While we’ve been looking forward to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness since its initial announcement, the past couple months have cranked the hype machine into overdrive. One of the main reasons for that response is that this latest entry in the Marvel movies canon has been teasing the potential introduction of the Illuminati in the MCU. Well, we’ve arrived at the point where that’s no longer the case, as the potential has been realized, and the Illuminati is now confirmed.
After being buzzed about through Doctor Strange fans, as well as theorized by our own Eric Eisenberg, what was once rumor is now fact. Strangely enough, all it took was one piece of dialogue from Chiwetel Ejiofor’s returning Karl Mordo to announce their presence; and it’s pretty awesome. You can see the moment for yourself, thanks to a new TV spot released by Marvel Studios:
The doors are now officially blown off of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, as the confirmation of the Illuminati’s presence begins to tie a lot of threads into the Phase Four picture. First off, we can pretty much assume that Patrick Stewart’s surprise appearance in a previous trailer is in fact the Professor X we know and love from the existing X-Men saga. Stewart can play it coy all he wants, it just feels right going by comic lore.
Digging deeper into that beautiful multiversal tangent, we might just see another Tony Stark joining the ranks of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Whether or not this will actually happen, or if Tom Cruise will be playing an alternate Tony, remains to be seen. Still, while this theory may be a little more off-base, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’s latest look makes it less crazy than before.
Of course there’s the multiversal elephant in the room when it comes to the Illuminati and the universe of upcoming Marvel movies. As both X-Men and Fantastic Four are hotly anticipated debuts that the MCU has yet to make, the membership of key figures from both franchises is now back in the forefront of the minds of Marvel fans. With that in mind, it’s possible that the huge reveal in that Illuminati scene could be the unveiling of Reed Richards in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
All things are possible through the multiverse, and with director Sam Raimi ready to push the boundaries of this Doctor Strange sequel, that just might be what happens. Naturally all of this is speculation, especially since we only know so much about the Fantastic Four’s part in the grand scheme of things. We’ll just have to wait and see what the Illuminati brings to the table when Stephen Strange finally meets them face to faces.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is maddeningly close to making its theatrical debut, which starts in early showings next week. To catch a glimpse of all the other films heading to our multiverse this year, our schedule of 2022 movie releases is there to help.
