History Main / TheManBehindTheMan

* ''LegendOfDragoon'' first starts off with Dart's girlfriend being captured and imprisonned. When he arrives at her place of capture he is quickly introduced to a man named Frugel, who is the cruel warden of Helena prison. After defeating him Dart learns that he in fact takes orders from Emperor Doel, who lives in the Black Castle of Kazas. Doel also is taking orders from a man named Lloyd, who is acting as "TheDragon" for Emperor Diaz. Emperor Diaz is revealed to actually be [[spoiler: Dart's father, Zieg Feld,]] who plays the part of the main antagonist for the rest of the game up until the final boss,[[spoiler: Melbu Frahma, who was posessing Zieg the entire time]].

* Raymond E. Feist is in ''love'' with this one. Across the RiftwarCycle, the first real villains (the first book was more GreyAndGreyMorality) were the dark elves, who then turned out to be manipulated by the [[ReptilesAreAborrent Pantathian]] [[ReligionOfEvil priests]], who were in turn pawns for [[AbusivePrecursors the Valheru]]. Later installments revealed that the Valheru themselves were being influenced by [[GodOfEvil Nalar]], and the most recent books are suggesting that someone or something else is manipulating ''him''. Among the side villains, [[EldritchAbomination the Dark God]] was manipulating the Dasati for centuries before taking its place as their ruler, and the demon legions currently trying to invade the mortal world are on the run from ''even worse demons'' back home.

* In the original manga version of ''Manga/SailorMoon'', the final villain, Chaos, reveals that all four previous {{Big Bad}}s (Queen Metallia, Death Phantom, Pharaoh 90, and Nehellenia) were all created by him.
** All four of whom were The Man Behind The Man in their respective seasons, as Chaos was for DiscOneFinalBoss Sailor Galaxia in the fifth.

** In ''{{Pokemon}} Colosseum'', Nascour is built up to be the BigBad of the game. However, the true BigBad is really [[spoiler: Mayor Es Cade,]] or Evice, as he calls himself during TheReveal. This actually has a very sigificant moment of {{Foreshadowing}} in the beginning. [[spoiler: Notice how Nascour casually walks out of Es Cade's house before you talk with him.]]

* ''AmericanIdol'': Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick are this to the judges.

* ''InDeath'': This happens a few times. ''Immortal In Death'' reveals that Casto did the actual murdering. ''Betrayal In Death'' reveals that Naples hire Sylvester Yost in the first place. ''Divided In Death'' reveals that Sparrow, assistant director of Homeland Security Organization, put Blair Bissel up to murdering people.

* ''Series/{{Chuck}}'': Has done this twice. [[spoiler: Fulcrum was a part of the Ring, and these two, along with Volkoff Industries, were part of a conspiracy as clients of a firm led by Nicholas Quinn.]]
* ''Series/{{Lost}}'':
** Has done this several times. In the second season, it looked like Tom was the leader of the Others, until the finale when we learned of [[spoiler:Benjamin Linus]], who then revealed himself to be a pawn of [[spoiler:Jacob]], who is then [[spoiler:murdered in the Season 5 finale, leaving the Man in Black to take the stage]]. And in all this mess, we still have [[spoiler:Charles Widmore]] to worry about.
** AvertedTrope in that [[spoiler: the Man in Black was "seen" in the very first episode and has been popping up throughout the series, seemingly in various dead guises.]] Also [[spoiler: Jacob is not presented as an antagonist when he is finally revealed, and it is unclear just how much he has been ordering the Others around (though he probably could have stopped a lot of their worst actions) and hence how responsible he is for them, particularly since he spends a lot of time travelling.]]
* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'': Adam Monroe is the Man to the twelve founders of the Company.
* ''{{The X-Files}}'': Used frequently over the course, as each echelon of the conspiracy turned out to have a higher one it reported to.
* JossWhedon:
** He really likes this trope. Here we go:
** In ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' season 6, several [[MonsterOfTheWeek monsters of the week]] were hired or summoned by the Nerds.
** In ''Series/{{Angel}}'', it's made clear early on that [[CorruptCorporateExecutive corrupt]] MegaCorp Wolfram And Hart is behind many lesser evils of LA, but who is behind ''Wolfram And Hart'' goes through several levels of reveal.
*** Season 1 reveals Holland Manners is behind the former face of W&H Lindsey [=McDonald=].
*** Season 2 shows that W&H is behind the CorruptChurch that rules the dark dimension Pylea, and that true demons (the Senior Partners) are behind the mortal attorneys.
*** Season 4 has a different procession: The Beast (AKA Big Rubber {{Satan}}) is in front of [[spoiler: [[DemonicPossession Evil Cordelia]]]], who is in front of (or rather, actually ''is'') EldritchAbomination Jasmine (who may be behind any number of other things, as well).
** ''{{Firefly}}'' never got around to revealing much, but based on what we know about the show's planned MythArc, it appears that Blue Sun Corporation was meant to be behind most of The Alliance's evil tendencies.
** ''{{Dollhouse}}'' is a massive cascade of Man Behind The Man moments: [[DefrostingIceQueen Adelle DeWitt]] in front of Rossum as a whole, then a series of fake out reveals which ultimately give way to the [[ShockingSwerve sudden knowledge]] that [[spoiler: Boyd]] is the real BigBad.

* ''TwinPeaks'': Although Agent Cooper encounters BOB in season 1 and Windom Earle in season 2, Windom Earle would be The Dragon, while BOB (who is never truly defeated) is the BigBad.

* Wrestling/{{WWE}}: In 1998, VinceMcMahon underwent a HeelFaceTurn after his son ShaneMcMahon took over his stable, TheCorporation, and merged it with TheUndertaker's pseudo-Satanic cult, The MinistryOfDarkness, to form The Corporate Ministry. While Shane and TheUndertaker usurped control of Vince's company and kidnapped his daughter StephanieMcMahon, Vince was forced to make peace with all the wrestlers he'd spent the past few years screwing over time and time again, and unite them against this new threat. Then, Undertaker started speaking of a "higher power" he served -- who turned out to be Vince himself.
* ''WhiteCollar'': For the first season and a half, it seemed that [[spoiler: Garrett Fowler]] was the man running things. Halfway through the second season, in "Point Blank", [[spoiler: Fowler reveals he's being blackmailed by Neal's old boss, Vincent Adler.]]

** And [[spoiler: Rassilon]] was the ManBehindTheMan to the Master, having [[spoiler: used the time vortex to give him the continuous sound of drums in his head, effectively torturing him into insanity]]
* ''MightyMorphinPowerRangers'':
** The Prime-Time Premiere of the second season reveals that Lord Zedd was Rita's BigBoss, by imprisoning her in another dumpster but he was only the trope to the humans (viewers or in-universe). Zordon and Goldar (and it's implied the same to the other non-humans in the series) already knew Zedd was Rita's "lord and master" and was just too busy conquering other worlds prior to his debut, making him a BiggerBad in their perspective.
** While a vague allusion to a United Alliance of Evil in Zeo's premiere seems to imply a grander villain hierarchy than just Rita and Zedd, it isn't until the premiere of ''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'' that we learn Dark Specter had been the man behind the man for EVERY SEASON until then. Then Rita and Zedd's son tries to make himself into the man behind the various villain factions during the middle of ''Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive''. Doesn't last long but it was impressive for what is technically [[EnfanteTerrible a nine-year-old]].
** ''Series/PowerRangersSPD'' also has Emperor Gruumm revealed to be serving something called Omni.

* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': While it was not exactly a secret, Weyoun served as this with Damar in the last two seasons of . While Damar became the Leader of Cardassia after Dukat's capture, he served as nothing more than a puppet for Weyoun. Also from [= DS9 =], Quark's mother Ishka becomes this for Grand Nagus Zek.
* ''{{Soap}}'': when Danny decides he wants to leave TheMafia he tells his boss, who tells him he has to talk to the big boss of the Mafia - Mr. Lefkowitz.
* ''Series/HawaiiFiveO'': [[spoiler: Wo Fat]], in both the 1968-80 original and the 2010 [[Series/HawaiiFive0 reboot]]--but much more prominently in the latter.
* ''{{Smallville}}'': In the eighth season, [[EvilCripple Lex]] is The Man Behind The Man to [[TheBaroness Tess Mercer]], while [[UnholyMatrimony Faora and Zod]] are The Man Behind The Man to [[PersonOfMassDestruction Doomsday]], although they don't retain control of him for long. In Season 10, {{Darkseid}} is The Man Behind The Man to [[EvilOldFolks Granny Goodness]], [[SerialKiller Desaad]], and [[CompellingVoice Gordon Godfrey]], as well as [[GeneralRipper Slade Wilson]] and the Vigilante Registration Act.
* ''Series/BurnNotice'': In the episode "Dead to Rights", it is revealed that Larry was working for [[spoiler: Anson]] -- and not even ''Larry'' knew it, thanks to an elaborate [[ThePlan plan]].
* ''AmericanIdol'': Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick are this to the judges.
* ''Series/FallingSkies'': For most of the first season, both the characters and the audience believe that the Skitters are the {{Big Bad}}s. Then, near the end of the season, we meet the Overlords, and find out that the Skitters are just SlaveMooks.
* ''Series/PersonOfInterest'': Pennsylvania Two/Special Counsel is this with respect to Weeks. [[spoiler: Then it turns out that Pennsylvania Two is working for a woman known only by the name "Control"]].
* ''ArrestedDevelopment'': Lucille is revealed to be the one making the decisions, while George Senior is TheScapegoat.
* ''Series/{{Revenge}}'': Has The Americon Initiative which seems to play this role to the Graysons empire.
* ''Series/DayBreak'': It's eventually revealed that Tobias Booth is actually subordinate to Barry Colburn, who is the ultimate leader of the conspiracy. Hopper eventually learns the truth, but Colburn is actually so high up in the criminal chain that all his tracks are covered and Hopper can't do anything about him, so he remains a free man.

* ''Series/{{Chuck}}'' has done this twice. [[spoiler: Fulcrum was a part of the Ring, and these two, along with Volkoff Industries, were part of a conspiracy as clients of a firm led by Nicholas Quinn.]]
* ''Series/{{Lost}}'' has done this several times. In the second season, it looked like Tom was the leader of the Others, until the finale when we learned of [[spoiler:Benjamin Linus]], who then revealed himself to be a pawn of [[spoiler:Jacob]], who is then [[spoiler:murdered in the Season 5 finale, leaving the Man in Black to take the stage]]. And in all this mess, we still have [[spoiler:Charles Widmore]] to worry about.
** Slightly averted in that [[spoiler: the Man in Black was "seen" in the very first episode and has been popping up throughout the series, seemingly in various dead guises.]] Also [[spoiler: Jacob is not presented as an antagonist when he is finally revealed, and it is unclear just how much he has been ordering the Others around (though he probably could have stopped a lot of their worst actions) and hence how responsible he is for them, particularly since he spends a lot of time travelling.]]
* In ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' Adam Monroe is the Man to the twelve founders of the Company.
* Used frequently over the course of ''{{The X-Files}}'', as each echelon of the conspiracy turned out to have a higher one it reported to.
* JossWhedon really likes this trope. Here we go:

* In a season of ''[[Series/TwentyFour 24]]'', The Man Behind The Man is revealed around the middle of the "day", allowing Jack to spend the remaining episodes going after the real Big Bad.

* In ''TwinPeaks'', although Agent Cooper encounters BOB in season 1 and Windom Earle in season 2, Windom Earle would be The Dragon, while BOB (who is never truly defeated) is the BigBad.
* Throughout Season One of ''Series/{{Alias}}'', Sydney pursues a character that the show refers to as "The Man." Sure enough, the person they thought was The Man turns out to be TheDragon.

* In Wrestling/{{WWE}} in 1998, VinceMcMahon underwent a HeelFaceTurn after his son ShaneMcMahon took over his stable, TheCorporation, and merged it with TheUndertaker's pseudo-Satanic cult, The MinistryOfDarkness, to form The Corporate Ministry. While Shane and TheUndertaker usurped control of Vince's company and kidnapped his daughter StephanieMcMahon, Vince was forced to make peace with all the wrestlers he'd spent the past few years screwing over time and time again, and unite them against this new threat. Then, Undertaker started speaking of a "higher power" he served -- who turned out to be Vince himself.
* For the first season and a half of WhiteCollar, it seemed that [[spoiler: Garrett Fowler]] was the man running things. Halfway through the second season, in ''Point Blank,'' [[spoiler: Fowler reveals he's being blackmailed by Neal's old boss, Vincent Adler.]]
* The final two episodes of the [[Series/DoctorWho Ninth Doctor's]] run revealed that the Jagrafess supposedly masterminding Earth in "The Long Game" was actually a pawn of [[spoiler:the Daleks]].

* The Prime-Time Premiere of ''MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' second season reveals that Lord Zedd was Rita's BigBoss, by imprisoning her in another dumpster but he was only the trope to the humans (viewers or in-universe). Zordon and Goldar (and it's implied the same to the other non-humans in the series) already knew Zedd was Rita's "lord and master" and was just too busy conquering other worlds prior to his debut, making him a BiggerBad in their perspective.

* Inverted in an episode of ''InPlainSight'', where the mysterious contract killer "Lola" is a fabrication of her supposed underling, the real killer.
* In Series 3 of ''[[Series/StarTrekEnterprise Enterprise]]'', the Xindi race's attack on Earth made them the arc villains - however, as the ship searched for them in their home space, it happened across mysterious giant spheres warping reality, and then their architects, the extradimensional [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Sphere Builders]]. In the end it turned out the Xindi had been manipulated by the Sphere Builders into attacking Earth as part of a BatmanGambit to prevent them joining with humans against the Sphere Builders in the future, and the Sphere Builders were the real villains.
* While it was not exactly a secret, Weyoun served as this with Damar in the last two seasons of ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''. While Damar became the Leader of Cardassia after Dukat's capture, he served as nothing more than a puppet for Weyoun.
** Also from [= DS9 =], Quark's mother Ishka becomes this for Grand Nagus Zek.

* In ''{{Smallville}}'''s eighth season, [[EvilCripple Lex]] is The Man Behind The Man to [[TheBaroness Tess Mercer]], while [[UnholyMatrimony Faora and Zod]] are The Man Behind The Man to [[PersonOfMassDestruction Doomsday]], although they don't retain control of him for long. In Season 10, {{Darkseid}} is The Man Behind The Man to [[EvilOldFolks Granny Goodness]], [[SerialKiller Desaad]], and [[CompellingVoice Gordon Godfrey]], as well as [[GeneralRipper Slade Wilson]] and the Vigilante Registration Act.
* In the ''Series/BurnNotice'' episode ''Dead to Rights,'' it is revealed that Larry was working for [[spoiler: Anson]] -- and not even ''Larry'' knew it, thanks to an elaborate [[ThePlan plan]].
* Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick are this to the judges on AmericanIdol.
* For most of the first season of ''Series/FallingSkies'', both the characters and the audience believe that the Skitters are the {{Big Bad}}s. Then, near the end of the season, we meet the Overlords, and find out that the Skitters are just SlaveMooks.
* ''Series/PersonOfInterest'': Pennsylvania Two/Special Counsel is this with respect to Weeks.

* Series/{{Revenge}} has The Americon Initiative which seems to play this role to the Graysons empire.
* In ''Series/DayBreak'', it's eventually revealed that Tobias Booth is actually subordinate to Barry Colburn, who is the ultimate leader of the conspiracy. Hopper eventually learns the truth, but Colburn is actually so high up in the criminal chain that all his tracks are covered and Hopper can't do anything about him, so he remains a free man.

* Dick Cheney and Karl Rove were often claimed to be the power behind George W. Bush (stuff like [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x99lnVeY4jQ this]] didn't help). And going back a few years, [[BaldOfAwesome James]] [[RaginCajun Carville]] was joked to be the power behind Bill Clinton. Rahm Emanuel was accused of being the man behind the man to Barack Obama, after he stepped down people turned to calling George Soros the man behind Obama. Basically any time the USA has a president, his opposition will cast him as an unqualified ignoramus, witlessly doing the work of a vile puppetmaster.

* Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, is often accused of being this to the Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.

** Not exactly -- Medvedev has never quite established Villain credentials, and observers pointed out years before that Putin was grooming him for the Presidency.

* While Iran's president is the person most Westerners consider the leader of the country, the truth is that the office holds very little power beyond a limited influence on economic policy. Foreign policy, command of the army, internal security, control of the media, judicial appointments, and state religion are all controlled by Ayatollah Ali Khameni. This isn't at all a secret, more a case of people hearing "president" and assuming "Commander-in-Chief."
* Paul von Hindenburg became the Chief of the German General Staff in 1916, which effectively made him military dictator of the German Empire given the Kaiser's indecisiveness and mental anguish. In a double example, Hindenburg himself had neither the energy nor the intelligence for his position, and so he was largely a front-man for the real brains in the High Command, which was Erich Ludendorff. Tragically, the latter was able to manipulate Hindenburg by threatening to expose his reputation, if the latter didn't testify that the German Army was on the verge of victory before being cut off of supplies by Jewish industrialists. Did I mention that Ludendorff was one of the first Nazis?
** Before him, chancellor Otto Von Bismark played his king like a fiddle, [[ChessMaster just like everybody else.]]
* The Soviet Union in the thirties had both a President and a Prime Minister. And behind them, lurked some [[JosephStalin lowly secretary]].

* The Dowager Empress Cixi ruled China for 47 years through her son, and then her grandson. When the latter talked back to her she had him imprisoned.

** And likewise the former US President Ronald Reagan, is said to be this trope to Conservative British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, which covers the trope for right wing politics.
*** It seems now, that any controversal Conservative Prime Minister, will automatically be stereotyped in this light to portray Margaret Thatcher as this trope to whoever in the party is currently in power.
* [[TheMafia The Genovese Family]] made it a habit to appoint a 'front boss' from the fifties onward to distract law enforcement as well as rival families from the ''actual'' boss. In one case that actual boss was Vincente Gigante [[TheDogWasTheMastermind who pretented to be insane by walking the streets of New York while muttering to himself]].

* OttoVonBismarck was never the king of either Prussia or the later German empire, but everyone knew, even the king himself, that he was really in control of all policy decisions and matters of state. Unlike most examples on this list, one of the Kings/Emperors he was behind, Wilhelm I, was fully aware that Bismarck was The Man Behind The Man, and didn't care because he knew how much more competent Bismarck was than him.
* Under the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, Khieu Samphan was the president when in reality prime minister Pol Pot had the real power over the country.

[[caption-width-right:350:Being a [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] doesn't always mean you're in charge.]]

* Referenced in ''ThingsChange'', where Tony Mantegna passes off Don Ameche's character as powerful mobster who is "the man behind the man ''behind the man''," getting lots of casino comps and explaining why no one has ever heard of him at the same time. Ameche is actually a simple shoe-shiner who is about to take the rap for a real mob boss. This scene was parodied in ''{{Swingers}}'' when Vince Vaugn's character jokingly makes the exact same claim about Jon Favreau at a casino.
* ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'': [[spoiler: The film leads you to believe that Bane is the BigBad. However, he turns out to be second-in-command to the true mastermind: Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ra's al Ghul.]]

'''Raiden''': Alright, this has officially become a load of crap.\\
- ''[[http://www.gamespite.net/toastywiki/index.php/Site/ThumbnailMetalGearSolid2-05 Thumbnail Threatre: Metal Gear Solid 2: Part 5]]''

* Charles Martel was the maior domus of the merovingian kings and the true man in power of the Frankish Kingdom. After his death, his job went to his sons Carloman and Pepin, the later eventually becomming the actual King of the Franks. He was such a MagnificentBastard that the carolingian dynasty wasn't named after Pepins son Charlemagne, who would become the most famous member of the family and one of the greatest ruler of Europe, but after Charles Martel himself, even though the family gained the throne more than 10 years after his death. But everyone knew that he had been the real ruler of the Franks all along.

* Dick Cheney and Karl Rove were often claimed to be the power behind George W. Bush. And going back a few years, [[BaldOfAwesome James]] [[RaginCajun Carville]] was joked to be the power behind Bill Clinton. Rahm Emanuel was accused of being the man behind the man to Barack Obama, after he stepped down people turned to calling George Soros the man behind Obama. Basically any time the USA has a president, his opposition will cast him as an unqualified ignoramus, witlessly doing the work of a vile puppetmaster.

** In this case it's more 'Woman' behind the Man. Alexander the Great accomplished...well, great things, creating an empire that spanned three continents. The driving force that allowed him to accomplish all that was his mother, Olympias. It was her claim that she had been impregnated by Zeus himself that stopped people from questioning Alexander's rise to the throne. It's highly suspected that she ordered the assassination of her ex-husband, the King of Macedon Philip II, and we know for a fact she then had his second wife and their two children killed to assure no one rivaled Alexander's right as King. So while Alexander was King and off conquering distant lands, Olympias had free reign of the homeland, being able to do whatever she wanted and having unprecedented political power for a woman considering the times. After the death of Alexander in Babylon a civil war broke out in Macedon about who the next regent ruler would be. While initially not taking part, Olympias soon saw that Alexander's son, her grandchild, may lose his claim to the throne, so she threw her power and loyal forces against the opposing sides. She conquered most of Macedon and had Philip III, half brother of her late son, murdered along with hundreds of other people. Eventually she lost and was executed for everything she had done.

* While president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad is certainly the face of the Iranian government and the person most Westerners would think of when asked about leader of Iran, the truth is, the office of president holds very little power in Iran beyond limited influence on economic policy. Foreign policy, command of the army and internal security, control of the media, judicial appointments, and state religion is controlled by Ayatollah Ali Khameni. However, it's not like this is much of a secret- it doesn't take much research into the Iranian government to figure out that the Supreme Leader, the highest-ranked cleric in the country, holds the real power. Unfortunately, most people just hear "president" and assume "Commander-in-Chief".

* Under Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia Khieu Samphan was the president when in reality prime minister Pol Pot had the real power over the country.

* PeterMandelson, [[KnightFever Baron Mandelson]], who is not called (by enemies and [[AppropriatedAppelation friends]] alike) the "[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Prince of Darkness]]" for nothing. One of the chief spin doctors for the [[BritishPoliticalSystem Labour Party]] starting in the late '80s, he described ''himself'' as "the man behind Kinnock, the man behind [[TonyBlair Blair]], and, yes, the man behind [[GordonBrown Brown]]." It should be noted that he ''hated'' Brown (who returned the favour). Combines this with MagnificentBastard in ways truly incredible.

* The final cutscene in ''HaegemoniaLegionsOfIron'' reveals that the Darzok are the puppets of the AbusivePrecursors who are responsible for the extinction of the Solon. Sadly, this SequelHook did not result in a second game.

----touh

----

* [[spoiler:Uchiha Obito]] in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', known by the alias Tobi, pulled this off in three separate instances. He used Akatsuki to further his own plans, with Pain as a willing figurehead; he controlled the Hidden Mist by placing the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, under a genjutsu; and he not only released the Kyuubi before the series start, but also controlled it during the attack that left Naruto an orphan and jinchuriki.

* ''Manga/DragonBall'' does this several times in a row the manga and the anime. After Raditz is defeated Nappa and Vegeta are revealed to be the Saiyans behind the Saiyan. After they are defeated, Kaio mentions the "root" of the problem, which is shortly afterwards introduced as the Saiyans' (ex-)boss, Frieza.

* In Tolkien's story of the Fall of Numenor, Sauron allows himself to be captured by Ar-Pharazon, King of Numenor, and soon goes from being prisoner of the King to channeling his power through the King.

* The first game in the ''PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'' series has Miles Edgeworth, the smug, arrogant "genius prosecutor" who will "do anything to get a guilty verdict." Then in the fourth case of the game, you're up against the devilish-sounding and looking Manfred von Karma, [[spoiler:Edgeworth's stepfather and mentor.]] It doesn't help that von Karma, also a perfectionist, tries to get [[spoiler:his own stepson]] guilty for the sake of preserving his 40-year-long perfect record.

* In ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', early in the game, your party learns the BigBad caused an apocalyptic destruction of the world. Eventually, they find someone casting a dark ritual which is summoning the BigBad. So, your party fights and defeats the summoner [[spoiler:Magus]], believing him to be The Man Behind The Man and finds out [[spoiler:he was trying to summon Lavos to destroy him until your party disrupted the ritual]]