The Internet Is Claiming December 21 Could Be a Day of Disaster or Superpowers

The internet is a strange place and in 2020, it became a whole lot stranger — if that was even possible. A tweet emerged claiming — likely in jest — that December 21, 2020, would be the day that Black people gain superpowers. It’s now a running joke that the internet has totally embraced.

This isn't the first time the date has been mentioned in conjunction with something special happening. There’s no evidence to suggest that something supernatural will occur on Dec. 21, 2020, but it is the day when Saturn and Jupiter will align and be the closest to the Earth they have been for hundreds of years. So if that’s a recipe for the supernatural, then apparently the internet is ready.

The meme that was tweeted on Dec. 5, 2020, is suddenly making the rounds again, prompting tons of other users on Twitter to add their own memes about getting superpowers and becoming either heroes or villains. The original tweet was clearly meant as a joke, as are the memes that have followed it, but Twitter is living for the Black superhero and superpower memes right now.

"As black people, genetically we are stronger and smarter than everyone else, we are more creative," the original tweet and meme said. "On December 21 our Real DNA will be unlocked and [the] majority [of us] will be able to do things that we thought were fiction. Learn who u are as a people. They wanna make us average."

The original tweet has led the way for other Twitter users to talk about the superpower they believe will be awoken in them as Black individuals. It’s unclear if the joke started on TikTok, as these things often do, or if Twitter was where it originated from. Either way, the internet is alive with the sound of satirical conspiracy.

Of those who half-expected the Dec. 21 rumor to be true but woke up without powers on Dec. 21, some took to Twitter to share memes about what they did expect and the "powers" they have already, like the power to be invisible to their crush.

Others are still asserting their faux powers despite the trending date having no real supernatural significance after all.

Because Dec. 21, 2020, is a significant date on which planets will align and be closer to the Earth, there are other theories about what will happen on that date. And, to be honest, none of them are as fun as the superpower memes. Christian evangelist Pastor Paul Begley has spoken out about his belief that the world will end on Dec. 21.

In June, he took to YouTube to inform his followers of "the Great Conjunction" which also includes Mayan prophecies.

"December 21, 2020, during the great conjunction when Jupiter and Saturn come within 0.1 degrees of one another and create the brightest star in the skies since the star of Bethlehem," he said. "This is so rare and it's going to be on the winter solstice. It's going to be on December 21, 2020. The Mayans are now re-organizing and saying this could certainly be the end of the world as we know it."

Pastor Paul later posted another video that disputed his original claim, and he admitted that while he knows for certain that "the end is near," he isn't sure about the actual date. He is sure, however, that the end could come about in the year 2060, so there’s that.

Regardless of what will and won't happen on Dec. 21, 2020, the internet will likely be waiting with bated breath.