The 'Dr. Strange' Illuminati Scene Is the Coolest—or Worst!—MCU Move in Years
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This story contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
If you ever want to suddenly and immediately remember what it's like to watch a movie in theaters—the communal laughs, tears, and cheers—walk into a screening of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness about an hour in. Close your eyes. Wait until you hear the word "Illuminati." And listen. You'll hear people audibly express every emotion you've ever felt, and probably some you haven't. Not because it's good! Not because it's bad. Context. Context is what you need.
OK. When Doctor Strange and America Chavez meet up with a variant Baron Mordo, the guy promptly betrays them—pulling some magical antics that make both Chavez and Strange pass out. They wake up in a medical facility, which they learn is home to the Illuminati. Multiverse of Madness pulls the secretive group from the comics, where they serve the same function as the crew in the film: to watch, protect, and monitor various threats in the wide world of superheroes. As the Illuminati stages a trial for Doctor Strange that feels like it'll lead to his execution, the possessed Wanda Maximoff breaks into the facility, looking for Chavez. The Illuminati prepare to battle her.
Want to know what happens from there? Everyone dies. Wanda kills everyone. It's brutal. It's bloody. And it's the coolest or worst thing the MCU's seen in a long time. I can't tell which. Regardless, we need to talk about it. Let's start with a roll call of the Illuminati's members, with a few thoughts on each hero:
Black Bolt (Anson Mount): Marvel resurrecting a character from a cancelled ABC series was the move that elicited giggles from my theater. No offense to Mount, but was anyone from the Defenders lineup available?
Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards (John Krasinski): Fans have been working up mock art featuring Krasinski as Richards for years now. The overlords at Marvel HQ will likely monitor the public approval rating for Krasinski in the role, to decide if he should return for, or even direct, Fantastic Four. But humiliating the guy off the bat isn't the best start.
Captain Marvel/Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch): Marvel needs to find some way to include Lynch in The Marvels. Her take on Captain Marvel is full of energy and genuine badassery.
Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor): I'm a fan of Ejiofor, but Mordo was underwritten in 2016's Doctor Strange—and things haven't improved here.
Captain Britain/Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell): Wanna know the moment that earned the best reaction at my screening? Atwell's delivery of Cap's iconic "I could do this all day" quip.
Professor X/Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart): If you grew up with the X-Men films, then seeing Professor X on the big screen again brings... emotions. All good ones, too. Too bad we only hear one bit of wisdom, soft and sweet, from Stewart—until Wanda breaks his neck.
I won't lie to all of you, loyal Esquire readers: I'm split on this one. On one hand, I think it's cool as hell that Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi seemingly undercut Marvel's pension for relying on oh-shit cameos by killing them all in the span of 10 minutes. On the other, it's exactly why I'm feeling off about it still. Characters like Stewart's Professor X and Atwell's Peggy Carter mean something to the people who watch these movies. When Marvel axes them off in a fit of bloodshed, under the guise of, it's the multiverse, they can come back elsewhere? The studio is telling us that nothing matters. Death is impermanent. The lives of the heroes we've followed mean just as much as a cheap action toy. Hopefully, as we see Kang the Conquerer's saga play out, the stakes feel more real.
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