What is the fascination with doomsday predictions in media?

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Numerous sci-fi movies, TV shows, and books depict the destruction of modern civilization through various catastrophic events, including alien invasions, pandemics, and nuclear war. The film "2012" is highlighted as a quintessential example, showcasing a wide array of disasters. A notable detail from the film is the naming of the ark site in China as "Cho Ming," which translates to "help" in Mandarin, adding a layer of irony to the narrative. The discussion raises the question of how many such examples exist and whether anyone is actively counting them.
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How many examples from sci fi movies, tv shows, and books, can be cited in which the world [modern civilization] was either destroyed by some means, ranging from alien invaders to flu epidemics, or plunged into WWIII and a nuclear holocaust, by now?
 
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Is anyone counting?
 
my favorite is 2012. It was smorgasborg of every type of disaster known to man. The real funny insider joke was the naming on the ark site in China as Cho Ming (say Joe Ming) which really means help in Chinese Mandarin dialect:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_movie
 
Saw Mickey 17, a sci-fi comedy, based on Mickey 7, by Edward Ashton, which I read and thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed. I am fascinated by stories of identity and the meaning of selfness. Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattison - of 'Sparkly Vampire' infamy) is running from a loan shark and, to escape the price on his head, signs up for an off-world trip to a new colony. The only way he could get selected is as an 'Expendable' - which is exactly what it sounds like: he gets all the suicide missions...
Man, when the Devil comes a-knockin', he does not smell of sulphur and brimstone, he smells of sweet perfume and roses... Doing a bit of research for a short story. All I wanted was some examples of professions typical for jurors in a trial of the time and location of the story (1850s New Orleans - of which I am not very familiar, so I have my work cut out for me). ChatGPT delivered that very nicely, giving me a list of a dozen typical professions for the type of man that was eligible for...
So far I've been enjoying the show but I am curious to hear from those a little more knowledgeable of the Dune universe as my knowledge is only of the first Dune book, The 1984 movie, The Sy-fy channel Dune and Children of Dune mini series and the most recent two movies. How much material is it pulling from the Dune books (both the original Frank Herbert and the Brian Herbert books)? If so, what books could fill in some knowledge gaps?
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