The recent Doctor Strange 2 trailer hints at MCU debut of one of its most powerful groups: the Illuminati.
The recent Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness trailer hints at the big-screen appearance of one of the most powerful groups in the Marvel Universe: the Illuminati. Composed of powerful heroes, this group has operated in secret for years. Now, the multiversal equivalent of this team might be making their debut.
Marvel’s Illuminati is a self-appointed secret cabal of Marvel heroes who acted unilaterally to make major decisions on behalf of Earth and its population. Working in the shadows, hiding their partnership, the team steered Earth through major events—even instigating major events through their own recklessness. First appearing in 2005 in New Avengers (by Brian Michael Bendis and Steve McNiven), this group’s existence has radically altered the entire perception of heroism by powered individuals.
The initial Illuminati roster represents some of the most influential groups and a consolidation of incredible power within the Marvel Universe. The roster includes Namor, the King of Atlantis; Tony Stark (aka Iron Man); Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four; Black Bolt, King of the Inhumans; Doctor Strange; and Professor Charles Xavier. The group was originally brought together after the Kree-Skrull War when Stark recognizes that each individual possessed information that if it had been shared with the larger group could have radically altered the outcome. Initially, the individual members refuse for their own reasons to band together. However, they all are ultimately swayed to meet and share information, sans the Black Panther who has deep reservations on the dangers of collecting so much power and authority secretly. The group’s morally dubious activities though would reinforce the Black Panther’s decision over the years. From mind-wiping Captain America to banishing the Hulk, the Illuminati blurred the lines between hero and villain, and at times, erased it.
Over the years, the group would band together to deal with such high-level threats as the Beyonder, Marvel Boy, the Sentry, and the Hulk. It is the Illuminati who ultimately banish Hulk off-world setting up the events that would lead to “Planet Hulk” and “World War Hulk”, along with the emergence of the Red Hulk. Their involvement in banishing Hulk would see him return to subdue each other and force them to fight against each other gladiatorial style (all except Namor who was opposed to the banishment).
Ultimately, Richards reveals he has been collecting the Infinity Gems. With the help of the others, the group acquires the complete set of six gems. Each member of the Illuminati is given charge of one gem to hide and keep separate.
As the threat of the incursions—the collapse of the multiverse through the collision of worlds together—arose, the Illuminati reformed. The group now has the addition of the X-Men’s Beast. Together, they discover that the Beyonds are responsible for the Incursions and the destruction of the Multiverse. In the final incursion, most of the group escapes into the mash-up Battleworld, formed of various realities.
With the latest trailer for the upcoming Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, the Marvel Cinematic Universe appearance of the Illuminati seems to be happening. The trailer features a voice cameo by the unmistakable Patrick Stewart. Assumptions are he is reprising his role as Professor X. Other hints abound: Doctor Strange’s guards are revised versions of Ultron robots, hinting at a different Tony Stark also on the council Strange is brought before. In the throne room, six seats are visible. Two of them are occupied by indiscernible individuals. One person walking across in silhouette resembles Baron Mordo. Finally, the voice cameo of Xavier sounds just as we see the back of a bald head staring down at Strange.
Likely what exists is not a singular universe’s Illuminati, but instead, a multiversal one, pulling members from different branches and timelines. However, the group could be built on a foundation already developed by Tony Stark. The Illuminati has been alluded to within the MCU, albeit briefly–in Iron Man 2, a small icon can be seen on Stark’s phone labeled Illuminati, with the icon as the comic’s group’s logo. Theories are also circulating online that the collusion of Wang, Bruce Banner, and Carol Danvers in the mid-credits scene of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the formation of a version of the Illuminati.
The recent slate of poor decisions arising from a singular universe would warrant action by a group if they existed. Doctor Strange has ripped holes in the multiverse, allowing bleed-through of other characters before haphazardly knitting it up, after having major alterations to those timelines take place. Loki effectively allowed the prime timeline to splinter into an unseen fractal of variations, leading to a potential coming war with all of Kang’s variations. These are not small actions. Each one threatens reality and thus, likely draws the attention of the multiversal body.
Not only could this be the introduction of Professor X and the X-Men, but would be a perfect place to bring in Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. One theory making its rounds online posits that the Fantastic Four did appear in the normal MCU timeline but that the group has been exploring the multiverse for the last two decades or more. However, knowing the history of the Illuminati in the comics, their appearance in the MCU could come with a whole slate of cosmic consequences.
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