10 Important MCU Details That Are Almost Never Mentioned

Though Kevin Feige would likely tell you different if pushed, you have to imagine that very few within the walls of Marvel Studios ever truly believed their fledgling universe would go on to become without question the biggest global box office powerhouse ever to have graced the movie business.

And with this unprecedented big (and small) screen success has often come with it the need to tell more expansive and adventurous stories in order to keep audiences glued into precisely what is on the horizon for their favourite assorted gang of superheroes and villains. Yet, said need to grow and keep the narrative ball rolling does also have a habit of leading to certain vital or intriguing in-universe details often being overlooked in favour of the focus being placed on another corner of the always-evolving MCU.

Obviously, with this being Feige's highly intricate wonderland and all, there's always a chance the following tidbits will be expanded on in the coming Phases.

But, as of writing, from compelling backstories hiding in plain sight on a character's torso, to vital side personalities being swiftly swept to one side, these key MCU points and elements haven't been given the attention they definitely deserve.

Much of the marketing surrounding Doctor Strange's second, and seemingly much more horrific, solo outing within the Marvel Cinematic Universe has centred around a certain well-known collection of individuals finally rearing their big screen heads.

But, in truth, this Marvel secret society of heroes by the name of The Illuminati, boasting members such as Charles Xavier, Tony Stark and the aforementioned Strange in the comics, may have actually been knocking around in the universe we've grown accustomed to for quite some time already. As evidenced in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot during Iron Man 2's courtroom sequence, Tony Stark's typically advanced mobile can be seen housing an app titled "Illuminati".

Sure, it may just have been a cheeky wink or Easter Egg of sorts courtesy of Feige and Jon Favreau from more than a decade before Multiverse of Madness' release. Yet, the MCU does have a habit of paying off this type of throwaway tease or just writing a piece of foreshadowing into reality later down the road.

Again, the fact a plot development this potentially game-changing has only been granted a millisecond of screen-time does seem to suggest Marvel weren't entirely all-in on the eventual Illuminati introduction back in 2010. But if this was actually the plan all along, then you do have to wonder why more winks and nods to their impending arrival haven't been shuffled into various MCU entries over the last 12 years.