Doctor Strange 2 Writer Addresses Empty Illuminati Chair

The Illuminati was finally introduced to live-action during the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, serving as the de facto superhero group of Earth-838. As seen in the film, there appeared to be an extra chair available at the headquarters of the secret group, with fans speculating on who it could be for. Since Strange Supreme (Benedict Cumberbatch) was once part of the Illuminati before being murdered by Black Bolt (Anson Mount), some believe it was left open for him. Others suggest it was left for a character that has yet to be introduced.

Multiverse scribe Michael Waldron has been keeping busy on a post-release press tour, and was recently posed a question on who the chair belongs to. As you might expect, the writer was not able to confirm nor deny the rightful character the seat belonged to.

“That’s also an unanswerable question, but we talked about that a lot, though,” Waldron told The Hollywood Reporter. “Maybe that was just a mistake. Maybe the set [decorator] guy had one too many chairs. (Laughs.)”

When asked if he and Marvel Studios knew the answer, or if it was simply left open-ended,” Waldron responded that it was “a bit of both.”

Elsewhere, the writer once confirmed he and Marvel had discussed introducing Namor in the film, given the character is a part of the Illuminati in the source material. Eventually, however, the studio opted to not include the beloved Atlantean in the picture.

“[We] talked about him, because he’s certainly an original member of the Illuminati,” the Loki writer revealed. “But I think Marvel has other plans for him in the MCU. And so he didn’t make his way in this particular movie.”

Current rumors suggest the character is being played by Tenoch Huerta and will eventually debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever later this year.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now showing exclusively in theaters around the world. What’d you think about the sequel? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter to chat all things MCU!