New Illuminati lineup Spoiler Thanos #1

[Oberon]

Emma Frost and Blue Marvel may be fine as characters in general, but being here is way above their pay grade. If they wanted to have a woman in there to fill some representation quota, it could have been Madelyne Pryor, the queen of hell. And for someone black, Nick Fury would be right at home in a secret cabal like this.

Bingo, that does sum it up. I did consider what others said or implied.

[Oberon]

The Illuminatti is a concept that I really wish they would just let go. All it does is make whoever is involved in it look worse and mess up things for everybody else.

Okay, maybe I can agree with that, but I tend to feel that way too

about the ad nauseum additional Hulks, venom/carnages etc.

However I would like to see a story with Blue Marvel and Mr. Fantastic working strongly together.

[Oberon]

Not sure why a black and a woman would ever be considered a quota of any kind, anyway, but Black Panther should be a default member

Maybe the number of iLLuminati is too small?

Black Panther should def be on. So should Namor. There a few others of course.

Maybe Illuminati should not be so secret (name change) and should have rotational abilities and a fluid number not less than 6 or 7 members?

[Sutekh]

Dr. Strange makes a certain degree of sense, but the crap he handles he doesn't need the others for.

[tangent] Dr. Strange, IMO, should have, *for years* been running a sort of magical version of SHIELD, very loosely organizing and coordinating the various supernatural forces for good (or, at least, forces for 'not getting conquered by Dormammu or eaten by Shuma-Gorath', which could easily include not-so-nice mystical folk like Dr. Doom!). Magical folk from the Nexus of Realities or New Orleans or wherever New Salem is this week could coordinate their dire warnings and magical resources against various threats from other-dimensional jerks like Tiboro or the N'Garai or Chthon. Even if Strange wouldn't be 'in charge' (certainly he couldn't pick up a crystal ball and order Doom to go deal with Chthon rattling his cage a few miles away in Mt. Wundagore! He knows better than that!), he could at least provide an early warning system to local magical folk (including Doom, but also Mordred, Margali, etc.). All the various magical folk, Hellstrom, the New Salem witches, Doom, Jennifer Kale, Magik, Margali Szardos, Dr. Voodoo, could be 'linked in' to a magical network that shares information about current mystical threats, so that even if they can't all drop whatever they are doing, at least they have a heads-up about upcoming mystical threats, and, yes, sometimes call on each other for help or advice or a safe place to crash if things have gotten crazy in their neck of the woods.

His job is too damn important for one man. What if *two* things happen, at the same time? Oh well, the Sorcerer Supreme is busy dealing with Chthon in Europe. Guess Mephisto is free to devour the souls of everyone in Las Vegas, and Nightmare can send everyone in New York into a terror-filled sleep! [/tangent]

[Oberon]

[tangent] Dr. Strange, IMO, should have, *for years* been running a sort of magical version of SHIELD, very loosely organizing and coordinating the various supernatural forces for good (or, at least, forces for 'not getting conquered by Dormammu or eaten by Shuma-Gorath', which could easily include not-so-nice mystical folk like Dr. Doom!). Magical folk from the Nexus of Realities or New Orleans or wherever New Salem is this week could coordinate their dire warnings and magical resources against various threats from other-dimensional jerks like Tiboro or the N'Garai or Chthon. Even if Strange wouldn't be 'in charge' (certainly he couldn't pick up a crystal ball and order Doom to go deal with Chthon rattling his cage a few miles away in Mt. Wundagore! He knows better than that!), he could at least provide an early warning system to local magical folk (including Doom, but also Mordred, Margali, etc.). All the various magical folk, Hellstrom, the New Salem witches, Doom, Jennifer Kale, Magik, Margali Szardos, Dr. Voodoo, could be 'linked in' to a magical network that shares information about current mystical threats, so that even if they can't all drop whatever they are doing, at least they have a heads-up about upcoming mystical threats, and, yes, sometimes call on each other for help or advice or a safe place to crash if things have gotten crazy in their neck of the woods.

His job is too damn important for one man. What if *two* things happen, at the same time? Oh well, the Sorcerer Supreme is busy dealing with Chthon in Europe. Guess Mephisto is free to devour the souls of everyone in Las Vegas, and Nightmare can send everyone in New York into a terror-filled sleep! [/tangent]

These mostly great ideas don't seem to sell, or have that perception.
You named a great team there.

[Alan2099]

[tangent] Dr. Strange, IMO, should have, *for years* been running a sort of magical version of SHIELD, very loosely organizing and coordinating the various supernatural forces for good (or, at least, forces for 'not getting conquered by Dormammu or eaten by Shuma-Gorath', which could easily include not-so-nice mystical folk like Dr. Doom!). Magical folk from the Nexus of Realities or New Orleans or wherever New Salem is this week could coordinate their dire warnings and magical resources against various threats from other-dimensional jerks like Tiboro or the N'Garai or Chthon. Even if Strange wouldn't be 'in charge' (certainly he couldn't pick up a crystal ball and order Doom to go deal with Chthon rattling his cage a few miles away in Mt. Wundagore! He knows better than that!), he could at least provide an early warning system to local magical folk (including Doom, but also Mordred, Margali, etc.). All the various magical folk, Hellstrom, the New Salem witches, Doom, Jennifer Kale, Magik, Margali Szardos, Dr. Voodoo, could be 'linked in' to a magical network that shares information about current mystical threats, so that even if they can't all drop whatever they are doing, at least they have a heads-up about upcoming mystical threats, and, yes, sometimes call on each other for help or advice or a safe place to crash if things have gotten crazy in their neck of the woods.

This is exactly the reason why I feel there should always be a Midnight Sons group, even if what they're doing only takes place off pannel.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Bingo, that does sum it up. I did consider what others said or implied.

Did you, though?

Because Blue Marvel is in the same weight class as Thor. He's a million times more useful than Namor.

And Emma? Her looser morals lend themselves well to what's supposed to be a secret group.

Both have a perfectly valid place on the team. Simply because Blue hasn't been around for 40 years doesn't impact internal logic one damn bit.

Of course, all this debate kinda misses the point of why a group that's trying to keep themselves secret thinks they can do so gathered together on an American city that's being lifted into space by one of the worst villains to exist in canon.

So the stupid plotting history of the 'Illuminati' continues.

[JudicatorPrime]

But Adam Brashear? Really, really an odd fit, personality-wise. He seems like the sort who'd only join such a group to keep an eye on the others and try to vote them away from anything *too* over-the-top. (Like the terrible choices Illuminati groups have made in the past...)

I tell you, I'm doubling down on my hunch that the surprise plot twist will be that the Good Mirror Universe Victor Von Doom piggybacked a ride to 616 using his Ovoidian telepathy trick on Blue Marvel. It's the only thing that makes sense. Adam isn't just Adam. He's a combination of Adam and the good Doctor Doom and he's operating with the latter's insight and cunning in order to secure the MacGuffin before Thanos does.

Adam joins the Illuminati simply because good Doom advises him that all of the growth and improvement that his universe enjoyed were only possible after said MacGuffin was secured by his universe's most selfless hero. In the Good Mirror Universe, that selfless hero was Adam Brashear. This has been good Doom's plan all along. Now we get to see if it bears fruit.

Plus, Cantwell said that he couldn't use the real VVD, so this plot twist fixes that. I feel it in my bones, this is going to be huge. HUGE!!! Because Thanos hates to lose, let alone to Blue Doom Marvel.

[Anthony W]

Looking at the lineup I'm stumped as to what Emma Frost being there brings to the party besides two copious handfuls of medical-grade silicone.

I know LOL! She was the best they could do? I know that X-fans worship the ground the character walks on but I have never found her to be that impressive. She wasn't the best member of The Hellfire Club nor was she the best queen

[Oberon]

I know LOL! She was the best they could do? I know that X-fans worship the ground the character walks on but I have never found her to be that impressive. She wasn't the best member of The Hellfire Club nor was she the best queen

I am not against White Queen on the grounds of the sexual issues around her/influence. I don't like it when men or women are/aren't held to unrealistic standards when it comes to love, marriage etc. I believe in polyamory.

Regardless,

why not go with someone like MoonDragon? Now here would be someone to add conflict and grist to 'any' gathering.

Formidable telepath etc. Female

represents a more cosmic or space oriented region of cooperation.

[Sutekh]

I am not against White Queen on the grounds of the sexual issues around her/influence. I don't like it when men or women are/aren't held to unrealistic standards when it comes to love, marriage etc. I believe in polyamory.

Regardless,

why not go with someone like MoonDragon? Now here would be someone to add conflict and grist to 'any' gathering.

Formidable telepath etc. Female

represents a more cosmic or space oriented region of cooperation.

Moondragon's just too good for those people.

Really, Moondragon's too good for any group that includes anyone other than Moondragon. And she'll tell you that to your face.

[Oberon]

Moondragon's just too good for those people.

Really, Moondragon's too good for any group that includes anyone other than Moondragon. And she'll tell you that to your face.

I have no idea if I am being trolled, LOL.

I'm a comic reader, out of time. I've been reading steadily, increasingly, decreasingly since I was 11 or 12, in '67.
These days I don't read as much and tend to be out of the loop or not as conversant with....

heroes like Blue Marvel.

But I like the concept as I understand. So I can see why some posters here say he does or doesn't fit and try to rationalize.

Again, I think the idea of an iLLuminati should change, maybe slowly. Not so much a secret society but more of a

representational council, and not limiting to quotas, since really, a lot of our heroes overlap in their demographics.

Blue Marvel has at least 3 that are obvious: Major genius like Reed, et al. Major power sets like Superman analogs, and Black with a Civil Rights era past and rationale.

If the Illuminati operated as more of a council, we could get more characters rotating in for some arcs.

An arc about Russian situations could bring in Dark Star and members of those teams.

and yeah, maybe MoonDragon represents more than just women, telepaths and others. She also stands for the heroes with the most hubris, lol

[Vegeta]

I think Emma is a perfect fit for the Illuminati. She was a previous member of Norman Osborn's Cabal during Dark Reign. She's wealthy, powerful and has been a key player in Krakoan politics. She's not afraid to get her hands dirty for "the greater good."

[jackolover]

I think I like Blue Marvel as an Illuminati. Of any of them how much do we know about what he has been doing from his origin to the turn of the century? It wouldn’t surprise me to know he’s been busy since he was discarded as a black man superhero and was doing things in the background much like the Black Panther. I wouldn’t be surprised if T’Challa and Blue Marvel had been secretly cooperating all this time. After all, how surprised were we to find out Nick Fury was the man on the wall?

I would be interested to find out Blue Marvel had some secrets on a level like Nick Fury. How would you feel if the country you live in rejected you on the basis of your colour? I’d certainly try to effect society in some way secretly. I would have a few hangups due to that situation.

Ever since I learnt of Blue Marvels situation I had thought “What does a guy feel in that situation?” My feeling was I’d be extremely pissed to be treated like that.

[Tony Stark]

I think Emma is a perfect fit for the Illuminati. She was a previous member of Norman Osborn's Cabal during Dark Reign. She's wealthy, powerful and has been a key player in Krakoan politics. She's not afraid to get her hands dirty for "the greater good."

Agreed on all accounts.