History Main / YourHeadASplode

* The fate of UsefulNotes/OsamaBinLaden. The Navy SEALS shot him in or just above the eye with a high-powered gun at close range, and the resulting images were not fit to show the public.

** In ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening'', when you damage any of Cerberus's heads enough it explodes into stuff.
** And topped in ''glorious'' fashion in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'' after the final battle with [[spoiler: Savior-Sanctus]], where [[spoiler: Nero finishes it off by crushing its skull in his hand. Head asplosion comes complete with city-rattling shockwave.]]
--->[[spoiler:This hand was made for sending guys like you back to Hell! And ''[[OhCrap NOW]]''...''[[FinishingMove YOU]]''...'''''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis DIE!!!!]] *** CRUNCH*** ''''']]

* ''VideoGame/AITheSomniumFiles'': [[spoiler:How Saito meets his end in the ReallyFinalChapter. Here's the breakdown: Having by this point switched himself and Date back into their original bodies with the Psync machine, Saito has taken Hitomi hostage in the control room of the abandoned factory in the restricted area. With Moma's shotgun tossed away per the order but Aiba (still in the eye socket of his previous body) there on Ota's phone, Date engages her self-destruct sequence per the codes they agreed on during a ride earlier on in the route. The result is a real eye-popper for Saito.]]

* A series of humorous ads for Norton Antivirus 2011 involved celebrities (representing cyber criminals) wanting to do bad things to critters/inanimate objects/etc (representing the viewer's PC/identity/etc.). The viewer had the choice to deny or allow this to happen. One of these was ''Creator/DolphLundgren'' and a magical unicorn. The "deny" option results in the unicorn making Dolph Lundgren's head explode. Viewable [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbR83fpa33E here]]

* In ''ComicBook/ContestOfChampions'' (2015), Madame Hydra's head blows up after she loses her telepathic duel with the Maestro.

** In "Zelda vs Peach", this is the ultimate fate of [[spoiler:Princess Zelda, via Princess Peach kicking her in the head so hard with a soccer ball it is reduced to chunky salsa. Ouch.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Rage}}'' rewards shooting a bullet into an enemy's exposed brain with the whole head exploding. Doubles as LudicrousGibs, since a head explosion temporarily leaves behind the victim's brain, cranium, and jawbone in distinct, identifiable pieces.

[[caption-width-right:240:Boom! Headpop!]]

** A pretty spectacularly gory one in the climax of "Cops & Roger", where Roger drops his elbow onto the head of the bad guy as he falls from the ceiling of a warehouse, shown four times with increasingly gruesome close-ups. The episode ends a scene later with Roger asking Stan if that guy was okay.
** He even says what everyone watching was thinking: "That was unexpected."

* ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'' shows a rare example of someone surviving this: upon having his and Tamayo's cover blown by Susamaru, Yushiro gets beheaded. However, being a demon, he survives the deadly attack and heals.

* In ''Anime/VampireHunterD'' Count Magnus Lee makes his henchman Rei's head explode after he betrays him and attempts to kill him for not making him an immortal.

* This happens a few times to various thugs in the ''Comicbook/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|Mirage}}'' miniseries "Body Count".

** And topped in ''glorious'' fashion in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'' after the final battle with [[spoiler: Savior-Sanctus,]], where [[spoiler: Nero finishes it off by crushing its skull in his hand. Head asplosion comes complete with city-rattling shockwave.]]

** In ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders Stardust Crusaders]]'', [[spoiler:Dio Brando]] is killed in this manner when he faces Jotaro Kujo [[IncrediblyLamePun head on]]. Questionable since it was really more his whole ''[[BloodierAndGorier body]]'' that exploded, but it appears to start from the head and work its way back down. The fact that originates from a punch to his ''leg'' of all places makes this incident particularly [[RuleOfCool noteworthy]].

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Unikitty}}'', Dr. Fox uses a shuttle to train Unikitty and Puppycorn for space travel, during which Unikitty and Puppycorn's heads inflate and explode.

* A pretty spectacularly gory one in the climax of an ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' episode, where Roger drops his elbow onto the head of the bad guy as he falls from the ceiling of a warehouse, shown four times with increasingly gruesome close-ups. The episode ends a scene later with Roger asking Stan if that guy was okay.

* In the ''Avatarverse, [[spoiler:having one's chi blocked at the wrong moment appears to be an (explosive) AchillesHeel for [[HavingABlast combustionbenders]]]].

* In the 2008 ''Film/{{Rambo}}'' movie, the first death via Rambo and his new M2 Browning is the driver of the truck it's mounted on. He gets off around 25-30 shots at point-blank range into the guy's head. The next shot is of a waterfall of brains, bone, and blood pouring down the gun's shield. A later shot has what's left of the driver's torso sliding out of the truck like a giant, bloody cigar butt. [[NoKillLikeOverkill Rambo doesn't stop at mere head explosions.]]

Head asplosions are typically the result of an ExplosiveLeash, [[BoomHeadshot being shot in the head with high-caliber ammunition]] (resulting in PinkMist), interacting with a BrownNote, or [[MySkullRunnethOver absorbing too much knowledge]]. Often, just before it happens, the unfortunate character [[GottaGetYourHeadTogether clutches their skull]].

* Scoring a headshot with a strong enough weapon in ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'' will result in this trope. Even better, instead of [[WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation leaving a neck stump with a clean white bone sticking out like a blob of mozzarella on an incredibly poorly made margherita]], the lower half of the victim's head will be left behind, which is TruthInTelevision for those killed by high-caliber bullets to the head.

** It should be noted though that this is not always the result of "[[AteHisGun eating a gun]]". For example, the infamous "Bjork Stalker", according to the FBI, had intended to cover a sign situated behind his head with blood and gore by shooting himself in the mouth. But the bullet he used was too small a caliber and didn't exit his head (as a result, the suicide video - and yes, it is online if you really want to see it - is actually bloodless, though he still bled out off-camera).

** Sadly, this is common occurrence around the ''Eid Al Fitr'' celebrations. In Malaysia, the firing of such home-made "bamboo cannons" during the holiday is a tradition, even if it’s illegal. Some daredevil bloke in some random hamlet will try to make one and set it off anyway. Usually, there's at least one report of some unfortunate bloke getting some random body part blown off every year, and probably set a random house on fire while at it.

!!Examples

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* This happens surprisingly often on ''Series/OneThousandWaysToDie'', even though exploding heads are impossible with the vast majority of death scenarios shown.
* Somewhat subverted in the ''Series/{{Angel}}'' series. Cordelia's powers start to get stronger and they consequently cause her much more pain. She's told she must give them up or her head will explode. Cordy even meets someone with most of the back of her head missing. Instead, she chooses to become part-demon, which gives her the strength to contain her visions in her head and tame the splitting headaches.
** Played straighter with Vail...Illyria made his head explode with one punch.
* ''Series/{{Bones}}'': "The Bullet in the Brain". [[spoiler: Heather Taffet was shot by a high-powered sniper rifle]]. One of the squints even points out that the cause of death was "asploding head".
* ''Series/TheBoys2019'':
** While high on SuperSerum, Popclaw accidentally crushes her landlord's head as he gives her oral sex, with his brain shown getting squirted out.
** At the start of Season 2, the Boys are meeting with their CIA contact Susan Raynor when she has a DeadlyNosebleed and her head explodes [[HisNameIs just as she's about to reveal something important]]. As there's no-one else in sight, the Boys are understandably freaked out.
** While making out with Stormfront in an alley, Homelander crushes some poor criminal's head in his hand until it pops.
** In "[[Recap/TheBoysS0207ButcherBakerCandlestickMaker Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker]]", at the Congressional hearing, the Chairman, the key witness, and then people in the gallery's heads explode by unknown means, causing chaos. "[[Recap/TheBoysS0208WhatIKnow What I Know]]" reveals[[spoiler: Congresswoman Victoria Neuman, a secret Supe]] was responsible for this massacre and presumably Raynor's death as well.
* ''Series/{{Braindead}}'' Happens whenever someone with brainbugs thinks too hard or over-exerts themselves
* Happens in ''Series/BreakingBad'' when Hank shoots one of the Mexican assassins sent to kill him with a hollow-point bullet and a very bloody looking exit wound appears in the back of Marco's head.
** The Tortuga bomb is a twisted variant of this trope: Tortuga's severed head is placed on a tortoise stuffed with explosives.
* In the climax of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' episode "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS4E10Hush Hush]]", in which the residents of Sunnydale became mute, the Gentlemen fell prey to this when Buffy regained her voice.
** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E16Storyteller Storyteller]]", the [[WeirdnessMagnet Hellmouth]] is making metaphors become literal truths; this includes a student whose head literally explodes from stress.
** An earlier episode has this little conversation occur after Buffy shows her mom her SAT scores:
--->'''Buffy:''' She saw these scores and her head spun around and exploded.\\
''(beat)''\\
'''Giles:''' I've been on the [[WeirdnessMagnet Hellmouth]] too long. That was metaphorical, yes?
** Season 8 has [[spoiler:Giles using a containment field spell to do this to a guy.]]
* ''Series/CarolineInTheCity'' stole the joke shortly after by having Richard's head explode in blue confetti upon receiving shocking news.
* In the infamous Clayton Bigsby skit from ''Series/ChappellesShow'', this happens to a KKK member out of sheer cognitive dissonance when he realizes that one of his fellow Klansmen is actually black.
* A sniper used explosive bullets in one ''Series/{{CSINY}}'' ep. One bullet exploded as Sid tried to remove it from the victim's head, tearing a big hole in it and dazing Sid, whose eyes only survived intact due to his [[SpecsOfAwesome glasses.]]
* ''Series/TheDailyShow'' loves to show the clip from ''Film/{{Scanners}}'' mentioned above in response to [[LogicBomb particularly illogical statements]]. ("So what do you think, guy from ''Scanners''?" *explode*)
** When ''Craig Kilborn'' still ran ''Series/TheDailyShow'', his "5 Questions" interview segment opened with a slow-mo head asplosion (actually, crushing) from gore-fu flick Riki-Oh. The video of the head-crush scene from the movie can be seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dW-3qmBAVM here]]; note that the "5 Questions" intro showed the head-crush in slow motion, and ran it forward and back a few times.
** Inverted in a segment about sex ed, in reference to the "news" that abstinence-only programs are ineffective at keeping teenagers from having sex -- the ''Scanners'' clip was played backward and Stewart said, "You just un-blew my mind."
* ''Series/DocMartin'': Ellingham diagnoses one patient with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploding_head_syndrome Exploding Head Syndrome]], the patient assumes it is a literal description fearing this trope.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** The Cybermen from the 80s did this quite spectacularly when killed. Even being shot in such irrelevant places like their arm would cause their head to explode violently. Some new series examples of Cybermen dying in this fashion include [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E6TheAgeOfSteel "The Age of Steel"]] and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E12ClosingTime "Closing Time"]].
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E12BadWolf "Bad Wolf"]]: Jack kills the two robotic hosts of the [[DeadlyGame killer]] ''What Not to Wear'' he's wound up on this way, via his [[AssShove concealed]] Compact Laser Deluxe.
* In the ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'' episode "Mindy's Back", Drake's head explodes in a shower of pus during Josh's nightmare of him telling Drake that he's dating Mindy.
* Used on ''Series/TheDrewCareyShow''. Drew daydreams about Mimi's head exploding like a confetti-filled balloon, and, when she asks him what he's smiling about, he responds, "Just picturing you topless!"
** In a later episode that was part clip show, a police officer asked if Drew had any violent thoughts about Mimi, followed by the above clip playing again and Drew replying, "Nope. I love her to pieces."
* ''Series/{{Fringe}}'': "The Cure" begins with a woman in a diner who eventually begins causing bleeding of the eyes in all around her, culminating in her head asploding.
** In "The Box", the unfortunate combination of an ultrasound weapon and dental fillings causes a dwarf's head to explode.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'' has a blunt force-caused example. [[spoiler:The "trial by combat" fight between Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane and Oberyn Martell ends as The Mountain follows up [[EyeScream gouging his thumbs into the opponent's eyes]] by squeezing his head until it bursts. It leaves quite a disgusting mess on the arena.]] This appears to be one of Gregor's favorite methods of execution, considering he also crushes the skulls of Elia Martell and a random civilian who was badmouthing Cersei.
* Inverted in the first episode of ''Series/GarthMarenghisDarkplace'', where the head is the only part of the body that doesn't asplode.
-->'''Larry:''' It ''really'' hurts...
* ''Series/TheGrandTour'' has this happen to James May's head in the "Conversation Street" intro for episode 13. Clarkson and Hammond look a bit surprised.
* Discussed in ''Series/{{Heroes}}'': Ando worries that Hiro's {{Psychic Nosebleed}}s will escalate to this.
* There is an episode of ''Series/{{House}}'' where a patient suddenly experiences a cranial fracture and severe hemorrhage while undergoing an MRI scan. Quoth House: "Her head exploded! How cool is that?"
* The TV adaptation of the comic book ''Series/IAmNotOkayWithThis'' still ends with Sydney blowing up [[spoiler:Brad's]] head, though the circumstances are different: this time, it happens at the HighSchoolDance (leaving Syd with a [[BloodSplatteredWeddingDress Blood-Splattered Homecoming Dress]] in homage to ''Film/{{Carrie|1976}}'') after [[spoiler:he steals Sydney's diary and reads from it in front of the whole school, outing Syd as a lesbian in the process. [[DeathByIrony Appropriately enough]], Syd finally snaps and applies her powers directly to his cranium just as he gets to the part of the diary where he's prepared to call her crazy for believing that she had [[MindOverMatter telekinetic powers]].]]
* An ''Series/InLivingColor'' sketch (starring Creator/JimCarrey) parodied Michael Bolton's overly-emotive singing style by having his head explode after one too many tensings of his face while singing "When a Man Loves a Woman."
* The ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' episode'' "[[HistoricalInJoke The Gang Cracks the Liberty Bell]]" has a British colonel's head explode when the 18th-century version of Frank accidentally fires a musket at his head from three feet away.
* ''Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger'': Dai Satan's head explodes the second time Ultimate Daizyujuin blasts him. Dai Satan is a giant floating head, so this trope covers the entirety of his body. Lokar, his Power Rangers counterpart, was not shown to do this, likely because of SpecialEffectFailure: The head that explodes is blatantly foam rubber, and it detracts from the scene.
* A ''Series/{{MADtv}}'' sketch involved a handyman getting his head precariously close to an emergency flare launcher, resulting in his head exploding. Somehow, he managed to live and had his head held together with bandages.
* In ''Series/MaxHeadroom'', a {{Blipvert}} could cause one's head to explode.
** The rest of one, too.
*** And that's why [[SpaceWhaleAesop TV is bad for you]], kids.
* ''Series/MyHero'' 6x08, "Believe", has AmusingAlien George grow more and more arrogant until his head expands, George screaming as it explodes. Due to his NighInvulnerability, George survives the loss of his head, but is forced to literally talk out of his backside until he is provided with a replacement head.
* Similar to the ''My Hero'' example above, ''Series/MyParentsAreAliens'' 8x13, "Big Head", has Sophie's inflated ego cause her head to enlarge and explode, covering Jaq with gunge, only for Sophie to simply regrow her head.
* ''Series/TheMuppetShow''
** One of Gonzo's [[CouchGag trumpet gags]] ends with his head blowing up...[[MindScrew only for it to poke into the scene]].
** Also used in one of the "At the Dance" segments.
--->'''Man:''' You know, these jokes they give us each week, they make me so mad, I could blow my top.\\
'''Woman:''' Me too.\\
'''Man:''' Ladies first.\\
''(their heads explode)''\\
'''Man:''' Ahh, I feel better now.
** This occasionally happens to background characters. It's never gruesome, but it's still slightly creepy.
* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''
** A RunningGag is that Tom's bubblehead explodes in a flash of pyrotechnics when the going gets too tough. In "First Spaceship on Venus", Tom's head explodes when his Sarcasm Sequencer goes haywire and he gets overwhelmingly sarcastic. In TheMovie, it was blown up several times through poor use of an Interocitor.
** The episode "Gunslingers" had a ShoutOut to ''Scanners'': Dr. Forrester's contribution for that episode's invention exchange was "The Scanner Planner", a magazine filled with "life's little tidbits about how to scan people's brains for information and then make their heads explode." Its cover was a print of the ''Scanners'' poster, with the iconic image of Michael Ironside. He then attempts to use these techniques on his assistant, leading to a burned-out lightbulb since his aim was off. He succeeds (offscreen) by the end of the episode.
* Discussed in ''Series/NickyRickyDickyAndDawn'' in "Remote Control Control". After being punished by not being able to watch TV, Nicky tells about a boy who stared at a TV to get it to turn on and immediately his head exploded. They all agreed to take that chance and were scared when their father used his new remote to turn it on
* On ''Series/{{QI}}'', after being shown a shape (a cylinder with two wedges cut out) that could fit snuggly through a square, triangular, or circular hole, Creator/RossNoble suggested dropping the shape and holes off at a preschool and watching the kids' heads explode.
** On another episode, Creator/StephenFry tells the panelists that, since each person has two parents, four grandparents, etc., the doubling effect means that going back to the Middle Ages we each should have more ancestors than humans who have ever lived[[note]]Naturally, each ancestor is counted several times over[[/note]]. Creator/SeanLock's head asplodes (in pantomime) from trying to comprehend this.
--->'''Creator/AlanDavies''': It was bound to happen on this show eventually!
* In one episode of ''Series/RedDwarf'', the android Kryten gets locked in an enraged feedback loop which literally explodes his main head ''and'' several spares. Just because Lister asked for [[BizarreTasteInFood ketchup to go with the lobsters]] Kryten just prepared. To explain this a little bit more, it's revealed that Kryten's creator modelled him after her [[spoiler:ex-fiance so that, among other things, when he had too much repressed emotion he would literally blow his top.]]
* A ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' skit spoofing ''Series/TheOprahWinfreyShow'' had one of her audience member's head explode from being too excited.
* In ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'', one of J.D.'s [[ImagineSpot fantasies]] has his head exploding due to frustration over Dr. Cox.
-->'''Dr. Cox:''' I can't believe your head exploded. If your head explodes, [[RunningGag you'll never make it as a doctor.]] ''(cut to black)'' I mean come on you look ridiculous!
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''. A Trill HotScientist suggests this will happen to her brother if she makes out with Jadzia Dax (her former partner in a previous host).
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'''s first season episode, "Conspiracy". The fate of the guy taken over by PuppeteerParasite (the 'sploding was from phaser fire, not directly from the parasites). BodyHorror galore.
** ...And [[http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/9558/startrekdudesheadexplod.gif here's a GIF]]! Be careful, it's a biggie (about 1.5 megabytes) and ''might'' be gory enough to be NSFW.
* ''Series/ToddAndTheBookOfPureEvil'': Student Len Bergman acquires HypnoticEyes from the Book of Pure Evil. When he attempts to control Todd's mind, he finds that the main character is immune because of his [[DisabilityImmunity attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder]]. As a result, Len's power backfires and... well, you get the picture.
* ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' references this in the episode "Sleeper":
-->'''Jack:''' It's just a mind probe.\\
'''Ianto:''' Remember what happened last time you used it?\\
'''Jack:''' That was different. And that species has extremely high blood pressure.\\
'''Ianto:''' Oh, right. Their heads must explode all the time.
* The older installments of the ''Franchise/UltraSeries'' occasionally does this, blowing up monsters' entire heads... with the body still intact. This was during a time when Japanese censors weren't as strict as it was today, after all. Notably the fate of Gokinezula from ''Series/ReturnOfUltraman'' after catching a missile in its mouth, which Ultraman Jack detonates before the monster can spit it out.
* Downplayed in the ''Series/UnderTheDome'' episode "Blue on Blue". [[spoiler:Jim kills the now-insane Reverend by pressing the latter's hearing aid-equipped ear against the dome. The dome makes electrical devices in close proximity explode. So you see a runnel of blood come out of the Reverend's ear and then Jim lets him fall.]]
* ''Series/TheXFiles'' episode "Drive": Their (man and woman) ''ear'' explodes.
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