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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 #844. "Watch the skies. Everywhere! Keep looking. Keep watching the skies!" Mjolnir Recon 54 is watching.  Somewhere in the Heavens by Goblin Zac (@goblin-zac) on tumblr. September 11, 2025. The above poster-quality piece is by Goblin Zac (@goblin-zac) on tumblr. We've featured Goblin Zac's Marathon artwork on the Story page before (see October 19, 2024 and June 13, 2024) Goblin Zac also did a nice comparison pic of the B.O.Bs from Marathon and Marathon 2: Durandal.  B.O.Bs by Goblin Zac (@goblin-zac) on tumblr. April 5, 2025. Give a B.O.B. a gun and he thinks he's Han Solo.  Harrison Ford as Han Solo in Star Wars, 1977. But I digress. The opening quote "Keep watching the skies!" is from Howard Hawk's 1951 film "The Thing from Another World". An old school sci-fi classic. The alien ship under the ice discovery scene is memorable.  Discovery scene from "The Thing from Another World", 1951. John Carpenter's 1982 remake, simply entitled "The Thing", has become a cult classic. Yet the film received overwhelming negative reviews on its release and was criticised for its graphic special effects and the pessimistic approach to first contact. In the 1980s people wanted hope and probably explains the ending of Blade Runner (1982). It is interesting to note that Empire magazine recently listed "The Thing" as No. 11 in the top 50 greatest sci-fi movies of all time. One wonders what people want in the 2020s. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #843. It's sketchy Friday. We've got sketches. First up... Since we brought up White Rabbit yesterday here's a sketch by corrupt entitled "Boring class work".  Boring class work by corrupt on the Official Marathon Discord. April 26, 2025. On the subject of being bored... Xavier writes: I already draw cat men when i get bored at work so i threw in a. Security meowfacer? Meowlnir recon 54? Anyway enjoy what having no eraser looks like.  Meowlnir Recon 54 by Xavier on the Unofficial Marathon Discord. September 2, 2025. Meowlnir Recon 54 has a certain ring to it. Xavier did a "spot the difference game" with Meowlnir Recon 54.
Next up... We've featured Victor Ullmann's artwork on the Story page a few times now (see February 18, 2025 and June 14, 2025) but this is the first time we've featured a sketch by him.  Glitch by Victor Ullmann on the Alright Runners Discord. September 5, 2025. Victor is a Level Artist at Ubisoft Montr&eacite;al. Perhaps he was bored at work? Last up... Beaubub (@SBHcomic) gives us Postalthon. A series of comic panels featuring Postal 2 Dude and Mjolnir Recon Number 54. Here's the first panel in which Mjolnir Recon 54 finds himself in another dead end.  Mjolnir Recon Number 54 by Beaubub (@SBHcomic) on x.com. August 27, 2025. Check out the link for the full story. Happy sketchy Friday. Stay sketchy. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #842. Got Pink? melon (@meloneslada) does and he modelled it.  Marathon Pink Helmet by melon (@meloneslada) on x.com. September 9, 2025. The pink helmet Runner dates back to May 24, 2023. His demise at the hands of Traxus contractors White Rabbit and the two brothers is still haunting.  We learnt about White Rabbit (WR) and the two brothers as we eavesdropped on the Traxus chat during the Marathon ARG 2023.   They know how to kit-out, gear up and loadout. Oorah! Later on in the ARG 2023 we found out their code names (White Rabbit, Brill and 'Patch) as we hacked our way into the UESC and found evidence files. It currently looks like all this has been wiped out. Phhht! Just like that. UESC Runners are no longer a thing, replaced by UESC Droids (Roger Roger) and White Rabbit has apparently morphed into Thief. But I digress. Melon has also been modelling everyone's favorite Glitch.
Let's see what happens next. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #841. Have gun - will travel to distance worlds and break stuff. Rigel (@prime_bingus) gives us his reinterpretation of the MA-75B Battle Rifle (with integral 40mm Grenade Launcher) from Marathon 2: Durandal.  MA–75B Battle Rifle by Rigel (@prime_bingus) on x.com. April 18, 2025. The blue really pops in this image. He also did a grey/green version (but the blue just nails it).  MA–75B Battle Rifle by Rigel (@prime_bingus) on x.com. April 18, 2025. The MA-75B Battle Rifle and its predecessor the M.75 Assault Rifle with Grenade Launcher (in the first game) is pretty much the go-to weapon in the Marathon Trilogy.  Bigger Guns Nearby (modified) by Juzo-kun on DeviantArt. December 27, 2004 No other weapon has the versatility and functionality. Its ammunition (shells and grenades) are readily available on most levels. Apply the weapon correctly and you get Air Pfhor, Hang Time and the ability to climb walls (say hello to Gheritt White). Oh and you sometimes need a grenade to trigger switches from a distance. Ok it doesn't work in a vacuum and at long range its .75 caliber shells are highly inaccurate. That's when you turn to grenades. At short range its 600 rounds per minute and prodigious recoil spread the bullets fast and wide. Devastating is the word you are looking for.  ET Phone Home for a Body Bag rejected Marathon ad due to over emphasis on gore. Of the two versions the original M.75 Assault Rifle has that macho appeal.  Bigger Guns Nearby by Nathan Anderson (Deimos-Remus) on DeviantArt. October 5, 2010. Indeed firing the original M.75 Assault Rifle was described as... "akin to wrestling a greased pig". Can't get more macho than that. Right? So the next time you are on the UESC Marathon and you hear "sooey... sooey". RUN! Mjolnir Recon 54 is calling your name. 
Claustrophobia by Neal D Anderson (aka Phobos-Romulus) on DeviantArt. August 21, 2009.
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #840. Continuing our theme of celebrating Marathon-inspired art from around the world we give you... Bio-Research Lab by Rishabh Vishwamitra, a student at Staffordshire University in the United Kingdom studying Concept Art for Film and Games.  Bio-Research Lab by Rishabh Vishwamitra on Artstation. July 2025. A head shot catches Glitch unawares as she downloads high value data for Gaius of NuCaloric. 
As we all know here on the Story page... Data! Data! Data! Never theorize before you have data. Invariably, you end up twisting facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. Another image from Rishabh Vishwamitra giving a sense of scale in his Marathon-inspired Bio-Research Lab.  Bio-Research Lab by Rishabh Vishwamitra on Artstation. July 2025. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #839. Jack Strider had a problem. He wrote: I didn't realise I'd done red and blue, I need to do a character in green and I can't decide who.  Who will be Green? by Jack Strider on the Unofficial Marathon Discord. September 4, 2025. The good folks on the Unofficial Marathon Discord came to the rescue, created a poll and voted for...  Sph't Happens by Jack Strider (@striderau.bsky.social) on Bluesky. September 7, 2025. The alt text reads: Fanart of Marathon (2026?) - runner character 'Glitch' pilfers through the contents of another runners 'corpse-bag', finding an item of interest. In the background, a Sph't Compiler rises from the depths, no longer curious but hostile. Yes folks, Marathon encourages Crypto-Necro-Kelpto-mania. OK it's a duffle bag! Just roll with it. But Glitch is about to get her comeuppance. Here is a work in progress image  Sph't Happens (WIP) by Jack Strider on the Unofficial Marathon Discord. September 6, 2025. This image had a problem that was quickly spotted and rectified in the final version. Can you spot it? I think you have to be an OG Marathon fan to spot it.  And so Jack Strider completes his RGB art collection. Here's the line up.
We featured Jack's Red Locus on September 5, 2025 and Blue Blackbird way... way... back on May 25, 2025. Indeed back in May, Jack wrote: not sure if I'll ever end up posting this anywhere else, but I figure if this is my last marathon artwork for a while I may as well post it hereGood to see that Jack is back! |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #838. And then there were three. Sir Double D (aka Dobledas) gives us this haunting image of four friends on Tau Ceti IV. Happier times.  Greetings from Tau Ceti IV by Dobledas (@sirdoubled.bsky.social) on Bluesky. September 3, 2025. Looks like Void drew the short straw and ended up having to play with a bunch of randos. As he lay dying, shot in the back, he pulled the photograph out and remembered his three friends... happier times. Hopefully Marathon will come with some guidance for parents about letting their kids play online with randos. You see we all know what happens when you play with randos. Hello little boi, want to play a game?  Runners by ThatBoi on the Official Marathon Discord. May 20, 2025. To paraphrase Alfred Pennyworth: Some players aren't looking for anything logical, like loot or fame. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some players just want to watch you burn. Don't have any friends? Afraid to play Marathon with randos? Well Marathoners Anonymous is here to help you. We have a seat here for you... beside Hamish.  Marathoners Anonymous group therapy tru7h circle.  7777 by UmbratheCyborg on Marathon Discord. June 11, 2024. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #837. Happy TBWSAF Day! Yes folks, on this day 29 years ago Bungie released Marathon 2: Durandal for Windows 95.  When Bungie announced that Marathon 2: Durandal was going to be ported to Windows 95 the company that could do no wrong became Public Enemy No. 1. The online firestorm was epic. Mac users can be quite eloquent at times. Since Bungie kept a 'List' it wasn't hard to come up with the worst offender and enshrine it as a Box Acronym. So was born TBWSAF. The acronym TBWSAF did not appear on the botton of the Marathon 2: Durandal for Windows 95 box. TBWSAF was reserved for another box. A special Macintosh box released 5 weeks later.  Perhaps there was some perverse reverse logic to it. The origin of the TBWSAF acronym can be found in the Letters to the Bungie Webmaster.  The 3rd round of Letters to the Bungie Webmaster on May 14, 1996 contained the following letter. You [EXPLETIVE DELETED] [EXPLETIVE DELETED]s have gone and done it now. You said you wouldn't create Marathon for PC. [EXPLETIVE DELETED] liars! What have I to hold above the PC gamer's heads now, huh you [EXPLETIVE DELETED]s?!?!Perhaps the Kwisatz Haderach. But I digress. Marathon Infinity was the last Macintosh exclusive game Bungie ever release (apart from reissues). Happy TBWSAF Day! |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #836. Blood Tides of Tau Ceti.  Bob's Big Comeback by Jack Strider (@striderau.bsky.social) on Bluesky. September 3, 2025. Great colors in this piece by Jack Strider (@striderau.bsky.social) entitled Bob's Big Comeback. Our boy Locus with a Marathon BoB (albeit a Marathon 2 BoB from Lh'owon with the ocular implant courtesy of Durandal). Just roll with it. The alt text on this piece reads: Fanart of Marathon (2026?), very vibrantly red lighting and environment, featuring Locus and a BoB. Locus is heavily armed and ready for a fight, and BoB's got a brand new gun. The Marathon looms overhead, as does one of Tau Ceti IV's many moons. A human skeleton lays crumpled against a log, water lapping at the bones.You might have missed the human skeleton. No doubt poor Yorick! Apart from skeleton there are a number of small details and homages in the artwork. Here's a super-sized version (7.8 MBs) for all you curious at heart. Jack also worked on an alternate version.  Bob's Big Comeback (alternate) by Jack Strider on the Unofficial Marathon Discord. September 3, 2025. Jack writes: I honestly had such a hard time picking which way the lighting went, at first it looked a lot more like that one piece they did of the three runners in the water, this was the halfway point before I moved everything around again hahahThe gun Locus holds is a datamined asset from the Marathon Alpha modeled by Jack.  Locus gun model by Jack Strider on the Unofficial Marathon Discord. September 3, 2025. Hmmm....  You can see the gun in the Marathon Reveal marketing artwork posted back in April 2025.  Locus posted by Joseph Cross (@josephacross) on x.com. April 13, 2025. Locus is an OG Marathon fan favorite. Locus be like... 'Tis but a scratch. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #835. find yourselfJack Strider writes on the Unofficial Marathon Discord: I managed to find this (from the public alpha no nda breaking here) the design hasn't shifted since the initial reveal more-so that the cinematic short just did a different interpretation of what the ship looks like. funnily enough the moon is actually new/different compared to the initial reveal trailer (which aligns with the idea that the moon shape too was just for promo purposes)  UESC Marathon (Alpha) posted by Jack Strider on the Unofficial Marathon Discord. September 3, 2025. Jack makes an interesting point that Demios (the UESC Marathon) in the above image looks more like a... POTATO! Are we finding ourselves starting back? The original concept art for the UESC Marathon 2023 was created by Tom Hicks, a freelance concept artist from the United Kingdom. He posted some of his concept art on Artstation shortly after the Marathon Announcement on May 24, 2023. Within 24 hours it was removed. Phhht! Just like that. "Too late!" I hear you cry. "The Story page would have snagged it all. It's what they do!" Tom had a freelance four week contract with Bungie during September - October 2022. His job was to develop inspirational and explorative pieces for Marathon working closely with Bungie's art director. He created multiple Marathon ship designs before the final one was chosen.  UESC Marathon final concept art by Tom Hicks Tom wrote at the time: Here are the concepts and development for the ship I designed for the new Marathon game by Bungie! I'm assuming it's safe to show these since the trailer got released recently and it's only really for the design of the ship that was shown! I'm very pleased it got time in the teaser trailer. Whether or not it makes it to the final game who knows but I'm so happy it got into the trailer!It was Paul Chadeisson (working with Antibody) who took Tom's final concept to create the iconic 'Marathon motif' image you see in the Marathon Announcement trailer from May 24, 2023.  Here's another shot from the Announcement trailer.  It is interesting to note that Tom Hicks worked up two different shapes for his Marathon ship design.
A design very similar to the one on the right ended up being used in the recent Marathon Reveal Cinematic Short (Directed by Alberto Mielgo). Before...  UESC Marathon (Marathon Reveal Cinematic Short screenshot). April 12, 2025. ...and after.  UESC Marathon (Marathon Reveal Cinematic Short still). April 12, 2025. The same rectangular design appears in the Marathon Alpha release video (by Raoul Marks and Pat Clair at Antibody). So what shape is the Marathon? To misquote Ira Gershwin and George Gershwin... I say potato and you say tomato |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #834. Ladies! Introducing the Pocket Pulse+.  Pulse Pistol by JSart on Artstation. August 31, 2025. The Pocket Pulse+ (aka Pulse Pistol) is by JSart, a 3D artist who has worked on games such as Doom: The Dark Ages, Deadzone and Madden. JS writes: The concept this was based on reminded me of Marathon, which has a really cool art style and I am eager to see how that game turns out. That also inspired me to stamp on some text and shapes for the fun of it.The Pocket Pulse+ packs a punch. Charge it up, and let it off the chain.  Pulse Pistol by JSart on Artstation. August 31, 2025. The Pocket Pulse+ is only used by certain Tau Ceti personnel as a basic self-defence and hold-out weapon unleashed in desperate situations. This End Towards Enemy.  Pulse Pistol by JSart on Artstation. August 31, 2025. The Pocket Pulse+. Don't leave home without one. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #833. This is what 13 trillion bucks can really buy you.  Glitch by MasterDCJ (@Master_DCJ) on x.com. April 15, 2025. All done in the best possible taste. We featured Thief art by MasterDCJ (@Master_DCJ) back on June 16, 2025. But then again maybe 13 trillion bucks won't buy you very much in 2893.  Glitch by maximum-hell on tumblr. April 20, 2025. By then we will all be using Space Cash apparently. Oh and we won't be going to Tau Ceti. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #832. 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 September 2, 2025