SPOILER ALERT: This story contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnessDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has hit theaters, and with its release audiences are introduced to a new team of superheroes. Following in the footsteps of The Avengers, The Guardians of the Galaxy, and The Defenders, audiences have now gotten to meet The Illuminati. Created by Brian Michael Bendis and Steve McNiven and introduced in the pages of New Avengers #7 in 2005, The Illuminati of Marvel Comics is a top-secret superhero team that operates behind the scenes to prevent disasters, sharing their resources and knowledge but also not informing other heroes of their existence.
The original lineup included representatives from various corners of the Marvel Universe including The Avenger's Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic of The Fantastic Four, the Inhuman king Black Bolt, Doctor Strange representing the mystical side, Professor X representing both the X-Men and speaking out for the interest of mutants, and finally Namor the King of Atlantis.
The team was teased in the trailers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and now that the film is finally out the team's roster is revealed, along with the fact that they are not part of the main MCU but are in a separate reality of the multiverse, Earth 838. While many thought they would be comprised of different incarnations of heroes from across the multiverse, the Illuminati instead is the primary superhero team of Earth-838, even having a similar public headquarters as The Avengers do. Here are all the members of the Illuminati in the film explained.
Professor X
The first major cameo for the movie that was revealed in the trailer, Professor X is the founder of the X-Men and one of the most powerful mutants in existence as he is an incredible telepath. Patrick Stewart plays the role, after having portrayed Professor X in the Fox X-Men series of movies starting with X-Men in 2000 and concluding with 2017's Logan. He even says the line, "Just because somebody stumbles and loses their way doesn't mean they are lost forever," which is the exact quote both his older and younger version of himself say in X-Men: Days of Future Past.
While Patrick Stewart is playing Xavier, it appears to not be the exact one from the Fox X-Men movies but instead a variant who is an amalgamation of that version and the one seen in the 1990s animated X-Men series. This is indicated by the green suit, the gold hover chair, and the fact that a few notes of the animated series theme play when he enters the film.
Interestingly, Marvel Studios did announce they were developing a continuation to the popular animated series titled X-Men 97 with MCU connections, hinting at a continuity through the multiverse. This could indicate that this version of the Professor, brought to life by Patrick Stewart, is the same one from the animated series which takes place on Earth 838. This is likely Stewarts' last time playing Xavier, as it is likely they will want a new actor to play the character when the X-Men finally join the MCU, but Patrick Stewart is open to reprising his role again.
Mordo
The end credit scene of Doctor Strange saw Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) turning his back on his friends and beginning to hunt down fellow sorcerers. This seems to indicate he was being set up as the sequel villain, and while Mordo is in the film, it is not the version audiences saw in the 2016 film. Instead, this Mordo is from Earth 838 and is the new sorcerer supreme after this universe's Doctor Strange was killed. Mordo took Strange's place on the Illuminati. While he is friendly with Stephen, there are hints that, like the MCU counterpart, he was jealous of and hated his universe's Doctor Strange.
Audiences are given a hint at the MCU Mordo, and Doctor Strange tells America Chavez that Mordo has been attempting to kill him, meaning that in the years following the first film the two have crossed paths. Mordo has failed to kill Doctor Strange and the hero is aware of his former friend's attempts on his life, leaving the door open for a sequel for Mordo to get a proper conclusion.
Captain Carter
In the MCU, Agent Peggy Carter was an M16 agent and a member of Strategic Science Reserve, a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D., the great aunt of Sharon Carter, and the great love of Steve Rogers aka Captain America. On Earth 838, Peggy Carter is in fact a superhero who goes by the name Captain Carter. In this reality, Peggy acquired the super-soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers. In the film, Hayley Atwell reprises her role.
This is not the first time audiences have seen Captain Carter, as she was introduced in the pilot episode of What If...? and was part of a superhero team, the Guardians of the Multiverse. However, this is not the same Captain Carter, as indicated by a different hairstyle and uniform, and the fact that this incarnation has a pair of rocket boots allowing her more mobility during flight. While the Earth 838 Captain Carter dies fighting Wanda, the version seen on What If...? will return in season 2 of that series.
Maria Rambeau's Captain Marvel
The glowing figure in the trailers many assumed would be Tom Cruise as the Invincible Iron Man was in fact Maria Rambeau as this Illumanti's version of Captain Marvel. The Captain Marvel of the MCU is Carol Danvers, and her best friend is Maria Rambeau, who is the mother of Monica Rambeau. Maria sadly passes away from cancer during the five-year gap of The Blip as revealed in WandaVision.
The indication is that in this universe, it was Maria who accompanied Doctor Lawson on her experimental flight and was exposed to the radiation from the Tesseract. Maria as Captain Marvel is a reference to the comics, where her daughter Monica Rambeau was the first woman to take up the mantle of Captain Marvel. Maria dies fighting Wanda Maximoff, although, given the character's importance to Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau, it is likely the MCU version of the character will appear in some form like a flashback in the upcoming film, The Marvels.
Black Bolt
The king of the Inhumans, born Blackagar Boltagon, the character Black Bolt possesses a dangerous and powerful voice that can unleash massive waves of sonic destruction. The character cannot utter a breath without unleashing his full power, so the character is often seen speaking in sign language or through an interpreter. The character was a founding member of the Illuminati team in the comics and has a prominent place on the team in the film.
The most interesting thing is that Black Bolt is played by Anson Mount, who also played the character in the critically panned Marvel's Inhumans series for ABC (and now plays Captain Pike in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds). The series was canceled after one season, with many considering it one of the worst things related to the MCU, and while the series' place in the franchise's continuity is questionable, bringing Mount back indicates that the one from the series might be somewhat canon. While the Black Bolt seen in the movie is the first member of the Illuminati to be killed, Marvel's acknowledgment of the Inhumans as well as bringing Anson Mount back might be an indicator of the Inhumans getting reintroduced into the MCU.
Mr. Fantastic
The big one, and easily the most anticipated. Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic is the world's smartest man in the MCU and a founding member of The Fantastic Four, and in the comics was also a member of the Illuminati. The film introduces Mr. Fantastic of Earth 838, but instead of being played by a past actor like Ioan Grufford or Miles Teller, it is instead fan-favorite casting choice John Krasinski in the role.
Krasinski was one of the finalists to play Captain America before Chris Evans was cast, and since the announcement of The Fantastic Four joining the MCU he has been a top pick by fans to play Mr. Fantastic.
The version introduced in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is not the MCU version of the character, though his version does have a wife and two kids, confirming that Sue Storm aka The Invisible Woman and both Franklin and Valeria Richards exist on Earth 838. While it is odd to introduce audiences to a variant of Mr. Fantastic before his proper MCU introduction with an actor who has never played the character before, it could be an indicator that Krasinski will return as the MCU version of the character in the upcoming MCU Fantastic Four reboot. It also could possibly be just a one-and-done cameo, a nice in-joke for fans, and the Reed Richards of the MCU will be a different actor, but for many, it was great to see Mr. Fantastic back on screen and with an actor as beloved as Krasinski.