Just how permanent are some of the most shocking character deaths that take place
in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness"? Pretty permanent, it seems,
but like all superhero stories, there's always an out. Keep watching for what we mean.
Warning: Just in case the title didn’t give it away, Spoilers ahead.
From the death of He Who Remains in "Loki" to Spider-Man tampering with Doctor Strange's
spell in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," a lot has transpired over the last couple
of years in the MCU that has nothing to do with Thanos. All of those actions have
seemingly created a ripple effect, causing the multiverse itself to splinter and crack.
That leads us to "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," where the titular
sorcerer meets a teenager by the name of America Chavez. She has the ability to travel across the
multiverse, usually accidentally. This has attracted the attention of a demon
who wants that ability for itself. Naturally, it falls on Strange and
Wong's shoulders to protect the girl and the very fabric of the multiverse.
It's not just our Strange's reality he has to protect, but the fate of every reality.
As such, it should come as no surprise that a lot hangs in the balance, including the lives
of our heroes. And sadly, a few of Earth's mightiest do, indeed, bite the dust. While
death is rarely permanent in the comics, there's a good chance these deaths are going to stick.
When Doctor Strange and America Chavez travel across the multiverse,
they land in a reality where their version of Doctor Strange died.
Fortunately, he helped establish a coalition of heroes known as the Illuminati to protect this
universe from all kinds of threats, including their version of Thanos.
"The Illuminati will see you, Stephen."
This iteration of the Illuminati consists of Mordo, Professor X, Captain Carter,
Captain Marvel, Black Bolt, and Reed Richards. Richards is played by a debuting John Krasinski,
while Mordo, Captain Carter, and Black Bolt are all played by returning actors:
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Hayley Atwell, and Anson Mount, respectively. Professor X is the Patrick Stewart
one, reprising his role from the Fox "X-Men" movie series, though there are indications he's
playing a Professor X from a different universe. And the Captain Marvel here is not the one you
might expect. It's Lashana Lynch, who played Maria Rambeau in the "Captain Marvel" movie.
It's a ton of fun to see all these different characters occupy the same space together,
but viewers don't get a lot of time with them. Nearly as quickly as they're introduced,
they're dispatched courtesy of Scarlet Witch. One by one, she kills each member
of the Illuminati except Mordo, making Black Bolt's voice implode in on himself while Reed
Richards turns into spaghetti. It's one of the most brutal sequences ever depicted in the MCU,
and fans shouldn't expect these heroes to return, at least in any way we know them.
All of these heroes exist in an alternate universe. They're not part of the proper
MCU continuity, which is said to take place in Universe-616, curiously also the same designation
for the comics Marvel Universe. There's a good chance we'll never go to this Illuminati universe
again, so it wouldn't really make much sense to bring the heroes back. And even if these specific
heroes remain dead, that doesn't mean there aren't other versions of them across the multiverse.
The "Loki" series on Disney+ introduced the idea of variants. Since there are an infinite number
of possibilities out there in the multiverse, there's an endless number of different versions
of characters for fans to meet. We had the chance to see a few of these variants in action in "What
If...?" One of the most intriguing characters to come out of that series was Captain Carter.
Not only is she a hero in her own right, but she goes on to join the multiversal Avengers.
While there isn't confirmation yet, it's safe to surmise that the Captain Carter we see in
"What If...?" is different from the live-action one we see in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse
of Madness." After all, one of the universes Doctor Strange and America Chavez travel through
is animated, so who's to say Captain Carter from "What If...?" isn't from one of these?
So even though versions of these characters are
killed in "Multiverse of Madness," this may not be the last time we
see some version of Captain Carter and the other members of the Illuminati in the MCU.
Especially intriguing is John Krasinski's role as Reed Richards.
Does this mean Mr Fantastic exists in Earth-616? Would this version of Reed look like Krasinski,
or could he be completely different, much like the various Spider-Men who populated "No Way Home"?
Seemingly, Krasinski's appearance here is a tease for a future "Fantastic Four" role,
but anything is possible. Fans will just have to wait and see what the future of the MCU holds.
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