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Earth-Shattering Poster

Giving "murder by numbers" a different meaning.

This is 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.

Hopefully this will not become Harsher in Hindsight anytime soon.

Examples:

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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

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 Red Hulk arc "Planet Red Hulk" has a cover with Red doing the same.
The cover of Avengers #49 (v3) has Kang the Conqueror impale Earth on his orbital base "Damocles". Kang has never been much for subtlety. That Other Wiki has an image on the article for the arc.

Films — Live-Action

Armageddon had the Earth in front of a humongous meteor silhouetted against a ring of fire.
Deep Impact had a meteor impacting Earth, and actually followed through on that promise.
The central concept of the Scorcher film series in Tropic Thunder
The 2005 remake of The War of the Worlds had an alien hand spreading some type of red weed around Earth.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space◊

Literature

L. Ron Hubbard's Mission Earth had the planet Earth gripped by a hand wearing a spiked wristband.

Live-Action TV

The image of the Earth cracking was also used in Season 3 of Heroes.

Music

The cover Judas Priest's Ram It Down album features a giant fist which is, well, ramming the earth down◊.
Iron Maiden has the poster◊ for "The World Piece Tour".

Video Games

Star Control 2 had a poster with two hands grasping Earth.
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.

Earth-Shattering Kaboom

This Index Earth

Earth That Used To Be Better

DreamWorks Face

Film Posters

Floating Head Syndrome