Benedict Cumberbatch is back as Doctor Strange in the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. After the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Stephen Strange comes under immense pressure to undo what he did to save the fracturing multiverse. Along the way, he faces old friends, as well as new ones. Not to mention, he meets a few multiversal faces along the way.
While we don’t know much about the latest Doctor Strange adventure, we know from the new trailer that Stephen recruits fellow Avenger Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch. Joining their team is teenager America Chavez who will someday become Miss America.
As the trailer goes on, we get a tease of what looks like the Illuminati. Among them seems to be Charles Xavier/Professor X, portrayed once more by Sir Patrick Stewart. We missed his voice the first time we watched the trailer. It wasn’t until we got a YouTube notification from one of the channels we follow did we go back and rewatched it just for the voice cameo.
Hearing Sir Patrick’s voice made us laugh in delight! Given how the scene is set up, it appears Xavier is one of the individuals that are now in the MCU. This was implied in Spider-Man No Way Home with Doctor Strange being unable to stop multiversal beings from getting pulled through to the main timeline. It wasn’t just the two other Peter Parkers that were pulled through but other individuals.
Not to mention, the arrival of Deadpool was going to happen sooner or later. After all, it was confirmed that the third film would take place in the MCU. Twitter has been abuzz with who the Illuminati were outside of Xavier. Deadpool may be one of them, and some speculate that Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic will be another member.
The Illuminati
In the comics, the Illuminati were a group of superheroes, which forms after the Kree-Skrull war. The original group consists of:
- Iron Man
- Mister Fantastic
- Professor X
- Doctor Strange
- Black Bolt
- Namor
If the Illuminati does appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Iron Man probably won’t be a member unless it’s a variation of him, played by another actor.
The MCU version of Mister Fantastic hasn’t been cast yet, but it is possible casting was kept under wraps. However, they could use one of two previous variations from other films; Ioan Gruffud or Miles Teller. After all, this is a film about the Marvel multiverse.
Since Doctor Strange is on trial in this film, we suspect that the Illuminati version is a variation. The trailer has teased multiple versions of Stephen.
Black Bolt is a question mark as we don’t think they’ll bring Anson Mount back any time soon. Also, if he was asked back, it would’ve depended on his schedule for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Finally, we reach Namor. He hasn’t been introduced to the MCU as of yet. Though, it has been rumoured he will pop up in the next Black Panther film. This could serve as a gateway.
