With the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness just weeks away, the buzz continues to grow at roughly the same speed the rumor mill begins to increase in volume.
We haven’t heard so much speculation surrounding a Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster since… well, since the last one, but Benedict Cumberbatch’s second solo outing has the potential and probability to deliver even more surprise guests and unexpected cameos than Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Premiere among them has been the chatter surrounding the potential appearance of an Iron Man variant, played by someone other than Robert Downey Jr. On top of that, Patrick Stewart’s voice cameo in the trailer and the presence of several empty chairs behind him has lend serious credence to the prospect of the Illuminati making their MCU debut.
In a recent interview with Empire, producer Richie Palmer was asked outright if we can expect either Tony Stark of the Marvel Comics brain-trust to show face in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and he gave exactly the sort of non-committal answer you’d expect from Marvel.
“As you saw in Spider-Man: No Way Home, some rumors ended up being true, some did not… I would love to see Tony again, but some rumors are just rumors. I will say that I love the Illuminati. But if we ever introduce the Illuminati in the future, it might be more MCU-driven and have some more ties to our characters in the MCU, versus just replicating what’s in the comics.”
Kevin Feige would be proud of the way Palmer doesn’t exactly say no, but hardly comes close to confirming anything, either. As always, then, we’ll have to wait until Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits the big screen before finding out these answers for ourselves. Or at least until the inevitable leaks begin cropping up online.