Sci-fi, fantasy, and thriller TV shows have produced 15 fictional diseases and illnesses that would destroy society if put into the real world.
TV shows have produced some strange fictional diseases and illnesses that cause high mortality rates. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, people have become fascinated with the ways in which viruses and illnesses spread. When TV shows use real health issues, they're stuck portraying the illnesses in a semi-realistic way. This can stunt the character development and plot arcs created by one or more characters getting ill.
Unlike real illnesses, fictional diseases often defy the laws of microbiology and produce bizarre symptoms. They also can target specific demographics rather than the population as a whole. Moreover, these genres are increasingly interested in the idea of biological warfare, using microorganisms to cause disease and death in living beings. These factors make them all the more interesting for sci-fi, fantasy, and thriller plots.
In Doctor Who season 3, episode 3, "Gridlock," the Doctor visits New Earth five billion years in the future. The entire planet becomes addicted to the mood-altering drug "Bliss," making them susceptible when a virus mutates inside the compound. This virus quickly becomes airborne, spreading from person to person. Within seven minutes, the population of New Earth is wiped out.
In the K-drama All of Us Are Dead, Byeong-chan creates the Jonas Virus by altering rat hormones. When humans become infected, the virus turns them into zombies and removes all fear, self-preservation, and intelligence. The concept of "flight" breaks down in the sympathetic nervous system, causing them to attack any uninfected creature. Interestingly, some humans have a gene that turns them into "halfbies," a humanlike creature with a hunger for flesh and heightened abilities.
The protomolecule in The Expanse was created by an extinct alien race in order to terraform new environments. However, the molecule can also infect sentient beings in the form of Protomolecule Sickness, first shown in the dead body of Julie Mao. The parasite erupts from her body in order to take over someone else. Later, it's shown that the protomolecule sickness can reshape beings and environments. Most interestingly, every object or being that gets infected becomes a part of the hive mind, a collective sentience.
Like many modern horror stories, The Walking Dead uses a virus as the origin for zombies. The Wildfire Virus starts as a bioweapon meant to shut down the nervous system, but it quickly creates aggression and literal bloodlust in subjects. Soon, all bodily fluids become carriers for the highly transmittable virus, infecting more people. The virus also increases the speed and strength of the zombies. Luckily, characters in The Walking Dead have two cures for the zombie virus.
In Star Trek: The Next Generation, season 7, episode 19, "Genesis," Reginald Barclay gets sick with a virus his body cannot fight. As such, he gets a T-cell injection meant to help. Instead, the cells mutate into a disease that turns on all latent genes, then it transfers through the air into another person. Ultimately, Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome causes every being aboard the USS Enterprise to backtrack in evolution, becoming a primitive creature from their respective planet.
During The Vampire Diaries season 5, Dr. Wes Maxfield does experiments on the Augustine vampires in order to create the Ripper Virus. This virus causes vampires to feed only from their own kind instead of humans, and the subjects cannot stop themselves once they begin. Eventually, they feed so much that they rip the heads off their victims, hence the name. The Ripper Virus is made stronger when Dr. Maxfield infuses the virus with werewolf venom, a vampire-killing substance.
In Supernatural, the Buruburu spread Ghost Sickness, a disease that creates irrational fear and the same injuries that caused the death of the originating ghost. As the illness progresses, infected people start hallucinating and vomiting blood, eventually dying of a fear-induced heart attack. Unlike other fictional diseases, Ghost Sickness can be cured if a person destroys the ghost who spread it or recreates the death of the ghost.
Greyscale is a disease in Game of Thrones that causes necrosis of the flesh and organs. The skin turns gray, hard, and crackly—similar to reptile scales. In the last stages, Greyscale attacks the internal organs including the brain and heart. Only three people are known to have survived this disease: Princess Shireen Baratheon, Jorah Mormont, and The Crabfeeder. The skin cannot heal from Greyscale, so survivors are left with scars that will not fade.
In The X-Files, Purity is an alien virus that puts people into a coma or possesses them, causing their eyes to turn entirely black. The black oil alien conspiracy started in prehistoric times, overtaking cavemen in 35,000 BC and continuing all the way to the present day. The virus possesses the ability to survive in arctic tundras, underwater, and with minimal to no sunlight. Additionally, Purity is highly transmittable through all human orifices as well as the skin. In the end, humans infected by the illness become an unwilling host for a sentient alien being.
The anime Cowboy Bebop includes many goofy storylines like galactic biological warfare. Monkey Business is a bioweapon created by the eco-terrorist group Space Warriors in order to turn all humans into chimpanzees. To do this, the virus physically alters DNA in an irreversible way. The Space Warriors believe that Monkey Business will create a world in which humans don't ruin the environment.
In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the Blue Shadow Virus is a deadly pathogen that travels through the water and air. The disease is deadly and communicable enough that it can wipe out entire planets. Victims of the virus can only live for up to 48 hours after first exposure. Dr. Nuvo Vindi brings this disease back from extinction with the plan to use it as a biological weapon, but Padme and Ahsoka prevent him from releasing it on Naboo.
Captain Trips is a virus in The Stand that kills over 99 percent of Earth's population. The respiratory illness causes symptoms of a common cold as well as intolerable pain, swelling, and delirium. Unlike normal illnesses, Captain Trips mutates so rapidly that every medication is ineffective against the virus, and it's impossible to create an effective vaccine. The virus is created by the American government as a weapon, but they can't keep the Captain Trips contained.
The fictional pandemic Red Fever — no relation to the real-life scarlet fever — kills all adults across the globe in Anna, attacking new hosts whenever they begin puberty. Symptoms of the illness seem relatively tame for a fictional illness, exhibiting rashes and fevers. However, these realistic symptoms are contrasted with impossible mortality rates. Red Fever kills 100 percent of individuals infected, with no known cure or treatment. As such, pre-pubescent teenagers must dread the day that they start puberty, knowing they can't stop their death.
The Brazilian thriller Kissing Game centers on a mysterious illness called the Kissing Virus — no relation to real-life mononucleosis. This virus starts with dark sores on the mouth followed by dark lines down the neck. The marks and scleras turn fluorescent with the entire eyes eventually becoming a milky white. Most notably, the teenagers infected by the Kissing Virus become apathetic and unable to empathize. This disease is described as a zombie virus that affects the brain instead of the body.
In True Blood, vampires can be infected by a virus called Hepatitis V, a genetically modified form of Hepatitis D that affects only vampires. The illness causes hosts to grow weaker and slower, creating visible black lines on their bodies. A vampire with Hepatitis V will experience unbearable heat and pain. Within two days of contracting Hepatitis V through injection, the being will succumb to the illness. Eventually, the vampire breaks down into a pile of boiling blood, as seen when True Blood's Bill Compton dies in the season 7 finale.
Dani Kessel Odom (they/them) works as a Core Features Shift Writer for Screen Rant. Prior to this position, Dani worked in the writing and editing business for nine years. Some of their notable work includes writing and editing as a freelancer and running their own website. They’ve published many feature articles and reviews for film and tv. Additionally, they received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Colorado–Denver in English Writing with a minor in Psychology. They took courses on filmography and scriptwriting which further sparked their love of everything pop culture.
Pop culture has been a deep passion for Dani since a young age. Dani has always considered themself a nerd and geek. They started cosplaying as a teenager, and they’ve continued to this day. On any given day, you can find them binge-watching Marvel, horror flicks, and true crime shows. They’ll ramble about their new favorite show at any given time. Dani’s other passions include acting, psychology, LGTBQ+ topics, and music. They enjoy incorporating these topics into their writings about film and tv.
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