History Main / DuelingMessiahs

** DarkMessiah Madara and WideEyedIdealist Hashirama came to believe in conflicting ideas on how to bring lasting peace to the world, culminating in their battle at the Valley of the End. [[spoiler:After Hashirama's death, Madara continued to work on his plan and passed it on to [[BigBad Obito]]. Naruto's emergence as the HopeBringer has set him as the new messiah opposing [[HopeCrusher Obito]].]]
nd the ForeverWar that flared up every few centuries between Poseidon and Athena was based on Poseidon wanting to pull a Noah's flood to fix the world, while Athena wanted to protect it and allow humans to develop on their own terms.

** That being said, Shepard can become him/herself a DarkMessiah if you play him/her as a [[TheUnfettered full Renegade]] in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', still not as bad as the Illusive Man, but pretty close. Even more evident if you chose [[spoiler: the Control Ending, [[NotSoDifferent which is basically what the Illusive Man wanted to accomplish]], but couldn't due to him being indoctrinated.]]

* There are many religions in the world. They have the goal of bringing humanity to a state of non-suffering, be it in a distant paradise or as peace of self. Some of those religions don't get along very well.

* Negi and [[spoiler:Fate]] in ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'', in a similar manner to [[spoiler:the ''Manga/FateKaleidLinerPrismaIllya'' example above]]. [[spoiler:Negi and the gang eventually discover that Fate and the [[AncientConspiracy Cosmo Entelechia]] are trying to save the human inhabitants of the Magical World, which is about to collapse and in turn cause the humans to be stranded on Mars, the landscape of which was used to create the Magical World. Negi opposes their plan to send the humans to a [[LotusEaterMachine never-ending dream world]] by sacrificing Asuna and the Magical World's non-human inhabitants, and tries to get them to help him find [[TookAThirdOption another way]].]]

* In the original ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' the reason behind the ForeverWar that flared up every few centuries between Poseidon and Athena was based on Poseidon wanting to pull a Noah's flood to fix the world, while Athena wanted to protect it and allow humans to develop on their own terms.

* ''Manga/{{X1999}}'': Actually invoked by Fuuma and Kamui's dynamic; Kamui is a stock MessianicArchetype, a boy destined to either save the world or destroy it, depending on whether he thinks it's worth saving or not. Fuuma himself is destined to become Kamui's EvilCounterpart of sorts; he's supposed to fight for whatever side Kamui doesn't pick. Because of NoEnding, it remains to be seen how this dynamic will play out.

* Both Cassandra and The Seraphim seek to do God’s will in Fanfic/AngelOfTheBat. Cassie by protecting Gotham and giving it hope, The Seraphim by destroying the sinners he holds responsible for its evils.

* This is indicated to have occurred in the backstory of ''FanFic/ChildOfTheStorm,'' as per canon, between Xavier and Magneto. However, Magneto has since pulled a HeelFaceTurn. While he is still absolutely terrifying if you cross him, he prefers mutant separation to domination, and if you don't go after his people, he (probably) won't go after yours. He and Xavier have settled into something like FriendlyEnemies.

* This trope is a recurring motif in the ''{{Franchise/Persona}}'' spin-off series of SMT, from the third game onwards. All of the true villains are gods manifested or affected by humanity's collective unconscious, and they almost always insist they are helping mankind by fulfilling the most primal wants that people are too afraid to voice ([[VideoGame/Persona3 Desire for death]], [[VideoGame/Persona4 desire for ignorance]], [[VideoGame/Persona5 desire for safety and leadership]], etc.) Even the human TrueFinalBoss of ''[[UpdatedRerelease Persona 5 Royal]]'' is an altruistic and compassionate man who only wants for everyone in the world to be their happiest [[spoiler:even if it requires a planet-spanning LotusEaterMachine]]. Each of them are opposed by teenagers who believe in ThePowerOfFriendship and that self-determination is more meaningful than unconscious yearnings.
* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' has the mutual dislike between Byakuren Hijiri (former [[BlackMagic Black Mage]] [[TheAtoner turned]] [[AllLovingHero All Loving]] HeroAntagonist Buddhist who attempts to create peace by saving {{Youkai}} from being exterminated) and Toyosatomimi no Miko ([[EvilIsHammy extremely hammy]] [[HistoricalDomainCharacter sanctified]] [[SheIsTheKing emperor]] Taoist who [[PathOfInspiration practiced Buddhism for political gain]] and [[TakeOverTheWorld planned to "administrate" the humans]] for their own good). It's mostly a conflict between [[FluffyTamer pro-youkai]] [[WideEyedIdealist idealism]] and [[ProhumanTranshuman pro-human]] pragmatism, but Byakuren knowingly putting her temple over Miko's grave didn't make it any better. However, they aren't outright antagonistic (compared to how Gensokyo residents [[DuelsDecideEverything usually behave]]) and even [[spoiler:[[EnemyMine team up]] to fight a common enemy]].

* In ''[[FanFic/SovereignGFCOrigins Origins]]'', a ''Franchise/MassEffect''[=/=]''Franchise/StarWars''[[spoiler:[=/=]''[=Borderlands=]''[=/=]''[=Halo=]'']] MassiveMultiplayerCrossover, the [[spoiler:Eridians]] have a major religious spat. One faction wants to continue on as they always have, carefully tending to the lesser races but remaining remote enough to not interfere in a way that would [[AlienNonInterferenceClause unduly influence their development]]. The other faction is sick of this and believes the first group to have succumbed to HappinessInSlavery, instead proposing the duty of caretaker be outsourced. The former retorts this is just InsaneTrollLogic. Ultimately, this leads to the creation of Sarah [[spoiler:the closest thing any language has to "Selfless Servant of the Mantle"]], which [[HoistByHisOwnPetard fails spectacularly]] until some MindWipe[=/=]{{Brainwashing}} is employed.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'':
** A subplot in Volumes 2-3 is the contention between Ozpin and Ironwood over how to protect Vale; Ozpin prefers to be tactful and rather have select guardians working behind the scenes, while Ironwood insists on overt displays of force, even bringing a massive army to Vale. Both methods are shown to have their pros and cons, but Ironwood gets the Vale Council to strip Ozpin of his authority of the Vytal Festival Security in favor of his own forces.
** Turns up again Volume 7; In order to protect Atlas and reestablish global communications, Ironwood has locked down the kingdom's borders and begun stealing resources from the city to build a new CCT. Ruby's group argue that Ironwood's methods are only causing unnecessary hardship while making it easier for Salem to DivideAndConquer, but Ironwood refuses to budge from his stance. [[spoiler: When he learns that Salem is on her way to attack the kingdom personally, Ironwood decides that the best way to protect the Relics is to immediately raise Atlas higher into the sky, acknowledging that doing so will leaving those not evacuated to die. The heroes are horrified by his callous disregard for innocent lives, and when Ruby tries to send out a warning about Ironwood's plans, he shuts off her scroll and has the group placed under arrest.]]

[[folder:Web Original]]

* This tropes is a recurring motif in the ''{{Franchise/Persona}}'' spin-off series of SMT, from the third game onwards. All of the true villains are gods manifested or affected by humanity's collective unconscious, and they almost always insist they are helping mankind by fulfilling the most primal wants that people are too afraid to voice ([[VideoGame/Persona3 Desire for death]], [[VideoGame/Persona4 desire for ignorance]], [[VideoGame/Persona5 desire for safety and leadership]], etc.) Even the human TrueFinalBoss of ''[[UpdatedRerelease Persona 5 Royal]]'' is an altruistic and compassionate man who only wants for everyone in the world to be their happiest [[spoiler:even if it requires a planet-spanning LotusEaterMachine]]. Each of them are opposed by teenagers who believe in ThePowerOfFriendship and that self-determination is more meaningful than unconscious yearnings.

[[Web Original]]

[[Web Original

* There are many religions in the world. They have the goal of bringing humanity to a state of non-suffering, be it in a distant paradise or as peace of self. Some of those religions don't get along very well. [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment We're not calling names.]]

[[Administrivia/TropesAreTools This trope is difficult to handle properly]], since it's very easy to make one of the messiahs a DesignatedHero[=/=]DesignatedVillain or too much of a WellIntentionedExtremist to be sympathetic. [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic Too much mudslinging from both sides while forgetting about fixing their world]] is also a one-way ticket for [[DarknessInducedAudienceApathy the audience hating both sides]]. But handled properly, [[BothSidesHaveAPoint you'll have two guys who both have compelling arguments to their methods]] and a fandom split right in the middle over which one of them's right.

[[TropesAreTools This trope is difficult to handle properly]], since it's very easy to make one of the messiahs a DesignatedHero[=/=]DesignatedVillain or too much of a WellIntentionedExtremist to be sympathetic. [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic Too much mudslinging from both sides while forgetting about fixing their world]] is also a one-way ticket for [[DarknessInducedAudienceApathy the audience hating both sides]]. But handled properly, [[BothSidesHaveAPoint you'll have two guys who both have compelling arguments to their methods]] and a fandom split right in the middle over which one of them's right.

* Illya and [[spoiler:Julian Ainsworth]] in ''Manga/FateKaleidLinerPrismaIllya'', as it turns out. [[spoiler:[[TheDragon Angelica]] reveals that their world (i.e. Miyu's [[AlternateUniverse home dimension]]) is running out of mana, and will become uninhabitable very soon. [[WellIntentionedExtremist Julian]]'s plan is to sacrifice Miyu as the Holy Grail, and wish for humans to be able to survive the coming disaster. Illya is then presented with the SadisticChoice of saving Miyu or the world, and eventually decides to [[TookAThirdOption take the third option]] and find a way to save both, somehow]].

[[folder: FanWorks]]

[[folder:Film]]

[[folder:LiveActionTV]]

--> I go down to Speaker's Corner and I'm thunderstruck
--> They got free speech, tourists, police in trucks
--> Two men say they're Jesus, one of them must be wrong
--> There's a protest singer, he's singing protest songs
::... then [[BrickJoke coming back to them later]]:
--> Meanwhile the first Jesus says 'I'll cure it soon
--> Abolish Monday mornings and Friday afternoons'
--> The other one's on a hunger strike he's dying by degrees\\
How come Jesus gets Industrial Disease?

[[folder: Real Life]]

* '''AllLovingHero vs the DarkMessiah''': One of the classic scenarios with this trope: one of the saviors believes the world is [[CrapsackWorld inherently rotten]], and to save it you have to play by its rules. However, the Dark Messiah CAN be made sympathetic if the world is [[CrapsackWorld enough of a shithole that his methods can clearly be seen as effective]], or he has a [[StartOfDarkness past tragic enough]] that one can see how he'd [[FallenHero end up with a dark outlook in life]]. This can become particularly interesting if later events [[TheExtremistWasRight prove that the Dark messiah actually kinda knew what he was talking about]].

* In ''Literature/TheGreatTreeOfAvalon,'' a prophecy mentions two figures: a messianic Heir of Merlin, who will save Avalon, and the Child of the Dark Prophecy, who will try to destroy it. However, a lesser-known prophecy implies that the latter would be "like a brother" to the Heir of Merlin, and thus might not be as evil as he seems. Sure enough two adopted brothers, Tamwyn and Scree, seem to be the two figures, though it's not clear which is which. Eventually it turns out that [[spoiler:Tamwyn is ''both'']].

-->'''Coon:''' It's not my fault you guys turned evil, [[spoiler:Kenny]]!
-->'''Mysterion:''' ''You'' are the bad guy, fat boy! ''YOU!''
-->'''Coon:''' I'm going around making the world a better place!
-->'''Mysterion:''' ''FOR YOU!'' You're making it a better place ''FOR YOU!''
-->'''Coon:''' ({{beat}}) [[EvilCannotComprehendGood Right, that's what superheroes do]].
-->'''Mysterion:''' No! ''[[TakeMeInstead This]]'' [[HeroicSacrifice is what superheroes do]]!

* In ''[[FanFic/SovereignGFCOrigins Origins]]'', a ''MassEffect''[=/=]''StarWars''[[spoiler:[=/=]''[=Borderlands=]''[=/=]''[=Halo=]'']] MassiveMultiplayerCrossover, the [[spoiler:Eridians]] have a major religious spat. One faction wants to continue on as they always have, carefully tending to the lesser races but remaining remote enough to not interfere in a way that would [[AlienNonInterferenceClause unduly influence their development]]. The other faction is sick of this and believes the first group to have succumbed to HappinessInSlavery, instead proposing the duty of caretaker be outsourced. The former retorts this is just InsaneTrollLogic. Ultimately, this leads to the creation of Sarah [[spoiler:the closest thing any language has to "Selfless Servant of the Mantle"]], which [[HoistByHisOwnPetard fails spectacularly]] until some MindWipe[=/=]{{Brainwashing}} is employed.

--> The other one's on a hunger strike he's dying by degrees
--> How come Jesus gets Industrial Disease?

* There are many religions in the world. They have the goal of bringing humanity to a state of non-suffering, be it in a distant paradise or as peace of self. Some of those religions don't get along very well. [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment We're not calling names.]]

[[/folder]]

The world can be a cruel, dreadful place sometimes, but thankfully, there are people that want to change that. There's only so many times the universe can [[KickTheDog kick the dog]] before [[TheDogBitesBack the dog bites back]], and at least a few individuals rise to fight the injustices of the world time and again.

But [[MessianicArchetype these saviors]] are, quite often, just people. They have their virtues and their flaws like anyone else, and though they have made up their own mind about how they want to change the world, sometimes these opinions clash. They may agree on ''why'' the world needs saving, but they don't agree on the ''how''. Snide comments are thrown, furious arguments ensue, and next thing you know, the people who are humanity's best hope are now tragically at each other's throats. And possibly more.

'''Dueling Messiahs''' is what happens when two or more people want to save the world, but their differing methods on how lead to conflict. This is the stuff of {{tragedy}}: human folly gets in the way of the betterment of the world, and two people who might be fast friends otherwise instead become irreconcilable enemies.

* ''Literature/TheBookOfTheNewSun'': though it may not be apparent to the protagonist, there are two apparent candidates for the messiah figure known as the Conciliator, namely [[spoiler:Bardanders and Serverian himself]]. Naturally they end up fighting - the trigger being the science-driven former destroying a relic belonging to the faith-driven latter.