History Main / AtmosphereAbuse

* During the three-part Supergirl story in the 1980s PostCrisis ''Superman'' comic books, the Phantom Zone villains of the Pocket Universe decide that humanity is too bothersome to deal with once they build up a sizeable LaResistance force that could equal the villains' power, and thus the rogue Kryptonians put their plan in motion to kill everybody on Earth by burrowing at super-speed to its core, unleashing massive hot gases that ripped away the Earth's atmosphere and left it a lifeless husk except for the people within Lex Luthor's citadel in Smallville.

* During the three-part Supergirl story in the 1980s PostCrisis ''Superman'' comic books, the Phantom Zone villains of the Pocket Universe decide that humanity is too bothersome to deal with once they build up a sizeable LaResistance force that could equal the villains' power, and thus put their plan in motion to kill everybody on Earth by burrowing at super-speed to its core, unleashing massive hot gases that ripped away the Earth's atmosphere and left it a lifeless husk except for the people within Lex Luthor's citadel in Smallville.

* During the three-part Supergirl story in the 1980s PostCrisis ''Superman'' comic books, the Phantom Zone villains of the Pocket Universe decide that humanity is too bothersome to deal with once they build up a sizeable LaResistance force that could equal the villains' power, and thus put their plan in motion to kill everybody on Earth by burrowing at super-speed to its core, unleashing massive hot gases that ripped away the Earth's atmosphere and leaving it a lifeless husk except for the people within Lex Luthor's citadel in Smallville.

[[folder:Film]]

* ''Film/TheMatrix'', specifically the Dark Storm Effect blotting out all sunlight in the real world. Although we don't know whether it was the humans or machines who struck first (it was [[Anime/TheAnimatrix us]]), it was the humans who scorched the sky.
* An example of the "nukes ignite the atmosphere" idea: at the end of ''Beneath the PlanetOfTheApes'', the astronauts note that the detonation of a cobalt bomb could "set off a chain reaction in the whole atmosphere. Burn the planet to a cinder." After the bomb detonates:

* The plot of the GeneralRipper in ''WesternAnimation/BattleForTerra'' is to use the [[HostileTerraforming Terraformer]] to replace the atmosphere on Terra from one that is poisonous to humans to an oxygen-nitrogen one. This would, of course, kill off any native lifeforms, including the pissed-off Terrans.

* ''Film/TheMatrix'', specifically the Dark Storm Effect blotting out all sunlight in the real world. Although we don't know whether it was the humans or machines who struck first, it was the humans who scorched the sky.

* ''ConquestFrontierWars'' has this [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt2-DyJLHYE in video]], with a nice low-angle shot.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' has this as the end stage of separate methods of Exterminatus. Cyclonic torpedoes ignite the atmosphere as well as most things on the surface. In the case of virus bombing, the gasses released by the virus reducing most of the planet's biomass into inflammable mulch, resulting in a planet-wide firestorm. Technically it doesn't burn the atmosphere, just the flammable gasses released there, but close enough. Cyclonic torpedoes play this completely

** For that matter, Earth's atmosphere would also be extremely explosive if not for its relative lack of methane, or the relative abundance of nitrogen. The possibility of runaway chain reaction of atmospheric oxygen wasn't ruled out until the end of WorldWarII, when it was stated to be a possible concern during the testing of nuclear bombs. Of course, humanity went and did it anyway.

* ''Film/SkyCaptainAndTheWorldOfTomorrow''. If Dr. Totenkopf's space ship reaches 100 kilometers above ground and its booster engines ignite, the Earth's atmosphere will be destroyed. Of course, [[YouFailPhysicsForever atmosphere doesn't work this way]]: this is a ShoutOut to how PulpMagazine ScienceFiction the movie is homage to often introduced the most ridiculous plot devices imaginable.[[note]]A runaway chain reaction of atmospheric oxygen wasn't ruled out until the end of WorldWarII, when it was stated to be a possible concern during the testing of nuclear bombs.[[/note]]

* ''Film/SkyCaptainAndTheWorldOfTomorrow''. If Dr. Totenkopf's space ship reaches 100 kilometers above ground and its booster engines ignite, the Earth's atmosphere will be destroyed.
* ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}''. Planet Spaceball is out to steal planet Druidia's atmosphere.

** For that matter, Earth's atmosphere would also be extremely explosive if not for its relative lack of methane, or the relative abundance of nitrogen.

** For that matter, Earth's atmosphere would also be extremely explosive if not for its relative lack of methane.

* During the creation of the atomic bomb and the lead up to the first tests, some scientists had expressed concern that detonating an atomic bomb might cause the atmosphere to ignite. [[TooDumbToLive They detonated it anyway]].
** That was done during a bet before Trinity, guessing what the yield would be. IIRC, only one bet that it would ignite all the oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere, and the rest bet between "nothing" and "about the size of the Tsar Bomba", although not in those terms.
*** There is no real concern when it comes to igniting the atmosphere with a nuclear weapon due to the atmosphere's ingredients. N2 (roughly 78%) and O2 (roughly 21%) combining with each other makes for an endothermic reaction, meaning it takes more energy to get going then it gives out in the end--its like to try using a non-profitable organization to make more money. Once the calculations were done, it was quickly realized that the atmosphere cannot be so easily set aflame. A more realistic concern is detonating a thermonuclear device in the ocean and sparking a chain fusion reaction with all the hydrogen, though it too has proved unfounded.
**** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxygen-burning_process O 16 + O 16 -> Si 24]] is exothermic..

Certainly, paranoid bunkers and deep-sea habitats might survive. [[ButWhatAboutTheAstronauts But then, what about the astronauts]]? Efforts at complete annihilation must, by their nature, take extra steps to be thorough.

Certainly, paranoid bunkers and deep-sea habitats might survive. [[ButWhatAboutTheAstronauts But then, what about the astronauts]]? Efforts at complete annihilation must, by their nature, include steps to be thorough.

* ''{{Quatermass}} II'' had a chemical plant run by humans under alien control, which was manufacturing gases in which the aliens could live. They were horribly corrosive to human flesh, and IIRC the plan was ultimately for the aliens to manufacture enough to replace the Earth's atmosphere.

** For that matter, Earth's atmosphere that would be extremely explosive if not for its lack of methane.

* ''SkyCaptainAndTheWorldOfTomorrow''. If Dr. Totenkopf's space ship reaches 100 kilometers above ground and its booster engines ignite, the Earth's atmosphere will be destroyed.

Abusive atmosphere alteration is not solely for the OmnicidalManiac, either. An AlienInvasion might combine conquest and [[{{Terraforming}} colonization]] into one elegant package. Even the good guys may find themselves performing one, once a seemingly empty planet's catacombs open, sleepers waken, etc. The ApocalypseHow score of such an act varies, though it's hard for one to not have one.

Abusive atmosphere alteration is not solely for the OmnicidalManiac, either. An AlienInvasion might combine conquest and colonization into one elegant package. Even the good guys may find themselves performing one, once a seemingly empty planet's catacombs open, sleepers waken, etc. The ApocalypseHow score of such an act varies, though it's hard for one to not have one.

* ''Homeworld'' and ''Homeworld 2'' have the Low-Orbit Atmosphere Deprivation Weapon, and using one is the fastest way to get put down for the sake of all living things.

* Since the ozone layer is part of the atmosphere, it's probably relevant that one of the alien criminals in ''Film/MenInBlack 2'' was convicted of stealing some of it to sell on the black market.

* [[spoiler: Weather Report's Stand]] ability in the Part 6 of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' can actually manipulate the ozone layer of Earth itself which is the reason why [[spoiler: Enrico Pucci used his White Snake to take Weather Report's memory disc. If he had remembered his past trauma, the unconscious (and possibly apocalyptic) Heavy Weather ability of his Stand would be activated again.]] ''ItGotWorse''.

* ''The Science of Literature/{{Discworld}}''. Paraphrased:

* ''TheMatrix'', specifically the Dark Storm Effect blotting out all sunlight in the real world. Although we don't know whether it was the humans or machines who struck first, it was the humans who scorched the sky.

* ''The New TwilightZone'' episode "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voices_in_the_Earth Voices in the Earth]]". At some point in the past the oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere was changed to methane.