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Doctor Strange 2 will likely be one of the biggest films of 2022 if the trailer and rumors surrounding the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie are any indications. The film delves deep into the multiverse, which means that Strange and co. will probably encounter many familiar (or not-so-familiar) faces. But we now know that the Illuminati will have a role in Doctor Strange 2.

Patrick Stewart, who might play a member of the Illuminati in 'Doctor Strange 2,' wears black-framed glasses and a black suit over a white button-up shirt and black bow tie.
Patrick Stewart | Photo by Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images

Fans suspected the Illuminati was in ‘Doctor Strange 2’ after seeing the trailer

Marvel fans first caught wind of the idea that the MCU was introducing the Illuminati in Doctor Strange 2 after the trailer’s premiere during Super Bowl 2022.

The preview showed robots leading a handcuffed Strange into a chamber where he met with a panel of figures. We never saw their faces, but fans immediately knew the identity of one person. The mystery individual faced Strange and said, “We should tell him the truth.” Immediately, fans recognized Patrick Stewart’s voice. And as many recall, Stewart played Professor X in the X-Men film series.

In the comic books, Professor X is one of the key members of the Illuminati, a secret society of superheroes. So, of course, fans believed that the panel Strange encountered in the Doctor Strange 2 trailer is the Illuminati.

A magazine photo confirms the Illuminati appears in ‘Doctor Strange 2’

Per ComicBook.com, one Marvel fan posted a photo on Twitter of a page from the upcoming issue of Empire Magazine. The image shows Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange in Doctor Strange 2. And the caption reads, “Strange stands before the Illuminati.”

The still from the magazine confirms that the Illuminati appears in the Doctor Strange sequel. However, it doesn’t specify which members of the group Strange encounters in the film. Patrick Stewart’s Professor X will probably be one of the superheroes. And other notable figures who were a part of the secret society in the comics are Mr. Fantastic, Doctor Strange, Namor, Iron Man, and Black Bolt.

Unfortunately, Marvel has yet to confirm the Illuminati’s presence in Doctor Strange 2. But thanks to Empire, fans are confident that the secret society plays a role in the MCU film.

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Benedict Cumberbatch calls the ‘Doctor Strange’ sequel ‘ambitious’

During an interview with Empire, Benedict Cumberbatch teased his upcoming film. And given his comments, we aren’t surprised that an exciting organization like the Illuminati is in Doctor Strange 2.

“It’s a big, big movie,” the actor revealed. “It’s going to be an absolute riot. And if it brings off the level of ambition it’s got, we’re going to have a success on the level of Spidey. There you go, I’ll put my flag in the sand.”

Spider-Man: No Way Home was the highest-grossing film of 2021 and is the sixth-highest-grossing movie of all time. It would be pretty impressive if Doctor Strange 2 reaches the level of success of the third MCU Spider-Man film.

Cumberbatch also said, “There’s a lot of reckoning. And a lot of self-discovery. Strange is almost a stranger to himself before this film unfolds and reveals what, essentially, is in his nature, that he then has to either confront or resist or fall into or become. There are some very bold ideas and some extraordinary tests of Strange and encounters. There are some very unexpected conclusions.”

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness premieres exclusively in theaters on May 6.

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