New Avengers: Illuminati

A 2006 Marvel one-shot by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Alex Maleev, New Avengers: Illuminati assembles the secret cabal of Marvel's most powerful heroes—including Iron Man, Mister Fantastic, Professor X, and Namor—to reveal the origins of their clandestine group. This pivotal issue sets the stage for the Illuminati's controversial, behind-the-scenes efforts to safeguard the world from threats too great for any single hero, establishing the tense dynamic that would ripple through major Marvel events. It matters as the foundational story for a secret society that reshaped the Marvel Universe's political landscape.