History Main / DemiurgeArchetype

* ''Webcomic/Homestuck'': The BigBad, Lord English is heavily associated with Yaldabaoth, the creator of the material world in the Gnostic tradition.

* ''Webcomic/Homestuck'': The [[BigBad]], Lord English is heavily associated with Yaldabaoth, the creator of the material world in the Gnostic tradition.

The Demiurge Archetype is NotQuiteTheAlmighty as a key element, but another important element is that they actively deceive their creations and/or themself into believing that they are the true God in order to control their creations. They are also frequently an example of LightIsNotGood, appearing as a benevolent god of light to cool their followers. In reference to the Demiurge's inability to perceive or influence anything beyond the material plane, the Demiurge Archetype will often be portrayed as a glorified DomainHolder; they are unable to hold any power over their creations once the latter manages to escape their little bubble, so they do everything in their power to keep them imprisoned within.

The Demiurge Archetype is NotQuiteTheAlmighty as a key element, but another important element is that they actively deceive their creations and/or themself into believing that they are the true God in order to control their creations. They are also often an example of LightIsNotGood, appearing as a benevolent god of light to cool their followers. In reference to the Demiurge's inability to perceive or influence anything beyond the material plane, the Demiurge Archetype will often be portrayed as a glorified DomainHolder; they are unable to hold any power over their creations once the latter manages to escape their little bubble, so they do everything in their power to keep them imprisoned within.

The Demiurge Archetype is NotQuiteTheAlmighty as a key element, but another important element is that they actively deceive their creations and/or themself into believing that they are the true God in order to control their creations. In reference to the Demiurge's inability to perceive or influence anything beyond the material plane, the Demiurge Archetype will often be portrayed as a glorified DomainHolder; they are unable to hold any power over their creations once the latter manages to escape their little bubble, so they do everything in their power to keep them imprisoned within.

** The is the creator of the titular Matrix, a false universe much like the material plane in Gnosticism, and an old, bearded man who has a lot of Christian imagery surrounding him who wants his creation to be perfect and will punish the humans living inside if they disobey.

* The Architect in ''Film/TheMatrix'' films is the creator of the titular Matrix, a false universe much like the material plane in Gnosticism, and an old, bearded man who has a lot of Christian imagery surrounding him who wants his creation to be perfect and will punish the humans living inside if they disobey.
** The Analyst in ''Film/TheMatrixResurrections'' arguably fits even better. He has far greater direct control over the New Matrix than The Architect did over the old one, to the point that even those who have been awakened are unable to stand up to him. Only "The One" at full strength can. He has also populated the New Matrix with Bots, programs who don't even know they're programs until they're activated, and do whatever The Analyst wants. He uses them to make sure none of the humans inside the New Matrix go "off-script", as it were, effectively gaslighting all of them into obedience. It's implied that far fewer humans are freed from the New Matrix, because the Bots keep them from recognizing the signs of simulated reality.

* WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}: Invoked by a Grimm-corrupted Salem when she meets with the reincarnation of her husband Ozma. Since both of them have been cursed by the setting's true Gods with different forms of immortality, said Gods have left the planet, and they're the only two beings on the planet capable of using magic, Salem wants the two of them to rule over the human race as the new gods. Ozma doesn't object... at first. And Salem is even fairly benevolent... at first. However, once Ozma makes the mistake of telling Salem about the four Relics the Gods left behind, and that assembling all four would be likely to cause an ApocalypseHow, things quickly devolve into a battle that destroys their castle and kills their children. By the present day, no human (or [[LittleBitBeastly Faunus]]) even remembers them.

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': White Diamond. Whoo boy, White Diamond. While the Diamond Authority is billed as four matriarchs working together to lead the Gem Homeworld, White is the defacto GodEmpress of all gemkind. Her power easily surpasses that of Blue and Yellow Diamond, let alone lesser gems. She claims to be the [[UltimateLifeForm perfect being]], with all other gems, even the other Diamonds, merely being flawed reflections of herself. She refuses to listen to others or admit that she is wrong, and the end result of her plans would be the annihilation of all other life in the universe in order to fuel the creation of more gems- more subjects for her to rule. She demands that her subjects be perfect in their actions, thoughts, and desires at all times, and destroys everything that is "off-color". The only one shown to be able to stand up to her is [[MessianicArchetype Steven]].

[[folder:Web Animations]]

* ''Literature/TheSalvationWar'' begins with Yahweh announcing to the world that Judgement Day has arrived and everyone on Earth, regardless of virtue, is going to Hell to be tortured for eternity. During the ensuing [[RageAgainstTheHeavens war against the heavens]], the Vatican decides that Yahweh is not the God of the New Testemant but rather an imposter using His trappings to manipulate humanity, and declares their intent to ''exocommunicate him'' from the church. The fact that angels and demons in this setting are essentially extradimensional aliens rather than anything divine supports this view.

* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles'': Zanza is a malevolent deity who is the true source of all life on the titanic [[TurtleIsland Bionis]], and serves as its soul. Once a human scientist named Klaus accidentally destroyed the previous universe in an experiment to create a new one, he became the new world's god along with his partner Meyneth, who instead became the soul of the Bionis's mechanical counterpart and rival. Zanza views his creations as nothing more than vessels and a food source to extend his own life with, and because he is unable to survive without them, he makes sure to wipe out all life on the Bionis and create it anew the moment it evolves enough to be capable of abandoning their world. The true god is Alvis, supposedly one of his disciples, whom he and Mayneth have been borrowing power from.

* ''VideoGame/Persona5'': The GreaterScopeVillain is [[spoiler: Yaldabaoth, the God of Control]]. He hates humanity and TheEvilsOfFreeWill and wants to mind control the entire world into being a perfectly ordered existence where everything is static and unchanging, posing as a god but actually simply being a manifestation of the apathy of the citizens of Tokyo.

!! IMPORTANT NOTE: A character being this is often a twist, so ''expect unmarked spoilers''.\\
Also, as with SatanicArchetype, this only applies to characters who are an {{Expy}} of the Demiurge, ''not characters who are the literal Demiurge itself''.

!!Note that a character being this is often a twist, so ''expect unmarked spoilers''.\\
IMPORTANT NOTE: as with SatanicArchetype, this only applies to characters who are an {{Expy}} of the Demiurge, ''not characters who are the literal Demiurge itself''.

* While [[spoiler:Devil Homura]] of ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion'' is primarily a SatanicArchetype, she also possesses similarities to the Demiurge, in that she [[spoiler:overthrows and replaces Ultimate Madoka, the God archetype, and recreates the universe, becoming a false god]].

* ''Film/TheTrumanShow'': Christof is a metaphorical example of the archetype. He is the creator and director of a RealityShow that broadcasts the daily life of Truman Burbank, an actual live person who is unaware that he is the star of the program in question. For this end, Christof crafted an entire false reality which he has complete control over, which is a giant television studio [[FakeTown disguised as a seemingly normal seaside town]], complete with actors and extras who play Truman's friends, neighbors, and family. He is obsessed with ruling every aspect of Truman's life, and when the latter becomes suspicious of his environment, Christof orchestrates events to {{gaslight|ing}} him into staying in the set and keep him from discovering the truth. [[spoiler:He even goes as far as to summon an artificial storm to prevent Truman from escaping by boat, even if it could end up drowning the sole star of the show.]]

* In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVII'', [[spoiler:Demon King Orgodemir combines this with SatanicArchetype- after his initial defeat, he is resurrected and poses as the Almighty, taking control of the world while promising a golden age for humanity, only to then seal away the islands that pose a threat to him and flooding the world with monsters]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Iconoclasts}}'': The Starworm, the GreaterScopeVillain and EldritchAbomination, is worshipped by the oppressive One Concern, a cross between a MegaCorp and TheTheocracy, as their god, with them killing anyone they consider heretics. In the endgame, it turns out that the Starworm is [[spoiler:not a god at all, but a humanoid bird alien named Lucas Birbasaurus Rex piloting a freaky spaceship who is mining the planet of its Ivory to fuel the ship]].

* In ''VideoGame/SomaSpirits'' and ''VideoGame/SomaUnion'', [[spoiler:the Great Spirits Form and Dissonance]] are said in the intro to be gods who created the titular planet of Soma and its inhabitants, ruling benevolently. However, they were actually human aristocrats who were transformed into Spirits by the EldritchAbomination Absolution and attempted to seize control of it, [[spoiler:overthrowing the benevolent Sun King and rewriting history to make him a tyrant who tried to resist the gods and was punished for it]]. They keep their subjects in an empty existence, [[spoiler:with the inhabitants of the World of Joy [[HappinessIsMandatory only allowed to feel happiness]] and the World of Sorrow denizens [[FunHatingVillain kept in perpetual misery]], and the two gods desire to destroy the other's world so only they will be worshipped]].
* ''VideoGame/StarOceanTillTheEndOfTime'': [[spoiler:[[CorruptCorporateExecutive Luther Lansfeld]] is the creator of the in-universe MMORPG that the game takes place in, and fancies himself a god, keeping his NPC characters trapped in ignorance. But when they realize the truth and start fighting back, he freaks out and tries to destroy his false world, without which he has no power.]]

* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles'': [[spoiler:Zanza is a malevolent deity who is the true source of all life on the titanic [[TurtleIsland Bionis]], and serves as its soul. Once a human scientist named Klaus accidentally destroyed the previous universe in an experiment to create a new one, he became the new world's god along with his partner Meyneth, who instead became the soul of the Bionis's mechanical counterpart and rival. Zanza views his creations as nothing more than vessels and a food source to extend his own life with, and because he is unable to survive without them, he makes sure to wipe out all life on the Bionis and create it anew the moment it evolves enough to be capable of abandoning their world. The true god is Alvis, supposedly one of his disciples, whom he and Mayneth have been borrowing power from.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' has Deus, the GreaterScopeVillain and a powerful machine who killed everyone on the ship that was transporting it and promptly crashed on another planet. It then proceeded to create a race of humans on said planet. The [[TheTheocracy state religion]] of the [[TheEmpire Sacred Empire of Solaris]], known as Ethos, worships it as the god of the world, and it even has a false Messiah and false Eve in [[spoiler:its human interface Miang Hawwa]]. However, the true God is [[spoiler:the Wave of Existence]], who Deus came into contact with, and in contrast to Deus, it is a benevolent deity who wants to save the humans from Deus. With all the Gnostic influence and themes that permeate the story, Deus serves as the perfect insert for the Demiurge, the god that created the material universe and seeks to solely use humanity to further it's selfish goals.

Note that a character being this is often a twist, so '''expect spoilers'''.

!!IMPORTANT NOTE: as with SatanicArchetype, this only applies to characters who are an {{Expy}} of the Demiurge, ''not characters who are the literal Demiurge itself''.

'''Important Note:''' as with SatanicArchetype, this only applies to characters who are an {{Expy}} of the Demiurge, '''not characters who are the literal Demiurge itself'''.

!Examples:

[[AC:Anime And Manga]]

[[AC:Comic Books]]
* God from Pre-Resurection ''ComicBook/{{Spawn}}'' is actually a spawn of the Mother of Creation, the true god, and wages petty war against the equally-evil {{Satan}}, causing all the strife and misery in the series for the sake of power and so that all of creation would worship him. However, Post-Resurrection God is more benevolent.

[[AC:Literature]]
* In ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'', the Authority is only one of the first angels created from the matter, who managed to convince other angels he was the creator. Near the end, angel Metatron got more and more power and planned to enslave all sentient creatures from the entire {{Multiverse}}.

[[AC:Live-Action Film]]

[[AC:Video Games]]

[[AC:Visual Novels]]

[[AC:Webcomics]]

[[AC:Web Original]]

Simple: take a page from UsefulNotes/{{Gnosticism}} and make it so that the evil God is akin to the Demiurge- [[NotQuiteTheAlmighty not the true God]], but a villainous pretender. In Gnostic thought, the God of the Bible (or at least the Old Testament) is not the true God, but an imposter known as Yaldabaoth who falsely believes himself to be the true God and keeps humanity, his creation, in the dark of the truth to torment them and lord his power over them. As such, the Demiurge Archetype will be worshipped as the god of the setting, and may very well have created humanity and/or the physical plane, but is only posing as the true god. They will use their power to torment and oppress humanity, keeping them from achieving true ascension/spirituality/enlightenment, and will likely be the god of a CorruptChurch and/or TheTheocracy that they use to enforce their will.

* The villains of ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'' are outright called the Seven Demiurges, and like the Gnostic one, they are false heirs to the throne of YISUN, the God, who killed all the other Demiurges and rule different parts of the universe, oppressing their people.

* ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' has Deus, the GreaterScopeVillain and a powerful machine who killed everyone on the ship that was transporting it and promptly crashed on another planet. It then proceeded to create a race of humans on said planet. The [[TheTheocracy state religion]] of the [[TheEmpire Sacred Empire of Solaris]], known as Ethos, worships it as the god of the world, and it even has a false Messiah and false Eve in [[spoiler:its human interface Miang Hawwa]]. However, the true God is [[spoiler:the Wave of Existence]], who Deus came into contact with, and in contrast to Deus, it is a benevolent deity who wants to save the humans from Deus.

* God from Pre-Ressurection ''ComicBook/{{Spawn}}'' is actually a spawn of the Mother of Creation, the true god, and wages petty war against the equally-evil {{Satan}}, causing all the strife and misery in the series for the sake of power and so that all of creation would worship him. However, Post-Resurrection God is more benevolent.

Simple- take a page from UsefulNotes/{{Gnosticism}} and make it so that the evil God is akin to the Demiurge- [[NotQuiteTheAlmighty not the true God]], but a villainous pretender. In Gnostic thought, the God of the Bible (or at least the Old Testament) is not the true God, but an imposter known as Yaldabaoth who falsely believes himself to be the true God and keeps humanity, his creation, in the dark of the truth to torment them and lord his power over them. As such, the Demiurge Archetype will be worshipped as the god of the setting, and may very well have created humanity and/or the physical plane, but is only posing as the true god. They will use their power to torment and oppress humanity, keeping them from achieving true ascension/spirituality/enlightenment, and will likely be the god of a CorruptChurch and/or TheTheocracy that they use to enforce their will.

The Demiurge Archetype is NotQuiteTheAlmighty as a key element, but another important element is that they actively deceive their creations and/or themself into believing that they are the true God in order to control their creations. In reference to the Demiurge's inability to perceive or influence anything beyond the material plane, the Demiurge Archetype will often be portrayed as a glorified DomainHolder; they are unable to hold any power over their creations once the latter manage to escape their little bubble, so they do everything in their power to keep them imprisoned within.

* The Lifemaker from ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' and its sequel ''Manga/UQHolder'' functions as a malevolent Demiurge figure. Her [[MeaningfulName real name]] is Ialda Baoth, which is in reference to Ialdabaoth/Yaldabaoth, one of the many names for the Demiurge. She is a GodOfHumanOrigin who's OneWingedAngel form is that of a AngelicAbomination, much like how the Demiurge itself originates as a being of light created by Sophia. She created the Mundus Magicus, or Inverse Mars, which is a flawed artificial MagicLand, much like how the Demiurge created the flawed physical world in contrast to the perfect spiritual world. Lastly, her ultimate goal is to stop all suffering by entrapping everyone in a LotusEaterMachine where they get to live their hearts desire, even if she has to kill everyone to get them there, much like how the Demiurge entraps people in physical forms of matter against their will.

[[AC:ComicBooks]]

* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles'': [[spoiler:Zanza is a malevolent deity who is the true source of all life on the titanic [[TurtleIsland Bionis]], and serves as its soul. Once a human scientist named Klaus who accidentally destroyed the previous universe in an experiment to create a new one, he became the new world's god along with his partner Meyneth, who instead became the soul of the Bionis's mechanical counterpart and rival. Zanza views his creations as nothing more than vessels and a food source to extend his own life with, and because he is unable to survive without them, he makes sure to wipe out all life on the Bionis and create it anew the moment it evolves enough to be capable of abandoning their world. The true god is Alvis, supposedly one of his disciples, whom he and Mayneth have been borrowing power from.]]

* ''WebVideo/MandelaCatalogue'' has its version of {{Satan}}, who somehow [[KillAndReplace killed and replaced]] the ArchangelGabriel, then overthrew Jesus himself. Posing as the both of them and as God, he tricks humanity into worshipping him instead of the true god, describing himself as the "one true savior". He also unleashes Alternates, demon doppelgängers of human beings, onto the world to destroy humanity via a mass KillAndReplace, furthering the themes of illusion, deceit, and impersonation.