History Main / GeneticEngineeringIsThenewNuke

May lead to BioAugmentation and {{Mutants}}, or even [[GeneticAbomination mutant creatures to horrible to describe]]. SuperpowerfulGenetics may either come from this, or have a hand on the engineering overall.

* The ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' two-parter story ''Infection'' revolves around two {{Super Soldier}}s infected by a BioAugmentation virus genetically engineered during the Cold War escaping from government custody and coming to Gotham. As part of their genetic traits include the ability to disperse an infectious version of the virus, meaning they risk transforming every human in the city into a mentally addled killing machine like themselves, they really fit the "nuke" part of the trope.
* Subverted in ''ComicBook/RogueTrooper'': The Genetic Infantry are very good soldiers, and their genetic modifications give them several advantages over regular humans (not least the ability to breathe the poisonous atmosphere of Nu-Earth), but when it comes down to it they are just a very good light infantry unit. The Quartz Zone Massacre proved that the [=GIs=] were badly outmatched by regular human troops with armor, artillery and the element of surprise, and the program was quietly axed.
* Creator/JackKirby was one of the early adopters of genetically engineered superhumans, with the DNA Project (later Project Cadmus) in ''ComicBook/JimmyOlsen'' (and their opposite numbers at the Evil Factory), and later his creator owned superhero Silver Star, who is a member of an artificially-created posthuman species called ''homo geneticus''.

* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'': The current (4th) edition has one volume, ''GURPS Ultra-Tech'', dedicated to mechanical and electronic SF and futuristic technology -- and another volume of comparable size, ''GURPS Bio-Tech'', dedicated to biotechnology, medicine, and genetic engineering. While, in keeping with the system's realism-based model, most of the products of genetic engineering described there are relatively low key, there are some radically advanced options, such as biological spaceships and "proteus viruses" that completely transform living things. This approach goes back to earlier editions, and the ''TabletopGame/TranshumanSpace'' setting carries it over from the main body of game material.

* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'':
** The [[FanNickname Squid]] is a genetically engineered monster whose effect strongly resembles a nuclear attack, making it both a figurative and an almost literal example of this trope.
** Although the "nuclear" flash has nothing to do with genetic engineering and is in fact a result of the unstable teleport processes used to transport it.

* The Ang Lee ''Film/{{Hulk}}'' movie. Bruce gets his power from a combination of genetic engineering, pharmaceutical drug testing, nanomachines, and radiation. It seems the scriptwriters just figured that ''one'' of those was bound to work. [[Film/TheIncredibleHulk The new one]] fixed it to being genetic engineering jumped started with radiation.
** In [[Film/TheIncredibleHulk the 2008 movie]] Bruce's research was specifically to recreate the super soldier serum, playing this trope as straight as possible since the original comic origin has Bruce developing a nuclear bomb using gamma radiation for the military.

* ''Series/RedDwarf'': About half of the horrific creatures that the Dwarfers face are the by-products of genetic engineering experiments, who were left to fend for themselves after humanity's presumed extinction. This includes the EmotionEater Polymorph, MasterOfIllusion Psirens, and the physically horrifying Pleasure [=GELF=]. The [[Literature/RedDwarf books]] go a little further, revealing that they eventually rebelled against humanity and were exiled to [[spoiler:Earth, which had just become the dumping spot for the Solar System's garbage)]] in response.

[[SyntheticPlague Synthetic Plagues]] may be one of the most mundane examples, but they're certainly one of the most obviously dangerous. A BioweaponBeast is as genetically-designed AttackAnimal, for when it needs to be more obviously monstrous.

* Despite having generally low levels of technological development, genetic engineering in the world of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' is [[SchizoTech surprisingly advanced]], quickly jumping from [[SuperBreedingProgram eugenicist breeding programs]] in the past to gene splicing and tissue graft experimentation from mutant sources in the present.

** Intresting enough, the Naturals tried destroying Coordinators with Nukes. It worked pretty well... Just not well enough.

* The Meliorare Society in Creator/AlanDeanFoster's ''Literature/HumanxCommonwealth'' series was a group of [[EvilutionaryBiologist rogue genetic engineers]] who attempted to "improve" humanity by [[DesignerBabies tinkering with the DNA of unborn children]], hoping to create physical and [[PsychicPowers mental]] superhumans. Naturally, things didn't go as planned, and after some of their more grotesque results came to light, they were [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating outlawed]] and eventually hunted down. Their "experiments" were mainly destroyed or, where possible, surgically altered to remove their abnormalities. The fate of the few who are left over is a major plot point of the series, forming the origin story of Flinx as well as [[spoiler:Mahnami]].

* The eugenics movement tried to do this, utilizing selective breeding to make "fitter" people on the positive side, plus sterilization and eventually extermination (in Nazi Germany at least) for people deemed unfit. Due to the poor state of knowledge regarding genetics then, a lot of it was based on grossly ignorant theories which have [[ScienceMarchesOn since been debunked]], and mostly simply rationalized existing prejudice. Many of the disorders targeted for elimination were not even hereditary, it has been found, at least in all cases. Thus it would not stop them all occurring in the future again. Further of course are the massive ethical problems with this. After seeing how the Nazi Party used this, eugenics has been largely abandoned (it had been criticized before, but this clinched its downfall).

* In ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie'' a group of scientists funded by Team Rocket attempt to engineer "the ultimate Pokémon" by splicing genes from a Mew fossil. [[MemeticMutation And]] [[FamousLastWords they]] [[GoneHorriblyRight succeeded]].

** ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'' ultimately revealed that [[spoiler:Terry [=McGinnis=] himself is the result of this: Amanda Waller realized there should always be a Batman and sought to create one, stealing some DNA from Bruce Wayne, genetically altering Terry's future father so that he was now Bruce Wayne DNA-wise and, when Terry was old enough, get his parents killed. However, the would-be-assassin, [[WesternAnimation/BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm Andrea Beaumont, the Phantasm]], just couldn't go through creating another Bruce and called out Waller over it. Ultimately, Derek Powers would finish the job, unwittingly.]]

* During his FreakLabAccident, ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' had his genetic makeup modified with with ectoplasm, thus making him half-ghost.

** The Jem'Hadar, super soldiers of the Dominion, are noted to qualify at least dozens of recommendations of the EvilOverlordList in their biological design. They wear no helmets(1, 130), wear carapaces that have no semblance to Nazi uniforms(21, 130), have superior eye sight that makes them expert marksmen(4, 56), possess exceptional strength and hand-eye coordination(236) are asexual in design(33, 43, 51, 84, 153), gain sustenance from a single source the Founders have absolute control over and require nothing else to function(127, 200, fark-9), require no sleep or rest(172, fark-9), work for the pleasure of obeying the "order of things" imprinted in their instincts(44, 48, 94, fark-9), have no fear or qualms using human wave attacks for the "order of things"(75, 234), memorize the entire manual with eidetic memory(57), and finally, can camouflage themselves to match the surroundings(237). And that's just the "design" part, not including their equally thorough training.

** The Winter Soldier (a mixture of HYDRA enhancements reactivated and stabilised by the Russian 'Infinity Formula')

** Additionally, the Celestials are namechecked as having manipulated humanity's genetics way back in the past, creating Eternals and Deviants, as well as many other species - including, it is suggested, Kryptonians.
* The ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' fandom contains a number of stories in which humans and Pokemon have their DNA spliced, usually by scientists working for Team Rocket or other organisations with questionable ethics.

* ''Film/TheIslandOfDrMoreau1996'': In the [[Literature/TheIslandOfDoctorMoreau 1896 science fiction novel]] by H. G. Wells, Moreau [[HumanityEnsues transforms animals]] on his island into BeastFolk and gives them intelligence through a gruesome prolonged surgical vivisection process that is left deliberately vague, because the author wanted among other things to make a point against animal vivisection, common during his time, so the "how" wasn't the point of the novel. In the 1996 movie adaptation, set in 2010, Moreau uses genetic engineering to create transgenic human/animal hybrids, some of whom look almost perfectly human, while others are humanoid but covered in fur and have snouts, hooves, horns, fangs and claws; without regular injections of Moreau's [[AppliedPhlebotinum serum]], however, these creatures lose their intelligence and slowly regress to their animal forms.

* ''Literature/TheIronDream'': While a worldwide nuclear war 1100 years in the past completely polluted Earth with radiation and turned most of mankind and the fauna into a race of mutant mongrels (and the BigBad faction using radiation to breed their different sorts of mooks), in the end mankind is saved by excessive usage of genetic engineering, which finally even replaces normal procreation.
* The Meliorare Society in Creator/AlanDeanFoster's ''Literature/HumanxCommonwealth'' series was a group of [[EvilutionaryBiologist rogue genetic engineers]] who attempted to "improve" humanity by [[LegoGenetics tinkering with the DNA]] of unborn children, hoping to create physical and [[PsychicPowers mental]] superhumans. Naturally, things didn't go as planned, and after some of their more grotesque results came to light, they were [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating outlawed]] and eventually hunted down. Their "experiments" were mainly destroyed or, where possible, surgically altered to remove their abnormalities. The fate of the few who are left over is a major plot point of the series, forming the origin story of Flinx as well as [[spoiler:Mahnami]].
* In ''Literature/MaximumRide'', Max and her friends are all bird-human hybrids, complete with [[WingedHumanoid wings]]. The laboratory that created them specializes in animal-human hybrids. In the sister books, (When the Wind Blows and The Lake House) Max is even more bird-like, even to the point of laying eggs and aging faster.

** Cetagandans are big on genetic engineering, working toward {{Transhumanism}} for their ruling caste, as well as various bioweapons.
* In Creator/TomKratman's ''Literature/{{Caliphate}}'', the virus being developed [[spoiler:by the eponymous Caliphate, for use against the rest of the world]] is 97% fatal, with it believed by the protagonists that the other three percent would be crippled even if they didn't die from the disease.
* Much of the conflict in ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' was driven by the, ahem, ''conflicting'' opinions about genetic engineering and its outcomes, including the [[EarthThatUsedToBeBetter Final War on Earth]], and plans [[spoiler:of the [[AncientConspiracy Mesan Alignment's]]]] for the galactic domination. Weber even [[WordOfGod went to record]] stating that the villains's position on {{transhumanism}} and genetic engineering is actually ''[[VillainHasAPoint correct]]'', but that they are antagonists because [[TheyCalledMeMad they're dicks about it]].
* In ''Ancestor'' by Scott Sigler, biogenetics firms seeking to perfect xenotransplantation (the transplant of animal organs into humans) have shades of this. The book opens with US AMRIID (The Army's counter-biowarfare division) firebombing a firm whose research led to a fatal disease hopping the species barrier. The main plot [[spoiler: Involves chimeric hybrids attempting to recreate a proto-mammalian "ancestor" unleashing quarter-ton, vicious, fast, ''intelligent'' monsters on a remote island.]]

* In Shannon Messenger's ''Literature/KeeperOfTheLostCities'', the main character, Sophie Foster, was genetically engineered not only to have multiple Talents (superpowers) -- she has five and is implied to have even more that are dormant whereas other elves only have one, none or two if they are a Polyglot -- but also to have much more advanced versions of those Abilities, such as an importable mind as a Telepath and the ability to inflict positive emotion when the most powerful of Infictor is limited to negative emotions. She even has Abilities her specie is not even supposed to have (such as Teleportation, that is usually exclusive to Alicorns). She is also much more skilled than other elves at general skills in general, such as telekinesis but strangely she lacks a feature all other elves possess, which is perfect coordination and flexibility and is very clumsy, even by human standards. All of this was done to make her TheSavior, but she rarely uses the full extent of her powers.

* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'': The current (4th) edition has one volume, ''GURPS Ultra-Tech'', dedicated to mechanical and electronic SF and futuristic technology -- and another volume of comparable size, ''GURPS Bio-Tech'', dedicated to biotechnology, medicine, and genetic engineering. While, in keeping with the system's realism-based model, most of the products of genetic engineering described there are relatively low key, there are some radically advanced options, such as biological spaceships and "proteus viruses" that completely transform living things.

** The Old Ones took this to an extreme, creating an ''entire race'' to fight a war for them: the Orks. The Orks were for the most part a success. It's too bad the Old Ones had already taken such heavy losses when they made them -- the desperation being the entire reason they were willing to create the Orks -- that they died off before they could install one last feature they held off on to rush the Orks into battle: the off-switch.
*** According to the fluff, the Old Ones seemed to have had a ''general'' passion for creating life, including humanity (though they didn't have a specific plan for us; [[InsignificantLittleBluePlanet they were just bored]]). They created the Eldar to balance out the physically impressive but psychically weak Orks, making them essentially the opposite so that both species would complement each other during the War in Heaven. They were only ''barely'' enough to defeat the Necrons... [[FromBadToWorse and then the Enslavers turned up]].

May lead to BioAugmentation and {{Mutants}}. SuperpowerfulGenetics may either come from this, or have a hand on the engineering overall.

** About the time the Celestials showed up on Marvel Earth, the Elder Gods had a similar idea and started making their own species, though these were engineered magically -- [[MultipleHeadCase Set]] created [[TheReptilians the Serpent Men]], whilst [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Oshtur]] and [[GodOfEvil Chthon]] created numerous [[AlwaysLawfulGood good]] and [[AlwaysChaoticEvil evil]] races, respectively, with Chthon going out of his way to corrupt and re-engineer some of Oshtur's (or attempting to, with varying levels of success).

* ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'':

* Creator/JackKirby was one of the early adopters of genetically engineered superhumans, with the DNA Project (later Project Cadmus) in ''Comicbook/JimmyOlsen'' (and their opposite numbers at the Evil Factory), and later his creator owned superhero Silver Star, who is a member of an artificially-created posthuman species called ''homo geneticus''.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* Parodied in ''Webcomic/StringTheory'' when a forced evolutionary virus creates "man-kitty-things" that get into everything. Schtein also keeps one as an adorable pet.

* In ''Webcomic/GenocideMan'' genetic engineering becoming cheap enough for open-source "biohackers" to wipe out 90% of humanity with designer plagues and create genetically enhanced supersoldiers. The titular Genocide Project was started to counter them with augmented but genetically completely human "Genocide Men" and their own targeted plagues.

** However most of them rarely use them for fighting, just purely cosmetic. To them it is pretty much getting a Tattoo in today's time. Just as tattooing can have unwanted side effects [[note]]such as allergies and infection[[/note]], even ''with'' clean equipment, so splicing can have negative effects as well.[[note]]Increased aggression and impulsiveness are noted in one episode.[[/note]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' uses this as the PhlebotinumDuJour, not only with Spider-Man's [[LegoGenetics genetically-altered]] spider-bite, but with Electro's [[PsychoElectro powers]], granted partly by being electrocuted. The Lizard too, is a result of Curt Connors [[ProfessorGuineaPig dosing himself]] with an [[LightningCanDoAnything electrically catalyzed]] formula containing genetically-modified lizard DNA. The big one, though, is many of Spidey's enemies- Rhino, Sandman, Kraven etc.- are the result of [[MegaCorp OsCorp]] experiments designed to create superhumans, some of whom were pitted against Spidey for the sole purpose of distracting him so that he is too busy dealing with them to worry about TheManBehindTheMan Tombstone and all the crime he is behind (other villains are tech based). The Green Goblin, likewise, got his powers from an experimental superhuman serum. The series was ScrewedByTheNetwork, but had it continued it would have adapted ''The Clone Saga'' which would have continued using this trope as a theme, with MadScientist Miles Warren already working on such stuff by the end of the second season.

* Biollante from ''Film/GodzillaVsBiollante'' is a [[LegoGenetics genetic chimaera of Rose, Human, and Godzilla DNA]] which grows to immense size, eventually fighting Godzilla. There are even conversations in the film about the potential dangers of the misuse of genetic engineering, equating them to the dangers posed by nuclear weapons.

* ''Film/TheIslandOfDrMoreau1996'': In the [[Literature/TheIslandOfDoctorMoreau 1896 science fiction novel]] by H. G. Wells, Moreau [[HumanityEnsues transforms animals]] on his island into BeastFolk and gives them intelligence, by a gruesome prolonged surgical vivisection process that is left deliberately vague, because the author wanted among other things to make a point against animal vivisection, common during his time, so the "how" wasn't the point of the novel. In the 1996 movie adaptation, set in 2010, Moreau uses genetic engineering to create transgenic human/animal hybrids, some of whom look almost perfectly human, while others are humanoid but covered in fur and have snouts, hooves, horns, fangs and claws; without regular injections of Moreau's [[AppliedPhlebotinum serum]], however, these creatures lose their intelligence and slowly regress to their animal forms.
* In ''Film/{{Bats}}'', the intelligent, omnivorous, killer bats were the result of genetic experimentation by a rogue scientist. Had the movie been made 30 years earlier, it is easy imagine they would have the product of atomic tests in the desert.

* Taken to pretty literal extremes in ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'', where the government's secret genetic experiment is ''named'' Nuke, to give an indication that, yeah, he ''was'' as deadly as a walking megaton bomb.

* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel takes this trope all the way, with genetic engineering being compared to nuclear weapons in other ways, such as international supersoldier escalation & treaties being proposed to curb it. Several Spider-Man rogues (as well as Spidey himself) were re-imagined to be the subjects of secret, illegal super soldier experiments from Oscorp, and other superheroes and villains were designed by secret government projects for the same end. [[spoiler: ''ComicBook/UltimateOrigins'' reveals that [[ComicBook/UltimateXMen this includes mutants]]]].

* The ComicBook/XMen have always been mutants, but interestingly, the earliest issues of the X-Men comics refer to them as "children of the atom" and say that Xavier is a mutant because of radiation his parents were exposed to before he was born. Current X-Men comics have abandoned the nuclear angle in favor of pure genetics, but all mutants are the end result of genetic engineering- by [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien godlike aliens]] called the Celestials tens of thousands of years ago.
** The Celestials also created two other races by experimenting on humans: the ugly, shape-shifting Deviants, and their enemies, the PhysicalGod CanonSue race the Eternals, which after a bit of space-travel and civil war ended up founding a colony on Saturn's moon Titan, which eventually spawned ComicBook/{{Thanos}}, who conducted further genetic experiments on himself to make himself stronger. The Celestials split other alien races into Deviants and Eternals as well- the Skrulls are a race of Deviants who conquered their entire planet and built an interstellar empire, after slaughtering the mainline and Eternal offshoots.
*** The Celestial schema seems to be Order/Potential/Chaos: The Skrull Deviants are shapeshifters - their form is chaotic. The Earth Deviants have random genes and forms - their heredity is chaotic. Earth Eternals: Cosmic-powered FlyingBrick variants, Skrulls: Contemplative mystics (implied -- the last Skrull Eternal married the leader of the Deviants, then elevated them both to godhood). The main control group has untapped potential, though no one knows what the Skrulls' might have been, since the Deviants killed them all.
** About the time the Celestials showed up on Marvel Earth, the Elder Gods had a similar idea and started making their own species, though these were engineered magically- [[MultipleHeadCase Set]] created [[TheReptilians the Serpent Men]], whilst [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Oshtur]] and [[GodOfEvil Chthon]] created numerous [[AlwaysLawfulGood good]] and [[AlwaysChaoticEvil evil]] races, respectively, with Chthon going out of his way to corrupt and re-engineer some of Oshtur's (or attempting to, with varying levels of success).

* This is the entire point in ''ComicBook/AlbedoErmaFelnaEDF'', as the entire furry cast were genetic experiments created by The Creators, also known as [[spoiler:the human race, using Earth animals as guinea pigs, and put them in somewhere in some planet in the space]].