One of the many things fans love about the Marvel Cinematic Universe is revisiting movies and TV shows on multiple occasions to see if there were any background Easter Eggs or references they may have missed, with the Disney Plus release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness potentially throwing up a doozy.
Since debuting on streaming last week, audiences have found themselves enraptured by the audio commentary track, which has thrown up all sorts of interesting tidbits regarding the development and production of the superhero sequel. However, one question a lot of people have that was never definitively answered was the identity of the statues located in Illuminati headquarters.
All sorts of theories have been floated online in the aftermath, but it’s been highlighted by MCU fans on Reddit that director Sam Raimi admitted one idol in particular was inspired by Xena: Warrior Princess of all things.
While it sounds like a strange connection on the surface, Raimi developed and executive produced the cult favorite series, with Lucy Lawless even making a cameo in his Spider-Man trilogy for good measure, so there’s clearly a lot of mutual admiration and respect between the two.
Does that mean Xena is official MCU canon, and was once a member of the Illuminati? Probably not, but it’s a fascinating thing to think about, especially when the multiverse means we’ll never know for sure unless Raimi or Kevin Feige comes right out and denies it. Until then, we’ll remain steadfast in the belief that she did fight side-by-side with the costumed crimefighters.