Illuminati in popular culture

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 &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 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
 * Adam Weisshaupt features as Cerebus' ruthless political opponent, throughout the Church & State story line. He is drawn to resemble George Washington.

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, 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 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 secret organizations in The X-Files are very much like popular images of the Illuminati, though they are probably more based on Majestic 12
 * 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.
 * A recent episode of American Dad poked fun at the Illuminati by calling them the "Illuminutty." The episode dealt with the truth behind the real inventor of peanut butter.
 * In the movie 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.
 * In the second half of the movie El Topo, the majority of the content is set in a hedonistic city with the Illuminati seal posted everywhere, without the actual name being mentioned.
 * 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.

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.
 * 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 Patriots who have become the focus of the Metal Gear Solid series are highly influenced by the Illuminati.
 * 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.
 * In the roleplaying game Paranoia, the Illuminati are one of the secret societies a player may serve.

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", which is also featured in the film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
 * 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 late rapper Tupac Amaru Shakur 2Pac was known for using the alias "The Don Killuminati".
 * 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 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.
 * 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.
 * The 2006 release "Back to Base X" by (hed) p.e. is full of Illuminati and New World Order references in both the songs and the CD artwork.
 * Incubus' lead singer, Brandon Boyd, has a tattoo of the an eye with wings on his back which resembles the illumati's logo.
 * Bill Drummond and Jimi Cauty of KLF fame drew heavily from the Illuminatus Trilogy in their late 80's / early 90's creative exploits, including notably their first joint project under the moniker The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, also known as 'The JAMMs'. Significant references throughout their work include the number 23 and specific lyrics, such as "Immanentise the Eschaton" (sic.) in "All you need is love" from their first album as The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, 1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?).
 * 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."