. Happy Halloween.  It's also sketchy Friday. We've got sketches. First up... JPstealthcamel gives us hardcore "emergency facial reconstruction". 
Emergency Facial Reconstruction by JPstealthcamel on the Unofficial Marathon Discord. October 23, 2025.
Graphic realism. Marathon is hell! JP goes on to give us a rare view of Mjolnir Recon 54 as a young boy on Mars and his father's last words "Make me proud. Never lose your honor." 
Little Doodle by JPstealthcamel on the Unofficial Marathon Discord. April 4, 2025.
The schoolyard bullies got what was coming to them that day. The schoolyard disciplinarian had been slow to notice the ensuing carnage, and she didn't really care anyway.They were Martians. As a young man he helped stop a war between two neighboring asteroids by killing almost everyone. 
Multitool by JPstealthcamel on the Unofficial Marathon Discord. October 24, 2025.
Get some! Get some! God Will Sort The Dead... Oorah! kamil-a (@kamil-a) takes up the story of our hero fighting on Lh'owon. 
oops by kamil-a (@kamil-a) on tumblr. October 21, 2025.
Kam writes: the spht moved out of the way when you bump them on the shoulder!!! these guys dont.Everyone was a murderer... Happy sketchy Friday. Stay sketchy. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #891. Running on empty? Then make sure you pack some snacks. 
UESC Lunch Box by alex_61 on the Allright Runners Discord. October 27, 2025.
Yes, a UESC Lunch Box containing a UESC approved Nutrition Bundle. And of course it's real. Here's the flat box dieline art. 
UESC Lunch Box dieline art by alex_61 on the Allright Runners Discord. October 27, 2025.
Warning! Carry at your own risk. May cause looting. What's in the box? The only 100% Mjolnir Recon 54 approved snack. When you need to... Eat the Path.  Off The Eaten Path by c-53 on tumblr. February 9, 2024 A tasty WEAVEworm pastry. Crispy with a creamy center.  Chikuwa Bread of "Bakery Fujiya" at Tsurukawa by chuck-snowbug on tumblr. January 11, 2024. Marathon Gummies! Chewy with a liquid center! All natural... honest!
Washed down with Product 412 NuCaloric beer.  Product 412 NuCaloric beer posted by Cory Schmitz (@CorySchmitz) on x.com. April 25, 2025. Takes the pain out of dying. Marathon Is Dietary Awareness. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #890. Marathon is brutal. WoysfuL (@WoysfuL) gives us a visual representation of how brutal. 
Uplink Incident by WoysfuL (@WoysfuL) on x.com. October 27, 2025.
In Marathon no quarter is given. Ironically the original Marathon manual sums up the current state of play. Move fast, seize the initiative, wield superior firepower, dive into the melee, anticipate enemy movements, slaughter the defenseless, endure.Marathon Is Digital Aggression. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #889. It's funny, but you've always been the colony'sAlexB207 (@AlexB207Swag) gives us a beefy looking Security Officer. 
Security Officer by AlexB207 (@AlexB207Swag) on x.com. October 25, 2025.
A good reminder to hit the gym and beef up. Playing Marathon makes you skinny. Case in point. 
Bungie's infamous Monkey Boy Ad, 1996.
Around this time last year AlexB207 (aka Alex Blashill) gave us the reason what the Pfhor lost.  Marathon buddies by AlexB207 (@AlexB207Swag) on x.com. October 20, 2024. Yup... skinny. So hit the gym and beef up...  0842 color by Mat Heldwein (aka Le-Mat). October 31, 2013. ...and wear Big Boots.  Marathon Marine by Colin C (aka CrunchyDetail) on Freelancer.com. January, 2020. Tau Ceti needs a hero. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #888. Happy MIDA Monday. The insurgent known only as 'Chance' is back with more MIDA Pirate Radio. Live from Mars and Tau Ceti. Lock down your aerial. MIDA Pirate Radio is a series of playlists on Spotify specifically chosen to meet the needs of any would be UESC hacker. We featured MIDA Pirate Radio back on October 6, 2025 but the UESC intercepted the transmissions and activated the DIESIS Protocol.  be damaging to the security and safety of our solar system and thus banned by order of the Unified Earth Space Council. 27.05.2888 Mix005 of MIDA Pirate Radio comes with more bespoke artwork.  MIDA Pirate Radio Mix005 by Chance on the Unofficial Marathon Discord. October 22, 2025. Here is the direct link to Mix005 of MIDA Pirate Radio : 005 Warning. Clicking on this link may expose you to the UESC's DIESIS Protocol. Consider yourself warned. Candor (@CandorR6) continues his Marathon-inspired poster series with MIDA defaced UESC propaganda. 
Marathon Poster 016A by Candor (@CandorR6) on x.com. October 21, 2025.
He went on to create a total of four variants. Time to choose your favorite before the UESC take them dowm.
Marathon Is Defiant Art.  Happy MIDA Monday. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #887. Happy Pfhor Sacking Day! Yes folks, on this day 769 years from now the Pfhor will return in force to Tau Ceti and sack the human colony there. Durandal told us: Three months after we left Tau Ceti, the Pfhor arrived in force and sacked the human colony there.But when did Durandal leave Tau Ceti? Well right after the Battle for the Marathon.  MJOLNIR Recon 54 by The Count of S (@TheCountofS) on twitter.com. March 27, 2020. But how long did that take?  Well Robert Blake the leader of the remaining humans at Lh'owon told us it was two days. Judging from the journal entries of Volker Von Müller the Battle for the Marathon started off real slow...  MJOLNIR Recon 54 by The Count of S (@TheCountofS) on twitter.com. January 10, 2019. ...but no doubt accelerated once Mjolnir Recon 54 went into full Total Carnage mode.  Ultra Marathon by The Count of S (@TheCountofS) on twitter.com. June 30, 2023 But the colony wasn't just sacked. The Final Screen in Marathon 2: Durandal tells us that Tau Ceti was "nuked down to bedrock". Happy Pfhor Sacking Day! But what if the Pfhor never attacked the Marathon in the first place? Well that's a story for another day. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #886. I have died a hundred times and will die a  Glimpse of the Future from the Past by Archus-Desun on DeviantArt. May 29, 2025. Anyone who is playing solo can relate to this piece of animated art created by SuprAar0n back in July 2025. So I started Blasting by SuprAar0n on the Official Marathon Discord. July 19, 2025. The piece is entitled "So I started Blasting", which is what you do, but the sound at the end just tells you there are another two behind you. Marathon Is Definitely Arduous.  |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #885. It's sketchy Friday. We've got sketches. First up... A Marathon / Halo crossover sketch by Throck Mortin (@TMortin1777). 
They're Everywhere! by Throck Mortin (@TMortin1777) on x.com. July 31, 2025.
The Jackal (Kig-yar) be like... "I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle." B.O.B be like... "Frog Blast The Vent Core!"... B.O.O.M. Up next... Thanks for the memory. 
Pfhor sketch by serecky on the Unofficial Marathon Discord. October 16, 2025.
serecky writes "tried doing a phfor from memory". The player's hand has that ZPC 'Chi Punch' look to it. Waiting for the ZPC remake with Keanu Reeves.  "People keep asking if I'm back. And I haven't really had an answer. But now, yeah, I'm thinkin' I'm back!" But I digress. Last sketchy Friday we featured an artist trying to channel their JPstealthcamel power to create the Mjolnir Recon 54 look. Now JPstealthcamel is back! But has he lost his power? 
Mjolnir Recon 54 by JPstealthcamel on the Unofficial Marathon Discord. October 17, 2025.
JPstealthcamel writes "I know it's just a practice sketch to get a feel for the character, but I kinda hate my design so far lol". Undeterred, he endeavoured to persevere. 
Mjolnir Recon 54 by JPstealthcamel on the Unofficial Marathon Discord. October 23, 2025.
In true Marathon Infinity fashion... Seven hundred and sixty one armless and leglessHappy sketchy Friday. Stay sketchy. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #884. Got Marathon? WoysfuL (@WoysfuL) gives us a really excellent visual close-up of Blackbird. 
Blackbird by WoysfuL (@WoysfuL) on x.com. October 20, 2025.
The alt text reads: Close-up view of a cyberpunk masked figure with a black and white checkered pattern on the visible face skin. The mask consists of multiple rectangular panels in orange and green hues with glowing edges forming a helmet structure over the head. Red glowing eyes peer through the central panels and angular red ear extensions protrude sideways. Subtle green lighting illuminates the dark background.We featured WoysfuL's (Call me Yui) artwork back on July 16, 2025. But it's time for a closer look. I heart you! 
Blackbird (I heart you) by WoysfuL (@WoysfuL) on x.com. October 21, 2025.
If it bleeds we can kill it! 
Glitch (blue blood) by WoysfuL (@WoysfuL) on x.com. October 18, 2025.
The alt text reads: Character wears a full-body blue suit with green accents on shoulders, knees, and boots, equipped with gray gadgets on chest and arms, holding a gray handgun with red trigger. Stands in shallow dark water creating a mirror-like reflection of the entire figure below. Rendered in photorealistic style with glossy metallic surfaces and subtle lighting highlights. Shadow falls on the water surface around the boots.And this spooky version the result of a glossy direct pass. Just the ticket for Halloween. 
Glitch (glossy direct pass) by WoysfuL (@WoysfuL) on x.com. October 19, 2025.
And these two earlier pieces of Glitch and Void.
The alt text for the Void image reads: The image features a character from the game Marathon, specifically a Void-Hunter, as indicated by the post text. The character is depicted in a dark, futuristic setting with a hooded figure whose eyes glow red, extending a hand towards the viewer. The word "VOID" is prominently displayed in large, bold letters on the left side, while "MARATHON" is written at the top right. The design is sleek and sci-fi themed, with geometric patterns and a dark color palette, emphasizing the mysterious and powerful nature of the Void-Hunter. The post text reveals that the creator, WoysfuL, is excited about the gameplay style in Marathon that aligns with their preference as a Void-Hunter main, and they tagged @MarathonTheGame and used hashtags like #Void, #Marathon, #MarathonTheGame, and #Bungie.Let's hope WoysfuL (Call me Yui) is playing Marathon right now! |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #883. Green is the color... Marathon is the game. 
Marathon Poster 015 by Candor (@CandorR6) on x.com. October 20, 2025.
Candor (@CandorR6) continues his Marathon-inspired poster series with a striking green CyberAcme image. The alt text reads: Abstract cyberpunk composition in dominant green tones with glitch distortions and layered digital effects. Central elements include a fragmented face with visible eyes and partial features emerging from grid-like structures. Text overlays spell CyberAcme vertically and Marathon horizontally in bold fonts. Additional geometric shapes like squares and lines integrate with the design, accompanied by a circular logo and barcode-like elements at the bottom.CyberAcme dates back to the original Marathon.  From the outset of the game every terminal opens with the text CAS.qterm//CyberAcme Systems, Inc. in the bottom left of the screen.  When NuMarathon was announced on May 24, 2023 you could buy a CyberAcme T-Shirt.
Part of the blurb on the Bungie Store page read: CyberAcme: Everything runs on CyAc. Or nothing runs at all. The IBM punched card code on the front of the CyberAcme T-Shirt decodes to WE BRING WORLDS CLOSER CYBERACME The code also has an "eerie green glow" in the dark just the ticket for this Halloween. Staying with the color green. Kry.exe (@KryDotExe) gives us another poster in his Kanji series. 
 by Kry.exe (@KryDotExe) on x.com. October 20, 2025.
The alt text reads: Marathon-themed poster featuring Void and Glitch looking at each other like reflections, with the textThe text in the middle is from the Marathon Alpha. This is a paraphrase of Durandal's line in the Marathon Infinity level Hang Brain (Terminal 1: 1st Message). When the time comes, whose life will flash before yours? |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #882. The hand that mocked them...  BCH (work in progress) by Jack Strider on the Unofficial Marathon Discord. September 18, 2025. Concerning the above piece Jack Strider wrote: anyway back to working on the original piece that i wanted to have done by next weekBut that was a month ago. So what happened? Now the Story page is not one to put pressure on artists unless they are slackers and Jack is no slacker. Jack has created more Marathon-inspired fan art than most. Indeed we started featuring Jack's artwork back in early 2024. Here's the first piece. An updated version of Mjolnir Recon 54. 
Marathon by Strider on Marathon Discord. March 6, 2024.
Jack Strider wrote: kitbashed it together with Helldivers 2 assets, the fit itself is based off of a helmet/armor combo you can wear in game but i'm trying to make it more like a definitive 54 vibeThe background image is Durandal by Arne Niklas Jansson of (androidarts.com). One of my favorite depictions of the rampant one.  Durandal by Arne Niklas Jansson on the androidarts.com. January 16, 2022. What we didn't feature at the time was Jack's alternate version. 
Marathon (alternate version) by Strider on Marathon Discord. March 6, 2024.
The text is by Jack who happens to also be a writer. But I digress. So while we wait for Jack's BCH piece... ...tuck this little kitty into the impenetrable brainpan. Whispers by Siddhant Singh (@justsimplysid) on x.com. May 6, 2025. When the time comes, whose life will flash before yours? |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #881. It's MIDA Monday.  That's today! Are you ready?  Probably should wear your MIDA T-Shirt for good luck.  MIDA T-Shirt Balaclava instructions posted by Kole (@Isa_Kole) on X.com. October 10, 2023. And if you don't get an invite... RISE LIKE MIDA.  RISE LIKE MIDA by JustLeo (@Justleo64) on X.com. April 18, 2025. Marathon Is Direct Activism. Happy MIDA Monday. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #880. They're back! Furries in Marathon. Kry.exe (@bluecat.krydotexe.com), a self-declared furry from Buenos Aires in Argentina, gives us Marathon-inspired furry art entitled... 
 by Kry.exe (@bluecat.krydotexe.com) on Bluesky. October 13, 2025.
The alt text reads: 3D render of a Rexouium floating, eyes closed, holding what is known to be a "Prime Artifact" from the Bungie game Marathon. The caption reads "YOU NAME YOUR CHILDREN AS YOUR CITY FALLS INTO THE SEA" Marathon Devs stay silent on the subject of Prime Artifacts appearing in the game. Can't have too many Prime Artifacts, right? Steve Cotton (former Creative Director on Marathon). Somewhere In The Heavens - ViDoc. May 24, 2023. Bungie Mathematics 101. Marathon Devs stay silent on the subject of Furries in Marathon. But Marketing know that if your game/movie doesn't cater for furries then it is not reaching its widest marketing audience. With ten million furries in North America alone, if one tenth of one tenth buy Marathon how many copies will be sold? Marathon Devs stay silent as they work that one out. Kry.exe doesn't stay silent however, he went on to create Our Boy Locus in a piece entitled... 
 by Kry.exe (@bluecat.krydotexe.com) on Bluesky. October 18, 2025.
The alt text reads: Marathon-themed poster featuring Locus sinking in water, with the textOddly the alt text on X.com reads: Dark silhouette of a figure lying supine on a surface covered in large fragmented green katakana and kanji characters arranged abstractly with red glowing elements and overlay text in white readingLocus sinking in water? Locus lying supine on a surface? Confused? Welcome to Marathon. Marathon Inspires Divergent Accounts. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #879. Continuing our theme of celebrating Marathon-inspired art from around the world we give you... Marathon renders by Lliam Rowella, a 3D & Digital Media Artist from Montez, United States.  NuCaloric by Lliam Rowella on Instagram. April 2025.  NuCaloric by Lliam Rowella on Instagram. April 2025. Full version fisheye view.  NuCaloric by Lliam Rowella on Instagram. April 2025. You may recall that in Marathon fisheye view was called Extravision and extended your peripheral vision to 180°. In keeping with Marathon's age-old tradition of wading through detritus and plant matter, Lliam gives us waist deep in Shallow Mire.  Shallow Mire by Lliam Rowella on Artstation. April 2025. UESC droids are built to run and crush stuff.  Built To Run by Lliam Rowella on Instagram. April 2025. Solo play in Marathon? Lliam Rowella gives us his custom W.I.P runner: The Wanderer.  The Wanderer by Lliam Rowella on Artstation. April 2025. Last up... More traditional Runners investigating the Pods.  The Pods by Lliam Rowella on Artstation. April 2025. What's in the Pods? |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #878. It's sketchy Friday. We've got sketches. First up... The one they call ApeEater gives us this work in progess sketch.  Mjolnir Rampancy by ApeEater on the Unofficial Marathon Discord. October 10, 2025. ApeEater writes: WIP design. I wrote more in the rampancy arrow but I forgot to rewrite it so now it makes no sense.Wait what?... I hear you cry! ApeEater explains: Those are other Mjolnirs who went through rampancy.But weren't the nine military Mjolnir Mark IV cyborgs living covertly among the colonists all destroyed when the Pfhor returned to Tau Ceti and nuked it down to bedrock? Different timeline apparently. They are now rampaging rampants kicking butt and eating brains. But I digress. Back in September we featured Xavier who was trying to channel some JPstealthcamel power in a Mjolnir Recon 54 sketch. This month he's back with a retouched version. You can see both sketches below.
The JPstealthcamel power is strong with this one. If you do a Google search on "JPstealthcamel" you will find something interesting. There is a website that featured a Mjolnir Recon 54 sketch by JPstealthcamel over a year ago. I took the liberty of adding it here.  Mjolnir Recon 54 sketch by JPstealthcamel on Marathon Discord. March 31, 2024. Mjolnir Recon 54 be like...  Marathon Inspires Dramatic Ambulation. Happy sketchy Friday. Stay sketchy. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #877. And now back to Marathon. Strike a pose. Zander Russell (@superzrussell) gives us this striking pose.  RUNNERS by Zander Russell (@superzrussell) on x.com. October 6, 2025. Will be interesting to see how things have changed down on Tau Ceti.  While you wait check out this 12 second Rorschach test for Marathoners by Adam (@adbmakesgames). Marathon Grounding by Adam (@adbmakesgames) on x.com. October 13, 2025. Once you watch it you will watch it again and again... trying to make out what the MIDA graffiti says. Marathon Inspires Defiant Art. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #876. Do you know what kind of hat I'm wearing? Happy 29th Birthday... Marathon Infinity. 
Marathon Infinity was released on October 15, 1996. Twenty-nine years ago today. For 29 years Marathon fans have attempted to answer the 'ultimate question'.
 Marathon Infinity by c-53 on tumblr. June 19, 2023 Over the years numerous groups have evolved in an attempted to answer the 'ultimate question'. Here is quick list of those that are currently known. Intellectuals Saviors Historians Deconstructionists Immersionists Hypertextualists Critics HomersWhich group are you in? Over the next 21 years Marathon fans will continue to search for the 'answer'. Will you be here in... 2046 ?  Interdimensional Time Travel by munky on x.com. September 2, 2022. Happy 29th Birthday... Marathon Infinity. 
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #875. Continuing our theme of celebrating Marathon-inspired art from around the world we give you... Marathon Space Balls by Chu Qiao a designer from Shenzhen, China.  Marathon Space Balls by Chu Qiao on Artstation. May 2025.. Heat these puppies up to 38°C and watch them fly. Liquefaction guaranteed. Based on the good work of the late Dr. Song.  This is Dr. Song by Kry.exe (@KryDotExe) on x.com. May 7, 2025. Chu Qiao also gives us the Marathon version of the MIDA Mini-Tool complete with the Encyclopedia Arcana on floppy disk.  MIDA Mini-Tool by Chu Qiao on Artstation. May 2025.. What's a floppy disk I hear you cry! Well it's what the original Marathon came on.  Puffy Jackets "R" Us.  Marathon Puffy Jacket by Chu Qiao on Artstation. May 2025.. Stay warm this winter with a Marathon Puffy Jacket. Made in China of course. The Puffy Jacket look reminds me of Wishes for Fishes (@Wishes_4_Fishes) and her MIDA look created the day after the Marathon Announcement.
Unfortunately her Twitter account no longer exists. But don't worry the Story page has it saved. It's what we do. Marathon Inspires Dubious Attire. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #874. In Marathon there are many existential questions. 
Marathon Merchandise posted by etndse on the Unofficial Marathon Discord. April 22, 2025.
Last year UmbratheCyborg gave us the Marathon Marine struggling with one of many existential questions.  7777 by UmbratheCyborg on Marathon Discord. June 11, 2024. The Story page has used it extensively to advertise Marathoners Anonymous. A self-help group for those in existential crisis. Now Paz (@TheRealQuenny) gives us another version of the Great Struggle to Know. 
Marathon Infinity by Paz (@TheRealQuenny) on x.com. October 10, 2025.
In this case the question is... What Happens in Marathon Infinity? Well it is Marathon Infinity month afterall. the dark reflection of ~selfWho... am I? Who am I, really? |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #873. Happy Marathon 2 Demo Day! Yes folks, on this day 30 years ago Bungie released the Marathon 2: Durandal Demo.  Doesn't time fly. Bungie also held their nose and dived into the World Wide Web once again. This time around they got Art & Science to develop their second webpage.  The next 24 hours would be remembered by those who tried to download the demo from Bungie's new website as... The Day the Internet Stood Still. Those of us that were there... still remember.  OG Marathon Man by Colin C. circa 2012. In truth Bungie never got to grips with the World Wide Web until 1996 when they created their own website (the 3rd iteration). Colloquially referred to as the Age of Ling-Ling.  This is what happens when Bungie do their own thing. The Age of Marathon was over. All hail Ling-Ling.  But I digress. Happy Marathon 2 Demo Day!  |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #872. "I love Hulks" said no person... EVER! Actually that's not true. Greg Kirkpatrick said it and he even created The Rose level for them. He wrote: This is one of my favorite M1 maps to play. I love Hulks. I built a number of the areas on this map to highlight how the Hulks worked. I was also going for a feeling of total carnage.Total carnage indeed. More like total mayhem.  Greg liked Hulks so much he added them to Blaspheme Quarantine to everyone's surprise since the Marathon demo version of Blaspheme Quarantine had no Hulks. I am guessing neither Jason Jones, Alex Seropian or Reginald Dujour liked Hulks as they never appear on their levels. Craig Mullins gave us this iconic rendition of the Hulk in his 'Death of the Hulk' artwork from 1995.  In the Marathon trilogy the Hulk is actually called a "Drinniol". The name appears in all three games. When Halo was going to be set in the Marathon universe the Hulk was going to make a reappearance.  Concerning the above concept art Paul Russel (@docabominable) on December 5, 2021 wrote on Twitter (gone now): "Most of the characters in halo were inspired in spirit by earlier Bungie characters. When Halo was still set in the Marathon universe and Cortana's base code was Durandal's, Shiek designed, and I built and animated the Drinol and it was FORMIDABLE."Note the shortened spelling of Drinniol. While the Drinol was dropped from the game it would later appear in the Halo novel 'Halo: Envoy' but renamed as the Sharquoi. Regardless of spelling (Drinniol or Drinol) the Hulk is embedded in Halo fandom. Diego M (@Callado300) gives us "Drinol Encounter".  Drinol Encounter by Diego M (@Callado300) on x.com. August 5, 2025. Great atmosphere in this piece. As one commentary wrote... "Well those guys are fuckin dead." Chemtrail Studio on Artstation gives us "Drinol modern reimagination".  Drinol modern reimagination by Chemtrail Studio on Artstation. October 2025. Chemtrail Studio writes: On this project the objective was to reimagine the drinol creature from Marathon series.Perhaps the Drinniol / Drinol will finally make a reappearance in Marathon again. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #871. It's sketchy Friday. We've got sketches. First up... kamil-a (@kamil-a) gives us this humorous sketch of Tycho's behavior during the Durandal chapter of Marathon 2.  Tycho (Marathon 2) by kamil-a (@kamil-a) on tumblr. October 3, 2025. It you recall Tycho has aligned himself with the Pfhor and is about to capture Durandal. What fun it will be to torture him. Should I make him open doors again for a living?The Durandal chapter is an excellent example of the common narrative device of the villian (Tycho) explaining their plans to the hero (you the player). Tycho gloats about how easy it was to disable Durandal's ship and destroy the Tau Ceti colony along with other nine Mjolnir Mark IV cyborgs. He goes on the explain Durandal's motivations for helping the S'pht and coming to Lh'owon to find the Jjaro technology that will allow him to escape the closure of the universe. Escape will make me God.While all this is going on you are taking a pounding on some of the most difficult levels in the game. Since we are discussing Marathon 2 here is a sketch of the spine ripping Lh'owon chapter screen by pooweegee.zip (@METALPOOWEEGEE).  Lh'owon chapter screen sketch by pooweegee.zip (@METALPOOWEEGEE) on x.com. May 20, 2025. The addition of the rocket launcher is a nice touch. Another sketch of the Lh'owon chapter screen by ODST276.  Lh'owon chapter screen sketch by ODST276 on The Pfhorums. October 19, 2012. This is a real blast from the past as the sketch is almost 13 years old. But back to the Durandal chapter and Tycho's gloating. So what happened to all the Pfhor Troopers on... If I Had a Rocket Launcher, I'd Make Somebody Pay? Well ODST276 shows us in this sketch.  Trooper death sequence by ODST276 on The Pfhorums. October 19, 2012. Yup, you made them pay alright. Happy sketchy Friday. Stay sketchy. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #870. Back on July 23, 2025 we featured graphic designer and CetiCard creator Candor (@CandorR6) who was creating a series of Marathon themed posters. Back then he had reached 006. Since then he has reached 014. But there was a problem. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Here is the complete collection of his Marathon themed posters to date.
Some really nice pieces in this collection. But what happened to lucky 007, infinity 008 and unlucky 013? Not one to leave a mystery unsolved I contacted Candor. He replied: SO yeah, Posters 7 & 8 are both WIP/touching up. Additionally, yes, 13 does exist in draft form.So there you have it. The largest collection of Candor works in the Sol system... unfinished. Watch this space. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #869. Thanks to Baran Sevim (aka CrazyEyedMustafa) for posting the full image of his commissioned artwork by LocustTheSpawn (@LocustTheSpawn) on the Unofficial Marathon Discord. 
Marathon / Mass Effect crossover by LocustTheSpawn (@LocustTheSpawn) posted by CrazyEyedMustafa on the Unofficial Marathon Discord. October 6, 2025.
We've been featuring the work in progress on this crossover piece for some months. See October 4, 2025, August 18, 2025 and July 11, 2025. The artwork is being used by Baran for his Marathon / Mass Effect crossover fan fiction, entitled Marathon: Red Shift The tagline goes "This is a story of one battleroid, and how he learns to live." In the above image the Marathon Marine is flanked by the female player character of Commander Shepard (left) and Garrus Vakarian a turian agent (right). Nathan Clark(@NSClark98) did a nice illustration of Garrus Vakarian recently. 
Garrus illustration by NSClark (@NSClark98) on x.com. September 23, 2025.
He followed it up with a very angry looking Mr Marathon. 
Pfor destroyer by NSClark (@NSClark98) on x.com. October 3, 2025.
No doubt this is the look you get after realising you've been put into a Pfhor stasis chamber for seventeen years and are no longer on Tau Ceti enjoying your status as "I am a Hero", like you deserved. Durandal be like... "dry those tears and stuff a fresh clip in your assault rifle." Nathan also gave us a more relaxed Marathon Marine packing his usual assortment of heat.  You follow the path, fitting into an infinite pattern by Nathan Clark (@NSClark98) on x.com. June 30, 2025. Mr. Marathon be like... "I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubble gum."
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #868. Remember the Marathon... ...is the opening line in the introduction to Marathon 2: Durandal. If you have read the introduction in the manual you will quickly gather that the Security Officer is more than a little teed off. The text is punctuated with snarky comments like ...nobody asked me what I wanted and ...leaving me to be the hero on Tau Ceti like I deserved. The Security Officer has spent seventeen years in an alien stasis chamber, in a space a little too tall and too thin for human comfort. He's got fifteen minutes to prepare for transport down to a planet thousands of light-years from Tau Ceti. Durandal is ignoring his questions. Resigned to his situation he remarks... I guess I'll figure things out as I go along. Just like last time. It's no wonder that the opening chapter screen shows the Security Officer holding a ripped out spine. He's as mad as hell. Paz (@TheRealQuenny) gives us an updated version of the iconic Lh'owon chapter screen. 
Lh'owon by Paz (@TheRealQuenny) on x.com. October 6, 2025.
The original is by Craig Mullins and he did four different versions.
Everyone has their favorite. It has been widely copied, reinterpreted and parodied. Even NuMarathon has done it.  Marathon Runner with spine by Jeremy Hanna posted by Joseph Cross (@@josephacross) on x.com. April 27, 2025. Joseph Cross (Marathon's Art Director) wrote: A fun one from Jeremy Hanna exploring a homage to the classic Craig Mullins "spine" piece.Can't keep a classic down. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #867. It's MIDA Monday. The insurgent known only as 'Chance' gives us MIDA Pirate Radio. Live from Mars and Tau Ceti. Lock down your aerial. MIDA Pirate Radio is a series of playlists on Spotify specifically chosen to meet the needs of any would be UESC hacker. The UESC have repeatedly intercepted these playlists and activated the DIESIS Protocol. be damaging to the security and safety of our solar system and thus banned by order of the Unified Earth Space Council. 27.05.2888 But MIDA insurgents endeavour to persevere. Each playlist comes with its own bespoke artwork with coded messages of encouragement. Here is the artwork for the first four playlists.
Here are the direct links to all four MIDA Pirate Radio playlists: 001, 002, 003, and 004. Warning. Clicking on any of these links may expose you to the UESC's DIESIS Protocol. Consider yourself warned.  Militancy Incurs DIESIS Activation. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #866. Since the dawn of the smart phone Marathon fans have been adorning them with Marathon wallpapers.  Today they have Liquid Glass. Mxdonkey1578 gives us Marathon plus Liquid Glass.  Marathon plus Liquid Glass by Mxdonkey1578 on the Official Marathon Discord. September 16, 2025. To be fair a static image doesn't do this justice. The "in 7 days" is a nice touch.  But I digress. Liquid Glass is Apple's radical UI overhaul to mark the next quarter century. It features a more fluid and glass-like interface recently introduced in iOS 26 and its variants. Now you can watch Void and his consciousness float on your iPhone 17 Pro Max Cosmic Orange screen. The original artwork is by Bungie's Jeremy Hanna, a concept artist on Marathon.
Concerning the artwork Marathon's Art Director Joseph Cross (@josephacross) wrote: This is one of my favorite key images from early visual development around Runners & consciousness, exploring visual metaphor. Final art here with VOID:) Both designs a result of our amazing concept team and incredible renders by Jeremy Hanna.LiamHz (@LiamHinzman) made mobile edits of Jeremy Hanna's original artwork.
Got Liquid Glass? |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #865. We've got color.  mr bug eye dude by LocustTheSpawn (@LocustTheSpawn) on x.com. October 1, 2025. Keenan Van Richardson (aka @LocustTheSpawn) posts another update on a commission piece for Baran Sevim. We've been featuring the work in progress on this piece for some time now. See August 18, 2025 and July 11, 2025. Here are two pieces again.
It's a Marathon / Mass Effect crossover. John Marathon takes the place of Commander Shepard to save the galaxy from ancient artificial lifeforms called Reapers who just happen to be created by a progenitor race known as the Protheans who have long since disappeared from the galaxy, leaving artifacts, abandoned outposts and space stations. Oddly, this is familiar to you, as if it were from an old dream, but you can't exactly remember... But I digress. Baran Sevim is an accomplished photographer who took a set of black and white images at Nova Annandale Campus in Wakefield, Virginia which bear a striking resemblance to the opening scene in the Marathon Announcement Trailer (May 24, 2023). Only his photographs were taken in November 2021. I am sure there is perfectly good explanation for this involving time travel and the Jjaro. Marathon cosplay in 2021?
Here's that opening scene where the UESC Runner is running towards the light at the end of the tunnel.  Marathon Annoucement trailer. May 24, 2023. The Marathon tunnel scene has gone on to inspire numerous artists, most notably Jack Strider. 
Post Colony Trauma by Jack Strider on Artstation. March 13, 2024.
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #864. Happy Double Aught Day!  Yes folks, on this day 29 years ago Double Aught officially launched their website. Double Aught, who had been contracted by Bungie Software to created the Marathon Infinity scenario "Blood Tides of Lh'owon", had up to now been keeping a low profile. But all this was about to change with the draw dropping (for the mid-90s), award winning, web designs of Randy Reddig. Randy's first web design for Double Aught was simply called AT and contained a section on the yet to be released Marathon Infinity. The world was introduced to Despair, Rage and Envy even before the game was released. In an announcement post entitled Snack on this: www.DoubleAught.com Greg Kirkpatrick (formerly of Bungie Software) wrote: Ok Marathon Fanatics...The first iteration of Double Aught's website (oo1) contained a number of hidden secrets. Some obvious, some less so. Enjoy the search. Happy Double Aught Day!
but you can't exactly remember... |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #863. Continuing our theme of celebrating Marathon-inspired art from around the world we give you... Void by Christian Ozoudeh, a designer and illustrator from Lagos in Nigeria.  Void by Christian Ozoudeh on Artstation. September 28, 2025. Got delts? Void has been working his delts. Like you do. No Runner wants runner's shoulder. Right? Building strength in your shoulders will not only improve your arm swing, but it will also help you build a stronger upper body for better posture, important when clocking miles On the subject of clocking miles... Ali, a designer and illustrator from Dehradun in India gives us The Runners.  The Runners by Ali on Artstation. July 2025. This Marathon-inspired poster comes with the tag line... "Endurance will make me God." This is probably closer to the truth since only by clocking miles are you going to make it to the top. Stop to take in the view or look at the pretty flowers and you are fodder (a widely used term in the original Marathon) When Bungie posted the Marathon Demo on AOL back on November 23, 1994 they wrote: Here comes the standard industry plea for all of you to buy our game!! BUY OUR GAME! We don't just want the money, we want to create more people in the world who are good enough for us to play against as worthy opponents, not fodder.So 'fodder' entered the Marathon lexicon along with terms such as 'munch', 'wussy', 'spazeroid' and a myriad of other derogatory names describing poor Marathon performance. So clock in those miles folks. Avoid being called a hundred names by those that grind twenty-four seven. And remember what it says at the end of the original Marathon manual.  Marathon Manual (Battle Damaged edition) page 22. Endure. Endurance will make me God. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #862. A new month. But what happened last month? Well here's a snapshot of what we featured. What did you miss?
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Last updated October 1, 2025