History Main / Deathray

** NetHack also has a wand of disintegration, which has similar results if the target isn't immune. (Important safety tip: don't shoot either of these wands at yourself.)

*** '''''Sorta?''''' He carries a freaking swagger stick that can burn a human being to ash with a gesture! And can call down DeathFromAbove! What would you call it?
*** A perfected version of [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20040213 his lighning generator]]?

->'''Dr. Disaster''': They have a ''Death Ray'' of epic proportions trained on the capital cities of every country ''this very second!''
->'''Antimony''': Isn't there ''always'' a Death Ray?
--> -- ''GunnerkriggCourt''

->''"Something seems to be wrong with our Death Ray. I'm standing right in it, and I'm not dead yet."''
--> -- '''Jamie Hyneman''', ''{{Mythbusters}}''

Sci-Fi villains are not the only ones who can use a DeathRay -- many an EvilSorcerer or other {{Fantasy}} villain will have a spell, artifact, or other piece of phlebotinum that basically amounts to one of these.

* The ''{{Dragonback}}'' novels, by TimothyZahn, feature a DeathRay, appropriately named "the Death", which ignores any defense and leaves anything unliving unharmed, but leaves anything hit by it dead, but not visibly hurt.

**** And could also be used to destroy entire primitive (nuclear age and older) buildings in ''StarTrekTheNextGeneration''. Funny how direct hits from the phasers on ''[[StarTrekVoyager Voyager]]'' rarely even slow down their targets, let alone stun or kill them. I guess their default setting is "sting". Then again, this is the show where [[MisappliedPhlebotinum 80 kiloton explosions fail to damage adobe shacks]] from [[WallBanger four meters away]].

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* One of the unproduced episodes of [[InvaderZim Invader Zim]] had Zim instruct GIR to activate a Death Ray (or a [[DoomyDoomsOfDoom Doom Ray]], I dunno which) to proceed with his latest plan. It works, and GIR takes over the Earth while Zim is having his existence evaluated.

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[[quoteright:239:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/DeathRae_1_1036.jpg]]

** Not to mention the horrifying CG versions in the 2005 Steven Spielberg remake.

-->'''Wolf:''' Have you considered putting in a death ray?
-->'''BigBad:''' Well, I've thought about it, but I don't think I really ''need'' one, ya know?
--> '''Wolf:''' I would recommend it. It's better to ''have'' one and not need it than to ''need'' one and not have it.

** ''{{Mythbusters}}'' tested this legend - ''twice'' - and found it less-than-effective.

* The Daleks in ''DoctorWho'' have Death Rays,which are most literal instances of this trope.
** Dalek rays originally never caused serious damage to property (missing a target results in a minor spark burst.But as of "The Stolen Earth" a small group of Daleks showed that they were more then capable of destroying a building,although they did have "Maximum EXTERMINATION" setting on,the result was an impressive boom.
** The Dalek extermination effect has gradually got more elaborate over time as special effects improved. At first you simply saw an emittor extend from the Dalek gunstick in close-up, followed by a quick cut to the victim going into negative, screaming and dropping dead. Things got gradually more elaborate over the years, especially when it became possible to add ray effects to the screen, but the XRaySparks effect wasn't introduced until the last pre-2005 appearance, "Remembrance of the Daleks", where it was quite elaborate for the time and budget.

** They did explain what a Dalek neutralizer ray does, and why nearly everyone hit with this screams in agony as they die. The Doctor called it "internal displacement": [[NightmareFuelUnleaded Your internal organs are scrambeled]], literally. Now imagine what would happen if Doctor Who stopped trying to be family friendly with the special effects...

[[FamilyGuy http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/DeathRay.jpg]]
[[caption-width:239:Do not piss off [[EnfantTerrible Stewie Griffin]].]]

The DeathRay is an old SpeculativeFiction staple, probably [[{{Zeerust}} cliché]] or a DiscreditedTrope by now, but the little kid in all of us would kill (heh) for a Death Ray. In function it's a RayGun that causes [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin death]][[hottip:*:(It doesn't actually [[BeeBeeGun shoot out]] ''[[TheGrimReaper Death]]'', awesome as that would be)]]; whatever the ray hits, dies -- instantly and [[DeaderThanDead without question]]. It can do this via [[DisintegratorRay disintegration]], somehow [[LiquidAssets draining the target's life force]], [[KillItWithFire rapid calcination]] or some other method. [[strike:If]] When scaled up, it becomes a WaveMotionGun.

* A [[http://www.wunderland.com/WTS/Rash/misc/addams.htm cartoon]] Charles Addams did for ''The New Yorker'' shows two men standing at the upper-story window of a patent office, one of them holding a futuristic gun which is plugged into a wall socket. The caption reads: "Death ray, fiddlesticks! Why, it doesn't even slow them up."

Visually, it's probably going to emit a [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience red]] [[FrickinLaserBeams beam]] and [[SpikesOfVillainy look scary]] compared to a hero's [[RaygunGothic clean chrome]] RayGun (which, [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim of course]], [[StunGuns just makes you sleep]]). It can vary from your garden variety DisintegratorRay because the Death Ray usually causes inanimate things to explode but humans to keel over dead. Why don't humans explode? Probably because it would raise the flick into R or NC-17 status (plus [[LudicrousGibs it costs a ''ton'' more]] in SpecialEffects compared to a cheap ray effect). In effect, it is the DesignatedVillain of retro SciFi weapons, much worse than its "little brother" the AgonyBeam.

* Adam Hall, who usually wrote spy thrillers or mysteries, featured a death ray in the book ''Rook's Gambit''. The hero became aware of a series of mysterious deaths of people who'd been sentenced to execution but simply fell dead before the government could kill them. The weapon was hand-held, with a range "limited only by the curvature of the earth," and made no noise or flash.

** Aditionally, Andorian phasers have no stun setting.

--->'''Arachnia:''' "Oh, it looks like a?[[IfYouKnowWhatIMean formidable weapon]]."

* In The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Riff Raff has a death ray THAT IS CAPABLE OF FIRING PURE ANTI-MATTER! It's a very {{family friendly firearm}}. Even though seeing it's Rocky Horror, it kinda takes the family friendly idea and {{crosses the line twice}}.

->'''Dr. Disaster''': They have a ''Death Ray'' of epic proportions trained on the capital cities of every country ''this very second!''\\
'''Antimony''': Isn't there ''always'' a Death Ray?\\

-->'''Dr. Disaster''': They have a ''Death Ray'' of epic proportions trained on the capital cities of every country ''this very second!''\\

-- ''GunnerkriggCourt''

->--'''Jamie Hyneman''', ''{{Mythbusters}}''

The DeathRay is an old SpeculativeFiction staple, probably [[{{Zeerust}} cliché]] or a DiscreditedTrope by now, but the little kid in all of us would kill (heh) for a Death Ray. In function it's a RayGun that causes [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin death]]. Often it's by DisintegratorRay, or some other method. If scaled up, it's a WaveMotionGun. The Death Ray is most characterized by the fact that whatever the ray hits, dies - instantly and without question.

Visually, it's probably going to be [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience red]] and look scary compared to a hero's clean chrome Ray Gun (which, of course, [[StunGuns just makes you sleep]]). It can vary from your garden variety DisintegratorRay because the Death Ray usually causes inanimate things to explode but humans to keel over dead. Why don't humans explode? Probably because it would raise the flick into R or NC-17 status (plus [[LudicrousGibs it costs a ''ton'' more]] in SpecialEffects compared to a cheap ray effect). In effect, it is the DesignatedVillain of retro SciFi weapons, much worse than its "little brother" the AgonyBeam.

A [[ApocalypseHow planetary]] Death Ray will be more akin to the WaveMotionGun, clock and all, and will only work twice: Once when test fired, to prove it works to the UN member countries; and another to annihilate the RedShirtArmy, before being destroyed/stopped by the heroes.

->?- '''Jamie Hyneman''', ''{{Mythbusters}}''

* Although rare, this is how Lazer Pistols work in {{Firefly}}. Too bad bullets are still better (and way more common).

* Although rare, this is how Lazer Pistols work in Firefly. Too bad bullets are still better (and way more common).

* Also, the FrickinLaserBeams on top of the alien spaceships in 1956's ''The War Of The Worlds''. IIRC, they actually ''are'' referred to in the movie as {{Death Ray}}s.