History Main / GeneticAbomination

This is a specific subset of the classic EldritchAbomination that is not a naturally-existing being, but was created and cultivated artificially, usually through genetic engineering. That doesn't make them any less horrifying -- and in some cases, it could make them ''more'' so, since they are so different from the natural organisms used in their creation and proves how powerful their creator's capabilities '''''really''''' are. Their resemblance to natural organisms varies. At best, they'll just look like a [[UncannyValley warped version]] of the creatures they were derived from, putting them in AnimalisticAbomination territory. Other times, though, they'll bear absolutely no resemblance whatsoever to anything that ever evolved naturally.

The ''reasons'' for the creation of such a being is variable. Often it's some sort of [[BioweaponBeast living weapon]] that the creator would proclaim as their MagnumOpus, but it's also common for them to be created for other purposes. Note that to qualify for this trope, a creature cannot merely be a large, terrifying genetically engineered beast -- it must also fit into the established definition of an EldritchAbomination. This entails being inconceivably horrific for the majority of minds that encounter it, but in a step-down from a natural abomination not inconceivable to the mortal mind in general, as it was a ''certain'' kind of thinking that brought it to existence after all.

-> ''"(Shambles up to the mic) I escaped from the petri dish...WHAT AM I!?!"''
-->-- '''Russel Howard''', ''Series/MockTheWeek'' ''("Unlikely Things to Hear on a Science Documentary")''

* The ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'' version of Venom is a cure for cancer turned experimental bio weapon. It can shapeshift to point that it’s practically a BlobMonster at times and actively eats its host unless it consumes a constant amount of human flesh.

* The ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan version of Venom is a cure for cancer turned experimental bio weapon. It can shapeshift to point that it’s practically a BlobMonster at times and actively eats its host unless it consumes a constant amount of human flesh.

* The {{ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan}}’s version of Venom is a cure for cancer turned experimental bio weapon. It can shapeshift to point that it’s practically a BlobMonster at times and actively eats its host unless it consumes a constant amount of human flesh.

* ''VideoGame/DragonBallFighterZ'': Android 21 is Cell turned UpToEleven. She's an even bigger amalgamation of several powerful beings and scientists, including Cell himself. This gives her the potential to be far more powerful than Cell could ever be, access to an even bigger arsenal of tricks, and high intellect to match. However, due to her being partially made from cells originating from Majin Buu, Android 21 is in a near-constant state of hunger that she tries so hard to suppress. This makes her a threat not only to Earth, but the entire universe unless she is stopped in some way.

-->-- '''Russel Howard''', ''Series/MockTheWeek'' ''("Things You Wouldn't Hear on a Science Programme")''

-> '''Peppy:''' THIS is the enemy's bio-weapon!?
-> '''Falco:''' Andross is an insane Fool!
-->--''VideoGame/StarFox64'' on Vulcain.

-> '''Peppy:''' THIS is the enemy's bio-weapon!?\\

* ''[[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/Frankenstein Frankenstein]]'': Quite possibly the TropeCodifier of this trope, a very large portion of genetic abominations have been influenced by the classic creature himself- Frankenstein's monster. Though his intentions and personality are completely different (he does have an intelligent human mind), his basic concept is still incredibly important.

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%%* Though its occurence is almost never artificial, cancer counts. The name itself strikes fear to those who are diagnosed with it, and though much study have been done to understand it, many still die of it every year.\\
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%%A GeneticAbomination borne of mutations, its physical form is just as aberrant; malformed tumors and patchwork vessels made of both healthy and rogue cells. It will continue to grow, eventually spreading its invasive tendrils to other organs, choking and killing them, and thus, their host. It is invasive while being evasive, fooling the immune cells from killing it, and able to spread to other loci, seeding a new mass of malformed flesh FromASingleCell. Some tumors are able to differentiate their cells ''just'' enough to grow organs like hair and teeth in random spots, making them praticularly grotesque. The fact that its diagnosis often justify HarmfulHealing is testament to its [[TheDreaded dreaded status]]; treatments that will cause ''severe'' damage to healthy cells is considered acceptable trade-off in the attempt to kill this abomination off, and sometimes even that's not enough.
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%%A GeneticAbomination borne of mutations, its physical form is just as aberrant; malformed tumors and patchwork vessels made of both healthy and rogue cells. It will continue to grow, eventually spreading its invasive tendrils to other organs, choking and killing them, and thus, their host. It is invasive while being evasive, fooling the immune cells from killing it, and able to spread to other loci, seeding a new mass of malformed flesh FromASingleCell. The fact that its diagnosis often justify HarmfulHealing is testament to its [[TheDreaded dreaded status]]; treatments that will cause ''severe'' damage to healthy cells is considered acceptable trade-off in the attempt to kill this abomination off, and sometimes even that's not enough.

* In ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'' Tendi creates [[SpellMyNameWithAThe The Dog]], a [[LovecraftianSuperPower Shapeshifting]] Labrador Retriever.

** Experiment No. Z-57 from ''VideoGame/MetroidDread''. The "abomination" part comes from the fact that it looks like a horrifically mutated lizard with a FlowerMouth, spider-like limbs and a slug-like tail, can breath lasers that leave some sort of goop behind, and clogged the heat generator with said goop, despite being much smaller than said generator. The "genetic" part comes from the fact that it was created by the Mawkin, with it being made from the DNA of multiple creatures, most obviously a Corpius. This fact is enforced by it not even having an actual name, with it simply being called "Experiment No. Z-57".

* ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'': The Redlight and Blacklight viruses were engineered as bioweapons and bestow [[LovecraftianSuperpower nightmarish abilities]] on compatible hosts, and mutate anyone who isn't a compatible host into ravenous zombies or predatory monsters connected to a hive-mind. In the second game, a Gentek scientist even lampshades how little about the mutagen makes scientific sense, only to be told to shut up and not think so deeply about it.

* ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'': The Redlight and Blacklight were engineered as bioweapons and are called viruses, but bestow [[LovecraftianSuperpower nightmarish abilities]] on compatible hosts, and mutate anyone who isn't a compatible host into ravenous zombies or predatory monsters connected to a hive-mind. In the second game, a Gentek scientist even lampshades how little about the mutagen makes scientific sense, only to be told to shut up and not think so deeply about it.

* ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'' has the Hybrids, created by mixing DNA from the [[HigherTechSpecies Protoss]] and the [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Zerg]] in order to serve as servants of and vessels for the rogue [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens Xel'naga]] [[BigBad Amon]]. The Protoss and Zerg themselves are both products of earlier rounds of Xel'naga engineering.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series has a wide variety of mutated eldritch horrors. There's [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/b/bc/Centaur.png/revision/latest?cb=20110204015102 Centaurs]], [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/7/7f/FO76WL_Floater_gnasher_transparent.png/revision/latest?cb=20200516052654 Floaters]], [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/8/87/Fo4-FH-FogCrawler.png/revision/latest?cb=20170324154312 Fog Crawlers]], [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/8/87/Mirelurk_fo4.png/revision/latest?cb=20160106231456 Mirelurks]], and who can forget [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/d/d1/FO01_NPC_Master_B.png/revision/latest?cb=20110103095213 the Master]]?

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1628358571012031800
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[[quoteright:350:[[Franchise/ResidentEvil https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tyrant_9.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Some [[EldritchAbomination otherworldly horrors]] [[Film/JurassicWorld aren't bred. Some are designed.]]]]

** Humanity was originally created by [[{{Precursors}} the Uranus]] as a race of soldiers, with an adaptable and intelligent base form that could then be artificially [[{{Metamorphosis}} metamorphosed]] into one of various types of Zoanoid - {{Bioweapon Beast}}s with specialised abilities ranging from brute strength to organic laser cannons. Each human was implanted with a genetic RestrainingBolt which would force them to obey the telepathic commands of both the [[MonsterLord Zoalord commander units]] and their Uranus masters. But when they tried bonding a human with [[OrganicTechnology the bio-boost organism that served as their standard-issue spacesuit]], wanting to see what would happen if it "maximised the host's ability to survive", things [[GoneHorriblyRight Went Horribly Right]]. Not only did the bonding process transform humans into PersonsOfMassDestruction with the combined powers of many Zoanoids, it also made them ImmuneToMindControl. They named the resulting creature "Guyver", meaning "out of control", and became so spooked by [[TemptingFate how easy it was to create one]] that they abandoned Earth entirely (and even attempted to ''destroy'' it out of fear that an army of Guyvers would one day come after them).
** In the modern day, the "Lost Numbers" are byproducts of NebulousEvilOrganisation [[MeaningfulName Chronos]]'s experiments in creating new varieties of Zoanoid, whose DNA became unstable after being augmented too many times. This grants them strange and unique powers, but also disables their Uranian control genes, meaning that anyone unlucky enough to achieve this status ends up relegated to a suicide squad. And then there's Aptom. Formerly a [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifting]] Lost Number, he somehow mutated into an entirely new form of life - the cells of his body transforming into a HiveMind of ''[[Film/TheThing1982 Thing]]''-like parasites that can take over the bodies of other Zoanoids and mimic their forms. When Aptom needs to fight, he transforms into a ShapeshifterMashup form combining the best aspects of multiple Hyper Zoanoids in a single body. Eventually Aptom [[HeelFaceTurn switches sides and joins the Guyver protagonists]]... and in an IronicEcho of their former masters, Chronos covers up the truth of his creation by claiming that he's a Guyver (which by the original definition, he ''is'').

* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' gives us Kimeramon. Despite being a digital lifeform and not being "real" in a traditional sense, it's a monstrous kitbash of several different Digimon that have been synthesized together.

* ''Literature/AllTomorrows'': In the distant future, humanity goes to war against the Qu, a race of ScaryDogmaticAliens... and they lose. The Qu punished the survivors by turning them into these. Many of these creations would qualify as WoobieSpecies, such as the [[AndIMustScream Mantelopes]], who were changed into grazing ungulates but retained their human intelligence and sapience - they cannot talk or do anything in their new bodies but vividly recall their past forms, so they spend their centuries wandering the plains of their world, screaming and singing in despair.

** The Despair Squid, an apex predator resulting from an artificially enhanced evolutionary arms race. "It's got three alternatives - it thinks we're either a threat, food or mate. It's either gonna kill us, eat us or hump us."

** Emohawks - semi-domesticated Polymorphs used by the Gelfs to trade emotions, and also to get back at people who cross them.

** The Metroids are creatures artificially bioengineered by the [[{{Precursors}} Chozo]] to devour the X-Parasites on SR-388, only to turn out to be so ravenous that they started draining the LifeEnergy of everything else on the planet, including their creators.

* The Metroids of ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' are creatures artificially bioengineered by the [[{{Precursors}} Chozo]] to devour the X-Parasites on SR-388, only to turn out to be so ravenous that they started draining the LifeEnergy of everything else on the planet, including their creators.

A SubTrope of GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke, seeing as it was bio-engineering that created these horrors. Likely to overlap with BioweaponBeast if they were created for combat purposes. Might have EscapedFromTheLab. For other artificially created Abominations, see MechanicalAbomination, and if both tropes overlap, the combination results in an unholy example of OrganicTechnology and MeatSackRobot.