History Main / PowersThatBe

Not to be confused with Creator/AnneMcCaffrey's ''Literature/{{Petaybee}}'' series, which has this at the title of the first book and an alternate series title.

One variety of the Powers That Be is the AncientConspiracy, another is TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness. Another one is {{God}} himself. If the powers are warring with each other, it could be HeavenAndHell or a "house divided against itself." Contrast PalsWithJesus, where the relationship is entirely personal and personable. See also PhysicalGod and SentientCosmicForce.

* The ancient UsefulNotes/{{Zoroastrianism}} has both the good and the bad Powers That Be, in the form of Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu. They are closer to the modern portrayal of BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil, as both are omnipotent deities of equal footing. However, despite being equal, Angra Mainyu will still lose in the end, due to [[EvilWillFail self-destructiveness of being evil]].

* The Powers That Be were your ''bosses'' in ''VideoGame/{{Afterlife}}'', although they were decidedly hands-off.

* The Elders in ''Series/{{Charmed}}'', and the Angel of Destiny.

!Examples:

* ''ShinMegamiTensei'': Similarly to Philemon and Nyaralathothep of the spin-off ''Persona'' series, [[{{Satan}} Lucifer]] and [[{{God}} YHVH]] are the Powers That Be of the series proper (and a few others), whose [[GambitPileup constant schemes for dominance]] either [[TheHeavy directly cause]] or [[XanatosSpeedChess try to exploit]] each game's central conflict. Although [[OurGodsAreDifferent all MegaTen Gods]] [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve are arguably immortal by default]], [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly the size of their human fanbase determines their power]]; Lucifer and YHVH, on the other hand, [[AsLongAsThereIsEvil each only need one sentient life form]] [[AsLongAsThereIsOneMan who desires their respective thesis]] [[YouCannotKillAnIdea to continue existing]]; hence [[InherentInTheSystem their neverending battle]].

* The Patriots from ''Franchise/MetalGear'' are always in the background and only overshadow the games' conflicts.

* The {{Precursors}} from the ''Frnachise/JakAndDaxter'' series were an ancient race that have PhysicalGod status, but they're rarely ever seen in person [[spoiler: unless you count Daxter, who's been there since the first game]].

* The ancient Zoroastrianism has both the good and the bad Powers That Be, in the form of Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu. They are closer to the modern portrayal of BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil, as both are omnipotent deities of equal footing. However, despite being equal, Angra Mainyu will still lose in the end, due to [[EvilWillFail self-destructiveness of being evil]].

* In spite of trying to come across as this, the Seven Deities from ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' are not this trope, though they are practically PhysicalGod[='=]s of varying power. The real example is [[spoiler: Chakravartin, who's a BigBad example of this. [[MomentOfAwesome Asura]] [[Awesome/AsurasWrath kills him and destroys Naraka, Chakravartin's home plane, with a massive punch.]]]]

* ''FanFic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has the seven Endless, as well as a few mentions of the Abrahmaic God, who mostly keeps to Himself may or may not be of the same ilk as Odin, Zeus, etc.

** All of this, however, hardly gets a mention in the three books of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': the Valar are are mentioned only in passing, and there is the vaguest reference to a BiggerBad above Sauron himself (Melkor/Morgoth), and none to Eru.

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[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]
* For humans, it was the gods. But then for the gods, most of the European mythologies, at least, had some version of Fate/the Fates, whose edicts no god could avoid. The [[Myth/GreekMythology Greeks]] and Romans mentioned it every once in a while, usually in the form of prophecies, but the [[Myth/NorseMythology Norse]] gods were already planning for their own deaths at Ragnarok--they knew they couldn't avoid it.
* In Monotheistic religion, the one supreme god is always this, and [[GodIsGood always benevolent]].
* Literature/TheBible in particular, has both {{God}} as the good Powers That Be and {{Satan}} as the bad Powers That Be. Unlike most modern portrayals of them though, Satan is ''not'' God's equal, and is infinitely weaker than God as much as other creations are below him.
* The ancient Zoroastrianism has both the good and the bad Powers That Be, in the form of Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu. They are closer to the modern portrayal of BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil, as both are omnipotent deities of equal footing. However, despite being equal, Angra Mainyu will still lose in the end, due to [[EvilWillFail self-destructiveness of being evil]].
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* In ''Die Frau ohne Schatten'' by Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal, the plot is dominated by Keikobad, the King of the Spirits. The character never appears in person but it his {{Leitmotif}} with which the opera opens.
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[[folder:Mythology & Religion]]

* The Azathanai are the oldest authorities the ''[[Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen Malazan]]'' world knows so far, responsible for the creation of the world and all life on it. In modern day they are also referred to as Elder Gods.

** [[spoiler: The Powers are a set of entities with a Purpose, Role and Duties in this world; the eldest are Death, Time, War and Life, who (along with some others who have since passed on) were directly made by the creators, while the younger Powers (who are former mortals [[AbstractApotheosis who gave over their souls to a Purpose in order to become a Power]]) include Harmony (and its alter-ego Balance), Disharmony and the Nightmare, among others.]]

* The People In Charge (or PIC) in ''WristcuttersALoveStory,'' and presumably, [[TheBookOfTheFilm the book]] as well.

--> ''Eriol:''' Who was Ilúvatar? Was he of the Gods?\\

* ''Series/TwinPeaks'' had the Little Man, the FBI, possible alien abductors, "[=BOB=]", and the woods in general. The entire series was one big, creepy Battle of the Network Powers That Be, all-nefarious, all the time.
** The owls are not what they seem.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': The Time Lords of Gallifrey (the Doctor's own people), who are introduced in "The War Games" and recur now and then throughout the Third Doctor's era. (In later stories, as entire stories are set on Gallifrey, they become less mysterious and godlike, more human, in terms of their politics and motivations.) They sometimes take the Third Doctor's TARDIS to other planets (with him and his companion in it), so he can carry out a mission (with some reluctance). Also the Fourth Doctor in "Genesis of the Daleks."

* [[https://www.mediaminer.org/fanfic/s/legend-of-zelda-fan-fiction/the-legend-of-link-lucky-number-13/19769 The Legend of Link: Lucky Number 13]]: Fate and Destiny hold themselves aloof from mortals and gods alike, to the point where few (gods) have ever actually seen them in person. While normal gods have limited domains, have children, and vary how much they directly interact with mortals, it's thought that these two are a primordial pillar on which reality is built; without them, everything would collapse. [[spoiler:Link disproves this theory by destroying them and leaving the "throne" vacant.]]