X-Men Apocalypse: 11 Biggest Questions Answered
3. Why Didn't Apocalypse Detonate The Nukes On Earth?
The Question: Once Apocalypse uses Cerebro to take control of the world's nuclear arsenal, why doesn't he just fire the nukes at other states, or better yet, just fire the nukes back down towards the Earth, thereby killing the vast majority of the pesky humans he loves complaining about?
The Likely Answer: This one is simply "because plot". Sure, Apocalypse could easily have nuked the world into oblivion, but remember that he expressed a disdain for the tools humanity has built to "protect" itself, and so may have preferred to do it the old-fashioned way instead.
Plus, firing the missiles sky-high does admittedly result in a pretty cool visual and a more aesthetically dynamic sequence than had the world just erupted in a mushroom cloud.