The Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness release is less than two months away, which means we’re soon going to witness the final big marketing push for the movie. Multiple interviews have been conducted to promote the movie. Multiverse of MadnessExpected soon. Producer Richie Palmer addressed the big in one of them. Doctor Strange 2Illuminati rumors, which have been floating around since the Super Bowl trailer debuted.
According to some rumors, Marvel had plans to bring the Illuminati into the MCU. We saw rumors and leaks about claims that the Illuminati were being brought to the MCU. Multiverse of MadnessThe movie would only feature one version. Marvel then revealed that Patrick Stewart would portray Professor X in the film via the second trailer. The second trailer sparked speculation that the Illuminati would appear in the movie. Doctor Strange 2.
Before we can get to Palmer’s answers, we’ll warn you that You might find some spoilers below..
DON’T MISS: Monday’s deals: Headphones, Chromebook, Alexa light switch, more
Who are Marvel’s Illuminati?
The Illuminati, a group of superheroes similar to the Avengers, appears in Marvel comics. And it’s a group of heroes that Marvel could not have offered MCU fans with ease before the Fox acquisition. That’s because the original Illuminati team is the equivalent of a United Nations forum of superheroes. Each member represents a specific team — and Fox owned the rights of two of those teams.
Iron Man, Mister Fantastic and Namor were the original members of Illuminati.
The Multiverse of MadnessSuper Bowl trailer revealed that Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), and America Chavez, (XochitlGomez), are both prisoners of an organization Professor X (Patrick Stewart). In some scenes, we saw Ultron sentries guarding Strange, hinting that there might be an Iron Man variant. We also saw a Captain Marvel (Lashana) variant fighting Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen).
That’s to say that we might be looking at Marvel’s first interpretation of the Illuminati. Only this group isn’t from the main MCU timeline. And the team isn’t the same as the original Illuminati team from the comics.
A separate issue is that there is a huge Doctor Strange 2It was the location of a plot that leaked out and included many Illuminati members. According to the leak, Professor X is the leader. Captain Marvel, Captain Carter, Balder the Brave, and Balder X are the other members of the team.
Importantly, Doctor Strange isn’t part of the Illuminati in the movie. Instead, it’s Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who takes his place in this roster.
And let’s not forget the big leak that claimed a Mister Fantastic variant will appear in Multiverse of Madness. According to a leak, he will also be part the Illuminati.
The Illuminati in Doctor Strange 2 aren’t what you think
If you’re excited at the prospect of seeing Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) in the Illuminati in Doctor Strange 2, you’d better temper your expectations. You should do the same if Doctor Strange is to join the group.
The Illuminati are actually more. Multiverse of Madness might have a dire fate, but we won’t get into that now.
Instead, we’ll point you to producer Richie Palmer’s remarks, as the exec drove home the same point in an interview With Empire.
“I’ll quote the firstX-Menmovie and say, ‘Are you sure you saw what you saw?’,”Palmer teased. “There are infinite versions of these characters, and just because you may have heard something familiar doesn’t mean it’s someone you have seen before.”
That’s already more information than Cumberbatch was ever going to give about the Illuminati. The actor chose to deflect answers a few days ago, joking that it’s his turn to deny rumors after missing out on the lying-to-the-press tour that preceded Spider-Man, There’s No Way Home.
A future after Multiverse of Madness?
Palmer teased that we might be able to see the Illuminati, which is even more interesting. Doctor Strange 2 won’t be the MCU’s main Illuminati. “As you saw inSpider-Man: No Way Home, some rumors ended up being true, some did not,” said Palmer.
He continued, “I would love to see Tony again, but some rumors are just rumors. I will say that I love the Illuminati. But if we ever introduce the Illuminati in the future, it might be more MCU-driven and have some more ties to our characters in the MCU, versus just replicating what’s in the comics.”
That’s not confirmation that the Illuminati will have a permanent home in the MCU going forward. Or that RDJ is returning to join the team. But it’s an indication that whatever happens in Doctor Strange 2The Illuminati may not be important in the grand scheme. For example, if some of the Illuminati die, it might be only variants from another universe.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness premieres on May 6th, at which point we’ll know everything about the first Illuminati appearance in the MCU.