There were plenty of massive cameos included in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and according to a writer on the film, there was almost one more.
In an interview with Variety, writer Michael Waldron revealed there were talks to include a variant of Namor the Submariner as part of the Illuminati. But due to Marvel’s other plans, things didn’t work out.
“[We] talked about [Namor], because he’s certainly an original member of the Illuminati. But I think Marvel has other plans for him in the MCU. And so he didn’t make his way in this particular movie.”
According to reports, Namor is expected to make his MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. This was likely why Marvel chose not to introduce the character as part of the Illuminati in Multiverse of Madness.
The Illuminati has quickly become one of Marvel Studios’ biggest reveals in one of their MCU films. In the Doctor Strange sequel, this panel of multiverse heroes was tasked with protecting their universe from incursion and included many highly anticipated MCU debuts.
Waldron explained that the Illuminati came to be thanks to a team effort between the writers and Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige, who was excited to bring the team together.
“That’s kind of a combination of us putting forth, ‘Well, what if we did this?’ But also, Kevin’s as excited about this stuff as we are, so sometimes those ideas are coming from Kevin saying, ‘Well, what if we got so and so? I’m gonna do it! I’m gonna make the call!’ So he’s as excited about all that stuff as any of us. It’s a big, geeky team effort to see what we can assemble for that team.”
Fans may not have long to wait before they get a chance to see Namor in the MCU. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on Nov. 11.
