History Main / RadiationInducedSuperpowers

This is the tendency in fiction for exposure to nuclear radiation or other hazards (including GreenRocks) to result in a character gaining super-powers when an unpleasant death by radiation poisoning or a slow, agonizing demise by cancer would be a more likely outcome.

* In ''Fanfic/TheFall'' [[LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero Louise]], while already having magic before arriving in the [[VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas Mojave]]. begins to experience some changes to it due to the radiation of the world.

* The pulp 1980's series ''Doomsday Warrior'' is set AfterTheEnd in a Soviet-occupied America with LaResistance operating out of [[UndergroundCity hidden conclaves]]. Somehow the Americans have got the best of the deal -- mutation has developed these Freefighters into {{Super Soldier}}s who can run faster, fight harder and sustain more damage, all the while boasting a manly physique. Of course, this doesn't stop them having the required NuclearMutant monsters for the protagonists to fight. Needless to say, realism is [[RuleOfCool not a priority in these books]].

** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E5EIEIAnnoyedGrunt E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)]]", in which the family become farmers, Homer irradiates the crops with plutonium borrowed from the nuclear plant in the hope that they grow bigger, like in the movies. Instead, he ends up with normal-sized tomatoes, only they have combined with tobacco to form "tomacco".

** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E12MargeVsTheMonorail Marge vs. the Monorail]]", Mr. Burns stores nine drums of nuclear waste in a single tree, causing some of the tree's branches to turn into purple tentacles and a squirrel inhabiting it to gain EyeBeams and a long prehensile tongue, both of which it uses to its ecological advantage.

** Used to explain how Mike Scioscia can show up in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS22E3MoneyBART MoneyBart]]" despite getting radiation poisoning in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E17HomerAtTheBat Homer at the Bat]]" [[ContinuityNod nearly twenty years previously]]. Apparently, "It gave me super managing powers. I also demagnetize credit cards."

* Averted in one of the ''New WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' shorts, showing a blooper reel from an in-universe PSA where the Titans have to say the line "No matter what people tell you, gamma rays will not give you superpowers."

** Used to explain how Mike Scioscia can show up in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS22E3MoneyBART MoneyBart]]" despite getting radiation poisoning in the softball episode [[ContinuityNod nearly twenty years previously]] in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E17HomerAtTheBat Homer at the Bat]]". Apparently, "It gave me super managing powers. I also demagnetize credit cards."

* Played straight and parodied in the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode "Family Guy Viewer Mail #1". The Griffins are exposed to radioactive waste, and each gain separate powers (Stewie got telekinesis, Brian got superspeed, Chris got pyrokinesis, Peter got shapeshifting, Lois got super strength, and Meg could...[[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway extend and retract her fingernails]]). They proceed to wreak havoc in Quahog, and in an attempt to gain superpowers to stop them, Mayor Creator/AdamWest rolls around in radioactive waste:

** In the episode where the family became farmers, Homer irradiates the crops with plutonium borrowed from the nuclear plant in the hope that they grow bigger, like in the movies. Instead, he ends up with normal-sized tomatoes, only they have combined with tobacco to form "tomacco".
** Used to explain how Mike Scioscia can show up in the Moneyball parody despite getting radiation poisoning in the softball episode [[ContinuityNod nearly twenty years previously]]. Apparently, "It gave me super managing powers. I also demagnetize credit cards."
** In "Marge vs. the Monorail", Mr. Burns stores nine drums of nuclear waste in a single tree, causing some of the tree's branches to turn into purple tentacles and a squirrel inhabiting it to gain EyeBeams and a long prehensile tongue, both of which it uses to its ecological advantage.

* ''Film/TheNakedGun 2½: The Smell of Fear'' has this theme as a ''television commercial'' put forth by a CorruptCorporateExecutive of the nuclear lobby. It features a family barbecue with a dad supporting nuclear over solar, an electric grill powered by the nuclear plant looming in the background, and [[BreadEggsMilkSquick a dog with two tails]].
* After ''Film/TheBeastFromTwentyThousandFathoms'', this became a very popular way to create a [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever giant monster]]. It should be noted, however, that the Rhedosaurus was awoken by a nuke, not mutated by one.
** ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' is the most famous example. But it wasn't ''all'' beneficial for Godzilla, as the radiation resulted in a PainfulTransformation that left him CoveredInScars (hence the rough skin texture). ''Film/GodzillaVsDestoroyah'' even sees him starting to melt down from the excess build-up of radiation.
** ''Film/{{Them}}'' is another good one.
* ''Film/ClassOfNukeEmHigh'' is about a high school next door to a ''leaky'' nuclear power plant.

* In "Mant!", the film-within-a-film of ''Film/{{Matinee}}'', radiation combines a shoe salesman with an ant. ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y2Lbhwl23M He gets bitten while getting a dental x-ray.]])
* As seen in the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' episode, ''Film/BeginningOfTheEnd'' has radiation not only increasing the size of crops, but the size of the grasshoppers who eat the crops! The army then suggests [[NukeEm dropping a nuclear bomb]] on the insects, to which Crow quips, "[[SarcasmMode Oh great]], maybe they'll get ''larger''!"

* ''Film/ModernProblems'' had the same thing... but in the 80's, and with Chevy Chase.
* In ''Film/Frankenstein1970'', Victor von Frankenstein uses atomic power to bring his creature to life.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': [[FrankensteinsMonster Adam]] has a Uranium-235 core.

** Radiation breeding has been a standard method of producing new strains of crops since 1920s, along with chemical mutagenesis and, since the 1980s, genetic modification. In the aftermath of World War II, in the spirit of the era's [[ILoveNuclearPower embracement of the idea that nuclear power could do anything]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_gardening Atomic Gardens]] were set up, where plants were dosed with carefully-assigned amounts of radiation to see what mutations might arise. This, surprisingly, actually worked ''really well'' - of the approximately 2000 different varieties of plants created by these experiments, the majority of which are still used in agriculture today. So, many of the crops we rely on are ''actual'' superpowered mutants!

** Radiation breeding has been a standard method of producing new strains of crops since 1920s. Along with chemical mutagenesis. So, many of the crops we have today are ''actual'' superpowered mutants.

* Creator/OsamuTezuka's early sci-fi manga ''Nextworld'' features various bizarre mutants created by nuclear testing, including the super-intelligent Fumoon, who may or may not have been created from humans. Oddly enough, nobody ever gets cancer or radiation sickness.

* Many of Creator/OsamuTezuka's early sci-fi manga have radiation doing strange things:
** ''Anime/Metropolis2001'' features a radioactive metal called Omotanium that can cause animals to grow to giant sizes, create artificial sunspots, and helps to create a superpowered ArtificialHuman.
** ''Nextworld'' features various bizarre mutants created by nuclear testing, including the super-intelligent Fumoon, who may or may not have been created from humans. Oddly enough, nobody ever gets cancer or radiation sickness.
** ''Manga/AstroBoy'' handles this a bit better. The hero still gets his powers from atomic energy, but that's because he's a nuclear-powered robot. (The 1980s anime features another such robot, a [[WhyAmITicking sapient atomic bomb]] named Nuka.) However, the effects of nuclear energy on humans are portrayed fairly realistically; for example, "The Coral Reef Adventure" involves nuclear testing in the Pacific and features animals and people who are hideously deformed and dying due to radiation.
** In one episode of ''Manga/KimbaTheWhiteLion'', a grasshopper is mutated by radiation. Guess what happens? Well, here's a hint: the episode is titled [[BigCreepyCrawlies "The Gigantic Grasshopper"]].
** ''Manga/OdeToKirihito'', on the other hand, is ''almost'' realistic about this. Irradiated water causes gradual, painful, and horrible death. Less probably, it makes people [[{{Dogfaces}} look like they're part-dog]].
** A chapter of ''Manga/BlackJack'' features another aversion with an artist who is slowly dying of radiation poisoning due to nuclear fallout.

%%Image chosen per Image Pickin' thread:https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1598455596036198500
%%Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.

* [[GaiasVengeance Gaia]] loves to subvert that trope: {{UsefulNotes/Chernobyl}} has become [[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4923342.stm a wildlife haven]]. On the other hand, the (perception of the) level of radiation released in the mind of the public is very different than the reality and the animals aren't necessarily going to worry about the level of radiation anyway. It was only after the first few weeks after the disaster that wildlife began to thrive in Chernobyl, after the radiation levels dropped. After that, the radiation was still dangerous for humans, but not for animals- most animals have much shorter lifespans (about ten years or so), and thus do not have enough time for the radiation they've absorbed to turn into cancer. That's not to say that there ''weren't'' mutations in the animals (see Website/ThatOtherWiki's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster article]] for an example image; beware of BodyHorror), it just simply was not as widespread as fiction or popular perception would have us believe. You still can't eat any animals there.

** Ironically, some of the birds found in the Exclusion Zone are actually [[https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140424223057.htm much healthier than other birds]]. In response to the elevated levels of radiation, the birds produce more antioxidants in their cells, which protect their cells from ionizing radiation, and as a side effect, makes them live longer and healthier lives.
** The best part? We even discovered [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiotrophic_fungus black mold living inside the Chernobyl reactor chamber]] that '''eats radiation.''' We're still not entirely sure how it works.

* The true story of [[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4842268/Radioactive-sex-offender-on-the-run.html Thomas Leopold]] a ''[[NinjaPirateZombieRobot radioactive pedophile]]''.

* The pedoscope, a gimmicky device once found in shoe stores that would x-ray your feet to find the perfect fit. Featured once on the show ''Series/PawnStars'', disassembling it found that the x-ray tube inside gave off ''ten times'' more radiation then conventional x-ray machines.
** While the radiation inflicted on the customers was not good, the real victims were the shoe salesmen, who got exposed to this continually, day in and day out.
* This is the theme of one 1959 DC PSA, [[http://www.politedissent.com/archives/4611 "The Atomic: Servant of Man"]].
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deinococcus_radiodurans These]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermococcus_gammatolerans bacteria]] are [[MadeOfIron immune to radiation]]. And [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiotrophic_fungus certain species of fungi]] actually ''eat'' radiation via the same chemical that gives you a tan! [[RealityIsUnrealistic Nature is]] ''[[RealityIsUnrealistic weird]]''.
* I Love Nuclear Power was once embraced by NATO: There were [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_artillery nuclear warheads]] [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill for]] ''[[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill artillery]]'', [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_depth_bomb nuclear depth charges]] and even the "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_demolition_munitions Special Atomic Detonation Munition]]" (the famous backpack nuke; the final plot twist of the first ''VideoGame/SplinterCell'' game was that the BigBad had one of these). Many cities in Europe and North America were protected by nuclear tipped [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIM-14_Nike_Hercules Nike Hercules]] missile batteries well into TheSeventies.
* And industry wasn't far behind either. There were plans for a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear-powered_aircraft nuclear powered bomber]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NS_Savannah cruise ships]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_marine_propulsion#Merchant_ships merchant vessels]] and the nuclear powered car mentioned below. [[ScienceMarchesOn We learned more about radiation]] and most never left the planning or prototype stages. This outcome was averted with the US Navy, which has a sizeable fleet of nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers.
** Today, US, Russia, UK, France and China each maintain a fleet of nuclear submarines, both attack and missile,[[note]]France even has a nuclear aircraft carrier of its own, ''Charles de Gaulle'', but it turned out not very practical and is mainly used as a training ship for the naval aviators.[[/note]] and India is poised to join that club soon, while Russia also has a fleet of nuclear icebreakers[[note]]Including the world's only commercial nuclear cargo vesel, NS ''Sevmorput''.[[/note]] for navigation along the Northern Sea Route and its Arctic rivers, and is actually in a process of ''increasing'' it.
* There was the [[http://www.damninteresting.com/the-atomic-automobile/ Ford Nucleon]], a car designed with a mini nuclear reactor at the back of the car. Instead of electric motor propulsion, the nuclear reactor would heat water to steam, providing propulsion through steam pressure. Other nuclear-powered concept cars from the 1950s were the [[http://www.petersen.org/default.cfm?DocID=1008&index=5 Studebaker Packard Astral]], the [[http://specialcarnews.com/?p=292 French Simca Fulgur]], and the [[http://www.machine-history.com/node/1051 Arbel Symetric]]. None of these nuclear powered cars were ever built (the Arbel Symetric was an actual electric car production model in the 1950s, but its nuclear powered "Genestatom" generator was never produced), because nuclear-powered cars were (and are still) deemed too dangerous.
** Which is probably why VideoGame/{{Fallout}} has the cars.
** In line with this trope, Cadillac has unveiled a new concept car which uses a nuclear generator powered by thorium, the [[http://www.globalmotors.net/cadillac-world-thorium-fuel-concept/ World Thorium Fuel Concept]], otherwise known, appropriately, as the WTF car.
** In concept form, having a small reactor self-contained and shielded, connected to steam machinery only by pipes (like a huge battery) did not pose too complex problems even for [[TheFifties late-1950s]] technology. It didn't do in nuclear powered ships, either. On the other hand, cars have a risk of crashing, and a crash might have turned EveryCarIsAPinto into "[[ParanoiaFuel Every Car Is A Small Chernobyl]]".
** Worth noting, a steam powered car was not a new idea (many of the early high performance cars were steam-powered, due to limitations in early internal combustion engines). Their biggest drawback was the weight of the boiler, feedwater system, and radiators necessary for the steam engine's operation.
* Nuclear power is used to power the (unmanned) spacecrafts on missions to the outer Solar System such as Cassini, New Horizons, or Voyager since you'd need at those distances ''huge'' solar panels that would render impractical to launch them[[note]]ScienceMarchesOn: The ''Juno'' spacecraft, now orbiting Jupiter, is powered by solar panels and there has been a proposal for a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPRITE_(spacecraft) solar-powered Saturn probe]][[/note]] as well as some satellites. However the power systems used by them ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator Radioisotope thermoelectric generators]]) work like a battery, extracting power from the decay of an adequate radioactive material and transforming it into electricity, and not as nuclear reactors[[note]][=RTGs=] have other uses such as powering unmanned stations in the North Pole[[/note]].
** Soviet Union had a number of radar reconnaissance satellites with a bona-fide nuclear reactors, due to the ungodly energy requirements the active radars of the time had, but this backfired when a couple of them malfunctioned and failed to go to the safe "storage orbit" where they were intended to be kept indefinitely, instead felling back to Earth. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosmos_954 One of them]] ended up crashing in Canadian wilderness: no one was hurt, but the USSR had to pay quite a hefty compensation for the subsequent cleanup.
** Roskosmos, the Russian space agency, is currently developing another space-based nuclear reactor to power the potential ''manned'' spacecraft for the missions to Mars and beyond, and to supply the energy to the proposed Lunar orbital station.
* For a while in the 50s, one of the perks of moving to Las Vegas was the possibility of getting your family and friends together and watch an atom bomb test from the comforts of your backyard (The Nevada Proving Grounds was just 100 km northwest of the city). In fact, the DOD encouraged this, going as far as to publicize detonation dates in the paper and giving out dosimeters to the residents of the surrounding towns to study fallout levels. One of the early tourism slogans for Las Vegas was "the up and 'atom' city." The government was sued in 1982 by cancer patients of Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico (all of which have seen a suspicious increase in cancer incidence) for a rather large chunk of cash.

* Currently radiation is humanity's cleanest energy source. Due to the huge power output and extensive safety measures in place, even acts of god such as the Fukushima earthquake can only damage plants. Plus, even with the worst nuclear disasters tallied in history, they're still responsible for fewer deaths than just about any other fuel source we have, including solar power and wind power. Add to this the fact that Nuclear power produces almost no carbon footprint and outputs enough power to power several million homes, the only real reason we're not powering every home with nuclear stations at the moment is [[RealityisUnrealistic public perception on the dangers of Nuclear Power]], [[ShockinglyExpensiveBill the high start up costs for building reactors]] and the fact that [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_uranium#Uranium_supply nuclear fuels are finite]], meaning that a society fully dependent on them [[TerminallyDependentSociety would one day be screwed when supplies run out, just like with fossil fuels]].
** This is actually a partial misconception: most nuclear waste is still usable, and in fact there are nuclear reactor designs that will produce practically zero waste since all of the usable energy is used up and thus there is nothing left capable of being appreciably radioactive. Also, if all fissile materials on Earth were to be "properly" used, nuclear fission fuels are estimated to last MILLIONS of years before humanity depletes all sources on Earth. But the issue against it is threefold: first and foremost of course being public backlash against ALL nuclear technologies. Secondly, such a reactor requires more potent material than just Uranium or Thorium to squeeze those atoms dry - it requires plutonium, which is also a vital component in nuclear bombs, thus presenting issues with military interests. And thirdly, our current culture just isn't geared towards such a thing. Regular nuclear reactors are already too expensive for any profit-motivated organization to build - and building one big reactor that takes plutonium and outputs energy and non-radioactive dirt isn't very profitable in terms of making money.
* [[http://www.cracked.com/article_23522_the-6-most-insane-things-ever-done-with-nuclear-weapons.html Cracked]] compiled a list of rather ingenious uses for nuclear weaponry and its effects tested by US and USSR military and scientists, including seeing how beer tastes like after a nuclear explosion, sending a manhole to space with a nuclear blast and using nuclear bombs for construction and digging oil wells, including putting out the fires of burning oil wells.
* The vast majority of food in the United States undergoes radio-sanitation, that is to say its exposed to ungodly amounts of radiation before we eat it. The process involves moving food under giant slabs of Cobalt-60 and letting radioactive decay do the rest. The reason this is so predominantly used is that its a sure fire way to make sure meat and produce have no harmful bacteria or parasites in them, as no other form of cleaning food can get below the surface effectively. Its also worth mentioning that radio-sanitation has no known side effects as exposing things to radiation doesn't make them radio-active.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series started off as a deconstruction of the 1950s "atom craze". The nuclear war gave rise to giant insects and rats, and a few (un)lucky humans exposed to it without dying became ghouls, who live for centuries but many of them have lost their humanity. (Though [[FlipFlopOfGod the creators themselves can't decide]] how much is due to radiation or to a [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke mutant bioweapon]].) Meanwhile the player character being exposed to radiation will only result in radiation sickness (though it is easy to treat). The straightest example of this trope in the first two games is Nuka-Cola, one of the franchise's most iconic items, a soda that was bottled full of radioactive materials ''before'' the war, which is exaggerated in later games with Nuka-Cola Quantum, a soda with experimental isotopes that glows a bright blue.
** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' became a straighter example of this trope, with the player character able to gain healing from being irradiated. The game also made the pre-war world a lot more AtomPunk than earlier games, with nuclear-powered cars.
** ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' reverts many of the AtomPunk elements, but you can make your character stronger from absorbing radiation (though you still get sick from it).

** ''VideoGame/Fallout76'' introduced mutations, which are ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: mutations, usually beneficial but not always [[AwesomeButImpractical particularly useful]], that are gained from being overexposed to radiation. Like radiation poisoning, they can be removed with Radaway.

* Parodied by [[https://amorphia-apparel.com/science/cheers-a-atomic-bomb-nuclear-weapon-shirt#!/ this shirt]].
** And [[https://amorphia-apparel.com/science/hugger-a-nuclear-power-love-shirt#!/ this one.]]

Not to be confused with DeusExNukina or AtomicHate. This trope is why ''[[PhlebotinumMuncher you should never]]'' NukeEm.

[[WMG:[[center:[[AC:This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1662270221022942400 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.]]]]]]

* Creator/IsaacAsimov's "Literature/{{Runaround}}": The robots are powered by a two-inch sphere of atomic energy.

A SuperTrope to NuclearMutant, which specifically talks about ''monsters'' created by radiation. Frequently this trope needs RadiationImmuneMutants as a {{Required Secondary Power|s}}. The predecessors to this trope are LightningCanDoAnything and ChemistryCanDoAnything; before the discovery of nuclear power, electricity and chemicals were the go-to source for magical do-anything phlebotinum. One of its successors is QuantumMechanicsCanDoAnything. Sometimes overlaps with ToxicWasteCanDoAnything when we're talking about nuclear waste.

Unsurprisingly, this trope seems to have been at its peak in the atom-crazed [[TheFifties 1950s]] when anything "atomic" was seen as cutting-edge, but is now falling out of favor as the common person's changed perception of the negative effects of radiation make it increasingly less believable as a source for superhero [[{{Mutants}} mutation]]. A few superhero characters whose backstory involved gaining powers though irradiation have since been [[{{RetCon}} re-written]] into [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke genetic engineering]] being responsible to capitalize on a new area of [[ScienceMarchesOn scientific ignorance]] for viewers.

Named for an obscure '80s alternative music hit, [[FleetingDemographicRule oxymoronic as it may seem]] to use "obscure" and "hit" in the same sentence.

* Many of Creator/OsamuTezuka's early sci-fi manga had radiation doing strange things:
** ''Anime/{{Metropolis}}'' featured a radioactive metal called Omotanium that could cause animals to grow to giant sizes, create artificial sunspots and helped create a superpowered ArtificialHuman.
** ''Nextworld'' features various bizarre mutants created by nuclear testing including the superintelligent Fumoon who may or may not have been created from humans. Oddly enough, nobody ever got cancer or radiation sickness.
** ''Manga/AstroBoy'' handled this a bit better. The hero still got his powers from atomic energy (and even played the trope literally once in the 80's anime, with Astro falling for a [[WhyAmITicking sentient atomic bomb]] called Nuka) but that's because he was a nuclear powered robot. The effects of nuclear energy on humans however are portrayed fairly realistically. One story "The Coral Reef Adventure" for example, involves nuclear testing in the Pacific and features animals & people who are hideously deformed & dying due to radiation.
** Also, in one episode of ''Manga/KimbaTheWhiteLion'', there's a grasshopper mutated by radiation. Guess what happens? Well, here's a hint: The episode is called "The Gigantic Grasshopper."
** ''Manga/OdeToKirihito'', on the other hand, is ''almost'' realistic about this. Irradiated water causes gradual, painful, and horrible death. Less probably, it makes people look like they're part-dog.

* In ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' it is eventually revealed that the apparently mystical Stands were somehow created by an ancient artifact created from a radioactive meteorite.

A SuperTrope to NuclearNasty, which specifically talks about ''monsters'' created by radiation. Frequently this trope needs RadiationImmuneMutants as a {{Required Secondary Power|s}}. The predecessors to this trope are LightningCanDoAnything and ChemistryCanDoAnything; before the discovery of nuclear power, electricity and chemicals were the go-to source for magical do-anything phlebotinum. One of its successors is QuantumMechanicsCanDoAnything. Sometimes overlaps with ToxicWasteCanDoAnything when we're talking about nuclear waste.

* The pulp 1980's series ''Doomsday Warrior'' is set AfterTheEnd in a Soviet-occupied America with LaResistance operating out of [[UndergroundCity hidden conclaves]]. Somehow the Americans have got the best of the deal -- mutation has developed these Freefighters into {{Super Soldier}}s who can run faster, fight harder and sustain more damage, all the while boasting a manly physique. Of course, this doesn't stop them having the required NuclearNasty monsters for the protagonists to fight. Needless to say, realism is [[RuleOfCool not a priority in these books]].

* [[NuclearNasty Radio Zombies]] in ''TabletopGame/BleakWorld'' were created by the atomic bomb tests in the 50's and are generally [[ButtMonkey get the short end of the stick]]. While it IS technically possible for them to assume a human disguise and get their lives back, it [[DifficultButAwesome requires a perfect 10 out of 10 in humanity to achieve]]. Meaning that even the slightest misdemeanor will [[BlessedWithSuck strip off all their skin and cause a nuclear eruption.]] However they are truly gifted with random acts of violence as well as combat, making them more inclined to the dark side of the karma meter.

* ''Machinima/DarkSecretsOfGarrysMod'': "Super Boss" is a [[RealTrailerFakeMovie made-up teaser]] where Boss gains superpowers from eating a radioactive bean pottage. It got deleted but [[http://youtu.be/NJYAjXF7rOI?t=716 it is reuploaded into a compilation]].

* {{Parodied|Trope}} on ''Series/TheDailyShow'', with a PublicServiceAnnouncement stating that exposure to radioactive mist and substances will, in fact, not give you superpowers. [[ComicBook/SpiderMan Radioactive animal bites, on the other hand, assure them]].

* {{Averted|Trope}} in ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' when Crichton builds a wormhole-controlling device with a nuclear power source. [[spoiler:His ally-turned-enemy steals it and in the ensuing chase, the radiation shield protecting the power source is knocked open, meaning Crichton has to make a split-second jump towards the device to render it safe. He fails, absorbs a lethal dose of radiation and succumbs to his illness by the end of the episode.]]

* In the third season of ''Series/StargateAtlantis'', a couple of characters die from a machine that exposes them to radioactivity that causes exploding tumors. Yeah, we thought it was rather improbable, too.

* The "Frei" line of spells in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 1}}'', ''VideoGame/Persona2'' and ''VideoGame/Persona5''. In the early titles, they're described as "Nuclear Fire" and used in tandem with [[PlayingWithFire Fire skills]]. Yukino Mayuzumi, Tatsuya Suou and Katsuya Suou specialize in them. In ''5'', they cause extra damage to enemies who are afflicted with the status effects Burn, Freeze, or Shock, and the game's specialist is Makoto Nijima.

* ''[[Film/TheNakedGun The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear]]'' has this theme as a ''television commercial'' put forth by a CorruptCorporateExecutive of the nuclear lobby. It features a family barbecue with a dad supporting nuclear over solar, an electric grill powered by the nuclear plant looming in the background, and [[BreadEggsMilkSquick a dog with two tails]].

* The ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' recurring antagonist The Puppet Master had dolls made out of 'radioactive clay' which allowed him to control the person the doll resembled. This was clearly inspired by HollywoodVoodoo, making it arguably the most blatant example of "radiation = magic" in comics. However, this was later {{Retcon}}ned so that the dolls' properties are due to [[DoingInTheScientist actual magic]], instead of their negligible radioactivity.
* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'', as well as his foes the Leader and Abomination.

** ''ComicBook/ImmortalHulk'' postulates a parallel explanation: in the Marvel universe, gamma radiation is equal parts science and magic. It works like science ''expects'' it to work... until it doesn't, until it starts turning people into metaphors for their psychology. Because a multiversal cosmic horror that's the [[TheAntiGod antithesis]] of the omnibenevolent One Above All ''hates'' all creation and wants to corrupt it until all is destroyed.

* The pulp 1980's series ''Doomsday Warrior'' is set AfterTheEnd in a Soviet-occupied America with LaResistance operating out of [[UndergroundCity hidden conclaves]]. Somehow the Americans have got the best of the deal -- mutation has developed these Freefighters into {{Super Soldier}}s who can run faster, fight harder and sustain more damage, all the while boasting a manly physique. Of course this doesn't stop them having the required NuclearNasty monsters for the protagonists to fight. Realism needless to say is [[RuleOfCool not a priority in these books.]]

* ZigZagged in ''Series/TheBoys'' when the DirtyCommunists attempt to [[InvokedTrope invoke this trope]] on someone who already ''had'' powers, which ends up giving him a DeadlyUpgrade that turns him into a WalkingWasteland.
* ''Series/KamenRiderKuuga'''s usage of nuclear based attacks makes him one of the strongest Franchise/KamenRider's in existence.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Adam has a Uranium-235 core.
* Subverted in ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' season three, where a couple characters die from a machine that exposes them to radioactivity that causes exploding tumors. Yeah, we thought it was rather improbable too.
* Spoofed on ''Series/TheDailyShow'', with a PublicServiceAnnouncement stating that exposure to radioactive mist and substances will, in fact, not give you superpowers. [[ComicBook/SpiderMan Radioactive animal bites, on the other hand, assure them]].
* ''Series/{{Elementary}}'' references the comic-book usage of this trope while investigating a crime adjacent to a superhero comics publisher. Sherlock pours scorn on it, naturally ("in what universe are these characters not all dead from cancer?"), and when asked how he got so good at his job he {{deadpan|Snarker}}s:
-->'''Sherlock:''' I was bitten by a radioactive detective.
* ''Series/PennAndTellerBullshit'' did an episode praising nuclear power, declaring it much safer, cheaper, and more reliable than other forms of energy such as oil and coal.
* {{Averted|Trope}} in ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' where Crichton builds a wormhole-controlling device with a nuclear power source. [[spoiler:His ally turned enemy steals it and in the ensuing chase, the radiation shield protecting the power source is knocked open, meaning Crichton has to make a split-second jump towards the device to render it safe. He fails, absorbs a lethal dose of radiation and succumbs to his illness by the end of the episode.]]
* {{Discussed|Trope}} in ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' episode "The Alien Parasite Hypothesis":

* Scorch from ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'' is theorized to have received [[PlayingWithFire his powers]] from a nuclear accident that occurred at a Chinese power plant. However, at the same time it's mentioned that no one else involved got any powers, so in the end the source remains ambiguous.

* ''VideoGame/DCUniverseOnline'' lets player characters have atomic powers.

** Melting zig-zags this a bit. Radiation exposure didn't mutate him like the other characters, but instead forced [[BodyHorror his skin to start melting off of his body]], making every living second agonizing. In-game, he's a OneHitPointWonder, but also gains more rads from all sources - thus why he isn't a complete aversion.

* ''Machinima/DarkSecretsOfGarrysMod'': "Super Boss" is a [[RealTrailerFakeMovie made up teaser]] where Boss gains superpowers from eating a radioactive bean pottage. It got deleted but [[http://youtu.be/NJYAjXF7rOI?t=716 it is reuploaded into a compilation]].
* ''Machinima/FreemansMind'' also defies this, with Freeman pointing out that the chances of gaining a beneficial mutation from being exposed to radiation were astronomical, and even if you ''did'' get one, you'd still have radiation poisoning.

-->'''Uriah''': For God's sake, Revelation, Sanguinius literally has ''angel wings''! How could you have ''accidentally'' done that!?\\
'''Rogal Dorn''': I believe those were caused by radiation on his homeworld.\\
'''Uriah''': Radiation does ''not'' cause ''anyone'' to grow ''angel wings'' if they were not genetically predisposed to!

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* Both played straight ''and'' parodied in [[http://www.asofterworld.com/index.php?id=530 this]] ''Webcomic/ASofterWorld''.

* Parodied in ''Webcomic/KongTower'', where this is described as the Sklodowska Reaction, and the professor describing it to his students has to lock the door and won't open it until he's assured they won't kill themselves trying to give themselves superpowers by exposing themselves to radiation.
* Double subverted in ''Webcomic/M9Girls'' Their FreakLabAccident exposes the M9 Girls to lethal radiation. Their mentor then injects them with a [[LegoGenetics substance]] that allows their bodies to absorb cosmic radiation, thus curing them and giving them powers as a side effect.
* Parodied in ''Webcomic/TheNonAdventuresOfWonderella'', where Wonderella uses radiation to accelerate ''fermentation'' of some beer that she's brewing... radiation ''from her cell phone''. This naturally creates a beer monster, and then things get weird. Well, weirder.

* Antimatter particles and radioactive rays are legitimate powers in ''Literature/ChaosFighters''. They are considered NonElemental in its magic system, though.
* Defied in ''Blog/AliceAndBob''. "For the last fucking time, nuclear power '''does not''' give you superpowers."
* At [[http://www.villainsource.com/ Villain Source]] (Your Online Source For Everything Evil) you can buy a jarful of a dozen irradiated insects whose serum (well, poison actually) will give you superpowers! It then admits that the chances of this actually happening is 1 in 100,000,000,000. But that's why they give you 12 insects!
* Wiki/{{Uncyclopedia}}'s ''People's Nuclear Program'' article, affectionately referred to as "the 'What Can We Put A Nuclear Reactor Into Today?' program"; a USSR project that resulted in a super-powered [[StandardFPSGuns assault rifle]], [[{{BFS}} sword]], [[spoiler: child]], and [[MundaneUtility toaster]].

* [[GaiasVengeance Gaia]] loves to subvert that trope: {{UsefulNotes/Chernobyl}} has become [[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4923342.stm a wildlife haven]]. On the other hand, the (perception of the) level of radiation released in the mind of the public is very different than the reality and the animals aren't necessarily going to worry about the level of radiation anyway. It was only after the first few weeks after the disaster that wildlife began to thrive in Chernobyl, after the radiation levels dropped. After that, the radiation was still dangerous for humans, but not for animals- most animals have much shorter lifespans (about ten years or so), and thus do not have enough time for the radiation they've absorbed to turn into cancer. That's not to say that there ''weren't'' mutations in the animals (see Wiki/ThatOtherWiki's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster article]] for an example image; beware of BodyHorror), it just simply was not as widespread as fiction or popular perception would have us believe. You still can't eat any animals there.