- "The Illuminati will see you now."
- ―Baron Mordo to Doctor Strange[src]
The Illuminati were a group of powerful individuals founded by the Stephen Strange of Earth-838 to protect their universe from high level threats, such as powerful beings and universe incursions. The group initially consisted of Stephen Strange, Charles Xavier, Peggy Carter, Blackagar Boltagon, Maria Rambeau, and Reed Richards with Karl Mordo joining after Strange's death in the aftermath of the Battle of Titan. However, the group was later disbanded when all of its members except for Mordo were ruthlessly murdered by Wanda Maximoff.
History[]
Founding[]
- "Your alternate self created the Illuminati to make difficult decisions that no one else could."
- ―Peggy Carter to Stephen Strange[src]
Stephen Strange founded a team of Earth's greatest protectors including Professor Charles Xavier, a mutant with telepathic abilities known as Professor X; Captain Peggy Carter, an Avenger; Black Bolt, the Inhuman King; Captain Maria Rambeau, defender of the cosmos known as Captain Marvel; and Reed Richards, a man dubbed the smartest man alive who, possessing elasticity powers, led the superhero team Fantastic Four as Mister Fantastic. The team was designed to protect their universe from major universal threats by making the choices too difficult for others to make.[1]
Infinity War[]
- "While the rest of us banded together to try to stop Thanos, Stephen, as always, chose to go it alone."
- ―Professor X to Doctor Strange[src]
In 2018, Thanos went on a quest to acquire the six Infinity Stones. The entire Illuminati banded together to stop Thanos, except for Doctor Strange, who used the Darkhold to search the Multiverse for a possible solution to the conflict via dreamwalking. However, this caused an Incursion between two universes, destroying one of them. The rest of the Illuminati eventually found the Book of Vishanti and used it to defeat Thanos.
However, on Titan, Strange confessed to the group that he had destroyed a universe. In response, Strange was willingly executed by Black Bolt, who was instructed by the rest of the Illuminati to do so. Soon after, Karl Mordo replaced Strange as both the Sorcerer Supreme and a member of the Illuminati. The Illuminati then covered up the true circumstances regarding Strange's death, falsifying that he died defeating Thanos, though Christine Palmer was later informed of the truth.[1]
Meeting an Alternate Doctor Strange[]
- "Stephen Strange, you are now called before the Illuminati."
- ―Baron Mordo to Doctor Strange[src]
Soon after Doctor Strange and America Chavez were captured by Baron Mordo, the duo were confined in cubical cells right next to each other. Strange found out that an alternate Christine Palmer worked for the Illuminati-affiliated Baxter Foundation as its head of Multiversal research and Palmer seemed to know who Strange was already. Mordo then arrived with Ultron Sentries to collect Strange and bring him to the Illuminati.
Mordo and the Ultron Sentries took Strange to the Illuminati where Mordo introduced Captain Carter, Black Bolt, Captain Marvel, and Mister Fantastic. Mister Fantastic warned Strange of the Incursion that he could potentially cause just by being in their universe while Captain Carter told Strange that his alternate self had created the Illuminati to make the difficult decisions no one else could. Captain Marvel then told Strange that if he had anything to get off his chest, that he should say it.
Strange attempted to inform the Illuminati of Scarlet Witch, but the team only replied that they knew about her, that they could take her down easily, and that Strange was the biggest threat to the Multiverse. Visibly confused, Strange wondered how his alternate self, who died defeating Thanos, could be a threat. Just then, Professor X arrived as the group's last member and informed Strange that his alternate self never died defeating Thanos, before using his mind to show Strange a memory of his alternate self's death. Strange then wondered why they honored him and erected a statue in his honor. Captain Carter explained that they lied to the public about how Strange had truly died because Earth needed heroes.[1]
Battle at the Illuminati Headquarters[]
- "They're not coming back. And you just cast your vote now to kill your friends."
- ―Doctor Strange to Baron Mordo[src]
While the Illuminati were meeting with Doctor Strange, Wanda Maximoff dreamwalked into her alternate self and breached the Illuminati Headquarters in an effort to locate and capture America Chavez, destroying the Ultron Sentries guarding the base. Mister Fantastic alerted the rest of the Illuminati and Captain Marvel, Captain Carter, and Black Bolt went to confront Maximoff while Karl Mordo stayed behind to ensure that Strange didn't escape.
Just as Maximoff was about to reach Chavez, she was confronted by Mister Fantastic, Captain Marvel, Captain Carter, and Black Bolt. Mister Fantastic attempted to persuade Maximoff to stand down, but Maximoff only turned him down, indicating that she was going to kill them all if they didn't let her pass. When Mister Fantastic realized that Maximoff had no intentions of surrendering, he told her that Black Bolt could kill her with a whisper, in hopes of getting her to stand down.
However, Maximoff used her reality-altering chaos magic to remove Black Bolt's mouth. Black Bolt screamed in shock, causing his own powers to backfire on him, imploding his head in the process. Horrified by his teammate's gruesome demise, Mister Fantastic immediately attempted to subdue Maximoff, but she lifted him up into the air and began shredding him. As Mister Fantastic yelled in agony, Maximoff used her powers to pop his head, killing him.
Captain Carter and Captain Marvel then began to attack Maximoff. Captain Marvel began to overpower Maximoff, but Maximoff managed to throw Captain Marvel into the walls of the headquarters. Captain Carter and Maximoff then began to fight, with Captain Carter throwing her shield at Maximoff. However, Maximoff stopped the shield with her powers and threw it back at Captain Carter, cutting her in half.
Captain Marvel then broke out of the wall and began attacking Maximoff, destroying the headquarters in the process. However, Maximoff knocked Captain Marvel to the ground before causing a statue to fall on top of her, killing her. Maximoff continued to make her way towards Chavez's cell, but she was stopped by Professor X, who used his powers to enter Maximoff's mindscape. In Maximoff's mindscape, Professor X found Maximoff's alternate self, trapped in rubble.
As he attempted to grab her, red fog appeared behind him, and Maximoff's alternate self was dragged into the rubble by a mysterious force. Before Professor X could react, Scarlet Witch appeared from the fog and ripped his head off, causing him to die in the real world. However, Professor X's actions gave Christime Palmer enough time to liberate Chavez from her cell and escape.
In the Illuminati's meeting room, Strange taunted Mordo about how he was jealous of Strange's alternate self and theorized that he gave him the Darkhold to begin with, causing Mordo to attack Strange in anger. However, he unintentionally freed Strange from his handcuffs amidst the struggle, which allowed Strange to escape and reunite with Chavez, leaving Mordo trapped in the meeting room as the Illuminati's sole survivor.[1]
Members[]
Former Members[]
Baron Mordo[]
- Name: Karl Amadeus Mordo
- Species: Human
- Activity: 2018 - 2024
- Status: Alive
- Description: Baron Karl Amadeus Mordo was a Master of the Mystic Arts. When the former Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange, was executed by the Illuminati for causing an Incursion, Mordo was chosen to replace Strange as both the Sorcerer Supreme and a member of the Illuminati. Years later, Mordo found the an alternate Doctor Strange and America Chavez outside of the New York Sanctum and captured them. After containing both Strange and Chavez in the Illuminati Headquarters' containment cells, Mordo brought Strange to meet with the rest of the Illuminati. After Mordo introduced the Illuminati to Strange, Charles Xavier entered the room and revealed to Strange the truth about his alternate self. However, when Wanda Maximoff broke into the Illuminati Headquarters to kidnap America Chavez, Mister Fantastic, Captain Marvel, Captain Carter, and Black Bolt left the room to confront her, with Professor X joining them later on, leaving Strange and Mordo alone in the room. Strange then taunted Mordo about how he was jealous of Strange's alternate self, causing Mordo to attack Strange in anger. However, he unintentionally freed Strange from his handcuffs, which allowed Strange to escape and reunite with America Chavez.
Deceased Members[]
Doctor Strange[]
- Name: Stephen Vincent Strange
- Species: Human
- Activity: 2015 - 2018
- Status: Deceased
- Description: Doctor Strange was a Master of the Mystic Arts who became the Sorcerer Supreme and founded the Illuminati. Strange created the Illuminati to protect his universe and make the difficult decisions that no one else could. During the Infinity War in 2018, the Illuminati, except for Strange, banded together to stop Thanos. However, Strange instead believed that the solution to the conflict was somewhere in the Multiverse, so he used the Darkhold the dreamwalk across the Multiverse to search for it. However, this led to an Incursion, which destroyed an entire universe. Strange confessed to the rest of the Illuminati what had happened and renounced the Darkhold. After the Illuminati killed Thanos using the Book of Vishanti, Strange decided with the group that he should be executed so that no more harm comes to the Multiverse. The Illuminati agreed, and Black Bolt proceeded to execute Strange by using his sonic scream, saying he was sorry.
Professor X[]
- Name: Charles Francis Xavier
- Species: Mutant
- Activity: 2015 - 2024
- Status: Deceased
- Description: Charles Francis Xavier was a Mutant with the power of telepathy and founding member of the Illuminati. When Thanos went on a quest to acquire the six Infinity Stones in 2018, Doctor Strange used the Darkhold to dreamwalk throughout the Multiverse to look for a possible way to kill Thanos, which instead destroyed another universe. While that plan failed, Xavier and the rest of the team used the Book of Vishanti to kill Thanos. Xavier collectively decided with the rest of the Illuminati that Strange was to be executed. After Black Bolt executed Strange, Xavier replaced Strange with Karl Mordo as the new member of the Illuminati. Years later, Mordo captured another an alternate Doctor Strange and America Chavez, containing them in the Illuminati Headquarters. Mordo then brought Strange to meet with Xavier and the Illuminati, with Mordo introducing Xavier to Strange. Despite Strange claiming that Wanda Maximoff was a threat to the Illuminati's universe, Xavier revealed to Strange the truth about Strange's alternate self in Xavier's universe, using his mind to show Strange a memory of Strange's death, grealty shocking Strange. However, when Maximoff breached the Illuminati Headquarters to kidnap Chavez, Xavier left the room to confront Maximoff, along with Mister Fantastic, Captain Marvel, Captain Carter, and Black Bolt. However, Xavier arrived too late, as Maximoff had already brutally murdered Black Bolt, Mister Fantastic, Captain Carter, and Captain Marvel. Before Maximoff could capture Chavez, Xavier entered Maximoff's mindscape, finding Maximoff's alternate self from Xavier's universe trapped in there. But before Xavier could save her, Maximoff twisted Xavier's neck, killing him.
Mister Fantastic[]
- Name: Reed Nathaniel Richards
- Species: Human
- Activity: 2015 - 2024
- Status: Deceased
- Description: Reed Richards was a brilliant scientist, the smartest man alive, and a founding member of the Illuminati. He was also the leader of the Fantastic Four, married Sue Storm, and had two kids with her. In 2018, during Thanos's quest for the Infinity Stones, Richards worked together with the rest of the Illuminati to defeat Thanos. However, Doctor Strange used the Darkhold to dreamwalk across the Multiverse looking for a way to defeat Thanos, but he instead ended up accidentally destroying a universe in the process. Despite that, Richards and the rest of the Illuminati used the Book of Vishanti to kill Thanos. But after Strange confessed to the group that he had destroyed a universe, Richards collectively decided with the rest of the Illuminati to execute Strange, which led to Black Bolt killing Strange with his sonic scream. Afterwards, Karl Mordo replaced Strange as a member of the Illuminati. Years later, Mordo captured an alternate Doctor Strange and America Chavez, bringing them to the Illuminati Headquarters. Mordo then apprehended Strange and escorted him with the Ultron Sentries to meet with Richards and the rest of the Illuminati. Richards entered the room via teleportation, and was introduced to Strange by Mordo. Richards told Strange about Incursions and how they worked, telling Strange that the greatest threat to the Multiverse was Doctor Strange, despite Strange claiming that the Wanda Maximoff was a bigger threat. Professor X then entered the room and revealed to Strange the truth of the threat Strange's alternate self Richards's universe poised to the Multiverse and their decision to execute him, which shocked Strange. However, Maximoff breached the Illuminati Headquarters to kidnap Chavez, so Richards went to confront her, along with Captain Marvel, Captain Carter, and Black Blot. Richards told Maximoff about how he had kids and could relate to her, but what she was doing was still the wrong thing to do. Before he could do anything, Maximoff removed Black Bolt's mouth and imploded his head, and then split Richards into multiple pieces before exploding his brain, which killed him.
Captain Carter[]
- Name: Margaret Elizabeth "Peggy" Carter
- Species: Human
- Activity: 2015 - 2024
- Status: Deceased
- Description: Captain Carter was a member of the Avengers and became a founding member of the Illuminati. During the Infinity War in 2018, Carter fought against Thanos with the Illuminati, eventually managing to defeat Thanos with the Book of Vishanti. However, Carter decided with the rest of the Illuminati to execute Doctor Strange as he had used the Darkhold to dreamwalk across the Multiverse, resulting in the destruction of an entire universe. After Black Bolt executed Strange, the team appointed Baron Mordo as the new member of the Illuminati. Years later, an alternate Doctor Strange was brought by Mordo to meet with Carter and the Illuminati at the Illuminati Headquarters. Mordo had also captured America Chavez and managed to contain her in the headquarters. Carter was introduced to Strange by Mordo, and Carter claimed that this Strange was more arrogant than their Strange. Professor X then entered the room and revealed the truth to Strange about his alternate self and what he had done, shocking Strange. However, Wanda Maximoff breached the Headquarters to kidnap Chavez, and Carter went to confront her along with Mister Fantastic, Captain Marvel, and Black Bolt. Mister Fantastic tried to reason with Maximoff, but Maximoff responded by removing Black Bolt's mouth and imploding his head, before proceeding to slice Mister Fantastic into multiple pieces, killing him. Carter and Captain Marvel were shocked, but they worked together to fight Maximoff. After Carter told Maximoff that she could "do this all day", Carter threw her shield at Maximoff. However, Maximoff stopped the shield with her powers and threw it back at Carter, which sliced Carter in half and killed her.
Black Bolt[]
- Name: Blackagar Boltagon
- Species: Inhuman
- Activity: 2015 - 2024
- Status: Deceased
- Description: Blackagar Boltagon was the leader of the Inhuman Royal Family and the King of the Inhumans of Attilan. He had the ability to release hypersonically amplified sound waves through his vocal chords, being able to kill someone by just whispering directly at them. He was one of the founding members of the Illuminati, recruited to be part of the team by Professor X. During the Infinity War in 2018, Doctor Strange caused an Incursion between universes while dreamwalking throughout the Multiverse in an attempt to kill Thanos. While Thanos was eventually killed, Strange had destroyed a universe. Black Bolt collectively decided with the rest of the Illuminati that Strange was to be executed for his crimes. On Titan, Black Bolt whispered "I'm sorry" to Strange, creating an extremely powerful sonic scream that killed Strange. Years later, an alternate Doctor Strange was brought to meet the Illuminati by Karl Mordo. After Mordo introduced Black Bolt to Strange, Charles Xavier arrived, and he revealed to Strange the truth about Strange's alternate self and telling Strange that he was the true threat to their universe, despite Strange claiming that Wanda Maximoff was a bigger threat. However, when Maximoff broke into the Illuminati Headquarters to kidnap America Chavez, who was captured, Black Bolt, along with the rest of the Illuminati, all stood in front of America Chavez's cell to confront Wanda. Mister Fantastic told Wanda that Black Bolt could kill her with a whisper, however, Maximoff used her reality-altering chaos magic to remove Black Bolt's mouth. His attempts to scream lead to his head imploding, which killed him.
Captain Marvel[]
- Name: Maria Rambeau
- Species: Human/Kree Hybrid
- Activity: 2015 - 2024
- Status: Deceased
- Description: Captain Marvel was a United States Air Force pilot who got exposed to the cosmic radiaton of the Space Stone and obtained superhuman cosmic energy powers, eventually becoming a defender of the cosmos and a founding member of the Illuminati. In 2018, the Infinity War was waged across the universe by Thanos, and Rambeau banded with the Illuminati to defeat him, eventually killing Thanos using the Book of Vishanti. However, Rambeau decided with the rest team that Doctor Strange was to be executed since Strange had caused the destruction of universe with the Darkhold. After Black Bolt executed Strange, Rambeau and the team appointed Baron Mordo as the new member of the Illuminati to replace Strange. Years later, an alternate Doctor Strange was brought by Mordo to meet with Rambeau and the Illuminati at the Illuminati Headquarters. Mordo had also captured America Chavez and managed to contain her in the headquarters. Rambeau was introduced to Strange by Mordo, and Rambeau claimed that Strange doesn't take anything seriously due to Strange's mockery of the team. Professor X then entered the room and revealed to Strange the truth about Strange's alternate self, shocking Strange. However, Wanda Maximoff breached the Headquarters to kidnap Chavez, and Rambeau went to confront her along with Mister Fantastic, Captain Carter, and Black Bolt. Mister Fantastic tried to reason with Maximoff, but Maximoff responded by removing Black Bolt's mouth and imploding his head, before proceeding to slice Mister Fantastic into multiple pieces, killing him. Rambeau and Captain Carter were shocked, but they worked together to fight Maximoff. Rambeau had began to overpower Maximoff, but Maximoff managed to throw her into the walls of the headquarters. After Captain Carter was brutally murdered by Maximoff, Rambeau broke out of the wall and used all of her energy against Maximoff. Rambeau was eventually blasted away by Maximoff who removed Rambeau's powers, leaving her defenseless. Maximoff then threw a statue onto her, which killed Rambeau.
Relationships[]
Allies[] |
Enemies[] |
Trivia[]
- In the comics, the original members of the Illuminati were Iron Man, Professor X, Mister Fantastic, Black Bolt, Doctor Strange, and Namor. Additionally, Black Panther would sometimes ally himself with the team, but often found himself clashing with their motives and ideals.
- According to Captain Carter, Doctor Strange created the Illuminati "to make the difficult decisions no one else could". This is a similar parallel to Nick Fury's reason to create the Avengers: "to fight the battles no one else could".
- In Iron Man 2, Tony Stark has an application on his cell phone called "Illuminati," a reference to his membership with the group in the comics.
Behind the Scenes[]
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron had stated that there were discussions about possibly including Namor as a part of the Illuminati due to him being an original member of the Illuminati in the comics. However, Namor ultimately wasn't included because Marvel Studios had other plans for him.[2] In addition, Waldron's first draft for the film included an Earth-838 version of the Wasp as a member of the Illuminati,[3] while Soren Bendt Aaboe Pedersen's storyboards suggest that an Earth-838 version of Iron Monger was likewise considered for the Illuminati's lineup.[4]
- Daniel Craig was originally going to have a cameo as a member of the Illuminati instead of John Krasinski, as either Balder the Brave or Mister Fantastic, but he eventually dropped out because he was concerned about contracting COVID-19 on set when there was an uptick in cases and spreading it to his family once he returned home in London.[5][6]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- ↑ ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Screenwriter Defends Wanda’s Evolution, Talks Cameos and His ‘Star Wars’ Script
- ↑ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - Audio Commentary
- ↑ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - Storyboards by Soren Bendt
- ↑ Justin Kroll on Twitter - May 14, 2022
- ↑ Who Was Daniel Craig Supposed To Play In ‘Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness’?