Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness introduced us to the Illuminati on Earth-838. But did you notice that right at the moment Charles Xavier made his entry, there was an empty chair at the right corner of the Illuminati squad? So, there was a secret seventh member of the Illuminati, but who is it???
Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about that chair, and he said that this question about the vacant chair is unanswerable. He said: “Maybe that was just a mistake. Maybe the set [decorator] guy had one too many chairs.” Well, him saying that the question is unanswerable definitely means that there is an answer which Marvel doesn’t want to tell us yet. If you look to the very left, we had the smartest man alive, Reed Richards, of the Fantastic Four. To his right, there was Captain Marvel, Defender of the Cosmos. Then in the middle, we had Master Mordo. To his right came the mutant leader, Charles Xavier, floating in his yellow hoverchair. Then we had Captain Carter, the First Avenger. And the sixth member was Blackagar Boltagon, the Keeper of the Terrigen Mists and the Inhuman King.
But there was another chair which was empty on his left. So, who did this chair belong to? It had to be a past member because while introducing Professor X, Master Mordo said that he was the final member. So there are a few educated guesses for the seventh Illuminati member:
Superior Iron Man
It was rumored for a long time that Tom Cruise will play the Superior Iron Man variant in Doctor Strange 2. And everyone’s anticipation was bolstered even further when they saw Ultron sentries in the trailers. The common belief was that things never went wrong with Ultron in this universe. Tony thought of him as a peace-keeping program and created him successfully. Even though Iron Man did not show up, this could still be the case. He is a key member of the Illuminati in the comics as well. So maybe he would have been an ex-Illuminati member on 838 too.
The Tony Stark of 838 was probably smart enough to create Ultron. But being the so-called “Superior” Iron Man, he was extremely egoistic and didn’t like the guts of 838’s Doctor Strange or Reed Richards, or perhaps any other Illuminati member. So, he and the team could have had a falling out that led to him leaving the group. But it’s important to note that according to Michael Waldron, Tony Stark was never in the picture. Waldron did pitch an idea of an Iron Man Variant in the beginning, but nothing panned out because Tom Cruise was busy with the Mission Impossible movies. I’d love it if Tom Cruise’s Iron Man was part of the squad and now he could be planning an attack on Earth 616. But if that’s not the case, then Ultron in this Universe could have been created by Reed Richards himself. And that empty chair could have been left out for…
Doctor Strange 838
We know that the Doctor Strange of this universe was the one who assembled the Illuminati squad. After killing him, the Illuminati painted him as a hero who sacrificed himself against Thanos. So maybe, there’s no other seventh member, and they could have left an empty chair as a gesture… as a remembrance token to show the outside world that they still think of Doctor Strange as a member. He was and will always be one of the Illuminati. But if you think about it, why would the founding member get a chair on the right corner. Shouldn’t he be placed in the middle?
Master Mordo is obviously his replacement on the Squad. And guessing by his seat placement, he has obviously taken Strange’s spot in the middle. But if that seat right beside Professor X did indeed belong to Doctor Strange, then they probably would have left that one empty and given Mordo another one on the right! That would have conveyed their remembrance message in a better way. Maybe I’m reaching out far too much with these seating arrangements. But if you don’t like Doctor Strange idea, then there are a few other choices to fill that empty chair too.
Hank Pym
Besides Tony Stark and Reed Richards, Hank Pym is one of the smartest men on Earth. He was the one who created Ultron in the comics. So he could have done the same on Earth-838. Maybe he was the 7th member of the Illuminati that Doctor Strange recruited. Hank Pym had a falling out with S.H.I.E.L.D on Earth-616. He didn’t like their methods. And the Illuminati of this world has shown us that it doesn’t step back from taking shady decisions. So, Hank Pym may not have liked what these guys stood for. He could have exited the Illuminati as well. Maybe the Hank Pym of this Universe could still be middle-aged. But if he’s older like the one in 616, and has already passed on his mantle, then he may not have been the 7th member after all.
Balder The Brave
Initially, Thor’s brother from the comics was supposed to cameo as an Illuminati member. Wanda would have talked him into killing himself in the deleted scene. And Steven from Heavy Spoilers just revealed that Daniel Craig was going to play the part. But his addition didn’t make a whole lot of sense. So, his cameo was deleted and Reed Richards was added instead. There were already too many Illuminati members in the film so Marvel didn’t want to overstuff the scene. So Balder was replaced. But maybe we could presume that the vacant chair was for Balder and he was just off-world. Or perhaps Marvel didn’t want him in the lineup at all.
Black Panther
The King of Wakanda is a huge deal! Before Chadwick Boseman’s tragic demise, T’Challa was supposed to be the leader of the New Avengers alongside Captain Marvel on Earth 616. But now he’ll have to be replaced in this dimension. Still, that may not be the case on Earth 838. Since Black Panther is such a resourceful Superhero, Doctor Strange probably should have recruited him as well. But just like he didn’t agree with their proposition in the comics, maybe didn’t like what the team stood for on Earth 838 as well. So, he could have left the squad. But I personally think that the idea of leaving an empty chair for an ex-member is kind of non-sensical. It should belong to someone who is still on the team. Maybe this member was not able to answer the call of the team when Master Mordo caught Earth 616’s, Doctor Strange.
Namor The Submariner
Namor is also a huge member of the Illuminati in the comics. Michael Waldron suggested that there were talks to include him in the Illuminati. But Marvel had other plans for him. After all, he is supposed to debut as the antagonist of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. So, they probably did not want to introduce him as a hero before that. But maybe Namor could still be an existing member. Reed Richards made his entry with a very interesting transportation device. Namor could have shown up with a similar device. But he was probably busy with certain underwater affairs at that moment. Hence the vacant chair. But now, he could be the one plotting revenge upon Earth-616 when Master Mordo brings him in.
These are all the candidates I think could fit in as the seventh member of Illuminati. But my personal choice for this is still Superior Iron Man. What’s yours? Let us know in the comments.
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