After the KreeĀ - Skrull War, Iron Man attempted to organize the heroes of Earth with a special council to oversee and coordinate all the super-heroes. Black Panther rejected the idea outright, but the other original attendants at the meeting agreed to reunite in secret whenever a situation called for their intervention. Despite their best intentions, this secret group made several errors and could not operate as a unit, ultimately acting as the cause for World War Hulk and the Secret Invasion. Despite their difficulties, the Illuminati recently regrouped in order to combat the threat of other realities imprinting on our own.
Other members include Black Bolt, Black Swan, and Maximus.