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Multiverse of Madness leak spells doom for new Avengers we haven’t even met yet

Updated Mar 18th, 2022 3:02PM EDT
Doctor Strange in Spider-Man: No Way Home fight scene
Image: Sony

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Ever since Spider-Man: No Way Home premiered, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness leaks have been picking up steam. It helps that Marvel finished the massive reshoots for Doctor Strange 2, so the usual leakers might have more information to share with fans. We’ve seen plenty of plot leaks for Multiverse of Madness, and we think we have a general idea of what to expect from this new Avengers adventure. Because make no mistake, Multiverse of Madness might be part of the Doctor Strange franchise, but it’ll feature plenty of Avengers. The multiverse is what makes that a certainty, especially with leaks claiming that Marvel wanted to add even more cameos to the movie via reshoots.

Some of these Multiverse of Madness leaks also detailed a brand new team of superheroes that will appear in the movie. If these leaks are accurate, these Avengers variants will have key roles in the film. But an insider gives us a new update that indicates trouble awaits for this particular band of heroes. Before we get into it, we’ll remind you that big spoilers might follow below.

The Avengers in Doctor Strange 2

Even without any Multiverse of Madness leaks, we know three Avengers team members will appear in the movie. We already saw them in the first trailer: Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Wong (Benedict Wong), and Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen). Then there’s America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), who will become an Avenger in the future. We knew the first two would appear in the sequel even without a trailer.

Since it’s a multiverse movie, we can expect to see other versions of Strange, Wong, and Wonda in Multiverse of Madness. The trailer already gives us a look at Evil Strange, and a promo image offered us a look at Defender Strange. Speaking of the Defenders, that’s one alternate Avengers team that might be referenced in the film. Leaks also say the Inhumans and Fantastic Four might get cameos in Doctor Strange 2.

Then we have the X-Men rumors that say multiple mutants might appear in the movie. Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), and Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) often appear in these rumors.

But the most exciting Avengers alternative in Multiverse of Madness might be the Illuminati. We’ve heard that Marvel was working on incorporating the Illuminati in the MCU for a few years. It might all start with Doctor Strange 2.

Doctor Strange and Wong in Multiverse of Madness trailer
Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Wong (Benedict Wong) in Multiverse of Madness trailer. Image source: Marvel Studios

The MCU’s Illuminati

A Multiverse of Madness plot leak from October said that the Illuminati is an Avengers-like team that protects the multiverse. Strange and Wanda will get to meet them, and Wanda will fight them.

According to that leak, the Illuminati will have six members, with Professor X leading them. Four other names were mentioned in that leak. Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Sorcerer Supreme in a different reality, is in the team. That’s probably the Mordo that we see in the trailer. Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell) from What If…? is also an Illuminati. Then we have the Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) version of Captain Marvel and Balder the Brave completing the ranks of this alternate Avengers team.

Who is the mysterious sixth member? We have no idea. But a leak that followed the Multiverse of Madness reshoots said a variant of Tony Stark from the multiverse would assist the Illuminati. That’s not to say he’d be one of them. And it’s probably not Robert Downey Jr. playing this Iron Man version.

The Illuminati, by the way, is a great way to bring RDJ back to the MCU without ruining the Avengers: Endgame. But that sort of reveal might be best suited for something other than Multiverse of Madness.

The previous leaks said that Wanda would fight the Illuminati and defeat them. She might even kill some of them in the process. Rumors during the reshoots claimed that Marvel wanted to tone down Wanda. But it’s unclear what that means in terms of superhero deaths.

The Scarlet Witch in Doctor Strange 2 trailer
The Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) in Doctor Strange 2 trailer Image source: Marvel Studios

The new Multiverse of Madness leak

This brings us to a simple claim on Twitter from a well-known Marvel insider. “Don’t expect the Illuminati to survive Multiverse of Madness,” MyTimeToShine said on Twitter.

That sounds horrific, but it’s unclear what she might be referring to. Will Wanda kill these Avengers hailing from alternate universes before she gets a chance to redeem herself? That’s a bleak perspective. But it would certainly be an exciting twist for Wanda.

But maybe the leaker means something else entirely. Maybe the Illuminati aren’t supposed to survive Multiverse of Madness as an Avengers-like group. That is, we might not see these Illuminati in other MCU adventures. Maybe the MCU’s Strange might want to form his own Illuminati after what he learns in Multiverse of Madness. Being part of the Avengers is enough for protecting this universe. But multiverse threats might need a different approach.

That’s all speculation at this point, based on a simple tweet. But the same leaker did offer the Doctor Strange 2 plot leak back in October that mentioned the Illuminati. The context was identical. They’d fight Wanda, and some of them will die.

More Marvel coverage: For more MCU news, visit our Marvel guide.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2007. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he closely follows the events in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming new movies and TV shows, or training to run his next marathon.