Previously inactive computer terminals in Bungie’s newly released extraction shooter have now turned on, and someone is talking to players. And it might be the most important character in the entire Marathon franchise, voiced by one of gaming’s biggest names.
When Marathon launched on Thursday, you could find switched-off computer terminals that looked a lot like the ones found in Bungie’s original classic Marathon trilogy released back in the ’90s. Back in the day, these terminals provided text logs that told the story of Marathon. They often took the form of different AI chatting with the player or providing new missions. Most often, players communicated with the psychotic but intelligent AI Durandal, the OG trilogy’s main villain (?), who famously wanted to escape the inevitable collapse of the universe so as to become immortal. Suddenly, the terminals are online, and it seems Durandal is speaking to players who find them.
On March 6, a little over 24 hours after Bungie launched Marathon on consoles and PC, a new level was unlocked for players level 12 and up to explore and loot. But around this same time, players discovered that the classic-looking terminals were now active. These terminals can show locations on the map, and if you head to the indicated spot, you’ll find another classic terminal and hear a voice.
👀 Durandal #Marathon
Credit: __meh pic.twitter.com/2BXVaTHiec
— Marathon Codec (@MarathonCodec) March 6, 2026
This sure sounds like Ben Starr, who voiced the “narrator” in last year’s Marathon CG short. A lot of fans speculated at the time that Ben Starr was actually voicing Durandal. There was even a hint towards that in the credits. Now, it sounds like Starr’s “narrator” is back and talking to players through terminals in Marathon. But I’d bet all my shields in my Marathon vault that the voice heard in videos shared online by players is none other than Durandal.
What does this mean? Well, I’m not sure. I’m not a Marathon lore expert at all. However, the fact that Durandal is seemingly taunting players via terminals that also seem to be connected to an ARG involving Marathon‘s upcoming “endgame” level, Cryo Archive, makes me assume this isn’t the last we’ve heard from the maniac AI. In fact, I bet as Bungie continues to update Marathon and add more content, we’ll be hearing more from Durandal and other classic Marathon trilogy characters. Perhaps one day I’ll get to shoot a S’pht in the face again?
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