In 2005 we found out that Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, Namor, Dr. Strange, Professor X and Black Bolt had been secretly meeting as the Illuminati for years. Their goal was to share information from time to time to prevent major catastrophes from occurring. Knowledge is power, right?
These guys took it upon themselves to try to control the fate of the Marvel Universe. They didn't tell anyone, not their fellow teammates or even loved ones. Their secret just came out. The Avengers (and Medusa, Black Bolt's wife) just found out that these guys have kept this secret organization for years. Despite them having the best of intentions, is there any way they can be trusted on their respective teams? Is it okay to keep some secrets from fellow teammates?
Going back to the secret identity, not all members of the New Avengers know Spider-Man's secret identity (since it was erased from everyone's memory and he's only re-told a select few). Can the Avengers truly trust Spider-Man? What's to prevent someone from trying to impersonate him and infiltrate the team? I suppose they wouldn't be able to mimic his charming personality.
Being on a team is like having a deep personal relationship. Members should be brothers at arms. They have to be able to trust each other. If one member is hiding something from the others, it raises the question of what else they might be hiding. During a battle when lives are at stake, you need to have trust among team members.
Are there some secrets that must be kept? Was the burden the Illuminati kept too much for everyone to handle? Team members might be completely loyal but we have seen heroes suddenly turn to the dark side. When is it okay to keep secrets from your teammates?
