‘Peace Was Never an Option’ aka Peace Goose Meme: Origins

THE Peace Goosealso known as Peace Was Never an Option Goose Meme features an animated goose wielding a butter knifegiving off a menacing vibe. SSome memes combine the character so muchR and the sentence. In others, the goose is the focal point with different captions.

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Meme Basics

• meme creator: @erkshnrt/X
• Type of meme: Exploitable, image macro
• First appearance: September 2019
• Source of origin: X
• Peak popularity: November 2019
  
• Popular variations: The phrase is sometimes combined with different characters or animals, with the goose holding different weapons or other items

Origin

The Peace Goose is the main character of Untitled Goose Game. The sandbox game takes place in the English countryside, where the goose threatens everyone it meets. Players control the goose as it completes different objectives. The game debuted in September 2019.

That same month, user X @erkshnrt posted a meme featuring the goose leaning on an axe, with the caption: “Peace was never an option.”

Cultural context

The phrase “Peace was never an option” was already popular online. It originated from the February 2011 film, X-Men: First Class. In conversation between Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr.

Charles Xavier: Listen to me very carefully, my friend… killing Shaw will not bring you peace.
Erik Lehnsherr: Peace was never an option.

To spread

Days after the original meme went viral, @CampbellxEmma tweeted her version. The meme uses a close-up screenshot of the goose with a butter knife in its mouth,

Meme examples and variations

Both aspects of the meme continue to enjoy popularity to this day. Peace Goose was edited in different configurations and combined with phrases. Likewise, “Peace was never an option” appeared in other memes with different characters.

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