Meaning
What does Gone, Reduced to Atoms mean?
Gone, reduced to atoms, also referred to as gone, reduced to ashes is a viral quote from Avengers: Endgame, said by Thanos.
Online, the phrase is used on image macros and reaction images related to the feeling of grief and loss.
Origin
What's the origin of Gone, Reduced to Atoms?
Avengers: Endgame premiered in the United States on April 22nd, 2019.
One of the scenes in the movie depict the Avengers ambushing Thanos (portrayed by Josh Brolin) in order to find out where the Infinity Stones are.
Thanos then tells them, the Stones are “gone, reduced to atoms”.
The first meme created from the scene was uploaded to iFunny by dudewat77 on May 2nd, 2019.
Ever since then, “gone, reduced to atoms” would serve as a popular meme template online.
Spread & Usage
How did Gone, Reduced to Atoms spread?
The format would quickly appear on Reddit, initially on the r/MemeEconomy and r/me_irl subs, then various other ones, including r/memes and r/thanosdidnothingwrong.
Its popularity would reach its peak in June, 2019 as “gone, reduced to atoms” would appear as clips, GIFs and image macros on sites ranging from YouTube to Instagram, Reddit, Facebook and Imgur.

External resources
- Reddit – r/thanosdidnothingwrong
- IMDb – Josh Brolin: Thanos
- Cheezburger.com – Thanos’ ‘Gone. Reduced To Atoms’ Is A Meme About Anything That Mysteriously Disappears