Marvel Is Wrong, There Can't Be Another MCU Illuminati

Despite Marvel's tease that the Illuminati may return to the MCU in some form, their first appearance in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness actually makes introducing a new version of the team a very bad idea. Doctor Strange's Phase 4 follow-up saw Benedict Cumberbatch's sorcerer hopping across the Multiverse in order to protect America Chavez from the Scarlet Witch. In doing so, he traveled to Earth-838, where he had his first encounter with the MCU's Illuminati team, comprised of a group of heroes from that universe who had banded together to protect their world (and others) from powerful threats.

One of the most shocking moments of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness came shortly after the Illuminati's introduction, where they were brutally murdered by the Scarlet Witch. The team - comprised of Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell), Captain Marvel ((Lashana Lynch), Black Bolt (Anson Mount), and Reed Richards (John Krasinski) - represented the most powerful heroes that Earth-838 had to offer, and their unexpected demise proved a pivotal moment for the movie. Importantly, the team's members were all variants from Earth-838, meaning that their counterparts in the MCU's main timeline (Earth-616) are presumably still alive.

After Doctor Strange 2, the Illuminati's MCU future has been all but confirmed, with co-producer Richie Palmer hinting at their potential inclusion in the main timeline. However, the way in which they were introduced - and then summarily executed - in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness actually ruins their chances of a satisfying future in the MCU. Not only would they forever be tainted by the gag deaths of their Earth-838 counterparts, but key Illuminati members - including Strange himself - would almost certainly not be involved.

The Multiverse Killed The Illuminati More Ways Than One

The Illuminati in Doctor Strange 2, without Tom Cruise

After the role the team played in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it's simply not plausible that Strange himself would ever willingly be a part of an Illuminati in the MCU. As he's not only often depicted as a key member of the group in the comics but is also one of the MCU's most influential heroes, this makes the Illuminati's return to the MCU far less likely. What's more, other key heroes also aren't available for the MCU's Illuminati, such as Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), who is dead within the main timeline.

Aside from the narrative hurdles to incorporating the Illuminati's most prominent members into its MCU future, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has already undermined its potential. Introducing such a powerful group only to kill them off in the span of a single scene was a bold move, and it's one that will tarnish any future that a team of the same name may have within the MCU. By association, any Illuminati now established within the MCU will seem much weaker as a result of Doctor Strange 2 killing the Illuminati so quickly.

The combination of these concerns makes the MCU's Illuminati a bad idea. Though there are no plans currently confirmed for their future, Phase 4 will introduce other prominent Illuminati members Namor the Sub-Mariner and Mister Fantastic, so it's certainly a possibility that the team will reappear in the MCU sooner or later. Despite the Illuminati being one of Marvel's most interesting and powerful teams, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may have ruined its chances for a future in the MCU.

Next: Doctor Strange 2: How Did The Illuminati Kill Thanos On Earth-838?