Lucius DeBeers

Lucius DeBeers is the leader of the Illuminati and its ruling Council of Five during the. He is one of the antagonists in Deus Ex games and media set in the 2020s.

Early years
DeBeers was born in approximately 1902. He has been a member of the Illuminati since the 20th century, and potentially even acted as its leader since then. During his rule, he ordered the assassinations of both President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert in 1963 and 1968, respectively.

2027
In 2026, DeBeers is living in a fifteenth century home in Geneva, Switzerland. Because of his age, he requires regular treatments from Dr. Roman, whom he strongly dislikes. However, the treatments are necessary to maintain his leadership of the group because the others, his protégé Morgan Everett first among them, watch for his possible weaknesses. During a conversation with the holographic busts of five men and two women (data tags showed their locations: Hengsha, Paris, Dubai, Washington, Singapore, Hong Kong, New York), drinking his favorite Saint Helena coffee, they report on the progress of "their plan".

The Illuminati deploy the Tyrants to assassinate William Taggart of Humanity Front in Geneva, which would make him a martyr for the anti-augmentation cause and push for a vote on UN regulation. The operation is foiled by Ben Saxon, Anna Kelso, and the Juggernaut Collective led by Janus.

After the Tyrants' operation in Geneva, DeBeers meets Morgan Everett at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. They recollect about the operation. Morgan claims that, even with Taggart alive, the assassination attempt has pushed the United Nations to hold a conference on regulating mechanical augmentation. They also speak of Bob Page, Morgan's apprentice, whom Everett notes is working on the "biochip initiative." They speak of several other plans for the near future, including the cure for AIDS, the "D Project" and an experiment with manipulating the California Fault line. Finally, in light of the losses taken by Juggernaut Collective and their allies, as well as the apparent disappearance of Saxon and Kelso following the events in Geneva, DeBeers tells Everett that Janus is of no concern, and that they have successfully dismantled Janus' Juggernaut Collective.

After the Tyrants attack Sarif Industries Headquarters, DeBeers tries to make contact with Sarif Industries CEO David Sarif, but Sarif tells his Executive Assistant Athene Margoulis by e-mail to block all future calls from DeBeers "regardless of how much money he has."

Late 2028 and early 2029
In late 2027, DeBeers is in a private meeting with Elizabeth DuClare at Hotel Imperioli in Sorrento, Italy. DuClare's role as de facto head of the World Health Organization has given her access to experimental medical systems to help DeBeers fight off the ravages of time and illness, creating a special bond between them. DeBeers' actual age is his most closely guarded secret.

During the meeting, they talk about the other members of the Council, and of Janus and Juggernaut Collective, who strikes Illuminati's grand, complex plan for mankind. DeBeers acknowledges to Elizabeth DuClare that Janus is an uncommon foe, given the precise and perfectly pitched nature of recent occurrences tied to the Collective, including the their leak of secret activity at the Rifleman Bank Station. DeBeers admits that in his earlier meeting with Everett, he had prematurely declared victory over the Juggernaut Collective. DuClare tells DeBeers that she has formulated a plan of action to uncover Janus, by playing a subtle and lengthy game.

At this time, DeBeers suspects that Page may find the courage to oust him some time in the future, if the conditions are right. However, he knows that Stanton Dowd will never make such a move, because Dowd is too comfortable in his current position.

In early 2028, the Illuminati attempt to extract military-grade augmentations from the Sarif Industries Manufacturing Plant, now abandoned since the Aug Incident, for use in operations in Europe. However, this operation ultimately ends in a failure as a result of interference by Adam Jensen, who defeats a team of Illuminati operatives and causes the military-grade augmentations to be destroyed in a train crash. After the failed operation, DeBeers contacts DuClare and tells her that further errors of judgement by anyone will not be tolerated, thus placing blame on DuClare presumably for failing to bring the Jensen situation under control after Jensen had escaped from a facility in Alaska run by the World Health Organization. DuClare cuts off DeBeers, and shatters an antique clock with a jolt of anger.

Later 2029
Later in 2029, the Illuminati deploy Shadow Operatives to ambush an arms deal in Dubai. The Shadow Operatives surprise Task Force 29 (with Adam Jensen now in their ranks), who were there to intercept the deal. Afterwards, DeBeers holds a secret meeting using Neural SubNet to discuss recent and upcoming matters. The meeting is attended by all the other members of the Council of Five, as well as Bob Page. During the meeting, DeBeers reminds the group that their long-term goal of maintaining order and stability has veered off-course as a result of the societal schism caused by the Aug Incident. DeBeers then demands that disruptive elements must be excised.

The Council proceeds to discuss the Human Restoration Act, which the United Nations is set to vote on soon. Volkard Rand, one of the Council members, states that he will go to New York to rally support for the passage of the Act. DeBeers agrees, and tells Stanton Dowd to accompany Rand. Rand, Dowd, and Elizabeth DuClare log off from the meeting, leaving DeBeers with Morgan Everett and Page. Everett argues that Rand and Dowd won't succeed in getting the Act to pass, and notes that Nathaniel Brown (the CEO of the Santeau Group, a corporation currently building a safe-haven for the augmented) is an unknown factor in this scenario. DeBeers acknowledges this, and tells Everett that they are already proceeding with the alternate strategy, later revealed to involve the orchestration of terrorist incidents intended to ensure the passage of the Human Restoration Act. Page tells DeBeers that everything is in place. In response, DeBeers tells Page that it is his chance to deliver. DeBeers remarks that "Dubai laid the foundations," suggesting that having Jensen's TF29 team witness the attack by the Shadow Operatives was part of the plan. At the end of the conversation, DeBeers instructs Page to proceed by activating the "sleeper cell," a group of agents embedded in the Augmented Rights Coalition (ARC). This group would later orchestrate the bombing of the Růžička Station in Prague and the assassination of ARC leader Talos Rucker. After Rucker is assassinated using the Orchid, Shadow Operatives acting under the instructions of Page attack Nathaniel Brown's Safe Harbour Convention held in London. The attack succeeds in framing ARC as a terrorist group, but the Human Restoration Act may or may not pass, depending on whether Jensen is able to prevent the assassination of Brown and the UN delegates attending the convention.

After the events in London, the DeBeers holds another Neural SubNet meeting with the other Council members, along with Bob Page. Rand voices his anger, stating that they all should have been "informed" of the actions of others, presumably referring to the actions that DeBeers had instructed Page to put into play. DeBeers tells Rand that the recent actions were only adjustments that typically occur on the field. After DeBeers adjourns the meeting, DuClare's avatar switches to that of Delara Auzenne. Auzenne tells DeBeers that DuCulare sends her regards, and report that Jensen's memories are currently consistent with their objectives of utilizing Jensen to unveil Janus. DeBeers remarks that it's only a matter of time before Janus is unveiled.

By 2029, DeBeers is the richest person in the world.

At this point, DeBeers is preparing to go into cryostasis due to his increasingly deteriorating health. His doctor, Dr. Roman, observes that DeBeers needs to be carried to bed. Everett supports placing DeBeers in cryostasis, but Page argues that it would be safer to let DeBeers die of natural causes rather than keeping him alive in stasis.

2052
In 2051, DeBeers is in a cryo pod in Morgan Everett's house. He was put there under the false impression that when the technology was invented to help cure his ailment, Everett would restore him to his former glory. However, unbeknownst to DeBeers, the technology has already been around for some time, and Everett has no intention of ever reviving him.

Other interactions

 * In Deus Ex, DeBeers can be encountered in Morgan Everett's house. JC Denton can tell DeBeers the truth about Everett's deception or lie to him and tell him that Everett is still with him. If JC tells the truth, DeBeers will ask JC to power down his pod, euthanizing him. If JC does so, Everett will scold JC via infolink, but besides that, he will do nothing else.

Quotes

 * "I AM THE LEADER! I brought the Illuminati up through the 20th-century to the height of their power! I had presidents and premiers eating out of my hand. I am the one! Our decline is the result of my own. All we need is for me to get back on my feet. What did Everett tell you?" (to JC Denton)

Trivia

 * His name alludes to the powerful real-world De Beers diamond cartel that in the past controlled roughly 90% of the world's diamond production. De Beers has been accused and condemned by human rights activists, economic analysts, and conspiracy theorists for a number of both confirmed and unconfirmed controversies. This reference to the DeBeers diamond cartel was confirmed by Harvey Smith in a 2001 interview.
 * In the same interview, Harvey Smith mentioned that the development team contemplated on giving players the option of reviving DeBeers, but did not go with this route because DeBeers was "a minor, late-introduced character, so it seemed risky" especially given the time constraints of the game's development.
 * DeBeers refers to himself as "The Supreme Enlightened" and "The One", names which are similar to those given to such as the "Supreme Buddha" and "The Enlightened One."
 * DeBeers has a slight southern United States accent in Deus Ex. However, in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, he has a fairly neutral British accent. It is possible, however, that his voice in Deus Ex is artificially synthesized and not his speaking voice.
 * DeBeers' clothing in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided alludes to both his great age and infirmity as it is in fact a biometric suit that monitors his vital signs and administers medication. The developers wanted the players to infer that the suit was the only reason DeBeers was still physically active.