Published Feb 16, 2026, 11:56 PM EST
Jordan Iacobucci has been an avid reader and movie fan since childhood. Jordan is known among his friends as the Marvel and Star Wars nerd, and even wrote a thirty-page college dissertation about Spider-Man! He has been a staff writer at both Screen Rant and CBR, where he enjoys sharing his love for pop culture with the world.
The dark counterpart of Marvel's Illuminati has arrived. Terrific new art depicts an Illuminati comprised entirely of the MCU's most dastardly and deadly villains.
New fan art depicts the Cabal, Marvel's villainous counterpart to the Illuminati, which were introduced to the MCU in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The 2022 MCU film introduces the alternate universe of Earth-838, which is ruled by a body of benevolent superheroes. Now, Instagram artist welove_marvel imagines a very different iteration of the team with some familiar faces.
The tantalizing fan art imagines a team of recognizable MCU supervillains uniting to save the multiverse from the rising threat of Doctor Doom. Adopting the title "The Cabal," the team consists of the High Evolutionary, Namor the Sub-Mariner, the Void, Cassandra Nova, the Leader, and King Thanos. Behind them, a black hole consistent with the imagery from the Loki Disney+ series threatens to destroy their worlds.
The art plays on the infamous "Dark Reign" arc in Marvel Comics, in which Norman Osborn assembles his own evil counterpart of the Illuminati known as the Cabal. The first iteration of the council included Osborn, Doctor Doom, Emma Frost, Loki, the Hood, and Namor the Sub-Mariner (who was also a member of the Illuminati).
While the Cabal is typically depicted as a villainous force in Marvel Comics, this fan art seems to set up the team as potential allies to the Avengers in the fight against Doctor Doom. The potential extinction of the multiverse can lead old enemies to become friends, as may be the case when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters later this year. Perhaps even the most terrifying antagonists from across the multiverse could find themselves fighting on the side of the angels.
Will the Cabal Ever Appear in the MCU?
As fun as it is to imagine the Cabal showing up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its potential roster, the likelihood of the team's debut anytime in the near future is decidedly low. The final years of the Multiverse Saga already have a lot going on, with teams like the Avengers, New Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Men uniting to face the rising threat of Doctor Doom. That doesn't leave much room to include the Cabal, unless it's only for a short cameo setting up a larger role in future MCU projects.
The chances of seeing the Illuminati in an upcoming Avengers film, on the other hand, seem much higher. Marvel Studios seems to be setting up the Illuminati's debut in several of its recent projects. After Earth-838's version of the team appeared in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, fans have been putting together their "dream teams" for the Earth-616 counterpart. Figures like Doctor Strange, Professor X, Reed Richards, Namor the Sub-Mariner, Captain Marvel, and the Hulk all seem like prime candidates to join the first iteration of the MCU's Illuminati.
Given enough time and attention in future phases of the MCU, the Illuminati's existence could eventually inspire the creation of the Cabal. If it fits with Marvel's broader plans for its superhero cinematic universe, the world could see the Illuminati go toe-to-toe with the Cabal someday, though it likely wouldn't be for a very long time.
English (US) · 