More often than not when a story has a BigBad there will be a BigGood to counter them. This has a number of advantages; it keeps the heroes' side balanced against the antagonists', provides a source of support for the heroes and generally stops the series getting too cynical. On the other hand, it raises some problems. Namely, with the strength of such a strong ally, where's the tension? The BigGood could easily end up being a GameBreaker, which also begs the question of why they don't get off their arse and send their villainous counterpart packing ([[OrcusOnHisThrone or vice versa]]).

Cue this trope - a powerful benefactor of the heroes (essentially doing the same thing in the story that a BigGood would) who has their own agenda or reasons for helping them. Perhaps they're mysterious and hard to trust, perhaps they're visible, but seem a little too keen to ShootTheDog. Other times, they're genuinely benevolent beings who are working within some sort of non-interference clause, and may employ the same tactics as their opponents. Either way, they'll provide the support the cast needs, but the heroes (or at least the audience) don't quite know if they can be trusted. Even if they are the BigGood proper, they might [[KnightTemplar not be planning to do things in an entirely moral manner]] or have it in for the heroes and wish to make them suffer more than they really need to. In a worst case scenario, they might become the new BigBad or turn out to be a BiggerBad.

Remember that this isn't a simple case of OmniscientMoralityLicense or InMysteriousWays, nor are they a BigGood who likes to stay hidden or keep an air of mystery around themselves; the entity in question must be at least visibly untrustworthy rather than having an excuse for their seemingly questionable behaviour. A hero with this trope as their main support might (but doesn't always) find themselves as an UnwittingPawn, although to count as this trope, the MysteriousBacker must further the heroes' agenda as much as their own (assuming they aren't one and the same). They're quite fond of the PassiveRescue (particularly when it means the hero might be forced to do something on his way out).

A subtrope of ThePowersThatBe and MysteriousStranger. See PoisonousFriend for another type of ally who might not see eye to eye with the rest of the team. Contrast with BigBadFriend, for someone who's close to and trusted by the hero, but leads the villains and EnigmaticMinion, for someone on the villain's side with unclear motives.
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!!Examples:

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[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

* In ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', [[spoiler: Kyubey]] is this to the letter. [[spoiler: even after finishing the series, his BlueAndOrangeMorality makes it difficult to discern whether or not he was a villain or hero, or any variation involving the prefix "anti-"]].
* Urahara from ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''. He guides Ichigo through the whole series, and obviously knows more than just about anyone else when it comes to just what the hell is going on, but don't expect him to fill you in any time soon.
* In ''SuzumiyaHaruhi'', the [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien Data Entity]] fits this role.

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[[folder:Comics]]

* ''Comicbook/GreenLantern'''s Guardians of the Universe. They think they're the BigGood, but they're completely full of themselves and wind up being the cause of a lot of messes the Lanterns have to clean up.
* Invoked in the second series of ''{{Runaways}}''. A group of former superheroes get a mysterious phone call asking them to come out of retirement for OneLastJob. The heroes call him out, but they still wind up taking the job.
* Most of the major Marvel principalities, particularly the Vishanti. They're mainly on the side of good, but they have a perspective which is sometimes completely alien to normal humans. On more than one occasion Comicbook/DoctorStrange has renounced them, taking the loss of power as a consequence, rather than be beholden to them any longer.

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[[folder:Film]]

* In the ''StarWars'' prequel trilogy Senator Palpatine fulfills this role, since he's apparently helping the protagonists, but anyone who had already seen the original trilogy knew [[BigBad what he had in mind]].

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[[folder:Literature]]

* ''TheDresdenFiles'' has loads of these; Marcone (a pragmatic, but still ruthless, gangster), the head of the White Council (who ''is'' the BigGood...but also has it in for Harry), pretty much [[TheFairFolk any fey that helps him]] (since BlueAndOrangeMorality is their chief export).
* The Ellimist from ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' technically tries to help the heroes, but he is either too roundabout in his methods to really gain their trust or too held up by [[EldritchAbomination Crayak]] (with whom he has a self-enforced stalemate) to help at all.
* Eru in all of Creator/JRRTolkien's works. All of the Valar as well.
* Melisandre from ''ASongOfIceAndFire''. A red priestess from Asshai who supports and advises Lord Stannis Baratheon in his campaign for the throne of Westeros and believes he is TheChosenOne. It's ambiguous whether she's actually good; she might be a TautologicalTemplar.

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[[folder: Live Action Television ]]

* ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}'' (which has its own series) serves as this in ''Series/{{Eureka}}''.
* The Vorlons were this in the first part of ''Series/BabylonFive''. Their definition of good (as opposed to the chaos of the Shadows) lets them help the heroes, but they go past good. Soon they are blowing stuff up veering into Lawful stupid territory.

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[[folder: Video Games ]]

* Mantarok from ''EternalDarkness''. Sure it's the only one of the ancients who isn't planning to enter the world and run amok, is activally opposing the others and even spent some time serving as [[MoralityPet a small village's personal fertility god]]. On the other hand, it's hardly in a position to oppose humanity and [[spoiler: after masterminding the destruction of the other three ancients, who knows what it's planning...]]
** WordOfGod also states that another ancient is responsible for protecting humans by cleaning away the remains of {{Eldritch Abomination}}s (as seen in the form of the yellow glow that accompanies the [[EverythingFades disappearing dead enemies]]), and may be an example of this (its yellow element [[spoiler: certainly blocks Alex's progress in the final chapter]]).
* Sammael from ''DarkSiders''; An archdemon from hell so Powerful that the destroyer had him imprisoned and reduced to an extra. But He uses what power he does have left to help War, the games protagonist, so that War will help him get his powers back (and because [[spoiler:he respects a man bent on revenge]]).
* ''GuildWars'': The Order of Whispers, in ''Nightfall'', is the BigGood organization confronting Abaddon. However, they're a very mysterious lot, none more so than the Master of Whispers himself (one of the NPC heroes the player can acquire during the campaign), and the player character [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this in in-game dialogue with the Order of Whispers shrine attendants from which he/she gets bonuses in explorable areas, saying, in almost as many words, "I don't trust you or your Order, but we have a common enemy, so I'll help you."
* [[spoiler:Verus]] in ''BatenKaitos Origins'', detailed on the [[Characters/BatenKaitos game's character page]].
* Theresa in ''VideoGame/FableII'' is textbook this trope -- apparently the Big Good of the whole game until the last ten seconds of the final {{cutscene}}.
* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', despite the nature of the organization, Cerberus acts like this towards Shepard.
* [[BabaYaga Flemeth]], the [[AmbiguouslyEvil (in)famous]] [[RetiredMonster "Witch of]] [[VoluntaryShapeshifter the Wilds"]] from the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' series.
* ''TalesOfMonkeyIsland'' portrays the Voodoo Lady that has helped Guybrush throughout his career as this.
* MadWorld featured Jack participating in the Deathwatch. After he goes rogue from the competition, he still receives backing, though it's obvious that [[EvenEvilHasStandards it was the sponsor from earlier in the game, who despised what the game had become]].
* ''ZenoClash'' has [[spoiler: Golem; a mysterious giant with a face that's shrouded in shadow and an extremely out of place Rubix cube.]] He seems to know exactly what's going on, is opposing Father-Mother and guide's Ghat...but seriously, what the hell are his goals? [[spoiler: Not to mention he seems to be subordinate to a MysteriousWatcher of some sort.]]
* In ''FinalFantasyTactics'', Delita effectively acts as one for Ramza. Delita's biggest contribution for Ramza's cause is [[spoiler:effectively deploying [[GameBreaker Thunder God Cid]] to fight along his side]]. Talk about friends in high places...
* The composer (AKA [[spoiler: Joshua]]) in ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou''. He more or less manipulated Neku into [[spoiler: stopping the BigBad's EvilPlan]] and was even considering [[spoiler: destroying everything anyway (although Neku's actions made him change his mind)]].
* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' has in its post-credits scene Otacon informing Snake that one of their biggest contributors was in fact one of the supposed members of th Wisemen's Committee, although he shortly thereafter reveals that they were dead since a century before the events of the game.
* In the tie-in comic for ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'', ''The Road to Arkham'', Batman suspects that the anonymous tips about Zsasz's activities, Scarecrow's activities, and the location of SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker were given by the same person. Evidence from the game itself as well as its sequel, ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'', implies that the source of the anonymous tips were either [[spoiler:Quincy Sharp, Dr. Strange, or Ra's al Ghul.]]
* ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' Kreia mentors the PC but don't think she's the same as those other Jedi masters...
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[[folder: Web Original ]]

* Machinima/RedVsBlue has the enigmatic Director, head of Project Freelancer.
** Vic too in the early episodes, in the sense of being MissionControl with some sort of agenda.
* Literature/{{Worm}} has the Undersiders' unknown boss. Eventually revealed to be [[spoiler:[[DiabolicalMastermind Coil]]]]

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[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* Deconstructed in ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'', during the first half of the first season, Mr E has been secretly helping Mystery Inc in some of the mysteries they are solving, but he soon puts them all in real danger for his personal gain. Such as sending one his hired hands to attack them so that he can lure out Prof Pericles.


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