And I'm not talking about that shadowy cabal that runs the world with the help of Jay-Z, Rihanna et al. In Marvel Comics the Illuminati is a group of some of the most powerful people in the universe, including Tony Stark, Reed Richards, Doctor Strange...and Professor Xavier. So, admittedly, some of the blame for the terrible things this group did behind-the-scenes has to be shared, but Xavier was still involved. One of their early attempts to intervene with Marvel history saw them captured and analysed by the shape-shifting Skrulls, culminating in the recent Secret Invasion storyline where it turned out many superheroes were actually alien spies in disguise; they shot the Hulk into space because he was becoming a nuisance, resulting in World War Hulk; they managed to lose the ultra-powerful Infinity Gems, putting the entirety of existence in peril; and they had the temerity to name their little club after a group that is said to control the world. What a bunch of jerks (including the Prof).
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
