The Illuminati are a group of superheroes hailing from, all walks of the Marvel Universe that join hands and hold secret meetings to exchange information and create fail-safes to ensure the world keeps spinning. They never reveal their existence but they are responsible for some truly horrible cost. They work behind the scenes and get their hands dirty but they never take credit for the job. And the best part – they are not made up of super-villains. An organization this secretive is run not by the bad guys but by the superheroes themselves. Presenting – 12 Strongest Members of Marvel’s Illuminati – Ranked according to power level!!
12. Medusa
We start off with the weakest entrant into the list. Medusa is the Queen of the Inhumans and represents the Inhuman race as a member of the Illuminati. She is of royal blood and is married to Black Bolt, the king of the Inhumans. Medusa’s ability to use her super strong and ultra-malleable hair has proven quite valuable in the past. The versatility of her ability allows her hair to be used as a shield or as a weapon in combat. Moreover, Medusa is extremely proficient in diplomacy and is one of Marvel Comics’ most sought after negotiators. Her time in the Illuminati has only helped her shine.
11. The Beast
Hank McCoy is a genius level geneticist and expert on human mutation theory. After realizing he is himself a mutant, he did experiments on himself to become the beast, a blue-haired super agile and super strong creature with a mind that has an IQ of more than 180. He represents the mutant race in the Illuminati since he is part of both the X-Men and the Avengers; his experience in both the teams has always formed a valuable asset to the Illuminati when making decisions.
10. Yellow Jacket
The superhero known as the Ant-Man is a mantle that originally belonged to Hank Pym, one of the smartest men alive in the Marvel Universe. Hank Pym has taken over several other superhero mantles, chief of them being the superhero termed Yellow Jacket. During Jonathan Hickman’s Time Runs Out story arc, the Avengers were trying to take down the Illuminati, whom they thought to be a major enemy. The Illuminati, on the other hand, recruited Hank Pym, who as Yellow Jacket, decided to help the secretive organization prevent the Avengers from destroying them.
9. Captain Britain
Captain Britain is the guardian of the Omni-Verse. He is responsible for guarding the entire array of infinite realities from being destroyed or interrupted. Captain Britain has a range of powers that are magically imbued on him thanks to the mystical gifts of Merlin, an extra-dimensional wizard. After the Time Runs Out storyline, Captain America is shown to be winning the war against the Illuminati, so the sect recruits Captain Britain to even the odds. His abilities prove quite valuable to the Illuminati since his level of strategic thinking is on par with Captain America, who is considered one of the world’s greatest tacticians and strategists.
8. Namor
Namor is one of the Illuminati’s greatest allies. But he is prone to be one of the most volatile members as well. If he is in a good mood, he will try and become a superhero. But if he is not at all in the mood to do something good, he will kill and maim as he pleases. As a member of the Illuminati, Namor represents the nation of Atlantis, one of the major players in Earth’s international affairs. After he helped the Cabal destroy several realities and also led the Atlantean armies to war against Wakanda, which was almost destroyed in the process before they turned the tides, Namor’s position as an Illuminati member is extremely complicated.
7. Black Panther
Black Panther is known to be a very rational member. T’Challa was grown in the midst of royalty and he has been trained to maintain his poise and calm even in the midst of the most difficult of situations. He always thinks logically and is a very practical man. When the Illuminati extended him an invitation for membership, Black Panther attended the meeting but then declined to become a full-fledged member, fearing that the actions of the Illuminati will only harm the world, instead of helping it. His predictions were right since the Illuminati was the primary reason the Skrulls managed to infiltrate the Earth and almost defeated the superheroes to conquer the planet in the Secret Invasion event.
6. Amadeus Cho
Amadeus Cho is the smartest being on the planet. We are not kidding. Amadeus can actually think his way out of any situation and is actually the smarter than Reed Richards, Tony Stark, and Hank Pym combined. Amadeus has an intellect that is envied by even the Gods. His incredible inventions have been the boon of many superheroes and the bane of many supervillains. After his run as the Hulk in the Incredibly Awesome Hulk series, his popularity and his skill-set have only grown exponentially. He is truly an example of mind over matter.
5. Captain America
Captain America’s intentions to join the Illuminati were good. He represents the best of humanity. So Steve Rogers joining the secretive organization was thought to be a welcome move. But things soon took a turn for the worse when Captain America realized the Illuminati were secretly gathering the Infinity Stones to remake the Infinity Gauntlet to end the incursions. When that plan failed, the Illuminati decided to activate other, more deadly measures to stop the said incursions. Captain America refused to be a part of it and his memory was erased by Doctor Strange to keep him from talking. When Cap learned about his memory being wiped out in Original Sin, he declared war on the Illuminati and planned to end their reign once and for all.
4. Doctor Strange
The thing about the Illuminati is – they have one member representing each facet of the super-hero community. While Black Panther represents Wakanda and Charles Xavier represents the mutant community, Doctor Strange represents the mystical element, that is, magic in the Illuminati. Doctor Strange has used his magic spells to vanquish countless foes and exile several more. His control and command over magic is absolute, and he is feared by even Dormammu, a being that is the ruler of an entire dimension made of pure magic.
3. Professor X
Before Beast took his place as the representative of the mutant race in the Illuminati, Charles Xavier was seen as one of the most integral cogs in the high council. His immense psychic powers meant that he could keep an eye on every other member of the organization and ensure no one goes off track. But it was too late before his psychic abilities could figure out that there was a Skrull amongst the members. The Avengers vs. X-Men event led to the death of Charles Xavier, after which Hank McCoy took up his position as the new mutant member of the Illuminati.
2. The Hulk
The Hulk’s relationship with the Illuminati can be termed to be very tumultuous at best. Bruce Banner joined the organisation because his genius level expertise on gamma radiation and biology as well as his alter ego, the Hulk, were thought to be invaluable additions to the Illuminati roster. After the Hulk went on one of his rampages, the Illuminati decided that he was too much of a liability and forcibly sent him to the planet Sakaar, which eventually led to the Planet Hulk and World War Hulk storyline. After the Hulk became Doc Green and regained back some of his intelligence even when in his Jade Giant state, he re-joined the Illuminati as one of their top members.
1. Iron Man
He was the one who started the Illuminati. Tony Stark was the founder of this organization. The Kree-Skrull War, in which the Earth was sued as a battleground, was something Tony Stark realized could have been avoided if there was some way the other superheroes could have exchanged information regarding the event. To ensure nothing of this sort ever happens, Iron Man invited the top most representatives of each facet of the Marvel Superhuman community and formed the very first iteration of the Illuninati. He was always someone who was ready to get his hands dirty to save innocent lives. Tony Stark stepped up and the rest is history.
