The ranks grew until Avengers: Endgame. After the conclusion of Phase 3, though, it's unclear what role the superhero team will play moving forward without many of its founding .
While MCU fans have to wait and see what the Avengers will look like the next time they form, Marvel is quickly developing multiple teams that can carry the burden. Multiple superteams are rumored to make an appearance or be set up further during Phase 4. The seeds are being planted for the Young Avengers with many of the team linked to Disney+ projects. Similarly, it is expected that Loki.
There are now reports that Marvel has its eyes on another superteam: the Illuminati. According to the recent rumor, Kevin Feige is developing a project for the Illuminati, but it isn't clear if it will be a movie or Disney+ show. If this turns out to be correct, then the MCU won't just have another superteam at its disposal, it will have a group that can reshape everything we thought we knew about the past and future of the interconnected story.
Marvel's Illuminati Team Explained
The Illuminati team was created in Marvel Comics in 2005 by Brian Michael Bendis, as they made an appearance in a New Avengers comic before getting their own mini-series. The five-issue series was released in 2006 and showed the origin of the team. Tony Stark is the creator of the Illuminati in the comics, as he assembles a collection of Marvel's biggest heroes after the Kree/Skrull War. Stark realized that many different people and factions had information they were keeping from the rest of the world that could've helped if the Marvel characters shared what they knew to a small group. The Illuminati agree to meet when necessary to exchange information in the future. The original comics revealed the Illuminati's role in hiding the Infinity Gems and their role in unknowingly setting up Secret Invasion.
The comics' version of Illuminati features a great roster of characters, with Iron Man at the lead. He recruits Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic, Doctor Strange, Namor, Black Bolt, and Professor X to be of the Illuminati at first. This roster covers every basis for Marvel, as Tony represents the Avengers, Professor X represents the X-Men, Black Bolt represents the Inhumans, and Reed represents the Fantastic Four. Meanwhile, Namor brings an anti-hero presence and the underwater nation of Atlantis to the team, while Doctor Strange covers the magical side of the universe. Black Panther is offered a seat in the group but declines, although he later was convinced to the team. Other Marvel characters to the Illuminati include Captain America, Hulk, Beast, Hank Pym, Amadeus Cho, the Inhuman queen Medusa, and Captain Britain.
Who Will Be Part Of The MCU's Illuminati?
When it comes time for the MCU's Illuminati is Doctor Strange.
The future Sorcerer Supreme could take Iron Man's place as the founder of the Illuminati in the MCU, but who will he recruit? There is a chance that Namor, Reed, Black Bolt, and Professor X could all still be part of the foundation if the MCU introduces them all in time. However, it might be more likely that they will each the Illuminati's ranks as their importance in the shared universe climbs. This would mean Marvel Studios will have to adapt the Illuminati concept to fit within the MCU, just like they have done with multiple events, characters, and ideas already.
Looking at the current state of the MCU and what is known about the future, there are a few existing characters who would work well as of the Illuminati. Strange's interaction with other MCU characters is somewhat limited, but it would be slightly surprising if he doesn't try to recruit Captain Marvel, Black Panther, and Smart Hulk to this team. Carol is incredibly powerful and can cover the team's basis in space, and Banner can be the scientific mind of the group until Reed steps in. There's no guarantee Black Panther would accept this invitation, but he could help replace Iron Man as the technological innovator of the group. It also should be expected that a member of the Eternals will be part of a potential Illuminati lineup, possibly replacing the Inhumans' spot. We could see their leader Ajak (Salma Hayek), or maybe even Sersi (Gemma Chan) .
So, the first Illuminati team in the MCU could have Doctor Strange leading a roster that includes Captain Marvel, Smart Hulk, Black Panther, and Ajak. Namor could even still find a way to be involved if he does make his MCU debut in potential conflict between Namor and T'Challa could be another reason for Black Panther to turn down the spot. There are also arguments to be made for Thor, Nebula, Rocket, Black Knight, and others having a place on the team if Marvel wanted to keep the roster at six .
What Role Marvel's Illuminati Can Play In The Future
The origin of the team could partially determine the role that the Illuminati will play in the MCU. If they have already secretly formed as in the comics, then this new team could reveal more details about prior events. However, this could be tricky to pull off narratively without retconning multiple films. If the Illuminati are formed in the present day of the MCU, though, preventing another Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
What is intriguing about the timing of these rumors that the Illuminati are on the way is how it lines up with reports of Marvel Studios also eyeing a Secret Invasion adaptation. The comic team is responsible for the Skrulls' invasion plot after they threatened the race following the Kree/Skrull war. So far, the Skrulls have been portrayed on the heroic side instead of as villains, but that doesn't mean all Skrulls side with Talos or that the MCU won't do their own spin on the story by having the Kree invade. The invasion itself also shakes the team in the comics as Black Bolt was revealed to be a sleeper Skrull agent. The potential emergence of the Illuminati could be the next step in setting up Secret Invasion or a sign of how the MCU will move forward after.
It's also difficult to ignore the Illuminati ing the MCU potentially only a few years after Thanos reduced the Infinity Stones to atoms. While this meant the Avengers had to use time travel to reverse The Snap in Avengers: Endgame, the stones do still exist in the MCU in some form. Could the Illuminati forming be tied to the re-emergence of the Infinity Stones? There are a lot of possibilities ahead for the MCU whenever the Illuminati team does debut, so now we'll just have to wait and see how and when their introduction comes.
