Illuminati

"Adam Weishaupt founded the Illuminati in the 1780’s to bring happiness to humankind through clandestine control of the world’s governments. Century after century, the Illuminati have operated in secrecy, never emerging from the shadows, but wielding tremendous influence."

- Deus Ex: Invisible War description

The Illuminati are a secret society of people whose goal is to control the world from "behind the scenes".

Background
The Illuminati were founded by Adam Weishaupt in 1776. They have been controlling the world in secret for centuries. In 2027, Prior to the events of Deus Ex, set in 2052, Lucius DeBeers stepped down from active leadership due to health problems and was put in stasis by his successor Morgan Everett. Everett's former protégé, Bob Page, became disillusioned with the Illuminati and broke away to form the splinter group Majestic-12, and the Illuminati's bankers and treasurers, the Knights Templar, were destroyed by Interpol with the help of Joseph Manderley.

2027
Utilizing the vast resources at their disposal, the Illuminati seek to impede progress made in mechanical augmentation research through clandestine military operations (Belltower Associates, Tyrants) and manipulation of the media (Picus TV).

2052
The Illuminati are at risk of being overthrown by Majestic-12, and attempt to recruit JC Denton to help them defeat the splinter group. They also fund and control both the NSF and the French resistance group Silhouette.

After the Collapse
"Nicolette DuClare rejected her mother’s Illuminati ties. After the Collapse she understood their importance and joined the society herself."

- Deus Ex: Invisible War description, 2072 Morgan Everett has either died or stepped down as leader, and Nicolette DuClare and Chad Dumier take over as new leaders. They form the capitalist WTO and its rival, the Order Church, a religious group, to disguise their true intentions of controlling the world. Paralleling this, they also own two rival coffee shops, Pequod's and Queequeg's. If Alex chooses to help them, they bring about a new era of control called the 'Age of Light', where they control the entire world from a space station.

Gallery
Illuminati