The Guardians of the Multiverse's absence in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hints at their defeat after beating Ultron in What If...?
While the Guardians of the Multiverse were assembled in What If...? to protect the MCU's countless realities, the fact the team doesn't seem to appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness suggests to some that they were maybe defeated after they stopped Ultron and Killmonger from destroying every universe. It's not a secret that the concept of the multiverse has been put front and center in Phase 4 of the MCU. It allows new and familiar iterations of characters to share the screen and it paves the way for mind-blowing stories that wouldn't be possible without the use of reality-bending shenanigans.
After Avengers: Endgame introduced alternate timelines to the MCU, WandaVision teased the role sorcerers and witches had over the multiverse, and Loki explored how crazy the variants of one single character could be, What If...? fully focused on some of the endless realities that neighbor the MCU's main universe. While What If...? functioned as an anthology series, it also assembled the Guardians of the Multiverse — an Avengers-like team of multiversal variants who vowed to protect the multiverse from threats like Ultron.
However, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness shows no signs of including the Guardians of the Multiverse. Only Captain Carter and Supreme Strange seem to have a minor role in the Doctor Strange sequel, and they don't seem to be working together. Further, the Illuminati appear to be the ones overseeing every reality. Here's why this is a bad omen for the Guardians.
The Guardians of the Multiverse succeeded in neutralizing the Arnim Zola-infected Ultron, but not before being betrayed by Killmonger. Supreme Strange kept the two villains from causing more mayhem by trapping them in a magic spell, which he promised to watch over, seemingly forever. However, the appearance of an evil-looking Doctor Strange variant in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness suggests that Supreme Strange is no longer watching over Ultron and Killmonger. If this variant is the same Supreme Strange introduced in What If...?, it's possible that someone — or something — caused him to lose control of his spell.
The Zola-controlled Ultron and Killmonger could cause extreme damage to many universes while wielding the Infinity Stones, and the first casualties of their quest for multiversal conquest could be the Guardians of the Multiverse themselves. Since there are no signs of the variants of Gamora, Black Widow, T’Challa, and Thor in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it’s possible that whatever caused Strange’s spell to break left him and Captain Carter the only survivors. Of course, this raises the question of what could be the reason Supreme Strange could no longer watch over Ultron and Killmonger. One option would be the actions of a powerful magic user like Nightmare or Scarlet Witch, but it's also possible that Sylvie's murder of He Who Remains in Loki or Doctor Strange's memory-wiping spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home had such a big impact on the multiverse that they broke Supreme Strange's spell. The latter would justify Supreme Strange wanting to battle Doctor Strange, who not only would have ruined Supreme Strange's last chance to be a hero, but also would have done it just to help a careless teenager.
The sign that most strongly suggests the defeat of Guardians of the Multiverse is the apparent introduction of the Illuminati. Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier seems to be part of a multiversal council that judges people like Doctor Strange when they affect the multiverse in undesired ways. If this really is the role of the Illuminati in the MCU, it would mark the third group of multiversal protectors in Phase 4 so far after Loki's Time Variance Authority and What If...?'s Guardians of the Multiverse. Loki demonstrated that the TVA was an ill-fated attempt at safekeeping the Sacred Timeline, as the organization was founded upon lies and deceit. Now that the Illuminati seem to be the ones in charge, it wouldn't be odd to see that the Guardians of the Multiverse failed as well.
But the Guardians of the Multiverse and the possibly ill-fated Illuminati may also share at least one member. Captain Carter served as the leader of the Guardians in What If...?, and the poster for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness includes a look at her shield. It's possible that Captain Carter survived the defeat of the Guardians of the Multiverse, and just like any Captain America variant would do, she may have taken the initiative to assemble a new team of variants to protect the multiverse. However, the gap between the defeat of the Guardians and the formation of the Illuminati may have left the multiverse vulnerable, which could explain why the zombie universe introduced in What If...? returns in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and why the villain of the Doctor Strange sequel can wreak havoc without any immediate intervention.
Since only Captain Carter and Supreme Strange are possibly returning, things are looking bleak for the rest of the Guardians of the Multiverse. With Scarlett Johansson unlikely to return as Black Widow and the untimely passing of Chadwick Boseman, Marvel Studios could opt to focus on new variants instead of limiting them to animation. Chris Hemsworth's prime Thor still has a bright future in the MCU, so killing off Party Thor to set the tone for What If...? season 2 would be easy, unless this variant also goes down a similarly tragic path as the main Thor. Gamora's story will be told in What If...? season 2, as her episode couldn't be released in season 1 due to limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but whether she survives is yet to see.
Finally, Killmonger may have escaped with or without the Infinity Stones after Supreme Strange lost control of his spell, which would make him the former Guardian of the Multiverse most likely to return in the MCU besides Captain Carter and Supreme Strange. Fittingly, Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger in Black Panther was so well-received that the introduction of an even more dangerous variant would be a welcome addition. As a team, the Guardians of the Multiverse may have succumbed to the multiversal Ultron and Killmonger when they escaped Supreme Strange's spell, but they could have also fallen in battle after the multiverse got out of control afterward. Alternatively, they could have been disbanded similarly to how the Avengers broke up in Captain America: Civil War.
If the original Guardians of the Multiverse were either defeated or disbanded somewhere between the events of What If...? and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, What If…? season 2 could explore new universes with brand-new variants without having to explain why the Guardians don't intervene more often. Only Supreme Strange and Captain Carter, precisely the most popular variants introduced in What If...? could survive the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to return in animated form. Doctor Strange's battle against Scarlet Witch will certainly provide What If...? season 2 with countless narrative possibilities. New characters may step up and try to form yet another team to protect reality. Alternatively, What If...? season 2 could detail how the Guardians of the Multiverse tried and failed to restore a falling multiverse before the Illuminati were formed, or it could follow the Illuminati while they are being assembled. There's no doubt What If...? and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness are inherently tied together.
