Cult Apocalyptica

[Desiderato Merriwether]

Adark take on the Cult, an apocalypse or doomsday cult tends to crop up in fiction wherever Cosmic Horror Story, Film Noir or Crapsack World elements are present, with the members actively seeking to bring about The End of the World as We Know It. There are several flavors of apocalypse cults, but most seek to awaken or make possible the return of some god of destruction to destroy the world and "make it anew". Others seek to end their own lives to escape what they believe is the end of the world or to have a better afterlife.

They will often be seen conducting arcane rituals of untold horrors and believe they will be rewarded with the equivalent of paradise for their service (they may be mistaken). As they are often a form of Religion of Evil, they tend to be practitioners of The Dark Arts and/or Martyrdom Culture. Human sacrifices, necromancers, zombies, and other forms of undead are optional but often seen among their ranks. They may also involve an Apocalypse Maiden or Barrier Maiden.

Unfortunately, some such groups have existed in Real Life. Documented ones include: The Peoples Temple / Jonestown (a hybrid of the "new world" with the "end your own life to escape/have a better afterlife" variants) Heaven's Gate (the "end your own life to escape" variant) Aum Shinrikyo as it was until 1997 and its reorganization and rename (the "awaken the god of destruction"/"destroy the world" Far East Asian Terrorists variant, when given over to otaku, the Mad Scientist, and quite a few Blood Knights, and was at the time the only non-state/non-governmental terror group to deploy Weapons of Mass Destruction beyond simple explosives to their aims).

No real-life examples are allowed here because of the high standard of proof that such a group has to have to be considered such in Real Life; the definition is maddeningly subjective in the absence of such ironclad proof. A religion merely promising its followers a better existence after death does not inherently make it a death cult, since they are not telling their followers to all kill themselves. Note that all of the above groups include extensively documented murders/suicides done with the apocalyptic religion as a sole motive. Also note that none of the groups above exist anymore (Aum Shinrikyo's members are still active, but Aum Shinrikyo itself was divided into Aleph and Hikari no Wa in 2007), enough that documentary journalism, investigations by authorities, and other objective proof has entered the record regarding them.

Fan Works The main antagonists of The Bridge: Humanity's Stand are Red Dawn, a group that worships the Big Bad Bagan and attempts to destroy Planet Terra in his name by exploiting technology and Kaiju. When the Child of the Storm universe reveals its version of Krypton's destruction, we learn of the Cult of the Eradicator, a group named for a Destroyer Deity from Krypton's ancient mythology. When Jor-El revealed that the planet's core had been destabilized, the Cult went about telling everyone that this was a good thing, as they were all meant to be destroyed, and thus they opposed both sides (the Science Council who wanted to ignore Jor-El's warnings and General Zod who wanted to overthrow the Council to somehow save Krypton) in the resulting Civil War, believing that they should let it happen. They also view Jor-El as some kind of prophet of doom to be venerated, much to his horrified despair. Dead Man Walking: It's mentioned several times that countless people are flocking to worship Cthulhu in the wake of his return. Cartman, Kyle, and Wendy have a run in with a store full of them, when the gang stop at a gas station on their way to face Cthulhu himself. Prompting Kenny to blow up the building with a propane tank so they can escape. Domovoi expands on the Kaiju Cultists briefly seen in Pacific Rim. They venerate Newt because he was able to Drift with a Kaiju and thus see into the minds of their gods, but they also want to actively prevent the Shatterdome from being able to counter the aliens' next attack, since they believe the Kaiju are a divine punishment. Ironically, the Precursor aliens are disgusted by the religion, since they see themselves as having Outgrown Such Silly Superstitions, and they respond to High Priestess Mikhail's drift attempt by mind raping her. Friendship is Witchcraft has an ongoing subplot involving Fluttershy leading a cult that worships The Smooze, and intends to summon him to destroy Equestria. The King Nobody Wanted: The Horse Killers who are springing up among the Dothraki seem to be such a group, responding to the collapse of Vaes Dothrak by killing horses in the belief that if the Dothraki do this, the Great Stallion will reward them for their faith with new horses and the conquest of all their enemies. The Superwomen of Eva series has The Light of the Divine, who believe the Angels are God's judgment and are willing to do anything to facilitate them destroying the world, up to and including getting their hands on black-market super weapons and try to kill the Children and the titular super-heroines (and anybody who gets in the way. As an example, they kidnap Shinji on Superwomen of Eva 2: Lone Heir of Krypton with full intent of executing him later). They are mentioned as one of the various reasons the Evangelion universe is a Crapsack World in all stories where they appear, some stories have them as a Starter Villain for the superwomen to deal with, and on some others they have been created and are being funded by NERV without their knowledge, as a means for Gendo to have disposable soldiers that will eliminate anything he deems an obstacle to "The Scenario". The War of the Masters: The Cult of the Masters in its various forms, one of which is the indigenous religion among the Orions and Undine. It seeks to bring about the return of what the Orions call the Good Masters, a race of Eldritch Abominations which in previous "cycles" obliterated multiple great civilizations. In Worldwar: War of Equals, doomsday cults become popular across the Western world after the Race Conquest Fleet is discovered, and some later rise up and attack military installations in San Francisco (they all end up arrested by the FBI and Homeland Security).

Roleplay The Sydney Scroungers are occasionally harassed by "The Assembly of True Judgement" in the Pacific Rim universe, a cult of Kaiju worshippers who believe the Kaiju have been sent to punish humanity for their sins.

Webcomics In 8-Bit Theater, the cultist, being a parody of H. P. Lovecraft's works, wants to provoke the apocalypse because it's cool. The Cult of the Night Walkers from Baskets of Guts was all about helping their undead master to turn the entire world's population into walking corpses. Timothy from But I'm a Cat Person was raised in a cult like this. Nox in The God of High School, a vaguely Abrahamic one operating in a world where All Myths Are True. They label users of Charyeok, a power that enables martial artists to bolster their abilities with the help of deities and mythological entities, other than themselves as heathens and plot to destroy the world for "turning its back on God". In Mystery Babylon, Delilah is the leader of a Babylonian cult which worships Kick Girl as Mystery Babylon and wants to aid her in breaking the seal on the Pit, releasing the demons within, and bringing about the Apocalypse. Sluggy Freelance The religion of Aylee's species holds that they are chosen by God to destroy the universe. (The world? They destroy whole planets as a matter of course.) It's likely just a rationalization for their nature as a Horde of Alien Locusts. The Cult of K'Z'K is an ancient group devoted to the Destroyer Deity, Kozoaku. They have spent thousands of years trying to either free Kozoaku from his seal or summon a different demon to destroy the world in his stead. They are mostly comprised of weaker demons and Too Dumb to Live mortals lured by lies of power.

Western Animation The Esoterica worship the main antagonist of the third season of Ben 10: Ultimate Alien known as the Dagon. They believe that the Dagon will bring forth a second stage of enlightenment for humanity, although he actually wants to take over the universe. In Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures, Ezekiel Rage constantly quotes from the "Book of Rage" and has many followers aiding him in his plans to wipe out humanity. The Red Lotus, an anarchist cell in The Legend of Korra, is revealed to have plotted to free Vaatu, the Greater-Scope Villain of the franchise and the most powerful, evil spirit in existence. They were unaware that he was an Omnicidal Maniac, however, subverting this trope, since they believed he would help restore balance to the world, and not destroy it as he intended. The Owl House: "Edge of the World" reveals that the Titan Trappers are dedicated to bringing back the Collector, an entity who wishes to kill everyone in the Boiling Isles for kicks. They even try performing a ritual sacrifice. The Coven system as a whole is this, as though almost no one knows it, their dedication to Emperor Belos is enabling him to brand them for genocide against the whole population with no resistance. South Park: The leader of the Anti-Semitic Jews captures Moses in order to ready the world for the return of Haman. The cult of Blaintology in "Super Best Friends". And of course, the Cthulhu cult featured in the three-episode "Coon and Friends" arc.

3a8082e126