History Main / MayanDoomsday

* '''Myth''': The Mayans predicted December 21, 2012 would be the end of the world.
** '''Fact''': In 1966, an anthropologist named Michael D. Coe pulled a mathematically significant date from the Mayan Long Count calendar and concluded (incorrectly) that they believed that this date marked the end of the world. Notably, the date that Coe selected was originally December 24, ''2011'', later revised to January 11, 2013. The 2012 date was first put forward by Robert J. Sharer in 1983. Later research in the '90s suggested that the Mayans ''didn't'' see 2012 as the end of the world, but rather, as a cause for partying like it's 1999--that is, it was simply the end of that calendar and the beginning of a new age. The idea of the Mayan apocalypse prophecy was then discredited in scholarly circles. By then, however, New Agers and {{conspiracy theorist}}s had latched onto Sharer's revised date, and the rest is (embarrassing) history. Also, whenever the "Mayan" calendar is shown, expect it to [[{{Mayincatec}} actually be the more visually appealing Aztec calendar]].

* The AncientAstronauts who guided the Mayans returning to Earth. In fact, one such theory pointed out that ''Series/TheXFiles'' predicted an AlienInvasion in 2012 and that the creators of the show was trying to warn humanity that way. Why they would choose to do this through the plot of a TV show instead of going to the public is unknown.

** '''Fact''': The only years Nostradamus mentions by name in his quatrains are 1999 and 3797. Of course, he could be talking about 2012 in some of his other quatrains. Or he could not. That's the magic of Nostradamus -- he was so vague that you can interpret him however you like, which is where his "correct" predictions come from.

* One of the more hilarious examples: ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} V: Gods and Kings'' has the Mayans as a civilization. Not only do you get an achievement for using a nuclear weapon as them in the year 2012, but when you encounter them in game, their leader Pacal [[TheEeyore always talks about how the world will end any day now]].

0Once upon a time, people thought December 21, 2012 was TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. Silly, right? Well, a surprising number of people took this seriously. Where did this date come from, you ask? Well, let's sort out fact and fiction:

Once upon a time, people thought December 21, 2012 was TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. Silly, right? Well, a surprising number of people took this seriously. Where did this date come from, you ask? Well, let's sort out fact and fiction:

* Manga/StoneOcean, the 6th Arc of ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventure'' was originally published between the years of 2000-2004 and takes place during 2012. [[spoiler: [ReligiousBruiser Enrico Pucci] uses Made In Heaven to accelerate time and reset the Universe so the Joestars do not exist]]. Ultimately, [[spoiler: he succeeds]].

* Music/MyChemicalRomance's 2010 concept album ''Music/DangerDaysTheTrueLivesOfTheFabulousKilljoys'' takes place TenMinutesIntoTheFuture (in 2019, that is) in an AfterTheEnd scenario. Promotional material is vague on what caused the collapse but implies that 2012 had something to do with it.

* According to ''Series/TheXFiles'', December 21, 2012 is the date of a future AlienInvasion. WordOfGod says that the upcoming mini-series will address whether or not anything actually happened.

* The MOBA game ''VideoGame/{{Smite}}'' includes the Mayan Jaguar God Xbalanque, whose joke pokes fun on this whole doomsday, because, nope, he doesn't have such power. Bonus point for being released in exactly the date of December [=21st=] 2012.

* Polar shift: Supposedly, the magnetic poles were going to reverse in 2012. [[CaptainObvious Didn't happen]], and wouldn't have caused disaster if it had.

* On ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', a ''Martian'' calendar predicts a sunflare that will destroy the planet in 3012. Later it is revealed that the planet in question is Mars, and the calendar was sent to Earth as a warning to not visit Mars, but by then the Earth's people had already relocated to there.

** The entire run of ''Gravity Falls'' takes place in 2012 and works toward a finale in which [[BigBad Bill Cipher]] brings on a localized apocalypse which he nearly succeeds in taking worldwide.

* In a mid-season ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' short, (released in 2013) Dipper asks a magic mailbox that gives answers to all questions when the world will end. It gives the answer of '''3'''012, to Dipper's mild surprise.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pic_de_Bugarach Pic de Bugarach]]: A mountain in southern France near the Spanish border associated with UFO phenomena. New Agers were expected to flock to the mountain in December of 2012, believing they would be spared from the apocalypse and also get to reenact ''Film/CloseEncountersOfTheThirdKind''. [[LesCopsSportif French police]] blocked access to the mountain itself, concerned that a doomsday {{cult}} might carry out a mass suicide or worse. Unfortunately, this all turned out to be the paranoid fantasy of a fanatically Catholic local mayor, and the journalists who turned up to do freakshow stories on the New Agers found precisely three apocalypse tourists, one of whom was suspected of consciously seeking publicity for his unsuccessful attempt to start a cult.

* In ''ComicBook/LeonardLeGenie'', Léonard and Basile go to 2012 to check how things are. They find out that according to the Mayan calendar, it will be the end of the world on December 21. They travel to 2013 to find out that the apocalypse will not happen. They are relived and return to their own time, except the next page show a massive asteroid is heading to Earth.

* In ComicBook/LeonardLeGenie, Léonard and Basile go to 2012 to check how things are. They find out that according to the Mayan calendar, it will be the end of the world on December 21. They travel to 2013 to find out that the apocalypse will not happen. They are relived and return to their own time, except the next page show a massive asteroid is heading to Earth.

* The Creator/RolandEmmerich film ''[[Film/TwoThousandTwelve 2012]]'', of course.

* Made into a RunningGag by WebVideo/JesseCox and {{Crendor}} during the ''Podcast/CoxNCrendor Show'' podcast. Jesse & Crendor would frequently remark about evil Mayan robots rising against humanity in their takeover bit and then make it more ridiculous from there.

--> '''Julia''': Whether the final blow comes from [[ZombieApocalypse flesh-eating zombies]], [[HellOnEarth demonic hell-beasts]] or [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking from the total triumph]] of [[Music/{{Psy}} K-Pop]], if you know one thing about me it is this - I will always fight for you to the very end.

-->''What's gonna be done in two thousand twelve when hell's gonna be\\

** '''Fact''': In 1966, an anthropologist named Michael D. Coe pulled a mathematically significant date from the Mayan Long Count calendar and concluded (incorrectly) that they believed that this date marked the end of the world. Notably, the date that Coe selected was originally December 24, ''2011'', later revised to January 11, 2013. The 2012 date was first put forward by Robert J. Sharer in 1983. Later research in the '90s suggested that the Mayans ''didn't'' see 2012 as the end of the world, but rather, as a cause for partying like it's 1999, and the idea of the Mayan apocalypse prophecy was discredited in scholarly circles. By then, however, New Agers and {{conspiracy theorist}}s had latched onto Sharer's revised date, and the rest is (embarrassing) history. Also, whenever the "Mayan" calendar is shown, expect it to [[{{Mayincatec}} actually be the more visually appealing Aztec calendar]].