Marvel‘s next big feature film release, “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness,” has led to a large number of rumblings concerning endless character cameos and potentially teasing future heroes/projects. Well, the studio has confirmed in a new TV spot (See below) for the sequel directed by Sam Raimi that The Illuminati will be the group that wants to speak with Strange as he’s seen in handcuffs and being led into a room with shadowy figures.
“Strange, The Illuminati will see you now,” Baron Mordo says in the new footage and suggests his own involvement with them.
For those unfamiliar, The Illuminati are a group of the Marvel Comics’ brightest minds that might be the overseers/protectors of The Multiverse.
In the comics, The Illuminati lineup consisted of Doctor Strange, Iron Man, Black Panther, Mister Fantastic, Professor X, Black Bolt from “Inhumans,” Prince Namor of Atlantis, and more. It isn’t just a boys club, as female characters such as Medusa, Enchantress, and Titania (played by Jameela Jamil in the upcoming “She-Hulk” series) would also join those ranks.
READ MORE: Multiverse Maestro Michael Waldron On ‘Loki’ & ‘Doctor Strange 2’ [Interview]
While Marvel Studios could insert that comic book roster, they’re known for mixing things up, and killing characters off might add stakes to the sequel. Then again, Marvel could simply have variants in the film which would explain the tease of Patrick Stewart reprising the Professor X role in a previous trailer and the actor later confirming his involvement.
We could further speculate that Marvel may continue to use The Illuminati for the second season of “Loki” as both projects heavily focus on The Multiverse. They’ll likely have to explain why the TVA or Jonathan Majors‘ Kang aren’t the ones reeling in Stephen Strange. The two Multiverse stories come from writer Michael Waldron.
If you look at the studio’s upcoming plans, reboots of “Fantastic Four” and “X-Men” are on the horizon, and the former has Jon Watts (“Spider-Man: No Way Home“) attached to direct. Having some of those characters show up in “Doctor Strange 2” might help prepare audiences for new versions of those superhero teams, even if they’re just variant cameos.
The sequel hits theaters on May 6 and you can watch the new TV spot below.