Warning: SPOILERS for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness!

The Illuminati joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Doctor Stange in the Multiverse of Madness but the lineup is all wrong. Marvel Studios revealed its plans to feature the all-powerful superteam from the comics in Doctor Strange 2 during early marketing materials. The tease of Patrick Stewart's Professor X among an unidentifiable lineup of Marvel characters directly signaled the plan for The Illuminati. However, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness delivers a rather surprising lineup of characters, as it leans into the furthest possibilities of the multiverse.

In addition to Professor X, Doctor Strange 2's Illuminati team included 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 movie are certainly exciting, but the impact of the team is a bit more limited. Someone like Krasinski's Reed Richards is a payoff of fan-casting that not all audiences will be familiar with, while Black Bolt's casting references a failed Inhumans TV show. They are a combination of deep-cut references to Marvel history and bring new and familiar characters from the MCU to the lineup.

Related: Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness Ending Explained (In Detail)

It is understandable on some level why Marvel Studios went in this direction. Doctor Strange 2's Illuminate team pays homage to the comics in several instances, specifically as it comes to introducing non-MCU characters/concepts like Professor X and the X-Men, Black Bolt and the Inhumans, and Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four. All three of them are references to the original comic lineup, but that doesn't work as well with how the MCU currently looks. Based on the questions that arise by including some of these members, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness would have been better off using variants of established MCU characters for the entire team. If that was the strategy Marvel used, Doctor Strange 2's Illuminati team could have looked something like this.

Captain Marvel (Maria Rambeau)

Captain Marvel uses her powers in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

The lone member of Doctor Strange 2's Illuminati team that should remain is the Maria Rambeau variant of Captain Marvel, as played by Lashana Lynch. Maria Rambeau was a standout character in Captain Marvel, but she didn't get to do much besides being Carol Danvers' best friend. Since WandaVision decided to kill the character, she was mostly wasted in the MCU. Making Maria Rambeau the Captain Marvel on an Illuminati team from the multiverse makes a lot of sense in that regard. Doctor Strange 2 shows just how capable of a superhero Maria Rambeau would be if she had been selected as Mar-Vell's flying partner, crashed her plane due to the Kree, and then received powers from the Tesseract. The latter tying her to the Space Stone also works well for The Illuminati, as it gives the team someone directly connected to the universe's most powerful artifacts.

Captain America (Bucky Barnes)

Bucky Barnes Captain America

As great as it was to see Hayley Atwell as a live-action Captain Carter, Marvel already did this concept in Marvel's What If...? So when it comes to figuring out an alternate hero to serve on The Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, this could have been the perfect place to make Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes Captain America. Stan has had the opportunity to bring multiple parts of Bucky's comic book history to life, but him being Captain America is not in the cards. Marvel Studios made Sam Wilson Captain America when Steve Rogers retired after Avengers: Endgame, bypassing Bucky for the 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 soon since Sam took the title for Marvel to do this in Doctor Strange 2.

Tom Cruise's Iron Man

Tom Cruise Iron man Casting avengers 5 remaining characters Secret wars

Doctor Strange 2's Illuminati team went out of its way in many cases to adhere to the comics lineup, but the biggest founding member it left out was Iron Man. The tease of Ultron sentry bots in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness teased that Iron Man was involved with the team, but the movie would've been better off including a version of him. It is way too soon for Marvel to bring Robert Downey Jr. back after Tony Stark's death in Avengers: Endgame, but that is where Tom Cruise could have stepped in. Prior to the MCU beginning, Tom Cruise was meant to star in an Iron Man movie. He never got the opportunity to play Tony Stark and has yet to take on any superhero property. However, a cameo as an Iron Man variant would have given him a low-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

Poster for Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron

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 normally associated with the team in the comics, and yet he'd be an excellent choice for Doctor Strange 2 based on the story it tells. The Illuminati are put in a position of having to fight Scarlet Witch because they are trying to protect America Chavez and her powers. Scarlet Witch brutally kills each of the Illuminati members in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and does so without any hesitation. The appearance of Aaron Taylor-Johnson as a Quicksilver variant would at least create a moment of pause for Wanda, as she would have to figure out if killing a version of her brother was a price worth paying to potentially be reunited with her children.

Ant-Man (Hank Pym)

Ant-Man Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) Set Interview

Ant-Man has been part of the MCU since Phase 2, but with Scott Lang having taken over the mantle, Hank Pym's days as a superhero are largely abandoned. Doctor Strange 2's multiverse Illuminati team was a great opportunity for Marvel to fix this and show him in action. Michael Douglas' character could occupy a similar space as Professor X did, serving as the elder statesman of the roster who is also well-versed in a variety of concepts, which could include time travel thanks to the Quantum Realm. Hank Pym's Ant-Man might not be as inherently powerful as some other members, but his experience and scientific brilliance could be where he really helps the team. Plus, after Marvel's What If...? saw Hank make a villainous turn, it would be nice for the MCU to acknowledge his heroics - even if he's a bit cynical.

Black Panther (Erik Killmonger)

Killmonger sitting on the Wakandan throne in Black Panther

The last hero who should have been in Doctor 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 bit repetitive. However, Killmonger's Black Panther still turned evil in that universe. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was a great opportunity for Jordan to return as Killmonger in live-action and actually get to play a heroic version of the character. This would also allow Wakanda and the Black Panther mantle to be represented without recasting T'Challa through the multiverse and bringing back a great MCU actor/character combo from before.

More: Doctor Strange 2's Biggest (& Best) Cameo Explained

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