Imagine for a moment that there was a secret group of people making decisions in the name of thousands and often leading to disastrous results. Well, that's the Illuminati for you. This secret Marvel organization is comprised of representatives of different superhuman groups. Charles Xavier joined the group in the name of all the X-Men, Black Bolt acted on behalf of the Inhumans, Reed Richards spoke for the Fantastic Four, Namor stood for all of Atlantis, Doctor Strange represented sorcerers around the world, and, of course, Iron Man was present as a mighty Avenger.
With such a powerful line-up, you'd imagine the Illuminati were able to do good for the world. Instead, they accomplished the exact opposite effect. Remember that time the Skrulls were suddenly able to mimic superpowers instead of simply changing forms? Yes, it was all due to the Illuminati. Or what about that time Hulk was exiled to Sakaar and returned to Earth angrier than ever, ready to wreak havoc on New York? Yes, it was their doing too. Oh, and there was also that time when... well, you get the idea.
The Illuminati's actions have oftentimes been so devastating that fans have wondered what they might be able to accomplish in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Unfortunately, audiences have only seen one multiversal version of the group that died as soon as it was introduced during Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But surprisingly enough, a report indicates there were plans for the "official" version of the team to come together, and we know what their mission would've been.
The MCU's Illuminati would've joined to prevent incursions from happening
According to renowned insider Alez Perez (via The Cosmic Circus), Marvel had the idea to create a multiversal version of the Illuminati in the MCU, consisting of the Doctor Strange we all know and love, Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards, Charles Xavier and Beast from the universe Monica Rambeau is trapped in, and there were even rumors of Miguel O'Hara from the Spider-Verse franchise forming a part of the team. They would've all come together in order to prevent incursions from happening and destroying entire worlds in the process.
While Perez mentioned that he's not sure if this idea will pan out or not, it seems Marvel was building towards it in Captain America: Brave New World. During the movie's post-credits scene, The Leader teased that Sam would need to defend Earth from "the others":
"All you heroes protecting this world. Do you think you're the only ones? Do you think this is the only world? We'll see what happens when you have to protect this place from the others."
Back at the time, audiences weren't exactly sure who was being teased with this dialogue. However, director Julius Onah has since confirmed that the supervillain was talking about the Illuminati, who were supposed to be a part of the main movie in early drafts of the script. Marvel has a track record of setting up a story arc in a post-credits scene, only for them to completely abandon the idea. That being said, this sequence is so recent that it wouldn't be too far-fetched to assume it could directly play into the events of Avengers: Doomsday.
Now, the question becomes: Since when have the Illuminati been pulling the strings from the shadows in the MCU? The Leader's comments suggest that the group has already come together, so when did that happen? It would be interesting to learn that they've been controlling the events of the sacred timeline for a very long time. While Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange could be a recent addition to the team, all of the other members might've pre-dated him. Better yet, it would be exciting to learn that a lot of catastrophes happened because of their interference.
James Spader's Ultron will officially be back in the MCU, so what if the Illuminati were responsible for saving the last of its kind back during the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron to use it as an asset against upcoming incursions? Similarly, the secret organization could be responsible for the rumored MCU World War Hulk adaptation, as it happened in comic book pages. If the group is really coming, then the sky is the limit for what they can do and how big their influence really is. So fingers crossed Marvel makes the most out of them.
Avengers: Doomsday will be released on December 18, 2026.