The Multiverse Saga is set to introduce some superhero team-ups to the MCU like The Thunderbolts, The Marvels, and Deadpool and Wolverine. However, one team that fans expect to specificaly see in Phases 5 and 6 is the Illuminati.
If you aren’t familiar with the superhero team, the Illuminati is a secretive group of powerful individuals who work in the dark and make important decisions that affect the world. The Earth-838 version of the super team was featured during Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and was composed of Charles Xavier, Peggy Carter, Blackagar Boltagon, Maria Rambeau, Reed Richards, and Karl Mordo. Ever since the team was featured in Doctor Strange 2, fans have been wondering who would be part of the Illuminati from Earth-616.
A new rumor from a reliable Marvel insider suggests that audiences have already seen the team briefly in the past. The popular leaker CanWeGetSomeToast revealed in a post on X (Twitter) that the team will be composed of Wong, Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel, and Bruce Banner / Incredible Hulk. The scene that the leaker is pointing to is from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings where the trio discuss the power of the Ten Rings.
The Illuminati of Earth-616 in the MCU…for now 👀 pic.twitter.com/j1Y8decr7B
— CanWeGetSomeToast (@CanWeGetToast) October 21, 2023
“The pandemic and all the changes that happened at Disney and Marvel really jeopardized the timing of this post-credits scene,” CanWeGetSomeToast added in another tweet. “It’ll absolutely be followed up on. It’s just going to take a little while.”
The insider also revealed that this is still an incomplete team, hinting that other members would be added later. Users on X and the Marvel Studios Spoilers subreddit asked about Doctor Strange’s inclusion in the team. The Earth-838 version was formed by Stephen Strange before the variant was killed during the battle against Thanos on Titan.
Fans speculate that Wong would be the substitute for Doctor Strange on Earth-616 as he is the current Sorcerer Supreme. Others suspect that Strange would be averse to joining the secretive group given his experience with the Earth-838 version in Multiverse of Madness. However, there is speculation that Strange will form the Illuminati during Phase 6 given his vast knowledge of the multiverse.
With only three members being revealed so far, fans have ideas on which heroes may be added later on. Some of the potential members that fans think would fit the team are Namor, Shuri aka Black Panther, James Rhodes aka War Machine, Loki, Reed Richards aka Mister Fantastic, and Scarlet Witch.
If Professor X makes an appearance in Deadpool 3, he would also be a likely candidate for the Illuminati. Jean Grey could also be an interesting addition if she is also introduced in the upcoming Deadpool threequel. Captain America could also be useful to the team as both a fighter and leader.
It will be interesting to see which members will be added to the team in the upcoming movies. If the team becomes instrumental in the war against Kang the Conqueror, we suspect that members of the team will be slowly revealed in post-credit scenes for movies next year. We will be keeping an eye out for more theories and rumors about the Illuminati.
