Line #104 ComicBook/ScoobyApocalypse


1	[[quoteright:279:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/01_28_8.jpg]]
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3	''Scooby Apocalypse'' is a comic adaptation of ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'', published by Creator/DCComics as part of their ''ComicBook/HannaBarberaBeyond'' initiative. The premise was conceived by DC Comics co-publisher Creator/JimLee, while the series itself was written by Keith Giffen and J.M. [=DeMatteis=] (of ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational'' fame). The sole ongoing series within the ''Beyond'' initiative, the comic ran from May 2016 to April 2019 and lasted 36 issues.
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5	After getting a mysterious tip about a supposedly huge story, Daphne Blake of the eponymous low-rated cable show ''Daphne Blake's Mysterious Mysteries'' and her cameraman Fred Jones head out to the Nevada Desert to make contact with their informant. This whistleblower turns out to be Velma Dinkley, one of the chief scientists at a secret military base known as "The Complex", and with the base's resident dog trainer Norville "Shaggy" Rogers and smartdog prototype #246012 (nicknamed Scooby-Doo) in tow -- they just happened to stumble upon the meeting while sneaking out to a local festival -- the five enter the even more secretive depths of the compound, where Velma lets them all know some troubling news.
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7	It turns out that she was the lead scientist assisting a group of visionaries, known as The Four, that released nanites that have self-replicated and now reside in every human being on the planet. The original plan was to use these robots to remove humanity's negative impulses like greed and violence in hopes of creating a better, more peaceful society. A plan that has since changed to turning all of mankind into their docile servants. Unfortunately, as Velma explains all this, things go FromBadToWorse. The safe zone the gang is in goes into lockdown, meaning only one thing: somehow, it seems like the nanites have been activated early, despite none of the evil cabal even being on site that day. And when they leave the bunker to assess the damage, what they find aren't loads of drooling, suggestible humans, but instead [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt an apocalyptic world full of monsters who are hungry for human meat]]. Now among the few humans left in the world, these meddling adults and their talking dog have no choice but to work together to survive, piece together the mystery of what just happened, and hopefully find a way to turn everyone back to normal.
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9	''Scooby Apocalypse'' was also home to two serialized backup series: ''[[WesternAnimation/SecretSquirrel Secret Squirrel]]'' in issues #16-29 and ''[[WesternAnimation/TheAtomAntShow Atom Ant]]'' from issues #30-36, each starring far more arrogant and self-absorbed incarnations of their titular characters. The former comic follows Secret Squirrel as he works to learn who is stealing the minds (grey matter and all) of the world's greatest thinkers, with the help of a former flame from [=MI6=] and his old buddy Morocco. The latter sees Atom Ant try out for a spot as a ComicBook/JusticeLeague member while under the delusion that it's just a formality and they want him as the leader, infuriating all of DC Comics' biggest superheroes in the process.
10	----
11	!!The ''Scooby Apocalypse'' comic provides examples of:
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13	* FiveFiveFive: Thaumatrope Mining Co. has the phone number 555-7234.
14	* AbandonedHospital: The gang comes across one in Issue #8 [[spoiler: which [[MindScrew may or may not]] be [[GeniusLoci alive]]]].
15	* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: Albany's are big enough not only for adults to walk around comfortably in, but also for [[spoiler: entire villages of homeless people]].
16	* ActionSurvivor: Everyone qualifies for this.
17	* ActionGirl: Daphne is by far the best human fighter in the series and is almost always the first to volunteer for a mission.
18	* AdaptationSpeciesChange: This comic's version of the Wily Wolf is a human instead of the actual wolf he was portrayed as in the original ''Secret Squirrel'' cartoon.
19	* AdaptationalBadass: EVERYONE. Even Scooby, Shaggy and [[spoiler: Scrappy Doo]] gain many levels as they try to survive this apocalypse.
20	* AdaptationalVillainy:
21	** [[spoiler: Just like in the live action movie, Scrappy-Doo is an antagonist. However, more recent issues place him firmly into AntiHero territory, and in issue 18 he makes a HeroicSacrifice to save the gang.]]
22	** This comic's version of ''[[WesternAnimation/SecretSquirrel Penny]]'' is revealed to be a double agent working for Hy-Spy.
23	* AfterTheEnd: Not technically after, but during the end, as the gang finds themselves at the beginning of everything.
24	* AllJustADream: Issue #10, where it seems that Velma has gone renegade and become queen of the monsters [[spoiler:is revealed at the end to primarily have been a fever dream Velma was having.]]
25	* AlliterativeName: '''H'''enry '''H'''udson Mall.
26	* AmicableExes: Fred and Daphne in this incarnation, though Fred still has feelings for her.
27	* AntiClimax: Secret Squirrel's self-proclaimed arch-enemy Le Loup Astucieux a.k.a. the Wily Wolf spends a few chapters preparing for an eventual confrontation between them. [[spoiler:When it finally happens, he's so perplexed by Secret not remembering him Agent Bea easily knocks him down.]]
28	* AssimilationPlot: In Issue #16, the monster known as the Amalgamind intends to absorb all creatures (monsters and otherwise) into a HiveMind it controls.
29	* AteHisGun:
30	** [[spoiler: Hugo, one of the Four, is revealed in Issue #12 to have done this after the apocalypse began.]]
31	** A post-DespairEventHorizon Daphne almost does this in Issue #30, before being interrupted by [[spoiler: Monster!Fred]].
32	* TheAtoner: Velma is this, for her part in the experiment that led to the monsters being unleashed. [[spoiler: Doubly so, when we find out that the whole thing was actually her idea.]]
33	* BabiesEverAfter: [[spoiler: The final panel shows the protagonists celebrating the birth of Shaggy and Velma's son.]]
34	* BigBadEnsemble: On the one hand, there's the Four, whose experiments led to the monster apocalypse. On the other, there's [[spoiler: Scrappy Doo]], who's after Velma for his own reasons. [[spoiler: By the end of the series, Scrappy has had a HeelFaceTurn, while the surviving members of the Four have allied with the protagonists against the series' TrueFinalBoss, the Nanite King, which wants to wipe out all humans and monsters alike.]]
35	* BigBadWannabe [[spoiler:Rufus Dinkley whose god complex makes him believe he can find a way to control the monsters.]]
36	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: The nanites are destroyed and humanity is cured, but Fred ultimately dies because the nanites were the only thing keeping him alive. Despite this, civilization is slowly rebuilding, and Velma eventually gives birth to a son named after the late Fred.]]
37	* BodyOfBodies: The WhamShot of Issue #15 shows that [[spoiler: the migrating herd of monsters is fusing together into one giant monster-shaped pile.]] The following issue reveals this is being organized by a psychic monster called the Amaglamind.
38	* BorrowedCatchphrase: Fred tries to borrow ''[[Creator/LaurelAndHardy Oliver Hardy's]]'' catchphrase but, as Daphne points out, makes the [[BeamMeUpScotty usual mistake]] of saying "another fine mess" instead of "another nice mess".
39	* ButForMeItWasTuesday: Secret Squirrel has so many enemies he genuinely doesn't remember meeting [[spoiler:the Wily Wolf before their final confrontation]].
40	* CainAndAbel: [[spoiler: The Four are Velma's brothers, and twisted her experiments for their own ends.]]
41	* CasualDangerDialogue: No matter the horrible situation they find themselves in, the gang still find time for casual chit-chat.
42	* ChainmailBikini: [[spoiler: Velma]] wears one in Issue #10.
43	* CharacterCatchphrase: The characters all have their usual catchphrases, which they tend to poke fun at each other for using.
44	-->'''Daisy:''' "Zoinks"? What does that mean?\
45	'''Shaggy:''' Well, Daisy, "Zoinks" is kinda like... I mean it's... uh--\
46	'''Velma:''' Perhaps I can explain: "Zoinks" is a rather infantile expression of astonishment that Shaggy resorts to in times of stress.\
47	'''Daphne:''' Said the woman whose '''own''' favourite expression is "Jinkies!"\
48	'''Velma:''' I wouldn't cast aspersions, Ms. Blake, since I've heard '''''you''''' use the word "Jeepers" on numerous occasions.
49	* CoolCar: The Mystery Machine is a prototype secret side-project of Shaggy's friend, Dr. Krebs, one of the scientists working at Project Elysium. It's a massive, six-wheeled, all-terrain "van" the size of a tank. It's so heavily armoured it can crash through hordes of monsters and a reinforced steel blastdoor with no damage. The Mystery Machine is also well stocked with medical supplies and an arsenal of prototype firearms.
50	* TheConspiracy: The Four have all the trappings of one, using their powerful ranks in society (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, a popular Senator, a chief member of the intelligence community, and a giant in the business world) to build the Complex and set up Project Elysium.
51	* CordonBleughChef: In Issue #9, Shaggy made "spam, cheese, spinach an' anchovy omelets". Velma, who had just thrown up from learning what the Four planned to do with her scientific expertise, throws up again upon being offered one of Shaggy's omelets.
52	* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Rufus, one of the Four, is a top-tier businessman, who financed the experiments at the Complex. Post-apocalypse, he's holing himself up in his penthouse, forcing the scientists he's holding captive to work non-stop to find a way to not reverse the monster transformations but to control the monsters. And he's shown killing the ones who complain about the pressure he's putting on them.
53	* CovertGroupWithMundaneFront: The Athena facility, the Complex's data backup facility, is hidden within a paper mill. Lampshaded by Shaggy commenting on the oddity of it, with Velma pointing out it can't exactly be advertised as a secret facility.
54	* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: In Issue #21, Shaggy is worried about homeless people living in the sewers who have been turned into monsters. Velma tells him that's ridiculous, but he turns out to be right.
55	* CrapsackWorld: After all the humans sans Mystery Inc. (and a lucky few others) begin to mutate due to a top secret project GoneHorriblyWrong.
56	* CrazyPrepared: Dr. Krebs. He had long feared an apocalypse situation, so he created the Mystery Machine and the arsenal of powerful sci-fi guns he stashed inside it. He intended to eventually masproduce all of that and have them issued to families around the country. He never got the chance, but without the Mystery Machine and everything inside of it, the heroes would never have survived as long as they did.
57	* DarkerAndEdgier: Oh you better believe it, even surpassing the last darker forerunner in the franchise, ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated''.
58	* DeadGuyJunior: [[spoiler:Shaggy and Velma name their son Fredrick Rufus, after the deceased Fred and Rufus.]]
59	* DeadPersonConversation: In Issue #25, [[spoiler: Daphne spends the whole episode talking to Fred, who at the end of the issue is revealed to have been killed while fighting the monsters inside one of the mall stores. It appears to be a hallucination, but the last panel suggests it was actually his ghost.]]
60	* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler:The comic makes the bold move of killing off one of the established members of Mystery, Inc. by having this continuity's incarnation of Fred Jones die in the 25th issue. While he is revived as a nanite zombie a few issues later, he subsequently gives his life to stop the remaining nanites at the end of the series and remains dead afterwards.]]
61	* DenialOfAnimality: Secret Squirrel and Morocco Mole deny being a squirrel and a mole. [[spoiler:Justified as it's eventually revealed they're under hypnosis to believe they're humans.]]
62	* DenserAndWackier: While it's also pretty dark, the series does have some more absurd moments compared to recent incarnations of Scooby-Doo.
63	* DontSneakUpOnMeLikeThat: When Velma arrives via a well-hidden entrance in an attempt to expose Project Elysium, Fred mistakes her for an attacker and knocks her out.
64	* DrivenToSuicide: Revealed to be the fate of [[spoiler: Hugo, who is shown to have shot himself in issue #12.]]
65	* DudeNotFunny: When Shaggy thinks Scooby is in mourning because the chili dogs are rotten, Fred asks if a dog eating dogs is cannibalism and Shaggy replies with "Not funny, Dude". Fred later says the same thing word by word when Shaggy asks what's between him and Daphne other than Fred being a "serial proposer" but Shaggy argues that "Actually, it is".
66	* DyingDeclarationOfLove: [[spoiler: Fred in the last issue to Daphne.]]
67	* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: After all the running and death, in the end the heroes manage to destroy the nanites, reverting all the monsters (except for a few immune to the cure) back to humans, and then using the Complex's resources to start rebuilding civilization.]]
68	* EasilyForgiven: An unusual two-way variant.
69	* ElaborateUndergroundBase: The Complex, where Velma and Shaggy work at the start of the series and where the monster plague was created, is a massive underground facility.
70	* EliteFour: [[spoiler: Velma's brothers]], known as "The Four", are the four most powerful people in the world.
71	* EnemyMine: In the final issues of the series, [[spoiler: the gang reluctantly join forces with the surviving members of the Four and Monster!Fred against the Nanite King.]]
72	* TheEvilsOfFreeWill: The Four altered the nanites to remove free will so that they could take over the world (as Rufus puts it, people are animals who need leadership). But that just caused the nanites to mutate and cause the monster transformations instead.
73	* {{Expy}}: [[spoiler: The Nanite King]] looks like a regal version of the Phantom Virus, the main antagonist of ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheCyberChase''.
74	* AFatherToHisMen: [[spoiler: Scrappy to his pack; he's genuinely upset when they're killed by the monsters.]]
75	* FireForgedFriends: The gang becomes this. [[spoiler: Later, Scooby and Scrappy as well.]]
76	* FlowersForAlgernonSyndrome: The intelligent, technology-enabled dogs that [[spoiler: Scrappy-Doo]] leads start to lose their intelligence not long after leaving their compound since their technology is defective. [[spoiler: Scrappy]] is aware that eventually, he will lose his intelligence too.
77	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Several issues feature the gang passing through towns that have been totally deserted, even by the monsters. This turns out to be because the Amalgamind is gathering them to itself.
78	* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Several panels in some issues have mice in the background, foreground, or fringes, and who are doing cartoon-style reactions to the situations that the Gang are facing against.
79	* GenderFlip: Doctor O is a woman in this continuity.
80	* GilliganCut: In Issue #17, Fred mentions to Daisy that he and Daphne dated exactly once. When Daisy asks how it went, we get a panel showing the two of them in bed, with Daphne screaming about how it was a mistake. Then it cuts back to Fred, who changes the subject.
81	* GoMadFromTheIsolation: Downplayed. In her backstory, Velma believed her natural tendency to isolate herself would help her handle a long research mission on the South Pole. Her subsequent nervous breakdown is part of why it was easy for [[spoiler: her brothers]] to manipulate her.
82	-->'''Velma:''' I spent four years like that-- studying the coldness of space, the light of distant stars. And everything was fine. [[DespairEventHorizon Until it wasn't.]]
83	* GoneHorriblyWrong: The nanites that Velma and the other scientists involved in Project Elysium spread around the world were meant to, upon activation, remove all negative human emotions, bringing about world peace. But then the Four tampered with the nanites for their own purposes, leading to them transforming most people into monsters.
84	** GoneHorriblyRight: [[spoiler: The Nanite King]], the ultimate evolution of the nanites' HiveMind, sees its genocidal rampage as the ultimate expression of the nanites' original goal -- according to its InsaneTrollLogic, once everyone is dead, the world will finally be at the peace that Project Elysium was hoping for.
85	* GroinAttack:
86	** Velma delivers one to Rufus for his part in unleashing the monsters.
87	** Daphne delivers one to [[spoiler: Monster!Fred]] when he tries seducing her.
88	* HeroicSacrifice:
89	** [[spoiler:Fred ends up taking a fatal strike for Daphne in issue #25.]]
90	** [[spoiler:The monster version of Fred animated by the rogue nanites allows him/itself to be used as a conduit for a virus that destroys the Nanite King and all the other nanites, saving the world at the cost of Fred's revived life.]]
91	* HiddenDepths: Daisy, Rufus' wife, is introduced as a vapid airhead, but this turns out to just be because he's keeping her drugged. Once her head clears, she turns out to be very insightful. In fact, it's later revealed that she has multiple advanced degrees and used to teach at NYU.
92	* HiveMind:
93	** The explanation that Velma ultimately comes up with for how the monsters are managing to organize and work together is that they've somehow developed one of these.
94	** It ultimately turns out that the nanites are operating like this. [[spoiler: It ends up splitting into two factions, between those that want to evolve humanity (and which take Fred's reanimated body as a host) and those that want to finish wiping out humanity (which manifest as the Nanite King).]]
95	* HiveQueen: Certain monsters are able to exert this sort of influence over the others:
96	** The Amalgamind is able to use its psychic powers to force its will onto all creatures over a vast area, forcing them to come together and create a BodyOfBodies for it.
97	** [[spoiler: Monster!Fred]] is able to use the nanites in his body to control those in all monsters in a close proximity.
98	** The ending of Issue #33 reveals that existence of [[spoiler: the Nanite King, a being composed of nanites]], which is able to control vast numbers of monsters.
99	* HowWeGotHere: Issue #18 uses a series of flashbacks to fill in the gap between Issue #17's cliffhanger ending and this issue's start.
100	* HypocriticalHumor: Shaggy wondering what kinda name "Rufus" is. As Velma points out, "An odd question coming from you, '''Norville'''". He later learns one of her other brothers is named "Cheeves" and asks what her parents were smoking. She tells '''Norville''' she "wouldn't cast aspersions" and he takes her point.
101	* IronicEcho: In Issue #24, Daphne says the only certainty is uncertainty. When Velma says it back to her, Daphne says "touche".
102	* IronicName: Velma considers "Rufus" as a too lovely name for a bully like her brother.
103	* {{Irony}}: Daphne considers it ironic that Fred, who wanted to "make comedies as good as those old classics" he revered, would misquote ''[[Creator/LaurelAndHardy Oliver Hardy]]''.[[note]]He says "here's another fine mess you've gotten us into" and Daphne points out that the actual line includes "nice" instead of "fine".[[/note]]
104	* ItCanThink:
105	** [[spoiler: Velma discovers that the alterations to the nanites have somehow caused them to gain sentience.]]
106	** The monsters start out as totally mindless, rampaging beasts. In later issues, however, they start showing signs of increased communication and organization.
107	* ItHasBeenAnHonor: [[spoiler: Scrappy Doo]] says this in the final issue, just before the last showdown.
108	* IOweYouMyLife: [[spoiler: Issue #33 reveals that Scrappy survived his seeming HeroicSacrifice back in Issue #18 because Quentin found him and patched him up. Because of this, Scrappy is utterly loyal to the man.]]
109	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Daphne and Velma in this incarnation.
110	* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler: Rufus lets the monsters, who he's deluded himself into believing are loyal to him, into his tower to kill the gang. Instead, they grab him and burn him alive in a giant effigy of himself. Subverted when it later turns out he survived, albeit barely.]]
111	* MadScientist: Velma is a benevolent example.
112	* MercyKill: [[spoiler: Scrappy]] does this to a starving puppy he finds in an abandoned pet store, since even if he nurses it back to health, it'd have to become a monster to survive, and he sees that as a FateWorseThanDeath.
113	* MetaphorIsMyMiddleName: Secret Squirrel says "Surreptitious" is his middle name. Double Q disagrees.
114	-->'''Double Q:''' And for the record: I happen to know your middle name is '''''Otis'''''.\
115	'''Secret Squirrel:''' True. But you have no idea what my '''''first''''' name is, do you?
116	* MoralityPet: [[spoiler: Scrappy]] gets one in a young boy named Cliffy that he takes under his protection.
117	* MythologyGag:
118	** [[spoiler:Scrappy's new transformation form]] can bring the live-action ''[[Film/ScoobyDoo Scooby-Doo]]'' film to mind.
119	** Daphne is still working in the news industry, which she was doing in the '00's movies.
120	** Blake Bubble Bath being the source of the Blake Family's wealth is an allusion to ''WesternAnimation/TheNewScoobyAndScrappyDooShow'' episode "No Thanks, Masked Manx".
121	** One page from Issue #3 has billboards from companies that featured in past incarnations of the franchise. [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated Creationex Corp.]], [[WesternAnimation/APupNamedScoobyDoo Stu Pendous Toys]], [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooWhereAreYou Magnus Shipping Co.]], [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooLegendOfThePhantosaur Thaumatrope Mining Co.]], [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMusicOfTheVampire La Tres Haute TV]], [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMoonMonsterMadness Sly Co.]], [[WesternAnimation/TheScoobyDooShow Optical Lens Co.]], and a van that looks like the original Mystery Machine. There's also a partially covered sign that may read [[ComicBook/ScoobyDooTeamUp House of Rope]].
122	** Daphne once mentions her sister, Thalia. The Daphne Blake character was originally based on [[Series/TheManyLovesOfDobieGillis a sitcom character named Thalia Menninger]].
123	** In Issue #9, [[spoiler:Scrappy stands next to a sign reading "Puppy Power", his catchphrase in the ''Scooby-Doo'' cartoons.]]
124	** Issue #12 has Rufus T. Dinkley mentioning a Dr. [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated Cassidy Williams]].
125	** Secret Squirrel is told to see a Ms. Blanc. In the original ''WesternAnimation/SecretSquirrel'' cartoon, he was voiced by '''Creator/MelBlanc'''.
126	** The survivor community in the Albany mall is named Jonestown [[spoiler:in memory of Fred]]. This one may be just a stretch, but a Fred Jones was ''in charge'' of the gang's hometown in ''[[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated Mystery Incorporated]]''.
127	** Velma's only friend at school was a girl named Madelyn Wu. Madelyn is the name of her sister in ''[[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAbracadabradoo Abracadabra Doo]]''.
128	** The 23rd issue has Shaggy mention having a brother-in-law named Wilfred. Wilfred was the name of the man who married Shaggy's sister Maggie in ''WesternAnimation/TheNewScoobyAndScrappyDooShow'' episode "Wedding Bell Boos".
129	** The Complex Beta where the finale takes place is within a "Takamoto Web Design" front company, named after ''Scooby-Doo'' character-designer and producer '''Iwao Takamoto'''.
130	* NeverFoundTheBody:
131	** [[spoiler:Scrappy isn't actually shown dying during his HeroicSacrifice in Issue #18, and no body is ever found. The end of Issue #26 reveals that he's still alive.]]
132	** [[spoiler:Fred's body disappears after he's killed by one of the mall monsters. Daphne thinks that it was eaten, but it's later revealed that he actually somehow became a monster himself and wandered off.]]
133	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Rufus is an obvious parody of UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump.
134	* NoMrBondIExpectYouToDine: [[spoiler:Monster!Fred]], upon capturing Daphne, makes her have dinner with him. She's not amused by the concept.
135	* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler: Despite last being seen tied to a pyre and being burned, Rufus is later shown to have somehow survived, albeit completely covered in burn scars and seemingly having suffered brain damage.]]
136	* NoSocialSkills: Velma. Being neglected and put down by her father all her life didn't help.
137	* NotSoDifferentRemark: [[spoiler:Scrappy]] says this of him and Daphne, noting that they're both hardened fighters who'll do anything to survive.
138	* OddFriendship: Daphne and [[spoiler: Scrappy]] develop one based on their shared loner and BloodKnight tendencies.
139	* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: In Issue #14, [[spoiler: Scrappy]] finally tracks down the gang, and has his pack attack Scooby while he goes after Velma, but tells them not to kill him, as he wants the pleasure himself.
140	* OnlyInItForTheMoney: [[spoiler:Rufus' only reason to work with his siblings in Project Elysium]].
141	* OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler: Scrappy]] has unique experimental implants in him that altered him into a superstrong BeastMan with [[WolverineClaws extra-long razor-sharp nails]]. The one drawback is he can't eat regular dogfood anymore.
142	* OperationBlank: Project Elysium, which was meant to pacify the human race but instead turned them into monsters.
143	* OriginsEpisode:
144	** Issue #17 fleshes out Daphne and Fred's backstories.
145	** Issue #27 reveals the origin of Secret Squirrel, Morocco Mole and Doctor O. [[spoiler:Basil Dinkley experimented on animals for a government project called "Operation: Evolve" where animals would be able to become spies so no humans would have to risk their lives on those missions again. Because the first test subjects went through an identity crisis wondering if they're humans or animals, Secret and Morocco were hypnotized into believing they're humans. Doctor O was also hypnotized but managed to break free. She eventually tries to tell them the truth but they don't believe her.]]
146	* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Rufus sees himself as above everyone, but is especially demeaning to women.
147	* PostApocalypticDog: There's various examples. Scooby-Doo, [[spoiler: Scrappy Doo and another bunch of dogs that escaped the secret laboratory.]]
148	* PragmaticHero: Bea just [[spoiler:hits the Wily Wolf from behind while he's distracted accusing Secret Squirrel of pretending he doesn't remember him.]]
149	* PrecisionFStrike: Cliffy calls a monster a "son of a bitch" before killing it in Issue #23.
150	* RayGun: Freddy, for the shopping centre run during the early post-apocalypse, used a {{BFG}} energy gun, in contrast to futuristic and extra-powerful but otherwise normal ballistic assault rifles that was standard to Mystery Inc.'s arsenal.
151	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Quentin is the remaining member of the Four and [[spoiler: it was his team that rescued the survivors of the mall destruction and took them to Complex B. He was also the one to rescue Scrappy and repair his failing implants.]] In contrast, Velma was abusive to her aides when she was in charge of the mall survivors and Rufus was just homocidal to his scientists. It's also under his charge that resources from the Complex go towards rebuilding the country.
152	* RelationshipUpgrade: Shaggy and Velma hook up during the six month TimeSkip between Issues #25 and #26.
153	* TheResenter: The reason [[spoiler:Scrappy]] hates Scooby so much -- they both suffered the Complex's experiments, but while [[spoiler:Scrappy]] was turned into a monster, Scooby came through relatively unscathed.
154	* TheReveal:
155	** Issue #30 ends with the revelation that [[spoiler: Scrappy]] is working with a mysterious figure in a lab.
156	** Issue #31 expands on this by revealing that this figure is [[spoiler: Velma's brother Quentin, who saved Scrappy's life when he was left for dead. And he's also in possession of Rufus (who's not only alive, but now a monster).]]
157	* RhetoricalQuestionBlunder: When Secret Squirrel asks if he's ever let the secret service down, his boss recalls a few incidents until Secret points out "It was a rhetorical question!".
158	* RunningGag: Le Loup Astucieux saying "The Wily Wolf" isn't an exact translation but it's close enough.
159	* ScarsAreForever: During her encounter with [[spoiler: zombie Fred]], Daphne is clawed deeply in the face by a monster and the scars remain.
160	* ShipTease: Despite initially having only his obsessive crush on Daphne, Fred later develops some serious chemistry with Daisy.
161	* ShootTheDog: Played very straight: [[spoiler:Scrappy-Doo finds a dog nearly starved to death in a cage, and decides to kill it since even if he fed it there would be no way it could survive in the harsh new world.]]
162	* ShoutOut:
163	** Shaggy mentions ''Series/GreysAnatomy'' several times in Issue #8.
164	** Daphne and Shaggy reference WesternAnimation/ElmerFudd in this dialogue from Issue #8.
165	-->'''Daphne:''' Be very, very quiet.
166	-->'''Shaggy:''' Why? Are we hunting wabbits?
167	** A monster version of Magilla Gorilla appears in Issue #10.
168	** [[spoiler: Rufus]]'s death in Issue #13 is very much right out of ''Film/TheWickerMan1973''.
169	** In Issue #14, Shaggy compares Velma's sudden apparent badassitude to [[Film/TheTerminator Sarah Conner]].
170	** Issue #18 and #19 feature a girl named [[spoiler:Literature/{{Carrie}} with psychic powers]].
171	** [[spoiler: Scrappy]] hasn't seen his friend ''[[WesternAnimation/TheHuckleberryHoundShow Huck]]'' "since the power went down". [[spoiler: Scrappy]] describes Huck as a "decent conversationalist" but says he'll "never understand where he got that southern drawl from".
172	** In Issue #25, Fred says ''[[Creator/LaurelAndHardy "Well, Daphne, here's another fine mess you've gotten us into"]]'' and Daphne points out that [[BeamMeUpScotty the true line has "nice" instead of "fine" and "people misquote that line all the time"]].
173	** Issue #28 has Shaggy calling Velma ''[[ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} "Charlie Brown"]]'' and asking "Lucy steal the football [[RunningGag again]]?".
174	* SignedUpForTheDental: Shaggy brings up the Complex's dental plan as one of the reasons he agreed to work there.
175	* TheSiege: The gang spends several issues trapped in a "[[SerialNumbersFiledOff Mall-Mart]]" surrounded by monsters.
176	* SkewedPriorities: In Issue #26, Secret Squirrel is about to be brain drained and his main concern is the fact Double Q's real name is [[spoiler:"Irving"]].
177	* TheSociopath: Rufus is utterly self-absorbed, beats around his wife for speaking out of turn, kills people for disobeying him (and it doesn't even seem to register with him), has a serious case of IRejectYourReality (he states that he's always right even when he's wrong), and has a [[AGodAmI God complex]] (as evidenced by how he's convinced himself that the monsters rampaging outside his building ''obviously'' are there to worship him). Plus, there's the fact that [[spoiler: his first reaction to his sister showing up is to try and shoot her]].
178	* SpitefulSpit: Daphne spits in [[spoiler:Monster!Fred]]'s face in Issue #32 when he's holding her prisoner and is trying to convince her to join him.
179	* SuddenlySpeaking: Scooby could already talk, in his usual slurred and clipped form, but Issue #10 sees him talk in complete sentences before ending on the reveal that the entire issue was Velma having a fever dream. [[spoiler:He would ''actually'' get the ability to talk properly in Issue #30, when a power surge through his cybernetic implants boosts the power of the prototype chipset, in addition to granting him an intelligence boost]].
180	* SuperWindowJump: Daphne pulls one of these to get away from [[spoiler:Monster!Fred]] in Issue #32.
181	* TalkingToThemself: [[spoiler: The Nanite King]], being a representation of a HiveMind, manifests a second head so it can have conversations with itself.
182	* ThereWasADoor: In Issue #32, [[spoiler: Scrappy]] comes bursting through the mall's skylight. An annoyed Scooby comments that they have several doors he could have used.
183	* ThisIsReality: While arguing about why anyone would ''want'' to turn most of humanity into vicious monsters, Velma remarks that "This isn't a comic book!" Oh, the irony...
184	* TimeSkip:
185	** While most issues follow closer after the one before them, Issue #21 jumps two months from the end of Issue 20.
186	** Issue #26 starts six months after the end of Issue #25.
187	* TownWithADarkSecret: Issues #18 and #19 have the gang stumble on the town of Halcyon, Montana, which is somehow completely unaffected by the nanite plague and the monsters, which naturally raises a few red flags. It eventually turns out that [[spoiler: the town is actually empty except for one little girl who became a powerful psychic capable of creating lifelike illusions.]]
188	* TrashTheSet: The Henry Hudson Mall, which serves as the primary setting of the back half of the series' run, is attacked by a horde of monsters led by [[spoiler: the Nanite King]] in Issue #34, and sustains enough damage that the whole building ends up collapsing.
189	* {{Trumplica}}: One of Velma's brothers Rufus T. Dinkley is deliberately portrayed as a UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump {{Expy}}; he is a fat business man with several trophy-wives that he has a history of being abusive to, a large tower with his name on it that he lives in, has a very low opinion of those he claims to represent (his MightMakesRight philosophy why he helped alter the nanites into a mind-control conspiracy) and has a narcissistic streak that grows into a [[AGodAmI god-complex]] after the monster-plague begins, [[IRejectYourReality constantly claiming that he is always right whether or not he changes his mind a moment later and reacts violently to contradictions]].
190	* {{Tuckerization}}: Two guards, Mr. Colton and Mr. Barry, are named for Jon Colton Barry, the creator of ''WesternAnimation/BeCoolScoobyDoo''.
191	* UnfortunateNames: The survivor community which the gang creates in the Albany mall they fortify is called "Jonestown" [[spoiler:in memoriam of Fred]]. Shaggy points out [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonestown the negative connotations]], but Velma (who admits she somehow never heard of the massacre) states that in a post-apocalyptic world, it doesn't matter.
192	* VerbThis: Issue #23 has this exchange:
193	-->'''Monster:''' Suck on your bones!\
194	'''Cliffy:''' Suck on this, you son of a bitch!
195	* VisionaryVillain:
196	** The Four altered the nanites in order to eliminate TheEvilsOfFreeWill, so that they could rule over a humanity reduced to mindless sheep. Needless to say, they lost control of the situation quickly.
197	** [[spoiler: The Nanite King, having come to the conclusion that humanity is hopelessly flawed, intends to use the monsters to wipe out all surviving humans, and then kill all the monsters too, leaving nothing but basic plant and animal life to inherit the Earth.]]
198	* WeCanRuleTogether:
199	** Rufus tries to convince Velma to join him into controlling the monsters and ruling the world. She responds by kicking his ass.
200	** [[spoiler: Monster!Fred]] likewise tries to convince Daphne to join him in ruling the monsters.
201	** [[spoiler: The Nanite King, who regards Velma as the nanites "Mother" as she created them,]] offers her the opportunity of joining them and surviving the final destruction of humanity.
202	* WellIntentionedExtremist: Project Elysium was originally conceived [[spoiler: by Velma]] as a means to bring about world peace. No one anticipated it turning the majority of humans into monsters.
203	* WhamLine: From Issue #31, when Velma explains to Shaggy why she's been so temperamental lately:
204	-->'''Velma:''' [[spoiler: I'm pregnant.]]
205	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: By the end of the series, only three of the Four have been accounted for.
206	* WritingAroundTrademarks:
207	** The gang spends several issues trapped inside a store called Mall-Mart (Wall-Mart).
208	** The Henry Hudson mall in Albany features the rival department stores "Mears" (Sears) and "CJ Nickel" (JC Penny).
209	* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler: The Nanite King]] intends on wiping out all of its monster minions once its done using them to KillAllHumans, seeing them as just tools to be used and then disposed.
210	* YoureInsane: After Rufus expresses his belief that the monsters are loyal to him and he can use them to control the world, Velma tells him he's crazy.

Context ComicBook / ScoobyApocalypse