History Main / Atlantis

A story set in pre-deluge Atlantis will usually be set JustBeforeTheEnd, similar to how TheCretaceousIsAlwaysDoomed.

** These ideas were also used as explanations of how "lesser" people like the Mayans could have advanced civilizations, with Europeans claiming they were "devolved" descendants of Atlanteans. These days AncientAstronauts are frequently put in place of the Atlanteans, and critics feel this has the same {{unfortunate implications}} about ancient people (usually non-European) being too stupid to independently do this.

The most iconic SunkenCity, and one of the original [[IslandOfMystery Islands Of Mystery]].

* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' visit Atlantis in one episode, and they have an awesome time. Nothing beats [[MermaidProblem mermaid puss]]!

* One pplot arcin ''Anime/YuGiOh'' involves saving the world from the power which destroyed Atlantis. As a nod to Plato, the arc involves three Atlantean dragons, named "Critius", "Timaeus", and "Hermos", nods to the characters of Critius, Timaeus, and Hermocrates in ''Timaeus'' and ''Critias''.

* One plot-arc in ''Anime/YuGiOh'' involves saving the world from the power which destroyed Atlantis. As a nod to Plato, the arc involves three Atlantean dragons, named "Critius", "Timaeus", and "Hermos", nods to the characters of Critius, Timaeus, and Hermocrates in ''Timaeus'' and ''Critias''.

* ''Obviously,'' the legend of the lost city of Atlantis from Myth/ClassicalMythology. Except that, strictly speaking, it isn't; [[{{Mythopoeia}} the story comes from the writings of Plato]], which were philosophical parables, and there's no trace of Atlantis in surviving Greek folk-myths as such, though there were catastrophic flood stories and suchlike. Plato's story goes that [[TemptingFate the citizens of Atlantis somehow angered the gods, probably by trying to conquer everyone else]]. As punishment for whatever had annoyed them, the gods sank the island to the bottom of the ocean, thus implying the {{Aesop}} of "respect the gods, or you and your entire city will drown!" Worse, the sinking seems to have trashed everyone else, too -- including the people who were fighting the Atlanteans. However, Plato never seems to have finished the story, so exactly why he imagined the gods intervened in such a cataclysmic way in an ongoing war between Atlantis and everyone else remains unknown.\\

* ''VideoGame/{{Undertow}}:'' The mythical civilization appears as one of the four factions in the game, and is portrayed as an [[ProudWarriorRace Empire]], which uses [[MilitaryMage magic]] and [[TheBeastmaster aquatic animals]]. It's briefly hinted that [[AndManGrewProud overuse of that power]] is what led to them being sealed under the ice for millennia until the icecaps were melted, freeing them and letting them escape into an Earth [[FishOutOfTemporalWater that was flooded after they were sealed]], a state which suits [[ApparentlyHumanMerfolk them]] just fine.

* ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed:'' In the backstory, there's hints there was a city called Atlantis belonging to the {{Precursors}}. ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey'' confirms it, and [[spoiler:that it actually used to be where the Greek island of Thrace is now. A DLC story called ''Fate of Atlantis'' explores it, and just why it got sunk - mad experiments went out of control, and the city's ruler felt his people were too far gone to let it continue.]]

* The '90s Film/{{Gamera}} movies have Gamera and the Gyaos originally being Atlantean creations, with the clash between them resulting in Atlantis's destruction.

* As one might expect, Atlantis also features in ''Film/MacGyverLostTreasureOfAtlantis''.
* ''Film/JourneyToTheCenterOfTheEarth1959'': Added to the film, although it's nothing more than ruins at the bottom of a volcano shaft.
* The film ''Film/{{Atragon}}'' features Mulian enemies and their {{Kaiju}} Manda.
* Atlantis, or something like it, features as part of the back-story of ''[[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]]'' classic ''Film/TheFinalSacrifice''.
* In ''Film/{{Cocoon}}'', Atlantis was the site of [[TimeAbyss the Antareans']] first base here on Earth.
--> '''Walter''': Everyone else said, "use the North Pole", and I said, "no, too cold". ''Sinking'' never occurred to me.

* Doug [=McClure=] escaped from the ''Film/WarlordsOfAtlantis'' in his last monster movie from Creator/AmicusProductions.
* In ''Film/{{Aquaman|2018}}'', Atlantis was once a united kingdom hundreds of years ago. But then the place sank, forcing the survivors to adapt to the changing environment. Seven kingdoms rose:
** Atlantis itself, which became an underwater city with very advanced water-fuelled technologies.
** Xebel, who closely resemble the original Atlanteans and seem to be their close ally.
** The Fishermen, who have evolved into merfolk.
** The Brine, dwelling in a volcanic region and have evolved into a crustacean species.
** The Trench, now devolved into an AlwaysChaoticEvil species that both Atlantis and Xebel fight against.
** The Deserters, now extinct, and had occupied to what became the Sahara when their kingdom dried up.
** The Missing, with no information as to what happened to them.

* ''Series/StargateAtlantis'', notable here in that it was NOT destroyed in prehistory. It just ''left the galaxy''. The city is actually a cityship (as in starship). The city is capable of landing/floating in an ocean, as well as submerging unharmed, thus playing off the "sunken city" myth. Somewhat played straight, in that the city was deliberately sunk and abandoned by the Ancients 10,000 years ago, after coming under overwhelming attack by the Wraith (in another galaxy). The surviving Ancients (who fled back to Earth through the Stargate) passed the tale of Atlantis on to the ancient Greeks. So in the Stargate verse, the myth of Atlantis is actually true, they just left out the part that aliens were involved and it happened in another galaxy.

%%* ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'' has had at least one episode dealing with the Atlantis myth.
* The ''[=MST3K=]'' experiment: ''Film/AlienFromLA'' featured Creator/KathyIreland falling down a hole in the Middle East and discovering the lost civilization of Atlantis -- now a tribe of cave-dwelling Australians who use {{Steampunk}} technology and live under the rule of an oppressive "1984"-esque government. ''Really.''
-->"Can't she believe how bloody Australian I am??"
* Another ''[=MST3K=]'' experiment: ''Film/HerculesAndTheCaptiveWomen'' had the title character (Hercules, that is, not the Captive Women) stumbling upon the Island of Atlantis and attracting the attention of its vampish queen. Hercules manages to resist her charms and destroy the Island before the Atlanteans can enact their plan to TakeOverTheWorld.
* An example of the aquatic variant, the 70s short-lived series ''Man from Atlantis'' stars Patrick Duffy as an Atlantean who fights crime using his swimming and water-breathing abilities. No kidding.
* Lissard, a [[LizardFolk greenskinned, scaled, fish eating humanoid]] and a henchman of Lord Fear in ''Series/{{Knightmare}}'' is from Atlantis.
* The back story of ''Franchise/StarTrek'' features Atlantis, an artificial landmass in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean created by the Federation. It did not sink. Although the only time the viewer gets to see it is in Film/StarTrekFirstContact, when the whole shebang has been assimilated (along with the rest of the Earth) by the Borg.
* ''Series/SeaQuestDSV'' discovered evidence of Atlantis. More plausibly, an early episode had them excavating a ruined city off the North African coast that had been submerged after an earthquake.
* The Franchise/PowerRangers visit the sunken island of Atlantis in season 15, [[Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive Operation Overdrive]], on their quest for the five jewels of the Corona Aurora, the crown of the gods. To protect the valuable historical site, the Rangers' mentor decides to keep the city's location secret. The actual location of the city, whether it's in the Mediterranean Sea or the Atlantic Ocean, isn't revealed to the viewer, either.
* The team in ''Series/{{Danger 5}}'' travel to Atlantis to deliver uranium to power a HumongousMecha for the fight against [[StupidJetpackHitler Hitler]]. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, it's all part of Hitler's plot to take over the world.]]
* ''Series/{{Atlantis}}''. A troubled twenty-something searching for his DisappearedDad somehow gets swept into a mythical Atlantis in episode one. The rest of the series is set there.
* ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'':
** Atlantis is apparently a popular vacation spot for witches. One of Sabrina's dates takes her there offscreen. She remarks that the fish was fine but the chips were a bit too soggy.
** One of the novelisations "Age of Aquariums" has Sabrina discover the city inside a billionaire's aquarium. The reason the city was sunk in the first place was because the residents - called the Keftiu - complained too much.
* ''Series/MacGyver1985'': As one might expect, Atlantis features in "Lost Treasure Of Atlantis".

* Series/{{Arrowverse}}: Atlantis is mentioned to exist on Earth 2 and is considered to be a popular vacation spot. A map of Earth 2 briefly shows a small landmass in the middle of the Atlantic. In fact, this is where this world's Barry and Iris move in order to [[spoiler:escape from Zoom]]. Jay Garrick mentions knowing someone on Atlantis, and Barry's phone has a speed-dial number for someone named [[ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} Arthur]]. [[spoiler:It's now likely gone along with the rest of Earth 2, having been wiped out by an antimatter wave.]]
* ''Series/ResidentAlien'': Harry offhandedly mentions Atlantis was real, and apparently its destruction came about due to being overpopulated.

* ''Lament for Atlantis'' by [[Music/MikeOldfield Mike Oldfield]].

* ''Literature/TheIlluminatusTrilogy'' has Atlantis as the birthplace of TheIlluminati, at least according to [[UnreliableNarrator one of the anti-Illuminati fronts in the novel.]]

* "Hy Brasil" in ''Film/ErikTheViking'' is clearly Atlantis at heart, down to the Greek stylings of the culture. The name, however, comes from [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brasil_(mythical_island) another mythical island]].

* Added to ''Film/JourneyToTheCenterOfTheEarth1959''. It's nothing more than ruins at the bottom of a volcano shaft.

** The island of Númenor, located west of Middle-earth and home to the greatest civilization of Men. As detailed in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', they established settlements throughout Middle-earth, first as protectors and benefactors of less powerful peoples, then as conquerors after they began falling to evil. The last king of Númenor was even able to capture the Dark Lord Sauron and take him home as a prisoner. Sauron being [[MagnificentBastard Sauron]], it wasn't long before nearly everyone was openly worshiping Darkness and Sauron himself was High Priest. He even got the king to launch an invasion of the Undying Lands, at which point Eru (God) intervened and not only sank Númenor, but changed the Earth from flat to a globe. In case anyone missed the point, the epilogue has the survivors call their lost home ''Atalantë'', "the Downfallen".
*** Interestingly, though Númenor was definitely meant to invoke Atlantis, Tolkien's notes state that the Atalantë bit was purely coincidental. Prof. Tolkien wondered what "the Downfallen" would be in a certain in-universe language and got "Atalantë".
*** Incidentally, one of the surviving Númenórean settlements eventually expanded to become the Kingdom of Gondor, which Tolkien admitted took quite a few cues from AncientEgypt. [[AncientAstronauts Coincidence?]]
** The subcontinent of Beleriand, which sank to the ocean at the end of the First Age, shortly before Númenor rose. This one's not because of hubris or anything; the War of Wrath that the Valar instigated against Morgoth was so destructive [[PyrrhicVictory it caused the entire land to sink]].

* One panel in ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'' informs us that the original Atlantis was far greater than we can imagine, to the point where what we think we know about it were mere "echo-Atlantises". Of course, the same panel talks about the great human civilizations that rose and fell before the fossil record had finished with dinosaurs, and shows a ''T. rex'' on a leash.

* In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, before modern theories of plate tectonics ironed out their shortcomings, syncline theory looked more viable. It postulates large chunks of land randomly going up or down, thus any dry land may sink and become a sea bottom, and sea floor may rise. "Lost continents" featured prominently in scientific speculation to explain, for example, the presence of similar species and fossils in places separated by thousands of miles of ocean or desert, like lemurs in both Madagascar and India. Naturally, anthropologists and linguists also jumped on board, using "land bridges" to explain human migration and so forth. Eventually people started to take the idea to its "logical" conclusion and suggested that whole, and potentially advanced civilizations might have once existed on these sunken lands, and so, like other myths, the legend of Atlantis maybe contained a kernel of truth. This idea was hugely popular in the early part of the 20th century, not just with crackpot mystics but with the population at large.
** This has led to a certain amount of confusion between Atlantis (in the Atlantic Ocean) and "Lemuria" (the link between India and Madagascar), among other sunken lands. The fringe theorists loved this stuff, and spun some very wild stories off from that start.

** These ideas were also used as explanations of how "lesser" people like the Mayans could have advanced civilizations, with Europeans claiming they were "devolved" descendants of Atlanteans. Currently AncientAstronauts are frequently put in place of the Atlanteans, and critics feel this has the same {{unfortunate implications}} about ancient people (usually non-European) being too stupid to independently do this.

Historically, "Atlantis" draws on ancient myths from various cultures, but the main details are drawn from Creator/{{Plato}}'s dialogues ''Literature/{{Timaeus}}'' and ''Literature/{{Critias}}'', where it is a sort of thought experiment related to his visions of the ideal society. In this original version it was an all-conquering empire only successfully resisted by his ideal Athens, which was destroyed in the same cataclysm.

Historically, "Atlantis" draws on ancient myths from various cultures, but the main details are drawn from Plato's dialogues ''Literature/{{Timaeus}}'' and ''Literature/{{Critias}}'', where it is a sort of thought experiment related to his visions of the ideal society. In this original version it was an all-conquering empire only successfully resisted by his ideal Athens, which was destroyed in the same cataclysm.

* ''Anime/{{Raideen}}'' originates with the Mu.

* Disney's ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire''. The city is powered by a crystal called the Heart of Atlantis, which is what sunk it in the first place. Princess Kida was a child at the time of the sinking but is still young and spry hundreds of years later in 1912.

* The old ''TabletopGame/{{Alternity}}'' and ''TabletopGame/D20Modern'' setting, ''TabletopGame/DarkMatter'', includes references to Atlantis as a matter of course, as a ConspiracyKitchenSink setting. A SecretHistory timeline suggests TheGreys had made first contact with humanity on the Aegean island of Thera, creating the society that would become known as Atlantis. The Minoan eruption that "sunk" this Atlantis was blamed on the catastrophic failure of an alien power generator.

Historically, "Atlantis" draws on ancient myths from various cultures, but the main details are drawn from Plato's dialogues ''Timaeus'' and ''Critias'', where it is a sort of thought experiment related to his visions of the ideal society. In this original version it was an all-conquering empire only successfully resisted by his ideal Athens, which was destroyed in the same cataclysm.

-->-- '''Creator/{{Plato}}''', ''Critias''

* Parodied in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', "The Deep South", where the Planet Express crew stumbles upon the lost city of ''UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}}, GA''. It comes complete with a parody of the ''Atlantis'' song quoted above, sung by Donovan himself.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003'', Atlantis--or, as it's called by the natives, Y'lyntis--was at the center of several of the series' subplots, including the origin of the turtles' second lair.
** The underwater city of Atlantis also showed up in an episode of the [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 original cartoon]]. Oddly, one of its inhabitants was a FishPerson, while the rest were human (a dome kept out the water).
** Another version of Atlantis exists in ancient Greece in the original series. This one has the followers of Atlantis make April wear the amulet that makes her queen and resurrect Atlantis from the sea.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' episode "The Terror Beyond", the reason why Atlantis is an underwater city is revealed. Long ago, an EldritchAbomination and its forces attacked Earth. The king of Atlantis created a powerful magical trident that could banish the monsters. Unfortunately, he had to drain the magic that kept Atlantis afloat to do it.

* Atlantis was the "jewel of the Empire" according to an alien villain in ''WesternAnimation/MenInBlack'', it seems that Earth itself was part of an interstellar Empire [[AncientAstronauts in antiquity]] and the city sunk at some point. It's still a popular tourist location for marine aliens.
* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' visit Atlantis in one episode, and they had an awesome time. Nothing beats [[MermaidProblem mermaid puss!]]

* Just like other ''Franchise/DCUniverse'' properties, Atlantis in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'' is portrayed as a nation of superhuman, aquatic residences like Aquaman and Aqualad. Season 4 reveals that [[spoiler:Vandal Savage founded Atlantis as a village of his metahuman descendents, who would give rise to ''Homo magi'', the ancestors of magic using humans. Centuries later as part of his plan for humanity to rule Earth's oceans, Vandal had Klarion sink Atlantis. While the majority died, including its leader and Vandal's grandson Arion, some had survived using their magic to adjust to life in the sea]].