May be preceded by Signs of the End Times. When asked just why they want to destroy the world as we know it, villains usually say something from the ' Why You Should Destroy the Planet Earth' list. For when Take Our Word for It simply won't do, Apocalypse Wow is this trope given dramatic form. See Apocalypse How for various types of End Of the World. Inevitably draws the suitably heroic into a Saving the World plot. Depending upon the world this may actually be an improvement. The most common subversion keys on the 'as we know it' part of the phrase: the world may not actually end so much as be changed beyond of all recognition. If the heroes are slated to succeed in preventing the End, they (and the audience) may be treated to a detailed preview of what's coming. If it's a Cosmic Horror Story, expect an Eldritch Abomination to be on its way and, should it make it to Earth before the protagonists can get the necessary power to stop it from coming, nothing can stop its rampage as such stories rarely end in a victory for humanity. It's also very common in video games, where it's occasionally unavoidable, sometimes occurring halfway through the game in other cases, poor play may result in the world coming to a bad end. May also include Cosy Catastrophe and/or Scavenger World elements - if so, let's just hope the dog lives. It may serve as a prequel to an After the End series, or the culmination of a Just Before the End story. This is a common trope in Speculative Fiction, horror and over-the-top espionage shows, as well as many anime series. Usually it's figurative - expressed as 'merely' the death of humankind, the obliteration of Civilization, or its subjugation to aliens, for example - rather than the literal rendering of the planet down to gravel. It can be either supernatural or superscience, depending on the villain, but in either case the bad guy must be beaten down and his toys broken in order to save the planet, or the universe, depending on the focus of the story. This is what will happen if the heroes don't stop the Evil Plan from doing its nasty work. that is the Trope Namer for this trope, where Michael Stipe sings, 'It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.' Rather, it's the exact opposite. This trope does not refer to the condition in the song by R.E.M.

Spaceplan landing pod