This weekend saw Marvel Studios launch the second trailer for upcoming blockbuster Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which sent the internet into a fan theory frenzy.
The film is easily one of the most anticipated of the year, picking up unresolved storylines from the $1.8 billion smash-hit Spider-Man: No Way Home as well as the acclaimed Disney Plus streaming series WandaVision.
As is typical for any entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the plot has been kept rather vague thus far, but we do know that Doctor Strange will be tackling threats from alternate realities and facing judgement for his past reckless deeds.
Check out the jaw-dropping teaser below.
You probably have a lot of questions and we’re going to do our best to answer them. Of course, at this stage every theory comes with a generous pinch of salt, but certain rumours seem more likely to be true in light of this brand new footage.
Is Professor X in Doctor Strange 2?
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With the announcement that Doctor Strange 2 would be delving into the multiverse, many fans instantly felt it would serve as a perfect opportunity to introduce the X-Men to the MCU.
For a long time these characters were strictly out of bounds due to 20th Century Fox owning the film rights, but they became fair game when Disney acquired the studio in a mammoth deal back in 2019.
It was unclear whether producer Kevin Feige would decide to wipe the slate clean by recasting all the roles in the franchise, or attempt to salvage some of the more popular incarnations for his own stories.
It seems the latter could be the case, as one moment in the Multiverse of Madness trailer sees Doctor Strange being brought forward for judgement from a panel of mysterious people – one of whom sounds very familiar.
“We should tell him the truth,” says an out-of-view character, in the unmistakable tone of Sir Patrick Stewart.
Of course, Stewart played powerful psychic and telekinetic Professor X in the original X-Men films, with many now confident he is reprising the role for this MCU entry.
We can’t completely rule out the possibility that Stewart is playing someone else – or that it’s someone who sounds an awful lot like him (a la Ross Marquand’s uncanny Hugo Weaving impression) – but it seems relatively safe to take this as confirmation that Professor X will at least cameo in this movie.
And there’s good reason for him to.
What is Marvel’s Illuminati?
You see, Professor X and Doctor Strange were once members of a very prestigious club in Marvel’s primary comic book universe known as the Illuminati.
Not too dissimilar from the conspiracy theory that has taken root in our own world, the Illuminati was a group of powerful heroes (mostly), who planned to use their genius intellects to keep tabs on goings-on across the Marvel universe.
While their intentions were broadly in the interest of planet Earth and its inhabitants, their methods were sometimes morally dubious and sometimes ended in disaster.
Perhaps the best example of this was their decision to send an increasingly erratic Hulk into the far reaches of outer space, setting into motion a chain of events that would ultimately lead to the disastrous event referred to as World War Hulk.
In the comic books, the founding members of the Illuminati are established heroes Professor X, Doctor Strange, Mister Fantastic and Iron Man, as well as Atlantean king Namor and Inhuman ruler Black Bolt.
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However, based on what we see in the Multiverse of Madness trailer, it looks as if the MCU’s Illuminati may have already been formed without Strange – or at least, without the version of Strange that we are acquainted with.
“Your desecration of reality will not go unpunished,” says the sorcerer’s rival Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), as he is led before a panel that will seemingly pass judgement on his repeatedly dangerous use of magic.
Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief found himself in a similar predicament when he was brought before the Time Variance Authority, which is notable as screenwriter Michael Waldron penned both Loki and Multiverse of Madness.
That opens the possibility of the Illuminati being in some way associated with the TVA, while their use of Ultron-like bots as prison guards calls into question whose side they’re really on.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is released in cinemas on Friday 6th May. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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