The comic-book team of superheroes appeared in an alternate reality in Multiverse of Madness, introducing new characters and surprise cameos.
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios has released official stills from a crucial sequence from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Marvel took to Instagram and Twitter, releasing the images of “members of the Illuminati.” The team featured in the film as the organization responsible for the safety of Earth-838. The sequence featuring the Illuminati was an important one and also the one which gained the most screams in the theaters. The scene introduced several alternate versions of Marvel characters and even two surprising cameos.
Marvel revealed four of six Illuminati members to the public for the first time since its release. They were actors Chiwetel Ejiofor, Hayley Atwell, Lashana Lynch, and Anson Mount. They played alternate versions of characters Karl Mordo, Captain Carter, Captain Marvel, and Black Bolt. While the foremost three have appeared in MCU in previous films, Anson Mount reprised his role from the Inhumans television series, making him one of the two surprising cameos.
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The sequence featuring the Illuminati characters truly brought the multiverse and the branched realities to the fold. By introducing these variants of characters, it was proven that Marvel now has unsurmountable stories and possibilities of crossovers and character appearances to explore in the new Marvel Multiverse.
Though the sequence ended with a terrifying conclusion in the film and was left at a certain cliffhanger, it surely amplified fans’ excitement in theaters. It laid down the foundation for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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There Are Still Two Images Left
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios released only four pictures of Illuminati members from Multiverse of Madness. However, the team was of six members.
One of the last two members was Professor Charles Xavier/Professor X. Patrick Stewart returned to play the character as a variant, reprising his role from the X-Men Series, thus making that entire franchise canon to MCU. In the movie, Xavier was apparently the leader of the Illuminati and had the same telepathic abilities as his X-Men Films counterpart. Though there was no mention of Mutants in the movie, the appearance dropped a subtle hint to Marvel Studios’ plans for the forthcoming projects based on X-Men.
And the final cameo was possibly the most exciting one, which received the strongest reaction in the theaters. Serving fans with their long-lasting expectations, Marvel introduced John Krasinski as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic. Reed Richards of Earth-838 was already leading Fantastic Four and, far beyond his origin days, regarded as the smartest man alive. Although Krasinski’s reveal as Reed Richards didn’t last long on-screen, it amped up the expectations from the upcoming Fantastic Four movie.
There’s no telling what will become of the Illuminati in MCU’s future or in the main Earth-616 timeline. Still, the tease has undoubtedly opened up several options for the studio, not just to introduce new plotlines but also new variants of other characters.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is currently playing in theaters.
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Abhishek Sharma
(277 Articles Published)
He’s a cinephile, a self-proclaimed movie geek, and an avid binge-watcher; always ready to sit through a film or a television series, regardless of the genre. His love for cinema always puts him in an analysis mode, studying plot points and cinematic images. Writing for MovieWeb since February 2021, he is always looking for people and groups to discuss and drink on films.
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