Marvel’s Illuminati is reportedly in development at Marvel Studios with Kevin Feige attached as a producer. Marvel Studios' head honcho Feige has been credited with being the visionary mind behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe's interconnectivity. He's also been attached as either a producer or executive producer of every Marvel movie since 2000's X-Men. He has so much creative control that, in addition to being President of Marvel Studios, he was named Chief Creative Officer for the company's comics, TV, and animation divisions.

Much like Feige is the architect of the MCU, the Illuminati are the behind-the-scenes architects of the Marvel Comics 616 universe. First appearing as a group in the pages of Brian Michael Bendis' New Avengers comic series, the team consists of Namor, Tony Stark, Reed Richards, Black Bolt of the Inhumans, Doctor Strange, and Professor Charles Xavier, leader of the X-Men. It's revealed that they've been meeting in secret and working with one another for years in comic book time. The group initially refuses to become a functioning superhero team, but eventually agrees to share information and meet up whenever circumstances are dire enough to require their combined attention.

Related: Kevin Feige’s Marvel Role Explained: What It Means For The MCU

The Illuminerdi reports a cast listing that reveals Marvel Studios is in development on a project titled Marvel's Illuminati. Details beyond the project's working title and Feige's attachment as a producer are incredibly light. No talent is attached, nor is there any indication whether this project would be a film or a Disney+ TV show.

The Illuminati assembles in Marvel comics.

Marvel's Illuminati could work as either a movie or a TV show, depending on the cast and scope of the story. If the project's title is taken as a direct adaptation of the comic book version, it would suggest Marvel's Illuminati is still a long way off from production. It seems unlikely Marvel would introduce significant characters like the Fantastic Four's Reed Richards or the X-Men's Professor Xavier as members of this mysterious cabal without giving the casual viewer additional context about their backstories. Plus, the founder of the comic book version of the team is Tony Stark, who died at the end of the MCU's Avengers: Endgame, which would mean he either needs to be resurrected somehow or is only shown in flashbacks.

The alternative to using the comic book team would be for Feige to pick new Illuminati members for the MCU version of the secret group. In the comics, Black Panther rejects Stark's invitation to the team, but MCU's Panther might want a seat at the table. Perhaps the team is assembled by the MCU's Stephen Strange as a response to the events that unfold in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and consists of the MCU's most powerful heroes, like Captain Marvel. Anything is possible when it comes to Feige's ability to remix elements of the comics into all-new storylines for the MCU that are simultaneously familiar and surprising.

Marvel’s Illuminati has a lot of potential no matter which direction Feige and his team at Marvel Studios decide to take it. That said, part of the fun of the comic book premise is reliving important moments in Marvel Comics history with a new context provided by the Illuminati working from the shadows. If the Illuminati of the MCU takes longer to develop, giving audiences time to know better the founding members, it would be worth the wait for an exceptional reveal, further proving everything in the MCU timeline is connected.

More: How Marvel Phase 4 Can Bring Back (& Fix) Thor 2's Villain

Source: Illuminerdi

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