In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Illuminati takes center stage at a crucial film moment that leaves the audience in awe. On Earth-838, this group of defenders included several surprising names that made up the movie's small carousel of fan-service cameos. Of course, the most discussed one was John Krasinski’s Reed Richards, an appearance that appeased the fans vouching for the actor to play the role. Besides Krasinski, the film featured Patrick Stewart reprising his role of Professor X from X-Men and Anson Mount as Black Bolt from Inhumans, both unexpected appearances that open several possibilities of crossover stories set in the MCU.

But since the film was trimmed down to 2 hours and 6 minutes, several other scenes got deleted or never even made it beyond the draft stage. Michael Waldron, the film's screenwriter, has recently revealed that the Illuminati could have looked different in earlier drafts he prepared for Multiverse of Madness.

In the film's commentary attached to its digital release (via The Direct), Waldron has shed some light on how he wished to include Wasp in a version of Illuminati. Waldron said that the idea came to him from the film Aliens and that Wasp was intended to meet the same fate as the Illuminati members in the movie. He revealed,

I think I watched Aliens and was just thinking about the way those Marines get massacred, and, yeah, I was glad it worked. I think originally, the Wasp was in a version of the Illuminati, and the Wasp shrunk down and flew at Wanda, and [Wanda] just clapped her hands and just smushed the Wasp in the first draft.

The Illuminati meets disastrous fate in the film's final version, where Wanda brutally murders them all, with Black Bolt facing the worst of her wrath. Black Mount was made a victim of his powers and died without a fight. If Wasp had made it in the film, it would have been her who would have made the cut for the worst demise, wherein Wanda would have humiliated Wasp's most significant powers.

Related: Blade: Re-visiting Marvel's Vampire Trilogy

Killing Illuminati Was The Film’s Biggest Step

The Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

People were thrilled to see the Illuminati assemble on-screen in Multiverse of Madness. But their murder came as a shock to them just ten minutes later. For a minute there, the Illuminati reveal was a tease to the multiversal crossover stories that could become a reality in the future phases of the MCU. In a split second, Raimi decided to blow those hopes away.

Apparently, that wasn't shocking just to fans. In the commentary, producer Ritchie Palmer recalled reading the first draft and seeing Waldron's plans for Illuminati in the film. Waldron said that the idea was just a hit and trial for him earlier and that it was just a swing he decided to take.

Waldron: I was just trying to get through the first draft of the script desperately in August of 2020. Didn't really have a second half of the second act and had no idea where the hell I was going. And I just thought, 'Well, why don't I take a swing and drop the Illuminati in there?

Reacting to Waldron’s statements, Palmer quoted,

Palmer: And swing you did. Those Jonathan Hickman Illuminati comics were some of the greatest comics ever written, I think those New Avengers comics from the Secret Wars era. But, Michael, I remember reading your first draft of the Illuminati stuff and just bring in disbelief, going, 'She kills all the Illuminati?’ He had her kill all the Illuminati. We're never going to be able to do this. Wait, can we do this? I wish we could do this.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness successfully appeased the fans with those cameos; however, the response to it has been divisive as fans expected to see a lot more of them. At a point, Waldron and Palmer were both skeptical of the response they'd get from Raimi over the planned course for Illuminati, but as it turns out, they gave the green light to it right away. Palmer said,

I was so scared someone was going to tell us we were going too far, and nobody ever did. Sam, you always helped us take it there. Kevin always encouraged us to push it further. Our other bosses, Louis D'Esposio, Victoria Alonso, everyone supported us every step of the way to push this movie.

Wasp might not have made it in the film, but Illuminati does exist in the multiverse now, and there might be a time when the group will make it into the primary timeline in the MCU. It's hard to say what will become of the group in the franchise, but they all have a significant role to play in the comics. And who knows, Wasp makes the cut in some other group version.