Illuminati in popular culture

Main article: Illuminati

References to the Illuminati in popular culture include the satirical, humorous, and fictional:

Books and comics

• Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson is a three-book science fiction series published in the 1970s, which is regarded as a cult classic particularly in the hacker community. The occult group Illuminates of Thanateros can be safely assumed to have named itself inspired by this book and claims heritage to the Illuminati at least in spirit.
• A comic book version of the Illuminatus! was produced and published by Eye-n-Apple Productions and Rip Off Press between 1987 and 1991. The adaptation has not yet been completed.
• Robert Anton Wilson also wrote The Historical Illuminati Chronicles in the early 1980s. While this too is a fictional account of a young Italian Freemason, the books are crammed with historical footnotes.
• Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum is a labyrinthine novel about all sorts of secret societies, including the Illuminati and the Rosicrucians.
• Angels and Demons (German title: Illuminati, Dutch title: Het Bernini Mysterie), the precursor to The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, is about an apparent Illuminati order plot to destroy its enemy the Catholic Church by using antimatter to blow up the Vatican while Papal elections are being held. In this novel the Illuminati movement was founded by Galileo Galilei, and others, as an enlightened reaction to persecution by the Catholic Church.
• The Principia Discordia, the infamous holy book of Discordianism, includes the Illuminati as one of the Greyface forces opposing Discordians.
• UK author Clive Barker, in his epic Imajica, imagines the Illuminati as a place where supernatural items are collected — and hidden/destroyed, so that the general public may never see them. Many of the items come from other dimensions, which the book expands on in great detail.
• David Icke suggests that the Illuminati are a group of aliens that manipulate humanity and control world affairs. [1]
• In David Craig Simpson's Ozy and Millie comic strip, much of the world is manipulated, though somewhat satirically, by a Dragon Illuminati, which works off the very chaos the world itself creates.
• In the DC Comics, Vandal Savage leading a group calling themselves the Illuminati, destroyed the city of Atlantis.
• In the Marvel Comics universe, the Illuminati was a secret clandestine group formed in the wake of the Kree-Skrull War, consisting of Iron Man, Professor X, Mister Fantastic, Doctor Strange, Namor, and Black Bolt. This group had its true purpose and history explained (at least partially) in the one-shot "New Avengers: Illuminati" which will lead into Marvel's big 2006 event, "Civil War". See Illuminati (Marvel Comics).
• In Michael Romkey's vampire novels, the Illuminati are an order of benevolent vampires, consisting of many famous figures throughout history (Beethoven, Mozart, etc.). The main character, David Parker, joins the order, but later leaves.
• In the Star Trek book The Eugenics Wars Vol. 2: The Rise And Fall Of Khan Noonian Singh, General Morrison believes that the Illuminati/New World Order is out to destroy his militia, and Roberta Lincoln reveals that she and Gary Seven have already destroyed the Illuminati
• Author Larry Burkett wrote a book called The Illuminati, where "The Society" seeks world power.

TV and movies

• Illuminati Pictures is the name of an East Coast film and television production company. Their work often promotes conspiracy-related political values (see Flamethrower).
• In Simon West's movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) a group of high-society villains call themselves Illuminati, developing a plan to rule the world. They and Lara Croft's father claim that the Illuminati have existed for millennia for this purpose.
• The anime series Serial Experiments Lain contains some references to the Illuminati and the Majestic 12.
• In an episode of The Dead Zone it was hinted that the Illuminati will play a large role in the apocalypse that the show's protagonist John Smith is supposed to prevent.
• The German movie 23 has some references to Illuminati topics, including passages read from the Illuminatus! trilogy.
• In Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, an episode revolved around Illuminati members who were revealed to be aliens, as well as the legendary Men in Black
• In Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, the murderous Sawyer Family appear to be killing in the name of the Illuminati.
• In several episodes of the Walt Disney animated series Gargoyles, one of the major antagonists of the series, David Xanatos, was revealed to be a member of the Illuminati. In one episode he travels back in time 1,000 years, flashes his Illuminati pin and it is acknowledged. The Gargoyles Illuminati was founded in 948 AD, eight centuries before the origins of the historical Bavarian Illuminati. The series ended before much was revealed about the order. It is rumored that if it had continued, it would eventually been revealed that the Illuminati had been founded by the immortal Sir Percival of the Round Table.
• In the original 1960 version of the film Ocean's Eleven at the church where the member of the who died is being cremated, at the front of the church on the wall the Illuminati symbol is clearly visible and the camera even, at one point, looks directly at it.
• In 24, the last half of Season 5 gave birth to a character known as Graem with a loyal cabal around him. His secrecy and manipulation of the leaders of the US government has made viewers believe that he controls a secret society, one much like the Illuminati. In season 6, however, he was revealed to be a defense contractor.
• In one episode in Justice League Unlimited, The Question was being tortured. During his torture, he said various things concerning conspiracies he investigated, one of which happened to be "There really was a magic bullet. It was forged by Illuminati mystics to prevent us from knowing the truth". Also, The Question in the TV series was obsessed with discovering a secret organization he assumed was behind the conspiracy, heavily hinted to be the Illuminati.
• The anime series Noir centers around the conspiracies of a group known as the Soldats, with obvious references to the Illuminati
• The movie National Treasure refers to the Illuminati, the Free-Masons, and the Knights Templar as all being the guards and also related to the collection of the treasures of history.
• In the movie Hackers (film)\Hackers, when the new laptop is given to Dade Murphy/Zero Cool, by computer security expert Eugene "The Plague" Belford, the Pyramid and Eye is flashed on the screen over the face of Eugene Belford.
• Dr. Jack Hodgins from the television series Bones whose hobbies include a deep interest in conspiracy theories, often mentions and makes connections from cases to the Illuminati during or connected with work done at the Jeffersonian.
• In Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, there were many reference's to the illuminati and freemasonry, most notably when Bill (Tom Cruise) enter's the house of a secret society and witnesses an orgy with masked men in black cloaks. Another scene depicts the logo of the freemasons on a building, next to "Rainbow Furnishings", spreading speculation that this is a freemason lodge.

Games

• Two games from Steve Jackson Games are based on the mythos: Illuminati and its trading card game reincarnation Illuminati: New World Order.
• The main antagonistic group in the video game Deus Ex is called Majestic 12 (a reference to another secretive group common in conspiracy theories), which is later revealed to be a splinter group of the Illuminati. After the player defeats Majestic 12 at the end of the game,one of the three endings is that the Illuminati once again return to power and this is the basis of the game's sequel, Deus Ex: Invisible War.
• The videogame Resident Evil 4 features its main plot as that of preventing a religious cult known as Los Illuminados, from ultimately ruling the world: using parasites — Las Plagas — to control and cleanse heathens.
• The video game Area 51 contains multiple references to the Illuminati, who have made an alliance with the Gray Aliens in order to conquer the world. In the game, they manipuleted the US government so they whoudn't find out their secrets at Area 51 and their attempt to created a army of creatures evolved from mutaded humans.
• The story line of Street Fighter III revolves around an organization calling itself the Illuminati seeking to create a new utopia.
• In the roleplaying game Paranoia, the Illuminati are one of the secret societies a player may serve.
• In the video game series Metal Gear Solid, there is a group called The Patriots which were influenced by the Illuminati.
• In the sandbox action video game Crackdown, the Agency represents something like the Illuminati; the Agency Director refers to creating a New World Order.
• The Illuminati are key story elements to Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars / Sword of Baphomet adventure games.

Music and audio

• 2Pac released an album titled The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory on November 5, 1996. It was the final album finished before Tupac Shakur's death and the first to be released after his death.
• The song "No Purpose No Design" by Meat Beat Manifesto has some references to Bavarian Illuminati [2].
• Fat Boy Slim has a song called "Illuminati", which is also featured in the film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider [3].
• In September 2001 Gamma Ray released the album No World Order. It has several references to the Illuminati including the songs Induction and New World Order (both lyrics and music by Kai Hansen), and the booklet design (by Henjo Richter) [4].
• The rap group Mobb Deep makes many references to the Illuminati in their songs. 'The Illuminati wants my mind soul and my body, a secret society tryin' to keep their eye on me.' & 'I'll find the facts, that we got Illuminati all on our backs, check and see if we do crimes and pay tax.'
• The punk group Rancid makes references to both secret societies and the Illuminati in the song "Life Won't Wait." They make such references as "the eye atop the pyramid is open and awake" and "division is the new world order." The song featured Buju Banton and Vic Ruggario as guests.
• The rapper Immortal Technique mentions the Illuminati in some of his songs e.g. "The Cause of Death" "You think Illuminati's just a fuckin' conspiracy theory?" [5]
• The Japanese visual kei band Malice Mizer has an immensely popular song titled Illuminati, which combines the theme of sex with Biblical allusions and likens the experience to a religious ritual.
• Myron Fagan released a 3 disc LP in the late 1960s which explained a lot of the history of the Illuminati. He died a few years later from natural causes. Myron Fagan's recording has also been sampled on several records by rap artist, Cage Kennylz, who has referred to the Illuminati in lyrics an uncountable amount of times. "Mason's keep calling me about my application, cause I dropped it off and thought knock it off, you can start your own club to plot and stuff" and "Oops, I spilled beer on the board, come find me later, while I conspire this Illuminati paper" (from "Perfect World").
• In 2003 US speed metal band Agent Steel released the album Order of the Illuminati. The band is well known for basing its lyrical concepts on conspiracy theories.
• Bobby Conn's music refers often to the Illuminati and other suspects of global domination in a satirical fashion.
• The rapper Necro references Michael Jackson as being part of the Illuminati, possibly for being powerful enough to be acquitted of child molestation charges twice, on the song, "Entertainment Tonight", from his album, "Street Villains, Vol. 2".
• The Prize Fighter Inferno's album My Brother's Blood Machine has cover art of the Illuminati "All Seeing Eye" seen on the top of the Illuminati symbol of a Pyramid.
• Infected Mushroom's album "Converting Vegetarians" contains a song, "Illuminaughty."
• Lemon Demon fans call themselves Illemonati, a play upon the word "Illuminati."
• Soul-Junk's song, "Ill-M-I," off the album "1956" starts off with the chorus, "Ill-M-I, Ill-M-I, Ill-M-I, Ill-M-I and you / Illuminati comin' thru." In 2004, Toby Mac did a cover of this song on his album "Welcome to Diverse City."
• Illuminati is the name of a British woodwind quartet of young players based in Glasgow, Scotland, which formed in 2003.
• Rapper Sage Francis, in a live freestyle, over the beat of A Tribe Called Quest's "Can I Kick It?", off of his album Sick of Waging War, references The Illuminati in the line "Illuminati's got every part of my body bugged, the microchip is in my wrist so give it a tug"
• Rapper Young Buck, in the "Shorty Wanna Ride" Video, goes into a room where The Illuminati are destroying classified papers.
• The rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (Layzie Bone in particular) have made serveral references of the Illuminati in the past. One reference is from the song Can't Give It Up where Layzie says "i really don't wanna hurt nobody, just kill off the Illuminati"

See also

• Illuminati
• Secret societies in popular culture
• Conspiracy theories (fictional)