History Main / DeusExNukina

* The [[Creator/{{Syfy}} Sci-Fi Channel]] absolutely ''loves'' to use this as the solution to their [[DisasterMovie natural-disaster-of-the-week films]], even if it makes absolutely no sense. The sun spewing deadly flares that will [[CriticalResearchFailure ignite the Earth's atmosphere's supply of methane]] and burn up all the oxygen on the planet? Stop the burn with a nuke in the atmosphere. Planet-wide tempest surging out of control because some doofus unleashed an [[SealedEvilInACan ancient Sumerian storm god]]? Nuke the skies and cut off its power supply. ''The moon breaking up like a bad jawbreaker in a cataclysmic shower of meteors that will destroy the Earth?'' Take an A-bomb to its core and seal the cracks. It's official: nuclear weapons are the new [[DuctTapeForEverything duct tape]].

* In ''Film/ACrackInTheWorld'', [[ScienceIsBad Bad Science]] causes a giant crack to start propagating through Earth's crust, with dire effects. Scientists use a nuke to [[spoiler:blow a hole in the crust that's big enough to stop it]].
** Well arguably a subversion -- the whole thing is started by underground nuclear testing weakening the Earth's crust, then a nuclear weapon used as a giant drill. [[spoiler:Then a H-bomb is used to stop the crack, but its effect is limited.]]

* ''Film/{{Armageddon}}'' used a similar strategy, with the important distinction of the goal being to change it's course. (In real life, even if you had a nuke powerful enough to vaporize an asteroid moments before impact, doing so would be unwise. The destructiveness of a asteroid/comet comes from its kinetic energy, which is unaffected by blowing it up--it might not leave a crater, but [[FromBadToWorse it would boil the atmosphere more efficiently]].)

* In ''Film/DeepImpact'', the nuke is delivered by a spaceship that flies ''into'' the larger of the two comet fragments, saving (most) of the population of Earth in the process. ''Film/{{Armageddon}}'' used a similar strategy, with the important distinction of the goal being to change it's course. (In real life, even if you had a nuke powerful enough to vaporize an asteroid moments before impact, doing so would be unwise. The destructiveness of a asteroid/comet comes from its kinetic energy, which is unaffected by blowing it up--it might not leave a crater, but [[FromBadToWorse it would boil the atmosphere more efficiently]].)

* Happens to the Black Mesa Research Facility in ''VideoGame/HalfLife1''. After the Hazardous Environment Combat Unit fails to fight back the invasion from Xen, A Black Ops. team is send in to plant a nuke meant to destroy the facility. In the expansion pack, ''[[VideoGame/HalfLifeOpposingForce Opposing Force]]'', PlayerCharacter Adrian Shephard comes across and disarms the nuke, but it is shortly after rearmed by the mysterious G-Man. Finally, in the outro of Opposing Force, a white flash indicates the detonation of the nuke and the destruction of Black Mesa.

-->'''High Priestess''': "Mr Gorsky, when I kill, I kill for good."
-->'''Gorsky''': "Are you threatening me?"
-->'''High Priestess''': "Bless your soul."
-->'''Gorsky''': "[[TemptingFate You'll need a nuke to kill me!]]"
-->''(Gorsky's security system detects an incoming missile)''
-->'''Gorsky''': "Bitch..."

--> '''[[KlingonScientistsGetNoRespect Okeer]]:''' "But before [[spoiler:Saren]] can deliver his endless troops, in rides Shepard, securing victory through nuclear fire. [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy I like that part, it has weight.]]"

* Apparently a favorite trope of Capt. Sheridan (FanNickname "Nuke'em Johnny") on ''Series/BabylonFive'', who solved his problems with nukes on multiple occasions:

* The solution to contain the zombie outbreak in [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis Raccoon City]] eventually becomes "nuke it from orbit."

* ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' makes use of this trope when a crazed monsters start attacking a developing village. The main character has to drop the nuke in the middle of the crowd of rampaging monsters, but it's not that dramatic since he's able to escape well before it goes off.

* Back in 1961, Admiral Harriman Nelson used a nuke to defeat Global Warming[[note]]Not the ClimateChange version -this one has the [[HollywoodScience Van Allen radiation belts ''on fire'']][[/note]] in ''Film/VoyageToTheBottomOfTheSea''.

When nukes are used as DeusExMachina. Such applications are often [[HandWave contrived]] and approach the arbitrariness of GreenRocks.

* A DiabolusExMachina example of this trope: in ''VideoGame/FarCry5'', [[spoiler:if you choose to arrest Joseph, a nuke goes off and you end up stuck in a bunker with Joseph preparing to brainwash you. Effectively, this renders everything you did as pointless.]]

* Back in 1961, Admiral Harriman Nelson used a nuke to defeat [[GlobalWarning Global Warming]] in ''Film/VoyageToTheBottomOfTheSea''.

* Humanity constructs a really big nuke in ''Film/{{Sunshine}}'', in a desperate bid to, ahem, ''re-ignite the sun''. Never mind that the sun creates the amount of energy generated by the bomb many times over ''every single second''. Best to suspend your disbelief on this point. The flaws of this idea are pointed out in [[http://theslackerz.com/index.php?nav=Comic&Page=45 this comic]].

* If you think about it, USA won World War II using this trope. [[DeusExMachina "A weapon that has never been used before, which was used twice to wipe out the population of two cities, and cause Japan's almost immediate surrender."]] And it was nuclear.
** Not that it's actually what caused the Japanese to surrender, that was actually the previous massive amount of American firebombing, and the 100,000 Russian troops poised to invade from Manchuria. DatedHistory in action. It should be noted Fat Man was actually drop two days AFTER the Japanese had contacted the Americans with the intent of surrendering. This was most likely for the purposes of demonstrating it to the Soviets, who were within visual range of the blasts, as a warning to Stalin should he get any ideas.

* The climax of ''Film/TheAvengers2012'' has a nuke launched at Manhattan while the Avengers attempt to stop (or at least slow down) Loki's invasion of Earth. To solve two problems at once, Iron Man diverts the missile away from the island and back through the portal that Loki's army is coming through.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}'' Season 1 finale ended with the legion trying to deliver a nuke to a suneater that was guarded by kill bots and a nearly-impenetrable shield. One team went off to beat up the mastermind, another team went off to temporarily disable the shield and everyone else had to buy the bomb squad time and a path to deliver it. Ferro Lad had to set off the detonator manually.

* Creator/StephenKing's ''Literature/TheStand'' has DeusExNukina delivered [[TheDogBitesBack by hand]] by [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds the Woobie]] and set off by a loose spell that turns into the [[DeusExMachina Hand of God]].

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'', a tactical nuclear weapon was deployed by Ares Macrotechnology to contain the mass breakout of bug spirits in Chicago. Even more of a DeusExNukina than usual, as the blast not only put most of the bugs into hibernation (huh?), but the bugs' own attempt to shield themselves averted the spread of radioactivity from the blast site.

* In ''Webcomic/GodOfHighSchool'', the U.S. decides to nuke Korea after the conflict turns into a full scale war between The Six and Nox.

->''"I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. [[ItsTheOnlyWayToBeSure It's the only way to be sure]]."''

* In ''Fanfic/SlippingBetweenWorlds'', by Creator/AAPessimal, Ankh-Morpork briefly considers using Leonard of Quirm's exploding metal bomb to decisively defeat a renewed threat fom the entity that ''was'' the Shopping Mall Monster of ''Discworld/ReaperMan''. [[note]]Having picked ideas from the minds of stranded visitors from Earth, it has chosen to take the form of the [[Film/{{Alien}} Queen]] - another hive mind where one Queen creates workers and drones who are a ''lot'' more lethal than shopping trolleys[[/note]] An explosives-minded Assassin is keen to do this as she wants to see what a nuke can do if applied with Extreme Prejudice. Fortunately, an even deadlier weapon is used to despatch the queen - Susan Sto Helit.

* A DiabolusExMachina example of this trope: in ''VideoGame/FarCry5'', [[spoiler:if you choose to arrest Joseph, a nuke goes off and you end up stuck in a bunker with Joseph preparing to brainwash you. Effectively, this renders everything you did as pointless. Truly, a terrible excuse of an ending if ever there was one.]]

* In ''Film/DeepImpact'', the nuke is delivered by a spaceship that flies ''into'' the larger of the two comet fragments, saving (most) of the population of Earth in the process. ''Film/{{Armageddon}}'' used a similar strategy. (In real life, even if you had a nuke powerful enough to vaporize an asteroid moments before impact, doing so would be unwise. The destructiveness of a asteroid/comet comes from its kinetic energy, which is unaffected by blowing it up--it might not leave a crater, but [[FromBadToWorse it would boil the atmosphere more efficiently]].)

* Happens to the Black Mesa Research Facility in ''VideoGame/HalfLife1''. After the Hazardous Environment Combat Unit fails to fight back the invasion from Xen, A Black Ops. team is send in to plant a nuke meant to destroy the facility. In the expansion pack, Opposing Force, PlayerCharacter Adrian Shephard comes across and disarms the nuke, but it is shortly after rearmed by the mysterious G-Man. Finally, in the outro of Opposing Force, a white flash indicates the detonation of the nuke and the destruction of Black Mesa.

* Failed deployments.

[[folder:Comics]]
* In the issue of ''Comicbook/FantasticFour'' where Namor first reappears, he attacks New York with a gigantic, whale-like creature. The Thing carries a nuke into the creature's stomach in an attempt to kill it. He escapes [[JustInTime with seconds to spare]].

* In ''Star-Spangled Comics'' #116 ComicBook/{{Robin}} (Dick Grayson) faces off against a cruel unbeatable murderer named Dante Leonardo who apparently attained immortality during the Italian Renaissance through alchemy and has been skulking around killing and otherwise doing whatever he pleases ever since. The tale ends with Dante finally coming across something which can kill him on the Bikini Atoll during a nuclear test.