Doctor Strange 2: Who are the Illuminati? Variants explained

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    The new Doctor Strange 2 trailer gave fans heaps of new information to pour over. Characters including newcomer America Chavez, Sorcerer Supreme Wong and Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlett Witch all made an appearance. However, the biggest moment in the trailer introduced the Illuminati into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). This secretive group has a long history in the comics and is comprised of some of the most important characters in the multiverse. But perhaps the biggest excitement came with the revelations of Professor X and Iron Man. Here is everything you need to know about the team and the variants that it consists of. 

    What are variants?

    Variants were first introduced in Disney Plus’s Loki and are variations on characters from different universes.

    Essentially, the multiverse is comprised of countless universes, each more different than the last. They all have the same characters in every single one of them, though some have more drastic alterations than others. 

    The main example of this could be found in the Loki show. The God of Mischief met Sylvie, a female version of himself. She came from a world that was slightly different from the main MCU.

    Another example came in Spider-Man: No Way Home. When Peter Parker messed up Strange’s spell and opened the multiverse, variants of himself came through. Played by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, respectively, they were different versions of Spidey from old universes.

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    Who are Marvel’s Illuminati?

    The Illuminati began life as a consortium of all existing superhero teams. It comprised the Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four and more.

    Tony Stark aka Iron Man created the team in the hopes of protecting the Earth from escalating cosmic threats. Over time, the group was reduced down to six members, each representing various factions and allegiances.

    It was at this point when the Illuminati name was used to describe them, as they operated as a covert think-tank that met in secret. They shared information and strategy and denied their existence to the wider Marvel universe. 

    The new Doctor Strange 2 trailer appears to confirm their existence in the MCU.

    The Illuminati’s members consisted of Mister Fantastic, Iron Man, Professor X, Doctor Strange, Black Bolt and Namor in comics. Currently, in the MCU, the only hero from this line-up that could make an appearance in the team is Strange, but the multiverse offers a different way to bring them all together on screen.

    Starting with Mister Fantastic, Disney is well underway in developing a film for Marvel’s first family. The Spider-Man Home trilogy director, Jon Watts, is developing the project now, with no cast members currently confirmed.

    When zooming in on the Doctor Strange trailer at the 1:17 minute mark, to the far left and sitting in a chair is a character that appears to be Mister Fantastic. He is cast in darkness, but his iconic 4 symbol on his chest can be seen. This will possibly be a version of the character from another universe, or the main MCU variant will be introduced here ahead of his film.

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    Next in the line-up is Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr’s Stark died during the events of Avengers. Fans believe Superior Iron Man is taking a spot in the Illuminati, as Age of Ultron bots can be seen in the new trailer.

    It comes after set photos leaked of what appears to be Tom Cruise in a motion capture suit behind the scenes of Doctor Strange 2. He famously missed out on the part back in 2008 but now could be taking the role after all these years.

    The biggest surprise of the trailer was Patrick Stewart’s Professor X making an appearance. It hasn’t been officially confirmed, but the X-Men leader’s voice could be heard while a bald headed man came into view. This would confirm Fox’s X-Men universe is part of the wider multiverse, with Xavier taking up one of the chairs.

    Black Bolt is a member of the Inhumans. These are super-beings that live on the moon and keep away from the day-to-day issues with humanity.  

    The leader of the group, Black Bolt, has powers of voice. He can barely talk because even a whisper can unleash a massive force of energy. When he shouts, it has the power to destroy worlds. Marvel made a show about the Inhumans back in 2017, though it has since been cancelled and de-canonised.  

    Finally, there is Namor, Marvel’s answer to DC’s Aquaman. Also known as The Sub-Mariner, he is the leader of the oceans on Earth and is actually dated back as one of the first mutants in Marvel’s long history.

    Again, he has not appeared in the MCU yet, though there have been rumblings of him getting his own film for years. As more of an anti-hero than an out-and-out good guy, he has a morally ambiguous temperament.

    Published at Mon, 14 Feb 2022 15:46:18 +0000

    Doctor Strange 2: Who are the Illuminati? Variants explained

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