Marvel Comics: Every Illuminati Member, Ranked

Most people have heard of the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Men. But when someone mentions the Illuminati, there might not be that instant recognition. Marvel Comic’s Illuminati began as a top-secret organization at the highest levels of world power. This brain trust of powerful thinkers serves as a who’s who of A-list characters from all corners of the Marvel universe. That being said, here’s a list of every Illuminati member, ranked in ascending order –

Beast

Henry McCoy isn’t the first member of the mutant race to be selected for an Illuminati team. But he is there during one of their most important battles. Henry McCoy utilizes his expertise as both an X-Man and an Avenger when investigating and defending against a series of incursions by alternate realities that threaten to destroy the Marvel universe.

Yellowjacket

Throughout the Time Runs Out storyline, Captain America declares war on the Avengers, believing them to have an association with the shady organization called the Illuminati. Hank Pym joined up with the Avengers in his Yellowjacket persona and was influential in discovering the beings responsible for orchestrating the incursions.

Captain Britain

As a member of the Illuminati, Britain’s Cap maintains his oath to defend the infinite collection of different universes and realities contained within what has come to be known as the Omniverse. In other words, he is forever dedicated to keeping Earth safe from inter-dimensional threats large and small.

Related: Doctor Strange 2 Hints The Arrival of the Illuminati With Return of Patrick Stewart

Doctor Strange

Sorcerer Supreme is truly a man out of this world. As Marvel’s magical side, he represents his Mystic Arts skills in the Illuminati. Although he disagreed with the idea of the Illuminati following their first meeting after the battle, he has come back to provide updates to members of the superhero community.

Namor

He is the one and only Illuminati member who was not aiming to become a costumed hero. He underwent multiple diplomatic roles, which cumulatively provided him an insight into superhuman behavior. His other contributions to the group’s activities included mastering the immensely advanced computer network called Sky Net.

Black Panther

While T’Challa requested an invitation to the initial meetings of the Illuminati, he chose not to join because he foresaw conflicts that would arise. Now, as an ongoing member of the Illuminati, Black Panther is forced to deal with both Hulk and Namor on numerous occasions when they push their agenda onto him.

Captain America

Steve Rogers was added to the Illuminati after the events of the Secret Invasion. When Captain America and the team came to know about the incursions, they gathered all six Infinity Stones. But apparently, their attempts to use them to end the intrusions failed miserably. As a result, Captain America decided to leave the group.

Charles Xavier

Founder of the X-Men, Professor Charles Xavier was the perfect choice for the mutant race’s representative among high command. It turned out that his powerful telepathic capabilities were also viewed as a way to keep other members of high command from suspecting anything outside their own knowledge base. He would have been better at doing this if it weren’t for a Skrull invasion just then.

Related: Doctor Strange 2: Every Rumored Illuminati Member Other Than Patrick Stewart’s Professor X

Black Bolt

Bolt’s origin is an interesting one. For example, he was originally a member of a race of superhumans called the Inhumans before becoming king of the underground city of Attilan. While his voice was so powerful that it could destroy anything in its path, this side effect did not stop him from being a founding member of Marvel’s Illuminati.

The Hulk

The Hulk is an interesting addition to the Illuminati, as he was one of their first members. Following his accident that turned him into the Hulk in the first place, the Illuminati decided to send Hulk into space where we could eventually see Planet Hulk and World War Hulk take place.

Iron Man

Tony Stark is considered to be a futurist-a man who sees what’s coming before it arrives. So when Iron Man and the Avengers were blindsided during the Kree-Skrull War and Earth was used as a battleground, he took full responsibility. This inspired Tony to first assemble the Illuminati.

Reed Richards

Thanks to his great intelligence and his shape-shifting ability, Reed Richards is undoubtedly the strongest member of the Illuminati. It’s not only because he’s often the smartest guy in the room or can slip past any security measures but also because he doesn’t always think about anything but intellectual problems, letting ethics and morality behind to serve the greater good.