Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness
Warning : SPOILERS forDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness !
The Illuminati join the Marvel Cinematic Universe inDoctor Stange in the Multiverse of Madnessbut the lineup is all wrong . Marvel studio apartment revealed its plan to have the all - powerful superteam from the comics inDoctor Strange 2during other marketing materials . The tease ofPatrick Stewart ’s Professor Xamong an unidentifiable batting order of Marvel characters like a shot point the programme for The Illuminati . However , Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessdelivers a rather surprising lineup of characters , as it leans into the farthermost theory of the multiverse .
In improver to Professor X , Doctor Strange 2 ’s Illuminati squad include Maria Rambeau / Captain Marvel ( Lashana Lynch ) , Peggy Carter / Captain Carter ( Hayley Atwell ) , Black Bolt ( Anson Mount ) , Mr. Fantastic ( John Krasinski ) , and Karl Mordo ( Chiwetel Ejiofor ) . The Illuminati sequences in the picture are sure as shooting exciting , but the impact of the team is a flake more limited . Someone like Krasinski ’s Reed Richards is a take of fan - casting that not all audiences will be familiar with , whileBlack Bolt ’s castingreferences a failedInhumansTV show . They are a compounding of deep - ignore point of reference to Marvel history and fetch new and intimate characters from the MCU to the lineup .
Related : Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness Ending Explained ( In Detail )
It is apprehensible on some tier why Marvel Studios pass in this focus . Doctor Strange 2 ’s Illuminate squad pays homage to the comics in several instances , specifically as it comes to introducing non - MCU characters / concepts like Professor X and the X - human beings , Black Bolt and the Inhumans , and Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four . All three of them are character reference to the original funny card , but that does n’t work as well with how the MCU presently appear . Based on the questions that rise by including some of these members , Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesswould have been better off using variants of established MCU characters for the entire squad . If that was the strategy Marvel used , Doctor Strange 2 ’s Illuminati teamcould have looked something like this .
Captain Marvel (Maria Rambeau)
The solitary extremity ofDoctor Strange 2 ’s Illuminati squad that should remain is the Maria Rambeau discrepancy of Captain Marvel , as played by Lashana Lynch . Maria Rambeau was a standout type inCaptain Marvel , but she did n’t get to do much besides being Carol Danvers ' serious friend . SinceWandaVisiondecided to pop the character , she was mostly wasted in the MCU . Making Maria Rambeau the Captain Marvel on an Illuminati team from the multiverse gain a lot of sensation in that regard . Doctor Strange 2shows just how capable of a superhero Maria Rambeau would be if she had been selected as Mar - Vell ’s flying better half , crashed her plane due to the Kree , and then receivedpowers from the Tesseract . The latter tie her to the Space Stone also works well for The Illuminati , as it gives the team someone directly connected to the population ’s most potent artifacts .
Captain America (Bucky Barnes)
As large as it was to see Hayley Atwell as a live - action Captain Carter , Marvel already did this construct inMarvel ’s What If … ?So when it total to figuring out an alternate hero to serve on The Illuminati inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness , this could have been the utter place to make Sebastian Stan ’s Bucky Barnes Captain America . Stan has had the opportunity to convey multiple share of Bucky ’s comic book history to life , but him being Captain America is not in the cards . Marvel Studios madeSam Wilson Captain Americawhen Steve Rogers retire afterAvengers : Endgame , bypassing Bucky for the Mickey Charles Mantle . The Illuminati was a great opportunity to give audiences a glimpse of what Bucky Barnes ' Captain America could be like , although perhaps it was viewed as being too presently since Sam took the title for Marvel to do this inDoctor Strange 2 .
Tom Cruise’s Iron Man
Doctor Strange 2 ’s Illuminati squad expire out of its way in many cause to adhere to the cartoon strip lineup , but the biggest founding member it left out was Iron Man . The tease of Ultron scout bots inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessteased that Iron Man was involved with the team , but the movie would ’ve been better off include a version of him . It is way too soon for Marvel to bring Robert Downey Jr. back afterTony Stark ’s death inAvengers : Endgame , but that is where Tom Cruise could have step in . Prior to the MCU beginning , Tom Cruise was meant to star in anIron Manmovie . He never got the opportunity to wager Tony Stark and has yet to take on any superhero property . However , a cameo as an Iron Man variant would have given him a depressed - stakes chance to get involved with the MCU , while The Illuminati would have their Tony Stark .
Related : Doctor Strange 2 Just Made Iron Man ’s Endgame Death Even Worse
Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Quicksilver
Quicksilver had one of the shortest journies in the MCU of any major Marvel comics character , but that could have been rectified through The Illuminati . Pietro Maximoff is not ordinarily link with the team in the strip , and yet he ’d be an excellent choice forDoctor Strange 2based on the story it state . The Illuminati are put in a position of having to campaign Scarlet Witch because they are trying to protectAmerica Chavez and her powers . Scarlet Witch brutally kills each of the Illuminati members inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessand does so without any hesitation . The appearance of Aaron Taylor - Johnson as a Quicksilver strain would at least create a moment of interruption for Wanda , as she would have to figure out if kill a rendering of her brother was a price worth paying to potentially be reunify with her children .
Ant-Man (Hank Pym)
Ant - Man has been part of the MCU since Phase 2 , but with Scott Lang having taken over the mantle , Hank Pym ’s day as a superhero are largely abandon . Doctor Strange 2 ’s multiverse Illuminati squad was a great opportunity for Marvel to situate this and show him in action at law . Michael Douglas ' character could occupy a like place as Professor X did , serving as the elder statesman of the roster who is also well - versify in a variety of concepts , which could includetime journey thanks to the Quantum Realm . Hank Pym ’s Ant - Man might not be as inherently potent as some other members , but his experience and scientific glare could be where he really helps the squad . Plus , afterMarvel ’s What If … ?saw Hank make a villainous tour , it would be nice for the MCU to acknowledge his heroic verse - even if he ’s a bit cynical .
Black Panther (Erik Killmonger)
The last submarine who should have been inDoctor Strange 2 ’s Illuminati team is Black Panther , but with Erik Killmonger ( Michael B. Jordan ) underneath the vibranium suit . Marvel ’s What If … ?showed a version of this story , which might have made this decision feel a piece repetitive . However , Killmonger ’s Black Pantherstill work evil in that universe . Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesswas a bang-up opportunity for Jordan to return as Killmonger in alive - military action and actually get to fiddle a larger-than-life interpretation of the character . This would also allow Wakanda and the Black Panther mantle to be represent without recasting T’Challa through the multiverse and bringing back a great MCU role player / character combo from before .
More : Doctor Strange 2 ’s Biggest ( & Best ) Cameo explain