Powers That Be (Buffy-Angel)
The Powers That Be are a group of beings that feature in Angel.
Contents |
History
The Powers That Be
After Angel started operating in Los Angeles, the Powers That Be dispatched the half-demon Doyle to be their conduit to the champion. He experienced visions from the Powers with these being relayed to Angel to help him save people. Operating through strict hands-off protocols to maintain the multiversal balance, the cabal established a vast network of Earth-monitoring conduits, using intermediaries like the twin Greco-Roman Oracles to communicate. The administration relied on selecting significant mortal and metahuman champions—covertly dispatching agents like Whistler to set the ensouled vampire Angel on a path of active redemption. To ensure their field agents intercepted impending localized anomalies, the collective managed a series of agonizing, psychic premonitions that were forcibly transmitted into the brains of chosen guides like Allen Francis Doyle and Cordelia Chase. (Episode: City Of...)
During a fight with a Mohra Demon, Angel was turned back into a human and wanted to consult the Powers That Be for information. However, he could only speak to one of their conduits with Doyle helping him meet with the Oracles. Once there, they informed him that it was because the blood of the Mohra was responsible for turning him human again. They also noted that this meant that he was no longer a champion for good and thus had no part in future evens. In addition, they revealed that in the coming war against darkness that Buffy Summers would die and upon learning this Angel requested that time be re-wound to allow him to remain a vampire. Thus, the events of the timeline were erased and he killed the Mohra without being turned mortal in the process. (Episode: I Will Remember You)
The Powers That Be facilitated a pivotal transition in their divine mission by indirectly overseeing the sacrifice of their first messenger. Having previously endowed the half-demon Doyle with psychic visions to guide Angel, the Powers allowed these premonitions to lead the team to a group of Lister demon refugees threatened by the Scourge, a pure-blood supremacist cult. When the Scourge activated the Beacon—a weapon designed to incinerate anyone with human blood—the Powers’ plan required a champion to deactivate it at the cost of their life. While the Powers did not manifest physically, their influence was felt through the mystical transfer of visions; as Doyle prepared to sacrifice himself, he kissed Cordelia Chase, passing the 'gift' of the Powers' psychic burden to her through a flash of blue light. This act ensured that despite Doyle's death, the Powers That Be maintained their direct tether to the mortal realm, forcibly drafting a reluctant Cordelia into their service to continue steering Angel toward his destiny. (Episode: Hero) They later acted through their intermediaries, the Oracles, to reinforce the immutable nature of their divine plan. When a grieving Angel visited their realm to beg for another 'temporal fold' to resurrect Doyle but the Powers met his plea with cold finality. Speaking through the Oracles, they informed Angel that because Doyle had sacrificed himself of his own free will to save others, his death was a 'noble end' that they would not undo, as doing so would render the sacrifice meaningless. However, the Powers also demonstrated their continuity of purpose by confirming that 'when one door closes, another opens'. This was realized as they formally ratified Cordelia Chase as their new conduit; while she initially struggled with the agonizing physical toll of the visions Doyle had passed to her, the Powers' refusal to intervene or ease her burden established that the role of a 'seer' was a mandatory, painful service required to sustain their influence in Los Angeles. An empath demon later came to kidnap Cordellia Chase and intended to sell her at an auction due to her experiencing visions from the Powers That Be. (Episode: Parting Gifts)
Overview
In appearance, the Powers That Be were a extra-dimensional group whose true, primordial biological forms completely bypassed the visual comprehension of traditional mortal eye structures, forcing them to remain completely formless out in the higher planes. They manifested exclusively through specialized, highly distinct intermediaries and architectural constructs. When their primary messengers such as the Oracles projected their presence to interact with champions, they materialized as a majestic pair of a bipedal male and female humanoid entity finished in classic, bright white ancient Greek robes, detailed with ornate jewelry and static expressions to project an air of detached, imperial surveillance. Their hidden astral summit chambers featured sweeping stone steps, grand pillars, and a desaturated, white-light backlight layout designed to emphasize their supreme status. When individual rogue members of their order like Jasmine renounced their hands-off philosophy to descend directly onto Earth, they utilized complex biological manipulation to engineer an exceptionally beautiful, tall human form layered with pristine civilian dresses, projecting an overwhelming, mesmerizing visual aura that forced onlookers into passive adoration. (Episode: I Will Remember You)
It was said that the Powers That Be did not reside within the mortal reality. Thus, it was not possible for people on Earth to meet them. Instead, one could only meet them through channels some of which were noted for being dangerous. (Episode: I Will Remember You)
The Powers That Be was an organization that naturally lacked unified biological traits or a single organic durability because its member base was composed of hyper-evolved primordial data matrices and incorporeal spiritual constants that operated entirely unconstrained by the laws of physics. They relied on their collective eons of tactical wisdom and an exceptionally high machine-like intellect to execute complex mathematical calculations, map cosmic destinies, and manipulate the chronological flow of time. They did not possess a single technology-dependent weapon array or physical small arms, relying instead on a near-unlimited stream of collective energy that granted them absolute reality-warping manipulation over space-time. Their specialized capabilities allowed them to instantly rewire environmental physics to trigger localized weather vectors like snowfall, reverse chronological timelines across an entire planetary sector, and grant complete physical immortality or psychic visions down to the millisecond. Their primary capabilities allowed separate entities to open dimensional pathways to alternate heavenly and hellish planes, bestow massive reality-altering power upgrades upon chosen champions, and maintain a highly disciplined barrier of divine influence capable of matching the supreme enforcement arms of rival factions like the Senior Partners. (Episode: I Will Remember You)
It was said that the Powers had the ability to turn a vampire back into a mortal. The Powers were able to reverse time to a certain extent in order to undo events. (Episode: I Will Remember You)
One of their servants were the Oracles who resided in the Gateway to Lost Souls. These beings were said to require a gift in order to provide information. (Episode: I Will Remember You)
Members
- Jasmine :
Notes
- The Powers That Be were created by Joss Whedon and first appeared in the Angel series.
Appearances
- Angel:
External Links
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