Majestic 12

Majestic 12 (also written as MJ-12, MJ12, or Majestic-12) is the major antagonistic organization in Deus Ex. Majestic 12 is hinted at near the start of the game and is mentioned towards the midpoint of the game. If the player so chooses, Majestic 12 are seen early in the game while the player is rescuing Ford Schick. Otherwise Majestic 12 are encountered later in the game. J.C Denton may first learn of Majestic 12 from his own brother, Paul Denton. Later while assisting Paul Denton, JC Denton is captured and held in a secret facility. He soon discovers that this facility is in fact a Majestic 12 facility located beneath UNATCO Headquarters, establishing a definite connection between the two organizations.

Majestic 12 plans to control the world in secret through the production of the "Gray Death nanovirus" and the virus's vaccine, Ambrosia. The organization's public fronts include Page Industries, which controls the global banking system and is run by Bob Page, VersaLife (a division of Page Industries), and UNATCO.

It is later revealed to the player that Majestic 12 are actually The Majestic Council of The Twelve. It was originally under the control of The Illuminati, however, a wealthy and powerful banker Bob Page neutralised the ruling Council of Five and  seized Majestic 12 from their control.

Majestic 12 also controls and selectively censiors all global communications using the Aquinas Protocol and other complex information-processing systems. Daedalus was an artificial intelligence originally intended as a pattern-matching AI to assist in finding and processing of information, however, Bob Page wanted to use it as a "weapon" to control electronics. This new use of Daedalus led to unpredictable events. Daedalus using its pattern matching algorithm identified Majestic 12 as a terrorist group along with Silhouette and The NSF. As a result, Daedalus assisted JC Denton escape from the Majestic 12 facility.

Majestic 12 also use sophisticated military technologies or advanced surveillance techniques to monitor and study people's psychological behaviour. These patterns are then used to play mind games on the masses, for example, by creating an illusion of a false enemy i.e. UNATCO vs NSF. In many cases, Majestic 12's enemies are weakened allowing them to gain more power. Majestic 12 also use Men in Black to intimidate or unnerve dissidents and coerce them in to submission, and to deter would-be assassins or spies when serving as bodyguards and security forces.

Majestic 12's main HQ is based in Area 51, but has bases including but not limited to submerged Ocean Labs, concealed bases in UNATCO headquarters, bases in the sewage system beneath New York, and the Versalife Headquarters.

Majestic 12 military personnel bear the insignia XII, which is twelve in Roman numerals. Other symbols used include a hand menacing a globe; this is displayed in actual form in Majestic Twelve's facilities, including the restricted labs at  VersaLife's Hong Kong building, as a kind of centrepoint. The symbol also appears on MJ-12 computer terminals, in this instance the globe being the azimuthal equidistant projection used by the UN flag, under the shadow of a translucent  hand. The symbol can therefore be interpreted in either of two ways; as a display of MJ-12's actual covert control of the UN and associated agencies, such as UNATCO, or as an aspiration to the complete world domination that the group strives towards  and very nearly acquires.