They also seem to be in charge of governing the multiverse, unless Marvel Studios is going to retcon the X-Men movies into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which seems highly unlikely (surely they’d want a clean mutant movie slate, although thanks to multiverse shenanigans Stewart could again play Professor X in the new movies, just as J.K. Simmons returned as J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man movies). But how the Illuminati do or don’t mesh with Kang, the other guy who appointed himself in charge of the multiverse in the Loki TV series, will definitely require an answer.
Still, the bigger question is, who else will be part of the Illuminati? Because it can’t just be Xavier sitting up there. Will Robert Downey Jr. come back to play a Tony Stark from another reality, or will someone else step in? Those are Ultron-esque bots leading Strange to the council, after all. Might Anson Mount from the Inhumans miniseries make an appearance? Hopefully not, because Inhumans remains the very worst MCU-adjacent thing Marvel has ever made, and after all, he’s busy commanding the Enterprise. Could the movie introduce Namor or Mister Fantastic, or will other characters fill their seats? Will someone other than a white man/inhuman make the cut?
We will find out very shortly, as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness premieres on May 6. Oh, and just because there are a lot of empty chairs in the teaser doesn’t mean they won’t be full in the movie; remember, Marvel has a habit of photoshopping characters out of promo material they want to keep secret…
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
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