# World War III World War III (also written WW3 and WWIII) is a recurring meme format where users joke about the imminent outbreak of a global war whenever major geopolitical events hit the news[1]. The format spikes in waves tied to real crises, most famously after the January 2020 US drone strike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani[2]. Jokes typically center on draft notices, meme veterans, and Gen Z reacting to potential conscription[3]. ## Overview World War III, shortened to WW3 or WWIII, is a wave-based meme format that flares up whenever a geopolitical event makes global war feel plausible[1]. The jokes lean on a shared bit: young posters imagining getting drafted, mocking their own lack of survival skills, or thanking their weak leaders for the coming nuclear annihilation[4]. The format is not tied to one image. It rotates through whatever reaction templates are popular at the time, from Crying Michael Jordan to Blinking White Guy to Sleeping Shaq, all captioned with a WW3 punchline[1]. What holds it together is the topical trigger rather than a fixed visual. ## How It Spread The format hit escape velocity on January 3rd, 2020, when a US drone strike at Baghdad airport killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force[2]. Iran's UN ambassador called the strike "tantamount to opening a war," and #WWIII shot to the number one worldwide trending spot on Twitter the same day[1]. Reddit, iFunny, and Instagram filled up with draft memes within hours, and actress Rose McGowan pushed the discourse further by tweeting an apology to Iran with the line "This is about WWIII, so none of that shit matters anyway"[1]. The format returned in force during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. When Vladimir Putin recognized Donetsk and Luhansk as independent on February 21st, 2022, WW3 jokes came back alongside coverage from outlets like BBC News[1]. The wave peaked again on November 15th, 2022, after a missile initially blamed on Russia landed in Poland and killed two people; AP News and Reuters later confirmed it was a stray Ukrainian air defense round[1]. That Poland incident spawned a fresh round of posts. Twitter user @Fallen_x_King's Blinking White Guy meme about WW3 pulled over 3,000 likes in a day, and @AVFC_Cian's Double Soda Pour version crossed 500 likes in the same window[1]. Urban Dictionary entries from the era described WW3 as the "long anticipated sequel to 1 & 2" and told readers to thank their weak leaders for the coming annihilation[4]. ## How to Use The WW3 format is triggered by a real news event, not scheduled. Posters typically grab whatever reaction template is currently popular, then caption it with a joke about getting drafted, dying in the first wave, or being unfit for combat because of screen time[1]. Common conventions include framing the poster as a Gen Z conscript, treating meme posting itself as a form of service ("WW3 veteran"), and roasting a specific world leader for starting the conflict[1]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is World War III? It is a recurring meme format where users joke about a third world war breaking out whenever a major geopolitical crisis hits the news, often built around draft notices and reaction images[1]. ### Where did World War III come from? Early WW3 image macros date back to a DeviantArt post on August 8th, 2011, but the format only got serious traction after the April 2017 US missile strike on a Syrian air base[1]. ### What does World War III mean? Online, WW3 or WWIII is shorthand for a joking, doomer reaction to escalating global tensions, treating a hypothetical world war as an inevitable punchline rather than a serious forecast[4]. ### How do you use World War III? Pick a popular reaction template, tie it to a current news event like the Soleimani strike or the Ukraine war, and add a caption about the draft, dying first, or blaming a specific leader[2]. ### Is World War III still popular? The format is resurgent rather than constant: it spikes hard during real crises, with major waves in 2017, January 2020 after the Soleimani strike, and again in 2022 around Russia's invasion of Ukraine[2]. ## References 1. [https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/02/middleeast/baghdad-airport-rockets/index.html]() 2. [https://x.com/i/status/1592590151083253760]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/world-war-iii]() 4. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=World%20War%20Iii]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/world-war-iii Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library