Doomsday device
Encyclopedia
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, or destroy the planet itself, bringing "doomsday
Doomsday
Doomsday may refer to:* End times, a prophesied time of tribulation that would precede the Second Coming of the Messiah in Abrahamic religions-Fiction:* Doomsday , a 1927 novel by Warwick Deeping* Doomsday , a DC comic book character...
", a term used for the end of planet Earth. Most hypothetical constructions rely on the fact that hydrogen bombs can be made arbitrarily large assuming there are no concerns about delivering them to a target (see Teller–Ulam design) or that they can be "salted
Salted bomb
A salted bomb is a variation of a nuclear weapon designed to produce enhanced quantities of radioactive fallout, rendering a large area uninhabitable...
" with materials designed to create long-lasting and hazardous fallout (e.g., a cobalt bomb
Cobalt bomb
A cobalt bomb is a theoretical type of "salted bomb": a nuclear weapon intended to contaminate an area by radioactive material, with a relatively small blast....
).
Doomsday devices have been present in literature and art especially in the 20th century, when advances in science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
made world destruction (or at least the eradication of all human life) a credible scenario. Many classics in the genre of science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
take up the theme in this respect.
After the advent of nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s, especially hydrogen bombs, these technologies have usually been the dominant components of doomsday devices. RAND strategist Herman Kahn
Herman Kahn
Herman Kahn was one of the preeminent futurists of the latter third of the twentieth century. In the early 1970s he predicted the rise of Japan as a major world power. He was a founder of the Hudson Institute think tank and originally came to prominence as a military strategist and systems...
, collaborating with risk analyst Ian Harold Brown, proposed a "Doomsday Machine" in the 1950s that would consist of a computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
linked to a stockpile of hydrogen bombs, programmed to detonate them all and bathe the planet in nuclear fallout
Nuclear fallout
Fallout is the residual radioactive material propelled into the upper atmosphere following a nuclear blast, so called because it "falls out" of the sky after the explosion and shock wave have passed. It commonly refers to the radioactive dust and ash created when a nuclear weapon explodes...
at the signal of an impending nuclear attack from another nation. The key aspect of the doomsday device's deterrent factor is that it would go off automatically without human aid and despite human intervention, providing a highly credible threat that would dissuade attackers and avoid the dangerous game of brinkmanship
Brinkmanship
Brinkmanship is the practice of pushing dangerous events to the verge of disaster in order to achieve the most advantageous outcome...
that brought the United States and the Soviet Union closer to nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
. With a doomsday device on the planet, neither side would suspect the other of launching a sneak attack in attempt to destroy the opposing country's infrastructure before they could retaliate.
For many, the scheme epitomized the extremes of the suicidal
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
logic behind the strategy of mutual assured destruction
Mutual assured destruction
Mutual Assured Destruction, or mutually assured destruction , is a doctrine of military strategy and national security policy in which a full-scale use of high-yield weapons of mass destruction by two opposing sides would effectively result in the complete, utter and irrevocable annihilation of...
, and it was famously parodied in the Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
film from 1964, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, commonly known as Dr. Strangelove, is a 1964 black comedy film which satirizes the nuclear scare. It was directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick, starring Peter Sellers and George C. Scott, and featuring Sterling...
.
Examples
The Dead HandDead Hand (nuclear war)
Dead Hand , known also as Perimeter, is a Cold-War-era nuclear-control system used by the Soviet Union and might still be in use in Russia. An example of fail-deadly deterrence, it can automatically trigger the launch of the Russian ICBMs if a nuclear strike is detected by seismic, light,...
or "Perimeter" system built by the Soviet Union during the Cold War has been called a "doomsday machine" due to its fail-deadly
Fail-deadly
Fail-deadly is a concept in nuclear military strategy which encourages deterrence by guaranteeing an immediate, automatic and overwhelming response to an attack. The term fail-deadly was coined as a contrast to fail-safe.-Military usage:...
design and nuclear capabilities.
In popular culture
Doomsday devices or the threat of a doomsday eventDoomsday event
A doomsday event is a specific, plausibly verifiable or hypothetical occurrence which has an exceptionally destructive effect on the human race...
has been a central theme in many feature films, television shows, novels and video games. The rise in popularity has been linked with the real-life development of the atomic bomb in 1945 and subsequent nuclear testing in the 1950s; the fear of annihilation paralleling its depiction in popular media.
Film
One of the most notable is the film Dr. Strangelove, a fairly literal satire of the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. In it, the Soviet Ambassador, upon learning that the Americans could not recall a bomber set to deliver nuclear weapons inside the Soviet Union, informs the President that Soviet Premier Kissoff, unable to afford competing in the nuclear arms race
Nuclear arms race
The nuclear arms race was a competition for supremacy in nuclear warfare between the United States, the Soviet Union, and their respective allies during the Cold War...
, had ordered the creation of a doomsday device. While the device had been built and activated, its existence had not yet been announced; this was due to come at a Communist Party
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
conference the next week, thereby making it useless as a nuclear deterrent under the circumstances.
Other films have adopted a more fantastical or imaginary approach:
- In Beneath the Planet of the ApesBeneath the Planet of the ApesBeneath the Planet of the Apes is a 1970 American science fiction film directed by Ted Post and written by Paul Dehn. It is the second of five films in the original Planet of the Apes series produced by Arthur P. Jacobs...
, the AΩAlpha and OmegaThe term Alpha and Omega comes from the phrase "I am the alpha and the omega" , an appellation of Jesus in the Book of Revelation ....
cobalt bombCobalt bombA cobalt bomb is a theoretical type of "salted bomb": a nuclear weapon intended to contaminate an area by radioactive material, with a relatively small blast....
works by igniting the atmosphere. - In Star Wars: A New HopeStar Wars Episode IV: A New HopeStar Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
and Star Wars: Return of the JediStar Wars Episode VI: Return of the JediStar Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan. It is the third film released in the Star Wars saga, and the sixth in terms of the series' internal chronology...
, both Death StarDeath StarThe Death Star is a fictional moon-sized space station and superweapon appearing in the Star Wars movies and expanded universe. It is capable of destroying a planet with a single destructive super charged energy beam.-Origin and design:...
s have the capacity to destroy entire planets. - In the James BondJames BondJames Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
movie MoonrakerMoonraker (film)Moonraker is the eleventh spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The third and final film in the series to be directed by Lewis Gilbert, it co-stars Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale, Corinne Clery, and Richard Kiel...
, Sir Hugo Drax creates a doomsday device – a poison dispersed by satellites – to eradicate all human life on earth. Afterwards, he wants to re-inhabit the earth using a colony of "perfect" human beings, orbiting in space while the doomsday device is active. - Skynet in the TerminatorTerminator (franchise)The Terminator series is a science fiction franchise encompassing a series of films and other media concerning battles between Skynet's artificially intelligent machine network, and John Connor's Resistance forces and the rest of the human race....
films utilises the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
stockpile of Nuclear weapons in a bid to end all human life on Earth in an act called Judgment DayTerminator 2: Judgment DayTerminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr.. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and Edward Furlong...
by the surviving humans.
Television
- In the Star TrekStar Trek: The Original SeriesStar Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode "The Doomsday MachineThe Doomsday Machine (TOS episode)"The Doomsday Machine" is a second-season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. It is episode #35, production #35, and was first broadcast on October 20, 1967. It was repeated on April 19, 1968...
", a conical planet killerPlanet killerIn science fiction, a planet killer, planet buster, or similar variations on that meaning, is a fictional object or device capable of either destroying an entire planet or otherwise rendering it uninhabitable - a variety of a doomsday device....
goes on a planet destroying rampage, its projected path threatening "...the very heart of the FederationUnited Federation of PlanetsThe United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
". Captain Kirk speculates that the machine was created as a doomsday device, and used, thus destroying its creators and then going on a random path of destruction. Also in the Star Trek Universe, Project Genesis, which was designed to create habitable planets from barren moons, was seen as a doomsday weapon by rogue KlingonKlingonKlingons are a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe.Klingons are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and eight feature films...
agents as the device had the ability to destroy existing life on a planet in favor of its own matrix for life. - In FuturamaFuturamaFuturama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
, Professor FarnsworthHubert J. FarnsworthProfessor Hubert J. Farnsworth, or simply The Professor, is a fictional character in the American animated television series Futurama. He is voiced by Billy West using a combination of impressions of Burgess Meredith and Frank Morgan. Farnsworth is the proprietor of the Planet Express delivery...
is known to possess several doomsday devices, which (ironically) infrequently come in handy for saving the universe. - In the cartoon series The FlintstonesThe FlintstonesThe Flintstones is an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that screened from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966, on ABC. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Flintstones was about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next-door neighbor and best friend. It...
, the character The Great GazooThe Great GazooThe Great Gazoo is a character from The Flintstones animated series. He first appeared on the show on October 29, 1965. The Great Gazoo was voiced by the late Harvey Korman.-Biography:...
is sent to earth as punishment for creating a button which would annihilate the entire universe. - The final story arcStory arcA story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
of the animated television series ExosquadExosquadExosquad is an American animated television series created by Universal Cartoon Studios as a response to Japanese anime. The show is set in the beginning of the 22nd century and covers the interplanetary war between humanity and Neosapiens, a fictional race artificially created as workers/slaves...
is dedicated to the dictator Phaeton's attempt to detonate a doomsday device on Earth as revenge for the destruction of his homeplanet Mars. - In the ill-fated series finale of Sonic the HedgehogSonic the Hedgehog (TV series)Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series is an American animated series produced by DIC Entertainment with the partnership of Sega of America and was based on the Sonic the...
, Dr. Robotnik created a station called the Doomsday Project, capable of launching saucer-like pods all over Mobius, attacking everyone and everything, forcing them into submission, giving Robotnik his long-awaited total domination. He would've succeeded if it wasn't for Sonic and Sally using the Deep Power Stones. - In the Gundam SEED Cosmic Era universe, a superweapon called GENESIS, which fires a concentrated burst of gamma radiation from space, was created to bring a decisive end to the Blood Valentine War by destroying Washington D.C.. A similar weapon, called Neo-GENESIS, appeared in Gundam SEED Destiny.
- "Doomsday is Tomorrow", a two-part episode of The Bionic WomanThe Bionic WomanThe Bionic Woman is an American television series starring Lindsay Wagner that aired for three seasons between 1976 and 1978 as a spin off from The Six Million Dollar Man. Wagner stars as tennis pro Jaime Sommers who is nearly killed in a skydiving accident. Sommers' life is saved by Oscar Goldman ...
focused on the protagonist, Jaime Sommers, racing to reverse the activation of a doomsday device triggered by a nuclear weapons test. - On the pilot episode of Evil Con CarneEvil Con CarneEvil Con Carne is an American animated series/spin-off of Grim & Evil and The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, created by Maxwell Atoms, which first appeared on Cartoon Network during the show Grim & Evil and later became a separate program in 2003, running for one season...
, Hector built a doomsday device that was destroyed by commandos. - In the Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
serial The Pirate PlanetThe Pirate PlanetThe Pirate Planet is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 30 September to 21 October 1978. It forms the second serial of The Key to Time...
, the antagonists operate a hollowed out planet which encircles and mines other planets, including inhabited ones, completely destroying them in the process. - In another Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
arc with the Tenth Doctor (David TennantDavid TennantDavid Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
) - The Stolen EarthThe Stolen Earth"The Stolen Earth" is the twelfth episode of the fourth series and the 750th overall episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The episode was written by show runner and head writer Russell T Davies and is the first of a two-part crossover story; the concluding episode is...
and Journey's End (Doctor Who)Journey's End (Doctor Who)"Journey's End" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who first broadcast on BBC One on 5 July 2008. It is the second episode of a two-part crossover story featuring the characters of spin-off shows Torchwood and The Sarah Jane...
, the Earth is stolen by the Daleks as part of a cosmic 'machine' which creates a gravitational streamline of Z-Neutrino Energy which cancels out all matter. At some point in the past during the Nuclear Proliferation years, some person or organisation (possibly UNITUNITUNIT is a fictional military organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures...
installed strategic nuclear detonation points all over the globe and co-ordinated by Mr Osterhagen (?) - to be used only when the fate of the Human Race is so detrimental that obliteration would be a preferable option to living on.
The Osterhagen Key activates those nuclear warheads obliterating the entire planet out of existence.
(Osterhagen is an anagram of Earth's Gone)
- In the 2011v season of the office Dwight installs a doomsday device as a means of accountability
Fictional literature
- In Kurt Vonnegut's novel Cat's CradleCat's CradleCat's Cradle is the fourth novel by American writer Kurt Vonnegut, first published in 1963. It explores issues of science, technology, and religion, satirizing the arms race and many other targets along the way...
, a doomsday substance called ice-nineIce-nineIce-nine is a fictional material appearing in Kurt Vonnegut's novel Cat's Cradle. It is supposed to be a more stable polymorph of water than common ice which instead of melting at 0 degrees Celsius , melts at 45.8 °C...
is created with the capability to freeze all the water on Earth. The creator of ice-nine is depicted as being willfully negligent of the practical dangers of his research, and it is carelessness in the handling of the substance, which causes the Earth to freeze. - In the novel After DoomsdayAfter DoomsdayAfter Doomsday is a science fiction novel by American writer Poul Anderson. It was published as a complete novel in 1962, having been serialized as The Day after Doomsday in the magazine Galaxy, between December 1961 and February 1962....
by Poul AndersonPoul AndersonPoul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories...
, space travelers return to Earth to find the surface of the planet blasted away. Searching among various alien races for the reason for this, one group are shown an interview with a merchant who apparently sold "crustal disruptor" devices to various nations to use as a deterrent, with the devices being triggered by a nuclear attack on the owning nation. It is thus claimed that humanity effectively committed suicide. At the end, however this is revealed as a lie created by the real culprits. - In the novel Life, the Universe and EverythingLife, the Universe and EverythingLife, the Universe and Everything is the third book in the five-volume Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy science fiction series by British writer Douglas Adams...
by Douglas AdamsDouglas AdamsDouglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
, the supercomputer Hactar was asked by the Silastic Armorfiends of Striterax to "create the ultimate weapon". The device was a "junction box in HyperspaceHyperspace (science fiction)Hyperspace is a plot device sometimes used in science fiction. It is typically described as an alternative region of space co-existing with our own universe which may be entered using an energy field or other device...
" that would "connect the heart of every major sun with the heart of every other major sun". - In Robert McCammonRobert R. McCammonRobert Rick McCammon is an American novelist from Birmingham, Alabama. His parents are Jack, a musician, and Barbara Bundy McCammon. After his parents' divorce, McCammon lived with his grandparents in Birmingham. He received a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Alabama in 1974. McCammon...
's novel Swan SongSwan Song (novel)Swan Song is a 1987 horror novel by American novelist Robert R. McCammon. It is a work of post-apocalyptic fiction describing the aftermath of a nuclear war that provokes an evolution in humankind.- Plot :...
, the President of the United States, delusional and believing himself God fallen from heaven, decides that evil has won on Earth (after the nuclear holocaust he helped induce) and the planet must therefore be purged using the Talons of Heaven. This concept involves firing a massive payload of nuclear weapons at the poles, knocking the earth off its axis, causing massive icecap melting and subsequent flooding. - In the Matthew ReillyMatthew ReillyMatthew John Reilly is an Australian action thriller writer. His novels are noted for their fast pace, twisting plots and intense action.- Biography :...
book TempleTemple (novel)Temple is a thriller novel written by Australian author Matthew Reilly and first published in 1999. Like Reilly's other books, Temple's major attractions are the fast pace and the complexity of the action scenes....
, a doomsday device consisting of a pair of nuclear warheads and the non-existent element Thyrium is capable of obliterating a large section of Earth (Reportedly 1/3 of the Earth's mass). This would knock the planet out of orbit and create a cloud covering the entire planet that would wipe out the world's population. - In the book Ender's GameEnder's GameEnder's Game is a science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card. The book originated as the short story "Ender's Game", published in the August 1977 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact. Elaborating on characters and plot lines depicted in the novel, Card later wrote additional...
by Orson Scott CardOrson Scott CardOrson Scott Card is an American author, critic, public speaker, essayist, columnist, and political activist. He writes in several genres, but is primarily known for his science fiction. His novel Ender's Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead both won Hugo and Nebula Awards, making Card the...
, the Molecular Disruption Device can destroy an object, and any object near it, such as a fleet of space ships. Eventuality it is used on a planet near the Buggers' main fleet, destroying it, and ending a long war. In the sequels Speaker for the DeadSpeaker for the DeadSpeaker for the Dead is a science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card and an indirect sequel to the novel Ender's Game. This book takes place around the year 5270, some 3,000 years after the events in Ender's Game...
and Children of the MindChildren of the MindChildren of the Mind is the fourth book of Orson Scott Card's popular Ender's Game series of science fiction novels that focus on the character Ender Wiggin...
the threat of the MD Device (also called "Dr. Device") looms over a human colony on a world with a newly discovered sentient species. - In the DiscworldDiscworldDiscworld is a comic fantasy book series by English author Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin. The books frequently parody, or at least take inspiration from, J. R. R....
story The Last HeroThe Last HeroThe Last Hero is a short novel, the twenty-seventh of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. It was published in 2001 in a larger format than the other Discworld novels and illustrated on every page by Paul Kidby.-Plot summary:...
by Terry PratchettTerry PratchettSir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
, Cohen the Barbarian plans to detonate an explosive called Agatean Thunder Clay at the Hub, to show the godsDiscworld godsThe Discworld gods are the fictional deities from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of fantasy novels. The Discworld, being a flat disc supported on the backs of four elephants on top of a giant flying turtle, exists in a region of the universe where reality is somewhat less consistent than it...
how annoyed he is with them. Unknown to him, this would disrupt the DiscworldDiscworld (world)The Discworld is the fictional setting for all of Terry Pratchett's Discworld fantasy novels. It consists of a large disc resting on the backs of four huge elephants which are in turn standing on the back of an enormous turtle, named Great A'Tuin as it slowly swims...
's standing magical field, thereby rendering it impossible for it to exist. - The Tom ClancyTom ClancyThomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
book Rainbow SixRainbow Six (novel)Rainbow Six is a techno-thriller novel written by Tom Clancy. It focuses on John Clark, Ding Chavez, and a fictional multi-national counterterrorist unit codenamed Rainbow, rather than Jack Ryan and national politics...
has a plot line in which a wealthy industrialist develops an airborne virus and an "antidote" to the virus that will actually spread the effects further, and will be released during the Sydney Olympics2000 Summer OlympicsThe Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, with the so-called antidote actually being lethal to everyone not previously inoculated by the "real" antidote, and only his group of people who have been so inoculated will be alive to repopulate the earth. - Use of multiple nuclear weapons causing the destruction or virtual destruction of all life on EarthLife on EarthLife on Earth: A Natural History by David Attenborough is a television natural history series made by the BBC in association with Warner Bros. and Reiner Moritz Productions...
as a type of doomsday scenario has been used in several fictional stories, including Nevil ShuteNevil ShuteNevil Shute Norway was a popular British-Australian novelist and a successful aeronautical engineer. He used his full name in his engineering career, and 'Nevil Shute' as his pen name, in order to protect his engineering career from any potential negative publicity in connection with his novels.-...
's On the Beach and David GrahamDavid Graham (author)David Graham was the pen name of Evan Wright , a British crime fiction author who is mainly remembered for his post apocalyptic novel, Down to a Sunless Sea.-As David Graham:*Down to a Sunless Sea *Sidewall...
's Down to a Sunless SeaDown to a Sunless SeaDavid Graham's Down to a Sunless Sea is a post-apocalyptic novel about a planeload of people during and after a short nuclear war, set in a near-future world where the USA is critically short of oil...
. - In the Marvel ComicsMarvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
Universe, the character GalactusGalactusGalactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
possesses a weapon called the Ultimate NullifierUltimate NullifierThe Ultimate Nullifier is a device of immense power in the Marvel Universe. The device made its first appearance in Fantastic Four volume 1, issue #50 , in which Johnny Storm retrieves it from the home of Galactus—as directed by Uatu the Watcher—for the Fantastic Four to employ against the threat...
which has the power to destroy the entire multiverse (collection of all universes) until Capt. Rickey Maxwell III deactivated it. - In the Horus HeresyHorus Heresy (novels)The Horus Heresy is an ongoing series of science fiction novels, the first of which was published by the Black Library in 2006. The books are set during the Horus Heresy, a galaxy-spanning civil war occurring 10,000 years prior to the setting of Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 tabletop miniatures...
series of novels, based upon the events in the Warhammer 40,000Warhammer 40,000Warhammer 40,000 is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop, set in a dystopian science fantasy universe. Warhammer 40,000 was created by Rick Priestley in 1987 as the futuristic companion to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, sharing many game mechanics...
, there are many references and actual use of a space-to-ground warhead known as the Life-eater. This warhead contains an airborne virus that spreads rapidly and consumes upon living things, quickly eradicating all life in the target radius; once all life has been eradicated the virus will begin to consume itself, thus ending the virus. When the virus has destroyed itself, it leaves behind a highly flammable gas which could be used to light a fire-storm which could destroy any life that by chance survived. This weapon was barred from use by the The Emperor of Mankind because of its extreme danger and level of destruction unless by his permission, or by the order of his Warmaster; Horus. A large amount of these weapons were unleashed upon the planet Isstvan III by the Warmaster in the first open sign of his betrayal against the Emperor; the result was the slaughter of nearly all Space MarinesSpace Marines (Warhammer 40,000)In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000 setting created by Games Workshop, Space Marines are genetically modified "super human" soldiers created by the Emperor to conquer the galaxy and defend mankind. According to Games Workshop, there are over a thousand recorded chapters of Space Marines,...
and Imperial GuardsmenImperial Guard (Warhammer 40,000)The Imperial Guard are a specific army or faction in the Warhammer 40,000 and Epic tabletop games and universe. The army itself is characterised by being capable of fielding a multitude of lightly armoured, average infantry in combination with some of the toughest and most powerful tanks in the game...
loyal to the Emperor who were serving with the Warmaster.
Video games
- In the video game HaloHalo (video game series)Halo is a multi-million dollar science fiction video game franchise created by Bungie and now managed by 343 Industries and owned by Microsoft Studios. The series centers on an interstellar war between humanity and a theocratic alliance of aliens known as the Covenant...
, the central plot device, HaloHalo (megastructure)Halos are fictional megastructures and superweapons in the Halo video game series. They are referred to as "Installations" by their AI monitors, and are collectively referred to as "the Array" by the installations' creators, the Forerunners...
, is part of an array of superweapons designed to eradicate all sentient life in the galaxy, ironically to stop the very enemy threatening it. - In the videogame Warzone 2100Warzone 2100Warzone 2100 is an open source real-time strategy and real-time tactics hybrid computer game, originally developed by Pumpkin Studios and published by Eidos Interactive...
, a nuclear missile defense system becomes infected with a computer virus, launching satellite nuclear missile strikes to all major cities of the world. This event creates the phenomena called nuclear winterNuclear winterNuclear winter is a predicted climatic effect of nuclear war. It has been theorized that severely cold weather and reduced sunlight for a period of months or even years could be caused by detonating large numbers of nuclear weapons, especially over flammable targets such as cities, where large...
. - In the videogame Probotector Aliens steal the x-drive to create a doomsday device and destroy the earth.
- In the videogame Clash at DemonheadClash at DemonheadClash at Demonhead, known in Japan as , is a video game released by Vic Tokai for the Nintendo Entertainment System on January 27, 1989 in Japan and January 1990 in North America. The North American cover was illustrated by Lawrence Fletcher.-Gameplay:...
, Professor Plum builds a Doomsday Bomb for unknown reasons. It is then hijacked by the terrorist group known as the Governors. The player, in the role of Billy "Big Bang" Blitz, must defeat the governors to gain the special medallions that can deactivate the bomb. - In the videogame Nicktoons Unite!Nicktoons Unite!Nicktoons Unite!, known as SpongeBob SquarePants and Friends: Unite! in Europe, is a 2005 video game featuring characters and levels from SpongeBob SquarePants, Danny Phantom, The Fairly OddParents, and The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.Before it came out, a video game called Nicktoons:...
Professor Calamitous Steals Jimmy Neutron's plans for the Universe Portal Machine and recruits 3 villains from other dimensions: Vlad Plasmius, Plankton and Denzel Crocker. They soon creat a Doomsday Device which could destroy the Multi-Verse. Jimmy Neutron then comes up with a plan to backfire: He recruits Danny Phantom, Timmy Turner and SpongeBob SquarePants to save the day. At the end of the Game SpongeBob disarms the Doomsday Device and foils Calamitous' plans to destroy the Multi-Verse. - In the videogame StarCraftStarCraftStarCraft is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The first game of the StarCraft series was released for Microsoft Windows on 31 March 1998. With more than 11 million copies sold worldwide as of February 2009, it is one of the best-selling...
, the highly advanced Protoss race destroy some of the infested Terran worlds in order to eradicate the rival Zerg race. They unleash intense beams of light-bluish energy that blasts away the atmosphere and incinerates the planets' entire crust. This technique has been referred to as 'Sterilization' or 'Purification'. - In the videogame Septerra CoreSepterra CoreSepterra Core: Legacy of the Creator is a computer role-playing game developed by Valkyrie Studios and published by Monolith Productions. The game takes an unusual approach at the genre, by using elements most commonly associated with console video games, such as the Final Fantasy series...
a doomsday device is a biomechanic weapon which can move Septerra's "shells", effectively killing everyone inhabiting it. - In the videogame HomeworldHomeworldHomeworld is a real-time strategy computer game released on September 28, 1999, developed by Relic Entertainment and published by Sierra Entertainment. It was the first fully three-dimensional RTS. In 2003, Relic released the source code for Homeworld...
, the Taiidan drop an "Atmospheric Deprivation Device" onto the planet Kharak, igniting the atmosphere. When the Mothership returns to Kharak, the entire northern hemisphere is blackened, with fires visible from high orbit and no life is left on the planet. - In the Battalion WarsBattalion WarsBattalion Wars, originally to be titled as Advance Wars: Under Fire, part of Nintendo's Wars series, is a real-time tactics game for the Nintendo GameCube. A sequel, Battalion Wars 2, for the Wii, has also been released.-Gameplay:...
universe, the Solar Empire used something called a "Doomsday Device", which focused the sunSunThe Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
's light and heat into a beam, which they used to destroy Xylvania 's Iron Legion. - In Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith LordsStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith LordsStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords is a role playing video game released for the Xbox and Microsoft Windows. The Xbox version of this sequel to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was released on December 6, 2004, while the Windows version was released on February 8, 2005...
, Bao-Dur creates a device called the Mass Shadow Generator. This weapon destroyed entire fleets of spacecraft as its cataclysmic explosions are too strong for anything to survive. - In the videogame Evil Genius, the player has to construct a doomsday device so that the world leaders bow to your will and hand you over the whole world.
- In the video game Resident Evil 5Resident Evil 5Resident Evil 5, known in Japan as , is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. The game is the seventh installment in the Resident Evil survival horror series, and was released on March 5, 2009 in Japan and on March 13, 2009 in North America and Europe...
, the antagonist Albert Wesker created the Uroboros virus. His plan was to release the virus onto the earth in order to create a race of superhumans. However, those who could not withstand the virus would be killed once infected. The virus itself is portrayed as a seething mass of black tentacles that absorb both organic and inorganic matter and should an infected host be rejected by Uroboros, destroy the host's body. - In the 2010 video game BayonettaBayonettais a hack and slash action game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 developed by Platinum Games in cooperation with publisher Sega. Set in a fictional city in Europe, the game centers on its title character, Bayonetta, who uses pistols and magical attacks to defeat enemies...
, Father Balder, the main antagonist and father of Bayonetta, is determined to resurrect the goddess Jubileus with the hopes of reuniting the trinity of realities (Heaven, Hell, and Earth) without any concern for the safety of the inhabitants in order to create his own ideal paradise. In order to accomplish this task, he needed to sacrifice Bayonetta to the goddess due to her being of equal power. - In the video game series Fallout, there is a similar scenario which all of humanity is actually brought down to its knees because of greed of resources and also controversy in the United States government.
External links
- "How to destroy the Earth" — a scientifically rigorous albeit tongue-in-cheek "how-to" guide.
- "The Return of the Doomsday Machine?", Ron Rosenbaum, Slate.com, Aug. 31, 2007
- "Inside the Apocalyptic Soviet Doomsday Machine", wired.com, Sep. 21, 2009
- Doomsday device featured in the The Bionic WomanThe Bionic WomanThe Bionic Woman is an American television series starring Lindsay Wagner that aired for three seasons between 1976 and 1978 as a spin off from The Six Million Dollar Man. Wagner stars as tennis pro Jaime Sommers who is nearly killed in a skydiving accident. Sommers' life is saved by Oscar Goldman ...
episode Doomsday is Tomorrow