History Main / WorldWreckingWave

** A world wrecking wave happened to the Eldar, ten thousand years into the past of the setting. The decadance and corruption of this highly psychic race spawned and fed a new ''god'' of pleasure and excess in [[HyperSpaceIsAScaryPlace the Warp]]. When it was finally born, the rip in space-time obliterated the heart of their old empire and sent a psychic wave of destruction through the galaxy, killing most of them and their worlds. They haven't recovered since, and [[{{Hellgate}} the rip is still there]].

** That said, Exterminatus can be just as much a mercy-killing as an horrific genocidal atrocity, compared to some of the reasons for it. Aliens like the [[HordeOfAlienLocusts space-locust]] [[Characters/Warhammer40000Tyranids Tyranids]] will strip it to the bedrock anyway, and a [[NegativeSpaceWedgie warp-rift or warp storm]] caused by [[HearingVoices rogue]] [[HumansArePsychicInTheFuture psykers]] or agents of [[Characters/Warhammer40000ForcesOfChaos Chaos]] can be [[HellOnEarth a worse fate]].

** A world wrecking wave happened to the Eldar, ten thousand years into the past of the setting. The decadance and corruption of this highly psychic race spawned and fed a new ''god'' of pleasure and excess in [[HyperSpaceIsAScaryPlace the Warp]]. When it was finally born, the rip in space-time obliterated the heart of their old empire and sent a psychic wave of destruction through the galaxy, killing most of them and their worlds. They haven't recovered since, and [[Hellgate the rip is still there]].

** A world crashing wave happened to the Eldar, ten thousand years into the past of the setting. The decadance and corruption of this highly psychic race spawned and fed a new ''god'' of pleasure and excess in the Warp. When it was finally born, the rip in space-time obliterated the heart of their old empire and sent a psychic wave of destruction through the galaxy, killing most of them and their worlds. They haven't recovered since, and the rip is still there.

** That said, Exterminatus can be just as much a mercy-killing as an horrific genocidal atrocity, compared to some of the reasons for it. Aliens like the [[HordeOfAlienLocusts space-locust]] [[Characters/Warhammer40000Tyranids Tyranids]] will strip it to the bedrock anyway, and a [[NegativeSpaceWedgie warp-rift or warp storm]] caused by unchecked psykers or agents of [[Characters/Warhammer40000ForcesOfChaos Chaos]] can be [[HellOnEarth a worse fate]].

* This can happen to worlds in ''{{TabletopGame/Warhammer 40000}}'' for different reasons, most notably at the hands of ''humans''. When an imperial world is too far gone to alien invasion, Chaos infestation, or mere rebellion to be reclaimed by conventional forces, the Imperium's Inquisitors order Exterminatus. This is a planetary bombardment that sometimes involves lethal, biosphere-melting virus bombs, but more often cyclone torpedoes and other munitions that cause instant, vast firestorms to scour the planet's surface down to the bedrock.

** That said, Exterminatus can be just as much a mercy-killing as an horrific genocidal atrocity, compared to some of the reasons for it. Aliens like the hive-mind space-locust Tyranids will strip it to the bedrock anyway, and a [[NegativeSpaceWedgie warp-rift or warp storm]] caused by unchecked psykers or agents of Chaos can be a worse fate.

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** That said, Exterminatus can be just as much a mercy-killing as an horrific genocidal atrocity, compared to some of the reasons for it. Aliens like the hive-mind space-locust Tyranids will strip it to the bedrock anyway, and a warp-rift or warp storm caused by unchecked psykers or agents of Chaos can be a worse fate.

* This can happen to worlds in ''{{TabletopGame/Warhammer40000}}'' for different reasons, most notably at the hands of ''humans''. When an imperial world is too far gone to alien invasion, Chaos infestation, or mere rebellion to be reclaimed by conventional forces, the Imperium's Inquisitors order Exterminatus. This is a planetary bombardment that sometimes involves lethal, biosphere-melting virus bombs, but more often cyclone torpedoes and other munitions that cause instant, vast firestorms to scour the planet's surface down to the bedrock.

* This can happen to worlds in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer40000}}'' for different reasons, most notably at the hands of ''humans''. When an imperial world is too far gone to alien invasion, Chaos infestation, or mere rebellion to be reclaimed by conventional forces, the Imperium's Inquisitors order Exterminatus. This is a planetary bombardment that sometimes involves lethal, biosphere-melting virus bombs, but more often cyclone torpedoes and other munitions that cause instant, vast firestorms to scour the planet's surface down to the bedrock.

* This can happen to worlds in Warhammer40000 for different reasons, most notably at the hands of ''humans''. When an imperial world is too far gone to alien invasion, Chaos infestation, or mere rebellion to be reclaimed by conventional forces, the Imperium's Inquisitors order Exterminatus. This is a planetary bombardment that sometimes involves lethal, biosphere-melting virus bombs, but more often cyclone torpedoes and other munitions that cause instant, vast firestorms to scour the planet's surface down to the bedrock.

* This can happen to worlds in [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000]] for different reasons, most notably at the hands of ''humans''. When an imperial world is too far gone to alien invasion, Chaos infestation, or mere rebellion to be reclaimed by conventional forces, the Imperium's Inquisitors order Exterminatus. This is a planetary bombardment that sometimes involves lethal, biosphere-melting virus bombs, but more often cyclone torpedoes and other munitions that cause instant, vast firestorms to scour the planet's surface down to the bedrock.

* This can happen to worlds in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' for different reasons, most notably at the hands of ''humans''. When an imperial world is too far gone to alien invasion, Chaos infestation, or mere rebellion to be reclaimed by conventional forces, the Imperium's Inquisitors order Exterminatus. This is a planetary bombardment that sometimes involves lethal, biosphere-melting virus bombs, but more often cyclone torpedoes and other munitions that cause instant, vast firestorms to scour the planet's surface down to the bedrock.

* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales'' has the Golden Goose, an ArtifactOfDoom that can turn things to gold. If left outside its protective fountain too long, it comes to life and starts randomly turning things to gold. It then sheds its golden coating, which spreads through the ground and threatens to turn the entire world to gold. Only returning the goose to the fountain [[WorldHealingWave reverses the effect]].

** The Tunguska Event probably involved something like this.

* In the {{backstory}} of the first ''ChroniclesOfThomasCovenant'', High Lord Kevin Landwaster enacts the "Ritual of Desecration", releasing one of these in a [[DespairEventHorizon desperate attempt]] to defeat [[BigBad Lord Foul.]] His success is only temporary while seriously [[{{Nerf}} nerfing]] the powers of his successors and ruining the land to boot. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Well done.]]

* [[spoiler:[[RealityWarper Becquerel]]]] of ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' sets one off when [[spoiler:diverting the massive meteor barreling at Jade as she undertook her entry into the game]]. The result is the blasted wastelands of Earth we see AfterTheEnd when the Exiles come around.

* In the climax of ''Film/TheWorldsEnd'', a World-Wrecking Wave destroys Newton Haven after the Network leaves Earth for good...[[spoiler: And then it ''keeps going'', destroying all technology on Earth and sending humanity back to the Dark Ages, which makes for a somewhat Bittersweet Ending. This is supposed to be a ''[[MoodWhiplash comedy film]]'' by the way.]]

* In the climax of ''TheWorldsEnd'', a World-Wrecking Wave destroys Newton Haven after the Network leaves Earth for good...[[spoiler: And then it ''keeps going'', destroying all technology on Earth and sending humanity back to the Dark Ages, which makes for a somewhat Bittersweet Ending. This is supposed to be a ''[[MoodWhiplash comedy film]]'' by the way.]]

* In the climax of TheWorldsEnd, a World-Wrecking Wave destroys Newton Haven after the Network leaves Earth for good...[[spoiler: And then it ''keeps going'', destroying all technology on Earth and sending humanity back to the Dark Ages, which makes for a somewhat Bittersweet Ending. This is supposed to be a ''[[MoodWhiplash comedy film]]'' by the way.]]

* The [[ScienceIsBad Scientist's]] special ability in ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}'' is the Gravity Wave, which instantly wipes out all life on a planet. Like the more dramatic [[EarthShatteringKaboom Planet Buster]], using it will instantly be a mark against you in the eyes of any nearby space empires.

* [[spoiler:[[RealityWarper Becquerel]]]] of {{Homestuck}} sets one off when [[spoiler:diverting the massive meteor barreling at Jade as she undertook her entry into the game]]. The result is the blasted wastelands of Earth we see AfterTheEnd when the Exiles come around.