Game of Thrones season four is nearly upon us and those dragons sure are getting big. When fully grown, they’ll be the ultimate Westerosi weapons of mass destruction, but what are some of the other most powerful weapons in science fiction and fantasy?
10) The Colt
Source: Supernatural . Used repeatedly in seasons one to three. Makes one final appearance in season five.
Description: A revolver made by renowned gunsmith Samuel Colt in 1835. The Colt can kill anything. Almost.
Effectiveness: Used to kill seven demons, two vampires and a phoenix (on screen). Sam Winchester also drives a demon out of John Winchester with it by shooting him in the thigh. Which is one way to work out your daddy issues.
Weaknesses: There are five things the Colt can’t kill. Unfortunately, Lucifer is one of them.
9) Avada Kedavra (The Killing Curse)
Source: The Harry Potter franchise.
Description: One of three “Unforgivable Curses”, the use of which will get you a life sentence in wizard prison. And make you fail Defence Against the Dark Arts.
Effectiveness: Responsible for the deaths of over a dozen named characters in the books, including, perhaps most significantly, Harry’s parents.
Weaknesses: Can be blocked by intercepting it with another spell. Can rebound upon the caster if the target has been protected by another person’s love-fuelled sacrifice. Bad luck, Voldemort.
8) BFG 9000
Source: iD’s Doom series of games.
Description: The “Big F***ing Gun” fires giant balls of green plasma. By far the games’ most powerful weapon. No relation to Roald Dahl’s Big Friendly Giant.
Effectiveness: Usually causes instant death to any demon receiving a direct hit, as well as inflicting massive damage on any creature of Hell caught in the blast radius. Could come in handy when it’s time to queue up for Star Wars Episode VII tickets.
Weaknesses: Very limited ammunition. The version seen in Doom 3 tends to explode if charged for too long before firing.
7) The Lazy Gun
Source: Against a Dark Background by Iain M. Banks.
Description: An ancient and mysterious reality-bending weapon. Originally there were eight, but only one now survives. The only weapon in the universe with a sense of humour.
Effectiveness: Depends on the target. Has been known to cause anchors to appear and crush people, sudden lava flows to destroy ships and comets to crash into cities.
Weaknesses: Tendency to self-destruct if tinkered with. One disappeared with its user when he tried to fire it at a sun. So don’t do that.
6) Lyta Alexander (post-Vorlon modification)
Source: Babylon 5 season three-five.
Description: Formerly a mid-level telepath, Lyta was modified by the Vorlons to become a telepath and telekinetic of unrivalled power. Essentially a living psionic weapon.
Effectiveness: Capable of shutting down Shadow vessels with her mind. Telepathically triggers the destruction of the Shadows’ homeworld, Z’ha’dum. Basically, Uri Geller’s wet dream.
Weaknesses: The Psi Corps. Lyta can’t legally use her powers without their seal of approval, which makes finding work a bit tricky. What’s the point of being an all-powerful telepath if you can’t even afford a bag of Monster Munch?
5) The Alpha-Omega Bomb
Source: Beneath the Planet of the Apes .
Description: The nuclear bomb to end all nuclear bombs - powerful enough to destroy the whole world. Why anyone would build that remains a mystery.
Effectiveness: Destroys the Earth. Although it had been taken over by apes and the Statue of Liberty was half buried in sand, so no great loss, right?
Weaknesses: Doesn’t come with any kind of launch system, so the only planet you can use it to destroy is the one you’re on. Seems like a design flaw.
4) The Death Star
Source: The original Star Wars trilogy.
Description: A moon-sized space station with enough fire-power to destroy a planet thanks to its giant superlaser. Rumours that Emperor Palpatine was seriously under-endowed in the trouser department remain unconfirmed.
Effectiveness: Reduces Alderaan to rubble causing the deaths of around 2 billion people.
Weaknesses: Sloppy design. Both versions afforded convenient access to the main reactor core for any rebel scum wanting to spoil the Empire’s fun. Also, the ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force. Apparently.
3) Trilithium Warhead
Source: Star Trek Generations .
Description: A trilithium-containing missile belonging to evil scientist Dr. Tolian Soran. The trilithium acts as a nuclear inhibitor, stopping all nuclear fusion within a star. The result? Supernovas on demand.
Effectiveness: Destroyed two stars, annihilating their entire planetary systems and killing 230 million people on Veridian IV. If only someone could make the memory of Captain Kirk’s utterly underwhelming death implode.
Weaknesses: Blew up in Soran’s face when Captain Picard set the locking clamps to remain engaged as the missile tried to launch. The scamp.
2) The Moment
Source: Doctor Who "The Day of the Doctor".
Description: A Time Lord doomsday weapon so powerful they were too afraid to use it. The final creation of the Ancients of Gallifrey, The Moment is theoretically capable of trapping whole galaxies in a single moment in time.
Effectiveness: The Doctor initially believed he had used the Moment to wipe out both the Daleks and his own race. However this was later proven to be false.
Weaknesses: The Moment is so sophisticated it has a telepathic interface capable of deciding whether to allow itself to be used. We suspect wireless routers contain the same technology.
1) The Infinity Gauntlet
Source: Marvel’s The Infinity Gauntlet limited comic book series.
Description: Titanian Eternal Thanos’ left glove, embedded with the six Infinity Gems, each of which gives its owner total control over one aspect of the multiverse. When combined the six Gems make the bearer basically omnipotent.
Effectiveness: Thanos uses the Gauntlet to wipe out half the sentient life in the universe just to impress a girl. We’d have gone with flowers.
Weaknesses: Thanos becomes so powerful he abandons his body and becomes the living embodiment of the universe. His supposed granddaughter, Nebula, then steals the gauntlet and instantly undoes all Thanos’ hard work.
Ed Prior
