I have to state upfront that I shamelessly stole this idea from a friend of mine. The substitutions are mostly mine, though.

If the Illuminati were a DC creation, what would it look like?

Starro Aquaman 70. Sitting in for Namor.
V Captain Atom 154. The pro-government Iron Man sub.
Klarion 76. Like Dr. Strange, represents the mystical world.
The Chief 63. He and Prof X are both wheelchair-bound represenatives of fringe heroes.
NGN Wonder Woman 51. Ideally this would be the Queen Hippolyta chase, but I don't have her. Anyway, like Black Bolt, leader of a hidden society.
V Mr. Terrific 80, the Reed Richards-like scientist.

Maybe throw Unstopable on WW to make it 499. The trick was to try to make it wide cross-section of the DC universe. For example, Atom/Ray Palmer came to mind for the scientist, but it was starting to look like the JLA.

Ideas, anyone, to make this better?

Dr. Fate is most assuredly the Dr. Strange of the DC Universe.

I'd pick Hector Hammond as the Professor X representation before I would pick Chief.

Batman would be a better DC representation of Black Bolt. The Outsiders are more like the Inhumans than the Amazons are.

I'd go with Atom/Ray Palmer for Reed Richards. Extremely smart and can change his size (compared to Reed changing shape).

Isn't Hector Hammond a bad guy?

John Henry Irons would be the best rep for Prof X to me. Leader of a group who are just trying to control and adapt to their abilities. Though the X-men are a super team fronting as a school, and Infinity Inc is something of the other way around.

Everyone has been considered a bad guy at some point... Namor, especially.

Dr. Fate is currently in continuity limbo, but Zatanna would be the best character to step up to the plate for that slot.

Of course, in actuality, the DC universe doesn't need an Illuminati, because that's kinda what the JLA is, especially when you look at various comics (usually by Alex Ross) that cover this sort of thing.

In which case, it'd be Diana, Bruce, Clark, Hal, Arthur, and Barry (because Ross doesn't care much for Wally).

Yeah, I seriously considered him. Just on a practical level I thought Klarion would be more useful.

Hector is eeeeeviiiil.

I'm not really following how Black Lightning and Katana represent the Inhumans more the Amazons. And there is no freaking way that Batman would be a part of a group like the Illuminati.


Ray was my first choice. Alas, as I stated, it was starting to look like the JLA.

Actually, there's no freaking way he wouldn't be a part of it.

Worst...comeback...ever!

Anyhoo, my take, based solely off the representative of each major force that would defend earth in time of crisis.

Dr. Strange- Dr. Fate (mystic) though for theme team you may sub in Phantom Stranger.
Black Bolt- Hal Jordan (5 GLs for planet Earth)
Professor X- Oracle (social engineering info is cooler than mind reading)
Iron Man- Batman (the illuminati were created before Iron Man became a ######, also did everyone forget about Batman basically creating Brother Eye?)
Namor- Aquaman (uhhhh yeah)
Mr. Fantastic- Ray Palmer (smarts, changing physiology, and can call in a great team [FF or New Challengers])

Bats ain't exactly famous for his burning desire to share knowledge with others.



Oracle & Phantom Stranger are both very interesting picks, and more along the lines of what I've been thinking.

Still have to disagree about Bats. Besides which, I think Oracle sort of fills that spot a little better. AND I want to stop playing Bats so often. I still think that Cap Atom is decent sub for Iron Man (IM was always pretty establishment, even before he became a d*ck) and I still like the Chief. If nothing else, the Chief helps to create the feel of a cross-section of the DC Universe.

So how about...

Oracle 50
w/Compel 15
Phantom Stranger 171
w/Takedown 6
w/Protected 8
Wonder Woman 51
w/Hold the Line 4
Aquaman 70
Captain Atom 154
w/Protected 8
The Chief 63

It dawned on me that you are 100% correct about this. A Marvel-style Illuminati doesn't work for DC because the JLA calls the shots--specifically, the Big Three: Clark, Diana and Bruce.


So I've tweaked the storyline of he premise. Marvel's Illuminati formed in response to the Kree/Skrull War, hoping that by pooling information and resources an event like this wouldn't happen again. My premise for the DC Illuminati is that Hal Jordan watches as Batman drifts into dangerous paranoia, Wonder Woman snaps a man's neck and Superman is just being a tool. He gathers others to make sure that there's a check and balance in place, a way to make sure that the Big Three don't go off the rails, as well as to make sure that threats that the JLA ignore don't evolve into bigger problems.

With that in mind:

Hal Jordan 120. The founder and the insider--the Trinity trusts him.
w/Protected 8
Ray Palmer 58. Another inside man, and a scientific genius to boot.
Oracle 50. Invaluable information gatherer, and someone with specific insight into Bats.
w/Compel 15
Phantom Stranger 171. The magic man, someone who can deal with Supes.
w/Takedown 6
w/Protected 8
Artemis 94. A Wonder Woman contingency plan.
w/Endurance 5
The Chief 63. Yes, I will work the Chief into this team if it kills me. But follow my logic: he's the outsider perspective. He's the guy who can be most objective about the other heroes, as well as having access to a super-team of his own.

Here is my DC Illuminati..

Namor = Aquaman
Dr Strange = Dr Fate
Prof X = Oracle
Black Bolt = Billy Batson
Iron Man = Hal Jordan
Mr Fantastic = Jay Garrick

The way i see it, we needed someone from the batman family and the side of regular humans and Oracle fits the bill plus she's on a wheelchair. Aquaman was a no-brainer and so was Dr Fate. We need the side of the GLs so Hal is in. We also need someone from the JSA and a metahuman so Jay is in. Black Bolt is really the most difficult part.. But i ultimately decided on Billy to bring in the side of the gods.

i was really tempted to get batman in there.. But what the illuminati does actually resembles more of what the "league within the league" did in identity crisis. I'd say those JLA members who voted on mindwiping dr light would also be a great Illuminati counterpart. Problem is they're mostly just JLA

here's the team

R Aquaman 27 (hypertime)
E Dr Fate 113
U Oracle 27
R Shazaam 105 + ICWO + Nanoarmor/Vendetta
R Green Lantern 97 (unleashed)
U Flash 101 (Hypertime) + Armor Piercing +ICWO
Total = 500 pts

Pretty basic team.. Have shazam pick up perplex or outwit on your first turn by turning oracle's dial. Have Flash pick apart opponents with damage reducers. Fate and Aquaman are pretty decent TK Bullets.

Iron Man - Batman

Prof X. - Oracle (like a telepath with the info she has, and like tony, batman would want more in his favour.)

Black Bolt - Wonder Woman

Strange - Zatanna (i like her more than fate and her involvment with the greater Vertigo mythos is a great benefit I'd say. Plus; everyone in the DC universe loves Zatanna, name someone who doesn't?)

Richards - Rip Hunter

Namor - Aquaman

Black Panther - Geo-Force?

There is a team in there somewhere.

they can send Black Adam to space.
the perfect candidate for a skrull; Hal Jordan.

Think about what the Illuminati does. And then think about what Checkmate does. Checkmate is the Illuminati.

Alan Scott
Mr Terrific

To start...