Editorial: Who Is Part of the MCU’s Illuminati?
The latest trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness teased a potentially huge reveal for Marvel Comics fans. While it’s unlikely to have major ramifications for the wider MCU, it is a fascinating development if it turns out to be true.
Spoilers abound for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so if you want to go in blind, then do not read any further!
The reveal would be that the Illuminati might be in the Doctor Strange sequel. For those unaware, the Illuminati are a powerful group of Marvel heroes that meet in secret to try and influence world events to their desired outcome, not unlike the long-rumored Illuminati in our own world. They are traditionally comprised of the following heroes: Iron Man, Professor X, Mister Fantastic, Doctor Strange, Namor, and Black Bolt.
Each hero is a huge figure representing a different corner of Earth’s superheroes. Iron Man represents popular heroes like the Avengers with a connection to the governments, Mister Fantastic represents Marvel’s scientific community, Doctor Strange is there for all things magic, Professor X represents mutantkind, while Namor and Black Bolt are both kings of their respective species/nations.
It would seem that the MCU’s take on the Illuminati is slightly different to the one in the comics. Admittedly, we only have a tiny amount of info to go on so far, but it seems these Illuminati would be more closely related to the multiverse, rather than normal planet Earth business — how this group has managed to exist considering He Who Remains has been pruning the multiverse into a single timeline for his entire life remains to be seen, but that’s a discussion for another time.
The fact that we hear Patrick Stewart’s voice along with his silhouette supports this theory. His version of Charles Xavier has only ever been portrayed in the X-Men films, which have not been even remotely connected to the MCU up until this point. It seems possible that this could be a version of his character that has accrued enough power to help oversee the entire multiverse, which is why Doctor Strange ends up being brought to them in handcuffs after his actions appear to have caused serious damage to it. Rather than being a representative of mutantkind, which almost certainly won’t be explained in this film, Professor X would merit a place in the Illuminati based on his power level alone.
The fact that Strange appears to be escorted by Ultron drones could suggest that Iron Man is also part of this council. With Robert Downey Jr. unlikely to reprise the role of Tony Stark anytime soon, a particular rumor with legs claims that Tom Cruise will be playing the Superior Iron Man variant from the comics. Superior Iron Man is a villainous character, a version of Tony Stark whose morality was reversed by a spell. If he’s part of the Illuminati, it would suggest that they’re not a force for good in the multiverse, unless this version of Tony is merely morally dubious rather than an out-and-out villain.
A new, more heroic version of Doctor Strange dubbed ‘Defender Strange’ was glimpsed in the trailer too, and it’s possible that he could be the version of Doctor Strange that represents magic in this group. He might be tasked by the group’s members of working with the MCU’s Doctor Strange to fix his mistakes, considering that the problems were caused by a version of himself. However, if the intention is to turn the Illuminati into a villainous group, then perhaps Baron Mordo would be a more appropriate choice for the part.
The character was clearly set on a path to villainy in the post-credits scene in Doctor Strange, and while it seems unlikely that he would have grown in power enough to be on the same level as Iron Man or Professor X, he could work if Marvel wanted an evil sorcerer in the group. Of course, the other option here could be the evil Doctor Strange introduced in the What If…? animated series, and who we know is in this film, but I wonder if the character would be too chaotic for a place in the Illuminati.
After that, identifying the remaining members requires a little more guesswork. The MCU has not yet introduced Mister Fantastic or Namor, and it’s highly unlikely that Kevin Feige will want to bring back the Black Bolt portrayed in the infamously terrible Inhumans TV series that got cancelled after its first season.
Namor’s introduction has been rumored and teased in the MCU for years now, depending on what you believe, but it seems unlikely that they’d drop the King of Atlantis in here without any context. It’s tempting to wonder if we might get a version of Black Panther in this film instead, as the character is connected to the Illuminati in the comics, but considering Marvel’s comments about not recasting Chadwick Boseman under any circumstances, it seems extremely unlikely that the king of Wakanda or Atlantis will be in this group.
If there won’t be an equivalent to them in title, perhaps there will be one in terms of morality. The MCU has gone out of its way to portray T’Challa as a beacon of goodness in the MCU, and without him, the only other character who can match that level of morality is Captain America. With Chris Evans unlikely to reprise his role as Steve Rogers for at least a few years, and Sam Wilson pretty new to the role, it’s possible that Captain Carter might have a place in the group.
It’s been long rumored that Captain Carter will have a cameo in this film, and her shield can be spotted on the poster. We saw in What If…? that Peggy Carter is just as noble and heroic as Steve Rogers, and we already saw her hop from one timeline to another at the end of the series, so she is well aware of the multiverse’s existence already. It could be that she (or another version of Captain Carter) has taken her place within the Illuminati.
There have also been rumors that Ioan Gruffudd could be reprising his role as Mister Fantastic from 2005’s Fantastic Four film, but the rumor never gained legs like the ones surrounding Professor X, Iron Man, and Captain Carter have. The reasoning behind his inclusion would appear to be little other than “Why not?”, considering Patrick Stewart is also reprising his role from a separate Marvel franchise.
It would be a good way to remind audiences of Mister Fantastic before the MCU’s Fantastic Four reboot happens in a few years, but that’s the only semblance of logic I can find. Instead, it might be likelier than Mark Ruffalo portrays a new version of Bruce Banner to fill the scientific representative of the Illuminati. Ruffalo is always keen to return as Banner, so secretly casting him in this film would be pretty easy.
Patrick Stewart’s reveal in this trailer created an opportunity for some exciting speculation from Marvel fans. Even though some casting possibilities seem more likely than others, there’s no telling how bonkers Marvel will get with these cameos — the fact that we seem to be getting a multiversal take on the Illuminati is crazy in itself — but it makes for some fun theorizing while we wait for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to debut in May.
Josh is a huge a fan of Star Wars, superheroes and video games. He spends most of his time wondering who would win in a fight between Boba Fett and Star Lord.
