I Love Nuclear Power: Difference between revisions

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[[Television Is Trying to Kill Us|Don't try to tell that to anybody on the inside of the fourth wall, though]].

Unsurprisingly, this trope seems to have been at its peak in the atom-craze [[The Fifties|1950's]] when anything "atomic" was seen as cutting-edge, but is now falling out of favor as the common person's increased understanding of the negative effects of radiation make it increasingly less believable as a source for superhero mutation. A few superhero characters whose backstory involved gaining powers though irradiation have since been [[Retcon|re-written]] into [[Genetic Engineering Is the New Nuke|genetic engineering]] being responsible to capitalize on a new area of [[Science Marches On|scientific ignorance]] for viewers.

See also [[Phlebotinum Du Jour]] (for more unlikely things that promote superpowers) and [[Deus Ex Nukina]] (for more things that nuclear power can arbitrarily solve).

A [[Super-Trope]] to [[Nuclear Nasty]], which specifically talks about ''monsters'' created by radiation. The predecessors to this trope are [[Lightning Can Do Anything]] and [[Chemistry Can Do Anything]]; before the discovery of nuclear power, electricity and chemicals were the go-to source for magical do-anything phlebotinum.

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** There's also [[Red Hulk]], who even absorbs radiation. Combining gamma radiation and cosmic power will let you do that, apparently.

* [[Spider-Man]] acquired his powers after being bitten by a radioactive spider.

* In [[X-Men]], the exact cause of mutant powers are rarely discussed. In the 60's however, Professor X explained his powers as the result of his parents working on the first atom bomb. The Beast's powers have been explained as the result of his father being exposed to radiation, while Sunfire was born in Hiroshima on the day when they dropped the atom bomb. All of these explanations have either been either [[Ret Conned]] or completely ignored.

* Averted [[Post-Crisis]] in ''[[Superman]]'' (albeit played straight elsewhere in the [[DCU]].) The chronic health problems that plague [[Lex Luthor]] in both his comic book and cartoon series appearances are a result of exposure to the [[Kryptonite Ring]] he wore for quite some time. While it certainly hurts [[Superman]] very quickly, having it around you for ''years'' will have the same effect any kind of radiation will.

* Deconstructed in the origin of the Cyborg Superman. In a pastiche of the [[Fantastic Four]], a space shuttle crew is exposed to cosmic radiation but suffer vastly detrimental effects. Two are killed immediately and resurrected in painful or dangerous forms, eventually leading them to suicide, and one is nearly drawn into an alternate dimension. The fourth member of the crew, Hank Henshaw, suffers an accelerated radiation poisoning which rots away his body. However, Henshaw's mind quickly returns to life with [[Technopath|technopathic]] abilities.

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* Parodied in [[The Onion]] book ''Our Dumb Century'', where a headline from 1963 declares "[[Spider-Man|Boy Bitten by Radioactive Spider Dies of Leukemia]]". The body of the article mentions that this is the sixth atomic accident fatality in the last month, referring to [[The Incredible Hulk|Dr. Bruce Banner]] and [[Fantastic Four|Reed Richards and friends]].

* In ''[[Perry Rhodan]]'', the first Mutant Corps consisted almost solely of individuals endowed with various [[Psychic Powers]] due to their parents' exposure to radiation -- including, though not limited to, the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

* In ''[[Gone]]'', people can die from radioactivity (and some of them nearly do), but it's also a potential cause for the superpowers that some of the kids have. It's also what the local monster feeds on. Justified, because ''[[Gone]]'' takes place in an [[Alternate Universe]] where the laws of science have been rewritten.

* In ''[[Gone (novel)]]'', people can die from radioactivity (and some of them nearly do), but it's also a potential cause for the superpowers that some of the kids have. It's also what the local monster feeds on. Justified, because ''[[Gone (novel)]]'' takes place in an [[Alternate Universe]] where the laws of science have been rewritten.

* In the ''[[Wing Commander (novel)|Confederation Handbook]]'', mutations from cosmic radiation are said to be the cause of Pilgrim powers, though not in the short term as often depicted by this trope, taking multiple generations.

* In the [[Jakub Wedrowycz]] stories, the Chernobyl power plant incident released radiation since used as [[Applied Phlebotinum|a handy explanation]] or theory for the appearance of [[When Trees Attack|psychic trees]], [[Little Red Riding Hood|talking wolves]] or dinosaurs.

* In [[Isaac Asimov]]'s [[Foundation]], everything good is atomic. The kingdom of Anacreon is seen as horrifyingly barbaric for their burning of fossil fuels.

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* Not a case of Truth in Television. A 10 Sv (1,000 REM) dose of ionizing radiation has a lethality of 100% within seven days. Death caused by severe diarrhea and intestinal bleeding, by the way. One of the worst ways to die.

* The true story of [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4842268/Radioactive-sex-offender-on-the-run.html Thomas Leopold] a ''[[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|radioactive pedophile]]''.

* For a few decades after its discovery, radiation was marketed as some kind of cure-all drug. [http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2004-08/healthy-glow-drink-radiation For those too lazy to click,] consider the specific case of Eben Byers, who drank three bottles of radioactive water a day to stay healthy. The Wall Street Journal ran an article after his death titled "The Radium Water Worked Fine [[Squick|Until His Jaw Came Off]]".

** Many radioactive quack cures include:

*** [http://periodictable.com/Samples/090.8/s13.JPG Radithor], mineral water mixed with radium.