Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

The Group

 The Group
type
FeatureClass
 The Group
label
The Group
 The Group
page
TheGroup
 The Group
comment
Basically, a sub-trope of Names to Run Away from Really Fast that applies specifically to a group or organization, as well as the Super-Trope under which several others fall (such as Ancient Conspiracy and Government Agency of Fiction).
The Group does not have any proper nouns in its name. This is meant to convey just how ancient, mysterious, clannish, secretive, powerful, and connected it is. It is not "The Silford Group". It is simply...The Group. The Group is typically some form of Ancient Conspiracy, Government Agency, or Very Powerful Crime Syndicate. Even more likely, The Group will be some combination of some or all of the above, such as an ancient and extremely highly-trained order that traces its origins back to the time when it was an Egyptian mystery religion, today has deadly assassins and The Men in Black counted among its many agents, is technically an ancillary part of the United States government and, oh yeah, manages a large underground criminal empire as well.
If there's a Masquerade going on in your world, The Group is, de rigueur, the first ones in and the last ones out to deal with anything related to it. If it gets broken, that's on them. Even if The Group is evil, which they may well be, they may often try to cover up The Masquerade in an attempt to utilize whatever it is for their own ends, and thus do the world some good by keeping it ignorant and safe. Whether it is mystical, supernatural, or horrific beings, creatures, phenomena or MacGuffins, things of alien origin, superhumans and related paraphernalia, examples of advanced technology, time travelers and the difficulties they create, various types of monsters, demons, or whatever other Green Rocks or Weirdness Magnets may be around in a world, you can be assured The Group will be there to either hunt and destroy them, try to manipulate and use them, or simply watch and contain them. Oh, and it should go without saying that if anyone is in charge of The Group, yes, it will be an Omniscient Council of Vagueness.
It's also entirely possible to have two Groups in the world. Often, they will be fighting a war in the shadows, this will be the basis for an Arc (story or myth), typically with one fighting behind the scenes to protect the world, and the other secretly trying to destroy or corrupt it. The Group may be several decades old (for example, formed around World War II or the Cold War), several hundred years old (for example, dating from around the time of the Industrial Revolution and the American and French Revolutions), several thousand years old (originating in Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, or Ancient Egypt), as old as human civilization itself (as soon as one cavemen invented fire, two others got together on the other side of the cave and whispered to each other that they had better keep an eye on this, and thus The Group was born), or older than time itself (humans may serve The Group, but some very definitely non-humans founded, and control, it).
 The Group
fetched
2023-09-09T13:01:31Z
 The Group
parsed
2023-09-09T13:01:31Z
 The Group
processingComment
Dropped link to AllThereInTheManual: Not an Item - FEATURE
 The Group
processingComment
Dropped link to AudienceAlienatingEra: Not an Item - FEATURE
 The Group
processingComment
Dropped link to LondonGangster: Not an Item - FEATURE
 The Group
processingComment
Dropped link to ObviouslyEvil: Not an Item - FEATURE
 The Group
processingComment
Dropped link to SpaceX: Not an Item - FEATURE
 The Group
processingComment
Dropped link to TheSufferingTiesThatBind: Not an Item - UNKNOWN
 The Group
processingComment
Dropped link to evilcounterpart: Not an Item - FEATURE
 The Group
processingUnknown
TheSufferingTiesThatBind
 The Group
isPartOf
DBTropes
 The Group / int_15d17004
type
The Group
 The Group / int_15d17004
comment
The Order from Sherlock Holmes (2009) are a No Celebrities Were Harmed version of the Freemasons as they were commonly thought of in Victorian times, being a shadowy group of influential men at the highest reaches of power engaging in mysterious, weird rituals. It's gradually taken over by a powerful and charismatic Dark Messiah who has returned from the dead and is demonstrating his power to such an extent that almost the entire country is utterly terrified of him. However, it's ultimately a complete deconstruction, as the Order is largely presented as a bunch of superstitious and largely ineffectual old men who are utterly caught up in their own mythology to the extent that they'll let the so-called Dark Messiah, in fact a complete charlatan, seduce them with a theatrical manner and some admittedly pretty clever conjuring tricks. Hey, this is Sherlock Holmes; as if he wasn't going to be Doing In the Wizard. It's also an excuse for them to have orgies, apparently.
 The Group / int_15d17004
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_15d17004
featureConfidence
1.0
 Sherlock Holmes (2009)
hasFeature
The Group / int_15d17004
 The Group / int_2a984a83
type
The Group
 The Group / int_2a984a83
comment
Arby 'n' the Chief: Eugene states his Halo: Reach clan has no name to keep them from attracting attention. Doesn't stop them from wielding an exorbitant amount of influence though.
 The Group / int_2a984a83
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_2a984a83
featureConfidence
1.0
 Arby 'n' the Chief (Web Video)
hasFeature
The Group / int_2a984a83
 The Group / int_2c4a4759
type
The Group
 The Group / int_2c4a4759
comment
Huntik: Secrets & Seekers: The main villainous faction of the first season is known simply as "The Organization".
 The Group / int_2c4a4759
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_2c4a4759
featureConfidence
1.0
 Huntik: Secrets & Seekers
hasFeature
The Group / int_2c4a4759
 The Group / int_30b255fb
type
The Group
 The Group / int_30b255fb
comment
The Council in Supergirl Bronze Age comics, a villainous super-secret organization based in Chicago and dedicated to controlling the world's exchange of information. Some of their operatives were a super-villain team known as The Gang.
 The Group / int_30b255fb
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_30b255fb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Supergirl (Comic Book)
hasFeature
The Group / int_30b255fb
 The Group / int_3defe34c
type
The Group
 The Group / int_3defe34c
comment
Discussed by Unskippable in their inFAMOUS: Second Son episode:
 The Group / int_3defe34c
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_3defe34c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Discussed Trope
hasFeature
The Group / int_3defe34c
 The Group / int_4064f208
type
The Group
 The Group / int_4064f208
comment
The Directive, a shadowy intelligence organisation from the Aberrant role playing game.
 The Group / int_4064f208
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_4064f208
featureConfidence
1.0
 Aberrant (Tabletop Game)
hasFeature
The Group / int_4064f208
 The Group / int_40809984
type
The Group
 The Group / int_40809984
comment
The Coreline setting has The Foundation, which is the result of both The Foundation For Law And Government and the Phoenix Foundation pooling their resources (and getting assistance from people like Optimus Prime, now the Governor For Life of the State of Michigan) because individually they were too under-powered and under-gunned to make any change on the titular World Gone Mad. While many other organizations in the setting have the name "[Something] Foundation", the moment you hear "The" Foundation is out to get you, you should seriously think about pulling stakes and running.
 The Group / int_40809984
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_40809984
featureConfidence
1.0
 Coreline (Fanfic)
hasFeature
The Group / int_40809984
 The Group / int_42ffb88e
type
The Group
 The Group / int_42ffb88e
comment
In the SCP Foundation universe, the titular globe-spanning supernatural containment organization is often referred to as simply "The Foundation." The full name is rarely used, both within and without the organization.
One of the supernatural groups of interests is called The Factory. They make supernatural and often commercial objects on an industrial and global scale, yet their activity has never been directly observed, only indirectly found. It is not known by any other name.
 The Group / int_42ffb88e
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_42ffb88e
featureConfidence
1.0
 SCP Foundation (Website)
hasFeature
The Group / int_42ffb88e
 The Group / int_43a9c333
type
The Group
 The Group / int_43a9c333
comment
Cowboy Bebop has The Syndicate, a group of Mars-base Chinese Triads which employed series protagonist Spike Spiegel as a hit man and also employed Big Bad Vicious up until the point that he took over the organization and turned it into his own personal army to satisfy his Blood Knight appetites.
 The Group / int_43a9c333
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_43a9c333
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cowboy Bebop
hasFeature
The Group / int_43a9c333
 The Group / int_526d4c5c
type
The Group
 The Group / int_526d4c5c
comment
The Exchange from Knights of the Old Republic, an interstellar criminal organization, although in at least one incident in The Sith Lords they work under a non-too-subtle cover organization called "The Bumani Exchange".
 The Group / int_526d4c5c
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_526d4c5c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Knights of the Old Republic (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Group / int_526d4c5c
 The Group / int_5cd1aa89
type
The Group
 The Group / int_5cd1aa89
comment
Nineteen Eighty-Four has The Party. (It also has The Brotherhood, but they're not working against the protagonist.)
 The Group / int_5cd1aa89
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_5cd1aa89
featureConfidence
1.0
 Nineteen Eighty-Four
hasFeature
The Group / int_5cd1aa89
 The Group / int_5d89296b
type
The Group
 The Group / int_5d89296b
comment
"The House" from The Player.
 The Group / int_5d89296b
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_5d89296b
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Player
hasFeature
The Group / int_5d89296b
 The Group / int_61de95d6
type
The Group
 The Group / int_61de95d6
comment
The Order in Freelancer. Subverted in that they're actually the good guys, fighting off a race of shapeshifting aliens called the Nomads.
 The Group / int_61de95d6
featureApplicability
-0.3
 The Group / int_61de95d6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Freelancer (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Group / int_61de95d6
 The Group / int_62570927
type
The Group
 The Group / int_62570927
comment
The Enclave: A group of criminal scientists in the Marvel Universe.
The Committee: A criminal organisation from the same.
The Conclave: The Avengers foes. A shadow cabinet made up of members of every U.S. government organization.
The Corporation: Nationwide business-like criminal organization. Foes of Captain America and the Hulk, amongst others.
The Cabal, a group of several powerful supervillains and antiheroes, and Evil Counterpart to The Illuminati.
Magento's organization was just called The Brotherhood for a while. After it abandoned The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
 The Group / int_62570927
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_62570927
featureConfidence
1.0
 Marvel Universe (Franchise)
hasFeature
The Group / int_62570927
 The Group / int_69fa7496
type
The Group
 The Group / int_69fa7496
comment
The Disney Ducks Comic Universe has a few such organizations:
Paperinik New Adventures has a crime syndicate named the Organization, though their leaders don't see it as a proper name:
Paperinik New Adventures has four: the secret services known as the Agency (for short, the full name being "Agency So Secret It Doesn't Even Have a Name") and the Direction, and the crime syndicates known as the Organization (distinct from the PKNA one, and its namesake, though only the original founders were aware of it]]) and the Direction.
 The Group / int_69fa7496
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_69fa7496
featureConfidence
1.0
 Disney Ducks Comic Universe (Comic Book)
hasFeature
The Group / int_69fa7496
 The Group / int_6bcd58c7
type
The Group
 The Group / int_6bcd58c7
comment
Sin City has "The Guild", a group of assassins who also deal in the Black Market.
 The Group / int_6bcd58c7
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_6bcd58c7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Sin City (Comic Book)
hasFeature
The Group / int_6bcd58c7
 The Group / int_70814599
type
The Group
 The Group / int_70814599
comment
Stargate SG-1:
The N.I.D. According to the RPG sourcebook it stands for National Intelligence Department.
And later, the Trust, a group of incredibly powerful industrialists that was taken over by the Goa'uld.
 The Group / int_70814599
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_70814599
featureConfidence
1.0
 Stargate SG-1
hasFeature
The Group / int_70814599
 The Group / int_73d7930f
type
The Group
 The Group / int_73d7930f
comment
The Dominion from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine has the right sort of name (although, so does The Federation, come to think of it), and they were definitely a mysterious powerful organization in the first few seasons. Section 31 is the clandestine intelligence agency in the Federation that has been around from the beginning. The Circle was a short-lived Bajoran political party/terrorist organization/Cardassian front. Not to mention the Obsidian Order of the Cardassians, and Romulan Tal Shiar.
 The Group / int_73d7930f
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_73d7930f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
hasFeature
The Group / int_73d7930f
 The Group / int_7695ff84
type
The Group
 The Group / int_7695ff84
comment
The Order. Sure, it's The Order of the Blue Rose, but... The Order.
 The Group / int_7695ff84
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_7695ff84
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Order
hasFeature
The Group / int_7695ff84
 The Group / int_7c038c18
type
The Group
 The Group / int_7c038c18
comment
In early episodes of Phineas and Ferb, the organization Perry the Platypus works for is known simply as The Agency. In later episodes it's officially known as O.W.C.A., the Organization Without a Cool Acronym.
 The Group / int_7c038c18
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_7c038c18
featureConfidence
1.0
 Phineas and Ferb
hasFeature
The Group / int_7c038c18
 The Group / int_8c6bc3c2
type
The Group
 The Group / int_8c6bc3c2
comment
The Organization from Street Fighter III, a strange, powerful cult that has produced the superhuman Gill, is never really given a name in the Japanese, though it is sometimes referred to as the Illuminati in English.
 The Group / int_8c6bc3c2
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_8c6bc3c2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Street Fighter III (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Group / int_8c6bc3c2
 The Group / int_8f756902
type
The Group
 The Group / int_8f756902
comment
The Group from Munich and Sword of Gideon, an all-pervasive criminal organisation whose basic role is that of The Fixer. What they do is pay ordinary people a lot more money to do their job for an illegal purpose. Got a body in a hotel room that needs to be disposed of? The hotel staff will carry it out in a cleaning trolley, then pass it on to an undertaker who'll bury it in one of his graves.
 The Group / int_8f756902
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_8f756902
featureConfidence
1.0
 Munich
hasFeature
The Group / int_8f756902
 The Group / int_986e857e
type
The Group
 The Group / int_986e857e
comment
On Ben 10, the Forever Knights were originally called The Organization.
 The Group / int_986e857e
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_986e857e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Ben 10
hasFeature
The Group / int_986e857e
 The Group / int_99b147d8
type
The Group
 The Group / int_99b147d8
comment
The Centre from Martin Mystery is a clear cut heroic example.
 The Group / int_99b147d8
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_99b147d8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Martin Mystery
hasFeature
The Group / int_99b147d8
 The Group / int_9e82c3cb
type
The Group
 The Group / int_9e82c3cb
comment
The Fraternity from Wanted; while the movie has an organization of Anti-Hero Jerkass assassins, the original comicbook has full on amoral supervillains.
 The Group / int_9e82c3cb
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_9e82c3cb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Wanted (Comic Book)
hasFeature
The Group / int_9e82c3cb
 The Group / int_b36f3d94
type
The Group
 The Group / int_b36f3d94
comment
The Division in Push, who are a Mutant Draft Board looking to harness all of the powered people of the setting as human super weapons.
 The Group / int_b36f3d94
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_b36f3d94
featureConfidence
1.0
 Push
hasFeature
The Group / int_b36f3d94
 The Group / int_ba366aa8
type
The Group
 The Group / int_ba366aa8
comment
The Agency from the Syphon Filter series of games, which served under The Consortium. After the protagonist becomes the new leader at the end of the third game, it gets reorganized into the International Presidential Consulting Agency... which still doesn't have any proper nouns.
 The Group / int_ba366aa8
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_ba366aa8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Syphon Filter (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Group / int_ba366aa8
 The Group / int_bf797086
type
The Group
 The Group / int_bf797086
comment
The "Human Project" in Children of Men are a group of scientists dedicated to curing infertility, supposedly based in the Azores. They are secretive to the point of being a myth.
 The Group / int_bf797086
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_bf797086
featureConfidence
1.0
 Children of Men
hasFeature
The Group / int_bf797086
 The Group / int_c6b738c4
type
The Group
 The Group / int_c6b738c4
comment
Compared to The Second City Saints ("honorable" wrestlers who watched each others backs), The Prophecy (destroy Ring of Honor and remake it in the image of Christopher Daniels), Special K (do as many drugs and get as many other people hooked on them as possible), The Christopher Street Connection (get the tag team titles on Mace and Buff E, and be really gay while doing it), "The Group" stood out not only for their simplistic name but also their simplistic purpose, to take ROH's money. Whether or not they were worse than anyone else is a matter of debate, except for The Prophecy, who proved Eviler than Thou and forced The Group to disband after it took two of its members.
 The Group / int_c6b738c4
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_c6b738c4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Ring of Honor (Wrestling)
hasFeature
The Group / int_c6b738c4
 The Group / int_ca5d97f1
type
The Group
 The Group / int_ca5d97f1
comment
The Kray brothers' Firm is parodied by Monty Python's Flying Circus with the equally vicious but none-too-bright Piranha brothers, who start a racket called the Operation. It takes them three tries to figure out that they should threaten to beat up victims if the victims don't pay protection money, leading to the Other Other Operation.
 The Group / int_ca5d97f1
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_ca5d97f1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Monty Python's Flying Circus
hasFeature
The Group / int_ca5d97f1
 The Group / int_ce2b5aba
type
The Group
 The Group / int_ce2b5aba
comment
The Hitman video games have the International Contract Agency, which is usually known as just The Agency. Although they're the organization the protagonist works for, they're morally ambiguous enough to count. A competing group from Hitman: Blood Money is The Franchise. In the first movie the group is called The Organization.
 The Group / int_ce2b5aba
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_ce2b5aba
featureConfidence
1.0
 Hitman
hasFeature
The Group / int_ce2b5aba
 The Group / int_d0744832
type
The Group
 The Group / int_d0744832
comment
The Conclave: The Avengers foes. A shadow cabinet made up of members of every U.S. government organization.
 The Group / int_d0744832
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_d0744832
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Avengers (Comic Book)
hasFeature
The Group / int_d0744832
 The Group / int_d4c6e9c7
type
The Group
 The Group / int_d4c6e9c7
comment
The Cabal in Blood. Known more properly as the Cult of Tchernobog, but more often called just Cabal.
 The Group / int_d4c6e9c7
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_d4c6e9c7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blood (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Group / int_d4c6e9c7
 The Group / int_e293455a
type
The Group
 The Group / int_e293455a
comment
In Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Supergirl crossover The Vampire of Steel, Linda Danvers mentions one of her enemies is a criminal society known as The Council.
 The Group / int_e293455a
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_e293455a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Buffy the Vampire Slayer
hasFeature
The Group / int_e293455a
 The Group / int_e5ea79ee
type
The Group
 The Group / int_e5ea79ee
comment
The Authority, with the titular superhero group.
 The Group / int_e5ea79ee
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_e5ea79ee
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Authority (Comic Book)
hasFeature
The Group / int_e5ea79ee
 The Group / int_e7a9c06c
type
The Group
 The Group / int_e7a9c06c
comment
Paperinik New Adventures has four: the secret services known as the Agency (for short, the full name being "Agency So Secret It Doesn't Even Have a Name") and the Direction, and the crime syndicates known as the Organization (distinct from the PKNA one, and its namesake, though only the original founders were aware of it]]) and the Direction.
 The Group / int_e7a9c06c
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_e7a9c06c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Paperinik New Adventures (Comic Book)
hasFeature
The Group / int_e7a9c06c
 The Group / int_ea603891
type
The Group
 The Group / int_ea603891
comment
The villainous secret organisation from the Mediochre Q Seth Series is known only as The Organisation Which I Represent.
 The Group / int_ea603891
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_ea603891
featureConfidence
1.0
 Mediochre Q Seth Series
hasFeature
The Group / int_ea603891
 The Group / int_f74b5f80
type
The Group
 The Group / int_f74b5f80
comment
Bureau Thirteen in Babylon 5. Heard of once in the episode Spider In The Web, then never heard from again.
 The Group / int_f74b5f80
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_f74b5f80
featureConfidence
1.0
 Babylon 5
hasFeature
The Group / int_f74b5f80
 The Group / int_f9368d52
type
The Group
 The Group / int_f9368d52
comment
In Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, before their true scope and motives were revealed, Organization XIII were simply referred to as "the Organization".
 The Group / int_f9368d52
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_f9368d52
featureConfidence
1.0
 Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (Video Game)
hasFeature
The Group / int_f9368d52
 The Group / int_fcfec4b6
type
The Group
 The Group / int_fcfec4b6
comment
Les Soldats from Noir technically counts, since it's just French for "The Soldiers". It's also a textbook Ancient Conspiracy.
 The Group / int_fcfec4b6
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_fcfec4b6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Noir
hasFeature
The Group / int_fcfec4b6
 The Group / int_fe8ef766
type
The Group
 The Group / int_fe8ef766
comment
The Corporation: Nationwide business-like criminal organization. Foes of Captain America and the Hulk, amongst others.
 The Group / int_fe8ef766
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Group / int_fe8ef766
featureConfidence
1.0
 Captain America (Comic Book)
hasFeature
The Group / int_fe8ef766

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 The Group
processingCategory2
Organization Index
 The Group
processingCategory2
Villains
 Supergirl 1982 (Comic Book) / int_1ba60173
type
The Group
 Grave Mentor / Fan Fic / int_1ba60173
type
The Group
 The Vampire of Steel (Fanfic) / int_1ba60173
type
The Group
 Children of Men / int_1ba60173
type
The Group
 Sherlock Holmes (2009) / int_1ba60173
type
The Group
 The Woman in White / int_1ba60173
type
The Group
 WildPalms
seeAlso
The Group
 Dark Season / int_1ba60173
type
The Group
 Life-Force / int_1ba60173
type
The Group
 The Invisible Man / int_1ba60173
type
The Group
 Aberrant (Tabletop Game) / int_1ba60173
type
The Group
 Freelancer (Video Game) / int_1ba60173
type
The Group
 The Art of Theft (Video Game) / int_1ba60173
type
The Group
 Ben 10 / int_1ba60173
type
The Group