The Super Bowl trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness indicated that the MCU will adapt Marvel’s Illuminati to the big screen — and that it could deliver a better version of the group than the comics did. After much speculation, Multiverse of Madness's promotional material confirms that the movie will indeed feature some pretty big cameos. In addition to Patrick Stewart's Professor Xavier and an alternate version of Captain Marvel, Captain Carter seems to have also been confirmed through the presence of her shield on the official poster.
In the Super Bowl trailer, audiences can see Strange being taken by Ultron bots to some kind of trial before a council of which Professor Xavier is one of the members. All these elements indicate that Multiverse of Madness will feature the Illuminati, here most likely formed by multiversal versions of known heroes who are ought to protect the Multiverse. On top of Professor X, Captain Carter, and Captain Marvel, other characters rumored to be part of this multiversal Illuminati are Mordo, Clea, Mr. Fantastic, and Iron Man.
In the comics, the Illuminati is a secret society founded by some of Marvel's most powerful and influential characters: Professor X, Tony Stark, Namor, Black Bolt, Reed Richards, Stephen Strange, and Norman Osborn — among others who would eventually participate such as T'Challa. The group, which is far from a benevolent and heroic organization, often tries to shape and control major world events in whatever way its members think it is the right one. However, in Multiverse of Madness, it seems like the Illuminati will be some sort of multiversal council who will confront Doctor Strange and Wanda on their irresponsible actions towards the fabric of reality. If that is truly the case, the MCU's version of the Illuminati will be much closer to something like What If...?'s "Guardians of The Multiverse" than to a group of Marvel’s most egocentrics characters. This change would work as a route to adapt a well-known concept from the comics but in a way that better suits the already established MCU overall storyline.
Beyond this subtle shift in purpose and motivation, a comic book accurate Illuminati adaptation would be difficult due to the current status of crucial characters: Tony Stark is dead, Reed Richards has yet to be introduced, and the only Norman Osborn audiences have seen in the MCU so far is the already redeemed version of Dafoe. On top of that, this new take on the Illuminati can prevent the MCU from placing some of its most beloved characters in a storyline based on deceptions and debatable actions. This would make both the group as a whole, as well as its individual members, much more relatable for audiences.
By changing the Illuminati from a controversial secret society to protectors of the Multiverse, Doctor Strange's newest adventure improves something from the comics while also setting up an excitable new force in the MCU. Although the group's complete line-up is still a mystery, the MCU's Illuminati will certainly bring together big names not only from the current franchise but from Marvel's past as a whole. The real motives behind this new Illuminati will no doubt be fully explained when Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits the theaters in May. However, it's already clear that the movie's subtle changes will make a big difference.
