Doctor Strange 2 writer Michael Waldron addresses the missing Illuminati member

Doctor Strange 2 trailer
(Image credit: Disney/Marvel)

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron has addressed that missing Illuminati member in the film.

In the movie, the superhero group are made up of Hayley Atwell's Captain Carter, Lashana Lynch's Captain Marvel, Patrick Stewart's Professor X, Anson Mount's Black Bolt, Chiwetel Ejiofor's Mordo, and John Krasinski's Mr. Fantastic. But, look closely, and you'll spot an empty chair in the line-up.

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

When asked if he knows the answer or if it's left open for now, Waldron responded: "A bit of both."

While that doesn't clear up our questions on just who that extra member could be, it is a tease that the mystery other person was at least discussed. Whether we'll ever find out who that hero is remains to be seen, though.

Multiple other cameos were rumored for the movie, and Waldron has also revealed that Tom Cruise as Iron Man was discussed, along with a Deadpool appearance.

"Yeah, we talked about it," Waldron said of the Merc with a Mouth making a cameo. "I think we talked about everything in this movie. So, [it] would've been crazy to not raise that, but it ultimately didn't feel like... It just didn't feel the right place. But yeah, of course we talked about it."

Doctor Strange 2 is in theaters now. For much more on the movie, check out our explainers on:

Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English. 

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