The phrase comes from Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, the 2004 real-time strategy game set in Games Workshop's grim science-fiction universe, where Chaos Space Marines use Kill, Maim, Burn as a brutal battle cry. Players heard it constantly during chaotic battles, and clips of the shout spread through Warhammer fan videos, gaming montages and meme edits. Its blunt, three-word rhythm makes it instantly quotable, and it has endured as shorthand for unhinged aggression, chaos and deliberately excessive violence in online humour.