Similar to Utau the Watcher, readers are privy to the ins and outs of the Marvel Universe. For the average citizen, however, there are dozens of illusions that keep them in the dark. Most have no clue that powerful beings live right next door. Even fewer know that the world has almost been destroyed dozens of times, but was saved in secret.
Marvel villains work in secret to manipulate others and protect themselves. Even the universe's heroes maintain certain facades to protect the civilians or their loved ones. From hidden nations to buried secrets, many Marvel citizens remain completely fooled by what they see.
10 There's Only One World
The physical manifestation of reality in the Marvel Universe is itself an illusion. There are countless other inhabited planets in space. The Negative Zone exists in a continuum alongside the positive matter universe. The Microverse is an entire universe just beyond perception. Time travel has branched the timeline off into multiple directions, creating alternate universes where things happened differently.
Similarly, incursion events destroyed some universes, while others clashed with each other. The Battleworld that emerged during Secret Wars made heroes face the fact they were living in a small fragment of an infinitely vast reality. Despite what their eyes tell them, there's far more to the average citizen's world than meets the eye.
9 Wakanda Is A Simple Nation
When civilizations advance far enough from a technological standpoint, they inevitably make contact with other civilizations. This can lead to mutually beneficial trade or, in many cases, war. Wakanda has always been one of the most advanced countries on the planet, and they chose to isolate themselves.
The outside world believed Wakanda to be a simple nation of farmers. Even when World War II came to Wakanda's doorstep, the Black Panther of that era didn't tip his hand at what Wakanda was truly capable of. The Wakanda of the present has since revealed itself as a superpower, but for decades, they kept entire countries in the dark.
8 Earth's Moon Is Uninhabited
When an ordinary citizen of the Marvel Universe looks up at the moon, they see an uninhabited place of quiet tranquility. The moon they perceive is merely an illusion. In reality, the moon has been ground zero for many events in the Marvel Universe. Uatu the Watcher made his home on the moon and had been observing Earth undetected until The Fantastic Four met him.
The moon's Blue Area has an atmosphere, and it was where the X-Men fought the Imperial Guard for the fate of the Phoenix. The Inhumans, who once lived in the hidden city of Attilan on Earth, moved their entire civilization to the moon. Regardless of how it appears in the night sky, the moon is far from deserted.
7 Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters Is A Normal College
Charles Xavier, secretly a mutant himself, wanted to create a safe place to teach young mutants to use their powers. Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters was established in Salem Center, New York. The world believed it to be a private institute for intelligent children, but that was simply a false front.
Xavier used Cerebro to locate mutants across the world, then he would try to recruit them. In the beginning, Xavier's X-Men wore masks in action so they wouldn't be linked to the school. In time, the world not only learned about mutantkind's existence, but that Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters had long been harboring mutants.
6 Loki Being Honest
Loki is the greatest trickster in the Marvel Universe. For those who don't know him or his reputation, they soon find themselves deceived by his charade. As the Norse God of Mischief, once tricked villains into forming an alliance and going after each other's enemies during the "Acts of Vengeance" crossover.
While Magneto, Red Skull, Kingpin, Doctor Doom, the Wizard, and the Mandarin believed they were being guided to victory, Loki was simply using them for a revenge scheme on Thor. Another time, Loki disguised himself as the Scarlet Witch. He created chaos among the Mighty Avengers by making them think they could help their fallen teammate. Thanks to his powers and mischievous nature, one can never be certain of anything once Loki's involved.
5 National Security
The United States government of the Marvel Universe prides itself on how secure it is. Given how often world threatening events occur, and it's important that the US government appears to be in control. The average citizen may believe the government has everything handled, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. Despite all their posturing, the government's been infiltrated and exploited more often than they'd ever admit.
Mystique used her mutant shape-shifting ability to work through the ranks of the United States Department of Defense and learn military secrets. The Red Skull once became US Secretary of Defense under the guise of Dell Rusk, allowing him to work on biological weapons in secret. Skrulls replaced high-ranking officials and politicians during Secret Invasion. The average civilian may imagine their military or government is untouchable, but many Marvel Comics have proved otherwise.
4 Teams Like The Fantastic Four, X-Men, Avengers, and Inhumans Have No Connection
Superheroes form teams, but the superhero community in general is loosely knit. The likes of The Fantastic Four and the Avengers often team up, but as far as anyone knew, there was no formal alliance. What the public and even other superheroes didn't realize was that a secret superhero organization was created under their noses.
Iron Man brought together Mr. Fantastic, Namor, Black Bolt, Dr. Strange, and Professor X to form the Illuminati. They created the illusion of being on separate teams or working as independent agents, but they regularly met to share information. Their alliance influenced the course of major Marvel events like Civil War, Secret Invasion, and Secret Wars.
3 The Hellfire Club Is Simply A Club For The Elite
From the outside looking in, many citizens would think the Hellfire Club is simply an exclusive club for the wealthiest denizens of the Marvel Universe. This is partially true. The Hellfire Club is indeed a place where the wealthy elite come to socialize and seek every pleasure under the sun. However, even Hellfire's members have no clue about the club's influential Inner Circle.
The Inner Circle comprises powerful individuals, seeking to increase their power and steer the course of history. Their covert group has included powerhouse mutants like Mastermind, Emma Frost, and Sebastian Shaw — each capable of holding their own against the X-Men.
2 Norman Osborn's Public Persona
Soon after killing Gwen Stacy, the original Green Goblin seemingly died fighting Spider-Man. However, Osborn's reputation remained intact. After Norman's healing powers saved him from the brink of death, he went to Europe. Norman spent years gathering his strength and learning about his allies and enemies through spies. When Norman Osborn returned, he successfully kept people from realizing he was the Green Goblin and reclaimed Oscorp.
Even when the public learned his secret, Norman convinced the world that he was a hero. Helping take down the Skrulls during Secret Invasion, Norman rose to power and became the Director of HAMMER, his new version of SHIELD. No matter how many times his dark secrets get exposed, Norman somehow convinces the world that he's a saint.
1 The Sentry's Existence
Superheroes sometimes have to sacrifice their lives. For the Sentry, he had to sacrifice his very existence. Sentry was there at the dawn of the current age of heroes. He befriended the likes of Mr. Fantastic, Spider-Man, Angel, and Hulk. Then came his struggle with the Void, which was actually a part of himself.
To rid the world of the Void, The Sentry had to make everyone forget he ever existed. He even had to erase his own mind. The world was under the illusion that there never was a hero called the Sentry. As revealed during the New Avengers comics, Sentry's Watchtower had remained a part of New York City's skyline, hidden just beyond detection. Once the world remembered Sentry, his massive tower suddenly reappeared.