History Main / WhatIfGodWasOneOfUs

* ''Film/{{Thor}}'': While living among humans, and even a bit among his own kind, Thor is a Prince (possibly because he literally is one), but becomes a Savior later. Loki is even more twisted, taking delight in killing humans purely because Thor has sworn to protect them, like a bratty kid breaking his son's treasured toys.

''[[WaxingLyrical ...Just a slob like one of us?]]''

* '''[[MessianicArchetype The Savior]]:''' You follow the creed of WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility and devote yourself to helping others outwardly, hoping you will have a positive effect on society.
* '''[[AGodAmI The Despot]]:''' You flaunt your power over others, declaring AGodAmI and using this power for personal gain and satisfaction.
* '''[[GoodShepherd The Shepherd]]:''' You know the truth, and must show the world the true path, the righteous way; you shall teach men to fish, and they shall be fed for a lifetime.
* '''[[KnightTemplar The Prince]]:''' You will rule over all you see, for only you are capable of preventing these wretches from drowning themselves in their own filth.
* '''[[ResignedToTheCall The Reluctant Messiah]]:''' You will do what you must for the greater good, but why you?
* '''[[PhlebotinumRebel The Rebel]]:''' You are you, god or not; you are flesh and blood, and will decide your fate for yourself. If that means becoming the opposite of what you were intended to be, then so be it.
* '''[[AGodIAmNot The Self-Denouncer:]]''' You are not a god and you wish people would believe in themselves and others, [[StopWorshippingMe rather than worship you.]]
* '''[[StrawNihilist The Apathetic]]:''' You are a god. Fine. Then how are mortals or their morals and troubles any concern of yours?
* '''The Oblivious:''' You haven't the faintest idea that you are a god, or even anything other than human. You may not notice all the [[RealityWarper odd things that tend to happen around you...]]

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[folder: Music ]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

[[folder: Toys ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Web Comics ]]

Not related to {{One Of Us}}, unless you have a very high opinion of yourself. Often overlaps with AuthorAvatar.

* Joan Osborne's song "One Of Us", the TropeNamer, wonders what type of OneOfUs God is, tending somewhat to the "Reluctant" type.

* '''[[ComesGreatResponsibility The Savior]]:''' You follow the creed of WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility and devote yourself to helping others outwardly, hoping you will have a positive effect on society.

It's a simple question, really. What if someone were a god? Being GodInHumanForm or DeityOfHumanOrigin would probably be harder than one would think. For starters, there's a good possibility you'd wouldn't be TheOmnipotent. For another, there's the whole "human psyche" aspect to worry about. What happens when the powers of a god are encased in a mortal shell? Even if only ''perceived'' as such, and not a god in actuality, what would the psychological ramifications be? Would you use this for power?

Not related to {{One Of Us}}, unless you have a very high opinion of yourself. Author avatars are by definition this trope.

[[AC:Anime and Manga]]

[[AC:ComicBooks]]

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:{{Music}}]]

[[AC:TabletopGames]]

[[AC:{{Toys}}]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]

[[AC:WebComics]]

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': Pain is basically human but possesses God level powers (or something like that) and tries to use them. The category... he probably thinks of himself along the lines of a savior but is more a prince type. But you can probably argue about that.

* Of all people, Jesus of Nazareth is presented as a Reluctant-Messiah-type in ''TheLastTemptationOfChrist''.

* [[GodEmperor The Lord Ruler]] of ''{{Mistborn}}'' combines elements of the Despot and the Prince [[spoiler: though he probably sees himself as more of a Reluctant Messiah- and despite being the object of the state religion he's not a real god, just a human with immortality and godlike magical powers]].

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone'' episode, and the short story on which it's based, "Literature/ItsAGoodLife," deal with what would happen if a bratty child were given RealityWarper powers akin to God.

* [[{{Bionicle}} Mata Nui]], who was worshiped as (and had the powers of) a god, then became a "normal" with some abnormal powers, [[ItsALongStory then temporarily returned to a god status]], after he's done [[spoiler: re-uniting the shattered parts of Spherus Magna and fulfilling his destiny, left his friends and people in a Self-Denouncer fashion, claiming he would never want to fail them again, so they'd best stop worshiping him and form a new society on their own. His ignorance is what caused a lot of suffering for them in the first place, you see, but still, he kept them alive... now, he doesn't ignore them any longer, but above that, he's barely of any help in his SoulJar of a mask.]]

* In ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'', [[spoiler: the PC is The Oblivious for much of the game.]] In ''Baldurs Gate 2'', the ending determines whether he will be The Despot, The Savior with shades of Rebel, or Rebel and leave the mantle on the floor.

Not related to {{One Of Us}}, unless you have a very high opinion of yourself.

* The GodEmperor of ''{{TabletopGame/Warhammer 40000}}'' is a mix of The Self-Denouncer and The Shepherd. He considers himself to be a human and thinks humanity should [[HumansAreSpecial worship themselves]] rather than any deities. While at first he just guided humanity instead of making his presence known, when the [[CrapsackWorld Age of Strife]] happened he decided to make his presence known since if he didn't there wouldn't have been a humanity left to guide.

* {{Superman}}, pre-ComicBook/{{Crisis|on Infinite Earths}}, is a clear-cut example of a Savior-type. PostCrisis he is a combination of a Reluctant Messiah and Self-Denouncer type - he hates being called a god, but wishes he were the god people make him out to be.

* {{Superman}}, PreCrisis, is a clear-cut example of a Savior-type. PostCrisis he is a combination of a Reluctant Messiah and Self-Denouncer type - he hates being called a god, but wishes he were the god people make him out to be.

* Of all people, Jesus of Nazareth is presented as a Reluctant-Messiah-type in ''TheLastTemptationOfChrist''.
** Some of the gospels had him showing hints of this also, notably in the garden of Gethsemane. He asks God if they could avoid the whole crucifixion thing, but then says that since it's the big guy's will, that's okay too.
* {{Superman}}, PreCrisis, is a clear-cut example of a Savior-type. PostCrisis he is a combination of a Reluctant Messiah and Self-Denouncer type - he hates being called a god, but wishes he were the god people make him out to be.

* The plot of ''Film/BruceAlmighty''. Starts as The Despot, [[spoiler: tries to be The Savior but isn't up to the task.]]
* ''TheGodsOfArrKelaan'' has examples of all these types. [[HeroicNeutral Ronson]] is the Self-Denouncer, [[TheMedic Aldman]] is the Savior, Salsmen is the Despot, [[TheParagon Mike]] is the shepherd and so on.

* One of the central themes of ''{{Exalted}}'' is to explore this question. Given that there are several thousand of them, the titular Exalted tend to run the gamut of archetypes presented here, with the possible exception of Obliviousness--Exaltation is hard to miss.
* In ''BaldursGate'', [[spoiler: the PC is The Oblivious for much of the game.]] In ''Baldurs Gate 2'', the ending determines whether he will be The Despot, The Savior with shades of Rebel, or Rebel and leave the mantle on the floor.
* Arguably, [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Pain]] is an example. He is basically human but possesses God level powers (or something like that) and tries to use them. The category... he probably thinks of himself along the lines of a savior but is more a prince type. But you can probably argue about that.
* ''Anime/{{Kamichu}}'' Yurie fits the bill for Relcutant Messiah.
* Joan Osborne's song "One Of Us", the TropeNamer, wonders what type of OneOfUs God is, tending somewhat to the "Reluctant" type.
* [[{{Bionicle}} Mata Nui]], who was worshiped as (and had the powers of) a god, then became a "normal" with some abnormal powers, [[ItsALongStory then temporarily returned to a god status]], after he's done [[spoiler: re-uniting the shattered parts of Spherus Magna and fulfilling his destiny, left his friends and people in a Self-Denouncer fashion, claiming he would never want to fail them again, so they'd best stop worshiping him and form a new society on their own. His ignorance is what caused a lot of suffering for them in the first place, you see, but still, he kept them alive... now, he doesn't ignore them any longer, but above that, he's barely of any help in his SoulJar of a mask.]]
* [[Comicbook/{{Watchmen}} Doctor Manhattan]] is essentially a god, and is explicitly called that by one character. Because he sees everything at its molecular level, and all time exists at the same time for him, though, he's become The Ubermensch. In flashbacks (such as the Vietnam War), he's more of an ExtremeDoormat who doesn't fit any of the archetypes, though he tries to be The Savior.
* In ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'', [[spoiler: Joshua]] shows elements of The Prince and The Shepherd, trying to [[spoiler: erase all of Shibuya, shooting Neku twice, and using him in a pawn in his game.]] On the other hand, [[spoiler: -he-]] also keeps the Game running as a means of judging the dead and refining their Imaginations, and Neku, Shiki and maybe Beat seem to have grown from their experiences in it. [[spoiler: Hanekoma]], meanwhile, seems to be a straight example of The Shepherd.
* ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'': [[spoiler: The Main Character in the King of Saints ending is the Prince, with some Shepherd-like characteristics. In the King of Demons ending, he acts like he's The Ubermensch, but this is actually a smokescreen: he's actually The Savior in a somewhat twisted way. In the other endings he gives up or fails to attain the power of Bel, though an argument could be made for him acting as The Shepherd and The Self-Denouncer in Atsuro's route, as he gives power to humanity instead of seizing it for himself. Gin's route is pure Rebel, while Yuzu's is an unusual Rebellion in that the MC [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere simply drops the problem and runs away]] rather than fighting to save the world.]]

* [[GodEmperor The Lord Ruler]] of ''{{Mistborn}}'' combines elements of the Despot and the Prince [[spoiler: though he probably sees himself as more of a Reluctant Messiah- and despite being the object of the state religion he's not a real god, just a human with immortality and godlike magical powers]].
* ''TheTwilightZone'' episode, and the short story on which it's based, ''ItsAGoodLife'', deal with what would happen if a bratty child were given RealityWarper powers akin to God.

------

<<|MagicAndPowers|>>

<<|ReligionTropes|>>

* ''{{Kamichu}}'' Yurie fits the bill for Relcutant Messiah.

* The GodEmperor of ''{{TabletopGame/Warhammer 40000}}'' is a mix of The Self-Denouncer and The Shepard. He considers himself to be a human and thinks humanity should [[HumansAreSpecial worship themselves]] rather than any deities. While at first he just guided humanity instead of making his presence known, when the [[CrapsackWorld Age of Strife]] happened he decided to make his presence known since if he didn't there wouldn't have been a humanity left to guide.

* Jodie in ''AmericanJesus'' starts out the The Saviour, though later moves towards The Shepherd.

* TheTwilightZone episode, and the short story on which it's based, ItsAGoodLife, deal with what would happen if a bratty child were given RealityWarper powers akin to God.
* The GodEmperor of ''{{TabletopGame/Warhammer 40000}}'' is a mix of The Self-Denouncer and The Shepard. He considers himself to be a human and thinks humanity should [[HumansAreSpecial worship themselves]] rather than any deities. While at first he just guided humanity instead of making his presence known when the [[CrapsackWorld Age of Strife]] happened he decided to make his presence known since if he didn't there wouldn't have been a humanity left to guide.

* TheGodsOfArrKelaan has examples of all these types. [[HeroicNeutral Ronson]] is the Self-Denouncer, [[TheMedic Aldman]] is the Savior, Salsmen is the Despot, [[TheParagon Mike]] is the shepherd and so on.

* Of all people, Jesus of Nazareth is presented as a Reluctant-Messiah-type in TheLastTemptationOfChrist.
** Some of the gospels had him showing hints of this also, notably in the garden of Gethsemane. He asks God if they could avoid the whole crucifixion thing, but then says that since its the big guy's will, thats okay too.

* Lain of ''SerialExperimentsLain'' starts out as The Oblivious, but becomes aware of her true nature by the end of the series.

* Arguably, [[{{Naruto}} Pain]] is an example. He is basically human but possesses God level powers (or something like that) and tries to use them. The category... he probably thinks of himself along the lines of a savior but is more a prince type. But you can probably argue about that.

* '''The Reluctant Messiah:''' You will do what you must for the greater good, but why you?

''[[Creator/JoanOsbourne ...Just a slob like one of us?]]''

''[[Creator/AlanisMorissette ...Just a slob like one of us?]]''

* The premise of the ''HaruhiSuzumiya'' series is that Haruhi is The Oblivious. She's bored with ordinary life, so she regularly goes out of her way [[InHarmsWay looking for interesting things]], or [[WrongGenreSavvy trying to imagine mysteries where none exist]], but she doesn't realize some of her friends are aliens or time travelers, who may or may not exist because she wished them into existence.