History Main / DisintegratorRay

* Various energy weapons in the ''Franchise/{{Fallout}}'' series reduce enemy's bodies to nothing in spectacular fashion on a CriticalHit-induced kill: The plasma weapons in ''VideoGame/Fallout1'' and ''VideoGame/Fallout2'' reduce victims to a puddle of (usually red) goo. The ''Fallout 2'' Pulse Rifle had the hilarious effect of making the target's hair all stand on end, burning them to a crisp, and finally the charred corpse collapses into a pile of dust. Might also have caused XRaySparks, to boot. Lasers in ''VideoGame/Fallout3'', ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', and ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' turn bodies into piles of ash, while plasma weapons now turn bodies into ''green'' goo. Despite this, the goo or dust can still be looted for perfectly intact items (even armor). Even better, you can loot the meat from disintegrated animals!

* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol. 1]]: While the purple healing ray usually has the rather opposite effect of helping tissue regenerate and repair itself when Diana turns it on the shadowy undead hordes of Tartarus which are attacking Paradise Island it blows a hole in them, and then [[ReviveKillsZombie swiftly causes them to disintigrate]].

* The second major invention of Baron Zemo (ComicBook/CaptainAmerica's once-archenemy from WWII), eventually revealed as being -- tada!! -- a laser beam.
* The BigBad of ''ComicBook/CaptainElectron'', Dr. Manfred Zongor, possesses one of these, and tries to use it to dispose of the title character. Since Captain Electron is a near-indestructible Superman {{expy}}, it of course does nothing to him.
* ComicBook/{{Foolkiller}}'s "Purification Gun" works this way; [[SuspensionOfDisbelief no attempt has ever been made to explain where it came from or how it works]], which was intentional on the part of creator Steve Gerber.

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: While the purple healing ray usually has the rather opposite effect of helping tissue regenerate and repair itself when Diana turns it on the shadowy undead hordes of Tartarus which are attacking Paradise Island it blows a hole in them, and then [[ReviveKillsZombie swiftly causes them to disintigrate]].

** In ''[[Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry The Undiscovered Country]]'', Star Fleet subversives were [[RewardedAsATraitorDeserves disposed of]] via a [[NoRangeLikePointBlankRange point-blank]] [[TheParalyzer phaser on stun]]. Rumor has it there's an episode in The Original Series where this phenomenon was mentioned. Then the topic was tabled until ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Next Generation]]'' era and beyond, during which phasers had ten settings and up.

** The "woosh" effect of a Stargate being turned on will obliterate ''absolutely anything'' it touches at a subatomic level. One civilisation encountered used this in funerals to dispose of bodies. It was once used to [[spoiler:destroy an Ori warship by turning on the supergate at the right moment.]]

* ''Film/OurManFlint''. Galaxy uses the electro-fragmentizer device to execute prisoners by causing them to disappear in a flash of light.

* Various energy weapons in the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' reduce enemy's bodies to nothing in spectacular fashion on a CriticalHit-induced kill: The plasma weapons in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout|1}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}'' reduce victims to a puddle of (usually red) goo. The ''Fallout 2'' Pulse Rifle had the hilarious effect of making the target's hair all stand on end, burning them to a crisp, and finally the charred corpse collapses into a pile of dust. Might also have caused XRaySparks, to boot. Lasers in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'', ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', and ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'' turn bodies into piles of ash, while plasma weapons now turn bodies into ''green'' goo. Despite this, the goo or dust can still be looted for perfectly intact items (even armor).
** Even better, you can loot the meat from disintegrated animals!

* During the UsefulNotes/{{Chernobyl}} disaster, the breached reactor put out enough particle radiation to do this to a helicopter attempting to dump a sand/boron mixture into it. Rather than instantly turning it into dust, however, it instead wore it away at an atomic level. When it crashed (pilot error caused the rotors to strike a nearby chain, the weakened metal snapped rather than bent, and the aircraft dropped), it splattered when it hit rather than smashing.

* Though [[InformedAbility it never occurs in the trilogy]], Darth Vader feels it prudent enough in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' to warn Boba Fett "[[IWantThemAlive No disintegrations]]" when sending the bounty hunters after the ''Millennium Falcon''.
** In one of the video game adaptations, there is a disintegrator grenade InNameOnly.

* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'': Ultratech has the "Reality Disintegrator" and the more traditional "Nucleonic Disintegrator".

* ''Film/{{Flash Gordon|1980}}'': The flying robot in Ming's palace uses one to destroy an escaping lizard man and the pistol in Dr. Zarkov's pocket.
* From the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:

** "Robot Al-76 Goes Astray": A robot creates a Disinto device powerful enough to destroy the top 3/4 of a mountain.

[[folder:FanWorks]]
* Not quite a ''ray'', but ''Fanfic/WithThisRing'' sees Alexander Tuttle's "Crumbler" technology adapted into bullets that disintegrate a hemisphere around their point of impact. They're notably effective at destroying force fields such as power ring constructs.

* In ''Literature/TheZombieKnight'', Destruction-type [[CameBackStrong servants]] throw a path of expanding space that obliterates any matter caught inside, forcing its atoms apart until the bonds between them fail. Since it affects space itself, there are no materials that can survive it, although very strong [[SoulPower soul-strengthening]] can stop the beam.
* ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheSpaceBeagle''. An atomic disintegrator is [[ImmuneToBullets the only thing that can kill]] the Coeurl or the Ixtl. Unfortunately firing one within the confines of the spacecraft is a hazard in itself, both directly and from secondary radiation.
* ''Literature/AllTheSkillsADeckbuildingLitRPG'': The red dragon that Arthur first meets attacks a carriage by breathing out a cloud of tiny purple flames that Arthur describes as undoing whatever they touch -- spells, wood, clothes, even flesh. While this particular power seems rare, red dragons in general are known for such transformative effects.

* ''LightNovel/TheIrregularAtMagicHighSchool'': Shiba Tatsuya's Decomposition magics, Mist Dispersion and Trident.

* ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}'s most oft-seen use of his [[EyeBeams Omega Beams]] is to disintegrate anyone he chooses. Furthermore, if he changes his mind (either because he found a further use for them or he just wants them to suffer more), Darkseid can restore anyone so hit just as easily.

* ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'':

** The [[Film/WarOfTheWorlds 2005 Spielberg adaptation]] included not only a scene with many fleeing civilians getting disintegrated leaving only EmptyPilesOfClothing, but also a scene afterwards where the protagonist realizes that he's covered in ''people'' dust.

* ''Film/QueenOfOuterSpace'' (1958)

* The Martian "Heat Ray" in H. G. Wells' 1898 novella ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' is one of the earliest examples of this trope, although it did tend to leave messy burnt bits around the edges of the blast zone.

** The "Heat Ray" was a death ray. The first true disintegrator appears in the 1898 ''Edison's Conquest of Mars''.

* During the UsefulNotes/{{Chernobyl}} disaster, the breached reactor put out enough particle radiation to do this to a helicopter attempting to dump a sand/boron mixture into it. Rather than instantly turning it into dust, however, it instead wore it away at an atomic level. When it crashed, (pilot error caused the rotors to strike a nearby chain, the weakened metal snapped rather than bent, and the aircraft dropped) it splattered when it hit rather than smashing.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'': Plasma generators are highly likely to vaporize even an armored target. Unless they malfunction, in which case they're highly likely to vaporize the shooter instead.

* ''Film/MarsAttacks'' has the Martians armed with disintegrators that leave a brightly colored skeleton behind (Either red or green depending on the color of the ray).

* In ''Webcomic/EverydayHeroes'', Dr. Unpleasant has invented the [[http://eheroes.smackjeeves.com/comics/2133437/ch12-23/ Hyperframmiton™ Ray.]]

* The 'Disintegrate' skill for the Wizard in ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' causes any enemy killed by it to disintegrate completely. It can be upgraded to be fired from both hands, make enemies explode on death, and other neat tricks. Unfortunately it has ArbitraryMaximumRange.

** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E1Robot "Robot"]] had the title character using a disintegrator gun and making a battle tank glow and disappear. When asked what the "range and power of that device is", the Doctor's answer was "the power is limitless, and as to range, it could cut a hole in the surface of the Moon". See also {{BFG}}.
** However, the [=DeMat=] Gun used by the Fourth Doctor in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS15E6TheInvasionOfTime "The Invasion of Time"]] is a special weapon. Powered by the Great Key of Time, it doesn't just disintegrate the target, it [[RetGone removes their entire existence]] from time itself.
** Subverted in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E12BadWolf "Bad Wolf"]], where the ray used in several deadly game shows turns to be a [[{{Teleportation}} transmat device]], but those affected generally end up as Dalek meat (as in their cells are used to grow Daleks). In the next episode, [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E13ThePartingOfTheWays "The Parting of the Ways"]], one of the robots from those deadly game shows turns up, with its ray having been upgraded to a genuine disintegrator, and inflicts the Daleks' only casualties before [[PhysicalGod Bad Wolf]] arrives.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E7TheIdiotsLantern "The Idiot's Lantern"]]: When [[EnergyBeings the Wire]] is hooked up to the Alexandra Palace TV transmitter, it gains the ability to shoot electricity powerful enough to do this, with its unwilling minion Mr. Magpie as the victim.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E8HumanNature "Human Nature"]]/[[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E9TheFamilyOfBlood "The Family of Blood"]] has the Family wielding these, one zap and the target is dust.

* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1963'': In "Soldier", the title character's weapon made the target glow and disappear.
* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'':

* Three shots of a Zat gun on ''Series/StargateSG1'' ''used'' to do this, but after the writers realized it was stupid, they quietly stopped using that function.
** A joke in a later episode implies that a ''fourth'' shot will reintegrate the target.
** Parodied in the "[[ShowWithinAShow Wormhole X-treme!"]] episode, where a producer considers the concept "the dumbest thing I ever heard!"
** The Zat gun went through a few changes over the course of the show. Originally, a single shot from the gun would wrack people with tortuous agony, but at some point along the way, this was replaced with a simple, humane "stun" effect.

** The Asgard used their {{Teleportation}} systems this way to spectacular effect in a second season episode, with a single ship completely disintegrating three pyramid ships and an entire Goa'uld army. [[ForgottenPhlebotinum This was never mentioned again.]]
*** Until ''Series/StargateAtlantis'', where the Asgard have specifically built safeguards into the transporters they installed on human ships to prevent using them in an offensive capacity.
* Used to the point of annoyance on ''Franchise/StarTrek'' for years. No one seemed to ever use the settings on phasers that were between ''stun'' and ''unmake utterly without burning the carpet''...intentionally, at least. In the TOS episode ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Conscience_of_the_King_(TOS_episode) The Conscience of the King]]'' Lenore accidentally kills Karidian without disintegrating him, but a master of phaser use and safety, Lenore was not.
** Also, Karidian needed to give a FinalSpeech. This was the sole exception to the rule in TOS (if we don't count super-strong aliens who could shrug off phaser fire altogether.)

** In ''[[Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry The Undiscovered Country]]'' Star Fleet subversives were [[RewardedAsATraitorDeserves disposed of]] via a [[NoRangeLikePointBlankRange point-blank]] [[TheParalyzer phaser on stun]]. Rumor has it there's an episode in The Original Series where this phenomenon was mentioned. Then the topic was tabled until ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Next Generation]]'' era and beyond, during which phasers had ten settings and up.

** Used to good effect in ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''. The technology of the time means that when set to kill the weapons available don't do this no matter how much power is put into them. In the MirrorUniverse episode Archer gets an original series phaser from the displaced Defiant. The shot of Admiral Black disintegrating gives a good look at how alien and advanced the tech is in a time when it isn't the norm.

* ''Series/TheMandalorian''. The title character's rifle is powerful enough to disintegrate a person (it's not like Vader is around to tell him otherwise), but as it's a single shot weapon he only uses it for sniping, preferring his hand blaster for close-up work against multiple enemies.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''
** The "Disintegrate" spell did ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, but only if it managed to kill the target, and is mutually canceling with [[DeflectorShields force effects]]. This made it slightly less useful than most [[GameBreaker Save or Be Screwed]] spells, but the spell was still a fan favorite, purely because of the RuleOfCool.
** Destroyed remnants also require more serious magic to bring one BackFromTheDead, so it makes sort of DeaderThanDead.[[note]]Specifically, an intact corpse can be fairly easily brought back with Raise Dead, a level 5 cleric spell. But if they're disintegrated ''and'' the resulting ash is scattered, not even level 7 Resurrection will suffice, only the level 9 True Resurrection. Level 9 spells are the highest non-Epic level and thus far beyond the ability of most spellcasters; there might not even be any clerics who exist in a given D&D campaign with high enough level to cast True Resurrection.[[/note]]
** Also appeared as one of beholders' EyeBeams (making an occasional smooth shaft or breach in the wall a hint, e.g. in ''Song Of The Saurials'' or ''The Summoning''). In 4th Edition, beholders could no longer do this, having more varied and balanced powers, but it was brought back in 5th edition.
** In the earlier editions of the game, this was one of the special purpose powers that could be chosen for an intelligent sword with a special purpose. This effect was delivered on ''any hit'' with the weapon (in addition to its normal damage) against those that the weapon was dedicated to slaying. In fact, in the original D&D rules, this was the main power that Chaotic special purpose swords had against the Lawful beings that they were designed to slay - Lawful special purpose swords, in contrast, paralyzed Chaotic beings they were specialized against.

** As pointed out in the undead-specific source book ''Libris Mortis'', under 3.5E rules the "Disintegrate" spell is useful to fight TheUndead because it requires a constitution-based saving throw. Undead, having no constitution score, typically have low constitution saves. Also, unlike most effects that target that particular defense (which Undead typically ignore), Disintegrate works on inanimate objects (so it also works on Undead).
** In the ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'' Splat book, ''Hellbound: The Blood War'', one narrator who claims to be an expert on fiends lists the spell as a useful spell to use against them. He explains that fiends have lots of resistances against elemental attacks like fire, cold, and electricity, and each race of fiends has different resistances, but none of them have any special immunity to ''Disintegrate''.

* Combine dark energy weaponry in ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' and its Episodes instantly disintegrates any enemies ([[PlotArmor with the exception]] of [[BadassBookworm Gordon]] [[OneManArmy Freeman]]), including the Strider's mounted cannon, a mortar-like "suppression device" and the secondary fire of the Pulse Rifle. Seems to be an innate quality of all dark energy-based technology, as even the dark energy reactors in the Citadel disintegrate anyone who touches them.
** The pulse machine guns equipped on the Striders and Gunships don't disintegrate their targets but their impact does release a small amount of the particles that come off disintegrating targets, implying that they still work by disintegration, but on a much smaller level.
* The Gluon Gun from ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' unleashes a deadly solid blue beam of destruction, one of the only weapons able to damage Gargantuas and almost instantly killing anything else the beam touches; it is a primo example of this trope.

* ''VideoGame/Prey2006'' has a Leech weapon which, when loaded from a special terminal fires a big beam of energy at your foes, leaving a brittle, burnt, rapidly-disintegrating corpse behind.

* Several of the experimental weapons in ''{{VideoGame/Crusader}}'' disintegrate their targets. One weapon reduces its victim into dust, another completely destroys their molecular structure and vaporizes them at once, and so on. Note that killing enemies this way prevents them from dropping weapons or ammunition or supplies.

* In ''Webcomic/LifeWithLamarr'', Magnusson uses the Neek Ray, which he later fits into his [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs pet T-Rex's]] [[RuleOfCool eye sockets]].

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation''

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: While the purple healing ray usually has the rather opposite effect of helping tissue regenerate and repair itself when Diana turns it on the shadowy undead hordes of Tartarus which are attacking Paradise Island it blows a hole in them, and then [[ReviveKillsZombie swiftly causes them to disintigrate]].

* According to the Greeks and at least one psychic from the early 20th century, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Cayce Edgar Cayce]], Atlantis was destroyed when they discovered machines that were essentially ancient ideas of the Disintegrator Ray.