Avengers: Endgame subtly established the MCU version of the Illuminati - but the concept would be very different to the comics. The first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have come to a close, and all attention is turning to the future of the MCU.

There’s a sense in which, going forward, the MCU can never be quite like the comics again. The comics depend upon a concept Stan Lee called the “Illusion of Change,” where stories change the status quo temporarily, and go full-circle so as not to damage a superhero’s core concept. That’s why Captain America will always wind up leading the Avengers, the X-Men will relaunch for a time but ultimately go back to fighting to protect a world that hates and fears them, and Spider-Man will always go back to having a secret identity. In contrast, however, with Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home, the MCU has implemented real and lasting change. Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. have bowed out for good, meaning their respective characters are written out of the future of the MCU, and new heroes like Captain Marvel, Black Panther, and Shang-Chi will move to the foreground.

This naturally means that certain concepts can never be played out in an entirely comic-book-accurate way. One perfect example is the Illuminati, a secret group of heroes who sought to coordinate events across the globe. Created by writer Brian Bendis in 2005, the Illuminati seem to have been written out - but, surprisingly, they may actually have already been set up as part of the MCU after all.

Marvel’s Illuminati Explained

In the comics, Tony Stark’s greatest ability is his futurist mind, which allows him to intuit both social and technological change. He realized that the threats facing Earth were growing in scale, and concluded that the world needed a coordinated response. To this end, he secretly gathered together a group of powerful and like-minded individuals, each representing a different aspect of superheroism. Stark himself represented the Avengers; Mr. Fantastic, leader of the Fantastic Four, served as a scientific consultant; Black Bolt, leader of the Inhumans, helped guide cosmic affairs; Doctor Strange worked on behalf of the magical community; Charles Xavier was the mutant liaison; and the Sub-Mariner stood for Atlantis. Stark also invited Black Panther, but King T’Challa rejected the proposal, believing the Illuminati were too risky and lacked appropriate checks.

Any member of the Illuminati could call a meeting, and over the years the group consulted on numerous affairs. Sometimes they took action as a group, intervening in the aftermath of the Kree-Skrull War or gathering and hiding the Infinity Stones across Earth. In the end, they went too far and banished the Hulk to space, unwittingly triggered the “World War Hulk” event. The Illuminati reunited during Jonathan Hickman’s New Avengers run, attempting to save the Multiverse from the threat of colliding realities; this was a subtly different incarnation of the team, with Steve Rogers reluctantly joining for a time.

Are Black Widow’s Avengers The MCU’s Proto-Illuminati?

Avengers: Endgame may have subtly set up the MCU’s version of the Illuminati. In the aftermath of Thanos’ victory in Avengers: Infinity War, most of the OG Avengers went their own way. The exception was Black Widow, who steadfastly refused to give up on the superhero life. Instead, she began to coordinate with several other heroes, using holographic transmitters - perhaps provided by Rocket or Captain Marvel - to ensure everybody kept in touch. Black Widow seems to have been considered the one in charge, but the group also included Rocket, Captain Marvel, Okoye, and War Machine.

Notice the similarities between Black Widow’s team and the Illuminati. Just like the comic book equivalent, the Illuminati represent the various different corners of the MCU. Black Widow stands for the Avengers, Nebula, Rocket and Captain Marvel for the cosmic MCU, Okoye for Wakanda, and War Machine for the US military. What’s more, there’s actually no evidence that this team is public knowledge. None of the people who participated in the meetings ever mentioned them again, even in front of other heroes like Steve Rogers, Ant-Man, or the Hulk. In fact, War Machine’s participation in itself hints that this group was clandestine, given the US military would be unlikely to sign off on his reporting his operations to a group who include Wakanda’s leadership. It’s really not hard to envision Black Widow’s meeting as a proto-Illuminati.

The MCU’s Illuminati Is Only Missing Doctor Strange

There is, of course, one aspect of the MCU that’s not represented in Black Widow’s meeting; the Masters of the Mystic Arts. It’s actually possible Black Widow never knew much about them, given the only members of the OG Avengers to have encountered Doctor Strange were Thor, Tony Stark, and the Hulk. Thor abandoned the Avengers and settled down in New Asgard, Tony Stark retired, and Bruce Banner left to work out how to create the Professor Hulk persona. The Avengers don’t seem to have made contact with the Masters of the Mystic Arts at all during the five-year time jump, as proven by their struggle to remember where the Sanctum Sanctorum is.

The Masters of the Mystic Arts are no longer a secret after the climactic final battle of Avengers: Endgame. The restored heroes were only able to participate in that battle because of the Masters and their Sling Rings, which transported them from across the world. As a result, anyone who’s inclined to reform Black Widow’s group will know they need a sorcerer. There’s only one candidate; Doctor Strange himself.

The Illuminati’s Future In The MCU

At this stage, it’s difficult to say whether Marvel seeded the Illuminati deliberately, or whether this is simply a happy accident. Either way, Black Widow’s meetings establish the precedent for the MCU’s Illuminati, and it’s not hard to envision a scenario where someone else decides to reform them because they believe the world still needs to be protected. There’s no reason to assume the holo-transmitters are out of service; Avengers Compound is being rebuilt, the tech will still exist in Wakanda and on the Benatar, and they were presumably installed in both War Machine and Captain Marvel’s suits.

In the comics, the Illuminati were reformed when the Multiverse itself appeared to be collapsing. Interestingly, there’s significant evidence that the concept of the Multiverse is key to Phase 4 of the MCU and beyond after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Doctor Strange 2 will explicitly deal with a Multiverse of Madness, Kevin Feige has referred to Spider-Man jumping between universes, and the Loki of another timeline is expected to make his way to the mainstream MCU ahead of Thor: Love and Thunder. There’s speculation that, just as in the comics, all this is setup for an upcoming Secret Wars movie. And the Illuminati could play exactly the same role they did in Jonathan Hickman’s run, attempting to limit the Multiversal chaos ahead of Secret Wars.

More: Why Endgame’s Captain America Lost To 2012’S Steve Rogers

  • Black Widow Release Date: 2021-07-09 The Eternals Release Date: 2021-11-05 Shang Chi Release Date: 2021-09-03 Doctor Strange 2 Release Date: 2022-05-06 Thor: Love and Thunder Release Date: 2022-07-08 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Release Date: 2022-11-11