We might be seeing the Illuminati in the MCU again, according to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness co-producer Richie Palmer. The shadowy superhero group were introduced in the sequel film, made up of some eyebrow-raising cameos, but their future was left unclear after Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch went on a murderous rampage and killed them all – bar Chiwetel Ejiofor's Mordo.
"They're a secret organization that works off the grid. They do the things that the other groups like the Avengers wouldn't be too happy about," Palmer explained in The Making of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Disney Plus documentary. "To do it in an alternate universe in the multiverse was a really exciting thing, because we get to meet a version of this group in this other universe, and then we still might get to see an Illuminati of our main MCU one day, which is also very exciting."
There's no word just yet on if John Krasinski, Hayley Atwell, Patrick Stewart, Lashana Lynch, Anson Mount, or Ejiofor will be back if the Illuminati ever appear again. In fact, a comment from director Sam Raimi seems to rule out Krasinski's return as part of the Illuminati or the upcoming Fantastic Four movie, suggesting the actor's appearance was meant only as a shoutout for fans. "It's so funny that [Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige] cast John because the fans had a dream of who the perfect Reed Richards would be," he said in the film's audio commentary, adding: "And because this is an alternate universe, I think Kevin said, 'Let's make that dream come true.'"
Still, in the multiverse, anything is possible – so who can say if we'll be seeing this line-up of heroes again. In the meantime, check out our ultimate guide to Marvel Phase 4 for absolutely everything the MCU has in store for us.
