Illuminati in popular culture

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

Books and comics

 * Illuminatus! 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.
 * 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), by Dan Brown, is about an Illuminati order plot against the Catholic Church. 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 &mdash; 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.
 * In the DC Comics universe, there are at least two societies based on the Illuminati. The first was founded by Vandal Savage and Garn Danuuth in ancient Atlantis. The second was an organization known to its members as "Fiatlux" which was devoted to the release of a demon known as Hellrazer from the realm of Perdition.
 * David Icke suggests that the Illuminati are a group of aliens that manipulate humanity and control world affairs.
 * 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 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 will have its true purpose and history explained (at least partially) in the upcoming one-shot "Illuminati" issue, 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

TV and movies

 * 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 a recent 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.
 * In Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, an episode revolved around Illuminati members who were revealed to be aliens
 * 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 clearley 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 Graham_%2824%29 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.

Games

 * Two games from Steve Jackson Games are based on the mythos: Illuminati and its trading card game reincarnation Illuminati: New World Order. "Secret conspiracies are everywhere, and where can you find the only truth? Certainly not in the game of Illuminati" states the advertising.
 * Deus Ex, a video game, features the Illuminati. Its sequel, Deus Ex: Invisible War also features the Illuminati in a more active role.
 * 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 &mdash; Las Plagas &mdash; to control and cleanse heathens.
 * The video game Area 51 contains multiple references to the Illuminati.
 * The story line of Street Fighter III revolves around an organization calling itself the Illuminati seeking to create a new utopia.
 * In early editions of the Warhammer 40,000 table top miniatures game, these were humans who were possessed by daemons of Chaos, but were able to escape their grasp.

Music and audio

 * The song "No Purpose No Design" by Meat Beat Manifesto has some references to Bavarian Illuminati.
 * Fat Boy Slim has a song called "Illuminati"
 * The Jurassic 5 song Concrete Schoolyard contains a passing illuminati reference.
 * 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).
 * The rap group Mobb Deep make 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.'
 * 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?"
 * The Japanese rockband Malice Mizer has a 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 serveral 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.
 * The underground punk band Killer Squirrel recorded a song called “The Cowboy Illuminati Get Their Revenge” in 2005. The song also mentions the group called Skull and Bones based at Yale University. In 2004, Killer Squirrel released an album featuring an eye at the top of a pyramid on the cover.