Summary
- The worthiest member of Earth-616’s Illuminati is Scarlet Witch due to her incredible power as showcased in Avengers: Endgame and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
- The inclusion of the Hulk who appeared in Thor: Ragnarok is problematic due to his perceived lack of intelligence and his cowardice in Avengers: Infinity War.
- Thor, Doctor Strange, and Professor X are all worthy of joining Earth-616’s Illuminati in the stunning fan art.
The Illuminati receives the upgrade the superhero organization so desperately deserves. The team assembled by Stephen Strange of Earth-838 first appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But in a breathtaking piece of brand-new fan art, the Illuminati is reimagined for the MCU’s Earth-616. Check out the post from Instagram user @agtdesign below:
The worthiest member of inclusion in Earth-616’s Illuminati is Wanda Maximoff’s alter ego the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). Whether fans of the MCU were happy with how Wanda was portrayed in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of madness, she is clearly one of if not the most powerful of all the Avengers.
During the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Olsen’s Scarlet Witch came up against Earth-838’s Illuminati members Mister Fantastic (John Krasinski), Black Bolt (Anson Mount), Captain Marvel (Lashana Lynch), Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell) and Professor X (Patrick Stewart). And the Scarlet Witch unapologetically murders every last one of them. This, to say nothing about how she handled Thanos (Josh Brolin) in Avengers: Endgame, justifies Scarlet Witch’s inclusion in Earth-616’s Illuminati.
Related: Doctor Strange: Every Member of The Illuminati in Multiverse of Madness Explained
Positing Earth-616’s Illuminati
Marvel Comics
Clearly, the Avengers’ Scarlet Witch (Olsen) deserves to be in the MCU’s Earth-616 version of the Illuminati and almost certainly as its leader. And the rest of the team is rounded out in the fan art by the Sorcerer Supreme Wong (Benedict Wong), Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). Right away, fans of the MCU are going to arguably want Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to take Wong’s place on the team. Now, it’s time to address the bright-green elephant in the room.
The fan art uses an image of Hulk from Thor: Ragnarok as a member of the Illuminati. The problems with having this version of Bruce Banner’s alter ego in the group start with the fact that he’s not as intelligent as Professor/Smart Hulk (Avengers: Endgame). Yes, the argument can be made that the Ragnarok version is more powerful than any other in the MCU, but Hulk still couldn’t best Thanos (Brolin) while the villain sported the Power Stone in Avengers: Infinity War. What’s worse is that Hulk turned into an absolute coward who wouldn’t even face Thanos at the conclusion of Infinity War. This alone would cost him a spot in the Illuminati. If there’s a Hulk in the superhero group, it would need to be another version. The most obvious choices would be the Breaker of Worlds or the Immortal Hulk, but they don’t yet exist in the MCU.
Captain Marvel absolutely has the powers to be a part of the Illuminati. But which other Avengers from the MCU’s Earth-616 should be considered as members? Clearly, Earth-838 had more superheroes in their group — not that it did them any good when it came to fighting Scarlet Witch. Nevertheless, who else should join this stunning fan art? Surely, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is worthy of inclusion as is Doctor Strange. And the X-Men are officially joining the MCU. So, how about giving Earth-616’s Professor X another crack at it? You know, as long as Marvel promises not to kill the iconic Charles Xavier on the big screen for a fourth freakin’ time!
The latest installment of the MCU, The Marvels, opens in theaters on Friday, November 10.
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