Basic Trope: Something very fictional and implausible is revealed to have caused the dinosaurs' extinction in-universe.
- Straight: Emperor Evulz uses a very powerful magic that pulls a large asteroid on a collision course with Earth. He even gleefully reminisces of the time where he killed the dinosaurs.
- Exaggerated:
- Emperor Evulz was also responsible for the other four of the five famous mass extinctions such as the Triassic-Jurassic extinction, the Great Dying, the Devonian extinction, and the Ordovician Extinction.
- The dinosaurs were wiped out by the dinosaur equivalent of a Zombie Apocalypse.
- Downplayed: The lucky few dinosaurs who managed to escape Evulz's wrath survive for a few years before they die off due to a famine or pandemic indirectly caused by his actions.
- Justified:
- Evulz is an Eldritch Abomination and the "asteroid" was actually his egg which was laid and sent to Earth by his mother.
- Evulz was a dinosauroid who is a Misanthrope Supreme to dinokind.
- Evulz is the Grim Reaper and the extinction of the dinosaurs was a field day for him.
- Inverted:
- A necromancer visits the prehistory museum, which results in dinosaurs walking the earth once more.
- Emperor Evulz uses a very powerful magic that destroys a large asteroid into a pile of dust, saving dinosaurs from extinction.
- Emperor Evulz is responsible for the dinosaurs coming into existence or evolving from ancient archosaurs.
- Subverted: Turns out, a random asteroid did cause the extinction of the dinosaurs.
- Double Subverted: But wait a minute, the hero notices that the asteroid is radiating the same dark aura that Evulz emanates.
- Parodied: Emperor Evulz reveals that the extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by an intergalactic prankster who thought it would be hilarious to play a practical joke on Earth's prehistoric creatures.
- Averted: The Dinosaurs In-Universe were killed the same way and time as they did in our reality.
- Zig-Zagged: The story initially presents Emperor Evulz as the cause of the extinction, but later reveals that it was actually a combination of his actions and natural factors like climate change and volcanic activity.
- Enforced: The creators wanted to show how bad things would get if the Big Bad got the MacGuffin before the heroes did, so he frames the extinction of the dinosaurs as the last time this happened.
- Lampshaded: "You think that's bad Hiro? You should've been there when it happened 65 million years ago!"
- Discussed: Scientists in the story have a conversation about the various theories surrounding the extinction of the dinosaurs, including the possibility of a fictional and implausible cause.
- Conversed: Two characters in an unrelated conversation briefly mention the fictional cause of the dinosaurs' extinction, speculating on its implications for other events in the story.
- Invoked: Emperor Evulz deliberately sets in motion a series of events that lead to the cause of the dinosaurs' extinction, using it as a means to further his nefarious plans.
- Exploited: A cunning character uses the knowledge of the fictional cause of the dinosaurs' extinction to manipulate others or gain an advantage in some way.
- Defied: The heroes actively work to prevent the cause of the dinosaurs' extinction from occurring, using their knowledge and abilities to thwart Emperor Evulz's plans.
- Implied: Evulz laughs and mocks Hiro for his for standing in his way and tells him that when he goes to hell, to say hi to the dinosaurs down there.
- Deconstructed: The extinction of the dinosaurs is painted as Evulz's Moral Event Horizon, so we are treated to a heartbreaking and graphic montage of several dinosaur species going extinct, all of which are most likely terrified but due to their animalistic minds, are unable to comprehend what's happening or why it's happening.
- Reconstructed:
- As morally depraved as Evulz killing the dinosaurs is, it was a necessary moment in Earth's history to happen. If Evulz never caused the Great Dinosaur Genocide of 65 Million B.C.E., the non-avian dinosaurs wouldn't have gone extinct, therefore squandering humanity's (and by extension, all of mammal-kind's) chances of ruling the world in the present day.
- After the deconstruction of the extinction of the dinosaurs, the story takes a turn to explore the possibilities of redemption or alternative outcomes. It introduces a character or group of characters who work tirelessly to undo the damage caused by Evulz and prevent similar catastrophes from happening again. Through their efforts, they manage to resurrect a few dinosaur species or create a new ecosystem where dinosaurs can thrive once more.
- Played for Laughs: The Dinosaurs Had It Coming
- Played for Drama: A race of intelligent dinosaurs knew their world was ending and pulled one big Heroic Sacrifice to make sure something from their lineage survives, be they small generalist species that remain after their extinction.
- Played for Horror:
- The whole setting takes place in a Cosmic Horror Story and the dinosaur's extinction was just one of many tamperings with our realm.
- In the present day, birds have evolved to fear Evulz's presence and freak out and/or fly away whenever he's near. This is usually the only warning of Evulz's presence before he attacks.
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