doomsday devices
World-ending weapons
Doomsday devices are hypothetical weapons capable of destroying all human life or rendering Earth uninhabitable.
The concept appears in Cold War–era fiction and strategy discussions, often as a deterrent so catastrophic that no rational actor would trigger it: The film imagined a Soviet doomsday device that would automatically launch if attacked.
The term extends to any system designed to ensure mutual destruction.
- bioweaponPathogen deployed as armament
- WMDCatastrophic armament category
- atomic bombFission-triggered mass destruction device
- Death StarFictional world-destroying space station
- planet killerThreat to entire worlds
Skynet · world ender · chain reaction · thermonuclear bomb · cobalt bomb · hydrogen bomb · chemical weapon · existential risk · ICBM · nuclear football · red button · Dr. Strangelove · nuclear winter · weapons · mutually assured destruction · neutron bomb · mass extinction event · asteroid impact
doomsday devicessmall arms
Handheld military weapons
non-lethal weapons · conventional weapons · conventional arms · tactical weapons · handguns
doomsday devicesmedical devices
Tools for patient care
vaccines · humanitarian aid · bomb shelters · fallout shelters · safety equipment
doomsday devicessafeguards
Measures preventing harm
fail-safes · arks · early warning systems · backup systems · insurance policies