Warning: Spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness featured some huge cameos in the form of the Illuminati, albeit with some expected characters missing that could mean a lot for the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The Illuminati were introduced to the MCU from Earth-838. The Illuminati are a famous team from Marvel Comics that features a collection of superheroes that each represents a different faction of superheroes in the world.
When concerning Black Panther 2, some members of the Illuminati left out of Doctor Strange 2 that could impact Ryan Coogler's Black Panther sequel come the film's release in November 2022. With the MCU's Phase 4 dealing heavily with the multiverse, explaining the inclusion of Earth-838's Illuminati in Doctor Strange 2, it is unclear how much this will impact Black Panther 2. With movies like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Eternals skipping this concept, Black Panther 2 is likely to do the same.
However, it is the ramifications of these missing multiversal cameos in terms of casting and characters that will have an impact on the film, even if the actual multiverse plays no part in the film. Marvel Studios are still yet to release a trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at the time of writing, meaning not a lot is known about the film's plot despite its focus on the country of Wakanda as a whole. However, with some casting news and rumors floating around the film, Doctor Strange 2's Illuminati cameos can impact the film in several ways.
Doctor Strange 2's Biggest Missing Cameos
The Illuminati is a team from Marvel Comics that takes superheroes from all walks of life to combine their knowledge. In including this team in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it was expected to also include its fair share of cameos from across the Marvel universe. With the Illuminati of Earth-838, Marvel Studios gave audiences what was anticipated. The Illuminati of this universe included a roster of Anson Mount's Black Bolt, a different version of the same Inhumans character, Captain Peggy Carter played by Hayley Atwell, Maria Rambeau as Captain Marvel, Karl Mordo, John Krasinski as Reed Richards, and Patrick Stewart reprising his role as Charles Xavier/Professor X. Doctor Strange 2 introduced this team as Earth-838's Illuminati, though with two cameos seemingly missing from the comics team of the same name.
While someone like Captain Marvel isn't synonymous with the Illuminati, her introduction makes sense given her knowledge of the cosmic side of superheroism. Two characters who were huge parts of the Illuminati in the comics, even going as far as being founding members, were none other than Tony Stark/Iron Man and Namor the Sub-Mariner. In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, though, Namor and Iron Man were nowhere to be seen. It is in these missing cameos that the link to Black Panther 2 is present.
Iron Man and Namor's Illuminati Comic Links Explained
The Illuminati is formed to represent different sides of the superhero world. In the comics' Illuminati and the MCU's Doctor Strange 2 version, Mister Fantastic represents the science aspect. Professor X and Black Bolt represent the X-Men/mutants and Inhumans, respectively. Doctor Strange 2 has Karl Mordo represent the magic/sorcerer role, with Captain Carter the Avengers and Captain Marvel the cosmic aspect. In the comics then, Iron Man is used in place of Captain Carter as the link to the Avengers but also the governments of the world. Iron Man is a founding member of the Avengers and has worked in close proximity with the government at different points. This makes his inclusion in the Illuminati vital, given his valuable insight that other members don't have. However, his and Namor's omission from the MCU version makes sense given the already stacked cast of Doctor Strange 2, on top of the important meanings for Black Panther 2.
Namor is similar to Iron Man in the sense that he has a distinctive mindset from the rest of the Illuminati. Whereas Tony links to the Avengers, Namor's valuable traits are his links to Atlantis and his anti-hero mindset. The latter is arguably his most important link to the Illuminati, as characters like Iron Man, Mister Fantastic, Professor X, and Black Bolt are definitely closer to full-fledged superheroes than anti-heroes, with Namor's mindset being invaluable to the Illuminati. Namor is able to think about situations differently, given his more morally questionable outlook on superheroism, and look at situations in ways someone as noble as Reed Richards or Charles Xavier might not.
Doctor Strange 2 Benefits Namor's Black Panther 2 Introduction
It wouldn't have been folly to assume Namor might also appear in Doctor Strange 2's post-credits scene, given the release of Black Panther 2 in November 2022. However, this, alongside his exclusion from the Illuminati, was not the case. Should the rumors and speculation turn out to be true then, and Namor is inducted into the MCU in Black Panther 2, his omission from Doctor Strange 2 only benefits that introduction. The cast of Doctor Strange 2 was already stacked. Given the film's shorter-than-expected runtime of 126 minutes, it would've been arguably too much to include another two famous Illuminati members, Namor included.
Should the anti-hero be a part of Wakanda Forever, that film will allow for much more time to be dedicated to his introduction. Rather than a rushed, almost fan-service cameo role in Doctor Strange 2, an anti-hero role for Namor in Black Panther 2 would much better service a character of Namor's status. The film could then dedicate a significant amount of time to flesh out Namor's motivations and origins, allowing the audiences of the MCU to further sympathize with him than simply being a throwaway cameo like the Illuminati in Doctor Strange 2.
Tom Cruise's Iron Man Would've Detracted From Riri Williams' MCU Debut
Similarly, Iron Man being left out of Doctor Strange 2's Illuminati roster benefits Black Panther: Wakanda Forever through the latter's introduction of Riri Williams/Ironheart. Marvel Studios confirmed that Ironheart would be introduced in Black Panther 2 before appearing in her own Disney+ series in the next few years. If Tom Cruise had appeared in Doctor Strange 2, as was confirmed to be in the initial plans by writer Michael Waldron, it would've detracted from Riri Williams' MCU introduction in several ways. For one, another Iron Man appearing before the introduction of Iron Man's apparent replacement would've detracted from the latter.
However, one of the major calls from many fans after Avengers: Endgame was to resurrect Tony Stark after he played such a huge part in the Infinity Saga. If an actor of Tom Cruise's caliber had been introduced as Iron Man, despite being on Earth-838, it would've been a huge talking point and caused a lot of excitement. Following this, there could have been calls to replace Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man permanently in the MCU, which would take the spotlight away from Riri Williams' appearance in Black Panther 2.
Without the added draw of a new Iron Man, Williams can be introduced as the full-time replacement of Iron Man, making the omission of a Tom Cruise cameo make all the more sense. The same can be said for Namor and his potential introduction in Black Panther 2. The fact that these two characters were missing didn't detract from the film's experience, with fans being given something as huge as John Krasinski as Reed Richard, a fan-casting that has been long anticipated, and the return of such an iconic character in Professor X. With these, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness still has all the fan-service goodness that MCU die-hards would be looking for and didn't detract from the potentially powerful characters of the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
