For citizens of Helldivers 2's Super Earth, nothing is more important than the triumph of Managed Democracy, and protecting that is the responsibility of every able-bodied person. One of the greatest enemies of Democracy is the Terminids, and that definitely has nothing to do with the fact that they naturally produce Element E-710. And while Helldivers might be fictional, and its government a literal joke, the game pulls ideas from real life. Among them are a variety of sources of inspiration for the Terminid scourge. I play Helldivers with my brother, Max Frederiksen--who happens to be a bug expert with the credentials to match. After hours and hours of democratic warfare, we sat down to talk about the ways the acid-spewing jerks that have been melting us by the millions connect to their real-world counterparts.

Max is an Associate Certified Entomologist and Master Pesticide Applicator (along with several additional licenses). When he's not fighting for Managed Democracy, he works as a branch manager at a pest control company, doing residential and commercial pest management for almost a decade now.

The insects themselves, Max says, pull from a variety of different arthropod inspirations, including aphids, mantids, and arachnids.