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Earth-Shattering Poster

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Giving "murder by numbers" a different meaning.

A common Film Poster meant to shock and attract a viewer, the Earth Shattering Poster features the planet Earth being destroyed in an Earth-Shattering Kaboom, usually with tectonic cracks all along the edges that glow a volcanic red. Occasionally, it's because a gigantic hand, possibly alien and definitely evil looking, is crushing it. Other variants include the Earth being zapped with a Death Ray, or having a meteor colliding against it.

Needless to say, if the planet ever actually has this happen to it in the film it wouldn't be a case of Inferred Holocaust; it would be an outright planetary catastrophe that would cause a Class 5 Apocalypse How.

See also Got the Whole World in My Hand, Apocalyptic Montage.


Examples:

    open/close all folders 

    Anime & Manga 
  • The poster for Future War 198X had a flow of lava/blood pouring out of the cracks. In the actual movie, this is mimicked by the shot of earth from space turning slowly red when nuclear bombs are set off in major cities all around the world.

    Comic Books 
  • The Incredible Hulk:
    • World War Hulk has several covers of Hulk living up to his title of "World Breaker". To further illustrate this, the "u" in the World War Hulk logo is formed by a broken Earth.
    • The Hulk (2008) arc "Planet Red Hulk" has a cover with Red doing the same.
  • The cover of The Avengers #49 (volume 3), and the page image of the arc The Kang Dynasty, shows Kang the Conqueror impaling Earth on his orbital base "Damocles".

    Films — Live-Action 

    Literature 

    Live-Action TV 
  • The image of the Earth cracking was also used in Season 3 of Heroes.

    Music 
  • Iced Earth has the album cover of "The Crucible of Man", which has their mascot Set Abominae knee-deep in a giant crater on the surface of the planet earth.
  • Iron Maiden has the poster for "The World Piece Tour", which features their mascot Eddie bursting the planet seeking a "brain" inside it. The art was later recycled for a tour with a name fitting the image, "Eddie Rips Up The World Tour'.
  • The cover Judas Priest's Ram It Down album features a giant fist which is, well, ramming the earth down.
  • The cover for Kick Axe's third album, Rock the World, features a giant guitar struck through the earth.

    Video Games 
  • The logo in Final Fantasy VII's titles depicts the Planet receiving an impact from Meteor.
  • Star Control II had a poster with two hands grasping Earth and it exploding.
  • The Loading Screen for the final episode of City of Heroes' "Who Will Die?" signature story depicts the villain holding Earth while it cracks apart under his assault.
  • The box art for Planetary Annihilation shows an asteroid crashing into a planet and shattering the crust.
  • The one of X3 Reunion shows a lava planet being hit by not one but two giant orange lasers. However, the part of the planet visible inside the outline of the big empty X in the title shows a lush Earth-like planet. The image (without the title and therefore the Earth-like part) is used as the page picture of the franchise.

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