History Main / JustBeforeTheEnd

* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': ** For M:TG's many planes (but particularly Dominaria) this is a horrific, cyclic trope, to the point that Time Rift Crisis (the events of ''Time Spiral'' block) was an apocalypse caused by [[LampshadeHanging an overabundance of apocalypses]].

* While all the games in the ''Franchise/{{Fallout}}'' series take place ''After'' The End, there are a few glimpses of what it must have been like Just Before.

** ''Series/WalkingWithDinosaurs'': [[TheCretaceousIsAlwaysDoomed As you might expect]], the last episode, "Death of a Dynasty", is about the K-Pg extinction event. The episode begins a few months before the asteroid hits and ends with the extinction of the dinosaurs as the Earth is plunged into darkness by the rain of molten rock and burning ash. However, even before this, it's stated that increased global volcanism have decimated the forest habitats and greatly increased the incidences of stillbirths among dinosaurs, giving the impression the meteor was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

Also known in apocalyptic literature as the Dying Earth subgenre. You can expect anyone previously chanting that TheEndIsNigh to gloat about being right... but not for very long. Compare TheCretaceousIsAlwaysDoomed, this trope's TimeTravel counterpart.

* For all of recorded history, basically every generation has been ''positive'' that The End is upon them, generally due to current events that, at the time, seemed nigh-''certain'' to lead to the collapse of society at best, and the destruction of life on Earth at worst. Within living memory, for instance, we have the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI Great War]] and the following [[UsefulNotes/TheSpanishFlu Spanish Flu Pandemic]], the Great Depression, UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, and the spectre of nuclear war that hovered over the UsefulNotes/ColdWar.
** And now we have climate change. In poorer countries, the worst effects are already wreaking havoc on their ecosystems and economies, and even the West is starting to see increasing extreme weather events like hurricanes and floods. From day to day, everything seems normal, but year on year you can see the creeping catastrophe. Most scientists agree that the 21st Century is going to be a series of natural disasters, financial catastrophes, mass refugee crises, [[HorsemenOfTheApocalypse resource wars, famines and novel pandemics]]. That doesn't mean everyone will die, but worst case scenario, only possible if no country does anything to reduce emissions, is the world becoming a permanently miserable place to live.
*** There is no evidence that reducing emissions will freeze climate change in its tracks. OTOH, Carl Sagan [[https://www.st-v-sw.net/STSWbd0.html proved]] that the simultaneous detonation of a cumulative 100 megatons of hydrogen bombs is enough to generate an epoch of cold and darkness, which will prevent "extreme weather events like hurricanes and floods", "natural disasters, financial catastrophes, mass refugee crises, resource wars, famines and novel pandemics".

* ''Literature/BlackTideRising'': The first half of the first book shows the early days of the ZombieApocalypse, as society slowly starts to decline due to the government infrastructure struggling to handle the crisis, before it finally hits a tipping point and everything collapses into chaos.

* ''Manhwa/CielTheLastAutumnStory'': Volume 15 reveals that [[spoiler: the Sun has already died, and only the effort of the godlike Arc Dragons preserves mankind. And they don't intend to stick around forever.]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* ''ComicBook/{{Crossed}}'':
** In one untitled ''Badlands'' arc set in the early days of the HatePlague Crossed apocalypse, the Crossed infection has already killed billions but has yet to ''completely'' destroy every trace of civilization. There are some organized evacuation efforts by both the military and private citizens. The water is still running in some places (as shown by how a man hiding in the sewers of Catalina is using a hose for drinking water). There are still a few big military bases coordinating with each other. The military is even managing to keep large sections of San Diego safe as everywhere else burns. However, it is made extremely clear that the Crossed are days away from overrunning the defenders of San Diego and all they can do is pack people onto evacuation ships (which are in short supply) while still trying to work out if there's anywhere they can find safe refuge.

** ''Film/RiseOfThePlanetOfTheApes'' ends the same way with ''Conquest'', except it adds a worldwide virus that only affects humans.