Warning: SPOILERS for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness!
Kevin Feige redeems Marvel's worst superhero in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, thanks to the appearance of the Inhumans' leader Black Bolt, played by Anson Mount. When it was first announced by Marvel Studios that Doctor Strange 2 would focus on the multiverse, it quickly ignited speculation about what characters could appear. The majority of the multiverse film focuses on Doctor Strange saving America Chavez from Scarlet Witch, who wants to steal Chavez's universe-hopping powers to be reunited with her children. However, one key sequence in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is where the fun of multiverse cameos came into play.
The marketing for Doctor Strange 2 confirmed that the movie would introduce a version of The Illuminati, a superteam from the comics typically operated by Marvel's most powerful heroes. The trailers teased early on that a variant of Professor X played by Patrick Stewart was part of this council, while Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) was also revealed to be among the lineup. This team arrests Doctor Strange for his multiverse travels after learning that the sorcerer is the greatest threat to the multiverse's safety in their experience. This allows Doctor Strange 2's Illuminati team to include some surprising members, ranging from Hayley Atwell as a live-action Captain Carter to a Captain Marvel variant of Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch).
These four members of The Illuminati do not complete the team roster in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Despite great speculation that Tom Cruise was playing an Iron Man variant in the movie, the other two members delivered different surprises. John Krasinski appeared as Mr. Fantastic, making the popular fan-cast a reality in the MCU multiverse. But, arguably the most surprising Illuminati member comes through the appearance of Black Bolt and Inhumans star Anson Mount returning for the role. Thanks to the new version of Black Bolt in Doctor Strange 2, Kevin Feige managed to redeem one of Marvel's biggest mistakes. By both significantly altering his appearance and overall character, Doctor Strange 2 has become an unlikely source of salvation for one of Marvel's most hitherto maligned projects.
Anson Mount Plays Black Bolt In Doctor Strange 2
Anson Mount returns as the Inhumans leader Black Bolt in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. His return as Black Bolt marks the first time in nearly five years that he's played the powerful Inhumans character, whose supersonic voice can destroy just about anything. Mount played Black Bolt in the Inhumans TV show made by Marvel TV, ABC, and IMAX. Prior to joining the Marvel universe as Black Bolt, Anson Mount was best known for his terrific role on Hell on Wheels, which gave much confidence that he'd give a great performance as the silent Inhumans leader. In the time since he last played the character, Mount has found a new role he's pitch-perfect for, Captain Christopher Pike in Star Trek: Discovery - which set up his spinoff Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Inhumans' Terrible TV Show Explained
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness bringing Anson Mount back as Black Bolt comes as a big surprise considering his affiliation with Marvel's terrible Inhumans TV show. While Marvel Studios originally announced the intention to make an Inhumans movie in 2014, it was later revealed that this was not a property Kevin Feige was particularly interested in. This led ABC, IMAX, and Marvel TV to team up to bring the Royal Family to life in a new way. The series assembled a great cast around Anson Mount's Black Bolt, such as Iwan Rheon as Maximus the Mad and Serinda Swan as Medusa, but Inhumans quickly proved to viewers that it wasn't going to be the adaptation many wanted. Whether it was removing Medusa's CGI hair and powers early on, placing the characters primarily on Earth, or the poor writing/story and cheap look of the sets and costumes, Inhumans was lambasted with harsh reviews from critics and general audiences alike. This led Marvel to cancel Inhumans after just one season, which seemed to shut the door on the Inhumans being part of the MCU in the immediate future.
How Black Bolt Is Different In Doctor Strange 2
The version of Black Bolt in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is clearly a step up from Inhumans. Anson Mount brings a similarly silent power to his performance, which is aided by Black Bolt being put in a better story and situation. Doctor Strange 2's Black Bolt also has a brand new costume that is a huge upgrade from what was on the Inhumans show. This version of Blackagar Boltagon has the comic-accurate headpiece with a tuning fork, which was completely absent from the ABC series, and the character's usual white wings under his arms. Doctor Strange 2's Black Bolt is also quite different from the previous version thanks to the role he plays. Instead of being the secret ruler of the Inhumans on the moon, Black Bolt is a key member of The Illuminati and is viewed as one of the universe's most powerful heroes. He helped defeat Thanos before he could use the Infinity Stones and even killed that universe's Doctor Strange with just a whisper. Even though he dies through Scarlet Witch's reality-altering powers, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness allows the MCU to redeem Anson Mount's Black Bolt, while also potentially setting up their proper introduction in the main Earth-616 universe.
