One of the big reveals of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness centers around a multiverse variant of the Illuminati. A team of powerhouse heroes who are often regarded as one of Marvel’s most dangerous groups, the Illuminati of the Marvel Cinematic Universe ultimately faces a very difficult situation that they fail to handle well.
But at least that’s consistent with the version of the team from the core-Marvel Comics reality of Earth-616, where the Illuminati have failed in their missions to bring peace to the world on multiple occasions.
In theory, the Illuminati was formed to contend with the most dangerous elements of the world. After being briefly introduced in New Avengers #7 (by Brian Michael Bendis and Steve McNiven), their full origins were revealed in New Avengers: Illuminati #1 (by Bendis and Alex Maleev). Following the events of the Kree-Skrull War, a group consisting of Mister Fantastic, Iron Man, Professor X, Doctor Strange, Black Bolt, and Namor agreed to create a think-tank in secret to share plans and confront major threats without involving their loved ones or other allies. The only potential member who turned down a place in the group was Black Panther, who might have had the right idea of abandoning the group.
Despite the conception of the group as a team of do-gooders operating on a universal scale, the Illuminati actually have a relatively terrible track record in terms of accomplishments. Their attempts to scare the Skrulls into never assaulting them again only enraged the alien race, setting events in motion to eventually build to Secret Invasion. Their attempts to claim the Infinity Gems resulted in the Watcher overtly calling them out for their hubris. Their interactions with the Beyonder failed to gain them an ally. Their attempts to convince Marvel Boy to become a hero fell on deaf ears, as it would take years of unconnected growth for Nor-Varr to become a hero. Their attempts to give the Hulk a happy ending backfired spectacularly, leading to the events of Planet Hulk and their own public defeat in World War Hulk.
Even the group reforming as a more cohesive unit with Black Panther at the center ultimately proved ineffective, as their mission to prevent Incursions did little but stall the inevitable. Along the way, the group turned against each other at various points and eventually even enraged the rest of the hero community, leading them to go on the run from a vengeful Captain America. Crossing moral boundaries and dooming other worlds only bought them time for a crisis they couldn’t solve, and ultimately it wasn’t so much the Illuminati who saved the day. Instead, it was their last surviving members, Mister Fantastic, Black Panther, and Namor, overcoming their personal hang-ups to contribute to the defeat of God Emperor Doom in Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic’s Secret Wars.
Despite nominally being the greatest experts and leaders in the Marvel Universe, the Earth-616 Illuminati have only really ever made things worse for themselves and everyone else in the world. They’ve contributed little in terms of actually improving the world or protecting their loved ones, and in the process even endangered them further by getting a giant crosshair placed on the Earth by more than one universal-level threat. This even extends across the multiverse, with multiple other versions of the Illuminati being shown getting wiped out themselves by a number of different villains. The MCU Illuminati largely failing despite the level of importance they ascribe themselves is pretty consistent with how the group has been portrayed in the multiverse; an undeniably powerful force that nevertheless always seems to bite off more than they can chew.
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