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    Anime and Manga 
"Even messiahs need to perform miracles if they are to be acknowledged. Therefore, we have to produce our own miracle, don't we?"
Lelouch Lamperouge, Code Geass

"The world will start moving in the right direction. It will be a new world, free of injustice and populated by people who I've judged to be honest, and kind, and hard-working. [...] and I will become the God of this new world!"
Light Yagami, Death Note

"Even wicked people... need a savior."

    Comic Books 
"As for David Sorrel, I don't think he exists anymore; he hasn't for some time. I am Their Instrument, Their Deliverance... I AM THE LIGHT AND THE WAY!"
David Sorrel, Stone Island

"I hate you all, you know? All you scum. I want to be President because I hate you. I want to fuck with you. I want to make you shut up and do things properly. Get through your doomed little lives quietly."
Gary Callahan, Transmetropolitan

    Fan Works 
"I'd heard the stories. I always suspected they were lies. We would not be abandoned, not by our shepherd. But I always suspected, perhaps had a little kernel of doubt in me that maybe, just maybe, even he was mortal. When I saw his face, when I looked into his eyes, and I heard his proclamation, there was no doubt left. There was only hope, vengeance, and victory."
Private Mari Marona, Brotherhood of Nod, Strike Division Babylon, Tiberium Wars

    Film — Live-Action 
"The heads. You're looking at the heads. Sometimes he goes too far. He's the first one to admit it."
The Photojournalist, Apocalypse Now

"Don't just stand there! Seize him! Punish him! The Lord has chosen me as the bringer of His word and the giver of His laws! Disobedience to me is disobedience to Him! Do it now, or your punishment shall be a thousand deaths, each more horrible than the last!"
Isaac Chrooner, Children of the Corn (1984)

"I am Gotham's reckoning."

"It's coming. I see a holy war spreading across the universe like unquenchable fire. A warrior religion that waves the Atreides banner in my father's name! Fanatical legions worshipping at the shrine of my father's skull! A WAR IN MY NAME! Everyone shouting my name!"
Paul Atreides,note  Dune (2021)

"Where would Jesus be if no one had written the gospels? ...You want to be a legend, Tyler, man, I'll make you a legend. I've been here from the beginning. I remember everything."

"[I]f what I plan to do for the people makes me a dictator, then it is a dictatorship based on Jefferson's definition of democracy! A government of the greatest good for the greatest number of people!"
President Judd Hammond, Gabriel Over the White House

"'The country is in danger. We will march out of the shadows. We will go forward.' Forward is the great password. And history tells how well we succeeded, your honor. We succeeded beyond our wildest dreams."
Ernst Janning, Judgment at Nuremberg

    Literature 
In a dying civilization, political prestige is the reward not of the shrewdest diagnostician, but of the man with the best bedside manner.
Eric Ambler, A Coffin for Dimitrios

He was warrior and mystic, ogre and saint, the fox and the innocent, chivalrous, ruthless, less than a god, more than a man. There is no measuring Muad'Dib's motives by ordinary standards. In the moment of his triumph, he saw the death prepared for him, yet he accepted the treachery. Can you say he did this out of a sense of justice? Whose justice, then? Remember, we speak now of the Muad'Dib who ordered battle drums made from his enemies' skins, the Muad'Dib who denied the conventions of his ducal past with a wave of the hand, saying merely: "I am the Kwisatz Haderach. That is reason enough."
— Irulan Corrino on Paul Atreides, Dune

"Didn't you just tell me about the bloody slaughter perpetrated by crusaders?" said Uriah. "Doesn't that make you no different from these holy men you were telling me about?"
"The difference is that I am right," said the Emperor.
Horus Heresy, "The Last Church"

"Good-bye, Percy. There is a new Golden Age coming. You won't be part of it."
Luke Castellan, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Hereafter, until the end of modern times, politics really is just about power, and ideology consequently withers. For real power struggles, no analysis is needed.
-The international system has been so damaged, partly by war and partly by the interdigitation of the societies which compose it, that it loses all resistance to consolidation. Domestic politics in all major powers have lost whatever restraint constitutional forms may once have provided. The extraordinary cynicism and viciousness of political life is ultimately debilitating. For a season, however, it provides a reservoir of available energy, of competent people willing to do literally anything which seems to suit their interests, which can be harnessed by the right man. Against this force, properly directed by a single will, there is nothing in the human world that can stand.
John J. Reilly, Spengler's Future

Yet one shall be born to face the Shadow, born once more as he was born before, and shall be born again, time without end. The Dragon shall be Reborn, and there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth at his rebirth. In sackcloth and ashes shall he clothe the people, and he shall break the world again by his coming, tearing apart all ties that bind. Like the unfettered dawn shall he bind us, and burn us, yet shall the Dragon Reborn confront the Shadow at the Last Battle, and his blood shall give us the Light. Let tears flow, O ye people of the world. Weep for your salvation.

    Live-Action TV 
Elric: As I look at you, Ambassador, I see a great hand reaching out of the stars. The hand is your hand. I hear the sound of millions of people calling your name.
Londo: [pleased] My followers?
Elric: Your victims.

"Looking at you, Doctor, is like looking into a mirror — almost. There's rage there, like me. Guilt, like me. Solitude. Everything but the nerve to do what needs to be done. Thank the gods my people weren't relying on you to save them."

Zein: (after bodyjacking Yuto Sakurai) Thank you for your hard work. But now, allow me to carry out on passing righteous judgment.
Horobi: Who are you!?
Zein: I am Zein. I am this dimension's savior.

"After Morgoth's defeat, the one you call Sauron... devoted himself to healing Middle-earth, bringing its ruined lands together in perfect order. He sought to craft a power not of the flesh, but over flesh. A power of the unseen world. He bid as many as he could to follow him far north. But try as he might... something was missing. [cuts to Utumno and Sauron's experiments on orcs] A shadow of dark knowledge that kept itself hidden, even from him. No matter how much blood he spilt in its pursuit. [cuts back to Adar and Galadriel] Mmm. For my part, I sacrificed enough of my children for his aspirations. I split him open. I killed Sauron."

Kirk: All I understand is that four thousand people were needlessly butchered.
Karidian: In order to save four thousand others! And if the supply ships hadn't come earlier than expected, this Kodos of yours might have gone down in history as a great hero!

    Music 
So sleep soundly in your beds tonight
Judgement falls on you at first light
I'm the hand of God!
I'm the Dark Messiah!
I'm the Vengeful one!
(look inside and see what you're becoming)
In the blackest moment, of a dying world
What have you become?
(look inside and see what you're becoming)
Disturbed, "The Vengeful One"

I am the wicked, the dealer of fate
Harbinger of sorrow
I'm the assassin, the dealer of fate
Framing man's tomorrow
Kingdoms will fall, empires crumble
Seizing on the politics of hate
I am the one, the devil in the details
The hand of god, the harbinger of fate

You say you wanna save humanity
But it's people that you just can't stand
John Lennon, "I Don't Wanna Face It"

Who found you when you were lost?
When blind, who made you see?
'Cos I'm the shepherd of this flock,
I guide my righteous sheep
Of your sins I'll see you washed,
Then I'll set your soul free,
The word of God is one you trust,
So thank God he
speaks through me!

You pushed away the severe storm
You made us believe, Comrade Kim Jong-il
We cannot live without you
Our country cannot exist without you
Our future and hope depend on you
People's fate depends on you, Comrade Kim Jong-il
Even if the world changes hundreds of times
People believe in you, Comrade Kim Jong-il

I can't stand this indecision
Married with a lack of vision
Everybody wants to the rule the world

Redeemer — the righteous shepherd or the reaper of souls?
Redeemer — a maniac practicing mass control.
Terrorwheel, "Redeemer"

    Tabletop Games 
"I am the one who came before and shall follow after. I am your father and your destroyer, architect of your destiny. I am him who is come in glory to crush the thrones of the Earth beneath my tread. You have known me by many names, O my children, but you know not the slightest part of my power. Submit to me and know the bounty of my love. Defy me and suffer the agonies of my boundless wrath. It is for you to decide, but choose quickly. The Final Hour is nigh. I wait for you at the heart of your strength."
— The Unnamed, "Hell On Earth", Mage: The Ascension — Ascension

"I'm da hand of Gork and Mork, dey sent me to rouse up da boyz to crush and kill 'cos da boyz forgot what dere 'ere for. I woz one of da boyz till da godz smashed me in da 'ead an' I 'membered dat Orks is meant to conquer and make slaves of everyfing they don't kill.
I'm da profit of da Waaagh an' whole worlds burn in my boot prints. On Armour-Geddem, I led da boyz through da fire deserts and smashed da humies' metal cities to scrap. I fought Yarik, old one-eye at Tarturus, an' he fought good but we smashed 'iz city too.
I'm death to anyfing dat walks or crawls, where I go nothin' stands in my way. We crushed da stunties on Golgotha, an' we caught old one-eye when da speed freeks blew da humies' big tanks ta bits. I let 'im go 'cause good enemies iz 'ard to find, an' Orks need enemies ta fight like they need meat ta eat an' grog ta drink.
I iz more cunnin' than a grot an' more killy than a dread, da boyz dat follow me can’t be beat. On Pissenah we jumped da marine-boyz an' our bosspoles was covered in da helmets we took from da dead 'uns. We burned dere port an' killed dere bosses an' left nothin' but ruins behind.
I'm Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka an' I speak wiv da word of da gods. We iz gonna stomp da 'ooniverse flat an' kill anyfing that fights back. We iz gonna do this coz' we're Orks an' we was made ta fight an' win!"
Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka, Warhammer 40,000

    Video Games 
"This is Doctor Sofia Lamb with a message for the people. Remember, you are not alone. Think of me not as leader, but as a mother to the Rapture Family."
Sofia Lamb, BioShock 2

"The Lord forgives everything. But I'm just a prophet... so I don't have to. Amen."
Zachary Hale Comstock, BioShock Infinite

Anton Slavik: In the name of Kane!
Crowd: Kane lives in death!
Slavik: In the name of Kane!
Crowd: Kane lives in death!
Slavik: In the name of KANE!
[Kane appears on the viewscreen]
Kane: KANE! LIVES!
Crowd: [ecstatic cheering]
Kane: [to a captive traitor] Rule of thumb, Hassan — you can't kill the messiah.
[Slavik slits Hassan's throat as the crowd chants "KANE! KANE!"]
Kane: Rise, my people. I have returned, never to leave your side again. GDI sought to destroy me, but they have only made me stronger. Today, we march forward into our future, a stronger people. A divine people, enhanced for the Tiberium world. The time has come to claim this world as our own! The time has come to DESTROY GDI! ONE VISION, ONE PURPOSE!
Crowd: THE TECHNOLOGY OF PEACE!
Kane: PEACE THROUGH POWER!

"I have always believed that faith was measured in deeds, not words, and while many of my children worshiped my name, their deeds betrayed them. In my absence, they strayed from the path, but you, my son, your faith never wavered. Not in Honduras or Jericho, or in the great Rio Insurrection. You risked your life countless times to topple GDI, to perpetuate our cause... to honor my name."

"Listen... learn your true purpose. The Tiberium Control Network and your implant, both are from the Tacitus. Both are from me. Your implant is the key to the portal. There were others... but Gideon took them from me. You are all I have left now. Only you, your implant, your energy, can activate the Scrin portal. With that, you can save this planet and I can finally leave this Earth! For me... Ascension is real. Deny me, if you must... but do so knowing that you'll doom this planet to an endless cycle of war."

"Sin is their birthright. My children, the lords of Hell are coming to devour our world. Salvation lies not in the Light, but in you. The faith has taught you to deny your heart's desire and turned you into a prisoner within yourself. Break the chains... and discover who you were meant to be... Break the chains... and be beautiful in Sin."
Lilith, Diablo IV

"If that's what it takes to be just, then I want nothing to do with justice. I'd rather be hated and feared like Mad King Ashnard. I'd rather the dark god take my soul. I'm going to save my people, Sothe. If the rest of the world paints me as a beast to be reviled and hated, so be it."

"I am Gauldoth Half-Dead, your savior."
Gauldoth, Heroes of Might and Magic IV

"Human, you've changed nothing. Your species has the attention of those infinitely their greater. That which you know as Reapers are your salvation through destruction."
Harbinger, Mass Effect 2

"I am the Messiah! Hahahaha!" note 
Omega/Omega Zero, Zero's original body, Mega Man Zero 3

When the Nazis came swarming from the west, they fought on the front lines under the Red Army, witnessing hell on earth and suffering bitter defeat again and again. When the Great Patriotic War was over, what little happiness they had in their former lives was taken from them by the victorious Germans. The West Russian Revolutionary Front's military failures and subsequent collapse in the 1950s only made men like Yazov more set in their ways: the old Soviet commanders had fervor, but the leadership desperately needed some fresh blood. Younger men, harder men, those who were taught from birth about the value of sacrifice and have witnessed it firsthand. With Comrade Karbyshev having passed before his vision was complete, the burden now falls to his protégé Dmitry Yazov to carry it out. Unlike his former mentor, Yazov has both the will and the stamina to implement it, and is already transforming the entire nation to be ready for a form of total war more destructive than any the world has ever seen. He expects his people to sacrifice everything they have, including their lives, to help achieve revenge against the German menace, and many of them will gladly do so. Nothing, not even the threat of atomic fire, will be enough to deter him from his course, and he frequently boasts that if all Germans and all but one Russian perish in the coming war, it will still be a victory.
— In-game biography of Dmitry Yazov, The New Order Last Days Of Europe

    Web Original 
You know why ISIS rose to power? Because they swept into regions with no strong central government and quickly organized one — ISIS will establish a police force, pay municipal workers, and even direct traffic. They're filling a vacuum.

Interestingly, this allows the show to position the Master as the logical end-point of Social Darwinism. He's a character who does all these horrible things simply because he can and very few people have the power to stop him. He's "might makes right" writ large... Certainly, the speech that the Master has Midge deliver at the youth club reflects this world view. "Get rid of the deadwood, let the wasters go to the wall, and the strong will inherit the earth. You and me." And mostly him.

Some people might find your willingness to cause countless deaths for what you, personally, think is a good outcome is callous. The non-chalant way you talk about "Gulags in Alaska" and "Putting Reactionaries up against The Wall" seems like borderline sociopathy to them. Those people are cowards. They're just not ready to do what it takes. And what it takes is death. Like, a lot of it. A lot of people are going to die to make your dream a reality. But that's okay, because it's all going to be worth it in the end.

I don't think it is any great surprise that Jaro is behind the Circle, and in fact I would have been disappointed had it been anybody else but this most intimidating of Bajorans. His speech about not being victims and bringing art and architecture to so many worlds really strikes a chord — he isn't just a one-note villain, but a thoughtful man who refuses to be cowed any longer. He wants to rebuild his world with an iron fist because 50 years of terror have taught the Bajorans that that is how things get done.

The other characters are dunces, but Tucker is actually completely mad. And yet it's hard to treat this as a particularly pleasurable fantasy. One hardly wants to live in a world run by Malcolm Tucker; it seems scarcely more satisfying or comfortable than one run by idiots. Nevertheless, it's the then reed of salvation and hope the show offers — that in the face of the right kind of bastard we might somehow all be OK.

    Real Life 
"We are headed for a Malthusian crisis. Plankton levels are dropping. Bees are dying. There are tortilla riots in Mexico, the highest wheat prices in 30-odd years. The question we have to answer is: how do we kill four of the world's six billion people in the most just way possible?"
— Hacktivist/white supremacist Andrew "weev" Auernheimer, as reported by Mattathias Schwartz

"Leninist doctrine holds that a vanguard Party should assume state power and drive the population to economic development, and, by some miracle that is unexplained, to freedom and justice. It is an ideology that naturally appeals greatly to the radical intelligentsia, to whom it affords a justification for their role as state managers."

"I believe today that my conduct is in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator. By warding off the Jews, I am fighting for the Lord's work."
Adolf Hitler, Speech before the Reichstag, 1936

"What you need to believe in is what you can see [...] If you see me as your friend, I'll be your friend. As you see me as your father, I'll be your father, for those of you that don't have a father [...] If you see me as your savior, I'll be your savior. If you see me as your God, I'll be your God."
Pastor Jim Jones

"We even have to be able to re-evaluate Fascism and recognize the service that philosophy made 30 years ago when it freed the Earth from the weight of tens of millions of overeating Europeans, six million of them by an almost ideally painless, environment-preserving means."
Pentti Linkola

"The press blew the ritual aspect out of proportion and suddenly started playing Manson's game. The guy was not a first-time killer — he'd already spent a large part of his life in jail, but he assumed most of the attributes of the hippies, starting with his long hair and a Christ-like beard. He was also clever enough to have shrouded his crime behind an ideology — an evil one, to be sure — but which transformed it into a mythical event. Actually, I think his motive was purely material: he wanted money and revenge. It was probably no coincidence that this frustrated artist sent his 'family' to look for money in our house. Before we moved in, Terry Melcher, a music producer who had rejected Manson's musical compositions, had been renting it."
Roman Polański, Interviews, 108-109, on Charles Manson and his attack on Sharon Tate

"We will burn the old grass and the new will grow."

"What did he amount to? He only buried alive 460 scholars, while we buried 46,000. In our suppression of the counterrevolutionaries, did we not kill some counter-revolutionary intellectuals? I once debated with the democratic people: You accuse us of acting like Qin Shi Huang, but you are wrong; we surpass him 100 times. You berate us for imitating him in enforcing dictatorship. We admit them all. What is regrettable is that you did not say enough. We have had to say it for you."


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