Illuminati (Deus Ex)

The Illuminati is a fictional organization with the world of the video game "Deus Ex". It is based on the original secret organization, The Bavarian Illuminati, founded by Adam Weishaupt in 1792.

In "Deus Ex"

Within the back story of the series, the Illuminati have controlled the world "behind the scenes" for centuries, carefully managing the world's economies and governments in their quest for complete global control. By the time the original "Deus Ex" takes place, however, they have been usurped from their position of power by ex-protégé Bob Page and his splinter group "Majestic 12".

It is implied that the Illuminati are the driving force behind the NSF and its French branch, Silhouette. Known Illuminati agents during the events of "Deus Ex" are Morgan Everett, Stanton Dowd and Harley Filben, as well as the incapacitated Lucius DeBeers.

In "Deus Ex: Invisible War"

After the downfall of Majestic 12 at the end of the first game, the Illuminati return to power, though the worldwide collapse in the game practically cripples all organizations around the world. In "", the second game in the series, the world is beginning to reform itself after what is referred to as "the Collapse". The Illuminati are back controlling much of the world as they always have, behind the scenes. After the death or retirement of Illuminati leader Morgan Everett at some point after the first "Deus Ex" game, Nicolette Duclare, daughter of Beth Duclare and another member of the Illuminati, is placed in joint charge of the Illuminati with her lover Chad Dumier, the former leader of rebel group Silhouette (who were at war with MJ-12). maybeThe Illuminati have always secretly run the world "behind the scenes," usually through manipulation of other, more prominent organizations. The fanatical, idealistic worldwide religious group, "The Order", is led by "Her Holiness" (in reality Nicolette Duclare), while the capitalist WTO (World Trade Organisation) is controlled by Chad Dumier. While seemingly opposing each other, they are secretly working together (without the knowledge of even their own seconds-in-command for their organizations (Lin-May Chen for The Order and for the WTO) to control both a world economic system, as well as a world religion. Also, the Illuminati owns the two coffee shop chains Pequod's and QueeQueg's (these two chains are violently competitive, and their connections to the same organization are cleverly masked by their benefactor). When the player uncovers the truth about Dumier and DuClare in Trier, Germany, he or she first meets an Illuminati Elite Commando. Until then, the WTO and Order had been the military enforcement for the Illuminati. Their soldiers are highly skilled combatants, who are analogous to the MIB agents of the first game. Elite Commandos are tougher than normal soldiers but are augmented with permanent cloaking fields raising their combat strength and a self-destruct function causing them break down into an extremely poisonous gas which they are immune to. If the player sides with the Illuminati at the end of "Deus Ex: Invisible War", the resulting ending is called "The Age of Light". Siding with them results in the Helios core and Aquinas Hub being placed in the orbital space station Ophelia, from where the Illuminati monitor and control all communication and financial transactions in the world, thus bringing about a new era of enlightened control.