Grail (DC Comics)

The Grail is a fictional organization, a secret society from the comic book Preacher "that is keen to bring about Armageddon with the help of Jesse's power." It is loosely based on the legend of the Priory of Sion. As Massimo Introvigne explains, Preacher was "among the popular comic book series which...focused interest on the subject."

Fictional history
The Grail are privy to the secret that Jesus Christ did not in fact die on the cross in Jerusalem but escaped to France where he and Mary Magdalene raised children and lived for many years until he was struck down by an offal cart. The Grail has protected the holy lineage of Christ for 2,000 years allowing his descendants to only procreate with each other.

They have over the centuries come to manipulate the governments of the world, mainly through intimidation. It is known that the personal bodyguards, friends and close employees of many if not all world leaders are actually leading double lives as agents of The Grail and are prepared to manipulate (and if necessary kill) their charges should they step out of line. These leaders are aware of the existence of The Grail and the constant threat to themselves and their loved ones stops them from stepping out of line. The Grail are also responsible for many influential celebrities and members of counter culture and was suggested in volume 1 to have even recruited angels to spy on and report to them the daily activities of heaven. Thus, though they probably number less than 1,000 individuals they are able to direct the course of global events.

The ultimate goal of The Grail is to orchestrate the apocalypse. The plan is to lead the governments of the world to nuclear war which will be then miraculously stopped by their Messiah: The direct descendant of Christ.

By the time of Preacher #21, the awaited messiah has arrived: a retarded and malformed child, the son of a brother and sister who were the inbred descendants of Jesus. The Grail has relied on the holy seed to keep the lineage pure but as Herr Starr put it: "Son of God or son of man... you can't fuck your sister and expect much good to come of it."

Having witnessed the promised "messiah," Starr, Sacred Executioner for The Grail, begins to plot his own conspiracy to eliminate the boy and replace him with a messiah of his own choosing, one that could be manipulated. To this end he chooses Jesse Custer. This mistake brings not only Jesse, Tulip O'Hare, and Proinsias Cassidy against The Grail, but also The Saint of Killers, thus causing a series of events that ultimately lead to the destruction of The Grail.