The Illuminati: Difference between revisions

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'''The''' [[Ancient Conspiracy]]. '''The''' [[Omniscient Council of Vagueness]]. '''''The''''' [[One World Order]]. Founded at the dawn of human history, if not earlier, they gather influence and wealth, spinning their webs of lies and deceit in the shadowy heights of society. Or maybe they're just a bunch of rich white thugs with pretensions of grandeur. Either way, when a creator of popular culture needs a name for this group, they often turn to "The Illuminati" and their "Eye in the Pyramid" symbol; both have percolated their way into semi-general use, come across as refined and ancient, and (mostly) [[Historical Domain Character|aren't under copyright]].

"Illuminati" means "[[Light Is Not Good|the enlightened ones]]" in [[Gratuitous Latin]]. There ''was'' a Masonic-like organization of intellectuals which was [[Trope Namer|given this name]] in [[Real Life]] Bavaria in the 1770s, but it was eventually disbanded by the Bavarian government. There are [[Conspiracy Theorist|people]] who fervently believe the Illuminati survived this purge, orchestrated [[The French Revolution]] (as part of their [[One World Order]] efforts), and still exist, very much as described above, but... this really isn't the place to discuss it; go check out [[~~Wikipedia (Wiki)|~~Wikipedia]]'s [[wikipedia:Illuminati|article]].

"Illuminati" means "[[Light Is Not Good|the enlightened ones]]" in [[Gratuitous Latin]]. There ''was'' a Masonic-like organization of intellectuals which was [[Trope Namer|given this name]] in [[Real Life]] Bavaria in the 1770s, but it was eventually disbanded by the Bavarian government. There are [[Conspiracy Theorist|people]] who fervently believe the Illuminati survived this purge, orchestrated [[The French Revolution]] (as part of their [[One World Order]] efforts), and still exist, very much as described above, but... this really isn't the place to discuss it; go check out [[Wikipedia]]'s [[wikipedia:Illuminati|article]].

This name is bandied about a ''lot'' over in the [[Wild Mass Guess]] department. See also [[The Knights Templar]].

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== [[Anime and Manga]] ==

* ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' has [[Big Bad|Father]], the Homunculi, and {{spoiler|[[The Government|Central Command]] actually running Amestris}} in a manner that fashions this trope in every way except without the name. The Homunculi are [[Anthropomorphic Personification|Anthropomorphic Personifications]] of the [[Seven Deadly Sins]] {{spoiler|whose source of life is cultivated from a direct result of human character emotions and vices}}, and their symbol is the Ouroboros. {{spoiler|Central, headed by King Bradley (who's actually [[Unstoppable Rage|Wrath]]), have controlled the economy, media, military, and politics of the nation, cultivated [[Fantastic Racism]], and used war propaganda, all to annex lands at central points to set the stage for Father's [[Ancient Conspiracy|Ancient]] [[Evil Plan]].}} It turns out that {{spoiler|Father even ''founded'' Amestris by teaching a group of people alchemy, which they used to grow into a powerful and prosperous nation - but secretly blocked them from using its true source, the energy released from the earth's movement underground (''[[Manipulative Bastard|which he even included in his teachings!]]''), through a series of underground tubes which ended with him and instead forced them [[Powered By a Forsaken Child|to use the energy of his Philosopher's Stone and all the human souls trapped within]].}} And what is Father's driving purpose, exactly? {{spoiler|[[Satan|To conquer God]].}}

* ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' has [[Big Bad|Father]], the Homunculi, and {{spoiler|[[The Government|Central Command]] actually running Amestris}} in a manner that fashions this trope in every way except without the name. The Homunculi are [[Anthropomorphic Personification|Anthropomorphic Personifications]] of the [[Seven Deadly Sins]] {{spoiler|whose source of life is cultivated from a direct result of human character emotions and vices}}, and their symbol is the Ouroboros. {{spoiler|Central, headed by King Bradley (who's actually [[Unstoppable Rage|Wrath]]), have controlled the economy, media, military, and politics of the nation, cultivated [[Fantastic Racism]], and used war propaganda, all to annex lands at central points to set the stage for Father's [[Ancient Conspiracy|Ancient]] [[Evil Plan]].}} It turns out that {{spoiler|Father even ''founded'' Amestris by teaching a group of people alchemy, which they used to grow into a powerful and prosperous nation - but secretly blocked them from using its true source, the energy released from the earth's movement underground (''[[Manipulative Bastard|which he even included in his teachings!]]''), through a series of underground tubes which ended with him and instead forced them [[Powered by a Forsaken Child|to use the energy of his Philosopher's Stone and all the human souls trapped within]].}} And what is Father's driving purpose, exactly? {{spoiler|[[Satan|To conquer God]].}}

== [[Comics]] ==

* In [[Marvel Comics]], this was the name of a secret alliance between influential superheroes - [[Iron Man]], [[Fantastic Four|Reed Richards]], [[X Men|Professor X]], [[Sub Mariner]], [[Doctor Strange]], and [[The Inhumans|Black Bolt]] (they tried to recruit the [[Black Panther]], but well, he was able to read the next sentence in this paragraph). They're actually a subversion, however, as their goals were to protect the world, not rule it, and their secretiveness eventually came back to bite them repeatedly (see [[World War Hulk]], [[Secret Invasion]], and even [[Civil War (Comic Book)|Civil War]], all in which [[Not-So-Omniscient Council of Bickering|the ideological differences between the members end up highlighted by measures taken on by at least the more prominent players]]).

* In [[Marvel Comics]], this was the name of a secret alliance between influential superheroes - [[Iron Man]], [[Fantastic Four|Reed Richards]], [[X-Men|Professor X]], [[Sub-Mariner]], [[Doctor Strange]], and [[The Inhumans|Black Bolt]] (they tried to recruit the [[Black Panther]], but well, he was able to read the next sentence in this paragraph). They're actually a subversion, however, as their goals were to protect the world, not rule it, and their secretiveness eventually came back to bite them repeatedly (see [[World War Hulk]], [[Secret Invasion]], and even [[Civil War (Comic Book)|Civil War]], all in which [[Not-So-Omniscient Council of Bickering|the ideological differences between the members end up highlighted by measures taken on by at least the more prominent players]]).

** And during the ''[[Dark Reign]]'' [[Story Arc]], [[Spider Man|Norman Osborn]] forms an evil version of the Illuminati called the Cabal, composed of himself, [[Doctor Doom]], [[X Men|Emma Frost]], [[The Mighty Thor|Loki]], [[The Hood]], and the [[Sub Mariner]] - who, as mentioned above, is also a member of the good Illuminati. ''At the same time''. [[True Neutral|He doesn't see the difference]].

** And during the ''[[Dark Reign]]'' [[Story Arc]], [[Spider-Man|Norman Osborn]] forms an evil version of the Illuminati called the Cabal, composed of himself, [[Doctor Doom]], [[X-Men|Emma Frost]], [[The Mighty Thor|Loki]], [[The Hood]], and the [[Sub-Mariner]] - who, as mentioned above, is also a member of the good Illuminati. ''At the same time''. [[True Neutral|He doesn't see the difference]].

** It's important to note that the Marvel guys have given subtle nods that they know about the connotations of the name. Actions have been taken by some members, most often chiefly Iron Man, in certain storylines such as the three listed above, which were not only disagreed with by at least one fellow member on principle, but also would call into question for readers whether they were playing this trope straight. Also, Iron Man says once to Maria Hill when remarking on this group and referring to it by name that “at least that’s what I self-deprecatingly call our little world-saving group,” giving clear hint that only he uses the name. Put this in perspective. The only member of the "good guy Illuminati" that ever used the name was the snarky/humorous member of the team who's led questionable acts in the plots that developed after each of its meetings, and even he readily admits it's self-deprecating humor.

** Also notable to say that Black Panther refused the invitation to join because he ''knew'' that the group's extremely secretive nature left them doomed to fail if they ever disagreed on anything.

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== [[Live Action TV]] ==

* The [[Millennium (TV)|Millennium]] Group became something of an [[Expy]] for this in the last season, which was some distance from the original concept.

* The [[Millennium (TV series)|Millennium]] Group became something of an [[Expy]] for this in the last season, which was some distance from the original concept.

* {{spoiler|The Silence}} in ''[[Doctor Who]]'' have been revealed to have been doing this to mankind for centuries.

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* [[Doctor Steel]]

* According to [http://vigilantcitizen.com/?p=1676 this article,] [[Lady Gaga]].

** Also [[Jay Z]] and [[Kanye West]], according to many a [[YouTube]] commenter.

** Also [[Jay-Z]] and [[Kanye West]], according to many a [[YouTube]] commenter.

** You can also add [[Rihanna]], [[Katy Perry]], and [[Kesha]], or so the comments on Youtube would lead you to believe.

** As well as [[~~Jessie J (Music)|~~Jessie J]] and [[Music/Kyary Pamyu Pamyu|Kyary Pamyu Pamyu]].

** As well as [[Jessie J]] and [[Music/Kyary Pamyu Pamyu|Kyary Pamyu Pamyu]].

** Basically, anyone in the Mainstream.

* [[Gamma Ray (Music)|Gamma Ray]]'s ''No World Order''

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== [[Tabletop Games]] ==

* Steve Jackson Games sells various conspiracy-themed card-games (collectable and otherwise) under the blanket name ''Illuminati'', while their line of ''[[GURPS]]'' role-playing material have published a couple of Illuminati-related source-books. Some of it is obviously inspired by the ''[[Illuminatus]]'' book trilogy. The company has a trademark on a least one version of the "Eye in the Pyramid" design, and the other companies in this section often get official permission to use it. Particularly [[Wild Mass Guess|WMG]]-worthy is the fact that several world-changing events in recent history seem to have been depicted on these cards in these games years before they happened.

* [[~~D 20~~ Modern]]

* [[D20 Modern]]

* One of the secret societies in ''[[Paranoia]]''. {{spoiler|May or may not be a front for Ultraviolets, spies from another Alpha Complex, bots, aliens...}} {{spoiler|<ref>and may or may not actually exist.</ref>}}

== [[Video Games]] ==

* ''[[~~Deus Ex (Video Game)|~~Deus Ex]]''. {{spoiler|And they're debatably the '''good''' guys. Their rogue spin-off organization, the Majestic 12, on the other hand, are decidedly not.}}

* ''[[Deus Ex]]''. {{spoiler|And they're debatably the '''good''' guys. Their rogue spin-off organization, the Majestic 12, on the other hand, are decidedly not.}}

** Also featured in the prequel [[Deus Ex Human Revolution ~~(Video Game)~~|Human Revolution.]] {{spoiler|Taggart describes the Illuminati as "just a name used to get rich people to invest more money," and he's not far off; the organization's every attempt to assert more control over the world goes completely off the rails, often due to internal sabotage. It's no wonder the first game's [[Big Bad]] was able to usurp nearly all of their resources for Majestic 12.}}

** Also featured in the prequel [[Deus Ex: Human Revolution|Human Revolution.]] {{spoiler|Taggart describes the Illuminati as "just a name used to get rich people to invest more money," and he's not far off; the organization's every attempt to assert more control over the world goes completely off the rails, often due to internal sabotage. It's no wonder the first game's [[Big Bad]] was able to usurp nearly all of their resources for Majestic 12.}}

* [[The Illuminati]] will be one of the three playable factions in the upcoming conspiracy-themed MMORPG ''[[~~The Secret World (Video Game)|~~The Secret World]]'', along with the Templars (who are not, but have ties to, the historical [[Knights Templar]]) and an Asian-themed "Dragon" society.

* [[The Illuminati]] will be one of the three playable factions in the upcoming conspiracy-themed MMORPG ''[[The Secret World]]'', along with the Templars (who are not, but have ties to, the historical [[Knights Templar]]) and an Asian-themed "Dragon" society.

* The resident [[Conspiracy Theorist]] Gomez in ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines]]'' has a particularly convoluted theory about the Illuminati (read it [[Conspiracy Theorist/Quotes|here]]). Of course, this being the [[~~Old World of Darkness (Tabletop Game)|~~Old World of Darkness]], that theory has a good chance to be true...

* The resident [[Conspiracy Theorist]] Gomez in ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines]]'' has a particularly convoluted theory about the Illuminati (read it [[Conspiracy Theorist/Quotes|here]]). Of course, this being the [[Old World of Darkness]], that theory has a good chance to be true...

* [[Street Fighter]] III's antagonist leads an interesting take on this. The Illuminati in these games have a lot of religious symbolism and are more akin to a psychotic cult than an oppressive secret society. Gill himself is a [[Nietzsche Wannabe]] dark savior with obscene doses of [[A God Am I]]. Oh, and then there's the fact that he's red and blue skinned and clad in a thong...

** Although, they do have the whole [[Ancient Conspiracy]] thing going on.

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== [[Web Original]] ==

* [[Avatar ~~the~~ Abridged Series|"And then he beat the crap out of him, muttering about Illuminati or something. I'm telling you, this guy is crazy"]]

* [[Avatar: The Abridged Series|"And then he beat the crap out of him, muttering about Illuminati or something. I'm telling you, this guy is crazy"]]

== [[Web Comics]] ==

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== [[Western Animation]] ==

* ''[[~~Gargoyles (Animation)|~~Gargoyles]]'' featured a group by this name. Xanatos himself is merely a junior member.

* ''[[Gargoyles]]'' featured a group by this name. Xanatos himself is merely a junior member.

* ''[[Minoriteam]]'' had The White Shadow, who is a living Eye in a Pyramid.

* ''[[Freaknik the Musical]]''

* ''[[Metalocalypse]]''

* As quoted above, in an episode of ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]'', one of the facts [[The Question]] reveals while [[Unreliable Narrator|under torture]] concerns the Illuminati.

* One episode of ''[[~~American Dad (Animation)|~~American Dad]]'' features a group called the Illumi''nut''i, which guards the secret history of peanut butter.

* One episode of ''[[American Dad]]'' features a group called the Illumi''nut''i, which guards the secret history of peanut butter.

* In ''[[Young Justice (~~Animation~~)|Young Justice]]'', The Light seems to have a lot of Illuminati-characteristics, down to the name ("The Light" being very similar to "the enlightened ones"). In addition, the first member of The Light is [[Vandal Savage]], who formed the Illuminati in the comics.

* In ''[[Young Justice (animation)|Young Justice]]'', The Light seems to have a lot of Illuminati-characteristics, down to the name ("The Light" being very similar to "the enlightened ones"). In addition, the first member of The Light is [[Vandal Savage]], who formed the Illuminati in the comics.