Geeking Out About Cinema #9: In Defense of Doctor Strange 2's Illuminati Death Scene

Speaking as someone who has always wanted to see the Fantastic Four and Black Bolt make their official debuts in the MCU, I absolutely loved what Doctor Strange 2 ultimately did with their characters. However, from what I'm noticing now with countless of fans online, people are having the opposite reaction to “the big scene”. You know the one. The scene where everything goes to hell for these big character appearances and the horror genre component starts to fully make its presence known. So, what I figured might be an interesting challenge to take on would be to see if I can address some of these big complaints that I’ve heard online surrounding the brutal death scenes presented and the Illuminati's inclusion as a whole.

Complaint #1: 

The Illuminati were just wasted cameos that showed up to get killed off

My Response: This movie is called the MULTIVERSE of Madness after all which means character cameos and Easter eggs are to be expected. In any multiversal superhero property, this is the type of stuff that fans should be anticipating with excitement or at the very least curiosity. Whether they're extensive scenes or quick guest appearances, it's all included for the sake of giving us something to celebrate and be surprised over (the fan service element) while focusing on our main storyline. In the case of Multiverse of Madness, our main story is centered on a monstrous demon-like corrupted sorceress going on a body count rising hunt for a universe where she can be happy. So with that context in mind, I'd say the Illuminati's inclusion was perfectly fine for what it was. An extensive character appearance that made us geek out and served the larger story of the villain's threat level.

Complaint #2: 

The Illuminati died too quickly like idiots. Marvel has ruined these characters!

My Response: Well…did they ruin them? The Illuminati is an organization working in the shadows making all of the secretive morally questionable decisions that shape the world as they handle major threats. In this universe, they’ve created a utopian world of peace and harmony all under the guise of hailed heroes (a Doctor Strange statue commemorating someone who they secretly executed for causing the deaths of millions) and a drastic lack of privacy (memory projections on random corners of the city exposing people’s history for potential security reasons). The point is, the Illuminati of this world is basically like what Hydra was aspiring to be from Captain America: The Winter Soldier without the obvious sinister attributes. Because of their victory over Thanos which was considered to be a massive galactic threat, and their seemingly perfectly secured world, they more than likely became full of hubris hence their arrogant statement towards our Doctor Strange's warnings.

What was that line from Maria's Captain Marvel again? “We’ll handle your witch”. Yeah they basically telegraphed their ultimate impending doom. This is what leads to their horrifying downfall being so shocking. Well, shocking to them at any rate. But for us who have been paying attention to what the movie was setting up with Wanda's power, we’re just patiently waiting for the train collision to happen. So, are the Illuminati dying off in the way that they did Marvel ruining the characters or did their deaths perfectly fit the story that was established considering we’re dealing with an alternate universe pit stop here? Also, this is a superhero horror movie. A lot of people aren’t emphasizing this enough when it comes to certain creative decisions being made.

What’s one of the most common tropes in classic horror? Think of the original Terminator movie, certain slasher films, Jeepers Creepers, or even zany sci-fi horror comedy b-movies like Killer Klowns from Outer Space. You have the protagonist trying to handle and escape the big scary monster, but in their run for survival, they get tied up with the policing authority figure who completely disregards their warnings of said impending doom. What happens after? The authority figure gets their rude awakening when said monster appears solidifying what the protagonist was trying to warn them about. And guys...it’s usually a pretty gruesome fate. Think about the Terminator police station shoot out scene but replace Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cybernetic assassin with Scarlet Witch and the police captain and his team with the Illuminati. Feels more appropriate doesn't it?

Complaint #3: 

Reed Richards was portrayed as being stupid when revealing Black Bolt’s power to Scarlet Witch

My Response: Well…here’s how I processed that particular scene. You simply can’t just overlook the blind hubris of the Illuminati (which again was already seeded earlier in their disregarding of Scarlet Witch being a major threat to them). In Reed’s position however, the whole idea was for him to try to de-escalate the situation because he was dealing with a hostage scenario. His universe’s Wanda’s body was being possessed by our Scarlet Witch variant so he had to approach things sensitively. Like a police officer, he tells the criminal (Scarlet Witch) that he has the place surrounded (Black Bolt’s power flex and other superheroes in the room) in hopes that the criminal will eventually just surrender (her ending the dream walk) due to realizing their overwhelming odds. 

If successful, this would thereby decrease any further potential casualties such as their Wanda’s body and any potential harm to their team and universe. Only this criminal so happens to be on a level that they didn’t anticipate. This ain’t Thanos or some other previous villain that they managed to take down with whatever powerful resources that they acquired to create their questionably peaceful world. Instead, these heroes are dealing with a reality bending corrupted witch that’s simply beyond and above their pay grade. The criminal tells the police “You don’t have the place surrounded, I have you surrounded” to which the officer turns around and sees all of his men on their knees as a massive gang shows up outnumbering them. In the case of this movie, it's Scarlet Witch saying “What mouth?” erasing Black Bolt’s unique power before proceeding to take them out one by one. 

Complaint # 4: 

There are no stakes for character deaths with the multiverse existing.

This is definitely a tricky one, but I'll see how I can carefully traverse the topic. Here's the thing. You’re absolutely right…in feeling that way. Character deaths are now placed in a questionable position considering the idea there is now an infinite realm of different versions of them all existing out there in the vast universe(s). However, just because there are other copies of a character, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the characters that we’ve followed along with for several years and have been attached to are now meaningless. If another version of Tony Stark shows up, it wouldn’t magically make our Tony’s death non existent or have zero impact to the history that has been established. I’d still cry and feel the weight of Endgame’s big heroic sacrifice scene no matter who shows up in the future that may look like or represent Ironman.

Also, what’s interesting about Reed Richards and Black Bolt's appearances here is that we’ve never seen them officially in our universe prior to this movie. And before anyone says anything, yes, I did watch the Inhumans show and, much like the Marvel executives, I’d rather disconnect it as much as possible to the movies. The stakes are actually higher for them because when they do eventually show up in our universe, we’ll always be reminded of their horrifying and mutilating deaths. It’s a visual reminder and a cautionary tale of them making sure that they keep their egos in check avoiding the mistakes that were made by their Illuminati variants. The same can be said for any characters that have previously died who may show up again in another form. This isn't resurrection that we're talking about here guys. Death is still very much final for a character until proven otherwise.