How did Doctor Strange disregard the Illuminati? Through the Multiverse of Madness, Doctor Strange, and Marvel Studios showed their contempt for the Illuminati. The sequel is focused on his own journey this time. Doctor Strange is able to expand on the MCU’s multiverse in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where he travels to parallel universes, including one where the Illuminati exist.
Doctor Strange and America Chavez ended up in Earth-838 while travelling through the multiverse to save America from Scarlet Witch, who was after her for her abilities. Mister Fantastic, Black Bolt, and Hayley Atwell’s Captain Marvel were on hand, as was the team of Mordo and Professor X. Doctor Strange assembled the Illuminati, a group of superheroes who were tasked with making tough decisions for the common good on Earth-838. However, Wanda Maximoff went on a killing spree and mowed down them all before they had a chance to establish themselves as major players in the Marvel Universe.
Doctor Strange Purposely Disregarded The Illuminati
In the Multiverse of Madness, Doctor Strange was already a failure for Doctor Strange’s Illuminati before he was killed by Scarlet Witch. The Illuminati in Marvel Comics is a group of Marvel’s best heroes, each of whom is chosen to represent their respective team on the council. Because they are expected to be the smartest in their class, they are entrusted with the responsibility of making difficult decisions that the rest of the class can support.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, unfortunately, didn’t meet that standard. They ignored the Sacred Timeline Doctor Strange’s explanation of Scarlet Witch’s connection to the Darkhold. Instead, they focused on the idea that the sorcerer was the greatest threat to the multiverse, even without addressing the Spider-Man: No Way Home spell from Doctor Strange. Scarlet Witch’s true threat was only recognized by Professor X from X-Men, so he shared the Book of Vishanti information with Doctor Strange and attempted to save Wanda on Earth-838 from the threat.
Will the Illuminati make a comeback in the MCU?
In their own right, some of Doctor Strange’s Illuminati members made questionable decisions. Mister Fantastic was presumed to be the wisest man alive, but all he did was talk about Black Bolt’s abilities, giving Wanda some insight into how to defeat him. Mordo, on the other hand, appeared to be so consumed by jealousy that he didn’t give much thought to Doctor Strange’s crisis. Although it may have seemed like a quick fix, killing Earth-838 Dr. Strange seemed like a clumsy solution, especially given that Supreme Strange appeared to be remorseful for his actions.
For some reason, Doctor Strange’s Illuminati from Earth-838 in the Multiverse of Madness was never explained in-depth, so it’s not clear if they served any other purpose than what they did in Marvel comics. Doctor Strange’s death in The Multiverse of Madness might not be a huge loss to the MCU multiverse after all, given their response to the Doctor Strange problem in the Sacred Timeline timeline,
It’s curious if Marvel Studios plans to introduce the Sacred Timeline’s version of the superhero team in the wake of Doctor Strange’s Illuminati team’s death in Earth-838. As a side note, the Illuminati’s presence on Earth-616 was hinted at in Phase 1 of Iron Man 2. However, if the Illuminati ever return to the MCU timeline, hopefully, they will be more proficient than their Doctor Strange counterpart in the Multiverse of Madness.
