Who Are The Illuminati And How Could They Shape The MCU?

At last, we find ourselves at the cusp of the latest MCU release with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Since the release of the trailer following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, we’ve all been picking it apart frame-by-frame to glean any insight into this mind-bending and potentially MCU-changing movie. In this new chapter, Dr. Stephen Strange will be fighting to “unring the bell” with his dabbling in the multiverse and he will be joined by the Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff, after her own reality-bending stint on the Disney+ series Wandavision.

The villain appears to not only be Dr. Strange himself but his old coach and friend Baron Mordo, portrayed by phenomenal actor Chiwetel Ejiofor. However, the scene which is capturing the hearts and minds of everyone is a blink-and-you-miss-it appearance of the Illuminati. Many fans postulated about the group making an appearance with no real confirmation from Marvel, but with 10 days to go until the premiere on May 6, Marvel Studios released a new 30-second teaser where Mordo comes right out and tells Doctor Strange, “the Illuminati will see you now.” But who are these people within the world of Marvel? What is their role within the Marvel universe and how could they be a game-changer for the MCU?

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Who Are The Illuminati?

In the comic universe, the Illuminati was a group of Earth’s most highly intelligent and widely involved heroes. The group was formed after the events of the Kree-Skrull War, but just before the events of Civil War, which shaped the comic universe at-large throughout the 2000s. “Okay, but who are the members”, you ask? Stop me if you have heard of these guys before: Iron Man, Black Panther, Mr. Fantastic, Dr. Strange, Professor X, Black Bolt and Namor. 

The purpose of the group was to bring together each member, who represented various aspects of the super heroes within the universe. For example, Tony Stark represented the world governments and the common man.  Black Panther represented Wakanda and the host of the first meetings of the group. Reed Richards represented the science-based heroes. Dr. Strange was the expert in the mystical world. Professor X led the mutant community. Black Bolt was the head of the Inhumans and was seen as the team of heroes with ruler/king abilities and presence. And Namor was the king of Atlantis and the antihero. 

What was their role within the Marvel Universe?

Tony believed this group could gather to share information about Earth’s greatest threats and hopefully join forces to overcome them, but as we know, when you get a group of people together with these types of egos, it never really pans out. Even so, the team did meet every once in a while to share information when they found the time. The team’s last in-print appearance took place in the lead-up to Secret Wars, as Black Bolt revealed himself to be a Skrull, tentatively dissolving the group for good. 

What does this mean for the MCU?

The Illuminati is filled with names we are already familiar with, be that via the Disney/Marvel movies or the Fox/Marvel movies.  Every person on the roster has appeared on-screen except for Namor (try only for a moment to remember the failed Inhumans series), but as discussed in a recent article about Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever, rumors have begun to circulate that he will make an appearance, perhaps even sooner than expected. The greatest facet of the multiverse narrative is the endless possibilities and abundance of opportunities it lends to bring characters in and out of each entry, even if for just a few moments of fan service. From the trailers released, we’ve see the back of Professor Xavier, accompanied by the voice of Sir Patrick Stewart, who has been in complete denial of his role in the new movie up until recently.  He changed his tune during a recent interview with Jake’s Takes, where he confirms the voice in the trailer is indeed his own.

What’s most intriguing is how involved the Illuminati became in the comic universe, and how that could transfer over to the MCU. As we learned from a post-credits scene in Spiderman: Far From Home, Skrulls have already begun to take on the appearances of Marvel heroes with some impunity. At the end of Wandavision, Monica Rambeau is approached by another Skrull in order to meet up with a “friend”, who we can only assume to be Captain Marvel. Furthermore, the Kree-Skrull War was the underlying conflict in Captain Marvel and a Secret Invasion miniseries is scheduled for release on Disney+, which deals with Skrulls infiltrating life on earth.

Since multiverses are tough to maintain over a long period of time, it’s possible that we will soon see a closing of this chapter and a transition to the next challenge for the heroes of the MCU. Given the gravity of this story arc in the comic universe, we may soon get to see a new and improved cast of Avengers on the big screen. With the Illuminati coming into the fold, every aspect of the Fox/Marvel universe now has a chance to reach a new generation of fans by introducing us to the world of mutants and the Fantastic Four, which opens the door for endless possibilities to come. 

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Source(s): Marvel Studios, Marvel.com, Jake’s Takes