‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ has a lot of exciting references and cameos, especially since we see the members of the Illuminati, a powerful society apparently keeping watch on the multiverse. 

What is the Illuminati?

In the Marvel comics, the Illuminati was created by Tony Stark or Iron Man, during the Skrull-Kree wars and meant to prevent a situation where the earth could face annihilation. The original members included Namor of Atlantis, Black Bolt of the Inhumans, Reed Richards head of the Fantastic Four, Professor Charles Xavier who leads the X-Men, and Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme. 

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However, in the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe instalment, we see the members of the Illuminati, which includes Patrick Stewart as Professor X and John Krasinski as Reed Richards or Mr Fatastic. Hayley Atwell appears as Captain Carter, who was first seen in the animated series “What If…?“. Lashana Lynch’s Maria Rambeau is also a member, having taken over the mantle of Captain Marvel from Carol Danvers. Anson Mount’s Black Bolt rounds out the council. 

How could the Illuminati appear in the MCU?

In the MCU, the Illuminati could appear in future films more focused on the group. However, there is also a chance that Marvel might be headed in a different direction and base individual movies on these characters. Patrick Stewart has already been playing Professor X in previous X-Men movies and reprises his role. He could be seen in future Marvel films, as X-Men movies make a shift to the MCU. 

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Thus far, the ‘Fantastic Four‘ movies haven’t been a big hit, but with John Krasinski playing scientist and superhero Reed Richards, there’s a distinct possibility of Marvel looking to turn its luck around. 

We have already seen Rambeau begin to manifest powers in ‘WandaVision’, and MCU will look to the host of characters introduced in this ‘Doctor Strange’ movie to carry the franchise forward.